139 COI

"A hidden fourth Pillar?" Madam Magician exclaimed in shock.

She clearly had never heard of this before.

The Chariot Lumian was equally surprised.

He couldn't help but glance at Madam Magician, muttering internally, Her humanity is well-preserved…

Mr. Fool, shrouded in grayish-white fog, explained in a calm tone. "This world was born from chaos. Besides the astral world's dominator, the spirit world's lord, and reality's sovereign, there is another important symbolism-one that represents the endpoint of destiny, the universe's destruction, and the finale of all things. Under such a symbolism, even the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings and the Mother Goddess of Depravity would completely perish. Their spirits no longer existing, everything returning to chaos. Of course, the hidden fourth Pillar would meet the same fate, not much later than us.

"Or rather, Its self-destruction brings about all termination."

"Mr. Fool, which sefirot does this correspond to?"

Madam Magician curiously asked, beating The Chariot Lumian to the question.

Mr. Fool's fingers lightly tapped the edge of the bronze long table. "Formed by the convergence of two sefirot -one is the City of Calamity, the other the River of Eternal Darkness."

Madam Magician immediately looked across at The Chariot Lumian.

The Chariot Lumian's heart stirred, raising his right hand and gazing at the pitch-black, lifeless "pinhole" in his palm.

Mr. Fool continued, "The best way to transcend the Sequences is first to become a Sequence 0 true god of one pathway, then accommodate the corresponding sefirah, followed by the Uniquenesses of other pathways under the sefirah and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, with no ritual to assist.

"This is the general approach, though some pathways have their own unique details, like the Demoness and Hunter pathways. But ultimately, one must first become a Sequence 0 true god of a pathway to accommodate the sefirah, not become a dual- pathway true god before attempting. The latter has hope of success, but not a great chance.

"When the Red Priest or the Primordial Demoness accommodates the City of Calamity and continues to occupy the neighboring pathway's Uniqueness and one Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, becoming the Origins of Disaster or Calamity of Destruction, and then accommodates the River of Eternal Darkness along with its pathway's Uniquenesses and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, they can become the hidden fourth Pillar, becoming the endpoint of destiny and the universe's destroyer.

"Conversely, the Sequence 0 true gods of Darkness, Death, and Twilight Giant pathways can also become the hidden fourth Pillar, starting from accommodating the River of Eternal Darkness.

"Now, the Evernight Goddess has already obtained the Uniquenesses of the Twilight Giant and Death pathways and grasps all the required Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics. She is deepening Her connection with that sefirah by using the tributary leaked from the seal through the Underworld Daoist and the River of Eternal Darkness."

Through the Underworld Daoist... Lumian suddenly understood the value the Church of Evernight's emphasis had with Amandina.

In the past half year, they hadn't had much contact with her, but they knew her general situation.

The Church of Evernight Goddess had directly established contact with this Underworld Daoist's student, personally managed by Mr. Star. The current Amandina had obtained the Sequence 5 Spirit Medium Beyonder ingredients, was digesting the Spirit Warlock potion, preparing for her advancement ritual, and waiting to receive a new round of boons at the end-of- year Dream Festival.

Her relationship with the Church of Evernight Goddess had become very close.

Just as Lumian was suddenly worried, Mr. Fool continued, "You should have realized that the hidden fourth Pillar is related to the universe's destruction and the termination of all things, and would not normally appear.

"As for whether we will need to wait until the universe reaches the end of life before the City of Calamity and River of Eternal Darkness can merge and give birth to the fourth Pillar, or if the fourth Pillar can be forcibly born through congregation but would bring about the universe and all things' destruction-unless He immediately falls into slumber or passively splits - everything will perish. I can't see clearly yet, but the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order currently leans more towards the latter scenario."

In other words, the hidden fourth Pillar will either be unable to be born for a very long time, or can only be used as a final option of mutual destruction or intimidating enemies? The Chariot Lumian gradually felt relieved.

Then, he pondered the purpose and implications of Mr. Fool's explanation about the hidden fourth Pillar.

For me, this knowledge is currently meaningless...

Or perhaps, I can first jump to Sequence 1 of Death or Twilight Giant to better borrow the power of 0-01, narrowing the gap between myself and Red Angel Medici?

If I could defeat this King of Angels, obtain two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of the Hunter pathway from Him, then find a way to lower my status, expel the original Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, return to the Weather Warlock level, and then re- advance, becoming a King of Angels of the Hunter pathway, accommodating 0-01...

Lowering my status and re-advancing has significant risks and potential hidden dangers, but it's much better than competing with Red Angel Medici at Sequence 2. However, I won't challenge the Red Angel one-on-one. I'm a Major Arcana of the Tarot Club, a patron saint-no, a patron angel of the Church of The Fool. Hunters are about collective strength, so why would I fight alone?

After Franca and Jenna's advancement, if the ritual is difficult or Beyonder characteristics are unavailable, they could also consider switching to one of the Darkness, Death, or Twilight Giant pathways...

While The Chariot Lumian was contemplating, Mr. Fool looked at him and said, "After switching to a hidden neighboring pathway, if you don't expel the corresponding Beyonder characteristics, you'll be unable to accommodate the sefirah in the future and will be rejected by the belonging sefirah.

"Also, after becoming a Weather Warlock, your destiny has become chaotic and full of change. I am not omniscient, nor omnipotent. I can no longer see things as clearly and can only remind you to be extremely careful going forward."

When he advanced to Weather Warlock, Lumian had already confirmed that the remaining spiritual imprint of Blood Emperor Alista Tudor had not been strengthened or revived within him.

From that point, he knew the Blood Emperor's resurrection arrangement would emerge and erupt in subsequent events, which were currently unforeseeable. Mr. Fool's warning deepened his vigilance in this aspect:

An arrangement that even this great existence cannot provide effective guidance must be extraordinarily complex!

Madam Magician Fors, who had chatted with Mr. Fool many times, knew from his last statement that today's small gathering, or the "common knowledge" lesson for the Tarot Club's new angel, should conclude.

She looked at The Chariot Lumian and said, "You should now understand the current situation and the source of the apocalypse. Analyzing things afterward will allow you to directly see their essence.

"As an Angel more senior than you by several years, let me share three final experiences.

"First, previous Sequences must be acted upon again because the potion you consumed contains Beyonder characteristics from all previous Sequences. Most importantly, you need to make up for the acting of Iron-blooded Knight and War Bishop, Hunter, Provoker, Pyromaniac, Conspirer and Reaper can all be naturally and effectively digested in your future battles or wars.

"Second, travel to different regions to improve local weather and leave behind legends. This is not only necessary for digesting the Weather Warlock potion but also a must-do to spread faith and obtain more anchors.

"Third, Mr. Fool has already explained the difference between godhood and humanity very clearly.

"Combining my own experience, I have one insight: distinguish between the normal desires brought by the second layer of humanity, and the abnormal desires created by first-layer humanity and godhood. Resist the latter, guide the former. Don't be too suppressed and restrained, nor can you be greedy and indulgent."

The Chariot Lumian listened carefully and thoughtfully said, "Thank you, Madam Magician."

Madam Magician Fors smiled self-deprecatingly. "If you have any new insights in this area later, you can tell me too.

"I need to prepare for my Sequence 1 advancement."

"Sequence 1 of the Door pathway?" The Chariot Lumian asked with slight surprise.

In his view, the Sequence 2 Planeswalker of the Door pathway was the Sequence most likely to survive the apocalypse, without question.

First, before reaching Sequence 1, they wouldn't be specifically targeted by the Outer Deities. Second, They possessed the ability for space travel and could carry a group of people. Afterward, They could completely find a planet in a "remote" area of the universe with relatively suitable conditions, and use Their recording abilities or the Beyonder characteristics of different pathways to make it habitable and redevelop civilization.

Madam Magician nodded. "Yes, the Key of Stars. The Beyonder characteristics and supplementary ingredients are not lacking. The Abraham family has long wanted to give them to me. The price is to protect their clan, prevent the Abraham name from going extinct, ensure at least one Sequence 1 Angel is born among them. Afterward, if the apocalypse comes, my first task would be to transfer them away.

"The good news is they now have several Saints. The bad news is they are far from digestion. The Sequence 3 Wanderer still needs to travel in space to digest quickly.

"The ritual itself isn't complicated. Find a continuously rotating, signal-emitting heavy planet, approach it, land on it, and then find a way to establish sufficient mystical connections with it.

"The first part of the ritual is very dangerous, the latter part extremely difficult. But with Mr. Fool's help, these aren't major problems-He can directly Graft me onto the corresponding planet to satisfy the conditions, though the premise is that I can withstand such pressure.

"The current trouble is that my Planeswalker potion hasn't been completely digested. These years I've been going everywhere, the number of times is enough, and the term 'walker' is satisfied, but none of it counts as planeswalking..."

At this point, Madam Magician suddenly closed her mouth.

