1317 - 1325

Chapter 1317 "Pride"

"What is this place?" Audrey asked without much change in her expression, as though she was asking about the location of the ball tonight.

Pauli Derlau, who claimed to be the president of the Psychology Alchemists, cast his gaze out the window as well. He smiled and said, "This is the city in everyone's heart.

"It's present wherever there are people."

Audrey nodded in thought.

"In other words, you can enter this place from any corner of human society?"

Derlau stroked his wheelchair and said, "That's right."

He didn't explain further and instead pointed at the pedestrians outside the carriage.

"Everything here has a corresponding psychological symbol; they are called 'Bestial Desire.'"

Bestial Desire… Audrey repeated the word silently. As she maintained her dignified posture, she cast her gaze even further.

Among the pedestrians, there were werewolves, as well as walking upright bears. There were cats with lazy expressions, and there was a strange man with a face of a spotted spider, a huge mouse with red eyes, a python with its tongue sticking out, and a canine creature that studied every creature that passed it by with eyes filled with the desire to mate…

They were either wearing a top hat and trench coat or an exquisite and complicated long dark dress, doing their best to imitate humans in every detail, but they were unable to truly resemble a human.

The carriage traveled through the darkness of the night, traveling between pedestrians and all kinds of Gothic buildings. Soon, they arrived at a cathedral in the middle of the city.

The cathedral was more than eighty meters tall, propped up thanks to the numerous black columns. Each pillar was embedded with a certain number of skulls. Some of them came from humans, while others came from different creatures. However, their empty eye sockets were tilted downwards, as though they were observing at every living creature that entered the cathedral.

Just like most buildings here, every detail in the cathedral could be said to be exquisite, but they formed the elements that leaned towards nightmare, horror, terror, and mystery.

After getting off the carriage, Audrey saw a grand but empty hall through the main door.

In the depths of the hall stood a huge cross. Curled around the cross was a grayish-white dragon statue.

Unlike ordinary cathedrals, there were no pews for believers to pray, nor were there places for candle stands. However, in front of the dragon statue, there was a small long table. On both sides of the long table were five seats, and the seats at both ends were empty.

Pauli Derlau wheeled himself to the end of the long table where the seat of honor was. Then, he pointed to his left.

"Please take a seat."

Audrey slowly followed behind him. She looked around and casually pulled out a chair before sitting down.

She wasn't too close to the president of the Psychology Alchemists, nor was she too far away. She perfectly showed her vigilance and didn't show any signs of guilt.

Pauli Derlau raised his hands and clasped them together before placing them on the surface of the long table.

"Miss Audrey, I have something to ask you."

"Please speak." Audrey turned her head slightly and responded with her green eyes.

Derlau nodded slightly and said, "I would like to know how you advanced to Sequence 4 Manipulator. Where did you get your potion formula and Beyonder characteristic?"

Audrey replied frankly, "It was from a deal.

"A client wished to receive the help of a Spectator demigod, and had paid the Manipulator potion formula and Beyonder characteristic as an advance."

Derlau immediately laughed.

"That actually happened? These generous conditions resemble a father finding an excuse to give his daughter a present.

"Can you tell me exactly what kind of help you provided?"

"Kill another demigod. In this matter, control of one's mind was rather crucial." Audrey simply explained.

Her attitude was very calm, as if she was talking about the homework given to her by a teacher.

Derlau's long and fluffy eyebrows twitched as he said, "And you succeeded?"

"The results are obvious enough." Audrey gave an answer rather tactfully.

Derlau sized her up and realized that the noble girl on his left was a Manipulator who could kill other demigods.

Audrey read his thoughts and added, "I was just one of the participants."

Derlau nodded and said, "Do you know where the client's Manipulator potion formula and Beyonder characteristic came from?"

"He didn't tell me straight with regards to this question." Audrey gave an answer with a sentence she had long planned out.

"He? Can you tell me who he is?" Derlau asked after some deliberation.

Audrey had been guarding against the other party's Virtual Persona from infiltrating her mind island. However, she had yet to notice anything abnormal since the beginning.

This made her suspect that the other party didn't need to infiltrate her mind. All he needed to do was observe the fluctuations of the surrounding sea of collective subconscious to understand her true thoughts.

She didn't make any attempts to hide and calmly replied,

"This concerns an agreement between us. I believe honoring one's promise is a moral standard that the entire world approves of. And in mysticism, this comes into play at a deeper level."

Having said that, Audrey took the initiative to say, "If you can't really trust me because of my inability to mention this, I'm willing to accept this.

"I can only remain an ordinary member and use my contributions in exchange for the psychological research materials that are available to me."

Derlau smiled when he heard that.

"Everyone has their own secrets. This is very normal. What I need to assess is whether your secret will affect the safety of the entire Psychology Alchemists."

He looked deeply at Audrey and said, "Then can you tell me how you got to know such a client?"

"I remember that I once reported that, before joining the Psychology Alchemists, I'd already come into contact with some people in a mysticism circle and got to know a few Beyonders," Audrey said a truth that couldn't be any truer.

As for what the real logical order to the answer was, it was another matter.

Furthermore, the matter regarding Hvin Rambis's "disappearance" which stemmed from the investigation of Fors and Xio was something both parties had never talked about but had definitely acknowledged.

Derlau retracted his hands from the table and placed them by his chest.

"There's another thing I would like to ask: when was the last time you met Hvin Rambis?"

Audrey frowned slightly and said, "I remember that I've been asked before."

After Hvin Rambis's death, she didn't immediately cut off any contact with the Psychology Alchemists. She continued to maintain a certain connection with the upper echelons through Hilbert, Stephen, and Escalante. Only when the war reached Backlund did she realize that she couldn't contact the members of the Psychology Alchemists cell for various reasons.

"I need to confirm it in person," Derlau said calmly.

Audrey nodded gently and said, "The last time I met Hvin Rambis was in Viscount Glaint's mansion. At that time, I hypnotized my two Beyonder friends I knew, as per his instructions, and asked them why they were investigating Viscount Stratford and who the mastermind behind this was.

At that time, Councillor Hvin Rambis was nearby, ensuring that nothing went wrong with the hypnotism. After he received the answer, he quickly left.

"After that day, I never saw him again."

As she answered, Audrey was still guarding against the invasion of her mind island. However, it was calm there, and nothing happened.

This didn't make Audrey feel relaxed. Instead, she became even more wary. She didn't even dare to think about anything related to Mr. Fool and The World Gehrman Sparrow.

She was only certain of one thing: As long as she was exposed to danger, Mr. Fool would definitely provide her with protection.

"It's identical to your previous answer." Derlau nodded slowly.

He then looked into Audrey's green eyes and said frankly, "I can't use mysticism methods to trace the origins of the Beyonder characteristic in your body. This means that the person who provided it has an unimaginable existence behind him."

Audrey nodded slightly but forcefully, expressing that she agreed with his assessment.

"I can't force you to not cooperate with other Beyonders or make deals. It's unrealistic. I just hope that you can promise not to reveal anything about the Psychology Alchemists to anyone. At the very least, when you wish to entrust certain missions to others, you have to package them and hide the secrets," Derlau said calmly as he retracted his gaze.

Audrey replied without hesitation, "I promise not to tell any living creature that isn't qualified to know about matters regarding the Psychology Alchemists."

She took the initiative to amplify the concept all the way to that of a living being to make up for any loopholes in her promise.

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt her thoughts surface from her mind island.

These thoughts intertwined, turning into an illusory net that seeped into Audrey's mind island, turning into her subconscious.

As this "restriction net" came from Audrey's spirituality, she would be incapable of removing it even if she became an angel. She would lose the intention of talking about the Psychology Alchemists when she faced non-members of the Psychology Alchemists or people who didn't qualify to know about them.

And she wouldn't realize this.

He didn't invade my spiritual island. Just my words alone made the promise turn something substantial… While Audrey was alarmed, her expression didn't show.

Of course, she didn't completely restrain herself, as being surprised by such means was an instinctive reaction from a Manipulator.

Based on this point, she suspected that either there was something wrong with this city that existed in the heart, or that Derlau, the Psychology Alchemists president, wasn't just at the level of a saint.

Seeing Audrey make her promise, Derlau pointed at the long table in satisfaction and said, "From now on, you are a councilor of the Psychology Alchemists.

"You can choose a persona mask as your codename."

As he spoke, seven grayish-white masks appeared on the long table. They were rather illusory and abnormally cold. Five of them were placed in front of the corresponding seats, as though they already had a master.

"The remaining two persona masks are Wrath and Pride," Derlau introduced. "They come from the Holy Bible of the Creator from the Third Epoch."

Audrey thought for a second before reaching out her hand to the mask that didn't contain any anger.

"I choose Pride."

Derlau looked at her and chuckled.

"That was the choice Hvin Rambis made back then."

Chapter 1318 Seven Councilors

Audrey's right hand paused for a moment before returning to normal. She picked up the mask known as Pride.

"A 50% chance isn't low," she replied to Pauli Derlau simply.

This was to say that picking the mask that Hvin Rambis had worn before wasn't a surprising coincidence.

With that said, Audrey wore the cold gray mask on her face.

Almost instantly, she felt that she had an additional Virtual Persona that had appeared in her mind island.

This didn't stem from the outside world, but rather, a magnification of what she knew to the extremes.

"They received very little education. They have to make the right choice under my guidance.

"Not everyone has enough intelligence. On the contrary, most people are very stupid.

"Those workers are impulsive and irrational. They are easily enticed by tiny perks and have no foresight. Only with me thinking for them, guiding them, and making decisions for them can they be saved.

"They are worthy of pity, but they aren't worth communicating with.

"…"

These thoughts echoed in Audrey's mind, almost making her believe that this was the truth. After all, this was partial feedback she had received from her previous observation and experience. It wasn't something that had been fabricated out of thin air.

With a sweep of her gaze, Audrey saw herself from the smooth surface of the long table.

On the cold gray mask, her eyes moved upwards, fixing it to her forehead as though she could only see things high above without a care about anything else. It was funny, strange, and secretly horrifying.

