Bernadette's lips curved into a faint smile, "So it seems you also know the reason."
-----------------------------------
"Sigh..."
Hastur let out a heavy sigh, then his expression turned serious as he spoke word by word: "Because I am also a Follower of the Stars. Between you and me, there is the stars as our guide."
He felt he needed to lay a little of his cards on the table; otherwise, constantly being caught by Bernadette would greatly affect his normal life.
'A Follower of the Stars?'
Bernadette's heart stirred slightly. She glanced at Hastur with a smile. "What does a Follower of the Stars mean?"
Hastur looked composed, smiling lightly. "You are also someone favored by the Sovereign of the Stars. If it weren't for the stars guiding us toward each other, there would be no so-called coincidences and fated encounters."
"Do you know what consequences there will be for believing in gods outside the seven orthodox deities?"
Bernadette still did not openly admit her connection with the Sovereign of the Stars.
Hastur remained calm and said, "Aurora believes in the True Creator, the Witches' sect believes in the Primordial Witch, it is not only the seven orthodox deities who are worthy of faith."
A cold light flickered in Bernadette's eyes, her tone pressing. "Such blasphemous words are enough to have you judged by the Church."
"Respected lady, do you also believe in the seven orthodox deities?"
Hastur was unconcerned. He knew Bernadette was still testing him, so he had to demonstrate his devout faith in the stars.
"When did you start believing in the Sovereign of the Stars?"
"Half a year ago. Without the blessing of the stars, I would not be who I am now."
"You've seen Them?"
"Yes. They has always guided the direction I move forward."
"You're not afraid They harbors malicious intent toward you?"
"Respected lady, if They truly wished you harm, I don't think you would be able to appear before me now."
Hastur could guarantee he wasn't lying with these answers.
Without the appearance of the Hall of Stars, he would most likely already be dead.
The path he walked had always been decided by himself, and he himself represented the Sovereign of the Stars.
He indeed bore no ill will toward Bernadette, he merely wished to guide her into becoming a Follower of the Stars so she could help him with a few matters.
Bernadette fell into thought. She could also sense that Hastur had not lied on these questions.
"How did you learn of my existence?"
Hearing this question, Hastur let out a breath of relief.
As long as he answered this well, he might even be able to use his identity as Baron Hastur Campbell to influence Bernadette into becoming a Follower of the Stars.
If Bernadette were the only Follower of the Stars, she would certainly remain highly guarded. But once there were others who shared the same belief, she might instead relax a part of her vigilance.
"The stars have always watched you, and They also watch me. They watch every believer equally. It was They who told me of your existence."
Hastur felt there was nothing wrong with this statement, after all, until now, there wasn't a single true believer of the stars.
Bernadette's deep, ocean-blue eyes fixed on Hastur. Her tone was calm as she asked, "Then you know my true identity?"
"Bernadette Gustav, Captain of the Dawn, the Mystic queen who roams the seas, eldest daughter of Roselle Gustav."
Bernadette said nothing. She leaned back against the carriage wall, her long right leg in black leather boots crossing over her left, the tip of her foot gently swaying.
Her posture was casual, yet it revealed a deeply hidden elegance.
Such gestures did not seem frivolous; on the contrary, they appeared pleasing to the eye.
The carriage rumbled forward. The coachman outside could not hear the voices within and remained focused on driving.
After quite a while, Bernadette slowly spoke: "Do you not know that sometimes knowing too much is a very dangerous thing?"
"I am very good friends with Sharon. In her reply, she mentioned that you are someone worthy of trust. She also said that if I encounter danger, I could seek your help."
As Hastur spoke, he took out the letter Sharon had sent him that very morning and handed it to Bernadette.
It was precisely because of Sharon's reply that he had thought of going out to buy some things as a gift for her, and it was then that he happened to meet Bernadette.
Bernadette did not open the letter. She twirled it twice between her fingertips, then flicked it back into Hastur's arms.
"You and Sharon are very close?"
The hint of curiosity in Bernadette's voice made Hastur immediately alert.
Could it be that a love of gossip is engraved into everyone's genes?
"Not bad."
"Just that?"
"We've helped each other a few times."
"Sharon rarely replies to letters."
