Chapter 40 – Exchange
After entrusting the task to Mr. Z, Ning Lu leaned back in the comfortable chair; for a moment even his mood improved.
He had deliberately stressed the connection between this matter and the Divine Descent to Mr. Z—and he did so precisely to counter the arrangements of "0-08."
You must understand, if "0-08" wants to orchestrate something, it needs detailed, sufficiently logical justification.
So, after mentioning to an emissary of the True Creator—and a fanatic at that—that this affair involves a Divine Descent, how much effort would "0-08" have to expend to make Mr. Z overlook the fact that it concerns the True Creator's descent?
After that, Ince Zangwill would either pay a huge price to create coincidences and influence a mid-sequence Beyonder, or simply give up interfering with Mr. Z and Lanerlus—yet whichever path he chooses, it will consume vast amounts of his energy and control over "0-08."
And all it took was a single sentence from Ning Lu.
Let Ince Zangwill keep busy.
At the thought, a delighted smile surfaced on Ning Lu's face.
Once Mr. Z's assignment was settled, Ning Lu sat at his desk and began drafting the letter he would send to The Dark Saint, Karsma.
Undeniably, despite the Aurora Order's terrible reputation, its strength was formidable and, indeed, Ning Lu's very foundation in this world.
And now that he enjoyed the True Creator's favor, he could be said to have half a foot in the Order's upper echelons.
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Yet the authority Ning Lu currently wielded within the Aurora Order stemmed solely from the True Creator's grace—personally, it was rootless duckweed. Had he whole-heartedly believed in the True Creator it would be fine, but the problem was Ning Lu had no faith in the True Creator at all.
Under such circumstances, if he kept extracting resources and the Saints' protection from the Aurora Order, then no matter how much the Saints outwardly supported him on account of the True Creator's oracle, resentment would eventually build.
Conveniently, Ning Lu also intended to make the Aurora Order's image somewhat more positive—the simplest way being to improve the condition of the True Creator, source of the Secrets Supplicant Path. The Celestial Worthy on the other side clearly thought the same.
[Awakening the True Creator can effectively weaken God Almighty's state.]
With great enthusiasm the Celestial Worthy analysed for Ning Lu:
[From what I know of the evil Primordial One, the vessel it chooses for resurrection must be the most compatible, and the bulk of its spirit will inevitably revive within the True Creator and Adam—fragments of the Ancient Sun God. Since that's the case, those two are our natural allies…]
"So, what practical suggestions do you have?"
Ning Lu's hand never paused as he accurately transcribed lines of text, converting knowledge from his pre-transmigration life into this world's script—thanks to the Cryptologist Path! Although its initial memory boost wasn't as strong as the Savant Path, its higher Sequence meant the overall improvement was roughly comparable, enough for Ning Lu to recall some knowledge he had once forgotten.
The letter contained some suggestions for the Aurora Order's transformation and fervent praise of the True Creator—the former being Ning Lu's private agenda, the latter his utmost understanding of the Order's internal etiquette.
In an age when the gods do not manifest, if a Beyonder wishes to hide himself, so long as no mark formed of Beyonder power exists on him, then—apart from naturally occurring Beyonder convergence events—deliberate concealment can achieve considerable effect.
Therefore, having the Aurora Order adjust its methods somewhat, becoming less flagrant and less of a target, obviously better served Ning Lu's interests and wishes.
[Of course there is.]
The Celestial Worthy said to Ning Lu, speaking with effortless familiarity:
[Sefirah Castle intercepted the True Creator's murmurs; we can use those murmurs in a ritual to establish direct contact with Him. You carry the True Creator's favor and Sefirah Castle's power—after that, what could be simpler?]
The Celestial Worthy paused:
[Sufficient "anchors" can orient the True Creator's spirit toward clarity, while the power of "Sefirah Castle" can draw the attention of Primordial God Almighty, helping the True Creator secure eventual victory. But without your permission, I cannot command Sefirah Castle to trace the True Creator's murmurs and will…]
Listening as the Celestial Worthy casually steered the topic toward "letting Him control Sefirah Castle," Ning Lu calmly replied:
"No need to trouble you; I'll handle it myself later."
The Celestial Worthy let out a long "tsk."
After finishing the letter, Ning Lu sealed it neatly; then, clearing his desk, he plunged his hand into the gray fog and withdrew some spirit-rich materials.
He was preparing to perform a ritual to summon a messenger.
Normally, for a Beyonder to summon a messenger is extremely difficult: first comes the meticulous preparation of a ritual to call a Spirit World creature, then it's basically a gacha draw to see if any creature is willing to respond—someone like Klein Moretti who succeeds on the first try is one in a million, since few possess such affinity with Spirit World entities.
Finally, one negotiates the messenger's fee—either by mutual agreement or through a binding contract of servitude.
Of course, ordinary Beyonders face other hurdles as well: the summoning incantation, the method of describing the messenger, ways to communicate with it… Yet for Ning Lu—who has the Celestial Worthy on his back and, as a Transmigrator, possesses "higher-dimensional knowledge"—the entire procedure is already recorded in his mind, naturally simplified.
After setting up the ritual, the final step was to recite the summoning incantation:
"Spirits roaming the upper realms, friendly beings who may be commanded, presence willing to become my messenger."
As Ning Lu spoke the incantation, within the Wall of Spirituality he had erected, wisps of grey-white mist unconsciously rose, making it seem as though he stood within the illusory Sefirah Castle.
In the next instant, the candle before him flared to life, spurting upward in a funnel shape and dyeing the entire room the colour of flame.