Chapter 183: Le-o-de-ro!
"Disicple of Silence" Zatwin's mission within the "Rose School of Thought" was to hunt down Sharon and Maric, these two "
Temperance Faction" remnants.
Not to mention, before arriving here, Zatwin had received a revelation from the great "Mother Tree of Desire."
The great "Mother Tree of Desire" required him to spread the gospel of the Mother Tree to the Beyonders assisting Sharon and Maric, allowing them to receive the Mother Tree's call.
In words that non-Believers of the Mother Tree of Desire could understand, it meant letting the Mother Tree pollute them.
Zatwin had been observing for a while—the three people in front of him assisting Sharon and Maric belonged to the "Aurora Order." Two of them possessed the abilities of a "Shepherd," while the remaining one was a "Marauder."
Although he didn't know much about "Marauders"—after all, there were very few "Marauders" left in the world now—Zatwin had a "Marauder" Pathway beyonder item. He believed this little fellow, who wasn't even a demigod, had no way to escape his sight.
But as he emerged from his "Wraith" state and slowly descended from the Moon, Zatwin felt a strange sense of fragmentation in his worldview because of what he saw.
The "Shepherd" before him suddenly turned into a "Black Knight"—but he wasn't a true demigod. Zatwin could sense that the "Black Knight" in front of him was merely a facade without the essence of a demigod; it should be a demigod-level ability recorded by a "Scribe" grazed by the "Shepherd."
And behind this "Shepherd," a person wearing a black robe with a strong sense of mystery suddenly appeared.
"Saint of Secrets"; a demigod of the "Door" Pathway.
Zatwin already felt things were getting tricky. He knew very well how difficult Beyonders of the "Door" Pathway who could survive to the demigod stage were.
Among the three people before him, there might be a Gods Favored closely related to the "True Creator," and the "Saint of Secrets" was the Guardian of that Gods Favored.
Although the gap between Sequence 3 and Sequence 4 wasn't small, it was only enough to completely suppress the opponent in battle, but not to the extent of a 100% kill rate.
For Beyonders walking on the divine Pathways, Sequence 7, Sequence 4, and Sequence 2 were three distinct watersheds.
The "Saint of Secrets" was fully capable of taking these three people away under his suppression, but if that happened, the mission of the Mother Tree of Desire would be difficult to complete.
Just as Zatwin was thinking about how to complete the Mother Tree of Desire's mission, he saw a bizarre scene:
A god-like quality suddenly emerged from the "Marauder" on the side. A dense aura of Depravity covered him, making him suddenly become majestic.
Is this the Divine Descent vessel for the "True Creator"?
Flames ignited on the other side, and a familiar person, someone who had appeared in ancient texts, returned to the battlefield with the Beyonder suspected of being a "Shepherd" who had just escaped.
Is this the "Death Consul" of the Balam Empire?
"Death" has not truly perished?
"Death" and the "Hanged Man" are cooperating once again?!!
If it weren't for the fact that Zatwin was a "Disicple of Silence" and needed to adhere to the precepts of silence, he would have clearly expressed his anger and confusion by now:
He even suspected this was a trap; otherwise, how could a weak Sequence 3 like himself happen to encounter an Angel of the Death domain and an incarnation of a deity?
Even so, intense emotions emerged within Zatwin's sunken, mummy-like eye sockets.
But after a brief moment of panic, Zatwin quickly noticed something was wrong.
The "Death Consul" shouldn't be this weak, and the "True Creator" was also incomplete—if it were an Angel in a complete Mythical Creature form, I should have already turned into a Beyonder characteristic—
Listening to the Mother Tree's whispers in his ear, Zatwin pressed the index and middle fingers of his left hand tightly against his cracked lips.
For the great "Mother Tree of Desire"!
Zatwin's fingers slowly parted, and his tightly closed lips followed suit:
Zatwin, who had a thin face and looked like a priest, suddenly opened his mouth. A curse brewed to its limit instantly shot towards the three people standing there, intending to forcibly restrain them and then proceed to snatch the two weaker "Shepherds"!
The Mother Tree's revelation mentioned three people. Even if these two Sequence 5 Beyonders weren't the ones the Mother Tree desired, he could still eliminate all the wrong options!
When the time came, Lord "Abomination" Suah would be able to lock onto the person chosen by the great "Mother Tree of Desire."
But just then, Mr. A, transformed into a "Black Knight," lunged forward. The straight, deep "blade of spirit and flesh" in his hand met the incoming deep-black curse. The longsword slashed directly at the deep-black curse, making a nauseating, sizzling sound.
The black armor all over Mr. A's body couldn't withstand the power of this potent curse. It instantly became covered in cracks like shattered glass, black mist leaked out, and it shattered with a bang in less than half a second.
Mr. A was sent flying backward. During his flight, the areas tainted by the curse rapidly changed, growing white, curly sheep's wool.
Under the effect of the "Transformation Curse," Mr. A, the "Shepherd," was turning into a "Lamb"!
But in the next moment, Mr. A did not hesitate at all. The flesh and blood all over his body exploded simultaneously, leaving only his upper body with most of his chest to rapidly repair itself in mid-air.
The deep-black curse paused in the air for a moment, then shot towards where Mr. A's severed limbs were at an even faster speed, seemingly determined to turn Mr. A into a sheep that was easy to take away.
But just then, a flame ignited beside Mr. A. Klein, eyes tightly closed, appeared where Mr. A
was based purely on intuition. He took Mr. A and nimbly dodged the curse with a roll, then quickly fled into the distance.
Mr. A still wanted to struggle, but he immediately heard Klein's voice in his ear: "His target is us. Only by leaving here can we help them!"
Although there was still doubt in Mr. A's tone, he cooperatively stopped his struggling and instead began to focus on repairing his limbs, asking in a low voice, "How did you know?"
Klein didn't speak, only focused on fleeing. In his heart, he mostly had an inkling of the results he had obtained from his previous divination.
He had a considerable degree of self-awareness regarding his current combat capabilities. He didn't have any beyonder items on hand that could effectively kill a High-Sequence Beyonder, and he completely lacked the ability to cause damage to the terrifying demigod before him.
If he had even one Sequence 3 beyonder item in his hand, he would have already run Above the Gray Fog to assist everyone in beating up this "Disicple of Silence."
What Klein needed to do now was:
Escape into the interior of Backlund and make this "Disicple of Silence" lose his target!
Zatwin naturally didn't intend to let Klein and Mr. A escape the battlefield—after all, his goal for staying here was the three of them: Klein, Mr. A, and Nimrod. If two of the three had fled and the other was suspected to be a descent of the "True Creator," what was he still doing here?
But the "Saint of Secrets" was indeed worthy of being a Saint who could contend with the three orthodox churches of Storm, Sun, and Wisdom. His gaze fixed on Zatwin, his stiff hair stood on end, and he let out a roar with all his might: "Banish!"
Zatwin's body swayed, and an illusory door opened on him. Although the "Banishment" wasn't successful, it interfered with Zatwin's actions, preventing him from following the traces left in the Spirit World to continue tracking Klein and Mr. A, forcing him to stay where he was.
But the "Saint of Secrets" also let out a muffled groan, clearly having suffered a serious injury: as the "Source of Curses," harming a "Disicple of Silence" was equivalent to harming oneself!
Combined with the backlash from forcibly "Banishing" a Beyonder one Sequence higher than himself, the "Saint of Secrets" instantly lost his combat capability for several seconds.
Zatwin's gaze suddenly turned cold. Upon realizing that the two candidates chosen by the Mother Tree had completely disappeared from his sight, his brown face seemed to darken, showing a slight tendency to turn red.
But at that moment, a dense, silent Darkness emerged from the "Death Consul" wearing formal attire and a top hat, surging towards Zatwin.
Zatwin felt a faint itch beneath his skin, which was more like that of a dead object, as if feathers were about to grow out.
He twisted his wrist on the hand wearing a pitch-black glove, then unhesitatingly took off the glove and stuffed it into his pocket—Nimrod noticed from the corner of his eye that the pitch-black glove seemed to be writhing frantically, growing a large number of feathers.
He felt that "Error" Pathway beyonder items seemed to share the same miserable fate as those of the "Door" Pathway, being used year-round as disposable items to steal pollution.
[That might be an item formed from a demigod-level characteristic, or perhaps Sequence 5.] The Celestial Worthy whispered in Nimrod's ear: [If you snatch it, maybe you'll have a lead on a demigod-level potion.]