Audrey fell silent. A few seconds later, she said in a deep voice, "Is this Pride?"

If it wasn't for the fact that she had long escaped her misconceptions through the exchange between Mr. World, Mr. Hanged Man, and Ma'am Hermit, she might've been truly affected by Pride's persona.

As for what would happen after being affected, she couldn't tell.

"You recovered much faster than I expected. It looks like you haven't lost yourself in the experience of manipulating others," Derlau said approvingly.

Audrey replied thoughtfully, "Mr. Hvin Rambis has always appeared a little proud…"

Derlau clasped his hands at his chest and said, "You could tell?"

"Only occasionally. Some details," Audrey replied in two short sentences.

Derlaua sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"This mask's influence on Hvin Rambis was worse than I expected. Besides, he usually put on a very good disguise.

"Under this premise, I don't find it strange that he has gone missing. His arrogance will make it impossible for him to see the path beneath his feet. It will make him look down on Beyonders who are weaker than him, and this will often bring great danger."

Audrey resisted the urge to recall Hvin Rambis's death, and asked in deliberation, "These seven personalities can amplify the corresponding knowledge and emotions to help us realize our own problems, so that we can deal with them directly. At the same time, they will also bring some negative effects, and unknowingly change its wearer's personality?"

Derlau nodded slightly.

"In the mind domain, it's very difficult to obtain external help that's pure and without danger. One has to have enough internal strength to avoid the corresponding negative effects.

"You have walked the right path for you to realize this."

Audrey was just about to take the opportunity to discuss some questions about the mind domain when she suddenly saw a mask on the table disappear.

She subconsciously turned her head and looked at the entrance of the cathedral. She saw a figure walk in through the door.

This figure was wearing a three-piece formal wear suit, and he had a half top hat in his hand. He wore the mask that had disappeared earlier on.

The mouth on the mask was opened wide until it reached close to the ears. Its mouth remained open, as if it wanted to swallow everything that its eyes could see.

"This is one of the councilors of the Psychology Alchemists, Mr. Gluttony." Derlau did the introductions.

Following that, the remaining councilors of the Psychology Alchemists arrived one after another. They were Mr. Lust, Ma'am Greed, Miss Sloth, and Mr. Envy.

As a senior Spectator, Audrey was the first to notice the difference in their masks:

Greed was similar to a Gluttony. His mouth reached his earlobes, but it wasn't open. Furthermore, his eyes were closed.

Lust was similar to Pride, but its eyes were different from ordinary people. They had sunk to the middle of their noses, as though they were looking at people from the bottom.

Envy's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were slightly slanted, and had a gloomy temperament.

Sloth's eyes were tightly shut, and its mouth naturally drooped, giving off the feeling that the wearer was sleeping.

Seeing all the councilors present, Derlau smiled and said, "Let's wait for another friend. He will be the seventh councilor. Heh, eighth, I forgot to count myself."

Just as he said that, a figure entered the cathedral's main door.

This figure wore a shirt, vest, a black trench coat, and a half top hat. At a glance, he was a rather fashionable gentleman.

However, after some observations, Audrey realized that there was a huge rabbit under the human clothes. Its eyes were bright red and its fur was snow-white.

The rabbit walked inside, one step at a time, and stopped at the side of the long table. It happened to be beside Audrey.

"Unfortunately, you only have one choice." Derlau smiled as he pointed at the Wrath mask on the table.

The rabbit let out a male human voice:

"I've always been very gentle. It's a good opportunity for me to experience wrath."

As it spoke, it picked up the persona mask and wore it on its face.

The mask's eyes were wide and its mouth was wide open, as though an angry roar would shout out at any moment.

After Mr. Wrath sat down beside Audrey, Derlau clapped his hands and said, "I formally introduce the two councilors who will be joining our council.

"This is Miss Pride. This is Mr. Wrath. They are both demigods and have deep attainments in the domain of the mind.

"In addition, Miss Pride will be in charge of the greater Backlund area of the Loen Kingdom."

Upon saying that, Derlau looked at Audrey and said, "You might not be aware, but we are rooted in the masses of psychologists, psychiatrists, and the corresponding aficionados. Our strength is mainly concentrated in large cities and not small cities and villages. Therefore, every councilor is responsible for a city and the surrounding area."

Then, Derlau continued, "Mr. Wrath is in charge of the Lenburg capital, Azshara;

"Mr. Lust is in charge of the Intis capital, Trier;

"Ma'am Greed is in charge of the Feysac capital, St. Millom;

"Miss Sloth is in charge of the Feynapotter capital, Feynapotter City.

"Mr. Envy is in charge of the Intis Republic's Tilisi City;

"Mr. Gluttony is in charge of the Loen Kingdom's Constant City."

After the introduction, Derlau added, "Our Psychology Alchemists' mission is exploration, discovery, and research. We do not care about affecting the scope, member numbers, resources, etc. Therefore, we do not have any councilors in the Fog Sea, the Berserk Sea, the Sonia Sea, and the Southern Continent. Of course, there will often be members who go out to the sea to explore the ruins of the Southern Continent in search of ancient history. Heh heh, I forgot that I'm the King of the Black Throne on the Five Seas."

St. Millom, Constant, Tilisi… Nearly half of the councilors of the Psychology Alchemists are in the Midseashire region… Audrey acutely sensed a problem.

She came from a noble family, and had received good education since she was young. She was no stranger to the geographical location of every city in the Northern Continent. She knew that Feysac's St. Millom, Loen's Constant, and Intis's Tilisi were big coastal cities of Midseashire.

Although they couldn't compare to the three major cities of Backlund, Trier, and Feynapotter City, each of them was quite large. Furthermore, there were many medium-sized cities around them. This made the Midseashire coast become the most vibrant economic zone in the Northern Continent, an area with the biggest population.

Under such circumstances, it wasn't too surprising that the focus of the Psychology Alchemists was placed on Midseashire. Audrey generally didn't think that the Psychology Alchemists weren't too interested in expansion.

After the councilors got to know each other, Derlau turned his head and said to Audrey, "Miss Pride, due to the war, Backlund's Psychology Alchemists suffered great losses. We have lost contact with many of the members. I will give you a specific list in the future. You will be in charge of confirming the whereabouts of the members and then organize them again.

"In this process, I suggest that you don't use your real image and name to finish the tasks. Create a virtual identity to complete them. Hvin Rambis didn't do well in this aspect. I think he's a little too proud."

Audrey nodded slightly and agreed.

Derlau retracted his gaze and said, "The second thing to discuss today is the whereabouts of the mind dragon in East Chester County of the Loen Kingdom.

"The dragon worshiping customs of the Hartlarkh village haven't been weakened in the past two years. I suspect that the mind dragon is still influencing it in some way. Perhaps we can use it to find its whereabouts.

"Who is willing to handle this matter?"

After raising the question, he recalled that the newly joined Miss Pride and Mr. Wrath didn't have enough knowledge of the corresponding situation. He simply explained the explorations the Psychology Alchemists had previously done, as well as the problems that his entire archaeological team members encountered.

Audrey had actually participated in some matters in the early stages. Now that she had a suitable reason to intervene, she couldn't help but feel her heart palpitate.

It wasn't that she really wanted to hunt the mind dragon, but rather, she wanted to communicate with it and grasp more knowledge and secrets of the mind domain.

However, she wasn't in a hurry to raise her hand. As a councilor participating in the council for the first time, she would rather miss an opportunity than be eager to showcase herself.

"This is Loen's matter. It's not suitable for us to interfere." Mr. Lust surveyed the area and said, "Unless Miss Pride and Mr. Gluttony don't have the time for it."

Audrey waited for a few more seconds. Seeing that the Gluttony didn't say anything, she looked at Derlau and said, "I will try to investigate, but I need more detailed information."

Chapter 1319 Life-Preserving Incantation

Seeing that Audrey was willing to attempt the investigation mission, Derlau nodded and said, "I'll give you the detailed information later, but I have to warn you that this matter is rather dangerous. You must not be careless."

Upon saying that, Derlau paused for a moment and said, "If you encounter an accident, and you can't solve it by relying on yourself. You can try to say a name. This will bring you salvation."

"What name?" Audrey asked as she had a guess in mind.

Derlau's expression immediately turned solemn.

"It comes from the Holy Bible of the Third Epoch's Creator. It involves the highest mystery of the mind domain, and it has a close relationship with something of the Psychology Alchemists.

"It's 'Adam.'"

Adam… Audrey didn't find it surprising at all, but she showed her puzzlement on the surface, as though she didn't know what this name meant.

Derlau didn't explain and instead said, "As a councilor, you should be in charge of a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact. However, you and Wrath have just joined the ranks, so there must be an observation period first. Besides, the former committee member of the Backlund region, Hvin Rambis, has lost a rather important Sealed Artifact. We are considering whether we should change the usage method of Sealed Artifacts and allow usage only via an application.

"In other words, all the Sealed Artifacts will be kept in this mind city. You usually won't hold onto them, and can only use them temporarily after an application for particular incidents."

The woman in charge of Feysac's capital's St. Millom immediately shook her head.

"There is a very serious flaw in this method. That is that we are unable to deal with any sudden accidents. Be it enemies or monsters, once we encounter them, we will not have the time to apply and retrieve the Sealed Artifact.

"I believe that the current method is good enough. Everyone wields a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact to deal with accidents. When there's a need, we can apply for other items."

Derlau laughed and said, "This was indeed better in the past. But now, you don't have to worry.

"As long as you have the chance to resist an accident, then you can directly enter this mind city to avoid the enemy and obtain the item.

"If there's no chance, just as I said, reciting the name 'Adam' will do."

You said "Adam" twice. That entity is probably already watching. No, "He" might have been watching from the very beginning… Audrey's heart almost beat faster when she heard that.

"Then how do we enter without your invitation?" Mr. Envy asked as he nodded.

Derlau pointed at his face and said, "From this council meeting forth, you can take your persona mask out of this city.

"No matter where you are, as long as there are at least two humans around you, yes, other than you, you will be able to wear the corresponding persona mask and enter the city.

