"Arrodes, I naturally know the miraculous nature of this gray fog, which is why I am even more afraid. This is also one of the reasons I dare not go to the land."
Eli Walker felt... if he dared to go ashore, what difference would the gray fog make whether it covered him or not? Would it make things even more imaginative?
"Eli, I can sense that what you truly want is not for me to provide a certain secret."
"You can speak directly. As long as I can do it, I will definitely help you."
Arrodes paused before continuing with hesitation:
"I absolutely did not pry into your heart, I can guarantee that, otherwise the gray fog around you would not be so calm. I can only sense that you seem to be struggling with some problem."
Eli saw the overwhelming screen full of text from Arrodes and said helplessly:
"Arrodes, you don't need to explain these."
"There's an old saying in my hometown: don't use someone you doubt, and don't doubt someone you use. Since I summoned you, I will trust you."
He guessed that perhaps it was the ability of the Hanged Man Pathway that allowed the mirror to instinctively perceive the shadows in the questioner's heart?
"I actually wasn't too conflicted.
I am an Elf.
Two horizontal strokes and one vertical stroke means 'do it!'"
He looked at the "silver mirror" and then at the dark and deep sea:
"Arrodes, although I am not as wise as you, I also understand this world and my current situation.
With your help, advancing to Demigod or Angel will not be difficult. You can guide me to find high-Sequence Beyonder characteristics of the Storm Pathway or adjacent ones, lost in the ocean. In this era of continuous reshuffling, high-Sequence characteristics have not yet been completely monopolized."
A flash of doubt appeared in his eyes:
"If I become an Angel, even if I hide in the deep sea, I can still open a paradise of my own in the Spirit World.
But... I'm thinking...
I am an Elf. Will that new god of the Storm Pathway, Leodero, roar at me when I want to advance to Demigod, and then, relying on higher-being suppression, directly cause me to lose control and die during advancement?"
He didn't want to believe that, but...
Would Leodero really not act?
Should he trust the character of a betrayer?
The Fifth Epoch had already shown that Evil Gods like the Primordial Demoness and Hidden Sage acted far beyond logic.
What difference was there between Leodero and an Evil God, in the eyes of the Elves?
Why did the Elf Queen leave her people empty-handed and instead favor Alger or sea serpents?
Even if Leodero ignores him at Demigod, would he still ignore him at Sequence 3 or 2?
Should he change Pathways—perhaps to Spectator, which lacked a ruling deity?
But then, would he fall under Adam's unseen influence?
"Eli, the Storm Church's attitude toward Elves is malicious; they seek your extinction because you occupy many Beyonder characteristics. They prefer to raise human believers by killing you."
Arrodes' tone dropped with his master's mood.
"So I can't give up the power of the gray fog, at least not completely."
"Arrodes, help me navigate. Besides the Cataclysmic Interrer characteristic, I also need low-Sequence characteristics from the Marauder, Seer, and Apprentice Pathways. Ideally Sequence 9, preferably Marauder."
"Ah? Eli, don't you know that accommodating non-adjacent characteristics will drive you mad?"
"I know. That's why I want Sequence 9s—not to switch Pathways, but for flexibility.
I am an Elf. Low Sequence characteristics won't affect me drastically.
Madness accumulates."
He needed to become an Angel quickly.
Leodero would not decide his fate.
The seabed lit up with lightning.
A tsunami, fierce as a god's howl, crashed into silence.
Silver bolts pierced a Demigod-level sea monster. Its eyes bulged with rage and confusion, its body scorched by storm.
ROAR!!!
Its final wail came with an overwhelming spiritual backlash, strong enough to drown an island.
Eli calmly brushed aside the hair on his forehead as the "silver mirror" in his hand glowed. The lightning expanded into a storm, shredding the roar and annihilating the Demigod's last resistance.
He had barely lifted a finger.
Arrodes had done everything.
"Arrodes, are you sure you're not an Angel-level Sealed Artifact?"
This mirror could locate itself, attack on command, and outmatch a Demigod.
Was the Level 2 Arrodes from the Church of the God of Steam truly this strong? Or was that version weakened by restrictions?
Eli swam forward and retrieved a water-colored Beyonder characteristic.
Killing a Demigod had never been so easy.