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Aaron casually withdrew his gaze, bade farewell to Councilor Macht, and walked towards the square, where a Moon Mass, the final part of the Winter Solstice ceremony, was about to begin.
The Archbishop of the Church of the Evernight Goddess's Backlund Diocese, Saint Anthony Stevenson, ascended the high platform, dressed in a black robe with red patterns.
He looked around, raised his right hand, and tapped his chest four times clockwise:
"Praise the Goddess!"
Once the believers below responded, the Saint, with a deep voice that everyone could hear, began the final Moon Mass:
In the square, where white doves circled, the choir began to chant hymns, their ethereal and sacred voices seemingly echoing deep within everyone's heart, bringing peace and tranquility.
Amidst the mixed waves of mass and chanting, Aaron also raised his right hand and tapped his chest four times clockwise, feeling a hard texture.
Before attending the Winter Solstice, Aaron had placed Ms. Arianna's Darkness Mark on his chest. As he touched it, Aaron spoke in ancient hermes in a low voice:
"Arianna."
The crystal-clear emblem in his chest pocket emitted an aura of quiet serenity accompanied by invisible fluctuations, which then vanished.
Archbishop Anthony on the high platform subtly shifted his gaze, met Aaron's devout eyes for a moment, and then withdrew his glance.
After all the Winter Solstice activities concluded, Aaron made an appointment with Earl Hall to visit him once more before leaving Backlund next week.
Accompanied by the clatter of horse hooves, Aaron sat in the luxurious carriage. Just as he was about to instruct the coachman to head to the Pound Family ancestral home on Williams Street, he suddenly felt a wave of fluctuation envelop the carriage, and a figure abruptly leaped into his sight!
The figure wore a simple linen robe with visible patches, and a belt made of distorted bark was tied around her waist. Her dark, long hair fell freely, and her bare feet were covered in dust and scars.
This was a lady; her features were extremely ordinary, and her dark eyes were no different from a normal person's. However, merely seeing her, Aaron's heart became extremely peaceful and calm. Even the sudden rise of surprise and wariness could not shake this feeling.
After a few seconds of silence, Aaron bowed solemnly.
"Good evening, Your Eminence Arianna."
In various churches, if a Beyonder of angel rank walks on earth, when addressing them in person, the suffix "Your Eminence" must be added to show respect.
Similarly, for representatives of a deity's will such as popes, pontiffs, or patriarchs, "Your Eminence" should be added. Additionally, for the head of a church, "Your Holiness" or "Holy See" can be used as alternative terms. Of course, in many cases, "Holy See" can also refer to the location of the papacy.
Arianna tapped her chest four times clockwise, responding devoutly:
"May the Goddess bless you."
She then added:
"I am an ascetic. You can simply call me Ms. Arianna."
"Yes, Ms. Arianna," Aaron responded readily.
Arianna looked at him calmly for two seconds, then withdrew her gaze from the Ring of Mysteries on Aaron's right hand, and directly asked:
"The Goddess's oracle only mentioned giving you help. What kind of help do you wish to receive?"
Aaron replied concisely:
"I know about the underground ruins where Tudor became the Blood Emperor. In those ruins, there is a Red Angel Evil Spirit formed after the fall of three angels. I hope to obtain some items from those ruins."
"And I also don't want anyone else to know about tonight's operation."
Aaron did not seek help from Will Auceptin for this operation, not because he was reluctant to share some of the spoils, but because he was worried it might attract greater trouble.
Unlike merely helping to conceal anomalies in fate before, if Will Auceptin were to directly intervene, it was highly likely to attract the Angel of Fate Ouroboros.
As Aaron's thoughts raced, Arianna spoke at a steady pace:
"Very well. I will go with you, and ensure that everything that happens will not be spied upon."
Aaron smiled and bowed sincerely:
"Thank you for your help."
After speaking, he tapped his chest four times clockwise, drawing the scarlet moon: "Praise the Goddess!"
Arianna responded devoutly: "Praise the Goddess."
Her figure then disappeared, as if erased by an eraser.
Did she leave by transforming into a hidden state?
Aaron pursed his lips speculatively. Even if he could use a hidden state with the Darkness Mark, such a clearly more advanced operation was definitely beyond Aaron's capabilities.
However, the "Darkness" Pathway is not a type that excels in teleportation. At the same level, traveling from the Winter County Cathedral to Backlund would certainly not be as fast as a "Teleportation Gate."
Hmm… and another thing, Ms. Arianna's attitude when discussing and communicating with me was very comfortable. There wasn't that condescending feeling of an angel or a high priest; she almost treated me as an equal.
