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Astolfo withdrew his gaze from the ring emitting strange fluctuations in Aaron's hand, and after a while, feeling the fluctuations that caused the Spirit World to change, he responded: "The 'Hound of Fulgrim' are themselves hard to trace, and there has been no successful communication with them before. However, as Spirit World creatures, I can convey what you want to express, but I don't know what will happen."
"Although they are visible now, they are still in the mists of history. If I act rashly, I'm not sure if I can catch them, and I might scare them away."
Frowning, Aaron finally gave up on the straightforward and profitable method of direct capture, deciding to be more cautious and attempt to communicate.
Maintaining the spread of the Ring of Mysteries' aura, Aaron nodded to Astolfo beside him and carefully said: "I believe you have already felt that aura. I have no ill intentions; I only wish to make an exchange with you. I need a pair of your eyes and 100 milliliters of blood. Although this transaction is a bit abrupt, I can offer compensation."
Confirming once more that Astolfo had conveyed his words, Aaron felt a hint of difficulty as he looked at the Hounds of Fulgrim, who remained motionless in the gray fog.
It didn't matter if the transaction conditions were harsh; what was feared was this complete lack of reaction.
Activating the aura of a Spirit World Dominator deep within the Spirit World was inherently dangerous. Aaron was unsure if some kind of anomaly would occur over time. He sighed; although there was some risk, there was no other way.
With his spirituality spreading and filling the Ring of Mysteries, Aaron chanted in a low voice in Chinese: "Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings…"
Before Aaron could continue, these few syllables seemed to trigger the Ring of Mysteries. The faint light expanded and contracted, and ripples appeared at the highest point of the Spirit World. Aaron's ears were suddenly filled with familiar whispers and roars.
They were sometimes sharp, sometimes deep, sometimes frantic, sometimes alluring, sometimes mad, sometimes ethereal.
Aaron, already accustomed to the torment of the whispers, paid no attention. Instead, he stared intently at the illusory, grayish-white mist that had appeared before him.
This mist permeated all around, with no visible boundary. Above, a majestic palace, like a divine dwelling, could vaguely be seen.
"Sefirah Castle…"
He unconsciously murmured the name in his heart. Just as Aaron was about to observe this special Sefirah more closely, it seemed to sense some kind of stimulation.
All the images before him shattered. A denser, dark-gold mist covered the illusory grayish-white mist, seemingly expelling it from its territory.
Aaron was not one of the three Pathways of the 'Cowardly Trio'. Even if he knew the correct ritual and honorific name, he should have been unable to draw upon the gray fog without Sefirah Castle's recognition.
But he still held the Ring of Mysteries, which originated from the Honored Celestial. Holding it was considered gaining recognition.
Aaron's current state was somewhat similar to Roselle's state when he recalled the corresponding symbols after becoming a Savant demigod, able to draw upon Sefirah Castle but unable to truly enter.
Although the phantom of Sefirah Castle had vanished, the grayish-white mist permeating the surroundings grew denser. After sensing the true Sefirah Castle aura, two blurry figures emerged from the boundless gray fog.
They sometimes overlapped with the gray fog and sometimes separated. Both were Hounds of Fulgrim with dark-red flames burning in their eyes and short black fur covering their bodies.
However, in the eye sockets of these two Monsters, only one dark-red flame remained, the other held in their claws.
Aaron met the gaze of the remaining eyeballs of the two Hounds of Fulgrim lingering not far from him, and strangely, he understood their eyes: the transaction was to provide assistance to the next creature that truly drew upon Sefirah Castle.
Aaron nodded with a smile, glanced at the two Hounds of Fulgrim, extended his left hand, and caught the two clusters of dark-red flames and a large amount of viscous, deep-red blood.
As soon as he touched these items, the whispers and roars he had heard earlier rang in Aaron's ears again, but they were quickly extinguished and dispelled.
Watching Aaron collect them, the two Hounds of Fulgrim, each missing an eye, returned to their companions and merged into the darker patches within the gray fog.
Looking at the Hounds of Fulgrim hidden in the mists of history, Aaron put away the materials in his hand, a thought involuntarily flashing through his mind:
"I suddenly want to see how Klein felt when he sought the Hounds of Fulgrim and saw those two eyeless Hounds of Fulgrim."
