Hall of Stars.
Hastur first swept his gaze across the stars where Adam and the True Creator resided.
In the scene, Adam had indeed left the seaside church and arrived in Southville County. He was now at a coastal port, judging by the surrounding scenery and buildings, it should be Puning Port.
Hastur merely watched, without stepping forward to greet him.
In the scene, Adam seemed to sense something. He stopped, raised his head, and gazed up at the starry sky.
"The gaze of the stars." Adam let out a very faint sigh, yet Hastur could hear it clearly.
Hastur originally intended to take the opportunity to tell him to leave, but then thought it might be inappropriate. After all, why would the stars pay special attention to a single believer, even if that believer held 008?
Of course, if he quietly mentioned the Ancient Sun God to Adam, Adam would probably leave immediately and not linger in Southville County.
But since he had thought to give the High-Dimensional Observer a chance, he would try that first.
He withdrew his gaze and shifted his attention to the star where the High-Dimensional Observer was. The entity was still on a ship, likely in the waters near the southern continent.
This time, Hastur did not deliberately conceal his prying gaze. On the deck, the High-Dimensional Observer slightly raised its head, looking at the still clear blue sky.
After thinking for a moment, Hastur chose not to speak. Instead, he directly projected the scene of Adam in Southville County to the High-Dimensional Observer.
With its ability to traverse space, as long as it took action, it would certainly be able to intercept Adam.
The reason he chose not to speak was, firstly, to maintain an air of mystery befitting the status of the stars; secondly, to test the High-Dimensional Observer and see how it would handle the matter.
A smile appeared on the High-Dimensional Observer's face. It nodded toward the starry sky, then stood up and left the deck. Space naturally parted before it, forming a passage leading directly to where Adam was.
Seeing this, Hastur withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the point of light where the Vessel of the Stars resided. In the end, he chose not to use it.
Mainly because it was inconvenient. To control the Vessel of the Stars, he had to remain in the Hall of Stars, which meant his real body in the physical world could only lie in bed.
If Adam saw his true body sleeping while the Vessel of the Stars appeared before him, he would definitely see through the illusion.
The Vessel of the Stars could only be used as a divine descent vessel, for now, the time was not right.
Hastur soon shifted his gaze back to Adam's star.
In the scene, the High-Dimensional Observer, adept at traversing space, had already accurately located Adam.
On the street, the two simply looked at each other from afar.
They had met before and even spent some time together, so they both had certain guesses about each other's identities.
Adam certainly knew that the young man the High-Dimensional Observer had transformed into was an Outer Deity. As for which one, he could only speculate, unless the High-Dimensional Observer revealed it personally.
At Puning Port, on Chester Street, there were quite a few passersby. Seeing the two standing in the middle of the street, people assumed a duel was about to begin and instinctively moved aside, forming an empty space around them so they could clearly see each other.
But to their disappointment, the anticipated battle did not occur.
The High-Dimensional Observer wore a faint smile, calmly looking at Adam. Adam, with eyes as pure as an infant's, glanced up at the starry sky before looking back at the High-Dimensional Observer.
He knew that he should leave.
Today, he would not be able to retrieve 008 and set everything back on track.
He had only just set foot on this land when an Outer Deity's avatar appeared to block him.
This confirmed that 008 had indeed fallen into the hands of a follower of the stars, and that this was by the will of the stars.
The stars, observing everything, had easily seen how crucial 008 was to him, and thus arranged for a believer to quietly take it from Ince Zangwill.
If he wanted to retrieve 008, negotiation would be the better option.
Of course, he could also force his way through. This avatar of an Outer Deity could not stop him; he had methods to restrain it temporarily.
However, the connection he sensed from 008 had been cut off. Previously, he could only vaguely sense its location, and now even that faint link had been completely severed. He could no longer determine where 008 was.
Under such circumstances, it would be very difficult to find 008 in a short time.
Moreover, with the stars watching everything, if he forced a confrontation, the secrets he carried might be exposed, and that future was one he could not see clearly.
An unclear future was, in itself, a warning of danger.
Not yet a god, his control over the situation was severely limited. Combined with the increasing activity of Outer Deities, he could only choose to retreat.
Adam left.
Hastur, who had hoped to see a fight between the High-Dimensional Observer and Adam, felt somewhat disappointed.
But he also knew that under the gaze of the stars, Adam would not easily engage in battle, lest he expose his secrets.
After driving Adam away, the High-Dimensional Observer also looked up at the starry sky, revealing what it believed to be a friendly smile.
A bit unsettling.
That smile caused Hastur, who had originally intended to guide it into the Hall of Stars, to hesitate for a moment.
After observing it for a while longer, Hastur finally extended the Chains of Order, touching the star where the High-Dimensional Observer resided and guiding it into the Hall of Stars.
