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The four guards in dark black full body armor immediately looked solemn and opened the passage, and Hvin Rambis walked out of the "Door of Teleportation" with a gentle smile.
Looking at Prince Grove Augustus, who had a stern and serious face, he spoke in a calm tone:
"I heard that the 'Saintess of Darkness' of the Demoness Sect has also come to Backlund. The President's virtual personality is still at Sodela Palace, so he sent me here."
Grove nodded silently and walked in front:
"His Majesty the King and the two from the Demoness Sect have been waiting for you for a long time. Follow me."
Hvin Rambis's eyebrow twitched, and he composed himself. Led by Prince Grove, he entered the depths of the underground ruins.
Passing by men and women who were taught to form different rituals, they entered a magnificent, irregular ruin hidden in the Darkness.
A black mausoleum stood there, displaying an extremely grand presence.
The mausoleum's shape was not the common pyramid, but more like a towering mountain, asymmetrical but absolutely majestic.
Various texts and symbols were inscribed on the mausoleum, and on the front, there was a heavy stone Door nearly thirty meters high, seemingly prepared for giants.
Hvin Rambis was not unfamiliar with those texts and symbols. As a former royal consultant, he recognized them as laws enacted and promulgated by Loen in recent years, as well as some promoted new social trends, after only a slight Identification.
He withdrew his gaze and walked into the opened heavy stone Door. Even though he had been promoted to a Demigod and become a "Manipulator," Hvin Rambis still felt his consciousness blur for a moment, as if he had broken through some kind of barrier, and his perception of the outside world was distorted.
When Hvin Rambis opened his eyes again, he seemed to have arrived in another space.
The interior of the mausoleum was empty, with nothing but deep black walls inscribed with distorted patterns and complex texts, and a high platform in the center.
On the high platform, a huge black throne was placed. Its overall appearance was like iron, with intricate and distorted strange patterns engraved on its surface, and the top of the backrest extended upwards into the shape of a crown.
At this moment, His Majesty the King George III of Loen Kingdom sat on this heavy and huge seat, wearing the Balam Empire crown, as if proudly looking down on everything.
Prince Grove stood in place, silent, with his head lowered.
Hvin Rambis was about to tentatively step forward, approaching the high platform, when he suddenly found that his body was completely unable to move, as if firmly bound in place by an invisible shackles.
Feeling the oppressive sensation, Hvin Rambis, who was at a loss, suppressed the emotions in his heart, showed a respectful posture, and bowed towards the high platform:
"Hvin Rambis, a member of the Psychology Alchemists' Deliberation Board, greets Your Majesty."
Not far from Hvin Rambis, a figure emerged from the shadows, followed by the terrified "Despair Nightingale" Panatiya.
A clear and pleasant sound echoed around, as if possessing some captivating magic. Prince Grove frowned slightly but said nothing.
"Haha, Your Majesty, please calm your anger. There's no need to vent your temper on this elegant gentleman. I am quite satisfied with him, you know? Mr. Hvin Rambis."
The lady who spoke was covered in jewels. The surfaces of the jewels faintly flashed with wailing souls, and when she moved, they made a "clinking" sound, like a musical piece played by souls.
Her dark black long dress was like a long river in the void, its hem winding and varied, with jewels of different colors adorning the hem and body, symbolizing her.
Her hairs stood up one by one, thick as small snakes. Their outer layers were slick and sinister, with either distinct black and white eyeballs embedded at the tips or snake-like heads growing out, their mouths slightly open, flicking their tongues.
Hvin Rambis turned his head to look at where the sound came from, and upon seeing this scene, his mouth twitched slightly. He had already recognized the person: it was Mariska, a high-ranking member of the Demoness Sect, who had been a Sequence 3 "Demoness of Undying" many years ago, the "Saintess of Darkness."
Even the Psychology Alchemists knew very little about this "Saintess of Darkness." Hvin Rambis had only vaguely learned some things from the President, who walked the world as Pauli Derlau.
He knew that Theosophy Order, which appeared in the early Fifth Epoch, had close ties with her, and she might even have been one of its founders.
And this "Saintess of Darkness" only joined the Demoness Sect at some point in the Fourth Epoch. Even within the Demoness Sect, very few people called her by her surname, as if it were an unspeakable taboo.
