"Then, regarding my future—do "You" have any other advice?"
Adam looked at him and said, "You need the favour of Fate."
Fate? Did "He" mean the Fate Pathway?
Edward pressed, "When? Where? Because of what?"
"Soon."
Before Edward could press further, Adam took out a small silver-white cross, gently tossed it into the air, and it landed squarely in Edward's hand.
"What is this? A parting gift? Don't tell me it's a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact?"
"It's not."
Adam shook his head. "With it, you are a member of the Twilight Hermit Order. Whenever the Order convenes, you can use it to project your spirit into this Corpse Cathedral. This was your original request."
Edward was speechless. "You're dead, so what's the use of giving me this? Will the Twilight Hermit Order still exist?"
"It can exist."
"But didn't you have someone tell me before that I had to rescue Mr. Door to join the Twilight Hermit Order?" Edward suddenly froze mid-sentence, a thought flashing in his mind. "Right—then the second Blasphemy Slate, can you lend it to me now?"
"It's not with me."
Adam said, "As for 'rescuing Mr. Door,' that was an order Amon gave when he was parasitising me."
"Amon? How could he possibly—"
Edward blurted out the question before realising—this Adam was only a virtual personality, a split avatar. If Amon's main body came personally, parasitising him really wouldn't be difficult.
"So it's Amon who wants to rescue Mr. Door?"
Right—Amon's advancement ritual was to hijack someone else's apotheosis and take their place. He had probably long set his sights on Mr. Door.
That way, not only could he complete his ritual and ascend to Sequence 0, but he could also conveniently seize the Door pathway's authority, bringing him a step closer to becoming Lord of the Mysteries.
"Does Amon…not know that Mr. Door's uniqueness is missing?"
"He doesn't."
Edward couldn't help but chuckle. "Then one day, after all his painstaking schemes, when he finally releases Mr. Door…he's in for quite a surprise."
Adam said flatly, "I'd also very much like to witness that scene."
Whether he meant it or not was unclear, but in the original story, during Amon's conflict with Klein, Adam leaned slightly toward Amon—though since Amon was too unreliable, Adam had no reason to prop him up forcefully. After all, the Lord of the Mysteries was meant to bear the burden of resisting the apocalypse.
And who knew—when facing the Outer Gods, maybe Amon would just pat his backside and vanish.
"Alright, I've told you all I know. It's time to say goodbye."
Edward suddenly fixed his gaze on him. "Adam…are you really dead?"
"Yes."
As the final word left his lips, everything around Edward blurred and receded rapidly. The massive, sinister yet sacred Corpse Cathedral collapsed in a roar, shattering into a storm of white bones.
Edward found himself back in the underground burial hall, Adam's last sigh still echoing in his ears.
He grabbed Alger's wrist, and their figures faded together into nothingness, leaving the burial hall in silence.
Adam remained before the mural depicting the 'devouring' of the Ancient Sun God, his body twisting as if short-circuited, until with another sigh, he completely dissipated.
Only the small cross fell to the ground, producing a crisp jingle that echoed long in the vast burial hall.
So he really did disappear…
Floating in the air, Edward looked toward where the primitive island had been, then once more teleported back to the captain's cabin of the Blue Avenger.
Alger finally shook off the fear from that sigh. "That sigh just now…"
"You can think of it as belonging to a god."
"A god!"
So there really had been a god on that primitive island!
Curiosity urged him to ask more, but reason kept it in check. He took a deep breath and glanced at the Tyrant card in Edward's hand.
"Mr. Tower, is that card…the Card of Blasphemy for the Sailor pathway?"
"That's right."
Edward gently brushed his fingers across the tarot card, feeling the subtle feedback confirming that he could use Bookworm to obtain its mystical abilities.
"Then could I…" Alger hesitated. He had known before coming to explore the primitive island that he would be little more than a tagalong, but he hadn't expected to be this redundant.
"To obtain this Card, I, of course, have Mr. Hanged Man to thank for bringing me here."
Edward smiled slightly. "I can provide you with the formulas for Sequence 5 Ocean Songster and Sequence 4 Cataclysmic Interrer."
Alger's heart leapt, though his face showed a wry smile. "Mr. Tower, I'd originally planned to use this primitive island as repayment for my debt to you, but now it seems…I owe you even more."
"Hahahaha, then you'd better work hard. Once you advance to demigod, paying back this little favour shouldn't be too hard."
He loosened his shoulders with a grin. "By then, Tower, you'll probably already be an angel."
"I'll borrow your good words!"