She felt like she was complaining about work, and her direct superior-who could easily crush her-was sitting at the head of the long table.

Listening to Madam Magician's words, Lumian suddenly discovered a problem.

Mr. Fool doesn't actually have to deal with the subsequent planetary apocalypse, because no Outer Deity would compete for Sefirah Castle- accommodating this sefirah with a Pillar symbolism would only lead Them to self-destruction…

-x-X-x-

Madam Magician forcibly changed the topic. 'If the apocalypse truly arrives in 1368 as predicted, I won't need to rush my advancement. In a few years, Mr. Fool should be completely awake, then unlock the seal on the Western Continent, allowing more Above the Sequences to be born. At that time, even if we're still at a disadvantage when the apocalypse arrives, we'll at least have the power to protect ourselves.

'Without the Uncertain Mist mediating, those Outer Deities won't be able to cooperate well, and they must guard against becoming other Outer Deities' prey after being wounded.

'Unfortunately, there's not much time left. I can only quickly advance to Sequence 1. As a Sequence 1 Angel of the Door pathway, my chances of survival during the apocalypse will be much higher than other pathways. After all, those Outer Deities probably haven't set Their target on Sefirah Castle—do They want self-destruction to happen even faster?'

Her thoughts were similar to Lumian's, believing that Sefirah Castle and its three subordinate pathways were most likely not the Outer Deities' targets. Even if she became a Sequence 1 Key of Stars, she wouldn't be specifically targeted.

Lumian detected the insincerity in Madam Magician's words.

No matter what, if purely for self-preservation and protecting the closest few people, a Sequence 2 Planeswalker would definitely be better than a Sequence 1 Key of Stars, less likely to be noticed, able to sneak away during the chaos.

Choosing to quickly digest the potion and advance to Sequence 1 is to do more during the apocalypse? The Chariot Lumian could vaguely grasp that mentality and thought.

At this moment, the Fool shrouded in gray fog said to Madam Magician Fors, 'The Key of Stars will also become a target.

'Before I fully awaken, if the apocalypse arrives, no Outer Deity will want to see a Lord of Mysteries truly born. They will seal the sefirah, take away the corresponding Uniquenesses and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics, eliminating the possibility of the spirit world's lord returning.

'Although They can't further accommodate Sefirah Castle, occupying one or two Uniquenesses and the corresponding Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics is not a problem. Their power will increase slightly, and Their abilities will become more diverse.

'Besides, just because They can't accommodate Sefirah Castle doesn't mean there's no suitable way for Them to use it.'

Madam Magician fell silent.

She didn't say she would reconsider, nor did she immediately state her position of becoming an Archangel before the apocalypse.

Lumian was thinking about something else.

Even if only one or two years remains before the apocalypse, with the Major Arcana card holders' efforts and Mr. Fool's current awakening speed, by then, even if he hasn't fully awakened, it shouldn't be far off. As long as he doesn't actively prevent the Outer Deities' invasion, those Outer Deities would probably not intentionally provoke him.

But, he is clearly preparing to confront the apocalypse…

The Chariot Lumian glanced at Mr. Fool at the head of the bronze long table and asked no further questions.

…

Trier, inside the luxurious villa.

Lumian, lying in the armchair, opened his eyes.

He reached out and touched his blood-red long hair, preparing to cut it short, but after thinking, he abandoned that plan.

Lumian stood up and paced the room, his mind filled with knowledge obtained above the gray fog.

He now understood that his goal of becoming a Sequence 0 true god and attempting to accommodate the City of Calamity was not only necessary for Aurore's resurrection but also a requirement to transcend Sequences and face the apocalypse.

Just one or two years to digest the Weather Warlock potion, become a Sequence 1 Archangel, then digest the corresponding Sequence 1 potion, find a way to defeat Red Angel Medici, perform the apotheosis ritual, and finally suppress the City of Calamity's consciousness to accommodate it, and possibly contest with the Primordial Demoness in between…

Isn't this timeline too pressing?

If luck is bad, I might not even complete the first step of digesting the Weather Warlock potion…

Lumian merely imagined the upcoming tasks and felt his scalp go numb, believing there was almost no hope of success.

Not to mention whether those steps could succeed, there simply wasn't enough time!

Digesting a demigod level potion itself required a very long time. Lumian's previous rapid digestion of the Despair and Unaging potions was due to two factors: first, the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order had actively exposed Himself, converting all previous arrangements into 'despair; second, leveraging Aurore's special status as a transmigrator from the past, with her soul fragments maintaining a certain activity, sealed inside him—an arrangement by the deity worshiped by the Aurora Order.

Now, Lumian couldn't see any opportunity for quickly digesting the Weather Warlock potion, and that deity seemed to have made no arrangements in this regard.

As an Angel of the Hunter pathway, Lumian already possessed steel-like willpower and fire-like courage. He quickly suppressed his instinctive retreat and fear, first considering the first step of digesting the Weather Warlock potion.

Based on my previous experience, there are two main approaches to quickly digest a potion: first, through special encounters that adjust one's mental and spiritual state to closely align with the potion's true meaning; second, by using a higher-level Beyonder as the object of acting, obtaining better digestion speed.

The first approach is no longer possible… Those higher than my level are Archangels, true gods, and great existences, and a Weather Warlock isn't meant to be acted out by people… Ask Them to be spectators, observing me change the weather and provide feedback?

Taking it a step further, change the weather in a true god's divine kingdom? At the next gathering, seek Mr. Fool's consent to add special effects to the Major Arcana's discussion, change the weather in Sefirah Castle?

I wonder if this would be effective… I'll seek Mr. Fool's guidance during the next prayer…

Lumian, with his initial thoughts taking shape, suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly.

There was a method that could help him digest the Weather Warlock potion in the shortest time possible.

Let Blood Emperor Alista Tudor resurrect within him, after which he would no longer need to digest other potions.

The only problem was that he would die, and Aurore would not be resurrected.

I wonder what arrangements Alista Tudor has made, if there's a way to use these arrangements to quickly digest the Weather Warlock potion? Lumian thought for a while but found no insights.

He then considered Madam Magician's suggestion.

Strengthen humanity, resist godhood, distinguish between normal and abnormal emotions, desires, and behaviors…

Anchors bring others' perceptions, and everyone's perception of me differs from my true self to some extent. This is also a form of corruption that can easily make my thoughts, spirit, and humanity chaotic, but it can be used to balance and resist godhood, giving my true self and humanity a chance to breathe…

If these are normal emotional responses that would arise from one's own humanity, even if overlapping with godhood, they don't need to be too suppressed and can be expressed normally?

Is this a kind of fusion?

Mr. Fool said in the dream city to both resist and merge… At the Angel stage, fusion is superficial, not obvious, mainly about resistance and suppression?

Lumian examined himself, sorting through different emotions and desires.

After a while, he roughly knew what he could do, to what extent, what must be strictly controlled, and what signs required immediate restraint.

Of course, having just advanced and not yet adapted to the potion, his state was unstable. Many things he could do now might be difficult to control, potentially being driven by godhood into terrible developments. So, he needed to initially digest the potion.

Thinking this, Lumian immediately used the Hunter pathway's Mental Communication to speak to Franca, Jenna, Ludwig, and Anthony, who had not yet left the 10-kilometer range.

'After becoming a Weather Warlock, Alista Tudor's arrangements might start to manifest. You must be more vigilant and attentive, especially regarding matters involving the Demoness Sect.'

Mental Communication would not transmit all inner thoughts or fleeting ideas to companions; there must be an intention to 'speak out' for the information to resonate in everyone's minds. If Lumian were to share a Manipulator's Beyonder powers and attach it to Mental Communication, he could achieve a weakened version of the Hall of Truth effect.

After speaking, Lumian took out a mirror to divine which region was experiencing extreme weather.

After obtaining the answer, he was about to teleport there.

Before activating the black mark on his right shoulder, he suddenly had a new idea.

Some ways to maintain and strengthen humanity can be done right now!

A wind rose, blowing open the bedroom window.

Then, Lumian sensed the spirit world coordinates of the target area while picking up the coat rack in the room and suddenly hurling it toward the sky.

The coat rack quickly ignited with a purplish-blue flame, speedily racing toward the horizon.

Lumian leaped lightly, jumping out the window and landing precisely on the burning coat rack.

Then, with his feet slightly apart and hands clasped behind his back, his coat fluttering, he rode the flame-engulfed coat rack, which was now faster than the speed of sound and still accelerating, toward the target area.

In the second-floor studio, Franca, momentarily distracted from her creation by Lumian's warning, heard a booming sound from high in the sky.

Wearing the Face of the Arcane, she stepped to the window and looked at the azure sky, just in time to see Lumian standing on a flaming 'great sword', hands behind his back, rapidly disappearing from her field of view, leaving behind a new sonic boom.

Franca's expression revealed envy.

At the same time, she quietly sighed in relief.

