Chapter 104: The Long Night is Not Yet Over
Nimrod truly hadn't expected this outcome.
But on second thought, it made sense. After all, the Evernight Goddess had noticed him when he made contact with Klein, and his trip to the Blackthorn Security Company had completely confirmed his stance to Her.
For a Deity, origin is not important; interests are everything.
Deities with a bit of humanity would weigh their feelings for this world on the scales of interest, while those without humanity would not add emotional factors when assessing gains and losses.
Trust the might of the Deities, but do not trust Their benevolence!
Nimrod glanced around. After the vision of the Divine Kingdom before his eyes dissipated, Ince Zangwill and Saint Selena's ashes were gone, and the wound on Dunn's chest had completely vanished.
He was currently touching his completely healed chest in astonishment, seemingly unable to believe the change that had occurred in him.
The thunderclap just now seemed like an illusion, but the silent disappearance of half a building indicated that the skies above Tingen City had just experienced a minor skirmish between two Deities.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Nimrod's mouth. He placed his right hand on his chest, bowed to the slightly dispirited Dunn, and then stepped forward to pull the "vessel of blood" off the wrist of the unconscious Leonard.
Having done all this, he snapped his fingers. A void immediately surged out around him, enveloping him and Megoos, who was slumped on the ground, and making them vanish on the spot. The light spots formed by the shattered "door of death" were also swept away.
Klein dragged his aching arm, took two steps forward, and came to Dunn's side, speaking with a confused tone:
"...Captain?"
Dunn looked at the pale Klein, whose half body was stained crimson, and twitched the corner of his mouth:
"I didn't expect this outcome. Regardless, we saved Tingen..."
Dunn's expression changed again, looking very strange:
"'Mr. L' also saved Tingen..."
"I thought he might attack us or demand a reward after everything ended, but I never expected him to save us."
"Perhaps he truly doesn't believe in the True Creator..." Klein let out a sigh of relief, but Dunn's subsequent words made Klein's heart jump again:
"Next, we might all be subjected to an investigation by the Church. The strictest investigation."
The surrounding Darkness had once again enveloped the group. The light from the streetlamps flowed into the damaged building, illuminating Klein's profile. Klein found it hard to accept for a moment:
"Why? Captain, you almost died, and we clearly... Is it because of the Aurora Order?"
"That's right, the Aurora Order is an organization that worships an Evil God, but it's not just that. This incident involved too many things, and it was... too bizarre." Dunn supported Daly, whose eyes were stained with dried blood, and slowly sat down, speaking to Klein:
"However, you don't need to worry too much, Klein."
Dunn showed a gentle smile:
"The Church will thoroughly investigate what happened here. This is also a necessary preparation for countering the defected Archbishop Ince Zangwill. He stole Saint Selena's ashes and will inevitably hold a grudge against us and launch retaliatory actions later... The Church's investigation is actually a good thing for us."
That's true. If they didn't investigate after all this, I'd find it hard to believe in the Church's professionalism... But I have secrets!
However, the special nature about me might not be noticed by the higher-ups of the Church, but if I ran away, it would be tantamount to a confession... Klein nodded heavily:
"I understand, Captain. But we need to hold on for a little longer, until the Church's powerful experts arrive here."
After saying this, Klein also sat down. The pain in his left arm immediately surged up, causing the frail Seer to grimace.
After a while, Dunn's voice came from beside Klein:
"Actually, I really want to know why you rushed to my side earlier, when Mr. L subdued Megoos?"
"At that time, I was dying."
I rushed over because you were dying... Klein blurted out subconsciously:
"I was thinking at the time that even a Beyonder would find it difficult to continue living after losing their heart, but perhaps I could use some method to protect your Spirit Body... I had lost almost all my Spirituality and stamina then, and could only try this method to see if I could save you..."
Dunn fell silent. After a long while, he seemed to have recovered some stamina, stood up unsteadily, and walked toward the underground passage.
He said to Klein in a deep voice:
"The surface is left to you and Daly, Klein. With Saint Selena's ashes gone, the Sealed Artifacts underground might break free at any moment—Heh, don't think about coming with me. The surface is just as important. You need to guard against potential enemies and negotiate with the Church's reinforcements."
"My condition is better than any of yours right now. I cannot let my team members take risks for me."
"I know, you rushing toward me earlier was perhaps due to self-reproach. You blamed yourself for leading that poor girl, who was pregnant with an Evil God's offspring, here, which forced me to use Saint Selena's Beyonder characteristic and sacrifice my life."
"But you did very well. If you hadn't led her here, and if Megoos had wandered around Tingen City under Ince Zangwill's control, far more innocent people would have died, and the other Nighthawks resting at home and their families might not have escaped disaster."
"After all, Ince Zangwill is already a complete Lunatic."
Before entering the underground passage, Dunn turned back and offered Klein a word of comfort.
Although Dunn said this, anyone with eyes could see that Ince Zangwill had been driven away, and Megoos, controlled by Ince using an Evil God, had also been taken away. There was almost no danger on the surface now.
However, behind the Chanis Gate, things were different. Although the highly dangerous Grade 2 Sealed Artifacts like the "vessel of blood" and the "door of death" were gone, many other Sealed Artifacts were still sequestered underground and were beginning to gradually activate and become dangerous now that Saint Selena's ashes, which maintained the Seal, were gone.
Captain, you've decided to face the danger alone again... Klein closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his tone held a renewed sense of determination:
"I understand, Captain."
Dunn smiled reassuringly and walked step by step into the dense Darkness.
The night grew deeper, yet the multitude of stars in the sky still hung inverted above the Cosmos. Klein endured his exhaustion, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.
Suddenly, a rapid flurry of footsteps quickly entered Klein's ears. Klein looked up and saw figures dressed in black clothing hurrying toward his location.
He took a deep breath and shouted to them:
"I'm fine! Go help Captain Dunn first!"
"The Captain is behind the Chanis Gate!"
...In the distance, Nimrod's figure emerged from the Darkness. He placed the "shadow lantern," which housed the True Creator's consciousness, beside him, watched the ruins of the Blackthorn Security Company gradually being illuminated in the distance, and took out a goblet from his arms that seemed to contain a Seed of Flame.
He raised his head and swallowed the blazing Seed of Flame.
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#105The Fire Stealer
Chapter 105: "Prometheus"
Fiery, scalding.
Just like the first human who encountered the first spark, the dazzling light rolled down Nimrod's throat like molten lava, making him feel the pain of his own flesh being scorched.
