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Aaron paused, seeing Astolfo had clearly misunderstood something, then put away the letter and shook his head with a smile.
Aaron could clearly sense that Astolfo was no stranger to the ruins of the War of the Gods. After pondering for a moment, he re-described the scene he had witnessed in the dream world, including the black ocean that appeared at the end.
In a sense, they were already a community of shared interests, so Aaron didn't mind revealing some secrets.
Astolfo listened quietly, then fell silent. Aaron didn't press him, sitting down to unfold Audrey's letter and read it.
"Dear Aaron:"
"Father told me yesterday that the Kingdom Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee you previously proposed has been approved by Parliament, and the King has signed the formal law. It may not be long before it is officially established."
"My father has reserved a position for my elder brother, Hibbert Hall, in this soon-to-be-established committee. I hope you don't mind."
"Additionally, the Grain Act, which was pushed for repeal last year, has been in effect for nearly five months now. Even in East Chester County, I can feel the change."
"Everything you once told me is happening, yet no one seems to care."
"Whether in East Chester or Backlund, almost all newspapers are vying to report on the war in the Southern Continent, while ignoring the people struggling at the very bottom."
"I asked Father, but received no answer. Mrs. Maria, the psychology teacher I hired in East Chester County, told me that there are many things in the world one must find the answers to with one's own eyes."
"The social season in Loen Kingdom is approaching, and I will soon return to Backlund. Perhaps I can find the answer there."
...
"I haven't sent you many gifts. Newspaper information is always inaccurate. I feel deeply powerless about the war in the Southern Continent. I don't know what I should do, or what I can do."
"I saw a lucky symbol in a book and engraved it on an amulet I made myself. It is enclosed with this letter. I hope you remain safe and sound."
...
After reading the letter, Aaron took out an elegant and exquisite amulet from the envelope, examined it for a while, then smiled as he carefully placed it back in the envelope with the letter and put it away.
He looked up, meeting Astolfo's gaze, and its voice spoke again, though somewhat ethereal:
"The terrifying ocean you saw in the dream world is the core area of the War of the Gods ruins."
"It is filled with the Creator's crazy will and various conflicting residual divine powers, extremely chaotic, with broken order and mutated rules, full of countless dangers."
"However, due to the conflict of various divine powers, that ocean in the core area of the War of the Gods ruins has also been divided into safe zones. As long as one does not explore blindly, there will not be too many problems."
"On the outskirts of the core area, there is a region originating from 'God of Spiritual Creatures' Tolzna. He was once a subsidiary god of Kvastir, the ancient god and Variant King of the second epoch, and also of the 'Prisoner' Pathway."
"He once joined an organization called Rose Redemption in the Third Epoch and participated in the assassination of the Creator of that Third Epoch."
"But he was not a God after all, and was torn apart by that Creator. A part of his body, carrying a high-level Beyonder characteristic, remained permanently in the War of the Gods ruins, suppressed by the Creator's power."
"Tolzna not only suffered severe injuries but also lost his chance to advance to Sequence 0, well, his last chance."
Seemingly sensing Aaron's unusual gaze, Astolfo coughed lightly, composed himself, and added with a smile:
"If you want to go, I do have a way to send you there, but it is also dangerous. Several epochs have passed, and anything can happen."
"But what I can confirm is that it is sturdy enough, and the presence of those residual divine powers also indirectly protects that Beyonder characteristic."
Aaron's expression remained unchanged, but his mind raced. He turned to glance at the black monastery on the island, then fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
With a relatively safe way to reach the core area, the next step was how to truly enter that black ocean and see the true "Specter Empire."
All giving requires corresponding compensation. To truly reach that black ocean, Evernight Goddess is unavoidable, and this requires a sacrifice.
Without hesitation, Aaron, not avoiding Astolfo who stood beside him, skillfully prayed to himself, sacrificing both the divination pendant and the death mask.
He handed both Mystical Items to Astolfo, who was silently staring at the altar. Seeing its somewhat puzzled gaze, he coughed lightly and explained:
"When I explored the dream world just now, I encountered a staircase filled with deathly aura on the lower level of the hall. That came from the dream of an Undying from the Numinous Episcopate."
