Chapter 9: A Step Forward, Then Return
Pain, cold.
For Lumian, who already possessed one Sequence, the pain of consuming the "Assassin" potion was far greater than that of the "Provoker". It felt as if a hand were pulling apart his muscles one by one and stitching them back together, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.
After the pain subsided like a tide, Lumian immediately fell into a very high-quality sleep.
When Lumian struggled to crawl out of the agony of consuming the potion again, he discovered that Nimrod had already disappeared from before him, leaving only a note and a... dinner?
"Don't worry, the process of consuming the second potion went smoothly. The only thing that didn't go smoothly was that you passed out. But since you're fine, I'm going to impersonate Margot. I'll come back tonight to discuss future matters with you. By the way, I bought you dinner. Remember to eat it after you get up."
Lumian sat on his bed, looking at the steaming food in front of him in a daze. After a long while, it was as if he had just woken from a dream, and he revealed an unbelievable smile:
"Do you really want to be my father, or is it that everyone from the same place as my sister has this similar, caring personality?"
"Ha, even my biological father never did anything like this..."
After a while, Lumian's smile gradually disappeared, his lips pursed slightly. He sat at the old, dilapidated table in his room, unscrewed the wine bottle placed next to the food, and slowly began to feel the improvements brought by the "Assassin" potion.
For Lumian, the improvement brought by the "Assassin" potion was not too significant. The biggest improvements were the "Assassin"'s dark vision and the ability to focus all his physical strength into a single point. As for physical improvement, he felt almost nothing.
Suddenly, Lumian let out a surprised "Eh".
Compared to when he only had the "Hunter" Pathway, he felt he had gained a new ability. He could now perceive some subtle traces of mysticism and inconsistencies!
Moreover, Lumian instinctively felt that something would change after he entered a meditative state.
After feeling the change, Lumian immediately began this "meditation" according to the method his sister and "Magician" had taught him in his dream. After a while, Lumian subconsciously opened his eyes and saw that the colors before him had changed significantly.
Simply put, there were many colorful spots of light on the objects around him—was this the change and ability brought to him by "Assassin"?
Lumian immediately followed this intuitive state and walked out the door. He looked up and saw a hotel guest he wasn't very familiar with walking toward him, carrying quite a bit of colorful light on his body.
Hmm... He had different colors all over his body, but they looked quite blurry, and I couldn't understand what these colors meant...
Normal Beyonder abilities should include knowledge in this area, right?
Could this not be an ability attached to the "Assassin" potion, but an improvement brought by the potion itself?
Lumian fell into deep thought. Amidst the burning of his spirituality, he suddenly remembered one thing:
How do I turn this ability off?
...
"Clearly, that is just Spirit Vision."
Nimrod's words carried a faint smile as he spoke to Lumian, who had finally managed to turn off his Spirit Vision. Lumian coughed politely but awkwardly:
"It's all the 'Hunter' potion's fault!... I haven't experienced Spirit Vision before, which is why this happened. If I had experience, how could I be like this now?"
"You're right." Nimrod watched Lumian, whose mouth was tougher than his life, for a moment, then chose to comply: "Since your process of consuming the potion went smoothly, I won't say anything more—I have already determined the next plan. Come, let me tell you about the plan for the next few days."
Hearing Nimrod's words, Lumian immediately perked up, looked at Nimrod with a serious tone, and nodded slowly:
"Godfather, please tell me."
He was already impatient to take the first step "forward". Only by seeing the hope of his sister's resurrection in reality would Lumian feel that he was still alive, rather than a walking corpse wasting his life.
"First, I will return to 'Margot's' normal daily routine in these two days. Two days later is the day we 'encounter'. 'Two days' is the shortest time I calculated using Beyonder powers that won't attract attention."
Nimrod, considering that someone had divined his situation before but didn't get any clues, used his "Cryptologist" ability to analyze the time when the "Lady" behind the Stinger Gang would shift her attention from the Stinger Gang to other places, and based on this, determined the overall timeline for the upcoming operation.
The purpose of this operation was simple. The most important goal was to kill "Black Scorpion" Roger and create the shadow of an organization newly arrived in Trier—as for whether the shadow of this organization truly existed, it didn't matter. All Nimrod wanted was to make Trier chaotic.
As long as those high-ranking existences were wary for various reasons, he could take the opportunity to obtain Beyonder characteristics or hunt an Amon with a Sequence 5 characteristic!
"During this time, you just continue to follow your own pace to complete the tasks given to you by 'Magician'."
"In this process, the 'aggregation' brought by the pollution sealed in your body and the gods who invested in you will inevitably drag you into this vortex in Trier. You don't need to hide anything, just show your most authentic state."
Speaking of this, he chuckled and said in a relaxed tone:
"As for this operation, firstly, it is of great help to our infiltration in Trier, and secondly, it can be considered an assessment for you—an assessment of your digestion progress of your potion."
Nimrod picked up Margot's hat from the table and placed it squarely on his head.
"No problem." A smile appeared on the corner of Lumian's mouth involuntarily, and he said in a teasing tone: "Godfather, you must not use Beyonder abilities beyond 'Provoker' when the time comes."
Lumian didn't even dare to imagine how to fight a Beyonder who had more special traits than he did!
"Of course." Nimrod said with a smile.
Nimrod stood up, and after saying goodbye to Lumian, he left his room, preparing to use the remaining day here to continue playing "Prometheus".
Just then, Lumian seemed to suddenly remember something and hurriedly stood up to call out to Nimrod:
"Wait, Godfather!"
"You haven't told me what the name of the gang I need to claim to the outside world is yet!"
Nimrod, who was called by Lumian, stood still, a smile appearing on the corner of his mouth:
"Since the folk customs of Trier are honest and simple, and the residents here are so hospitable, then let our organization be called 'Passion' (Note 1)."
Presumably, this name would give those old day remnants a different kind of surprise.
Although Lumian keenly sensed a hint of mischief in Nimrod's tone, he didn't pay much attention to it, just nodded and watched Nimrod leave his room.
Lumian stood silently in place for a few minutes, raised his hand to pat his cheek, revealed a disguised smile on his face, and took a step forward.
...
Nimrod slowly opened his eyes from the gray fog, simply sketching out the things he had experienced during this time-line jump in his mind:
First, he successfully smuggled into Trier with the help of the gray fog, then hid his identity to kill the minor leader of the Stinger Gang, "Evil Wolf" Margot, and finally discussed the follow-up plan with Lumian, preparing to solve the Stinger Gang's superficial leader, "Black Scorpion" Roger, in the next time-line jump.
As for how to disguise as a "Provoker"? Nimrod planned to find an "Artisan" to turn Margot's characteristic into a beyonder item with a part of living characteristics. After all, with the existence of Sefirah Castle, Nimrod could ignore the negative effects of most such beyonder items.
Of course, even without using this Beyonder characteristic, the combination of "Prometheus" and "Dancer" could perfectly replicate the abilities of a "Provoker".
After "possessing" the Stinger Gang, I can start to use the power of the Stinger Gang to protect the "Passion" organization I plan to establish, and set up a chamber of commerce...
Regarding the attitude towards gang organizations, Nimrod did not intend to follow the Stinger Gang's model of exploiting ordinary people in the areas he controlled, but planned to set up a chamber of commerce, provide some help to ordinary people, and create an order of his own in the dark side of Trier.
