Night.
Hastur lay on his bed and entered the Hall of the Stars.
He began to peer into the future prospects of several projects and industries he had recently taken an interest in.
As the fragments of fate appeared, Hastur already had a rough idea of which direction he should invest in.
Once his divination ended, his gaze turned again to the star where the High-Dimensional Overseer resided.
At the moment, that being was inside a stone hut by the seaside, quietly flipping through a book whose title could not be seen, it should be one of the scriptures used by Adam to preach.
The Overseer was reading very seriously, sometimes pausing in thought before turning another page.
That scene looked just like a student thirsting for knowledge.
"What kind of existence is the High-Dimensional Overseer?" Hastur muttered in confusion.
He had been observing the Overseer for some time now, and the figure in the scene truly looked like an ordinary human.
The Overseer didn't seem to enjoy slaughter. Wherever He went, chaos seldom followed. Nor did He interfere recklessly with ordinary people's lives. He was more like a witness, an observer walking among mortals.
Hastur watched for a while longer, and seeing no change, shifted his attention to the stars belonging to the True Creator and Adam.
Adam was inside a church, praying before an idol, no different from an ordinary priest.
After a brief glance, Hastur looked away and turned his eyes toward where the True Creator dwelled.
Beneath the curtain of shadow, the man hung upside down upon the cross, his face still hidden, all shrouded in darkness.
But this time, beside the cross, on a stone, sat a tall, slender figure clad in a simple linen robe. His features were gentle, his expression kind yet faintly distant. Long silver hair cascaded to His waist, and behind Him unfolded layers of radiant wings of light.
His appearance resembled that of an angel in myth, and indeed, He was one.
The true King of Angels, the Angel of Fate, Oroboros.
"Tsk. In terms of looks, even if Will were reborn a hundred times, he probably couldn't match this face."
It was rare for Hastur to see Oroboros, and he couldn't help but take a few more glances.
At that moment, the eyes hidden behind the curtain of shadows slowly turned toward Hastur's direction.
Smiling faintly, Hastur withdrew his gaze and stopped peering.
As usual, he then looked briefly toward the stars of the Supernova Dominator, the Mother Tree of Desire, and the Son of Chaos, all appeared normal.
Only then did he log off from the Hall of the Stars and rest.
….
Late at night.
Backlund, East District.
In an underground chamber resembling a temple, Mr. A, dressed in a hooded black robe, knelt silently before the statue of the Hanged Man for a long time without moving.
Suddenly, he tilted his head slightly, as if listening intently to something.
After a few seconds, Mr. A abruptly raised both hands, he tore off his right index finger with his left hand and tossed the bleeding finger into his mouth, biting down with a crisp crunch.
Gulp.
His throat worked as he swallowed the chewed finger.
Immediately after, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, as though seized by an epileptic fit, driven by an unseen force.
In that state, he dipped his fingers into his own flowing blood and began writing words upon the floor.
Soon, the scattered words formed a coherent sentence:
"Seek the followers of the Stars."
When the divine revelation ended, Mr. A stopped trembling. The wound on his hand writhed and grew a brand-new index finger.
He lowered his head, staring carefully at the words he had just written. The corners of his mouth lifted faintly in the shadows.
Then, with devout reverence, he prostrated himself on the floor and murmured in pious ecstasy:
"I live only to obey Your oracle."
His existence was solely to serve God, he existed because God required him to.
….
The next day, a little past seven in the evening, the secret gathering in Backlund convened once again.
The mysterious Mr. A sat at the head of the table, his uncovered gaze sweeping openly across all the Beyonders present.
This time, he didn't have anyone write a task on the blackboard. Instead, he spoke directly:
"I have a mission of immense value. If you possess any knowledge or can provide related information, you may exchange it for any Sequence 7 or lower Beyonder material."
The moment he said this, everyone's attention was instantly captured.
Most of them were Sequence 9 or Sequence 8 Beyonders, this mission represented a possible path toward advancement.
