Following the chill that suddenly arose in his heart, Klein saw Prince Edessak leading a woman in a thick black dress and a veiled face from the carriage. A blue gem was on the little finger of her left hand, which he held.
His scalp immediately tingled. Klein, quite experienced, immediately used his "Clown" ability to control his facial expression and slight tremors in his body.
"That Trissy, who controls an important Sealed Artifact of the Demoness Sect, is right beside Prince Edessak?"
He gently, but not urgently, withdrew his gaze, ensuring his casual glance didn't reveal too much abnormality, but his mind was already racing.
Outside the banquet hall, the luxuriously decorated carriage was led away by servants.
Beneath the thin veil, Trissy's face was exquisite and charming. Suppressing the disgust in her heart, she followed Prince Edessak with a somewhat wooden expression, walking towards Bishop Electra who was coming to meet them.
Trissy had wanted to shout out countless times, to tell the Bishop of the Church of the Evernight Goddess that she was the Demoness wanted in Tingen.
But whenever such a thought arose, a terrifying, irresistible force would quietly emerge, as if something extremely horrifying would happen if she even prepared to speak.
Standing outside the banquet hall, Leonard, wearing a clergyman's robe, withdrew his gaze from Emlyn beside the great detective and muttered softly:
"Isn't this guy an MI9 informant? How did he get involved with a Vampire?"
As he spoke, he looked at Prince Edessak, who was conversing with Bishop Electra, and lowered his voice, asking his taciturn captain, Soest, beside him with great curiosity:
"Who is that woman?"
He had only become a formal Red Glove and arrived in Backlund from the Holy Cathedral two weeks ago, so he truly didn't know much about these important figures in Backlund.
Soest glared back at Leonard:
"There are too many eyes and ears here. Watch what you say; don't let those MI9 people hear you!"
"That lady seemed to be a commoner before. As for now, well, she's likely the future princess."
Leonard nodded in understanding, and the aged voice of Pallez Zoroast suddenly echoed in his mind:
"That woman is very dangerous; stay away from her!"
The smile on his face stiffened slightly. Leonard looked around as if patrolling, then walked to a secluded corner and muttered to himself:
"What does that mean?"
Pallez did not explain, his tone becoming even sterner:
"If you don't want to die, stay away from that Demoness and pretend you haven't discovered anything!"
After that, no matter how Leonard called, he received no response.
-----------------
Unlike the bustling and lively banquet hall, the second floor was much emptier and quieter. As an office area, it had not yet been officially put into use.
Aaron sat alone in a secluded secret room at the very end, his eyes, now crimson gold, quietly observing everything in the banquet hall.
After reaching a consensus with Archbishop Anthony at St. Samuel Church, Aaron had taken his leave and come here to await a distinguished guest.
With the Dream Weaving Ring, crafted from a "Manipulator" Beyonder characteristic, on his index finger, Aaron felt something as his fingertips brushed the ring covered in gray-white wrinkles. He withdrew his gaze from Trissy and looked at the space opposite him.
He had already enveloped 135 George Street with the "Domain of Judgement." Even with Aaron's current status, without invoking the "Nation of Disorder," he could only sense a certain power breaking through the "Domain of Judgement"'s seal, but he couldn't clearly perceive the source of that power.
Restraining the "Domain of Judgement"'s instinctive counterattack, and knowing that the guest he was waiting for had arrived, Aaron chuckled softly and slowly spoke:
"As expected of a 'Discerner,' I, on behalf of the East Tucker family, welcome your arrival!"
The outline of a figure suddenly appeared, with tiny specks of light continuously emerging from the void, making the figure increasingly clear, coalescing into an ordinary-looking old man.
His hair was completely white but sufficiently thick, with few wrinkles on his face and no distinctive features. It was Hermes, whom he had met once before. This ancient angel calmly looked at Aaron and sighed, speaking in ancient Feysac:
"Although I had some expectations, your growth rate still exceeded my imagination."
"In the current situation, to still receive His invitation, the secret behind you is probably even greater than I imagined."
