Derrick belatedly realized, "So... the Amon avatar that appeared in the City of Silver was sent by Amon's true form, which has existed for thousands of years? What... what is his purpose?"
The Little Sun immediately felt tremendous pressure. As far as he knew, not all elders of the Six-member Council were demigods. Even if the City of Silver possessed god-level Sealed Artifacts, they might not be a match for Amon's true form.
"He might not have any specific purpose," Odis replied, "Amon bears the title 'God of Mischief' and is said to be both extremely cunning and highly spontaneous."
"...The avatar that entered the City of Silver might have just been one casually dispatched by him. When your former exploration team captain invited him to the city, he simply followed along. If there had been no invitation, that avatar might still be wandering around the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
Behind the gray fog, Klein seemed to be the first to understand the Hermit's meaning: Due to the transformation in their lifeforms, deities' thought processes are fundamentally different from ordinary humans.
In ancient times, Angels were referred to as subsidiary gods. Amon's level is at least that of an Angel, meaning he must also possess an extraordinarily long lifespan, and thus, a mindset vastly different from ordinary people...
For the City of Silver, the incident involving Amon's avatar was a terrifying ordeal that required careful handling. But for Amon, it was merely one of his avatars playing in the mortal world.
Klein sighed inwardly: 'This is the disparity between levels...'
Derrick immediately pressed further, "How should we respond?"
Odis answered, "Don't take it seriously."
Derrick thought he had misheard, "Don't take it seriously?"
"If Amon's true form were truly interested in the City of Silver, your forces would be hard-pressed to stop him," Odis said with a somewhat helpless smile, "Based on some materials I've found, Amon is no ordinary Angel. I don't know how to describe it precisely... just know that he is extremely formidable. If his true form has no real interest in the City of Silver, then you can simply act as though this incident never happened."
These words made Derrick and the others fully grasp Amon's overwhelming power.
Alger couldn't help but sigh: 'This is the disparity between levels. Amon is powerful enough to effortlessly destroy an entire city...'
Audrey and Fors felt a heaviness in their hearts.
Fors lamented inwardly: 'True power in the Beyonder world is absolute. It's enough to crush everything!'
Klein mused to himself: 'This feels like the saying, If the earthquake is big, you can't run; if it's small, there's no need to run...'
After hearing the Hermit's explanation, Derrick took a deep breath, "I understand. Thank you for clarifying. It has made me realize the gap between us and Amon."
As he spoke, he stole a glance at Mr. Fool at the head of the table: 'If Amon were to descend upon the City of Silver, perhaps only Mr. Fool's help could save us...'
Behind the gray fog, Klein appeared calm and composed, but inwardly, he was panicking: 'Don't look at me like that! If I pretend not to hear your prayers when the time comes, my conscience will ache!'
At this point, Audrey thought of another question, then asked, "Is Amon's true form in the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"
"Theoretically, he should be," Odis replied, "Otherwise, such a powerful being would surely be as notorious in the Northern and Southern Continents as evil gods like the True Creator or the Hidden Sage. Yet most Beyonders have never even heard his name."
Audrey nodded, "That's a reasonable analysis."
Odis then said to Derrick, "As for that little bug you obtained, it's likely a 'Worm of Time'."
"Worm of Time?" Derrick had never heard this term before.
Alger suddenly recalled something, "I think I've heard this name before, but I believe it's the name of a potion for a certain Sequence in the 'Marauder' Pathway."
"It is indeed a potion name," Odis explained, "But from what I've learned, it's also the key to how High-Sequence Beyonders of the 'Marauder' Pathway Parasitize others. The true form seems to use Worms of Time to control the Parasitized hosts."
Regarding this aspect, Odis didn't intend to explain too thoroughly.
The other members hadn't yet become demigods, so they lacked the necessary frame of reference. So, while they seemed to vaguely grasp Odis's explanation, it also felt somewhat incomprehensible.
Derrick asked further, "Mr. Hermit, what are these Worms of Time used for?"
"I only know they can be used to craft very high-level charms," Odis answered truthfully.
"Thank you for your explanation," Derrick said, somewhat embarrassed.
He was well aware that this information was extremely high-level and far outweighed the meager payment he had provided. But for now, he couldn't think of how else to thank Mr. Hermit.
With this round of transactions concluded, Alger couldn't help but feel that Aside from the Card of Blasphemy, this is probably the highest-level information he's ever obtained.
Audrey, while marveling at Amon's power, asked, "Mr. Hermit, why is Amon in the Forsaken Land of the Gods? I mean, given his– no, given His power, is He also trapped there?"
