Hall of the Stars.
Hastur convened the long-delayed Gathering of the Stars.
He discovered that holding the Gathering of the Stars every half month made the schedule too tight, too few things happened, and there wasn't much to talk about.
Whenever there was nothing to say, he had to stand up and throw out a topic to keep the Gathering going.
Once or twice was fine, but if it happened too often, his store of knowledge would quickly become insufficient. He couldn't guarantee that every topic he threw out would successfully draw Their attention.
So extending the interval between Gatherings was the best solution.
And for Outer Gods like the Mother Tree of Desire, the Supernova Dominator, and the Son of Chaos, half a month was far too short, passing in an instant.
At minimum, it needed to be extended to once a month, or once every two months, to better fit their needs.
As the Chain of Order swayed, the Son of Chaos, Mother Tree of Desire, and Supernova Dominator arrived one after another in the Hall of the Stars.
The Son of Chaos was clearly the most excited, probably because being shut up inside the Magic Wishing Lamp all day with no one to talk to was simply too boring.
"Isn't the Gathering of the Stars supposed to be held regularly every fifteen days?" the Son of Chaos asked first, voicing his confusion.
Hastur answered calmly, "Time doesn't mean much to us. Fifteen days is too short. From now on, the Gathering of the Stars will be held once every two months."
"What? You're extending the time between Gatherings!"
The Son of Chaos was a bit unhappy. Chatting here with the Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator was one of his few remaining pleasures.
Now even that pleasure would be cut in half.
"I have no objection."
"I agree."
The Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator voiced their approval one after another, and the Son of Chaos could only unwillingly accept the result.
"If any of you encounter a major event and need to convene the Gathering, as long as you express your will, I'll naturally make an exception."
Hastur still acknowledged the existence of special circumstances, this was the special clause he had prepared for himself.
The Son of Chaos snorted lightly. "If nothing's going on, can I come chat with you?"
Hastur gave him a glance, a faint smile on his lips. "If I have the time."
"That Bernadette has already advanced to Sequence 2. You being trapped in the Magic Wishing Lamp doesn't seem to be going very well for you."
The Supernova Dominator always grasped the perfect chance to stab the knife in.
The Son of Chaos sneered. "The South Continent is in upheaval. Have you and that group of believers of yours from the Mother Tree of Desire already found your next hiding nest?"
The Mother Tree of Desire responded calmly, "Their actions are nothing but futile."
"So confident?"
The Son of Chaos clearly didn't believe it, mocking, "With just one stupid Sequence 1 Suah, what change can he make to the battlefield?"
"Death is merely the beginning, never the end."
"You're abandoning those believers?"
"What exists continues to exist. What is destined to perish will surely perish."
"Tch!" The Son of Chaos expressed his disdain for the Mother Tree of Desire's cryptic way of speaking.
"Don't let me find your hiding place. Otherwise, I don't mind helping Bernadette out. She's been wanting revenge on that stupid son of yours for a long time."
The Mother Tree of Desire ignored his provocation. In Her view, the Son of Chaos was simply too bored and picking fights everywhere. The more attention She gave Him, the more excited He would get.
"Heh, how boring."
The Son of Chaos stopped wasting words, leaned back in his seat, placed his golden long legs on the table, and deliberately closed his eyes as though in deep thought.
With no topic from the Son of Chaos, Hastur sighed inwardly and could only bring up a topic himself to prevent things from becoming dull and awkward.
His gaze swept over Them, and he said gently, "Many beings have been searching for my believers recently. Have you also taken part?"
The Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator remained silent. From the first time they entered the Hall of the Stars, they had wanted to understand this mysterious existence before them by tracing his believers.
The Son of Chaos chuckled. "There are always some people with ulterior motives."
Hastur didn't follow the Son of Chaos's schadenfreude-filled glance at the Mother Tree of Desire and Supernova Dominator, but instead looked directly at Him.
The Son of Chaos seemed to have forgotten that he himself was the first Outer God to come to the Hall, the first to guide Bernadette to search for Stars believers, and even suggested she leak their information to the Seven Churches.
Should he remind Him?
"I'm trapped in the Magic Wishing Lamp now. I can hardly interfere with the outside world."
The Son of Chaos offered an explanation, meaning that while He may have searched in the past, now He was powerless. The ones worth watching were the Mother Tree of Desire and Supernova Dominator.
