From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 373: Transcendent Temptation? Making Money!

Originally, Margaret figured that no matter how urgent the situation was, she would still have enough time to conduct a proper investigation into the matter.

At the very least, she needed to uncover the connection between the sunken vessel and the historically infamous pirate, Blackbeard. Unfortunately, time was a luxury she did not possess.

On her seventh day in Houston, a group of individuals barged into the research institute. Claiming to be agents of the Special Affairs Processing Bureau, they forcibly took away three of the facility's six professors.

The remaining three, including herself, were escorted alongside Professor Thomas to the White House.

When a highly curious Margaret asked Professor Thomas what exactly was going on, the elderly bishop offered only a single sentence in response.

"What else could it be? The secret is out! Someone leaked the information, and now every major global power knows about it. Furthermore..."

Professor Thomas shook his head, tightly gripping a document retrieved from the research institute. "We will discuss the rest once we reach the White House. It is not safe to speak of it here!"

And so, the group boarded the Great Leader's private jet once more, flying directly to Washington D.C., where they were brought before Golden Hair.

It was the same conference room as before. The Great Leader Golden Hair, Baron, Vice President Qian Si, Secretary of State Luo, and the rest of the inner circle sat there, their eyes fixed on the assembled historians.

Vice President Qian Si was the first to break the silence. "Someone leaked state secrets. In accordance with the latest War Department decree, those responsible are now on guard duty in Alaska!"Making a group of elderly individuals with an average age of over fifty-five guard the freezing lands of the Arctic Circle? Everyone understood the underlying threat, and sensibly kept their mouths shut.

Since those traitors had chosen to betray their country, they had to face the bitter consequences.

"Enough, Qian Si. There is no need to dwell on that. Let us focus on the matter at hand!" Golden Hair declared, his commanding tone instantly snapping everyone out of their thoughts. They turned their attention to the eighty-year-old Great Leader, noticing the remote control gripped in his hand.

He pressed a button, and an image slowly materialized on the screen before them. "The Caribbean Sea is incredibly lively right now. Aside from our Second and Sixth Fleets, there are hundreds of ships from at least thirty different nations currently gathered there!"

"Because it is the Open Sea, no one has the authority to stop them. These vessels are circling the area, and everyone knows exactly what they are after!"

Golden Hair narrowed his eyes. "Even our friends over in California have taken a keen interest in this situation. It seems everyone wants to fish something out of these waters!"

"Therefore, I expect you to use the latest intelligence to provide me with a much more accurate assessment!"

"Is all of this real? And if it is, what exactly can we gain from it?"

Upon hearing Golden Hair's question, Professor Thomas hurriedly replied, "It should be real. We have spent the last few days studying the shipwreck, and we can now confirm that the vessel sank in 1717. Meanwhile, the infamous pirate Blackbeard, Edward Titch, died in 1718!"

He waved the document in his hand, which contained their latest findings. The data perfectly aligned with several of his earlier theories.

"In other words, the timeline matches up perfectly. Furthermore, information passed down from The Church proves that the ship's destruction is highly likely tied to the Unwind Cemetery!"

"Because the Unwind Cemetery is explicitly recorded in The Church's archives!"

Golden Hair was visibly taken aback. "The Church has records of it as well? Why have I never heard about this?"

"It was documented in the Catholic Church's secret archives, and even the Vatican wasn't entirely certain if it was true!" Professor Thomas explained. "The Vatican has an overwhelming number of stories regarding various divine artifacts, holy relics, and the Supernatural. Many are dismissed as baseless ghost stories, yet a select few have been proven true."

"Take the shroud, for example! This particular fragment should originate from the Holy Blood Shroud contamination incident of 1675. According to the Vatican's records, it was a Holy Relic requested by the Spanish Inquisition to combat the Aztec worshippers of the Sun God..."

Everyone present knew that Professor Thomas had deep ties with The Church. He shared a profound personal friendship with Bennett Angus, and as a former Catholic Priest and Bishop himself, it was hardly surprising that he possessed such exclusive sources of information.

Golden Hair nodded. "Go on."

"According to The Church's historical records, the Governor of Havana melted down the golden crown of the Aztec Sun God to forge a monstrance. While the Dominican friar, Diego de la Cruz, was transporting it to Port-au-Prince, it triggered an absolutely terrifying Tsunami. The disaster led to the utter destruction of a city and turned the entire Sea Area into a raging, turbulent storm!"

"In a desperate final act, Friar Diego de la Cruz threw the Holy Blood Shroud into the ocean, causing a violent clash of powers. Only then was he able to lead the survivors back to the Vatican!" Professor Thomas detailed. "Therefore, judging by the timeline, the shroud found at the cemetery most likely originated from that very incident!"

