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Amantha Mountain Range, Winter County.
Aaron stepped out of the Spirit World, gazing at the black, spired Gothic church standing amidst the snow-capped mountains not far away. With a slight thought, he ceased using the Nation of Disorder's authority to block his senses, then calmly murmured to himself:
"Adam!"
There was no need to deliberately search for the Angel of Imagination; his characteristic of "What is said, shall be known" was enough to cover the entire world. Without the corresponding shield, Adam could accurately receive information.
Aaron's voice echoed through the vast, white mountain range, and the serene church at the cliff's edge emanated a familiar yet profound aura of tranquility.
Silently, a priest in a simple white robe with a silver cross pendant appeared on the mountain peak opposite Aaron. Even with the Nation of Disorder's vision, Aaron couldn't discern how Adam had appeared.
Not his true body, likely just an imagined form...
As this thought crossed his mind, Aaron glanced around. The familiar Bone Church hadn't risen, which eased his mood considerably. He deliberated before speaking:
"The Red Angel evil spirit in Backlund seems to be currently parasitizing Ince Zangwill. According to our previous agreement, I can act as if he doesn't exist."
"But what if Medici obstructs my path?"
The Sequence 1 Conqueror characteristic of the Augustus family now belonged to the East Tucker family. Once Aaron advanced to an Angel, he would begin to strip away the contamination mixed within that characteristic.
Aaron would not readily hand over a characteristic he had painstakingly acquired, especially since the Red Priest's Uniqueness was enough to create another True God in a short period.
The Medici family's Angel in Bansy Harbor had already been hunted, and Bansy Harbor itself was sealed. If it were merely Sauron Einhorn Medici, Aaron wouldn't be too concerned.
He was only worried that this uncontrollable individual, wandering the world, might collude with the Primordial Demoness and suddenly act at the critical moment of Varna's advancement to Conqueror.
Adam looked at Aaron, unconcerned by the questioning tone, and smiled genially:
"Then it shall naturally be as it should be."
The air quickly fell silent. Aaron frowned slightly, no longer pursuing the topic. The current Red Angel evil spirit was, in Adam's eyes, more like a locator firmly tied to 0-08. If in the future...
Suppressing some thoughts in his mind, and to show his sincerity, Aaron moved past the somewhat unpleasant topic and spoke softly:
"I have already helped Pallez Zoroast restore his completeness. I imagine that before you achieve Visionary, you wouldn't want that Worm of Time characteristic to fall into Amon's hands, would you?"
"After all, you should be the person in this world who understands Amon the most."
Still maintaining his genial smile, Adam picked up the silver cross on his chest. His pure, childlike eyes looked at Aaron and the serene church behind him, then he shook his head with a smile:
"The return of the Door cannot be stopped. Amon will not replace my godhood ritual."
Even though he knew the figure before him was merely an imagined body, Aaron felt a strong sense of conviction, as if this was a destined future.
This feeling vanished in an instant, and surging dark-gold mist churned in the deepest parts of his eyes. Aaron pondered for a moment before continuing:
"Since that is the case, why don't we make a deal?"
As he spoke, a book bound in parchment appeared in his hand. On its dark-brown cover was a line of ancient Feysac:
"Groselle's Travels"
"This item, left by the Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt, conceals the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, and has some deep connection with '0-08'. I think this should be worth some concession from you, shouldn't it?"
"My request isn't complicated: in the core area of the God of Combat's ruins, I want to exchange for one use of the second Blasphemy Slate, and ensure Pallez's safety during my advancement!"
Adam's eyes deepened, as if he understood something. A moment later, his gentle voice continued:
"The value between these is not equivalent, and you are not the All-Knowing and All-Powerful Five Pathways; you cannot fully mobilize the power of the second Blasphemy Slate."
"If it is merely to assist you in completing your advancement ritual, I can help you activate the Blasphemy Slate."
Essentially, the core area of the God of Combat's ruins was the final battlefield of the great catastrophe in the Third Epoch. The remaining divine power mainly originated from the Ancient Sun God, Evernight Goddess, Earth Mother, and possibly the God of Combat.
