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Aaron did not interfere with Archbishop Anthony's actions. He looked at the two Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts on the third floor, pondering to himself:
"Sealed Artifact '1-29' has the ability to clear specific memories of a target. Even its negative effect is to make surrounding people degenerate into 'amnesiacs' who have to relearn how to eat and drink. This ability, similar to stealing memories, is most likely a Marauder Pathway Sealed Artifact."
"It can make Anthony, a Sequence 3 Horror Bishop, so cautious, and it can seal '0-17', so it should correspond to Mentor of Deceit."
"And Sealed Artifact '1-80' can make surrounding people become part of a dream between reality and illusion, which is clearly an ability possessed by a Dream Weaver."
"Sealed by these two Sealed Artifacts, instead of completely obliterating the consciousness of this Mother of the Sky, what does the Goddess want to do?"
As thoughts swirled in his mind, Aaron felt an indescribable tranquility brush past his Spirit Body, like night falling. He subconsciously turned his head and met the gaze of a figure wearing a classical long robe and a black hood.
Her beautiful, vacant face further highlighted the black eyes hidden in the shadows, like a deep night sky, with pupils so profound and dark they seemed to contain a pure, lightless void.
Aaron hastily drew a crimson moon on his chest and praised in a low voice:
"Thank you for your generosity…"
After completing the unsealing of "0-17," Archbishop Anthony did not linger for a moment. Amidst surging Darkness, he disappeared directly behind the Chanis Gate.
Aaron stood alone, watching the beautiful, vacant-faced woman pull the hood of her classical robe, and the entire third floor was instantly enveloped in dark mist.
Behind the two Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts and "0-17" was a wall adorned with a massive Dark Sacred Emblem, as if all the faith condensed by St. Samuel Church gathered there.
Sealed Artifact "0-17" expressionlessly reached out its palm, gently tugging as if pinching a corner of the void, and a thin "night curtain" was softly unveiled.
Aaron instantly felt a strong attraction from his bloodline, his gaze fixed on a cluster of crimson-gold light that appeared in "0-17"'s hand. Without anyone needing to explain, he immediately understood that this was a fragment of the Divine Kingdom from the previous Justiciar, the Night Emperor.
The hazy shadow world obstructed the connection between this fragment and the outside world. "0-17" no longer restrained it, allowing the cluster of light to surge into Aaron's body.
Layers of prayers echoed in his ears. As this Divine Kingdom fragment integrated, Aaron felt his spirituality elevate significantly. A scene emerged within the brilliant golden light, seemingly a most unforgettable moment of that Night Emperor.
On the scarred earth, Trunsoest, clad in golden armor, seemed to be the center of the entire world, with golden chains of order extending to unknown places.
Opposite him was an incredibly beautiful woman, but whether it was the bone-chilling killing intent in her eyes, or the bizarre long hair that reached her ankles, each strand thick like a venomous snake with eyes at its tip, all added an eerie color to this beauty.
Behind her was an abstract world that looked similar to the Cosmos—dark, profound, and boundless—but actually had many peculiar features.
Some areas were covered with vibrant flowers, with a perpetually bright sky; others seemed to be covered by countless books, open or closed, with different figures moving through them, enjoying reading; while still others were an boundless ocean shrouded in storms, with lightning and thunder never ceasing….
The scene flashed by, but Aaron had already understood what he had just seen: it was the moment Trunsoest was promoted to Justiciar.
"So his advancement ritual target was the Primordial Demoness. It seems that when the Primordial Demoness agreed to cooperate with the Underworld Emperor Salinger to unleash the 'Pale Disaster,' besides her inherent love for disaster, she also harbored thoughts of revenge against the Seven Deities."
"I still need to be careful later. If that fellow finds out Trunsoest still has descendants, it will be a big trouble."
"Although the Primordial Demoness's condition is certainly not good, at the end of the day, she is a True God. What's more, the Demoness Sect alone is already very difficult to deal with."
After clarifying his thoughts, Aaron finally had the mind to pay attention to his own changes. The most obvious and impactful change was in his "Judgement Domain." It was as if he had taken a powerful tonic; not only did its coverage more than double, but the "Judgement Domain" also gained many rule powers specifically targeting various Sequences.
Originally, the Justiciar's Divine Kingdom was slowly established through the advancement of the "Judgement Domain." Like a certain inheritance, Aaron, by integrating this Divine Kingdom fragment, directly inherited the rule powers that allowed the fragment to persist.
