For the moment, the Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire did not refute the statement, for they too acknowledged the possibility of such a situation.
A massive explosion could indeed cause everything to be revealed beneath the starry sky.
As for the living beings here or even the seven gods born in this place, none of them held any real value in Their eyes.
Hastur, upon hearing this, felt he should remind Them not to always think of destroying Earth.
The universe was vast, yet planets with such vibrant life were rare, especially those that had given birth to a decent civilization.
"The Power of the Original Creator guards this place. God Almighty and the Lord of Mysteries also left their power here as protection. Destruction often only brings destruction upon oneself."
As soon as Hastur spoke, the ever-calm Supernova Dominator suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
At Their level of existence, such premonitions never came without reason.
He knew that the Lord of Mysteries was also called the Lord of Fate, and often a single word from Him foreshadowed what was about to unfold.
And now, this so-called Sovereign of the Stars gave Him the very same feeling.
Could it be that He had already foreseen His own fate?
This was both a prophecy, and a warning!
"Thank you for your reminder."
At this moment, the Supernova Dominator showed humility, His tone no longer carrying the same arrogance as before.
The Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire exchanged glances, each feeling this was absurd.
The Supernova Dominator had actually chosen to bow his head?
Was that sentence truly so shocking to Him? Or was it that the moment the Sovereign of the Stars spoke those words, the Supernova Dominator suddenly felt a premonition,
A premonition of His own possible fall in the future?
For beings like Them, such a premonition was utterly terrifying.
The Son of Chaos thought for a moment and chose not to mock the Supernova Dominator while the opportunity was there. Instead, He felt He should restrain His own words and actions lest they affect His own future.
At this moment, the thoughts of the Mother Tree of Desire were the same.
The atmosphere became silent once more.
Hastur found it strange, could a simple sentence from him really cause three Outer Gods to fall into silence at the same time?
Since no one else spoke, he could only break the silence himself.
"The stars are shining, and every single star has its own worth."
It was nothing but empty words, yet when spoken from Hastur's lips, it carried a mysterious, inevitable weight, as though it had always been true.
The Son of Chaos gave the Supernova Dominator a sidelong glance and snorted.
"There are always some who fail to understand this truth. If the universe were ever to lose the stars' radiance, how desolate it would become."
There was something He did not say aloud: even the Supernova Dominator required the existence of other stars in order to highlight His authority.
The Supernova Dominator understood His meaning. At fault, He did not continue to argue.
Indeed, His authority was built upon the foundation of the stars. If the believers were anchors for the Seven Gods, then the stars were His anchors.
"All life has its own reason for survival." The Mother Tree of Desire, rarely, stood on the same side as the Son of Chaos.
The Son of Chaos became increasingly pleased, but just as He was about to take the chance to criticize the Supernova Dominator further, He recalled the wisdom of "the more one says, the more mistakes one makes" and restrained Himself.
Instead, He turned the subject: "The Seven Gods' Churches are searching everywhere for your followers. The Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun should already have mobilized fully. Do you need me to suggest a few hiding places?"
"No need." The Mother Tree of Desire rejected the offer outright, simply unwilling to trust in the Son of Chaos's so-called luck.
Hastur felt a little regretful. He had hoped to learn their hideouts and then pass the information to Bernadette, letting her contact the Seven Gods' Churches herself.
"Time is on our side." The Supernova Dominator spoke with great confidence, leaving the Son of Chaos puzzled as to the source of this assurance.
But the Supernova Dominator clearly had no intention of explaining. No matter how much the Son of Chaos asked, He remained silent.
The Mother Tree of Desire also chose to keep this secret.
Seeing that matters had reached their end, Hastur was about to dismiss them.
But the Son of Chaos suddenly spoke.
"Do you still remember you owe me a Temperance card?"
"You want it back now?"
"There's no better time."
At this moment, the Mother Tree of Desire was busy sheltering Her followers, and it would be difficult for Her to use the card for any scheme.
"You plan to hand the card to Bernadette for free?"
"I can use it as a bargaining chip, to trade for a bit of freedom."
After all the disputes with Bernadette, and with the Mother Tree of Desire ending their cooperation, He needed a new plan.
