In his view, the essence of bribe was simply: an exchange of interests!
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Finally, a Sequence 7!
Hastur was in high spirits, pacing the room twice before opening the window to take in the refreshing night air.
The environment in Empress Borough was much better, even better than in the West Borough.
The air was free of sewage and mixed food smells, relatively clean.
After admiring the night sky for a while, Hastur closed the window again.
"On such a happy day, I must reward myself with something good to eat."
Hastur left the room, instructed the chef to prepare a few dishes, and told the maid to send wine to the back garden on the first floor.
Drinking alone was a little boring, too bad Maric wasn't here. After a moment's thought, Hastur invited Butler Neil to join him.
Butler Neil originally wanted to decline, but he couldn't resist Hastur's enthusiasm.
After sitting down, Hastur prepared to test a little bribe on Butler Neil, as a kind of rehearsal for his future role-playing.
Hastur poured him a glass of wine, smiling as he said, "Butler Neil, you've been working for me for more than three months now, right?"
"Yes, Baron."
"Do you find working here fairly pleasant?"
"Of course. The Baron has a good temper, never beats or scolds the servants at will. The pay is generous, the daily requirements are few, and you've granted me a great deal of freedom and authority."
Butler Neil hid nothing and spoke directly from the heart.
He understood that the Baron valued his honesty.
Never deceiving, that had already become the foremost rule for him to follow.
Hastur thought for a moment and said: "Do you have any expectations for your future work?"
"I hope to stay here and serve the Baron until I grow old."
"Very good. As you know, I've always been lenient with my own people. If Butler Neil continues working here, in the future I will provide enough gold pounds to ensure your retirement."
For the first time, Butler Neil's calm expression wavered slightly, though he restrained his excitement and thanked Hastur for his kindness.
The bribe had succeeded.
Hastur narrowed his eyes, sensing the link from him to Butler Neil.
An invisible, illusory chain was now connecting them.
This was his fourth Beyonder ability, Bribe-Connection.
Through it, he could exert various influences on Butler Neil, such as instilling negative emotions.
He could even weaken him. But since Neil bore no ill will toward him and was not an enemy, the ability's destructive side did not yet manifest.
Hastur tried applying a small influence, adding sorrow to Neil's emotions.
The butler, who had been suppressing his feelings, picked up his wine and took a big gulp. His expression turned sorrowful as he said, "To be honest, Baron, I've always worried about my retirement, because my son is far too useless. I dare not place all my hopes on him."
'Huh? The effect is this strong?'
Hastur was astonished, but kept a smile on his face: "If you don't mind, tonight I'd be happy to be a listener."
As he spoke, he poured Neil another glass of wine.
The butler sighed: "I worked diligently all my life, so that he could enjoy a good education from a young age. But his grades were always poor, and he constantly talked back to teachers, even got into fights, never learning properly."
"Later, after leaving school, his pride made him determined to start a career. I supported him in venturing out, but in the end he wasted a huge amount of money and achieved nothing."
"Instead of reflecting on his lack of ability, he blames this and that, as if the whole world is wrong and only he is right."
"Lately he's been in low spirits, making drinking buddies and playing around all day, with no ambition at all."
"Alas, though I still have some retirement savings, I always worry about what will become of him once I'm gone."
The butler spoke with deep emotion, eyes slightly reddened, before draining another glass.
Seeing how strong the effect was, Hastur didn't push further.
He released his influence, letting Neil return from his sorrowful state.
Staring at the empty glass, Neil froze for a long moment. His face flushed red, clearly, he had realized what he had just said.
"Baron, my alcohol tolerance has always been poor. Please forgive my disgrace."
He was flustered and uneasy, and no matter what Hastur said, he refused another drop, insisting on finding an excuse to leave.
Hastur let him go, drinking a little on his own and enjoying the food.
Afterward, he returned to his bedroom.
Glancing at the time, past eleven, it was just right to check on the new changes in the Hall of Stars. He lay down and started dreaming.
The Hall of Stars.
Hastur sat at the head seat, surveying the changes.
There were two main ones: a new Chain of Order had appeared, and three new stars had lit up.
Not yet ready to set rules, he left the chain alone and turned his gaze to the three stars.
As his vision drew closer, the stars grew larger.
Each shone with a different light.
One was the brightest, glowing dazzlingly white, like a small sun.
Another emitted a very faint light, sharply contrasting with the brilliance of the small sun.
Upon closer inspection, Hastur saw the faint glow resembled rippling, near-colorless rings of space, layered together.
The last star was the most intriguing. It was split into two distinct halves: black and white-gold.
The two colors were distinct yet intertwined, divided but still coexisting.
Hastur's interest was greatest in this star, so he focused on it first.
As he gazed, a scene unfolded within.
In the black half, below lay a dark ocean like an abyss. On it stood a great mountain, crowned with a cross, upon which a man was hung upside down, fused with it.
Above, in the night sky, stretched a curtain of shadow, and behind it a pair of eyes embodying all creatures' innate depravity.
In the white-gold half, a distinct figure appeared.
Wearing a simple white robe, with a pale-gold beard covering his lower face, and eyes pure as a newborn's, he bore a cross pendant on his chest, like the most ordinary priest in a church.
When Hastur's gaze met him, the figure seemed aware, lifting his head. Those infant-like pure eyes pierced time and space to meet Hastur's sight.
Hastur broke the gaze, withdrawing his perception.
Tapping the table rhythmically, he murmured: "So it is the True Creator and Adam."
He had guessed the True Creator's identity upon seeing the hanged man. Adam's appearance only confirmed it.
The star's dual radiance perfectly reflected their current state.
Humanity and divinity, separated yet linked, for they were born as one.
Now, among the three pillars of the universe, two pillars had awakened within his domain, leaving only the one symbolizing the Lord of Mysteries still dark.
"Mister Fool, it's just you now."
Hastur chuckled softly and turned to the other two stars.
The brightest, like a small sun, grew so blinding as he approached that his entire vision turned white.
It was unbearable, though not physically, but from within.
He could keep looking if he wished, but instinctively turned away. After all, who stares at a lightbulb endlessly?
Shifting to the final star, the spatial ripples reacted, sensing his gaze, resisting the prying.
Hastur found this amusing, and kept a moderate distance while watching.
At this moment, his relation to the star was like… watching a character in a video on his phone.
The video's owner could only see "one more view" added, but never know who watched. In that way, the being couldn't trace back to him.
The ripples flickered as the being traversed space-time, trying to escape the sense of being watched.
But it would never guess that Hastur had already installed a radar, no matter where it fled, he could find it instantly.
Through the Hall of Stars, he could even glimpse the surrounding world the being was in. That only made him less inclined to disturb it, instead wanting to follow it on a cosmic journey through its constant space-hopping.
"If I were a Wanderer of the Door pathway now, just by staring at this being I could probably digest the potion and advance with ease."
Sighing, Hastur kept his gaze fixed on the mysterious star.