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"Advance a Beyonder characteristic?"
Mobet looked up in surprise, seeing the Parasite Beyonder characteristic pushed in front of him, a strong craving emanating from all over his body.
One had to know that within disciplined Beyonder families, or in the Orthodox Churches, one had to accumulate merits step by step to even have a chance to queue for Beyonder characteristics and advancement rituals.
Sometimes, a Beyonder might not even accumulate enough contribution in their entire life.
Even during the peak of the Zoroast family in the Fourth Epoch, Pallez would only offer assistance during demigod rituals; the most crucial Beyonder characteristic still required Mobet to accumulate contributions himself.
Thinking of this, Mobet suddenly felt a bit fortunate that he had joined the Chaos Council.
After seeing off Mobet, who had a complicated expression, Aaron glanced at the crimson moon in the sky, then took out a brand new paper crane. He had some questions he wanted to ask the Snake of Fate.
He wrote a sentence on the paper crane, placed it by his pillow, and then lay down on the bed.
In the dream world, Aaron quickly woke up and saw the familiar dark wasteland and the dim spire.
But at this time, the mysterious silver-white giant snake was no longer on the spire. Aaron nodded thoughtfully, quickened his pace, and entered the dark spire.
It was still ancient and decaying, with a chaotic layout. The stairs sometimes spiraled upwards, sometimes slanted downwards, and the rooms were either normal, inverted, or embedded within other parts.
Passing through one door after another, and through wall after wall, Aaron arrived at the depths of the black high tower.
Here, Tarot cards were scattered, all depicting the Wheel of Fortune, surrounding the thin boy in the center.
Aaron met Will Auceptin's somewhat helpless eyes, a gentle smile on his face as he sat opposite him:
"Many thanks for your previous help, Speaker. I also have some questions I'd like to consult you about during this meeting."
Will Auceptin's silver eyes stared at Aaron for a long time, then he snorted lightly, responding with a non-sequitur:
"There's no free lunch in this world. Every gift of fate is secretly marked with a price."
"Although I don't like Ouroboros, that stinky snake, as the Snake of Fate who has been restarting by the True Creator's side, he is one of the few existences in the Aurora Order who can directly communicate with that evil god."
"You had already attracted Ouroboros's attention, and the True Creator has always yearned to break through the seals of the Seven Deities and escape the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
Ignoring Will Auceptin's change of subject, Aaron was well aware of the True Creator's thoughts: to open the Giant King's Court where Dark Angel Sasrir was slumbering.
That key was now in his hand, and the first Blasphemy Slate, which could draw upon some of the Chaos Sea's power, was also in the Giant King's Court.
He nodded slightly, a solemn expression naturally forming on his face, and Aaron got straight to the point:
"Besides us, were there other people involved in the battle outside Tingen?"
Will Auceptin swallowed, his small face wrinkled, and after a long moment, he took a card from the Tarot cards in his hand and placed it in front of Aaron. It was a "Justice" card.
"I'm starting to wonder what exactly Tingen City is hiding. Alas, but my intuition of fate tells me that it's like a huge vortex; everything that approaches it will have its fate shifted."
Looking at the unusually distinct "Justice" card in front of him, Aaron fell silent for a moment, then slowly uttered a few words:
"All that is spoken shall be known…"
Will Auceptin glanced at him sideways and nodded. In his current state, where he could only wash away his madness by restarting, encountering Adam, who was in the spiritual domain, would undoubtedly result in being crushed.
Recalling the golden fragments that were jointly dispelled by the Evernight Mark and the Life Mark, Aaron felt a sense of relief instead. If it was just a guess before, now it was confirmation of his speculation.
As a Sequence 5 who failed to advance, how could he, merely a Gatekeeper, escape Channis Gate with the Sealed Artifact "0-08"?
Even if there might have been the Goddess's tacit approval, the demigods of the Nighthawks below wouldn't know this. The Nighthawks, who didn't lack demigod angel sacred artifacts, actually allowed a Sequence 5, Ince Zangwill, to exploit a loophole.
There must be Adam's arrangements involved. It's not surprising that the actions in Tingen City would attract his attention. Aaron pondered in his mind how much he had exposed in front of Adam.
Firstly, the hidden existence of the "Lord of Order" must have been known. From now on, Aaron would have to be careful every time he responded to the honorific name.