The sounds in his ears intensified, sounding as if millions of hands were simultaneously scratching his eardrums, or as if the most ancient being was whispering next to him.
But Nimrod merely stared ahead, watching beams of fire ignite in the hands of the black-clad Nighthawks, watching the previously silent night illuminated by the light emanating from the lanterns.
—Regardless of what the gods thought, the vast majority of believers, such as the Nighthawks, were the light and burning hope in this desperate world.
For Nimrod, although it was just his personal opinion, he still did not wish for these people to become pawns discarded in various transactions.
Gray mist subtly swirled around Nimrod, seemingly cheering for the further awakening of their deity. He opened his eyes and began to feel the changes in his body.
Unlike the other two Pathways of the three the mysterious Pathways, the Fool and the Door already possessed certain combat and life-saving abilities before Sequence 4, making them relatively well-rounded.
However, the Error Pathway is the most extreme among these three Pathways; the abilities gained from Sequence 9 to Sequence 7 are mostly enhancements of "Theft"—or rather, this Pathway strives from the beginning to create "Error" and manufacture "Paradox," while Theft and fraud are merely superficial extensions of this essence.
After being weakened by Amon, the early stage "Marauder's" living environment became extremely harsh, forcing them to even establish an organization like the "Hermetic Order of Fate" to evade Amon.
Regarding this, Mr. L Nimrod of the Aurora Order could only say that it was fortunate he was using the Celestial Worthy Version.
Sequence 6, however, is a qualitative change; the "Theft" that was previously limited to the physical realm has finally taken the first step toward concepts: stealing "Beyonder Abilities."
The Sequence 6 Prometheus can temporarily steal others' Beyonder Abilities, with a range of about 50 meters. The more one understands the target and their Beyonder Abilities, the easier it is to steal the required ability. The duration is 10 minutes, and the victim must wait until the next day to recover.
For an ordinary Prometheus, the biggest problem is not knowing which ability they can steal from the target, forcing them to rely on luck; but for Nimrod, this ability is quite practical.
Besides knowing the general abilities of the 22 Beyonder Pathways, he even knows some Beyonder Abilities from Outer God Pathways. If that is the case, as long as he steals from a Beyonder whose rank does not exceed his own, it can basically be considered precise theft.
This is the perfect interpretation of "Knowledge is Power" in this world.
And thanks to the existence of Sefirah Castle, Nimrod estimated that his success rate when stealing Sequence 5 Beyonder Abilities would be much higher than that of an ordinary Prometheus.
Additionally, the Sequence 6 Prometheus can covertly steal things from a distance, or conversely, thrust items into the target's hands; Superior Observation has also changed somewhat, allowing one to significantly sense the location and value of precious items within a 50-meter radius.
The only problem is that before the Prometheus potion is fully digested, these two enhancements remain in a state of being deleted by Amon, and can only be used after Nimrod completes the digestion.
Physical improvements include extra enhancements to physique, strength, and speed, as well as increased resistance to Mental Pollution. However, similarly, the resistance to Mental Pollution was also deleted by Amon.
Regarding this, Nimrod could only say—Amon is truly wicked, even rationing the Beyonder Abilities of low-Sequence Beyonders, afraid that someone might catch up to him.
After the power of the Prometheus potion gradually subsided, Nimrod turned around and walked back in the direction he came from.
The crisis in Tingen City was resolved, and Adam had already shifted his gaze away from this place. Nimrod had already prepared his next destination, which was Backlund.
This was the stage and script prepared by the Evernight Goddess and Adam for Klein, a place for opportunities for Acting and a game board for High-Sequence Beyonders—Klein survived, so how would he enter Backlund?
Aside from the goal of raising his own Sequence, Nimrod suddenly felt a bit... curious about Klein's future development.
Of course, as for Klein's future development, that was not something Nimrod needed to consider right now.
Now that all the Divine Spirituality left by the True Creator in this city has been retrieved, it is time for the Celestial Worthy to exert effort and Purify the Will of God Almighty within it.
In this regard, he believed the Celestial Worthy would be more proactive than anyone else.
After the True Creator's Divine Spirituality regained consciousness, even though the Seven Deities were still blockading the Forsaken Land of the Gods, the True Creator became one of the potential partners for the Evernight Goddess, who was not particularly close to the Lord of Storms, a Naturally Born Mythical Creature.
And this time, when traversing the circlet timeline, he should also go and solve Lumian's problem in advance, and then be the first to escape before the Angels and True Gods could react—after all, he couldn't possibly let a Sequence 6 go head-to-head with an Angel or fraud an Angel, could he?
He snapped his fingers, summoning the animated void, and while using the help of the animated void to leave his spot and return to the Aurora Order's base, he listened to the animated void's report.
"You mean, Klein called you before, but that area was covered by the Evernight Goddess's gaze, making it difficult for you to locate him?"
"Hmm... It seems Ince Zangwill's condition is indeed poor. He never recalled that if a True God is unwilling, they won't be written into their own script by '0-08'."
"I'm actually quite curious whether Adam will try to take '0-08' directly from his hands, but presumably, the Evernight Goddess wouldn't trust Adam with '0-08' before the Era's Trend is complete."
"Forget it, matters between deities are none of my business. They will find the methods most likely to succeed themselves—deities are much more skilled than I am when it comes to exchanging benefits."
Speaking of this, before being swallowed by the void, Nimrod suddenly turned his head, looked toward Klein's location—that dark ruin illuminated by countless "stars"—and softly said:
"Are you satisfied with this ending?"
"I'm quite satisfied."
...Inside the rebuilt Blackthorn Security Company, Klein sat in a room, awaiting the impending investigation.
Unlike before, Klein truly felt the intensity of this investigation.
The most intuitive feeling was that from that day until now, Klein had not left the Blackthorn Security Company but had stayed here the whole time.
Of course, even though there were many suspicious points in the entire incident, they couldn't treat the hero who saved Tingen City as poorly as a Criminal. During this time, Klein believed the Church of the Night had given them quite good treatment.
It's just that now, his identity as a Nighthawk could no longer be hidden from Benson and Melissa.
How should I explain this to Benson and Melissa... Thinking of this, a painful mask gradually appeared on Klein's face.
Chapter 106: The Review
"Nighthawk Klein Moretti, it's your turn for review."
Just as Klein was pondering in his mind the review he had faced this past week, a voice came from outside the room.
