Inside the royal palace, in the study that had once belonged exclusively to George III, Jevington Augustus now sat in the main seat. Six other members of the royal family sat on either side of him, forming two neat rows.
Leonard Augustus, Grove Augustus, Georgina Augustus, and others...
Jevington Augustus swept his stern and imposing gaze over everyone before looking toward Leonard.
"This time, I'm sending you to Southville County for three reasons. First, to give you experience. Second, I hope you can investigate whether the Duke of Southville truly died in an accident. Third, keep an eye on that Earl Campbell. He looks very young, but he isn't someone easy to deal with."
"I understand." Leonard nodded, a trace of mockery curling at the corner of his lips. "He has repeatedly rejected my goodwill, as if he's afraid I'll drag him into some kind of trouble. I'm afraid he still thinks I'm interested in this throne."
He and Jevington Augustus were biological brothers, and he had long since abandoned any thought of competing for the throne.
"That old fox from Earl Hall's family has always been unwilling to marry Miss Audrey into the royal family. We need to find an opportunity to give him a warning." A hint of hostility flashed through Jevington Augustus's eyes.
Georgina chuckled. "The jewel of Backlund, if she isn't brought into the palace and kept safely within its collection, the jewel may become covered in dust and lose its brilliance."
A royal duke sitting nearby said, "That isn't the main reason. Someone prophesied that Audrey Hall would become a major figure in the mysterious world in the future, just like Bernadette once did."
"Zaratul?"
"That's right. On the night I ascended the throne, he suddenly came to me and said he could divine the futures of three people for me."
Covington took over the conversation and continued, "But I wasn't the one who chose those three people. He chose them himself."
"The three were Greg Negan, Audrey Hall, and Hastur Campbell."
"He prophesied that Greg Negan would become a major figure in the real world, Audrey Hall would become a major figure in the Beyonder world, and as for Hastur Campbell, he still hasn't told me the prophecy concerning him."
"What's interesting is that all three of them are connected through Hastur Campbell, and they have rather good relationships with one another."
At this point, a layer of coldness appeared in Jevington Augustus's expression. "I can't figure out Zaratul's purpose in telling me these things. Whether he's plotting something or truly saw some kind of future, it doesn't stop me from paying extra attention to them."
Georgina said coldly, "You can't place too much trust in that person's words. He isn't that kindhearted. You'd better keep your distance from him."
"I've always been on guard against him." Jevington Augustus nodded, then moved past the topic and asked about the whereabouts of the other Sequence 1 Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic and the Uniqueness following the massive explosion at George III's mausoleum.
Having suffered an attack at the level of a true god, the entire mausoleum had been completely shattered and exposed beneath the sunlight.
William I, an ancestor of the Augustus family, had rushed to the scene immediately after the explosion ended, but he had only managed to seize one Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic.
According to his description, by the time he arrived, the Uniqueness and one Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic had already disappeared, leaving only two Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristics behind.
Aside from him, there had also been a mysterious lady and Bernadette, who was holding the Magic Wishing Lamp.
Facing the combined efforts of the mysterious lady and Bernadette, he had barely managed to seize one Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic. The other had fallen into the mysterious lady's hands.
To the Loen royal family, every Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic of the Black Emperor pathway was extremely important. Yet now they had only one Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic left, severely weakening the strength of the Augustus family.
Let alone their hopes of standing on equal footing with the Churches of the three gods in the future.
"Someone saw an illusory door slowly opening that day. Judging by the appearance of the symbols on it, they closely resembled the Abraham family's crest."
"Recently, members of the Abraham family have been very active in Backlund, and they've been proclaiming that their ancestor, Mr. Door, is about to return. It's highly possible that the Uniqueness and that Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic were snatched away by Mr. Door through that illusory door."
Someone stood up and reported the findings from their recent investigations.
Mr. Door?
Everyone present grew solemn.
He was a legendary figure. Even if George III had successfully become a god, at most he would have stood on equal footing with him.
He was someone who wasn't a true god, yet was no weaker than one.
...
"Could the Uniqueness and that Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic have been taken away by Roselle from afar?"
Sitting upright in the Hall of Stars, Hastur was also reviewing everything that had happened that day.
After he summoned the attack of the Supernova Dominator and completely shattered the doorway through which Mr. Door and the Mother Goddess of Depravity had attempted to break free, George III had completely exploded. At that moment, the Uniqueness and the three Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristics had also scattered.
Among them, the Uniqueness and one Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic had become entangled together, transforming into a streak of light that flew eastward toward the sea.
The other two Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristics were slightly slower and happened to be intercepted by Bernadette, Madam Lisa, and a powerful member of the Loen royal family. During the ensuing struggle, Madame Lisa took one Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic, while the other fell into the hands of the Loen royal family.
