Part 1: Fate
After absorbing the vast amounts of information regarding Lilusia from Aliger, Haruto remained quietly seated upon his dark throne.
He realized that asking any further basic questions would immediately expose his lack of fundamental knowledge, causing Sora and Aliger to doubt his divine status.
To prevent them from suspecting anything, Haruto decided to extract further information through a carefully constructed facade.
He leaned back slightly against his seat and spoke in a cold, distant tone that resonated throughout the misty expanse.
"I can feel certain locations returning to my mind..."
"It appears my ancient memories are beginning to surface, piece by piece."
"You may assume that I currently lack complete knowledge of your current era..."
"However, I possess absolute insights that far exceed human limitations."
"I hold the capacity to execute all things, but I must first regain the full scope of my original memories."
"You have done well, Aliger. Your words have assisted in realigning my past knowledge."
Haruto shifted his unreadable gaze toward the hooded figure of the young woman.
"Now, Watchtower... describe your true role and activities within Lecterium City."
Sora adjusted her posture slightly, her voice smooth and devoid of hesitation.
"I am the daughter of Edward Solitude."
"My full name in the material world is Sora Solitude."
The moment the surname *Solitude* echoed across the hollow ring table, Aliger's posture stiffened visibly beneath his dark battle-robe.
He turned his head toward Sora, his tone turning sharply serious.
"You mean to say you are the direct daughter of Edward Solitude?"
"If that is true... then you hold direct authority over global maritime gold allocations, do you not?"
Sora replied without any tremor of pride or anxiety.
"Indeed. I personally hold a ten percent share in the S.G.T.—the Sea Gold Trading Foundation."
Aliger leaned forward, his interest instantly piqued as he pressed further.
"If I were to request a shipment of gold to be discreetly transferred to my vessel at sea, would you be capable of facilitating it?"
Sora remained calm beneath her hood and answered strictly.
"I can, but not unconditionally. I will only assist when circumstances permit it safely on my end."
"Furthermore, if you expect me to supply gold to your fleet, you must provide equivalent assistance whenever I demand it."
"I will not hand over Foundation resources for free."
Aliger nodded slowly under his hood, accepting her terms without argument.
"Fair enough. Whenever you require gold, I will fulfill my part of the bargain."
Haruto observed their transaction silently before addressing both members to conclude the session.
"The next gathering of this order will take place in due time."
"There is no fixed schedule for our assemblies."
"When I deem it necessary to convene, I will reach across the void and draw your spirit bodies into this domain."
"Prior to pulling your spirits here, I shall grant you a prior notification."
"However, if you ever encounter dire peril or wish to initiate contact with the Dream World on your own volition, you must perform a specific ritual."
"Before entering sleep, you must clear your mind and recite my sacred honorifics."
"The chant is as follows..."
"Say, He is God, [who is] One."
"God, the Eternal Refuge."
"He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent."
"The Eternal Eye of Fortune,"
"Always gaze at the destiny,"
"In the world of dreams."
Haruto then issued two distinct directives for them to complete before their next assembly.
He turned toward Aliger first.
Aliger was tasked with obtaining and bringing a highly detailed, comprehensive map of Lilusia to the next gathering.
He then turned toward Sora, instructing her to bring a genuine Character Card with her when she returned.
Sora looked up at the hovering crystal clock, her voice filled with mild curiosity.
"Mr. Watcher... how are we to transport physical objects from the material realm into this spiritual world?"
Haruto responded flatly, his voice maintaining absolute composure.
"Upon your arrival in this realm, your spiritual consciousness can project and manifest any specific object you hold in your possession."
"And should you ever require my intervention in the material world, chant my name. I am always present to observe your fate."
Sora paused for a brief moment before asking one final question.
"If Mr. Watcher does not mind... by what name shall our order be known?"
Haruto remained silent on his dark throne, contemplating a fitting name for the newly formed organization.
At that exact moment, an abrupt wave of intense physical hunger struck his real-body consciousness.
He suddenly realized that his physical body had not consumed a single morsel of food for over ten straight hours.
Influenced by the sharp pangs of starvation echoing from his physical form, a name instantly surfaced in his mind.
"Our order shall be known as the Famine Cult."
"From this day forth, Watchtower and Sea Traveller are official members of the Famine Cult."
Sora accepted the name without question.
Before her spiritual projection faded, she gently brought her right hand across her chest, resting her fingers firmly over her front shoulder blade.
She bowed her head with utmost reverence and declared softly.
"Obey the Watcher."
Seeing her formal gesture, Aliger immediately mirrored her posture, placing his hand over his shoulder blade and echoing the pledge.
"Obey the Watcher."
With their pledges spoken, the two spirit bodies dissolved into faint, luminescent particles, leaving the assembly hall and returning to their physical bodies in Lilusia.
