To be honest, Loresa's description was rather lacking in reference points – a vast and twisted consciousness, and only glimpses of its periphery. Such descriptions could be interpreted in at least ten thousand ways by any novelist. Of course, Hao Ren didn't intend to figure out what this elven queen's duplicate had seen back then from these mystical words. He only needed to confirm one thing: the "Goddess's Oracle" that descended on this planet ten thousand years ago was one hundred percent fake.
Because he had crucial witnesses: Muru, Lementusa, Ief, all of whom had personally experienced the Godslayer War, could testify that the Goddess of Creation had never issued such a bizarre oracle. Even if the testimonies of those guardians were unreliable, Hao Ren could exclude the possibility of the Goddess of Creation issuing such an oracle based on his understanding of the true god: the true god had no need to interfere in the evolution of mortal civilization in this way, as it was both unnecessary and harmful. Moreover, given the level of development of Holletta's magical civilization at that time, it was impossible for it to attract the attention of the Goddess of Creation.
"Do you think that 'consciousness' might be related to the Lord of Madness?" Vivian glanced at Hao Ren and asked in a low voice.
"The Lord of Madness has no 'consciousness,' but it's hard to say about the things that extend from it. We've already seen one Lockmarton, and who knows if there's another infected extraordinary creature lurking in the depths of this universe. For the magical empire of that time, they couldn't distinguish the subtle differences between those extraordinary powers. As long as the impostor got one or two items from the Goddess of Creation, the magical emperors would definitely be fooled."
"The question is, what's the meaning of this scam?" Lily, having seen enough of the scenery outside, joined the conversation. "It's such a big, grandiose affair, even creating a situation of forging an oracle and colluding with rebellious sons. Just to scam those magical emperors out of a few years of funding? The demon hunters they created are very powerful and have even touched the edge of the 'divine power' domain, but compared to the Godslayer War, it's not enough."
Lily's question was exactly what Hao Ren had been thinking. He frowned, instinctively feeling that the truth of the scam back then had actually been revealed – beneath the fog, the scam itself had actually transcended those biochemical experiments and the 'demon hunters' born with them. "Creating the perfect life" was probably just the tip of the iceberg of the whole scheme, and the real purpose of the mastermind was far grander than that.
And it was very likely related to an unsolved mystery in the Godslayer War.
"Who taught you the runes you arranged in the central laboratory?" Vivian suddenly asked. "Did any third-party forces contact you?"
"No," Loresa shook her head. "Those runes were knowledge that came with the oracle."
"Oh? The runes were also taught to you by the 'Goddess of Creation'?" Lily's eyes widened as she jumped up and down. "Do you know what those runes do?"
Hao Ren held down the somewhat overly excited Lily – her excitement was definitely not righteous indignation, but most likely just wanting to find an opportunity to howl a few times, after all, large dogs were forbidden to bark randomly in the royal district – and said in a low voice: "Those runes were created by the Godslayer race to fight against the Goddess of Creation, but those Godslayers shouldn't have the ability to simulate the Goddess of Creation's oracle. That requires not only combat power, but also theological knowledge. According to my understanding of those Godslayers, their cracking of divine power shouldn't have reached this level."
Loresa was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time, until she sighed softly a few minutes later: "What a complete lie. The proud magical empire was led by the nose and played for so many years."
"I thought you'd be more angry," Vivian curled her lips. "Looking at you now, you don't look like a 'magical emperor' at all."
"I wasn't originally... Well, I do get a little confused when those memories 'flare up' occasionally, but most of the time I'm very clear about who I am," Loresa said with a wry smile. "Besides, what's the use of being angry – ten thousand years have passed, and I still have to think carefully about where I should go, who has the time to argue with those ancients who have turned to ashes."
The carriage shook slightly as the wheels crossed the famous crimson rock road in front of the royal district. Through a crack in the carriage window, Hao Ren saw the towering outer walls of the palace appearing not far away, gradually pressing down on the carriage: they were passing through the gate of King Moron, the elderly king who had been waiting for a long time.
"Do you have any plans for the future?" Hao Ren asked.
"The first step is to understand this era, and then find a way to survive – that shouldn't be difficult. After that, I might try to find the countries established by the descendants of the elves. Although this 'Kingdom of Holletta' is also a place where various races coexist, I think it would be more convenient for elves to live with elves." Loresa said indifferently, her tone neither expectant nor apprehensive, as if she were really just planning a short trip.
Hao Ren raised an eyebrow after listening: "Ah, a good plan, but first you should consider how to negotiate with His Majesty the King inside – he may not want someone like you to become an uncontrollable factor."