This directly supplemented the rule powers that Aaron would have needed years, or even becoming an Angel, to fully complete. However, this was not without cost; taking shortcuts ultimately incurs a price.
Ultimately, these rule powers originated from the Night Emperor. Even though that former Justiciar had fallen, if used directly, the greatest possibility was to suffer a rule backlash or for an opponent to exploit a rule loophole.
But with the assistance of the Nation of Disorder, Aaron believed he would soon be able to fully digest these rule powers and truly make them his own.
With this thought, Aaron's spirituality stirred, and his perspective shifted to within the Nation of Disorder. He immediately noticed surging dark-gold mist flowing towards a certain location.
Beside "Moon City," another city with a distinct Fourth Epoch style had emerged. Although there were some slight changes, Aaron recognized it at a glance as "Osel," the capital of East Tucker County, where he had lived for more than ten years.
Frowning slightly, Aaron gazed at "Osel." This newly appeared city was clearly related to that Divine Kingdom fragment, but it was distinctly different from the "people"-filled "Moon City." "Osel" was only a city in its nascent form, with not a single person inside.
Looking at "Osel," which differed from his memory, Aaron recalled some information:
In the Fourth Epoch, the Solomon First Empire ruled the Northern Continent and encroached on parts of the Southern Continent. Its capital was on the southern shore of the Midseashire, at the source of the Hornacis Mountains—a city now buried in history and dust.
After Solomon's fall, the established Tudor-Trunsoest United Empire replaced the original Solomon First Empire, ruling the entire Northern Continent, with its capital in Backlund.
That is why there are "ancestral graves" of the Amon family and treasures reserved by the Jacob family near Backlund.
After Solomon's resurrection and the subsequent fall of Tudor and Trunsoest to Sequence 2, leading to their split, the newly established Solomon Second Empire was largely equivalent to present-day Feysac, occupying the vast region north of the Amantha Mountains on the northern shore of the Midseashire, with its capital in present-day Feysac's capital, Saint Milone.
The Tudor Empire and the Trunsoest Empire used the Hornacis Mountains as a dividing line. The Tudor Empire encompassed all of present-day Intis's territory, extending somewhat into the central and southern regions and the Feynapotter Plateau, with its capital in present-day Intis's capital, Trier.
The Trunsoest Empire, being the strongest due to the support of the Seven Deities, had territory almost equivalent to present-day Loen plus Feynapotter, and its capital remained in Backlund.
"Is this the 'Osel' of the Night Emperor era? Does a Divine Kingdom fragment have such an effect?"
Aaron suddenly felt as if a huge gift package had fallen before him, experiencing a rare surge of pleasant surprise.
However, he couldn't confirm whether the appearance of "Osel" was an inevitable consequence of integrating the Divine Kingdom fragment, or if the Nation of Disorder had spontaneously acted, peeling off the imprint of "Osel" from the Divine Kingdom fragment—which was losing its foundational rule power and about to dissipate—and integrating it into the Nation of Disorder.
From his heart, Aaron preferred the second possibility, as it would mean that other remaining Divine Kingdom fragments might still be valuable to him.
Withdrawing his gaze, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Aaron's mind:
Towards the end of the War of Four Emperors, the Night Emperor foresaw danger, so he had his son, Varna, change his identity and establish his own power in what is now East Tucker County, secretly protected by the Evernight Goddess.
The Evernight Goddess, the only one who knew that Trunsoest's lineage was in East Tucker County, in Osel, just happened to control a Divine Kingdom fragment that contained "Osel."
Was this a coincidence, or was it intentionally done by that Justiciar?
Aaron's expression shifted for a moment, then he let out a soft breath. He then instructed his sub-consciousness to continuously monitor the changes in "Osel" within the Nation of Disorder, while his main consciousness returned to reality.
Aaron, having just opened his eyes, almost recoiled in shock; "0-17"'s dark, profound eyes were only a finger's width away from his own.
His lips moved almost imperceptibly. Although Aaron had some questions he wanted to ask, considering the special nature involving the Nation of Disorder, he remained silent.
The beautiful, vacant-faced "0-17" also did not speak. The surrounding dark mist suddenly dissipated, and this "Mother of the Sky" walked into the seals of "1-80" and "1-29" herself.
Just as the dark mist dissipated, amidst surging Darkness, Anthony, clad in a black and red archbishop's robe, reappeared on the third floor. After confirming that "0-17" was completely sealed, he led Aaron away from the Chanis Gate.