Alger didn't say anything more. He simply extended his hand toward Edward. "Thank you."
Edward stepped back and made a little two-finger wave. "See you—oh, right: once you're back, try not to dwell on the contents of that mural. You know why."
His figure blurred and vanished.
Alger stared at the spot where he'd disappeared, murmuring, "Just what did Mr. Tower talk about with the god on that island?"
Yes—he had guessed that Edward had somehow managed to converse with that "god." But what exactly had they talked about?
If the mural on that island recorded the birth, salvation, and eventual division of the Ancient Sun God, then could the "god" there be connected to one of the figures in that mural?
Just then, a black creature flickering with lightning leapt out of the Spirit World, dropped a letter, and vanished.
"This is…the bishop's messenger?"
Alger opened the letter. There was just one line of words: "Return to the Cathedral of Waves immediately."
He walked out of the captain's cabin and shouted, "Hard to port—set course for Bayam!"
———
After leaving the Blue Avenger, Edward directly teleported back to Saint Samuel Cathedral in Backlund, heading straight for the same prayer room where he had prayed to the Goddess before.
Something as big as Adam's death—of course he had to report it to the Goddess at once. Maybe he could even get more intel from "Her".
Edward took out all sorts of offerings pleasing to a deity—essential oils, floral waters, candles—and softly intoned:
"I pray for the power of the Night."
"I pray for the power of Secrecy."
"I pray for the Goddess's favour."
"…I have just encountered Adam on a primitive island. He claimed he was about to die, and in his final moments, made a series of arrangements that could only be called hasty."
"I do not know if the Goddess is already aware of this. I ask for Your guidance."
"Nightvanilla, plant of the Crimson Moon, carry my prayer to the Goddess!"
"Moonflower, blossom of the Crimson Moon, carry my prayer to the Goddess!"
When the prayer ended, Edward stood silently, waiting for the Goddess's reply.
After about half a minute, a gentle breeze stirred. Candle flames wavered; the room's light grew dim and shifting. Dust in the air rolled, forming a line of text on the floor:
"I am aware."
Edward waited for more, but nothing else came.
"So "You're" aware…and then? After Adam and the True Creator merge, what do "They" intend to do? Can't you give me even a hint?"
He waited a bit longer.
Suddenly, Edward froze.
Could it be…that the Goddess "Herself" didn't know?
For so long, the Evernight Goddess's "master schemer" image in the original story had been burned into his mind, and Edward had unconsciously assumed "She" must know and control everything.
But in truth—yes, "She" was ruthless, deep, and calculating—but "Her" authorities did not include omniscience or omnipotence. There was no reason "She" could know everything.
"...Ah."
After a long moment, Edward sighed and tidied the room.
Adam's "death" had completely caught him off guard.
But at the moment, the only thing he could really do was quickly digest his potion and advance to demigod.
"Oh, right."
Edward pulled out the Tyrant Card. "Let's grab a couple of abilities first."
———
Above the Grey Fog.
Klein stared at the two items before him, his mind buzzing.
Wait a second, Edward.
You took away the Sea God's Sceptre—so why did you 'return' with an extra Card of Blasphemy?
What is this, buy-one-get-one-free?
Don't tell me the Sea God's Sceptre spawned it or something.
"Right…Edward must have just gone to explore the primitive island the Hanged Man talked about. So this Card of Blasphemy was obtained there? In that case, the island might be a lot more unusual than I thought."
"I just don't know what happened there…Should I ask? No—no matter how curious I am, the Fool shouldn't be the one to bring it up. I'll just wait for the next Tarot Meeting and ask as the World."
Klein held the Tyrant Card, which was painted with Roselle in full papal regalia, and infused it with spirituality, triggering its contents.
The "Card of Blasphemy" immediately became three-dimensional, like a palm-sized book.
As the pages turned, every one of them had a depiction of Emperor Roselle—sometimes as a sailor, sometimes wearing a captain's hat and holding a sextant, sometimes standing before a vast ocean, belting out a song.
Klein's mouth twitched. Roselle really knew how to have fun…He really wanted to see the Witch Card now. A gender-bent Emperor Roselle would definitely be quite the spectacle!
If he then showed that gender-bent Roselle to his daughter, Bernadette—now that would be something!
He chuckled to himself, picked up the Sea God's Sceptre, and gave it a casual wave. A thought occurred to him—if he wrapped the Tyrant Card with his own spirit body, summoned through his own ritual, and used the Sea God's Sceptre that way…perhaps its power could be pushed even further.
"Let's find a chance to try it."
———
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