"What just happened?"
Aglea's face was filled with confusion, as if she had completely forgotten what had occurred in the "Memory Theater."
Hm? Do "actors" who leave the "Memory Theater" forget their experiences? But Bernadette clearly remembered.
Mm… the difference between Bernadette and Aglea is that the former was contaminated by the "Unknown" and became an official "actor" of the "Memory Theater"… this might be why she didn't forget what happened in the theater.
Of course, this is most likely also due to Aglea's current poor state. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy to alter the memory of an Archangel!
Even so, as a former "Apocalypse Demoness," given enough time, Aglea would certainly have methods to recall that lost memory.
After briefly analyzing Aglea's condition, Ebner chose not to hide anything and directly said to her, "We just entered the 'Memory Theater.'"
"Memory Theater…" Aglea's expression changed slightly. Clearly, just hearing the term allowed her to guess what she had encountered. She quickly said, "Don't tell me any more details… I don't want to establish a connection with the 'Unknown'!"
At this point, she looked at Ebner with a complicated expression and repeated what she had said in the "theater": "I didn't expect that you would actually be Father's reincarnation… I was too rash. Fortunately, nothing major went wrong."
"You didn't treat me as your father in there," Ebner replied with a smile.
"Even with Rhine, I never treated him as my real father… let's talk about that after you determine who holds the dominant position!" Aglea shook her head, then continued, "I assume your questions have already been answered there… is there anything else you need my help with?
"Although I still don't consider you my father, I do feel close to you. If there's anything, just say it."
After thinking for a moment, Ebner temporarily set aside the matter of the "Source of Depravity" corpse and instead asked, "I want to conduct that ritual from eleven years ago again. Is there anything I should pay attention to?"
"Conduct it again? Yes, it does need to be conducted again. Only then can the pollution within the five surviving girls be completely cleansed… after all, the one eleven years ago was, overall, a failure.
"At least for Roselle, his goal was not achieved." As she spoke, Aglea sighed, then said solemnly, "Most of the existences behind the scenes who paid attention to that ritual eleven years ago have likely already achieved their goals. If you conduct the ritual again, they probably won't intervene anymore…
"But the only exception is the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity'!
"She is very likely to influence you through the 'Door,' especially since you are a descendant of the Abraham family… and that ritual, if it is to succeed, cannot avoid the 'Door' no matter what."
Mr. Door… that really is a big problem!
But since I want to complete the long-term task Lilith assigned, I'll have to face that "King of Angels" sooner or later.
Come to think of it, when Alvin advanced to demigod, I should have gone to meet this ancestor of the Abraham family… but at that time, I hadn't finished reading Lord of the Mysteries, and I was extremely wary of Mr. Door, so I used various methods to avoid contact with Him.
While Ebner was thinking, he heard Aglea ask again, "When do you plan to conduct the ritual again?"
After some consideration, Ebner replied, "Perhaps in a month, or maybe two…"
The second ritual required all five survivors to be present. The others were manageable—either working for Ebner, imprisoned by him, or under his hypnosis—in short, all under his control.
Only "Pale Admiral" Maria was free, so it would depend on her schedule.
"I see… then could I ask you to prepare a temporary body for me? Once the ritual is conducted again, the environment here will no longer be suitable for my 'recovery.'"
As Aglea made her request, her eyes became misty and extremely alluring.
"Besides, my condition has improved recently, and I'd also like to go out and take a look."
Facing the charm of a top-tier "Demoness," Ebner remained unmoved. After all, he had so many Demonesses under his command that they could practically form a maid squad—how could he be affected by such unintentional temptation?
After thinking for a moment, he asked directly, "Do you know where the 'control core' of this castle is?"
"You want to reclaim the authority over the 'Observer Castle' so that outsiders can't freely enter and leave?" Aglea was first stunned, then asked in return.
Although Ebner differed somewhat in personality from Rhine and her father Oliver, their way of thinking about certain matters was quite similar, so she easily grasped his intention.
"That's right!" Ebner nodded firmly. He didn't want this castle to continue hosting such bloody trials, and once he reclaimed its authority, he would also be able to freely enter and leave.
Aglea smiled and said, "Very simple. You just need to appease 'Chan You.' It is the… well, according to Rhine, the 'castle spirit' of the Observer Castle, managing all of its functions."
Chan You? That "Dream Eater"? So it's not just a guardian… Ebner nodded thoughtfully, feeling that this wasn't a problem. After all, he could transform into "Rhine" and directly issue orders to Chan You.
"Oh, right. That little fellow Chan You recognizes incantations, not people—even when facing Rhine himself!
"If you promise to find me a relatively good temporary body, I'll tell you an incantation I know." Aglea curled her lips into a smile.
That smile was strikingly similar to Ebner's when he felt "pleased."
Ebner fell silent for a few seconds, then pulled out the historical projection of the "Saintess of Yellow," Natalia, from the fog of history, pointing at her as he asked, "What do you think of this?"
"A marionette made from a 'Demoness of Catastrophe'?" Aglea's eyes immediately lit up when she saw the "Saintess of Yellow."
Her biggest problem was that after losing the support of characteristics, her soul was gradually losing its former symbolism… but if she obtained supplementation from a "Demoness of Catastrophe," her condition would immediately improve. It was impossible for her not to be excited.
After all, Demonesses at the angel level were not easy to capture. Back then, Roselle had tried to target the Demoness Sect to help her, but all attempts ended in failure.
"Well?" Ebner withdrew the projection and asked again.
"Deal!" Aglea nodded in satisfaction, then continued, "I trust your character, so there's no need to establish any contract. When you come next time to conduct the ritual, just bring that body to me.
"As for the incantation, I can tell you now."
At this point, she paused, then in an extremely awkward tone, recited a sentence in Chinese:
"Every time I see the moonlight, I think of you…"
(End of Chapter)