The High-Dimensional Overseer walked step by step up the stairs here, until he finally arrived before a very peculiar-looking church.
From the outside, this church appeared no different from an ordinary residence, but once inside, its uniqueness became apparent.
There was a priest, a gentle and restrained middle-aged man, dressed in a simple white robe, with a light golden beard that nearly covered the lower half of his face, and a pair of pale, childlike, clear eyes.
Adam!
The moment Hastur saw that middle-aged man in the vision, he immediately guessed his true identity, Adam.
One could also call him the divine aspect of the Ancient Sun God.
It was somewhat strange that the High-Dimensional Overseer encountered Adam first, instead of meeting Amon.
Hastur withdrew his gaze and turned to another star that belonged to the True Creator and Adam.
Indeed, he could see the scene of Adam meeting the High-Dimensional Overseer.
That alone was enough to confirm that the priest was Adam!
After watching for a while, Hastur once again shifted his gaze to the star belonging to the High-Dimensional Overseer.
Compared to the True Creator and Adam, spying from the perspective of the Overseer was much safer.
From the image, it was clear that the Overseer and Adam were conversing, and seemingly with great delight.
If one didn't know their true identities, it would look just like a lost youth coming to a church to receive guidance from a priest.
That said, with the strength of this particular incarnation of the Overseer, could he possibly see through Adam's true identity?
Hastur thought for a moment, unlikely.
First, that church was Adam's domain, and Adam was the divine side of the Ancient Sun God. In terms of rank, he stood above the High-Dimensional Overseer.
And this incarnation of the Overseer likely could not exert even the same strength as his previous avatar. From every angle, there was no way he could uncover Adam's true identity.
"This makes it interesting."
Holding the mindset of a bystander, Hastur watched from afar.
Although he couldn't hear the conversation between the Overseer and Adam, he treated it like watching a silent play.
Of course, if he wished, he could also join this conversation.
All he had to do was draw his gaze closer, and with the help of the Hall of Stars, he could communicate with both the Overseer and Adam.
But right now, he had no such intention. He was only Sequence 7, and even with the Hall's power, he might end up in trouble.
Watching from afar was enough. Hastur had thought the exchange between the Overseer and Adam wouldn't last long, but he was wrong.
The Overseer and Adam spoke like old friends. Not only did they stand and talk, but eventually they even sat together on a bench in front of the statue of the Creator and continued their discussion.
This made Hastur wonder: could it be that Adam also hadn't seen through the Overseer's true identity?
That neither of them truly understood each other's origins?
Hastur stared for another half hour, yet the Overseer and Adam were still deep in conversation.
At one point, Adam even stood before the Creator's statue, as if preaching the Creator's faith to the Overseer.
Adam wanted to convert the Overseer?
What was crucial was that the Overseer seemed to be listening attentively, as though acknowledging Adam's faith.
"..." Hastur spied a while longer, but eventually grew tired and logged off from the Hall of Stars.
When he checked the time, it was already three in the morning.
"They can really talk. I'd guess this conversation will last another three to five days."
Having spent half the night watching a silent play, Hastur couldn't help but sigh.
By dawn, Hastur had not yet gotten out of bed but first entered the Hall of Stars, looking once more at the star belonging to the High-Dimensional Overseer.
It was still the same small town, still that humble church, still in front of the statue of the Creator, Adam and the Overseer were continuing their warm, friendly exchange.
This time Hastur only watched for a little over ten minutes before withdrawing his gaze and logging out of the Hall of Stars.
Right now his Sequence was too low. He needed to focus on digesting the Briber potion. As for the interactions between the Overseer and Adam, he could peek in whenever he had time.
He went to the washroom to freshen up, then went downstairs for breakfast. As always, Butler Neil was by his side, reminding him of recent family matters and which nobles had sent invitations today.
"Decline all other invitations. I will be visiting Duke Negan's estate today."
"As you command." After finishing breakfast, Hastur boarded a carriage, pulled back the curtains, and enjoyed the morning view of Backlund.
