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Her face seemed veiled by layers of thin gauze, hazy yet exceptionally beautiful, like the deepest night sky. The ethereal crystal was illuminated by specks of starlight, and the serene and peaceful voice of the Evernight Goddess resounded:
"The ancient Death, the Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace, besides symbolizing 'Death, Eternal Slumber', also wielded a portion of the Door Pathway's authority. This is why she was able to merge a branch of the River of Eternal Darkness with Calderon."
"And the Death of the Fourth Epoch, after foreseeing his own demise, also left arrangements for his revival in Calderon, some of which were related to that River of Eternal Darkness."
"Therefore, this 'City of the Dead' has become even more perilous. Even after Salinger's fall and Calderon being unguarded, Badheil dared not send people to explore it rashly. You will understand when you reach the depths of Calderon."
"Moreover, for you, there are unusual dangers there. It is best for you to go only after truly advancing to Sequence 2, obtaining a complete mythical creature form, and stabilizing the balance between your anchor and divinity."
Badheil... Aaron was momentarily stunned, then realized this was the true name of the God of Combat. After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he cautiously spoke:
"I have completely mastered the Nation of Disorder and can, to a certain extent, manifest a complete mythical creature form, so I want to give it a try."
Even the water from a tributary of the River of Eternal Darkness possessed the symbolism of "Eternal Slumber" and could even help Klein resist the awakening will of the Celestial Worthy. Such a treasure, even for the current Aaron, could be considered a trump card.
Whether it was to better prepare for the Balancer's advancement ritual or to help Cavendish deal with Kotar, the Demonic Wolf holding the Attendant of Mysteries characteristic, he had to obtain the water from the River of Eternal Darkness as soon as possible.
But even if he could avoid the fate of "Eternal Slumber" by relying on the Nation of Disorder and barely enter the depths of Calderon, he couldn't obtain the water from the River of Eternal Darkness on his own. It would be better to cooperate with the Evernight Goddess; perhaps he could even get a free piece of a divine kingdom.
Even with his head bowed, Aaron still felt an extremely oppressive gaze fall upon him, as if scrutinizing him inch by inch through his soul.
Suppressing the urge to look up, Aaron waited for a moment, and the serene and peaceful voice, with a hint of something inexplicable, echoed in his ears again:
"Perhaps you are more special than I imagined...."
Aaron did not respond to this statement. He clearly knew that he was fundamentally different from Klein, or rather, Zhou Mingrui.
As a transmigrator, his soul was truly unrelated to the Primordial One, and there was no risk of the Primordial One's will awakening. What he truly needed to be careful of was the almost crippled Son of Chaos.
This dark kingdom, filled with Night Fragrance and Deep Slumber Flowers, fell silent for a moment. The Evernight Goddess extended her hand forward, as if pinching a corner of the void, and gently tugged.
From the boundless Darkness flew out an illusory feathered serpent, covered in huge greenish-black scales, with feathers stained with light yellow grease growing from the gaps between the scales. It was precisely the Death statue that had been secretly removed by the Evernight Goddess from the Death ruins in the divine battle wreckage earlier.
The feathered serpent was submerged by the tidal Darkness. Its sharp roar, enough to make ordinary Saints dazed, was directly concealed before it could spread. Its illusory body dissolved, becoming part of the tide.
The ethereal crystal, already illuminated by starlight, merged with the dark tide, finally transforming into a strange Monster statue with a wolf head and snake body. Its eight legs were covered in feathers woven from pale flames and mysterious patterns, and within its open wolf head was a profound Darkness leading to an unknown place.
"This should be a creation formed by merging the authority of the Darkness Pathway and the Death Pathway, which is why it can carry the water of the River of Eternal Darkness?"
"Hmm, the water of the River of Eternal Darkness is definitely not literally water, but an abstract concept or symbol."
"That's right, after all, that bird-shaped golden ornament that can collect the water of the River of Eternal Darkness is still inside Azik...."
Aaron pondered in his mind as he scrutinized the strange statue floating before him, allowing the statue to merge into the Dark mark on his wrist.
"The River of Eternal Darkness is different from Sefirah Castle. The fall of two generations of Death has vitalized many of its tributaries. Upon sensing the aura of other Sefirah, it will actively exert its influence, leading to unknown mutations."
