In the dream world, when Leyton's consciousness fully awakened, he found himself once again on the cliff in front of the black monastery.
He expressionlessly gazed at the Giant King's Court, enveloped in a solidified twilight, and after a moment of silence, he turned and walked towards the black monastery. This time, he intended to visit the dream from before the Ancient Sun God's fall.
Cattleya was still sitting on the boulder with her knees hugged, her eyes somewhat hazy and not fully awake.
As Leyton passed by her, she suddenly spoke:
"Do you know where she is now?"
With a sudden, contextless question, Leyton hesitated and stopped, turning to look at Cattleya, who was sitting with her knees hugged. After confirming she was speaking to him, he asked:
"On the ship? Or in the dream?"
"If she's on the ship, she should be in a cabin on the third deck, the fifth room from the right of the stairs. If it's in the dream, I don't know; I haven't seen her in this dream world."
After a brief pause, he continued:
"She is already an Angel; she can clearly sense the connection between you two, and your feelings for her. Until the issues with Roselle and Bornova are resolved, you are her most stable anchor."
"I am her most stable anchor?" Cattleya repeated Leyton's last sentence in a daze, then buried her head deep into her arms, appearing to refuse further communication.
Leyton shrugged, said no more, and turned to walk into the black monastery.
As soon as he pushed open the main door, he saw the crew members of the Future, in a somewhat strange state: Ottolov, the chief mate, seemed to be in self-isolation, and Nina was quietly drinking on the side.
Walking a bit further in, he saw Frank burying himself in the dirt.
"What are you doing? Trying to reproduce asexually by yourself?" Leyton couldn't resist his curiosity and approached to ask.
Frank was not very lucid. He sat in the pit he had dug, burying himself with dirt, and spoke in a dreamlike murmur:
"No, I am just an ordinary Druid; I cannot bury myself in the dirt for asexual reproduction. This must be done in a laboratory."
"My research has hit a wall. I want to bury myself in the dirt to listen more deeply to the voice of the earth and comprehend the Earth Mother's philosophy."
Leyton's mouth twitched slightly, and he remarked with a hint of emotion, "Your method of seeking inspiration is truly unique."
Shaking his head, Leyton continued forward, passing pirates scattered about doing all sorts of absurd things, passing Heath curled up in a ball in a shadowy corner, and Pace lying flat among dried fish. He pushed open the door leading deeper into the monastery.
After walking some distance, he seemed to have left the building where the Future's crew was located and entered a temple-like area, where he saw Anderson hesitating at the door leading deeper into the temple.
Sensing someone entering the temple, Anderson instinctively turned sideways in alert. Seeing it was Leyton, he visibly relaxed, chuckling as he said:
"You startled me! I thought I was unlucky enough to encounter a Monster again."
"You can indeed move freely in this dream world. But do you know what's going on with Gehrman Sparrow? Logically, he should return to the same place in the dream where he left last time, but he didn't come back here this time."
"He is a Blessed," Leyton replied calmly.
Anderson said with surprise:
"A Blessed! That cold and crazy-looking guy is a Blessed? Which great existence's Blessed is he? The taste in choosing followers is truly unfathomable..."
"An existence that can resolve your persistent bad luck," Leyton interrupted Anderson's somewhat verbose words, walking to his side.
"Uh..." Anderson's words were cut off. He turned his head away somewhat unhappily, changing the subject:
"Aren't you interested in the murals here? They were left by the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros, whom you mentioned. I've already activated the characteristics within, so anyone who touches it afterward won't be unlucky anymore."
Leyton glanced at the mural on the right wall, then quickly withdrew his gaze. The things that interested him on it had already disappeared.
After a brief silence, he turned his head to Anderson and said:
"Not interested, the power left by Ouroboros has dissipated."
"Are you still struggling with whether to pray to a great existence who controls the authority of Fate?"
Anderson hesitated and said:
"Uh... besides praying to a great existence, are there other ways? Or, which one is favoring Gehrman Sparrow?"
Leyton's gaze calmly looked into the depths of the temple, with deep blue light flowing in his eyes. He saw Bernadette's figure deeper within the temple.
Further in should be the Ancient Sun God's final dream before his fall... He mused internally, then withdrew his gaze and answered Anderson's previous question:
"A Demigod of the 'Fate' Pathway, Angels of the 'Marauder', 'Seer', and 'Sleepless' Pathways, they also have the ability to resolve your bad luck."
"As for Gehrman Sparrow, he believes in the Fool. If you're interested, you can recite his honorific name. After the Aurora Order's previous publicity, you should be familiar with his honorific name."
"Or, would you like to hear the story of my Lord? He is the truth we eternally pursue, the light that guides us forward, the symbol of experience and knowledge—"
Anderson's expression, which had been nonchalant at first, suddenly changed, and he instinctively widened the distance between himself and Leyton. He looked at Leyton warily and said:
"This doesn't sound like a description of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Aren't you from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? You... have you abandoned the Church and your faith?"
Leyton gently shook his head and said:
"Heh, no. I just took on a position in the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. More work means more pay, doesn't it? My Lord and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom are hidden allies. This is also something allowed by both sides."