"And these seven masks are illusory. They are closely connected to what you know, and there's no need to store them in a special way. With just a thought, you will be able to take them out of the sea of collective subconscious."

At that moment, the man, who was wearing the Gluttony mask and exuded a feeling that he was lost in indulgence, thought for a while and said, "Will bringing the persona mask out of this city affect our mental state and true personality?"

"There will be some effects that need attention. But I believe that you are all experts in the mind domain. You have the ability to resolve problems in this aspect," Derlau said frankly.

Audrey was a little worried that these seven persona masks had something to do with Adam, but she didn't dare think about it in the mind city. She forced herself to rein in her thoughts and replied to what Derlau had said before, "I can accept the two safekeeping methods of the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact. I'll patiently wait for the probationary period to end."

"Miss, you aren't proud," Miss Sloth, who looked like she was sleeping, commented with a smile.

After discussing the mind dragon in East Chester County, the other five councilors began introducing things that were worth paying attention to in their respective areas as an exchange of information.

During this process, Mr. Gluttony, who seemed to be capable of eating an entire cow at any moment and wore ten rings, said, "The Constant region hasn't been peaceful recently. There have been many miracles happening one after another.

"First, Constant City was rebuilt overnight. Second, Belltaine City's citizens collectively lost their memories of a certain period of time. Third, a powerful archmage who grants the wishes of others for pleasure has been wandering the eastern shore of the Midseashire. He's called Merlin Hermes. Related to this, there's an item known as the 'Fully Automatic Wishing Machine.'

"Other than that, I also noticed something strange. Many rats, cockroaches, and crows in Constant City have lost their souls, days after the city was miraculously restored."

"Why were you able to sense this problem?" Mr. Lust looked up at Gluttony from the bottom.

Gluttony gulped and said, "I've been researching the mind problems of ordinary creatures recently. Rats, cockroaches, and crows are my experimental subjects."

The councilors immediately started discussing the direction of this research before the meeting officially entered the third stage.

Their academic exchange enriched Audrey's knowledge quite a bit. She listened very seriously and would occasionally share her thoughts and insights.

"Alright, this conference will end here." After a while, Derlau clapped his hands.

Audrey subconsciously wanted to stand up and lead the other councilors into bowing and bidding farewell. However, she quickly came to her senses and continued sitting there, being the penultimate person to stand up.

Before leaving, she asked curiously, "Mr. President, does this city have a name?"

"Yes." Derlau laughed. "The Garden of Eden."

Garden of Eden… Audrey saw that the other councillors were walking towards the door and asked thoughtfully, "There are many cathedrals here. They should represent a faith. Uh, I wonder which existence the 'residents' here believe in?"

Derlau nodded and replied solemnly, "The omnipotent and omniscient Creator."

…

Garden of Eden… The omnipotent and omniscient Creator… If this wasn't created by Adam, I'll write my name backward! Above the gray fog, inside the ancient palace, Klein looked at the crimson star representing Miss Justice and silently muttered to himself.

In addition, to recite "Adam" when faced with danger as a response would indicate a problem without concealing anything.

Ever since Miss Justice entered the Garden of Eden, the true vision provided by Sefirah Castle had been suppressed. Klein could only use Audrey's point of view to observe the surroundings, just like how Queen Mystic Bernadette's fixed viewpoint back on the primitive island. To a certain extent, this also showed the status of the mind city, Garden of Eden.

Klein gently tapped the edge of the long mottled table and conjured a pen and paper to write his thoughts.

This wasn't something he couldn't analyze based on his own thinking. Instead, when facing an existence like Adam, he needed to repeatedly ponder and analyze the details. Thus, the words that formed on the paper helped him to read them back and forth so as to notice and make up any missing details.

"Basic premise; Adam has already advanced to Sequence 0 using the full-scale war from before. By becoming a true god, 'He' can be known as a Visionary.

"Miss Justice happened to become a Sequence 4 Manipulator after Hvin Rambis's death. She may be able to convince others, but she can't convince Adam.

"What does Adam want? Setting up a Sequence 4 saint doesn't match 'His' identity as a Visionary unless 'He' has another ploy up 'His' sleeves…

"His real target is the mind dragon, or is it me who's backing Miss Justice?

"Care and vigilance must be enhanced on this matter. We must not be careless.

"In the Garden of Eden, the cathedral that the Psychology Alchemists councilors were using is similar to Adam's corpse cathedral. However, it's only a little similar. The stone columns on its exterior are inlaid with several skulls. There is no corresponding layout inside, and the color is dark-black and very gloomy. What does this mean?

"What does that grayish-white dragon coiling around the huge cross symbolize? The first step in resurrecting the Creator has been successful?

"Uh, Adam is already a Visionary. If 'His' father or the original Creator returns, 'He' would be the first one to be unlucky. 'He' is willing to sacrifice 'Himself'? This is the meaning of being 'zealous'?

"That rabbit is suspected to be Hermes… However, as an angel of the Spectator pathway, it doesn't make sense for 'Him' to not be able to remove Miss Messenger's transformation curse after so long, especially since 'He' has a Visionary who can provide help… Hmm, did Hermes do it on purpose?

"Yes, the president of the Psychology Alchemists, Derlau, mentioned that to the Spectator, death only represented the end of one's identity. He can still participate in other theatrical plays in other aspects as another identity…

"By combining them together, does this mean that once the Spectator pathway reaches Sequence 3 or Sequence 2, they can separate the identities they once held and make them become living people? And even if these identities were to die, it wouldn't lead to the deaths of their real bodies?

"It does look like the preamble to becoming a Visionary…

"Hmm, the rabbit that Hermes turned into after being cursed was separated as an identity which later directly participated in the Psychology Alchemists? What does 'He' want to do? Back then, when the Twilight Hermit Order communicated, 'He' was sitting beside the Emperor…"

After Klein was done writing, he put down his fountain pen and carefully read the contents a few times, his heart clouded with mystery and puzzlement.

In the end, he could only decide to continue observing and be vigilant.

And at this moment, Audrey had already taken the carriage she used, exited the Garden of Eden, and returned to the park in Empress Borough with the man-made lake.

She wasn't in a rush to pray to Mr. Fool, hoping that there would be a better way to seal the Pride mask. She returned to her luxurious villa as though nothing had happened.

Chapter 1320 Mind Mail

Susie was sitting by the door, waiting for Audrey to return.

At that moment, the golden retriever immediately went up to her as soon as she saw her approach. She even gave a rather talented showcase of her acting by barking and wagging her tail.

She didn't ask on the spot; instead, she kept accompanying Audrey back to her bedroom before asking in concern, "Is it over?"

Audrey tersely acknowledged, indicating that there was no problem.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Susie pressed.

"Not yet." Audrey shook her head slightly.

Due to Susie's concern, she instinctively recalled her previous experience, but to her surprise, she realized that she couldn't recall the image and name of the Psychology Alchemists president. To recall even the information that she had learned from The World Gehrman Sparrow, she had to focus quite a bit.

To be frank, in front of Beyonders below the demigod level, she could do similar feats as a Manipulator. However, to influence a saint in the mind domain and make it impossible for them to sense it was almost impossible unless the other party was hypnotized, unconscious, or enslaved.

That gentleman's level is probably higher than I expected… Audrey controlled her emotions and calmly made a certain judgment.

She gave Susie a look and got the golden retriever to stand guard outside the door. In her mind, she outlined the character mask that represented Pride.

Just as she was thinking about this, she felt a slight fluctuation in the sea of collective subconscious around her.

With just a thought, Audrey reached out her left hand and grabbed it. She took out an abnormally cold, illusory grayish-white mask.

As long as I seriously think about it, will this Pride mask come to my side? Or should I say that it has already existed in my subconscious and has been following me? As Audrey carefully examined her mind island, she signaled with a thought that made the Pride mask vanish.

The ice-cold, illusory grayish-white mask quickly turned transparent and melted into the surrounding sea of collective subconscious.

Audrey still couldn't determine where this Pride mask had gone. Why did it appear in such a timely manner each time?

This made her increasingly wary. She decided to pray to Mr. Fool and make the wish of sealing the mask.

Just as she was thinking of doing a few more experiments to obtain more knowledge from Pride, she saw the sea of collective subconscious begin to resonate without using her Manipulator Beyonder powers.

A beam of light came from afar as it grew larger and more obvious. Finally, it turned into an illusory letter.

This letter stopped in front of Audrey's mind island as though it was searching for a path to complete the "delivery."

Audrey naturally wouldn't let any foreign object enter her mind world. She hurriedly reached out her left hand and touched the illusory letter.

Seeing that her fingers were about to touch the surface of the letter, Audrey suddenly stopped.

Her experience and intelligence told her at the same time:

Don't touch anything in the mysticism world rashly. This was especially so for the mind domain. Otherwise, it would easily lead to corruption and produce mental problems!

With this in mind, Audrey produced a Virtual Persona and put on the black long-veiled glove, Hand of Horror.

After making the necessary preparations, she reached out to grab the illusory letter and watched as it peeled away its outer layer and flipped over one page at a time.

This was all the information related to the mind dragon in East Chester County.

To use the sea of collective subconscious to transmit information… The higher-ups of the Spectator pathway are truly amazing… As a Manipulator, Audrey had been trying her best to maintain her initial yearning towards the mysticism world. It was a pure and innocent pursuit of "dreams" and "magic."

This was one of the ways to prevent herself from losing herself in the "Manipulating" experience of things, and not be assimilated by the sea of collective subconscious.

After flipping through all the information, Audrey let the illusory letter melt into the sea of collective subconscious.

She was still in no hurry to pray to Mr. Fool. According to her previous arrangements, she went out to be busy over other things.

At dusk, before the banquet at home began, she found some time to quickly make a prayer in her bedroom and make a wish.

In the next second, Audrey saw the grayish-white Pride appear from the sea of collective subconscious in front of her. The illusory feeling slowly vanished as a tiny amount of metallic luster flashed.

For some reason, this persona mask had a certain substantial feel to it as though it was bordering between illusory and realism.

