Chapter 89: Clues
After the investiture ceremony, his excited heart calmed down, but the new King of Heaven felt neither the expected excitement nor the joy he had anticipated.
Although God had prepared a place for him beside the throne—not just in the heavens of Saturn, but in the Great Cathedral in the ninth heaven.
From now on, he would sit higher than anyone else, higher than any creation in history.
He then realized what God had promised him, and why the former Archangel had been so hostile towards him.
Of course, he felt no guilt or other emotions; God had chosen him, and this was his honor.
He greeted the angels of the Seventh Day one by one. He remembered most of their names. Unlike their previous avoidance, they were friendly. Those unfriendly faces were gone; Arios, Admiral… he might never see them again.
Adam was a thing of the past; now they respectfully called him "Son of God." The angels' reverent gaze reminded him of humanity on earth.
It seemed no different, yet something was different.
"This is your sleeping quarters," the Cherubim said with a smile, leading him into a magnificent palace.
Unlike when he was human, he was now full of energy and needed no rest, but he still begged God for a little more time to say goodbye to his past.
He felt that God knew what he was going to do. He closed his eyes, and three spirits floated out of his body. In that instant, he felt he had lost something.
Abel, Awan, Akliman…
They floated silently in the air, without materializing.
Because their consciousness had returned to nothingness the moment they returned to his side.
He knew that would make him whole again.
Even so…
Eve's tears streamed down his shoulder; the warmth, etched into his soul, could never be forgotten.
She was him, and yet not him, just as he had once said, the moment she separated from him, she had become an independent person.
But in the end, she destroyed herself, all to achieve his fulfillment.
Tears welled in his eyes; from birth until now, he had always been this sentimental.
Eve was beyond redemption, but he still wanted to do something; he couldn't simply take away the existence of his former children.
He knew that perhaps in God's eyes, this was foolish.
But how many foolish things had he done? He wasn't afraid of adding one more.
God stood at the door, seeing clearly his thoughts and decisions.
"Messiah," God called.
"Father!" Messiah awoke from his reverie and saw God's figure. He stood up, staring blankly as his Father walked towards him.
God already knew that Messiah did not agree with his beliefs.
Although he didn't say it aloud, and even his outward piety remained unwavering. www.com.cn
From the day the wall of light was built, his understanding of evil differed subtly from his own.
Now, this difference had become more pronounced. God did not wish to influence or forcibly change his understanding. The Son might be young, but his compassion was genuine.
His emotions were both a weakness and a strength.
"If you do not wish, then so be it," God said. "Since you do not wish to erase their traces, I will grant your wish."
'Almighty Creator, you are all-knowing and all-powerful, yet you do not understand emotions.'
God frowned, and because of the Mother of Mankind, relaxed the restrictions on humanity.
"Preserve their will after death, along with that of all people."
The Messiah paused, realizing the meaning of the myth.
With God's words, the three previously still spirits suddenly flickered, as if they had gained their own thoughts.
"Father!" The Messiah was deeply moved, not merely by the simple bond of father and son. The moment Adam died, worldly love and hate had severed all ties with him.
He was moved by God's promise to all humanity. From the moment he became the Messiah, he knew the meaning of human birth.
Humans were born to cleanse the world of sin.
After death, the sin within a person decays along with the body, while the spirit ascends to Heaven as a pure soul—this was the rule God had ordained from the beginning.
However, God neither permitted human spirits to possess will nor endowed them with meaning or value.
This is why Hell was unable to reclaim Cain's soul until Lucifer could no longer wait and took Cain, body and soul, together.
Thus, the dead either linger in the realm of chaos forever because of their attachments, or, like Abel and the others, ascend to Heaven as unconscious spirits.
This is certainly one outcome, but for God and for the long-term development of the world, it is beneficial.
But from a human perspective, it's undeniably cruel.
"You must understand, once you have a ego, it's not easily controlled."
"The world of the dead will not only open to Heaven, but also to Hell."
"So, do you still insist?"
With a choice comes the possibility of going to Heaven or Hell. God's gaze was fixed on the silver-haired Son. The clouds of Heaven moved swiftly, and they descended to the Ninth Heaven amidst the swirling clouds.
"From the moment you granted free will to your creation, wasn't this already destined?" Messiah replied blankly.
"Then I entrust the faith of humanity to your care." God then revealed a rare smile. The light and holiness of the Crystal Heaven enveloped the Son, just as God's expectations and trust in him at this moment shrouded him in a halo of holy light.
