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*****
"So, you know the truth about the transmigration?"
On the grassy field outside the mausoleum, Roselle looked toward George and Klein. Both men nodded simultaneously.
"We know."
"You know that this place is Earth? That we didn't cross into another world, and that there is no going back?" Roselle asked, seeking final confirmation.
George and Klein nodded once more.
Standing to the side, Bernadette was left utterly bewildered. "What transmigration? What Earth? What do you mean there's no going back?"
From the exchange between her father and George, she could tell the three shared a unique connection. Yet, as a master of mysticism, she found herself unable to comprehend the core of their conversation.
"There's no point in hiding it from you anymore. In truth, your father comes from a time before the First Epoch. Back then..."
Roselle began to slowly recount his circumstances. "Originally, I believed I had transmigrated to a different world and that I would eventually find a way home. It wasn't until I successfully landed on the moon and saw the true face of this planet that I confirmed there was no 'other world' to speak of."
He couldn't help but sigh. "When I stepped onto the moon, I clearly sensed a great danger, but it never occurred to me that I would be contaminated. It was only through the strange behavior of those around me that I gradually realized what had happened. I switched to the Black Emperor pathway, hoping to use the 'return after death' mechanism of that sequence to shed the corruption. To be honest, I even ended up using the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery in my plans."
"Unfortunately, the Outer Deity who contaminated me possesses power beyond a True God—at the level of a Great Old One. Even if I were resurrected, I would simply be re-contaminated. Thus, I had to halt my resurrection and linger here in this state."
"The Outer Deity who contaminated you is called the Mother Goddess of Depravity. She split from the Original Creator, and then gave birth to..."
George provided a brief summary of the intelligence regarding the Mother Goddess. Roselle looked enlightened.
"No wonder it was so terrifying. It seems I was already contaminated the very first time I discovered this island. That's likely why I established contact with Mr. Door and was coaxed by him to go to the moon. However, his state is probably worse than mine; he is a fellow victim."
"I've been in contact with Mr. Door," George added with a nod. "He is indeed contaminated to the point of losing almost all rationality."
While Huang Tao could still maintain his sanity to resist the Mother Goddess, Mr. Door was largely a puppet of her influence, save for rare moments of lucidity.
"In any case, thank you. Thank you for being willing to come and save me. If there is anything you need, just say the word. If it is within my power, it's yours."
Roselle expressed his gratitude to George and Klein once again. Though they were fellow countrymen, they were strangers; he was deeply moved that they would face the crisis of an Outer Deity to rescue him.
"Don't thank me. It was mostly George's doing; I was just here for the ride," Klein said, shrugging.
George smiled. "It's nothing. We're all from the same place. Besides, Bernadette has already paid me."
"I know. That Magic Lamp is good, but it's not worth the risk you took to save me," Roselle noted. Inside the tomb, Bernadette had detailed her entire history with George, so he knew about the lamp. Compared to the danger of facing a Great Old One, the lamp's value was negligible.
"I heard from 'Bebe' that you are collecting the Blasphemy Cards. I can provide you with all the knowledge of the twenty-two sequences. By the way, which sequence are you currently at?"
In Roselle's eyes, only the complete potion formulas and mystical knowledge of all twenty-two pathways could begin to repay this debt. In the modern world, he might have been just a chunibyo youth from a science background, but years of experience after waking up had forged him into a mature and wise man.
He understood that while they were fellow countrymen, a true alliance with a powerhouse like George required a foundation of solid mutual interest. Even though the contamination was resolved, it didn't mean he could smoothly return as the Black Emperor. Back then, the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery had teamed up to stop his apotheosis. If they sensed his revival, they would surely interfere again. He would need George to escort him back to divinity.
"Then start by telling me everything about the Seer pathway. I happen to be preparing for the advancement to Sequence 4."
George wasn't surprised by the offer and accepted it readily. Part of his reason for saving Huang Tao was indeed the vast knowledge the Emperor possessed. The clues provided by the Church of the Evernight Goddess were just that—clues. He would still have to hunt for formulas and materials. Getting the formulas directly from Roselle meant he could focus entirely on gathering ingredients.
Furthermore, he had already secured a Sequence 2 material; the Magic Lamp contained a Beyonder characteristic of his pathway's Sequence 2. Now, he only needed to find materials for Sequence 3 and Sequence 1, plus the Uniqueness for Sequence 0.
"Brother, don't tell me you're only a Sequence 5 Marionettist right now?"
Upon hearing George's words, the expressions on Roselle's and Bernadette's faces turned incredibly strange.
Was this a joke? A Sequence 5 Marionettist unleashing that level of attack? Repelling a Great Old One and purging divine corruption?
One of them was a Sequence 3 Prophet of the Hermit pathway; the other had been a Sequence 2 Knowledge Magister of the Paragon pathway, a Sequence 1 Knowledge Emperor of the Hermit pathway, and finally a Sequence 0 Black Emperor. They were among those with the deepest understanding of mysticism in existence.
A Sequence 5 Beyonder, no matter how powerful their Sealed Artifact, simply could not contend with a Great Old One. It defied the very laws of mysticism. The father and daughter felt George had to be joking.
As for Klein, he wasn't surprised. He had been shocked by George's strength far too many times already. Truthfully, it was impossible not to have doubts. George's previous explanations had many loopholes when compared to the power he displayed. However, Klein said nothing. It wasn't the way of a smart man to pry into secrets others wished to keep. He only needed to know that George bore him no ill will and had been a great help.
"I really am only Sequence 5."
George released his hidden aura, revealing the distinct Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 5. Since he would soon be advancing to Sequence 4 and 3, there was no need to lie or hide it.
"I simply possess some powers outside the normal sequence pathways. You can think of it as my 'cheat code'."
"A cheat code, huh?" Roselle smiled knowingly and didn't pry further, though a look of envy crossed his face. "When I first woke up, I spent every day hoping I'd awaken a cheat code. Sadly, I never did."
(End of Chapter)