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"Uh, did you forget? The Reader Pathway represents Omniscience, and the God of Knowledge can also be called the Omniscient One."
Leyton hesitated slightly, then pulled the God of Knowledge out to take the blame.
"Is that so?" Klein looked at Leyton with some suspicion, feeling that the other party was trying to fool him.
Leyton quickly changed the subject:
"Do you know Bernadette?"
Klein nodded: "Roselle's eldest daughter, one of the current Four Kings, the 'Queen Mystic.'"
After the topic successfully shifted to Bernadette, Leyton breathed a sigh of relief and continued:
"She is the person I plan to invite to resolve the True Creator's descent event later."
He continued under Klein's puzzled gaze:
"She is a Sequence 3 of the Mystery Pryer pathway, and her ritual for advancing to Hermit is to prevent a disaster involving high-level power."
"You want to use the advancement ritual as a condition to ask for her help? But she is only Sequence 3, facing the problem of an evil god's descent. Can she solve it? Or rather, can she solve it without causing a large-scale disaster?"
Klein was not very confident in Leyton's plan.
"Even if you look down on Bernadette, you should at least respect Roselle, right?"
Leyton looked at Klein; this guy hadn't seen the pile of mystical items Roselle left for his daughter yet. These were enough to support an Island.
Klein was silent for a moment. Having an Emperor as a father was indeed enviable. He then silently shifted the painful topic:
"Do you have a way to contact Bernadette?"
"I have such a large portion of Hermit characteristics on me, and Bernadette is a Sequence 3 of the Mystery Pryer pathway, and she also carries a sealed artifact with Hermit characteristics."
Leyton didn't finish his sentence, but Klein already understood what he meant and asked curiously:
"Where are you planning to 'accidentally' meet Bernadette?"
"Do you want a big meal?" Leyton said something completely unrelated.
Klein was a little strange but still nodded. He wouldn't refuse a free big meal, and he hadn't had breakfast yet.
Following the inspiration in his heart, Leyton took two steps forward and pulled Klein into the Spirit World.
Klein watched as the richly colored, oil-painting-like lines rapidly receded. After a short while, the richly colored, layered blocks of color gradually faded, and the surroundings turned into a private room in a high-end restaurant.
"An Intis Restaurant. They have the most authentic Intis cuisine, and many of their signature dishes are said to have originated from Emperor Roselle's court."
Leyton introduced it to Klein, who was still in a daze observing his surroundings.
"Are you here for me? And how did you know I was here?"
Only then did Klein notice a lady sitting at the dining table whom he had been ignoring. She was wearing an olive-green long dress and an old-fashioned black soft hat, with a fine mesh veil covering her face.
He could only see long, waist-length, naturally flowing chestnut hair, and her figure was very well-proportioned.
"Long time no see, Ms. Bernadette. I have a Hermit characteristic on me, so I can probably guess that you've arrived in Backlund. I just need to wander around following my intuition, and I can 'accidentally' meet you."
Leyton bowed to Bernadette, who was sitting at the dining table, and then explained how he was able to find her accurately.
Bernadette did not hide the surprise in her eyes. A subtle purple glow flashed in her deep gaze as she carefully scrutinized Leyton and Klein beside him.
Then she frowned slightly. She didn't find any abnormalities on either of them. She subtly retracted her gaze and then said casually:
"Just like when we met at sea last time?"
"That was an accident. At the time, I wanted to 'accidentally' meet the Captain, but I unexpectedly met you."
Leyton explained.
"The Captain?" Bernadette repeated Leyton's address for Cattleya, made no comment, and then said:
"Since you're here, why not sit down and try the signature dishes that are said to have come from Roselle's court? I'd like to hear your opinions; it might be an extra gain for me."
Leyton and Klein exchanged glances, then Leyton led the way and sat down opposite Bernadette. Seeing this, Klein sat down on the chair next to Leyton.
Bernadette called for the restaurant's waiter and ordered some more dishes under the waiter's surprised gaze.
The waiter bowed politely and exited the room, not forgetting to glance again at Leyton and Klein, who had appeared in the private room.
He suspected that he had miscounted the number of people, or perhaps he had been distracted during work and hadn't noticed two more gentlemen entering the private room.
Klein sat awkwardly to the side. He thought the big meal would be treated by Leyton, but he didn't expect the other party to bring him to a lady's table to freeload, and it was the daughter of a previous Transmigrator at that.