The other Seven Gods and Death had not yet achieved Sequence 0 at that time, and their residual power was limited, not worth worrying about.
Knowing that Adam had likely guessed his intentions, Aaron nodded indifferently. It was naturally best if the Angel of Imagination was willing to act personally, as he could fully mobilize the power of the Blasphemy Slate.
It was a pity he couldn't take the opportunity to interpret this slate, which contained the secrets of an Outer Deity, but as long as the most troublesome part, the residual divine power from the Ancient Sun God, could be resolved, Aaron's pressure would be much lighter.
The parchment book in his hand slowly disintegrated into dark-gold mist. Groselle's Travels had always been stored by Aaron in the Nation of Disorder. Even if an agreement was reached, he had no intention of immediately handing it over to Adam, at least not until he successfully advanced and gained the true qualifications to speak with Adam as an equal.
After all, Aaron couldn't be sure where the remnant of Trunsoest, about to reappear in Adam's envisioned world trend, would be placed.
His, or rather, the East Tucker family's consistent display of desire for the Red Priest, besides their own family's needs, was also to convey a fact to Adam:
Whether it was the current East Tucker, or the later Trunsoest, both craved war, aligning with the world trend Adam was promoting.
After all, Storm, Sun, Reader, Spectator, and Shepherd were similar Pathways that could be interchanged at a high level, with great contradictions between them.
Especially since the first three True Gods among them had "devoured" Adam's father, the Ancient Sun God.
Even if they tacitly allowed George III to become the Black Emperor, it was highly unlikely they would sit idly by and watch Adam ascend to godhood through the "tide of the era."
Therefore, the Feysac Empire, which controlled the Red Priest Pathway, was the one that ultimately initiated the war.
Having long discerned the essence of Groselle's Travels, Adam's expression remained unchanged. He nodded slightly towards the serene church not far away, and his figure faded, leaving only an echo:
"The key to the Giant King's Court is in your hands; its fate also needs to be borne by you...."
Was this an additional condition? Aaron nodded noncommittally. Besides confirming the state of Dark Angel Sasrir, he probably also coveted the first Blasphemy Slate.
After all, whoever seized this item first would gain the initiative in Adam's subsequent fusion with the True Creator!
Suppressing the thoughts in his mind, Aaron exhaled in relief, then turned and bowed slightly towards the spired Gothic church. After reconnecting with the Nation of Disorder to block his senses, he re-entered the Spirit World.
Moments later, when he stepped out of the Spirit World again, he had already returned to Osel, the capital of East Tucker County.
In the lower hall of the ancestral tower, after briefly explaining the Forsaken Land of the Gods and his transaction with Adam, Aaron looked at Varna and asked softly:
"Has Katerina spoken?"
Varna, who was playing with the blood-stained crown, chuckled softly and slowly shook his head:
"Ordinary methods are no longer effective on her. If you want to know the location of the Demoness Sect's main altar, you can only forcefully conduct a seance, and this is very likely to be secretly contaminated by the Primordial Demoness."
Not too surprised by this outcome, as he had only impulsively allowed Varna to spare the Demoness's life, Aaron pondered for a moment before continuing:
"The events in Backlund can be said to have caused heavy losses to the Demoness Sect. Let's first observe their reaction. If necessary, I will then request that one's help for a forceful seance."
"Let me borrow this Conqueror characteristic for now."
Handing over the sealed, blood-stained crown he held, Varna's eyes flickered, and he asked in a low voice:
"You've found a way to remove the contamination?"
There has always been a way, but I have to wait until I advance to an Angel… Without speaking his true thoughts, Aaron nodded, simply replying:
"That will still take some time, but these corruption are actually useful to me."
After leaving the ancestral tower, Aaron returned to his ducal mansion and met with Councilman Ricciardo, who had been staying in Osel for a long time.
This Fate Councilman seemed to have foreseen Aaron's arrival, as he had already covered his eyes with a black cloth and sat quietly on the sofa, with a ring box placed in front of him.
Looking at the ring box containing the Die of Probability, Aaron closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment, then slowly nodded. Even though Will Auceptin had been reset for some time, the rate at which the sealing power dissipated was better than Aaron had expected.
