The pale golden, distorted figure chuckled disdainfully, "To be able to retrieve all authority and characteristics before the distant barrier shatters and become the Demon of Knowledge, that is already your best state."
"To simultaneously contend against the Supernova Dominator and the High-Dimensional Overseer, you need one or even multiple Outer Deity-level allies."
Leyton raised an eyebrow, looking at the pale golden figure before him, and calmly stated, "Are you recommending yourself to me?"
"You have been sealed by the Celestial Worthy for so long; the part of you in the Cosmos has already developed self-awareness. Do you think, upon returning to the Cosmos, which of you will be dominant?"
"We do not possess what the inhabitants of this world call 'humanity'. With consistent divinity, minor conflicts in consciousness will not affect us too much."
The Genie's voice carried no emotional color, as if emphasizing its difference as a pure mythical creature.
Leyton chuckled, directly skipping the topic and instead said, "Grant me three wishes, and I will tell you the state of the Nation of Disorder on the Western Continent, which was torn apart by the Primordial One."
The Genie's voice suddenly became indifferent and majestic, saying, "I refuse. Compared to reclaiming authority, returning to the Cosmos is more important to me. Your condition is not worth three wishes to me."
Leyton was not surprised by the Genie's refusal. After a slight nod, he added a new condition: "I can add one more condition: help you corrupt a Hand of Order. Whether you want to return to the Cosmos or reclaim your scattered authority, this will be of great help to you."
"...Deal!" After a second's pause, the pale golden figure added, "We need to swear by the Sefirah we each control. Our current states are not good; even if we had the ability to violate the oath, we certainly wouldn't do so."
"The unlucky Genie, even with the Celestial Worthy's after-effects…" he sighed inwardly, then nodded slightly, saying, "Alright, but you cannot intentionally twist my wishes, otherwise the transaction is void!"
After reaching an agreement, the pale golden figure suddenly vanished into thin air, as if it had never appeared.
"The ability to twist rules is truly useful. I'm even considering snatching two Prince of Abolition characteristics." The wishing lamp has already reached Cattleya, so it seems Bernadette has already set off to find her long-lost father.
A moment later, the verdant vines that had layered and interwoven to form a forest rapidly receded, and the separated space reintegrated with reality. A hazy glimmer composed of countless complex, pure knowledge surged from the void, moving away towards the north of the Fog Sea.
North of the Fog Sea, near the Intis Republic, lies the Auradek Archipelago, Intis's first overseas colony, also known as the Archipelago Province.
It is also Intis's most important overseas colony, the largest archipelago in the Fog Sea, and a gathering place for adventurers and treasure Hunters.
The architectural style here is largely influenced by Intis, predominantly featuring bright yellow as the main color, with gold inlays or gold paint used as decoration everywhere.
The local people here have yellowish skin, and their eyebrows and hair are scorched yellow to varying degrees. Their clothing is bolder and more open than that of Loen and Feynapotter; unlike Loen's subtlety, they enjoy flaunting the beauty of their bodies.
In Farlin Port, the capital of the Archipelago Province, on a street that was not too crowded, an imperceptible hazy glimmer surged from the Spirit World Depths, converging in mid-air and re-forming Leyton's figure.
The surrounding pedestrians seemed oblivious to this magical scene; not a single person exclaimed or questioned. Until Leyton merged into the crowd and disappeared down the street, no one around noticed that a person had suddenly appeared and then quickly left.
In the Dock District, at a hotel called Red Agate, Leyton leaned against the window on the third floor, calmly gazing at the bustling crowd outside. On the windowsill to his left, stood a bronze-colored mechanical glove embedded with three gems of different colors.
The mechanical glove's fingers formed an 'OK' gesture, and a large, cracked mouth on its palm was actively reporting the intelligence it had gathered:
"Respected Master, I have searched for some information in the collective subconscious sea nearby. Recently, treasure Hunters and adventurers who have set out to sea frequently report seeing Queen Mystic's Dawn in the depths of the Fog Sea."
"Now there are rumors at sea that Queen Mystic has obtained clues to a lost treasure and is actively searching for it."
"Treasure Hunters believe this is very likely the legendary Specter Empire, or the lost Newins; only such legendary treasures would prompt Queen Mystic to search personally."
