Hearing Bernadette's question, Ebner looked at her in surprise for a moment, then replied after some consideration,
"The 'Fool' will eventually become the 'Lord of Mysteries'… but the 'Lord of Mysteries' is not necessarily the 'Fool.'"
Hearing this, Bernadette's gaze flickered slightly as she asked again, "Then what about 'Liu' 'Bo'? Is He the Pillar who perished together with the 'Lord of Mysteries'?"
It seems you care more about 'Liu Bo'… Is it because Old Huang mentioned him in his diary?
Ebner muttered inwardly, then organized his words and said,
"No… the one who perished together with the 'Lord of Mysteries' was the 'Omniscient and Omnipotent One,' while 'Liu Bo' represents the 'Unknown.'"
"Unknown…" Bernadette pondered for a moment, then skipped over the topic and instead asked, "Is the 'Primordial Moon' that 'Mother Goddess of Depravity'?"
"Yes." Ebner nodded and said, "She occupies the Moon. Through Her own status and Her influence over the 'Brood Hive' and the 'uniqueness' of two pathways, She gradually erodes reality.
"Her full title is 'Mother Goddess of Depravity,' 'Origin of Evil,' 'The Undying,' 'The Filthy Brood Hive'… The 'Primordial Moon' is Her incarnation in this world.
"Originally, that incarnation was supported by a 'Beauty Goddess' Beyonder characteristic, but after the Vampire Progenitor Lilith schemed to reclaim that characteristic, She seems to have undergone other changes…"
"The bloody moon Sharf described earlier should represent the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity,' right? You were previously wondering why She still had the symbolism of the 'Moon' after losing the 'Beauty Goddess'?" Bernadette asked thoughtfully.
"Not exactly… It's perfectly normal for the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity' to have the symbolism of the 'Moon'… What I'm puzzled about is why followers of the 'Mother Tree of Desire' would guide Sharf to believe in the true 'Primordial Moon'…" Since the topic had come up, Ebner simply told Bernadette his doubts.
As one's Sequence rose, one's thoughts became increasingly dangerous. Now, even wanting to talk about his guesses had become very difficult for Ebner.
After all, there were extremely few people in this world who could bear and discuss this kind of "information" with him—and aside from Bernadette, they were all lyb!
Bernadette raised her cup and took a sip of tea. After thinking for a long time, she finally asked, "Which is stronger, the 'Mother Tree of Desire' or the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity'?"
"Originally, it was the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity.' But after She lost the 'Brood Hive,' although Her own 'Sefirot' was completed and Her symbolism remained, She was no longer a Pillar. As for who is stronger between Her and the 'Mother Tree of Desire,' it's hard to say…
"Oh right, the latter's full title is 'Mother Tree of Desire,' 'Father of Devils,' 'Eternal Screamer,' 'God of Lost Hearts.' Most of Her attention right now is focused on capturing the Sefirot 'Shadow World'…"
After explaining the entanglement between the Mother Tree and the Sefirot, Ebner paused before continuing,
"The 'Prisoner' and 'Criminal' pathways both originate from Her, which is why the 'Chained God' and the 'Dark Side of the Universe' were relatively easy for Her to erode and control… Fortunately, They have both already broken free."
"As you said, the 'Mother Tree of Desire' has lost control over those two pathways of Her own, and is also restrained by the Sefirot. Her strength has probably been weakened…
"This kind of weakening might make no difference to us, but in the eyes of an Old One like the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity,' it could present an opportunity…
"Could it be that the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity' took the chance to dominate Her?" Bernadette offered her speculation.
Ebner nodded slightly. "That was my guess as well…"
As he spoke, his tone shifted, and he frowned as he said, "But that still doesn't explain why Sharf had to be guided to believe in the true 'Primordial Moon'… If the 'Mother Tree of Desire' really had been dominated, then wouldn't it be the same no matter who he believed in?
"Moreover, for Sharf, indulging in 'desire' would surely be more important than 'reproduction.'"
Hearing Ebner's evaluation of Sharf, Bernadette fell silent for a few more seconds before saying seriously, "I'll have Cattleya keep an eye on Sharf!"
...
On the deck of the Future, Frank Lee looked at Sharf, who had been brought over by the captain and ordered to be strictly supervised, and asked in surprise,
"You're saying you have a strong urge to reproduce every day?"
Sharf felt a bit unsettled by the way he was being stared at, and for a moment didn't know whether he should nod or shake his head.
Frank immediately turned to the "Star Admiral," Cattleya, and asked with visible excitement,
"Captain, while we're keeping watch over him, can we let him also serve as my experimental assistant?
"I really like this trait of his!"
Cattleya was silent for several seconds before slowly and solemnly nodding.
"Alright."
Frank immediately broke into a hearty smile and extended his right hand toward the "Artisan" Sharf.
"Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself—the first mate of the Future, Frank Lee."
Sharf's expression returned to normal. He shook Frank's hand in confusion, then asked,
"I'm not sure what being an assistant means?"
"It means that while you're satisfying your 'desire,' you'll also provide some assistance for my experiments…" Frank Lee said with a smile.
"Really?" Sharf was a bit skeptical.
"I guarantee it with my reputation," Frank Lee said, patting his chest.
"Alright then. It's not like I can resist anyway…" Sharf shrugged. Although he still didn't quite believe him, as a captive, he could only obey the arrangements.
However, as an "Artisan," he wasn't too worried about his treatment. After all, this profession was "in demand" wherever one went.
He only sighed and lightly, leisurely said to Cattleya and Frank Lee,
"The moonlight tonight is as beautiful as ever, isn't it?"
...
Inside the Alvin Palace, after listening to Ebner explain all the knowledge related to the Outer Deities, Bernadette had technically completed the transaction and should have taken her leave. However, she didn't depart immediately. Instead, after hesitating for quite a while, she finally made up her mind and asked,
"Do you know Giuseppe Castiya?"
Giuseppe… why ask about that? Ebner muttered inwardly, just about to brush it off with a perfunctory answer.
But at that moment, he suddenly realized something, and his mind went "boom"…
Alright, that was just an exaggerated metaphor. The real situation was that while recalling Giuseppe's past, Ebner suddenly became aware of something he had always overlooked before:
He and Lamia had adopted Frank!
But how Frank had actually come to them—there was no related content in Giuseppe's memories… He only knew that one day Lamia had carried him back to their secluded cave and taken him in as an adopted son.
Lamia, as a special avatar of Lilith—even without divine memories—would she really do something meaningless?
Or rather, would Lilith arrange for Frank to become the adopted son of her and me without any purpose?
There must be something special about Frank!
Then… could it be that the 'Mother Goddess of Depravity' arranged for Sharf to believe in Her… with Frank as the real target?
(End of this chapter)