After receiving Klein's reply, the door slowly opened, and two Nighthawks, wearing Red Gloves and black trench coats, walked in from outside.
Nighthawks dressed in this manner were a very special group within the Church of the Night, a compromise made in politics with other churches.
Unlike the regular Nighthawks stationed in various cities, they were carefully selected elites who faced the most dangerous work: pursuing dangerous criminals and cultists across districts and even nations.
One could say they were the mid-to-high-level members of the Church of the Night, second only to the 22 Archbishops and Senior Deacons.
Klein nodded, recalling what he had thought about a few days prior.
Captain Dunn and Ms. Daly had successfully passed the review, confirming they hadn't been corrupted by an evil god—especially Captain Dunn. Klein vaguely remembered the Archbishop who came here reacting to Captain Dunn's chest wound recovering under the silver-black light.
The Archbishop's expression immediately changed drastically; even when he learned that Mr. L of the Aurora Order had fought alongside them, his face hadn't been so grim. He immediately subjected Captain Dunn to the highest standard of review.
Klein even remembered the Archbishop visibly sighing in relief after the review was completed.
Other Nighthawk companions also passed the review; the only one who didn't was surprisingly Leonard—this was within Klein's expectations, after all, Leonard's clearly problematic demeanor really seemed suspicious.
However, Klein later saw a somewhat dejected Leonard standing with the other Nighthawks, seemingly unharmed.
The two Red Gloves stood to one side, slowly opening the door. Klein's eyes widened instantly as he saw three people, dressed in different attire, walk in.
Wait, does the Church think my problem is that big? When the Church reviewed Captain Dunn, there was only one unknown lady!
Klein felt a surge of nervousness. He subconsciously swallowed, quietly awaiting the start of the review.
"No need to be nervous, Klein." The leading elder's attitude was surprisingly gentle:
"The Goddess is watching over you. You are the heroes of Tingen City. As long as it can be confirmed that you haven't been corrupted by an evil god, then you will fairly receive the treatment you deserve."
"First, I think I need to introduce myself."
The elder spoke kindly to Klein:
"My name is Anthony Stevenson, and I am the head of the Backlund Diocese."
With that, Anthony Stevenson looked at the somewhat nervous Klein and continued to introduce him:
"Creste Celcima, he presided over your review ceremony last time."
Crimson moonlight poured onto the several people through the window where Klein was currently, making them all look like crimson sculptures. Anthony turned his head to his other side, momentarily hesitating.
Beside Anthony, a lady dressed in a simple long robe, with a bark belt around her waist, long black hair, and bare feet, stood quietly. Only then did Klein notice her presence.
Before Archbishop Anthony could speak, the lady spoke slowly in a deep voice:
"Just a Servant of the Church."
Anthony withdrew his gaze and continued speaking to Klein in a gentle tone:
"Alright, I won't waste any more time with pleasantries—let's quickly finish the main business and give you heroes the commendations you deserve."
He spread his hands. Before Klein could react, he felt an extremely profound Darkness engulf his body. His body trembled, and a great fear suddenly surged within him.
However, not long after, Klein suddenly woke up. He stared blankly at his surroundings and quickly realized that he had been pulled into a dream, triggering his special ability to not fall into an unclear state within dreams.
I wonder if my acting skills can fool a High-Sequence Beyonder... This is definitely the strongest Beyonder I've ever seen!
Klein silently prayed to the Evernight Goddess in his heart, completely forgetting that he was currently undergoing a review by the Church of the Night.
The surrounding Darkness slowly receded like a tide, giving Klein a sense of reassurance and a bit more confidence.
His greatest fear and worry hadn't materialized; he hadn't directly dreamed of Earth's buildings and scenery, but instead appeared in a ruin.
This ruin looked like a jumbled mix of various scenes. Klein immediately spotted a figure in a black priest's robe standing within the ruins—this figure's face belonged to Ince Zangwill, and the scene before him naturally filled Klein's heart with profound sadness.
In the dream, Dunn Smith's chest was hollow, and the box he held rolled forward; Ms. Daly supported him, blood and tears streaming from her eyes, her glabella pierced by a sharp weapon.
And his movements were frozen not far from Dunn, Ince Zangwill's arm having pierced his chest, snatching the urn of Saint Selena.
Further in the Darkness, an inverted cross seemed to stand at the end of the world, crimson moonlight and silver-white lightning covered half the sky, contending with the shadows emanating from the cross; and within the buildings Klein could see at a glance, streams of scarlet blood flowed, with countless faces in the blood, several of whom Klein recognized prominently among them.
This, this is indeed the scene I fear and dread the most... Klein subconsciously took two steps back, not controlling his expression and naturally revealing terror.
Just then, he felt himself bump into something. He turned around to see a faint gray mist shrouding a gray figure with three heads. Benson and Melissa's heads, bearing pained expressions, were shockingly on either side, while the middle head was none other than... Klein himself!
The next moment, even without needing to feign it, Klein's fear reached its peak, and the dream naturally shattered. He watched the dream's scenery twist and break, instinctively standing up and gasping for breath.
"I saw what you fear most in your heart," Anthony said to Klein, his head bowed. "You can leave, your companions are waiting outside for you—Crestet, take him to announce the results of the review."
After Crestet led Klein, who was relieved that everything he saw was just a dream, out of the room, Arianna, the "Servant of Concealment," raised her hand and asked Anthony, who had been bowing his head until now:
"What did you see?"
"I saw..." Anthony's usually gentle and calm voice trembled with what seemed like fear:
"The Goddess is watching over him; he is cloaked in crimson... but behind him is a gray shadow."
"That shadow seems to have two faces, supporting the entire sky..."
...Nimrod, lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes and whispered to his ear:
"Celestial Worthy, what's wrong?"
He had suddenly heard a familiar whisper.
[The spiritual imprint I left on Klein was slightly activated.]
The Celestial Worthy said, somewhat puzzled:
[You know, even though he is only Sequence 9 now, he still bears my imprint—but it shouldn't have been activated.]
[Klein happened to 'dream' of you. Amanises's power infiltrated his dream. Was it the peculiarity of your 'Error' Beyonder characteristic that triggered the change in my spiritual imprint?]
[This should be the most likely answer. Compatriot, you truly manage to surprise me every time.]
The Celestial Worthy's astonishment seemed to be just an Illusion. The next moment, His voice turned into a praising chuckle.
