The sanctuary under the night sky was filled with a peaceful and serene atmosphere, unaffected by the intense battle at the Amantha defense line; instead, it complemented the cold Crimson Moon hanging high in the sky, illuminating the earth.
It wasn't until Alfred successfully advanced that Aaron ceased his suppression of the spatial order, withdrew his gaze from Audrey, and turned slightly to look behind him.
The darkness there surged, and the Pope of Evernight, Dabomachie, clad in religious vestments and wearing a triple crown, emerged from her hidden state. Her dark eyes fixated on Aaron, then suddenly constricted, and an uncontainable astonishment flashed across her serene face, which had been as still as an ancient well.
"Good evening, Your Holiness!"
Aaron nodded in greeting, then looked at Dabomachie and went straight to the point:
"In the Sea of Collective Subconscious near Hartlarkh Village in East Chester County, there lurks a Mind Dragon that survived the Second Epoch. Its identity is somewhat special, and to avoid being affected by additional factors, I hope to receive the Hidden Sage's blessing."
Dabomachie's expression grew complex. She slowly nodded, not even asking what she needed to do, and added in a clear, cold voice:
"The Amantha defense line is still in a fierce struggle. I cannot leave the sanctuary for long. You can summon my historical projection when you need help."
"Additionally, after the Astral World barrier showed anomalies this afternoon, I received an oracle. Under the influence of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, a portion of the 'Brood Mother's' power seems to have permeated from the Evernight Plains in the far north. Please, Your Honored Follower, pay attention to this."
Brood Mother? Aaron raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and couldn't help but recall the Rose School of Thought angel who had advanced across Pathways to become the Beauty Goddess. After a moment of contemplation, he flipped his hand, retrieving Arrodes from the Nation of Disorder, and immediately inquired:
"What happened in the Evernight Plains?"
Arrodes, who had been dormant, suddenly awoke. The mirror surface trembled with ripples, but after a moment, no image appeared. Only lines of silvery words emerged, directly expressing the mirror's annoyance:
"The Spirit World information corresponding to the depths of the Evernight Plains has been completely concealed by the Evil God worshipped by the Moses Ascetic Order. Your incompetent but loyal servant, Arrodes, has disappointed you again..."
As expected, the Hidden Sage... Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly. He casually altered Arrodes's questioning rules and put it away. He then glanced at Dabomachie beside him but did not immediately take out the item of contact given by the God of Steam and Machinery.
Gazing at Audrey in the valley, Aaron pondered for a moment but decided to go alone. An angel-level Mind Dragon was also connected to the Dragon of Imagination, which was too dangerous for Audrey, who was only at Sequence 4.
With this thought, the "Star Crown" instantly appeared above his head, and the ethereal blue starlight portal carried his figure away.
-----------------
Stoen City, the capital of East Chester County.
Aaron stepped out of the Star Gate, surveying the city under the crimson moonlight. His consciousness connected to the Nation of Disorder, and he retrieved a dark-gold light cluster from the pile of miscellaneous items, bringing it into reality.
The solidified power of order loosened, revealing a peculiar special symbol woven from numerous illusory and complex pieces of information.
Aaron's spirituality stirred, as if sensing a gaze descending from the Astral World. After imbuing this creation with a spiritual light containing Arrodes and his own conjectures, he reabsorbed it into the Sefirah.
Putting the matter of the Evernight Plains out of his mind, the "Ring of Mysteries" on Aaron's finger emitted a faint glow. Recalling Ince Zangwill's death on the Fog Sea, he extended his hand, continuously grasping at the void in front of him.
Repeating it again and again, his right hand suddenly sank, pulling out a slightly dim ancient quill.
"0-08"!
While "Groselle's Travels" would have been more suitable, the negative personality of the Dragon of Imagination, born from the influence of the Chaos Sea and lurking in the Sea of Collective Subconscious within its book world, made it impossible to reproduce through historical projection.
Feeling the time limit he could maintain, he took out Arrodes again and, using his finger as a pen, wrote the honorific name he had been told in Winter County on the mirror surface:
"The creator of ancient Hermes;"
"The light of enlightenment for human civilization;"
"The Discerner of dreams and minds...."
Ripples spread from the mirror surface, extending to the surrounding Sea of Collective Subconscious and sweeping towards the deeper islands of consciousness.
In a secret mausoleum somewhere in East Chester County, illuminated by the faint glow of underground moss and the pillar lamps inside the cliff walls, an ordinary-looking elder floated in mid-air—it was Hermes.
This ancient angel lowered his eyes slightly, using the Discerner's ability to grasp a loophole in the shadow of order. With his index finger, he outlined lines of shimmering light in the air, as if they came from the deepest dreams.
In an instant, a Hermes, identical in every respect, quietly appeared. For an angel-level Dream Weaver, weaving a nearly real self that would not be detected by the rules permeating the mausoleum that the true body had left was not difficult.
Clutching the historical projection of "0-08," Aaron immediately saw layers of grayish-white steps extending from the hazy "sea surface" to his feet the moment he entered the Sea of Collective Subconscious.
With a slight curve of his lips, Aaron snapped his fingers. Using the high-level authority of the Black Emperor Pathway granted by the Sefirah, distance was distorted, and he instantly arrived at the Mind Island at the end of the steps.
Aaron did not deliberately suppress his aura. After demonstrating his strength to this ancient angel, he raised the "0-08" in his hand and said with a smile:
"Good evening, Elder Hermes, I am here to fulfill my previous promise to you."
Distorted symbols appeared deep within Hermes's eyes. He stared at Aaron for a few seconds. The feedback from the Discerner's authority was an endless dark-gold world, and under the frantic premonition of his spiritual intuition, he decisively stopped all attempts to probe.
Subconsciously comparing Aaron to the one from the Twilight Hermit Order, Hermes sighed softly with considerable emotion. In an instant, he composed himself and spoke calmly:
"Your growth has exceeded my expectations. I have explored many of the dream labyrinths hidden in Hartlarkh during this time. I shall lead out that Mind Dragon, and with your current Beyonder Characteristic, you should be able to block its retreat."
Seeing Aaron nod in agreement, Hermes did not hesitate. Star-like points of light rose from the hazy Sea of Collective Subconscious, converging into the figure of a young man.
Looking at this separated virtual personality, under Aaron's slightly surprised gaze, a Tarot card suddenly appeared in Hermes's hand. The cover depicted Roselle with a solemn expression, while in the upper left corner, brilliant starlight condensed into a line of text:
"Sequence 0: Visionary"!
After integrating this blasphemous card, which possessed nearly true god-level anti-divination and anti-prophecy capabilities, into the virtual personality, the young man's figure became even more solid and indistinguishable from a real person, showing no sign of being merely a separated identity.