"Oh, and also, the Eternal Blazing Sun Church and the ignorant Church of the God of Steam and Machinery also seem to have dispatched ships to inquire about news. I cannot see more information…"
"Well done..." Leyton praised the glove, which was doing a finger dance on the windowsill, then leaned against the window frame and closed his eyes to enter a meditative state.
In this state, his spirit gradually detached from his body and connected with a magnificent consciousness hidden in an unknown place.
The sounds of prayer at his ears became increasingly clear, echoing in layers, and the strong emotions and will contained within them naturally made him calm and rational, like a holy, wise, and indifferent Sage.
Rational and clear faith has an exceptionally good stabilizing effect on one's mental state. With the spread of faith, even the Hidden Sage is no longer so wonderful. Unfortunately, there are residual powers of the Mother Goddess of Depravity on that island; otherwise, I could have easily found it myself.
While sighing inwardly, he had already, with the help of the Hidden Sage, located Bernadette, whom he had marked.
In the depths of the Fog Sea, on the Dawn, which was steadily sailing between storms and waves, Bernadette sat cross-legged on a wooden chair in front of her desk.
She wore comfortable beige trousers, sturdy black leather boots, and a light brown knee-length skirt that fell diagonally, displaying a hint of wildness and ease, making her look more like an adventurer at sea than a pirate queen.
Sensing the gaze cast from an extremely high distance, Bernadette slightly raised her eyes, her gaze deep and dark, as if it could penetrate countless obstructions and meet Leyton's gaze across space.
"Notify me when you find him. There is residual corruption from the Primordial Moon there."
Leyton's voice, somewhat ethereal and fleeting, echoed in Bernadette's ears. She tilted her head slightly, listened carefully for a moment, and after discerning the content, nodded expressionlessly, while softly sighing, "You really are…"
Without responding to Bernadette's subsequent words, Leyton directly cut off the connection.
After opening his eyes, he looked at the mechanical glove still doing a finger dance on the windowsill and said in a low voice, "What do you think if I ambush a Grand Archbishop of the Eternal Blazing Sun Church here?"
The mechanical glove, which was doing a finger dance, suddenly stopped its movements, spread its five fingers, and clenched them twice forcefully, saying, "Great Master, I think that's a good idea! You could also snatch a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact of the White Tower Pathway, or two?"
Leyton looked down at the increasingly animated mechanical glove for a moment, then chuckled and said, "No need to rush. When the war begins, we might even have a chance to hunt angels."
"I cannot suppress so many characteristics at my level; I will inevitably be corrupted by the mad will and spiritual imprints within them."
The glove, standing on the windowsill, dangled its fingers limply. Leyton chuckled twice and put it back on his right hand.
Leyton stayed in Farlin Port for two weeks. One day, as he was sitting by the coast at the dock feeding seabirds, Bernadette's prayer suddenly echoed in his ears.
"A little faster than I expected. It seems she had already found some clues and determined the approximate location of that Primitive Island before setting off."
As thoughts floated, his body suddenly dematerialized, breaking down into torrents of complex, pure knowledge that surged into the Spirit World.
In the Spirit World Depths, Leyton, in the form of a torrent of information, rushed forward rapidly. Relying on his mark on Bernadette, he quickly arrived at the Spirit World area corresponding to that Primitive Island.
The complex, pure knowledge rapidly reformed Leyton's body. He peered out through the Spirit World; the entire island was covered in deep red in his eyes, permeated with the aura of depravity, evil, and life, as if the entire island was about to come alive.
He meticulously searched the island but did not find Bernadette's figure. Finally, his gaze fell upon the center of the island, a place his sight could not penetrate.
His body instantly disintegrated into countless information streams. A hazy glimmer, imperceptible to the naked eye, surged from the Spirit World Depths, constantly rushing across this Primitive Island, passing through the trees, stones, soil, and even the people performing strange rituals on the island.
Soon, he had collected most of the information on this island. After doing all this, the information streams surging on the island began to converge spontaneously, heading towards the magnificent and mysterious mausoleum in the island's center.
Inside the mausoleum, Bernadette faced a completely black figure. Two small and one large cracks had opened on its face, like eyes and a mouth, from which deep red light burst forth.
Bernadette looked at the humanoid figure before her with a complex expression, a glimmer of tears in the corner of her eyes.
"It seems I've arrived at an inopportune moment." Leyton, whose body had condensed from complex, pure knowledge, cleared his throat and interrupted the emotional reunion between the father and daughter.