Nimrod directly ignored the Celestial Worthy's words. The Celestial Worthy was just talking nonsense—snatching a beyonder item from a Sequence 3 demigod? That was more difficult than killing a Sequence 4 Amon.
He shook the lantern he was holding. Endless shadows, carrying the divinity of the True Creator, spread to the surroundings, vaguely forming a domain of Darkness.
The "shadow lantern" did not contain a Beyonder characteristic; it only contained the divinity of the True Creator.
And now, Nimrod was using the divinity of the True Creator within the "shadow lantern" to borrow the characteristic of the "Profane Presbyter" that had been sealed within his body by the True Creator.
Of course, this was just a simple utilization and couldn't fully exert the power of the Angel level.
But—sometimes it had its ingenious uses.
The shadows spread quickly. As Zatwin felt the shadows cover him, the will of "Depravity" within him began to grow rapidly—members of the Indulgence Faction were already hovering on the edge of losing control, everyone was a standard fallen one, and the "Hanged Man's" abilities naturally countered them.
Or rather, the Believers of all evil gods would be countered by the power of the "True Creator"; this was the power of the authority of "Depravity."
Zatwin only felt his body become incredibly fragile. The "blade of spirit and flesh" already had the effect of making a fallen one's defenses fail, and the domain created by the "shadow lantern" just now belonged to a higher-level ability of the "blade of spirit and flesh."
—This was a spiritual blade of spirit and flesh. As long as a fallen one was enveloped within it, all defenses on their body would also dissipate.
In this state, can I still withstand the "Death Consul's" attack? Zatwin looked at the "Death Consul" holding a golden cane, walking towards him at a pace that seemed slow but was actually rapid, and found it hard to imagine himself blocking this strike.
He immediately chanted in a low, cold voice: "O Son of God who should not have been born, you are the cage that imprisons curses, the filth that erodes history—"
He was chanting the Abomination's honorable name to summon the "Abomination" Suah!
Only less than two minutes had passed since Zatwin appeared, but in this short time, the "Death Consul" and the "True Creator's Incarnation" seemed to be increasingly regaining their peak forms, making Zatwin feel a sense of being unable to resist, his heart pounding.
Although they would be in a stalemate in the short term, to achieve certain results before the people from the orthodox churches arrived, he needed to borrow the power of the Angel level!
But just then, Zatwin's gaze suddenly froze. He stared blankly at the three figures that suddenly disappeared, finding the situation before him difficult to understand.
Azik, Botis, and Nimrod all disappeared from the spot simultaneously.
They had the upper hand, so why flee?
The Crimson Moon in the sky silently watched the earth, but the surrounding clouds slowly gathered, making the Darkness even denser.
Zatwin stiffly raised his head inch by inch and looked towards the sky, seemingly seeing a tiny white point of light.
What would the divinity of the True Creator plus the combat aftermath of the "Saint of Secrets," "Disicple of Silence," and "Death Consul" attract?
An arm covered in pitch-black slime suddenly reached out, grabbed the stiff Zatwin, and dragged him into the Spirit World.
The next moment, a silver-white lightning bolt crashed down. Countless silver snakes spread across this pitch-black land, falling on the dilapidated buildings and on that eerie arm.
Buildings were annihilated, slime splattered, and lightning with Purification power rampaged across the abandoned West Bairong Dockyard. In a flash of white light, every inch of soil in the West Bairong Dockyard crumbled.
The answer was: "Leodero"!
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#184Chapter 184 Aftermath
Chapter 184: Aftermath
Silver-white lightning spread across the ruins of what was once known as the "West Bairong Dockyard," mercilessly destroying everything within.
The gloomy clouds had now been swept away by a violent wind, leaving only a Moon casting its crimson light upon the earth.
Several sounds of breaking air came from the distance as the Archbishop and Pope of the Church of Storms hovered in the air with solemn expressions. They glanced at each other and quickly dispersed, flying downward at high speed.
Angels had fought here, and the Lord of Storms had descended his power, completely purging the corruption from this place.
Before the eyes of these proxies of the Lord of Storms in the physical world lay an irrefutable fact; not just members of the Church of Storms, but all high-Sequence Beyonders would find it difficult to sleep tonight.
"The Lord of Storms—" Despair Nightingale stood within the Demoness Sect's residence in Backlund, her eyes trembling slightly. "What on earth are those Lunatics from the Aurora Order doing?"
The Lord of Storms nearly performed a Divine Descent.
Once a True God appeared in Backlund, all those evil god Believers like them, who were hidden in Backlund plotting various schemes, would be wiped clean in an instant.
However, this did not mean the Lord of Storms would spend too much time purging evil god Believers below Sequence 2; rather, it was because the Divine Descent of the Lord of Storms itself was equivalent to a disaster.
A deity merely walking upon the earth would cause countless horrors and bloodshed, and if the "Tyrant" who governed "Storms" and "Disasters" descended upon Backlund—
Then Backlund might be destroyed in an instant by the power of a deity.
And as everyone knew, compared to the foreign "Sun" and "knowledge," the one the Lord of Storms was most wary of was the Aurora Order's "True Creator."
Which meant—Despair Nightingale's pupils dilated slightly, a look of fear inconsistent with her Sequence appearing on the demigod's face:
Without us knowing, has the True Creator already attempted a Divine Descent once?
When did they gather the materials for the True Creator's Divine Descent, and when did they quietly complete the ritual without anyone knowing?
She took a deep breath, her expression gradually returning to its original state as she slowly walked into the Darkness.
The situation had changed. Whether it was contacting the sect or discussing subsequent matters with Ince Zangwill, she needed to handle it promptly.
But regardless, Despair Nightingale's mindset had already undergone a slight change without her realizing it.
In an alleyway in East Borough.
Azik Eggers's figure emerged from the Darkness. The Darkness surrounding him carried a cold silence; a mere glance gave one the feeling of their soul freezing and life draining away. The "Saint of Secrets," Botis, also stepped out from the Spirit World, his face clearly somewhat pale, yet carrying an air of excitement.
As a devout Believer of the "True Creator," the "Saint of Secrets" gained more confidence in the Lord's Divine Descent upon noticing the Lord's divinity reviving within the Saint.
As for why his expression was poor—it was because the Lord of Storms had decisively brought down his wrath after noticing signs of the True Creator's revival, mercilessly destroying the entire port of Backlund.
Behind the two figures, a rift like a vertical eye opened in the air. Nimrod stepped out, the aura belonging to the True Creator gradually retracting into the inverted cross behind his neck, making him appear normal again.
"Your Excellency, 'Saint of Secrets.'"
Mr. A was draped in a blood-red robe—his original clothes had been destroyed when he was beaten into fine mincemeat. Fortunately, Mr. A had anticipated this and hadn't worn his original expensive suit.
To this day, Mr. A found it difficult to understand why a suit could sell for the price of a Beyonder characteristic, but this didn't stop him from having Aurora Order Beyonders arranged into various industries suitable for their development to contribute to the Aurora Order's growth.
So he was now wearing clothes woven from flesh and blood.
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"—You did very well." Botis said in a deep voice; he had clearly seen the scene of Mr. A struggling to block a full-force attack from a Sequence 3. "After this, go find The Dark Saint to purge the remaining corruption from your body."
"Yes." Mr. A said respectfully, continuing to lean to one side to recover his state.
After speaking, Botis turned to Nimrod, who was standing to the side, and said, "Saint, I must leave. I am too conspicuous here. The demigods of the Church of Storms will soon discover my involvement in this matter—which will affect the Lord's Divine Descent."
Nimrod nodded gently. "Please be careful, Your Excellency 'Saint of Secrets.'"
"You are our hope, Saint." Botis shook his head, his figure quickly disappearing as he faded into the Darkness.
With Botis gone, only Nimrod, Mr. A, and Azik remained in the alley. After delivering Mr. A here, Klein had hurried off to destroy some of the preparations he had left behind to prevent the Punishers of the Church of Storms from finding any clues.
Azik did not speak, merely standing in place, seemingly deep in thought with no intention of initiating conversation. Nimrod was happy with this; after all, he hadn't had much direct interaction with Azik, and it was hard to chat with him without an agenda.
After a while, a bright flash of fire ignited on a nearby roof, and Klein's figure slowly stepped out from it. He took off his top hat and bowed from afar toward the West Bairong Dockyard, which was currently burning with raging flames, as if performing a final curtain call.
It actually had a significant effect! With a hint of surprise in his heart, Klein slowly composed his expression and let out a breath.