In the first-floor papal office, Jenna had been worried about the negative effects of Franca's fully automatic healing machine—which would make every healed person, upon recovery, filled with a desire to reproduce and want to have a child.

Her solution was to have padres and bishops treat common illnesses, pray to the great God of Disease for serious conditions, and subsequently, for those with families and partners, have the Sick Church handle the economic losses from childbirth. For those without partners, consider matchmaking, and if that failed, have Anthony handle it—making them feel that it was completely fine having had a child!

Hearing the sonic boom, she also came to the window, looking outside and seeing Lumian traveling in his peculiar and arrogant manner.

Jenna's face gradually broke into a smile.

She felt Lumian's state had improved somewhat.

-x-X-x-

High in the cloud layers, the wooden coat rack beneath Lumian's feet, burning with a violet-blue flame, did not quickly turn to ash. It was like a truly heat-resistant, miraculous metal, maintaining its basic, hard state.

This was an ability Hunters possessed since the Iron-blooded Knight stage: "weaponizing" ordinary objects, temporarily transforming them into lethal tools.

At the angelic level, Lumian could now make wood, paper, and similar materials temporarily reach the strength of the Sword of Courage, ensuring they would not instantly dissolve under the added flames and internal explosions, maintaining their most fundamental stability.

This allowed a Hunter's fireball to have a carrier and divert some power to constantly accelerate, ultimately bombing the target area from a distance at several times the speed of sound.

At the Iron-blooded Knight stage, this remote range was 5 to 10 kilometers. For a Weather Warlock, it became hundreds, or even thousands of kilometers.

However, this was not very useful in actual combat. Even if the weapon carrying the fireball flew quickly, adding an extremely long distance would still require a certain time to reach the target area. Not to mention Angels and Saints, even Mid-Sequence Beyonders with strong spiritual intuition could detect it in advance and escape the potentially covered area in time.

The current level of the Fog of War could not be attached and follow along.

Lumian could divert a small portion of his psyche to merge into the fireball or weapon, allowing them to change direction. But such an operation, when done from too far away, would always lack precision and thus could not strike enemies beyond a certain level.

The greatest use of such an attack was only to destroy fixed targets. For Lumian, it was completely incomparable to the mystical long-range attacks delivered through the mirror world.

But...

Lumian looked down at the coat rack beneath his feet, burning brilliantly like a giant sword, then glanced at the blown-open white clouds and the city below that looked like specks of dust, and listened to the sonic boom that could not catch up to him. He laughed Inwardly.

How cool!

Without considering conspiracies, a Hunter must be arrogant!

Otherwise, how would one provoke others?

Boom!

A violet-blue light, with a human figure standing atop it, rapidly traversed the sky, leaving behind a blast that made houses and glass violently tremble.

…

Beside a mountain-side village where rain was pouring down.

The river had already overflowed with yellowish water, surging toward the not-so-large city in the distance.

The city's residents were anxious, worried that mountain floods would erupt and affect their living spaces. Many villagers had already climbed to the second floor or onto their roofs because the rising water had gone beyond their knees and was trying to break down their doors.

Looking at the increasingly yellow floodwaters, experienced villagers grew more worried and had nowhere to escape.

Suddenly, they heard a loud "bang" and instinctively looked up, casting their gaze toward the sky.

They then saw a light, bluish-violet like a fire meteor, hovering and stopping among the layered dark clouds, with what seemed to be a person standing on top-a tall figure with blood-red long hair, though far away.

This person riding a flaming sword began moving amidst rising white water vapor and dense surrounding rain, with powerful, high-strung and frenzied movements, with a twisted, mysterious posture.

A divine being dancing in the sky!

Villagers nearby and city dwellers in the distance all suddenly had the same thought.

This is a ritual.

A ritual of praying to some existence!

The ritual dance became increasingly intense, and everyone who saw this scene seemed to hear thumping drum beats.

As the divine being's dance progressed, the rain gradually diminished, and dark clouds in the high sky dispersed one by one.

In the end, the rainstorm completely stopped, and rays of brilliant sunlight shone upon villagers hiding on the second floor and rooftops, and upon the worried citizens looking toward the mountain's edge.

The divine being stopped the ritual dance, and the flaming sword beneath their feet disappeared.

With a magnificent, layered voice, they proclaimed to the humans below, "My name:

"Family to the King of Yellow and Black, Priest of Weather and Plague, the Dual-Bodied one who spreads war and chaos!"

Among those born and raised in religious societies, a large portion instinctively bowed their heads and shouted in unison, "Praise be to you, Priest of Weather and Plague!

"Praise be to you for sending away the calamity!"

By the time these people raised their heads, the divine being had vanished.

…

Trier, inside the luxurious villa.

Lumian's figure quickly traced itself in his room.

He distinctly felt that his Weather Warlock potion had been digested a bit.

The effect of this act was much stronger than changing the extreme weather of three regions immediately after his advancement!

Previously, I was doing good deeds quietly, unknown, lacking clear directional feedback?

Hmm, a Weather Warlock must let people know they are a 'warlock', must be seen, or understood, otherwise it's not a successful act... The people in those three regions would probably think it was the local faith's god's protection, praising those gods, not me. Only a small portion might connect the weather changes with the previous appearance of a witch...

It can't be too simple to change the weather. Even if it doesn't substantially take effect, the ritual must be there. The audience must feel I used great effort to change the weather, otherwise I'd be performing as a God of Weather instead of a Weather Warlock...

Positioning the Weather Warlock as a priest of weather should be fine…

Also, Hunter represents the initial masculine side, robust, highly aggressive, often associated with being flamboyant.

Looking at it this way, a Hunter's arrogance and conspicuousness are sometimes a conspiracy, sometimes an acting requirement...

Combining the feedback from two different performances, Lumian vaguely grasped a key point.

A Weather Warlock's performance cannot be low-key!

Hiding behind the scenes doing good deeds is not a Hunter's style!

Moreover, although the Sequence name "Weather Warlock' had no clear good or bad orientation, based on the fact that the Hunter pathway represented war and was one of the two components of calamity, and drawing from previous Sequence acting experiences.

Lumian suspected that the hidden acting principle might be "bringing disaster by changing the weather."

Bringing disaster to enemies by changing the weather will be a key focus of future acts. Lumian nodded thoughtfully, feeling slightly disappointed.

He murmured to himself. No accidents, no anomalies…

His extremely flamboyant travel this time was partly to satisfy his normal inner desires, maintain and expand his humanity, and partly to provoke hidden arrangements by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor or that Red Angel Medici.

Unfortunately, under Mr. Fool's gaze and with the situation not being chaotic, nothing happened.

Every successful Hunter was a qualified schemer and wouldn't be so easily trapped.

Feeling disappointed but in much better condition, Lumian left the bedroom, intending to pour himself a glass of absinthe downstairs.

Franca heard the movement and walked out of her workshop.

She had let the Face of the Arcane fall back into slumber, returning to the Traveler's Bag.

Glancing at Lumian, Franca asked with unusual anticipation, "Oh-oh, can your previous sword-riding ability be shared?"

"Sword-riding?" Although Lumian had been in the dream city for half a month, his exposure to information couldn't be too comprehensive, so he wasn't familiar with this somewhat niche term.

However, he quickly associated it with his coat rack flying based on the literal meaning, and said with a smile, "Got it. It can be shared.

"It's formed by combining the ability to 'weaponize' any object and the ability to manipulate fireballs.

"Although I can only share one ability with you at a time, they don't need to be used simultaneously to complete the combination."

Franca's eyes became increasingly bright. "Can I try now?"

Lumian couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course, but remember, only within a 10-kilometer range.

"'Weaponized' items won't quickly return to normal and get damaged, but once you exceed the team's effective distance, you'll lose control of the attached flame."

Franca was a bit disappointed but found it acceptable.

"Fine, 10 kilometers it is."

She thought for a moment and added, "To go beyond 10 kilometers, you'd have to stay with me, not creating distance? Well, you can stand on the back half of my flying sword..."

The leader of a Hunter team must necessarily be a Hunter, with the 10-kilometer range calculated from their center.

If a team has more than one Hunter, only one led, the highest-Sequence one. If there was more than one highest-Sequence member, they determined superiority through combat.

"That's right," Lumian confirmed Franca's statement.

Franca's face immediately lit up.

"Let's start, first have a quick spin within the 10- kilometer range.

"Then we'll ride swords through the sky, hmm, let's bring Jenna along..."

Just as she was saying this, Franca suddenly sensed something and took out a makeup mirror from her clothing's hidden pocket.

She took it out while telling Lumian, "My only subordinate sent a message."

Although the Sick Church had multiple priests and bishops, and the market district had gang leaders at Franca's disposal, the one who actually led them, assigned tasks, and received reports was mainly Jenna.

Franca's true subordinate was only one person: her subordinate in the Demoness Sect, the Witch Niceea, who was a mole in the Emperor Party.