"Undying?" Astolfo withdrew his gaze and asked, timely.
Aaron nodded, pointing at the death mask, and explained with a smile:
"Yes, he came here to search for the remnants of the former Death, for their so-called Artificial Death plan, but lost control in his ravings and remained forever in an underwater ruin."
"And the essence of this mask is a Sequence 4 'Undying' Beyonder characteristic, and it even contains residual power from a 'Death Consul.'"
"Your connection to the Spirit World can maximize the divination pendant's ability, and the death mask, as a medium for divination, should be able to pinpoint the location of that underwater ruin."
"Whatever that remnant of the Death is, it will be a sufficiently rich sacrifice."
Although unsure what Aaron meant by 'sacrifice,' Astolfo still accepted the divination pendant and the death mask. On its body, which was gradually shedding its Puppet form, lines lit up, extending towards the two items.
Pale light instantly rose, accompanied by a rich deathly aura spreading outwards, then smoothed out by a force in an instant.
Moments later, Astolfo suddenly opened its eyes, looking in a certain direction, a strong deathly aura flashing in its eyes, and said in a solemn voice:
"It should be there. I heard a horn, and such a strong deathly aura cannot be possessed by just an Undying."
Aaron was slightly surprised by his messenger's reaction. Although he wasn't clear about Astolfo's current strength, he could make a rough judgment compared to the several demigods he had met.
Even if it hadn't recovered to the Saint level, it was definitely a top-tier demigod. For it to show such an expression, it seemed the Undying's defeat back then was not unjust.
Following Astolfo's gaze towards the distant sea, Aaron saw nothing but a golden expanse. He mused aloud:
"Is this direction towards the sea area where 'God of Spiritual Creatures' Tolzna's remnants are, as you said?"
The pale deathly aura in its eyes had faded. Astolfo slowly shook its head and explained:
"That area also belongs to the outskirts of the core region and is not far from where we are going. With this ghost ship, I can quickly transport you and avoid some dangerous areas."
Aaron nodded in satisfaction. He no longer lingered, quickly packed up, and the ghost ship docked beside the island instantly became ethereal and transparent, disappearing from its spot.
-----------------
On May 5, 1347, at 9 PM, along the quietly flowing Tussock River, within the wide river valley flanked by two sides, a dozen people stood silently at different positions.
Mobet, dressed in Northern Continent noble attire and wearing a mask, was among them. He looked at the eye-sized emblem in his hand, silent.
The front of this emblem was inscribed with symbolic representations corresponding to "Fate" and "Concealment," while the back bore tiny ancient Hermes inscriptions: "Hold this, and you may join." It was precisely the "Fate Hermits" gathering emblem from that Jacob demigod.
Mobet had left the Southern Continent almost at the same time as Aaron over a month ago, but his destination was the Tussock River Estuary within Loen territory.
Having already learned much information from Aaron, Mobet looked at the symbolic representations on the emblem in his hand, a self-mocking smile curling on his lips as he muttered to himself:
"Fate Hermits... they are all just pitiful wretches."
Suddenly, he looked up at his surroundings. Thin mist had risen on both banks of the wide river valley at some unknown time. Mobet silently watched the changes unfold, infusing his spirituality into the emblem in his hand, while silently chanting the honorific name of the "Lord of Order" in his heart.
As he infused his spirituality, a hazy glow bloomed on the emblem's surface. They quickly condensed into inconspicuous beams of light, shooting upwards into the air.
Not long after, the same beams returned, dispersing into a thin glow that enveloped him, and his figure gradually blurred, disappearing from his spot.
Aaron sat inside the ghost ship, looking at the slightly blurry golden sea and the many islands quickly passing by, a somewhat unfamiliar prayer sounding in his ears.
His consciousness connected to the sub-consciousness within the Sefirah, silently observing this scene through the prayer light spot. The day and night in the War of the Gods ruins were not synchronized with the outside world, and the alternating times were irregular. Since leaving the island where the black monastery was located, night had not yet fallen.