Leaving the underground, walking along the narrow corridor, Aaron's steps paused slightly. Through a gap in the hallway, he looked towards a corner of the prayer hall outside. A somewhat bald Benson, with Melissa, sat cautiously in a corner, talking to a clergyman.
Noticing Aaron's unusual behavior, Anthony, walking ahead, also looked over. Invisible fluctuations emanated, and soon, Bishop Electra, with deep blue eyes, respectfully approached, drew a crimson moon on his chest, and softly said:
"Archbishop, Your Grace, those two are the family members of a Nighthawk who sacrificed in Tingen. The young lady among them, due to her excellent performance, received funding from a charity organization established in cooperation between Your Grace and the Church, coming to Backlund for further studies. This time, she specifically came to the Church to express her gratitude."
Anthony nodded slightly. Bishop Electra then quietly disappeared into the Darkness, and Anthony spoke gently:
"Your Grace knows those two? I see that young lady seems to be a Sequence 8 Archaeologist. If needed, I will personally handle the influence from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery."
He did not refuse Anthony's kindness. His time in Backlund was limited, and with the protection of the Church of Evernight, at least the safety of the two siblings would be guaranteed.
I wonder what expression Klein—no, now it should be Detective Sherlock—will have when he meets Melissa in Backlund….
With a slight curve of his lips, Aaron drew a crimson moon on his chest, praised the Goddess in a low voice, and then teleported away.
His visit to Backlund this time was not just to collect the Divine Kingdom fragment from the Church of Evernight; he also had other matters to attend to.
-----------------
Meanwhile, in Cherwood Borough, 15 Minsk Street, not far from the North Borough where St. Samuel Church was located.
Klein returned from 32 Weldy Street, South of the Bridge, using the most economical method—the steam subway—just before it stopped operating.
Casually tossing his peaked cap onto the coat rack, Klein mentally tallied the gains from his afternoon exploration:
"The biggest gains are the three Beyonder potion formulas: Apprentice, Trickmaster, and Astrologer. Even at market price, they are worth 1500 pounds, if someone is willing to buy them."
"In that case, I would have completely paid off Maric's debt. Hmm, no, I've already sold too many Beyonder potion formulas at the 'Bravehearts Bar' recently; I'm already very conspicuous. No need to add unnecessary trouble."
Suddenly raising his hand to pat his forehead, Klein remembered the golden-masked man from MI9:
"Almost forgot, I'm still an peripheral member of MI9. Wouldn't it be better to just sell these three Beyonder potion formulas to MI9? I just need to hide the matter of the 'Universal Key'."
"Even if they really go to 32 Weldy Street to check, that's the conclusion they'll reach."
"Hmm, and I should also collect this month's activity funds."
Feeling the burden of the owed pounds lighten, Klein felt his shoulders suddenly relax. He took out the brown notebook he had obtained from the home of the Abraham descendant who had lost control and died after advancing to Apprentice. Flipping through it, he pondered:
"According to this notebook, the ancient Abraham family of the Fourth Epoch suffered from an inexplicable bloodline curse, which caused their gradual decline."
"Hmm, it also mentions here that the Abraham family's ancestor, Bethel Abraham, disappeared during the 'War of Four Emperors' in the Fourth Epoch. Could he be the 'Mr. Door' that Emperor Roselle mentioned?"
"Was he exiled from the real world, lost in the deep Darkness, trapped in the storm?"
"And the Abrahams should all be of the Apprentice Pathway. Did they hear the cry for help from that 'Mr. Door'?"
"This, this is not a cry for help at all, it's a death curse!"
As the pages turned, Klein's lips twitched slightly. He now understood why the "Universal Key," merely the relic of an unlucky fellow who had just advanced to Sequence 9, had such a negative impact that even Mid-sequence Beyonders couldn't weaken it.
The formation of this strange Sealed Artifact, besides originating from the gathering of Apprentice Beyonder characteristics, also involved the factor of "Mr. Door"'s illusory whispers, which made the occasional misdirection it brought quite dangerous, always leading its holder into unsuitable scenarios!
This was a continuation of a curse!
The pages quickly turned to the last few, and Klein's gaze suddenly froze, staring intently at a passage on one of the pages:
"If it weren't for the family rule that only those who reach Sequence 7 can actively contact the elders, I would immediately write a letter to question those elders who are merely filling positions. Have they forgotten the glory of Abraham?"
"To actually make me convert to a hidden existence called the 'Lord of Order,' this is simply an insult to the family's glory."
"Just wait, I will not convert. I will grow stronger step by step and restore the glory of the Abraham family!"
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