After a long time, Rod finally reached the top of the tower.
In a huge, pure white room, he met Meredith, the Master of White Tower.
He was sitting on a gigantic star chart, and behind him was a spherical star chart instrument, floating in mid-air and occupying one third of the room.
The complex sphere was composed of multiple layers, intertwining and rotating against each other, creating a strong sense of spatial dimensionality.
The apprentices bowed respectfully, "Teacher, Mr. Rod has arrived."
Meredith opened his eyes.
With a boom, the spherical star chart stopped spinning and hovered behind him.
"Rod, I am pleased to meet you,"
Meredith’s voice was unexpectedly gentle, his snow-white beard blending with his robe, almost indistinguishable.
"Though this is our first meeting, I have been aware of you for quite some time."
He floated down from the star chart and took Rod’s hand, his light-colored eyes, filled with wisdom, twinkled strangely.
"Your fate is quite peculiar, like a cliff that seems to have undergone a tremendous change at some stage... Hmm, your future is full of mist, with red flashes and colorful ribbons, but I can’t discern its path, as if it has disappeared."
Rod listened, bewildered, and after hesitating for a moment, asked carefully, "Is that good, or bad?"
Meredith’s white beard curled up.
"It is filled with uncertainties, it is unpredictable, and I understand why Asa would call you the Son of Destiny,"
"Why?" Rod asked curiously, remembering that Asa was the Great Sect Leader of the Polluter Sect, possessing the Book of Destiny.
Now it seemed, he was the shadowy figure behind the killing of the three Chief Judges that day.
"Because the Book of Destiny cannot replace the trajectory of your fate, he believes you have a mysterious connection with the Ancient God of Destiny, just like the Book of Destiny itself,"
Rod was taken aback: "The Ancient God of Destiny?"
"Yes, the Ancient God of Destiny, one of the most powerful deities in the Second Epoch. After the Great Catastrophe, it mysteriously disappeared, without a trace, without an outcome, much like the Ancient God of Rebirth, Heragotos. Many believe they did not die but are hidden somewhere in the Spirit Realm."
Rod could not help saying, "We should not recite its sacred name..."
Meredith smiled, "That’s okay, the White Tower has been specially modified as a sealed space, existing both in the Material World and the Spirit Realm, isolating mysterious disturbances."
Rod felt somewhat relieved and considered his words carefully, saying,
"Lord Meredith, I read in the ancient texts from Star Town that the Ancient God of Rebirth, Heragotos, has died. It was divided into eight pieces and turned into monsters in the Spirit Realm, one of which was slain by a tall, strikingly handsome hero who remains unnamed."
Meredith looked at him somewhat surprised, while an apprentice spoke up first.
"That must be false, the gods fell after the disaster in the Second Epoch, and thus the Third Epoch is also known as the Epoch of Humans; the kingdom of Starry Kingdom in the Third Epoch wouldn’t have records so detailed, as if they saw it with their own eyes."
"Right, it might just be a story made up by some wandering poet."
Rod scratched his head.
"I must have remembered wrong, maybe it was in the ancient texts from the Second Epoch found in Star Town..."
The apprentice immediately countered: "That’s not possible either, we have tested through prophetic techniques in the Spirit Realm, only the Ancient God of Rebirth and the Ancient God of Destiny had no feedback, suggesting that they likely still exist, with their high positions in the Spirit Realm blocking the probes of prophetic techniques."
Rod suddenly remembered the residual Spiritual Energy that emerged after slaying the remnants of Heragotos.
It pleaded with Rod to slay its other seven remnants, promising him power.
In this regard, it indeed had not completely died.
Rod couldn’t think of any convincing explanation on the spot and could only reply vaguely, "Maybe... what if it’s true?"
The apprentice was about to speak again but was interrupted by Meredith.
"I think it’s possible."
"Xiao Ke, write it down and include it in the God Catalog as a standard answer for similar questions,"
The apprentice looked unconvinced, but could not counter the words of the Master of White Tower and begrudgingly agreed.
Rod asked curiously, "God Catalog? Aside from observing stars, do you also observe ancient gods?"
Meredith smiled, "Of course, we observe everything in the Spirit Realm. After the Great Catastrophe, many ancient gods fell in the Spirit Realm, became corrupted, and turned into terrifying monsters lurking in its depths."
"It poses a great threat to us, and of course, it’s our observation target,"
Rod realized, "Do the monsters from the Spirit Realm attack us in the Main Material World?"
Meredith nodded gently,
"It’s one of the greatest threats we face. Over a third of the energy in the Fire Hall is devoted to guarding against threats from Spirit Realm monsters."
Rod was shocked; the Fire Hall, a gathering place for Trolian’s highest end forces, had a third of its capacity focused on guarding against the Spirit Realm.
Recalling the attack he had experienced in a Dream Bubble within the Spirit Realm, he suddenly realized that the monsters from the Spirit Realm were far more powerful than any usual monster he encountered.
Meredith seemed to know what he was thinking and said, "Not only are they powerful, but Spirit Realm monsters can circumvent spatial barriers and our defenses to appear anywhere."
"If we aren’t careful in our defenses, they can cause unimaginable destruction."
Rod suddenly understood.
So that was the reason.
No wonder the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground was situated in such a secure location, with such rigorous defenses inside and out.
They were thought to be countering Doomsday believers, but now it seemed it wasn’t just so.
An apprentice said, "The responsibility of the White Tower is heavy, and yet the characteristics of prophetic techniques are very rare. Over the years, our numbers have been very limited. If you can decide the policies of the Royal City, please make sure the Supreme Council allocates more budget to us."
Rod clapped his chest, "I will."
Meredith smiled, seemingly unconcerned,
"This time we invited you here to involve you in an unprecedented great plan."