However, thankfully, after separating his sub-consciousness, Aaron rarely personally went to the Nation of Disorder; he usually used his sub-consciousness to respond to sacrifices, so Adam wouldn't equate him with that hidden existence.
However, as the Blessed jointly chosen by two Orthodox Deities and a hidden existence, Aaron and even the entire East Tucker family might become variables in Adam's mind.
If it weren't for the Evernight Goddess and the Earth Mother intervening to expel Adam's imprint hidden within the Box of the Great Old Ones, Aaron couldn't even imagine the consequences of sacrificing this problematic Box of the Great Old Ones.
However, the actions of those two goddesses also slightly reassured Aaron. This was tantamount to openly telling Adam, "This is my person!" Moreover, Aaron didn't feel that there were irreconcilable conflicts between himself and Adam.
Adam's and the True Creator's needs highly overlapped. They both wanted the first Blasphemy Slate in Dark Angel Sasrir's hands, as that would determine who held the dominant position after their final fusion.
If Aaron wanted to establish a true Divine Kingdom on Earth later, war would be inevitable. A world-sweeping war would not only be Adam's ritual for becoming a god but also Aaron's best method for rebuilding order.
Aside from their respective attitudes towards Amon, they could even reach mutually beneficial tacit understandings on other matters.
Aaron couldn't help but recall the secret reminder he received from Hermes earlier. Was this Hermes's intention or Adam's intention?
Interrupted by a light cough, Aaron looked up at Will Auceptin, who said with a displeased expression:
"There are too many high-level auras on your body. Your River of Fate is no longer accurate, but I can still discern a thing or two about matters related to you."
"The war in the Southern Continent has been going on for over a year, and it will soon change. You'd best be prepared."
"Oh, and I forgot to tell you, Ouroboros, that fellow, also arrived in Tingen after you left and encountered that person."
At this point, Will Auceptin's face showed a mischievous smile:
"The process was quite spectacular. In any case, Tingen is definitely under the close attention of the Evernight, Storm, and God of Steam and Machinery Churches right now. Hmm, so you'd better lay low for a while."
"Alright, that's all. Don't look for me if there's nothing major recently. I have a lot of things to do too!"
Looking at Aaron, who disappeared on the spot before he could even speak, Will Auceptin clicked his tongue and whispered:
"Tingen…"
Then, he paused, his voice gradually becoming inaudible:
"Find the right opportunity in the torrent of fate…"
At the Evil Dragon Bar in Tingen City, a pale-faced young man, wearing a worn linen shirt and the blue-gray trousers typical of the working class, suddenly let out a loud cry, startling the surrounding drunkards.
Swain, the former captain of the Punishers team and owner of the Evil Dragon Bar, was already accustomed to it and merely asked casually:
"Ademisaul, what did you see this time? Not some jumbled up images again, right?"
Ademisaul, with his head bowed, gradually revealed a silver wheel formed by an Ouroboros in his originally unfocused but crazed eyes…
-----------------
The weather gradually turned cold, and ice floes had begun to appear on the Tussock River. In the eastern suburbs of Tingen City, three teams of people were clearly separated.
Leading them were Archbishop Anthony Stevenson of the Nighthawks, Archbishop Ace Snake, the "Spellsinger of God," of the Church of the Lord of Storms, and Archbishop Horamick Haydn of the God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.
The three demigod powerhouses looked at the hill before them, which seemed to have suffered a Calamity, and remained silent for a long time.
The Nighthawks, Punishers, and Machinery Hivemind behind them all tacitly maintained silence, ready to follow the Archbishop's arrangements.
In the middle of the Nighthawks team, Leonard Mitchell, who had successfully advanced to Sequence 8 Midnight Poet, looked at the nearby scenery with somewhat stiff eyes, suppressing the question that almost escaped his lips.
He secretly grumbled about the old man's dishonesty, for not telling him earlier that there was a problem here, otherwise, this would have been a significant merit.
Anthony Stevenson glanced at the two silent demigods, pondered for a moment, and then spoke:
"Everything here has been destroyed very cleanly. I can only detect residual fluctuations of fate. Combined with the previous appearance of that Saint from the Aurora Order, it should be him."
The authority of Evernight itself encompassed the domain of misfortune, which also belonged to a type of fate. As a Sequence 3, closest to an angel, Anthony's judgment was affirmed by the other two demigods.
