Rustle... rustle...

Aiven held the pen, infused with "Activated Spiritual Light," and was diligently writing. The gold nib left beautiful words and lines on the fine parchment.

It formed an intricate and precise array, looking almost like a work of art.

This was his ongoing modification of the "Galliot Bird Transformation Technique 3.0". The main body was completed when he advanced to Official Wizard, and now he was just making some minor tweaks to make it more perfect.

Aiven believed that after this modification, his seabirds would surely undergo a qualitative change, and the transformation from ordinary creatures to demonized beings would no longer be a dream.

Suddenly.

The light in the captain's cabin dimmed, as if the light of the Hanging Wind Chime had been swallowed by something.

Then a sinister old man's voice suddenly came from the oil painting hanging on the wall:

"Boy~ come find someone for this old man to eat, eat... hehehe...

Otherwise, I will eat you! Hehehe..."

Others might be startled by this, but...

Snap—

The response was merely a snap of Aiven's fingers.

The eerie voice grew fainter until it was barely audible.

Because a Spiritual Barrier had already risen on its own, severing all contact between the mysterious level of the painting and the outside world, leaving the clueless old man inside unable to see, hear, or speak.

Even more wretched than when he was originally at the bottom of the sea.

However, it also signaled something.

The pen in his hand drew the last symbol on the paper, and Aiven put away the "Bird Transformation Technique 3.0", replaced it with a plain sheet of white paper, and casually poured himself another cup of black tea.

Then he looked up at the painting, seemingly waiting for something.

Sure enough, a minute later, the scene of the sunken ship in the painting gradually vanished, replaced by a portrait of a middle-aged man in a centuries-old noble attire with long wavy hair.

Aiven then lifted the Spiritual Barrier, bowed slightly, and smiled:

"Sir Katalov, good day!"

"Good day, Baron!

Haha, the taste of freedom is indeed delightful, especially when savoring it in the presence of such a distinguished listener—it couldn't be more perfect.

So, do you have time now to hear me continue the story of the past?"

The man in the painting spoke slowly, still in the old man's voice, but the tone was decisively different, especially with a slight upward inflection at the end of each sentence, a way the nobility used to distinguish themselves.

Hearing this, Aiven naturally wouldn't refuse, because he had been waiting for "him".

"Of course, it's my honor!"

This painting had been rescued from the sea for quite a while, and ever since being discovered by Kaka to possess consciousness, with several not-so-successful exchanges, Aiven had come to understand the painting and the consciousness residing within it to some extent.

Or rather, he, it, they... could all refer to the consciousness inside.

Aiven's initial guess was correct.

Before the flute ship was wrecked, the fleeing wizard from centuries ago abandoned a gravely injured body and hid within this essentially "cursed object" painting in the form of a soul.

His name had once been Simpson, and in life, he was an Official Wizard of the Black Wizard faction known as the Black Spirit School.

Mastery in Shadow Magic and Soul Witchcraft, he used the "cursed object" to seal his soul and had been surviving involuntarily within the painting ever since.

However, the long passage of time led to an irreversible change in his form of life. His soul had thoroughly merged with this cursed painting, becoming something akin to a painting demon spirit.

This form of existence somewhat resembled the Ship Spirit of a Legendary Battleship that Aiven had learned about; theoretically, as long as the painting wasn't destroyed, he would not completely perish.

This had allowed him to withstand the corrosion of centuries with the soul essence of a Tier 2 Transcendent.

However, the price he paid goes far beyond that.

The painting is called "Katalov's Death Portrait", originally a self-portrait by a noble painter named Katalov.

It's unknown what occurred in between, but it became a "cursed object", causing its previous owners to inexplicably "disappear", and their souls were trapped in the painting, continuously sinking.

The form displayed on the painting showed the scene of each victim's death.

When Black Wizard Simpson used his immensely powerful soul, far surpassing any previous victim, to seize control of this cursed painting, he also had to merge uncontrollably with the souls and consciousnesses of past victims, until they became inseparable.

Thus, what ultimately presented itself in front of Aiven was a "painting demon spirit" with Simpson's personality as the main force and countless victims as the secondary.

The mad old man, the learned noble artist, the money-obsessed merchant, the clumsy thief... Aiven had recorded at least a dozen personalities, and it seemed there were even more.

As for those who were consumed by the painting after Simpson, like that unlucky Hilus soldier, they were truly devoured without even the chance to share a fragment of Simpson's soul and become an independent personality.

Whether under the sea or after being salvaged.

They would convene internally and periodically release information, the one who appears on the screen is the one who comes out.

But most of the time, the one appearing is the primary persona of that old Black Wizard, second to him is the original owner of this painting: Sir Katalov.

