The Son of Chaos remained silent, while the Supernova Dominator appeared deep in thought.
Mother Tree of Desire pondered for a moment and said, "When the stars return to their positions, which star should run along which orbit, does all of that depend solely on the will of the stars?"
Hastur did not answer the question. Instead, with a slightly amused, spectator-like tone, He said, "You've been stirring up quite a bit of commotion lately."
"Just some minor skirmishes," the Supernova Dominator replied.
"The weather is getting colder and colder. The sun's radiance is far less scorching than it used to be."
Hastur's sudden remark caused a slight change in the Supernova Dominator's expression, but He did not pay it much mind. "There will always be a new sun to replace the aging one."
The Son of Chaos interjected, "The Eternal Blazing Sun has really been unlucky, of all beings, it had to catch your attention. Using its power to nourish yourself is quite a ruthless move."
"My power finds it difficult to pass through the primal barrier. I can only use their own power as a means."
"Tsk, how much longer will it take?"
"Three years."
"That's a pretty tight schedule. Looks like a major war on the Southern Continent is unavoidable."
"War has always been the ultimate means of resolving all problems. Even without our involvement, its outbreak is only a matter of time," the Mother Tree of Desire joined the discussion.
Hastur deeply agreed with this statement. Recently, Adam's Twilight Hermit Order had been plotting to assassinate Duke Negan, clearly intending to provoke a war as well.
The outbreak of large-scale war, this was the tide of the era that Adam longed for. Now, it was merely arriving a little earlier.
The Son of Chaos asked curiously, "What benefit does the outbreak of war bring to you? Your authorities don't seem to have anything to do with war."
"A chaotic situation is beneficial for changing the status quo."
Hearing the Mother Tree of Desire say this, the Son of Chaos laughed. "So it turns out your believers can't hold on anymore, and that's why you want to stir up the situation through war."
The Mother Tree of Desire did not refute it, tacitly accepting the remark.
The seven churches joining forces was nothing to Her, but for Her believers, such pressure was an enormous test.
Especially those members of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun who had been drawn over by the Supernova Dominator, each of them was like a mad dog, eager to dig three feet into the ground.
Under such circumstances, launching a war to disrupt the situation was indeed a good choice.
"War will begin after the New Year." Hastur spoke, setting the tone for the matter. It was also His first attempt at using the authority of Return to Position ability.
Originally, it was an ordinary sentence. Yet when it fell upon the ears of the Mother Tree of Desire, the Supernova Dominator, and the Son of Chaos, it carried an indescribable, ineffable feeling.
It was as if events on the Southern Continent should unfold exactly according to these words, postponing the outbreak of war until after the New Year.
They did not know why the Sovereign of the Stars had suddenly spoken this sentence, but they understood that it represented the will of the Sovereign of the Stars.
The war must begin after the New Year!
As for whether the war began at the end of the year or after the New Year, they had never cared or asked, such a short span of time was meaningless to them.
But now, the Sovereign of the Stars' stance forced them to take it seriously.
Could this small difference in time truly affect some unknown fate? Had the Sovereign of the Stars glimpsed a related future, and therefore believed it would be better for the war to break out after the New Year?
The Son of Chaos was also contemplating what difference there might be between the end of the year and the year after.
His understanding of the real world surpassed that of the Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator combined.
This year was 1349. After the New Year would be 1350. The difference between them… He couldn't think of any.
Perhaps Bernadette might have a different perspective on this. Back then, Roselle seemed to be preparing to create a kind of time calendar, where every year and every day represented different fortunes, days suitable for doing certain things, and days when certain things should be avoided.
Like a book of prophecy, offering ordinary people a simple guide.
"Are the Sovereign of the Stars also watching all of this?" the Mother Tree of Desire still voiced Her doubt.
Hastur replied calmly, "The Stars always watch everything."
"Will there really be different outcomes or effects depending on whether the war breaks out at the end of the year or after the New Year?"
Of course there will be an effect, it affects my mood about having a good New Year.
Hastur silently added this in His heart, then said aloud, "This aligns with the development of the tide of the era."
"Aligns with the development of the tide of the era…"
Both the Mother Tree of Desire and the Son of Chaos pondered these words. Soon, they thought of that mysterious organization, the Twilight Hermit Order.
To beings of their level, the Twilight Hermit Order was not mysterious at all. They knew it was an organization founded by Adam, the offspring of the Ancient Sun God.
The doctrine of this organization was to revive, or rather, awaken, the Original Creator.
