THE INNKEEPER

“A secret of the Spectrum?” Lex repeated, surprised to hear such a thing. The Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum was something Lex had heard mention of frequently, for it dictated so much. The entire way in which the many races lived and operated within the universe was entirely dictated by that spectrum.

Of course, Lex could not say for certain if it was because of the spectrum, or if the spectrum merely recorded the order of those races. Either way, there was a very real, very tangible benefit for being higher up on that list.

As such, it was easily understandable why someone might want to learn its secrets. It was just that Lex didn’t believe those secrets could so easily be learned. The fact, then, that Shireen was so casually mentioning it to him, without knowing him all that well, must be that it was already common knowledge by now.

“Indeed. As it turned out, the Angels and the Devils stumbled upon a secret of the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum which involved having control over both a Heaven and a Hell. But their plans remained undetected till almost the very end. The Devils, with their innate cunning and resourcefulness, set an elaborate trap, ultimately ousting a majority of all Hellions from Garvitz, and took control.

“At the same time, the entire race flocked to Garvitz, turning it into their racial hub across the universe. Objectively speaking, for the Devils this was a good move. For the Humanoid Alliance, however, it presented a moment of weakness that the enemies of the race took full advantage of.

“The Celestials were locked to their realms, unable to help, while the humans, once one of the more powerful members of the alliance, suddenly faced outright suppression the likes of which it had never seen.

“By this time, the Angels had managed to take control of a majority of Eden, but they hadn’t been able to do so in its entirety. Countless enemies of the Humanoid Alliance took this opportunity to help the Seraphim to prevent the Angels from gaining a stronghold and strengthening the alliance overall.

“They reached a deadlock that continued for a very long time, and the Angels, despite not having control over the entirety of the realm, began to gain benefits from the partial control. They gained control over divine energy, and unlocked a partial transformation, much like the Devil’s complete transformation.

“Just when it seemed like the Angels would eventually gain control over the realm, the humans fell. Through betrayal and deceit, their Dao Lords were cornered and killed – one of the most deadly confrontations in recent history. It is exceptionally rare for a Dao Lord to die, so the death of multiple Dao Lords shocked the entire universe, and significantly weakened the entire Humanoid Alliance.”

It was not everyday that Lex got direct actual answers about ancient history, so he did not want to disturb Shireen while she spoke. Even so, he could not help but be curious about how exactly the humans were targeted, and how their Dao Lords fell. Cassandra once mentioned that she was from a prominent human family, yet even she didn’t tell him the details of how exactly the human race declined.

“As the power of the Alliance waned the situation became much more precarious for them. More importantly, the flaw in their defenses due to such a drastic change allowed the alliance’s enemies to peek into some of their secrets. The plot concocted by the Devils and Angels was revealed, and suddenly various other powers in the universe intervened. No one wanted the Angels and Devils to succeed in their plans, but at the same time they could not have a falling out with them either. The Celestials were not to be trifled with.

“Eventually, a compromise was made. The Angels gave up their territory, retaining control over only 50% of Eden, putting a stop to their plan to give birth to the Nephilim.” Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire

“Who are the Nephilim?” Lex suddenly asked, sensing that this was very important, not just to the story, but to himself as well.

“I do not know the details. All I know is that the secret of the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum has to do with the Angels and Devils together giving birth to the Nephilim, but it can only be done if both of them control a Heaven and a Hell. That is why the Angels were prevented from gaining control over Eden.

“Of course, I am skipping over thousands of details, each of which is very important, but that is the gist of it. Ever since then, despite no longer being at war, the entire universe has subtly conspired to ensure that the Angels do not grow much stronger. As a result, over the years, we have remained relatively stagnant, while our enemies grow stronger.”

“Wait, that doesn’t make sense. If this is a plan by the Angels and Devils together, why don’t the Devil’s help out the Angels? At the same time, are you saying that the Angels are really as strong as the Seraphim? As strong as the race that literally has a resort for Dao Lords?”

“Naturally the Angels are stronger than the Seraphim, not just as strong,” Shireen said, sounding almost offended. “Angels exist throughout the universe, while the Seraphim only exist within Heavens. More importantly, they are a member of the Humanoid Alliance, which is a major universal player, unlike the Seraphim, who can only be considered strong within their own territory at best. If it weren’t for external influences, the Seraphim would have never been able to withstand their assault.

“As for why the Devils don’t help the Angels, I cannot say. Perhaps it has to do with the conditions of unlocking the Nephilim. All I know is that the two have never really tried helping each other. In fact, their relationship is quite competitive, if not outright hostile.”

“While all of this happened, didn’t Mother Nuwa ever intervene? Why did she allow the alliance to weaken like that?” Lex asked, testing the waters to see if Shireen knew about her. Yet the Angel only shook her head.

“I was a warrior, always fighting. I did not get a chance to learn the deeper secrets of our alliance – all I knew was the situation of the battlefield.”

Though she said that, Lex could not help but notice a subtle shift in the angel’s body language as she said that, as if she felt incredibly uncomfortable discussing the topic. A few ideas popped into his head, but he did not reveal any signs of noticing the change. After all, he didn’t believe that a Celestial immortal couldn’t control their body as they wished. Either it was bait, or there was something seriously wrong with these Celestials, both of which could be very real possibilities.

“I can’t believe that even you, as a candidate to become a Dao Lord, did not know these things.”

“I might have known them once,” Shireen said. “But all sensitive information would have been wiped from my memory before being handed over as a prisoner. It makes it that much easier for me to be abandoned by the angels.”

“I see. In that case, do you happen to know how exactly the human Dao Lords were killed? Or who killed them?”

“I don’t know the details, I never fought on those battlefields. All I know is that the humans suffered some kind of massive betrayal. Back before their decline, the humans were just as powerful if not more so than Devils and Angels, and had especially strong diplomatic ties. As one of the most widespread races in the universe, far more than even Elves and Dwarves, humans had an immense innate advantage over everyone.

“They were honored guests wherever they went, from the treasure hoards of dragons to the majestic halls of the Henali to even the spirit mountains of beasts. At the same time, they were feared wherever they held domain, for their adaptability made almost the entire universe a habitable place.

“Conversely, when they fell from grace, hardly any of their former allies continued their relationships, with many of them even turning outright hostile. Beasts, especially, took to hunting humans as a sport, while even the Devils among the Humanoid Alliance used humans as fodder to farm their demons. Perhaps only the Henali remain faithful to their old alliances. With such a massive falling out, it’s hard to say who exactly was the one that betrayed them. At least it is not public knowledge.”

Lex sighed, as if he was lamenting the past. In truth, he was trying to determine how much of what he had heard was true, and how much of it was false.

It was basically impossible that the resort didn’t know about the angels approaching him, so he decided that this was likely some kind of indirect bait for him by the resort to see how the Inn would treat its prisoners. Whether Shireen was complicit in such a plan was not something he could guess, nor did it actually matter.

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