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"Teleportation is forbidden here!"
Aaron, who was traversing the Spirit World by following his senses, heard a majestic voice, and an invisible ripple brushed past his body.
Aaron did not resist. He followed the repelling force and exited the Spirit World, his figure solidifying. He looked at the astonished Joseph Weil opposite him and said with a smile, "Long time no see. Has anything happened recently?"
Joseph reined in his surprised expression and returned the Emblem, which glowed with a faint light, to Aaron. He smiled for a rare moment and said, "The Feysacians have been repelled, and the war in East Balam has ended. We are now using the battlefield ruins of that ancient forest as the new demarcation line."
"However, the war in West Balam is entering a white-hot phase. Duke Gusman's fleet has successfully joined the war and reversed the previous disadvantage. Looking at the current situation, the war will continue for quite some time."
At this point, his tone was a little strange. He glanced at Aaron, whose expression was as usual, and continued, "In addition, according to reliable sources, the Church of the God of Combat's Chief Shepherd personally went to the Eternal Blazing Sun Church's Cathedral, but no battle occurred…."
"Aaron, that one that day… he…"
Aaron chuckled as he looked at Joseph, who was hesitating to speak.
"That Angel is a member of a secret organization I joined. Hmm, it's a gathering formed by a hidden existence. Ancestor Varna is also a member of that organization."
That hidden existence is me… Aaron immediately mocked himself in his mind.
But his expression remained as usual, very natural, without the slightest hint of guilt. His skill at borrowing others' prestige was practically maxed out.
Whether it was the sudden appearance of a Sealed Artifact of Sequence 0 or the unclear connections with several Angels, Varna probably had already guessed something.
Therefore, Aaron was not worried about Joseph looking for Varna to confirm later. That old fox still had that much tacit understanding.
With the increase in his own strength and the display of his own value, and also for future considerations, he was not averse to appropriately revealing some secrets now.
"Even an Angel is only a member, and the Ancestor is actually one of them. Could that hidden existence be a God-level existence? Which one could it be…"
Somewhat stunned by the enormous amount of information in Aaron's words, Joseph was a little unsure how to respond, and at the same time, he let his imagination run wild.
Aaron looked at Joseph's expression, nodded with satisfaction, and did not linger on this topic. Instead, he stated the purpose of his visit:
"The war in East Balam has ended, and it probably won't have any problems in the shortest time. Therefore, I want to invite you to participate in an adventure."
Joseph emerged from his brainstorming, his eyes flickering slightly as he asked in return, "Adventure?"
Aaron nodded and took out Groselle's Travels, which he had prepared long ago. He pointed at the book bound with yellowish-brown parchment and said with a smile, "Inside this book is a 'fantasized' world, and within it, there's a Frost Dragon named 'Ulyssan' which I've chosen as the Demigod ritual target for Bayer Baile."
"Moreover, there are also Giants, Elves, and several people who will be very useful for my future plans inside this book."
"Both for safety's sake and to prevent them from doing anything too rash, I'd like to invite you to back me up. After all, inviting an Angel comes at too great a cost."
The world in the book? The Warrior Pathway's Demigod ritual? Joseph didn't know how many times he had been stunned by the information Aaron revealed today, until he heard the last sentence, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
He sighed helplessly, nodded, and glanced at the thin brown book, unable to resist asking, "This, um, how do you enter the world in the book? Also, when are you planning to start? I might need a little more time to make some arrangements; I can't just enter directly."
Seeing him nod in agreement, Aaron retracted his gaze with satisfaction and put Groselle's Travels away again, explaining, "Drop your blood on the cover, and you will be forced into the world in the book. I still need to return to Loyd City once to bring Bayer Baile back. We will enter together then."
After finishing his conversation with Joseph, Aaron directly activated his teleportation and returned to his mansion in Loyd's inner city.
Looking at Glenn Will, who had already advanced to Sequence 5 Reaper, and Darren Sheroto, who had completely digested the Faceless potion, Aaron nodded with satisfaction and said to Glenn Will, "I just spoke with your grandfather, and we are both very pleased with your performance. Your loyalty and ability are beyond doubt."
"Therefore, as my personal reward, I will inform you of the Demigod advancement ritual in advance. This is unrelated to the family's contribution system. You can prepare in advance without any reservations."