Ace Snake, the "Spellsinger of God," frowned and said in a low voice:
"You mean, that Angel of Fate?"
"He has been out of sight for a long time. Why would he suddenly appear in Tingen?"
No one knew the answer to this question, and the scene immediately fell silent.
Horamick Haydn, who had been silent, withdrew his gaze and sighed:
"The cause of what happened here probably won't be found out in a short time. The Backlund diocese is the most important. My suggestion is to temporarily seal off this area."
"I will be going to Tingen University for an exchange study recently, and I can complete the follow-up work."
Just as the three Archbishops reached a consensus, on another hill that had not been completely destroyed, a crow with a white ring around its right eye silently watched this scene, and a human voice came from its mouth:
"That fanatic is really annoying. His people are everywhere. How boring. But teaching Ouroboros a lesson isn't bad…"
Sitting in the carriage returning to Blackthorn Security Company, Leonard was about to ask quietly when a voice suddenly appeared in his mind:
"Shut up!"
Unlike the usual amiable tone, it was filled with severity, and whether it was an illusion or not, Leonard even felt a hint of fear from it.
In the foremost carriage, a candle burned, but its flame glowed a vibrant blue, casting an eerie, flickering hue throughout the entire compartment.
A lady sat on the right side of the carriage. She wore a hooded black robe, with blue eyeshadow and blush, and a silver chain with a white crystal pendant was wrapped around her exposed wrist.
Dunn Smith remained silent for a long time, then spoke dryly:
"Congratulations on your advancement to Sequence 6. Uh, this makeup really suits you."
Daily, the Spirit Medium, with her demonic beauty, looked at Dunn Smith with glimmering emerald eyes, her lips curving slightly as she said:
"You still don't know how to talk, just like before. Forget it, since I'm about to be transferred, I won't bother arguing with you."
Dunn opened his mouth, wanting to ask her to stay, but then felt it would be too selfish. Backlund was suitable for a genius like Daily, not for her to be stuck in Tingen like himself.
After struggling internally for a long time, Dunn lowered his head and said softly:
"Hmm, when are you leaving? I'll call everyone to see you off."
A flicker of disappointment crossed her emerald eyes, then returned to normal. Daily, the Spirit Medium, took out a thumb-sized glass bottle from a dark pouch at her waist. Inside the bottle, a translucent, eyeless, nose-less face appeared.
"After the New Year, I will officially be transferred back to the Backlund diocese and join the Red Gloves team."
"This is a little guy I raised. Hmm, if you have any private letters you want to send me, or anything you want to say to me, you can summon it."
Seeing Dunn unaffected by her teasing, Daily pouted, and her figure gradually became ethereal.
Dunn finally looked up, his eyes complex, only tightening his grip on the glass bottle.
-----------------
Tingen, Greenhill Mental Hospital. The Crimson Moon outside the window shone brightly.
In the spacious treatment room, Hood Eugen, with light yellow hair, grayish-blue eyes, and a long, thin face, sat in the doctor's chair wearing a patient's gown, looking at Lanevus opposite him, and said with a strange laugh:
"Your proposal is indeed very appealing, but you need to advance a portion of the payment, and have you chosen your target?"
Lanevus looked at the Psychiatrist in front of him and responded concisely:
"Of course, her name is Megose, you've seen her before. You just need to make her a tool for gestation in a semi-comatose state, that's enough."
Hood Eugen reined in his morbid smile and frowned:
"That's an ordinary person. Even a Beyonder might not be able to withstand the projection of the True Creator. Are you messing with me?"
Watching Hood Eugen's emotions suddenly become unstable, a hint of mockery flashed in Lanevus's eyes, but he still said with a smile:
"I naturally know. Someone will give us the necessary help. You don't need to worry; you just need to do your part."
Staring at the Marauder, Hood Eugen analyzed every expression on his face. After a moment, he curved his lips and pressed a bell on the table:
"It seems I will have unexpected gains from this collaboration with you, Daxter. See him out."
The pristine white door was pushed open, and Daxter, dressed in a doctor's uniform, walked in with a bow, respectfully escorting Lanevus secretly out of Greenhill Mental Hospital.
-----------------
Northwest of Tingen, Lamud Town, Abandoned Castle.
Ince Zangwill, holding a quill pen, stepped out of the Spirit World. His single eye looked at the castle hall in front of him, where stone pillars had collapsed and moss grew rampant, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
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