Maric clenched the paper, eyes flashing with fury. Sharon felt much more cheerful and relaxed.
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Hall of Stars.
Hastur, in the form of the Lord of the Stars, sat upright at the head seat. Three chains of Order faintly hung behind Him, while above the dome, the starry sky shone brilliantly.
Two chains of Order lashed out at once, summoning the Mother Tree of Desire and the Son of Chaos.
The Son of Chaos sat happily in his place, looking to be in quite a decent mood.
The Mother Tree of Desire first lifted her eyes to glance at Hastur before sitting in her own seat.
This tiny detail caught the Son of Chaos's attention. He turned sideways and asked: "Have you two been in contact during this time?"
"No."
The Mother Tree of Desire answered simply, with no intention of delving further into the subject.
The Son of Chaos curled his lips: "Heh, you're clearly hiding something in your heart."
The Mother Tree of Desire looked at Hastur again. Seeing that He seemed indifferent to the matter, she finally said: "Recently, I encountered the High-Dimensional Overlooker."
"The High-Dimensional Overlooker? Doesn't that fellow usually hide far away? What kind of courage made Him come looking for trouble with you?"
"The gaze from the stars."
With just this simple reply, the Son of Chaos instantly understood.
He recalled his own dark history before being drawn into the Hall of Stars, how every night he would receive a whip lash.
The Mother Tree of Desire's words implied that the High-Dimensional Overlooker had also suffered the same treatment as he did, also being targeted by this Lord of the Stars.
Most likely unable to discover which mysterious existence was secretly spying, He went searching everywhere in the cosmos for confirmation from other Outer Gods, and eventually found His way to the Mother Tree of Desire.
"That guy's best at peeking into others' privacy. Now, finally, it's His turn to taste it."
The Son of Chaos, in high spirits, manifested a pair of golden long legs, propped them onto the table, and swung them gently.
Hastur too was in a good mood. From the Son of Chaos's reaction, He confirmed another fact.
The Son of Chaos, sealed within the Magic Wishing Lamp, could not communicate freely with the Uncertain Mist lurking in the depths of the starry sky.
Otherwise, the Uncertain Mist would surely know of the Hall of Stars' existence, and the Son of Chaos would have already known that the High-Dimensional Overlooker had approached His other half before the Mother Tree of Desire.
The Mother Tree of Desire admitted: "I did not tell Him the truth."
"You must never tell Him. Let Him keep wandering in paranoia through the deep starry sky."
Thinking of the High-Dimensional Overlooker now skulking about, the Son of Chaos felt even more delighted.
"Aren't you afraid He'll come upon your other half?"
"Heh, I only fear He lacks the ability."
The Son of Chaos was full of pride and disdain, confident in his other half's hiding ability.
Tsk. I really can't stand someone acting smug in front of me.
Hastur glanced at the Son of Chaos and said flatly: "The Rubble Belt."
The Son of Chaos's joy was doused like a bucket of cold water. He looked incredulously at Hastur, then quickly returned to his usual posture, diverting the topic: "The Rubble Belt? The High-Dimensional Overlooker knows how to pick hiding spots."
Outwardly smiling, inwardly he was cursing that useless fellow bloody.
Unable to uncover the Lord of the Stars, the real culprit, instead he exposed the location of his other half!
At the same time, he grew wary, realizing he had failed to notice the High-Dimensional Overlooker leaving a mark at his secret hiding place.
Didn't that mean many of his secrets had already been exposed?
This time, Hastur did not tear apart the Son of Chaos's façade, to avoid His anger flaring.
Previously, the Son of Chaos had said something quite right: without His lively chatter, this gathering would lose much of its energy.
The Son of Chaos could be reprimanded a little, especially when He was about to get too inflated.
Hastur now somewhat understood why this Son of Chaos had been tricked so miserably by the Lord of Mysteries.
With such a prideful yet self-tormenting nature, it would be stranger if he hadn't been tricked bare.
"The next arrival at the gathering will be the High-Dimensional Overlooker?"
The Mother Tree of Desire had not noticed the Son of Chaos's strangeness.
The Son of Chaos sighed in relief and sneered: "Why let Him come? He should be left to savor more of the gaze from the stars."
Hastur smiled: "No rush. I am playing a game with Him."
The Son of Chaos's mood instantly soared again. Laughing, he said: "Good. That's how it should be. Best to play Him to the point of ruin."