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#107Post-disaster reconstruction
Chapter 107: Post-Disaster Reconstruction
What are you saying? Nimrod stared at the Celestial Worthy's phantom, momentarily unable to discern if the Celestial Worthy was being sincere or deceptive.
—It seemed there was no difference, but Nimrod had never placed much trust in the Celestial Worthy to begin with. He simply committed the Celestial Worthy's words to memory and then pulled his quilt back up.
Some time had passed since Ince Zangwill directed the evil god's offspring to attack the Blackthorn Security Company. During this period, the Tingen City government and the Church of the Night completely sealed off the area where Blackthorn Security Company was located and began reconstruction work at a speed far exceeding normal municipal projects.
To most ordinary citizens, this was merely an unfortunate security company that coincidentally investigated matters related to heretical beliefs and thus suffered a sudden calamity. However, for those aware of the existence of Beyonders, they could vaguely guess the truth behind it.
Moreover, due to the investigation required by the Church of the Night, the Nighthawk identities of Klein and others could no longer be kept secret from their families, such as Benson and Melissa.
These Nighthawks' family members might later sign confidentiality agreements with the Church, continuing other work under supervision, or they might directly join the Church as administrative staff.
As for Nimrod, the Church of the Night had never sent a specialist to investigate him, seemingly tacitly allowing the Aurora Order's presence in Tingen City. However, the Tingen City incident had concluded, and Nimrod had received replies from the two Saints who were finally out of trouble, and he was preparing to forge an identity to enter Backlund.
During this time, the True Creator's spirit, with the help of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, had also been thoroughly cleansed, removing every trace of the spiritual impurities belonging to God Almighty.
It turned out that after connecting the anchors of the Aurora Order's devout believers to the True Creator's divinity, which was in a good mental state, the mental state within the entire Aurora Order began a virtuous Cycle, gradually changing from cultists.
Of course, outside of Tingen City, the Aurora Order in other places has not yet undergone such changes, so the situation here cannot be replicated for now. However, considering the two Saints' dedication to this matter, perhaps the situation within the Aurora Order in other places will also gradually change later.
The wording in The Dark Saint's letter to Nimrod was very excited, as if he finally saw hope in him for the Aurora Order to become an orthodox church, subtly asking Nimrod in the letter if such an opportunity existed.
Nimrod thought carefully and believed that the Aurora Order indeed had a chance to become an orthodox church—the Northern Continent was out of the question; before the God of Combat was ambushed and killed, no other country had a large enough population to become the True Creator's divine kingdom.
Given this, the only feasible option was the Southern Continent.
As a colony of the Northern Continent, the worship of Death was in decline in the Southern Continent. Many middle-class Southerners in the colonies, in an effort to align themselves with the Northern Continent, deliberately distanced themselves from their former beliefs, choosing to worship the Lord of Storms and the Eternal Blazing Sun.
However, such faith was not devout; essentially, it was also a behavior to seek benefits for themselves.
There were two reasons for choosing the Southern Continent. The first was the aforementioned 'weakening of faith,' making it easy for the Aurora Order to exploit the void; the second reason was Nimrod's inherent dissatisfaction with the 'colonial' form of the Southern Continent, and he planned to use the True Creator to disrupt the domains of the Storm and the Blazing Sun.
Moreover, he could also incidentally cleanse the followers of the Mother Tree of Desire, 'one of the strongest Outer Deities beneath the pillars,' as the Rose School of Thought was currently too Outer Deity-like.
As for whether it would anger the Lord of Storms and the Eternal Blazing Sun... Even with the influence of God Almighty's will, They had indeed blockaded the True Creator for over two millennia, so whether they were angered or not made no difference to the Aurora Order.
The only problem now was that Nimrod always felt that tonight's dark sky, with the red moon hanging outside the window, was exceptionally deep, and he had a bad premonition.
As his spirituality was activated, lines like Pencil sketches appeared before Nimrod. At the same time, a void behind Nimrod suddenly became animated, transforming into a slender eye with white annular pupils—it was actually just a black rhomboid slit, only appearing like an eye.
The animated void, as a Beyonder characteristic of the Door Pathway's Sequence 2, possessed incomplete angelic power.
On the other side, gray fog subtly emerged in the air, and a shadow lantern burning with black flames also landed beside Nimrod.
The shadow lantern, possessing the True Creator's divinity, was to a certain extent equivalent to the True Creator.
"Greetings." The lines before Nimrod, as if sketched by a Pencil, formed a complete human figure. Arianna slowly walked out from it, bowing slightly and speaking very politely:
"I hope I haven't disturbed your rest."
"Actually, I haven't slept yet," Nimrod, who had the schedule of a Sleepless, said in a deep voice:
"Angel of the Night—entering someone's room unannounced at night is not a polite thing to do."
"I apologize," Arianna said calmly:
"But only the night is the domain of my Lord. During the day, there is the gaze of the Storm here, and it is difficult for me... to speak directly with you."
Hearing this, Nimrod immediately understood the meaning behind Arianna's words. He lightly tapped the bedside table next to him with his finger, mimicking the Fool's gesture of tapping an armrest:
"Let's get straight to the point."
"As you wish." Arianna's tone remained calm and profound: "I bring the will of my Lord: She wishes to bestow upon you a small gift, hoping that you may show Her a supportive attitude."
What Arianna said was very artful—the Evernight Goddess certainly didn't give Arianna this task in such a way, but Nimrod could roughly understand the core meaning of the statement:
The Evernight Goddess had confirmed that he was the revival of the Lord of the Mysteries' will and not Amon, and therefore wished to conduct a transaction with him.
But there were some doubts in this matter, the biggest of which was... Nimrod chuckled softly: "Can Amanises trust an Outer Deity representing fraud?"
—As for Nimrod's identity, there was no doubt; anyone who could understand an Outer Deity must be an existence above an Angel, and the Evernight Goddess believed that Amon could not reach Nimrod's level, so Nimrod must be the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
After all, during this review, the Evernight Goddess thoroughly confirmed the location of the last Sequence 1 of Error, confirming that Klein now controlled Sefirah Castle.
With Amon having made no significant progress, it would be difficult for him to deceive the Evernight Goddess's eyes.
Chapter 108: Crossing Over! Flash Attack on the Circle of Inevitability
"As I just said, this is merely a one-sided gift."
Arianna moved the corners of her mouth, seemingly wanting to smile, but ultimately maintained her calm demeanor:
"Since that is the case, I shall not disturb you further."
