Regardless of whether Mr. Amon, that mischievous child, would come, when he would come, or what he truly intended to do, life still had to go on.
Although Mr. Amon's appearance caused some of Lin Ruo's plans to begin earlier, it ultimately did not truly disrupt Lin Ruo's rhythm; it merely gave him a greater sense of urgency.
So, after slightly adjusting his future plans, Lin Ruo and Klein bid farewell to Cattleya and returned to Backlund using their travel abilities.
They returned partly to meet with Mr. Pallez and discuss matters concerning Mr. Amon, and partly because they were soon heading to the Feysac Empire. It was uncertain how long that trip would take, so before leaving, both Klein and Lin Ruo needed to arrange their affairs in Backlund.
For example, Klein needed to meet with his brother and sister to arrange family matters. Besides this, Klein also had to concern himself with the talent acquisition plan Lin Ruo had given him, checking on the current status of those promising talents, whether anyone needed help, and if it was time to make further contact with some of them, and so on.
In short, they were very busy.
Lin Ruo was even busier. After returning to Backlund, the first thing he did was contact Mr. A of the Aurora Order to arrange the Backlund branch's upcoming action plan.
"Your Excellency Blessed, do you mean for us to try and contact the Loen Royal Family next, find a way to cooperate with them, and participate in the major undertaking they are about to embark on?" Mr. A stood respectfully before Lin Ruo, and after hearing Lin Ruo's instructions, he asked in a low voice.
"Yes, but I don't want you to genuinely help them with anything. The key is to make them believe that we already know part of their plan and intend to use this opportunity to achieve our own goals, which is why we need to participate. The most crucial thing is to make them believe that we are indeed on their side," Lin Ruo took a sip of tea, speaking unhurriedly:
"You can tell them that the Aurora Order will be a better aid than the Demoness Sect, as they have already lost the greatest sincerity in cooperating with the Demoness Sect."
"And we don't need sincerity; breaking the current pattern is what we need most."
Lin Ruo's arrangement was, of course, to have the Aurora Order infiltrate the enemy's ranks so he could stay informed of the Loen Royal Family's movements at all times, and if possible, stab them in the back at a critical moment.
After all, even without mentioning the True Creator, the Great Serpent was an old friend of his, and Lin Ruo was confident he could persuade the Great Serpent to help with this.
As for whether the Loen Royal Family would agree, they were just trying, and failure would not result in any loss for Lin Ruo.
Mr. A fell silent, clearly pondering the meaning of Lin Ruo's words. After a few seconds, he said, "I understand, Your Excellency Blessed."
To be honest, I highly doubt you truly understand… Lin Ruo muttered to himself. Out of "trust" for the Aurora Order members' brains, he thought for a moment and then said, "This matter is of great significance to the Lord. If you can complete it excellently, I will intercede for you before the Lord afterward, helping you become the next Saint."
"Thank you, Your Excellency Blessed! I will surely complete the task you have given me with my life." Mr. A immediately knelt on one knee, his expression fanatical and joyful.
Even as a fanatic, Mr. A had a desire for advancement; it was just that the Aurora Order's Saints were limited, making it genuinely difficult for him to rise.
"Just do your best. A living you is more valuable to me," Lin Ruo said with a smile, then waved his hand and said, "You may go now. I am about to listen to the Lord's oracle. Do not let anyone disturb me."
"Yes, Your Excellency Blessed." Mr. A stood up, bowed, and respectfully withdrew.
Watching the door close behind Mr. A, Lin Ruo retracted his gaze, rubbed his temples, and began to set up the prayer ritual.
He genuinely intended to communicate with the True Creator, primarily not for Mr. Amon's matter, but for other things.
After Lin Ruo had set up the ritual and recited the True Creator's honorific name, he looked at the three slowly burning candles before him, lowered his eyes, and said:
"You should already know that Medici and I are preparing for a war. Medici will become a god through this war, and I will use it to change this world."
"In the era after the war, the pattern of the Seven Gods will be rewritten, and certain individuals might also seize this opportunity to advance to Sequence 0."
"The reason I sought to speak with you this time is to understand your true stance, regarding the future, regarding Him, regarding Sasrir…"
…
Backlund, a detached villa in Cherwood Borough—
"So you're leaving again for a long time?" Melissa couldn't help but frown, her joy at seeing Klein greatly diminished.
"Yes, because there's something very important I need to do." Klein didn't explain much, as he couldn't tell his brother and sister that he was currently a third wheel, and a certain mischievous child who specifically targeted third wheels was about to be unleashed. If he didn't leave, he would only harm them.
"You always seem to have endless things to do…" Melissa couldn't help but murmur, then looked at Klein, scrutinizing him for a few moments before saying, "Is it dangerous?"
Benson, standing nearby, didn't speak, but his meaning was clearly the same as Melissa's.
"No danger, not dangerous at all. Even if you don't trust me, can you not trust Lin Ruo? We're acting together, and he's the Goddess's Chosen. With him around, what danger can't be resolved?" Klein quickly assured them, then brought out Lin Ruo's golden reputation to increase the persuasiveness of his words.
As expected, upon hearing that Lin Ruo was involved, both Benson and Melissa visibly relaxed quite a bit.
Having successfully entered the world of Beyonders and become unofficial members of the Nighthawks, they had a thorough understanding of the value of the title Goddess's Chosen of the Evernight Goddess.
This was a significant figure within the Goddess Church, one that could be counted on two hands.
"Even with Mr. Lin Ruo there, Klein, you must be careful in everything and never be careless. Fighting is a matter of life and death…" Although much relieved, Melissa still didn't forget to admonish him, pouring out a torrent of advice.
Klein listened quietly, without the slightest impatience. After Melissa had finished all her admonishments, he thoughtfully poured her a glass of water and said, "Don't worry, Melissa, Benson, I'll be careful."
"You two as well, be careful in Backlund. Don't casually get involved in any conflicts between Beyonders. If you encounter trouble, go to the Church of the Evernight Goddess for help, or write to me."
…
"…To be honest, I'm a little surprised, yet not so surprised. Thinking about it, it makes sense. The contingency I left behind in my state back then might have hidden it from Sasrir, but how could it possibly hide from you?"
Lin Ruo looked at the words formed by the ashes in the bronze basin, his expression unreadable. He seemed to be conversing with the True Creator, yet perhaps not.
"But I still didn't expect you to do this. Perhaps I truly never understood you."
"Brother."