Just as Ebner was analyzing the Goddess's schemes based on the information at hand, a streak of brilliant "starlight" swept across the air, and Bernadette's figure once again appeared before his eyes.
She glanced at the door leading to the "Alvin Palace," which had not yet been closed, and said calmly,
"Now it's fine."
Ebner came back to his senses at this moment, extended his arm, and made a very gentlemanly "please" gesture.
Bernadette's azure and profound eyes stared at him for several seconds before she finally stepped through the door.
Ebner followed her inside immediately afterward and then closed the "door."
When Alger no longer heard any movement from inside the house and mustered up the courage to come in and check, he discovered that the place was already completely empty.
...
After receiving Mr. Hanged Man's report above the gray fog, Klein felt surprised at the "rapid progress" in the relationship between Ebner and Bernadette, but he quickly cast that thought aside…
His top priority was still to resolve the "Mother Tree of Desire" contamination on Sharron.
The troublesome part of this contamination was that it was not located in the mind. Instead, it had taken root in Sharron's body, bodily fluids, and even her Beyonder characteristics… Otherwise, letting Sharron enter the Sefirah Castle once would have solved the problem.
From this alone, it's clear that the 'Mother Tree of Desire' is completely targeting me… so for Sharron herself, the effect of this 'contamination' is actually negligible…
Sighing, Klein left the ancient palace above the gray fog. Then, relying on the "Endless Book of Teleportation," he consecutively used "Travel" to reach a desolate sea area, where he released the Death Knell that Mr. Tower had offered to him from a wine bottle.
After a round of "friendly" communication, the Death Knell very "happily" agreed to become Klein's "experimental" subject…
Before long, "anomalies" began to occur frequently in this sea area. From time to time, they were accompanied by eerie roars that did not sound human. After being heard by sailors on passing ships, these phenomena gradually formed a unique "mystical" rumor that spread across the seas.
Later on, Danitz, who was searching everywhere for material in order to complete Gehrman's tasks, recorded it under the name of the "Mad Adventurer"…
...
Outside the City of Silver, a black mausoleum stood inverted as it was embedded into the ground, like a pyramid flipped upside down.
At this moment, dense clusters of fine black plants had grown out from all the gaps between the bricks and stones of the mausoleum, and even the heavy door at the entrance had already been corroded.
Colin Iliad, carrying twin swords on his back, stood outside the door together with the other two elders of the Council of Six, Wete and Lovia, examining the slanted passage that descended into the depths of the earth.
Just as the three were making preparations, planning to first have Wete use the Dragon-Hunting Bow to shoot open the pyramid's gate, a sudden change occurred.
Silently and imperceptibly, the heavily corroded massive door opened on its own, revealing a deep, secluded passage, as if it were welcoming the three of them inside.
Pale lights flickered one by one within the passage, stretching beyond sight, giving off a chilling and gloomy atmosphere.
Two dark-green, complex symbols surfaced in Colin's eyes, reflecting the scene at the mausoleum's entrance in their center.
—Speaking of which, after he had helped Ebner hunt the "Bone Wolf of the Dead" during the previous expedition, he had obtained the potion formula for the "Silver Knight" from the other party as compensation. This raised the upper limit of the potion Sequences mastered by the City of Silver.
It should be known that the City of Silver had long been troubled by the lack of a "Silver Knight" formula, which resulted in no one being able to advance any further after reaching Demigod. It was precisely because of this that the former Chief, after finding the Sequence 3 potion formula "Ferryman" of the Undying Phoenix pathway during an exploration, chose to advance across pathways, and thus constructed this mausoleum…
Unfortunately, the materials and ritual required for the "Silver Knight" were still difficult to gather in a short time, so Colin was still stuck at Sequence 4.
Returning to the matter at hand, after observing for a few seconds, Colin nodded to the two elders beside him. Then, holding his straight sword at an angle, he took the lead and entered the mausoleum.
Wete slung the Dragon-Hunting Bow onto his back, pulled out his iron-gray long hammer, and followed closely behind.
Lovia, draped in a purple robe, showed no change in expression. With empty hands, she passed through the door that seemed to be welcoming them, neither fast nor slow.
As they continued descending along the passage and stairs, the three members of the Council of Six showed not the slightest impatience or unease in the complete silence, allowing their footsteps to echo all around them.
After descending another level, a river suddenly appeared before their eyes—a phantom, pitch-black river.
Beneath the river's surface, skinless blood-red arms, green vines bearing infant-like faces, and slippery tentacles covered in eyes were densely packed together, constantly leaping upward in an attempt to grasp anything that passed by.
Near the edge of the river closest to the entrance, silhouettes of people in worn clothing, some tall and some short, paced back and forth with their backs to the three elders, as if troubled over how to cross the river.
Suddenly, a small black boat drifted over the phantom, jet-black river. Sitting on the boat was an elderly man over two meters tall, with white hair and beard.
While using the pole in his hand to strike the undead in the river, making them quiet down, the old man looked toward Colin and the others and said with a smile,
"Colin, long time no see…"
Seeing this scene, Colin slowly let out a breath and calmly spoke a single word:
"Ferryman!"
...
At the same time, inside the Alvin Palace, Ebner was explaining to Bernadette what Outer Deities were, what Old Ones were, what Sefirot were, and what the true nature of the apocalypse was.
After speaking for a while, while Bernadette was "digesting" this knowledge, he brewed a cup of Duke Red Tea, handed it to her, and asked with a smile, "Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
Bernadette felt her head swell slightly from the impact of the concept of Outer Deities. She casually removed her veil and rubbed her temples before organizing her thoughts and asking,
"Which Outer Deities outside our planet—or rather, which Old Ones—are there?"
"There are many. Among the strongest are the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity,' the 'Mother Tree of Desire,' the 'Son of Chaos,' 'Primordial Hunger,' the 'Goddess of Fate,' the 'Supernova Dominator,' the 'Inextinguishable Ravings,' the 'Monarch of Decay,' and the 'High-Dimensional Overseer'…"
Ebner paused here, then continued, "Among them, the consciousness of the 'Son of Chaos' was sealed by the 'Lord of Mysteries' inside the 'Wishing Lamp' in your possession. The part still outside should now be called the 'Uncertain Fog'…"
"The 'Lamp Genie' is an Old One… then what is the 'Lord of Mysteries'? Why is He able to seal an Old One above True Gods?" Bernadette asked again after thinking for a moment.
"The 'Lord of Mysteries' is one of the three most powerful Old Ones in this universe, the pinnacle of Old Ones—the Pillar!
"At the end of the First Epoch, He perished together with another Pillar, and is currently in the stage of 'revival'…" Ebner explained carefully.
Hearing this, Bernadette fell into silence once more. After a long while, she finally looked at Ebner and asked,
"The reviving 'Lord of Mysteries'…
"Is it the 'Fool,'
"or 'Liu' 'Bo'?"
(End of chapter)