Two days later, the Church issued two documents, which had been signed by the Pope, to other parties.

The first document was a cease-and-desist addressed to the Sorcerers’ Association. With rather harsh wording, the Church demanded that the Sorcerers’ Association lift the ban that it placed on the sale of spatial-magic materials. This document contained some threats, as well, ordering the Sorcerers’ Association to help the Church in its angel-summoning ritual. Failure to comply will incite the wrath of the gods, the Church warned.

The second document was addressed to the public. It was a missing person notice, on which was stated that the High Priest of the Church had been missing for five days. Not so much as a word had been heard of him.

The Pope was frightened but infuriated that the High Priest went missing right when more angels were preparing to arrive. This made him suspect the Voidwalkers. In a bid to rescue the High Priest, the Church announced a monetary reward for anyone that could return the old man.

Since the Church needed time to prepare, it did not publicly declare war on the Voidwalkers. However, the threat it issued the Sorcerers’ Association alarmed many, including the Sorcerers’ Association, an organization that had never been threatened since its founding. After Vice President Grant read the Church’s letter, he hurried over to Da Xue.

After replicating the manner of greeting that ancient Rohlserlians used, Grant dropped to a knee in front of the Sage-Emperor, who he had always looked up to. Without wasting any time, Grant respectfully handed the Church’s letter over to the Archmage.

“What do you think of it, Your Majesty?” Grant asked.

The Archmage asked the man to get back to his feet and said, “There’s no need to bow to me; I’m not an emperor anymore. I’m just an old man,” he said, chuckling.

When the Archmage finished reading the letter, flames erupted from his palm and burned the paper to a crisp. This accurately mirrored the Sage-Emperor’s feeling; he was furious.

“So, we managed to anger a cabal of four gods. Ha!” He sneered. “So what? The Voidwalkser fear nothing, even gods that meddle!”

A terrible aura burst out of the Archmage, and it was as though the legendary emperor of old, who stood above his enemies, had returned. As VP Grant was standing close to the Archmage, he got the full brunt of the pressure, causing his knees to go weak. Grant fell down to his knees and had an intense urge to kowtow.

In the next second, however, the aura vanished, and the Archmage once again exuded the air of a kindly old man[1]. “Oh, but I’m more interested in what you sorcerers think. Am I to expect your submission, or do you plan to stand and fight? Come, show me what modern-day sorcerers are made of!”

Grant’s expression was a solemn one; after all, this was the reason for his visit.

After thinking for a while, the vice president replied, “I consider the Church’s warning an insult to u — an affront to the Sorcerers’ Association’s pride and legacy. However, I do fear that only a few share my thoughts on this matter. A lot of sorcerers may appear to be atheists, but some are not just over-religious, whilst others have family members that are devout followers.

“Then, there are some that enjoy beneficial ties with some people of the Church. Even the ban we placed on spatial-magic materials elicited a negative response.” ”

Grant’s explanation was a lengthy one, but the message being passed across was clear: the Sorcerers’ Association had submitted to the Church, as its members did not wish to face divine judgment!

The Archmage was silent for a short while, after which he said, “I heard that the Association is going to elect a new president.”

When Grant heard that, he stood up straight and replied with renewed vigor, “There are several vice presidents contesting for the position. I probably do not even stand a chance!”

The meaning behind this reply was very clear; the Archmage instantly realized what he was getting at. The old man chuckled and pulled out a stack of research papers from his storage pouch. He handed the papers to Grant and said, “Just the tip of the iceberg.”

Grant read the title headings on the pages out loud, “On the Plausibility of a Communication Network Powered by Magic? Um, Application of Cloud Technology Across Domains? The Market Value of Next Generation Magic In the Closest Fiscal Years?”

He did not understand what any of these meant.

“When you finally know what these mean, you’ll realize that you now hold an insurmountable advantage over the other contenders. We call this the ‘Technological Revolution’,” the Archmage solemnly said. “It is driven by so many new and unique ideas and concepts. I don’t think that even you can wrap your head around it for now. One thing’s for sure, though; it’ll bring a positive impact that will change the world as we know it. Whoever is smart enough to pave the way will be forever immortalized in history!”

Although the Archmage made no mention of the power or influence one could earn through the project, the idea of one’s name being forever remembered was appealing enough. Some people believed that a good name was the best reward, seeing as no amount of money, power, or authority could buy it. A lot of people were already rich and powerful, but how many of them would be remembered forever?

Grant, too, shared this belief. He wanted more than anything to be remembered long after his death, so the Archmage’s words appealed to him greatly [2].