Leyton ignored Klein, who still seemed a bit socially awkward. He raised his left hand, rolled up his sleeve, and revealed the crimson Hanged Man tattoo on his forearm.
Bernadette's gaze was drawn to the crimson Hanged Man tattoo, and her eyes gradually deepened.
After a while, she frowned slightly, wanting to use her divination ability to see more, but an intuitive premonition stopped her actions.
Leyton saw Bernadette trying to use divination and initially wanted to stop her, but then he saw Bernadette give up the attempt and cast an inquiring gaze at him.
Leyton cleared his throat with a light cough, then began to explain:
"This is a mass of flesh carrying the True Creator's divinity and a small portion of Its conscious awareness. It is temporarily residing within me."
"True Creator? Are you sure it's a conscious awareness?"
Bernadette's tone was filled with unconcealed doubt.
Leyton nodded: "I used a special Mystical Reenactment."
He told Bernadette the story of Easter, believing it was the best way to gain her trust.
After hearing the story, Bernadette frowned slightly. The story was a bit strange; there was no such thing as Easter in this world, at least not in her years of experience. The style, however, was very similar to some stories Emperor Roselle had told her.
Bernadette looked at Leyton with some suspicion, but she didn't show it. Instead, she continued to ask:
"You're only Sequence 5; aren't you worried about that Hermit power gradually merging with you by using it like this?"
"It's already merging with me, which is why I'm so eager to advance my Sequence."
Leyton spread his hands, his tone helpless.
Bernadette gazed at Leyton for a long time, and the private room fell silent for a moment. The waiter brought the dishes Bernadette had just ordered and then left.
Inside the private room, emerald pea vines hung down, like a scene from a fairy tale.
Klein curiously surveyed his surroundings. Through his Spirit Vision and intuition, Klein realized that this place had been isolated from the outside world.
His gaze shifted to Queen Mystic opposite him, somewhat worried that she might covet the Hermit characteristics on Leyton and resort to murder and plunder or robbery.
"I don't lack this Hermit characteristic." Bernadette's voice rang out, her gaze sweeping over Klein.
Klein awkwardly touched the non-existent cold sweat on his forehead.
He was about to inwardly complain about how everyone could read minds, but he immediately forced that thought down as soon as it emerged.
Bernadette turned her gaze back to Leyton, her expression becoming serious:
"What is your relationship with the Hidden Sage?"
"Consider it a relatively good Blessed?" Leyton replied with a tone that wasn't entirely certain.
Bernadette nodded noncommittally, then added:
"When we last met, you were still blessed by the God of Knowledge. That's why I agreed to send you to the Future."
Hearing this, Klein reacted more strongly than Leyton. He remembered that in the information Mr. Hanged Man provided about the pirate kings and generals at sea, Queen Mystic and Admiral of Stars had already broken off their relationship.
Queen Mystic could still send Al to the Future; they hadn't broken off their relationship at all? Was this just an act for others to see? They had almost deceived everyone, including a major power like the Moses Ascetic Order. The mystical world truly runs deep...
Leyton tried to make his expression more serious, lowering his voice as he said:
"This is a collaboration between the God of Knowledge and the Hidden Sage. This is truly hidden, so please, do not reveal this information, at least not until the War of the Gods arrives."
"War of the Gods?" Bernadette's tone also became serious.
Leyton nodded slightly:
"Yes, the War of the Gods, a War of the Gods involving many parties. The True Creator is one of the allies we need to win over."
Leyton spoke words that could not be considered lies. Only by making things sound serious enough could Bernadette feel that she knew too much and had been forced to participate.
Bernadette already frowned. She had an urge to immediately throw these two guys out. If this conversation continued, she would have to choose a faction.
The next moment, Bernadette's eyes flashed, becoming extremely deep, like the sea before a storm. In this state, her eyes clearly lost focus and became blank.
Bernadette wanted to glimpse a fragment of the future through divination to help her make a choice.
She saw a very blurry figure, so blurry that no details or form could be discerned.
It also saw her. Unexpectedly, It had no ill will, and was even very friendly.
The image was fleeting, and a line of bloody tears flowed from Bernadette's eyes.
Bernadette had an epiphany. The one she had just seen was the Hermit! But not the Hidden Sage!
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