Looking at the three scarlet dots facing upwards like snow inside the ring box, Aaron chuckled softly. He directly placed it, along with the ring box, into the blood-stained crown, slightly undoing a bit of the seal.
The maddening will originating from Tudor, mixed with two different Sefirah corruption, caused the Die of Probability to tremble slightly. Aaron's body also rapidly emanated the aura of the Nation of Disorder.
Gripping the milky-white dice, Aaron began to intimidate this Uniqueness of the Fate Pathway, hoping it would be obedient and play a role in the God of Combat's ruins.
-----------------
Berserk Sea, waters near Bansy Island. The turbulent sea surface above quickly became colorful and dense.
Ince Zangwill, with dark-gold hair, stepped out from it, his single arm clutching a pure white quill. His blue, almost black pupils reflected Bansy Island, not far away, shrouded in shimmering light and mist.
On both sides of the Nightwatcher's cheeks, a crack appeared, and two mocking, derisive voices, one after another, rang out:
"Tsk, although my Sauron family has declined, at least our lineage hasn't been cut off. I truly didn't expect the famous Medici family to fall to this state."
"This seems to be the power of the cycle of fate, mixed with the aura of the Storm. Medici, I told you then not to be so clever and lead that fellow to Pince Town."
Ignoring the two fellows' taunts, Medici, who was currently controlling Ince Zangwill's body, snorted softly, then chuckled:
"I sense Ouroboros's aura. That fellow has always served by my Lord's side."
"I cannot confirm the current situation in Pince Town. Why not just let Ouroboros take this body to my Lord's Divine Kingdom..."
Before he could finish, the voices erupting from the bloody flesh cracks on Ince Zangwill's cheeks interrupted Medici:
"And then you gain new life, and the two of us become sacrifices herded by that evil god? Medici, don't dream! As long as the two of us are still here, you can give up on that idea!"
Clicking his tongue with some regret, a hint of inexplicable emotion flashed in his deep eyes. He raised a hand to rub both sides of his cheeks. After the flesh cracks disappeared, he examined the pure white quill in his hand and finally said:
"What two cowards. In that case, once we shake off those guys from the Evernight Goddess's Church, we'll go to the Southern Continent. That High Priest of the Death Church shouldn't mind providing us with another Undying..."
Even further away from this mist-shrouded sea area, a steam sailboat was slowly moving forward.
In the spacious and comfortable first-class cabin, "Blazing" Danitz, hoarse from talking, received permission to stop.
Klein put down his pen, looking at the white papers scattered on the table, marked with sketches.
A large portion of them contained information about well-known pirates that Danitz was familiar with, while the remaining small portion consisted of recent eye-catching news from the sea.
"Vice Admiral of Disease's 'Black Death' has been missing for several weeks..."
"A pirate gathering will be held in Sonia Sea two weeks later..."
Looking at the two pieces of news he had selected, Klein fell silent, so silent that Danitz felt a chill down his spine.
Gathering his courage, Danitz glanced at the papers in front of the crazy adventurer and cleared his throat:
"The 'Black Death' is said to have encountered the King of the Five Seas some time ago, and no one can explain where the Vice Admiral of Disease is now."
"As for this pirate gathering, apart from the Pirate Kings and Pirate Admirals, other pirates only received news of this gathering a week ago. This is also to guard against surprise attacks from various navies and powerful individuals from major churches."
"Because of that damn frame-up, the Golden Dream will not participate in this gathering, but the Captain still sent me to disguise myself and inquire about the latest news."
To maintain his persona, Klein resisted the urge to pinch his chin and nodded coldly. He pointed at the messy table and instructed Danitz:
"Put the things on the table back into the suitcase in their original order."
What? Clean up? You want me to help you clean up? Danitz could hardly believe his ears.
In an instant, he felt a surge of anger rush to his head:
I, "Blazing" Danitz, the Quartermaster of "Vice Admiral Iceberg," a notorious pirate with a bounty of 3700 gold pounds, how can I be ordered around like a servant!
My dignity, my reputation, neither allows me to accept such an insult!
Klein saw "Blazing" Danitz turn into a stone statue, standing motionless, so he gave the captive a cold look.
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