Late at night, around eleven o'clock, Hastur specifically reminded Sharon of a few things before lying down on the bed to rest. Through the Hall of Stars, he descended into the vessel located outside the seaside town.
That coffin still lay quietly in the basement. Hastur had instructed Mr. A to seal the basement door and establish a rule forbidding entry.
Even Mr. A himself could not enter the basement freely and could only stand guard outside.
One divine descent might be acceptable, but it would not do for Mr. A to discover that their lord had recently been dropping by every night.
Once or twice might be fine, but if it happened too many times, suspicion would certainly arise.
So Hastur simply excluded Mr. A from the right to know, making it so that he had no idea when Hastur descended or when he left.
When the coffin lid silently lifted open, Hastur stepped out from inside. He opened a passage to the spirit world and headed toward the secret stronghold of the Yellow Robed Monks that he had learned about from Kaius.
Since they were still waiting for the correct moment of destiny, then he would personally tell them-
His arrival itself was destiny.
....
Southville County, Canterbury City.
The crimson moon shone brightly, and the stars glittered like a song.
At a secluded manor in the countryside, a group of believers dressed in yellow robes were devoutly worshipping along the shore of a lake outside the estate.
The figure of the god was like flowers in a mirror, like the moon reflected in water, ethereal and uncertain, chaotic and formless. Only through special mediums could one glimpse the shadow of the deity.
To the Yellow Robed Monks, nothing was more suitable than a lake to carry the passage for a god's descent.
Because in the scriptures there was a related record:
"Along the shore, the clouds are cut apart
The twin suns sink into the lake
When long shadows fall
Right there, on the wondrous night when the Black Star rises
The marvelous moon moving through the night
Yellow tattered robes flutter in the wind
When the song silently fades away
When the soul no longer sings
When tears no longer flow
O Lord of the Sea of Stars in the distant cosmos
O the Nameless One of chaotic formlessness
He shall descend there amid the expectations of countless believers!"
The devout prayers of the believers by the shore grew increasingly fervent. Those who had been chosen stood naked, chanting distant ancient songs as they walked step by step from the shallow waters toward the center of the lake.
Within the immersion of the lake water, they would behold the shadow of the god.
As their bodies were completely soaked by the lake water, and as they silently walked toward the lake's center, the believers on the shore knelt down, raising and lowering their hands while constantly shouting the god's sacred name.
"O Lord of the Sea of Stars in the distant cosmos, O the Nameless One of chaotic formlessness, your devout and humble believers await your descent!"
"O Lord of the Sea of Stars in the distant cosmos, O the Nameless One of chaotic formlessness, your devout and humble believers call for your descent!"
...
One shout after another seemed to pass through the gateway of the lake before them, transmitting into the distant cosmos to awaken the god who still slept.
As the crimson moon climbed higher into the sky, disappointment once again spread.
The stars flickered with their light, and deep within the starry sky, a dim star as dark as black slowly appeared.
The Black Star quietly rose.
Unless someone had been continuously watching that patch of sky and remembered the position of every star there, they would not notice its existence at the first moment.
In the manor's garden, Madam Lisa was gazing up at the starry sky.
The god they worshipped came from the depths of the cosmos. This was something every believer was absolutely certain about.
By gazing at the stars, perhaps one day she would meet the gaze cast down by the god.
She had always believed this, and she had always done so.
Every night at twelve, when the sky was the darkest, she looked up at this unchanging sky. This habit had lasted for many long years.
The unchanging starry sky concealed too many mysteries, too many hopes.
The hope in her heart had already become the aging petals of a rose, withering one by one, like a lamp wick nearing exhaustion, bowing its head and flickering in the wind.
Those who had not experienced what she had, even though they believed in the same god, no longer possessed faith as pure as hers.
They were calling out.
She, however, was gazing upward.
In her view, whether the god descended had nothing to do with the devout calls of believers. On the contrary, such actions were disturbances, offenses that interrupted the god's slumber, nothing more than noisy clamor.
A god's descent depended solely on His mood.
Only when He became interested enough to cast down His gaze again would that be the day He was about to descend into the world.
Madam Lisa silently looked upward.
Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, she saw that among the stars gathered together, a star almost blending with the dark sky had appeared at some unknown moment, A black star.
Yes, she saw it. She was absolutely certain.
