Lord of Prayer - Chapter 88 - 79: Back in Business

Chapter 88: Chapter 79: Back in Business

It looked like a fountain, but Zhou Chen felt it was more like a Wishing Pool.

Both the Ocean of Collective Unconsciousness and this Mysterious Space were intricately connected to the Wish Bottle. The fountain was the only object here, so if he let his mind wander, the first thing he would think of would be something like a “Wishing Pool.” It was a logical conclusion.

But the crucial question was: where was its water?

’Can you even call it a Wishing Fountain without any water?’

Zhou Chen approached and tapped the edge of the Wishing Pool. He then stepped inside to tap the two-tiered stone sculpture at the fountain’s center. He ran his hands over its surface, discovering that the entire structure was forged from an unknown material. It was ancient and imposing, and even with his rudimentary knowledge of Alchemy, he couldn’t identify what it was made of.

’No nozzles for water to spray out? That’s not too strange for an Extraordinary Item, I suppose. God knows what kind of method it would use to circulate water… Tsk, I can’t figure anything out. Even the design is a fairly generic European style…’

He retrieved the Wish Bottle from the depths of his Soul and tried to pour the Star Dust and starlites within it into the Wishing Pool, but nothing would come out. He then placed the Wish Bottle atop the two-tiered stone sculpture, but again, there was no reaction.

After trying for a long time to no avail, Zhou Chen had no choice but to retrieve the Wish Bottle. He decided to put the fountain aside for now and started examining the space itself.

At his command, the white mist billowed and swirled, constructing modern objects: a bicycle, a sun parasol, tables, and chairs. Then, the objects dissolved back into mist, only to surge and gather again, transforming into ancient, mottled creations of a classical style: a long bronze table, Obsidian Thrones, marble sculptures, and a grand pipe organ.

Zhou Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. It was like he had God Mode enabled here; he could create anything he could imagine with a single thought. The only exception was the fountain, which was immune to his manipulations.

’I wonder if I can create a person…’

Eager to try it, he let the thought surge. The mist before him roiled and ascended, finally solidifying into a handsome young man identical to himself. The only difference was his dazed expression and his wooden, empty eyes. He looked like a soulless shell.

’It actually worked?’ Zhou Chen jumped in surprise. He reached out and pinched the clone’s face; it felt exactly like real skin.

’I can just create people at will…’

An idea so daring it would get him a 404 error instantly crossed his mind. He hurriedly shook his head, casting the impure thought aside, and dismissed the Clone with a wave of his hand.

’It’s like I’m omnipotent in here. What on earth is this mist…’

He mulled this over as he walked to the edge of the space. The dense white mist flowed like water, seemingly endless. His vision couldn’t penetrate it at all.

When he reached out to touch it, a soft, yielding resistance met his hand. His palm couldn’t push in too far, just like an invisible wall in a video game.

’Looks like this is the only area I can move around in. Or rather, the only area for now…’

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment. At his command, Wish Bubbles of all sizes and brilliant colors materialized around him.

’The fact that Wish Bubbles can manifest here proves there’s a connection to the Ocean of Collective Unconsciousness. Perhaps this is the place that’s truly connected to the Wish Bottle, while the Ocean of Collective Unconsciousness is merely a way station. Only when my own Ability is great enough can I pass through that station to get here…’

’So what is this place? It can pull Soron in from all the way in Europe, and it can stealthily link to the Ocean of Collective Unconsciousness. No matter how you look at it, its Status can’t be low… Could it be a mysterious, unknown Forbidden Object? Or the server for a massive online social networking platform?’

As thoughts raced through his mind, Zhou Chen reached out to touch Soron’s Wish Bubble, wanting to see what he had been up to lately.

An image appeared.

[In a cramped rental, Soron smiled as he ended a cloyingly sweet daily call with his girlfriend. A gold-plated Alchemy License lay on his cluttered desk; he had passed the assessment and officially become a registered Alchemist.

Soron stretched and grinned in delight. “I finally passed the assessment! Next step is to make money to pay off my loans, then pay Kalina back what I owe her. But I’ll probably still have to use her money for our date tomorrow… sigh. I need to start making money, fast…”]

It was obvious Soron’s current wish was to pay off his loans.