Of course, Niceea was now a Demoness of Pleasure.

"Stay alert," Lumian cautioned.

This involved the Demoness Sect and the special mirror world, so they had to be extra careful from now on.

"Mm-hmm." Franca nodded while seeing a light on the mirror's surface unfold into Intisian: "Louis Gustav has mysteriously disappeared."

"Louis Gustav has mysteriously disappeared." Franca's eyes narrowed.

The leader of the Emperor Party, the man secretly planning to overthrow the current government, with some connection to the mirror world's Roselle, Louis Gustave, had mysteriously disappeared?

-x-X-x-

In the Maison d'Opéra district, on Rue du Chapeau Noir, inside an apartment with drawn curtains.

Niceea, with her curly brown hair pulled up, wearing an off-shoulder black dress and a thin gauze shawl, placed the makeup mirror given by her immediate superior on the cabinet in front of her and patiently waited for feedback.

After about twenty to thirty seconds, she saw a human figure quickly traced within the mirror, stepping out.

The person had slightly blackened, somewhat flaxen- colored long hair, tied into a spirited ponytail, eyebrows extending dynamically into the temples, and lake-blue eyes that were slightly deeper than before, with an added soul-attracting depth amid their bright and crystal-clear appearance.

"When did Louis Gustav disappear?" Franca's red and pretty lips moved.

Although she had become a Demoness of Pleasure, Niceea was still dazzled by her superior's beauty, temperament, and charm, her heart Involuntarily stirring.

She unconsciously compared Madame Franca with the Demoness of Black she had seen before, discovering that she didn't like to change her temperament much, always trying to find the most attractive side for her conversation partner, remaining straightforward and natural.

It was precisely this casual and natural state that made Madame Franca uniquely charming. Combined with her nonchalant expression and high-ranking status, Niceea occasionally felt she wanted to prostrate herself at her feet, body and soul.

After spending some time controlling the ripples in her heart, Niceea reported in detail, "Louis Gustav arranged to meet several core members of the Emperor Party, including Grouès, in a secret mine in Underground Trier yesterday to discuss discreetly developing members within the army. As a result, everyone arrived, but he did not appear.

"From yesterday until now, Grouès and others have tried various methods to contact him, but have received no response."

Niceea was now not only Grouèss mistress but had also gradually become a person close to the core of the Emperor Party due to her talent in instigation, provocation, and seduction.

It seems Louis Gustav had truly met with an accident. not just being delayed, but considered missing... Franca thought and asked, "Has anything unusual happened within the Emperor Party recently?"

Niceea shook her head. "In recent months, whether it's the Eternal Blazing Sun Church, the God of Steam and Machinery Church, Bureau 8, or the military, they have significantly increased the number of official Beyonders stationed in Trier, Madame, you might find it hard to believe, but the patrols in Underground Trier are now led by Sequence 5 Beyonders, team after team.

"In the first two months, the Emperor Party was still making small moves, resulting in many secret members being exposed, suffering significant losses. Recently, they have been well-behaved, only covertly developing and expanding.

"Previously, Louis Gustav and Grouès often met, knew each other's residences, and would occasionally discuss matters at fixed cafes. But after nearly being caught by official Beyonders from the Bureau 8, Louis Gustav moved from his original residence and carefully commanded core members remotely."

So that's how it is... No wonder it sounds different from before, when Grouès and others used to know Louis Gustav's daily routine... Franca slightly nodded and told Niceea, "This matter is significant. I will first report to the Demoness of Black.

"Stand by for new orders at any time."

"Yes, Madame Franca!" As soon as Niceea finished speaking, she saw her superior's figure gradually fade, transforming from solid to virtual, quickly disappearing as if never having been present.

Only the lingering faint fragrance in the air and a hint of what seemed like machine oil indicated someone had been there.

…

In the luxurious villa.

Franca ended her mirror projection maintenance and turned to Lumian.

"Ever since you advanced to Weather Warlock, I now see everything as a trap. Niceea's report could be a trap from the Demoness Sect, and Louis Gustav's disappearance might be a trap from the Mirror People.

"Never mind, I'll report to the Demoness of Black, saying the matter is significant and requesting her personal handling.

"If I don't get involved, I won't fall into the trap!"

In the Demoness Sect, Franca was still nominally a Demoness of Despair and a subordinate of the Demoness of Black, though of course, the truth couldn't be hidden from the Primordial Demoness.

"Is this what you call upward management?" Lumian chuckled, "If it's a trap, the Demoness of Black certainly won't let you shirk responsibility. If it's not a trap, she should still have you conduct a concurrent investigation."

"Sigh, I know," Franca sighed, "I was just venting my emotions. What if the Demoness of Black actually goes to investigate herself? People, after all, must live with hope and anticipation."

Lumian glanced at Franca. "I feel that you'll maintain your humanity quite well in the future."

"Why suddenly talk about humanity? Are you troubled by godhood?" Franca keenly countered.

After speaking, she took out a makeup mirror and verbally formed the information about Louis Gustav's disappearance and Niceea's detailed report, transmitting it through the mirror world to the mirror designated by the Demoness of Black-she would avoid meeting the Demoness of Black whenever possible to prevent stepping into a trap.

After Franca finished this matter, Lumian briefly explained Mr. Fool's interpretation of godhood and humanity, and his own state of being.

Franca was enlightened. "So that's why you suddenly proposed hugging-you were somewhat unable to control the aggregation instinct and destruction desire?"

"No, because I had already hugged Jenna, I felt it should be fair." Lumian said in a low laugh.

"…" Franca's mouth twitched slightly.

Lumian casually added another sentence, "What you said also had some influence."

Franca hummed in response and suddenly burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Lumian found it strange.

Franca cleared her throat and replied, "As a fellow hometown native, I've always supported your sister's creative work and read many of her novels. Some descriptions are really cringy. There's one line that goes something like: 'He hugged me tightly, very forcefully, as if afraid of losing me, wanting to crush me and tuck me into his body.'

"My goodness, this isn't a cringy description, it's clearly a horror description, so realistic!"

Seeing Franca wasn't too frightened and even joking, Lumian's inner pressure seemed to diminish. He naturally discussed his sister's works.

"Aurora deliberately intensified the cringe. She says Intisians love this style.

"By the way, did those works exist in the old era?"

Franca gently shook her head in response. "You could say the story concepts and ideas are similar, but without being a Savant, how could one exactly reproduce them? Moreover, your sister integrated current social trends and folk culture, making it an entirely different work. It's not like just because someone previously wrote about transmigration, me writing about transmigration makes it plagiarism?"

"I see..." Lumian was very satisfied with this answer.

At this moment, the Demoness of Black responded to Franca through the mirror: "Find effective clues as soon as possible."

"Yes, Madame." Franca responded, making a face at Lumian.

After pondering for a few seconds, she sent a new order to Niceea: "Search for clues, try to find Louis Gustav's current residence.

"Preferably obtain some items closely related to Louis Gustav and bring them to me."

This way, Franca could perform Magic Mirror Divination and even seek guidance from Mr. Fool.

After she finished issuing the command, Lumian laughed and asked, "Still doing that sword-riding thing?"

Franca's spirits lifted. "Of course!"

She then seemed to have a moment of reflection, muttering to herself, "The apocalypse is near. We must cherish daily happiness and satisfaction.

"We can't abandon today's life because of some dangerous things we'll have to do later."

"Hmm..." Lumian slowly nodded.

…

One week later, at midnight.

Niceea silently slid off the bed, stood upright, and merged into the darkness.

She glanced at the muscular middle-aged man on the bed, naked and only partially covered by a blanket, for a few seconds before leaving the bedroom soundlessly and entering the room in the furthest corner of the second floor.

Then, she took out a special makeup mirror, used the spell given by her superior, and sent information to the designated mirror.

She knew reporting at this hour would disturb Madame Franca's rest, but the situation was urgent. If she waited until dawn, Grouès would take back those two items, so she had no choice.

Shortly after, Franca's figure was projected from the makeup mirror.

She wore a silk nightgown with a thin outer jacket for cover, her slightly black flaxen-colored long hair cascading down, her expression unabashedly lazy and drowsy, her lake-colored eyes slightly deeper and hazy.

Niceea was stunned, only awakening when Franca spoke. "What is it?"

Niceea came to her senses. "Madame, I've obtained two items closely related to Louis Gustav.

"These were found in one of his previous secret hideouts."

As she spoke, Niceea raised her hands.

In one hand, she held a silver brooch made of two intertwined snakes; in the other, she held a dark gold coin.

Seeing the latter, Franca suddenly became alert.

She used invisible spider silk to pull the coin before her.

One side of the gold coin was quite simple, with raised patterns forming a chariot, bearing the number "2". The other side had a considerably complex pattern.

The main body was a crowned figure with a hanging cloak. To the left of the crown was a sketched, layered gate; to the right was a clock face with only one hand, its grid sizes unequal, with light and dark intertwining.