This meant that it was isolated from Audrey's mind island in a physical sense.

Of course, it also lost the ability to return to the sea of collective subconscious.

Audrey held Pride and attempted to remove Lie that had turned into an emerald necklace, overlapping the two together.

Just as she had expected, the half-illusory, half-real Pride embedded itself into Lie, turning into a blob of patterns that roughly looked like a human face.

In the future, I'll use this method to carry it with me. I won't allow the persona mask to have any contact with my mind or body until I need to use it… Audrey's mind raced as she sincerely thanked Mr. Fool.

She then left for the banquet hall.

Along the way, she met her father, Earl Hall.

"Good news." Earl Hall laughed.

Audrey didn't hide her surprise.

"Alfred's coming back?"

This was her other brother.

"You actually guessed it?" Earl Hall said in surprise, "In the next half of the year, he will return to Backlund as a general."

Half a year… Susie is already a Dreamwalker… Audrey thought for a moment and asked, "Father, when are we returning to East Chester County?"

As the war had just ended and there were many things in the kingdom that needed to be done, the nobles didn't return to their respective fiefs during New Year's. They remained in Backlund all this time. It was already the end of February.

Earl Hall nodded and said, "About April."

…

In the ancient palace above the fog.

Mind Mail… Be careful of viruses, don't click on them without thought… As Klein sighed, he threw the curtain that represented the Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic back into the junk pile, allowing it to cover all the items there.

He had just fulfilled Miss Justice's wish using the "Grafting" ability he named. He connected the illusory concept of the persona mask to an ordinary metal mask, and he gave the Worms of Spirit, who were on duty at Sefirah Castle, an order to recharge the powers from time to time to prolong the "Grafting" effect.

From the description of Mr. Gluttony from the Psychology Alchemists, Zaratul seems to have found Constant City. I have to be even more careful… Klein tapped the edge of the long mottled table with his finger, causing Worms of Spirit to appear from his body.

His figure vanished from Sefirah Castle.

…

Winter County, Amantha mountain range, Cathedral of Serenity.

Leonard obtained a document from the Pope.

This was the first thing he was responsible for after becoming a high-ranking deacon.

After returning to his room, Leonard leisurely leaned back and placed his feet on the desk. Then, he opened the document in his hand and began reading.

A wandering magician, Merlin Hermes, grants the wishes of others for pleasure… The newly rebuilt Constant City… Fully Automatic Wishing Machine… Sequence 4 of the Seer pathway is Bizarro Sorcerer, Sequence 3 is Scholar of Yore, and Sequence 2 is Miracle Invoker…

Leonard read until he suddenly fell silent.

After a few seconds, he suppressed his voice and asked, "Old Man, how many angels of the Seer pathway are active across the land?"

Pallez Zoroast scoffed.

"This is acting. There should only be one Miracle Invoker who still needs to act.

"You should know who I'm talking about."

Leonard looked at the information in his hand again and mumbled, "He's having quite a good time…"

He had already decided that the main purpose of this mission was to act as a Nightwatcher and digest his potion. He could also travel in passing. As for handling the matter, what mattered was to find a reasonable explanation.

After flipping through the thick documents in boredom, Leonard retracted his feet and stood up.

He was going to retrieve a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact that a high-ranking deacon like him could own.

To other saints of the Church of Evernight, this was quite a headache. This was because the negative effects of Sealed Artifacts weren't easily endured. It was even more so when one needed to carry them for a long period of time. However, if one chose a Holy Artifact that was more compatible with him, there would be a problem of powers overlapping.

As for Leonard, he didn't need to worry about this problem. As long as the Sealed Artifact he was interested in had a living characteristic, he could get Old Man's help. By parasitizing it with a Worm of Time, it significantly reduced the negative effects of the Sealed Artifact, making it as obedient as the Word of the Sea.

Therefore, the main thing to choose is its powers… Leonard whistled and walked out of the room.

…

Monday afternoon, in the ancient palace above the gray fog.

Dark red beams shot out, materializing into different figures.

Derrick hadn't needed to count his heartbeat for a long time. All he needed to do was take a look at the wall clock and calculate the time difference with Backlund to know how much longer before the Tarot Gathering happened. At that moment, he stood up with Miss Justice and the other members of the Tarot Club. He bowed to the end of the long bronze table and said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."

After taking their seats and paying their respects, Emlyn glanced left and right and said, "I want to know if there's something special about the Planter and the Moon pathways compared to the other pathways?"

After raising the question, he didn't hide it and instead added frankly, "I recently learned that the internal system of the Church of Earth is different from other normal systems. It's split into two categories—Favored and Blessed…"

After Emlyn finished his simple description, Alger, Cattleya, Leonard, and company looked at each other, unable to provide a reasonable explanation.

Of course, every member present, including Derrick, could tell that the internal system of the Church of Earth was abnormal.

At this moment, they heard a soft sigh.

This sigh seemed to come from an era more ancient than ancient. It came from Mr. Fool, who sat at the end of the long mottled table.

Chapter 1321 The Six Special Pathways

The Fool Klein slowly surveyed the area. He didn't provide an explanation to everyone as they had expected. Instead, he reined in his sigh and asked with a smile, "Where do you think the twenty-two Beyonder pathways originate from?"

This was one of the three most important questions in mysticism, with no consensus for the answer. Every school of thought had its own theory; no one could convince anyone.

Cattleya deliberated for a moment before replying, "The essence of the world is knowledge, and the essence of knowledge is data. Humans are data, and the Beyonder characteristics of the twenty-two pathways are data. All things are a form of data, and this is how it was born."

She had offered the Moses Ascetic Order's theory, but that was not her own point of view.

"The seven Churches believe that the Beyonder characteristic originated from the original Creator. 'He' transformed into all things, including the deities, humans, sea, land, and Beyonder characteristics," Leonard briefly explained. "Of course, this is an explanation given to deacons and above. The official Beyonders below Sequence 6 don't need to know so much."

Then, he glanced at Emlyn and said, "The Life School of Thought believes that the world is split into three levels. The material world, the world of the spirit, and the world of absolute rationality. Beyonder characteristics are the projections of certain things from the world of absolute rationality into the material world and world of the spirit. Therefore, characteristics can't be destroyed. It only reassembles."

From the looks of it, the world of absolute rationality that the Life School of Thought promotes might be referring to the river of fate… The Fool Klein thought of Will Auceptin, but he remained silent and didn't interrupt the conversation between the members of the Tarot Club.

Emlyn returned a glance at The Star and said, "As one of the rulers of the Second Epoch, us Sanguine believe that Beyonder characteristics do come from the original Creator. Then, the various characteristics accumulated and produced the ancient gods. The ancient gods then created different races."

This was the Sanguine's explanation for the First Epoch, and Emlyn already had some doubts about it. After all, he had encountered many secrets thanks to the Tarot Club.

Alger nodded slightly.

"Although there are many explanations for the origins of a Beyonder characteristic, most of them point to the original Creator. The orthodox Churches, Aurora Order, and the City of Silver share such a belief."

"In other words, Beyonder characteristics originating from the original Creator is quite the prevalent understanding?" Audrey asked thoughtfully.

The Psychology Alchemists mainly studied the mind world and the sea of collective subconscious. They lacked complete theories regarding the origins of the Beyonder characteristics.

"Roughly." Alger didn't conceal his views.

At this moment, The Fool Klein sighed and said, "Not all of them."

He didn't proceed on to give a long story, but gave a rather vague answer.

Not all of them… Mr. Fool means that Beyonder characteristics indeed originate from the original Creator, but not all of them. A small number of them are special cases? Is this the reason for the specialness of the Planter and Moon pathway? Alger instantly thought of a lot and grasped the essence of the problem.

As it had nothing to do with her, Fors continued listening leisurely. At this moment, she asked curiously, "Honorable Mr. Fool, your meaning seems to be that most Beyonder characteristics originated from the original Creator, and the two pathways such as Planter and Moon are an exception. Then where did they come from?"

The Fool Klein said simply, "The Cosmos."

Cosmos… Emlyn was alarmed when he heard that. He realized that the matter might be more serious than he had imagined.

The Tarot Club had already shared the danger of the underground corruption and the cosmos. All of the members knew that these two concepts led to corruption simply from understanding it.

When Audrey, Cattleya, and company looked at each other, The Fool Klein maintained his hint of a sigh and added, "Not just these two."

He and the Seven Lights had always maintained their contact and had already confirmed that six of the Beyonders of the twenty-two Beyonder pathways belonged to Outer Deities.

"Honorable Mr. Fool, what other pathways come from the cosmos?" Audrey habitually raised her hand and asked curiously and warily.

The Fool Klein replied succinctly, "Prisoner, Criminal, Lawyer, and Arbiter."

The first two came from the Mother Tree of Desire, and the latter two, along with the Nation of Disorder, came from the Son of Chaos.

Chaos gave birth to order, and order came with its own shadow.

Arbiter… Fors turned her head in surprise and glanced at Xio.

She had just thought that this matter had nothing to do with her. She could only watch and not worry about it. Who knew that the trouble was right at her doorstep?

Xio frowned slightly and looked at the end of the long bronze table.

"Honorable Mr. Fool, I usually don't sense any abnormalities, nor have I received any divine epiphanies. Uh, other than those from you."

The Fool Klein smiled and said, "The Arbiter and Lawyer are relatively better."

According to his understanding, the influence the Son of Chaos had on both the Arbiter and the Lawyer pathway wasn't deep. It was incomparable to the Mother Goddess of Depravity's influence on the Moon and Planter pathways, and the Mother Tree of Desire's influence on the Criminal and Prisoner pathways. This Outer Deity had gone silent, as though "He" had disappeared.

Fors and Xio secretly heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, they became more wary of the future.

With Mr. Fool not explaining further, Emlyn composed himself and said, "The uniqueness of the Planter and Moon pathway comes from the cosmos. The divine epiphanies I sensed are likely a form of corruption?"

Alger looked at Mr. Fool at the end of the long, mottled table. Seeing that "He" had no intention of speaking, he nodded and said, "Probably so."

