In the Library deep within the Spirit World Depths, streams of information surged from outside, and countless complex yet pure knowledge converged here, reassembling Leyton's body.
As soon as he appeared, he threw the grayish-white book, etched with numerous abstract and distorted patterns, towards Mr. Hughes, who was leisurely sipping tea while leaning back on a long bench.
The grayish-white book did not fall into Mr. Hughes's hands but spontaneously turned in mid-air, flying to a nearby bookshelf. It settled among a pile of blank books without covers or content. In just a moment, content began to continuously appear on those blank books.
Setting down his teacup, Mr. Hughes looked at Leyton with a leisurely gaze and softly said, "You're curious why I didn't stop Adam after discerning his plan, and even cooperated with his performance to deceive the gods?"
Without waiting for Leyton to answer, he continued to speak to himself, "Whether it's Adam's fusion with the True Creator or the True Creator emerging from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, these are inevitable occurrences. A little earlier or a little later makes no significant difference."
"Compared to Adam, who is a divine avatar, I prefer the True Creator to take the dominant position. The complete Him needs to contend with His previously abandoned extreme emotions and the madness accumulated over the years. This will leave Him with less energy to interfere with matters on the Northern and Southern continents."
"The 'Sun' also understood this, which is why He didn't descend directly like the impulsive 'Tyrant' but exerted influence from the astral world."
"Due to the unique nature of His authority, even if Adam fails, He can leave calmly. Neither the 'Sun' nor the 'Tyrant' possesses authority related to the spiritual domain, making it difficult to retain Him."
"Moreover, you still have water from the River of Eternal Darkness. If it wasn't the 'Tyrant,' who can transform into electricity and light speed, that descended into reality at that time, but the arrogant 'Sun,' He would have been silently corrupted by you."
"Arrogance, sometimes, is a very exploitable weakness."
Leyton listened calmly, nodding faintly. As he expected, as the most "wise" of the giant dragons, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom had already discerned all the schemes and chosen the path most beneficial to Himself.
After a moment of silence, Mr. Hughes spoke again:
"The conflicts between the gods will soon reflect into reality and erupt in the form of war. This is a war that will truly sweep across the Northern and Southern continents, with at least five, or even all, of the Seven Gods participating."
"The last time it was this lively was during the 'Pale Era,' when the 'Underworld Emperor' was at His most powerful."
Leyton nodded gently and said with a hint of emotion, "The end of an epoch is always accompanied by war and disaster, especially when this might be the last epoch."
With a slight sigh, Mr. Hughes changed the subject. He pulled out a book describing war and conflict from a nearby round table and lightly tapped the crimson leather cover twice with his right index finger, saying, "Help me meet Medici. I'm very curious about His current attitude and stance. If appropriate, you can convey the information about 0-01 to Him."
"0-01?" Leyton asked in surprise.
He hadn't expected the sealed artifact numbered 0-01 to be with the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, and it seemed to be related to the "Hunter" pathway. With the clear whereabouts of all three Sequence 1 characteristics, it could only be the Uniqueness of the Red Priest.
As thoughts flickered, Mr. Hughes's gentle and calm voice continued to echo in his ears:
"It's called the Salinger Blood Banner, evolved from the Uniqueness of the Red Priest pathway. It has witnessed the fall of two true gods and has been influenced by the River of Eternal Darkness, making it extremely dangerous. Even an Angel would find it difficult to approach without mastering the correct method."
"It is sealed in the underground mausoleum of Morora, a city isolated from reality."
"No problem, I also have something to discuss with Medici," Leyton nodded gently in response.
Seeing that Mr. Hughes had no intention of continuing to speak, he turned and walked away. As he did so, his body became ethereal, disintegrating little by little, turning into streams of complex and pure information flow, surging away into the Spirit World Depths.
Above the Gray Fog, after recovering a bit from his state of desireless tranquility, Klein immediately arrived at the Gray Fog.
After a brief glance around, he extended his spirituality and touched the crimson star representing Anderson. Crimson light surged and spread like a tide, condensing into the image and sound of Anderson praying.
Listening to the information Anderson conveyed through prayer, combined with his own understanding and speculation, Klein finally knew what had happened at that time.