"…Maybe she was afraid that, since I didn't know the situation, I would offend you, so she deliberately wrote me a letter to inform me."
"The two sets of black Gothic dresses you bought, were they meant to be given to Sharon?"
"…Yes."
"Do you think Sharon will accept them?"
"Probably not."
"You have so little confidence in yourself?"
"…She doesn't like receiving gifts from others."
"Then why did you still buy them?"
"Giving a gift is my freedom; whether she accepts it or not is her freedom."
…
After asking many questions in a row, Bernadette finally mentioned the Sovereign of the Stars in a solemn tone.
Hastur, already tired of coping, somewhat understood Bernadette's mood.
She had probably just been thinking about how to handle her own future relationship with the Sovereign of the Stars.
Asking about his relationship with Sharon was just a casual question, a way to satisfy her curiosity.
What she truly cared about was the Sovereign of the Stars.
Such a terrible temperament, Roselle, it seems you didn't teach your daughter very well.
Hastur muttered a little complaint in his heart.
"How do you usually communicate with the Sovereign of the Stars?"
"In dreams, I cannot see His face clearly; I can only vaguely see Him sitting high in a mysterious hall, mysterious and powerful, solemn and holy. He is an Ancient One in the depths of the starry sky, yet also a guide with kindness and wisdom."
Hastur tried to speak in a devout tone about his impression of the Sovereign of the Stars, while also praising himself a little.
Bernadette glanced at Hastur in slight surprise. "You actually believe in the benevolence of an Outer Deity?"
"He has never harbored malice toward me, always guiding me forward. And to me, He is the most unique existence."
Hastur spoke very sincerely, but Bernadette felt that Hastur was already a qualified devout believer, having learned how to beautify his faith.
"Considering your good relationship with Sharon, I'll give you a piece of advice: never trust any god too easily."
"Is that why you rejected the goodwill of the Stars?" Hastur countered, preparing to begin preaching.
As the first and most devout believer, recommending his faith to others was only natural.
Bernadette nodded. "Yes, I will not trust any god, no matter if He truly comes with goodwill."
Hastur smiled and spoke calmly: "Don't you have areas where you need the power of the Sovereign of the Stars to help you?"
Bernadette fell silent. That sentence struck at her fatal weakness: she did need help, and that was why she hesitated.
"We need help, and the Sovereign of the Stars have the power to fulfill our needs. In my view, the essence of faith is mutual help, mutual fulfillment."
"That's not a pious thing to say at all."
"In my communication with the Sovereign of the Stars, I have never concealed this, and He has never been angered by it. I believe in Him, He grants me help, isn't that reasonable?"
"All help comes with a price, and that price may not be something you can afford."
"Then why not make it clear in advance? Treat the process of faith directly as a transaction."
Bernadette's heart stirred inexplicably, but she said nothing.
Hastur continued: "What help do you need, and what does the Sovereign of the Stars require you to do? If the two are equivalent, then it's just an ordinary transaction."
"You have quite the tongue."
Bernadette looked deeply at Hastur. "But acknowledging a transaction is itself a form of corruption and pollution."
"But you need help."
Again, Hastur's words made Bernadette fall silent.
"To ask for help, naturally one must pay a price. You should understand this better than I."
Hastur lifted his gaze to meet Bernadette's blue eyes, smiling as he said, "You've already enjoyed such help more than once, haven't you?"
"Calmly accepting the benefits given by the Sovereign of the Stars, yet unwilling to offer even a little faith in return, your wavering stance makes your situation far more dangerous than mine."
…
Bernadette returned to the cloud tops, entered the house woven from pea vines, but Hastur's words still echoed in her mind.
The Sovereign of the Stars had already warned her twice, helping her avoid danger twice.
Whether she was willing or not, she had already enjoyed such benefits.
Just as Hastur said: her wavering stance was what truly made her situation dangerous.
Everything was under the gaze of the Stars; she could no longer avoid it.
"Fate… is this my fate?"
In Bernadette's right palm appeared a Tarot card: her father holding a sword, majestic and holy, standing solemnly upon a golden circular wheel of fate.
It was the Wheel of Fortune Card, one of the twenty-two Major Arcana cards.