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The reappearing lightning brought a momentary light to the earth, illuminating another barren plain, but this one was filled with a thick, grayish-yellow mist.
On the outskirts of the wasteland, a several-dozen-meter-tall bluish-black cyclops wandered. Its body was covered in decaying, festering marks, its eyes sunken and lifeless, having long since lost its vitality.
Yet, it continued to wander, and it was the source of the grayish-yellow mist that permeated the wasteland. Intense hatred and unwillingness transformed into a curse; all creatures tainted by the mist would eventually become cursed wanderers, part of the grayish-yellow mist.
This was Badheil, the youngest son of Giant King Aurmir, the "God of Dawn," who was punished for openly defying the Ancient Sun God, condemned to wander here forever.
Even though he had died in the "Great Cataclysm" long ago, he still found no release.
Where this ancient god's young son wandered, there was an extremely deep gully. At the bottom of the gully was a massive, wide building, constructed layer by layer with "grayish-white" material.
Amon, each wearing a pointed soft hat and a monocle, stood around the building, which was entirely different in style from the Fourth Epoch, Third Epoch, and even Second Epoch.
The Amons all looked up in unison, gazing at the lightning streaking across the sky, gazing at a profound darkness that even the lightning couldn't illuminate. Then, they simultaneously pushed up their monocles, fell silent for a moment, and then chuckled:
"Heh, Abyss..."
-----------------
Far away from the barren wilderness where Chernobyl was hidden, outside a deserted city at the northeastern end of the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Cavendish, holding a lantern, silently watched the silent city, not approaching or entering blindly.
After truly entering the Forsaken Land of the Gods, he had learned about the dangers of this abandoned land from the "Lord of Order."
He knew that even Kotar, the "God of Wishes" from the Second Epoch, could only hide here, evading the True Creator and Amon the "Blasphemer," let alone himself, who had not yet become an Angel.
Gazing at the city's surface, he saw no "Spirit Body Threads" at a glance, only people wearing linen-like robes or animal skin clothing lying in different parts of the ruined city.
Cavendish frowned slightly, immediately realizing something was wrong. As a Scholar of Yore of Sequence 3, his control over "Spirit Body Threads" was no longer limited to living beings.
Unless it was an inherently lifeless object that had no "Spirit Body Threads" to begin with, even for a corpse, he could find corresponding "Spirit Body Threads" from past history.
The fact that he couldn't even sense the existence of "Spirit Body Threads" could only mean that a higher-level Seer Pathway powerhouse had deliberately cleared this place, eliminating all traces.
Kotar... Cavendish's eyes suddenly darkened. He stretched out his hand, grabbed forward, and pulled out his past self, while his true body quickly hid in the historical fog.
After his true body was hidden, the projection in the real world then carried the lantern, stepping through the decayed and collapsed buildings, entering the ruins, while silently chanting the honorific name of the "Lord of Order" to guard against possible attacks.
Looking at the terrifying and bizarre city-state, entirely composed of marionettes, "Cavendish" followed his spiritual intuition and walked towards the city center, which was the only place he felt something amiss.
Before he could reach the center of the ruined city, a blurry, transparent phantom suddenly leaped out of a collapsed castle, its body expanding, transforming into a dark shadow that fled rapidly.
Above this shadow was a transparent single eye, faintly glowing with a faint blue light, surrounded by identical but smaller eyes.
Bizarro Bane! "Cavendish" paused his steps, instantly recognizing the Monster's identity, and without hesitation, raised his hand to restrict its movement.
As the main ingredient for a Sequence 4 Bizzaro Sorcerer, the Bizarro Bane possessed various wicked methods. If it could obtain the true soul body of a Spirit World Plunderer, it would become a complete Bizzaro Sorcerer, breaking free from its current limitations and achieving an essential elevation in life, truly becoming a demigod!
But when facing a Scholar of Yore, all these methods were restrained. A moment later, "Cavendish" looked at the blood-stained, faint blue transparent single eye in his hand and collected the blood on the ground.
Besides tracking the "God of Wishes," Kotar, to seek further opportunities, his main task was to collect Beyonder characteristics and Beyonder materials of various Pathways in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
After eliminating this Bizarro Bane, which might have been attracted by the high-level aura of the Seer Pathway, "Cavendish" searched the entire ruined city. Although he found no other Beyonder characteristics, he confirmed the safety of the place.