"For a mysterious being that appeared out of thin air, trying to understand Them is inevitable. It's simply a self-preservation instinct."
The Mother Tree of Desire lowered Her stance.
"Perhaps your believers are also searching for information about us. In that sense, you hold the advantage." The Supernova Dominator met Hastur's gaze evenly.
Hastur simply looked calmly at Them. "The stars overlook all. You are all under the gaze of the stars."
It was a change of subject, but also a subtle warning, not to cause trouble.
The Mother Tree of Desire thought briefly before saying, "The Mother Goddess of Depravity contacted me recently. She also wishes to come here to join the Gathering of the Stars."
The Mother Goddess of Depravity had moved?
And he hadn't sensed it at all. Truly worthy of being one of the Three Pillars, she had ways to bypass even the gaze of the stars.
Hastur maintained a calm surface, as though he had already known, but his mind was racing.
The Son of Chaos, having waited for his chance, laughed. "I knew you wouldn't behave. So you've already been secretly in contact with the Mother Goddess of Depravity. Tsk, too bad you still couldn't escape the stars' gaze."
"My confession is only to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. And the Mother Goddess of Depravity contacted me only after the last Gathering. She merely entrusted me to ask one question on Her behalf."
The Mother Tree of Desire didn't care about the Son of Chaos's mockery. Anyway, His mouth was the only freedom He had left.
"The Mother Goddess of Depravity, huh."
Hastur sighed softly, then reached out to summon the star representing the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
Beyond the starry sky, the stars shimmered, yet the region where the Mother Goddess of Depravity resided was pitch-black. Even the starlight was swallowed.
Her figure hid within absolute darkness, neither the Mother Tree of Desire, nor the Supernova Dominator, nor the Son of Chaos could penetrate it.
"Just based on that attitude, She can't be allowed to join the Gathering!"
The Son of Chaos firmly opposed Her request.
The Supernova Dominator's face grew a shade more solemn. "She is as cautious as ever."
And powerful. He had once tried to block the stars' gaze himself, but had never succeeded.
To avoid that gaze, the star He descended when attacking the Eternal Blazing Sun last time carried none of His will, completely severed from the new life gestating within it.
Even so, He wasn't certain it avoided the stars' observation.
But the Mother Goddess of Depravity's method was clearly superior to His and the Mother Tree of Desire's.
This reflected Her power and status.
"I also don't approve of the Mother Goddess of Depravity joining the Gathering of the Stars."
After thinking a moment, the Supernova Dominator expressed his stance.
As for the Mother Tree of Desire, it went without saying, if the Mother Goddess of Depravity hadn't approached Her, She never would have mentioned the Hall at all.
She was only relaying a message, not supporting the idea.
"Better to invite the High-Dimensional Overseer instead," the Son of Chaos said casually.
The Supernova Dominator cast Him a glance. "You seem very eager for that one to appear?"
"Why not? I don't need your permission!" the Son of Chaos shot back.
"Heh, even if the High-Dimensional Overseer came, They might not stand on your side."
"Since when is my business yours to worry about?" The Son of Chaos looked at Him with utter disdain.
The Supernova Dominator didn't bother to argue further. He knew today the Son of Chaos was like gunpowder, a mad dog who would bite anyone.
Hastur, quietly observing, actually appreciated today's Son of Chaos, and felt grateful he was present.
If the first beings he had invited were the Mother Tree of Desire and the Supernova Dominator, the entire meeting would surely have been dominated by them.
Hastur dismissed the image of the Mother Goddess of Depravity's star and spoke with a hint of amusement. "Has the Mother Goddess of Depravity finally grown anxious?"
The Son of Chaos naturally continued, "Of course She's anxious. The moon is one of the stars, isn't it?"
His words hit the heart of Her concern.
The Moon Pathway was one of the two Beyonder paths torn from the Mother Goddess of Depravity when She was dragged to Earth.
If the stars awakened, the Moon Pathway might become something the stars could control.
Then Her road to restoring Herself would become even harder.
For the Mother Goddess of Depravity, the stars were inherently on the opposite side.
That was also what the Mother Tree of Desire and Supernova Dominator believed.
And the true reason they thought the Sovereign of the Stars didn't wish to bring the Mother Goddess of Depravity into the Gathering.