The dark-golden mist around rippled. Aaron looked at the dim and unpredictable Sea of Collective Subconscious. Even with preparations, he still couldn't glimpse Adam's departure.
Shaking his head indifferently, Aaron gathered the spiritual light cluster, symbolizing the Discerner characteristic, in his hand. He sensed a faint resistance from within and, expressionless, clenched his hand.
A power exceeding that of a King of Angels instantly surged, and the clear light cluster, tinged with a grayish-white, immediately transformed back into pure light particles.
Connecting to the Nation of Disorder, the crimson-gold 'Sun Chaser Scepter' instantly appeared before Aaron. The rules within this divine kingdom's projection quietly changed, causing this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to emit a scorching white light that enveloped the light particles after the characteristic was shattered.
The last remaining imprints were forcibly removed by violent means. The spiritual light particles split as they converged, separating into pure Beyonder characteristics.
Glancing at Hermes, who had remained silent since his and Adam's arrival, Aaron unceremoniously put away the most precious Discerner characteristic.
Of the remaining four demigod characteristics that separated, Dream Weaver and Dreamwalker each accounted for two. This clearly indicated that, over these long years, a certain unlucky Dream Weaver had mistakenly entered the dream labyrinth constructed by that psychic giant dragon.
Adhering to a cooperative attitude, Aaron didn't hesitate and directly separated one Dream Weaver characteristic to Hermes. He remembered that Mr. Gluttony from the Psychology Alchemists was Hermes's beloved disciple.
Aaron made no further gestures regarding the remaining characteristics, including the low-Sequence characteristics that were still continuously separating. This wasn't due to stinginess but rather consideration of the current situation. The apocalypse would arrive early, and before that, He had to truly become an Outer Deity.
This meant that after He advanced to Justiciar and completely accommodated the Nation of Disorder, He would need to further accommodate the Black Emperor Pathway's Sequence 1 and Uniqueness.
From the current state of the Evernight Goddess, it was clear that even for a True God, accommodating a neighboring Pathway's Uniqueness while maintaining one's own state was by no means easy. The best method was to hold another corresponding Godhood ritual without compromise.
The Black Emperor's Godhood ritual required a truly meaningful nation and the establishment of a rigorous, complex, yet abnormal set of rules.
He didn't need, nor did He have the time, to covertly promote the implementation of these rules through various decrees like George III.
He only needed to completely shatter the common people's ignorant impression of Beyonder powers since the Fifth Epoch, after the Gods retreated to the Astral World. He needed to truly integrate the Beyonder world into ordinary people's lives, no longer a secret known only to the major Churches and secret organizations.
This would be a drastic reform, but also an opportunity. The potion system, which required a large number of Beyonder characteristics, and the blessing system, based on the Nation of Disorder, could establish the unique social rules He needed, conforming to the Black Emperor's advancement, in the shortest amount of time.
Perhaps influenced by this high-level characteristic of the Visionary Pathway, Aaron's thoughts couldn't help but wander. After his mind calmed, his gaze turned to Hermes.
This ancient Angel silently accepted the Dream Weaver characteristic. For him, who had experienced the Dark Epoch ravaged by ancient gods, the law of the jungle had permeated his entire life. Naturally, he had no objection to the distribution of 'spoils.' What truly unsettled him were the psychic giant dragon's last words before its Death.
As if finally understanding certain things, Hermes sighed with a look of melancholy. A tarot card, precisely the Visionary card, appeared in his hand. He gently pushed it towards Aaron, his tone becoming more respectful than before:
"This Blasphemy Slate is no longer of much use to me, but it should still be helpful to your fiancée."
"Besides the corresponding potion formula, it can also protect the Spirit Body and reduce the impact of continuously separating virtual personalities on divine balance before achieving Angelhood."
Aaron, who had only intended to find the subsequent potion formula and advancement ritual for Audrey, raised an eyebrow at the latter half of the sentence. He didn't refuse, taking the Blasphemy Slate and beginning to scrutinize it.
The dark-golden mist swirling around Hermes also dissipated at this moment, reconnecting with the external subconscious sea. Vague light and shadows peeled away from his body, arriving at the dream labyrinth that was about to collapse:
"The Dream Weaver's advancement ritual requires traversing the Sea of Collective Subconscious, using consciousness to connect to the dreams of at least a thousand people, thereby weaving a deep dream, and implanting a psychological cue within the dream that is sufficient to create feedback in reality."
Aaron had by now deciphered the complete potion formula from the Blasphemy Slate. Looking at Hermes, who seemed to be repairing the dream labyrinth, he pondered and spoke:
"Create feedback in reality?"
Controlling the virtual personalities to re-gather the misty, clear, and hazy dreams, Hermes nodded slightly and explained in a calm voice:
"Your previous isolation of Ariehogg and the most dangerous part of the dream allowed this labyrinth, composed of deep dreams, to survive. You only need to enter it before it completely disappears, washed away by the Sea of Collective Subconscious, and implant a psychological cue to eliminate dragon worship."
"The long-standing custom of dragon worship in Huderak Village and its surrounding areas in the real world will then completely disappear silently. This is what it means to create feedback in reality."
"One of my virtual personalities will remain here, guarding this dream labyrinth from the erosion of the subconscious ocean. Your fiancée can use this to advance after digesting the Manipulator potion."
"I thank you for your help on Audrey's behalf..." Aaron smiled, put away the Visionary card, and informed this ancient Angel of the honorific name 'Lord of Order.' Then, he added meaningfully:
"You can invoke my name when needed!"
Having reached a tacit understanding, Aaron nodded and then left the Subconscious Sea, returning to the Nation of Disorder.
At the end of the Pillar of Heaven, directly above the miniature world, Aaron overlooked the entire dark-golden world. He restrained the Nation of Disorder's instinctive resistance to the inherent corruption within the current Groselle's Travels, and incidentally sensed Roselle's state on the primitive island.
"Faster than I expected. In at most half a year, the Nation of Disorder's corruption will balance the Mother Goddess of Depravity's corruption. This speed might even increase after I advance to Justiciar."
"However, that drop of River of Eternal darkness water is almost depleted. At this rate, at least three more drops will be needed."
"Without being able to recreate a Death's Godhood ritual, the Evernight Goddess will need even more River of Eternal darkness to control and even accommodate Death's Uniqueness. It's no longer possible to spare so much for Roselle..."
Aaron pinched his brow, a mix of joy and worry, contemplating whether he should visit Calderon City deep within the Spirit World again.