Parallel to the crown on the layer below were tiny flower pattern elements: a vertical pupil, five fingers of varying lengths, and a door split by a vertical long sword.

A Tudor coin... Franca's pupils slightly dilated as she recognized the item.

It was very similar to the Tudor coin they had obtained from the Sick Church, but with a face value of "2".

The patterns and details were essentially the same between the two coins, but their expressions differed significantly.

-x-X-x-

After confirming the dark gold coin was indeed a Tudor coin with a "2" denomination, Franca inwardly cursed the Blood Emperor's persecution of those with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Why such a significant difference in patterns when it's just a different denomination?

They're essentially expressing almost the same symbolic meaning!

Niceea, unaware of her superior's peculiarity, continued to describe the origins of the two items, "This brooch is a Gustav family item, made according to their family crest. It's one of Louis Gustav's most valued possessions and a symbol of his identity.

"Normally, he carries this brooch with him, but this time he left it in his original hideout.

"This ancient gold coin and the brooch were kept together and seem equally important."

Under the pull of invisible spider silk, the brooch formed by intertwined snakes flew towards Franca.

Franca was not unfamiliar with the Gustav family crest.

After a quick glance, she confirmed its authenticity and chuckled inwardly.

A DNA double helix structure, right?

Clearly, the current Gustav family crest originated from a "masterpiece" during the late period of Emperor Roselle, not from earlier ancestors.

Niceea looked up at her beautiful, elegant, and natural superior, pleading, "Madame, after you complete the Magic Mirror Divination, can you return these two items to me?

"I stole them from Grouès. If I don't return them promptly, I'll definitely be suspected."

"No problem." Franca's mirror projection took the brooch and coin, retracting into the makeup mirror.

Niceea patiently waited in the current room.

…

"Louis Gustav's mysterious disappearance is related to the Tudor coin." After taking the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin out of the mirror, Franca conveyed this information to Lumian, who was presumably still asleep, through the mental-linked team communication channel.

A few seconds later, Lumian opened his bedroom door and walked into Franca's room.

Everyone residing in this luxurious villa was a demigod, possessing strong spiritual intuition. They noticed the commotion and threw on outer garments, heading to Franca's room.

The only one who didn't react was Ludwig, who was preparing his second midnight snack in the annex kitchen.

After Franca briefly explained Niceea's feedback, she spoke with considerable gravity, "I plan to first pray to Mr. Fool, then perform Magic Mirror Divination to see if I can determine Louis Gustav's current whereabouts using these two items as a medium."

"I'll do it." Lumian reached out and took the brooch and coin, "I'll first seek Mr. Fool's consent, then use him as the subject for Magic Mirror Divination. This will help eliminate most interference and danger."

"That's best," Jenna agreed with Lumian's choice.

Lumian pressed his hand to his chest and began praying, communicating his request to Mr. Fool.

After receiving consent, he immediately took out a mirror and placed the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin on the glass surface.

Then, he gently caressed the mirror's surface, reciting the spell in Hermes, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era.

"The mysterious ruler above the gray fog.

"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck"

Lumian recited the entire spell at a steady pace, posed the question about "Louis Gustav's current whereabouts", and patiently waited for Mr. Fool's guidance.

Within seconds, the mirror's surface rippled, revealing a figure.

The figure was tall, mimicking Emperor Roselle with chestnut-colored long hair, sporting two beautiful mustaches, azure eyes, and thin lips-the leader of the Emperor Party, Louis Gustav.

This man, claimed to have Gustav family bloodline, stood in what seemed to be an abandoned mine, walking towards a darkness-shrouded exit.

The image suddenly blurred, with Louis Gustav instantly enveloped by darkness, surrounded by shadowy figures hidden in the depths, casting observant gazes.

Louis Gustav walked forward without averting his eyes or stopping, completely indifferent to the gazes from the darkness.

The deeper he walked, the more profound the darkness became.

Later, a slight light appeared on the forward side, and the image became extremely blurry.

Louis Gustav did not approach the light, continuing to move straight ahead.

After an indeterminate time, a door composed of pure light appeared in the distance, resembling an oval mirror.

Louis Gustav approached the door of light and extended his right hand, pressing against it.

He penetrated the door of light, arriving in an area with dense fog-visibility under ten meters-with surrounding collapsed buildings either asymmetrical or stained with blood.

This is... Fourth Epoch Trier! Lumian, Franca, Jenna, and Anthony had all been to Fourth Epoch Trier and were familiar with such scenes.

The only difference they noticed was the excessively dense fog, which felt extremely oppressive.

"Is this the depths of Fourth Epoch Trier? Is the Blood Emperor's divine corpse affecting this place, bringing widespread Fog of War?" Lumian quickly speculated.

Franca recalled, "But when we were there, we could see the collapsed palace with the Blood Emperor's divine corpse, and the fog wasn't this dense..."

"Did something change in Fourth Epoch Trier after the Hostel incident? Or is this triggered by Louis Gustav's approach?" Jenna proposed possible explanations.

At that moment, Louis Gustav in the mirror stopped.

Before him, less than ten meters away, a human shadow was cast on the blood-splattered street stones.

The black shadow was stretched long by the light, seemingly cradling an infant.

Almost simultaneously, the image suddenly collapsed, rippling like water, with Mr. Fool's guidance ending.

Lumian furrowed his brow, muttering to himself.

"Madame Pualis and the infant Omebella?

"Are they in Fourth Epoch Trier?

"Did Louis Gustav enter Fourth Epoch Trier to meet them?

"Did Louis Gustav enter Fourth Epoch Trier through the special mirror world? Were the Mirror People covertly watching him? Is the slightly lit area he didn't approach hiding a great terror of the special mirror world?"

No one could answer Lumian's questions.

After a few seconds, Jenna organized her thoughts.

"We cannot handle this matter.

"Since it potentially involves Madame Pualis and infant Omebella, we must strictly follow Mr. Fool's guidance: calamity needs to keep away from the Mother."

"Hmm, I'll report the conclusion to the Demoness of Black and let them investigate. No matter how much she urges me, I won't budge, I'll just say I'm not capable!" Franca mumbled, "And I'll notify 007 too. Such a matter is best handled by official Beyonders. They hold many secrets of Fourth Epoch Trier and might be able to send strong individuals to enter there without using the special mirror world, eliminating Louis Gustav, Madame Pualis, and infant Omebella."

Lumian nodded. "Okay."

He then reminded Franca, "The operation to eliminate targets in Fourth Epoch Trier should not be led by Eternal Blazing Sun Church Beyonders. Have you forgotten? The mystical father of infant Omebella is the Eternal Blazing Sun."

"How could we possibly forget something like that?" Franca signaled Lumian and the others to leave her bedroom.

Then she took out a mirror, "sending" the results of the Magic Mirror Divination along with the brooch and coin to the mirror corresponding to the Demoness of Black, and reminded her to return the mediums, otherwise Nicaea would be in trouble.

Shortly after, the Demoness of Black responded to Franca, "If Louis Gustav returns, inform me immediately."

Accompanying the response were the brooch and coin, which flew out of the mirror surface by themselves.

Not letting me investigate deeply, just waiting for Louis Gustav's return? How strange. Isn't this unrelated to the Demoness Sect? Is this not their trap? Franca was puzzled, and again projected herself through the mirror world to Niceea's room.

She relayed the Demoness of Black's words to Niceea and returned the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin.

Niceea quietly sighed in relief.

She then had the mood for casual conversation.

"Madame, I visited the Lavigny Docks recently and found that the Church of The Fool there now has a patron saint named Franca Roland.

"Her name is the same as yours."

Niceea originally didn't think this was related to her superior. Throughout Trier, there were hundreds of women named Franca. But the patron saint's honorific title included "the Demoness Accompanied by Strife and Catastrophe."

Franca was slightly embarrassed, not because her subordinate knew the honorific title, but because her "side job" in another organization was discovered.

She responded with an air of profundity, "In this world, everyone has multiple identities for certain purposes."

In other words, neither denying nor confirming.

Niceea didn't dare ask further, seriously considering whether she should openly convert to Mr. Fool to get closer to her superior.

Privately, everyone was still the Primordial One's children.

After Franca's mirror projection disappeared, Niceea packed away the makeup mirror, brooch, and coin, merged into the darkness, and silently returned to the master bedroom.

She didn't rush to lie back in bed, first placing the brooch and coin in a hidden compartment of the desk.

After completing this task, she glided back to the bed like a shadow in the night, lying down without making a sound, pulling the blanket over herself.

Suddenly, a low voice sounded near her ear.

"Where did you just go?"

Niceea instinctively turned her head, seeing Grouès. who had been soundly asleep, now had his eyes open, his blue eyes deeply and darkly fixed on her.

-x-X-x-

Niceea's heart tightened, but she remained calm on the surface.