As Aaron's thoughts wandered, he felt the strange fluctuation that had enveloped the carriage disappear, and contact with the outside world was restored.
Gathering his scattered thoughts, Aaron tapped on the carriage and spoke to the butler driving in front:
"To 8 Williams Street."
Williams Street is located at the intersection of the West Borough and Empress Borough, a core and livable area of Backlund, inhabited by a large number of nobles and wealthy individuals.
Under the dim yellow gas streetlights, the street was slightly brighter. The air quality, though still not as good as the Empress Borough and West Borough, was decent, at least not as choking as some of the eastern districts.
Aaron had everyone leave the basement and stood alone before a grayish-white stone door in the corner.
After breaking the seal originally placed on the stone door, Aaron unhurriedly carried his lantern, activated his spiritual vision, and gently pushed open the stone door.
As Aaron stepped through the stone door, the entire basement seemed to be enveloped in a dark mist, with no sound whatsoever emanating from it.
Amidst the slightly heavy creaking sounds, Aaron, guided by the lantern's light, saw a passageway paved with dark stone slabs.
On both sides and at the end of the passageway were several wooden doors. They showed signs of decay but were still barely usable. However, the doors' flamboyant style and the stone slabs' deep, heavy appearance did not quite match.
No spiritual light flickering… Aaron's eyes quickly scanned, and he continued forward without pause, arriving at the black double-leaf stone door at the very end.
Extending his gloved right hand, Aaron slowly applied force, pushing the door open.
A grating sound began to echo, making one's teeth ache, and the stone door gradually cracked open. Points of spiritual light suddenly appeared in Aaron's eyes, reflecting countless intertwined and overlapping aura colors.
A long snake with a triangular head and red patterns suddenly dropped from above.
It straightened its upper body, flicked its tongue, and looked at Aaron with cold, brownish-yellow eyes.
Pat, pat, pat, one snake after another fell from the door, piling up at the entrance.
Stepping over them, Aaron saw that inside was a hall. In the center of the hall, countless snakes of various colors writhed and huddled together, forming an exaggerated snake nest about ten meters long and wide. That slimy, disgusting sensation assailed him.
Aaron's face twitched slightly. He subtly raised his right hand, and the ancient silver-gray ring glowed faintly. A huge, pure ball of light, entwined with countless sacred flames, appeared out of thin air.
This was one of the Beyonder abilities Aaron had recorded above the dark golden mist, using the Ring of Mysteries, which originated from the Sun Chaser Scepter.
The ball of light shot straight into the hall, igniting their flesh and rapidly dissolving the snake nest. Two miniature Suns appeared in Aaron's eyes.
After the light dissipated and some of the burnt smell faded, Aaron covered his mouth and nose, carried his lantern through the stone door, and entered the spacious hall.
The style here was consistent with the passageway outside, filled with the Fourth Epoch architectural style characterized by defiance of logic, chaotic asymmetry, and a preference for black.
From the high dome, metal rods hung down, their ends serving as candle holders carved into different creatures.
Aaron's gaze lingered on the two ancient, iron-black chairs on the platform. On the backrests were emblem-like patterns: on the left, a black crown, and on the right, a hand holding a scepter.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Aaron withdrew his gaze and looked at the seven tall, heavy black stone doors on the wall at the bottom of the hall.
They were arranged in sequence: two on the left, one in the middle, and four on the right, perfectly adhering to the Fourth Epoch's pursuit of asymmetry.
Aaron knew very well what was inside those seven portals. Having no interest in the Six Gods statues, he walked directly towards the middle black stone door.
Upon reaching it, he saw the stone door filled with boulders and earth. Before Aaron could act, the obstruction in front of him vanished into thin air, as if erased by an eraser.
Aaron's spiritual vision, previously blocked by the stone door, immediately made a discovery:
Inside, at least four strong, dazzling spiritual light clusters flickered. Two of them were close to a dark gold color, and two were deep blue like the sea.
The firelight penetrating the room also illuminated black stone slabs, upon which lay piles of white bones covered with decaying clothes. From some of these, dark gold and deep blue light shone through.
At the end of the room, on the dark wall, stood a bloody double-leaf door!
This door seemed to still have fresh blood clinging to it, reflecting the firelight and continuously sliding down.
With a creaking sound, the bloody door suddenly swung open, revealing three black high-backed chairs. They were not purely deep black; dark red colors permeated their patterns, as if interwoven with iron and blood.
On the high-backed chair directly facing the door sat a man of normal size. Three faces appeared on his head, all displaying strange smiles.
