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A vast study room, styled like those of Northern Continent's great nobles, quickly appeared before their eyes; it was precisely the study of the Capital's City Lord's Mansion.
Mobert and Frunziar stumbled, looked around, their eyes suddenly bewildered for several seconds, then their expressions drastically changed as they looked down at their bodies; their clothes had abruptly turned into decayed ash.
After an awkward glance, the two naked men tacitly averted their gazes. Mobert muttered to himself:
"I must make Siatas change her clothes before leaving later…"
Aaron had anticipated this and directly threw them two sets of clothes. Although their lifespan was replenished by the Ghost Picture Frame, their clothes were clearly not included and would naturally turn to decayed ash upon leaving the world within the book.
Looking at Frunziar, who seemed to have already sensed something, he smiled and explained:
"The potion you consumed was fake, and the power you gained was also, just like that Frost Dragon."
"Leaving the world within the book, this power will naturally disappear, but the process of digesting the potion and the experience of advancement still exist. With the corresponding potion, you will quickly recover your strength."
Seeing Frunziar nod, Aaron turned his gaze to the center of the study table, where a book bound with yellowish-brown parchment was laid open.
The book rustled open due to an invisible wind, reaching its last page. Not only Aaron, but the others also saw the ending:
"With the help of Aaron Weil and Joseph Weil, Bayer Baile killed the 'King of the North' and successfully advanced to 'Demon Hunter'."
Aaron stepped forward, closed it, and put it away. He turned to look at the two brought out from "Groselle's Travels", and without avoiding Joseph Weil, who stood beside him, he spoke solemnly:
"I have fulfilled my promise. Now it is time to offer your loyalty."
Mobert's gaze slowly moved from the upper pocket where "Groselle's Travels" was placed to Aaron's face. His Adam's apple twitched, and he nodded resignedly:
"Alright, what should I do?"
Aaron's face revealed a smile of unclear meaning, and without caring about Joseph Weil's somewhat strange gaze, he said with an even more devout tone:
"It's simple. Follow me in chanting the honorific name of that great existence. The Master will answer your prayers."
With that, without waiting for their reply, he began:
"Source and Shadow of Order."
"Great Emperor of the Chaos Kingdom."
"Lord of Order Who Holds the Rules."
The deep, majestic ancient hermes echoed, and Mobert felt a chill throughout his body, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
As a direct descendant of the Zoroast family, a Viscount who had truly experienced the Era of Gods, he knew very well what this honorific name meant.
Those were the Gods who stood at the peak of this world, overlooking all beings from the Astral World.
He knew even more clearly how dangerous it was to chant the honorific name of a hidden existence whose origin and benevolence were unknown. This might lead to an outcome more terrifying than death!
But thinking of the old man who had been hunted by that Blasphemer for countless years, and thinking of Siatas, who was still trapped in "Groselle's Travels", he swallowed, his voice trembling slightly as he followed along and chanted.
Dense dark gold mist exploded before his eyes, engulfing his consciousness like a tsunami. Before he could react, he found himself in a magnificent palace, surrounded by empty stone chairs.
In the depths of the palace, on a throne shrouded in dense dark gold mist, a blurred figure, somewhere between illusory and real, sat quietly. An indescribable terrifying pressure filled every corner.
His spirituality wildly warned him, and the aura of death permeated his heart. Mobert felt his eyes were about to go blind. He quickly closed his eyes, lowered his head, and held his forehead with both hands, only to realize that he was not a physical entity.
It was more like his Spirit Body had been brought to this mysterious space by some incredible power. Realizing this, Mobert had already recognized his current situation:
He had been noticed by this hidden existence, who was likely a God-level being, and had even entered this existence's Divine Kingdom.
Without any hesitation, Mobert felt a void in his heart, but on the surface, he spoke with extreme piety:
"I am willing to become your believer."
Seeing that this Viscount understood the situation so clearly, Aaron's sub-consciousness subtly curved its lips, then changed to a majestic voice and spoke:
"Good!"
"The final reckoning is coming. Pallez Zoroast's fate is in his own hands."
Mobert's heart trembled. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask but feeling he couldn't afford the corresponding price. After thinking for a moment, he respectfully said:
"Great Lord of Order, is the one who taught me to chant your honorific name your Blessed?"