Looking at Glenn Will, who instantly became excited, Aaron added with a smile, "The ritual for advancing to Sequence 4 Iron-Blooded Knight is to form a team of at least thirty people, cultivate deep camaraderie with them, make them successively stronger, and cooperate tacitly."
"They must be able to understand your intentions through your eyes and actions, almost becoming one with each other, and then they form the ritual. The stronger the team's power and tacit understanding, the better the ritual's effect."
Aaron then turned to Darren Sheroto, who also had an excited expression, pondered for a moment, and asked, "How has the 'General Law Code' I instructed you to implement last time been progressing recently?"
Darren cleared his throat and responded solemnly, "For some reason, ever since Duke Gusman arrived in the Southern Continent last month and the war in East Balam ended, those troublemakers have all quieted down."
"Currently, your 'General Law Code' has begun to be implemented in Loyd City, both in the inner and outer cities. We have also publicly dealt with a batch of lawbreakers according to your code as a warning, and the effect is very good at present."
Nodding with satisfaction, Aaron looked at Darren, whose back was straight, and said with a smile, "You've done very well. Once I'm done with my current matters, I will personally take you to the Church of Evernight to borrow a mermaid to complete your ritual."
Aaron finally looked at Bayer Baile, the tall and burly captain of his personal guard, and slowly spoke, meeting his loyal gaze, "I remember your greatest wish was to personally kill 'King of Immortality' Agalito, who destroyed everything you had."
"But all of this requires strength. Now, I can give you a chance to achieve Demigod status."
As he spoke, Aaron's spirituality dispersed, and the oppressive feeling emanating from his qualitative change in his Spirit Body was almost on par with a Demigod. His pupils instantly turned golden, and he spoke with majesty, "Bayer Baile, are you willing to dedicate your loyalty and even your life for this?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Bayer Baile knelt on one knee, his right fist placed on his chest, and responded firmly, "I am willing to dedicate my life to His Lordship…"
-----------------
Surging layers of dark golden mist enveloped the surroundings. Aaron sat on the throne in the magnificent palace, looking at the dark golden rune in his hand, and nodded with satisfaction.
The time flow in the world within Groselle's Travels is the same as in the real world. There is no lifespan limit in the book, and one can live forever, but if one stays in the Travels for too long, exceeding their own lifespan, they will rapidly age and die upon leaving the Travels.
These matters, which should have been common sense, would be passively ignored due to the influence of the world within the book on the spiritual level. To maintain his clarity, he specifically created this rune.
This rune did not have any powerful offensive effects. Aaron created it by relying on his ability to manifest an incomplete mythical creature form within the Sefirah.
Its only function was to help Aaron strengthen his connection with the sub-consciousness remaining within the Sefirah, and to use the Sefirah's authority to resist the influence of Groselle's Travels.
Putting away the rune, Aaron turned to the ghostly picture frame on his right, whose surface was covered with intertwined crimson and silver patterns, and counted the marks on it again.
Ever since obtaining this Sealed Artifact, the death row prisoners of the East Tucker family had contributed their sinful lives for it, but Aaron, who was not of the Marauder Pathway, still had a very shallow grasp of this Sealed Artifact.
The time for plundering was always lost, so much so that even now, there were still only 5 golden marks and 35 grayish-white marks.
However, these were not important. Even if the 'King of the North' was killed, he would not die if he did not leave Groselle's Travels. Aaron would "reason with them," and those who obeyed him would receive true salvation.
After preparing all the items, Aaron returned to the real world. He received several Sealed Artifacts and the prepared Sequence 4 Demon Hunter potion from the opened Door of Sacrifice and Bestowal. He exchanged a glance with his sub-consciousness in the Sefirah before dismantling the ritual.
Breaking through the wall of spirituality, Aaron pushed open the door and directly handed the potion in his hand to Bayer Baile, slipping him a note and instructing him to open it only after entering the world in the book. Then, he looked at Joseph Weil beside him and said softly, "I need your blood. We will appear in different places after entering the world in the book, and I need a divination medium to find you."
Joseph nodded slightly, took the dagger Aaron handed him, and cut his fingertip. Under the guidance of spirituality, blood flowed out, a part of it adhering to the dagger and flying towards Aaron, and another part smeared on the dark brown cover of Groselle's Travels.