This is a test for me… Emlyn sighed and said,

"I've already grasped the names of the High-Sequence potions of the Planter and Moon pathway. I'm somewhat puzzled about two of them."

After becoming a Sanguine Earl and a high-ranking deacon of the Church of Earth, he obtained the corresponding clearance to access plenty of information that he had never been able to.

Seeing the other members of the Tarot Club look over, The World Gehrman Sparrow raised his hand to pinch his chin. Emlyn thought and said, "The Moon pathway is as follows: Sequence 3—High Summoner; Sequence 2—Life-Giver; Sequence 1—Beauty Goddess. The Planter pathway is as follows: Sequence 3—Pallbearer; Sequence 2—Desolate Matriarch; Sequence 1—Naturewalker.

"What I don't understand is that the names of the two potions—Beauty Goddess and Desolate Matriarch—have certain gender inclinations. What are your thoughts on this?"

"…" For a moment, no one from the Tarot Club spoke. They looked at each other and thought of a possibility.

A few seconds later, Audrey controlled her gaze and said in deliberation, "I remember that Sequence 7 of the Assassin pathway is called Witch. Assassins who consume this potion become Witches."

…This is a test for me… Emlyn's lips moved slightly, unable to say a word.

When he learned the name of the potions, he already had a certain premonition, but he wasn't willing to accept it. He hoped that he could obtain another explanation from the Tarot Club.

Don't worry. You have a low chance of becoming an angel. Even if you can, you won't have the chance to be a Beauty Goddess… Klein mumbled inwardly, but he didn't say any words of "comfort."

Everyone fell silent. Leonard coughed and took the initiative to say, "I'll share some matters."

He spoke at a moderate pace regarding Merlin Hermes, the rebuilding of Constant City overnight, and the Fully Automatic Wishing Machine.

As he spoke, he shot a glance at The World Klein.

The corners of Klein's mouth twitched as he made The World Gehrman Sparrow look ahead.

"I'll be leaving the eastern coast of Midseashire soon."

Eh… These were all done by Mr. World? Can he already create such miracles? As expected of an angel, a "Him"… Audrey recalled the information the Psychology Alchemists councilor, Mr. Gluttony, had shared. She was both surprised and impressed.

She didn't use her Spectator's powers to conceal her reaction. This was because everyone had expressed the same emotions, except for Mr. Star, who clearly knew about it.

Merlin Hermes… Wandering magician… Fors noted the name deep down and secretly decided to distance herself from this name whenever she heard it in the future.

This didn't mean that she was still afraid of Gehrman Sparrow, but she knew something:

It definitely wasn't safe around Gehrman Sparrow. Something would always be happening in some way or another.

Of course, an instinctive sense of fear was inevitable. It was just like how a seed of "fear" sown when one was young would remain even when one became an adult.

Granting wishes for pleasure… Fully Automatic Wishing Machine… Is this The World Gehrman Sparrow's "acting"? Alger and Cattleya had similar thoughts simultaneously flashing through their minds. Then, they thought of something:

Ever since some time ago, Mr. Fool had made everyone pray to "Him" in the form of a wish before granting them.

"He" is helping The World digest the potion, or is it that "He" and The World are from the same pathway? After "He" awoke, "He" also exhibits similar characteristics? Little Sun said before that Mr. Fool's actions were a miracle, allowing the city's residents to directly move from the Forsaken Land of the Gods to outside Bayam City… With the fact that The World Gehrman Sparrow is still acting, this shouldn't be something he can do… Alger nodded indiscernibly as he made a guess about the pathway Mr. Fool was in.

About to leave the eastern coast of Midseashire? Then my investigation will be even easier. I can just come up with a simple conclusion. At most, I can just directly report that Gehrman Sparrow has become a Miracle Invoker and is acting… Anyway, the people who should know are already aware… Leonard mumbled silently and didn't ask further.

At this moment, The World Gehrman Sparrow looked around and asked, "What do you know about the King of the Black Throne, Barros Hopkins?"

Chapter 1322 Hold Off On Something Unresolvable

Upon hearing The World Gehrman Sparrow's question, the other members of the Tarot Club had three reactions:

"Who is that? I seem to have heard of him… He's one of the Four Kings?"

"Who is that? Why haven't I heard of him before…"

"Oh, I forgot to ask about the Psychology Alchemists. I was planning on using a more tactful method to seek some suggestions…"

The first reaction came from Alger, Cattleya, and Fors, who had lived at sea for a period of time. The second reaction came from Leonard, Emlyn, Xio, and Derrick. The third reaction belonged to Audrey alone.

Getting no answers, The World Gehrman Sparrow didn't ask further. His main goal was to use this as a reminder for Miss Justice to bring up the matter for discussion in a way that could bypass the promise she made.

Of course, if Miss Justice were to seek help from Mr. Fool, Klein would also use "Grafting" to temporarily connect the bindings formed from her subconscious to a paper figurine, providing her with a period of time that she could freely recount things.

This was also a high-level application of Paper Figurine Substitutes. With Klein's current level, he could easily do it within Sefirah Castle. If he were in the real world, he would have to rely on the Worms of Spirit above the gray fog to control the "curtain" and provide responses.

At that moment, Audrey thought for a moment and said, "Do you still remember that I once pursued the whereabouts of a mind dragon and went to a place where they had customs of worshiping dragons?"

Alger, Cattleya, and company nodded. Only Leonard and Xio expressed their lack of knowledge of this matter.

As this wasn't an important matter, Fors didn't mention it when she first briefed Xio of the "general knowledge." After that, she was frightened by Angel of Imagination Adam, and rarely talked about the secrets shared by the Tarot Club in the real world.

Audrey deliberated for a moment before continuing, "It's been almost two years. A secret organization that doesn't trust me too much suddenly mentioned this matter and has entrusted me with further investigations. They said it's a form of observation. What motives do they have?"

She didn't think it was a coincidence.

Emlyn recovered and laughed.

"This should be a test."

To him, he was still very far from reaching Sequence 1 Beauty Goddess, and he had no intention of transferring to the Planter pathway. Therefore, he didn't need to worry about the corresponding problems for a long period of time. There was no need to worry too much about it.

Emlyn's ability to say the word "test" shows how much he has improved… Of course, this is also because the Sanguine has done too many similar things to him, having to trouble Mr. Hanged Man into telling him that "this is a test"… The Fool Klein was very satisfied with Emlyn's answer.

Of course, he didn't believe that the answer was correct. He only felt that Emlyn's ability to think up to this level was already pretty remarkable.

Audrey said disapprovingly, "I suspect that they already know that I'm problematic. They even know where my problem is and which faction is involved. There's no need to test me further."

After leaving the Garden of Eden, she had been thinking a lot. She remembered that Mr. World had once said that the Twilight Hermit Order wanted a war that would sweep the entire world.

Based on the current situation, this goal has been achieved in the past year.

In other words, the Twilight Hermit Order or Angel of Imagination Adam must've used this opportunity to gain quite a number of benefits and experience the corresponding growth.

And before that, Mr. Fool informed them that Adam was ever closer to the level of a deity.

Combining all this information, Audrey had a preliminary judgment that Angel of Imagination Adam had a high chance of already reaching the divine throne and becoming a Sequence 0 Visionary.

Even if "He" wasn't there yet, "He" wasn't too far!

If such a deity who wielded the mind domain cast "His" gaze over, Audrey didn't believe that her secret could be hidden.

At present, she could only console herself that the leader of the Twilight Hermit Order, the mastermind behind the Psychology Alchemists wouldn't place too much importance on a Sequence 4 Manipulator. On the one hand, she had made all sorts of preparations to deal with the possible "accidents."

"Perhaps that organization is trying to figure how many members we have in the Tarot Club and what their identities are," Emlyn replied with a smile as he continued on his train of thought.

Audrey thought for a moment and nodded.

"That possibility can't be ruled out."

As she said this, she shot a glance at the end of the long, mottled table and realized that Mr. Fool was only listening to her leisurely without giving her the correct answer.

This made her feel a lot more at ease. At the same time, she silently decided that she had to be more careful. She had to be able to resolve problems herself, having already reached Sequence 4.

In any Orthodox Church or secret organization, Sequence 4 was the strongest person in control of an area.

At this moment, Alger, who had heard their conversation, proposed a brand new possibility:

"If that secret organization really doesn't trust you, then it might be an excuse for them to do an observation. Their main goal is to cooperate with us, the Tarot Club, and Mr. Fool."

He didn't know why Miss Justice didn't mention the Psychology Alchemists directly. All he could do was carefully go along with her.

Hmm… This is equivalent to me becoming an ambassador of the Tarot Club to the Psychology Alchemists? Audrey nodded slightly and said, "That's also possible.

"Then what should I do next?"

Alger thought for a moment and said, "Stall for time."

Good idea… Fors and Emlyn both expressed their agreement.

After Alger gave the overall strategy, he added in detail, "Try to stall for time and find excuses not to go until the final moment.

"When you arrive there, start investigating from the periphery and use caution as an excuse to slow down your investigation.

"If you really can't delay any further, you can deliberately make mistakes in certain matters and create some commotion so that the mind dragon can detect it early and eliminate any traces.

"If that secret organization really has any additional motives, the longer you delay, the more they won't be able to sit still. If they get impatient, they will expose the problem."

Cattleya nodded.

"This is the most suitable response for now."

"I understand. Thank you, everyone." Audrey also felt that Mr. Hanged Man's suggestion suited her thoughts.

However, she didn't delay a certain matter. She immediately turned her head and looked at the end of the long, mottled table. She bowed and said, "Honorable Mr. Fool, has Angel of Imagination Adam advanced to Sequence 0?"

Not bad. To be able to be aware of this point… The Fool Klein leaned back in his chair and chuckled.

"Only with the apocalypse approaching did 'He' finally take that step."

The level of the Garden of Eden had virtually confirmed that Adam was definitely a Visionary.

Angel of Imagination Adam has become a god? This news immediately reverberated in Derrick and company's minds, leaving their minds in upheavals for a long time.