"The The Fool above the gray fog reached out a black hand, trying to 'shear some wool', but ended up shearing himself. What's more terrifying is that someone sheared earlier than him…"
Aaron lightly coughed, suppressing the unconscious smile on his face, and looked at Astolfo, who had been silently beside him, while resealing the Ring of Mysteries with a Wall of Spirituality:
"Do not mention the incantation I just chanted in the outside world, or it will cause unnecessary trouble."
Although Aaron only chanted "Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings" and not the complete honorific name, and he did it in Chinese, out of caution, Aaron still reminded him.
Looking at the young man shrouded in mist, Astolfo's eyes flickered. Ever since he met Aaron, he had always brought him surprises.
Both knew that the other hid many secrets, but they maintained a tacit understanding, not probing further. Astolfo, who seemed to have laid everything bare, still harbored certain things in his heart.
However, this would not affect the trust between them; their mutual need for each other, forming a common interest, was the foundation of their trust.
Astolfo nodded. A ruthless fluctuation spread from its body, smoothing out this slightly chaotic area of the Spirit World and erasing the traces left by himself and Aaron, then quickly led Aaron away.
Colorful blocks of color refilled this empty area of the Spirit World, and the lingering aura still deterred other Spirit World creatures from approaching.
Just then, a distorted, illusory, worm-like Spirit World creature slowly appeared, wriggling and reforming into a man with a broad forehead, thin face, wearing a black classical robe, and a pointed soft hat.
His lips curved upwards, and he pulled out a crystal monocle from somewhere, casually placing it on his right eye. A faint grayish-white mist, not yet dissipated, lingered on his fingertips as he chuckled softly:
"The aura of Sefirah Castle…"
-----------------
Aaron, unaware that Amon had been there, stood at a dark, bottomless crevice, the entrance to the Sea of Ruins.
The vast blue sea was cut off here by a massive chasm, and endless seawater, like a waterfall, plunged vertically into the unfathomable darkness!
He leaped down, his vision suddenly becoming dim, then blazing. Aaron looked at the familiar golden ocean around him, exhaled lightly, and extended his spirituality along the sensation. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the burial hall inside the Specter Empire mausoleum.
Closing his eyes and sensing the rules, which were completely different from the outside world, Aaron realized that his previous estimate of one year was too conservative; in at most 10 months, the rules here would be assimilated by the outside world.
A sense of urgency inexplicably arose in his heart. A golden token floated beside Aaron, and his spirituality extended towards the black coffin located slightly to the left of the center.
At the same time, the Darkness Mark on his wrist diffused a faint light, enveloping the coffin. Aaron, having initially gained the Specter Empire's approval, released the slumber and finally opened the coffin sealing Cavendish Lancer Pinto.
This Bizzaro Sorcerer had already awakened after Aaron released the power of slumber. His weathered eyes swept over the slightly wary Aaron, and after sensing the familiar bloodline, his gaze shifted to scan the surroundings.
The Ring of Mysteries hidden in his sleeve concealed a faint light. Although he knew that the person in front of him should not harm him, who could say what a demigod, who had slumbered for a thousand years and whose everything had been destroyed, would do?
Looking at this Bizzaro Sorcerer, Aaron's tense emotions slightly relaxed. Just as he was about to explain his origins, he heard a weathered, calm voice:
"His Majesty informed us of the consequences of this choice before sending us to slumber in the Specter Empire."
"Perhaps we would perish silently in slumber, but as long as we can open our eyes again, the glory of the Trunsoest Empire will surely reappear."
"I am willing to give everything for this, and your presence here already explains everything. His Majesty chose you, and I am willing to follow you."
Cavendish Lancer Pinto's gaze remained fixed on the opened coffin in the very center, hope and determination burning in his light-gray eyes.
As a member of the Trunsoest Empire's last spark plan, Cavendish learned from Alvin Gallows, the leader of the imperial guards, after entering the Specter Empire that the supreme Emperor still had a child secretly outside.
They were not isolated and helpless, nor would they be completely forgotten; the flame of Trunsoest would not be extinguished with the collapse of the Empire.
This belief helped him endure the long, lonely slumber. Fortunately, he saw the dawn of hope. One day, he would make the traitors pay the price.
Aaron didn't know what this Bizzaro Sorcerer had experienced before falling into slumber, but he could feel the emotion contained in his words. Only when he heard the latter half of the sentence, remembering the golden figure that had vanished in the dark-gold mist, did Aaron feel somewhat speechless.