She brought the Evernight Goddess's goodwill. After all, the death of a physical body is meaningless to the spirit of an Outer Deity, and it might even provoke this Outer Deity—even if the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings's will fails to revive in this body, They will certainly return after an incalculable amount of time.
Let's all look at the Genie in the distance, my friends. The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings is definitely the most petty Outer Deity in this universe.
Therefore, while the Evernight Goddess increased Her investment in Klein, She also did not wish to be overly antagonistic towards the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings. Even in Their weakened state, the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings was not an enemy that could be "erased."
Nimrod paused, then said to Arianna:
"I have no intention of reclaiming the River of Eternal Darkness. I have already experienced the consequences of accommodating multiple Sefirah once. My only request to the Evernight Goddess is God Almighty—convey this message to Him. He knows what I am referring to."
"As for the True Creator."
Nimrod revealed a smile: "I believe that He is more suitable than the Storm, Wisdom, or Sun to suppress God Almighty's will. This should also be a good thing for you."
Arianna did not answer Nimrod. She simply bowed gracefully and then disappeared before Nimrod's eyes as if erased by an eraser.
"...Gone?" Nimrod raised an eyebrow, lifted his hand, and glanced at the countdown on the back of his hand, which was almost at its end: "Why were you silent just now?"
[You said everything I wanted to say, what else could I say?] The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings's tone was somewhat resentful: [However, you didn't seem as calm as you appeared just now—it seems you still fear high-level beings.]
"I think you're talking nonsense." Nimrod withdrew the animated void and shadow lantern:
"Am I relying on an incomplete angel or the True Creator's divinity to save my life in front of an angel who wants to kill me? It can't possibly be just your spirit."
[Aren't you relying on my spirit?] The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings immediately widened Their eyes: [If you hadn't pretended to be me, could you have appeared so powerful in front of Amanises?]
Nimrod pondered for a moment, feeling that the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings's words made an inexplicable amount of sense, so he decided to close his eyes and conserve his energy, waiting for the crossing to arrive.
This crossing was different from previous ones. Considering the complex situation in Cordu Village in reality, Nimrod needed to lead Lumian to break the Cycle within these three days, then, taking advantage of the chaotic state of the shattered dream, hide in the gray fog of Sefirah Castle and leave Cordu Village ahead of time.
After all, the essence of the dream was not the "Cycle" or a ritual, but to allow Lumian to find the courage to wake up.
With Nimrod's help, Lumian was now on the verge of waking up. He only needed a significant "stimulus" to fully awaken—and this time, Nimrod was precisely going to bring Lumian that "stimulus."
Moreover, the timeline of the Circle of Inevitability was both a danger and an opportunity for Nimrod:
If past Beyonder materials could be brought to the future with the help of Sefirah Castle, then could future Beyonder characteristics be brought to the past?
Nimrod gazed at the gray countdown on the back of his hand, vaguely feeling something different.
After becoming a Prometheus, he always felt that the power he obtained from Sefirah Castle seemed to have changed, but because he couldn't directly enter Sefirah Castle during the Lord of the Mysteries's timeline, the perceived changes were quite vague.
He closed his eyes, slowly drifting into slumber, accumulating energy for the next three days—after an unknown amount of time, Nimrod felt gray mist surge around him.
He opened his eyes and saw the gray mist dissipate, revealing Lumian's expression as he handed the life-hunting blade to him.
Last time I crossed over, I happened to get the life-hunting blade from Lumian... Nimrod's mind naturally conjured the corresponding memories. He looked at Lumian's somewhat nervous face, a smile appearing on his own, and his right hand naturally flipped over:
"It's done. This is the Provoker characteristic you need—and this Beyonder weapon."
That fast? I just gave you the item! Lumian immediately widened his eyes, somewhat disbelieving for a moment.
After all, every three days, I'll have an extra seven days compared to you... Nimrod chuckled inwardly, then spoke to Lumian:
"You can always trust the miracles I can create. Come, you can start concocting the Provoker potion."
Lumian recovered his senses and didn't dwell on the matter much longer, excitement quickly occupying most of his thoughts.
Taking the Beyonder characteristic Nimrod handed him, he took a deep breath and began to concoct the Provoker potion.
Nimrod withdrew his gaze, his figure merging with the gray fog, returning to Sefirah Castle.
As soon as he returned to Sefirah Castle, he let out a surprised "Eh."
Upon arriving here, he felt a sense of familiarity well up within him; his compatibility with Sefirah Castle seemed to have increased.
Before, he needed to mimic Klein's actions and walk four steps backward to ascend Sefirah Castle, but now it seemed he could merge with the gray fog and return to Sefirah Castle with just a thought—it seemed his previous feelings were not a misunderstanding, but a real improvement.
With the assistance of Sefirah Castle, streams of information immediately converged before Nimrod's eyes, giving him an intuitive understanding of himself:
"I understand. I can temporarily merge with Sefirah Castle now, and like the original Klein, pre-draw high-Sequence Beyonder abilities... But the question is, what is the cost of pre-drawing Beyonder abilities?"
"Aside from those four 'miracles,' Klein couldn't actively borrow Sefirah Castle's power at this Sequence."
Nimrod furrowed his brows, information flowing through his mind, and he immediately realized the cost of pre-drawing high-Sequence abilities:
"If not used in an environment like Cordu Village, which is enveloped by Sefirah Castle, each use of an ability exceeding one's own Sequence requires sacrificing one hour of time spent in this world. This is the cost of pre-drawing Sequence 5 abilities."
"Each use of a Sequence 4 ability requires pre-drawing 9 hours, Sequence 3 is 81 hours... Forget it, I can't even stay here that long, so I can't borrow Beyonder abilities above Sequence 3. But as my Sequence increases further, perhaps this 'pre-drawing' consumption will decrease."
"Of course, in Cordu Village, I can now borrow higher Sequence abilities by only consuming spirituality. It's just a pity that places with Sefirah Castle's power everywhere are not common."
"But does this mean I can use Beyonder abilities two Sequences higher than mine in any situation by consuming'stay time' here?"
But Nimrod's eyebrows relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face:
"I think we need to change our approach."
"When I leave this world, time in this world will not flow normally."
"So you mean that when I encounter danger, I can not only pre-draw Beyonder abilities two Sequences higher than mine, but also gain seven days of buffer time?"
"Does this count as leaving a dangerous environment early at the cost of using a high Sequence ability once?"