They proclaimed that when the end of all things arrived, the Original Creator would revive from death, awaken from slumber, reclaim everything into Himself, and usher in a new world and a new history.
This almost perfectly overlapped with the prophecy of the apocalypse and the return of the stars.
Could the Twilight Hermit Order be an organization that worshiped the Sovereign of the Stars?
Were they followers of the Stars?
The Son of Chaos considered this carefully. Back then, He had instructed Bernadette to search for followers of the Stars, but there had been no results. If the other party was the Twilight Hermit Order, then Bernadette truly would not have known.
What the Mother Tree of Desire was thinking about was this: the Original Creator awakening at the end of days?
If the apocalypse would lead to the awakening of the Original Creator, then all of their current schemes were merely accelerating the arrival of that day.
When that day came, everything would return to chaos, and then evolve once more.
Was this the true meaning of the return of the stars? The Mother Tree of Desire felt a deep chill.
"Since it aligns with the tide of the era, then let's wait until after the New Year to start this war."
The Supernova Dominator, who did not understand the deeper implications, did not consider this to be a serious issue at all.
The Mother Tree of Desire fell silent, and the Son of Chaos also did not respond.
Finding this strange, the Supernova Dominator had no intention of continuing the discussion. Hastur likewise had no interest in talking further.
His needs had already been met. The authority of Return to Position could indeed invisibly guide the stars to move along predetermined orbits.
Although its influence was still rather weak, it undeniably existed.
"Let today's gathering end here." Hastur prepared to conclude the gathering of the stars. The Son of Chaos seemed to want to say something, but in the end, said nothing.
After seeing off the Mother Tree of Desire, the Supernova Dominator, and the Son of Chaos, Hastur turned His gaze toward the star of the High-Dimensional Overseer.
The Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator had already expressed their stance. If the High-Dimensional Overseer did not cause any trouble, then the war on the Southern Continent breaking out after the New Year was highly likely.
The High-Dimensional Overseer was still at sea and had not set foot on the Southern Continent. The ship beside Him had already changed, from the Agalito's flagship to a new vessel, an ironclad warship from the Kingdom of Loen.
Who knew when He had captured an ironclad warship. Truly someone who knew how to have fun. Hastur glanced a few times, then withdrew His gaze.
After sitting quietly for a while in the Hall of the Stars, Hastur logged off and went to sleep.
December 6th, Monday.
Still staying at home, Hastur once again received a letter from Prince Edessak.
The tone of the letter was no longer as friendly as before. Instead, it was filled with anger, questioning why Hastur had not attended the banquet, asking whether he was deliberately disrespecting him or looking down on him.
In response, Hastur simply pretended not to have seen the letter.
Prince Edessak held no real power, only an empty princely title. No matter how angry he became, there was little he could do to Hastur.
Hastur certainly would not risk attending a banquet. Who knew whether this was an arrangement from 008, or perhaps an idea from the witch sect.
Otherwise, Prince Edessak had no real connection with him at all, so why would he repeatedly invite him to banquets?
And why would he be angry just because Hastur did not attend?
Could it be that Prince Edessak had bragged in front of others, only to discover that Hastur had completely ignored him, leading to humiliation and rage?
…
Inside a royal estate, Prince Edessak angrily smashed a piece of porcelain onto the ground.
He was truly furious. That mere Baron Hastur Campbell had rejected his invitation yet again!
No matter how he alternated between soft and hard tactics, Baron Hastur Campbell always used some excuse to brush him off.
How was he supposed to face the young lady who was waiting for his reply? Unable to handle even such a small matter, was he really a prince of the Kingdom of Loen?
"Fine! If you won't come to see me, then I'll go see you myself!"
Prince Edessak regained his composure and ordered the servants to prepare the carriage. He intended to personally visit that young noble who had been praised multiple times by Duke Negan and Count Hall.
When the carriage left the estate and was about to travel along Emperor's Avenue toward its destination, an accident suddenly occurred.
The coachman, through a moment of carelessness, knocked down a noble lady who had been out for a walk.
"What bad luck!" Prince Edessak cursed under his breath and had no choice but to abandon his plan to visit Baron Hastur that day. He stepped out of the carriage personally to deal with this sudden mishap.
Inside a small house with a stream flowing past it, on the desk by the window, a yellowed diary lay open. A magic pen, held by no one, was rapidly writing a passage into the diary.
"Prince Edessak, because Baron Hastur Campbell repeatedly refused his banquet invitations, lost face in front of the beautiful young lady, and thus became angry and intended to personally visit him. This is a very normal course of action, but such a meeting seems likely to lead to events that exceed control."