The thought that this existence, positioned at the apex of the Outer Deities, had secretly targeted him at some unknown point, immediately doubled Aaron's pressure.
What surprised him even more was that it wasn't the Evernight Goddess or the Earth Mother who told him this, but Adam.
Could it be that the arrangements he left behind as the former "Lord of the Astral World" sensed some anomaly?
If he were to go to the Evernight Plains in the future, the danger level would probably far exceed Calderon City… Aaron rubbed his temples, a slight headache forming, as he pondered how this Outer Deity had targeted the "Nation of Disorder"?
Logically speaking, shouldn't the "Son of Chaos" be the one truly interested in him?
As he thought this, Aaron's expression flickered, and he frowned slightly:
"Excluding the five Pathways of Omnipotence and Omniscience originating from 'God Almighty', the three 'Coward' Pathways originating from 'Lord of the Mysteries', and the three 'End' Pathways corresponding to the 'River of Eternal Darkness', the remaining double-adjacent Sequence Pathways all have very strong mystical connections."
"'Justiciar' and 'Black Emperor'—one is the executor of rules, the other is the shadow of order, the positive and negative sides of rules."
"And the 'Red Priest' Pathway and the 'Demoness' Pathway clearly belong to the yang and yin sides of disaster. Even the 'Abyss' Pathway and the 'Chained' Pathway, in essence, represent the indulgence and restraint of evil desires, depravity, and madness."
"Even the later flourishing 'Indulgence Faction' was an influence that the Mother Tree of Desire released upon the entire Pathway, using her own Beyonder characteristic and the 'Chained God' after controlling the Devil Monarch Farbauti."
"The only strange ones are the 'Moon' Pathway and the 'Mother' Pathway; they are both symbols of feminine power, without clear distinction or opposition."
Aaron tapped the back of his chair, and the dark golden mist that enveloped the entire world slowly undulated with his thoughts.
"Although the underlying order of the entire world is chaotic and miscellaneous, the fact that the separated Sequences are completely skewed towards feminine power is enough to show that the Mother Goddess of Depravity herself has already leaned towards an extreme."
"Extreme femininity cannot truly encompass the symbols of the material world. This might be why the Mother Goddess of Depravity had part of her characteristics torn away in the first place."
"And after experiencing the tearing of her characteristics, this former Pillar must have realized this problem, and thus wanted to seek other Pathways or even Sefirah related to the material world and possessing sufficient symbolism to complete and supplement her own symbolism."
Related to the material world… Aaron inexplicably thought of the changes within the Nation of Disorder.
Although there was no definite evidence, based solely on the fragment of the Night Emperor's divine kingdom obtained from Backlund, Aaron guessed that even the Night Emperor's complete divine kingdom might only be a nation pieced together from various cities.
In the Fourth Epoch, the Gods all established their divine kingdoms on the material world, and with the four Emperors standing side by side, even the Night Emperor only materialized a portion of the Northern Continent's world.
If the entire material world were fully materialized, combined with the "Black Emperor's" authority to command all things, and a complete "Nation of Disorder," this might be what the Mother Goddess of Depravity yearned for—something that could complete the Pillar's symbolism.
He conjured the "Black Emperor" card and the "Justiciar" card from the pile of sundries. Aaron's eyes were deep. Roselle was corrupted by the Mother Goddess of Depravity and only truly decided to change Pathways and become the "Black Emperor" after returning from the Moon. Did the Mother Goddess of Depravity secretly push this decision?
At this thought, Aaron's eyes suddenly froze, and he finally realized the problem.
The Mother Goddess of Depravity's scheme had not failed in essence. Roselle ultimately succeeded in advancing to "Black Emperor." If not for him realizing the problem at the last moment and actively stopping his own resurrection…
A "Black Emperor" controlled by the Mother Goddess of Depravity might have already been reborn in the Astral World. If it were based on the Mother Goddess of Depravity's Beyonder characteristic and a complete "Black Emperor's" perception of the "Nation of Disorder"...
Aaron gasped, now fully understanding the true meaning of Adam's phrase "winner takes all" back in Tingen:
If George III won, Roselle would completely perish like the former Solomon, the Mother Goddess of Depravity's plan would fall through, and he himself would be hunted and sought by a "Black Emperor."
