"Weaken the Church of Storms' power at sea?"
When Klein heard Ebner's words, all the confusion that had accumulated in his mind suddenly became clear. He pondered aloud:
"The nobles in the Loen military—especially in the navy—mostly worship the Lord of Storms, which gives the Church of Storms unparalleled influence within the Loen armed forces.
"But Duke Negan was assassinated under the protection of the Church of Storms… The severity of that event lies in how it might have shaken the nobles' trust in the church.
"After all, if even someone of Duke Negan's rank could be assassinated, what about the others?
"This kind of doubt is bound to weaken the Church of Storms' influence over the navy, making coordination between the two sides far less seamless than before… In other words, it's an indirect reduction of their strength.
"And this time, with the sea monster incident, the Twilight Hermit Order is trying to use it as an opportunity to eliminate people like Mr. Hanged Man—those unaffiliated but loyal to the Church of Storms?"
Ebner nodded and smiled. "That's roughly the idea. But they'll likely keep things under control—they won't let those subordinate forces be completely annihilated. Otherwise, the Church of Storms' power would drop too much, and that's not something those behind the scenes would want."
He once again emphasized his earlier conjecture.
"But why would the members of the Twilight Hermit Order do this? What's in it for them?" Klein asked with a frown.
"You should know what the Twilight Hermit Order's goal is, right? I remember Roselle's diary mentioned it," Ebner countered.
"To secretly manipulate global trends, interfere with the course of history, and guide the tides of the era…" Klein replied reflexively. Then, connecting it with previous intelligence, realization struck him. "The Twilight Hermit Order wants to ignite a war? That's the 'tide of history' they're predicting?"
"Exactly," Ebner said directly, giving a firm confirmation.
"Isn't peace better?" Klein couldn't help muttering inwardly. After all, he knew all too well the devastation a world war could bring to humanity.
Especially to the lower classes—those already struggling at the edge of survival—war would only plunge them into deeper misery.
He took a deep breath and asked, "Can it be stopped?"
At this point, what Klein sought was no longer just helping The Hanged Man steal the sea monster.
"If you mean the future large-scale war, it'll be difficult to prevent… But for this current sea monster conflict, there is a solution." Seeing Klein's earnest tone, Ebner also became serious. "The most straightforward way is to steal the sea monster before The Hanged Man and the others attack or suffer heavy losses—and hand it over to the Church of Storms afterward.
"Of course, before handing it over, The Hanged Man could use it to complete his promotion first…
"Once the Church of Storms achieves its goal, it wouldn't need to continue fighting to the death. That would preserve its naval strength and maintain deterrence against the Feysac fleet.
"In this way, we'd effectively delay the outbreak of war."
Knowing Klein's character well, Ebner understood he was already inclined to intervene, so he explained in detail.
Klein thought for a moment before asking again, "If I interfere in this matter, will it draw Adam's attention?"
That was a King of Angels. As much as he wanted to disrupt the Twilight Hermit Order's plan, if the risk was too great, he'd have to abandon the idea.
At this stage, Adam likely wouldn't come into direct conflict with you—the holder of the Sefirah Castle. He's still waiting for you to 'open the door'… Ebner thought to himself before answering aloud, "Probably not. After all, this won't shake His predicted tide of fate. When 'Vice Admiral Hurricane' Qilangos failed to assassinate Duke Negan, Adam didn't personally intervene either.
"However, this particular plan should have been designed by a member of the Twilight Hermit Order… They certainly won't just watch it fail. The question is whether an angel-level being is backing them.
"Even if not, considering the demigods stationed at the naval base and the Church of the God of Combat's archbishop in Sonia, you'd have to break through at least three to four Saints to either steal or slay the sea monster."
Three or four Saints, huh? That's not impossible… Sharon, the 'Demoness of Despair' kept within the upgraded 'Creeping Hunger,' Ebner himself, the Messenger lady, plus my Seagod Trident… our combined strength isn't weak…
As for the possible presence of an angel… I remember 'Tower' once prayed to borrow the gray fog's power to craft a special material into a 'Yesterday's Reenactment' card…
If we can make a few more of those and hand them to the Messenger or Mr. Azik, we'd have a way to deal with an angel.
Now, the real challenge is convincing Mr. Tower to take that risk with me.
After all, I did just "scam" him recently… Though I still think that wasn't really a scam—and he seemed to enjoy it at the time…
As for Sharon and the Messenger lady, they're no issue—especially Sharon. Her stance on war is similar to mine; she'll definitely be willing to help.
Just as Klein was troubled over how to convince him, Ebner—who had long seen through his thoughts—smiled and said, "You want me to join The Hanged Man's commission too, don't you?"
"Yes!" Klein nodded without hesitation.
"That's simple. Just have Dwayne Dantes donate thirty thousand pounds to Belden for city development!
"You don't need to pay it all at once—installments are fine!"
Ebner smiled as he laid out his condition.
Before coming to this little meeting, he had already planned a "retaliation strategy." The core of that plan? Make Klein spend money!
There was no better revenge against the "God of Poverty" than forcing him to open his wallet.
So, Ebner deliberately guided Klein through understanding the Twilight Hermit Order's motives—pushing him to escalate what was already a dangerous commission until he had no choice but to ask for help.
And the thirty thousand pounds? That was the exact amount Ebner estimated to be Klein's limit—any higher, and even selling everything wouldn't be enough.
Of course, in a way, it was also the "intelligence fee" for revealing Adam's purpose—so technically, Klein was still getting a good deal.
"Th-thirty thousand pounds?" Klein swallowed the non-existent saliva of his spiritual body—but after hearing it could be paid in installments, he relaxed a little.
Still, he didn't immediately agree. He planned to perform a divination first, then consult Arrodes and the "Snake of Fate," Will Auceptin, before making his final decision.
After all, this involved the organization of a King of Angels—there was no such thing as being too cautious.
...
In the villa on 28 Kinst Street, Cherwood Borough.
Back in reality, Ebner no longer appeared as calm as he had above the Sefirah Castle. Frowning, he pondered quietly:
Another event that didn't exist in the original timeline… and it even involves the 'Trident' that I need…
With Adam's abilities, there's no way He hasn't accounted for me and Klein getting involved…
So, is this merely the private scheme of a member of the Twilight Hermit Order, or is Adam orchestrating it Himself?
Still, this approach feels more like He's deliberately guiding me into the game—to discover something…
Why do these people all love playing riddlers? Can't they just speak plainly for once?
In any case, now that I have the 'Transformation Belt,' I've reached the level of a true "player" in this game…
At least I can run if things go south. Maybe I should see for myself what Adam is really up to…
With that thought, he performed a ritual and prayed to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Evernight Goddess, and the Earth Mother, reporting the entire situation.
Time ticked by. Half an hour later, Ebner still hadn't received any response.
However, that only put his heart at ease—after all, the very fact that the three gods hadn't stopped him meant they believed he could handle it.
(End of this chapter)