"Thus, whether it be prosperity or destruction, the future of humanity is entrusted to you."
"This is my true word, unalterable."
The divine voice, vast and powerful, instantly altered the laws of the world. From this moment on, the spirits of the dead possessed autonomous will.
The Messiah was deeply shaken. He rose from beside his throne, about to say something, when Metatron came to report to God that the angel Edna had returned.
The Messiah's gaze followed God's as he looked towards the Seraphim.
The Prime Minister of Heaven, suppressing his excitement, said, "Her mental state has broken through. Emerging from the Pool of Rebirth, she possesses the potential of a Principality..."
This was the first case in history of an angel emerging from the Pool of Rebirth whose level had not decreased but rather increased.
Perhaps her cleared cultivation would require time to rebuild, but she undoubtedly became easier to advance than ordinary Principality.
"Let Hania lead her," God said, sounding unsurprised.
This meant promoting her to the position of Vice-Principality of the Archangel.
Knowing this was Enoch's wife, the Messiah couldn't help but pay attention.
"Won't you see her?" Metaront asked, somewhat disappointed, as this seemed inconsistent with the fate God had initially predicted for Edna.
The angel longed for God's guidance, but God seemed unwilling to explain.
"I already know," God said gently to the new King of Heaven, without much further comment.
"Heaven is temporarily in your hands."
The Messiah only had time to ask, "Where are you going?" before watching God vanish without a reply.
At that moment, the Son suspected that God's haste in bringing him here was to facilitate his own departure from Heaven.
"That's just how God is. You might not be used to it now, but you'll get used to it later," Metalont said to the seemingly dazed Holy Son. "But long ago, God wasn't like this. Perhaps we often disappointed Him."
Because God reigns in Heaven, the world yearns for light and holiness. The era the Seraphim longed for was one where God sat in the Great Cathedral, surrounded by angels—a peaceful happiness that seemed to last forever.
"No, it was like this before," Messiah murmured, gazing in the direction God had disappeared.
"Father doesn't actually like staying in one place for long."
God loves nature, mountains and rivers, appreciating the moon and flowers, and life and vitality.
Why create the world? Perhaps because He craves excitement more than any other creation.
"The Great Cathedral might be a kind of confinement—" He instinctively fell silent, then saw Metalont looking at him inquiringly.
"I apologize, I just had this feeling."
"You don't need to apologize, Your Highness," Metaront said. "Raphael gave me some fine tea; perhaps you could spare a moment."
"We can find a place to sit down and enjoy it," said the Heavenly Prime Minister, who never extended an invitation.
"Of course, I also need your help in many ways," Messiah replied, looking back at him.
For a moment, sincerity filled the eyes of both the angel and the Son, and they both chose to forget this paradoxical statement.
Meanwhile, decades had passed on Earth. Edna died after giving birth, and war broke out once more. The Lord of the Eastern City, who had been lying low for decades, invaded.
The invader was Lamech, a descendant of Cain. Lamech inherited Cain's ambition and possessed an even greater lust for power than his ancestor.
He believed that the loss of the King of Men was the perfect opportunity to seize power, so he organized hundreds of thousands of soldiers to attack the capital city.
However, the war ended shortly after it began.
"I've given you many chances," Enoch said calmly, having captured Lamech on the battlefield, watching the rout of the enemy's army. It was a rabble; once the leader was captured, the rest scattered.
Previously, he had used the name of Adam's firstborn son to harass them, but on a much smaller scale.
"I regret to inform you that you are unwilling to accept my offer," Lamech said, his eyes filled with a desperate will to live. He pleaded, but seeing Enoch's cold and hardened heart, he hardened his resolve and fell to the ground.
"If you release me, I will tell you a secret," Enoch said.
"A secret that can raise the dead," he said in a low voice, glancing around mysteriously. "I will only tell you this to one person."
"You are insulting me," Enoch said, and was about to order the guards to take him away for execution.
"No! It's true, listen to me!" Lamech grabbed his sworn enemy, the one who had humiliated him decades ago and hypocritically "returned" the city that rightfully belonged to him.
Even now, he hadn't forgotten that humiliation, and for decades had sought to oppose him.
"Everyone says you are wise, able to see through truth and falsehood, so how could I dare to fabricate lies to deceive you?"
Enoch stared at him, for he held the Book of Heaven, and human lies could not deceive him.