She could guarantee that during all the nights of the past years, that position in the sky had never contained such a black star!
"Right there, on the wondrous night when the Black Star rises
The marvelous moon moving through the night..."
Madam Lisa kept muttering the words, trembling as she knelt down with her aging body and devoutly prostrated herself toward the direction where the black star appeared.
Her conspicuous behavior drew the attention of the other Yellow Robed Monks in the garden.
Some followed behind Madam Lisa and worshipped devoutly, while others curiously looked toward the starry sky in the direction she was worshipping.
"The day of the prophecy has arrived! The black star, the Black Star of the prophecy, has appeared in that position!"
Madam Lisa tremblingly raised her right hand and pointed toward the place where the Black Star had appeared.
Expressions of astonishment flashed across the faces of the Yellow Robed Monks present, followed by fervor. They all raised their heads to look.
Yet they did not notice anything unusual in that region of the sky, much less see the Black Star of the prophecy.
Although Madam Lisa spoke with certainty, no one besides her could see the black star. Some even questioned whether she was simply seeking attention, making a fool of herself due to senility.
Madam Lisa raised her head and looked at the Black Star suspended among the surrounding stars.
The passionate excitement in her heart gradually cooled.
The god had cast down His gaze, yet apart from her, not a single person could see the Black Star of the prophecy.
This meant the organization was no longer as pure as before. It had accumulated too many changes and too many improper thoughts.
When a figure walked over, the surrounding onlookers made way.
"Madam Lisa, you saw the rising Black Star?" In his calm words, there was only the tone of questioning, of suspicion, of ambition, but none of the reverence a believer should have toward a god.
"Cardiff, have your eyes grown so old that you can no longer see?" Madam Lisa stood up from the ground, returning to her usual calm expression.
"Yes, I have grown old, but I still believe in your judgment and your guidance. If you say the Black Star of the prophecy has appeared, then I will believe that it has."
"Don't you want to see the Black Star of the prophecy with your own eyes?"
"My aging eyes have long since stopped gazing up at the stars."
Cardiff seemed to laugh at himself. He too wished to see the Black Star that existed only in prophecy by following Madam Lisa's guidance.
Unfortunately, he could not see it. That region of the starry sky felt far too unfamiliar to him.
This proved one thing. Madam Lisa's guidance had already become a thing of the past.
She was no longer capable of guiding his path forward. The true path to the god lay only in the method of the vessel's descent.
He could not wait for the correct moment of destiny. But Madam Lisa said she had seen the Black Star, that meant the correct moment had already arrived.
Even if tonight was the wrong time, it had to become the correct one.
If the descent failed, then it would be Madam Lisa's fault alone. From then on, her voice would no longer exist within the organization.
Yes, she could not always be right, even if she had once been his teacher.
And if the descent succeeded, then it would prove that his own proposal was correct. The brilliance surrounding him would overshadow hers, newcomers replacing the old.
Although he was already old, compared with his teacher he was still several decades younger.
Madam Lisa remained silent for a while before sighing.
"Cardiff, you always harbor too many thoughts that you should not have."
"Humans must think, and thinking inevitably gives birth to various thoughts. My body has begun to age; only through thinking can I delay my mind from rusting."
"Stop that mad thought in your heart. The god has already cast down His gaze. The day of descent is not far away."
Cardiff nodded firmly.
"I also believe the god is about to descend. But this final step must be taken by someone."
He glanced at the Yellow Robed Monks gathering around them, then looked up at the starry sky and spoke in a deep voice: "It is not that my thoughts are too crazy, it is that you have always been too naive."
Without a suitable vessel for descent, even if the god had cast down His gaze, He could not cross the cosmos and descend directly.
Even the true gods of the Seven Churches required vessels to bear them in order to truly achieve the miracle of divine descent.
The Lord of the Sea of Stars in the distant cosmos lived in a place so far away. He needed even more a vessel that could walk in the human world.
Madam Lisa withdrew her gentle expression and sternly rebuked him: "The god will descend in the way a god should. We do not need to interfere!"
"One must try to know whether it is right or wrong. You still have time to turn back."
On Cardiff's wrinkled face appeared a faint smile. He glanced around at all the Yellow Robed Monks and loudly declared: "Let us welcome the descent of the god together, tonight!"