Mr. Door's corruption by the Mother Goddess of Depravity and his subsequent banishment happened after Medici was stewed in hotpot. Predictably, Medici should have been completely unaware of Mr. Door's later misfortunes.
"Bethel? Hahahahaha, so he actually succeeded in advancing? How amusing, far too amusing! In that case, the Lil Raven has absolutely no hope left!"
Edward understood what he meant. Honestly, if Mr. Door hadn't been tainted by the Mother Goddess of Depravity, then in the end, there really would've been no place for Adam or Amon to interfere.
The Seven Gods, the True Creator, and the others would very likely have supported Mr. Door's ascension to the position of Lord of the Mysteries. (Granted, the timing was wrong in the Fourth Epoch—too easy for Celestial Worthy to revive within Him—but He could still have gathered the Coward family's Beyonder characteristics and the Sefirah Castle first, and waited until "now" to ascend.)
After all, judging from Mr. Door's later conduct, his character was absolutely comparable to Klein's!
"However…"
The words formed from dust shifted. "Why has Bethel's honorific name changed? No—changes are normal, but how could it completely transform into something with no relation whatsoever to what it used to be?"
Edward feigned surprise. "Oh? So the being I worship has other honorific names as well? I wouldn't know about that." A hint of curiosity flickered across his face. "Lord Medici, might I be fortunate enough to learn what my deity's past honorific name once was?"
The dust quivered for a moment, then formed two lines of text:
"Great Door of All Doors;
Guide of Endless Cosmos…"
Just as Edward was silently waiting for the final line to appear, the dust abruptly distorted and broke into wild laughter.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Edward sighed inwardly. As expected—trying to hoodwink one… no, three veteran conspirers, how could it ever be that simple?
"So you came here for Bethel's honorific name? Meaning everything you said just now was utter nonsense? Bethel never succeeded in advancing? You're trying to contact him? For what reason?"
A pause.
"Tell me, then—who exactly does your so-called honorific point to?"
Edward maintained an innocent expression. "I don't quite understand what you mean, Lord Medici."
"Oh? If you're a Beyonder of the Door pathway, then it makes sense—you're hoping to obtain higher-sequence formulas from Bethel? There's no need for all that trouble. I've read the Blasphemy Slate; I can tell you any formula you desire."
"The Door pathway, the Error pathway, the Seer pathway—any of them."
Edward grinned broadly. "What a coincidence. I've also read the Blasphemy Slate, so there's no need to trouble yourself over formulas."
"Hmm? So it's not formulas you're after? Then why do you want Bethel?"
Edward didn't answer. The reason he wanted to "chat" with Mr. Door was, at the surface level, of course to obtain the Beyonder characteristics of a Sequence 3 Wanderer or even a Sequence 2 Planeswalker. But deeper than that, he wanted to know Mr. Door's current condition in this timeline—whether he had already made a deal with Adam or the True Creator, and whether he had lost his uniqueness as the Door.
"Lord Medici."
Edward propped his chin on his folded arms, still looking relaxed. "If you're unwilling to tell me the final line, then let's just skip this topic for now."
Immediately, Medici scrawled with dust: "Oi, brat! Do you even know what negotiation means? Negotiation is about finding a balance point both sides can accept and profit from. You can't just take without giving anything in return, can you?"
"My contribution," Edward replied lightly, "is standing here and talking with you, Lord Medici. And continuously giving you opportunities to hoodwink me, to bluff me, to try and make me change my mind and let you out."
"..."
After a long silence, Medici finally spat out a single line: "You're clearly sitting down."
"Fine then, my contribution is sitting here talking to you, and then—"
"Shut up."
"Alright."
Edward thought for a moment, then suddenly reached into his spatial pocket and drew out the brass rod he had previously retrieved from the Sefirah Castle. "Lord Medici, someone as worldly and experienced as you, who's eaten more salt than I've eaten bread, must surely know what this rod is used for, right?"
The moment his words fell, the underground palace trembled faintly. Ten seconds later, a voice—Medici's mixed with the other two evil spirits—echoed from the crack of the door:
"I'll tell you Bethel's complete honorific name. Give me that rod."
The sudden voice made Edward's heart jolt. He immediately grew alert, preparing to either strike or bolt at any moment.
"So, Lord Medici, you've been able to speak all along? You've just been playing with me these past few times?"
Medici spoke again, but this time the other two evil spirits' voices were absent. "I've got no time to play with you. It's only because of the thing in your hand that I'm able to transmit my voice to you."
"???"
Edward froze. "Really? I don't believe you."
As he spoke, he shoved the brass rod back into his pocket.
At once, the underground palace shuddered violently again. Dust rose from the ground, gathering into countless words in various languages, all conveying the same meaning:
"F*** your mother!"
Of course, that was merely the succinct version. In reality, the curses were far filthier.