Undoubtedly, this was a long process. After all, Nimrod was only Sequence 6 now, and it was difficult to make fundamental changes. The current situation in Trier and even the entire Intis Republic was the result of compromise between the state and the church. Without sufficient power, it was difficult to change the situation of the entire country.
But this was not a reason not to make changes.
And what Nimrod needed to improve now was only the plight of ordinary people in "his own territory". As long as it didn't damage the core interests of the church, the church's attitude would only be "tacit approval".
Although Nimrod could also follow the Stinger Gang's original method to continue exploiting the residents of Trier, he felt that it would damage his conscience. And according to Nimrod's vision, it was a win-win for both him and the current residents of Trier. (Note 2)
As for the future—as Nimrod's Sequence continued to increase, he would naturally have the right to speak.
Nimrod stood up and tidied his clothes briefly—first packing up Margot's clothes and throwing them onto Sefirah Castle, then changing into his own clothes, and soon entered a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, Nimrod took a carriage to Mr. A's residence.
The reason for this was that today was the first day he officially began to manage company affairs as a great businessman and former aristocrat, Mr. Dionysus.
In the first half of the month, because most of the things of the Fried Company were still going through processes and procedures, and the art workers confirmed through letters and Miss Justice Audrey within this week had not yet arrived, the company occupied less of Nimrod's daily time.
But now it was different—although in the last Tarot Club, Audrey was a little suspicious of the Kingdom of Loen because of his words, the recommendation letters in those literary salons were indeed sent to the hands of various editors and writers, and there was even an "acquaintance" of Nimrod.
That's right, the rookie "Apprentice" of the past, the current best-selling Author, the future "Angel of Stars" and world-renowned Author, Fors Wall, was also recommended to him by Audrey.
Thinking of the Angel Salted Fish he had guarded against in Cordu Village before, a cold sneer appeared on the corner of Nimrod's mouth.
Now the roles are reversed, "Magician". Although you are strong nine years later, you are just a Sequence 9 Apprentice now. I am going to urge your manuscript fiercely!
It was precisely because of this that Nimrod needed to get up early and rush to inform Mr. A about Qilangos before going to work, and decide with Mr. A how to cooperate to kill Qilangos.
"Good morning, may the glory of the Lord shine upon you, Mr. A."
Nimrod looked warmly at Mr. A, who was sitting in the shadows. At this time, Mr. A was not wearing the black robe that covered his identity, but was wearing a custom-made suit somewhat awkwardly, seeming a bit unaccustomed.
That's right, the Aurora Order in Backlund was also changing steadily now, and this change started from Mr. A—leaving aside the crazy posture during battles and prayers, Mr. A's face was more beautiful than a man's, closer to a woman's, with an eerie sense of beauty.
In terms of appearance alone, Mr. A could even perfectly integrate into banquets. As long as he had a relatively decent identity, he could completely become a socialite pursued by those minor nobles.
A black-robed slime standing in front of people playing with flesh-and-blood plasticine would of course cause panic, while a handsome and elegant socialite would receive the exact opposite treatment—Nimrod felt that just by looking at Mr. A, he could attract quite a few Believers to join the Aurora Order just by his face.
"May the glory of the Lord shine upon you, Saint." Mr. A said to Nimrod in a solemn tone, his eyes involuntarily stained with a little excitement—looking at the Saint standing in front of him, Mr. A even felt that his Lord was watching him.
He paused deliberately for two seconds, then said bluntly:
"What do you need?"
"I need your help." Nimrod said to Mr. A with a smile: "A friend of mine gave me a commission: 'Admiral Hurricane' Qilangos has sneaked into Backlund, and he needs our help."
"—I don't have any objections, but I don't know why you are so concerned." Mr. A frowned: "Can you tell me the reason?"
"Because the person behind Qilangos is hostile to the Lord."
Mr. A stood up abruptly:
"When are we going to kill Qilangos?"
Chapter 10: Company and Visit
After leaving Mr. A's residence, Nimrod sat in the carriage, pondering what he needed to do next.
Previously, Nimrod had managed to calm down Mr. A's overly fanatical thoughts, urging him to preserve his "useful body" first, and not to think about sacrificing himself to the Lord every day, but to wait until Qilangos appeared to praise the glory of the Lord.
Although the last sentence he told Mr. A was more than half just a manipulative tactic, Nimrod was not lying; the current Adam and the True Creator were indeed in a state of hostile opposition, like a conflict between the left and right brains.
According to his memory, the reason Qilangos risked danger to infiltrate Backlund was for the reward of assassinating Duke Nigen, and the provider of that reward was the "Author" Adam, who was preparing for his apotheosis ritual!
The apotheosis ritual of the "Visionary" is to "make the development of the era conform to one's own expectations, and then at key nodes, within the prescribed trend of the era, consume the potion." For Adam, the "expectations" in this apotheosis ritual were the most important guarantee for his deal with the Evernight Goddess.
The Evernight Goddess needed an opportunity to kill the "God of Combat" and seize the Uniqueness and Beyonder characteristic of the "Twilight Giant," and this opportunity would inevitably be accompanied by war. Adam also intended to guide the trend of the era towards war. It was precisely because they shared the same interests that Adam and the Evernight Goddess were able to reach a cooperation.
Moreover, this was a "conspiracy" that had stretched from ancient times to the present. After all, true gods checked and balanced each other, and it was difficult for large-scale wars to break out when the Astral World barrier needed to be maintained.
As for the prescribed trend of the era—although Nimrod did not know its essential meaning, he knew that the state it manifested was the same development of the era as the Epoch of the Outer Deity, for example, two world-class "wars."
Duke Nigen was a huge obstacle to the war, so for Adam, Duke Nigen had to die, and it had to be a death that would prevent other true gods from realizing it had anything to do with him, effectively extracting himself from the entire vortex.
To this end, after Qilangos failed, Adam arranged the assassination by "Jason Beria."
However, Adam's performance also gave Nimrod a dose of reassurance:
This proved that Adam was not omniscient and omnipotent before merging with the True Creator, which gave him a certain amount of operational flexibility, allowing him to hide in the shadow of the True Creator and attempt to disrupt Adam's apotheosis ritual.
Compared to Adam, letting the lucid True Creator become the true god of the "Visionary" Pathway was a better choice for Nimrod, and a choice that could better suppress the will of God Almighty.
While Nimrod was deep in thought, the carriage slowly came to a halt. The scene outside the window had already changed to the gate of that square building, which stood in stark contrast to the style of the entire street.
This was the Fried Company, built with the resources of the Aurora Order. It was the foundation for the identity Nimrod was currently using in Backlund, and also one of the future important strongholds and subtle external propaganda channels for the Aurora Order.
Except for those cultural workers who required professional skills and industry experience, the rest of the employees here were devout Believers of the True Creator who had been strictly screened and would absolutely not leak information about the Aurora Order.
If it weren't for the fact that the Aurora Order was either filled with illiterates or people who could only write praises to the True Creator, Nimrod would have really wanted to pull all the talent from the Aurora Order to work here. Unfortunately, that wouldn't do.
