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Leyton raised an eyebrow slightly. He suddenly felt that Medici's death back then was not unjust. As the only intelligent one beside the True Creator, it was perfectly reasonable for Adam, who only possessed divinity, to temporarily take Him offline.
After a brief two-second silence, he said with a hint of contemplation in his tone:
"The cooperation between the Loen Royal Family and the Demoness Sect, what they offered was a Conqueror Characteristic."
"This is precisely why I appeared."
"I need to take that Conqueror Characteristic, and I need your help with that."
Sasrir's voice followed.
"..." Leyton opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
"The Aurora Order cannot make any more moves; it will affect the spread of our faith in Loen and will also attract the furious strike of that Folk of Rage."
Folk of Rage, so that's what you call your former subordinate, huh? He didn't even directly call him a traitor or a backstabber, Leyton thought, his focus slightly askew.
However, he showed no expression on his face, merely frowning slightly as he said:
"To snatch a Sequence 1 Trait from the Loen Royal Family and the Demoness Sect, even an Angel might not be able to do it."
Sasrir was not surprised by Leyton's veiled refusal. His voice remained calm as he said:
"Ouroboros will arrive at the appropriate time; fate is on your side."
"You can go to the Evernight Goddess's church and seek some help from Her. She has sufficient reasons and grounds to act against the Demoness Sect."
"You are more likely to become a Demon of Knowledge than Steam. She will help you. She has always been very insightful and daring to invest."
"I'm more likely to become a Demon of Knowledge than Steam?" Leyton asked back, a look of suspicion on his face.
His first reaction was that the other party was trying to trick him, but on second thought, perhaps He was telling the truth… but the one most likely to become a Demon of Knowledge would only be Knowledge Moor itself.
After a short silence, he took a deep breath and continued:
"This is a transaction between you and the Evernight Goddess. However, I can take you to the Evernight Goddess's church."
Leyton subtly refused the other party's idea of directly involving him in this matter. A Conqueror Characteristic would probably cause the entire Demoness Sect to hunt him down.
Sasrir won't always be by my side; I can't withstand the Demoness Sect's pursuit.
"Concealment can make you undetectable."
"The compensation I can offer is: a portion of the faith from the Forsaken Land of the Gods; and when you need help later, I will act for you as the True Creator once, and this is not counted as part of your struggle against Steam."
"..." The words of refusal were stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken.
Leyton reached out and pinched his brow, pondering for a long while before saying:
"You go negotiate with the Evernight Goddess yourself. She probably doesn't have a good impression of me... Moreover, I still need Her tacit approval, or even help, when facing the God of Steam and Machinery."
"No problem." Sasrir responded decisively.
The shadow in front of the bookshelf distorted and squirmed for a moment, then returned to Leyton's feet, becoming a normal shadow.
I must leave Backlund as soon as possible. If I stay any longer, I'll become the True Creator's tool.
After a moment of thought, Leyton rose from his seat, put on the coat he had placed aside, and prepared to go out.
North Borough, St. Samuel's Church.
Leyton's figure emerged from a taxi carriage stopped by the roadside. He paused for two seconds, looked at the sacred church with black as its main color in front of him, adjusted his emotions, and then walked over.
Today was not a special day, so not too many people came to the church to pray. After Leyton walked into the church, his gaze simply swept around, then he walked towards a relatively empty spot.
He bowed to a passing priest, then tapped his chest four times, drawing the image of a crimson Moon.
Then he found a seat, adjusted his posture slightly, clasped his hands together, placed them over his chest, and closed his eyes, beginning to pray in a proper manner.
"The Evernight Goddess stands higher than the cosmos
"and more eternal than eternity.
"The Lady of Crimson,
"The Mother of Concealment,
"The Empress of Misfortune and Horror,
"Mistress of Repose and Silence."
As he softly chanted the Evernight Goddess's honorific name, Leyton felt his thoughts momentarily hazy, then he felt himself immersed in a sea of nightshade flowers.
The peaceful and tranquil atmosphere around made one want to stay there forever, to sleep on and on, until eternity.
Leyton felt as if he was overcome by sleepiness, his whole being groggy.
His reason told him that he was already asleep, and everything around him was a dream.
But the scent of nightshade flowers lingering around his nose, around every inch of his skin, was so real. The quiet and tranquility around him urged him to sleep.
"I'm already asleep, how can I enter slumber? Am I sleeping in a dream?"