After completing this step, the wound on his fingertip healed instantly. Joseph did not withdraw his spirituality; instead, he sensed his surroundings with interest, wanting to see how the so-called world in the book was entered, and awaited the change.
Suddenly, goose-feather-sized snowflakes appeared before his eyes, and the howling wind echoed in his ears. Immediately after, an bone-chilling cold relentlessly pierced into his body.
Joseph stood there somewhat stunned. Although he had been mentally prepared, as a Demigod who had obtained divinity, he didn't even realize how he had entered. His heart sank slightly, and he instinctively looked around to ascertain his location.
He found that he had left St. Annes at some point and was now in a frost-covered land enveloped by a blizzard. Because the environment was extremely harsh, he couldn't see anything in the distance, and he couldn't even tell if he was on a mountain or a plain.
Joseph recalled what Aaron had said earlier: there would be no danger at first, and he could stay put and explore further after everyone had met up.
As he was thinking this, his heart suddenly leaped, and he abruptly looked behind him. A momentary blankness flashed across his stern, rigid face, followed by a drastic change in expression.
Through the even more violent wind and snow, a colossal figure could vaguely be seen standing at the peak of an icy mountain.
It was a translucent giant dragon, nearly five meters tall even when standing on four legs. It resembled a close relative of a lizard, with an ugly face, eerie blue eyes, and a thick, powerful tail. A pair of enormous, membrane-covered wings grew from its back; merely unfurling them gave the sensation of eclipsing the sky.
Its scales were like ice crystals, flowing with a translucent shimmer, the most beautiful and dreamlike part of its entire body.
Suddenly, this dragon, as if carved from frost, raised its neck and body, letting out a terrifying roar that pierced through the blizzard.
At this moment, standing upright, it exceeded ten meters.
....
Aaron, who still didn't know what was happening in the world within the book, was carefully collecting the blood from the dagger, preparing it for divination later. He then handed the dagger to the burly Bayer Baile.
He didn't hesitate, used a small copper knife to cut his hand, and blood quickly flowed out. He dipped his right index finger into the blood and smeared it on Groselle's Travels.
Watching his most devout follower, who could be considered his hidden existence, disappear before his eyes, Aaron picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground, collected the blood, and did not rush to enter. Instead, he waited quietly, wanting to use Bayer Baile for one last verification.
For a moment, Bayer Baile found himself surrounded by wind and frost, with everything around him a pure white.
He really entered a strange world… He raised his broad palm to shield his face, afraid of the wind and snow blinding him, and at the same time, carefully unfolded the note Aaron had given him.
He saw the content written by Aaron:
"In Hermes, preferably Ancient Hermes, chant the following honorific name:
"The Source and Shadow of Order."
"The Great Emperor of the Land of Chaos."
"The Lord of Order Who Controls Rules."
"Burn after chanting."
This… Is this a God-level hidden existence? Bayer Baile, backed by the East Tucker family and a seasoned Sequence 5 himself, also had a deep understanding of the mystical arts.
Looking at the note in his hand, he subconsciously took a sharp breath, but only inhaled the biting cold wind and icy snowflakes, his expression changing slightly.
He knew very well how dangerous it was to chant the honorific name of a hidden existence whose origin and moral alignment were unknown. This might lead to an outcome more terrifying than death!
His mind churning, he suddenly slapped himself, then chanted the honorific name of "Lord of Order" in Ancient Hermes.
...
St. Annes, City Lord's Mansion. Aaron sat quietly on the soft sofa, closing his eyes to rest.
Suddenly, a faint, layered sound of prayer echoed in his ears, clearly coming from a male.
Through the sub-consciousness remaining within the Sefirah, he saw the light spot representing Bayer Baile ripple outwards in the magnificent palace, and a smile immediately spread across Aaron's face.
He always remembered that this was a real world, and relying entirely on so-called experience could very likely lead him into a dead end. He had to personally confirm whether he could truly continue to connect to the Sefirah after entering Groselle's Travels.
Having received a satisfactory answer, Aaron no longer hesitated. He picked up the ghostly picture frame that had been maintained in a hidden state beside him, took out the prepared blood, and smeared it onto Groselle's Travels.
After not waiting long, Aaron suddenly found himself in a vast, white world of ice and snow.
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