Aaron clicked his tongue inwardly and replied with an unchanged tone:
"He is my agent of will in the human world. This Friday at 12 AM, you can return here to attend a secret meeting I will preside over."
"Agent of will? Divine Council?" Only these two phrases flickered in Mobert's mind. Just as he was about to speak, he found that everything around him became hazy and illusory, as if covered by a thin veil.
A familiar sense of disorientation came over his consciousness. Mobert suddenly opened his eyes and found himself still standing in place. He subconsciously nudged Frunziar beside him with his arm, but only received a puzzled look from the other party.
Feeling a bit bitter and understanding, just as he was thinking about the Lord of Order's words, Mobert inadvertently met Aaron's gaze.
For some reason, Mobert also subconsciously lowered his head, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
Aaron rubbed his face with his right hand. Although he found the man's behavior a bit strange, he still smiled and said:
"This is the Southern Continent. You two should follow Joseph Weil first and get a good understanding of what happened in Saint Annes during the years you were gone."
"Frunziar, I will provide you with potions and can also arrange for you to reunite with your family's descendants, but all of this comes with a price. I hope you understand."
At this point, Aaron changed to a half-smile, looking pointedly at Mobert and saying:
"I forgot to tell you, today is Monday…"
-----------------
The scarlet moon was obscured by clouds, and faint starlight scattered on the smooth floor. It was silent, peaceful, and lacked human presence.
Aaron came to the deck, feeling the cold night wind, and leisurely walked along the ship's rail, gazing at the turbulent sea.
At this moment, the high-altitude clouds had thinned and lightened, and the light of the scarlet moon brightened the dim night slightly.
In such an environment, Aaron clearly saw the scene not far away: layers of dark clouds, pressing very low, revealing substantial hurricanes raging back and forth, covering an immeasurably wide sea area.
Under the illumination of streaks of silver-white lightning, fine heavy rain danced with the wind, creating a scene like the arrival of Apocalypse.
Such a terrifying Calamity was perhaps only a few nautical miles, or even closer, from Aaron, yet this side was almost unaffected, with only a slight increase in wind.
The ghost ship he was currently on was built through the combined efforts of Harland Rooney and another newly advanced 'Artisan', using a Wraith Beyonder characteristic and a Seafarer Beyonder characteristic.
This was also why Aaron could reach the edge of the Toscate Island's eastern Safe Passage by ship in a short time, as a sufficiently safe vessel was essential for exploring the sea where the Divine War ruins were located.
Without anyone piloting it, the ghost ship left the Safe Passage and headed towards the hidden passage, towards the legendary Divine War ruins.
The light ahead of the ship gradually dimmed, and mist permeated, making visibility very low. It was difficult to distinguish dangerous from non-dangerous areas with the naked eye.
After leaving the Safe Passage, it was easy to encounter various Monsters, some of which were enormous and highly aggressive. Once they surfaced, they would swallow the ship whole.
The "Devil's Button" in his embrace rippled, and an unspeakable malice rose in his heart. Aaron, following his spiritual intuition, suddenly turned his head, and an ominous, dark behemoth had appeared behind him at some point.
Golden light flickered in his pupils, and Aaron discovered that it was actually a sailing ship nearly two hundred meters long, with its bow and stern rising high, the entire vessel resembling a crescent moon.
Its surface was painted black; the cannons on its sides were arranged in three rows, orderly from top to bottom; the parts protruding from the deck, apart from the masts, were equally towering and massive, at least equivalent to a five-story building.
The strangest thing about this ship was that it had only one sail, on which a black tombstone was depicted.
Death Announcer, King of Immortality Agalito...
Aaron showed no fear, even a smile appeared on his face. He took out "Groselle's Travels" from his embrace, the "Ring of Mysteries" on his left hand glowed faintly, and his right hand tightly gripped the "Sword of Judgment".
The sub-consciousness within the Sefirah suddenly opened its eyes, and the Sun Chaser Scepter had already leaped from the pile of sundries.
Before he could even make the first move, the Death Announcer not far away suddenly turned, moving away at an unprecedented speed.
It ran, it ran away… Aaron's mouth twitched slightly. Without hesitation, the ghost ship beneath his feet became illusory, and the patterns of ocean waves appeared on the ship's surface as it chased after the Death Announcer.