Indeed… Audrey pursed her lips and expressed her gratitude before asking, "What kind of payment do I need to make for this answer?"

The Fool Klein surveyed the area and said with a smile,

"There's no need.

"It's a reminder."

After this topic ended, because most of the Tarot Club members were still immersed in the impact of Adam becoming a true god, no one spoke for a moment.

After a few seconds, Derrick looked around and probed, "The City of Silver has already plowed the surrounding fields and planted wheat and other crops, but the harvest will still take some time. I wish to know what we can do to earn gold pounds and purchase resources?"

After the initial aid, the Church of the Sea God and the government of the Rorsted Archipelago stopped providing free aid. After all, their financial strength was rather limited. In this situation, the City of Silver and Moon City each sold a batch of Beyonder characteristics and monster hides in exchange for a large amount of funds that could be used to purchase various resources.

However, with the entrance to the Forsaken Land of the Gods closed, they were unable to replenish Beyonder characteristics and monster hides. It was also impossible for the City of Silver and Moon City to give up their military strength either, selling large amounts of combat resources and wasting the opportunity of nurturing their descendants. Therefore, once all the gold pounds, gold, and jewelry were used up, they would undoubtedly fall into a predicament.

For this reason, the six-member council had been troubled over how to earn gold pounds from the outside world and how to establish a stable financial system. This was a little beyond their capabilities.

The Beyonder characteristics that the City of Silver and Moon City had previously sold were mainly purchased by the Church of the Sea God and the Rorsted Archipelago government. They were used to establish official Beyonder factions under them. After all, the number of Beyonders needed to cause damage, and the number of Beyonders needed to stabilize an area was on completely different levels.

In addition, the entire Rorsted Archipelago only had Sea God Kalvetua and the demigod cardinal of the Church of the Lord of Storms. This was slightly insufficient for a new government, especially since the Church of Storms and the Church of Sea God weren't allies.

After hearing Little Sun's plea for help, the other members of the Tarot Club began to seriously consider what the City of Silver and Moon City residents could do.

Audrey thought for a moment and asked, "What are you best at?"

"Combat," Derrick replied without any hesitation.

Alger nodded slightly when he heard that.

"Although the world war has ended, law and order hasn't been restored in the colonies of the Southern Continent. It's still very chaotic there, and small-scale wars occur from time to time. You can try to form two to three mercenary teams and be hired by any faction."

Private military contractors… Klein gave an even more modern name to the suggestion.

"This is a good idea." Derrick's eyes lit up when he heard that.

Alger asked again, "Combat is a survival instinct. Other than this, do you still have anything you want to do?"

Derrick replied in embarrassment, "Many people wish to be chefs and brewers, as well as hope to work at candy factories…"

Chapter 1323 Development Plan

After hearing the City of Silver citizens' wishes, a thought suddenly surfaced in Klein's mind:

Why is everything related to food…

Alger thought for a moment and said to Derrick, "You can make people with such thoughts join the industry association in Bayam. Seek out suitable teachers through the association, and directly invite people with specialties in such fields to teach in the new City of Silver and provide generous salaries.

"Of course, the prerequisite is that you have to get the residents to grasp the language of the Rorsted Archipelago as soon as possible. On this basis, Loenese, ancient Feysac, and Dutanese have to be taught too."

After The Hanged Man finished speaking, The Hermit Cattleya gave her suggestion:

"Other than organizing the mercenary teams, you can also try to apply for civil jobs in the various cities of the Rorsted Archipelago to handle supernatural matters."

Although the Rorsted Archipelago government and the Church of the Sea God had obtained a batch of Beyonder characteristics and the corresponding potion formulas from the City of Silver and Moon City, they were unable to nurture enough Beyonders in a short period of time. Sequence 9 was relatively still alright. The chances of someone being selected for their good mental strength and physique to lose control from consuming the potion were actually very small. If one were to further advance, acting might not necessarily be successful, and it also required time.

Under such circumstances, as long as the residents of the City of Silver became members of the official faction, they wouldn't be worried about losing their jobs in the future.

Of course, the Rorsted Archipelago's government would definitely control the number of applicants. The City of Silver wouldn't be able to completely resolve everyone's employment problems using this route.

Klein agreed with Ma'am Hermit's suggestion. Furthermore, he believed that there was a need for him to give a revelation to Danitz, allowing the Rorsted Archipelago government and the Church of Sea God to increase the number of official Beyonders to a certain range.

This wasn't to help the City of Silver's residents and the majority of the deformed people in Moon City find jobs, but to deal with the impending apocalypse, the deeper corruption of the Outer Deities, and the gradually increasing frequency of supernatural incidents.

At that moment, Cattleya glanced at Miss Justice and continued speaking to Derrick.

"You should now have a large amount of liquid funds. You can try to invest in the mines, spice plantations, farms, and purchase fertile land and forests with rich produce. They're all very cheap now. Yes, although the Church of the Lord of Storms can still influence the archipelago, and although the new government promises to protect the local businesses, there are still a large number of people from Loen, Feysac, and Intis who lack confidence. They wish to cash out and return to their countries as soon as possible."

That Oracle named Danitz recently bought a spice plantation… Derrick recalled what he had heard before and immediately felt enlightened.

Cattleya's suggestion gave others inspiration. Audrey immediately added, "When negotiating, it's best if you invite some professional lawyers. If not, you'll be fooled easily. Well, if you think there's a need, you can bring along a Psyche Analyst from the city.

"Also, you have a medium-sized port that can develop the corresponding economy…

"While the official Beyonders of the Rorsted Archipelago's government and the Church of the Sea God are lacking in generation knowledge, you can set paid classes designed for outsiders in the New City of Silver's Savant schools. Well, remove the knowledge that will easily clash with the orthodox Church…

"The railway connecting the new City of Silver and other cities must be built as soon as possible…"

Derrick was taken aback when he heard that. He hurriedly raised his hand and said, "Sorry, I need to memorize what was just said."

I forgot that he has no foundation in economics… Audrey reflected on herself, closed her mouth, and smiled as she signaled for Little Sun to seek help from Mr. Fool.

After Derrick conjured a pen and paper and wrote down the previous suggestions, Audrey, Emlyn, The Star Leonard, and the other members of the Tarot Club offered their ideas one after another. They also rebutted the suggestions that weren't mature or pragmatic enough.

This intense scene lasted for nearly half an hour before ending. Derrick looked at the adequately thick pieces of paper in front of him and couldn't help but smile.

He seemed to have seen the beautiful future of the City of Silver.

Sitting at the end of the long, mottled table, The Fool Klein sighed for some baffling reason as his heart felt a lot heavier.

If one didn't consider how the apocalypse was about a decade away, the discussion would've been pleasing regarding the promising future that awaited the City of Silver.

However, the arrival of the apocalypse wouldn't change because of the will of humans. Even saints and angels couldn't do it.

Looking away from the paper in front of him, Derrick deliberated and said, "We have already built the temple and cathedral meant for Mr. Fool. We wish to proselytize to various cities in the archipelago. What do we need to pay attention to?"

Alger frowned slightly and said, "Have you written a Holy Bible? Have you designed the Order of Mass and prayer details?"

"Yes." Derrick nodded heavily.

That was based on his knowledge of the miracles Mr. Fool had shown, combined with the religious scriptures left behind by the Creator. Furthermore, the City of Silver had also prayed to The Fool seeking "His" thoughts on the matter, "His" attitude was a tacit agreement.

"Has the internal system of the Church been set up?" Alger continued asking.

Derrick subconsciously looked at Mr. Fool, who was shrouded in layers of grayish-white fog, and turned around.

"Currently, it's following the internal system of the other Churches. The Chief of our six-member council will hold the role of archbishop, and a number of enthusiastic citizens have been appointed as bishops and priests."

The City of Silver didn't set up an organization to deal with Beyonder matters within the Church, since most of them were Beyonders, and there were already the corresponding organizations in place previously.

Alger saw that Mr. Fool didn't object nor agree. He controlled his desire to teach and nodded slightly.

"You can try that out first."

He paused for a moment before saying, "However, there are two things to take note of. First, don't badmouth the other Churches, lest there be conflict. Second, it's to respect the current Oracle. In the absence of a leader appointed by Mr. Fool, the Oracle is the representative of a deity."

Third, don't engage in religious harassment during proselytizing… Besides, I have serious doubts about the eloquence of the bishops and priests of the City of Silver. I'll need to get Danitz to find professionals to train them… The Fool Klein, who was listening quietly, muttered inwardly.

He didn't express his opinion on the Holy Bible written by the City of Silver, because it was a little awkward, but if he objected to certain descriptions, it would also damage The Fool's image.

With this in mind, Klein couldn't help but lampoon.

Perhaps one day, when Will Auceptin reads the Holy Bible of the Church of The Fool, he would blurt out in surprise: When did I become an angel under The Fool?

Then, Leonard's grandpa, the awakened Mr. Azik, and Miss Messenger, who has been trying hard to recover, will add, "What? Me too?"

After the conversation regarding the City of Silver and Moon City came to an end, Cattleya looked around in anticipation and said, "Which of you has a Sequence 3 Beyonder characteristic of the Mystery Pryer pathway?"

She had already digested the Mysticologist potion for quite some time, but she had only obtained the potion formula from the Moses Ascetic Order. She was still far from obtaining the Beyonder characteristic or the main ingredients.

Although she was one of the ten key members of the Moses Ascetic Order, the corresponding resources became more valuable the higher the Sequence. Even an ancient organization wouldn't squander them freely. Furthermore, Cattleya came from the Dawn and was less affected by the Hidden Sage, so she wasn't that trusted in the Moses Ascetic Order.

To Cattleya, who had already digested the potion a long time ago using the Snake of Fate's blood to advance to a Mysticologist, Sequence 3 should've been a relatively easier stage. However, she was bottlenecked by the ingredients. It might not even be possible for her to obtain one for years or even more than a decade.

Hence, she had no choice but to seek help at the Tarot Club.

Derrick recalled the demigod characteristics that the City of Silver had and slowly shook his head.