"Therefore, do not personally touch the River of Eternal Darkness. You only need to carry this statue into the depths of Calderon."
Listening to the Evernight Goddess's warning, Aaron, with his head bowed, raised an eyebrow slightly. This was both a reminder for exploring Calderon and a subtle hint about the possible reactions of Sefirah Castle after Klein becomes powerful.
Looking at Aaron, the Evernight Goddess's eyes flickered. A thin "Night Veil" gently floated down, covering Aaron's body and silently seeping into him.
"After retrieving the water from the River of Eternal Darkness branch, you can go to Backlund and give that statue to Anthony Stevenson; he will give you the divine kingdom fragment you desire...."
Aaron quietly felt this blessing from the dream for two seconds. Even if an accident occurred and he was affected by the "Eternal Slumber" authority, he could remain clear-headed and respond. He then placed his hand on his chest and bowed.
-----------------
Klein, seated at the head of the long bronze table, frowned as he watched the prayer scene. The chief of the City of Silver, as described by Little Sun, suddenly drew his sword, and his figure strangely split, forming overlapping afterimages around the strange little boy.
The light of dawn converged, and amidst the brilliance like a rising Sun, the little boy, tinged with black and red, rapidly evaporated, annihilated in the storm-like attacks.
Is that it? Just as the doubt arose in his mind, the prayer scene suddenly blurred and rippled, and a winding, shimmering river flashed by.
With his "True Sight," Klein vaguely saw a silver-haired Angel with countless wings, her face gentle with a hint of indifference, as if overlooking the river, overlooking fate.
Klein was stunned for a moment, and the prayer scene had already returned to normal. He was surprised to find that the City of Silver's exploration team had reappeared in the ruined city outside the temple; the previous exploration seemed like just a dream.
His pupils suddenly constricted. Klein did not act rashly. After watching the City of Silver's chief kill the little boy again, the silver river reappeared, and the previous events replayed.
Recalling the words of the little boy Jack, Klein felt the coincidence grow stronger. Little Sun had just mentioned Lovia's abnormality in the City of Silver, and this exploration had an unexpected event that hadn't occurred before.
Recalling the intelligence he had gathered about the Aurora Order, Klein pondered for a moment. While the exploration team was resting, he directly summoned Little Sun to above the gray fog.
Looking at the terrified Derrick, who had clearly recalled the constantly repeating and unnoticed exploration experience, Klein maintained The Fool's composure, only displaying the image of the silver-haired Angel and the strikingly similar human face on the little boy's chest and abdomen.
After sending the thoughtful Derrick back, Klein rubbed his temples with a headache. All he could do now was warn them. In terms of actual combat power, let alone the City of Silver's chief, even the Shepherd Lovia could easily defeat him.
Fortunately, Little Sun did not disappoint Klein. The Demon Hunter Colin, having been warned, changed his method and only severed the human face on the little boy's chest and abdomen.
"Angel of Fate" Ouroboros... Waving his hand to dispel the prayer scene, Klein's eyes narrowed slightly as he softly repeated the name mentioned by the Demon Hunter Colin. He beckoned, and a badge no bigger than an eyeball flew from the pile of sundries.
The front of the badge was engraved with symbols corresponding to "Fate" and "Concealment," and on the back were tiny ancient Hermes inscriptions: "Hold this item to join."
This was the trophy obtained from Ranvir, the badge that allowed one to attend the "Hermit of Fate" gathering.
Recalling the mysterious powerhouse who had given him the Wheel of Fortune card, Klein's expression instantly became uncertain. He inexplicably thought of the last part of the honorific name he had created back then:
"The Black and Yellow King who controls good fortune!"
"Fate..." Klein uttered the word in a low voice, recalling the experiences of the past three months since his strange transmigration. An inexplicable shiver spread through his heart.
-----------------
Outside the black spired church were continuous Gothic buildings, which were residences specifically provided for ascetics, devout believers, and Red Gloves.
In a simply decorated room, crimson moonlight streamed through the patterned glass window. Leonard, who was originally lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes, and an aged voice rang out:
"The anomaly I sensed earlier was indeed you!"