As He spoke, His head darkened, and a "sea" that encompassed all colors and all secrets, difficult to describe in words, appeared.
Aaron's smile did not diminish. He glanced at the quiet room around him, which seemed unchanged, then stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out.
The formerly bustling and lively guest hall was long gone, replaced by an endless corridor. Silver candelabras were embedded in the walls, emitting dim, yellowish light.
Looking at the ancient wooden doors, each adorned with various carved reliefs, illuminated by the candlelight, Aaron couldn't help but sigh in admiration:
"Is this the Dream Maze?"
Hermes, clad in a white robe, quietly appeared beside him. He nodded gently and casually pushed open a "Door of Mind" closest to Him.
The scene behind the Door was quite ordinary; the only thing that could be called peculiar was perhaps the towering trees. In Aaron's impression, he had only seen such a scene in the Holy Cathedral of the Church of the Earth Mother.
And the depths of this ancient forest-like area were dim and unclear.
As Aaron followed Him inside, the deep world immediately rippled, quickly outlining some contours.
In just a few breaths, an island-sized city suddenly appeared in the depths of the ancient forest. During this process, neither Aaron nor Hermes spoke again.
The city that suddenly appeared had a gray-white foundation, with majestic stone pillars, dozens to hundreds of meters high, erected upon it.
They either stood alone or collectively supported towering, ancient palaces. The overall impression was both strange and magnificent, unlike anything ordinary creatures could build.
At the center of the city was a majestic gray-white palace, over two hundred meters tall, with several thick stone pillars, shorter than itself, standing in front of it.
In the deepest part of the palace, on the largest stone pillar, a gray-white figure was outlined.
The figure was entirely covered in scales, each like a solid stone slab. Its vaguely presented outline alone felt like an epic.
"The City of Miracles, Liveseyd... Ankewelt..."
A deep sigh echoed in Aaron's ears, yet it made the smile on Aaron's face even more pronounced.
The scene behind this Door of Mind was jointly constructed by him and Hermes, concretely displaying their inner thoughts and ideas.
As early as when he obtained the Dream Weaving Ring, which allowed him to roam the subconscious sea without fear of getting lost, Aaron had independently explored the collective subconscious sea of "Groselle's Travels."
What he presented to Hermes this time was precisely the "City of Miracles" he had seen in the collective subconscious sea of the book world back then!
As an ancient angel who had survived from the ancient epoch until now, Aaron believed Hermes would certainly realize what this "City of Miracles," which should have been destroyed, implied.
Since "0-08" was currently in Backlund, Aaron was concerned that taking out "Groselle's Travels" would cause unnecessary complications and disrupt the uncooperative tacit understanding he had with Adam.
Aaron had no choice but to implicitly express his sincerity to Hermes, proving that he indeed had a way to draw out the Mind Dragon in East Chester County.
Looking at the "City of Miracles," Hermes revealed an elusive smile and asked in a gentle tone:
"Can you tell me where you discovered Liveseyd?"
Without hiding anything, Aaron answered frankly:
"In a book called 'Groselle's Travels.' It's rumored to have been personally crafted by the Dragon King Ankewelt. Uh, its previous collector was the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom."
Hermes was silent for two seconds, then pursued the question with a somewhat enigmatic tone:
"Does that book world have a collective subconscious sea?"
"Naturally!" Aaron glanced at the "City of Miracles" not far away and added:
"The 'City of Miracles' Liveseyd I saw was in the depths of the collective subconscious sea of the book world."
Somewhat to Aaron's surprise, Hermes did not continue to ask, but merely nodded gently, refocusing His gaze on Aaron:
"Howard has already informed me of your request. Many people in the Twilight Hermit Order indeed do not wish to see your appearance, so concealing your identity is indeed necessary for you."
Seemingly sensing Aaron's surprise, Hermes chuckled:
"This is the 'Dream Maze' I constructed. As long as you don't directly call out that person's name, there won't be any impact."
Aaron nodded, and just as he was about to say something, he found that the Dream Weaving Ring on his hand suddenly disappeared and appeared in Hermes's hand.
"The Twilight Hermit Order is essentially a true dream that connects the entire continent. It's not too difficult to hide from those people's eyes."