When she had sneaked out, she had already prepared to handle similar situations.

She patted her chest and complained, "Are you trying to scare me to death? Suddenly blurting out a sentence!"

After "calming down" for a few seconds, Niceea casually answered Grouès's question, "Couldn't sleep, felt a bit stuffy, and went to the balcony to get some air."

Not giving Grouès a chance to ask further questions, she pursed her lips, revealing her inner suppression, "You don't think something might have happened to Louis, right?"

As the leader of the Emperor Party, his mysterious disappearance would naturally bring anxiety, tension, and stress to his subordinates, making insomnia completely normal.

Grouès stared at Niceea for a few seconds, then softened his expression.

"Who knows?

"Maybe he'll suddenly appear in a couple of days."

…

In Franca's workshop in the luxurious villa, multiple mirrors floated before Lumian and the others, each reflecting different scenes.

Several mirrors captured Niceea and Grouès from various angles.

When Franca had previously projected herself through the mirror world, she had casually marked all the mirrored items in that house.

This was to ensure the safety of her only subordinate, making sure she wouldn't be attacked or have her identity exposed for stealing the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin.

Subsequent developments proved Franca's wisdom and intuition-Grouès had indeed noticed Niceea's quiet departure from the room.

During their conversation, Franca was prepared to project her power through the mirror world.

After a while, Franca's expression suddenly became a bit strange.

Wait, why are they suddenly kissing?

There are so many people watching!

Her purpose was only to add an extra layer of Insurance to Niceea's safety. She hadn't expected the suspicion-harboring Grouès and the scheming Niceea to start kissing while talking!

Is this about to become a scene not suitable for minors?

If only Franca was watching the "surveillance", she would have found this unexpected yet understandable, not a big deal, and even quite entertaining with the thrill of secretly peeping. But now, Jenna was sitting beside her, with Anthony and Ludwig-who was eating a midnight snack-behind her.

She started to feel embarrassed.

At this moment, Anthony, focused on the mirror scenes, said, "Both of their body languages show a certain level of resistance. The kiss is deceptive and perfunctory."

Professional... Franca muttered internally.

As Anthony predicted, Niceea and Grouès kissed for a moment before saying goodnight again and going back to sleep.

Franca sighed in relief and told her companions, "Just leave one person to watch the surveillance. The rest can get some sleep.

"Jenna, come replace me in an hour and a half, Lumian, replace Jenna three hours later. Anthony, you and Ludwig don't need to stay up."

The surveillance required support from a demigod Demoness.

Moreover, if anything went wrong, only the Demonesses could first project or traverse over to provide help.

"Okay," Anthony made no objections. After Ludwig finished his midnight snack, he left the room with Anthony.

After giving Franca a few instructions, Lumian and Jenna also went to rest.

Franca completely relaxed, leisurely watching the 'surveillance'.

As time slowly passed, while she was reading a novel leaning against a pile of pillows, her spiritual intuition suddenly gave her a premonition. She raised her head and looked at one of the "surveillance" mirrors.

Grouès silently got out of bed and went to the desk. opening a hidden compartment.

After confirming that the Gustav family brooch and Tudor coin were still there, this core member of the Emperor Party went to the master bedroom's attached bathroom, letting the toilet flush with a whoosh.

Seeing Grouès return to bed after leaving the bathroom, Franca pursed her lips.

That's it?

She had expected him to suddenly attack and kill Niceea, or use one of the brooch or coin to contact Louis Gustav, or someone else.

As a result, Grouès was so well-behaved that it disappointed her.

And so, during the rotation of surveillance, the sky gradually brightened, with bright sunlight cascading from above.

Franca, now wearing a lace-flowered lady's shirt and cream-colored loose long pants, covered her mouth while yawning and walked into the workshop, asking Lumian, who was seriously watching the "surveillance."

"Nothing unusual, right?"

"There is something." Lumian had one leg raised, the other naturally extended, leaning back against the pile of pillows.

"What's unusual?" Franca instantly became alert.

Lumian chuckled. "After waking up in the same bed as a Demoness of Pleasure, Grouès didn't have a morning round. This shows his attention is completely elsewhere, he's hiding something in his heart, and might do something later."

"Makes sense," Franca was quite aware of a Demoness of Pleasure's charm.

She sat next to Lumian and recalled, "I've also marked some of Grouès's clothing metal buttons. As long as our luck isn't bad, we should be able to see where he goes and what he does."

"Luck? Our luck definitely won't be bad." Lumian laughed and patted his Traveler's Bag, which contained the sealed Post-Apocalyptic Scripture.

This Grade 0 Sealed Artifact ultimately wasn't used.

The formal suit Grouès changed into after breakfast had two shiny, mirror-like metal buttons marked by Franca.

The "surveillance" image immediately changed, mainly showing the scene in front of Groués, swaying back and forth.

In the following time, Grouès kissed Niceea goodbye, took a two-wheeled, two-seat carriage to a certain street in the prison district-Quartier 4.

He walked to a dark red door and rang the doorbell.

The door opened by itself.

Just as Grouès passed through the doorway, the "surveillance" image suddenly blurred, displaying numerous white noise points.

These noise points lasted only two seconds before disappearing. The mirrors before Lumian and Franca no longer showed any image.

"Were we discovered? Or does the house itself have an abnormality affecting the mirror world?" Franca turned her head to look at Lumian.

"Let's wait a bit," Lumian said calmly.

About three to four minutes later, the mirror showed an image again-Grouès was leaving the house.

Franca nodded thoughtfully.

Throughout the morning, Grouès, as a deputy manager of an armaments factory, visited numerous military camps in the Quartier Éraste and returned to his office during lunch.

Lumian, who had already rested, stood up. "Nothing worth watching anymore."

"Yeah." Franca stood up too.

She looked at Lumian and suddenly looked puzzled. "Why do I feel like you've gotten shorter?"

"My Weather Warlock potion has been partially digested. My state is completely stabilized, and I have better control over my body. I can control my height to around 1.95 meters. As the digestion deepens, I can continue to compress. Once the potion is fully digested, I should normally maintain 1.85 meters. During battle, even without revealing my Mythical Creature form, I can expand to 2.7-2.8 meters, like a small giant," Lumian answered in good spirits.

"You've already partially digested it?" Franca asked in surprise.

Lumian chuckled, "Because I found the key points to acting as a Weather Warlock. A few days ago, I discovered a tribe in a primitive jungle of the Southern Continent that maintained blood sacrifice traditions. I brought them different extreme weather conditions. After persisting for three days, they were broken by fear, submitting to me and completely abandoning their blood sacrifice habits.

"This helped me summarize an acting principle, and the potion was thus significantly digested."

Franca thought for a few seconds and asked curiously.

"Controlling weather is to bring about a catastrophe and make the target submit?"

This was consistent with the inner meaning of the Hunter pathway.

"More or less." Lumian glanced at the floating mirrors and smiled. "Time to visit that house with abnormalities."

"You're going?" Franca frowned. "Just leave it to the Demoness Sect or official Beyonders. I feel like there might be a trap in front of everything you do now."

Smiling, Lumian replied, "This is on the ground, not underground, under the watch of Mr. Fool and the true gods.

"If I'm afraid to handle abnormal events under these circumstances, how can I act as an Iron-blooded Knight?"

"That's true," Franca responded tersely.

She hesitated for two seconds, "Then take Jenna with you."

Lumian smiled and invited Franca, "Come with us."

"Okay..." Franca readily agreed.

…

At the door of the house at 20 Rue Saint-Frédéric in the prison district.

Lumian, wearing a half-high silk hat, a white shirt, black vest, and long pants, opened the dark red door.

He walked in, detecting no abnormalities.

Franca and Jenna outside saw the interior through the makeup mirror in his hand.

Sofas and cabinets were covered with white cloth to prevent dust accumulation, and the floor was cleaned very thoroughly.

"No problems, no interference," Jenna also entered and told Lumian.

Lumian looked around and said, "This place hasn't been lived in for a long time, but maids come regularly to clean."

This was a Weather Warlock's extraction and restoration of environmental information.

Just as Lumian finished speaking, Franca, who had also entered the house, saw a figure slowly walking down the stairs.

The figure was very thin, seeming like it would fall with a gust of wind.

His hair was mostly gray, clearly aged, with a brown-beard that looked like it hadn't been trimmed in a long time, wearing a crumpled black formal suit.

Before his appearance, Lumian, as an Angel, had not detected him and still couldn't smell his presence.

Based on this, Lumian believed the person didn't actually exist.

The old man looked at Lumian and smiled. "You've finally come to collect the letter."

"Letter?" Lumian raised an eyebrow.

The old man smiled and answered, "I am the Messenger of God, and one of my functions is to deliver letters for great existences.

"There's a letter here for you."

-x-X-x-

A letter from a great existence? Lumian suddenly laughed, interrupting the old man's words, "I feel that you don't actually exist in this house."