Lamaech spoke of a city that could resurrect his wife.
The devil had said something similar to Cain: darkness and blood would awaken Awan from his slumber.
Lamaech told Enoch that the City of the Dead in the Abyss was the realm of the dead, from which one could bring back anything one desired—
Not just people, he emphasized.
What he said was true, and so was his malice, or rather, he had no intention of concealing it.
The angel abandoned her husband and newborn child, her frail form dissipating into particles of light before him.
Edna spent a long time convincing him to accept this fact. They had a profound farewell, leaving no regrets.
But was that truly the case?
Love, though fleeting, is as entwined as vines; it cannot be easily let go.
Otherwise, so many wouldn't have come to rob him upon hearing of Enoch's loss.
Lammet was merely a messenger of the devil, like a cycle, hell evolving with the times, always accurately grasping what people desire most.
Will he follow Cain's path?
However, God found Enoch's heart surprisingly calm; at least, his inner thoughts couldn't be discerned. He seemed unaffected, simply ordering Lamech to be taken away and imprisoned. But that night, he held his son, gazing at him intently all night long.
Finally, he returned the child to his parents.
"I need to attend to some matters and may not return for some time. Methuselah and this city are entrusted to you," he said to his father, who was still in his prime.
"I did not wish for you to leave at this time. The situation has been turbulent for decades, and it is because of you that the people here have enjoyed a prosperous and stable life," Jared said, looking at him.
After the Ancestor of Man departed, people lost their only commonly recognized ancestor, and everything fell into chaos. The world fragmented into countless cities, large and small, and these new cities did not necessarily accept the old order.
The title of King of Men was already precarious. If Enoch were to leave now, it would be like a queen bee abandoning her hive; greedy ants and ferocious brown bears could easily pluck the honey.
"Even the progenitors of humanity couldn't achieve unity and stability, so how can I boast?" Enoch lowered his eyes. "That's human nature. Even if I could stop them once, twice, or three times, what difference would it make?"
"Struggle and conflict are endless."
"You just don't want to do it. What could possibly be difficult for you?" Jared criticized him, but quickly looked away. "Clearly, you already have your own ideas, so why ask for my opinion?"
"You know what I mean, son," Jared squeezed the fingers of his grandson in his wife's arms. "This child has already lost his mother. I don't want him to lose his father because of some vague hope."
"I know my father. The dead are gone, and the dead cannot be brought back to life." Enoch looked at little Methuselah, his gaze sharpening.
Moreover, angels don't die; she has simply returned to heaven.
His hand curled slightly until he released it due to the sting, leaving deep finger marks on his palm.
It is precisely because of this that such a crude and obvious trap appears evil.
"Compared to war, born from the whims of human nature, this is the true evil that defies the will of God and nature."
No matter who it was, or for what purpose, who revealed this news to him, he could not stand idly by.
"Of all things in this world, only death and rebirth deserve reverence. I will not allow them to desecrate her death, nor can I tolerate their cruelty in toying with life."
"I don't understand what you're saying," Yare said, frowning. Even after hearing his son's words, he still couldn't understand why Enoch would disregard the safety of his child and the entire city for such evil, acting so recklessly.
He even brought up righteousness.
"You're getting older. Before, you had someone to comfort you, to give you some life."
Though he said this, Yare actually felt that it was precisely because his daughter-in-law offered so much comfort, because Edna always went along with it, and because the young couple often discussed unconventional matters in the study, that Enoch had become increasingly out of control.
To put it bluntly, even the stones in the temple have more humanity than his cold, lifeless son.
"Do whatever you want. Your mother and I will protect this city for you until we die."
Enoch sensed the underlying displeasure in his father's words. He composed himself, saying nothing more, only letting out a barely perceptible sigh.
"You needn't worry, I won't let anyone invade this city."
He forgot that he wasn't speaking to Edna.
Intelligent yet detached from the world, excessive clarity can be seen as coldness. Decades spent with angels had allowed Enoch's thinking to transcend the limitations of a single race.
However, this clarity was not recognized in this corrupt world, even rejected.
More than human interests, he considered long-term, far-reaching gains and losses beyond human concerns—a stark contrast to the Messianic sentimentality.
God watched Enoch bid farewell to his parents and subjects, embarking on his journey alone, and had to admit that He was once again moved by this young man, no longer naive.
Having lost Edna, with whom he shared a deep connection, the human eyes, though lonely, remained resolute.
God