"So, are you interested in listening?"
Anderson was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled:
"Anyway, there's nothing else to do in the dream. If you're willing to tell, I'd be happy to listen."
Leyton nodded, a slight curve to his lips:
"My Lord is the guide for people seeking truth, and also truth itself. He is wise yet compassionate, capable of embracing all of us, and illuminates the path for the lost day after day."
"He advocates seeking truth in silence and solitude, experiencing the meaning of existence and comprehending the vicissitudes of life while wandering between day and night, black and white, Justice and evil, adhering to oneself, and believing in wisdom and truth."
"He tells us not to stubbornly cling to justice and truth, nor to blindly deny evil. Everything exists for a reason."
"Similarly, faith in my Lord is inclusive. He does not exclude believers from also believing in other deities while believing in Him, nor does He care about the sincerity of faith. As long as one walks on the correct Pathway, one is recognized by Him."
"In our understanding, He is the embodiment of knowledge, the brilliance of civilization, the ultimate answer to all mysteries!"
Anderson's expression went from initial nonchalance to gradual seriousness, and he began to actively consider the overlaps and conflicts between these doctrines and his own beliefs.
Taking a deep breath, he said with a serious expression:
"This doesn't conflict with some of my views. If it's truly as you say, I don't mind believing in one more deity, or changing my faith. Anyway, my faith isn't very devout."
"...As long as there's no studying and no exams, that's very important!"
Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom post-traumatic stress disorder... Looking at Anderson's serious gaze, Leyton couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then curved his lips and said:
"There are many ways to acquire knowledge, just like when you explore for treasure at sea, you come into contact with many people and many things, naturally enriching your own insights."
"Exactly, exactly, that's it. It's a pity those stubborn guys in the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom can't understand these principles." Anderson nodded in agreement, very familiarly reaching out to put his arm around Leyton's shoulder.
"I plan to go deeper into the temple."
As he spoke, Leyton took two steps forward, subtly shaking off Anderson's hand from his shoulder.
Anderson's expression didn't change, and he naturally put his hands in his pockets, saying:
"I'm going too. I've always been very curious about the depths of this temple. High risk means high reward, and with a Demigod accompanying us, I think our chances of success are very high."
You greatly underestimate your own bad luck, Leyton thought to himself, but he still nodded and walked into the depths of the temple at a steady pace.
Anderson quickened his steps, catching up with Leyton and walking parallel to him. After about a quarter of an hour, there was no longer any passage ahead, only a heavy, pitch-black Door fixed to the wall.
"There's no path left, and we haven't found any forks along the way. Did everyone from my previous treasure-hunting team who explored ahead go inside?"
"Should we go in?"
Anderson folded his arms across his chest, analyzed for a moment, then turned his head to ask.
Leyton shook his head and said, "The dream behind this Door is very dangerous. It's enough to overturn the entire dream world. Even if the beings trapped in the dream don't die from it, they will be forced to wake up and face the Night of this sea area."
Anderson quickly waved his hand and said, "I was just joking. Since there's nothing worth exploring here, where do we go next?"
Leyton gazed intently at the pitch-black wooden Door in front of him, his vision seemingly piercing through the obstruction to see the dream world on the other side of the Door.
A moment later, he solemnly withdrew his gaze and said, "It's too late."
"What's too late?" Anderson asked in surprise.
As soon as his voice fell, the surrounding light suddenly brightened, and everything became a brilliant white.
Sitting on the deck, leaning against the ship's rail, Leyton awoke in the warm midday Sun. He instinctively turned his head and met Klein's gaze, who was sitting beside him.
"Where did you go?" Leyton asked curiously. Leomaster, who should have been trapped here, had already been taken away by Sasrir, so Klein should no longer appear in the dream where the other party was.
Klein rested his head against the ship's rail and thought for a moment before saying:
"It should be the underground of that black monastery. There's a very eerie full-length mirror there that can replicate an almost identical version of oneself. Because the battle was too intense, I passively woke up."
"In the interval of falling back asleep, I vaguely saw a mist covering the sea. In the mist, there was a very ancient-looking, black-spired church without a bell tower, with black crows circling around it, as if mourning or commemorating something..."
"There were also many buildings around the church, and figures of pedestrians on the streets. It seemed to be an exceptionally ancient city."
Leyton nodded slightly, not too surprised: "That's the Nation of the Evernight, a place hidden by the Evernight Goddess. It should be a special reaction caused by the residual aura of the Evernight Goddess in this sea area and the favor She left on you."
"Favor?" Klein chewed on the word.
Leyton stood up from the deck, leaned against the ship's rail, and while enjoying the sunlight and sea breeze, he mused:
"She is the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, and She has a strong connection with the Demonic Wolf. You don't think She hasn't noticed you, do you?"
"Do you want to guess why, after the Backlund Great Smog incident, the Church of the Evernight Goddess didn't pursue the issues with Sherlock Moriarty? Was it because you disguised yourself too well and they didn't notice at all, or was it suppressed?"