This performance had clearly digested the "Magician" characteristic. If Klein's digestion progress was compared to a progress bar that moved at a snail's pace every day, where a usual "street Magician performance" could digest about one percent, then today's performance had visibly caused the progress bar to jump by a large margin.
Is it because the other party in this performance was a Sequence 3 Saint—even though I merely performed an escape in front of him, it still left a strong impression on him?
This sounds a lot like what Nimrod told me about the "anchors" needed by deities and high-Sequence Beyonders—
The essence of acting and rituals is a different kind of "anchor," and it's also influenced by Sequence?
While Klein was immersed in reviewing today's acting, Nimrod's voice suddenly rang in his ear: "It's time to come down, 'Mr. World.' You're looking a bit conspicuous up there."
Klein's expression instantly became subtle. He quickly snapped out of his own world, gave a light cough, jumped nimbly from the roof of the house next to the alley, and snapped his fingers.
Several flames ignited, burning away the last traces of matches Klein had left behind. He lowered his head slightly and spoke to Azik: "Mr. Azik, this time—"
"There's no need to be too formal." Azik saw that Klein was currently disguising his identity, so he didn't say much. He just smiled and shook his head, saying in a highly magnetic voice, "It's also not suitable for me to stay here for too long. I will contact you tomorrow morning."
Tomorrow? Tomorrow is Monday—it just so happens that it won't affect tomorrow's Tarot Club—such thoughts flashed quickly through Klein's mind. He nodded and replied, "No problem, Mr. Azik."
Azik nodded slightly, and two shadows composed of giant skeletons emerged beside him. Klein was very familiar with these two figures—he often saw similar "messengers" when he blew his copper whistle.
And in the hands of these two Undead Messengers, they seemed to be dragging someone familiar.
"These two seem to be your clients." Azik took off his silk top hat and turned to walk toward the other side of the alley. "Tomorrow I will leave the items left behind by those three Rose School of Thought members for you; they are of no use to me."
After saying that, Azik let out a sigh: "The speed of your promotion is much faster than I imagined. I have no reason to dissuade you from seeking advancement in the Beyonder world, but—stay safe."
"Of the three students I was familiar with, you are the only one left."
To prevent exposing Klein's true identity, Azik deliberately omitted Klein's name.
Mr. Azik even took their Beyonder characteristics away?
This was a pleasant surprise for Klein, while Nimrod turned his head and said to the pale-faced Sharon and Maric, "The current situation is different from what you previously explained to us."
Despite saying this, a hint of abnormality surfaced in Nimrod's heart—that Sequence 3 "Disicple of Silence" didn't come early or late, so how did he happen to arrive in Backlund at exactly this time?
Was it a "coincidence," or was it because of the Extraordinary Aggregation Principle?
Sharon seemed to be still considering how to explain this matter, but the next moment Nimrod let out a light chuckle: "Miss Sharon, you should know that this matter is no longer something you or I can decide. The demigods behind us also participated in this battle—instead of laboriously thinking of an explanation that can deceive a demigod, it would be better to cooperate with us."
"Before the cooperation, we both had our secrets, but now I can say we stand on the same ground, can't we?"
"After all, the 'Mother Tree of Desire' is also an enemy of the Aurora Order."
Upon hearing "Mother Tree of Desire," Sharon clearly reacted. She looked up and maintained a calm tone: "The Aurora Order is also performing bloody sacrifices and has even cooperated with the Rose School of Thought in the past. It is difficult for me to trust you."
Sharon did not avoid whether speaking this way would anger the zealot before her, but the worst result would merely be a few more demigods hunting her and Maric.
Moreover, the act of specifically bringing the two of them back when facing a Sequence 3 pursuer was also a—sign of cooperation.
But for an evil god sect, cooperation might be for deeper exploitation. Any demigod possessed a profound shrewdness; even the bonuses brought by Beyonder characteristics alone were enough to make them calculating Conspirers, or at the very least, able to detect the schemes of others.
In this regard, even those demigods of the boorish Pathways were no exception; any demigod Beyonder who failed to guard against other demigods had already become Beyonder characteristics in someone else's stomach.
"Miss Sharon, there are different factions within the Aurora Order, and even the 'Temperance Faction' is in no position to criticize us." Nimrod's tone was equally calm: "Before the Fourth Epoch, every sect maintained the tradition of blood sacrifice, and many ordinary people became blood sacrifices for high Sequences—I know, you might want to say that the 'Temperance Faction' established in the Fifth Epoch strictly adheres to the code of purity and temperance and has never performed blood sacrifices of indulgence—"
He let out a muffled chuckle: "But how could the 'God of Spiritual Creatures,' who was once a subordinate god of the 'Mutant King,' not have had times of crazily pursuing blood sacrifice? If we trace it back to the source, then no sect is clean. We are ancient enough, and now that the Lord has awakened, we have also abandoned the practice of blood sacrifice."
"I can promise the Lord that I have never harmed an innocent person. If you still refuse to believe me, then I will have to use the actions of the 'Indulgence Faction' to criticize you."
Although Nimrod used some inappropriate analogies, he still managed to barely convince Sharon, keeping her silent.
"Of course, I can also understand your thoughts." Nimrod continued: "Tonight is not a good time to talk, and since the person chasing you has temporarily disappeared, you should make preparations early and hide your tracks. I have a way to find you and will contact you later."
Nimrod innocently opened his palm, inside which was a strand of golden hair contained in a glass test tube.
This was the basic literacy of a "Marauder."
Sharon nodded expressionlessly, her breathing slightly hurried, but she had no further reaction: "Okay."
"The reward agreed upon previously will also be transferred to the Beyonder gathering we contacted before."
"We should leave too."
The fire at West Bairong Dock was burning—under the "Tyrant's" lightning strike, a considerable range of wooden products had been ignited, and the Punishers were in the midst of intensive follow-up work:
Checking for residual corruption, cordoning off the area, and searching for specific details.
Under the raging fire, the noise in East Borough clearly couldn't attract more attention. When the lightning symbolizing the Lord of Storms descended from the sky, everyone in Backlund heard the massive sound, and many people fell into a state of panic.
What was about to happen was vaguely foreseeable:
The police department would mobilize personnel to control the East Borough, where all sorts of characters gathered, to prevent certain reactive cultists from causing major actions with chain reactions.
"No problem."
Klein gathered his knowledge of the East Borough's terrain from this period in his mind and said to the two: "We might need to deal with the police in a bit. Using Beyonder abilities at this juncture will definitely attract the attention of official Beyonders, so we'd better not have our tracks discovered by the police."
Klein looked at Mr. A and Nimrod with an inquiring gaze; the two nodded and did not object.
Chapter 185: The Abyss on Earth
"You'd better try to remember again. Is there anyone who believes in deities other than the Lord of Storms and the Evernight Goddess? Have you seen any individuals acting strangely?"
A man dressed in a police uniform interrogated the people standing submissively before him with an unfriendly tone.
Dozens of people dressed in simple, worn-out clothes stood in the night, with three other police officers maintaining order around the crowd.
East Borough—the lead officer frowned. East Borough was filled with a foul stench all day long. These people were somewhat better, but those vagrant idlers (Note 1) increased their workload every day, requiring the police to drive them off the park benches.
The people before him were residents gathered here—for the convenience of interrogation, several police officers had called them all out to the open space outside their houses.
After seeing the submissive expressions of these people, the officer's expression became even more irritable. Just then, a voice that still sounded somewhat youthful came from the numbly standing crowd: "—Officer, I've seen a few guys acting strangely before!"
"Speak."
The officer questioned her unceremoniously, completely failing to notice that the gazes of three people in the numb crowd changed slightly. The young girl who stepped out from the crowd swallowed hard and whispered to the officer, "I saw someone hanging around here a few days ago—Officer, the neighbors can testify for me. People have been going missing here these past few days. Yesterday, my sister was kidnapped too—"
Upon hearing the girl's last sentence, the lead officer's expression shifted from the pleasant surprise of potentially gaining information to impatience. Listening to the words of the girl whose eyes held a glimmer of hope, he heartlessly interrupted her: "This has nothing to do with evil god worship. I've told you many times, we are investigating the kidnappings, but now is not the time for you to use such trivial matters to make a scene!"
"Do you know the severity of evil god worship? Many people will die!"
Using such trivial matters to make a scene?
She had lost her sister. Was such a thing merely a 'trivial matter'?
The girl clearly hadn't expected the officer to say that. Under the scolding, her eyes filled with a hint of fear as she took a few steps back, returning to the crowd.
