Lord: Sequence Master

At Blue Whale City's port, Delia, wearing a veil, was selling extraordinary sea beasts she had recently hunted. Even though she had escaped to the Blue Whale Kingdom, she didn't dare openly register with the guild. This meant she couldn't enter the Spirit Realm, nor could she let anyone know she was a Sequence 7 Gourmand. She had to rely on hunting extraordinary sea beasts to earn Essence Crystals, though she ended up eating most of the creatures she caught.

Going from poverty to wealth is easy, but going from wealth back to poverty is hard. Over the past few years, Delia had forced herself to eat common food out of fear. However, after consuming large quantities of spiritual delicacies to speed up Rosen's Time Dust imprinting process, her Gluttony's Stomach and her Gourmand sequence's extraordinary essence had made her unable to suppress her disgust for ordinary food any longer.

Delia estimated that she still needed another two months to save enough for passage to another kingdom.

Through the painting in Delia's memory, Rosen had easily learned about her current situation. He couldn't help but chuckle—how had a Sequence 7 Gourmand managed to eat herself into poverty?

Since Delia needed money, Rosen decided to help her earn it quickly and leave. He took out the Pen of Fate and quickly wrote a fate script, not aimed at Delia herself but at the extraordinary sea beasts in the waters where she hunted. For the next few days, her catches would increase significantly. If she still doesn't leave after earning enough money, then something else is going on, he thought.

Luckily, Rosen's efforts paid off, and a week later, Delia finally left the Blue Whale Kingdom. Rosen breathed a sigh of relief, ready to relax.

But just two days later, a world-shaking piece of news reached the Blue Whale Kingdom—the Undercity Kingdom had vanished, nearly wiped out by the escape of the Demon God. Only a few survivors had managed to flee the catastrophe. Now, the Demon God's whereabouts were unknown, and all nearby countries were on high alert.

The situation in the Blue Whale Kingdom was better, as their Void Whales had immediately set course for the nearby Thunder Empire to seek refuge. After over ten days of high-speed travel, all of the Blue Whale Kingdom's Void Whales finally reached the Thunder Empire.

Empires, unlike kingdoms, required at least one Sequence 2 titled semi-deity to guard them. Not only that, but every empire had a Sequence 0 extraordinary artifact as part of its foundation. This made empires and kingdoms completely different in nature. The World Government ruled kingdoms indirectly, but empires were under its direct control. Any titled semi-deity could claim an unoccupied empire and rule as emperor, gathering faith to aid in their advancement.

However, these emperors were not permanent—once a titled semi-deity reached Sequence 1 or exceeded their term limit without advancing, they had to step down. As a result, titled semi-deities often cared little about holding power, but their strength itself was a form of power.

The Blue Whale Kingdom, now nestled under the Thunder Empire's protection, quickly saw tensions ease. After all, even a Demon God would hesitate to attack a place where a titled semi-deity with a Sequence 0 artifact resided. Such an attack would only lead to their downfall, as the World Government could easily suppress the Demon God once the battle was drawn out.

Most people were certain the World Government would soon deal with the Demon God. In all of history, only a few foreign gods had ever managed to escape from human territories. Although the Demon God had broken free, there were likely still hidden traps left by the World Government, making escape almost impossible. The real fear was that the Demon God might drag some kingdoms and duchies down with it in a final act of destruction.

However, what happened next surprised everyone.

The Demon God attacked many duchies and kingdoms but didn't massacre people. Instead, it plundered vast amounts of Essence Crystals and then disappeared right before the World Government's forces arrived to suppress it.

If foreign gods had such capabilities, humanity would have long since been in chaos, Rosen thought. The only explanation was that the Demon God had inside help.

The World Government wasted no time. They swiftly investigated the truth behind the Demon God's escape from the Undercity Kingdom and made the results public—not only to calm the masses but also to set an example. The World Government announced the truth and prepared to publicly execute all those involved.

In the skies above Blue Whale City, a Sequence 4 painter from the World Government projected his Spirit Canvas into the heavens, broadcasting live the public executions at the ruins of the Undercity Kingdom. All the criminals were bound to crosses by chains, and Rosen quickly recognized two familiar figures.

The first was Faris Kukar, who had disappeared. The second was Delia's foster father. However, these two were not the masterminds—the true culprit was the king of the Undercity Kingdom himself.