For now, Zhou Chen couldn’t grant this wish. He had money, sure, but he couldn’t just wire it over. And if he were to buy one of Soron’s Alchemy Creations, he’d be getting the short end of the stick; there were much better things he could buy with that kind of money.

Next, he found the Wish Bubbles belonging to Birdman and Li Xiaoxiao and spied on them, hoping to learn about their plans.

[On the fourth floor of a club, Birdman answered a scrambled call from the dark web.

“Something’s gone wrong. The Curse is out of control,” a voice, fuzzy and indistinct with static, said from the other end.

“What about the item?” Birdman demanded anxiously.

“I activated a seal to suppress the Curse and brought the item back. I’m in a safe house now.”

“Thank goodness… But after this fiasco, the Star Association is sure to ramp up their inspections. It’s going to be very difficult to ship the item out now.” Birdman’s expression was grim; he seemed desperate to smuggle the item out.]

[At Jinzhu University, Li Xiaoxiao was strolling through a campus park. A student brushed past her and muttered in a nearly inaudible voice, “The operation failed.”

Her expression remained unchanged as she kept walking, but a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.]

’That’s it? Not much to go on.’

Sitting on the Obsidian Throne he had materialized earlier, Zhou Chen frowned slightly, tapping his fingers on the armrest.

’Both of their wishes are about desperately wanting to ship that item out of Jinzhu, but I haven’t seen a single useful clue… At least I can confirm that Eternal Fire was behind the incident with the cargo ship, and that there really was something they were trying to smuggle out on it…’

After a moment of thought, he tossed Li Xiaoxiao’s and Birdman’s Wish Bubbles aside and started looking at the wishes of his other acquaintances. He searched through them all but found no wishes that were easy to grant, so he had to broaden his search.

But checking them one by one was too time-consuming. Zhou Chen tried to send out his Essence to touch the bubbles, attempting to view multiple wishes at once.

Soon, his consciousness settled on a larger Wish Bubble.

[Under a bridge somewhere in Jinzhu City, amidst a patch of weeds half as tall as a person, a girl in ragged clothes was curled into a ball. Her lips were dry and cracked from dehydration. Her skin was flushed and slick with sweat, yet she shivered uncontrollably.

Her consciousness was fading from a high fever, and she had slipped into a semi-comatose state. Her lips twitched, muttering words too faint to make out.]

But Zhou Chen heard her.

He clearly heard her prayer, one filled with pain and anguish.

“Mom… I miss you so much…”

“So tired… I feel so sick…”

“Someone… please save me… anyone…”

“Save me…”

’That bridge is in the suburbs. It would take twenty minutes to get there at top speed. She probably won’t last that long… But if I pull her here, I might be able to save her by granting a wish. Bringing down a fever and restoring her physical health shouldn’t be hard… The wish value should be enough to cover it…’

With that thought, Zhou Chen’s consciousness reached out and pulled her into the Mysterious Space.

「Under the bridge.」

In her semi-conscious state, Lin Ya felt her Soul become light and buoyant. Her entire being seemed to float upward, flying toward Heaven as if finally liberated.

’Am I dying…?’ The thought had barely crossed her mind when, a second later, she felt her head clear. The high fever seemed to have vanished, and the awful feeling was completely gone.

Lin Ya opened her eyes. She saw white mist flowing like water beneath her feet and an ancient Obsidian Round Table before her. The surrounding walls had no doors and were adorned with Knight Armor, a bronze longsword, a Bow and Arrow, and a Battle Banner.

She looked around, bewildered. Then she saw it—a mysterious figure wreathed in thick fog, sitting directly opposite her at the head of the round table.

Lin Ya pursed her lips and nervously twisted the hem of her clothes. In a small voice, she asked, “Was it you who saved me? M-my name is Lin Ya. May I ask… who are you?”

“Don’t be nervous, Miss Lin Ya. You are very safe here.”

Zhou Chen smiled gently. “As for what to call me, you can call me—

—Lamp God.”