Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

The representative of the Kingdom Army, Mekefa, and the priests of the Furnace Cult did not wait indefinitely; by the time Chaoyang stepped out of the reception, they had already left the central plaza, claiming they needed to investigate what had actually happened here. Clearly, they were frightened; the transformation of a long-abandoned frontier city into a bustling and prosperous metropolis was as shocking to them as a comet striking Earth.

"These fools," the Magic Goddess muttered, "don’t they realize that the initiator has always been right in front of their eyes?"

Honestly, Kokomoqi was somewhat disappointed.

The more she interacted with these people, the more she realized that her plan to support the Alliance Army was a failure. She had thought that with the geographical advantage of the Winter Country and the personal prestige of Duke Rosha, combined with the elite warriors left by the Kingdom Army, they might be able to hold their own against the Longjiu Family. But now it seemed there was a reason why they had been utterly defeated in the east.

Apart from the divinities and the aloof dukes, their eyes held few others.

Perhaps even the Royal Guards had not taken their opponents seriously before Wilson Longjiu captured the Royal Capital in one fell swoop. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"For them, everyone just fell asleep and woke up to find the City of Defense drastically changed. Such a transformation is indeed hard to accept," Chaoyang didn’t mind so much—after all, without hope, there is no disappointment, "Changing history is indeed quite mysterious."

"Do you need me to keep an eye on them?" Zhang Zhiyuan offered.

"No need; they are either Grandmaster Level Warriors or Executive Priests, sensitive to the slightest disturbance. Now is not the time to agitate their delicate sensibilities," Chaoyang said with a smile, "You all should take a stroll too, and enjoy the new City of Defense."

Leisk, however, was kept aside by him.

After waiting for less than thirty minutes, Amy came out from inside the building, "Ladies and gentlemen, the High Priest has prepared the audience seats. Please follow me."

The meeting place was not in the central plaza but on the eastern seafront.

Here too, there had been tremendous changes. The place that was once used to erect a scaffold for executions now boasted a beautiful memorial. The beach was lush with greenery, resembling a seaside park. Looking to the south, countless white sails scattered across the sea like petals, separating layer by layer from near to far, undulating with the waves. Most likely because Steam Constructs were too expensive, the majority of fishermen still opted for the fishing methods they knew best, and the numerous fish being dried on the seaside indicated that the profession, which was destroyed by Ransu Company fifteen years ago, had revived.

Additionally, at the junction between the city and the memorial, a splendid Holy Hall had appeared. Its main building had a full five stories, with a huge domed structure below and many decorative pillars around.

Amy introduced it as the Paradise Chapel, a sacred place where divinities often manifest.

By the time they arrived, someone was already waiting for them at the door.

"Let me take them up," said a gracefully composed woman stepping forward.

"Yes, Holy Maiden," Amy bowed respectfully.

"Hey, Chaoyang, isn’t that the little girl?" Ailuodi exclaimed in surprise. "So her name is Jia Ya."

"Yes, I didn’t expect her to still be alive," Chaoyang couldn’t help but feel emotional.

"What, do you know me?" The woman sensed his gaze and couldn’t help being curious.

"No... it’s nothing, lead the way," he said with a smile.

The Holy Maiden was none other than Envoy of Mist from fifteen years prior; she had once pretended to be a little sister in the Sweet Potato brothers’ house and later invoked the Mist God using her body as the cauldron in the cave. He had thought the girl had died at that time, but now she had grown into a slender and graceful young lady.

Time was indeed mysterious...

Although only a day had passed for him, for her, a full fifteen years had gone by. The girl who had matured was full of vigor in every move she made, as if she were a completely different person, yet the hints of her childhood spirit lingered in her eyes and brows.

However, the Holy Maiden didn’t turn away immediately because another person caught her eye.

She clearly paused when she saw Leisk.

The latter was nearly the same, equally taken by surprise.

"Partner, partner!" the parrot on his shoulder called out in real time.

"Holy Maiden?" Amy looked at the dazed Saintess with some confusion before the latter finally came to her senses, "Oh, sorry, please follow me upstairs."

The meeting place was arranged in a stone-built reception hall on the third floor of the Holy Hall.

It was far from as luxurious as the Church of Abundance, nor did it have the gear and compass decorations characteristic of the Mechanical Sect. The room was as ordinary as a proper hall, with nothing but a long stone table and two rows of chairs as additional decorations.

Seated on one side of the table were two people, one of whom was the High Priestess Enkui. The passing of fifteen years had made her look more like a big sister, with a new scar running from the corner of her eye down to her jaw and distinctly muscled arms that exuded a steely beauty. She was dressed not in priestly robes but in a combination of a wolf-skin vest and a black shirt. Instead of a clergy member, she was more fittingly described as a seasoned pirate.

Upon seeing the visitors, Enkui stood up taut like a bowstring—her gaze swept over the attendees, eventually resting on Ailuodi.

She then raised the corner of her mouth in a generous bow.

"I have finally waited for you... Master of Paradise."

"Eh?" Ailuodi startled.

"Enkui sis, what are you talking about?" Jia Ya, the Saintess, was equally shocked.

Chaoyang realized... the theme of entering the city this time was surprise, no one could avoid it.

"I and the Shadow Lord have been waiting for you for fifteen years... The Shadow Lord said you would definitely come back and before that, she would help us maintain the running of the Paradise Sect. Although the development of the sect may not be as you expected, it has definitely not strayed from the purpose of making the City of Defense more like Paradise."

As Enkui spoke, the other person had already removed their hood, revealing their face.

The moment Chaoyang saw her, he was reminded of the Haiwei People—this person had pointed ears, slender eyebrows, narrow eyes, and blue lips. But she was not exactly like the Haiwei People, for instance, there were no scales on her cheeks and neck, and her knuckles were thicker. However, no one would doubt her identity upon seeing her pupils.

Their pattern was constantly changing, sometimes a jumble of lines, sometimes falling snowflakes. When combined, they became an unfathomable mist.

She was the legendary Mist God.

"Great, great!" the parrot screeched, flapping its wings.

Leisk’s emotions were somewhat hard to contain for a moment; he opened his mouth excitedly, trembling as he stood up, but in the end, without uttering a word, he knelt on one knee.

"Predecessor..."

Kokomoqi’s hair stood on end like a porcupine—even in disguise, her anti-gravity strands betrayed her identity.

But Chaoyang guessed that the other party must have known already.

The Mist God was a powerful Latter Divine, and The Divine Country could definitely cover this Holy Hall.

So, he simply took the initiative to introduce, "This Shadow Lord... is the Mist God that Leisk has always mentioned. The reason the followers of the Paradise Sect can still receive responses from the divinities, I think, is all because she has been performing the duties of the divinities. Fifteen years isn’t a short time, and I must thank you on behalf of the Paradise Sect."

The woman known as the Shadow Lord shook her head with no smile, "No, the one who should be thankful is me. If not for your efforts, the Evil God would have come into the world, and I would have to spend a lifetime to imprison it, how many years I could persist is still an unknown. Supporting the Paradise Sect is merely my way of repaying, you needn’t thank me."

Obviously, she had not mistaken the identity.

Now it was Enkui’s turn to be dumbfounded. She had worshiped the Master of Paradise for fifteen years without a moment’s forgetfulness of the divine image. Furthermore, with time’s repeated polishing, the memory became even more vivid and bright, every detail distinct. So, even if Ailuodi had completely changed his appearance, Enkui could recognize him from the habitual actions, the same deity who descended with thunder and lightning. Yet, it was not until this moment that she realized she had always mistaken the person, the powerful and holy Goddess of Paradise... was a man.