Lord: Sequence Master

After taking in the breathtaking views from the observation tower, Rosen decided it was time to head to the private theater he had booked.

For extraordinary beings, virtual worlds were often less appealing. While ordinary people, with their limited perception, could fully immerse themselves in virtual experiences and enjoy them as if they were reality, the heightened spiritual perception of extraordinary beings often worked against them.

For instance, an extraordinary being's perception might be so sharp that they could see every pore, even bacteria, on another person's skin. What should be a pleasant interaction could instead become unsettling. Such depictions of high-sequence beings interacting harmoniously with ordinary people were common only in novels and movies—reality was quite different.

Of course, Rosen hadn't reached that level yet. He could still engage with noblewomen who were ordinary humans, but once he ascended to demigod status, his interactions would likely be limited to fellow extraordinary beings.

Though Rosen could suppress his perception to enjoy a more realistic experience in virtual worlds, the natural wonder films he planned to watch required him to fully unleash his spiritual perception to capture the faint mystical essence recorded by Photographers from these natural phenomena.

While painters could capture the mystical power of natural wonders in their artwork, they still needed something to serve as inspiration.

Upon arriving at the private theater, Rosen found the setup to be a sophisticated aggregation of extraordinary artifacts. It was a marvel of scientific advancements—a fusion of technological extraordinary artifacts designed to fool the spiritual senses of extraordinary beings and create an experience as close to reality as possible.

Once Rosen lay inside the equipment, a spiritual field enveloped him completely.

In an instant, his spiritual consciousness was transported into the film's world. Gone was the cold, isolated theater, replaced by a small boat surrounded by sea breezes. The horizon stretched endlessly, with nothing but blue skies, white clouds, and a vast ocean.

"Outside the human world?" he mused.

Not seeing the Ashen Curtain that typically shrouded the world, Rosen's first thought was that he had left the human realm. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Mid- and low-sequence Photographers lacked the qualifications to film outside the human world. If a high-sequence Photographer had captured this, it wouldn't merely be a film—it would have been sealed into a spirit realm movie as well.

Suddenly, the clear sky darkened.

The once-bright blue skies were swallowed by dense, ominous clouds that stretched for hundreds of miles. From within the clouds, rain began to pour, and a giant water tornado, tens of miles in diameter, rose violently from the sea.

Moments later, the clouds gathered enough electricity.

A bolt of blue lightning shot down from the sky, striking the tornado and transforming it into a swirling purple lightning storm. The once-massive waterspout was now a vortex of electrified chaos.

For five hours, the storm raged, with constant lightning flashing, though the clouds slowly shrank in size.

At last, the clouds vanished completely, as if the entire storm had been absorbed into the tornado, which now glowed with a vivid purple lightning.

The lightning vortex began to condense, shrinking until it formed a giant egg, a hundred meters in diameter, crackling with electricity.

As the egg fell into the sea, a crack appeared.

A sound like thunderous bird calls echoed from within, and a creature, with organs made of transparent water and feathers woven from lightning, struggled to emerge. But after half an hour of effort, it had only managed to expose its head.

The newly born creature let out one final cry of despair before collapsing lifelessly back into the egg, unable to escape.

The film ended abruptly, followed by the Photographer's narration.

Rosen realized he had just witnessed a documentary of a failed miracle birth. The film had captured the formation and death of a miracle lifeform and the extraordinary natural wonder surrounding its creation.

Even at the end, Rosen couldn't fully understand how the natural wonder had driven away the ash shroud that typically covered tens of thousands of miles of ocean.

Miracle lifeforms and miracle artifacts exceeded normal understanding—born from miracles themselves, they operated outside known laws.

Rosen replayed the film. This time, he used his Godslayer Eye to capture and replicate everything he saw into the Void Realm. Though his second recording was far inferior to the original and lacked the full essence, he decided to purchase a first-generation tape of the film.

In films captured by Photographers, the original master tape was always the most valuable. The first-generation copies still retained some of the mystical essence of the natural wonder, but by the time a second-generation copy was made, the essence was usually gone.

Rosen stored the film in the Void Realm, allowing it to integrate with the space.

The originally hollow replication of the natural wonder, captured by the Godslayer Eye, began to transform, now imbued with a faint trace of the wonder's mystical essence.

With the Void Realm fused with the Photographer's photographic space, it could now produce effects on par with the original.