Above the dark golden mist, Aaron saw the extremely hidden but soon to dissipate grayish-white mist through the "True Vision" provided by the Nation of Disorder.
Aaron speculated that this might have been the marionette city of the "God of Wishes" before the anomaly of Sefirah Castle, and after obtaining that large gift package of Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristics, the cautious Kotar had abandoned this place.
Although it was a bit regrettable that he didn't intercept Kotar, at least it indicated that he was not far from Moon City.
Using "True Vision" to confirm again that there were no potential dangers in this city-state, Aaron's spirituality stirred in response to the prayer, opening the Gate of Sacrifice and Bestowal.
A rectangular "diamond"-shaped charm, with some scorched marks, flew out from the Gate of Sacrifice. Aaron used this "Yesterday Once More" charm and saw layers of complex symbols extending into the void from the constantly refracting light.
Casually placing the main eye and blood of the Bizarro Bane, which had been sacrificed together, on the pile of sundries, Aaron's consciousness sank, returning to the Duke's mansion in Osel.
Looking at the "Yesterday Once More" charm in his hand, Aaron pondered for a moment, and his figure shimmered and disappeared.
-----------------
Tingen City, Leonard lay on a chair, comfortably enjoying this rare leisure time. After confirming the whereabouts of that notebook yesterday, now he only needed to wait for Sealed Artifact 2-049 to arrive in Tingen to find Ray Bieber.
Leonard, who had given himself a rare half-day off, suddenly heard an old sigh by his ear. Before he could react, a familiar sense of weightlessness swallowed his consciousness.
"Old man, you..."
"Leonard" reopened his eyes and looked at the sofa in the living room. Only one figure sat there, and an old voice, not matching his appearance, echoed:
"Duke Aaron, and this guest, may I ask the purpose of your visit?"
Sensing the hidden vigilance in the voice, Aaron nodded indifferently. Since he had sensed it, he signaled Alvin Gallows not to hide, and then chuckled in response:
"It seems Mr. Pallez's condition has recovered beyond my imagination, to have detected us so quickly."
Pallez Zoroast already couldn't bother with the teasing in Aaron's tone. He stared intently at Alvin Gallows, who had revealed his form. After a long while, he said with a wry smile:
"So that's it. Some of my previous questions have been answered. I really didn't expect it; there aren't many things left in this world that can surprise me."
"Duke East Tucker, if you don't mind me still calling you that, such a grand display, are you here to settle scores with me?"
Putting away his playful expression, Aaron shook his head noncommittally. As a great noble of the Solomon Empire in the Fourth Epoch, Pallez must have known the Angel belonging to the Trunsoest Empire, his old rival.
Aaron also intended to make this old man, who had been hunted by Amon for over a thousand years, recognize the situation. However, since the goal of striking a warning had been achieved, he softened the atmosphere and said:
"Old man, there's no need to be nervous. There's no talk of settling scores. At that time, we were merely serving our respective masters."
"There are no irreconcilable conflicts between us. If I wanted to settle scores, the Mobet you saw would only be a Beyonder characteristic, and it wouldn wouldn't be us who came, but that Blasphemer."
Hearing Mobet's name, Pallez Zoroast fell silent. Aaron then took out the "Yesterday Once More" charm from his storage, hinting meaningfully:
"I believe you should be familiar with this aura. Even if your condition has recovered significantly, this charm should still be what you need right now."
Sensing the space sealed by that Ancient Bane, Pallez Zoroast looked at the charm, which was at least made by a Scholar of Yore, his eyes flickering. Finally, he said helplessly:
"Sigh, tell me, what do you want?"
Lamenting that time truly spares no one, Aaron believed that if it were Pallez from the Fourth Epoch, he would never have bowed so easily. It seemed that during the years he was hunted by Amon, this old man's personality had become much more adaptable.
Playing with the charm in his hand and the new paper cranes on the table, Aaron's eyes sparkled, and he emphasized with a heavier tone:
"I want to exchange for a 'Luck Siphon' charm, a 'Luck Siphon' charm made by your Worm of Time."