If he really let the devout Believers of the Aurora Order write for the Fried Company's publications, the Church of Storms would probably be knocking on the door to check the company's water meter the next day.
Nimrod stepped out of the carriage, carefully adjusted his collar, and stepped into the company that had just begun operations.
...
"...In summary, this is the development direction of our company for the next period of time."
Nimrod sat at the head of the conference room and spoke to the editors and invited Authors in front of him:
"Many of you present here chose to join our company because of the recommendation of Miss Audrey. I am willing to believe in your professional level and ability, and I also hope that we can have further cooperation in the future."
"But at the same time, seniority does not represent everything in our company. Those with sufficient ability will be able to get further promotions—likewise, we are not a rigid family business. As long as you can create sufficient revenue, you will be able to receive remuneration commensurate with the company's earnings."
Nimrod stood up, smiled, and said to everyone in front of him in a confident tone:
"Everyone, this is the 'Land of Hope,' and we will surely have a broad future!"
He was indeed not an expert in this field, but Nimrod had always been willing to borrow the strength of others—the people of this era only had a certain gap in vision compared to modern people, but in terms of wisdom and experience, these elites were not necessarily inferior to modern people.
But as the decision-maker of the entire company, Nimrod, a Beyonder of the "Error" Pathway, could unite these people without using Beyonder abilities, making them follow him wholeheartedly given certain interests.
And the reason Nimrod chose "cultural industry" as the entry point for establishing himself in Backlund was that in this era with a certain literacy rate, the viewpoints of cultural products such as newspapers and periodicals were synonymous with "public opinion."
And "fraud," "incitement," and "guidance" were precisely the abilities that the "Error" Pathway was best at.
In addition, just like Klein investing in bicycles, knowing the general development of the future, investments made by the company were basically a sure-win deal.
After the meeting ended, Nimrod had not gone far when he was stopped by a middle-aged man dressed meticulously in formal attire. He turned his head, waiting for the middle-aged man to speak:
"Mr. Fried, ahem, I am the editor who contacted you before. I was previously responsible for cooperating with some bestselling Authors... um, the bestselling Author Fors Wall, who is quite popular in aristocratic circles recently, has also cooperated with me."
The middle-aged editor knew some gossip: this mysterious tycoon's family was once a noble of no low status, but for some reason, they had lost their title long ago. Coming to Backlund this time was to regain his title and integrate into the aristocratic circle.
Coupled with the fact that Dionysus Fried knew Miss Audrey of the Hall Family, he felt that Mr. Fried would be interested in the works of Ms. Fors, who was very close to the nobles.
"Ah, I remember you." Nimrod nodded with a smile:
"I have also read Ms. Fors's works, and I am very interested in them—are you planning to introduce her to cooperate with us?"
"No, it's not exactly an introduction." The middle-aged man waved his hand, "Actually, I know that Ms. Fors has already signed a preliminary cooperation agreement with the company, but it is not yet fully in place. It just so happens that I have some personal friendship with Ms. Fors. Perhaps we can reach a formal and in-depth cooperation with her first?"
Speaking of this, the middle-aged man tentatively added: "Of course, I also have the contact information of many slightly lesser Authors. I think this might be what you need."
Nimrod glanced at the middle-aged man, knowing clearly what this editor wanted to do—now that the entire company had not yet fully started operations, the first "person to eat crab" would inevitably receive a lot of attention later on.
To put it simply, he was bringing his clients to jump ship and prepare to make a big splash.
"Very well. You go and arrange the cooperation and contact matters with these Authors later." Nimrod nodded, took a business card from his wallet, and handed it to the middle-aged editor:
"This is the business card of one of my subordinates. You can contact him later."
"By the way, regarding Ms. Fors's works—help me ask her if she is willing to publish them in a serialized format in our upcoming newspaper."
Hearing Nimrod's words, the middle-aged man's face showed a slightly troubled expression for a moment.
It was because he had cooperated with Ms. Fors that the middle-aged man knew Ms. Fors's habits better: she would not submit her manuscript until the very last second.
But just then, Nimrod added a subtle hint:
"I know this will bring her more workload, but the corresponding remuneration will also increase. This is also a different development direction for our company compared to other publishers in the future. I think highly of you; you should know the importance of this job within the company."
After speaking, Nimrod took off the silk top hat he was wearing quite politely, gave a slight bow, and walked out along the corridor, leaving behind the editor whose expression was gradually becoming serious.
For the sake of his future salary and status, he felt he had to find a way to persuade Ms. Fors, but this was bound to be a quite arduous task.
Thinking of this, the middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh and looked at the Loen words printed on the business card in his hand—then rubbed his eyes.
The address on the business card was quite normal, but the name... what was meant by "AAA Human Resources Department Manager..."?
Was this some new trend? This wasn't Trier, was it...
The middle-aged man took a long breath, falling into deep self-doubt.
...
After leaving the company, Nimrod got into the carriage again and spoke to the "Shadow Ascetic" who was disguised as the carriage driver:
"Go to Minsk Street."
The "Shadow Ascetic" nodded silently and drove the carriage quickly forward. After about ten minutes, the carriage stopped, and the "Shadow Ascetic" said in a dull tone:
"We are here."
Nimrod nodded slightly, stepped off the carriage, and looked at the building in front of him.
Compared to the Fried Company, which had been extensively renovated with the goal of becoming a landmark building, the appearance of this house had not changed much from its surroundings—after all, a private detective was also a profession that walked in the gray area, and even if the Tingen Squad had official endorsement, they could not openly hang out a sign.
Therefore, the Detective Agency that appeared before Nimrod at this moment was no different from the surrounding houses.
Nimrod walked to the door and raised his hand to ring the doorbell. After a while, slightly hurried footsteps came towards the door, and a somewhat lazy voice came urgently:
"Coming, coming—"
It was Leonard.
Before seeing the person, one heard the voice; Nimrod had already been able to determine that the person coming was Leonard before hearing his voice.
In this timeline where both Dunn and Klein were alive, Leonard, the "Poet" of the Tingen Squad, was obviously still the original sunny and cheerful big boy, and his mental state was quite healthy.
The door was pulled open by Leonard, and Leonard's face clearly still showed eagerness to play the role of a detective.
However, after seeing Nimrod's face, Leonard's forward movement suddenly stopped, and then he retreated step by step, closing the door without hesitation with a smile on his face.
Nimrod subconsciously confirmed in his heart whether the disguise on his face was still there—the result was obvious.
Obviously, even if Pales was sharply criticized by Amon as "not mastering the skills of a Cryptologist well enough," he could still judge his true identity based on the conversation between Klein and himself on the train.
"Say hello to Pales for me." Nimrod pushed open the door in front of him with his hand and asked Leonard casually:
"Is Klein not here?"
"Ah, he went to help a client with a commission—he said before that a Detective Agency without commissions would be very conspicuous and easily noticed by 'that guy,' so he put a small advertisement in the newspaper." Leonard said subconsciously:
"Then, unexpectedly for us and unexpectedly for Klein, we quickly received a commission. To promote the digestion of Klein's potion, ahem, we handed the task to him."
After all, Klein's Sequence was still a bit low, and no one had the experience of playing a "Clown"... Leonard thought in his heart.
