FALLEN ORACLE

**Chapter 2: "The Lower Realm Entrance" (3)**

Remus knew Rich very well. Though their appearances were identical, Chen Yi's portrayal of the Pope was still full of flaws in mannerisms and gestures.But the weakness of human nature made Remus believe what he wanted to believe.Even though he had just learned that no one had ever passed this test, faced with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he uncharacteristically lost his rationality and failed to scrutinize the matter carefully."You must keep this test a secret," Chen Yi said. "Otherwise, it will cause discontent among others in the Church, and could even threaten the stability of the entire continent."Remus nodded repeatedly. As a potential beneficiary, he had no complaints about this."Good. Now let's go to the Star Gate. That's where you will undergo the test."This statement didn't strike Remus as strange. He knew that although the Pope could not ascend to the upper realm like ascendants, he often needed to receive divine oracles from the Star Gate.On those occasions, the room containing the Star Gate was heavily guarded, and the Pope himself would use a special strengthening spell inside to ensure the gate could not be opened suddenly.Because while the Pope was receiving the oracle, no one else could enter.To be able to enter the secret room where the Star Gate was kept together with the Pope, and to listen to the gods' teachings—that would be unparalleled honor.But then Remus hesitated. "But there are still some devotees praying on the ground floor. I'm afraid..."Chen Yi was inwardly surprised—they had hidden the Star Gate on the *ground floor*?But his expression remained calm. "Yes. As you know, this is very special. I absolutely cannot be seen by others. Find a way to clear everyone from the route, then come back here to me.""Yes. The Pope should be in the Kingdom right now—he came back secretly, without his other three chamberlains or anyone else, just to see me," Remus thought.Hearing this "perfectly reasonable" request, he nodded deferentially and left.About ten minutes later, Remus returned. Chen Yi made a quick mental sweep and confirmed that the path from here to the ground floor main hall was now empty of people."Let's go." Chen Yi stepped out first with feigned confidence.In truth, Chen Yi was also unfamiliar with the church's interior layout. But while Remus had been downstairs, he had noted the man's route using his psionic perception, so now he could also act as if he knew the way.Throughout, Remus followed obediently behind him, asking only one question in a respectful tone:"Does Your Holiness know the content of the test?""Only the gods know." Chen Yi replied coolly, projecting the image of a stern mentor rather than a lying impostor.When they reached the main hall on the ground floor, Chen Yi pretended to adjust his sleeves. He saw Remus standing still—he dared not walk ahead of the Pope."The gods' will is paramount. You go first. I'll follow shortly," Chen Yi instructed.Hearing this, Remus had no further doubts. Under Chen Yi's astonished gaze, he opened a hidden door behind the sacred fire and slipped inside.*Who the hell would ever find that?* Chen Yi thanked his lucky stars that his trick had worked. Otherwise, he could have searched for three years without finding the Star Gate's hiding place.He followed Remus through the hidden door, down a short corridor, and into a room lit by a Glow spell.The Star Gate, which had looked so unapproachable atop the Ascension Platform, now leaned casually against the wall like an ordinary door.In fact, quite a few people in the Church had access to this room—not just the four chamberlains and some senior clergy, but also the honor guard responsible for carrying the Star Gate to the Long Stair to Divinity.But aside from the Pope, the Star Gate was useless to anyone else. That was why Remus could easily bring Chen Yi inside."Good. Now go out and pray to the sacred fire in the main hall," Chen Yi said. "I will come out to notify you when the trial begins.""Yes." Remus bowed reverently and withdrew, carefully sealing the hidden door behind the sacred fire.Once Chen Yi sensed Remus sitting down on a pew, he pulled out Lisa's Forgetfulness staff from his storage ring."Chamberlain, just remember your devotion to the gods."Because Chen Yi had already placed a Psionic Lock on Remus, a flash of light emanated from the staff's magic core.Outside, Remus suddenly stared at the sacred fire with a blank expression."Wasn't I in my office? Why am I praying in front of the sacred fire?" He muttered in confusion.*Maybe I've been overworked lately. Lost focus.*Having lost his memory, he—like all others who had participated in the Rongqi Rite for millennia—easily accepted the new reality.Lisa was right: memory was a person's most precious possession. That also meant that magic that manipulated memory was also the cruelest.---In the secret room, Chen Yi began studying the magic circle on the Star Gate.As Professor Tress had said, teleportation was a magic that existed only in imagination. To craft such an earth-shattering spell into a magic circle—the skill of its maker must be unimaginable.He channeled a small amount of mana into the circle, carefully sensing the mysterious charm of this complex magic.For some reason, Chen Yi felt that this magic circle was both ancient and familiar—almost intimately so.The design of the mana manipulation was exquisite, yet paradoxically, the flow of mana within seemed obstructed."This magic circle hasn't been maintained," Chen Yi quickly concluded.Why was it so poorly maintained? Did the upper realm not care about this teleportation point to the lower realm? Or did they not know how to maintain such an advanced magic circle?At that thought, a smile tugged at the corner of Chen Yi's lips.He pushed the power of "Destiny" to its limit, instantly draining all the mana from the area around the Central Church.With the surge of colossal mana, the magic circle on the Star Gate began to glow with a brilliant blue-white radiance.As the magic circle activated, Chen Yi felt his body dissolve into the light.After a dizzying whirl, as the light gradually faded, two unfamiliar men stood before Chen Yi.Their clothing struck Chen Yi as very strange. The materials and tailoring were noticeably finer than ordinary garments.These must be people from the upper realm, guarding the other side of the teleportation circle.Chen Yi found himself in a small, dim room. Behind him was an object that looked like the Star Gate.He felt curious about the novel furnishings and arrangements in the room, but he dared not stare, lest he appear uncultured.One of the two men, upon seeing Chen Yi, immediately said, "Lord Rich! You're back?"Chen Yi nodded silently. He was still in the Pope's guise. Say too much and you'll make mistakes; not speaking was safest.Fortunately, the man's language was not hard for Chen Yi to understand.Three thousand years had passed, but the linguistic differences between the upper and lower realms had not diverged to the point of incomprehensibility."Do you need me to call a carriage for you?""No need." Chen Yi waved his hand with feigned composure.What a joke. If someone who knew Rich well—or a powerful psionic mage—had come, his disguise might have been seen through.Chen Yi said no more. He walked toward the exit while positioning his right hand in front of his left—he was casting a Psionic Lock. Even with the transmutation spell, the glow of the ring when channeling mana was still visible.---Outside the small building, he found himself in a modest open area surrounded by dilapidated walls.In the distance, he could see several towers distributed around the perimeter. Likely, powerful mages resided there—whether any of them had taken notice of him, he couldn't tell.On the other side of the open area was an open gate, with two alert-looking guards standing at attention. When they saw Chen Yi emerge, they immediately saluted.Beyond the gate lay a quiet alley, which led to a bustling street.Chen Yi walked out of the gate and glanced back at the sign:**"Junk Storage"**Below these four characters was a symbol—the same one he had seen on the nameplate of the woman named Mary. Beside the symbol was a line of smaller text:**"Magic Net Department, Lower Realm Management Office"**Unlike the grand Ascension Platform and the ornate Long Stair to Divinity that served as the "upper realm entrance," the corresponding "lower realm entrance" was disguised as an abandoned warehouse.Chen Yi understood that this "hiding in plain sight" was just a cover. The several towers made it clear that this place was actually heavily guarded.Probably most people in the upper realm had no idea that this was the entrance to the lower realm.Chen Yi slowly walked out of the alley:*"Gods... let me see if you are truly omnipotent."*