Ever since witnessing the abilities of the "Luck Siphon" in the Abyss, Aaron had been coveting it, but if he wanted to reach that level, he could only find Pallez.
Compared to the suicidal act of trying to snatch from Amon, who was like the King of Hell, the hiding Pallez was easier to bully—no, easier to negotiate with.
Completely ignoring the previous excuse about affecting his condition, Pallez Zoroast readily agreed. But seeing Aaron staring at him with no intention of leaving, his face twitched slightly.
A massive, ancient, mottled phantom of a clock appeared, and a Worm of Time with twelve segments emerged from "Leonard's" body.
Accompanied by illusory murmurs, the clock phantom slowly merged into the "Worm of Time," and a faint glow also emerged from Leonard's body.
These powers finally condensed, forming a small, translucent, dark black card, like one made of special crystal.
Taking the freshly made "Luck Siphon" charm, Aaron, true to his word, threw the "Yesterday Once More" charm over, adding:
"I also came this time to ask for a favor from old Mr. Pallez. Perhaps we can cooperate more deeply in the future."
When Aaron revealed the secret to him just now, Pallez already knew he had no other choice. Knowing this secret meant either becoming a friend or a mortal enemy.
It was just that this feeling of being forced into action still displeased him, even with the support of the Trunsoest Empire's remnants.
But considering his current state and Mobet, he finally snorted and said somewhat helplessly:
"Although I'm not sure what the Trunsoest Empire's legacy truly is, but combined with the original East Tucker family, the Angels and Sealed Artifacts of Sequence 0 you can mobilize should at least exceed a handful."
"If they can't solve the problem, what can I, a half-crippled old man, do to help you? And this will only make you noticed by Amon. You should be very clear about what that means."
Looking at the worried Pallez, Aaron glanced at Alvin Gallows, who had not said a word from beginning to end, restrained his smile, and said in a low voice:
"We are all intelligent people, and I don't want to beat around the bush with you anymore. The apocalypse is approaching, and whether the Seven Deities are willing or not, they, as well as those so-called Evil Gods, will hope for the appearance of a Lord of the Mysteries."
"At least a considerable number of existences are optimistic about Amon achieving Error. Under the pressure of the apocalypse, do you really think you can continue to hide?"
Pallez Zoroast was silent for a long time, then suddenly said:
"Is this the will of the Night?"
Aaron smiled and did not respond directly. He took out another box from his storage, unsealed the Wall of Spirituality on it, revealing a dark golden, intensely spiritual, binding contract inside.
This was a contract Aaron made using the blessing of the Nation of Disorder, combined with the Sequence 1 Hand of Order Beyonder characteristic from the "Crown of Chaos," and the Fog of Order.
Equal cooperation, not compulsion—this was the respect an Angel should receive. If it were Nast, the terms of the contract would naturally not be so "gentle."
Looking at the binding contract floating before him, Pallez, who was parasitic in Leonard's body, felt a tempest raging in his heart. Although his condition was extremely poor, he was a genuine Sequence 1 Angel.
Even though he was an Angel of the Marauder Pathway, he clearly felt how high the essence of the aura contained in this contract was, at such a close distance and without concealment.
Sensing Pallez's emotional fluctuations, Aaron's lips curved slightly, and he finally said:
"Join us, and at least we can help you live openly as an Angel. Of course, this will take some time."
"Therefore, the contract is the foundation of our cooperation. Also, if you consume 'Yesterday Once More' charms to help us, I can reimburse you."
-----------------
Klein, who still didn't know that Mr. Emperor had gone to his poet classmate's house, was seeing off his first "returning customer," Mr. Glacis.
Although he was not optimistic about the investment in Lanevus Steel Company, he was, after all, only responsible for divination and interpretation.
Feeling that there was probably nothing else to do, Klein planned to leave the Divination Club today, return to Blackthorn Security Company to report his divination interpretation of that Instigator Tris to the Captain, and then go see "Lawson's Folk Herb Shop."
As soon as Klein entered, Rosanne in the reception hall quickly stood up and lowered her voice:
"The Captain is at Chanis Gate. He said if you came to work, you should go down and find him."
I always feel like the Captain is subtly reminding me not to skip work all the time... Klein nodded awkwardly, thanked Rosanne, and then walked towards the secret passage.
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