Also in the Empress Borough, the ride to Duke Negan's residence took only a dozen minutes.
When Hastur arrived, Greg was already waiting for him in the hall; the Duke himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Hastur, come, let's talk for a while. My dear father still has some matters to handle." Greg smiled as he invited Hastur over.
Hastur walked forward and sat down, smiling. "Greg, is there some good news you want to share with me today?"
"You guessed right. Why don't you try guessing exactly what it is?"
"My investment, perhaps?"
Greg glanced at Hastur and sighed. "Sometimes, Hastur, you really ought to act a little more clueless."
"No helping it, you know my financial situation. That was the largest investment I've ever made. Naturally, it left quite the impression."
"Then go on, guess how much profit it earned in total."
Leaning back slightly against the luxurious sofa, Hastur thought for a moment, then smiled. "Knowing you, the profit couldn't be less than fivefold. So I'd say it earned about ten times."
"..." Greg was silent for a while.
He didn't reply, but gestured for someone to bring two documents.
Hastur accepted them. One listed the projects Greg had invested in using his money, and the other detailed the returns.
His eyes quickly found the total profit figure.
53,580 pounds!
Compared to the initial investment of 5,000 pounds, it had increased tenfold!
To him, this was an enormous fortune!
Since birth, this was the first time he had gained such a vast sum of wealth!
Even though it wasn't earned through his own efforts, a useful network of connections was itself a shortcut in life.
With this money, he could hire two more chefs to prepare cuisines from other nations.
[T/N: Damn, why is this your first thought, think about some life saving artifacts.]
He could also redeem part of the Campbell family's territorial rights, linking together lands in Southwell County for easier management.
And he could set aside some gold pounds to purchase the Beyonder materials for Sequence 6, Corrupted Baron, in advance.
Hastur stared for a long time, counting the numbers over and over, only withdrawing his gaze once he confirmed there were no decimals. He chuckled lightly. "Looks like my guess was spot on."
Greg sighed. "Seems I'll need to keep some distance from you in the future, or else you'll keep seeing through all my thoughts."
The two chatted happily for about an hour, until a butler arrived to invite them to a large open-air balcony on the third floor.
Duke Negan or Pallas Negan, the leader of the Conservative Party, the greatest landholding noble after the king, elder brother of the current prime minister, and also a Sequence 6 Beyonder.
He looked aged, with a bulky waist and layers of fat covering his body. His sharp, shrewd gray-blue eyes had grown clouded with desire, but one could still praise his thick head of black hair, showing no signs of balding.
Hastur's feelings toward Duke Negan were complicated. On one hand, this was Greg's father, and Hastur was close to Greg. On the other, the Duke represented the Conservatives.
Of course, at present, the Duke's benefits to him outweighed any harm.
"So, you are Voltaire's son?" Duke Negan's eyes opened slightly wider, as if to see Hastur more clearly.
Hastur stepped forward before replying: "Yes, Hastur Campbell, now the last heir of the Campbell family."
"Voltaire was a fine young man once, but later he made a string of ridiculous, laughable choices. You mustn't follow in his footsteps."
"I will certainly take that as a warning."
"Good, very good."
After expressing some goodwill, the Duke shifted to the topic of that assassination attempt.
"That night, where did your intelligence come from? Glaint couldn't possibly have known anything about Admiral Hurricane."
Though aging, he hadn't grown dull.
If not for the fact that the treasured daughter of Earl Hall, Audrey, also knew of this matter, his first suspect would have been Hastur.
Having navigated the noble circles for so many years, what hadn't he seen?
There were always those who sought to use him for hidden purposes.
Especially now, in this era of transition between old and new nobility.
It was impossible to make ambitious, capable people remain quiet.
"My information came from the sea."
"The sea?"
"I enjoy studying the Beyonder world, so naturally I've come to know some Beyonders, among them, one from the sea."
"Who?"
"I cannot reveal their identity. That is a matter of basic trust."
Duke Negan pondered for a while. His expression betrayed no emotion, yet he did not press further. He simply waved his hand, signaling Greg to escort Hastur away.