"Unfortunately, this 'pre-drawing' cannot be used consecutively; after each use, a certain amount of time must pass before the next pre-drawing... But this is still a sufficiently practical ability."
"It seems my arrival has indeed brought about some changes to Sefirah Castle—the original Sefirah Castle did not have this ability."
"I'm already looking forward to what changes Sefirah Castle will undergo as I continue to advance in Sequence."
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#109Coincidence is still chasing me
Chapter 109: Coincidence Is Still Chasing Me
While Nimrod was thinking, Lumian Lee also completed his advancement, becoming a sequence 8 Provoker.
Since the time of world travel was midnight, it was already late. After Lumian completed his advancement, the two returned to Cordu Village.
For Lumian, it was to go back to his room and sleep; for Nimrod, it was to return to Sefirah Castle and then project his spirit body back into Lumian's dream.
The next morning, Lumian, with high enthusiasm, went around mobilizing people he knew, subtly telling them that the host of this Lent had become a Parish Priest from the Central Cathedral—using the rhetoric that "the gods have seen their suffering and are preparing to bestow miracles this Lent."
Those in Cordu Village who had already believed in the Circle of Inevitability under the leadership of the Parish Priest initially didn't believe it, but after hearing Lumian's words, their yields from several outings unexpectedly increased.
This situation made the villagers' hearts stir with various thoughts, and even some dangerous rumors began to circulate in the tavern:
That the essence of what the Parish Priest originally said, "the constellations are changing, and they are about to receive good luck," was actually a miracle bestowed by the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the Parish Priest, who had been oppressing them, had concealed this, making them believe it was a gift from him.
Some of these rumors were Nimrod's doing, and some were "gossip" formed by miscommunication—but no matter what, the Parish Priest's presence in Cordu Village seemed to be rapidly forgotten, and the Lent celebration slowly began in this atmosphere.
However, Nimrod preferred to call it "public opinion," and considering this was Lumian's dream, the formation of such "public opinion" also represented Lumian gradually waking up.
Because of this, Nimrod planned to take Lumian to launch a surprise attack on the Circle of Inevitability tonight and end the Cycle here.
During this time, Aurore, who had previously shown abnormal behavior, seemed to have returned to normal, but she stayed in the church every day, cooperating with the official trio to try and pry open the mouths of the Parish Priest and others.
"...This is truly terrifying," Valentine muttered, standing in the church.
"That fallen Demon's servant deceived them with words, making the villagers believe their luck would improve. But when we gave these villagers enough—no, just a little favor—they turned around and began to worship the Eternal Blazing Sun again..."
"Yes, it's terrifying," Lia sighed, not revealing her true thoughts in front of Valentine, a fanatic of the Eternal Blazing Sun:
For ordinary people, there might be no difference between a righteous god and an evil god... If she were to say that, Valentine's emotions might become unstable.
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But at this moment, it was Lumian, whose expression changed first, possessing extremely sharp five senses due to his advancement to Provoker:
"Look..."
"What's wrong?" Valentine, who had been uttering words of "blasphemy" and "sin," turned his gaze to where Lumian was pointing, staring for a while before noticing the strangeness in the distance, and his face suddenly changed dramatically as well:
The few of them were currently in the church in Cordu Village, and at this moment, amidst the festive atmosphere of the entire Cordu Village, the people performing the ritual during the Lent were walking forward numbly, while turning their heads and looking towards the church in an extremely bizarre manner.
It was as if the villagers of Cordu Village had discovered the "abnormality" of the few of them—when everyone is abnormal, being normal is the greatest abnormality!
"Do we need to stop the Lent ritual from continuing?" Ryan also walked over. As a Warrior, he had sufficiently keen eyesight and also noticed the abnormality there:
"If we stop the ritual now, we might have another chance to complete a Cycle in its entirety..."
"...We can't stop it now," Lia, however, shook her head:
"What we know now may not be the whole picture. Perhaps there will be opportunities to break the Cycle in the next few days, but if we stop the Lent ritual now, and the Cycle is triggered again on the Twelfth Night, we won't know what will happen."
Lumian's breathing quickened slightly; he seemed to have thought of a possibility, and his pupils trembled slightly.
"What's wrong?" Lia noticed Lumian's appearance and asked him in a calm and cautious tone.
As a member of the official investigation team, Lia had never fully trusted these three Beyonders in Cordu Village. Especially Lumian and Nimrod, who could maintain their special state within the Cycle, Lia always felt that they might still harbor some secrets.
"Aurore..." Lumian gritted his teeth and said to Lia:
"She is also a villager from Cordu Village; she cannot retain her memories within the Cycle..."
Lia was stunned: "You mean..."
"—Let's go check on their situation first; we can't be attacked from both sides," Ryan turned his head and said calmly to Lumian. "Is someone watching the Parish Priest and the others?"
"My godfather is there; it's his turn to watch them today," Lumian's mood calmed down a bit:
"We need to hurry over and discuss what we should do next. Plans never keep up with changes. Even without the Parish Priest and the others, the villagers' condition is constantly deteriorating."
"Perhaps the key to the Cycle has never been the ritual," Ryan said in a deep voice to Lumian:
"Go check on your sister's condition first, Lumian. The silver lining is that we have the Parish Priest under control, so no one will suddenly attack us, giving us enough time to solve the Cycle."
At the same time, Ryan gave a signal to the other two behind his back, hinting that they should immediately restrain Lumian if his condition showed any problems.
Now, he suspected that there was a certain "source of pollution" in the entire Cordu Village, and the locals who could maintain their state in the dream were all people contaminated by this "source of pollution."
Lumian nodded and walked quickly forward, his movements quite urgent, pushing open his sister's door at once.
But then, Lumian's movements became slower and slower, until they completely stopped, as if frozen in the air.
He saw Aurore sitting upright on the bed like a statue. Her mouth was slightly open, and a transparent lizard was crawling out of it, looking innocently at the four people outside the door.
Lumian's pupils widened slightly, and countless familiar images flashed before his eyes.
At this moment, Nimrod in another room withdrew his gaze, and while setting up the altar, he mumbled:
"'Coincidence' is still chasing me, damn it..."
"It seems Adam saw Lumian's dream deduction progressing so quickly and is also preparing to increase the difficulty for Lumian."
"In that case, I should also help my dear godson."
As he spoke, he reached out and pushed the Parish Priest, who had lost his limbs, into the altar.