The Mother Tree of Desire considered for a moment.
"Do you have a way to retrieve the Temperance card without going through Bernadette?"
"That's my concern."
"So, you've already found a new ally."
The Mother Tree of Desire seemed to see through the Son of Chaos's true thoughts. Saying nothing further, She gave Him a location.
"Let today's gathering end here."
Hastur declared the meeting concluded, then commanded the Chains of Order to return Them to Their respective stars.
After this, he did not log off immediately, but glanced at the star of the High-Dimensional Overseer.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
If the Son of Chaos had another ally, it could only be this Overseer, who had caused a stir not long ago.
The Overseer, who overlooked everything from the heights, and who had seen the Uncertain Mist, could very well have established contact with the Son of Chaos.
The Son of Chaos's request for the Temperance card, surely it was meant to be given to the Overseer.
But why would the Overseer want the Temperance card? Was it merely out of greed?
What, truly, were His authority and pathway?
"How troublesome…" Hastur thought long and hard, but ultimately decided not to tell Bernadette the location of the Temperance card.
If she ever learned of it, it would mean the information had come from him.
"Better to meet Bernadette first, and send her to the Southern Continent."
Shielding the Son of Chaos's external perception through the power of the Hall of Stars, Hastur descended upon the starry sky above Bernadette.
"I thank the Sovereign of the Stars' for Their guidance and blessings." Bernadette's tone carried more respect than during their previous meeting.
If not for the Sovereign of the Stars' guidance, she would never have advanced to Sequence 2, the Sage, in such a short time.
Now, she had nearly reached the end of her Beyonder path.
Even against the Hidden Sage, she had gained some resistance. The Hidden Sage was in a worse state, and with the Wheel of Fate card concealing her destiny, it would be difficult for Him to track her again.
"There is a task I need you to complete." Hastur wasted no words, directly assigning Bernadette to investigate the schemes of the Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator on the Southern Continent.
"I'll need some time to settle personal matters first." Bernadette did not refuse. In fact, she felt relieved at the task.
A debt could finally be repaid, and the Sovereign of the Stars needed her aid, this, for her, was the best reason to survive.
"Very well. If necessary, you may choose to abandon the mission."
"I understand."
With that resolved, Hastur prepared to cut off the connection.
But Bernadette quickly spoke up.
"There is one more matter I need the Sovereign of the Stars' help with."
"In your current state, you cannot save your father." Hastur saw through her thoughts and interrupted her.
Bernadette fell silent. After a while, she whispered: "If I advance to Sequence 1… would I have that ability?"
"The Mother Goddess of Depravity, She can corrupt even true gods."
"…" Bernadette trembled slightly. If that was true, then even as a god herself, she would still be unable to save her father?
"Even you have no way?" She looked up at Hastur in the Hall of Stars, her last hope in her eyes.
Hastur had pondered this before. He estimated that to cleanse Roselle's corruption, he would need to reach at least Sequence 1, perhaps even godhood itself, to borrow the Hall of Stars' power for purification.
After all, the Mother Goddess of Depravity was one of the Three Pillars, a being truly standing at the peak of the cosmos.
But if he did become a god, Roselle's situation would be awkward indeed.
Yes, becoming an angel was likely the best ending Roselle could hope for.
"As you are now, you cannot afford the price."
"As long as there's a way, that's enough!"
Bernadette's heart surged, her eyes shimmering, revealing a rare moment of vulnerability.
But soon, she steadied herself, regaining her usual composure, the calm and wise demeanor of the Mystic Queen.
"I will investigate what is happening on the Southern Continent." She gave her promise.
Hastur considered, then warned: "If you encounter a light that does not belong to the Sun, remember to flee."
"A light that does not belong to the Sun?" Bernadette pondered, recalling the recent strange movements of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun.
The words seemed to suggest that something had stolen part of the Eternal Blazing Sun's authority, and succeeded.
"I will be careful."
Hastur said nothing more, severing the link and withdrawing the starry sky above her.
"A war among gods…?" Bernadette gazed at the brilliant stars above with deep fear.
The cosmos was vast, and she was so very small.
Sequence 2, still an Angel, could only remain bound to the earth.
The stars above… that was forbidden even to the gods.