Odis pondered briefly before answering, "This involves some other high-level information about Amon, which would require a transaction."
Audrey immediately asked, "What do you need?"
"A complete brain of a Pale Long-Necked Beast," Odis said to the others, "Everyone can keep an eye out for this. I'm willing to pay in gold pounds."
This was one of the main ingredients for the 'Warlock' potion. Though he wasn't in a hurry to advance yet, he could start gathering the materials.
Audrey said, "I'll help you look for it." Then she asked, "Mr. Hermit, do you know any other high-level information about Amon?"
"While gathering information for Little Sun, I did come across some additional high-level intelligence about Amon," Odis replied, "But that information isn't useful to Little Sun, so it wasn't part of this transaction."
The other members felt it was a shame but couldn't complain, after all, this was a deal between the Hermit and Little Sun... and the information Mr. Hermit had disclosed was already of immense value.
Audrey, however, noticed something: 'Judging from Mr. Hermit's body language, he seems to be withholding something. Is he hiding his source of information? Or the original purpose behind obtaining it? Or perhaps that information is useful to Little Sun?'
Then she reconsidered: 'Little Sun is currently in a very dangerous situation, and Mr. Hermit clearly wants to help him. So, the undisclosed information probably wouldn't aid the City of Silver's circumstances anyway... There's no need to hide the original purpose of obtaining the information, which leaves only the source... But why would that need to be concealed?'
At this point, Alger said to Odis, "I know where to find a complete brain of a Pale Long-Necked Beast, but I'm currently at sea. It'll take a few days before I can check if the seller still has it."
Odis asked, "How much?"
"700 pounds," Alger said, "Plus another 50 pounds as my commission."
Odis nodded, "It's slightly overpriced, but still within an acceptable range. If it hasn't been sold yet, you can purchase it for me, and we'll complete the transaction afterward."
Having earned a considerable sum from the Mysticism Research Society, Odis now had over 3000 pounds in savings, so he didn't bother haggling.
Alger hummed and said, "Alright."
He thought to himself: 'The Hermit is quite wealthy. Last week, he spent over 2000 pounds, and during this gathering alone, he's already spent 750 pounds...'
After the two settled on the price, Audrey said, "Mr. Hermit, I'd like to complete last week's transaction with you."
During the previous gathering, Odis had sought to purchase the 'Spectator' potion formula from Audrey, but Audrey had declined payment in cash, instead requesting mystical knowledge from the Hermit.
However, at the time, she hadn't decided what to ask. Now, she had made up her mind.
Odis nodded, "Very well, ask away. But I should remind you, when I offered to buy the potion formula last time, my price was 260 pounds. The value of the question I answer shouldn't exceed that amount."
Audrey nodded, "I understand."
She cleared her throat and asked, "Mr. Hermit, during the last gathering, you mentioned some uncommon mystical symbols. How did you discover those symbols? And what are their specific functions?"
Odis asked in return, "Do you want this answered privately or shared with everyone?"
"With everyone," Audrey said with a smile, "If anyone else has insights into Mysticism, they're welcome to contribute."
The other members expressed their gratitude to Miss Justice and nodded in agreement, all turning their attention to Mr. Hermit. During the previous gathering, they had also been curious about these so-called uncommon mystical symbols.
Especially Alger. He had always considered himself the most knowledgeable about Mysticism in the Tarot Club, second only to Mr. Fool. But the topics the Hermit had brought up last time felt entirely unfamiliar to him, making him suspect whether the Hermit's claimed research direction was fabricated...
Audrey's question wasn't particularly profound. Odis organized his thoughts and answered, "Those symbols were derived by me..."
"Derived?" Audrey wondered if she had misheard.
Alger also asked, "Mystical symbols can be derived?"
"Why not?" Odis smiled, "It seems you lack foundational knowledge about mystical symbols. Let me briefly explain."
He continued, "First, we must understand... why do mystical symbols exist? We discussed this last time: mystical symbols, like Jotun (the language of the giants) and other tongues capable of channeling natural forces, serve the same purpose... They can mobilize mystical power."
"...Languages like Jotun and Dragonese differ from human speech. Giants and dragons are more like naturally born Beyonder creatures. Their Beyonder characteristics grant them inherently high Spirituality, allowing them to wield mystical powers through spiritual guidance. Unique pronunciations enable them to harness these forces, completing rituals of prayer and response."
"In short, human language facilitates communication between people, whereas Jotun, Dragonese, and similar languages inherently bridge the natural and spiritual realms..."