Chapter 110: Breaking the Dream
The Parish Priest struggled desperately. He could not understand why the person before him had set up the altar without even asking him how the ritual should be performed.
He looked like he knew more about setting up rituals than their group of Fate Believers!
For a moment, the Parish Priest actually started hoping that those official members from Trier would discover this guy's "little actions" and come to save him. Even if it meant facing the Church's Judgement, it was better than becoming a sacrifice offered to the "Circle of Inevitability"!
As someone who had performed a sacrifice during that previous Cycle, he knew all too well what the Fate of a sacrifice was like, and he did not want to go meet his lord just yet!
Nimrod smiled at the Parish Priest and said:
"Actually, I do not need you to tell me how the ritual is constructed at all. Do you want to know why?"
The Parish Priest Guillaume instinctively felt that something was wrong. He tried to squirm his body away to the side, but he heard Nimrod's voice coming from above:
"Because you are nothing more than 'dream images' created by Lumian Lee to deceive himself. The rituals you use have never actually succeeded, and I just happen to know a little bit of information."
Nimrod was attempting the acting of a "Prometheus."
In his understanding, a "Prometheus" is one who steals the "fire," and the "fire" often refers to "hope."
Because of this, Nimrod believed that a "Prometheus" had two different ways of acting. The first was to steal other people's "hope"!
Whether it was stealing or deceiving, causing others to despair was the fundamental method of acting for a "Prometheus," and it was also the most malicious and most normal way to act.
Looking at the long history of the Fourth Epoch, many Marauder families often did exactly this. Those with more conscience strictly selected their targets for "theft," while those Beyonders who did not care as much might even favor quantity over quality, snatching away the straws that many people relied on to survive.
Because this also happened to fit the advancement ritual of the Sequence 5 "Dream Stealer": "Become a main villain or an important supporting character in the dreams of 30 people"!
However, the Prometheus who stole fire had an objective that was completely the opposite—he did not steal humanity's hope; instead, he delivered the fire that represented "hope" to humanity.
Considering that the myths of the mystery world were real, Nimrod believed that this should be the other way of acting as a "Prometheus"—giving hope to others, but this hope itself was "stolen" from elsewhere; it was precisely a twisted yet correct form of acting.
Anyway, trying it did not cost anything, and there happened to be an opportunity now.
The Parish Priest frowned slightly, not understanding at all what Nimrod meant, only thinking about leaving as soon as possible to avoid the Fate of becoming a sacrifice.
On the other side, Lumian's brows furrowed instantly. He had been in a state of impending eruption, wanting to drag out the transparent lizard in Aurore's mouth, but suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his mind.
"... 'dream images'..."
Lumian immediately felt as if his head had been split open by a sharp axe. Intense pain extended downward from between his brows. His body, which had been rushing forward, lost its support and collapsed to the ground. He could not suppress the urge to clutch his head with both hands, letting out a piercing roar.
Ryan, Valentine, and Lia quickly noticed Lumian's state. The corners of Lia's mouth, which had been smiling, tightened. She quickly pulled a box from her sleeve and scattered the matches stored inside outward.
She had a vague premonition about what was to come, feeling that what was about to happen might be quite dangerous, and she needed to leave herself an escape route in advance.
...
Nimrod gently rotated his wrist, and the countdown on his wrist suddenly accelerated. Nine hours of time flashed by on the back of his hand.
In Cordu Village, which possessed ample power from "Sefirah Castle," the power he could borrow by consuming "time" from here exceeded the original limit of Sequence 4!
A wisp of faint gray mist drifted toward Nimrod's face. For a moment, the Parish Priest even felt the same gray mist rising from the ground beside him.
The atmosphere around them changed.
The Parish Priest sensed a subtle change in his surroundings, and the stumps of his limbs, which had initially healed, began to ache faintly.
He felt that after the gray mist shrouded the face of the young man before him—who did not seem to worship any known evil god—this young man's aura underwent a heaven-turning, earth-shattering change.
It was as if, through this gray mist, some great existence had descended directly upon him.
"The great 'Circle of Inevitability'."
Nimrod's tone was not respectful; it was even somewhat mocking. The Parish Priest widened his eyes, feeling a sharp pain as his flesh seemed to melt.
He actually knew the honorable name of the "Circle of Inevitability"!
But he was not a Believer of "Fate"?
Who exactly was he?!
Nimrod raised his hand and threw the bound Fate Believer, who had been placed to the side, onto the altar:
"You are the eternal Cycle, the destined Fate, the cause, the result, and also the process."
The light emitted from the two candles on the altar, which represented the god, suddenly elongated, becoming the size of an adult's head.
In Cordu Village, those villagers who were showing abnormalities all had faint, silver-white and black tumors slowly protruding from their bodies.
Specks of silver-black light spread from around the altar toward the surroundings, but they were blocked by the gray mist and could not leave the church's location.
After doing all this, Nimrod smiled and said to the Parish Priest:
"—Do you know why I specifically said that you are just a 'dream image'?"
"Ha, not only will I tell you that you are just a 'dream image' that has been shaped, but I will also tell you that the real you is still out there worshipping an evil god."
"Because, if you want to wake someone who refuses to wake up from the beautiful dream they have woven for themselves, the simplest method is:"
"Tear this dream apart!"
...
"... The real Parish Priest is not dead yet..."
The faint voice echoed in Lumian's ears. His body trembled as he slowly stood up, forcing himself to look at his sister, who was sitting on the bed, with his bloodshot eyes.
For a moment, the "Aurore" with the cruel gaze he had seen beneath the church suddenly overlapped with the sister before him.
This is impossible... Lumian thought instinctively. However, he subconsciously turned his head, and under the guidance of his own spirituality, he looked toward the location of the ritual.
He saw the walls of this room and the mirror embedded in the wall.
In the mirror, he was wearing a black robe, and behind him were the ruins he had seen in his dream.
Lumian suddenly felt the scene before him shatter with a roar, breaking into pieces like a fractured mirror.
...
"I pray to you."
Nimrod spread his arms, lifted his head, and looked at the black thorns on the altar before him:
"... Praying for you to give me your Sefirah and Uniqueness?"
[Why are you making a wish?]
Within the encirclement formed by the gray mist, the silver-black light swirled for a moment, as if responding to Nimrod's Provocation. Nimrod chuckled softly:
"Anyway, I am not asking Him to grant me a boon directly; what exists here is only a sliver of the 'Circle of Inevitability's' spirit."
"Just trying it out. What if He actually gives it to me?"