After leaving the "Dark Kingdom," Aaron also received Ms. Arianna's tacit approval. Except for not being allowed into the Chanis Gate, which stored Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in the Silent Church, and the great hall where the Pope held divine meetings, he was considered to have obtained permission to teleport here.
"Good evening, Old Man Pallez, it's good to see you again!"
Pallez Zoroast did not seem to appreciate it much and said grumpily:
"Cut the pleasantries. I sensed my fate shift earlier. What did you do?"
A smile appeared on Aaron's face. He sat opposite "Leonard" and said meaningfully:
"One of our organization's members met the Blasphemer Amon in the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
"He 'misses' you very much and keeps mentioning you. He even wants to ask that member of our organization to 'introduce' him."
Listening to the deliberately emphasized "misses" and "introduce," "Leonard's" face twitched, and his tone softened considerably:
"Duke, you jest. That Blasphemer is known as the God of Cunning and the God of Pranks. This was a common understanding among all high-level existences in the Fourth Epoch."
"Everything he says will only be deceit!"
Aaron waved his hand, interrupting Pallez's lengthy speech with a gentle smile:
"I agreed to his request, after all, the chips he offered were indeed very tempting."
Meeting Aaron's rather sincere gaze, "Leonard" was silent for a moment, then continued cautiously:
"If I have a dangerous premonition, I will directly choose to believe in a True God and become his earthly Angel, recovering my Sequence 1 strength under his protection."
"At that time, whether to completely join the corresponding Church or to lift the 'parasitism' and hide like before, avoiding Amon, are both options for me."
Watching "Leonard's" increasingly wary expression, Aaron clicked his tongue inwardly:
"I didn't expect this old man to be so well-planned, but why are you so skilled at defecting...."
Without further provoking the old gentleman, Aaron's expression immediately became serious. After pondering for a moment, he asked:
"How strong can Amon's avatars be?"
"Hmm, I'm referring not only to the outside world but also to the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
Pallez Zoroast was silent for several seconds as if recalling, then said:
"Theoretically, his strongest avatar can reach the Sequence 1 level, but he would almost never do that. It would make his mental state unstable and cause him to lose control."
"Generally speaking, one of his avatars is a Worm of Time, initially possessing the strength of a weak Sequence 4, but also possessing the Angelic essence of shattering Beyonder characteristics."
"After fully absorbing the Beyonder characteristics of the Marauder Pathway, such an avatar can reach the Sequence 2 level. However, Amon rarely does this; his avatars will actively split to create more avatars."
"But similarly, these split avatars can quickly aggregate to rapidly increase their rank for a short period."
"I don't know much about the information in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, but if the main body and the avatar have made preparations in advance and there are no other high-level powers to obstruct them, through the fate exchange achieved by the rules of deception, the avatar can temporarily gain strength close to the main body."
Although Pallez had not yet recovered to his peak, his past insight and experience of outsmarting Amon remained. Listening to the explanation of this Sequence 1 Worm of Time, Aaron discarded some immature ideas and perfected his hunting plan.
As long as Amon's main body was still in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, he was the biggest obstacle to hunting Kotar the Demonic Wolf. Klein could hide in Sefirah Castle, or even change locations and reincarnate to avoid Amon, but Cavendish did not have that luxury.
"Other high-level powers to obstruct? Hmm, the True Creator's sanctuary, or rather, his divine kingdom, is in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. If I completely unleash the Nation of Disorder without concealment and create an anomaly, it should draw his attention and cause a conflict with Amon."
"The problem is, that guy's rationality isn't necessarily always in his head. What if he remembers the Lord of Order's grievances with him? It's hard to say what would happen to Amon, but Cavendish would definitely be dead."
After pondering for a moment, Aaron recounted how Amon had captured Cavendish, the Scholar of Yore, and then asked the frowning "Leonard":
"Is there a way to replicate or prevent this ability?"
Pallez Zoroast almost scoffed, but changed his tone at the last moment:
"That ability is essentially a deception of rules. I can separate a Worm of Time to help you create a charm, but the specific effect cannot reach Amon's level."
"As for preventing it, you think too highly of me. My half-crippled old bones are no match for Amon."
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