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Klein suddenly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the crimson Moon outside the window, the stinging sensation from the exhaustion of his spirituality in his mind had significantly weakened.
This… I was promised three questions, but the second question wasn't even fully answered, so why did it end?
Is it because this mirror's ability is insufficient, or is it that the level involved with Mr. "Emperor" cannot be spied upon?
A series of question marks flashed through his mind, and then he remembered the most crucial question:
This dream ended so inexplicably that he didn't even know how to contact this magic mirror named Arrodes…
Sighing, Klein, lacking relevant information and basis, reluctantly closed his eyes again. He needed to seize the time to recover his spirituality, as he still had to go to the Divination Club tomorrow to digest the potion.
Regardless, strength is the fundamental key to survival in this strange world.
Backlund, the headquarters of the God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Backlund Diocese, Saint Hierländ Cathedral.
On the inner second underground level, exquisite mechanical constructs, engraved with complex symbols, partitioned off one area after another. Some places were open, some rooms were tightly sealed, each containing a Sealed Artifact.
In a room near the deeper parts, completely sealed by silver gears, complex and illusory symbols emerged on its surface, showing a tendency to spread outwards.
Inside the partition, the black cloth covering the "Magic Mirror" Arrodes was ignited by illusory flames. Various abstract and incomprehensible symbols appeared on the mirror's surface, stirring up a storm of mixed information within the sealed room.
Beams of light, neither brilliant nor pure, devoid of any color, seemingly composed of a vast amount of illusory things, suddenly surged from a certain area in the deepest part.
One projection-like, seemingly thin scroll after another unfolded, giving an extremely heavy feeling, as if carrying civilization, the enlightenment and development of human society at different levels.
The partition where Arrodes was located was instantly imprinted with illusory books. Everything except the mirror itself was reduced to its most basic particulate structure, including the attached conceptualized knowledge, information, and text.
All the decomposed and restored particles finally condensed into a ball of illusory light, wrapped in layers of scrolls, but it did not obliterate them.
Gears now emerged from various areas of the second underground level, finally reassembling into an old man wearing a white priest's robe and a soft cap of a clergyman.
That was Horamick Haydn, the head of the God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Backlund Diocese, a member of the Council Before God, and an Archbishop. But this was clearly not his true self, only a refined puppet.
Although a Sequence 4 Alchemist of the Savant Pathway can inject souls into items they create, granting them a certain degree of life, their life refinement is clearly inferior to that of a Classical Alchemist of the Planter pathway.
However, as a warning mechanism placed behind the Sealed Door, it could serve as a medium for information exchange for the main body that could not arrive in time.
Watching the scrolls of civilization dissipate into beams of light again, and seeing the light return to the deepest part of the sealed area, "Horamick Haydn" slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
He drew a triangular holy emblem on his chest and prayed in a low, devout voice:
"Praise be to You, great God of Steam and Machinery…"
As the largest and most important church within Loen, both to maintain its dominance and to cope with the complex situation in Backlund, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Backlund Diocese secretly preserved a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Numbered 0-19, the "Canon of Knowledge," it was also the core seal of Saint Hierländ Cathedral, known only to the Backlund Archbishop and the Pope within the Church.
Without his intervention, the only one qualified to activate this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was that being. In other words, this place just now received the gaze of a God.
Taking a deep breath, Horamick Haydn, who had not received a divine revelation, stepped forward and picked up the magic mirror Arrodes, which had fallen to the ground.
This eccentric mirror seemed to have suffered a major blow, as garbled text composed of various languages appeared on its surface. Horamick Haydn frowned but was not worried.
Even if there was corruption, it would surely be completely erased under the gaze of a God. Without hesitation, he asked concisely:
"What happened to you?"
The repeatedly appearing golden text paused slightly, and the rational Arrodes expressed its anger and its not-so-obvious guilt through text:
"This is a provocation! A blatant provocation."
The text distorted for a moment. Arrodes seemed to have some stress disorder, apparently not daring to display a certain name, so he continued to express himself in a different way:
"The one worshipped by the Moses Ascetic Order is provoking the powerful God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. As a devout believer of the Church, I think you should also do something…"
Moses Ascetic Order? Could it be that Hidden Sage?
Looking at the still raving Arrodes, Horamick Haydn, his forehead twitching slightly, expressionlessly put it away, planning to confine this ill-tempered mirror separately later.