The High-Dimensional Observer's form was that of a mirror, its smooth surface reflecting its true shape.
Folded layers of space formed its body, curves of time its limbs, and a single point of light its consciousness.
Upon first arriving in the Hall of Stars, the High-Dimensional Observer curiously looked around before fixing its gaze on the starry sky above.
Its eyes revealed an undisguised fascination, making even Hastur glance sideways.
Could it be that it found this method of observing Outer Deities interesting and wanted to replicate it at home?
After all, a screen is always flat, while the stars here were three-dimensional.
A leap across eras?
Hastur did not interrupt, allowing the High-Dimensional Observer to observe the sky.
"How fun."
After a long while, the High-Dimensional Observer sighed in admiration.
Hastur spoke calmly, "You who dwell in the deep cosmos, have you not grown tired of observing?"
"I used to. Not anymore," the High-Dimensional Observer replied, walking to the long table and glancing at the twelve seats. "Are there others who come here?"
"The Star's Assembly is held once every two months. There's still a month and a half until the next one."
"May I ask who is currently present?"
"The Son of Chaos, the Mother Tree of Desire, and the Supernova Dominator."
Hastur then provided more relevant information and invited it to choose a seat.
"I don't really want to sit with that Son of Chaos… but the Supernova Dominator is even more annoying."
Muttering to itself, the High-Dimensional Observer sat in the seat next to the Son of Chaos.
It enlarged its mirror-like body several times to better fit the spacious chair, then leaned back comfortably and looked at Hastur.
"I didn't expect the stars to truly appear. Even I am under your gaze."
This was the hardest part for it to accept. It had always been the one observing other Outer Deities in secret, now it had become the one being observed.
The feeling was strange.
At first, it resisted and tried to shake off the sensation. Later, it still disliked it. Even now, it was not accustomed to having eyes watching from above.
"The gaze of the stars makes no distinction."
The High-Dimensional Observer accepted this explanation and then asked, "Adam is also under your gaze? He has not yet become a god."
The implication was clear: if Adam had not yet become a god, was he being watched because he carried some unknowable secret?
"Some ancient beings are destined to reappear," Hastur revealed slightly.
"Ancient beings… the Spectator pathway…" The High-Dimensional Observer fell into thought, several possibilities flashing through its mind, yet none could be confirmed.
Hastur did not offer further hints. He had no intention of letting beings like the High-Dimensional Observer learn so early that Adam was the Ancient Sun God.
As for the existence of GodAlmighty, that had to be hidden even longer.
"Things are becoming more and more interesting."
The High-Dimensional Observer gave up trying to deduce Adam's identity and instead looked up at the dome of stars.
"After such a long silence, it's time for some excitement."
"I'm only afraid it might become too lively," the High-Dimensional Observer added meaningfully.
Hastur smiled without responding and shifted the topic to the Son of Chaos, subtly bringing up the transaction between them.
"It didn't come to me to escape the seal of the Mysteries. This avatar of mine doesn't have that capability. It wanted me to separate a historical projection for it, so it could move freely outside."
The High-Dimensional Observer did not deny it and directly revealed the details of the deal.
"Freedom is truly a luxury for it," Hastur said with a faint smile.
"Only those who have lost freedom understand its value. That applies to it as well," the High-Dimensional Observer replied lightly.
"But you did not fulfill your agreement."
If it had helped the Son of Chaos create a freely moving avatar, Hastur would have noticed it from the star where the Son of Chaos resided.
"I don't particularly like its personality. Letting it out would only cause trouble," the High-Dimensional Observer said, then added, "Our agreement requires that another part of it independently find my hiding place. That's the rule of the game."
Then the Son of Chaos likely wouldn't be coming out before the apocalypse.
The High-Dimensional Observer's hiding place was extremely concealed. Its true body seemed to be in a state of slumber, fully merged into the depths of layered space-time.
With only half of the Son of Chaos remaining, it would have to evade the dangers of the cosmos while searching for the High-Dimensional Observer hidden within multiple layers of space-time, a daunting task.
After chatting a bit more, Hastur sent the High-Dimensional Observer away.
After organizing his thoughts, he glanced at Adam's star. Adam had already returned to the seaside church.
Not yet a god, his power was limited, he could not evade the gaze of the stars.
To achieve that, he would at least need to become a god and merge with the True Creator.
But for now, if Adam wanted to ascend, he would first have to retrieve 008 from him.
Thinking of this, Hastur turned his gaze toward the True Creator, who had shown no reaction, as if unconcerned with what had happened to Adam.
Hastur scanned the stars once more before leaving the Hall of Stars.
He got up, walked to his desk, and 008, lying inside the pen case, began to bounce restlessly once again.