At that moment, The World Gehrman Sparrow said with a hoarse chuckle, "I suggest you ask Queen Mystic directly."

Bernadette had already become a Sequence 2 angel. If she had an additional Clairvoyant Beyonder characteristic in her, she could attempt to separate it.

Of course, Klein couldn't be certain that the Sage potion that Queen Mystic consumed contained the previous Sequence 3 and Sequence 4 characteristics.

Ask the Queen? Cattleya got some clues from The World's answer and suspected that something had happened to the Queen.

"Okay." She controlled the urge to ask.

Klein continued controlling The World and said to Ma'am Hermit, "I have a long-term mission: Help me collect information regarding the Hidden Sage's sudden coming back to life.

"You can raise the corresponding remuneration now. Or you can wait until there's a need in the future."

Klein was still puzzled over this matter. Although it could be described as a Uniqueness suddenly coming to life, it should've happened a long time ago if it was possible.

Cattleya thought for a moment and said, "That wouldn't be an issue."

After another round of exchanges, the Tarot Gathering ended and the members returned to the real world.

In the captain's cabin of the Future, Cattleya nudged the heavy glasses on her nose bridge and thought about how to write the letter to the Queen.

During this process, she strolled to the window and saw Frank Lee promoting the alcohol-free volcano beer brewed by sea microorganisms to the crew.

He really has the drive… Just as Cattleya sighed, she suddenly frowned.

At the Tarot Club just now, Mr. Fool mentioned that the Planter and The Moon are two rather special pathways. They come from the cosmos, and they are prone to corruption. The divine epiphanies they receive are questionable.

Frank is a Beyonder of the Planter pathway…

Besides, he once complained that the Church of Earth Mother didn't understand the true will of the merciful mother… Cattleya's eyes that were blocked by the heavy lens narrowed slightly.

Chapter 1324 Handling

After staring at the deck below, Cattleya left the captain's cabin and walked to the cabin's entrance. She waited until Frank Lee carried a bucket of alcohol-free beer over.

"Captain, do you want a cup?" Frank raised the large bucket of beer with one hand.

Cattleya shook her head firmly and asked in a seemingly casual manner, "Is this the will of the benevolent mother?"

"No," Frank said rather seriously. "I just feel that drinking liquor that has been altered by a modified sedative isn't good for the body. I hope that they'll be able to accept this drink that has no alcohol inside, other than the smell of alcohol. Of course, this is only a preliminary result and it doesn't involve liquor. After all, it can't use distillation to enhance its taste."

Cattleya was momentarily at a loss for words as she nudged the heavy glasses on her nose bridge. After two seconds of silence, she said, "Do you hear the benevolent mother's voice or divine epiphanies?"

"No." Frank didn't think much of it as he shook his head.

Phew… Cattleya secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Frank casually added, "The benevolent mother's will is in the ears of the wheat, in the milk of cows, in the growth of mushrooms, and in every corner of nature. One can feel it without the need to experience the divine epiphany."

Cattleya's gaze immediately shot towards Frank's eyes. She didn't find any signs of madness, only pureness.

Without another word, she nodded slightly and walked forward. She crossed Frank Lee and arrived on the deck.

After taking in the sea's vista for a few minutes, Cattleya returned to the captain's cabin. She unfolded a letter and wrote:

"I wonder what's your take regarding Frank's actions? He claims that he doesn't obtain any divine epiphanies, and believes that the benevolent mother's will is hidden in every nook and cranny of nature."

This was a letter to Gehrman Sparrow. Cattleya believed that just by adding such a question, he would be able to understand what she was implying.

After folding the letter, she took out a gold coin and began to summon the terrifying messenger.

…

Ma'am Hermit wrote me a letter immediately after the Tarot Gathering ended… It shouldn't be related to the Hidden Sage. It can't be that fast… Klein was on a cruise ship, traveling on the Tussock River.

Wearing a black robe, he took the letter from Miss Messenger's mouth and opened it. He finished reading all the content with a glance.

This… Klein frowned slightly.

Perhaps it was because Frank had shown enough danger and "madness" in his usual behavior that he had actually neglected the possibility of this Druid being affected by the Mother Goddess of Depravity.

Frank had once been placed on trial by the Church of Earth Mother for a forbidden experiment, and then he was placed on a wanted list… If Earth Mother hadn't been corrupted, and the Church of Earth's operations were rather normal, then it means that they believe that Frank is problematic… However, if there's concrete evidence, Frank, who went to the court, probably wouldn't have lived… Klein's mind raced as he attempted to find clues based on his understanding of Frank.

There's no problem with the relevant actions. The prayer posture and his usual prayer gestures are different. It's just like how when the Beyonders of the Church of Evernight pray, they won't draw four stars on their chests at times. At most, they'll just go through the final motions…

Apart from this small problem, there's something wrong with Frank in every aspect. He's like a child raised by the Mother Goddess of Depravity… As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Klein had two contradictory guesses.

Either Frank's corruption was very hidden, making it impossible for the Church of Earth Mother's tribunal to be certain, or he wasn't affected by the Mother Goddess of Depravity at all. It was purely because he had a mental problem that made him look like a Blessed of an evil god.

Regardless of which guess it was, Klein believed that the subsequent development wouldn't be good.

He remembered very clearly that Frank's mushroom experiment had a breakthrough because he had been given an assistant who believed in the Primordial Moon. And the Primordial Moon was one of the manifestations of the Mother Goddess of Depravity.

That also meant that from that moment forth, regardless of whether Frank had any problems in the past, he could very well have entered the eyes of the Mother Goddess of Depravity.

This wasn't a good thing.

Of course, I can't eliminate the possibility that Frank is excessively crazy, causing the Mother Goddess of Depravity to just look away… Klein mumbled in amusement, hoping to make the best out of it.

This was nearly impossible. The horror and strength of a foreign god wasn't something a demigod could understand.

Klein even suspected that if it wasn't for the overly intense response that would destroy the anchors of the deities, allowing "Them" to attack each other in a frenzy, resulting in the Beyonder characteristics to gather and awaken the Oldest One, the Outer Deities might've already destroyed the sun and destroyed the ecosystem of the world. They weren't able to do anything to the Oldest One's barrier, but they were free to do anything to the star outside the barrier.

Sometimes, Klein wondered if the astronomically observed sun was real or not. Perhaps it was just the Eternal Blazing Sun that hung "Himself" there.

So far, there shouldn't be any major problems with the mushrooms that Frank invented. I've already dealt with them above the gray fog… Furthermore, the residents of the City of Silver and Moon City didn't show any abnormalities. Yes, after they left the Forsaken Land of the Gods, they abandoned farming mushrooms because they lacked monster corpses and had sufficient food… The more Klein thought about it, the more fearful he felt towards it.

If it wasn't for the fact that the Mother Goddess of Depravity's powers that could penetrate the original barrier was still extremely limited, Klein suspected that the Cards of Blasphemy and mushrooms would've left him corrupted. Sefirah Castle would have unknowingly changed owners.

These were things that had been placed above the gray fog for a long time and didn't undergo any special sealing.

Compared to the flamboyant Mother Tree of Desire, the usually low-key Mother Goddess of Depravity was far more terrifying!

Mr. Door and the Emperor were silently corrupted by "Her."

As expected of an existence that stands atop the Outer Deities despite losing two Beyonder pathways and a sefirah… Klein sighed inwardly. He took out a pen and paper and prepared to write a reply to Cattleya.

At that moment, he realized that Miss Messenger had been waiting by his side the entire time without returning to the spirit world. The eight eyes of the four heads stared at him unblinkingly.

"What do you think of Frank?" Klein hesitated before asking, "I mean, other than his nickname."

The four heads in Reinette Tinekerr's hand spoke one after another:

"He only…" "Appears like…" "An adopted son of…" "An Outer Deity…"

In other words, Frank wasn't affected by the Mother Goddess of Depravity previously. He was simply crazy… Klein heaved a long sigh of relief.

He then asked, "What about now?"

As Frank Lee summoned Reinette Tinekerr every time he wrote a letter to Gehrman Sparrow, Klein believed that Miss Messenger, who had a very high status, had a relatively clear and accurate grasp of the state of the Mushroom King.

"I…" "Don't…" "Know…" "Either…" Reinette Tinekerr's four heads answered one after another.

Following that, "She" added, "His body…" "Temporarily…" "Hasn't been…" "Corrupted…"

Does that mean that you can't tell if his psyche is affected? That's right, other than his low level, Frank's usual actions resemble more of an evil god than me… Klein lampooned as he took out a gold coin and flicked it.

With this medium, he quickly entered a dream divination state.

At the same time, he was prepared to activate Sefirah Castle to cut off the Outer Deities from watching.

Scenes flashed past as Klein saw several futures.

Yes, the greatest threat right now is that Primordial Moon believer. I have to separate him from Frank, or things will become extremely troublesome and dangerous… If Frank doesn't come into contact with anything related to the Mother Goddess of Depravity in the future and doesn't advance to a demigod, there shouldn't be any problems… If only one of these two conditions is satisfied, the chance of an accident happening will increase greatly. If both are satisfied at the same time, I can't see the developments at all… Klein snapped awake as he interpreted the results of the divination.

Perhaps because Frank's level was too low, and he wasn't too affected by it, Klein's divination happened smoothly without encountering any danger.

Phew… He silently exhaled and caught the gold coin.

Then, he realized that Miss Messenger's eight red eyes were focused on the gold coin in his palm.

Klein twitched his eyebrows, expressing his doubts.

"It…" "Has…" Sefirah Castle's…" "Aura…" Reinette Tinekerr's four blonde, red-eyed heads shook up and down.

This is one of the five gold coins I often use for divination. It has already been tainted by the aura of Sefirah Castle? This way, it can be considered a mystical item to a certain extent. However, the effect will be drained over time… Klein carefully looked at the gold coin in his hand and made a rough judgment based on his spiritual intuition.

This gold coin could increase the accuracy of divination and enhance a user's ability to resist any interference.

