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Their gazes met, and a faint light flickered in Edwina's eyes as she recognized the young man opposite her, clearly the leader, as Aaron Weil, whose name was famous throughout the Five Seas.
She had always valued intelligence gathering, and even though exploring the Fog Sea had separated her from her intelligence organization, the secret prayer ritual directly connected to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom Church headquarters could still be used.
From the intelligence passed down by the Church, she had also learned some information about the Southern Continent, especially that a Great Archbishop of the Church of the God of Combat had died at the hands of the East Tucker Family.
Even the Church of the God of Combat's Chief Shepherd had descended, but it seemed to have ended inconclusively.
Looking at the burly giant in silver armor standing beside Aaron, Edwina vaguely guessed the final destination of that Demigod Beyonder characteristic.
Even if she didn't know the deeper internal story, the known intelligence alone showed how terrifying this Angel Family was.
Especially after truly meeting him, Edwina always felt a familiar aura from Aaron, as if they had met before.
Aaron's eyes flashed with surprise as he watched Helmosuin continually throwing candies into his mouth.
Months ago, when preparing to hunt the "Hound of Fulgrim," Aaron had prayed to "Orange Light" Hillarion for help but received no response.
He didn't expect to meet that one's avatar here. Aaron's face showed an interested expression, his gaze sweeping past "Vice Admiral Iceberg" Edwina Edwards behind Helmosuin, and he stepped forward with a smile: "I didn't expect to meet you here, Mr. Hillarion."
Hearing this name, Cavendish Lancer Pinto, who had been silent, effectively deterring Talia, couldn't help but look up. If he remembered correctly, this name was the true name of "Orange Light."
Without correcting Aaron's address, Helmosuin smiled and walked towards Aaron, saying politely: "This is the guidance of fate. I apologize for not responding to you last time. I encountered some trouble while exploring the Abyss and was preoccupied."
Saying that, he walked to Pierre Barre's side and lightly patted the giant's body.
The silvery-white Dawn Armor showed no abnormality, but a coolness instantly arose in Pierre Barre's heart, and his restless mind was soothed.
Meeting the other party's surprised gaze, Helmosuin chuckled and explained: "There must have been some accident when you advanced to Demigod, causing your emotional control to be deeply affected by the potion. This subtle influence will become a hidden danger when you continue to advance in the future."
Pierre Barre nodded silently, watching Mr. Hillarion walk away with Earl. Only then did he turn his gaze to Edwina and Talia, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.
Finally, Siatas lightly coughed and, enduring the pressure of the three Half-Gods, stepped forward to calm and recruit her fellow clansmen according to Aaron's previous instructions.
She was very open-minded; as an Elf who had truly survived from the second epoch to the present, the continuation of the race was paramount. Moreover, Aaron had also said that the Queen had not completely perished, and saving her was a necessary price.
After learning that Apocalypse was approaching, she urgently wanted to lead her clansmen to face the future disaster, rather than senselessly crippling themselves. Perhaps this was her mission, to luckily arrive in the Fifth Epoch.
Aaron and Helmosuin came to the forest on the circular island, casually setting up a Spirit Wall. Aaron put away his smile and asked with a frown: "Mr. Hillarion, were you exploring the Abyss before? What kind of place is it?"
Helmosuin stopped chewing candy, nodded, and calmly pointed towards the Golden Dream: "This place is not far from the real entrance to the Abyss. At that ship's speed, keeping the correct direction, it will arrive in less than two weeks."
Aaron keenly caught the information in the words, rubbed his cheek, and asked in confusion: "The real entrance? Hmm, can one enter from other places?"
Helmosuin nodded slightly and explained with a smile: "'Abyss' can refer to the Sequence 0 of the Criminal Pathway, which is the 'Dark Side of the Universe,' or it can refer to that completely fallen continent."
Seeing Aaron's somewhat confused gaze, he continued to add: "Haha, I'm not talking about the Forsaken Land of the Gods, but a continent that only existed in the early second epoch, about half the size of the current Southern Continent. Its original location was in this Fog Sea."
"After the ancient god Devil Monarch Farbauti appeared, he polluted that continent, turning all living beings into Demons, and even the abstract history and corresponding Spirit World also transformed into the Abyss."