The officer asked a few more times, and after receiving the answer "no other clues," he left with his colleagues, looking dissatisfied.
The girl stood where she was. The foul smog of East Borough choked her, causing tears to flow from the corners of her eyes, and faint veins bulged on her slender wrists.
The poor people who had been called out returned to their rooms in small groups. This ordeal had left the already physically weak poor people exhausted; most of them only thought about going back to get some rest so it wouldn't affect their work tomorrow.
A few of the poor people patted the girl's shoulder meaningfully and inconspicuously drew a cross over their chests.
In the cold Darkness, only the girl's sobbing remained: "Lord—"
—Where are You?"
As the one leading the way, Klein walked at the front, while Mr. A and Nimrod walked on his left and right, their pace gradually slowing.
At this moment, Mr. A was wearing a black robe that barely concealed his fully repaired body. This clothing was something Nimrod had just taken from the junk shelf in his own section of Sefirah Castle—didn't he say putting some daily items in Sefirah Castle would be useful?
"—This time, my estimation was flawed."
After the three had walked for a long time on the dim street, Mr. A, who had also been silent for just as long, slowly spoke: "I didn't expect that the one hunting those two Beyonders would be a Sequence 3 demigod. I misjudged the situation of the Rose School of Thought, causing the Lord's existence to be exposed to the Lord of Storms prematurely."
Klein didn't respond. He truly found the logic of these Aurora Order fanatics difficult to understand, but for the sake of having fought side-by-side just now, he chose to be respectful.
The three had now emerged from the alley they were in earlier and reached a slightly wider road. The crowded houses and sparse streetlights perfectly hid their tracks, while the black robes and detective's attire helped lower their presence.
But East Borough was currently waking up. The Punisher of the Church of Storms were out in full force, and the Church of the Night and the military were providing some assistance.
Under the will of the 'Tyrant,' several rounds of searches for evil god Believers and wild Beyonders in Backlund were about to begin.
Klein's ears twitched. He quickly moved toward the side of the street, leading Mr. A and Nimrod back into an alley. About dozens of seconds later, a series of hurried footsteps passed the spot where they had just been, accompanied by crude cursing.
It was some police officers who had been woken up from their homes by their superiors and colleagues.
Klein sighed in his heart. Before becoming a Nighthawk, Klein had dealt with such police officers.
Ferocity, greed, and fawning over superiors while bullying subordinates were practically their trademarks. They were like this even toward families like the Morettis, who weren't at the very bottom of the social ladder. Could it be that Backlund's police would treat the poor people of East Borough gently?
The upside was that those involved in illicit trades would also be searched. Hah, although they would likely receive hints and notifications from the military and wouldn't actually be caught, they would at least lie low for a while—
At the thought that such a thing could be considered good news, Klein couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly.
The entire East Borough was being gradually awakened. House after house was being knocked on by police, who interrogated residents about whether they held beliefs in evil gods or had witnessed anyone acting strangely.
The vast majority of police officers were unaware of matters related to the Beyonder world. While this would inevitably miss many wild Beyonders, it could at least pinpoint several large gathering places for evil god Believers.
In the process of avoiding the police and the occasionally appearing Beyonders, the group had quickly escaped the range of the first wave of searches and blended in with the residents of East Borough.
"—Messenger?!"
Just as the three who had avoided the police passed a cluster of houses with open doors, a girl dressed simply and looking clearly malnourished poked her head out. She called out to Mr. A with a mix of pleasant surprise and timidness.
Klein's gaze suddenly became strange, while Mr. A looked hesitantly at Nimrod's expression. Nimrod nodded slightly, and only then did Mr. A walk over, familiar with the layout as he moved into a blind spot from the outside view: "What is it?"
"I... I originally wanted to ask for your help the next time I saw you." The girl's wrist trembled slightly as she drew a cross on her chest. "I don't know if you still remember me—"
"I remember you."
Mr. A interrupted the girl, his tone as gentle as possible: "You and your sister once listened to the Lord's teachings. I personally distributed the Lord's holy meal to you—what happened?"
The girl composed herself. After receiving Mr. A's answer, she seemed to grow more at ease, her voice faintly carrying a sob: "My sister was kidnapped. I went to the police, I went to other uncles and aunts who believe in the Lord, but the police won't help me, and the others have no way. She's only fourteen. I really have no other choice, please save her—"
"I didn't dare tell Mom about my faith in the Lord. Mom has always been very worried about beliefs not recognized by the government and the churches—"
Mr. A's expression stiffened slightly. He squeezed out a few words from his throat in a low voice: "Do you know who did it? I mean, their appearance, their clothing."
The girl shook her head, using her palm covered in calluses and small scars to wipe the corner of her eyes: "I don't know—"
"I... I can only ask you for help, Messenger. Please help her."
Is it those human traffickers cooperating with the military? While Klein and Nimrod used their bodies to shield Mr. A, Klein outlined several possible targets in his mind.
Klein was about to ask Nimrod about this matter, but just then, he watched in astonishment as Nimrod stepped past him and said to the girl, "What is your name?"
The girl was stunned for a moment, but still subconsciously replied, "Freya, my name is Freya."
So it really is those sisters—to think they were also preached to by Mr. A and became Believers of the True Creator? This thought flashed through Nimrod's mind while his face maintained a gentle smile: "I need an item your sister carried with her. This will help us find her."
"Remember, Freya, all Believers of the Lord are compatriots. We have an obligation to support each other."
Freya clearly hadn't processed the identity of this person who had suddenly appeared beside the 'Messenger.' She stared blankly at Nimrod until Mr. A spoke in a low voice: "He is the Lord's Saint, the Lord's spokesperson walking the earth."
Nimrod smiled and asked again, "Do you have an item your sister carried with her?"
Freya's breathing became noticeably rapid. She nodded vigorously and ran quickly toward her home. After a few minutes, a vocabulary notebook was handed to Nimrod: "This is Daisy's vocabulary notebook—does it meet your requirements?"
"Of course." Nimrod nodded gently, and a gray mist enveloped the notebook, making it disappear into his hand. "Please wait patiently for two days, compatriot. The Believers of the Storm are tracking us, and we need a day to lose them. By the day after tomorrow at the latest, we will bring your sister back to you."
Nimrod stood up, patted the girl's shoulder gently, and used a Beyonder ability to suggest she go home quickly. Along the way, he stole her memory of meeting them—this was to prevent the churches from discovering through Beyonder means that she had seen them.
Whether for these poor sisters or for the Aurora Order, that would not be a good thing.
"Let's go."
After finishing all this, Nimrod spoke to Mr. A and Klein, but this time, Nimrod was the one leading the way.
Once they were further away from the crowded residential areas, Nimrod slowly spoke to Mr. A, whose face was half-hidden in the Darkness: "A, what do you plan to do? —Just speak your own thoughts."
Mr. A's expression had returned to calm. He said without hesitation, "I will make those who dare lay hands on the Lord's lambs pay the price. Mr. L—Saint, what are your thoughts?"
"Me?"
Hearing Mr. A mention him, Nimrod smiled. "My thoughts are naturally the same as yours. I believe Sinners should receive their due punishment. The current East Borough of Backlund is truly an Abyss on earth."
"I think now that even if the Lord had not yet awakened, He would have been drawn here by the despair and madness."
"But now, the creator has awakened."
"A, I am no saint. I, too, can feel... dissatisfaction because of certain things."
The three spent a lot of time in East Borough to avoid all the police and Beyonders before finally leaving. The Sun had gradually risen—sunlight spilled over the houses of East Borough, stretching the shadows long.
The two talked as they stepped into the wall shadows that were lengthening under the cold sunlight.
Klein hesitated for a moment, then caught up in a few quick steps and said to Nimrod, "I can also provide some help."
Meeting Mr. A's surprised gaze, Klein kept a straight 'Gehrman Sparrow' face and said to him, "I have investigated those human traffickers and kidnappers. I can save you a lot of time on the investigation."
"I must be crazy to cooperate with another Oracle of the Aurora Order again—sigh, although I've already seen many tragedies in East Borough, I still find it hard to stand by and do nothing."
Klein sat in a café, a cup of steaming coffee and a plate of decent cream bread in front of him, as he massaged his temples with his fingers.
Yesterday, he had borrowed that vocabulary notebook from Nimrod. Through a process of elimination, he had narrowed the targets down to three'suspicious' wealthy men. This morning, Klein had already gone to quietly 'visit' them and confirmed Daisy's current location:
The basement of a human trafficker named 'Capin.'