Collecting his thoughts, the prayer light spot in Aaron's vision seemed to be covered by a hazy mist. Moments later, the image became clear again.
In an elegantly decorated, antique-style hall reminiscent of the Fourth Epoch nobility, a huge round table was placed. Aaron's glance revealed 49 chairs.
Many chairs were empty, whether because their occupants hadn't attended this gathering or had already fallen. Relying on the true vision provided by the Sefirah, Aaron carefully observed the members participating in the gathering.
"Hmm, their strengths are all good. Even the weakest are Mid-Sequence, and the Spirit Body in the very center is the most concentrated in color, which is beyond what a demigod can possess."
"Sequence 3 'Mentor of Deceit'? Is he the initiator of this gathering?"
"However, this Sequence doesn't seem to have such means. He must be borrowing a powerful Sealed Artifact. It's held only twice a year, which might be due to the limitations of this Sealed Artifact itself."
"But his state seems a bit off. Aside from sparse colors, everything else is unobservable. It's somewhat like a remotely controlled dummy."
"Tsk, how cautious..."
Amidst his thoughts, Aaron's gaze towards the prayer image suddenly froze.
In the corner of his vision, a hooded man sat at the edge of the hall. His Spirit Body color was only Mid-Sequence level, yet he was entangled by a transparent, illusory figure!
It had hands and feet, but like a python, it distorted around the hooded man's Spirit Body, its head resting on top of his Spirit Body!
In the hazy image, it vaguely wore a black classical robe and a matching pointed soft hat, with a crystal-like monocle on its face.
A smile played on its lips as it quietly watched the 'Mentor of Deceit' seated in the very center, yet made no move, perhaps having noticed something amiss or having other plans.
And the hooded man, who was Parasite, was completely unaware of all this!
Subconsciously reaching out his palm but grasping at air, Aaron came back to his senses, exchanging an awkward glance with Astolfo, who was floating in front of him, controlling the ghost ship.
The sub-consciousness within the Sefirah quickly retrieved the Sun Chaser Scepter from the pile of miscellaneous items. Feeling the heat radiating from it, Aaron inwardly relaxed.
"An Amon mixed into an organization fighting Amon. What a distorted sense of humor..."
Looking at Mobet, who remained silent in the prayer light spot, Aaron looked at the mask on his face and couldn't help but feel fortunate.
This mask was specially crafted by Harland Rooney for him. Its essence was a Sequence 6 'Faceless' Beyonder characteristic. Besides basic changes to appearance and physique, it could also temporarily conceal one's Sequence, only revealing the 'Faceless' aura.
Although it was only effective below the demigod level and had significant negative side effects, it was extremely useful for Mobet.
Somewhat worried that this guy would speak up and attract the attention of that Amon avatar, Aaron directly transmitted the strange scene he had just witnessed in the prayer light spot to Mobet.
In another corner of the hall, Mobet cautiously observed his surroundings. After silently listening to the transactions of several members, he was about to propose buying the two supplementary ingredients needed to advance to Sequence 4 'Parasite'.
Suddenly, a thick, dark golden mist surged before his eyes. As he stared in a daze, he saw the terrifying 'Blasphemer' described in his family records in the vision that abruptly appeared in his mind.
His body involuntarily trembled slightly, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. The words on the tip of his tongue immediately got stuck in his throat.
However, with the mask providing concealment and shielding, the Amon avatar, whose full attention was on the 'Mentor of Deceit,' did not notice the 'Faceless' anomaly in the corner.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead without a trace, Mobet devoutly expressed his gratitude to the 'Lord of Order' in his heart, then dismissed the matter of purchasing supplementary ingredients from his mind.
Due to various reasons, Beyonder materials of the Marauder Pathway were extremely scarce in the outside world, which was why Mobet had intended to propose a trade at the Fate Hermits gathering.
Those at lower Sequence levels might not notice, but an Amon avatar would certainly realize they were supplementary ingredients for advancing to 'Parasite.' He absolutely would not continue such a suicidal act.
But he also didn't dare to say nothing. He occasionally spoke to participate in some low-level transactions, while simultaneously restraining his gaze from looking at the Parasite hooded man.
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