-----------------
On Symeem Island, in the primeval forest, Kalvetua's roars disappeared even faster than they appeared. The soul-penetrating fear made it flee decisively.
At this moment, Aaron did not know that Arrodes, far away in Backlund, had finally made up its mind to "slightly" backstab him for Klein, but was eroded just by glimpsing his image.
He merely frowned, watching the fleeing Kalvetua, but did not stop the sea serpent's escape. On one hand, this was only a projection of its power left in the temple, not its true body; on the other hand, an alarm suddenly rose within him.
Feeling his body lighten, the spiritual burden from summoning the historical projection of "Cavendish Lancer" suddenly vanished. Aaron's expression changed slightly, which meant…
Before he could think further, aided by the visual feedback from the initial establishment of order through the Law, he saw a "light" that most Beyonders could not perceive emanating from the "Pillar of Stars and Moon."
This light had no substance, as if composed of complex and vast information. It penetrated "Cavendish Lancer" and the historical void influence he summoned in an illusory, torrential manner, heading straight for Aaron in the temple.
In the last moment of his conscious clarity, Aaron remembered the gaze he exchanged with those indifferent eyes at Black Thorns Security Company: the Hidden Sage…
An indescribably vast amount of useless knowledge instantly flooded Aaron's mind. The terrifying corruption, rich with various information, spread along the Spirit Body threads to his mental body, emotional body, and even his Body of Mind and Heart.
This brainwashing-like transformation or corruption was far beyond what that trace of power projection at the Chanis Gate could compare to, even if that trace of power's appearance might have been related to the catalysis of 0-08.
As a King of Angels, among the strongest under the Gods, a Sequence 3 of the same Pathway could already bear most of his power. If it weren't for "Cavendish Lancer's" historical projection taking the brunt of the attack, Aaron might not even have had the chance for a final thought.
Although his consciousness was chaotic, Aaron had no intention of mobilizing the Nation of Disorder. Even if severely wounded, the Sefirah's Concealment absolutely could not be exposed to the eyes of this Evil God.
To him, a Blessed of a certain hidden existence who controls a "Sefirah" and a "Sefirah Controller" had entirely different meanings in the eyes of that being. Exposing himself before having sufficient strength would bring immeasurable consequences.
The sub-consciousness within the Nation of Disorder sighed. As long as the main body wasn't completely eroded, the corruption brought by the Hidden Sage, who had not yet achieved true godhood, was not insurmountable for him, who had mastered an incomplete mythical creature form.
At most, it would take a little more time in the Nation of Disorder. However, the "Ring of Mysteries" and the "Mystical Necklace" carried by the main body must not be lost. If they were snatched by the Hidden Sage in passing, he would have nowhere to cry.
Summoning the Black Emperor card and the "Sun Scepter," Aaron, intending to use this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact of the Sun Pathway to save the situation, found a dense Darkness suddenly surging from his body.
It stopped the Hidden Sage's frantic erosion and simultaneously concealed all traces of his faintly glowing life imprint. The paper cranes he always carried with him on outings suddenly ignited.
One mercury-colored complex symbol after another leaped from it, instantly forming a huge, illusory, scaleless snake.
On the surface of this silver-white giant snake, dense patterns and symbols formed interconnected rotating wheels, each surrounded by different markings.
Its cold, crimson eyes held a hint of helplessness and bitterness. The giant snake soared into the air above the temple, curled its body, and bit its own tail.
Its shadow enveloped the entire temple area, like a mysterious and exaggerated rotating wheel.
The illusory light covering part of Aaron's body was very difficult to peel off bit by bit, but it could never return to its original unpolluted state.
A Sequence 3 Clairvoyant of the Mystery Pryer Pathway can, to a limited extent, peer into the secrets of fate. As an existence close to the pinnacle of the Sequence, the Hidden Sage also controlled part of the authority of fate.
The "Fate Restart" unleashed by Will Auceptin, who had not yet recovered his strength, had its effect significantly weakened under the interference of the Hidden Sage.
But this was already enough. Coupled with the "Fate Restart," the deep Darkness of the Night imprint re-emerged, instantly occupying most of Aaron's body.
Aaron's body instantly seemed to be erased by an eraser, disappearing along with that portion of power from the Hidden Sage.
A pair of indifferent eyes emerged within the light composed entirely of information torrents. Abstract, indescribable information surged from all directions, seemingly attempting to gain certain intelligence by analyzing this information.