Although he had expected it, when he learned this news, the emotion called 'anger' still rose in Klein's heart.
This wasn't just an ordinary human trafficker; he needed to be hit hard.
Fortunately, every time Klein remembered that an Oracle of the Aurora Order also wanted to retaliate against Capin, the fire in his heart would subside slightly—after all, being targeted by the Aurora Order meant his end would predictably not be very pleasant.
He hooked his finger through the handle of the coffee cup and took a small sip, wanting to start designing how to rescue Daisy while simultaneously taking revenge on Capin.
But just then, a familiar figure sat down opposite Klein—Klein looked up at the newcomer and revealed a smile: "You've come, Mr. Azik?"
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#186Chapter 186 The Tarot Meeting Before Time Travel: A Little Trick for Amon
Chapter 186: The Tarot Club Before the Crossing, A Little Trick Against Amon
Azik nodded gently and sat down opposite Klein.
Looking at the large pile of papers covered in writing placed before Klein, the corners of Azik's mouth curled up slightly. "Your work seems very busy, Klein."
Klein gave a sheepish laugh. "Actually, this counts as volunteer work. When I went back last night, the two of them and I encountered a poor girl—"
Klein briefly told Azik about what he had seen and heard in the East District last night. Azik listened patiently to Klein's words and nodded gently. "I see. That is indeed a poor girl."
"In that case, I won't take up too much of your time—where would you like to start? I've already divined the approximate identity of that demigod from last night and picked out several beyonder items."
Klein knew Azik was referring to the matters discussed last night. He cleared his throat and gathered the messy documents in front of him. "You know the identity of the demigod who appeared then?"
"There aren't many demigods in the Rose School of Thought." Azik took a sip of the coffee brought by the waiter and said in a half-joking, half-sentimental tone, "Coincidentally, I recalled some ancient memories. Klein, you are like the eye of a storm. To be honest, I don't really want to stay at the center of a storm—" Klein waited for Azik's next words with a somewhat stiff smile on his face.
"That fellow should be of the 'Prisoner' pathway—heh, I'm more used to calling it the 'Chained' pathway. He is the Sequence 3 'Silent Disciple,' Zatwin."
Azik continued, "Before we left yesterday, he seemed to want to summon an 'Abomination' to end the battle, but he overlooked the level of attention the Lord of Storms pays to the divinity of the True Creator and was hit head-on by the Lord of Storms' attack."
Hit by a true god's attack? Klein's eyes widened slightly; he hadn't expected last night's battle to have such a result. What surprised Klein even more was Azik's tone. "From your tone—it seems Zatwin didn't die from the Lord of Storms' attack?"
Klein said with a hint of hesitation.
"The Lord of Storms did not perform a Divine Descent; He only sent down His power from afar. Moreover, Zatwin had summoned an 'Abomination.' The 'Abomination' Suah is the Sequence 1 of the 'Chained' pathway and the current leader of the Rose School of Thought."
"Being able to withstand a single 'God's Punishment' isn't too difficult a feat."
Azik recounted calmly, "However, lightning naturally restrains Beyonders of that pathway. They shouldn't be appearing before you for quite a long time."
That counts as a rare bit of good news—no, wait, at this critical moment, a representative of the Rose School of Thought, a Sequence 3 Saint, was excluded from Backlund. Could this be someone's arrangement?
If it really was another 'coincidence,' then it couldn't be the mantis Ince Zangwill; it could only be the'siskin' lurking behind, eyeing '0-08'—
Klein, suffering from coincidence-induced PTSD, thought cautiously. Azik didn't elaborate further on the matter; after all, high-Sequence affairs were still too early for the current Sequence 7 Klein—even though Azik felt Klein might not take much time to become a demigod.
At this point, Azik asked Klein, "Klein, how much do you know about that friend of yours? There are some things about that Mr. L from the Aurora Order that concern me."
"Are you referring to his appearance?"
Is Mr. Azik suspecting Ning Lu because he looks like Amon? Klein asked, but Azik shook his head. "No, not his appearance. I never suspected him of being an Amon."
"Although Amon hides himself, the traits on him are too obvious. He can never be an existence with humanity—otherwise, there wouldn't be only seven deities in this world right now."
Azik tried his best to piece together Amon's image from his shattered memories. "But I vaguely sensed a very ancient aura from that friend of yours. Although it's just an intuition, I'm basically certain he carries deep secrets."
"Regardless, you need to maintain a certain level of vigilance toward him. Perhaps he treats you with sincerity now, but one day he might suddenly recall some long-buried memories—"
At this point, Azik looked at Klein somewhat blankly and sighed. "Klein, would you like to hear a story?"
"At the very beginning of my memory, in my first life, I was a Consul—"
Gray fog emerged around Ning Lu, and a familiar scene appeared beside him again—countless cocoons of light hung in the gray fog. The Celestial Worthy lay in a hammock woven from two cocoons, studying the two Blasphemy Cards Ning Lu had collected.
"How is it?" Ning Lu asked casually. The Celestial Worthy smiled and replied:
[The Mother Goddess left Her will within them. If the Blasphemy Cards are all gathered, She could use the mystical connection within them to project Her power into the barrier.]
Ning Lu nodded slightly; this was close to his guess.
Soon, deep red light flashed in Ning Lu's eyes, and the surrounding scene changed again, returning to that hall exuding an ancient aura. Figures with blurred faces appeared around Ning Lu, but the atmosphere was faintly tinged with a certain... tension.
Ning Lu looked around. The Fool sat upon the throne, seemingly pondering something in the shadows. Justice also had her eyes lowered, appearing to be silent over some fact. The Hanged Man—The Hanged Man was as calculating as ever, never clearly revealing his true emotions.
However, even the usually simplest The Sun and The Magician, who had just entered the true world of mysticism, had different levels of tension on their faces. The latter's tension came from the thunder in Backlund last night, while the former's came from the inquiry by the Chief of the City of Silver.
After telling Lovia about the outside world using The Lovers's method, Elder Lovia's attitude toward The Sun, Derrick, became much friendlier.
However, upon discovering their conversation, the Chief of the City of Silver, Colin Iliat, had a private talk with Derrick and made indirect inquiries that even The Sun could sense were off.
How am I supposed to explain this to Mr. Lover and Mr. Fool—Derrick was worrying about how to speak when he heard Miss Justice uncharacteristically skip her usual opening greeting. Instead, she said with hesitation and inquiry, "Mr. Fool, do you know what happened in Backlund last night?"
Hearing Justice Audrey's words, Ning Lu immediately understood the reason for her and The Magician's tension. The commotion in Backlund last night was simply too great; anyone who saw that heavenly bolt of lightning and the burning docks could hardly help but feel panicked.
As for The Hanged Man, he should still be at sea.
Ning Lu leaned back comfortably in his chair, waiting for The Fool to give some explanation—how was Klein planning to phrase it? Would he distance The Fool from the matter or claim it was the work of The Fool's favored?
However, The Fool merely extended a finger and lightly tapped the stone tabletop in front of him. "An Abomination of the Rose School of Thought appeared at the West Byron Docks. The Lord of Storms launched an attack in Backlund in a state close to a Divine Descent."
Well, Mr. Fool still chose the most dramatic explanation.
Klein's explanation didn't exceed Ning Lu's expectations, but Alger on the side immediately widened his eyes.
The Lord of Storms performed a Divine Descent?
Which pathway's high-Sequence name is 'Abomination'?
Can Loen words even be combined like that?
Alger weighed his tone before asking the Fool in front of him, "Honorable Mr. Fool, regarding the Lord of Storms' Divine Descent—"
Klein raised his right hand, signaling Alger to wait with his questions. After Alger tactfully shut his mouth, he spoke slowly to everyone, "This was an operation targeting the Rose School of Thought."
"I must remind you that according to the message from my favored, Backlund is about to undergo an investigation targeting wild Beyonders."
At Klein's words, the one whose expression changed the most was the weak, pitiful, and helpless Ms. Fors. As an Apprentice who had yet to obtain the Trickmaster formula and ingredients, Fors felt for a moment that there was a high probability she would be exposed.
Moreover, she heard that wild Beyonders caught by the Church of Storms would be locked in water dungeons or even used as test subjects for Sealed Artifacts—
I recently received a substantial manuscript fee, so maybe—Fors quickly made up her mind. After the others finished their exchange, she took a slight breath and a smile appeared on her face. "Mr. Lover, I wish to purchase the Trickmaster formula from you."
