As the group reached an impasse, Leyton cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention before speaking:
"Cough, cough, would you like to hear my suggestion?"
"The most suitable places to collect lifespan are the relatively chaotic seas and the Southern Continent, but currently, the Church of the Lord of Storms at sea is a bit volatile. The Southern Continent, with its warlords and various colonial powers, is relatively safer."
"If this ascetic goes there, he can even get help from the True Creator Church there. It should be your best option."
Snowman shook his head and calmly explained:
"I will not deprive others of their lives without reason; stealing others' lifespans is an evil act, abhorred by the Lord."
"Heh, a pseudo-god's follower, then you can just rot and stink in this book world!"
Siatas mockingly retorted with a hint of irritation.
Snowman lowered his head, not minding Siatas's words, and spoke in a calm, prayer-like tone:
"The Lord is merciful and great; He created everything and is the source of all greatness."
"Hmph! He's just a pseudo-god who stole the authority of the Storm!"
Siatas's voice became a bit rougher, and there were signs of electrical sparks leaping from her dark hair.
"Siatas, calm down, calm down~"
Mobet quickly stepped forward to calm Siatas, while Frunziar, standing beside Snowman, pulled away the ascetic who was still silently praying.
Fors and Audrey exchanged glances, momentarily unable to tell if the relationship between these people was good or bad.
Leyton shook his head slightly, looked at Snowman, and said:
"Your Lord should need some help now. He is short on manpower, and there are many cultists of evil gods there who need to be cleared out. Most of them are Beyonder of the Mutant Pathway who indulge in their desires."
Snowman looked at Leyton with a steady gaze. After a long while, just as Leyton wondered if he needed to make a notarization, he shifted his gaze to Mobet and said calmly:
"I do not have the means to steal others' lifespans."
"Neither do I. This is a method only possessed by a Sequence 1 Worm of Time, but the Old Man definitely has a way."
Mobet patted Snowman's shoulder, a relaxed smile on his face, and said.
Leonard's gaze swept over the now calm Siatas, finally resting on Mobet, and Pallez's aged voice emerged from his mouth:
"I will give you a Mystical Item, but you had best not leave the sight of your Lord. It is very likely to attract Amon's avatar due to the Convergence effect."
Leyton, standing aside, spoke his plan:
"I will arrange for him to follow Sasrir. After all, he is a person from the Fourth Epoch, and it will be difficult for him to integrate with others."
Snowman's gaze fell on Leyton and Leonard. He pursed his lips and ultimately remained silent. Perhaps the Lord has truly returned, or is about to return.
In his thoughts, he once again made a prayer gesture, devoutly praying to the Ancient Sun God.
Leyton looked around, then stepped towards the dark blue Door covered in mysterious patterns and said:
"Let's leave first. After I transform this book world, you can come back and explore again."
"Don't worry, there won't be a place like the Hall of Truth anymore."
"Judging from your tone, Mr. Tower, you said that with no sincerity."
Audrey said with a pleasant voice, lightly holding up her skirt.
In the dining room of Tulip Manor in Backlund.
A mysterious Door formed by dark blue light suddenly opened, and Leyton, Klein, and others emerged from it one after another.
After stretching slightly, Leyton walked to his previous seat and sat down, reaching out to touch the coffee cup in front of him. As expected, it had already cooled down.
"The flow of time in the book world and reality is the same."
Klein said without any change in tone. This was his intuition as a Seer.
"What a dreamlike experience, especially that hall…"
Fors sighed and then suddenly fell silent. She looked at Klein with some hesitation. Seeing that he had no reaction, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Heh..." Leyton watched this scene from the side and couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn to him, he chuckled and said:
"Miss Magician, you actually control your inner thoughts quite well, at least much better than the two gentlemen next to me."
As he spoke, he casually rubbed his fingers, creating specks of fiery white light tinged with golden yellow.
These specks of light fell into the coffee cups on the table in front of them. The coffee, which had already gone cold, instantly heated up, and wisps of light white mist rose.
Leonard regained control of his body. He leaned casually against one side of the sofa, and his words quite casually shifted the topic to Leyton and their respective code names:
"I'm very curious, why do you use Tarot cards as code names? Why did no one choose the Emperor card? Is it because it doesn't sound good enough?"
Are you testing if there's a Black Emperor among us? Even if you know, you won't be able to find any of us.
As thoughts flickered, Klein expressionlessly picked up the coffee cup in front of him and held it in his hand. Although he had never felt cold due to the sun brooch, it was also because of this that a large amount of heat was lost from his body.
I must warm my body up properly as soon as possible, otherwise, I estimate I'll freeze solid when I take off the sun brooch.
"As a mysticism enthusiast, isn't it normal to use Tarot cards as code names?"
Audrey's demeanor and tone were both perfectly appropriate.
Leonard looked at Audrey suspiciously. Did I guess wrong? No, she is a Beyonder of the Spectator Pathway, best at discerning others' thoughts. This might just be her deliberate performance.
Leyton's inspiration was suddenly touched. He turned his head to look at the light Door that had not yet disappeared, and said with a light chuckle:
"Someone has come out."
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man in an extremely simple white robe walked out of the book world.
His face had many wrinkles but was not old. He had short brown hair, and his shoulders, arms, calves, and feet were exposed, covered with various old scars. It was the ascetic Snowman.
As soon as he appeared, his movements suddenly stiffened, and his face aged at a visible rate.
Dong!
A phantom bell chime suddenly rang out, echoing in everyone's ears, as if time itself had paused under this sound.
The flames in the nearby fireplace stopped leaping. The ascetic Snowman, who had been rapidly aging and was almost dying, suddenly stopped aging.
Dong~ Another melodious bell chime sounded.
The ancient, mottled clock above Leonard's head rotated one notch counter-clockwise, and the mysterious symbols representing time on it flickered with hazy brilliance.
Snowman's face suddenly began to grow backward in time. His gray, withered hair returned to a healthy brown, and the age spots, dull pigmentation, and wrinkles on his face rapidly faded. The withered yellow skin exposed on his forearms, shoulders, and calves also quickly recovered.
How magical! This is simply a miracle! Is this the ability an angel possesses, to easily reverse a person's life and state… Audrey witnessed the changes in Snowman and couldn't stop exclaiming in her heart.
Fors rested her hands on her cheeks, her thoughts wandering slightly lost. Today's experiences are enough for me to write several novels: stories between Fourth Epoch nobles and elves, a knight's adventure with a giant, and the wonderful spiritual world. Inspiration is suddenly flowing endlessly.
Stealing time and lifespan, a Marauder really becomes strange in the later stages. If I were to encounter Amon head-on, would he directly enter the Gray Fog through me, or just steal Sefirah Castle?
As his thoughts drifted, a thought suddenly flashed through Klein's mind: The Old Man inside Leonard can easily steal other people's thoughts, and he can certainly achieve mind-reading through this. My mental activities tonight—I have completely exposed my identity as Klein to him!