The collapse of the theater could also be caused by "changes" involving high-level existences? Then why did Bernadette learning the word "hometown" lead to a collapse? That was clearly just a simple Chinese term and didn't involve any powerful figure, right?
Or could it be that the way she obtained that knowledge conflicted with the "script" that already existed in this world?
Mm… everything in the world of Mysteries originates from the Primordial One. It seems that after He saw Liu Bo transmigrate, He still perceived quite a lot of things, indirectly leading to a qualitative improvement in the abilities of the "High-Dimensional Overseer," which then fed back into the "Memory Theater"…
No wonder the first pathway the "Unknown" seized was His.
Also, after causing a "collapse," the one who triggered the "Memory Theater" would be forcibly recruited as its "actor," and indirectly contaminated by the "Unknown"?
So that's how the contamination on Bernadette came about…
However, Aglea, you seem to know quite a lot about Liu Bo and the "Unknown." Are you still afraid of being "contaminated" by it?
Thinking of this, Ebner struggled to control his eyes and glanced at Aglea, who had already opened the coffin lid.
The former "Apocalypse Demoness" seemed to guess his thoughts. She leaned forward, resting herself against the edge of the coffin, and lowered her head as she said:
"I was born as a mythical creature, so I have resistance to the contamination of Great Old Ones. Moreover, because of my mother's instructions, I have never tried to explore what the essence of the 'Unknown' is. So even though I know some things, I'm not as deeply involved as Mother or Lilith, nor do I worry about the true awakening of the 'Unknown.'
"Even when I was at my most difficult point, on the verge of going mad, I held back from praying to the 'Unknown.' If I ended up being exploited by it because of the 'Memory Theater,' that would be too unjust."
Ebner blinked—this was one of the few movements he could currently make—and understood why this cheap "daughter" of his was so concerned about the plot conflicting with history. After all, she would be the one to bear the consequences.
"Don't worry. You can see my current state. Even if I wanted to change things, I can't do anything." After saying that, Ebner struggled to move his cheek muscles, forcing out an ugly smile, then changed the topic. "By the way, you said earlier that you didn't have time to explain the cause and effect here. Now that we have plenty of time, you can talk about it, right?"
Hearing this, Aglea sighed in annoyance and complained, "If you had told me earlier that you were Father's reincarnation, I would have told you… and we wouldn't have accidentally triggered the 'Memory Theater' and gotten trapped here."
Miss, your emotional changes are quite rich… is that a Demoness specialty, or are you just suppressing yourself too much in the ritual room and can't express your emotions freely?
Ebner complained inwardly, but on the surface said "sincerely," "Sorry, I haven't remembered anything about you yet."
"I know. At the very least, you'll need to become an angel—or even an Archangel—to recall matters about me. So right now, I don't really treat you as my father." At this point, Aglea changed her tone and said with a smile, "However, I do feel close to you, and wanting to talk to you is genuine… I found it strange in reality before, but now I understand why."
"You're quite open-minded about this…" Ebner's lips twitched.
"After all, I already had one experience of 'recognizing a father' with Rhine, so I'm experienced in this." After a self-deprecating remark, Aglea organized her thoughts and finally answered Ebner's earlier question. "As for the arrangements here, we have to start with Rhine.
"However, after I was ambushed and killed by Cheek, my soul was imprisoned by the 'Night Emperor,' so I don't know much about Rhine's situation. Most of what I know comes from Roselle.
"For example, this 'Father of Succubi, Lord of Desire, Source of Depravity' here—I had heard this honorific from Monica before, but I didn't know where Rhine found it. I only know that He likely intended to use this corpse and its connection to the Sefirot to communicate with the 'Tenebrous World' or the 'Brood Hive,' borrowing their power to revive in another way.
"Unfortunately, because Bethel was exiled, His plan was doomed to fail. Even His arrangements were later used by others."
So Rhine's so-called "revival" plan required the help of Mr. Door… that makes sense. If you want to communicate with Sefirot, there's no way to bypass the "Door"!
Without the "Door," it's impossible to open the seal of the Celestial Worthy… even just opening a small gap.
Back when I was Rhine, I suffered from not knowing the plot of Lord of the Mysteries. If he had read the original story, he wouldn't have handed such a crucial step to Mr. Door.
Wait, the experiment eleven years ago was essentially also about "communicating" with Sefirot… could it be that Roselle got inspiration from Mr. Door before preparing that ritual?
Thinking this, Ebner voiced the question.
Aglea fell silent for a few seconds after hearing it, then nodded. "Although more than one existence was scheming against Roselle, 'Door' was indeed one of them…
"However, I don't believe that was the real Bethel… the one I knew would never have done such a thing.
"And Roselle as well… after going to the moon, he was nothing like when he had just become a Knowledge Magister. Only occasionally would traces of his former self appear.
"The him from before would never have concerned himself over so-called 'daughters' who wouldn't even be born for more than a hundred years. Aside from Bernadette, even for Charles and Bonova, although he treated them as family, he wouldn't have worried to that extent.
"At that time, his state was extremely abnormal, as if something had influenced his mind. He was single-mindedly trying to secure a path of survival for those future 'daughters.'
"For that, he followed 'Door's' suggestion, used the altar left by Rhine, gathered seven items related to Sefirot, obtained the 'God's Box' left behind by the Primordial Creator, and instructed his adopted son Adam, along with his lover in the Spiritual Order, Bruna, and others to follow up on the matter.
"However, in the end, the ritual eleven years ago did not fully succeed. Of the seven sealed Sefirot, only five responded, so only five survivors remained.
"The others all died on the spot."
Hearing this, Ebner suddenly interjected, "The Sefirot that didn't respond—were they the 'River of Eternal Darkness' and the 'Brood Hive'?"
Aglea looked at him in surprise, then nodded. "That's right."
I'm not surprised at all that the "River of Eternal Darkness" didn't respond. After all, its power can already be influenced by the Goddess…
But what about the "Brood Hive"?
I suspect that the Mother Goddess of Depravity, as one of the masterminds behind this, went through all this trouble—using Roselle and "Door," and arranging for those so-called "daughters" to be born on Earth—precisely to locate the "Brood Hive" through this ritual…
But eleven years ago, She clearly failed.
And the most likely possibility was that Lilith had already secretly taken control of the "Brood Hive"…
But something doesn't add up. If Lilith had truly taken control of the "Brood Hive," why would She assign me a long-term mission to recreate this ritual and uncover its secrets?
That suggests She also wanted to use this to discover the location of the "Brood Hive"!
Or could it be that the task She assigned me was itself a smokescreen…?
At that moment, Ebner couldn't help but recall Frank and Sharff, whom he had "planted eyes" to monitor. He felt that they might also be connected to the schemes of the goddesses.
Sigh, impossible to figure out, impossible to figure out. Whether it's the Goddess or Lilith, every move they make seems to be full of deeper meaning.
Fortunately, they're not enemies for now… otherwise, I'd probably have been "played to death" long ago.
Those past versions of "me" were truly bold—how did they dare to provoke them? Just thinking about it now makes me afraid!
The key point is… those "me's" actually succeeded…
(End of Chapter)