Rosen extended his finger, and tiny arcs of electricity and droplets of water materialized at his fingertips.

This wasn't a psychic ability. He was channeling the power of the natural wonder now residing in the Void Realm.

This unique ability of Photographers allowed them to wield some of the powers they had recorded, though these abilities were significantly weaker than their original forms. Photographers were more adept at drawing their targets into the film rather than fighting directly.

Over the next few days, Rosen watched dozens of films focused on natural wonders.

He bought all the first-generation tapes available in open markets across the Thunder Empire, except for those privately held by Photographers who refused to sell them. He then merged the tapes into his Void Realm.

With each new addition, the previously barren Void Realm filled with illusionary worlds and natural wonders, creating a vast, surreal realm of inspiration that Rosen carried with him.

Eventually, Rosen realized he couldn't watch all the films he wanted. So, he issued a bounty, offering a large sum for anyone willing to sell first-generation tapes.

Within half a month, he had spent several hundred million spiritual crystals.

When his funds began to run low, he even exchanged his remaining 4,000 Main God Coins for more spiritual crystals. Fortunately, the Main God Computer waived any exchange fees, sparing him some heartache.

One day, while enjoying a meal at a gourmet restaurant, Rosen marveled at the exquisite dishes, thinking how ordinary food would never compare after this experience.

He wondered when Li Shiqing would complete her training inside the virtual spirit realm of the "Manchu-Han Imperial Feast" film.

After his meal, Rosen went to relax on Golden Sand Beach on Mysterious Island.

As he lay back on a beach chair, enjoying the serene surroundings, a figure blocked his view.

It was a middle-aged fallen noble, an ordinary person who had never awakened any spiritual power.

Without awakening, one couldn't become a true noble, even if they held a hereditary title.

The man, holding a photograph, hesitated for a moment before approaching Rosen. He removed his hat and bowed respectfully.

"Are you the one buying first-generation tapes?" the fallen noble asked cautiously.

"Oh? Do you have something good?" Rosen replied casually.

The man fidgeted with a copper ring on his finger, eventually pulling a tape from his spatial ring.

Rosen took it absentmindedly, but as he examined it more closely, his expression grew serious.

It was a master tape. He didn't know which film it held, but its significance was unmistakable.

After inspecting it, he confirmed that the tape was a Sequence 6 master tape.

"What do you want for it?" Rosen asked, his eyes locked onto the man's.

Through his psychic canvas, Rosen instantly understood the man's thoughts.

The man was a fallen hereditary baronet. His family's extraordinary bloodline had weakened, and for generations, none had awakened spiritual power—until now. His son had finally awakened, but they lacked the resources to support his growth.

So, the noble planned to sell this master tape, an heirloom passed down through his family, in exchange for the funds his son needed. He had heard that Rosen had been spending billions on first-generation tapes and approached him in hopes of a lucrative sale.

"500,000 spiritual crystals," the noble said, offering a modest price.

Rosen casually handed over the crystals, and the man left, clearly pleased with the transaction.

Holding the unlabeled master tape, Rosen felt a subtle unease.

They say "a thousand gold for a skeleton," meaning that after purchasing so many first-generation tapes, someone would eventually offer him a master tape. And yet, despite his extensive purchases, this was the first master tape he had encountered—appearing before him now, seemingly by chance.

Mysterious Island was vast, with dozens of tourist cities.

Golden Sand Beach was near Bluewing City, but it wouldn't have been easy for the fallen noble to track down Rosen, who had arrived via mechanical mount.

Could this really be a coincidence? That the noble had learned Rosen was collecting tapes, just happened to possess a master tape, and had appeared at the beach at the perfect time?

All these coincidences made Rosen suspect he was caught in a playwright's plot.

Moreover, the unlabeled tape raised concerns about its contents.

Films recorded by Photographers didn't always yield positive outcomes.

Death, horror, slaughter, and curses—films of these themes were not uncommon.

Cautiously, Rosen activated his Time Eye, glimpsing the tape's opening as it was absorbed into his Void Realm.

It wasn't just any ordinary tape—it was a Sequence 6 spirit realm master tape.

The spirit realm contained within made it worth at least several billion spiritual crystals.

Could it really be luck? There was a chance. Through the Main God Network, Rosen had gained a deeper understanding of miracles.