And if he won, and George III failed to advance, he would have to undertake the mission of dealing with the Mother Goddess of Depravity's erosion…
Thinking of how the "Son of Chaos," corresponding to the "Nation of Disorder," seemed to vanish since the formation of the Primordial One's barrier, this certainly had something to do with the Genie being sealed within "0-05," but even torn Sefirah could repair themselves, and the "Son of Chaos" remaining in the Cosmos might not be an exception.
The reason for its long disappearance might be to avoid the gaze of an even more terrifying existence… Aaron recalled the Mother Goddess of Depravity, who, despite her terrifyingly high Beyonder characteristic, rarely showed herself.
-----------------
North of Oravi Island, in the western waters of the Whale Sea, a certain island.
Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt, with black hair and blue eyes, stood alone on the beach, silently watching the morning Sun reflected on the blue sea. After a long while, he began to set up a ritual.
As the majestic ancient Hermes echoed, the faint blue candlelight suddenly expanded, and the void before him writhed and deformed, revealing colorful blocks of vivid and distinct yet overlapping colors.
Emlyn Levi's gaze passed through the indescribably illusory and transparent entities within the color blocks, seeing seven different colored, clear lights slowly swimming in the high sky. They seemed to possess life, containing endless knowledge.
After only a few seconds, Emlyn Levi's originally solemn face twitched slightly. He saw a bizarre figure, covered in strange patterns capable of making a Spirit Body tremble, emerge from the expanding color blocks. The pressure from the Spirit Body level made Emlyn Levi's majestic voice unconsciously drop a few decibels:
"You are Duke Aaron's messenger?"
Astolfo paid no mind to the Imperative Mage's apprehension, nodding silently. Mysterious symbols appeared in his eyes, sweeping across the island and the surrounding sea.
Seemingly unaccustomed, Emlyn Levi's face twitched, revealing a stiff smile, and he handed over the golden letter in his hand:
"Please hand this to Duke Aaron for me!"
Not sensing any anomaly, Astolfo withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, took the envelope, and re-entered the colorful oil painting world.
-----------------
East Tucker County, Osel, Duke's Mansion.
With a certain guess in mind, Aaron did not stay long in the Nation of Disorder. He was not yet qualified to interfere with Roselle's affairs.
But one thing he could be sure of was that, at least until the world trend envisioned by Adam was successfully completed and he became a true Visionary, this avatar of the Ancient Sun God would prevent some of the Mother Goddess of Depravity's ideas.
Although Adam was still only a King of Angels, the special nature of the Visionary Pathway and the second Blasphemy Slate formed from the Ancient Sun God's corpse were enough for him to do many things.
When Aaron returned to the real world, he found Astolfo standing in the study, holding a golden envelope. The familiar fluctuation brought a smile to Aaron's face.
-----------------
The morning Sun shone into the bedroom through the glass. Klein, dressed in loungewear and sprawled on the floor, his fingers twitching slightly, finally managed to crawl up after a long while.
After washing his face in the bathroom, Klein barely managed to perk up. Feeling the occasional sharp pain still radiating from his brain, he recalled the terrifying events he experienced above the gray fog last night, feeling both fortunate and fearful:
"The bottom of the City of Silver's Round Tower actually imprisoned such a terrifying existence. None of the hidden existences I previously divined were as strange as that bizarre fellow wrapped around Little Sun's Spirit Body. He truly touched that gray fog space."
"If not for the Grade 1 Sealed Artifact in the Sun domain sacrificed by Mr. Emperor, I might have been possessed that very night."
At the thought of Little Sun, Klein quickly suppressed his thoughts and, not hearing the familiar prayer, breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he successfully eliminated the entity wrapped around Little Sun, that Sealed Artifact was not his own power, and Klein couldn't guarantee whether it had caused any spiritual damage to Derrick.
Given the City of Silver's heritage, healing Little Sun's injuries shouldn't be a problem, but falling into a coma was certain… Klein lay back on the soft bed, waves of fatigue from his Spirit Body washing over him. Just as he lay down to rest, he suddenly flipped over and stood up again.
Walking out of the bedroom, Klein retrieved a bottle of pale red potion from a hidden compartment in the adjacent room. This was a potion he had purchased from a certain arrogant Vampire; it could promote the recovery of spirituality, but its effectiveness decreased with higher Sequence of the user.
Although each bottle cost a full 10 Soles, this price was much better than the exorbitant price the chubby Apothecary had sold to him back in Tingen. Klein still readily bought a few bottles for emergencies.
With the dual aid of the potion and meditation, Klein's pale complexion gradually regained its color, and the throbbing pain in his mind had become so faint as to be negligible.
