Prince Edessak, with a smile on his lips and maintaining royal dignity, nodded to the passing servants and arrived at the private washroom deep within the banquet hall.
Looking at the classical wooden door adorned with various carvings, illuminated by the hallway's candlelight, the Prince was only slightly surprised before pushing it open.
What greeted him was not a washroom, but a subtly luxurious and tastefully decorated living room, where an old man sat quietly on a single-seater sofa.
The old man wore a three-piece suit of shirt, vest, and formal wear, with striped blue-grey trousers and a dark red bow tie. His hair was completely white but still thick, and his demeanor was gentle and refined.
He had a pair of blue eyes that seemed to hold immense wisdom and knowledge, and apart from pronounced forehead wrinkles, there were hardly any other lines on his face.
Edessak seemed to forget what he had come here for and was unaware of his current situation. He naturally sat opposite the single-seater sofa, looking at the royal advisor opposite him and smilingly said:
"Mr. Hvin Rambis..."
Beyond this living room lay a profound and dark sea, where every drop of liquid was like a light and shadow, seemingly representing a point of consciousness, an imprint.
In the deeper parts of the subconscious sea, large expanses of Gray Fog parted like a tide, revealing a stone staircase.
Above the staircase, Aaron stood quietly behind Hermes, observing the fragment of consciousness that Hermes had deliberately extracted from the subconscious sea. He watched as the virtual personality of Hvin Rambis separated from that consciousness fragment and merged into Edessak's body.
No wonder he was so devoted to Trissy, even knowing she was a wanted Demoness...
Muttering to himself that it was as expected, Aaron subconsciously looked towards the distant mental island symbolizing Edessak. Relying only on a Sealed Artifact to barely navigate the collective subconscious sea without getting lost, he was not yet capable of discerning if a mental island had been tampered with.
This was also why, despite having control of the "Dream-Weaving Ring" earlier, he had not acted immediately. A Sealed Artifact, no matter how good, could not compare to a genuine Manipulator.
To achieve his goal silently and bypass Hvin Rambis's virtual personality, the best method was naturally to find a stronger individual in the spiritual domain.
Cupping his hands towards Hermes, Aaron smiled and said:
"You only need to plant my previous words deep within this fellow's subconscious, without attracting the attention of that royal advisor."
Hermes did not care what Aaron wanted to do. After personally confirming the other party's cooperative value, he did not mind this small favor.
Nodding slightly, Hermes looked towards that mental island, his eyes turning golden and vertical, devoid of any emotion.
The profound and dark sea rippled, and two other figures immediately appeared on the mental island: one was a dazed Edessak, like a Puppet, and the other was Hvin Rambis, with eyes tightly closed, as if asleep.
As the ripples gradually merged into the mental island, the rigid Edessak slowly opened his mouth and muttered word by word:
"Father, the family has abandoned me. I am just a pawn to appease the public's anger..."
"Father has been bewitched by an evil god. Only Duke Aaron can help Loen set things right. I must obey his commands unconditionally..."
The expression on Edessak's face shifted from anger and despair to wooden dullness. As the repeated words echoed, they seemed to materialize and swiftly sink into the ground, submerging into the subconscious domain. Hvin Rambis, sitting opposite Edessak, remained completely unaware of this.
Watching the two illusory figures disappear again, and seeing Prince Edessak in the real world casually push open the washroom door as if nothing had happened, Aaron, as one of the instigators, couldn't help but inwardly curse.
Thinking this, Aaron politely thanked Hermes and carefully said:
"When would you like to go to East Chester County?"
"I can prepare in advance and adjust my time to fulfill my promise, helping you lure out that spiritual giant dragon!"
His golden, dragon-like eyes faded, and Hermes smiled with a gentle tone:
"No need to rush. He is there. I need to wait for an opportunity..."
His figure gradually faded and disappeared, merging into that deep, dim sea, leaving only an echoing voice.
Probably guessing what Hermes meant by "opportunity," Aaron looked again beyond the subconscious sea at Lilith, whom Edessak had taken into the carriage, his gaze lingering on the sapphire ring.