Miracle buildings, miracle artifacts, and miracle lifeforms—possessing such miracles could permanently enhance a being's fortune.

Rosen integrated the spirit realm master tape into his Void Realm, constructing a stable passageway to enter and exit the internal spirit realm. Human-made spirit realms like these were under absolute control.

Rosen's self-portrait clone entered the spirit realm through this passage and immediately encountered a burnt castle.

Corpses littered the castle grounds, and several still-living individuals were nailed to the gate.

Their ears had been pierced, their eyes gouged out, and their tongues cut off.

Neither the castle nor the people were part of the film's plot; they were real, living beings from the outside world.

"Is someone trying to frame me?"

Rosen quickly grasped the situation.

The people nailed to the gate were extraordinary beings, which explained why they hadn't yet died. These were influential individuals, and whoever had orchestrated this scene clearly intended to frame him.

As for the fallen noble, he likely hadn't noticed anything was wrong because his spirit and memories had been tampered with.

The mastermind behind this plot was probably unaware that Rosen had already seen through the ruse.

After all, he was a painter, not a Photographer or Director. Even with the master tape, he should have needed an extraordinary artifact-level projector to play it and uncover the spirit realm within, along with the massacre inside.

Had Rosen stayed at Golden Sand Beach until the evening and returned to his hotel to play the master tape, the mastermind would have ensured that the families of the victims nailed to the castle gate were guided straight to him.

Who could be plotting this? Was it merely for profit, or was there a deeper motive?

Rosen remained outwardly calm as he lounged on the beach chair, contemplating how to handle the situation and expose the mastermind.

He had only wanted a vacation, yet trouble seemed to find him.

It appeared that his hereditary duke title and wealth weren't enough to establish a solid footing in the Thunder Empire. He needed to demonstrate his strength to truly secure his place.

For someone capable of using a Sequence 6 spirit realm master tape to frame him, infiltrating a spirit realm and orchestrating such a grisly scene, the culprit had to be at least Sequence 5.

As Rosen enjoyed the beach scenery, he discreetly scanned his surroundings, suspecting that someone nearby might be watching him.

Soon, he noticed a suspicious object.

It was a pineapple hanging from a tree by the road, but his extraordinary sense of smell detected the scent of a human.

The pineapple had no scent of its own—it was clearly someone disguised as a pineapple.

Silently, Rosen projected his psychic canvas and instantly infiltrated the spiritual essence hidden within the pineapple.

Through his psychic canvas, Rosen quickly identified the spy.

It was a follower of Berth Van der Vaart, a Sequence 5 Director from Mysterious Island, tasked with observing Rosen's every move.

This was a Sequence 7 assassin who had maxed out their concealment abilities.

Even most Sequence 6 extraordinary beings wouldn't have detected this disguise, let alone a Sequence 7 painter.

Though the assassin's skills were impressive, Rosen found the Sequence level too low for the complexity of this plot.

For a scheme involving a Sequence 6 spirit realm master tape, the mastermind wouldn't have sent someone weaker than Sequence 6 to spy on him.

Rosen mused that the mastermind might be employing a dual-layered strategy.

If Rosen hadn't discovered the massacre inside the tape, he would have fallen into the trap. If he had, another layer of the plan would unfold.

Investigating the Sequence 7 assassin could lead him into a second trap.

However, without concrete evidence, any attempt to frame Rosen would be futile.

Casually, Rosen severed his left eye, which was immediately healed by his Angel Familiar Beast.

He then opened the Mysterious Study Room and placed his left eye, along with the Void Realm, inside.

Now, he was curious to see how the mastermind would continue the framing scheme.

After spending some time basking in the sunlight on Golden Sand Beach, Rosen suddenly sat up.

A young woman in a swimsuit appeared, not far in front of him.

"Delia..."

In that moment, Rosen understood why someone was framing him.

The Delia before him was likely no longer the real her.

Delia's adoptive father and his secret faction had once released a demon, then used the World Government's power to kill it and merge its blood into Delia. Their plan was for Delia to inherit the demon's divinity and godhood upon its death.

However, Rosen had inadvertently stolen the demon's divinity and godhood when he fused with the Nightmare Slime bloodline.

He had long expected someone to come after him.

Rosen had two Golden Apples as trump cards—treasures he had obtained through trade. He hadn't needed them when defending the Howard family's Spirit Realm, but now they were reserved for precisely this kind of moment. He knew they would be essential against this powerful faction.