To be honest, Fors's timing for purchasing the Trickmaster potion formula was much later than Ning Lu expected—he had clearly
planned a wage recovery program when he had Mr. A pay Fors her manuscript fees.
"No problem."
Ning Lu turned his gaze toward Fors and nodded slightly. "Do you need the Trickmaster Beyonder characteristic as well? I can sell it to you along with the formula at a fair price."
At this, he said with a low laugh, "Trust me, not many Beyonder gatherings will risk being held under these circumstances lately."
"1,100 pounds for the formula, characteristic, and supplementary materials. This is a very fair price."
My manuscript fees from the last two months were about 1,000 pounds? I might need to borrow some from Xio—but the most critical thing now is to improve my strength! Fors was stunned for a moment, then instinctively gritted her teeth and agreed. "No problem."
After the deal was struck, Fors finally had the chance to calculate her remaining savings, and her gaze suddenly became vacant.
It was clearly the first time she had so much saved, clearly the first time she had a chance for promotion—
How did two happy things coming together turn out like this—
I originally wanted to go traveling—
Now there's not a single bit of savings left—
While Fors turned into a salted fish full of resentment, The Sun, who had been holding back for a long time, finally found an opportunity to chime in. "Mr. Lover."
"I followed the method you told me last time and informed Elder Lovia of the revelation given by the creator. Now Elder Lovia's attitude toward me is much better, but Chief Colin seems to have started suspecting if I also believe in the True Creator—"
Derrick looked quite troubled. He hesitated for a while before organizing his words. "What do you think I should do?"
Isn't the 'creator of the City of Silver' or 'Ancient Sun God' you believe in exactly the current 'True Creator'?
Ning Lu complained in his heart and said unhurriedly to Derrick, "I believe your priority now is to confess your situation to the Chief of the City of Silver, but you need to obtain Mr. Fool's permission."
The Chief of the City of Silver's purpose in nurturing Derrick was to counter the True Creator's Believer, Lovia Tiffany. After all, Colin Iliat was no Fool; after seeing Derrick obtain the Sun formula, he could roughly guess that Derrick had received some kind of'support.'
But for Colin Iliat, the City of Silver was indeed gradually dying out. Whether it was the True Creator or the hidden existence behind Derrick, both were opportunities for the City of Silver.
However, Colin Iliat needed to ensure at least two hidden existences were watching this place to prevent the City of Silver from being destroyed in an instant—even though this was also dancing on a wire, it was indeed one of the few opportunities for the City of Silver to continue.
But seeing Derrick and Lovia mysteriously standing on the same front now, Colin knew he had to make a judgment.
Ning Lu pondered for a moment. "Of course, you can also use another way to negotiate with the Chief of the City of Silver—say that the person guiding you calls himself a descendant of the Ancient Sun God, the Angel of Time, Amon."
"But won't that cause some problems?" Derrick said hesitantly. "If I do that, will the City of Silver really be targeted by this Angel?"
"No."
Long ago at a Tarot Club meeting, Ning Lu had given Derrick a wonderful little tool specifically for countering Amon—the 'Mysterious' aura used to erode the will of Amon's avatars.
What's more—Ning Lu shook his head. "Because my surname is Amon."
His full name in this world was:
Ning Lu Amonsar.
His surname was just 'Amon' with a suffix added.
Chapter 187: This Kind of favored (Circle of Inevitability Arc)
"You really have... quite a courageous choice—"
In the warm room, Franka, dressed in a set of pajamas, was muttering incessantly, her gaze glancing back and forth at Lumianna in front of her. A sense of admiration for her fellow countryman's younger brother naturally rose in her heart: "So, what exactly did you do to force yourself to jump to 'Witch'? Do you know how easy it is to lose control like that?"
Listening to Franka's heartfelt concern, Lumianna felt a bit uncomfortable. She somehow felt that after she became a "Witch," this "Sleeve Sword" lady's attitude toward her had undergone some subtle changes.
You wouldn't have changed your attitude so much just because I became a woman, would you?
Why didn't I see you being this meticulously caring when I was still a man?
Is this the 'pure-hearted male college student' from her sister's world that the Godfather mentioned while we were chatting?
At this thought, Lumianna couldn't help but laugh out of exasperation. She quirked the corners of her mouth, deliberately adopting a gloomy, Witch-like tone: "There is no Poison Spur Gang in Trier anymore."
"Ah?" Franka was stunned, clearly not expecting such a result. She looked at the—'girl' before her and followed up with an incredulous question: "You wiped out the Poison Spur Gang? Was it an order from your 'Boss'?"
"An annihilation that was pre-planned long ago." Lumianna kept a straight face, forcing herself to maintain her expression and controlling the upward curve of her lips: "Otherwise, why did you think the Poison Spur Gang didn't cause trouble for Enthusiasm for so long? Was it because they didn't want to?"
"..."
Franka was silent for a moment, letting out a slight sigh as if in sentiment: "How long has it been since you first arrived here—"
Not only did he wipe out a gang like the Poison Spur Gang that directly competed with the Savoy Party, but he's already at Sequence 7!
I'm only Sequence 7 myself!
"Lumian—na. Although your Sequence is now the same as mine—" Franka chose her words carefully, afraid of provoking her fellow countryman's younger brother—or sister—who was clearly in an abnormal state: "But I still need to remind you, your sister certainly wouldn't want to see you like this. The path of advancing by consuming potions is already dangerous, and jumping pathways—is a method that should only be used as a last resort. Once used too often, losing control is almost an inevitable end."
Could the pollution caused by jumping pathways be greater than the pollution from the Angel of Fate sealed within me?
Such a thought flashed through Lumianna's mind, but she immediately found it both amusing and exasperating. This wasn't a question she should consider; whether for her Godfather's wish or her own, she had to walk this most dangerous path.
She was afraid of losing her life before her sister was revived, but she was even more afraid that she would give up on reviving her sister for the sake of compromise.
"I understand."
But these words could not be told to the Franka before her. Lumianna spoke seriously to Franka as she leaned back in her chair, her tone calm: "Thank you, Franka."
Hearing Lumianna's sincere thanks, Franka actually felt a bit embarrassed. She gave a cough and a hollow laugh, turning the topic elsewhere: "What do you plan to do next? You've been a gang boss; you should be more familiar with the situation there than I am. The other cadres of Enthusiasm won't necessarily accept the current you, right?"
"Are you sure?"
Lumianna finally couldn't hold back the smile anymore. Looking at Franka, her gaze held a sense of satisfaction that hadn't been seen since yesterday, her lips curving into a beautiful yet sharp smile: "Do you think I wouldn't leave preparations in advance, or that the 'Boss' didn't make preparations beforehand?"
Franka gave Lumianna a suspicious look, feeling she had just asked a stupid question: "Dammit!
"
"Anthony, come see me."
Upon hearing the Boss's voice in his mind, Anthony Reed's heart suddenly tensed up. He cautiously recited the Boss's 'honorable name' in his heart once before speaking to the gang members beside him: "Watch the door for me; I need to communicate with the Boss."
The overall structure of the 'Enthusiasm' organization was a pyramid of 'Boss-Cadre-Captain-Soldier.' Before Lumian annihilated the Poison Spur Gang, he had coordinated with the various gang squad captains loyal to him and transferred Enthusiasm's work to Anthony Reed, the newly promoted cadre.
And Anthony Reed did not disappoint the expectations of Ning Lu and Lumian. As a 'Spectator' who could gain insight into people's hearts, Anthony easily gained the trust of the captains given the foundation already laid.
After all, 'Enthusiasm' was a gang organization, and loyalty was just one kind of interest that could be placed on either end of a scale. When Lumian proactively transferred a portion of his 'territory' to a colleague, 'loyalty' no longer played a role.
After all, the captains pledged their loyalty to the 'Boss' and not just to the single cadre 'Charles.' This was just a normal job transfer; how could it be considered a betrayal?
After all, the pay remained the same, and the work remained the same.
When they received notice that 'all previous treatment remains the same' after their superior became Anthony Reed, they naturally accepted the change in their boss.
Especially since this trustworthy boss was also quite capable in a fight. On the day after 'Charles' disappeared, almost everyone in Trier's Market District learned of the serious explosion at the mansion of the Poison Spur Gang's boss, 'Black Scorpion' Roger.
Although Anthony didn't show anything, sometimes people will make associations on their own.
Only after his subordinates helped him guard the door to his residence did Anthony's always tense face relax. He carefully took out four different portions of prepared food from the safe house and completed the ritual to summon the 'Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings' according to the method Lumian had previously taught him.
"Boss."
