Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

896  Finding the Extractor

'I guess it's my fault that I look so ordinary. However, why is he being so aggressive?' Vale shook his head as he reached this thought.

"I am here on urgent business. The sky darkened for an hour, and I believe that someone in your temple knows what's going on. I need to speak with your Pontiff."

The acolyte shrugged nonchalantly. "Rules are rules. No one goes up without paying the fee."

Vale's patience was wearing thin. "And what is this fee?"

The acolyte's grin widened. "A secret. You must share a secret with me, something you've never told anyone."

'What the—Is this the reason why this is the Church of the Lord of the Secrets? They had to know about their secrets?' Vale relaxed and felt a bit amused by the situation.

This part wasn't reported in the Arcane Bureau's reports. It was probably just made up by this acolyte, or perhaps, it wasn't really that important to be reported in the first place. Anyway, since he wasn't feeling any threat from the sudden solar eclipse, he decided to just take his time and follow this young acolyte… Although he could just force his way, it wasn't harmful to just go with the flow for now.

Vale then considered for a few moments… He considered what lie or what secret he would share.

'I should probably tell a true secret… May secrets were some sort of currency of power of the Lord of the Secrets.' Vale thought but knew that it was too much to think about it.

Then, he leaned in closer to the acolyte… "Very well. A secret, huh… I once spared an enemy who had wronged me deeply, believing that mercy would change him. It did not. He betrayed me again, and many lives were lost because of my decision. Is that secret good enough…"

Strangely enough, as soon as he spoke, he felt a power similar to Divine Sense scanning him. It was subtle and wasn't really an invasive sort of detection.

'Interesting…' Vale thought as he tried to sense where the Divine Sense came from but failed even after doing so.

On the other hand, the acolyte's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"Interesting. People would normally say something like the secret crush or the things they've stolen when they were young… Hehehe… You may proceed."

Vale continued his ascent, and each step brought him closer to the temple.

However, there was also a strange pressure building up around his body. The air grew colder and the path felt suffocating…

But this challenge was just enough for Arcanists. It wasn't good enough to hinder Vale's progress. If one looked at him, it would seem as if he was just taking a stroll. Completely unbothered by the Formation Arts that were placed on the stairs…

'This is not a bad challenge. Maybe I can use this method as an exam when I build my own Academy?' Vale thought for a moment.

Then, as he neared the top, he sensed a presence watching him.

Shadowy figures flickered at the edge of his vision, so he knew he was not alone.

'They must be the Masked Archons I've heard about. They're actually quite decent… No wonder the Arcane Bureau can't handle them.' Vale mused as he confirmed that only those at the half-immortal level could probably handle these people.

'Very impressive… If they have the number, it wouldn't be surprising if they can contend against the Fortune Goddess' church.

Finally, he reached the entrance of the temple...

Shane appreciated the sight for a moment. After all, the grand doors were adorned with intricate carvings depicting the deity of the Goddess of Concealment.

Then, after confirming that the shadowy figures weren't planning to open the door to him or invite him inside, he decided to do it himself.

'Are they being wary of me? Well, I guess that sounds fair.' Vale thought. He knew how powerful he was, and if he was in their position, he might also keep his distance.

With a sigh, Vale pushed the door open and stepped inside. The temple had the scent of incense, and it was also filled with Arcane Energy... If he was a normal Arcanist, this place would surely benefit him when imprinting Spell Models in his Spell Lights.

Anyway, the interior of the building or church was dimly lit, with candles casting long shadows on the stone walls.

At the far end of the hall, a figure stood waiting. Vale was able to guess that it was the Avatar of the Goddess, her form ethereal and radiant. Her eyes, like pools of liquid silver, met Vale's with an intensity that made him pause.

Nonetheless, Vale's first opinion was that this beauty seemed more profound and attractive than Farah, the Fortune Goddess.

"Vale, the Shadow Immortal," she greeted…

Vale nodded. "That's me… The sky darkened for an hour. And I felt something off about it... Do you know what happened?"

Actually, Vale also wanted to ask about the Chaos Alchemist and the Blood Soulcaster. However, the matter with this realm was more important, and he had to know what was really going on.

The Avatar's expression grew somber after hearing his question.

"The darkness was a warning, a sign of a great disturbance in the balance of realms. I sensed numerous people cursed by time isolate the Human Realm, preventing any dimensional travel… I do not know their purpose…"

"They did what? Ahem… They isolated the Human Realm? Just why?" Vale was confused.

However, the Avatar just smiled… "It could be for our benefit… It depends on how you view it."

Vale shook his head… "Preventing us using dimensional travel, huh… But will it stop them from coming to us?"

Seeing that Vale was not satisfied, the Avatar's gaze softened. "Do you want to do something about it? There is always a way, but it will not be easy. You must find the Divine Extractor…"

As soon as Vale heard this, he immediately looked closely at the goddess's eyes.