Leyton thought, his mind somewhat unclear. Time passed exceptionally slowly around him, yet silently. He himself didn't know how much time had passed.
Finally, the surrounding night was broken. The nightshade flowers, like a sea of flowers, disappeared, and the peaceful and tranquil feeling vanished.
Leyton reopened his eyes, looking around with a slight bewilderment, confirming that he was still praying in St. Samuel's Church.
A dream? Was I shut out? How petty!
Muttering to himself, Leyton got up and walked to the offering box at the very front, took out some cash from his person and dropped it in, then turned and walked out of the church.
After only a couple of steps, he saw Leonard walking towards the prayer hall from another direction in the church.
The two exchanged glances. Leyton clearly saw a momentary blankness and surprise in Leonard's eyes, which were then immediately reined in, as if he didn't know him.
A slight curve slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth. He withdrew his gaze and walked past the other person.
Walking out of St. Samuel's Church, Leyton slightly tilted his head as he stepped forward, listening.
"I have reached some cooperation with the Evernight Goddess. When seizing that Conqueror Characteristic, chanting Her name will grant you Concealment protection."
Sasrir's voice echoed in his mind for a while, then fell silent.
He sighed with complex emotions, not saying much more... Sasrir's words surely weren't finished. If it were just a simple cooperation, there would be no need to keep me out. What else did they discuss? Most likely, it concerns me.
Constantly deliberating on the matter in his mind, Leyton walked forward without stopping, searching for an unpopulated corner. He raised his hand and opened a "Door" in mid-air, then stepped into it.
South of the Bridge, in the Harvest Church.
Leyton's figure emerged from a corner at the back of the church. Father Utravsky, who was praying before the Earth Mother's holy emblem, and Emlyn, who was wiping the long table, both glanced at Leyton, then each withdrew their gaze.
"Good morning, Father. I'm here to pray."
Leyton walked up to Father Utravsky, greeted him, and then found a seat behind the Father and sat down.
He closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, placed them before his mouth and nose, and began to pray softly:
"Thank You, Source of Life;
Praise You, Mother of All Things;
Praise You, Earth Mother!"
"Your faithful follower prays to You..."
With a slight daze in his spirit, Leyton felt himself falling into a dream again, but this time he wasn't left out.
He appeared in a vibrant wilderness, surrounded by gurgling spring water, swaying wheat ears in the breeze, and various herbs and flowers. There were even many translucent small animals, like bubbles, running and gliding.
Leyton's gaze swept into the distance, and a simple outline of a baby surrounded by symbols of wheat ears, flowers, and spring water came into view. This was a giant Holy Emblem of Life.
Then, as if sensing something, he looked down. At his feet, gurgling spring water, carrying petals and leaves, formed lines of words:
"Sequence 6: Biologist, capable of crossbreeding various creatures, with a deep understanding of their characteristics; but before becoming a Demigod, these products lack souls."
"Main ingredients: Root of a Golden Ancient Oak, one heart of an adult Unicorn Pegasus;
Supplementary ingredients: 30 ml of Golden Spring water from Sonia Island, one Golden Crown Sunflower, 20 ml of Wilderness Black Wolf blood."
After Leyton memorized the Biologist formula, the dream quietly shattered.
In the prayer hall, Leyton, who had reopened his eyes, stood up and bowed towards the Holy Emblem of Life in front.
Judging from Lilith's attitude, when I was in Feynapotter, my contact with the Church of the Earth Mother also had Her intention of going with the flow. Was She doing it for the part of the Brood Hive sealed in the Western Continent?
Leyton felt that his conjecture was likely correct. Lilith was different from the other True Gods; Her Pathway belonged to an Outer God of the Cosmos.
That Mother Goddess of Depravity, in order to reclaim Her authority and complete Her own status, had been trying to influence the Moon and Mother Pathways, and this influence was becoming more and more severe as time passed.
His debts were piling up!
"Are you done praying?"
Emlyn, who had put down his rag at some point, approached him, asking with a somewhat bewildered and uneasy expression.
Leyton turned his head and looked at Emlyn's rather conflicted expression. This guy's appearance... the Sanguine have already started tricking him into praying to the The Fool?
He resisted the urge to pat the other's shoulder and nodded gently:
"Yes, do you need something?"
Emlyn took a deep breath, as if making a great decision, and said:
"I have something I'd like to ask you."
"Let's go talk over there." Leyton pointed to the tables and chairs in the corner of the church.
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