For the sake of Klein's personal safety, he felt that Klein should be promoted to a Magician as soon as possible—as long as he digested the potion and passed the Church's examination, Klein could directly promote to Sequence 7 with the merits accumulated last time.
Of course, Leonard had also recommended that Klein work in a circus before, but Klein refused to do it no matter what, and in the end, it had to be dropped.
Thinking of this, Leonard bit the bullet and poured a cup of tea for Nimrod, saying to him with some trepidation:
"Are you here today to find Klein? He might not be back until the afternoon."
In Leonard's eyes, Klein was a companion who had something special similar to himself, while the Nimrod in front of him was an ancient existence who had occupied an avatar of "Amon," whom even the old man feared. Talking to such an ancient existence, Leonard only felt that it was very difficult for him to remain calm.
"Finding Klein is only one of my purposes." Nimrod shook his head, turned half of his body towards Leonard, and said:
"Go and call Mr. Dunn—I am here today to discuss further cooperation with you."
"Cooperation?" Leonard repeated subconsciously.
"Yes, cooperation." Nimrod's tone was light: "It's related to 'that guy'."
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#128Possibilities for Cooperation
Chapter 11: The Possibility of Cooperation
"That guy"?
Upon hearing Nimrod's words, Leonard immediately thought of Ince Zangwill. He took a deep breath and said solemnly to Nimrod:
"Please wait a moment, I will go inform Captain Dunn."
Even though Crestet Celcima was nominally the captain of the squad now, he had not actively intervened in the squad's affairs after the training ended. Everyone still maintained the habit of calling Dunn Smith "Captain."
This was partly because of the special organization of this squad, and partly because Crestet needed to target Ince Zangwill and could not expose his own status within the squad investigating Ince Zangwill.
With a sealed artifact at his side, Crestet could contend with a demigod-level powerhouse, roughly equivalent to a demigod-level combat strength. However, once "0-08" knew Crestet's location, he would fall into a passive position.
"Good." Nimrod smiled and sat on the sofa, maintaining the current appearance of "Mr. Dionysus" as he waited patiently.
Not long after, Dunn, wearing a trench coat, walked down from the second floor. Looking at Nimrod, who had changed his face compared to before, Dunn gazed at him with his deep gray eyes and nodded slowly:
"Long time no see, Mr. L."
"I thought you would come here, but I didn't expect that the owner of the recently buzzing Fried Company would be you."
Dunn's tone was normal; he did not seem too surprised by Nimrod's identity. The corners of Nimrod's mouth curled up slightly:
"Since I've come to Backlund, I can't keep using my original identity. Mr. Dunn knows that compared to the Church of the Night, the Church of Storms is much more aggressive in hunting us down. Plus, with this face of mine—I reckon my identity in Tingen City has been completely exposed by the Church of Storms."
"Moreover, speaking of different identities, your identities have changed much more than ours. If I hadn't seen the information about this Detective Agency in the newspapers and had our Saint perform a divination, I really wouldn't have guessed that you would disguise yourselves as a Detective Agency."
While saying this, Nimrod deliberately glanced at Leonard, who was listening on the side, with the corner of his eye, as if his words carried a hidden meaning.
Sure enough, as soon as his voice fell, Leonard's expression grew serious. It was obvious that he was communicating with Pales and couldn't manage his expressions.
When they were in Tingen City, Nimrod had not yet obtained the means to change his appearance, so he had walked around wearing that face of Amon the whole time.
Although there was anti-divination and protection from a high-level entity, the Church of Storms, which had always been committed to guarding against the reawakening of the Ancient Sun God, would inevitably target anything related to it with the highest specifications.
For example, Adam, for example, Amon, for example, the "True Creator."
The disaster in Tingen City had already involved the True Creator; it was impossible for it not to be reported. And once reported to the higher-ups of the Church, a Messenger of the Aurora Order with the face of Amon would inevitably be noticed by the Church's Saints.
Furthermore, although Nimrod was not Amon, when the Saints of the Church of Storms tried to confirm his identity and location, only to perform divination on him and get no results, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be labeled as an avatar of Amon within the Church of Storms.
—Who else but Amon had anti-divination at the King of Angels level? It couldn't be that the "Lord of the Mysteries" had awakened!
"That is the reason why I rarely appear outside with this body's original face since coming to Backlund... However, wearing a human skin mask all the time is not very comfortable either." Nimrod muttered to himself in his heart.
"The Detective Agency was Klein's idea... Of course, it passed the Church's audit. However, you are right."
Dunn nodded, rubbed the head of his pipe with his thumb, and said in a slow, seemingly meaningful tone:
"The Church of Storms has indeed issued a warrant for you, but it is only within the Church and has not been released externally."
The internal affairs of the Church of Storms were definitely not something a reserve captain of the "Red Gloves" should know. Dunn telling me this intelligence was clearly hinting at something. No, substituting for the Church... Nimrod picked up the tea that Leonard had poured for him and took a sip:
"I see. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Dunn. Shall we talk about business now? Since it's a Detective Agency... I assume you won't refuse my commission to 'investigate Ince Zangwill'."
"Of course, this is exactly what we hope for." Dunn supported his chin with both hands, leaned back on the sofa in the hall, and said in a calm tone:
"I heard from Leonard's report just now that you know some things about Ince Zangwill that require us to communicate?"
"Heh, you should be able to see that we are not afraid of being exposed to the eyes of '0-08'. After all, we are the 'bait' ourselves."
Nimrod nodded and answered Dunn with a more formal posture:
"Ince Zangwill is already on the hit list of the Aurora Order. After all, within the Aurora Order, using our Lord is an unforgivable sin. We need to eliminate Ince Zangwill."
"On this point, our interests are the same as yours. And we have already established basic trust. In the cooperation in Tingen City, the Aurora Order did not harm any innocent people, don't you agree?"
"Moreover, the Lord has awakened, and the Aurora Order will gradually change its style of conduct—it's just that this is indeed a very difficult thing and will take quite some time to complete."
"After all, most of the Messengers and Believers of the Aurora Order are used to their old style, and there are also a group of people who chose to join because of the Aurora Order's past crazy actions. Even if it is the Lord's request, it is difficult for them to change immediately."
"Of course, even now, there must be a group of people within the Aurora Order who are unwilling to reform from their fallen state. These are the objects we need to clean up."
Nimrod said lightly:
"Currently, the news I have received is that Ince Zangwill is suspected of cooperating with the Demoness Sect, preparing to wipe out the survivors of Tingen City. And the Aurora Order is currently maintaining cooperation with the Demoness Sect—of course, this is only on the surface. We are also preparing to backstab the Demoness Sect at any time."
"But with the existence of Ince Zangwill, the cooperation between the Demoness Sect and us is not well-intentioned."
"If you want to investigate the situation of Ince Zangwill, this is your biggest breakthrough. The Aurora Order cannot investigate openly. Once Ince Zangwill chooses to report us to the Church of Storms, we will be subjected to a massive search."
"This is our unavoidable weakness, but fortunately, you can make up for it."
"...Demoness Sect? I understand." Dunn's pupils shrank slightly, seemingly shocked by the answer given by Nimrod: "However, they are also involved in this?"
Speaking of this, Dunn showed a thoughtful expression:
"Previously in Tingen City, the higher-ups of the Church did catch a Sequence 6 'Demoness of Pleasure'... but in the end, it was very strange that no living captive was left."
