Beating Instances through Words Left by the Dead

Wu Chang put away the list handed over by Luca and said, "We will find out the mastermind behind it as soon as possible."

While Wu Chang’s true self was taking a carriage to the Gray Church slum, his main body, along with Julie and others, was discussing how to investigate the steam explosive.

From a distance, he could see the Tree of Miracles towering dozens of meters high, its canopy like an umbrella, enveloping the slum.

During the three days of the great strike, most activities in the city came to a halt, but some matters advanced rapidly taking advantage of the strike.

Such as the renovation of the Gray Church slum.

The great strike was grand in scale and might evolve into violent conflict at any moment, so most factories in Grimland conservatively chose to shut down temporarily.

The slum residents, losing work, saw they could still earn from slum renovation, so they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to the task.

With a vast influx of manpower, it took only two days to completely transform the slum.

The hygiene improvement, coupled with Erin’s healing, eradicated malaria from the Gray Church slum, turning it into one of the rare clean places in Grimgland.

Seeing this transformation, Julie kept her prior promise and gifted the almshouse to Wu Chang for converting it into the Eternal Light Church.

The change in the Gray Church slum was so drastic that even the nearby working-class families showed interest in moving there.

Once they learned all changes initiated with the Eternal Light Church brought by Erin, the surrounding lower-class populace rapidly began converting to the church.

In just three days, the accumulated Power of Faith was enough to form the initial shape of the Pillar of the Divine Kingdom.

Within a two-kilometer range around the Gray Church, it has now become Erin’s Divine Kingdom, impervious even to the rules of the Steam Phantom Plane.

Upon entering the Gray Church slum, Wu Chang felt relieved, as the Steam rules’ suppression was instantly isolated by the Tree of Miracles.

With this Divine Kingdom, in this Steam Phantom Dungeon, he stood in an invincible position.

Regardless of the influence of Steam rules on the plane, as long as he saw any threat, by slipping into the slum, if the dungeon boss dared to pursue, he and Erin would ensure its permanent stay.

If Julie were more generous and gave them Saint George’s Cathedral to convert into the Eternal Light Church,

in no time, the smog over Grimland would clear up.

Then, those affected by the plane rules needing to leave wouldn’t be the players, but the Plane Son of the Steam Phantom Plane.

Unfortunately, the Abyssal Game doesn’t allow that, otherwise Erin’s Divine Kingdom wouldn’t be confined to merely two kilometers.

Upon entering the slum, like other devotees, he headed straight for the Gray Church.

Sitting on the last bench in the Gray Church, he casually opened a Sound Insulation Barrier and asked the person beside him, "How have you guys been recently?"

Sword Star, who had been quietly praying next to him, lifted his head and said:

"Everything’s going smoothly; Cold Mountain and I have successfully joined the Steam Council, and yesterday, we entered one of their strongholds."

"But they are overly cautious; the carriage taking us to the stronghold was specially sealed to block our senses."

During the strike, Wu Chang followed the plan, continuously having the Secret Magic Knights try to contact Henry, the editor-in-chief of the Bright Lamp Report.

Because of the Sloan Textile Factory, Henry didn’t refuse contact, but hesitated about deep cooperation, without giving a confirmed answer.

Though they didn’t uncover Henry’s intentions, the Secret Magic Knight Order’s interaction with him allowed Sword Star and Cold Mountain to complete their mission and successfully join the Steam Council.

Sword Star paused for a moment, leaning slightly towards Wu Chang, and even within the Sound Insulation Barrier, he instinctively lowered his voice, saying:

"We just joined the Steam Council and couldn’t get access to the stronghold information, but Cold Mountain, through the layout and the concentration of Steam Root Power in the stronghold, is sure the Plane Son is within the Steam Council."

"There’s also something else: the person who welcomed us claimed to be a Steam Council member. He said they chose us because we, like them, possess the Power of Rules."

"He also mentioned that the influence of Steam Root Power on the plane rules isn’t a coincidence, but rather a result of their intentional actions."

"He said that each time an Extraordinary Steam Engine is discovered and exposed to public view, the influence of Steam rules on the world deepens further."

Wu Chang frowned upon hearing this, pondering the information Sword Star provided.

The first unexpected revelation was the real existence of the Plane Son within the Steam Council, an organization that didn’t initially seem to be the final villains.

Next, the Plane Son’s control over the Steam Root Power exceeded both his and Raventon’s expectations.

Not only had he mastered the Power of Root himself, but he also knew ways to make Steam Root Power influence the plane rules.

Perhaps the timing of the Extraordinary Steam Engine discoveries didn’t align exactly with the Steam Council’s predictions, but it hadn’t deviated from their overarching plan.

In other words, the clues left at the bottom of the Pine Tree Coal Mine regarding the Extraordinary Refining Machine and the Soul Weaving Machine were intentional on their part.

Wu Chang squinted, thinking to himself that this situation had become complicated.

After Sword Star shared the intelligence they’d gathered, his gaze shifted inside the Gray Church, and he couldn’t help but ask:

"How did you find this place? I can feel this church has a unique power that isolates the Steam rules."

"If it weren’t for this place, I’d still worry about the Steam Council using the Power of Rules to monitor us, and wouldn’t dare meet you easily."

Wu Chang replied, "The power isolating the Steam rules doesn’t come from this church; it comes from Lady Sean."

"Sir Sean asked me to tell you that if your identities are discovered by the Steam Council and you are hunted by them, try to escape into this slum whenever possible."

"No matter who pursues you, once you enter the slum, Lady Sean can guarantee your safety."