After the World Government's executioner had read the charges, the criminals were executed one by one. Once the Sequence 3 king was executed, the process didn't stop. The executioner brought out an extraordinary artifact resembling a loom and pointed it at a painting of the Demon God. As the loom spun, it wove an exact replica of the Demon God into a life-sized cloth figure.

The World Government then executed the Demon God's effigy. The moment it was destroyed, the real Demon God appeared at the execution site, instantly killed. Even through the Spirit Canvas projection, the sight of the Demon God's death filled countless viewers with unprecedented fear.

Rosen felt the same—this was his first time witnessing the terrifying power of the World Government firsthand. Just after receiving word that someone had helped the Demon God escape, the World Government immediately dealt with everyone involved, even killing the Demon God itself using that dreadful extraordinary artifact.

Although Rosen felt some pity for Faris, whose crime was helping the king break the Demon God's seal, the matter was now over. More importantly, Delia's mysterious foster father was also executed, which relieved Rosen of a major burden. The entire Blue Whale City shared a lighthearted atmosphere that day.

Throughout the day, the streets were filled with performances celebrating the fall of the Demon God. Rosen enjoyed a full day of festivities and planned to sleep soundly that night.

However, as soon as he fell asleep, he found himself face-to-face with the Demon God in his dream.

Rosen's first thought was that he was in danger, but he quickly realized that the Demon God in his dream posed no threat. He reached out with his spiritual senses and was surprised to discover that the entity before him was a fusion of the Demon God's divinity and divine authority.

These should have fallen into the hands of the World Government after the Demon God's death. How had they ended up in my dream? Could it be because of my connection to Gluttony, Greed, and Sloth?

After confirming that the divinity and authority were harmless, Rosen had an idea. He opened his Book of Secrets in the dream and pulled out the Main God Computer's network cable from its window. The moment he plugged the cable into the Demon God, a flood of rainbow-colored energy surged into the Main God Computer.

Rosen eagerly awaited the computer's response, wondering what new abilities it would gain. However, after completely absorbing the Demon God, the computer gave no immediate feedback.

Sensing the changes within the computer, Rosen realized that the Main God Computer also required divine power to evolve, something it had previously lacked. This time, however, the divine power was abundant, and the computer consumed it without hesitation.

As his Main God Computer had followed his Sequence level, it hadn't undergone any significant changes from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7 due to the lack of divine energy. But now that it was fully satiated with divine power, its true transformation began.

At Sequence 9, the Mainframe Computer's primary functions had been limited to art software and an entertainment player.

At Sequence 8, it had gained networking capabilities.

At Sequence 7, it had unlocked the ability to search for information online.

And it hadn't yet fully digested all the divine energy. The computer could continue to unlock its full abilities up to Sequence 1, with enough divine power left over to extract the Demon God's divine authority. As the computer's owner, Rosen would be able to wield one divine authority for each Sequence level.

As Rosen sat in front of the computer, three strands of rainbow-colored light emerged from the screen and entered his body. The powers of Gluttony, Greed, and Sloth all underwent fundamental changes.

Within his body, a Stomach of Gluttony materialized between his physical form and his soul, existing in the liminal space between existence and non-existence. This was the power of Gluttony manifesting in a physical organ.

Next, two spectral hands appeared in the same liminal space—the Hands of Greed. In addition to the hands, spectral feet formed as well, representing the Feet of Sloth.

Although the sudden appearance of three new organs felt strange, Rosen quickly realized the benefits.

The Stomach of Gluttony enhanced the digestive power of his Gluttony Familiar and could imprison any being below a semi-deity. Anything swallowed by the familiar would be trapped within the stomach.

As for the Hands of Greed, they allowed Rosen to steal abilities from others—one ability per hand.

Finally, the Feet of Sloth allowed Rosen to bypass almost any barrier below a semi-deity's level, granting him nearly unrestricted freedom to move between worlds.

Testing each of the abilities, Rosen found that they were on par with the pseudo-divine powers of the Feathered Serpent God. He could only imagine how much stronger he would become once he mastered all seven Deadly Sins.

It's clear that although the Demon God has died, parts of its power—the divinity and divine authority—have been distributed among those with the Demon God's bloodline and the Seven Deadly Sins. That's why I gained so much after the Demon God's fall.

However, one thing puzzled him: why had the World Government let the Demon God's divinity and authority slip away?

Could Delia be involved? he wondered. If her foster father had survived, Delia might still be under his control. If not for me reviving the Nightmare Slime's extraordinary bloodline, through the Mainframe Computer and unlocking three divine authorities, the divinity and authority should have gone to Delia instead.