Nimrod mourned for 0.003 seconds in his heart for the unlucky Demoness lady who had broken into the peak game, and then said:
"It seems that the cooperation between Ince Zangwill and the Demoness Sect started much earlier than we thought."
Hearing Nimrod's answer, Dunn thought for a few seconds before saying: "We will investigate according to the direction you provided, and we can continue to maintain contact afterwards."
A faint smile of "as expected" appeared on Nimrod's face, and he slowly extended his right hand: "Is this the Church's intention?"
Dunn hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "No, you can think that we are not 'Nighthawks' of the Church now, just four detectives who came to Backlund looking for work... and detectives will of course accept investigation commissions."
After saying that, a smile appeared on his face, and he also extended his right hand to shake hands with Nimrod.
After getting the answer he was satisfied with, Nimrod maintained his original expression and walked out, got into the carriage, and began to review the information obtained in the brief exchange just now.
"The higher-ups of the Church of the Night should have been paying attention to the Tingen Squad as 'bait,' ensuring they wouldn't face too much risk, otherwise it would be equivalent to pushing Klein away from them. Otherwise, once I showed a terrifying, crazy side, the only choice would be Amon..."
"Klein, you have to treat me to dinner next time. I actually helped you out in this regard."
"The Evernight Goddess acquiesced—no, can't say acquiesced. Before this, She had already shared some information with Her favored. Even if it is necessary to hide information above the 'Outer Deity,' the higher-ups of the Church of the Night should have received some vague news..."
"In other words, after knowing that the 'True Creator' has a tendency to wake up, the Church of the Night's attitude towards the existence of the Aurora Order has gradually turned to 'neutral.' Still that old saying, the Evernight Goddess and the Ancient Sun God have no grudge, why would She help the 'Lord of Storms' go to the trouble of finding the Aurora Order?"
"However, Dunn's performance is a bit strange. Combined with Dunn's performance, I can basically confirm the previous guess—the higher-ups of the Church told Dunn, this 'Captain,' some information, hoping that Dunn would contact me in his personal name."
"Or it can be said like this: Now the Tingen Squad should all be aware of the cooperative relationship between 'Mr. L' and the Church. As long as it is not stated directly, then such a relationship can be maintained."
...
"Captain, won't we be held accountable by the Church for cooperating directly with the Aurora Order like this?"
Leonard said to Dunn with worry. Dunn picked up his pipe and took a puff, then sighed:
"Of course not."
"Leonard, we already reached a cooperation with Mr. L when we were in Tingen City before. Do you know what Deacon Crestet told me after the review?"
"You mean..." Hearing Dunn's words, Leonard immediately understood his meaning: "The Church supports our cooperation with the Aurora Order?"
"Of course not. It is impossible for the Church to cooperate with an organization that is known as a 'Evil God Sect' in the cognition of ordinary people." Dunn sighed again:
"Deacon Crestet only told me that when the Red Gloves squad is hiding their identities to complete a mission, their thinking can be more open—we are facing heinous Criminals, not being responsible for a certain city like before."
The Red Gloves squad is responsible for eliminating dangers, while follow-up and assisting the government in stabilizing order are the business of the local Nighthawks squad.
Dunn looked at Leonard, who seemed thoughtful but actually still didn't quite understand the meaning of his words, and slowly said again:
"After confirmation by the Church's Beyonders, Mr. L of the Aurora Order is temporarily our ally."
Dunn felt that he had made it very clear, and Leonard finally lived up to his expectations and understood the hidden meaning in his words—of course, it is also possible that Pallez Zoroast finally couldn't help but tell Leonard the truth, but all of this could not be seen from Leonard's own face:
"You mean that in the eyes of the Church, Mr. L is our ally, but the 'Aurora Order' may not be?"
After Leonard calmed down, his clever intelligence occupied the high ground again: "Hmm... Mr. L also mentioned similar things before. He is not on the same side as many Believers of the Aurora Order. You must be referring to this reason, right?"
Dunn nodded:
"Yes, that's exactly what you thought, it's just that for the Church, it's not a good thing to put the fact of cooperating with Mr. L on the table."
"So when we cooperate with Mr. L, no matter what, we can only use our personal names."
I don't know why, but Dunn always felt that after the great disaster in Tingen City, Leonard seemed to have relaxed some kind of restriction and was more integrated into the entire Red Gloves squad.
For Dunn personally, he thought this was a good thing. However, he also had some guesses, some guesses, and in the end, he just felt that Leonard had clarified his secrets during the Church's review, so he put down his heavy burden.
"Afterwards, we will hold a simple meeting to tell Daly and Klein about Mr. L's visit." Dunn put down the pipe in his hand, stood up, and walked towards the second floor:
"I'm going to check if there is any intelligence related to the Demoness Sect in the information we collected before. This is our next stage of investigation direction."
Leonard quickly followed: "Captain, I'll help you organize it. Hmm, I'm quite good at this."
After Leonard's words blurted out, he faintly heard a voice saying "Shameless brat..." in his ear, but Leonard felt that this must be, absolutely must be, an auditory hallucination.
While catching up with Dunn's pace, he started a topic:
"Speaking of which, Ms. Daly's potion digestion speed is very fast now..."
Chapter 12 Investigation Progress
It was nearing noon after Nimrod left the Detective Club where the Tingen Squad was located. After lunch, Nimrod returned to his house in Backlund.
After entering Backlund under the guise of a wealthy merchant seeking a noble title, it was obviously inappropriate and would appear too eccentric if he didn't attend gatherings with neighbors and nobles, just like he did previously in Tingen City. Therefore, Nimrod's evenings this week were quite busy, with invitations to almost every other dinner party.
One of these was a banquet hosted by Nimrod. At that time, several high-Sequence Aurora Order believers, who could hide their true identities from the churches' scrutiny, would be by Nimrod's side. They would attend the banquet as Nimrod's butler and senior attendants, attempting to approach the other guests.
Before the Sun had set, Mr. A knocked on Nimrod's door.
"Mr. L," Mr. A said, lowering his head and speaking in a respectful tone, "I have found a suitable 'Artisan.' I can now transfer the necessary materials for the creation on your behalf."
The moment Nimrod brought the Provoker characteristic back from the circlet timeline, he instructed Mr. A to find a suitable Artisan capable of crafting Beyonder items for him. Compared to Alger, the only person he could currently rely on in the Tarot Club, Nimrod had far wider connections within the Aurora Order.
"Good."
Nimrod nodded, reached out, and casually swiped his hand in front of him. A wisp of gray fog immediately appeared, and a foul-smelling "stone" naturally flew out of it, landing in Mr. A's hand accompanied by a strong aura of Depravity.
Mr. A felt the True Creator's aura attached to the Provoker characteristic; he was so excited that his pupils trembled slightly, and he suppressed his voice with effort:
"I will not fail your trust. Within the time frame you requested, that 'Artisan' will certainly present the item you require."
..."I have retrieved the Beyonder item crafted by the 'Artisan' for you." Mr. A removed the black robe he was wearing and spoke to Nimrod in a calm tone.
