As Christin looked at his burning house, he thought to himself,
How did this happen?
When he turned back toward the crowd, he saw one of the Machinery Hivemind members approaching him.
"Captain, are you alright?"
Christin hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, I'm alright, Ludwig… but I'm not sure what to do next."
Ludwig thought for a second, then asked, "Can I help you in any way, Captain?"
"I want you to take care of my dog until I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen to me—or to him. My gut's telling me something's wrong here."
"No problem," Ludwig answered without hesitation.
After saying that, Ludwig walked over, picked up the golden retriever, and before leaving, said, "Please be safe, Captain."
Christin smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Ludwig."
After watching Ludwig walk away, Christin went to the nearest bench, sat down, and began to think.
Could this be because of that woman I slept with? he wondered. She's the last person who entered my house… or could it have been a trap? Damn it, so many questions—and the only thing that can answer them right now is Great Arrodes.
He rubbed his temples, stood up, and started walking.
After a few minutes, he arrived at the Backlund Diocese of Steam and Machinery. Outside stood an old man in a white priest's robe— Horamick Haydn.
Christin walked up to him and bowed.
Horamick smiled kindly. "There's no need to bow, Christin. Just tell me what you need."
Christin straightened up and quickly explained what had happened.
After listening, Horamick thought for a moment, then said, "Hmm… so you want to ask Great Arrodes?"
Christin nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."
Horamick smiled again. "No problem."
A few minutes later, Christin entered a dimly lit room with Ikanser. In front of them stood a silver mirror, its back engraved with ancient runes and the front lined with eye-like patterns on each side.
Christin stepped forward. "Great Arrodes, I would like to ask a question. Who is Juliana?"
Words began to appear on the mirror's surface:
Juliana is a Sequence 6 Demoness of Pleasure.
Christin's eyes widened. I slept with a demoness.
New words appeared on the mirror:
Now it's my turn to ask. Did you know she was a demoness when you slept with her?
A flush spread across Christin's face. "Uh… what kind of question is that, Great Arrodes?"
Without warning, lightning crackled and struck him, sending shocks through his body. He convulsed and fell to the floor.
After a few seconds, Christin groaned and pushed himself up. The first thing he saw was Ikanser staring at him with wide eyes—before quickly looking away when Christin met his gaze.
Still trembling slightly, Christin said, "I'd like to know how my house burned down."
At once, a vision formed on the mirror's surface—a scene from an hour ago. It showed a brown-haired woman, Juliana, taking out a small red orb and dropping it on the floor. Flames erupted instantly, engulfing the house. Juliana turned and walked away, joined by two other women who nodded at her before the three disappeared into the night.
When the vision faded, Christin stood in silence, deep in thought. Then new words appeared on the mirror again:
My turn to ask. Did you masturbate more than three times this week?
Christin's face flushed bright red. "N-No, I did not!"
When nothing happened, he sighed in relief.
Then he asked again, "Great Arrodes, I would like to know—why did they burn down my house?"
The words on the mirror shifted once more:
They were hired by Viscount Corniferous, who sought revenge because you killed his son.
Christin's expression darkened. Before he could speak, more words appeared:
Now it's my turn to ask. Have you ever thought of having a threesome?
Christin exhaled in relief. "That's… not too bad," he muttered, then admitted, "Yes, I have."
A few minutes later, Christin walked out of the church and sat back down on the same bench.
Corniferous wants revenge because I killed his son… but I've killed so many people. How am I supposed to remember which one was his? He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Damn it, I should've asked Great Arrodes that too. Oh well—I'll find out when I see him.
Hey guys, author here! I just want to thank these amazing people:
JoZ555 for 1 power stone — thanks a lot!
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Mohsen_Salah for 1 power stone — I deeply appreciate it!
Falier111 for 1 power stone — thanks a lot!
Mal_Black for 1 power stone — I appreciate it!
SuperMonkey for 3 power stones — huge thanks!
OverlordBGs for 1 power stone — huge thanks!
Kris03_Tova for 2 power stones — huge thanks to you!
Thank you all so much, and see you tomorrow!