If coincidence was ruled out, then it was quite reasonable that Roselle's consciousness had awakened and drawn away the Uniqueness and one Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic.
Especially since, at that time, the Mother Goddess of Depravity had been attempting to descend through Mr. Door. That would have been enough to divert most of Her attention, so it was only natural for Roselle to regain a certain degree of freedom as a result.
"This might not necessarily be a good thing."
Hastur was somewhat worried. If Roselle absorbed the Uniqueness and that Prince of Abolition Beyonder characteristic too early, the corruption within his body had yet to be completely cleansed, and it might instead accelerate the Mother Goddess of Depravity's corruption of him.
Perhaps this was the Mother Goddess of Depravity's true scheme.
George III would fail to advance to Black Emperor, Roselle would revive and return, and then She would completely corrupt Roselle and descend into the real world.
Thinking about it carefully, Roselle shouldn't be that foolish. He had struggled against the Mother Goddess of Depravity for so long that he must understand just how terrifying She was.
But the concern was that Roselle possessed extraordinary confidence and might still believe himself to be the undisputed protagonist of this era.
Hastur pondered for a long time before looking toward the starry sky above him.
The stars flickered, while the star symbolizing the Mother Goddess of Depravity was completely dark and obscure.
After watching for a while, he shifted his gaze toward the stars that had newly lit up when he advanced to Sequence 5, Mentor of Disorder.
With his previous experiences involving the Supernova Dominator, Mother Tree of Desire, and High-Dimensional Overseer, he hadn't immediately pulled Them into the Hall of Stars after his advancement. Instead, he had silently observed Them.
He had more or less identified the two Great Old Ones. They should be the Primordial Hunger and the Inextinguishable Ravings.
The Primordial Hunger appeared as a planet with an enormous mouth. When Its mouth opened, It could easily devour an entire planet.
Normally, It was very quiet. Devouring a single planet was enough for It to digest for tens of thousands of years. Only when hunger struck again would It awaken from Its slumber and hunt for planets rich with life.
Earth was the next planet It had set Its sights on, which was why It had traveled from the depths of the cosmos to remain outside the initial barrier.
As for the Inextinguishable Ravings, Its state was very strange. It seemed to possess no physical form and instead consisted entirely of waves of pure murmuring that echoed throughout the cosmos.
Hastur had observed It for a long time, yet he had never been able to see where Its true body was.
It constantly wandered through the cosmos, using Its extremely seductive murmurs to attract and bewitch other existences among the stars.
Once an existence was bewitched by Its ravings, it would become Its food, slave, and possession, never again able to break free.
If he had to choose one to join the Gathering of Stars, his first choice would be the Primordial Hunger rather than It.
As for the Circle of Inevitability from earlier, Hastur had never even considered letting It join the Gathering of Stars. That fellow hid itself extremely deeply and was also connected to a pathway related to fate. In terms of how troublesome It was to deal with, It wasn't much easier than the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
As usual, Hastur swept his gaze across the stars once more. Seeing that nothing unusual was happening, he logged off and went to rest.
Two days later, Hastur left Backlund with Sharon under Maric's resentful gaze and with Greg and Audrey seeing them off.
"Woof."
Oh, Susie was seeing them off too.
Although she very much wanted to follow Hastur to Southville County and go on an adventure, in the end, she chose to stay by Audrey's side.
Greg glanced at Audrey, who was preparing to head back, and said with a smile, "There's something I'd like to discuss with Miss Audrey. I wonder if you have any other arrangements right now?"
Audrey thought for a moment before accepting the invitation.
Over the past few days, she had also heard quite a few rumors. Some concerned the Loen royal family, while others concerned Greg.
She had heard that his political career wasn't going very smoothly. The two found a relatively quiet café and sat down to chat.
"I recently learned of a prophecy. It concerns both you and me."
"What prophecy?" Audrey showed a rare hint of interest.
"In the prophecy, I will become a major figure in the real world, while you will become a major figure in the Beyonder world." Seeing the slight shock on Audrey's face, Glaint said rather enviously, "I didn't expect you to have already traveled so far in the Beyonder world. I'm afraid only Hastur can catch up with you."
Mm, in every sense of the phrase.
Audrey frowned slightly. "Where did this prophecy come from?"
"The royal family." Audrey's mood worsened even further.
She only wanted to quietly act and advance. She had no desire whatsoever to become the center of a storm.
The person who made this prophecy was truly detestable! If she ever had the opportunity and the ability in the future, she would definitely give that person a beating!
She would let him have a taste of Justice's iron fist!