"Now that I've become the 'Goddess of Beauty,' Lilith's identity can finally be distinguished from the Earth Mother's, at least for a while, and it won't arouse suspicion.
"But the ascension of a 'Goddess of Beauty' normally wouldn't escape the attention of the 'Original Moon,' which is why I've been accumulating the auras of people like you... using the power of the 'Unknown' to obscure the process.
"And the aura surrounding this gear-covered book of yours just so happened to complete the final piece."
Lilith curled her lips into a smile and explained casually.
But that smile once again made Ebner instinctively hold his breath. For the first time, he truly understood the meaning of the phrase "a smile that topples a city."
Still... Your Grace, Mother Goddess... could you not smile like that? I'm afraid I won't be able to hold myself together... Ebner forcibly shifted his gaze away, heart pounding in alarm.
If it had been someone else in this place, they would be awestruck by the 'beauty' of the 'Goddess of Beauty,' overcome with admiration and joy, perhaps even willing to offer up their very self in devotion—but not a single thought of blasphemy would arise.
Those below the level of angel wouldn't even be capable of such a thought, and those above might only feel fear and caution. After all, in front of the 'Goddess of Beauty,' it was far too easy to lose oneself and be unknowingly dominated.
Moreover, to an angel, 'beauty' was already a concept, an authority, a law—it was not something superficial.
However, thanks to the "Pure White Eye," Ebner could partially resist the corruption of 'beauty' on his soul, as long as Lilith wasn't fully unleashing her power.
At the same time, his perception of Lilith's 'beauty' was still on a superficial level, like any normal person's. As a man, it was impossible not to have certain distracting thoughts.
Fortunately, the Reader pathway came with the "Mechanical Mind" ability, and with its help, Ebner finally managed to somewhat "cool down"—before he actually committed blasphemy.
"After Roselle went to the moon, another version of himself split off from his spirit;
"After Mr. Door was tainted by the 'Original Moon,' he also developed another self crying out 'save me'...
"Perhaps, within the authority of the 'Moon' lies 'domination of the soul,' and the 'beauty' of the Goddess of Beauty might be a reflection of that power?
"Hm... judging by the states of Roselle and Mr. Door, if a being's soul is too strong to be fully dominated, it splits off or creates a new, controllable soul...
"An advanced application of 'creation'?
"The 'Original Moon' is referred to as the 'Mother of All Spiritual Power' in Her honorific name. Heh... these newly split-off or created souls—aren't they just the children of the dominator?"
Using the analysis of the Goddess's authority to divert his attention, Ebner finally managed to look at Lilith calmly in his "Mechanical Mind" state.
Lilith seemed to sense his earlier thoughts and smiled as she said:
"To the 'Goddess of Beauty,' even without a smile, there is still the ultimate form of 'beauty.' And knowing you, I think you actually prefer the kind who 'doesn't smile often.' If I put away my smile, I suspect you'd have an even harder time."
She gave Ebner a glance, then added:
"But right now, this is all the result of the power leaking from the potion... after some time, once that power retracts inward, the effects won't be so overwhelming."
That glance nearly shattered Ebner's "Mechanical Mind." He quickly took a deep breath and changed the subject: "If it was only to avoid detection by the 'Original Moon,' then why not ask the Goddess for help?"
After all, She held the authority of 'Secrets,' and in this regard wouldn't be any weaker than the 'Unknown Lands'—perhaps even stronger.
At the same time, Ebner grumbled a little inside: What do you mean I prefer the ones who don't smile often? I like people with nice smiles too, okay!?
"You must have heard the saying, 'Fate's gifts always come with a price.' This applies equally to dealings between deities."
"Unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn't ask Evernight for help. There are some prices I'm unwilling to pay."
Lilith's smile faded as she answered seriously.
That solemn expression is even harder to resist! Ebner inwardly wailed, forced to reactivate "Mechanical Mind" while simultaneously applying psychological "hints" to himself.
"By rights, since you've found the relic I needed, I should lend you the second half of The Feast of Blood. But the original truly isn't suitable for you to read in your current state... Here, I'll give you Roselle's translated version instead—this way I'm not breaking my promise." No longer teasing Ebner, Lilith produced an aged-looking book from somewhere and handed it back to him along with the gear book, his emotional aura having returned to a calm blue.
Though slightly disappointed, Ebner accepted this compromise. Setting aside the gear book, he flipped open Roselle's translated version while casually asking:
"Didn't Roselle hide this translation aboard the Black Throne?"
I remember the Emperor mentioning in his diary how he crafted a 'Golden Serpent Sword' and drew a 'treasure map' to lure Cullen's descendants into searching for it... Though Cullen never had offspring—instead his sister Lydia got the treasure-hunting bug and set off for the Misty Sea with Miss Gwen and young Tran to find that ghost ship...
By my calculations, their ship should be arriving soon.
"Roselle's Black Throne once entered the Abyss—Cullen reported this to the Church long ago. After Roselle's fall, Helen took the Golden Serpent Sword to handle the matter and brought back this translation."
"Incidentally, the current Black Throne has been purified and is no longer a ghost ship—just an extraordinary item shaped like a vessel. While minor dangers remain, it makes suitable adventure material for Lydia and her group."
Lilith displayed remarkable patience, answering Ebner's mechanically-toned questions in detail.
Helen must be Cullen's mother's name—Roselle mentioned her fondly in one diary entry...
No wonder Cullen wasn't worried about Lydia searching for the Black Throne—the place had already been cleared out once...
But for Lilith to know Cullen and even Lydia by name... She's kept close watch on that family.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Ebner turned to the first page and immediately recognized the familiar handwriting and style:
"I translated the pinyin into Chinese—will whoever painstakingly obtains this translation someday think I trolled them?"
Roselle, you KNEW you were being a troll?! Without Ms. Helen's intervention, I can't imagine the expressions on Gwen, Lydia and Tran's faces when they finally opened this after all their hardships!
Also—the second half of The Feast of Blood was really written in pinyin?!
Taking a steadying breath, Ebner continued reading. The latter portion turned out to be Duke Rhine Karendia's experimental logs, documenting the processes by which he, Solomon, and Salinger summoned various spiritual entities, extraterrestrial beings, and celestial objects for research—alongside the mystic arts, rituals, and theoretical knowledge developed during these experiments.
The text contained numerous "gruesome" descriptions that made the title The Feast of Blood seem even more "visceral." Many sections had been deliberately redacted—likely knowledge too dangerous for those below angel level—probably censored by Roselle himself when deciding to bury it as treasure.
But one term in the theoretical section's conclusion caught Ebner's eye:
"The Silver Moon Project"?
(End of Chapter)