As Lumian spoke, Franca stepped sideways, moving close to Jenna, with layers of phantom images appearing in her eyes.

The old man in a crumpled formal suit and thin frame seemed eager to express himself and actually explained his current state to Lumian, "If I believe I exist, and you believe I exist, then I am existing. The reverse is also true."

Franca felt a bit of a headache, muttering. "Are you talking philosophy?"

The old man's eyes brightened. "How did you know that my previous, hmm, in your terms, Sequence was called Philosopher?"

Seriously. A Demoness's spiritual intuition is no joke.... Franca was momentarily stunned.

Philosopher? Lumian suddenly thought of a secretive organization, an evil god cult: First Philosophy!

The mental patient who was once disguised as his substitute by I Know Someone was also described as being like a philosopher... Lumian thoughtfully said to the old man, "Midoro's Worship?"

"Do you know about the Heavenly Domains, the Formless Door?" The old man responded happily, "Have you also experienced immortality?"

Lumian shook his head, speaking in a flat tone, "No.

"I've just killed a few Initiates."

He was provoking, also displaying the arrogance of a Hunter to better act as an Iron-blooded Knight.

Moreover, discussing immortality and the Formless Door with a Philosopher would likely draw him into his "realm" and imperceptibly cause severe problems.

The expression on the old man's face instantly disappeared. He looked at Lumian, speaking in a hollow voice, "A great existence wants me to deliver you a letter."

"Which one?" Before Lumian could ask, he glanced at Franca and Jenna.

The two Demonesses had silently disappeared from the house, leaving only two makeup mirrors placed on the ground at some point.

When Lumian first diverted the conversation, Franca had used their proximity to transfer their true bodies through the mirror world via their eyes, leaving only mirror projections!

Now, they weren't even maintaining the mirror projections.

They had learned from Lumian that deeply understanding the names and information of great existences would severely corrupt oneself, something mirror projections couldn't block, and even hidden, sleeping mirrors would be affected!

The old man didn't mind Franca and Jenna's departure, looking at Lumian and saying, "The mighty Circle of Inevitability."

Circle of Inevitability? He should hate Amon more than me now. What letter is He sending me? Is He trying to carry out counterespionage against me? Why would such a great existence value me... Or is this letter just a medium to harvest my life? Lumian asked the old man with interest, "You're not an Angel, are you? Except for a few, other great existences haven't yet been able to send angelic-level power through the barrier.

"Can you understand the true names of great existences?"

In Lumian's view, this old man was at most Sequence 3.

The old man smiled and replied, "This is the unique characteristic and source of pain for Messengers of God, but also our most powerful ability.

"Corruption grants us power."

Sounds quite philosophical. But this ability is indeed special. The Beyonders from the First Philosophy I've encountered were skilled at injecting voices into others' ears or minds. If what they inject are the true names of great existences, who below the angelic level could withstand that? Lumian suddenly felt lucky that he hadn't encountered a Messenger of God before becoming an angel.

Otherwise, with the various hidden issues in his body, he would absolutely explode at the slightest provocation.

Or maybe it wasn't luck, but arrangement... As this thought flashed, Lumian self-deprecatingly mused internally.

With this realization, his blue eyes instantly turned Iron-black.

He didn't want to receive the Circle of Inevitability's letter. He wanted to find the mystical connection between the old man before him and his true body by investigating overall weaknesses, then blow them both up!

At that moment, the old man's body suddenly became ethereal.

A silver-white with black color rose from within him.

His hollow voice rang out. "Please receive the letter."

He suddenly condensed, transforming into a silver- white and black light, shooting directly at Lumian.

In this house, he was the letter, and the letter was him!

Lumian activated the black mark on his right shoulder and quickly disappeared from the spot.

He directly teleported to the Fog Sea, far from Trier.

But the silver-white and black light was still ahead of him, still approaching, not shaken off.

Lumian didn't hesitate, making layers of phantom images appear in his blue eyes.

He entered the mirror world.

The silver-white and black light was still before him, in the illusory dark tunnel, seeming destined to be received by him.

This was a fate that couldn't be escaped!

Lumian flashed into another mirror tunnel, and the silver-white and black light once again approached from the front.

This time, Lumian didn't flee. His eyes quickly turned silver-black.

Eye of Calamity!

Although his Inevitability power hadn't further improved, thanks to his Weakness Investigation ability now reaching angelic level, the Eye of Calamity formed by merging this ability with Inevitability power naturally had some enhancement.

Since he couldn't escape, he'd try to eliminate this letter from the destiny plane!

Soon, Lumian saw the quietly surging mercury-colored illusory long river and saw the scene of himself catching the silver-white and black light.

It existed in almost all destiny branches.

In other words, Lumian saw his future of receiving the "letter", a destiny that was bound to unfold.

The only variable was a branch that didn't include this future, extremely marginal and chaotic, very difficult to push with his current abilities.

Lacking necessary preconditions!

In the blink of an eye, Lumian saw another scene.

In the image, the recipient of the "letter" was not only himself but also Amon, wearing a black robe, monocle, and a pointed soft hat.

Clang!

Lumian suddenly heard an ethereal clang crossing through thick history.

A scene naturally emerged in his mind: the thin-faced Amon, wearing a monocle, stood in the bell tower, pushing the bell hammer to strike the great bell.

With this sound, an ancient, mottled massive stone clock appeared.

It was a phantom, its face divided into unequal twelve sections by intersecting dark blue and gray-white, each section with different symbols representing different times.

Three jointed, semi-transparent small worms formed the clock's hands.

As they stopped moving, an indescribable invisible torrent surged out, seemingly freezing the silver-white and black light within.

Lumian, not within the affected range, heard a familiar voice with a hint of laughter, "Do you know the main ability of a Sufferer?"

Before Lumian could respond, the voice answered itself, "Reproducing the suffering one has experienced onto the target."

As the words fell, the silver-white and black light frozen in time broke through its restraints, again flying towards Lumian.

But waiting for it was an extraordinarily intense, unimaginable sea of light.

A supernova seemed to have erupted, erupting on a small scale.

This mirror world instantly collapsed, accompanied by the silent shattering of numerous mirrors.

Of course, this was far from a true supernova explosion, merely a kind of simulated reproduction.

Although Lumian was outside the range, his body also shattered, re-forming outside the mirror world.

At this moment, in his Eye of Calamity, the preconditions for pushing destiny to the marginal branch were satisfied.

Lumian didn't hesitate to release nearly half his spirituality from his left palm, letting the mercury- colored river of fate's water flow into the corresponding branch.

Everything calmed down.

Lumian was about to turn his head and look at Amon, who had appeared beside him at some point, when tiny silver-white and black lights suddenly emerged in the void, forming a paragraph of text.

Though the Circle of Inevitability's letter couldn't be directly delivered to him and Amon, it inevitably revealed itself.

The text was very complex, but it didn't prevent Lumian from directly deciphering its meaning.

"Stay away from special mirror worlds, or you're destined to lose control and go mad."

Huh? Lumian was somewhat stunned.

Is this a warning?

The Circle of Inevitability didn't try to corrupt or smite me, but instead warned me?

Is He trying to betray the other Outer Deities?

Surprised, Lumian focused on the phrase "lose control and go mad".

He then recalled the prophecy of the Post-Apocalyptic Scripture and the future self he seemed to have seen during the Hostel incident.

Do all prophecies about my future revolve around the words 'going crazy'? Lumian silently muttered to himself.

Amon, standing mid-air in some inexplicable manner. slightly disappointedly shook His head. "If it's not a letter for me, why ask me to receive it?"

"Perhaps you'll also lose control and go mad by entering the special mirror world," Lumian tried to interpret the hidden meaning of the Circle of Inevitability's words.

Saying this, he stopped.

He remembered the "young man" beside him, wearing a monocle, was once a top Cryptologist.

Amon smiled in agreement. "That's possible.

"But I can indeed avoid entering special mirror worlds. Can you?"

Lumian wanted to answer yes, but given the entanglement of destiny, his unique pathway, and various other prerequisites, he felt he would inevitably enter the special mirror world, enter the depths of Fourth Epoch Trier, and could only hope to delay this as much as possible until fully prepared.

"Why would the Circle of Inevitability want to warn me?" Lumian asked habitually.

Amon adjusted His monocle, laughing. "Did that old fellow also designate me as a recipient to help you decrypt?"

He continued, His tone laced with laughter, "The interpretation is that entering a special mirror world indeed poses a risk of you losing control and going mad, and this might bring unknown risks to those old fellows."

-x-X-x-

Would the terror of the special mirror world possibly bring trouble to the Outer Deities' invasion? Lumian, treading on a wild wind, turned his head to look at Amon. 'What exactly is in the depths of the special mirror world?'

This was a direct participant who might know something!

Lumian had no expectation that Amon would certainly answer him, but asking wouldn't cost anything.