As Ning Lu's figure slowly emerged, Anthony bowed his head and greeted him quite respectfully.
"Lumian Lee has temporarily left Trier."
Ning Lu's figure gradually solidified. He didn't respond to Anthony's greeting but spoke directly: "One of my favored and Lumian Lee's younger sister have arrived in Trier. I need you to meet with my favored; the matter of negotiating with Yuge Atuva will be handed over to this favored."
favored—Anthony's heart stirred with a faint guess, but his face showed nothing as he said steadily: "I understand."
"I understand; you might be curious about what secrets this favored of mine holds—"
"No, Boss!"
Anthony, who had crammed his knowledge of mysticism, listened to Ning Lu's words and felt as if he were being tested—or perhaps the Boss had some kind of insensitivity toward the fragile constitution of humans. Cold sweat soaked his clothes: "I am not at all curious about your knowledge. I know that some knowledge is not meant for a Beyonder of my Sequence to know!"
"
Ning Lu gave a light chuckle: "That's good."
"I have you call me Boss because merely knowing my true name would cause you a certain amount of harm; that wouldn't be a good thing for you."
"You only need to know that my favored is very familiar with the kind of evil god Believers who collaborate with Yuge Atuva. His presence and Enthusiasm's votes are enough to persuade Yuge Atuva, and he carries my will."
"As for the matter of rejecting the other two candidates, that is entirely up to you."
"He will be waiting for you at the Underground Quarry."
Anthony mentally noted the location, preparing to make a trip there immediately.
Ning Lu's voice came again: "In addition, after meeting with this favored, go and guide Lumian Lee's sister, Triuna, into Enthusiasm to retake control of the territory and captains previously managed by Lumian."
"As for the fact that Triuna is Lumian's sister, you must keep that strictly confidential."
"...Very well, I understand."
Anthony replied in a low voice. The candle lit before him gradually dimmed, and finally, the entire room fell back into Darkness.
He straightened his back and began to pack up the food around him with an expressionless face. Anthony didn't light a lamp, instead using this action to calm his suddenly boiling emotions.
The Boss was finally ready for him to 'visit' Yuge Atuva. He finally had the chance to avenge his comrades. He needed to do his best to disguise his emotions and play the role of a representative for evil god Believers—
He couldn't let the hatred in his eyes show, not even a little bit—
By the time he had disposed of the food and walked out of the room, Anthony's expression had returned to its usual slightly smiling appearance. Two gang thugs glanced at each other, feeling that their boss's mood was unexpectedly very good.
In the hollow of the Underground Quarry, Lumianna was dressed in a set of gender-neutral clothing, draped in a hooded robe she had snatched from Franka. Although Lumianna had seen a look of distress on Franka's face when she took the robe, she vaguely felt that Franka's expression also held a hint of unspeakable satisfaction.
Lumianna just found it inexplicable.
Beside Lumianna stood a figure completely wrapped in a black robe, quietly listening to Lumianna's words: "...Godfather, when I became a 'Witch' and returned to the previous safe house, I received a letter from The Magician; she has arranged a psychological treatment for me."
"What should I do now?"
Lumianna looked at the black-robed figure beside her with a pleading gaze. Ning Lu thought for a moment, and a sound like metal scraping came from beneath the black robe: "You can go."
It sounds like if you didn't go, The Fool wouldn't be able to find you—a mere sex change can temporarily avoid the gaze of a demigod, but it can't block a truly high-Sequence Beyonder.
Ning Lu guessed that this psychological treatment arranged by The Magician was a mental assessment to confirm whether Lumianna had been polluted by some unknown high-Sequence Beyonder.
As long as there were no major problems, she would likely continue to be given modified missions. Lumianna was a joint gambit between 'Adam' and 'The Fool'; they wouldn't give up easily.
If I couldn't use the power of 'Sefirah Castle' to obscure Adam's gaze and the Seal of the True Creator, I probably would have been written into Adam's script as well.
Ning Lu thought warily, his peripheral vision catching a figure cautiously entering the quarry. He nodded toward Lumianna and closed his lips again.
Within the Darkness of the quarry hollow, Anthony Reed held a lantern, which became the only light source there.
Upon seeing the two figures standing there, Anthony Reed's gaze gradually froze. He wasn't quite sure who the tall, gaunt figure on the left was, but that figure on the right—
Blue eyes, black hair with gold highlights, and that sharp aura exactly like 'Charles's.' To be honest, it was hard for Anthony not to distinguish this girl's identity.
"Anthony Reed?"
—
Before Anthony could speak, Lumianna took a step forward and said Anthony's name. Her tone was quite calm as she generously extended her hand toward Anthony Reed.
Seeing Anthony's cautious and unfamiliar expression, a strange feeling somehow surfaced in Lumianna's heart:
You really didn't see that I jumped pathways?
You really think I'm my own sister?
True, although Anthony had crammed some mysticism knowledge, a superficial understanding is the hardest state from which to break through one's original fixed mindset—
As for why the previously semi-illiterate Lumianna would master this kind of psychological knowledge, it was because after arriving in Trier, she had utilized all her spare time to learn knowledge and techniques that could be applied to 'Provoker' and 'Instigator.'
"That's right, it's me."
Anthony nodded: "I'm here to meet the Boss's favored."
Lumianna withdrew her hand and leaned against the wall, introducing him to Anthony in a seemingly impatient tone: "This is he. You two should discuss what to do as quickly as possible; the Boss has given me other tasks."
Lumianna felt she should have an actor's professional self-cultivation and do her best to play the roles of Charles's 'younger sister'
and an old 'Enthusiasm' cadre.
Anthony looked up at Ning Lu, who was completely wrapped in a black robe. Ning Lu gave a chuckle and reached out to remove his hood.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Anthony heard a sound like metal scraping within that voice.
And in the moment Ning Lu removed his hood, Anthony's pupils suddenly constricted. Beneath the hood was not human flesh, but a mechanical construct integrated from countless gears and levers!
In the center of the mechanical construct's head, wisps of grey fog seemed to replace the function of muscles, forcibly pulling this mechanical body into action.
The mechanical construct seemed to be trying its best to imitate a human face, creating an eerie sense of horror.
>
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#188Chapter 188 The Psychologists
Chapter 188: The Psychiatrists
The moment Anthony saw that face, he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Does seeing my appearance give you a fright?" This machine-forged face emitted the sound of grinding metal, but the tone was unexpectedly gentle: "Please do not be afraid. I am a spirit who once served at the Lord's side, granted the ability to come to reality by the Lord's grace."
This body was constructed using simple mechanical structures. If any 'expert' from the Church of Steam were to examine it, they would surely reach a single, unified conclusion:
How on earth does this thing move?
Sefirah Castle is quite miraculous, isn't it?
This machine-forged body possessed only the most basic joints. In Trier, where Steam and the Sun were the primary faiths, obtaining these parts wasn't difficult, but building a machine capable of free movement was quite a challenge.
Thus, Ning Lu chose a simple and crude method:
He chose to hide his body within Sefirah Castle, just as he had when leaving Cordu Village, and injected his spirit body—strengthened by Sefirah Castle—into this frame, forcibly controlling its movements.
Such an idea seemed like a fantasy, but pathways specializing in spirit bodies or powerful Wraiths could achieve similar effects; for instance, 'Wraith Possession' could produce a comparable result.
He did this for two reasons. First, to disguise himself as a Believer of an Outer Deity—even though such Believers only knew they followed a certain 'Great Existence,' the information he provided was enough to gain the trust of the amateurs surrounding Hugues Artois.
The second reason was more closely related to Ning Lu's own needs:
He needed to 'digest' the potion and wear down the spiritual imprints of 'Circle of Inevitability' and 'Key of Light' within it.
Combining these two goals, Ning Lu designed a persona for himself with a specific background that even a demigod Believer of an Outer Deity would find hard to question:
A devout favored of a certain Great Old One from the Cosmos, a weakened spirit body secretly sent down to bypass the barrier, joining the team of that 'enlightened fellow' Hugues Artois to spread the Lord's gospel.
'Machine'—this body was itself a machine, acting out the role of a precisely calculating machine every second; 'Mendicant'—the spirit body Ning Lu played was his own favored, and monks in this world, in a sense, served tangible existences.
As an incomplete 'Lord of Mysteries,' Ning Lu felt that serving himself was perfectly reasonable behavior; after all, the Celestial Worthy had done the same.
The Lord's favored—various thoughts surfaced in Anthony's mind, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and whispered a question to Ning Lu: "How should I address you?"