The Mother Tree of Desire said nothing. She merely thought that if another Outer God came, she wouldn't have to keep spending so much effort dealing with this silly Son of Chaos.
"However, another existence can be summoned first."
Hastur lifted His gaze to the starry sky above. A chain of Order lashed forth, striking directly at a star where the Supernova Dominator dwelled.
Soon, the chain returned.
At its end, it dragged a miniature planet radiating a dazzling white light.
"The Supernova Dominator!"
The Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire instantly recognized the origin of this star.
The Outer God who loved to transform into a star to slumber was none other than the Supernova Dominator.
Other star-formed Outer Gods lacked His good temperament, most being irrational and devouring everything nearby.
So it really was this one!
Hastur now fully confirmed the identity of this white mini-sun. Before, He had only guessed.
The chain of Order withdrew. The glowing white star remained motionless, like a dead object.
Being the most lively and restless, the Son of Chaos floated from his seat, landed atop the Supernova Dominator, hopped around a few times, and shouted: "Doomsday has come, the universe is collapsing!"
The Supernova Dominator seemed to stir, but quickly returned to lifeless stillness.
The Son of Chaos, intrigued, kept bouncing and shouting atop the slumbering star, trying to wake Him with verbal attacks.
The Mother Tree of Desire and Hastur did not intervene, simply watching the Son of Chaos's antics.
It looked like a monkey discovering a chestnut not yet cracked open.
"Bah, just keep hiding in your shell then."
Failing to rouse the Supernova Dominator, the Son of Chaos kicked Him a few times with His golden legs before floating back to His seat.
Seeing the Son of Chaos cease, the Mother Tree of Desire calmly said: "Since you have come here, it is impossible to remain asleep. Pretending slumber to slip past is underestimating the three of us."
The Supernova Dominator, still until now, rolled slightly and let out a deep, ancient voice:
"Mother Tree of Desire."
"Finally willing to speak?" The Son of Chaos cast Him a disdainful look.
He had only been fooling with Him just now. Did He really think he didn't know the Supernova Dominator's true nature?
Many later-born Outer Gods regarded Him as timid and non-confrontational.
Only those from the ancient era knew how forbearing and powerful the true Supernova Dominator was.
Roselle once said something that fit Him well: "A dog that bites does not bark."
If nothing touched what He truly cared about, He was just another unremarkable star in the cosmos. But once someone crossed him, His power could make the entire starry sky tremble.
In the eras when God Almighty and the Lord of Mysteries each reigned supreme, He had caused the fall of more than one Outer God.
"Son of Chaos?" The Supernova Dominator sounded slightly puzzled, then slowly said: "So, a cripple after all."
"..." The Son of Chaos felt offended, though it was the truth, He really was incomplete now.
After his retort at the Son of Chaos, the Supernova Dominator leapt lightly, landing on the table, rolling a few times, then facing Hastur. From within the star, a dark-red eyeball manifested.
"And who are you?"
"You may call me the Lord of the Stars."
"A being above me?"
Though his tone was still sluggish, both the Mother Tree of Desire and the Son of Chaos knew, the Supernova Dominator was now taking things seriously.
'Tsk, good show ahead.'
The Son of Chaos crossed His arms and assumed the posture of watching a play.
He didn't believe that here, the Supernova Dominator could rival this Lord of the Stars.
From what He'd seen, even if the Mother Goddess of Depravity were dragged here, with only an avatar, she would stir no great waves.
Of course, given her ability, she might resist the Hall of Stars' summons.
Otherwise, with the power this Lord of the Stars had displayed, He would already have pulled her here.
After all, beyond the stars now, the Mother Goddess of Depravity was the strongest Outer God.
"You want to fight me?"
Having the Son of Chaos as precedent, Hastur did not fear the Supernova Dominator's provocation.
Within the Hall of Stars, this avatar of His posed no threat.
The Supernova Dominator sighed: "I only wish to ask clearly."
He was called the Supernova Dominator, and this mysterious being before Him claimed the title of Lord of the Stars.
His own name was encompassed within the other's.
If this was not provocation, then it meant the other held authority equal or greater than His.
And given that He had been dragged into this mysterious hall, the chance of the other being an enemy was great.
It was only an avatar, so He felt no fear.
The Mother Tree of Desire stepped in to halt the escalation: "This is the Hall of Stars, a place of gathering, a place of exchange. It is not where you fight."
"If the Lord of the Stars truly harbored malice against you, He would not have invited you to this assembly."
"Put away your hostility."