Was she meant to collect the Demon God's divinity and authority all along? If so, the mastermind must be furious right now.

Still, Rosen shook his head, knowing these were just speculations. He turned his attention to the Main God Computer and began exploring its newly unlocked networking and information search functions.

Connecting the Computer's Network, Rosen immediately saw several network options:

Main God Network, Pantheon Network, Spirit Realm Darknet, Arcane Web, Mech God Network...

Each of these networks had its own basic information and descriptions:

Main God Network originates from the Main God Computer.

Pantheon Network comes from various foreign deities.

Spirit Realm Darknet was established by the World Government.

Arcane Web is built by the Cross-Race Arcane Association.

Mech God Network is constructed by the Mech Race.

These networks primarily served as channels for the exchange of information across different civilizations. Each network also possessed extraordinary powers in its own right.

Only semi-deities at Sequence 3 and above were qualified to join these networks. Before reaching Sequence 6, the Main God Computer could only connect to one network.

Before Sequence 3, it could connect to two.

From Sequence 3 to Sequence 1, it could connect to one additional network at each sequence.

At Sequence 0, there were no restrictions, and it could connect to all networks.

For now, Rosen could only choose one, and after some consideration, he decided to connect to the Main God Network. The reason was simple—it originated from the Main God Computer itself. Through this network, he hoped to uncover more secrets about the Main God Computer and his Book of Secrets.

After selecting the Main God Network, a successful connection icon appeared in the lower-right corner of the desktop. Shortly after, a new program icon, Main God Hall, was downloaded.

Rosen clicked on the Main God Hall icon, which opened a special browser interface. At the top was a search bar, and below it was a black vortex that clearly had a teleportation function.

Rosen closed the program and used the Main God Computer's information identification function to check the details of the Main God Hall.

It turned out that the search bar could be used to query all public information on the Main God Network. However, while basic information was free, detailed information required spending divine power to access.

As for the vortex, it led to the Main God Hall, an extraordinary artifact at Sequence 0. Rosen could either physically enter or send a divine projection using his divine power.

Every individual possessing great destiny would receive an invitation to the Main God Hall. By refining the invitation, they could obtain a projection of the hall and gain access to it through this projection. Inside, they could exchange information or trade materials, with the Main God Hall taking a 1% commission on transactions.

If the Main God Computer reached Sequence 1, it could reclaim control of the Main God Hall, which had separated from it. Until then, Rosen only had the privilege of being exempt from the 1% commission, but otherwise had no special advantages over other destiny holders.

"Destiny holders... What kind of people are considered destiny holders?" Rosen murmured to himself.

He activated a partial transformation into the Feathered Serpent God, with serpent wings emerging from his back. His spiritual energy, converting into divine power, projected a portion of it into the vortex on the screen, which then formed a divine projection within the Main God Hall.

Simultaneously, the Main God Computer's monitor displayed the scene from the hall. Rosen's mind split into two, with his consciousness primarily focused on the divine projection. He found himself cloaked in black, his face shrouded in black mist speckled with faint starlight. Behind him was a wall, and to the sides were corridors, both of which were similarly shrouded in black mist, giving the place a somewhat oppressive feel.

Ahead, there was a faint glow of firelight, but the end of the corridor was still veiled in mist. Rosen walked toward the firelight and passed through the fog, emerging into a large hall spanning hundreds of meters. Four stone pillars supported the hall, and torches mounted on the pillars illuminated the space.

Along both sides of the hall were two rows of long tables stretching several hundred meters, divided into neat stalls. The setup looked quite simple, even less grand than a well-built mortal church.

There were only a few people in the hall, quietly browsing the stalls. When they noticed Rosen, they glanced at him briefly before returning to their tasks.

Rosen walked up to the left-hand table, and as he scanned the items on display, his eyes lit up. Even the worst items were Sequence 3 extraordinary artifacts. There were high-sequence skill crystals, divine power, pseudo-divine authorities, semi-divine bloodlines, and even Sequence 1 extraordinary artifacts—everything imaginable.

The currency used here wasn't Essence Crystals but rather Main God Coins, which he wasn't sure how to obtain.

As Rosen explored the hall, he observed how someone nearby completed a transaction. The person approached a stone pillar, then piled up a small mountain of items, including Essence Crystals and various extraordinary resources Rosen had never heard of. The items melted away in the flames after the person lit them with a torch, leaving behind coins with flaming shadows on both sides.