Aaron lightly coughed, masking the somewhat unnatural smile on his face, and told Cavendish Lancer Pinto about the major events that had occurred in the Northern and Southern continents in the nearly two thousand years since the Trunsoest Empire's demise.
Upon hearing that Augustus, Sauron, Einhorn, and Castiya had established new kingdoms in the Northern Continent, and that the former capital Backlund had become the capital of the traitors, the anger in Cavendish's eyes transformed into a deeper, more profound killing intent.
Countless illusory black lines emerged from his body. Just as Aaron felt his movements becoming somewhat stiff, the illusory Spirit Body threads finally returned to calm and receded back into the void.
Relieved, Aaron decided to quickly divert his Bizzaro Sorcerer's attention. He directly took out several boxes and removed the Wall of Spirituality seals on them.
Looking at the eyes and blood of the Hound of Fulgrim, the Transformed Heart and white frost crystal of the Demonic Wolf of Fog suspended before him, and Aaron's introduction to the advancement ritual, and feeling the hunger emanating from every part of his body, the killing intent in Cavendish's eyes gradually replaced by astonishment.
He clearly remembered that the current remnants of the Trunsoest Empire, under the alias East Tucker Family, wielded the Red Priest, Justiciar, and Black Emperor Pathway, with the strongest being the Emperor's own son, a Sequence 2 Angel.
During the Fourth Epoch, the Seer Pathway had always been controlled by the Zaratul family of the Solomon Empire and Antigonus of the Tudor Empire. Even at the height of the Trunsoest Empire, they did not possess higher Sequence Seer potion formulas.
Although the Night Emperor had once seen the Blasphemy Slate, the knowledge on the Blasphemy Slate was presented in essence rather than text, and each viewer required time to interpret it.
The Night Emperor's focus of interpretation was naturally the Justiciar and Black Emperor Pathway. It was only when the Blasphemy Slate was taken away that he barely managed to remember these two Pathways, making it difficult to attend to others.
The Red Priest high-Sequence formula held by Varna Weil was the reward for the Night Emperor's tacit permission for Tudor to attempt to advance to Red Priest.
Just awakened from slumber, immersed in the recollection of past events and the anger of betrayal, Cavendish Lancer Pinto finally turned his scrutinizing gaze upon Aaron.
When he sensed that this young man, who had produced high-Sequence potion formulas and complete potions, was only a Sequence 5, the curiosity in his eyes was replaced by a deeper shock.
Looking at the suddenly silent Cavendish Lancer Pinto, Aaron pushed all the potions towards him and reminded him with a smile:
"The rules within the Specter Empire have been replaced, and the flow of time here is inconsistent with the outside world. Only by successfully advancing and gaining a replenishment of lifespan will you not die of old age after leaving here."
"You have already met the ritual requirements for advancing to Scholar of Yore, and I also know many true hidden histories that can help you quickly digest the Scholar of Yore potion."
The Worms of Spirit in his mind frantically wriggled, digesting various pieces of information. Cavendish Lancer Pinto silently wrote down a large amount of ancient historical data on sheets of paper; this was also one of the supplementary ingredients.
A moment later, Cavendish Lancer Pinto looked at the dark-red potion in his hand, almost the size of a baby's head, seemingly liquid yet gaseous. Worms of Spirit containing three-dimensional layered symbols drilled out from his body.
Barely controlling the surging desire deep within his spirituality, Cavendish Lancer Pinto exhaled deeply, adjusted his state, and calmly raised his right hand, bringing the potion, entwined with mist, to his mouth…
-----------------
In the Fog Sea, Danitz stood listlessly on the Golden Dream's crow's nest, looking at the unchanging mist around him, when he suddenly vaguely saw an island ahead.
Rubbing his eyes to confirm he hadn't mistaken it, Danitz's lips nearly stretched to his ears. Ferran, who had discovered the elf island last time, was personally rewarded by the Captain, and he had been envious for a long time. That's why he volunteered to come to the crow's nest, and he didn't expect to actually encounter one.
Excitedly, he leaped down from the high platform. Under the strange gazes of the other crew members, Danitz dusted himself off, climbed up from the deck, and lightly coughed to hide his embarrassment.
Listening to the mocking laughter of Iron Skin and Barrel, Danitz walked without stopping straight to Vice Admiral Iceberg's captain's cabin, muttering disdainfully in his heart:
"….Shit!"
"Laugh, laugh hard. When the Captain personally pins a medal on me, I wonder if you'll still be able to laugh…"
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