Chapter 225: Repairing the Plank Pathways Openly
Even if Noah wanted to craft something particularly complex, it actually wouldn't take that much time. After briefly explaining the situation here to Morgan, he soon finished crafting what he needed.
Originally, according to Noah's plan, the next step was to set things up, and then he could return.
But after activating the equipment he had crafted, he noticed that the indicator light-like thing on this black Alchemy device, which resembled a spherical observation apparatus, was red.
If the indicator light was green, it meant nothing was detected. If it switched to red, it indicated the discovery of a Hole of Chaos.
The information Noah used regarding the Hole of Chaos was collected intentionally when the other party opposed him through the Heavenly Fox last time. He deliberately talked nonsense to distract them and seized the opportunity to gather data then.
Thus, this observation device specifically targeted the Hole of Chaos.
So...
—Did this mean Chaos had now opened a hole in the sun?
He pondered for a moment, then signaled for Morgan to wait a bit. After that, he took the device and flew toward the direction of the sun.
The temperature of the sun is extremely high.
If Noah were unprepared, even he couldn't simply dive into the sun.
However, after experiencing a Supernova in the simulation, Noah had made quite a few preparations for this.
"I grant myself Divine Protection of the sun, Divine Protection against high temperatures, Divine Protection of natural affinity, Divine Protection against flames, Divine Protection against explosions..."
Noah listed over thirty Divine Protections in a row.
After fully activating his defenses and wrapping himself in the Chains of Order representing the heavens, Morgan watched as Noah took his new device and approached the vicinity of the sun.
The temperature here was already incredibly high, but it was manageable.
Before setting up his equipment, he conducted a comprehensive inspection of the sun.
If he hadn't known that Chaos had left a Hidden Door on the sun, Noah might never have guessed what Chaos was doing no matter how much he inspected. But knowing that the other party had left a Hidden Door on the sun, it wasn't difficult for him to deduce the situation after examining the sun's condition.
"Chaos is stealing energy..."
After a brief inspection, Noah understood.
One purpose of the Hidden Door Chaos left on the sun was likely to facilitate its own descent. But aside from that, it was now also using this hole to steal energy from the sun.
However, it wasn't directly absorbing energy through the hole—if that were the case, Noah would have noticed it earlier.
It chose a smarter method.
This was also an issue Noah hadn't considered when dealing with the Heavenly Fox before.
Namely, the Heavenly Fox's value wasn't limited to using those puppets to transform and collect malice.
Noah had once wondered: if the other party truly possessed power, this method seemed too inefficient.
But since reality appeared to be just that, Noah had no choice but to accept it.
Now, however, he had discovered Chaos's Hidden Door here, along with the fact that Chaos had abandoned the Heavenly Fox so decisively and allowed—or rather, permitted—the Heavenly Fox to act independently in Japan.
After piecing together these events, Noah pretty much understood.
This was where Chaos showed its cleverness.
Its schemes in Japan had two main layers.
The first layer was having the Heavenly Fox establish the Heian Capital, using the method of converting malice into energy to simply gather power, all while putting on a sneaky, covert appearance. This made the surface-level plan essentially like a mouse stealing rice—petty and contemptible.
But in reality, Chaos's first layer was mainly to cover for the second.
Its true purpose in having the Heavenly Fox establish the Heian Capital was to distort Japan's faith, or rather, to distort Amaterasu's position. It had the Heavenly Fox spread the idea that Amaterasu was the sun, blurring the concept of Amaterasu with the sun itself. It also made the Heavenly Fox, the priestess representing Japan's sole civilization, believe she was the true Amaterasu, thereby distorting Amaterasu's identity and its own. Then, it left a Hidden Door on the sun.
This resulted in faith directed at Amaterasu being tied to the sun, allowing Chaos to use Amaterasu's identity and the Hidden Door on the sun to steal faith related to the sun.
In mythological terms, Chaos shaped Japan's mythology to portray Amaterasu as an Incarnation of Chaos, using this method to carve out a position for itself within the mythos.
Afterward, it further blurred the concepts of its Incarnation and the sun, thereby stealing the more substantial "faith belonging to the sun."
If it could convert malice into energy, then faith naturally could be too.
Malice was just a smokescreen Chaos threw out; the real bulk of what it stole was faith.
No wonder it abandoned the Heavenly Fox so decisively!
Having figured this out, Noah raised an eyebrow.
"Feigning an open move while secretly making another... So it was a strategy like this—I must say, pairing such a scheme with Chaos really doesn't do justice to the identity of this extraordinary god."
"But precisely because it is Chaos, using such a stratagem elevates the brilliance of the plan to another level."
"Learned something."
Noah quietly filed this away. Now that he knew the opponent's plan, what he needed to do was simple.
With this in mind, Noah originally intended to directly activate the device in his hand and shut the door on Chaos.
But before activating the device, he suddenly thought of another, more risky method that promised even greater rewards.
"I aim to forge the world's Grand Crown and unify faith... Chaos can consume Amaterasu's faith to insert itself into mythology and blur concepts to steal the sun's faith... Then couldn't I do something similar?"
Looking at the device in his hand, a plan crystallized in Noah's mind.
"If I simply seal the door, then indeed I wouldn't need to confront Chaos directly; sealing it would completely stop the other party—after all, risking a life-or-death struggle yields too little gain. With its main body in the Void, if I were to fight it, winning isn't impossible, but preserving its data and securing victory would be extremely difficult. Moreover, creating..."
The technology possessed by Chaos's civilization is probably on par with that of the Umbral Star.
"The fact that Zeus and the others have been on Earth for so many years without being able to repair their bodies likely indicates some issues.
"If Chaos had no connection to Earth, then engaging in such a conflict would yield little benefit. But now, in order to steal faith, He has found a place for Himself in mythology... In that case, as long as I assimilate His mythology into my own—given the similarities between my foundational Mediterranean mythology and Greek mythology—I can directly consume Chaos's mythology and
replace Him. Then, killing Him would bring benefits, and significant ones at that!
"If Chaos can define Amaterasu as one of His Incarnations within mythology and define Himself as the sun to steal all faith directed toward the sun, then why can't I define the current Chaos in this mythology as my own Incarnation, kill Him, solidify the Incarnation's existence, and seize everything He possesses!"
With this thought, Noah adjusted the device in his hand and left it there.
Afterward, while refining his plans, he also began preparing for matters related to Chaos.
The simulation for the third volume would begin in just a few days.
Thus, Noah felt that sealing the door could be done anytime. He even adjusted the device so that, at a critical moment, he could strike Chaos directly.
As for seizing everything from the other... with the help of the simulation, he could certainly give it a try!
"Coincidentally, I feel that the Great Yata Barrier—related to Chaos and distorted by His concepts—after merging with one of the Holy Lances, its power still falls far short when compared to the sun... If I could completely consume Chaos's existence and, along with it, incorporate the concept of the sun into my mythology, then this Holy Lance, representing the sun, would truly be forged successfully."
With such thoughts in mind, Noah smiled and returned to the Starship.
It was time to go back.
As for Chaos... just wait a little longer. No need to rush. Once He delves deeper, I'll devour Him completely and let Him understand just how cruel things like mythology and faith can be~~