FALLEN ORACLE

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

A magic circle was similar to a staff. As long as certain conditions were met, or mana was directly channeled into it, the corresponding magical effect could be triggered.The water-based trap spells used during the monster attack on the academy, as well as Lisa's psionic recovery magic marks, were essentially magic circles.Unlike staves, magic circles could not exist independently; they had to be etched onto a physical object.For example, if a magic circle was carved onto a leaf and the wind blew the leaf away, the circle would be carried away too. If the leaf was damaged, the circle would also be damaged.The area of effect of a magic circle could not be adjusted—it always activated within a certain range around the circle itself, though the size of that range could vary.Additionally, unlike staves, which drew mana from a stored magic core, a magic circle absorbed mana directly from the surrounding Magic Net—exactly like a mage casting a spell.Therefore, with proper maintenance, a magic circle could last forever. However, the magical skill required to set up a magic circle was far higher than that needed to make a staff.Generally speaking, as long as you mastered a spell and had a suitable magic core, you could craft a staff for that spell.But to create a magic circle for a spell, besides being extremely proficient in the mana guidance process, you also had to modify it according to the properties of the object being etched. This process tested the creator's creativity and understanding of magic.Chen Yi not only judged that the Star Gate was a magic circle for teleportation to the upper realm, but he also believed that this magic circle could be activated from either side. This conclusion was based on the following reasoning:The Divine Communion spell could only be used on a target while they slept, and the range of Telepathy was clearly insufficient to transmit information between the upper and lower realms.So if the Pope, as the administrator of the lower realm, had urgent business to report to the upper realm, those methods would not work.A more likely method was for him to use the Star Gate to go to the upper realm himself. And if some unexpected event occurred in the lower realm, he could use it as emergency escape.If the Star Gate was activated from the upper realm side during ascension ceremonies, then when the Pope went to the upper realm on his own, he would have to activate it from the lower realm.Except during ascension ceremonies, the Star Gate was stored somewhere in the Central Church. This secret location was presumably accessible only to the Pope, as a person from the upper realm.After several days of observation, Chen Yi discovered that the ground floor of the church, besides the main hall for prayer, also housed some resident devotees.The second floor was where the church's monks and administrators lived and worked.The third floor was occupied by senior management, including the Pope, and was generally off-limits to unauthorized personnel.Therefore, the Star Gate was most likely stored on the third floor.Just then, Chen Yi saw a familiar figure pass in front of the sacred fire—Remus, the Pope's chamberlain.The Pope's chamberlains were responsible not only for attending to the Pope's daily needs but also for some secretarial work. They were among the Pope's most trusted people.According to Chen Yi's investigation a year ago, Pope Rich had four chamberlains.This time, when Rich went to preside over the masses in the two nations, he had taken three chamberlains with him, leaving only Remus behind to manage the church's daily affairs—a testament to his trust.Chen Yi secretly aimed his ring at Remus and cast a Psionic Lock on him.His command of magic had grown increasingly refined. With the help of the psionic ring "Memory," he no longer needed to painstakingly recall the guidance process and could easily cast Psionic Lock without his spellbook.Not only that, the power of his Psionic Lock had greatly increased—it could sense farther distances and last much longer.After doing this, Chen Yi left the church and quietly waited for nightfall.---**Late at night**Chen Yi arrived at the side of the church. His psionic perception was now far beyond what it had been before.Because the mental strength of the monks inside was far inferior to his, the positions of everyone in the church were clearly mapped in his mind.After using Intermediate Strength Enhancement to silently jump up to an open window on the third floor, Chen Yi hid in a corner and cast a transmutation spell on himself.Since few people wandered the third-floor corridors late at night, and Chen Yi was fully aware of everyone's positions, he easily avoided detection and made his way to the office door of Chamberlain Remus.Due to the shortage of staff, Remus was still working at his desk even at this late hour.In the dead of night, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He opened it—and stood frozen in shock."P-Pope! How are you back?"The visitor was, of course, not Rich, but Chen Yi using his transmutation spell.Recently, he had made subtle adjustments to Tiya's transmutation spell to better match the Pope's current appearance. It had clearly fooled Remus, who was a trusted confidant."Ahem." Chen Yi cleared his throat. "I haven't actually returned. I've simply come to see you.""To see me? But how is that possible? You should be in the Kingdom of Klem right now.""Through the power of the gods, naturally." Chen Yi put on an inscrutable expression. "The gods have conveyed a new oracle to me. They have decided that you are to undergo a trial."Remus, deeply immersed in the doctrines of the High God Church for many years, was extremely devout. He believed unquestioningly in the Pope and the power of the gods.Remus felt both flattered and awed. "The gods want to test me?""Yes," Chen Yi nodded, presenting his carefully prepared lie. "No one else must know of this, because this trial concerns—the next Pope."Remus could hardly believe his ears. "You... you mean..."Only the Pope could receive divine oracles. He was the only person on the continent who could communicate with the gods while awake. Not only that, during mages' Divine Communions, the gods paid no attention to what the mages said.But the Pope, representing the continent, could truly convey mortals' wishes to the gods. Countless miracles had repeatedly confirmed this.It was for this reason that the High God Church was so revered on the continent of Alpha, and why the Pope held such a high position within the Church.Chen Yi continued, "You must have wondered why every Pope is appointed by the gods—they almost always appear suddenly. Yet so many people in the Church have dedicated themselves to the gods, so why are they not recognized as the next Pope?"A year ago, it was precisely this strange, long-standing pattern that had led Chen Yi to deduce that the Pope was likely from the upper realm.The Pope served for life. The so-called "sudden appearance" of a successor was simply the upper realm sending a new administrator to replace the previous one.An aging or failing Pope could also fake his death in the same way as Chen Yi and return to the upper realm.Everyone else in the High God Church—aside from the Pope—were from the lower realm. The upper realm could not tell them the truth, nor would they entrust the lower realm to their management, nor grant them "divine oracles."Chen Yi cleverly exploited Remus's unfulfilled desire for the papacy to continue his lie:"In fact, before appointing the next Pope, the gods give priority to giving someone within the Church a chance. But over the long history, no one has ever passed the test.""Remus, I must congratulate you. Today, the gods have revealed to me—you have been granted the chance to be tested."