This important Sealed Artifact of the Demoness Sect, or rather, Trissy, this semi-finished divine descent vessel, was one of the ties between the royal family and the Demoness Sect. Compared to her, the noble prince was merely a scapegoat that could be discarded at any time.
Perhaps delving deeper into the Demoness Sect and profoundly hypnotizing Trissy could yield more, but that would bring too many uncertainties.
Even Edessak, who was a peripheral figure and destined to be a discarded pawn, was personally hypnotized by Hvin Rambis. Even excluding the uncertainty of that sapphire ring, the danger surrounding Trissy would certainly not be simple.
This was in Backlund. If he touched upon an angel's arrangements, it wouldn't be a power projection that came, but he would definitely be exposed on the spot.
Aaron regretfully withdrew his gaze, pondering. Investigating the Demoness Sect was not the only breakthrough point, and most importantly, he did not need to be so urgent.
That Conqueror Beyonder characteristic was previously in the hands of the Loen royal family. Even if George III had traded it with the Demoness, as long as the promised great smog by the Demoness Sect had not truly materialized, that characteristic must still be in Backlund and could not be immediately taken back to the Demoness Sect's headquarters and fall into the Primordial Demoness's hands.
Withdrawing his gaze again, Aaron looked at the "Dream-Weaving Ring" in his hand, which had transformed into the appearance of a "Gluttony" mask, and then exited the collective subconscious sea.
---
Hillston Borough, Myriad Star Cathedral.
Aaron looked at the largest church of the Church of the Evernight Goddess in Hillston Borough and slowly walked into the main hall. After all, he had just bid farewell to Archbishop Anthony of St. Samuel Church, and disturbing him again would be inappropriate.
At the very front of the hall was the holy platform, inscribed with the Dark Holy Emblem. It was inlaid with self-luminous pearls forming stars, and red gems forming the Crimson Moon, with the remaining areas entirely a deep black night.
Adhering to the Church of the Evernight Goddess's consistent style, it was dim, quiet, and sparsely lit by candles. At a glance, specks of starlight entered the eyes, and crimson light illuminated the space, making it exceptionally sacred.
Slowly closing the door of the private prayer room, Aaron produced the grey-white mask, which was between illusory and real, and skillfully set up the altar, placing the mask in the center of it.
After a moment's thought, Aaron switched to ancient Feysac and softly recounted his cooperation with Hermes and the origin of this disposable "Gluttony" mask.
After praying, Aaron exhaled and patiently waited for any possible revelation.
Within dozens of seconds, a figure suddenly outlined itself before his eyes, like a rapidly sketched portrait.
The newcomer wore a simple robe, with a bark rope tied around her waist, her hair loose, and her feet bare. She had a pair of dark, serene eyes. It was Arianna, the leader of the Ascetics, ranked first among the thirteen Archbishops of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Servant of Concealment.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Arianna." Aaron greeted with some surprise, his eyes subconsciously glancing at the unresponsive altar.
---
With the departure of several important figures, the unveiling ceremony of the East Tucker Charity Clinic also came to an end.
Watching the luxurious carriage slowly drive away, Klein also breathed a sigh of relief. The worst-case scenario he had anticipated did not happen; the Prince seemed not to have noticed him.
Klein also dismissed the idea of going to Red Rose Manor to report his investigation results from this period. It would be terrible if he ran into Trissy.
After bidding farewell to Dr. Aaron, Klein sent Emlyn away and returned alone to 15 Minsk Street. The sky was already dim.
After a quick meal, Klein recalled the woman who resembled Trissy standing next to Prince Edessak that afternoon. After some thought, he took out spirit-rich blood and drew a complex symbol on the full-length mirror in his bedroom, combining "Eyes of Mystery Prying" and "Concealment."
As the symbol was completed, the surface of the full-length mirror in the room suddenly deepened, and ripples of water light appeared.
Lines of silver then emerged, forming one word after another:
"Great and supreme Master, your loyal and strong servant Arrodes has come at your summons!
"Is there anything you wish to ask me?"