Just at this moment, a hazy light surged from nothingness, displaying projection-like scrolls throughout the entire primeval forest.
Sensing danger, the terrifyingly complex information torrent immediately crashed into those illusory scrolls, rapidly expanding, attempting to tear open the "cage."
However, thousands of years of civilization were so profound and vast, and the history left by countless generations of humans, counted in billions, was so immense and grand, that it was entirely sufficient to contain the Hidden Sage's information torrent.
Furthermore, this was only power descended through a Sequence 3 Saint. As the God of Steam and Machinery, who also wielded the authority of knowledge, instantly detected the Hidden Sage's anomaly.
For an information entity, this level of power projection must contain important information about the Hidden Sage. Unfortunately, due to comprehensive considerations of the Astral World and other factors, He could not exert His full power, giving the Hidden Sage a chance to breathe.
Her body gradually became transparent, and the "Pillar of Stars and Moon," bearing too much power, subtly showed a tendency to evolve into a pure information stream creature. Her eyes, occupied by various symbols, displayed an abnormal frenzy.
Deeply brainwashed and eroded by the Hidden Sage, she actively gave up suppressing her divinity and fully embraced the "Lord's" embrace.
Her body completely etherealized, decomposing into streams of vast knowledge. The only remnant was a drop of crimson blood, surrounded by the torrent of knowledge. Simultaneously, an indescribable light shot out from those indifferent pupils.
With the integration of that light from the Hidden Sage, that drop of Moon Pathway mythical creature blood suddenly expanded into a blood-colored orb of light.
The crimson Moon in the sky seemed to grow slightly larger at this moment, as if a certain existence had opened its eyes and looked here.
The scrolls of civilization that enveloped and bound the Hidden Sage were instantly tinged with crimson. The previously unbreakable barrier developed a loophole. Streams of information torrent instantly analyzed the location of the loophole, rapidly diffused, merged into the surrounding symbols, and instantly vanished.
The anomaly in the sky quickly disappeared. The scrolls explored inward and converged, landing in the hand of an illusory figure. His other hand held a wriggling red light.
This was the Sequence 3 Clairvoyant Beyonder characteristic left behind after the "Pillar of Stars and Moon" fell. He casually crushed this Beyonder characteristic, stripping away the corruption within it.
Seemingly glancing up at the sky, the illusory figure dissipated into light and vanished.
After a long while, Aaron, carrying the 0-23 "Scepter of Punishment," finally "arrived late." Feeling the lingering aura and looking at the chaotic Symeem Island, the Sea King's expression shifted for a moment before he finally suppressed the words that were almost on his lips.
-----------------
Outside Tingen, in a house with a dark red chimney, crimson moonlight spilled in, illuminating half a skull stained red with blood. These were some of the materials prepared for his advancement ritual.
A pale hand flipped through a notebook. Amidst the rustling of paper, lines of text vaguely appeared:
"Aaron Weil, who had already achieved demigod status but inexplicably appeared in Tingen, was the biggest stumbling block to Ince Zangwill's successful plan."
"Ince Zangwill, feeling abandoned by the Church of the Evernight, decided to kill this Blessed of Evernight. He devised a comprehensive story."
"The Hidden Sage, possessing the authority of knowledge and involving part of the authority of fate, was the helper the great Quill of Alzuhod found for the pitiful Ince Zangwill."
"This hidden existence, extremely close to a God, for some unknown reason, was also very interested in Aaron Weil and did not resist this cooperation."
"He even actively showed weakness when Aaron Weil was dealing with the Nighthawk he had secretly eroded, lowering his guard, and secretly leaving his own mark."
....
"This is truly unbelievable! That existence actually saved Aaron Weil. The pitiful Ince Zangwill was indeed just a pawn in the eyes of that being…"
The continuously writing white quill was suddenly gripped, and deep blue, almost black, pupils reflected resentment and unwillingness.
Why? Why could a person who had just become a Blessed receive His help, while he, an Archbishop who had given everything to the Church, could not?
Taking a deep breath, suppressing the surging resentment in his heart, Ince Zangwill, realizing that it was impossible, continued to write with the classical quill:
"Aaron Weil will be unable to return to Tingen for a short period due to injuries or other factors. Megose's process of conceiving the Evil God's offspring is becoming smoother, and Ince Zangwill's plan will definitely be completed in the end."
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