In the time it took for Nimrod and the Celestial Worthy to exchange a few words, a severe abnormality also occurred in the surroundings.
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#111The End
Chapter 111: The End
Silver-black light trembled in the sky, seemingly rebuking the boundless greed of the Gray Shadow before them. Watching this scene, Nimrod merely chuckled and looked at the environment that was rapidly beginning to change around them:
The constellations in the sky rapidly shifted their positions, and the entire Cordu Village shook violently. Everything around them was converging toward the center of the church where the group stood.
The affected villagers silently disintegrated. Most of them flew toward the altar behind Nimrod, while a small portion reformed into different humanoid Monsters.
Under the influence of Beyonder powers and the collision of objects, the earth arched, and flames gradually ignited from the flammable wooden buildings. Flesh and blood aggregated, and the church itself slowly disintegrated into fragments during this process.
It was only then that Aurore's gaze seemed to awaken from a dream. She looked at Nimrod by the altar and Lumian kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with an indescribable regret.
"So it was..." she muttered to herself. "Little brother..."
Aurore's body also flew toward the altar, gradually shattering into pieces of flesh and blood in mid-air. They combined with the organs of numerous villagers to form the Three-headed, Six-armed Giant that Lumian had previously seen in his dream.
The only difference was that this Giant was permeated with a faint Gray Mist.
"You are finally awake," Nimrod said calmly to the despairing Lumian before him. "My godson."
Lumian opened his mouth and spoke to Nimrod in a hoarse voice:
"Were all my previous efforts meaningless? You knew my situation long ago and kept hinting to me that the Cycle in Cordu Village wasn't real?"
"But if that's the case, can Aurore—can Aurore not be saved?"
The more Lumian spoke, the more agitated he became. Traces of uncontrolled wriggling even appeared in the flesh on his body.
"When the last Cycle ended, I already told you most of the facts, but you refused to believe them." Nimrod shook his head, his tone suddenly becoming stern:
"Stand up! I will not comfort you, nor will I deceive you—the Aurore in reality is already dead, but your efforts were not in vain. During your gradual awakening, the power of the Gray Mist naturally seeped into the Seal, protecting Aurore's soul fragments."
"As long as the spiritual body still exists, there is hope for resurrection. It is difficult, though. Whether relying on yourself or trading with other deities, only by becoming a deity will you have the hope of completing the soul fragments and reviving Aurore."
"While you certainly bear the influence of many deities' powers and suffer extremely severe contamination, are you truly so weak—so weak that you refuse to accept reality and need beautiful dreams to protect yourself from collapse?"
"Don't you want revenge on those deities who treat you and your sister as pawns? Hah, they certainly have their reasons, but don't you have your own reasons and despair? Are you willing to be a 'world-saving' Robot even if you're being used?"
"If you don't even have the spirit to repay blood with blood and a tooth for a tooth, why be a Hunter? Becoming a Demoness is your true destiny!"
Listening to Nimrod's sharp words, Lumian slowly clenched his fists. He bit his lip tightly:
"But, becoming a deity?... That is simply too..."
Becoming a deity was something that only existed in his childhood fantasies before he lost his family—a fleeting thought generated in a child's heart. By the time he was wandering, such a dream was already quite distant.
"You possess enough uniqueness; that is the only leverage you hold."
Nimrod narrowed his eyes and spoke mercilessly:
"The gods are using you, and I am using you too. The only difference between me and them is that I won't ask you to save the world; I only ask that you become Sequence 0 of the Hunter Pathway, using the Red Priest as a foundation to advance further on the Beyonder path."
"Whatever you want to do along the way—whether it's saving the world or destroying it—is your own choice. As long as you don't ask me, I won't interfere."
"The gods' utilization is a double-edged sword. While they use you, they will also give you tremendous help. This is your only chance to ascend the Divine Throne—you must understand that except for a rare one or two, other deities will not have an ounce of sympathy for your plight. They will only calculate how much benefit you can bring them."
"As for how you, as a mortal, can contend against the gods? Remember, I am your Godfather. As long as our goals align, I will support you wholeheartedly."
There is still some human warmth left in the Fool's heart, but it is rapidly being consumed by the Celestial Worthy.
"As for how to resurrect Aurore—becoming the complete Fool is one path you can choose, and I am also a path you can choose. As long as I can ascend the Divine Throne, I can bring Aurore—no, your true sister, Li Xi—from the past and truly resurrect her!"
Please do not forget, Li Xi's soul had not yet been cast down upon Sefirah Castle in the past.
If Nimrod can steadily advance on the path to godhood, then bringing out the souls from the area of Sefirah Castle he occupies is only a matter of time.
And the paradox involving two identical souls will certainly be resolved as the Sequence constantly increases.
Lumian's pupils trembled slightly. He tentatively spoke to Nimrod:
"So, the Great Beings you and that lady worship are indeed not the same... Are you His enemy?"
"Of course not," Nimrod said with a smile.
"To me, he and I are more like friends? It's just that I don't know if he remembers me now. Therefore, do not tell that lady my identity, or I fear she might distance herself from you and abandon you after weighing the pros and cons."
Lumian instantly understood that there was a deeper reason involved. He nodded, watched Nimrod step forward, and subconsciously asked:
"Godfather, where are you going?"
"We will meet in Trier," Nimrod stopped and said to Lumian.
"I won't show my face in front of High-Sequence beings. Heh heh, after all, the way I look right now tends to attract too much hatred."
Both Amon and the Celestial Worthy carry a suspicion of attracting too much hatred, enough to even draw the enmity of a bunch of Outer Deities. As for how to escape in front of the angel Salted Fish, Nimrod has his own brilliant plan.
"Then how should I contact you?" Lumian asked Nimrod, his mind still somewhat dazed after the massive emotional upheaval.
"Do you remember the four phrases I once told your sister?"
Nimrod turned his head and said seriously to Lumian:
"I will repeat them again. Once you reach Trier and are in a safe location, place four servings of food around you, walk four steps backward, and recite these four phrases aloud in the language I taught you. I will then be able to use this ritual to arrive by your side."
"immortal venerable fu sheng xuan huang, heavenly lord fu sheng xuan huang, venerable blazing black and yellow..."
"Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
----
[Why are you stealing my honorific name?]
"Shut up, Zun Bao!" Nimrod retorted. "Can a Marauder's action be called stealing? Why don't you explain why I can't respond to other honorific names, but only yours?"
[Coincidence.]