To be honest, being an Official Wizard, the mad old man is of much greater value, his knowledge of the "Black Spirit School" holds significant allure for any Extraordinary.

Although Aiven wouldn't be able to dual train, if he could obtain the Shadow Magic that belongs to a wizard, it would surely save a lot of effort later when nurturing Kaka, the Shadow Lizard.

However, compared to dealing with an old wizard who, despite being insane, remains cunning as a fox, Aiven prefers chatting with this erudite noble artist.

Moreover, although memories between personas don't interchange, after three hundred years, communication between personas has managed to share a majority of memories.

At least Katalov knows in detail the memories of everyone after him.

Hence, this knowledgeable noble artist, through his "personal" experiences never recorded in the annals, presented Aiven with an unexpected delight.

Although somewhat high-end and possibly unused temporarily, its value is not less than any mystical knowledge.

For within, it might conceal a secret that could let mortals stand shoulder to shoulder with gods!

"Last time we mentioned how, long ago, the Seven Gods Church was notorious for its conservatism, stubbornness, and indifference, using various doctrines and rules to tightly bind the thoughts of the people.

This situation persisted for a millennium, and people called it the 'Dark Millennium.'

Until five hundred years ago, in the era I lived in, the people finally decided not to be sheep that accept their fate, and resolved to break that dark era from the spiritual world.

It was an 'Renaissance' movement, spanning two centuries of grandeur.

Indirectly leading to the Turkate Dynasty I resided in 'dominating' the continent, or rather, in thought, art, and humanity, becoming a pilgrimage destination for the whole continent."

While this "ancient person" clearly lacked respect for the Seven True Gods in his words, Aiven just silently listened, occasionally jotting down firsthand information from the "historical" dialogue on paper.

Being a noble and an artist gave him enough perspective and opportunity to learn the real nature of that era, something Aiven treasured immensely!

From his intermittent stories over this period, Aiven seemed to grasp the pulse of world development and the limits of True God's powers!

According to his accounts, combined with the records of wizards and Aiven's own reasoning and speculation.

During the Dark Ages, all Extraordinary powers besides the church were suppressed, wizards and other Extraordinary beings struggled in the cracks, barely managing to survive.

But when the "Renaissance" movement, driven from the bottom up, flourished and was welcomed by most countries and people in the Old Continent, eventually forming a trend, the True God Church could no longer sit still.

Using the vast accumulation of millennia the church ruled both flesh and soul tightly, they began hunting Extraordinary individuals with a deadly conviction, particularly the wizards among them.

Clearly, the wisdom of the gods allowed them to foresee the future changes that would unfold once the shackles on thought were broken, leading to blooming in spiritual and material domains.

The wizards, endowed with profound power, wisdom, creativity, and productivity, were bound to reap the greatest benefits in this societal upheaval, profoundly altering the material world.

Even possibly leveraging the people's resentment towards the all-encompassing church rule during the "Dark Millennium" to use an upheaval from the bottom to shake the True God's dominion in the Old Continent.

This, of course, was something no True God would wish to see!

However, their plans weren't entirely successful.

The largest witch-hunt in history unfolded fervently, with the church's forces driving, killing, imprisoning most wizards, nearly exterminating all burgeoning growth.

Yet another event occurred, catching the True Gods off guard.

While the church was battling the wizards, in their own backyard, a group of demigods sprouted like mushrooms after a rain due to humanity's yearning for the 'Renaissance' and liberation of thoughts.

Some directly born from human belief, others ascending from Peak Transcendents, the demigods emerging in this mere two centuries outnumbered those in past millennia.

A classic example is the "God of Opera" Percy, whom Aiven had the privilege to witness!

Even if the trend wasn't led by wizards, it unfolded in another form the True Gods weren't happy to see, yet it had profoundly impacted the world.

Thus, True Gods realized, even as high as they stand, they aren't the masters of this world, nor entirely irreplaceable.

Though the World Will lacks complete self-awareness, it possesses an instinct to pursue benefits and avoid harm. All original intentions of world rule operation must facilitate world development and advancement.

The world trend during this period can temporarily suppress, but cannot indefinitely trap in an unenlightened age.

Hence, the gods had to make concessions to the world itself.

Under the comprehensive influence of both internal and external factors, the Seven Gods Church's religious reform began, completely ending the "Dark Millennium."

Afterwards.

The ebb and flow of forces played each other's diminishing and increasing power over several hundred years, slowly creating today's superficially balanced supernatural ecology.

After sorting through the threads, Aiven discovered a key secret, possibly unknown even to many super-tier powers.

That is the one thing even the True Gods had to yield to—the world trend!

"However, the end of the "Dark Millennium" and liberation of thoughts is a trend. So is the beginning of the 'Age of Navigation' similarly a trend?"

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