Chapter 550 - 392: Absolute Truth

Chapter 550: Chapter 392: Absolute Truth

"Star... Creation?!" Isaac’s pupils constricted slightly. He looked at Avin in surprise as he listened to his introduction of the research camp’s core project.

"That’s right, Star Creation." A young man wearing a blue, narrow-sleeved robe slowly approached, smiling. He addressed Isaac, his smile widening, "You should know the difference between a Star God and a planet, so I won’t go into too much detail. We’ve been interested in planetary Little Worlds like Brurel for a long time. Unfortunately, the Association’s luck hasn’t been great. In the past, we were never the first to discover these planetary Little Worlds..."

As he spoke, the young man’s expression turned helpless.

Isaac nodded in understanding. In the current age of great exploration across the New World, most people’s first impulse upon discovering a Little World was to absorb it!

That included Isaac himself—the only difference being that he was simply more efficient at utilizing its resources before the final absorption.

This young man was the Grand Arcanist Moens. His appearance was quite Ordinary, not at all like the High-Tier Legendary Mages, who were always so... distinctive.

This was to be expected. After all, Arcanists didn’t receive a power boost from their advancements in the same way Legendary Mages did.

Of course, even if they could, Arcanists generally wouldn’t go out of their way to acquire such enhancements, as they weren’t passionate about combat. However, if an Enhancement was beneficial to their research, that was another matter entirely.

Therefore, Moens’s appearance was still that of the young man he was when he advanced to Tier Three. Most Arcanists—except for the less talented or the late bloomers—maintained this look. A few even manually altered their appearance to match.

’A youthful appearance gives off an energetic vibe, which is good for research, and for swind—oh, no, I mean, applying for funding.’

’But Moens probably doesn’t need to do that. He... shouldn’t, right?’

Isaac harbored this slightly malicious speculation but let none of it show on his face. Instead, he smiled and offered a greeting.

"I’ve heard your name for ages. Finally, I get to meet the man in the flesh, Grand Arcanist Moens."

"The feeling is mutual," Moens replied with a smile.

"So, is this ’Star Creation’ project really what I think it is?"

"Of course. I’m not a fan of fancy names; it’s best to state the objective directly." As he spoke, Moens paused abruptly and glanced at Avin before continuing, "Naturally, that’s just a personal habit. I’m not suggesting you do the same. When you need to conceal something, you should still conceal it..."

Halfway through his sentence, Moens suddenly realized that his words were coming out all wrong... His first piece of advice wasn’t suitable for Isaac. If Isaac wrote his project proposals honestly, they would be rejected one hundred percent of the time. He was a Mad Witch, after all!

But telling him *not* to write honestly would make him sound a bit like Avin...

Seeing Moens suddenly at a loss for words, not knowing whether to continue or take it back, Isaac just smiled. He didn’t linger on the awkward moment and proactively changed the subject back to the "Star Creation" research.

"Is it possible for an artificial planet to become a Star God?"

At these words, Avin’s face filled with terror. Moens, on the other hand, just looked at Isaac in astonishment. Although the same thought had crossed his mind, he didn’t dwell on it, because he could tell from Isaac’s tone that his reason for asking was purely out of simple curiosity.

Besides, this was the most important question in their entire field of research!

This was the greatest purpose of their research—to clarify the most fundamental difference between a Star God and a planet!

"We don’t know," Moens said seriously.

"You don’t know?" Isaac was taken aback. He then gave Moens a suspicious look and, projecting his own inclinations, said, "You’re not planning on God Creation too, are you? Don’t do anything rash. That’s a taboo! An act forbidden by all the gods!"

Moens and Avin: "..."

The two stared speechlessly at Isaac, whose expression was a complex mixture: three parts righteous indignation, three parts disbelief, three parts utter shock, and one part "I can’t believe you’re that kind of person." ’Anyone else has the right to say that, but you?’

’The sheer hypocrisy!’

"...This is a legitimate research project..." Moens said helplessly. "There is absolutely nothing in it that would displease the Church!"

Moens wanted to explain further, but after a glance at Isaac’s expression, he let out a quiet sigh and gave up. ’This guy’s already made up his mind,’ he thought. ’It’s hopeless...’

In truth, Isaac hadn’t changed his mind at all. Not only had he already formed his own conclusions, but he was also projecting his own motives onto them!

"...Because up until now, this is the first planet of its kind that the Association has been able to study. Everything is still an unknown, and we’ve only just begun collecting much of the data." Moens paused, his expression turning serious. "That’s why we were hoping you could help us with some of this data, to lend us your expertise."

In this day and age, when it came to Knowledge about Deities, it might be an exaggeration to call Isaac the world’s foremost expert, but he was definitely in the top ranks. After all, according to the latest intelligence, he was suspected of having mastered the power to enslave Deities!

So many exceptionally talented Mad Witches had sacrificed their lives pursuing this path in the past. To this day, Isaac was the only one who had truly mastered the power to enslave Deities without first advancing to Tier Five—and he seemed to do so with remarkable ease.

It was clearly far easier than the method used by Demigod Mages, who relied on absolute power to suppress Deities.

With that, Moens led Isaac deeper inside.

From the outside, the Arcanists’ camp looked remarkably plain and simple. A collection of pure-white igloos, each two or three meters high, dotted the landscape. Scattered around the camp’s perimeter were a few large, plump snowmen that were, in fact, Golems. The whole place looked just like a native tribe’s settlement on the vast, snowy plains.

The camouflage seemed to be at its maximum setting, but in Isaac’s view, it was utter nonsense.

Because where were they?

The Antarctic of Brurel!

The average temperature in this wasteland was dozens of degrees below zero, sometimes even dropping to over a hundred below. Anyone without significant power couldn’t survive here, and anyone with power wouldn’t deign to live here.

So the whole effort was like trying to give a sly wink to a blind man.

But this was the Truth Association... Even if their presence was painfully obvious, no power would dare to provoke them.

Beneath the plain and simple exterior, however, lay a shockingly vast Space.

Take the igloo Isaac was now entering. From the outside, it still appeared to be only three meters tall, but the moment he stepped inside, the space was breathtakingly immense!

It was as large as a dozen football fields!

Just inside the entrance, a massive circular platform spread out before Isaac. In the center of the platform was a gigantic, bottomless pit that resembled an Abyss.

It was pitch-black and terrifying as hell.

"Hm? This feeling..." Sensing the faint, yet eerie, Divine Power emanating from the massive pit, Isaac’s brow furrowed. He turned to Moens. "Is this... really a legitimate research project?"

Isaac caught the scent of the Incomprehensible Pantheon from that eerie Divine Power!

"You sensed it?" Moens was surprised, then overjoyed. ’Just as I thought,’ he reflected. ’The decision to bring him in, while risky, was definitely the right one!’

"Rest assured, this part was also approved. All the relevant contracts were signed under the witness of [Truth]," Moens said with a confident expression. "Even a Deity from the Incomprehensible Pantheon, no matter what tricks It has, can only cooperate obediently."