Lord: Sequence Master

At the Glory Foundation, Rosen silently left Chaos City through data transmission.

Instead of returning to Paradise Island, he chose to stop here because Daisy had personally captured Luke Cruz alive.

Over the years, with the help of high-level extraordinary plants from the Glory Foundation and high-quality potions from Paradise Pharmaceuticals, Daisy had advanced to Sequence 3, her growth outpacing Rosen's. With the support of multiple board members, capturing Luke Cruz had been a relatively simple task for her.

Rosen painted a portrait of Luke Cruz and permanently sealed him within the painting.

Not only could the painting borrow Luke Cruz's abilities to summon an even more realistic replica, but Rosen also infused the painting with subtle mental domination. Over time, the real Luke Cruz would become fully enslaved.

He went one step further, using historical revision to alter Luke Cruz's memories, effectively rewriting his past. Completely controlling him was now only a matter of time.

Having prepared for years, Rosen decided it was finally time to head to the Historian Guild Headquarters.

Unlike the Painter Guild Headquarters, which was located on the Eternal Continent, the Historian Guild's headquarters resided in a secret realm deep within the Spirit World.

The Eternal Continent was vast, but its surrounding enemies were numerous, making it an unsuitable place for historians to explore and uncover history. To avoid such conflicts, the Historian Guild had constructed a unique secret realm, which, as the name suggests, was a hidden spiritual realm.

No one knew the exact coordinates of the Historical Secret Realm. Entry was only possible through special reverse summoning.

After submitting an application under his alias "Sulei", Rosen quickly received an approval letter from the Historian Guild Headquarters.

He left the Chaos Sea and appeared on the Dragon God Continent to enter the Spirit World.

The Dragon God Continent was a strategic choice because it had secret spatial channels leading to the Dragon Realm.

These channels were contingency measures left by the dragons, discovered by Rosen when he used the God-Hunting Magic Eye to steal ancient dragon artifacts.

Rosen had since submitted the channel's location to the World Government under the identity of Sulei.

The reward for this contribution? He was granted the hereditary title of Duke.

This secret channel would give humanity a tactical advantage in any future wars against the Dragon Race.

Rosen waited for three days before a Spirit World Courier from the Historian Guild arrived.

The courier, resembling a crow, carefully inspected Rosen's approval letter and verified his identity. It even used a projected miracle artifact to ensure Rosen carried no tracking devices before finally landing on his shoulder to signal approval.

In the blink of an eye, spatial displacement activated, instantly teleporting Rosen and the crow to a new location.

When the transmission ended, Rosen found himself inside a colossal museum—so massive it seemed almost unreal.

The entire Historical Secret Realm was, in essence, part of a Sequence 1 Historical Museum.

This museum had been created by the first Sequence 0 Historian.

Standing at the edge of the secret realm, Rosen could see its centerpiece: the Historical Sequence Tree, a towering structure hundreds of miles high, though it looked somewhat withered and lifeless.

This wasn't surprising—most high-ranking historians dreamed of defeating archaeologists and taking control of their domain.

Looking up, Rosen noticed there was no ceiling. Instead, the "sky" was filled with rolling white clouds, within which countless Eternal Chronicles fluttered and flew.

These were the chronicles left behind by previous historians. Any historian who did not perish accidentally would send their Eternal Chronicle here.

Through the personal histories recorded in these books, deceased historians could potentially resurrect as spirit entities bound to their books.

The secret realm was enormous, stretching at least 100,000 miles in diameter.

Everywhere Rosen looked, there were towering bookshelves and display platforms filled with artifacts. It was impossible to fathom how much ancient history the Historian Guild had preserved or how many historical relics it had collected.

For any historian, this was nothing short of paradise.

However, entering this realm was no easy feat—Sequence 3 was the minimum qualification to apply.

The total number of historians worldwide was likely fewer than 500.

The remaining individuals in the guild were assistants, with each historian allowed to bring at least 100 assistants—though there was technically no upper limit. Every assistant had to undergo rigorous training and scrutiny before being accepted.

Thanks to the God-Hunting Magic Eye, Rosen already knew all of this in detail.

After arriving, Rosen didn't immediately head toward the Historical Sequence Tree.

Instead, he took his time to appreciate the museum's layout, admiring the extraordinary exhibits and the sheer scale of the library.

Occasionally, he would catch glimpses of other historians walking the halls, some accompanied by assistants who carried notebooks and artifacts.