Amon stood steadily in the air, laughing with His usual tone,

'The embryonic form of the special mirror world was constructed by Bethel, to create a secret, spacious environment unknown to other gods for Tudor's and Cheek's meeting.

'Tudor wouldn't care whether this matter was seen, but cared about whether it would be known by those who shouldn't know.

'This is the style of His Imperial Majesty the Blood Emperor.'

'And then?' Lumian asked cooperatively.

Including the Termiboros period, he and Amon had already chatted 'casually' several times.

Amon pressed the monocle in His right eye socket. 'Later, the special mirror world underwent strange changes. Not only me, but Bethel and the others were no longer allowed to enter.

'His Majesty was fully capable of killing Angels.

'Afterward, His Majesty became even crazier. Cheek began to claim Herself as the true heir of the original Creator, the first person born in chaos.

'In the Pale Disaster, Cheek suffered severe damage. For thousands of years, Her condition has been poor. But as a Demoness of Unaging, you should clearly know that for high-ranking Demonesses, this is unlikely to happen. They can quickly resurrect even when met with death, let alone just being severely wounded.'

Lumian could tell that Amon was intentionally saying these words. His arrival today was certainly not just for receiving the Circle of Inevitability's letter.

'The true heir of the original Creator...' Lumian recalled the various concepts of the Demoness Sect that Franca had told him, and suddenly made certain associations. 'Shouldn't it be the personas the Oldest One initially split off? And among them, only two are most important and qualified to say this:

The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings and the original God Almighty...'

Lumian paused, muttering to himself, 'I'm aware that the combination of Tudor and Cheek was actually an arrangement left by the original God Almighty. The one believed in by the Aurora Order was also an object of arrangement, which will bring a destined accident.

'Moreover, the Demoness of Black said that the Primordial Demoness has five lines of honorific names, of which two are unknown to outsiders.'

Lumian's current thinking was that if he wanted to obtain more intelligence from Amon, he would have to trade some of his own information.

Who gets something for free?

The one in front of him was the expert at free acquisitions, once the top Marauder!

Before Amon could respond, Lumian added another sentence,

'The City of Calamity at the top of the Hunter and Demoness pathways was once contained by the original God Almighty.'

He began to suspect that the great terror of the special mirror world was related to the resurrection of the original God Almighty.

Amon glanced at him, smiling and saying, 'For such matters, no one dares to confirm without seeing it personally.

'Initially, when the special mirror world first had anomalies, that zealot already knew something was wrong. The occurrence of the War of the Four Emperors was also Him pushing it from the shadows.

'He re-established contact with the Chaos Sea more than seven years ago. Although forcibly using the Chaos Sea's power would cause the accommodation progress to regress, compared to those who still have to wait for the Western Continent's seal to be lifted, He shouldn't still be incapable of accomplishing an initial accommodation until today.

'Guess why He hasn't truly accommodated the Chaos Sea?'

Are the concerns about the problems hidden in the depths of the special mirror world stopping Him? Does He want a Beyonder qualified to become the Origins of Disaster and Calamity of Destruction not only to cultivate power against the apocalypse but also because the path to the Origins of Disaster must necessarily pass through the depths of the special mirror world, triggering that great terror and presenting it before His eyes? Is part of the previous 'bestowments' cost to be paid here? Lumian thoughtfully said to Amon, 'What else does that individual know about the special mirror world?'

Amon laughed and shook His head, answering off-topic,

'Cheek's remaining two honorific names are extremely secretive. Even color-titled high-ranking Demonesses don't all know them. Only those with close connections to Cheek that might trigger divine descent when attacked, truly grasp them.

'Otherwise, why do you think those two honorific names could remain secret, unknown even to all current Sequence Os? Medici could intimidate the Demoness of White, let alone those more powerful than Her.

'But that zealot might know something, after all, even the thoughts in one's mind might not be hidden from Him.'

Is the Demoness of Black one of those with close connections to the Primordial Demoness? She indeed seems special...

Lumian glanced at Amon and suddenly laughed. 'Using a true god's honorific name in Intisian won't incur divine punishment? Only using Hermes or ancient Hermes languages counts as blasphemy?'

After all, Cheek wasn't an uncommon name.

'You only mentioned Hermes and ancient Hermes because you only mastered them?' Amon laughed, 'Using ordinary language to recite a Sequence O's true name will attract attention but not necessarily divine punishment. As for me, guess why my title includes the description Blasphemer?'

Here, Amon adjusted the monocle in His right eye and looked Lumian up and down for a few seconds.

He said with an obvious smile, 'Actually, I'm quite looking forward to you entering the depths of the special mirror world.

Something interesting and unknown will definitely happen, and it's not something that will affect me.

'Why not give it a shot?'

'Maybe I'll consider it sometime in the future.' Lumian took on an unconcerned posture.

'Goodbye, my unacknowledged goddaughter. I hope when I see you next, you haven't truly lost control and gone mad.'

Amon waved like a human.

His figure suddenly disappeared.

Lumian lowered his head and gazed at the azure ocean shrouded in faint mist, activated the black mark on his right shoulder, and returned to the luxurious villa in Trier.

'How did it go?' Franca and Jenna, who had been waiting, asked in unison.

'The one called Inevitability sent a message through a Messenger of God,' Lumian told his two companions about the 'letter's' content.

'The one called Inevitability warned you not to go to the depths of the special mirror world? It feels like a weasel giving its well-wishes to a chicken—there's definitely no good intention,' Franca muttered.

'Could this be a misdirection?' Jenna frowned. 'But the secrets of the special mirror world's depths related to the Primordial Demoness are indeed dangerous.'

'Probably not a misdirection,' Lumian recounted his conversation with Amon that he could speak about, then laughed self-mockingly, 'Maybe the one who will save the end times is me, Mr. Fool will hold the fort, preventing those great existences from interfering with me. And when I reach the entrance of the special mirror world, I'll shout to the sky, 'Go back, or I'll face that great terror!'

'Like the Deterrence Era...' Franca couldn't help but quip.

Jenna didn't quite agree with Lumian's words. 'Maybe it would only bring trouble to the one called Inevitability, without affecting other great existences.'

'Do I look like an idiot? Before figuring out what exactly the great terror in the special mirror world's depths is and whether it can deter those great existences, I would never do such a thing,' Lumian teased Jenna.

After chatting for a while, he took out the special mirror world fragment obtained from the Demoness of Despair Panatiya from the Traveler's Bag and handed it to Franca.

'From now on, I must try to avoid direct contact with items related to the special mirror world.'

'Cautious!' Franca gave a thumbs up and praised Lumian.

She thought for a moment and took out her own special mirror world fragment, handing it to Jenna along with Lumian's.

'I have the Primordial Demoness's figurine. At critical moments, I must also avoid keeping it together with the special mirror world fragments.'

'I was just about to remind you,' Jenna smiled and collected the two special mirror world fragments.

Franca returned the smile and turned to Lumian.

'We'll put this matter aside for now?'

She was referring to Louis Gustav's matter. After some time, if this Emperor Party leader returned from Fourth Epoch Trier and the special mirror world, they would leave it to official Beyonders to handle, and notify the Demoness Sect on the side, not getting involved.

'Yeah.' Lumian nodded. 'In the coming days, besides finding other cultists hidden in Trier and Zaratul's clues, I'll focus on digesting the potion. I might seek Mr. Fool's permission to attempt the acting in a specific scenario for Weather Warlock.

'Also, I've communicated with Mr. Star and Mr. Moon. If they discover a base of the Rose School of Thought or an armed force belonging to them, they'll immediately notify me. I'll take you to the Southern Continent and launch a small war.'

The acting of a War Bishop must be completed in a war.

'Okay.' Franca pointed upstairs. 'So there's nothing else for now?'

She wanted to continue manufacturing giant robots.

Lumian didn't respond directly but turned to Jenna and Franca with a smile. 'I heard a very famous circus is touring in Trier.

Want to go see it together?'

'Sure.' Jenna looked at Franca.

Franca hesitated for two seconds. 'Alright.'

More than a week later.

Angoulême de Francois put on a brown coat with gold-embroidered threads and walked towards the underground of Saint Vieve Cathedral.

He and several colleagues were assigned to search for Louis Gustav and Madame Pualis in Fourth Epoch Trier. For this, they needed to hold a ritual, receive the blessing of the Eternal Blazing Sun, to resist the various corruptions existing in the Fourth Epoch Trier within a certain time.

Even for an Unshadowed, it would be quite dangerous otherwise.

Another one brought by Hidden Blade... Angoulême sighed inwardly.

The matter of Louis Gustav and the person suspected to be Pualis meeting in Fourth Epoch Trier was personally reported by him.

After being assigned to this task, Angoulême had tried to find Hidden Blade in the telegram group multiple times, wanting to complain, but in the past week, Hidden Blade had only been online two or three times, and no one knew what she was busy with.