Over the course of this week, with the subtle cooperation of several Authors, Editors, and other members of the upper class, as well as Justice Audrey, Nimrod—using the identity of Dionysus—had infiltrated the circle of Loen nobility in Backlund. Relying on his Beyonder abilities, he convinced a few minor nobles to introduce him to gatherings of nobles holding higher titles.
It is worth mentioning that during the official verification of "Dionysus"'s identity, his faith was registered as the Evernight Goddess. Therefore, the investigators were Clerical Members from Backlund and the Nighthawks.
The investigation naturally passed without a hitch, completely eliminating the last trace of suspicion regarding the identity of "Dionysus."
Furthermore, the Church of the Night took this opportunity to pass the Tingen Squad's news to Nimrod. After receiving the Beyonder item that Mr. A brought him, Nimrod prepared to visit the Tingen Squad's Agency once more, this time as an employer.
Nimrod took the small black box held by Mr. A, carefully opened it, and saw the Beyonder item placed carefully on velvet cloth inside, which closely resembled a monocle lens.
Mr. A's voice came through simultaneously:
"According to the Artisan's description, this Beyonder item is called the 'provokers bewilderment.'"
"As per your request, this Beyonder item deliberately retained the living characteristic, and thus possesses a very obvious negative side effect:"
"Upon wearing this item, it will randomly cause the wearer to fall into states of extreme rage and daze every day. This is unpredictable and unavoidable, and the intensity is sufficient to make it difficult for mid-Sequence Beyonders to resist. Furthermore, as the wearing time increases, the duration of the negative status will also increase."
"Because the negative effect is very pronounced, the 'provokers bewilderment' retains the core ability of the 'Provoker'—'Provocation'—to the maximum extent. Its effect is close to the genuine 'Provocation' and provides a slight enhancement to the senses when worn."
"In addition, the appearance of the 'provokers bewilderment' was specifically crafted into a monocle with a crimson frame. Placing it in a pure black velvet box can soothe it to the greatest extent possible. The Artisan's conjecture is... this allows it to believe it is just an ordinary monocle."
Hearing Mr. A's description, Nimrod chuckled softly and placed the velvet box on the edge of the table in front of him:
"That's because the owner of this Beyonder item died without even realizing it..."
Precisely because of this, the 'provokers bewilderment,' which possesses certain living characteristics, has simple yet strange Seal conditions, making it one of the few Beyonder items Nimrod can carry with him.
The sun scythe emits substantial heat, and the shadow lantern holds the will of the True Creator. Only the negative effects of the smiling face and the 'provokers bewilderment' are acceptable for personal carriage, though the deterrence provided by Sefirah Castle is also a major factor.
"Alright, I understand." Nimrod noticed Mr. A was still standing in place and asked, slightly puzzled:
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes, Mr. L." Mr. A seemed perpetually unaware of courtesy—the devout believers of the Aurora Order all carried an air of pristine holiness: "I believe I need to report the progress I've made during this period."
Oh, he knows how to seek credit... No, perhaps for him, this is just a genuine "report," believing that as a Saint, I should be aware of matters within the Aurora Order. This thought flashed through Nimrod's mind, and he nodded slightly:
"Speak."
"First, regarding the progress in developing the Lord's believers." Mr. A's gaze became slightly more serious:
"Following the method you described, several Rose Bishops and I demonstrated the Lord's miracles to some Factory Owners, mainly in the East Borough, in our own ways. This included, but was not limited to, healing incurable injuries of their family members and listening to their prayers... these kinds of things."
"If it weren't for your unwillingness to let us adopt our former methods, the number of believers we could have developed during this time would be greater."
Nimrod understood the implication in Mr. A's words. For Mr. A, the "former methods" naturally involved creating man-made disasters first, and then stepping in to resolve them.
After all, even in this era, due to the existence of the Beyonder profession Apothecary, there are many ways to cure diseases that Earth during the same period couldn't cure. If they didn't create disasters, it would be difficult for Mr. A to find more desperate yet emotional Factory Owners.
—Compared to nobles, Factory Owners neither had access to Beyonder channels nor were they particularly devout in their faith, making them a quite worthwhile target.
Nimrod shook his head:
"We cannot start down that path. Mr. A, it's not that I forbid you from doing this, but the Lord forbids it—would the Lord allow His Shepherd to harm His lambs? The Lord loves His believers, and naturally would not allow His lambs to suffer misfortune like an outer god would."
Nimrod felt slightly guilty, as if he had just blasphemed several deities in this world. Although the true reason was that to "transition," they had to abandon their original bloody and cruel style and shift towards the overt style of the orthodox churches.
But the Divine Envoys of the Aurora Order bought into this argument.
However, seeing Mr. A's rapidly changing expression, Nimrod added lightly:
"Control your mental state, and don't dirty this suit—the formal wear you have on is custom-made and expensive. It's difficult to find someone to clean up bloodstains."
"The first suit was purchased using the offerings of your brethren. If you ruin this suit due to your own reasons later, you'll have to figure out how to earn the money yourself."
Mr. A's slightly squirming flesh and skin instantly froze in place. After a long while, Mr. A sighed:
"The number of believers in the East Borough is also gradually increasing. Most of them originally believed in the Lord of Storms but lost family members in maritime disasters. However, to prevent the Evil God of Storms from tracking us, our rate of development isn't too fast."
—Since they were currently cooperating with the Church of the Night with the tacit approval of a deity, Nimrod naturally couldn't allow the Aurora Order members to steal the Evernight Goddess's anchor.
"Next is the cooperation with the Demoness Sect." Mr. A paused: "I met the Demoness Sect's 'Despair Nightingale.' As you expected, she used the excuse of creating disasters and generating a large number of unjustly dead souls in Backlund to ask us to set up an 'Altar' for the Lord's descent..."
Mr. A's face twisted: "Mr. L, this is an extremely difficult task! How could I possibly harm the Lord's lambs! Every moment of cooperation with this blasphemer is torment—every time I think about her wanting to use the Lord's descent to attract the attention of an outer god, I feel she deserves death ten thousand times over..."
You didn't say that just now, Mr. A... Nimrod's lips curled slightly:
"Then, did you set up the Altar as I instructed before?"
Mr. A immediately quieted down:
"I set it up, but... I haven't selected the sacrificial victims yet..."
"There's no need to deliberately choose. The Lord's condition has improved greatly," Nimrod told Mr. A. "When the time comes, a few 'wicked souls' serving as simple symbols will be actively delivered to us—perhaps we won't even need to wait until we develop believers in the Southern Continent before we can help the Lord escape distress."
"As for how to develop believers in the East Borough—once the newspapers of the Fried Company start printing, we can steer public opinion in a direction favorable to the workers and the poor, subtly pressuring the Royal Family."
"As long as it doesn't involve information about the Lord, the Royal Family and the Church of Storms will, at most, conduct covert investigations. The ones who will truly be anxious are those Factory Owners unwilling to convert."
"And you don't fear official investigations. This way, we can coordinate three fronts and gradually develop more believers..."
Nimrod rubbed the ring he was wearing on his finger:
"And once the wave of 'distrust' spreads, it won't be something the churches and the Royal Family can suppress. Of course, the Church of Storms could choose to prohibit the spread of this ideology... but sometimes, the more you prohibit something, the harder it is to contain."
