Chapter 367: He is Mani, the One Who Created the Emerald Scroll

The coalition army assembled to besiege the orcs of Strasbourg was composed of elite warriors from various tribes. Among these orcs, those who managed to escape the pursuit of Saint-ranked individuals from the Fars Empire and flee to the Red Dragon Strait were the cream of the crop. Ordinary orcs had little chance of survival, and only the strongest five Saint-ranked orcs managed to escape. The slightly weaker Saint-ranked orcs had already perished in the Fars counterattack.

The hundreds of thousands of orcs gathered here represented the pinnacle of the orc tribes. Neither Black Dragon nor Silverback Gorilla Choudrou was willing to sacrifice these orcs by transforming them into labyrinth guardians. Instead, they resorted to various means to turn these orcs into adherents of the Fleshless Creed. Only a stubborn few who refused to adapt were relegated to becoming labyrinth guardians.

Charlot Mecklenburg barely broke a sweat in conquering eleven cities on the northern shores of the Red Dragon Strait.

After taking over these cities, he remembered his identity as the divine champion of the Serpent of Fate and a legitimate priest. Thus, he established temples dedicated to the Serpent of Fate in each of the eleven cities.

Although this world recognized proper deities, its religious systems were far from the structured organizations found on Earth. Clergy serving the same deity did not form hierarchical chains of command, nor were there unified doctrines. The ranks of clergy were extremely rudimentary, divided into only three levels: apprentice priests, priests, and high priests.

Charlot, drawing inspiration from Earth’s religions, founded the Church of Fate and crafted 48 doctrines. The first doctrine was the most fundamental: all followers must believe in the Serpent of Fate and dedicate everything to please this sovereign deity. The second doctrine declared that the Mecklenburg family would always hold the position of head of the Church of Fate, forbidding other bloodlines from usurping its authority. The third doctrine required that all works created by followers must be published under the name of Annie Mecklenburg. The fourth doctrine forbade cannibalism, mandating that adherents of the Serpent of Fate must abide by the Fleshless Creed.

The Orc Assassin Alliance, under Septimius’ leadership, had previously introduced the Fleshless Creed, but it was a crude set of principles with many loopholes. Following it offered no tangible benefits. Charlot refined these flaws, imbuing the doctrine with sacred significance as a way to please the Serpent of Fate.

The fifth doctrine required followers of the Church of Fate to forsake their past identities—be they orc, human, Farsian, Ingrimian, Behemothian, or South Seraphian.
The sixth doctrine mandated that all followers practice the Beast God Transformation technique...
The ninth doctrine emphasized collecting books, preserving civilization, spreading knowledge, respecting art, and tolerating dissent...

Charlot also established a hierarchical system for the Church of Fate. All ordinary individuals were apprentice priests, while only those with extraordinary abilities could ascend to the rank of priest. These priests were ranked according to their level of extraordinary power, from first-tier priests up to eighteenth-tier priests. Nineteenth-tier and above required Saint rank to qualify as high priests.

Of course, the Mecklenburg family was an exception to these rules.

Charlot undertook these initiatives with a casual attitude, without any grand vision or meticulous planning. However, after converting the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of orcs into followers of the Serpent of Fate, he experienced something extraordinary one night. He faintly heard soft laughter—a sound suffused with an indescribable "joy."

A youthful voice remarked, “The Church of Fate cannot have only one author. Besides Annie Mecklenburg, I, the Serpent, can also be counted among its creators.”

“Well done. I’ll waive your debt.”

Charlot broke into a cold sweat. Hours passed before he felt his heartbeat return. It wasn’t that his heart had stopped; rather, his mental will seemed to have been sealed off, unable to perceive anything else.

As he was regaining composure, the youthful voice echoed again, saying, “You handled the God of Joy well. As a pet, it’s quite amusing. I’ll grant you twelve portions of the Joy of Fate!”

Charlot froze in place, his entire body paralyzed. The laughter continued, clearly deliberate, savoring Charlot’s discomfited state.

This time, Charlot recovered slightly faster. He dared not express anger, voice complaints, or even harbor internal grievances. Instead, he muttered a prayer:

“O Master of the River of Fate, who knows all mysteries and commands extraordinary rituals, I follow Your guidance and strive to bring You joy. If You are pleased, press one. If supremely satisfied, press two!”

After a long silence, Charlot assumed the deity would ignore his trivial attempt at humor. To his astonishment, the youthful voice replied without any trace of emotion:

“Do you want to know the origin of the Eye of Fate?”

Charlot desperately wanted to say no, but the Serpent of Fate left him no chance to refuse, continuing:

“You’ve even heard his name before.”

“He is Mani, the one who created the Emerald Scroll!”

A wave of shock surged through Charlot’s heart. He indeed knew Mani and the Emerald Scroll. Mani’s Emerald Scroll had even appeared in university textbooks, hailed as the pinnacle of humanity’s alchemical achievements.

Mani himself was regarded as the greatest alchemist in human history, his reputation eclipsing even that of Kabbalah, the philosopher who founded classical alchemy, and Hermes, the pioneer of traditional alchemy.

Charlot had once witnessed a group of alchemists use the Emerald Scroll to strip away Zimourman Axel Robin’s memories.

Overwhelmed by curiosity, Charlot muttered again:

“O Master of the River of Fate, who knows all mysteries and commands extraordinary rituals, may I ask how Mani came to be in this state?”

The youthful voice responded, brimming with amusement: “Not telling you!”

For the rest of the night, Charlot heard nothing more from the Serpent of Fate. However, he realized something critical—his probing had yielded results. The Serpent of Fate had responded with a playful jest.

This revelation filled Charlot with a feverish excitement.

Although the Serpent of Fate’s demeanor seemed almost human, Charlot never believed that a god’s mind operated like that of mortals. Did deities experience joy, anger, sorrow, or indifference? Were they emotionally stable or capricious?

This small test had provided Charlot with many insights.

It was highly likely that the Serpent of Fate had no concept of Earthly memes like “press one in the chat,” which suggested that it couldn’t fully perceive Charlot’s identity as a transmigrant. The Serpent’s emotional stability meant it wouldn’t punish Charlot for minor provocations. As for the playful jest, Charlot even considered it a divine favor.

After all, to be personally teased by one of the Nine Great Gods, the Serpent of Fate—wasn’t that an honor of extraordinary magnitude?

In any mythology, such an event would be recorded and remembered for millennia.

Of course, Charlot also understood that such tests were fraught with peril.

He resolved never to attempt them again.

Charlot rose from his chambers. A few feline maidens respectfully asked if he wished for breakfast, reminding him of his three Clever Cats. They had grown quite large, far more active and lively than when they were kittens, and now roamed freely around 58 Elysée Avenue, considering themselves part of the family.

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