Once the realm returned to absolute silence, Oujuro lowered his head toward the central throne.
"My Lord... shall I address you as Mr. Watcher from now on?"
Haruto looked down coldly and replied.
"As you wish."
"However, explain the context of their conversation to me first."
"Who is Edward Solitude?"
"What is the S.G.T. Foundation?"
"And what is the true significance behind their agreement?"
Oujuro bowed deeper, his resonant voice detailing the background mechanics.
He explained that Edward Solitude was an exceptionally influential politician operating within Lecterium City, the capital of the Amara Kingdom.
Edward maintained an exceptionally close, irreplaceable relationship with the ruling King of Amara.
Furthermore, he was the primary founder of the S.G.T. Foundation—the Sea Gold Trading Foundation.
Across the continents of Lilusia, the private trade and transport of raw gold were strictly outlawed by international treaty.
Only the S.G.T. Foundation possessed the legal authority and state clearance to transport gold shipments across the Mother Sea from one continent to another.
Because of this absolute monopoly, the Foundation generated astronomical revenues every year.
Sora, as his direct daughter, held a ten percent personal stake in these global trade operations.
In the underground black markets, gold was an extraordinarily valuable asset, serving as a primary component in constructing specialized weaponry and ritual tools.
Pirate captains like Aliger frequently engaged in illegal gold plunder, using or selling it for immense profit.
For the government, official gold allocations were strictly limited and tracked down to the single bar.
However, if Sora secretly diverted small portions of S.G.T. gold directly to Aliger's fleet at sea, the Foundation's central auditing system would never detect the missing cargo amidst maritime losses.
This arrangement guaranteed Aliger an astronomical profit margin while granting Sora a powerful naval asset.
Haruto absorbed every detail silently.
He found the complex, geopolitical landscape of Lilusia far more intriguing than the structure of Tenzu, primarily because the history of Lilusia was entirely foreign to him.
Haruto then addressed Oujuro to verify the mechanics of his realm.
"Am I truly capable of granting everything I declared to them today?"
Oujuro responded without hesitation.
"Yes, my Lord. As sovereign ruler of the Dream World, your absolute decree dictates the reality of this domain."
Haruto nodded faintly and asked his final question.
"How do I return to this Dream World in the future?"
Oujuro bowed low and replied.
"Mr. Watcher, you hold absolute authority over this realm. You may enter or depart at any moment purely through your own intent."
Satisfied with the response, Haruto severed his connection to the realm and withdrew his consciousness.
When Haruto's senses cleared, he found himself standing back in the physical world.
He was located deep within the underground base of the Fate Kingdom, standing directly before the ancient, sealed gate of Hermit Zero.
The white flame lamp that had previously illuminated the altar had completely vanished.
Similarly, the ancient Peter Saint Book was nowhere to be seen.
Haruto instantly understood the truth behind these artifacts.
The sole purpose of the white flame lamp and the Peter Saint Book was to serve as a one-time key to unlock his core authority over the Dream World.
Now that his authority was permanently awakened, the catalyst artifacts had naturally dissolved.
Haruto turned away from the altar, leaving the quiet underground base and ascending the stone staircases leading back up into the main castle.
Upon stepping into the grand hallway, he immediately sensed a heavy, suffocating atmosphere hanging in the air.
Several key figures were gathered in the hall.
Princess Ariel, Ken, Ryuk, and Leo stood together, facing an imposing intruder.
Standing opposite them was a stern, elderly man dressed in formal, high-ranking clerical vestments—a former Priest of the Fate Church.
"I assure you, you are operating under a grave misunderstanding," Princess Ariel stated coldly toward the Former Priest.
"The Peter Saint Book is not within this castle."
Haruto walked quietly toward his companions and asked Ryuk in a low tone about the situation.
Ryuk kept his eyes fixed on the intruder and whispered back urgently.
"Following the theft of the Peter Saint Book from the sanctuary, the Former Priest—who stands as the absolute strongest entity within the Fate Church—suspected the artifact might have been brought to the Fate Castle."
"He has personally come here to inspect the grounds himself."
Leo leaned slightly toward Ryuk, his voice tight with concern.
"Just how powerful is this man?"
Ryuk swallowed hard, his voice dropping to a tense whisper.
"At minimum... he has reached the Phoenix Rank."
Hearing those words, Haruto immediately recognized the severity of the threat.
The presence of a Phoenix Rank powerhouse meant the situation had escalated far beyond normal political friction.
As Haruto evaluated the threat, the Former Priest suddenly turned his head, his sharp, weathered eyes locking directly onto Haruto.
Haruto met his gaze with an emotionless, unblinking expression.
The moment their eyes crossed, a sudden, visible shock passed through the Former Priest's features, while Haruto felt a sharp coil of tension in his chest.
It was immediately obvious that both of them recognized each other's true identity from their past.