As a Sequence 3 Historian, Rosen knew that the true purpose of this place went far beyond the storage and display of history. The Historical Secret Realm was a treasure trove of power, where historians could deepen their connection to their historical authority.

Upon entering the Historical Sequence Tree, Rosen maintained his composure, acting as if he were completely unaware of the hidden gazes and probing inquiries. Led by the Spirit World Courier, he passed through several permanent teleportation gates before arriving at the base of the Historical Sequence Tree.

The interior of the Historical Sequence Tree was hollow, housing a massive inner space that served as the living quarters for all historians. This vast internal space was known as the Historical Hollow by historians.

As Rosen stepped into the Historical Hollow, a lively reception greeted him in the grand hall.

"Ah, you must be Sulei! Quick, tell us about the history of the Dragon Race…"

"What do you know about the Twin Dragon War from 26,000 years ago?"

"…"

The enthusiastic outbursts from the gathered historians were relentless.

"Welcome to the Historian Guild Headquarters. Please don't mind them—they're simply too passionate about history," said a woman who stepped forward to dismiss the other historians, shielding Rosen from their relentless questions.

This woman was Wendy Burgen, the president of the Historian Guild. She greeted Rosen warmly, even embracing him with apparent sincerity. However, beneath this gesture of goodwill, Rosen could sense faint traces of covert probing.

Fortunately, his disguise was nearly flawless—if not perfect. Wendy's Sequence 1 divine avatar detected no irregularities.

Of course, Wendy herself was merely a divine avatar, not her true body. If her original form were present, she might have been able to uncover Rosen's secret. But such an occurrence was nearly impossible. All gods were preoccupied with their own grand affairs, and summoning their true forms would require extensive preparation.

Thanks to Wendy's authoritative presence, none of the other historians dared to bother Rosen any further.

Under Wendy's guidance, Rosen quickly familiarized himself with the Historical Hollow.

Within this space, all abilities related to history were greatly enhanced. Only historians could reside within the Historical Hollow, while assistants and ordinary individuals lived in various subsidiary spiritual realms connected to the guild.

Rosen, as of yet, had no assistants. He planned to select and train assistants from among his subjects in his God-Domain Territory, grooming them to help him research history.

The Historical Hollow contained at least 60% of all recorded history in the primary world. However, accessing these records came at a cost. Contributing a new, previously undocumented piece of history would grant access to 100 equally valuable records in return.

The "give one, gain one hundred" policy seemed reasonable from every perspective.

Over the course of two weeks, Rosen carefully organized the Dragon Race histories recorded in his Eternal Chronicle and submitted them to the guild.

In exchange, he immediately gained research access to all "lost histories."

The lost histories were pieces of historical knowledge that remained uninterpreted or incomplete. Accessing these required only minimal permissions, as the guild actively encouraged historians to research and interpret them.

Rosen's submission of fragmented Dragon Race histories not only earned him full access to the lost histories but left him with a significant surplus of research privileges.

One of these lost histories brought Rosen to a mysterious ruin, scattered with crude clay figurines resembling children's toys.

At first glance, it appeared as if a group of children had built clay houses and crafted humanoid figures from the soil.

However, the ruins were far from ordinary. Destroying any of these clay figures triggered equal harm upon the perpetrator, as if the ruin were imbued with some kind of mystical retaliation.

Even more intriguingly, the collapsed clay structures contained unique symbols etched into the dirt, radiating faint spiritual energy.

Sitting at the edge of the ruin, Rosen extended his divine presence, fully covering the site with his godly essence.

His Ancient Scholar authority—a profession tied to his Noble Sequence—granted him the ability to read and decipher all lost histories.

With the added strength of the Historian Sequence's Historical Analysis and Historical Reading abilities, his ability to interpret lost texts and symbols had reached an unprecedented level.

He named this lost civilization the Clay Figure Civilization.

The story began with a drop of blood from a Great True God falling onto a patch of soil, staining it red.

A human boy stumbled upon this peculiar patch of dirt and discovered it was perfect for making clay figurines. Treating the spot as his secret playground, the boy created numerous clay houses and humanoid figures, sculpting them with childlike innocence.

But the godly power in the soil brought these clay figures to life.

Delighted by the animated figures, the boy began teaching them the basic knowledge of humanity.

The clay figures were simple-minded and obedient, but as time passed, the boy grew older and began to lose interest in his creations. He started to see playing with clay as childish and dirty.