"Gathering the filth and degradation of the world, it not only turned the corresponding area in the Spirit World into the Abyss but also formed corresponding concepts in the Astral World. This was also the direct reason for his later predicament."
Aaron listened intently, suddenly having the illusion of listening to a teacher tapping on the blackboard and highlighting key points in class, and couldn't help but murmur: "It would be even more like it if there was a blackboard…"
Hearing this, Helmosuin's smile deepened, and he very cooperatively conjured a light screen, showing that he indeed enjoyed the process of imparting knowledge. No wonder he had formed a "Pure Light Brotherhood" with many Spirit World creatures specifically to teach people knowledge.
Resisting the urge to cover his face, Aaron quickly changed the topic and asked with some uncertainty: "Is what you just said the ritual for becoming a god in the 'Abyss' Pathway?"
"At least it conformed to the first Blasphemy Slate, but that's no longer important," Helmosuin gave an affirmative reply.
Hmm, this indicated that the ritual for becoming a god recorded on the second Blasphemy Slate, formed after the Creator's demise in the Third Epoch, had some differences.
The simplified ritual for becoming a god could help Sequence 1 Angels accommodate Uniqueness in advance, and it could also help True Gods of similar Pathways accelerate accommodation to avoid uncontrollable situations.
However, for the Abyss Pathway, which already had a Sequence 0, it was indeed useless.
Helmosuin, with the self-awareness of a teacher, patiently waited for Aaron to finish his contemplation before continuing: "When the last civilization ended and 'the first' awakened, the previous Seven Lights were erased due to the destruction of the Spirit World, and the current Seven Lights are the Pure Lights reborn in the Spirit World during the First Epoch."
"Therefore, I don't know if the Abyss existed in the Outer Deities' civilization. The core of the current Abyss is the Divine Kingdom of the 'Dark Side of the Universe.'"
"To use a not-so-apt analogy, the 'True Creator's' Divine Kingdom is in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, but the Forsaken Land of the Gods does not wholly belong to his Divine Kingdom. The current situation of the Abyss is similar."
"Devil Monarch Farbauti, after being severely wounded by the awakened Creator at the end of the second epoch, retreated to his Divine Kingdom in the Abyss. Even the corresponding concepts formed by the Abyss in the Spirit World and Astral World were sealed by that Creator."
"But after that Creator's demise, the seal on the Astral World was infiltrated by that one, and the heavily wounded Devil Monarch Farbauti was gradually corrupted. The 'Dark Side of the Universe' also originated from this."
Helmosuin said, pointing to the deep starry night sky above their heads.
"More than 900 years ago, that one used the abstract concept of 'Abyss' in the Spirit World to forcefully infiltrate some power and corrupt the Spirit World. Although it ultimately failed, it left a big problem."
Aaron's heart stirred, and he asked in a confirming tone: "The birth of that 'Abomination' Suah?"
Helmosuin nodded with a somewhat solemn expression: "The Rose School of Thought also completely fell as a result, and the concept of 'Temperance' was gradually replaced by the indulgence and slaughter more aligned with the 'Criminal' Pathway."
"However, the Astral World barrier still exists. That 'Dark Side of the Universe' was severely wounded by 'Storm,' weakening his control over the Abyss. Several high-level Demons even chose to self-mutilate to break free from his control and escape the Abyss, well, like that 'Death Announcer.'"
Control?
Aaron's mind instantly brought up the Death Announcer controlling its crew through blood crystals; this was indeed a consistent Demon style.
His heart stirred, remembering that he still had a "Demon" Beyonder characteristic from that Church of the God of Combat Great Archbishop in his clutter, and he couldn't help but ask: "I still have a 'Demon' Beyonder characteristic, and it's also tainted with pollution from the Abyss. If I want to use it to attract the 'Death Announcer' here, do you have a way?"
Helmosuin looked at Aaron somewhat strangely but still displayed various ritual array patterns on the light screen: "To attract the attention of high-level Demons, blood sacrifice is usually the most effective method, but a Demon Beyonder characteristic polluted by the Abyss will work even better."
"This is the modified ritual process I've prepared for you, but I must remind you of two points. Firstly, the direction of the ritual is not fixed; others Demons might respond to you."
"Secondly, if the 'Death Announcer' foresees the source of danger, he has the chance to exert a reverse influence on the spot. Therefore, the ritual must be performed by that 'Demon Hunter,' as he can block the Demon's danger premonition."