While Anderson was praying, Klein, relying on the special nature of the Gray Fog, carefully observed Anderson and, after confirming through divination that there were no lingering dangers on him, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, he heard Anderson mention Danitz's name:
"Respected Mr. Fool, a friend of mine has been parasitized by Amon, though it's only a superficial parasitism. May I ask if I can receive your help, and what price would be required?"
After a moment of silence, Klein leaned back against the chair and said leisurely, "Have him recite My name and perform this ritual."
As he spoke, he slightly extended his right hand and threw the improved version of the mystical ritual procedure that Little Sun had performed earlier into the crimson star representing Anderson.
When Anderson finished praying, Klein sighed deeply and said, "Everyone is a character on the stage, driving the plot forward, whether openly or secretly. Whether they wish it or not, things always move towards the predetermined direction through various arrangements and coincidences. Is this the terror of the 'Spectator' pathway King of Angels? Even the gods are written into the script."
Amidst his sigh, he once again extended his spirituality, touching the newly appeared crimson star representing Leonard!
In the guest room of the manor, Leonard was quietly listening to Pallez's rambling. Suddenly, a thick Gray Fog surged before his eyes, and crimson light surged like a tide, engulfing all his vision.
By the time he reacted, the scenery before him was no longer the manor's guest room. Around him, towering stone pillars stood, rising above the boundless grayish-white mist, collectively supporting this magnificent palace, like a giant's dwelling.
Leonard froze for a second before realizing that he had, at some point, sat down at the side of an ancient, mottled bronze long table. Around him and opposite were high-backed chairs that exuded a sense of solemnity and grandeur.
At the very top of the mottled long table, a figure was obscured by thick Gray Fog, making it impossible to see clearly, like a bottomless abyss or a towering mountain whose peak could not be seen. He could only instinctively feel that the other party seemed to be leisurely gazing down upon everything in the world.
Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Leonard had a rough guess about his situation. He had recited the honorific name of The Fool when he sought revenge on Ince Zangwill.
Thinking of this, his expression suddenly became serious, and he instinctively wanted to stand up from his seat to bow and praise this great existence who had provided him with help.
As soon as he made a move, he was held down by an invisible force and pressed back. A calm and leisurely voice echoed in his ears:
"There's no need for such trouble. I don't care for these."
"You can call Me Mr. Fool."
Sure enough, I was easily brought here from under the old man's nose. This is definitely not something other Angels of the old man's level could do. Leonard's thoughts raced, trying to cover up his nervousness.
After two seconds of silence, he stood up from his seat, turned sideways, and bowed to the figure at the head of the mottled long table, saying, "Respected Mr. Fool, why have you summoned me here?"
Klein, shrouded in Gray Fog, chuckled. Seeing a familiar person's performance before him made him feel more relaxed, and his own state even improved a bit.
He looked at Leonard, who was acting extremely sincere, and chuckled, "I adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange. Since you prayed to Me for help and received My response, you naturally need to pay a price."
A price... at this time, it doesn't sound like a good word... Leonard's body trembled involuntarily, and he lowered his head even further, saying, "What do you wish to obtain?"
After a brief pause, The Fool's voice came from within the Gray Fog, echoing in his ears:
"Heh, you can relax. The price you need to pay is not urgent for now. Perhaps later I will ask you to do some things, to provide some help to certain individuals."
"Sit down."
Leonard slowly exhaled. Just doing some things, providing some help, not demanding his soul—that's good.
As thoughts flickered, he subconsciously glanced around twice. After sitting back in the high-backed chair, he looked up at the figure at the head of the mottled long table and casually asked, "Did Klein Moretti also come here like me?"
This was a question he had already anticipated. Klein's tone was calm, with little fluctuation, as he said, "In a different way."
In a different way... Was he personally guided by the Death Consul? Or, at the moment Ince Zangwill killed him, did he choose to exchange faith and soul for power...? Leonard couldn't help but let his thoughts wander, thinking of the evil gods recorded in the Church's archives, and recalling what the old man had told him about the Death Consul.
As thoughts churned, Leonard's gaze once again swept around. He looked more carefully. Twenty-two high-backed chairs, corresponding exactly to the twenty-two Beyonder pathways, or perhaps, twenty-two Tarot cards?
Just as some guesses arose in his mind, Leonard heard Mr. Fool's leisurely voice:
"Besides you, other beings have come here for various reasons."
"They have asked Me to be a witness and convener, to regularly hold gatherings here, to facilitate their transactions and mutual assistance. This helps them advance their Sequences."