Looking at his reflection in the full-length mirror, Klein nodded with satisfaction. He put on his black top hat, ready to head out to the Quelaag Club.
Although it wasn't the weekend, he had already arranged to meet with a few familiar members at the club today. One was the renowned surgeon, Aaron Chris, whose charity clinic, jointly founded with the East Tucker Charity Foundation and the Church of the Evernight Goddess, would officially open at the end of the month.
Ever since he learned that Melissa would likely work there, Klein had paid close attention to Dr. Aaron Chris.
The other was the noble's riding instructor, Talim Dumont, who often helped him drum up business and was a benefactor who had given his detective reputation a certain standing in Loen's high society.
Klein could not be absent from such a gathering without reason, especially after being interrogated in a dream by the Church of the Evernight Goddess's Nighthawks last night. This level of anomaly could easily attract unnecessary suspicion.
Since he decided to attend, Klein had to appear relatively normal. A body drained of spirituality could easily make the Nighthawks, who might still be monitoring him, associate it with the negative effects of using certain Sealed Artifacts, thereby doubting the authenticity of the dream interrogation. That's why he drank that potion worth 10 pounds.
As soon as he stepped out of his house, Klein's Clown intuition made him feel a faint, elusive gaze. He muttered to himself, "As expected," and continued walking, pretending to have noticed nothing, and took a public carriage to the Quelaag Club.
Hillston Borough, Quelaag Club.
Since Klein came at least twice a week, the waiters all remembered him and he no longer needed to show his membership card or the Frost Star badge.
As it wasn't the weekend, the spacious and bright hall seemed unusually empty, with only a few people seated in the corner tea table and sofa area.
Glancing over, Klein saw the tall, thin, and rather aloof doctor, Aaron, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and went up to greet him:
"Good morning, Dr. Aaron. How are the preparations for the charity clinic coming along?"
"Although I am a follower of Steam, such a respectable act of kindness is worthy of praise from every decent gentleman."
When it came to his proudest achievement, the usually reserved Aaron Chris couldn't help but show a slight smile, responding humbly:
"Thank you for your praise, Detective Sherlock. The clinic's preparations are nearing completion, thanks to the strong support from the Church and the Foundation. My contribution is merely a small, insignificant part."
After the usual polite exchange, Klein looked up at the large clock at the top of the hall, then scanned the room, asking with some confusion:
"Dr. Aaron, how come I don't see Talim? Does he have a horse riding lesson to teach today?"
Aaron raised a hand to push up his spectacles, then rubbed his temples, pointing to the buffet table with a smile as he explained:
"Talim had to go out for something. We can have lunch first!"
Klein nodded slightly. As he stood up, about to get a plate, his spirituality suddenly stirred. He subconsciously looked towards the club's entrance.
Talim, with short brown curly hair, entered the club. When his eyes met Klein's, his eyes clearly showed joy.
He's back so soon… Klein smiled and nodded, turning his head to tease Dr. Aaron beside him, when he suddenly heard a heavy thud.
Klein spun around abruptly and saw Talim lying on the ground, his left hand clutching his heart, his body convulsing uncontrollably.
How could this be… Klein's pupils dilated. He quickly rushed over with Dr. Aaron.
But by then, Talim had already foamed at the mouth and lost his last breath.
There was no time for Dr. Aaron to attempt resuscitation. In just a few seconds, the man who had been full of vigor moments ago had become a corpse.
This wasn't the first time Klein had seen someone familiar die in front of him, but it was the most sudden and unexpected.
Too fast. A normal illness wouldn't lead to death so quickly!
Recalling the joy on Talim's face when he saw him just now, clearly indicating he had something to tell him… Klein's expression was as still as water as he lightly tapped his teeth, activating his Spirit Vision.
He knelt on one knee beside Dr. Aaron, watching Talim's aura and emotional colors rapidly fade.
And around the tightly clutched heart, wisps of black gas coiled like snakes, gradually dimming.
A Beyonder method similar to a curse? Klein instantly made a preliminary judgment.
At this moment, the red-vested waiters and nearby black-and-white dressed maids rushed over, looking in horror at Talim, who lay on the ground with wide, staring eyes and foam still at the corners of his mouth.
Suppressing the anger in his eyes, Klein took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and ordered in a low voice:
"Go to the nearest police station and tell them someone has died here."
"Yes, Mr. Moriarty." The waiters, who had gathered around but dared not approach further, immediately turned and ran towards the door, so flustered they forgot to put on their coats.