“What I’ve shown you is just a small taste of the revolution. Whether you’re worthy of joining us is up to you to prove,” the Archmage said. “Naturally, this technology can only be utilized if we emerge victorious in the war. I can’t imagine why those of the Void would lose.”

Like a child that had just been praised by a teacher, Grant nodded vigorously and hugged the stack of papers he had been given tighter. After a few more words were exchanged, he left.

The Scholar Walker had quietly watched everything unfold, and when Grant left, she said, “He’s brimming with confidence now, but at the same time, he seemed unsure of where to channel his energy.”

With the knowledge Baiyi had passed on to them, the Voidwalkers were no longer satisfied with their dream to build mobile games. They wanted to do more now, like becoming pioneers, who would usher in Isythre’s own industrial age, by melding their magic and the technology from Earth.

If the Voidwalkers’ dream was realized, they would be able to push the realm to a new height of unprecedented progress. With this achievement, the Voidwalkers will be more than just legends.

They will be revered just as much as gods were!

Naturally, the road to such achievements was long and grueling, even for the geniuses that resided in the Void. To pull this off, they needed much more than perseverance; they needed a lot of funds and manpower. If the Voidwalkers were visionaries to lead the realm into a new age, then someone else had to be a fat, rich cat and invest in this venture.

VP Grant was to be the fat cat.

However, the Archmage was right: none of that would matter if they lost the war that was to come. Nevertheless, acquiring the support of an influential vice president from the Sorcerers’ Association was the right call. The vice president did not seem to understand the magnitude of what he had just been invited to join.

“Anyway, let’s set that aside for now. Call the rest in for a meeting. After all, the Church has decided to wage war against us,” The Archmage said calmly.

Soon, all the Voidwalkers in the real world had gathered in a hall, awaiting the Archmage’s big announcement.

“Has anyone of you done anything to provoke the Church lately?” The Archmage asked, looking at the confused Voidwalkers in the hall. “I need to know why they suddenly declared war on us.”

The Archmage’s gaze shifted to the Cleric Walker. “You! Don’t tell me you harassed some girls from the Church!”

The gentleman in question waved his arms wildly in protest. “I did not! Did! Not! Don’t you pin this on me! All I’ve done is lie within the tall grass to peek up their skirts! I swear, I only do this in Da Xue!”

“What about you, hmm?” The Archmage looked at the Paladin Walker. “Did you lick the thighs of any female clerics or female believers?!”

“For gods’ sake; I don’t even have a bloody tongue!” The Paladin exclaimed.

“So, what did you all do, then?!” The Archmage bellowed, audibly frustrated. “Why would the Church suddenly declare war against us right freaking now? Why the hell would four gods suddenly get so angry that they decide to send more angels after us?!”

The Archmage was anxious. Now that VP Grant had gone, the old man did not have to reign in his emotions.

“Wait a moment. Weren’t you calmer when the news broke? Wherever did your confidence go to?” The Scholar Walker asked.

“Why do you expect otherwise?” The Archmage snapped. “Hope isn’t with us! Isn’t he the one that has all our memories and supposed to be our ray of hope? He’s not here! This is just like the time you equipped your sorceress the best sword ever, only for her to end up getting captured by the enemy the instant you deployed her. Does that not worry you?”

“Er, why give a sword to a mana user?” A Voidwalker asked.

“That’s not the point! This is something I just made up; it’s absolutely not based on a true story,” the Archmage replied as he returned to his seat. “We need to figure out the Church’s motives and be prepared to make sacrifices. Right now, we are trapped between saving Noirciel and waiting for Hope’s return. This isn’t the best time to fight a war!”

The old man’s gaze shifted to the Cleric Walker and the Paladin Walker. It was as though he had decided that they needed to be sacrificed.

“I told you; it does not have anything to do with us!” The Cleric Walker hurried replied, visibly panicking. “Honestly, I think it may have been your arrogant technology revolution thingy that pissed the gods off!”

“What a load of crap. We’re just trying to make the world a better place for all! They should thank us for doing their job, not punishing us. What are they, morons?” The Archmage sneered.

“If our dream is realized, the gods’ usefulness will be severely diminished. I think it’s within reason that they react angrily!” The Paladin Walker said, likely out of fear of being “sacrificed”.

“The hole in that theory is that we’re still stuck in the preliminary stage. We’re still very far from our goal. Hell, none of us has a complete understanding of the technological knowledge we were given! How could we have attracted their attention when we haven’t started anything yet?”

“What if — what if it’s because we’d decided to save Noirciel?” The Soul Armature Practitioner suddenly asked. “The timing is suspicious, isn’t it? That’s the only unusual thing we’ve done recently. And now, this has happened…”