"The Lord's Divine Envoys are all mid-Sequence Beyonders. Sometimes, you need to be flexible and find more lambs for the Lord."
A sense of joy and anticipation appeared in Mr. A's eyes:
"This is exactly what I was hoping for."
"Finally, there is the matter concerning Qilangos that we discussed earlier."
At this point, a hint of shame appeared on Mr. A's face for the first time:
"I apologize, Mr. L, I failed to fulfill my promise. During this period, I mobilized our brethren to gather intelligence on Qilangos, but we couldn't find his detailed residence..."
"Don't blame yourself," Nimrod consoled him. "I will have someone provide more information later. For now, you should prioritize secrecy—compared to Qilangos, the Church of Storms actually wants to encircle and suppress us more."
Seeing that Mr. A mostly understood his meaning, Nimrod glanced at the time, stood up, and prepared to visit the Tingen Squad as originally planned... Sitting in the Detective Agency, Nimrod's gaze swept across the table covered with messy documents, his tone slightly puzzled:
"Is all this the information you investigated regarding the Demoness Sect and Ince Zangwill during this period?"
The sheer volume of documents in front of him was substantial; it didn't look like something four people could investigate within a week. It seemed Dunn and the others received considerable assistance after reporting to the church.
"That's right." Dunn's gaze was deep as he pushed several sheets of paper from in front of him:
"The church places great importance on matters related to the 'Demoness Sect' and has given us significant support. We have summarized the investigation results from this period and reached some conclusions—Klein, you tell him."
Daly, sitting next to Dunn and wearing a different outfit, noticed the clear exhaustion on Dunn's face and finished his thought:
"Or should I give you two some private space?"
"Although I don't mind discussing matters concerning the Demoness Sect and Ince Zangwill normally, I'd rather not have him listen in on this matter." Nimrod nodded gently:
"Be cautious."
After receiving Dunn's permission, Klein nodded and led Nimrod toward the small room next door. After a long time, Dunn finally let out a breath and spoke in a gloomy tone rarely heard from him:
"Daly, I really find it hard to imagine..."
"None of this is conclusive yet." Daly let Dunn rest his head on her shoulder. "But I know how you feel... hmm, somewhat like the emptiness and disillusionment after an event concludes?"
"You're saying that again." Dunn gave a bitter smile. "But I truly find it hard to accept... yet the evidence compiled by Leonard all points to this fact."
"I never expected the Aurora Order to become our ally, and that the Royal Family would have intricate ties to the Demoness Sect and Ince Zangwill."
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#130Shocked Klein
Chapter 13: The Shocked Klein
"What you see before you are the results of our investigation."
Klein looked at the somewhat familiar Gray Fog within the surrounding Spirit Wall, felt his heart settle slightly, slowly let out a breath, and spoke to Nimrod:
"However, all the information we have right now is based on Leonard's conjecture, but the direction is very clear."
"Aside from the lack of concrete evidence, we can essentially deduce that the Royal Family is cooperating with the Demoness Sect—your Pathway includes the 'Cryptologist' Sequence. How likely do you think his conjecture is?"
Nimrod looked at the sheets of paper covered in writing laid out before him and pondered aloud:
"Klein, you should know that Leonard possesses a unique characteristic similar to yours. Based on my observations of him, I suspect that the specialties he wields, which clearly don't belong to his Sequence or his inherent mental capabilities, are granted to him by this unique characteristic."
Considering that Pallez Zoroast passed the Church's scrutiny and received the Evernight Goddess's tacit approval, Pales would also allow Leonard to reveal his 'abilities' within the Red Gloves Squad.
After all, the higher Leonard's Sequence, the safer Pales would be!
"I knew it." Klein muttered inwardly:
"When Leonard suddenly presented such a complete theory, we were all a little incredulous—but now it seems his conclusions are mostly correct."
At this point, Klein's gaze became serious: "However, I still don't know why the Royal Family would cooperate with the Demoness Sect."
"If it were just to eliminate some social problems existing in Backlund, there would be no need to go to this extent."
"You might not trust Leonard's ability, but you must trust the unique characteristic residing in him." Nimrod chuckled lightly, giving a subtle reminder:
"However, regarding your question, this is how I see it:"
"Every Beyonder, no matter how foolish they were before drinking the Potion, will inevitably become extraordinary step by step as they constantly advance their Sequence, provided they don't go mad or lose control."
"So when you can't figure out a problem, it means you're still missing some key information." As Nimrod spoke, he moved his finger toward the documents in front of him:
"You might as well investigate these materials that Leonard compiled, one by one. Since you have official backing, your investigation can be bolder; you don't need to worry too much about the attitude of the police and the military."
Klein's gaze followed his finger to the lines of Loen Words written on the documents: statistics on missing persons cases in the East Borough, data on the number of diseases exceeding the standard, and several kidnapping cases that had been solved previously.
According to Leonard's description, everyone in the Tingen City Squad keenly sensed the faint, lingering'scent' connecting these seemingly unrelated events... but they lacked crucial evidence and necessary motives.
Klein narrowed his eyes, slowly let out a breath, and said with slight helplessness, "I will investigate this direction. Sigh, I can't tell anyone else about this matter..."
If he did, without the protection of the Gray Fog, Ince Zangwill, who uses "0-08," would learn of it, making him vigilant.
Nimrod took out the Pocket Watch from his breast pocket and glanced at the time: "Right, about those Beyonder materials I mentioned last time... do you have any leads?"
"No." Klein shook his head helplessly:
"There's no news on either the Dream-Eating Rat or the Aura of Corruption. Both of these Beyonder materials are rarely even recorded—honestly, the Beyonder materials for your Pathway are incredibly difficult to find, as if they were deliberately erased."
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"Amon did all these bad things. It looks like I'll have to find another way." Nimrod said casually, standing up from the sofa:
"We'll talk about the rest tomorrow afternoon. I have a dinner party to attend tonight... Although I don't really want to spend every day mingling with nobles who only know how to talk about 'elegance,' 'fashion,' and 'rules,' this is indeed a rare opportunity."
Nimrod mocked himself: "Heh, my Sequence is still a bit too low..."
Under Nimrod's persistent acting, he had already imprinted more than half of the 'Prometheus' Beyonder characteristic with a spiritual imprint, and the lower Sequence 'Dancer' was being digested rapidly during several dinner parties, almost entirely digested with just one final push remaining.
However, after Nimrod previously thoroughly researched the 'Dancer' boon extracted from the Seal, he believed there were actually two reasons for such rapid digestion:
The first is that noble banquets typically feature long periods of dancing, and becoming the focus of attention is the precise reason for rapid digestion.
But he felt the second, more important point was the 'Dancer's' inherent Core.
As the starting Sequence of Fate, within the river created by the Circle of Inevitability, the 'Dancer' is like a butterfly dancing with destiny at the center of the Whirlpool of Fate, dancing repeatedly within the loops of Fate yet struggling to resist the torrent of destiny.
And Nimrod's experiences during this period coincided with the Essence of the 'Dancer.'
Klein, however, sighed, his thoughts wandering for a moment: "The lives of nobles are still too extravagant and wasteful, but even so, noble entertainment can't compare to our Hometown... I truly hope we can find a way back home someday."
Nimrod nodded gently, saying with a firm tone, "There will be."
