The scene of the old man meeting Mobet and the Siatas couple was set aside for the moment because after Ebner delivered these two future employees to their destination, he withdrew from Leonard's residence, leaving them ample space.
After all, with him present, they would never truly relax.
His strength was there for all to see. Even if his attitude was gentle, even if he did nothing at all, it would still make people feel wary. That was unavoidable… after all, they were not Xio and Fors, nor were they Klein. They would not trust him without holding anything back…
He shook his head, casting aside those miscellaneous thoughts, and began to stroll through the Cathedral of Serenity. Step by step, he walked toward the deepest part of the church, to the entrance of the "Tenebrous Heaven"… a phantom gate.
Ebner hesitated briefly, but in the end, he still followed the guidance of "fate" and stepped forward into it.
Unlike the previous times when he had wandered through this world filled with the fragrance of night-scented grass and deep-slumber flowers in a muddled, dreamlike state, this time Ebner set foot in the Goddess's divine kingdom while fully awake.
And the reason he had come here was to understand why the Goddess had previously, in such a reasonable manner, given the "Knowledge Emperor" characteristic that had been in Yalolan's possession to the "Hidden Sage."
Although he had guessed that there must be some calculation behind it, he could not discern what concrete meaning that calculation held… Was it simply to set a trap for the "Hidden Sage"?
Obviously, it would not be that simple!
As he pondered this, Ebner walked through the boundless darkness. After an unknown amount of time had passed, a crimson moon suddenly appeared before his eyes. Scarlet light dispersed the surrounding darkness and illuminated the figure of a woman.
She wore a layered yet unostentatious dark gown, adorned with countless points of brilliance, as though she had draped the starry night sky over her body.
Immediately afterward, a voice like a lullaby sounded out, "You will need the 'Knowledge Emperor' Beyonder characteristic in the future, but it cannot be Roselle's… It has been tampered with."
The Evernight Goddess clearly knew what Ebner wanted to ask. Even his arrival here, guided by "fate," had been part of Her "arrangement"… Of course, Ebner had long known this. It was only because he was certain that the Goddess would not harm him that he had willingly entered.
Ebner first bowed with a gentlemanly gesture, and only then carefully asked, "Tampered with… was it the 'unknown' consciousness within the 'Calamity Seal'?"
The corner of the Evernight Goddess's mouth, not concealed by any veil, lifted slightly, but She did not answer.
Ebner immediately understood that he had guessed correctly. Only when it involved the "unknown" would the Goddess find it inconvenient to speak, even within Her own divine kingdom.
He thought for a moment, then changed his question. "Why will I need the 'Knowledge Emperor' characteristic in the future?"
The Evernight Goddess replied in a gentle voice, "When you advance to a Wisdom Angel, you will know."
Hearing this, Ebner's heart stirred. He remembered that when he had previously asked Adam about his future "path," the answer he had received had been exactly the same.
In other words, my future "path" is very likely to require the 'Knowledge Emperor' characteristic… But the only one still at large, Old Huang's, has been tampered with, so I can only set my sights on the other two 'Knowledge Emperor' characteristics on the 'Hidden Sage'?
If that was the case, then this scheme really was aimed at the "Hidden Sage," and it was not merely to make Him suffer a setback, but to make Him spit out a characteristic!
But how could that be accomplished? As the embodiment of the Hermit pathway's uniqueness, once the "Hidden Sage" wanted to hide, no one could possibly find Him… Could it be through tampering with the characteristics via the "Calamity Seal"?
Just as Ebner was thinking this through, he heard the Evernight Goddess speak again, her tone carrying a faint trace of amusement. "You still don't know what the ascension ritual of the 'Hermit' is, do you?
"You should understand that, for certain reasons, I cannot tell you directly… but there is no problem with you deducing it yourself."
Ebner understood the Goddess's meaning and asked instead, "The 'Hermit's' ascension ritual… what is it?"
The Goddess chuckled softly and said, "This is knowledge that is not difficult for you to investigate. There is no need for Me to tell you."
As expected of the "Mother of Concealment." This kind of skill—clearly telling me quite a lot, yet not saying any concrete content at all—was really… worth learning.
Ebner sighed inwardly, knowing he could not extract any more information, and prepared to take his leave.
But at that moment, the Evernight Goddess suddenly rose and came to his side, whispering into his ear, "You haven't offered me 'Daniel Pure Dew' for a long time!"
Ebner was stunned upon hearing this. Before he could even react, he found himself back in the Church of Serenity, as if everything that had just happened had merely been a dream.
But Ebner knew very clearly that it was not a dream, because his body was still suffused with the rich scent of night-scented grass and deep-slumber flowers.
The 'Hermit's' ascension ritual… hm, if I remember correctly, the 'Hermit' card should be in Bernadette's hands. If I find an opportunity to take a look at it, I should be able to roughly 'cognize' part of the Goddess's plan…
After pondering for a while, Ebner decided that after he went to pick up Siatas and Mobet later, he would brew a few bottles of "Daniel Pure Dew"…
...
In the "City of Generosity," Bayam, Alger Wilson circled around several times in succession, shaking off imaginary trackers and observers, before finally arriving in front of that "Artisan's" house and ringing the doorbell.
When he had first heard that the "Artisan" had contracted some inexplicable illness and that strange watchers had appeared around him, Alger's first suspicion had been the Demoness Sect. But after thinking it over carefully, he felt that given that "Artisan's" preferences, he simply could not resist the temptation of beauty. There was absolutely no need for the Demonesses to make things so complicated. With a simple curl of a finger and a display of charm, they could make him confess everything and agree to anything.
What was more, Alger had now joined the fleet of the "Vice Admiral of Ailment," and his understanding of "Demonesses" had deepened considerably. He knew that the diseases they could spread at the low and mid Sequences were all relatively common ones—just with faster onset—but they would not be some bizarre, unheard-of illness.
Therefore, Alger believed there was another cause behind the matter. He felt it necessary to personally come and take a look, so that the delivery of the mystical items would not be delayed again, and so that the characteristics and materials would not inexplicably be lost.
Before long, after a round of probing, Alger confirmed that the "Artisan," Sharf, had been controlled by some cult or secret organization.
He first sent a request for assistance to the "Vice Admiral of Ailment," but was informed that the latter had just suffered an attack and was unable to come. Left with no other choice, he had to seek help from Mr. Fool.
After waiting for roughly half a day, the figures of a man and a woman were outlined before his eyes.
The man wore a formal suit and a top hat, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He looked very refined. He was precisely the "Professor" whom Alger the Hanged Man recognized—that was Mr. Tower.
The woman had long chestnut hair and wore a lady's blouse with a lace floral bow at the collar, paired with a knee-length gray skirt and tall leather boots. On her head was a soft hat from which a fine black gauze veil hung down.
She looked very young… but to be able to stand side by side with Mr. Tower, she had to be at least a Demigod… Who could she be? Miss Temperance? But her aura did not seem to match…
Just as Alger was making wild guesses, Ebner smiled slightly and took the initiative to introduce her.
"This lady is the owner of the Dawn, the 'Mystic Queen,' the 'Sage' Bernadette!"
(End of this chapter)