"That is The Church for you... always managing to pull up historical records from the most obscure places," Golden Hair muttered thoughtfully. He then shifted his gaze toward Margaret. "Professor Carlos, do you have any results from your research?"

Margaret Carlos slowly nodded. "I do, Mr. Great Leader!"

She provided an answer that pleasantly surprised everyone in the room. "I carefully studied the sharkskin parchment and discovered that the strange scribbles on it were not meaningless doodles at all. It is actually a crude map—one that pinpoints the locations of three specific Supernatural Items!"

"However, I have yet to decipher what exactly these three items signify, so..."

"The three items refer to the three Holy Relics!" Baron suddenly interjected. "The Special Affairs Processing Bureau received classified intelligence from the CIA. Newly discovered documents regarding this cemetery recently surfaced in the British Museum. They explicitly state that these three Holy Relics are the keys required to enter the cemetery safely!"

"In other words, anyone who attempts to enter the cemetery without the protection of those three Holy Relics is as good as dead, correct?" Professor Thomas quickly concluded.

Silence descended over the room, serving as a grim, unspoken agreement. If even Transcendent beings, ancient Priests, and Mayan High Priests were reduced to Corpses, how could ordinary people possibly survive? The answer was glaringly obvious.

Baron wasn't finished. "Our agents stationed in Europe have gathered critical intelligence on these Holy Relics. They consist of a fragment of the shroud, a crystal monkey skull, and the Runic Compass!"

"Additionally, the secret archives of the Spanish royal family mention that one of the Friar's Ribs possesses a similar effect, capable of temporarily repelling the curse!"

"Fundamentally, this so-called cemetery is a trial ground of the gods and an ancient battlefield. What lies within are dormant Transcendent Powers—the long-lost treasures belonging to these supernatural factions!"

"Every pirate and major nation of that era desperately sought to assemble these Holy Relics and plunder the treasures from the cemetery, for they represented the true manifestation of Transcendence!"

Baron's revelation drew the undivided attention of everyone in the room. They couldn't help but agree with his assessment, especially since the sharkskin map explicitly listed the treasures hidden within the cemetery!

Christian beliefs, Norse Mythology, Greek lore, ancient American legends, and even the unique mythologies of Africa... The powers behind all these ancient myths had surfaced during the terrifying Age of Discovery. Could they have simply appeared for no reason?

Even the Clergymen of the era had ventured there. It was highly probable that true Transcendent Power was sealed within—power that could actually be harnessed and used!

Wasn't that exactly what those legendary pirates had been pursuing?

Several people instantly drew parallels to the tales from "Pirates of the Caribbean". The concept of wielding supernatural power through mystical artifacts—wasn't that the very essence of Transcendence they were discussing?

Listening to the briefing, Golden Hair gave a slight nod. "Indeed. This is exactly why I brought you all here. I want you to continue digging through this intelligence and uncover exactly what transpired in that Sea Area three hundred years ago!"

Professor Thomas immediately grasped Golden Hair's underlying intent. "Your Excellency, Great Leader, did you bring us here to locate these Holy Relics so that America may acquire Transcendent Power?"

Golden Hair shook his head. "No. In truth, the Special Affairs Processing Bureau is already handling that aspect. Your actual mission is to continuously leak this information to the rest of the world! We need to lure even more nations to those waters in search of this so-called Transcendence!"

The elderly President flashed a remarkably sly grin. "We already possess Transcendent Power, while they do not! They are far more desperate than we are, are they not?"

"Let them come! Let their militaries, their wealthiest billionaires, and every ambitious fool seeking Transcendence flock to the Caribbean! It matters little to us, as that region belongs to Central America, not America's sovereign territory!"

"The people drawn to this treasure hunt will be the wealthiest elites in the world, individuals who will spare no expense. And when they arrive, the only reliable place in the entirety of the Americas where they can restock their supplies will be right here in America!"

"We will dispatch our people to provide them with supplies! We will sell them food! We will sell them tools! We will sell them everything they could possibly need! As long as they have the cash, America is open for business!"

"Once they are entirely dependent on us, that is when we will truly exert our influence!"

Everyone in the room was completely dumbfounded. Was such a geopolitical play even possible? To exploit a supernatural phenomenon solely as a means for Amassing Wealth?

Yet, upon further reflection, it made perfect sense. The Government was currently teetering on the edge of a shutdown. If they didn't generate massive revenue soon, how were they supposed to keep the country running?

Exploiting the emergence of the Supernatural to stimulate the national Economy... Their Great Leader truly was a master of the game.