"But speaking of which, I am a bit curious."
As Klein and Nimrod walked toward the door, he asked casually, "Do you genuinely want to obtain a Noble Title in Loen? Your identity has been causing quite a stir in the newspapers recently."
"Not really." Nimrod shook his head, placing his hand on the door: "But are you sure you want to talk about it now?"
...After this week's Tarot Club ended, Klein stepped down from the Throne, sat opposite Nimrod, and said relaxedly:
"It seems the matter you didn't mention yesterday is even more secretive than the cooperation between the Royal Family and the Demoness Sect that we discussed."
"Yes, after all, what I'm doing might overthrow more than just one Royal Family." Nimrod smiled, first turning the conversation back to the Tarot Club:
"Speaking of which, little 'Sun' is still too green, allowing himself to be tricked into revealing some information by the 'Hanged Man.'"
"Indeed." When Klein thought about the information gained at the Tarot Club today, and recalled how innocent little 'Sun' looked in front of the Old Fox 'Hanged Man,' he felt slightly amused and exasperated.
He reached out and presented sheets of Yellowish-Brown parchment, handing them to Nimrod in front of him:
"These are the Roselle Diaries that Miss 'Justice' handed over today; they contain some information I find valuable."
During this Tarot Club meeting, 'Sun' Derrick obtained the Bard Potion Formula found by 'Hanged Man' Alger, while Alger added another piece of intelligence regarding Qilangos, determined to eliminate this Pirate Admiral who held leverage over him.
Nimrod flipped through them briefly:
"Indeed, one is the Church's attitude toward Potions, and the other is how the Age of Steam personally initiated by Roselle became a breeding ground for the descent of an Evil God..."
"However, this is not very significant for us right now. I will have the Aurora Order continue investigating the intelligence the 'Hanged Man' supplemented today regarding 'Hurricane Admiral' Qilangos—I estimate there will be new clues soon."
Hearing Nimrod's words, Klein also nodded, unable to hide the amusement in his voice as he said:
"Yes, we have received a lot of information now—Qilangos probably never imagined that simply taking on a mission would lead to a Joint Hunt by the Church of the Night and the Aurora Order."
"Qilangos woke up one morning to find the sky had fallen."
Speaking of this, Klein found it hard to suppress his curiosity:
"So, what exactly was that matter you didn't talk about yesterday?"
"Ah, you mean that." Nimrod nodded and said in a calm tone: "I plan to use 'Fried Company' as the starting point to help ordinary people who struggle to maintain their lives fight for their rightful interests and improve their living conditions."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Klein first mumbled in confusion, but quickly realized the implication, his eyes showing considerable alarm:
"Wait, are you saying..."
"Exactly, just as you saw—Roselle wrote in his diary that he ushered in an Age of Steam and Gears, so we can completely bring this era to an end." Nimrod replied with an unusual calmness:
"Moreover, whether I succeed or fail, I am willing to accept the outcome."
"Even if I fail, it will still harvest a batch of Anchors for the True Creator, which is much better than letting the Aurora Order continue carrying out terrorist actions there."
"After all, the True Creator requires many, many 'Anchors.' Only enough ordinary people can allow Him to gradually awaken. I remember discussing this concept with you."
Moreover, under these circumstances, the ultimate culprit, "Dionysus Fried," would inevitably become the main supporting character and villain in the dreams of a large number of people—the former being those he helped, the latter being the nobles whose interests were harmed.
This is very beneficial for Nimrod to 'Tame' the Sequence 5 Beyonder characteristic.
"Yes, but this is a bit too crazy." Klein rubbed his Temples and gave a wry smile:
"You know, this will put you directly against the official powers and even the Seven Beyonder Churches... I've thought about these things before too, but only considered organizing in secret, never intending to use such radical methods."
"The Aurora Order is currently hostile toward the seven orthodox churches; I don't believe they would spare me if I didn't do this." Nimrod lightly pointed to his Cheek:
"The moment I Transmigrated here, I was already naturally antagonistic toward the orthodox churches."
Nimrod also comforted Klein: "However, don't worry too much. The Seven Deities are not monolithic. I only have to face the Lord of Storms, the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, who are hostile toward the True Creator."
In reality, it might even be fewer, since the Two-Five Dragon—the God of Knowledge and Wisdom—has flexible standards for choosing sides. When the time comes, he'll probably defect faster than Intis's Eternal Blazing Sun.
"Furthermore." Nimrod's tone became more serious:
"I know that people are dying every minute, every second, in Backlund's East Borough and in the Slums of other cities. That is a torment to me—a torment to anyone with a conscience and the ability to change it all."
"Alright, you're right." Klein's voice lowered, and he sincerely spoke to Nimrod:
"If you ever suddenly encounter danger, I will help you however I can."
"I hope the day I encounter danger never comes." Nimrod gave Klein a Sincere Smile: "I'm leaving. See you next week."
...Circle of Inevitability Timeline.
"I hope Godfather is okay... Hiss, that really (Intis vulgarity) hurts!" Lumian's expression twisted, and he quickly slipped into the Darkness along the alleyway.
If one looked closely, they would find that Lumian, hidden in the Darkness, had a large swollen area on his face and bruises all over his body.
This made Lumian suspicious, feeling that his Godfather had likely used a 'Cheating' method right at the end of their fight to give him a severe beating.
Thankfully, thankfully, he would recover by tomorrow, otherwise it would be too embarrassing if someone saw him... Lumian muttered to himself while tearing off a piece of cloth from his clothes to cover his face, using the Assassin Technique to return to the Golden Rooster Inn via the dark areas.
After leaving Cordu Village, the frequency of Beyonder events in the vicinity dropped significantly, but even so, Nimrod could still see several Beyonders wandering around every one or two days, or witness incidents involving Beyonder abilities.
Furthermore, Nimrod's disguise as Margot had not been exposed at all, and today had passed the calculated Period of Suspicion, allowing him to use the 'injury' incident at any time to seek out 'Black Scorpion' Roger.
During the discussion with Lumian, they finally settled on the plan for Lumian to use the life-hunting blade to cut him, preserving his state as much as possible—once bitten, twice shy; after being intimidated by Nimrod's Status Intimidation once, the life-hunting blade was now essentially quiet as a mouse.
In the deep night alley, Nimrod watched Lumian's receding figure, turned around, and after reprimanding the grim-faced Police Officers, walked away into the distance.
Since his wounds were created by the life-hunting blade, they would be Seamless when meeting 'Black Scorpion' Roger.
Forget Roger, Nimrod felt that even Madam Moon wouldn't be able to spot the Flaw in him!
"Celestial Worthy, you don't want to be captured by the Mother Goddess to bear children, do you?" Nimrod said smoothly to the Celestial Worthy: "I think you know what to do, right?"
[You ignored me for so long, and now you remember me?] The Celestial Worthy sneered, his tone containing three parts mockery, four parts indifference, 27.164% malicious pleasure, and 2.836% deliberateness:
[Do you think...]
"The Mother Goddess would cooperate with God Almighty but not with you. No one would trust an Outer Deity who represents fraud." Nimrod repeated emotionlessly.
[Do you really think you haven't got a hold on me?] The Celestial Worthy sighed: [A god under the eaves must bow his head... The world is truly going downhill.]