"Darling, I missed you so much," Delia cried, running toward him with open arms.

Rosen's expression shifted—caution, suspicion, then affection.

He embraced Delia, pulling her close as their passion intensified on the beach.

Had the beach not been so crowded, they might have already crossed a line.

Rosen gazed at Delia with what seemed like deep affection, and she returned his gaze with admiration. Many nearby couldn't help but feel envious of such a seemingly loving couple.

They spent the entire day together at Golden Sand Beach, from morning until the bonfire party that evening. When the party ended, they returned to the hotel, leaving traces of their affection throughout the room until the next morning.

As the sun rose high in the sky the following day, Rosen still lay in bed, holding Delia in his arms.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his gaze cold as he looked at the still-sleeping Delia beside him.

He had narrowly avoided disaster.

If not for his Golden Divinity and the Dragon King's Blessing, he might not have survived.

The Golden Divinity, a gift from the Golden Apple, had yet to be fully digested. As a Sequence 7, Rosen was far from unlocking its full potential.

But this dormant power had protected him.

The Golden Apple dispelled negative forces within his body, and the Dragon King's Blessing helped resist harmful effects. Together, they had allowed him to regain control of his senses.

The moment he saw Delia the day before, she had fully activated the power of her Actor Sequence.

They say actors can blur the line between reality and fiction, and the Actor Sequence took this to the extreme.

Delia had assumed the role of his wife. Through her performance, she synchronized her spiritual essence with his, making him instinctively believe she was his wife. The Actor Sequence was terrifyingly effective, capable of perfect deception, even fabricating identities.

Even Rosen hadn't expected Delia to go this far, immersing herself so deeply in her role.

That was the true danger of the Actor Sequence: the deeper the actor's immersion, the more powerful the deception.

Delia likely believed she truly was Rosen's wife, which explained why their spiritual resonance had been so strong and why she had influenced his spirit so easily. However, this also showed that Delia wasn't yet very powerful.

Her mastery of the Actor Sequence hadn't reached demigod level, or she wouldn't have needed such a sacrifice to deceive him.

Now, Delia was too deep into the role, and Rosen had regained control, thanks to the Golden Divinity.

This gave him the upper hand. While Delia remained immersed in her role, Rosen could exploit her false affection to extract the secrets he needed.

For months, Rosen and Delia traveled across Mysterious Island together.

Their bond seemed to grow deeper.

However, in recent days, Delia occasionally appeared dazed.

Rosen realized she was beginning to wake up from her role.

His time was running out.

Rosen held the Divine Pen, standing before a pure white canvas crafted from the branch of the Golden Apple Tree.

He was painting Delia—an image so lifelike it seemed real.

For months, Rosen had focused on two tasks.

While his main body stayed with Delia, his self-portrait clone had worked tirelessly in the studio inside the Void Gallery. Thanks to the fivefold time acceleration from the Time Tower, the portrait had been meticulously completed using his depiction technique.

At LV4, this skill allowed Rosen to create spiritual paintings that perfectly captured the target's essence.

The power of the depiction technique depended on the quality of the special pigments.

Rosen had not only mixed Delia's blood into the paint but had also infused it with the love she had shown him while deep in her role. This enabled him to create a painting that was deeply intertwined with Delia's essence.

The real Delia had activated a passive skill that would soon awaken her from her role.

Once Delia awoke, the full power of her Actor Sequence would come into play.

However, the painted Delia now held the essence of her role—the unwavering love she had shown Rosen during her time of immersion. Through this spiritual painting, Rosen would be able to extract Delia's spirit and transfer it into the painting, capturing that version of her forever.

Of course, this process would gradually drain the painting's power. Eventually, the real Delia would awaken, but until then, Rosen had time to gain everything he needed from her.

After laying the final stroke, Rosen carefully framed the painting and put away his Divine Pen.

"Today, I'll take you somewhere special," he said, turning to Delia with a warm smile.

Delia, still deep in her role, beamed and followed him without hesitation. Rosen led her from the real world into the Void Gallery, bringing her into the studio.

As soon as Delia saw the painting of herself on the wall, her face froze. In an instant, she fainted and collapsed.

Her spirit had been captured by Rosen, entrapped through the Soul Prison ability of his depiction technique.

(End of chapter)