"Now, now, Lord Medici—and you two as well. You were once Sequence 1 angels—could you not at least maintain some dignity? Try to act calm."
"Calm your ****!! Dignity your ****!!!"
The curses only got dirtier.
Could it be…that "Medici three-in-one" was telling the truth?
So this plain-looking brass rod really could let him—or rather, them—"speak"?
Its function was to amplify spirituality. If everything about Medici's fused existence—his spirit, spirituality, shadow, and essence—was sealed behind that bloody gate, then when the rod magnified his spirituality, it allowed his voice to leak out from within?
Was that the principle?
Then what exactly had "Intis" intended to do with this thing…
Wait!
A sudden realisation made Edward's expression darken, flickering with unease.
The brass rod was known to have come from the Twilight Hermit Order—one could even say from the Russian Priest Himself—then buried beneath No. 7 Rose Street by "Intis."
As king, "Intis" had countless ways to learn who had rented that cursed villa. Yet instead, he deliberately raised the commission at the Twilight Hermit Order gathering. No matter whether Edward accepted or not, he would definitely inspect the house—and discover the brass rod.
That would lead him to Medici.
And if Medici could use the rod to "amplify" his spirituality and speak…surely it granted him other benefits as well.
Put together, the whole thing stank of manipulation.
Damn it! Don't tell me I've been set up again?!
At this moment, Edward's mind was overflowing with curses no cleaner than the ones Medici's three-in-one had just screamed.
In the future, Medici had seemingly fallen under Priscilla's control due to some arrangement of the Russian Priest.
So now, in the past, what was he arranging Medici to do?
If this really was tied to the Russian Priest, then Edward had to admit—His will to save the world was admirable. But when it came to those around Him, His ruthlessness was merciless.
Still, it was too early to jump to conclusions. Judging by the digestion laws of the Spiritcaster and the Secret Sorcerer potions, if the Russian Priest truly knew Edward's identity, He would never have shown absolutely no reaction.
With that in mind, Edward once again pulled out the brass rod.
"Then, Lord Medici, please first tell me the third segment of Mr. Door's honorific."
This time Medici was surprisingly forthright.
"The last line is: 'Key to all Mysterious Worlds.'"
"Thank you."
Medici then said, "Speak—what else do I need to do for you to hand that thing over? As for news about Lilith, forget it. I personally witnessed her fall back then. Unless you provide definite proof, I will never believe she still lives.
"And I also don't believe that with that brain of hers—so pathetically simple—she could've left behind any contingencies."
Edward chuckled. "I'll be sure to relay your evaluation to her, word for word, when I meet her."
"You f*cking—"
Edward casually twirled the brass rod.
"Before deciding whether you want this, Lord Medici, shouldn't you first hear where it came from?"
"I don't give a damn where it came from. I want it regardless!"
"Don't speak too soon. Do you remember how you ended up here, in this state?"
"Humph! Tudor!"
Edward shook his head. "No, no. I mean—how you fell into Tudor's hands in the first place?"
Medici's voice sank into a shadowed growl.
"It was Adam."
"Correct. And this rod? It's His."
"..."
So the one who had just shouted "I want it no matter what"—hesitated, fell silent the moment he heard Adam's name.
"You're trying to scare me with Adam?"
Edward flicked the rod into the stone floor, leaving it standing upright in the crack. "Surely by now you can tell whether I'm speaking truth or lies."
"Adam…"
From behind the bloodstained gate came Medici's voice, shaking with suppressed fury.
At last, he recited in a flat, emotionless tone:
"The Eternal Sovereign Above Dimensions.
The Deconstructor of Endless Stories.
The Transcender of Past and Future."
"I've spoken it. If you have business with me, come find me anytime!"
Almost simultaneously, a low buzzing filled Edward's ears. He raised his brows in surprise. "Lord Medici, what is the meaning of this?"
"Didn't you ask me to chant it? Then I will. I want to see for myself—who exactly that fellow standing behind you really is."
"Take that thing, and get lost!"
With that, a surge of malice crashed against Edward like a wave.
Unfazed, he pressed his hand to his chest and offered a small bow—then vanished, brass rod and all.
——
Inside the Sefirah Castle, Edward leaned back into the bronze throne, staring into the grey fog where a crimson star pulsed and contracted endlessly. His fingers unconsciously rubbed against the armrest.
If what Medici had said about the "seal" was true, then this brass rod really was something remarkable. It could let him bypass the restrictions of the gate to a degree, even successfully complete a prayer.
Edward tried channelling spirituality into it, and realised—whether or not the rod was inside the underground palace, he could now summon Medici.
Of course. As a Sefirah, its rank naturally surpassed the mad Tudor who had set the seal. Before, the only reason Medici's "calls" had failed was that the line simply wasn't connected.
But Edward hesitated.
Yes, he had handed Medici a threefold honorific. But that didn't mean he intended to bring him into the Sefirah Castle.
Double Standards? Instant death!
———
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