Loresa's eyes narrowed slightly: "Oh? Are you saying... that the human king inside intends to 'keep' me?"
"Perhaps he won't force you to stay, but I think His Majesty the King certainly doesn't want you to walk out so swaggeringly and then leave his sight," Hao Ren smiled. "The elven kingdom should also be like that: as far as I know, elves are far from a race of saints who are pure of heart and have few desires."
Although Loresa was not the real magical emperor of that time, she was also a clever person, so she quickly understood the meaning of Hao Ren's words, revealing a thoughtful look.
"A 'magical emperor' from ancient times," Vivian also said from the side, "This is too shocking for any country on this planet. It's probably hard for you to understand what kind of reputation and influence you magical emperors have in today's Holletta – for most people, you are all synonymous with disaster. His Majesty the King may not think so, but he has to consider the stability of his kingdom more. Someone who possesses ancient knowledge, is powerful beyond the mortal realm, and more importantly, was the supreme ruler of the last era, such a person suddenly appearing in his kingdom, I think any normal king would feel uneasy."
Loresa frowned: "Ignorant."
"But it's human nature," Hao Ren spread his hands. "You no longer belong to this era, but you have returned to this era."
"Then what do you suggest?" Loresa looked at Hao Ren.
"It's simple, just emphasize that you're just a clone," Hao Ren said casually. "You're just a clone, with the same name as the elven queen Loresa, but other than that, you're just an ordinary elf, an ordinary elf who has been asleep for ten thousand years. You don't have any ancient knowledge, nor do you have the insight of a magical emperor. You participated in the experiment back then in a daze, and then fell asleep until now due to a lab accident, don't say anything extra beyond that."
"That's it? Will he believe it?" Loresa was a little doubtful. "Any ruler is suspicious..."
"Of course he won't believe it if you say it, but if a few of us say it too, then it's not certain," Hao Ren smiled and pointed to himself. "We are professionals in this field, and we have already helped Holletta resist an 'ancient disaster.' We have the most say on the issues of ancient remnants."
He had some unspoken words: Moron had seen the spectacular scene of the Irim excavator brigade drilling holes in the planet, compared to a suddenly popping up magical emperor whose authenticity was unknown, obviously Hao Ren, who had strong soldiers and horses and caused explosions wherever he went, needed "stability" more...
Loresa nodded thoughtfully, without any other objections.
At this moment, they had entered the palace.
The old king was still the same as Hao Ren remembered, or rather – looked even older and more tired, it seemed that the kingdom's reconstruction work after solving the "wound of the planet" and the guardian crisis was quite heavy, greatly depleting the energy of His Majesty the King. Facing an "ancient magical emperor" from ancient times, full of doubts and unknowns, His Majesty the King did not hold an overly grand reception ceremony, but only summoned a few confidants and church leaders to participate in this meeting.
Including the female marshal Aufra and the new pope who took over the position of pope after the martyrdom of the previous pope, and several ministers whose names Hao Ren could not remember.
The development of the matter was as Hao Ren had expected: Moron was indeed unusually vigilant about such a suddenly emerging "ancient magical emperor," although his attitude was very tactful, it could still be felt with prior knowledge. However, this vigilance was greatly eased after Hao Ren and his party explained Loresa's situation.
Just a clone.
Aufra, on the other hand, showed extra attention to Loresa.
This female marshal had been curiously looking at Loresa from beginning to end, and after the meeting ended, she stayed behind specifically.
"So you created the ancient species?" Aufra asked bluntly.
"Ancient species?" Loresa obviously hadn't heard of this term.
"It's the 'perfect creatures' you researched," Hao Ren explained. "They are called demon hunters on our side, and ancient species on this side. The one in front of you is an ancient species. Logically speaking, she is a descendant of those 'perfect creatures' you researched back then."
"So that's how it is," Loresa nodded, quietly looking at Aufra. "What do you want to say to me?"
Aufra looked at Loresa for a while with a slight frown, then suddenly shook her head: "Forget it, there were many things I wanted to say before, but now I feel there's no need. No matter what, I actually have the opportunity to see the creator of our race... not bad."
She left after saying this.
After there was no one else around, Loresa asked in a low voice: "Did she want to kill me just now?"
Hao Ren coughed twice: "Ahem... it shouldn't be to that extent. But to be honest, your behavior of only giving birth and not raising them back then was indeed a bit unethical."
"...What could we do? No one expected the sudden end of the world before."
Hao Ren thought for a while and felt speechless: "..."