"Phew, lets log off and sleep."
Hastur exited the Hall of Stars, pulled up his blanket, and soon drifted into slumber.
-------------------------------
Waking up in the morning, Hastur was in a rather good mood. Last night's gathering had allowed him to learn quite a few secrets from the Mother Tree of Desire.
Especially regarding the golden box.
His attempt to guide Bernadette had also gone smoothly, he really could block the Son of Chaos's gaze and communicate with Bernadette alone.
This pointed him in a direction.
He had long been troubled over how to deal with Mr. Door and the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
If he treated Mr. Door and the Mother Goddess of Depravity as a relationship similar to that of Bernadette and the Son of Chaos, could he perhaps attempt to communicate with Mr. Door while blocking out the Mother Goddess of Depravity?
Or should he simply pull Mr. Door directly into the Hall of Stars for a meeting as though he were the Mother Goddess of Depravity?
When he had first arrived at the Hall of Stars, he already had this thought. Last night's exchange with Bernadette had given him a vague glimpse of the crucial point.
But he would not attempt it lightly, at least not until he had advanced to a higher sequence or an Angel.
After washing up, he went downstairs to enjoy some food.
Butler Neil delivered two invitations, one from Madam Germani, the other from nearby Earl Richard.
As for where to attend, that needed no thought.
A little after nine, Hastur arrived at Earl Richard's home by carriage.
He had originally planned to simply walk, but considering he had to visit the law firm later in the afternoon, taking the carriage was more convenient.
Earl Richard warmly welcomed his arrival, personally coming to greet him at the door.
As Hastur stepped inside, he first quietly opened his Spirit Vision to scan the place. After confirming there was nothing unusual, he followed the Earl through the door into the hall.
Earl Richard said awkwardly, "After the last incident, I earnestly studied much knowledge of mysticism. I even specially invited the bishop of St. Samuel's Church as a guest here, and asked him to perform an exorcism blessing over the entire house."
"How much does an exorcism blessing cost?"
"…That is a donation, an act of devotion to the Goddess. It cannot be measured purely in money."
Hastur smiled without pressing further. By his estimation, the price of moving a bishop would be around 500 pounds.
Clearly, Earl Richard was wealthier than him. Since he had recently turned to the faith of the Evernight Goddess, he might even have donated 1,000 pounds for a round figure.
Churches truly had the easiest time making money.
After chatting briefly with the Earl, Hastur asked the true reason for today's invitation.
He did not believe the Earl had invited him simply to express thanks for helping him last time.
Lowering his voice, the Earl said with embarrassment, "I've been dreaming of my Lord again lately."
"?!"
Hastur instantly became alert. He knew the Earl was no simple character.
Had it not been only a little over a month since that giant toad?
Now another "Lord"? Even if he were truly favored by a deity, no god would dwell in his dreams every night, guiding him forward.
From Hastur's expression, Earl Richard knew what he was thinking, and hastily explained: "You misunderstand. This time the Lord did not speak to me. He only revealed a blurry shadow."
"Another toad? Or did it turn into some other little animal?"
"…"
The Earl was stunned for a while before giving a bitter smile: "This time it wasn't any kind of animal. It was simply the Lord, the deity who grants slumber to all living things."
Although he did not want to crush the Earl's faith, Hastur still adhered to honesty: "Isn't it possible the gods simply aren't that idle?"
"But I truly feel that was the Lord."
"Humans are very good at deceiving themselves, especially regarding dreams. Perhaps you were simply overthinking, which led to dreaming of your so-called Lord."
"…" The Earl fell silent.
He knew himself how hard this was to believe, which was why he had sought Hastur's advice.
"Recently, Glaint has been focused on researching some medicines. You could ask him for something to calm the nerves. That would help ensure the quality of your sleep."
"Thank you for the suggestion." The Earl could only respond with a bitter smile and a nod.
After a moment's thought, Hastur added seriously: "In mysticism, do not keep thinking about matters regarding gods. That easily affects one's mind, leading to corruption without realizing it. If you don't want another giant toad showing up, then don't think too much."
The Earl expressed gratitude for this earnest advice. He kept Hastur for lunch before sending him off.