His attitude shifted from love to exploitation.

Realizing the clay figures could burrow through the earth, he enslaved them, forcing them to help him amass wealth.

With his newfound riches and influence, the boy's greed spiraled out of control. He began capturing the clay figures for experimentation, seeking to uncover the secret of their origins.

Eventually, the clay figures discovered the truth behind their kin's disappearances. Their rage boiled over, and they tore the boy apart in their fury, absorbing his flesh, blood, and soul into their collective body.

From that moment on, the clay figures were free. They gradually evolved and gave rise to their own Clay Figure Civilization.

At its peak, the Clay Figure Civilization produced a single deity. However, for unknown reasons, the clay figure deity disappeared, and their civilization was gradually destroyed by an unseen enemy. In their final moments, all surviving clay figures returned to their place of origin and cast a curse that plunged them into eternal slumber.

According to the curse, if the clay figure deity reappeared within 10,000 years, the clay figures would awaken and be reborn.

But 80,000 years had passed, and every clay figure had perished in their eternal slumber.

Having analyzed the history to this point, Rosen now faced a decision.

Should he expend 1 billion high-grade spiritual crystals to attempt extracting a historical imprint from these clay figures?

The odds were 1 in 1,000—but this didn't mean success would come after exactly 1,000 attempts. If luck was unfavorable, even after 100,000 tries, success might not come.

Without hesitation, Rosen began pouring divine energy into the attempt. His Gluttony Stomach devoured spiritual crystals at a terrifying rate to replenish his consumed divine power.

Unsurprisingly, his first attempt failed.

However, there was a silver lining: with his mastery of historian abilities, the power of his Ancient Scholar profession was also enhanced. This synergy increased the success rate from 0.1% to 1%—a small improvement, but enough to give him hope.

On his second attempt, Rosen no longer held back.

Using the Holy Sword of Sovereignty, he locked in Fortune Authority to partially solidify his luck.

With the Heartlock of Fortune's "Heaven Follows Will" effect, he consumed destiny energy to further enhance his luck.

Finally, using the Miracle Pouch's Equivalent Exchange, he elevated the success rate once more.

Despite these measures, he failed twice more.

On the third attempt, success finally came.

Rosen now held the historical imprint in his hand, and it offered three possible uses:

Using it as a core to create a new spiritual realm centered on the Clay Figure Civilization.

Crushing the imprint to extract a fragment of the Great True God's divine blood, along with the soil imbued with its power that had once brought the clay figures to life.

Employing it to activate the Time Lord authority, a core ability of his Noble Sequence profession.

Without hesitation, Rosen chose the third option.

As valuable as the life-creating soil might be, it held limited utility for him. His years of preparation to join the Historian Guild were all for the sake of mastering the Time Lord's true power.

Rosen merged the historical imprint with his Noble Sequence extraordinary essence.

The moment he activated the Time Lord authority, both he and his divine territory vanished.

When he regained his bearings, he found himself standing 80,000 years in the past, near the ancestral homeland of the clay figures, now perfectly intact.

Before him stood simple, primitive structures, where countless clay figures laughed and played with childlike joy.

Even the strongest among them, who possessed Sequence 2-level power, appeared just as carefree and innocent as the rest.

This lighthearted and playful nature seemed ingrained in their very essence.

Looking around, Rosen noticed the surrounding area was enveloped in a rolling white mist about 100 meters away.

When he extended his divine sense into the mist, it was instantly torn apart.

But he already knew what the mist was.

The mist was time. It was history itself.

At this moment, both Rosen and his divine territory had been transported 80,000 years into the past.

The historical imprint sustained this small pocket of space, shielding it from being erased or corrected by the flow of time.

Through the Time Lord authority, Rosen transformed this pocket of the past into his personal territory.

By anchoring the territory with the historical imprint, he gained the ability to traverse time at will, moving between the present and this 80,000-year-old domain.

In this state, as long as his divine territory remained anchored here, no one from 80,000 years in the future could fully destroy his divine essence without deploying power capable of crossing 80,000 years of time to obliterate this territory.

While this ability seemed perfect for self-preservation, Rosen quickly discovered it offered far more.

He found that he could command the clay figures within the territory.

Every single clay figure revered him as their Father God and offered him devout faith.

This wasn't just because the territory belonged to him; his ancient god bloodline evoked an instinctive sense of kinship and loyalty from the clay figures.