With the major churches and the various kingdoms of the Northern Continent consciously destroying or hiding information, concealing the true history of the Fourth Epoch, Third Epoch, and even the second epoch, Hvin Rambis could not make accurate judgments on these matters.
Thinking this, the corner of Hvin Rambis's eye caught sight of the sapphire ring on the "Saintess of Darkness"'s left hand, which was flashing with a faint light, as if resisting some power.
Perhaps it was the external manifestation of the opposing power, or perhaps it was due to his Demigod status, that Hvin Rambis seemed to see an indescribable sight within that faint light:
The star-filled night sky was torn apart by one python-like black tentacle after another, like the Doomsday.
The tip of each of these tentacles had an eye, either closed or open. Anything they looked at instantly turned into grayish-white stone.
And anything directly touched by the tentacles would twist, sprout limbs and a head, and turn into women, large or small, with very good looks.
Hvin Rambis's body tensed, and a name flashed through his mind:
"Primordial Demoness, Cheek!"
"Bang bang bang…" Hvin Rambis instantly closed his eyes, and the sound of his rapid, violent heartbeat followed.
An indescribable sense of fear welled up in his heart, and Hvin Rambis's body instinctively transformed into a dragon, using an incomplete Mythical Creature form.
But even so, Hvin Rambis's Mental Island on the subconscious Sea was uncontrollably invaded by grayish-white, and the virtual personalities on the Mental Island transformed into charming women, accompanied by indescribable shrieks echoing.
Upon realizing his predicament, he no longer tried to resist on his own, as it was utterly meaningless.
On Hvin Rambis's Mental Island, a grayish-white, rather illusory, and extremely cold mask instantly appeared in his hand.
It was "Pride," one of the seven personality masks held by the Psychology Alchemists. Without hesitation, Hvin Rambis quickly covered his face with it, and at the same time, he uttered two words in ancient hermes:
"Adam!"
All anomalies, all invasions, stopped at this moment.
The originally turbulent collective subconscious Sea instantly became calm without a single ripple. A new Mental Island, identical but untainted, appeared out of thin air beside the Mental Island that had largely turned grayish-white.
Hvin Rambis's main personality, wearing the "Pride" mask, distorted and disappeared from his original spot, reappearing on the new Mental Island next to it.
Perhaps because he had lost too many virtual personalities, or perhaps he was affected by something, Hvin Rambis, who had calmed his breath, suddenly found that the "Pride" mask could not be removed and seemed to be deeply bound to his mind body.
Silently, the figure of an old man appeared, wearing an unusually simple white robe and a light gold beard that covered the lower half of his face.
His eyes were clear and pure like a child's, his expression gentle and reserved, and a silver cross pendant hung from his chest.
Even standing beside Hvin Rambis, he did not notice him.
Adam's emotionless eyes glanced at Hvin Rambis. The "Pride" mask instantly peeled off his face, but it seemed that several invisible threads still connected the two.
The new Mental Island and Hvin Rambis on it instantly disappeared from their original spot. Outside the mausoleum, another Hvin Rambis appeared. His face was somewhat unsightly but had already returned to normal.
The original Hvin Rambis's body distorted and transformed into a beautiful woman covered in grotesque tentacles, but silently, she shattered into specks of starlight and merged into the sapphire ring on the "Saintess of Darkness"'s left hand, which was flashing with a faint light.
Adam's figure then appeared. The pressure that had restricted movement had disappeared. Hvin Rambis, with a somewhat unsightly expression, silently walked behind Adam without speaking.
The "Saintess of Darkness" gently shook her head and put away her smile. With her movements, the jewels and metal made slight sounds, and the entire underground mausoleum fell into a terrifying and indescribably oppressive atmosphere.
A moment later, the "Saintess of Darkness" looked at Adam with apprehension, raised the sapphire ring on her left hand, turned to look at George III, who was sitting on the black throne on the high platform, wearing the Emperor's crown, and chuckled, covering her mouth:
"Well, now even this one has come. Hmm, to show our sincerity in cooperation, I am willing to take a step back."
She paused, then added:
"But the will of the Primordial One is not to be defied. I must obtain that Sequence 1 'Conqueror' Beyonder characteristic this time."
"To ensure our cooperation can continue, I am willing to promise that I will not sacrifice this Beyonder characteristic to the Primordial One before our cooperation is completely finished."