"However, as I said at the beginning, that 'Demon Hunter' might have his emotional control affected by the potion due to his advancement, and this is a fatal flaw for Demons who control emotions and desires."
Aaron's expression was calm, and he nodded indifferently, carefully memorizing the ritual symbols on the light screen.
Seeing this, Helmosuin said no more and took out a black stone from his wide sleeve, handing it to Aaron.
While dividing his attention to memorize the ritual, Aaron watched the black stone in his hand "stretch" its body into a stone figure with no signs of life, and he looked at Helmosuin in confusion: "This is?"
Helmosuin, who had always been smiling, his expression slightly solemn: "Before in Bayam, you said you wanted to know the location of the hidden passage in the Abyss that leads to the Forsaken Land of the Gods. It can indicate the direction."
"Although I don't know why you want to know that location, if you want that 'Scholar of Yore' outside to explore it, it's best to avoid this recent period. My previous exploration has already attracted the attention of some existences."
Watching Aaron collect the black stone again and nod continuously, Helmosuin's expression softened slightly, and he pondered for a moment before adding: "If you encounter irresistible danger in the Abyss, you can try to say this name in ancient hermes…"
He switched to several languages, pronouncing the name word by word: "Le," "O," "De," "Ro."
"This is the true name of the 'Lord of Storms.' Calling his true name can activate the divine power he left behind in the Abyss, but this will inevitably attract the attention of the 'Dark Side of the Universe.' It's a last resort for escape."
Controlling his facial muscles, Aaron almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Using a historical void image to call the true name of the irritable old man, this operation was a rare consensus.
When Aaron emerged from the forest, many Elves had already gathered. As a Beyonder race, although they weren't as exaggerated as the Sanguine, starting at Sequence 7, they were all Beyonders.
After learning that "Queen of Calamity" Cohinem had not completely perished, Talia's last bit of unwillingness was gradually replaced by hope, and she put aside her reserve to reach a final agreement with Aaron.
Watching the Elf Great Priestess set up the ritual, a massive Spirit World portal opened, and a ghost ship several times larger than the "Golden Dream" slowly sailed out.
It was the "Dawn" that had led the surviving Elves to escape to the Fog Sea.
Seeing the many Elves with reluctant expressions, Aaron lightly coughed and said to Talia: "I know the value of this ghost ship to you. It still belongs to you. I will only borrow it for five years, but as a corresponding price, I need your help."
In Aaron's plan, the "Dawn" had to be completely cut off from the East Tucker Family in the outside world, serving as an independently developing hidden force. Therefore, all crew members had to find other ways.
Ordinary crew members could be recruited at any time, and the most crucial Beyonders, the best candidates at present were these Elves.
Through friendly negotiation, it was finally decided that some Elves would follow Siatas aboard the "Dawn," with Pierre Barre serving as captain.
Having dealt with these matters, Aaron finally breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Edwina, who had been silently observing, his eyes flickered, and he chuckled: "Interested in a collaboration?"
Seeing the two Half-Gods approaching together, Edwina was silent for a moment before asking: "What kind of collaboration?"
Aaron's smile grew wider, and his tone was playful: "Hunting, 'King of Immortality' Agalito…"
-----------------
December 31st, noon, Loen, Backlund Bridge District, Iron Gate Street, "Brave Bar."
Mobet wrapped his trench coat tightly, covering his mouth and nose to prevent the pungent cold wind from irritating his brain.
Ever since he learned of Amon's existence at the Fate Hermits gathering last time, he had rushed to Backlund almost non-stop, and had even specifically rented a house next to the Holy Wind Cathedral in Cherwood Borough.
Thinking of the rent for that house, Mobet's heart couldn't help but twitch. Shaking off some unpleasant thoughts, he sighed and abruptly pushed open the door of the "Brave Bar."
He hadn't come all the way from Cherwood Borough to Backlund Bridge District just to drink; he was here for an appointment. Sharron had arranged to meet him at this bar during the last Chaos Council.
Passing through the bustling drunkards, Kaspars watched the well-dressed Mobet walk to the bar counter, whistled, and said with a smile: "Sir, happy new year in advance. Would you like a glass of sonia blood wine? It's only 15 soli."
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