As He spoke, streams of dreamlike radiance surged from beneath His white robe. The gray-white Dream Weaving Ring was as if forcibly distorted and stretched by an invisible force, finally transforming into an exceptionally cold, extremely illusory gray-white mask.
Looking at the familiar shape, Aaron was slightly dumbfounded and subconsciously asked in return:
"This is the 'Gluttony' mask?"
As if he had thought of something, he continued to ask in surprise:
"Is that Mr. 'Gluttony' also a member of the Twilight Hermit Order?"
After receiving Hermes's affirmative reply, Aaron had already guessed Hermes's intention. The sudden appearance of an extra participant would inevitably attract everyone's attention, just like Roselle back then.
Although he didn't know how Hermes would manage to perfectly substitute him for Mr. "Gluttony," the 'Discerner' wouldn't have proposed the idea unless He was confident.
The only one who would know that this "Gluttony" was not that "Gluttony" was probably Adam, who was hosting the meeting. Having extended the invitation, He naturally wouldn't deliberately sabotage it.
Thinking this, Aaron took the "Gluttony" mask, which had been modified by Hermes, and asked carefully:
"Its negative effects?"
Hermes looked back at the "City of Miracles" in the distance and chuckled softly:
"This is just a false 'Gluttony' mask; it won't have any additional side effects. It will return to its original form after the Twilight Hermit Order ends."
Aaron nodded noncommittally and put away the mask for now. He would still pray to the Evernight Goddess later; he didn't dare to directly wear something made by a master in the spiritual domain on his face.
The most important matter had been completed, and a smile reappeared on Aaron's face:
"I have a small matter. I wonder if Elder Hermes can lend a hand?"
-----------------
"I believe that with the care of the Church and Duke Aaron, the East Tucker Charity Clinic will surely become the largest public medical institution in Loen and even the entire Northern Continent."
"The Evernight Goddess's glory will eventually spread to every believer who worships Her!"
Standing on the podium, Bishop Electra spoke passionately. The guests below, whether or not they were believers of the Evernight Goddess, all applauded.
Klein felt his stiff body being poked, and Emlyn's low complaint came from his ear:
"Hey, Charlotte, what's wrong?"
"Quick, lend me some money; the fundraisers are coming!"
Klein, his mind churning with thoughts, only then realized that the banquet was nearing its end. He subconsciously turned his head in the direction of Emlyn's voice and saw Melissa, wearing a black veil hat, pushing a donation box towards him.
The irritation in his heart immediately eased. Klein muttered in a voice only he could hear, "As expected, it's still so old-fashioned..."
Although he said that, the curve of his lips slightly upturned. Ultimately, the reason he came to the banquet was to see his sister, who was about to work here, before leaving Backlund; it was just that Trissy's sudden appearance had interrupted his plan.
He split the 100 pounds in his hand, giving 50 pounds to the equally penniless Vampire gentleman, instructing him to repay it quickly, then slipped the remaining gold pounds into the donation box.
"Thank you for your generosity. May the Evernight Goddess bless you!"
Melissa smiled. As her gaze swept over the gentleman's face, her expression froze slightly. A strange sense of familiarity made her subconsciously ask:
"Sir, would you mind telling me your name?"
Klein pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his lips curving slightly:
"Of course, my name is Sherlock, and I am a private detective."
Watching Melissa gradually walk away, the smile on Klein's face slowly faded. After advancing to "Faceless," he consciously adjusted his facial features in front of a mirror every day.
Such slow adjustments could avoid suspicion caused by a sudden change in appearance and also make up for the identity loopholes when he first came to Backlund unprepared.
Now, his appearance was significantly different from when he first arrived in Backlund, but he didn't expect Melissa to still notice something unusual.
Sighing inwardly, Klein withdrew his gaze and looked towards the front of the banquet, somewhat surprised to find that Prince Edessak, who had been surrounded by people, had disappeared.
When? He subconsciously looked around and only saw Trissy, with two maids standing beside her, and the serious-faced old butler in the lounge area of the guest hall.