"But the Sequence 1 'Conqueror' Beyonder characteristic that was promised to us earlier must be kept by us. This is the will of the Primordial One, and it is also the key to whether our cooperation can continue."
Before George III on the high platform could respond, Adam's gentle voice sounded, echoing in everyone's Mental Island:
"George, you can sign the contract, and I will be the supervisor."
George III, wearing the Balam crown, slowly spoke after a moment of silence: "Good."
As the words fell, golden lights condensed into an ancient-looking scroll. This was a contract scroll created by George III based on his status and Sequence.
Even Adam would have to pay a certain price to violate this contract.
A flash of light on the scroll, and an emblem of a "Judgement" sword, pointing vertically downwards with a ruby crown as its hilt, appeared on the scroll. Immediately after, a black hair from the "Saintess of Darkness" broke off on its own and merged into the scroll, forming a mark.
Seeing Adam finally sign the contract, the ancient scroll flew back into George III's hand and disappeared. At the same time, a peculiar crown, covered in rust and bloodstains, appeared out of thin air. It was the Sequence 1 "Conqueror" Beyonder characteristic.
A phantom figure seemed to walk out of Adam's body and merge into that peculiar crown, and a gentle voice simultaneously sounded:
"When your cooperation ends, this restriction will naturally disappear, and then you can sacrifice it to Cheek."
Before the "Saintess of Darkness" could respond, Adam's gentle voice sounded again. Unlike before, this time it only echoed deep within the "Saintess of Darkness"'s Mental Island.
"Don't use this ring anymore. You don't want to be a sacrifice for Cheek's descent, do you, Mariska Tamara…"
Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar name, the "Saintess of Darkness" seemed to recall some unpleasant memories, and the surrounding subconscious Sea rippled.
However, she did not respond. She silently accepted the peculiar crown, covered in rust and bloodstains. Her figure gradually became illusory, and she left, taking the "Despair Nightingale" Panatiya, who had been standing with her head down, trembling with fear.
-----------------
Backlund, Sodela Palace Side Hall.
After receiving his commendation and changing into a brand new colonel's uniform, Aaron slowly walked into the side hall, finally noticing that the scrutinizing gaze had disappeared. Although he felt relieved, he dared not relax his guard.
Aaron, who had already come into contact with the Twilight Hermit Order, despite having the Evernight Goddess's protection, always guarded against the sudden appearance of that fanatic. Unlike the ill-tempered Amon, Adam, who was left with only his divinity, would only act more ruthlessly.
Moreover, in the current era where True Gods are confined to the Astral World, filling the Original Creator's Barrier and finding it difficult to descend into the real world, Adam and Amon, the two brothers, represent the upper limit of status, level, and strength. They are synonymous with terror, power, dread, and invincibility.
After all, a King of Angels is inherently the closest existence to the God Seat! What's more, both brothers are King of Angels who have accommodated a Uniqueness.
A King of Angels of the Spectator Pathway, who knows when he might sit beside you, listening to you speak, watching you smile, making you die naturally, reasonably, and inexplicably…
Thinking of this, Aaron couldn't help but look around, truly afraid that in some corner, a simple priest with innocent eyes and a beard was standing, watching him with a smile.
-----------------
Backlund, 39 Buckland Street, Councilor Macht's house.
Madam Liana thanked Miss Wahana, the etiquette tutor who came to teach Hazel.
Wahana, with her black hair neatly tied, humbly said a few words, then asked:
"Madam Liana, why haven't I seen Councilor Macht? I also met a few gentlemen who are very interested in the Kingdom Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee, and they want Councilor Macht to help introduce them."
As she spoke, she placed a bulging small bag on the table. Madam Liana accepted it without changing her expression and said with a smile:
"My husband accompanied Earl Hall to attend His Majesty the King's commendation ceremony for Lord Aaron. You can wait a little longer here; he should be back soon."
Hazel, with her dark green wavy long hair casually draped, stood at the corner. After watching the two women chatting and laughing for a while, she changed into clothes that were easy to move in, picked up a tightly wrapped cloth bag, and tucked it into her arms.
She climbed down from her bedroom balcony, carefully avoiding the bodyguards in the house, sneaking all the way out of the garden and arriving at the middle section of Böklund Street.
Seeing no one around, Hazel quickly moved the manhole cover, climbed down, and then closed the manhole cover from the inside. This set of actions was extremely skillful, clearly not the first time she had done so.
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