Arianna's figure, clad in a simple linen robe, slowly appeared in front of Aaron, as if some barrier had emerged to block unseen pollution.
Aaron was unaffected, and a gentle, warm smile also appeared on his face.
He took out a crystal-like monocle from his clothes pocket, wiped its surface with his sleeve, and then slowly clipped it into his right eye socket.
Aaron then looked at the Red Angel Evil Spirit, whose expression on the high-backed chair instantly changed, and his lips curved into a smile:
"Found you."
For a moment, the cold night became unusually scorching, as if invisible magma surged.
However, all of this was quickly smoothed over by an invisible force.
The Red Angel Evil Spirit scrutinized Aaron for a few moments, then spoke in a cold, deliberate tone:
"You have a great talent for being a Provoker."
After satisfying his mischievous streak, Aaron quickly removed his monocle and hid behind Arianna.
Arianna glanced at Aaron, who had an innocent expression, then looked at the Red Angel Evil Spirit, whose three faces had turned as dark as water, and spoke calmly:
"Sauron, Einhorn, Medici…"
The three faces on the Red Angel Evil Spirit's face withdrew their Stare from Aaron, and the middle face spoke:
"I never expected that you, who were merely a demigod back then, would survive that great war and now achieve angelhood."
"Tsk tsk tsk, how lucky you are."
"Unlike me, who was unlucky enough to be ambushed by that fellow Tudor, and stuck here with these two idiots for thousands of years."
The two faces on either side simultaneously spoke angrily:
"Shut your mouth, Medici."
Ignoring this strange and comical scene, Aaron poured his spirituality into the Darkness Mark. At the same time, the "scarlet moon" emblem worn on his chest lit up with a red glow, like a miniature red Moon.
Aaron's entire body seemed to be enveloped in a dense scarlet moonlight, and his spirituality continuously grew and became abundant.
Aaron took out a faintly glowing, iron-black token with red rust attached to it in his left hand. This was the token originally bestowed by his ancestor, Varna.
The Ring of Mysteries flashed several times in succession. With the frantic consumption of spirituality, Aaron attempted it again and again.
In a spacious underground hall in Osel, the capital of the East Tucker Archipelago, walls were covered with rusty bronze swords, spears, and halberds, exuding a strong aura of iron and blood.
A figure in classical full armor, with red hair and brown eyes, sat on a bronze chair deep within the hall. Those brown eyes, which seemed to flicker with flames and lightning, suddenly opened and looked in a certain direction.
Suddenly, Aaron felt his arm sink, and a phantom figure appeared—it was the historical void image of Sequence 2 Weather Warlock, Varna Weil.
Summoning a historical void image could maximize the avoidance of the Red Angel Evil Spirit affecting the ancestor's state. As long as the summoning was terminated, there would be no problem.
Moreover, two angels were enough to make the Red Angel Evil Spirit, who had status but no actual power, compromise.
Aaron felt his spirituality gush out like a flood through an opened sluice gate. Even with the replenishment from the "scarlet moon," he could only maintain Varna's historical void image for 5 minutes without fighting. If he fought, it would be even shorter.
The Red Angel Evil Spirit, who had been arguing, had all three faces simultaneously turn to stare fixedly at Aaron, sensing the aura of night emanating from Aaron and the figure in front of Aaron also emanating an angelic aura.
Feeling the consumption of his spirituality, Aaron dared not delay and quickly spoke:
"Gentlemen, how about a trade?"
"I only want the Red Priest Card of Blasphemy in your possession. In exchange, I can promise to free you from this prison three years from now."
After being used by Tudor as material for achieving godhood, and still being able to transform into an evil spirit, maintaining self-awareness for a thousand years without being discovered—Adam's hand was certainly involved in this.
At the current stage, Aaron did not want to conflict with him. Not endangering the evil spirit's life and only taking a Card of Blasphemy was itself a compromise and concession.
As he spoke, Arianna withdrew her gaze from the historical void image and took a step forward. The entire underground hall seemed to be gradually enveloped in a layer of dark mist.
"You…" Feeling the change in the surrounding environment, the face on the left was about to speak but was interrupted by Medici in the middle:
"Heh heh, you want this?"
"No problem, I can even give you a treasure for free."
"I wonder if you've heard of Binsy Town?"
"If the Weather Warlock behind you wants to advance further, he can try his luck there."
Saying this, the evil spirit chuckled, spreading his palm to reveal a normal-sized tarot card.
On the tarot card was a male priest in a crimson robe, seated in a chariot. The priest's appearance was unmistakably Roselle Gustav!
The starlight in the upper left corner condensed into a line of text:
"Sequence 0: Red Priest."
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