Seemingly sensing the threat constantly pursuing it, the Death Announcer emitted a thick black mist. It was filled with a corrupted, evil scent, condensing into a jet-black arrow inscribed with distorted, grotesque symbols that shot forth. An indescribable blathering seemed to echo in the void.
Having endured the torment of whispers for several epochs within the Sefirah, Aaron possessed an incredible resistance to it and was not controlled or affected by the ravings.
Sensing the terrifying corruption contained within the jet-black arrow, the "Ring of Mysteries" glowed golden, and the recorded "Ocean of Light" was directly released.
The escaping brilliant white light stirred up a tsunami. After everything returned to calm, the Death Announcer had long since vanished without a trace.
Recalling the scene just now, Aaron sighed softly with some regret. Due to the presence of malicious perception, the best way to hunt high-level Devil Pathway Beyonders was by chance encounters.
And the attack just now clearly corresponded to the Sequence 3 Blatherer; it should have been the Death Announcer itself that made the move.
Withdrawing his gaze, Aaron glanced at the clock in the ship's cabin. It was already close to midnight. After performing a divination to confirm that this sea area would not pose any danger in the short term, Aaron then ascended above the dark gold mist.
He let his sub-consciousness sit on the throne, while he himself returned to the Blessed's exclusive high-backed chair. After familiarizing himself with this peculiar dual perspective, his spirituality extended towards the prayer light points.
Dark golden light then rose from the stone chairs below, and figures emerged. Their gazes met, and all discovered the new member who had suddenly appeared—Mobert.
Being watched by gazes of unknown meaning, even Mobert, who was mentally prepared, couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
As everyone had different thoughts, the magnificent figure on the throne spoke calmly, and a majestic and vast voice echoed:
"Apocalypse is approaching. In the coming years, a world-engulfing war will usher in the prelude to Ragnarök."
"Your time is running out. From today onwards, the Chaos Council will be held once a month, on the last day of each month."
All members were stunned by the immense information revealed in the words of this great existence, but they still remembered to stand and bow:
"We humbly obey your will…"
Many people's thoughts raced. After trading several mid-Sequence formulas, the trading session ended.
Even though he really wanted to exchange for the Sequence 4 Parasite potion in Aaron's hand, he still decided to observe first and propose the trade next time.
On one hand, it was out of caution, but most importantly, he was now not only penniless but also signed a "bond of servitude," so he couldn't afford a demigod Beyonder characteristic at all.
Checker Ward, who had just traded for the Sequence 6 Conspirer potion formula, spoke first:
"A certain important figure from the Church of the God of Combat personally visited the Eternal Blazing Sun Church's cathedral in the Intis Capital. No one knows what happened."
"Additionally, I have already arrived at the Minsk Mountains in the Feysac Empire. The atmosphere of war here is extraordinarily intense, like… well, a powder keg about to be filled."
Checker Ward thought for a moment and used a somewhat imprecise adjective as a metaphor.
Combining the previous information, everyone had a feeling of impending storm. In this silent atmosphere, Ferran Eddas, who had also successfully traded for the Sequence 6 Seafarer potion formula, slowly spoke:
"The Golden Dream has been in the Fog Sea for nearly a month. We followed the treasure map we found along the route, but unfortunately, last week we encountered a rare mist vortex."
"As a result, we deviated from the normal passage and arrived at an unexplored sea area. We found a primitive island where legendary elves actually lived."
"But the captain said that deep within the island, there is a demigod in an abnormal state, seemingly corrupted. The captain seems to be trying to weaken the effects of the corruption through a ritual."
"Hopefully, we can establish contact with that demigod elf and inquire about the exact location of this sea area, and whether the source of the corruption indicates that this sea area is extremely dangerous."
Mobert, who had been silent, was startled, and then asked back with both surprise and joy:
"Elves? You met many elves?"
He knew that Siatas's greatest wish after leaving "Groselle's Travels" was to find her people. He had originally thought that elves were extinct, but here he received an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Although Ferran Eddas was somewhat surprised by the new member's reaction, he patiently explained:
"Yes, they came to the Fog Sea a long time ago on a massive ghost ship and settled on that island. They seem to worship an existence called 'Queen of Calamity'."
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