'If I stop pursuing the gods, then wouldn't stepping into the World of Beyonders lose all meaning?'
The Earl sighed and decided to let things take their course. Perhaps this Lord really was a benevolent deity.
…
That afternoon, Hastur arrived at the law firm in Hillston District.
Inside, Lecturer Fron was overwhelmed with work.
The firm had just opened, and with dozens of cases, he had to organize a vast amount of materials.
The other two lawyers were already out handling cases.
Seeing Hastur arrive, Fron's eyes lit up and he hurriedly pulled him in to help sort documents.
Curious, Hastur asked, "Why not hire a few more lawyers?"
"Having lawyers do filing work is a waste. I plan to hire some assistants."
"That's better."
Busy at the law firm until six, Hastur excused himself at dinner time.
He could not sustain the kind of energy Fron had for such matters.
Before leaving, he picked up a case to study at home.
Back home, Glaint had someone deliver a letter.
Inside, it said he had already developed a medicine that could prevent drunkenness, and asked when Hastur might come by.
This was great news.
It also mentioned that tomorrow, Friday, he planned to invite Audrey, Fors, and Xio for a small Beyonder gathering.
After reading the letter, Hastur wrote back, saying he would attend on time.
By the timeline, Miss Audrey should already have become a Spectator. And there was also that future Dog of Imagination.
Since Susie had already stepped into the Beyonder world, should he quicken his pace and find an Beyonder animal that suited him?
After some thought, he felt that raising an Beyonder cat would be best.
Cats had the potential for information-gathering, like private detectives. Later, it could even help him collect intelligence.
As for which Beyonder path the cat should take, he would decide after meeting one he liked, depending on its temperament.
Hastur asked Butler Neil where he might buy a suitable cat.
After learning, he checked the time, it was already a bit late.
The next day, Hastur took a carriage straight to the place Neil had mentioned.
It was a marketplace in the East District. Many cats and dogs were sold here, as well as lizards, snakes, spiders, and other more unusual pets.
Instead of heading directly to the stalls with cats, Hastur strolled slowly through the booths one by one.
If he came across another particularly suitable pet, he might give up the cat and raise something else instead.
Unfortunately, after checking everywhere, he found nothing that felt suitable, so he went to a shop specializing in cats.
The shopkeeper enthusiastically introduced and explained much about raising cats.
Hastur kept a gentle smile while quietly listening, his gaze sliding over the cats one by one.
His brows furrowed, he wasn't satisfied.
He had three requirements for a cat: first, it had to be good-looking, since only pretty little things were pleasing to the eye.
Second, it had to be clever and quick. If its intelligence was too low, it might blow its brain apart the moment it took a potion.
Third, it had to have a good temperament. Aggressive, irritable ones were out of the question.
He did not want a companion that might start spewing foul temper at any moment.
These cats were more geared toward ordinary working-class families. The price wasn't high, but the quality was average.
Hastur checked a few more pet shops, but still found nothing satisfactory.
He could only give up for now, this sort of thing would have to be left to fate. Or perhaps he could ask Miss Audrey; she might have more knowledge in this area.
…
That evening, at Glaint's home.
Audrey walked in with a light, lively step, her cheerful mood making the smile on her face all the more charming.
Following her servant to the study where the gathering was held, she found everyone else already there, waiting only for her.
Audrey entered, greeting each in turn before taking a seat across from Hastur and beside Fors.
Glaint asked curiously, "Audrey, have you run into something delightful lately?"
'Ah, was it too obvious?'
But it was only that she had taken the potion and become a Spectator.
'Audrey, don't get too carried away.'
She muttered to herself inwardly, then said with a smile, "Mm, Susie, I took her out to play this afternoon, and she caused quite a few amusing incidents."
"I really want to raise a little dog like Susie too."
Glaint praised with a smile, then glanced at Susie lying at Audrey's feet, and froze.
Was it his imagination, or did Susie seem particularly clever today?
Audrey's right foot gave a subtle nudge to Susie's belly, signaling her to be careful and not arouse Glaint's suspicion.
Susie lazily rolled over, wagged her tail toward Glaint, then rested her head on her front paws, ears drooping quietly.
Glaint looked away.
Audrey smiled faintly and quickly slipped into her Spectator role.