After everyone stood up, bowed, and bid farewell, a crimson light instantly flared up, carrying figures away from the space above the Gray Fog.
Leyton turned his head to look around and found that he was the only one left.
He then looked at Klein, who was at the head of the table, and asked with confusion, "What's wrong?"
Klein pondered and asked, "Have you ever paid attention to your own mental state?"
Leyton nodded gently and sat back in his high-backed chair, saying calmly, "I've been wondering if my existence is real or not.
I originally planned to ask Miss Justice for some psychological counseling after she advanced another Sequence.
Actually, Ankewelt would be a better choice, but I don't trust it very much."
Klein frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "If you need help, you can come to me, although I'm not very good at psychological counseling."
"But I can go to the Hall of Truth to experience it, to add some humanity to me?"
Leyton chuckled as he looked at Klein, seeing the figure shrouded in Gray Fog visibly stiffen for a moment.
He leaned back in his chair and laughed out loud.
Hearing Leyton's laughter, Klein shook his head helplessly, then changed the subject.
"Roselle's diary mentioned the Abyss, and he even went in to explore it.
It was full of demon corpses, and not a single living demon was seen."
"Do you think the place he went to was truly the Abyss?"
Leyton stopped moving, leaned slightly forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the table, and spoke with a thoughtful expression, "Something unusual has happened to the Abyss.
It has become unsuitable for even demons to live in."
"As for the reason, I suspect it's due to the influence of a higher being.
That Dark Side of the Universe hasn't exerted influence on the real world for a long time.
Its state might not be much better than that Chained God hanging on the tree."
"The Chained God hanging on the tree?"
Klein's spiritual intuition was somewhat stirred, but it didn't lead him to any specific thoughts.
"You'll find out once you have more contact with the Rose School of Thought."
Leyton nodded slightly, not lingering on this topic.
Klein, seeing Leyton's reluctance to say more, dismissed the idea of pressing further.
He leaned back against the chair and said calmly, "That's it then."
A crimson light rose, and Leyton felt his mind blur for a moment.
When he came to his senses, he had already left the space above the Gray Fog.
West Balam, within a coffee bean plantation on the south bank of Paz River Valley.
Leyton walked through the vast coffee trees with Pulak.
Neither of them spoke until Crow Anu, circling in the sky, landed on a tree branch.
Pulak scrutinized it with deep eyes, and Crow Anu's body instantly stiffened.
Even without any malicious intent, under the natural oppressive force of a high-level being of this pathway, it still cowered slightly.
"Heh, a very good little fellow.
It has already digested the Spirit Medium potion.
Do you plan to let it continue to advance?"
Leyton glanced at the Crow, who dared not move, standing on the branch, and chuckled, "It's up to it.
I don't really care about that."
As soon as he finished speaking, his spiritual intuition was stirred.
With a gentle gust of wind, an invisible Nature Spirits appeared nearby.
It was communicating something with Pulak in the language of the dead.
A moment later, Pulak's expression became serious.
He waved his hand, letting the Nature Spirits depart, then turned to Leyton and said, "As you said, there's indeed more than one of those puppets.
The spirits I sent out have found their traces in the Paz River Valley area."
"They are very well hidden.
Ordinary Nature Spirits and Wraiths cannot tell the difference between them and ordinary people."
Leyton nodded slightly, not very surprised, then said, "The puppets' act of walking into the river water seems to be part of a ritual, to help the Primordial Moon descend some of its power, or is it his advancement to Sequence 3 Pallbearer?"
Pulak shook his head, his tone uncertain, "I don't know about the Pallbearer's ritual, but he didn't advance to Classical Alchemist too long ago, so it's unlikely he's digested the potion so quickly."
"Perhaps he received the Primordial Moon's blessing.
After all, the Crimson Moon is present every day, and occasionally there are blood moon nights."
Leyton pondered and voiced his guess.
Pulak pondered and nodded, "That possibility cannot be ruled out.
I will have people keep an eye on it.
Paz River Valley is very important to us; we cannot let that Lunatic truly spread the corruption."
Before he finished speaking, his figure quickly faded and disappeared, leaving the area through Spirit World Travel.
Crow Anu, on a nearby branch, seemed to come back to life, flapping its wings rapidly and landing on Leyton's shoulder.
"Boss, let's go find rabbits.
The aura on this person is too oppressive.
I feel like I've seen a natural predator."
Natural predator?
Is this the influence of the Phoenix bloodline?
Leyton pondered and nodded, his figure suddenly becoming transparent, transforming into a statue composed of brilliant starlight.
The statue instantly shattered, and points of brilliant starlight surged, enveloping Crow Anu and directly plunging into the Spirit World.
Central Sonia Sea, on a passenger ship bound for Dalinius Island.
In a first-class cabin shrouded in Concealment, the Prophet Clone, a Phoenix, and Sia each sat on one side of a round table.
"So, that Elena Sauron is your father?"
The Prophet Clone clicked his tongue slightly, repeating what he had just heard.
Sia nodded expressionlessly, her dark golden eyes containing restrained emotions, and she narrated calmly, "Yes, he is my father, before he became a woman."
"We could only be considered a collateral branch of the Sauron Family.
After the leader of the Sauron Family lost control and went mad 200 years ago, the Sauron Family declined.
I think that uncontrolled Sauron Family leader must have had more than one angelic-level characteristic."
"He wasn't a very talented person, otherwise he wouldn't have betrayed the Sauron Family to join the Witch Church."
"I remember there was a period when he seemed very hesitant, very irritable, very crazy… During that time, I secretly observed him.
He seemed to be troubled by a tarot card."
"Demoness Card?"
The Prophet Clone blurted out this guess, following his intuition.
Sia looked at the Prophet Clone with some surprise, then chuckled, "It seems you've grown a lot during your time away from Feynapotter.
You've completely settled down, unlike how impetuous you were before."
"I wasn't very impetuous before, was I?
At most, a little impulsive."
The Prophet Clone defended himself.
"Really just a little?
You were so bold back then, completely unlike what a Student of Ratiocination should be.
I have no doubt that I would receive news of your return to the Divine Kingdom one morning."
Sia's voice was a little hoarse, as if she was talking about Leyton, and also as if she was talking about herself.
A bronzed hand wearing a black ring inlaid with an emerald gemstone gently placed itself on Sia's hand, which was holding a coffee cup, silently comforting her.
You're force-feeding me dog food, aren't you!
…The Prophet Clone silently averted his gaze.
He felt like he wouldn't need dinner tonight.
After a moment of silence, Sia quickly adjusted her emotions and said with a hint of a smile, "You guessed correctly.
That was indeed the Demoness Card among the blasphemy cards made by Emperor Roselle."
"The gathering effect of the Card of Blasphemy allowed him to unknowingly collect the materials needed to advance to Demoness of Despair.
After an unknown number of times his application to the family for advancement to Iron-Blooded Knight was rejected, he chose to change pathways, even if it meant becoming a woman."
"As for what happened next, you should be able to guess, right?
Perhaps he really had a talent for being a woman.
As a Witch, he seemed to have no confusion or ill effects whatsoever, at least on the surface."
"Why did the Sauron Family reject his application?
Were there no extra characteristics?
Or was it internal factional infighting?"
Phoenix asked curiously.