You don't really need to add so many prefixes... Subconsciously complaining about the mirror's flattery, Klein maintained The Fool's dignity and spoke indifferently:
"Does Prince Edessak of Loen know that a Demoness is hidden by his side?"
On the full-length mirror, the silver text, as if possessing its own life force, vanished line by line and recombined line by line:
"That poor wretch knows, great Master. You must be careful of that woman; she is connected to the entity behind the Demoness Sect!"
He knows? This...
Klein's expression froze slightly, unsure if this was a personal issue of the Prince or if it involved more.
Looking at the floating silver characters, he suddenly asked the question in his heart without hesitation. Although he did not receive a precise answer from Arrodes this time, the ambiguous and cautious attitude already explained a lot.
Sighing inwardly, knowing that further questioning would yield no results, Klein turned to inquire about the whereabouts of the mermaid needed for advancement to Sequence 5 Marionettist.
Changing its previous hesitant attitude, as if to compensate for its image as a loyal servant in his mind, large paragraphs of text appeared, and Arrodes described in detail all possible areas where mermaids might appear.
"Very good, that's all for today. If anything happens later, I will summon you again."
"Okay, Master! Goodbye~" On the surface of the full-length mirror, a stick figure of a "waving hand" appeared immediately after the silver words.
Seeing the mirror instantly return to normal, Klein withdrew his gaze, organized his thoughts, and then began practicing the various skills of a Faceless.
For some reason, after seeing the woman suspected to be Trissy wearing the sapphire ring today, Klein always had a sense of unease. He had to be prepared to flee Backlund at any time.
---
In the southern waters of the Sonia Sea, the "Future" slowly sailed towards the Southern Continent, surrounded by other ships.
Having nothing much to do recently, and merely awaiting the Moses Ascetic Order's next instruction, "Admiral of Stars" Cattleya strolled on the deck. Looking at the crimson moonlight, she couldn't help but recall the Crimson Moon that had obscured the entire sky some time ago.
As soon as she thought of that scene, a chill couldn't help but rise in Cattleya's heart. Suppressing her thoughts, her gaze swept across and she saw Frank Lee.
This first mate of the "Future," a Sequence 5 Druid, and the second-in-command of the "Star Pirates," was currently wearing light blue trousers made of thick canvas and a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing dense brown chest hair, as if he had transformed into a humanoid giant bear.
He stood at the bow of the ship, under the crimson moonlight, fiddling with the bottles and jars in front of him, seemingly lost in thought, appearing quite dejected.
Her mouth twitched slightly. To ensure a good night's sleep, Cattleya decided to pretend she saw nothing. Her steps involuntarily slowed, and she turned to enter the cabin.
But unexpectedly, Frank spotted her and exclaimed excitedly, "Captain!"
He then looked over with an expectant face, seemingly waiting for the "Admiral of Stars" to answer his difficult questions.
Cattleya's figure froze. She pushed up the heavy spectacles on her nose, looked at the bottles and jars containing unknown liquids, and asked casually:
"Why aren't you researching your mushrooms anymore?"
Frank laughed heartily, pointing to the bottles and jars in front of him and explaining:
"Because I recently found a new experimental approach!"
"The abilities of a Druid have given me more ideas. The microorganisms I obtained from the deep sea also confirmed my thoughts. This is a path that truly holds the hope for humanity's future!"
Cattleya was puzzled and didn't want to press further, but ultimately, with the thought of being responsible for all the crew members of the "Future," she carefully opened her mouth:
"So, what exactly is your idea?"
Seeing that his captain was interested in his experiment, Frank immediately became excited, his face full of anticipation as he said:
"Don't underestimate those tiny, invisible fellows. Imagine, perhaps one day, humans can achieve a deeper symbiosis with them, no longer needing to eat, and merely breathing will suffice for survival."
At this point, his expression dimmed, and he sighed deeply:
"But I've tried for a long time and haven't achieved my reasonable expectations."
Then, as if remembering something else, Frank looked expectantly at Cattleya, whose face twitched slightly:
"I heard that within the Sea of Ruins, there's an area where the aura and divine power of the Earth Mother remain. Perhaps that place can give me extra benefit!"