If he encountered a formidable enemy, Rosen could use his divine territory to pull the foe into this pocket of the past.

Once inside, the clay figures would relentlessly fight to the death at his command, swarming the intruder until their final breath.

In the future, if his strength increases even further, Rosen might be able to break through the time fog surrounding his time territory, allowing him to truly step into the timeline of 80,000 years ago. Though he would still be unable to influence events, he would be able to witness everything that occurred firsthand.

However, achieving this would require at least Sequence 2-level power.

As Rosen admired the clay figures gathered at his feet, he felt satisfied. Spending billions of high-grade spiritual crystals on this endeavor was entirely worth it.

Not only could he revive the life of a lost civilization, but he had also successfully established a time territory in a past timeline.

With this territory, he now had a plausible explanation for the existence of his Divine Study Room.

Why did Chinon relentlessly target him? At first, it might have been because of Damon, a matter of personal pride. But later, beyond fearing his potential, Chinon's true motives lay in greed—coveting the treasure in Rosen's possession, a treasure even a Sequence 0 couldn't locate.

If Chinon failed to kill him for a prolonged period, there was no guarantee he wouldn't lash out in frustration, spreading rumors about Rosen possessing invaluable treasures.

At that point, the time territory would serve as the best cover.

Rosen exited the time territory and returned to the present. Seeing the now-vanished clay figure civilization ruins, his face darkened.

It appeared that the ruins of the clay figure civilization had been consumed as material for constructing the time territory.

But this created a new problem—how could he explain this to the Historian Guild?

After some hesitation, Rosen hardened his resolve. If he couldn't explain it, then he simply wouldn't.

For now, the disappearance of the ruins hadn't attracted any attention from other historians.

Researching lost histories wasn't particularly popular, and the Guild couldn't monitor every historian at all times. Often, historians would bring artifacts from their studies back to the Historical Tree Hollow for further analysis.

For now, anyone noticing the ruins' disappearance would likely assume another historian had taken the artifacts back for research.

But this deception could only last for so long.

If another historian became interested in the clay figure civilization and came looking to collaborate, Rosen wouldn't be able to hide the truth. At that point, he decided he might as well come clean.

Lost histories that hadn't been decoded yet didn't hold much real value.

If he could quickly decode large quantities of lost history, the inevitable losses during the process would likely be overlooked by the higher-ups of the Historian Guild. With this thought in mind, he immediately set out to decode more lost histories.

As Rosen analyzed more lost histories, certain patterns began to emerge.

Every lost history contained records of a deity's birth, but none of them recorded the emergence of a true god.

The more Rosen studied, the more he suspected that these lost civilizations had been deliberately eliminated by the world itself.

The inability to produce a true god indicated limited potential—civilizations like these had no value in continuing to exist.

Of course, even civilizations that produced true gods were often destroyed.

Many civilizations had fallen alongside their gods when those gods were slain.

The more lost histories Rosen analyzed, the more historical imprints he collected.

For the rare, impressive civilizations, he transformed their imprints into new time territories.

For others that didn't interest him, he crushed their imprints, gaining valuable treasures in the process. By selling these treasures through the Main God Hall, Rosen not only avoided losses but actually turned a profit.

However, as the number of vanished lost civilization sites grew, it finally attracted the attention of other historians.

One day, while Rosen was analyzing a lost history, Wendy Burgan quietly sat down beside him.

Before Wendy could question him, Rosen preemptively presented a collection of neatly compiled historical records from various lost civilizations.

As Wendy flipped through the books, her eyes lit up brighter with each page, and she began to look at Rosen as though he were a treasure chest.

To her, the vanished ruins were like uncut jade, while the decoded histories were the polished gems within. These decoded histories could strengthen the Historical Sequence Tree, enhance the power of historical laws, and benefit all historians in the Guild.

Although some "jade" (ruins) had been lost, the "gems" (decoded histories) were far more valuable.

Instead of reprimanding Rosen, Wendy mobilized the Historian Guild to begin collecting lost artifacts on a large scale throughout human territories. Their goal was clear—to squeeze every ounce of value out of Suley Watson (Rosen's alias).

Of course, the world is never short of rumors. Not all historians in the Guild were friendly.

Soon, the Archaeological Institute also began collecting lost artifacts, further escalating the ongoing tensions between historians and archaeologists.

Ultimately, the World Government had to intervene, ordering the Archaeological Institute to relinquish nearly all the lost artifacts they had gathered.

(End of Chapter)