To Klein, this was a pleasant surprise. He decided to use the actual gold coin rather than its historical projection.

Retrieving the gold coin, Klein wrote a reply to Ma'am Hermit and handed it to her through Reinette Tinekerr.

…

After giving Gehrman Sparrow's messenger another gold coin, Cattleya unfolded the letter and quickly scanned it.

After reading it, she felt her shoulders weigh down a little.

Without any delay, Cattleya took out another piece of paper and wrote:

"Your Majesty,

"I dreamed of you finding that primitive island and successfully returning…

"The situation of that descendant of the Emperor is getting worse. If he continues staying on the Future, I suspect he'll go crazy. If you don't mind, I want to send him over to you."

"What we need to take note of is that, although he claims to no longer believe in the Primordial Moon, no one has ever confirmed that.

"…

"My greatest worry now is that it's difficult to obtain the main ingredient of a Clairvoyant… If you have returned, I wish to find a time to return the Magic Wishing Lamp to you…"

Chapter 1325 More than Half a Year Later

City of Generosity, Bayam, in a rented apartment lit up with gas lamps.

Verdu Abraham, who was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, held a thick stack of information. He was reading seriously under the dim light, drawing a symbol and recording what he deemed useful information from time to time.

He left Loen and came to the Rorsted Archipelago mainly to avoid being watched by Dorian and his other family members, and focus on studying mysticism. He wanted to find an effective way to save Ancestor Bethel Abraham, or rather, reduce the difficulty of the known ritual.

However, he hadn't made any headway after half a year. It was as though he had no other choice other than hunting a Bizarro Sorcerer, a Parasite, and a Secrets Sorcerer.

This made Verdu rather depressed, but he was clear about how dangerous a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was. Even if he was willing to sacrifice himself, he was unable to truly control it. He was unable to guarantee the final outcome.

And the most important thing was that he couldn't find any Bizarro Sorcerers or Parasites. They were all saints that were hard to track, with styles that were known for being strange and bizarre.

Phew… Verdu put down the stack of documents in his hand and muttered silently, Don't tell me I can only place my hopes on The Fool like Dorian and the others?

Upon thinking of The Fool, Verdu couldn't help but frown. This was because there were more and more half-giants promoting The Fool's faith in Bayam City, so much so that even he, who rarely went out, heard of it.

This made him suspect if he had arrived near the headquarters of the Church of The Fool.

If it wasn't for the mysterious knowledge that was spread in secret in the Rorsted Archipelago was far beyond Verdu's expectations—many of them were things that the Abraham family didn't know of, and were extremely useful—he would've left Bayam last month and headed for the Southern Continent.

I can't stay here any longer. I need to buy ship tickets to East Balam as soon as possible… Just as Verdu made a decision, he began to waver. Dorian and The Fool probably wouldn't expect me to hide in the area that's under their headquarters' jurisdiction. Emperor Roselle once said that the most dangerous place is the safest place…

After some hesitation, Verdu put down the documents and switched off the lights. With the moonlight from the window, he walked towards the bedroom.

At the corner of the balcony in his room, a figure suddenly jumped out of the darkness and jumped over the railings.

The figure was like a feather, light and weightless. It landed from a height ten meters above the ground, without making a single sound.

Right on the heels of that, the figure moved through the shadows to the vicinity of the Church of the Sea God and went up the bell tower.

Then, "he" took out a pen and paper and wrote the report on tonight's surveillance before stuffing it into a crack.

After the figure left, a howling wind suddenly sounded above the bell tower about fifteen minutes later.

The report was pulled out from the crack by an invisible hand. As it swept through the wind, it rose and fell into the distance like a bat spreading its wings in the dark night.

Not long after, the report plummeted like it had been bound to a rock, landing on a hand that extended out in a hidden corner of the garden.

This hand belonged to the cardinal of the Church of Storms, Alger Wilson.

He then unfolded the report and began to read it in the darkness. He was completely unaffected by the lack of light.

Even in the dark sea, Alger could see everything around him clearly.

Verdu is becoming more resolute in his intention of leaving Bayam… Alger nodded indiscernibly as he came to a conclusion.

Over the past half a year, he had been monitoring this member of the Abraham family according to Mr. Fool's instructions, but he hadn't noticed anything abnormal about him.

After Verdu left the Rorsted Archipelago, his mission would be completed.

However, Alger didn't wish for it to end just like that. He believed that he hadn't made enough contributions. All he did was simply monitor a Sequence 7 Beyonder without any special characteristics.

The Hermit had already obtained a Sequence 3 Beyonder characteristic from Queen Mystic, and had gathered the corresponding supplementary ingredients and was busy preparing the ritual. This made Alger deeply stressed. Of course, he had also done many things according to Mr. Fool's intentions, but even he felt that there was a huge difference from doing those tasks, with the identity, status, and strength of Sea God.

For a moment, Alger wanted to use all sorts of methods to force Verdu Abraham to expose himself, but in the end, he gave up on the idea. This was because he couldn't be sure of Mr. Fool's attitude towards the target.

Previously, when the City of Silver and Moon City sold Beyonder characteristics and potion formulas, Alger had purchased some from the Tarot Club. He had used it to secretly nurture a team of Beyonders who were loyal to him. This was how he had people monitoring Verdu.

Currently, this less-than-ten-member team was mostly at Sequence 9, while only a small number of them had been promoted to Sequence 8.

As for where Alger had obtained the money for purchasing Beyonder characteristics and potion formulas, the answer was very simple:

As a cardinal of the Church diocese, Alger could easily "save" a sum of money for himself. And during that period of time, the minerals, farms, spice plantations, and factories in the Rorsted Archipelago were sold at below intrinsic value. As long as one had the funds to buy them, they could earn a lot after a short period of time.

More importantly, the Church of Storms's headquarters was quite interested in the Beyonder characteristics and potion formulas sold by the City of Silver and Moon City. They provided a large sum of money for their purchase. The go-between was without a doubt the cardinal of the Rorsted diocese, Alger Wilson. It was understandable that some losses were inevitable during such situations.

Reining in his thoughts, Alger decided to sell some mysticism knowledge in Bayam's Beyonder circles through his Shadow Guards. He wanted to bait Verdu Abraham and keep him in the vicinity for as long as possible.

The main reason is that the City of Silver's preaching has frightened that gentleman… Alger shook his head and muttered inwardly.

He then destroyed the report in his hand and walked back into the cathedral.

…

The sky had just lit up, and a young man walked out of the hotel, leisurely enjoying the scenery of Bayam's morning.

He had just bought the "Teana" beverage that was packaged with the fruit's shell when he suddenly felt a huge shadow appear beside him.

The youth turned his head and looked up bit by bit only to find a 2.5-meter-tall half-giant walking over.

"Excuse me sir, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, Mr. Fool." The half-giant bent his back and tried his best to make his smile appear amiable.

The youth drank a mouthful of Teana and pointed to the side. He smiled and nodded.

"Sure, but not here."

He then walked to a place where they wouldn't be in the way. The seemingly oppressive half-giant followed warmly.

"Go ahead." The youth didn't hide his curiosity at all.

The muscular half-giant's expression turned solemn.

"My Lord claims to be The Fool. In the past, the present, and also in the future, 'He' is the great ruler who dominates the spirit world. 'He' is also the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck. 'He' is also the landmark when every living being seeks eternal life.

"My Lord lives above the real world and the spirit world. 'His' benevolence spreads across Heaven and the land. There are a total of six angels under 'Him'…

"The Angel of Mercury is the embodiment of fate, my Lord's most cherished angel. The Angel of Death has followed my Lord for the longest period of time and is the consul of the Underworld. The Angel of Redemption is my Lord's bugle, the messenger of 'His' revelations. The Angel of Life is the crystallization of wisdom itself. 'She' is the indestructible spirituality that resides in everyone's body."

Upon hearing that, the youth laughed.

"Your Lord is really impressive. He actually has so many angels to serve him."

"Not only that," the half-giant replied gently. "There's also the Angel of Retribution beside the Lord's throne. 'He' is the Lord's lightning, the Lord's rage, and the Lord's palm. It's all the judge of the fallen and the ones who aren't chaste.

"In contrast to the Angel of Retribution is the Angel of Time, "He" is a 'king' of ancient times. "He" eventually submitted to my Lord and now strikes the bell of Heaven."

"Impressive, impressive." The youth sincerely sighed.

Upon hearing such a response, the half-giant couldn't help but smile. Then, he described the various miracles that Mr. Fool had performed as succinctly as possible. Finally, he said, "It's already been fifteen minutes. I won't waste your time. If you're interested, you can go to The Fool's cathedral on 16th Phillips Street. This is the biggest cathedral in Bayam City. Heh heh, the rest are still in planning."

The young man nodded.

"I'll pay a visit if I'm free."

After watching the half-giant turn and leave, the youth took out a crystal monocle from his pocket and wore it on his right eye.

…

The half-giant walked straight back to a restaurant and changed into a chef's attire.

"Baldur, you went proselytizing again?" the restaurant owner asked with a smile.

When the industry association recommended this half-giant to learn culinary skills from his restaurant, he had been rather reluctant. He always felt that the other party could kill him with just a swing of his arm, and he didn't seem like someone with any culinary talent.

However, he was now very pleased with Baldur. Not only was he humble, obedient, and willing to take hardship, he had quite the intimidating demeanor. This scared off the gangsters who had placed their sights on the restaurant.

The only problem was that he would go out every morning to proselytize The Fool.

Of course, the restaurant owner couldn't say anything since it wasn't working hours, so he didn't mind.

Baldur smiled honestly and walked into the kitchen. He said to his good friend, Bonn, who had come from Moon City to seek refuge with him.

"I can teach you how to roast fish today."

Bonn looked rather normal, but his eyes appeared awkward with one looking up and the other looking down. He was one of the citizens from Moon City who wasn't very deformed, and he had the courage to interact with the people outside. He nodded.

"I have to pray in a moment. Mr. Fool sent a revelation to get all the residents of Moon City to pray to 'Him' at nine in the morning. We are to wish that we are no longer deformed."