Even if they didn't need the material themselves, they could still trade it for a fortune.
Xio was among them. She had been stuck at Sequence 9 for lack of a single material. Otherwise, she could have advanced long ago.
When she heard this task, her interest immediately spiked.
After all, in their circle, Mr. A's reputation for integrity was unquestionable, deceit was never in his nature.
"Seek the Followers of the Stars."
Mr. A slowly spoke the mission's title, his gaze sweeping across everyone's eyes.
But aside from confusion and greed, he found nothing else.
None of the participants tonight were followers of the Stars.
Scanning the crowd, he added in a deep tone: "If you can find a true follower of the Stars, you will also receive any Sequence 6 or lower potion formula."
That second declaration detonated like a bomb, the room erupted in excitement.
A Sequence 6 potion formula could easily be worth over 2,000 gold pounds!
Whether used personally or sold, it was a staggering fortune.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was the sound of pounding hearts.
Xio could feel hers racing. A reward of 2,000 pounds, the richest bounty she had ever seen! Even the generous Miss Audrey might not have issued such an extravagant task!
After the initial excitement, she quickly sobered.
She didn't know what the "followers of the Stars" were, but any mission for which Mr. A offered such a reward was bound to be dangerous.
Perhaps these followers were vicious and terrifyingly powerful, a Sequence 9 like her might not even count as a speck of dust before them.
The only realistic hope was to find some useful clue and exchange it for one Beyonder material.
After speaking, Mr. A fell silent. The gathering continued as usual, but few participants still cared about trading. Their minds were already consumed with thoughts of finding the followers of the Stars, even though none of them had any idea what the term meant.
When the meeting ended, Xio returned home excited, eager to share the major news with Fors, who had already put down her pen for the night.
At first, Fors listened with mild curiosity, but when she heard the words followers of the Stars, her heart skipped a beat.
Her face paled slightly, and she discreetly glanced at Xio. Seeing her still bright-eyed and hopeful, Fors exhaled in relief.
Still, she couldn't calm down. Especially after hearing about the 2,000-pound bounty, her heart was in turmoil.
A potion formula worth that much? Even selling herself wouldn't fetch half that price.
Fortunately, Xio hadn't seen the paper that once bore the words "The One Who Aligns The Stars", or she might have guessed Fors' secret.
Fors thought to herself, pulling out a cigarette with trembling fingers. Before she could light it, Xio's next words made the cigarette fall from her hand.
"If you were a follower of the Stars, Fors, I could sell you for a fortune!"
"…What's wrong? Why'd you drop your cigarette?"
Xio looked over, studying her. "Don't tell me you're still having aftereffects from your last illness?"
Fors' lips twitched, but she quickly forced a smile, bending down to pick up the cigarette. "I wish I were a follower of the Stars, unfortunately, I'm not nearly that valuable."
"Aww, don't say that. You're worth far more than that in my eyes."
Xio laughed, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Still, I doubt I can finish this task. I don't even know what kind of people these 'followers of the Stars' are. Is it some new cult or something?"
Fors cast her a sidelong glance, thinking silently: The Stars, high above the night sky, the endless constellations are but His adornments. What cult could ever compare?
"What are you thinking, Fors?"
"Nothing much. I'm just… curious about the followers of the Stars."
"You seem a little off tonight."
"Maybe I'm still not feeling too well."
"I see. Then I'll let you rest. Call me if you need anything."
When Xio left, Fors closed the door and drew a match from the box on her table.
She lit her cigarette, took a deep drag, exhaled a smoke ring, then another, until her nerves began to settle.
Her scattered thoughts slowly realigned.
By the time she finished the cigarette, she had already made up her mind.
No matter what Mr. A's true goal was, she had to inform the Sovereign of the Stars.
"…Better wait a bit," she thought, "so Xio doesn't notice. Once she's asleep, I'll pray to the Sovereign of the Stars."
Fors stubbed out the cigarette, leaned against her pillow, and lit another one.
She couldn't help it, her mind was a storm of unease.