"GM—032."
Ning Lu casually made up a string of numbers that looked like a mechanical designation—to act as a machine, one had to pay attention to every detail. Given the current speed, which was more than twice as fast as normal digestion, he estimated he could digest the 'Machine' characteristics in less than a month.
He paused for a moment and decided to play the role of an enthusiastic proselytizing 'Mendicant' a bit more: "'GM' is the abbreviation for our race in the Intis language. I am the 32nd individual, chosen by the Lord to come here."
"Of course, I have received the Lord's revelation and should outwardly be declared as one of the cadres of 'Enthusiasm.' However, I will not involve myself in your management; my mission is solely to guide Hugues Artois toward enlightenment."
"Enlightenment"—Anthony noticed the mechanical monk used another coined term. After silently noting it in his heart, he stopped prying and led the two back to the territory of 'Enthusiasm.'
In the Beyonder world, sometimes the more you know, the faster you die—Anthony understood this principle well regarding matters where curiosity was unwarranted.
The next afternoon.
The sunlight was just right as a tall and beautiful figure walked down the street, immediately drawing the gazes of many men and women—
Lumianna wore a white shirt with a black overcoat draped over it. On her lower half were dark brown breeches and pitch-black women's leather shoes, giving her an overall capable and efficient aura.
Lumianna believed her heart was still that of a proper man, unlike Franka who had gradually become feminized, and thus she couldn't quite accept clothing like skirts.
Of course, considering their friendship and Ms. Franka's level of perversion, Lumianna prudently refrained from saying such things to Franka's face.
The clothes she was currently wearing were picked out by Franka and sent to her current residence at 'Enthusiasm.' While wearing that Assassin-like outfit looked cool, it was basically writing 'I have a problem' on her face, definitely not the type of thing one could wear out.
However, other kinds of eccentric clothing were quite common in Trier, making it easy to blend in among Trier's
"enthusiastic citizens."
Inside the Mason Cafe, sunlight spread through the windows into the room, making the dark green walls look vibrant. Lumianna familiarly walked toward the spot agreed upon with the psychiatrist, sat in a booth, and ordered a cup of coffee and a piece of cream cake.
While waiting for the psychiatrist's arrival, Lumianna gently cut a small piece of cake with an exquisite spoon and put it in her mouth. The bitter coffee perfectly neutralized the cloying sweetness of the Intis dessert, allowing the originally tense Lumianna to relax slightly.
After about a minute, Lumianna heard a gentle yet slightly worried and intensely confused voice by her ear: "Good afternoon, Mr. Lumian Lee?"
"Good afternoon." Lumianna had expected this; she placed her coffee cup on the table and replied in a relaxed tone.
"Your state looks very good." Susie's voice sounded from behind Lumianna. Though still tinged with confusion, the previous worry in her tone had vanished: "I originally thought your condition had suddenly worsened, but your mental issues have actually improved to a certain extent. Can you tell me about what you've experienced recently?"
Lumianna hesitated for a moment, but a voice surfaced in her mind: "You can directly hint that someone has guided you, but you cannot speak of matters related to 'him'."
Lumianna composed her words and slowly spoke to Susie: "I followed the guidance of a certain existence and came to Trier—"
She recounted everything she had experienced during this time, omitting certain parts, of course.
From approaching 'Mr. K' to establishing 'Enthusiasm,' then her conflict with the Poison Spur Gang, and finally setting a trap to hunt Poison Spur members and find clues for her revenge. To avoid the gaze of Madame Pualis, she chose to drink the 'Witch' potion and successfully switched pathways with the help of that Great Existence.
Throughout Lumianna's narration, Susie just listened quietly to her story without saying a word.
After Lumianna finished briefly explaining her experiences, she gripped the coffee cup in front of her again and took a sip of the dark brown liquid.
"From your experiences during this period, that Great Existence is indeed helping you very diligently to gradually remove your psychological issues. Whether it's guiding you to establish your own power or telling you the hope of reviving your sister, these are all gradually improving your state."
"Yes, like the Franka you mentioned. The fact that she was the first person you sought help from after transforming into a 'Witch' already means you have a basic level of trust in her. This is a good start."
That's because Franka, my sister, and my godfather all come from the same world—Lumianna chuckled inwardly, then turned to Susie and said: "I am also afraid that one day I will lose control of myself and choose self-destruction."
"Before I see my sister resurrected, I must live on."
"By the way, why did 'The Magician' choose to have me undergo psychological treatment at this time?"
The voice behind her paused for a moment: "Because she noticed your state was a bit off, so she asked me and my companion to observe your condition."
Because I became a 'Demoness'? Lumianna thought for a bit, remembering that 'The Magician' had initially suggested a consultation with two 'psychiatrists,' and she suddenly became curious: "She, um, I mean your other companion, where is she now? Is she also in this cafe?"
Susie hesitated and said frankly: "She is sitting right across from you, observing you this whole time."
"—Hello."
From the empty seat, a gentle female voice with a hint of a smile rang out. Lumianna's eyes instinctively widened slightly, and she let out a deep breath: "This is a bit scary—"
The seat across from her was clearly empty; even the indentation on the sofa didn't exist!
Is this the 'Psychological Invisibility' Godfather mentioned?
'Spectators' are truly a bit terrifying—
"Hello."
Suppressing the thoughts surfacing in her mind, Lumianna politely replied: "How was your observation of me?"
"Your state is very good." The lady sitting opposite seemed to smile, her tone carrying a hint of amusement: "I would like to ask you some questions. Um, I wonder if you've noticed that after the mission to approach Mr. K, 'The Magician' hasn't given you any more missions?"
It does seem that way—Lumianna took a sip of coffee to steady her emotions and said thoughtfully: "It is indeed as you say. Is it because of the changes that happened to me?"
"Exactly." The voice of the lady from just now came from across Lumianna: "To put it simply, because of her own pathway, 'The Magician' could not confirm whether the Great Existence guiding you here was the one we believe in or one full of malice. But through checking your state, we can confirm it is the Great Existence we believe in who is guiding you."
"Well, this psychological treatment has achieved the result we wanted. 'The Magician' will contact you normally after this, and the previous missions will also undergo some changes."
Is Godfather really that 'Fool'? A bit of doubt gradually surfaced in Lumianna's heart. For a moment, she didn't know if the lady in front of her was right, so she could only silently finish the coffee in her cup and ask: "How should I address you?"
Just as Lumianna asked this question, a nearby waiter with golden hair, a beard, and clear golden eyes naturally took away the empty coffee cup in front of Lumianna.
"My code name is 'Justice'." The lady sitting opposite said naturally: "You can just call me Madam Justice."
"The Magician," "Justice"—Lumianna bit by bit finished the cream cake in front of her and left the Mason Cafe, heading into the sunlight.
As Lumianna walked out of the street, she heard a light chuckle in her mind: "While you were undergoing psychological treatment, another deity who placed a bet on you was also secretly observing you."
Ah?
Hearing Ning Lu's voice, Lumianna suddenly turned her head, having no real sense that she had just been in contact with existences related to deities.
"Do you think the—revelation Lumian Lee received belongs to Mr. Fool?"
In a hotel, Fors, 'The Magician,' who usually had a lazy expression, sat on a chair by the bed, her face rarely solemn. 'Justice' sat opposite her, her tone no longer as relaxed as before: "I've confirmed it. Although the 'godfather' in Lumian Lee's heart cannot be seen clearly, he is shrouded in gray fog from head to toe, and Lumian is told to address him as 'him'—this can maximize the exclusion of that 'Mysteries' being the one guiding Lumian Lee."
"It's possible Mr. Fool's state improved slightly during the struggle against 'Mysteries,' and Lumian possesses some unique traits of his own." Fors thought for a moment: "Regardless, I must be careful from now on to prevent any actual influence from 'Mysteries' on Lumian Lee. After all, I am also heavily affected, and it's hard to determine if the revelations I receive belong to Mr. Fool or that 'Mysteries'."
""
Speaking of this, Fors sighed and said to Audrey: "I had a dream."
"A dream?"
Audrey asked in confusion. For Angels of their level, dreams had a strong revelatory function.
"Yes, I dreamed of the Tarot Club before Mr. Fool went into his slumber."
Fors said with a solemn face: "Do you remember how many members were in Mr. Fool's Tarot Club?"
Under Audrey's equally serious gaze, Fors slowly recounted: "In the Tarot Club I dreamed of—the number of members didn't match the people in my memory."
"There was one extra member whom I neither remember nor can distinguish the appearance of."