These, it seemed, were Main God Coins. Now knowing how to earn them, Rosen began picking out things he needed.

There were so many valuable items that it took Rosen several hours to settle on a piece of extraordinary essence. It was the essence of a Sequence 5 Photographer, priced at 500 Main God Coins. This was enough to buy an ordinary Sequence 3 extraordinary artifact.

The high price was because the essence contained time-based abilities, which always carried a significant premium.

Rosen approached a stone pillar and began taking Essence Crystals out of his scavenger space. After placing down 500,000 crystals, he lit them with a torch and watched them burn, leaving behind 50 Main God Coins.

He continued pulling out items he no longer needed, nearly emptying his scavenger space to gather the full 500 coins. Using his divine power to bind the coins together into a single 500-coin Main God Coin, he bought the Sequence 5 Photographer's extraordinary essence.

The transaction was straightforward: items were clearly marked with their prices. Once he placed the Main God Coin down, he was able to take the item.

Having completed the trade, Rosen no longer wanted to linger in the Main God Hall—this was clearly not a place for someone of his current standing.

After his divine projection left the hall, Rosen reclaimed the divine power and retrieved the extraordinary essence from his scavenger space.

It was a pair of black-and-white eyeballs—Photographer sequence essence typically fused into the eyes. Rosen grabbed one of the eyeballs in his left hand and inserted his right hand into it, letting it phase into the essence.

The Photographer's essence was so expensive because it not only contained a Sequence 6 time skill, but also because the Photographer's space was located within the essence itself. This photographic space was like a virtual world, able to replicate anything the Photographer captured.

Of course, everything within the photographic space was an illusion unless it was turned into a spiritual film.

Rosen intended to see if he could fuse the Photographer's space with his left eye's Void Realm, enhancing its scanning and materializing abilities. Even if the attempt failed, the time skill alone would make the purchase worth it.

Using his Greedy Hands, Rosen delicately extracted the time skill from the essence. He then claimed the skill as his own through Greedy Hands' theft ability.

Time Gaze (LV5): Your eyes can see the flow of time, allowing you to briefly view up to five seconds of the past and future.

Enhanced Trait 1: Time Rewind – Can reverse time by up to five seconds.

Enhanced Trait 2: Time Acceleration – Can speed up time by up to five seconds.

The skill was a powerful LV5 ability, and Greedy Hands had successfully stolen it in its entirety.

Rosen tested it immediately, but for him, the effects were limited to four seconds—he could see only four seconds into the past and future, and could only reverse or accelerate time by four seconds as well. The LV5 skill only granted him the effectiveness of an LV4 skill.

He tried using his left Greedy Hand to see if he could steal any other abilities from the essence. It was possible, but most of the remaining abilities required coordination with other skills to be useful, and those that didn't were not to his liking.

He then summoned his Gluttonous Familiar, which swallowed both eyeballs whole. Once inside the Stomach of Gluttony, the essence's powers were slowly digested, and all that was absorbed was channeled into Rosen's eyes.

His left eye housed the Void Realm, while his right eye contained the Hunter's Divine Eye, which was made up of mental energy. The Photographer's essence, the Void Realm Eye, and the Hunter's Divine Eye each remained distinct, showing no sign of merging. However, under the pressure of Greed's control over extraordinary elements and Gluttony's digestion of extraordinary energy, the three forces began to forcibly fuse.

The first to change was the Hunter's Divine Eye, which had already merged with the Main God Computer's camera. Since then, the eye had gained the ability to capture, upload, merge, and destroy images. In a way, the Hunter's Divine Eye was somewhat similar to the Photographer's powers. One allowed uploading to the Main God Computer, while the other allowed replication in the photographic space.

Thus, Rosen wanted to see if Gluttony could fuse the Photographer's essence into the Hunter's Divine Eye, making it even stronger.

As expected, the Hunter's Divine Eye was enhanced—its photo-taking ability, originally akin to a camera's, allowing only two pictures to be taken at a time, evolved into true video recording capabilities, progressing from static photography to cinematography.

With the Hunter's Divine Eye transformed, the Void Realm Eye also began to change.

The Void Realm could still only scan non-spiritual objects, but the Hunter's Divine Eye could now record anything, regardless of its nature, and replicate it in the Void Realm, effectively transforming the Void Realm into a Photographer's space.

This process of transformation would take time, likely several months before it was fully completed.

(End of Chapter)