Feeling Melissa's tension, Aaron curled his lips playfully, inexplicably reminded of Klein's reaction. The brilliant starlight surging from the "Crown of Stars" enveloped the figures of the few people.
"Don't overthink it. You can directly inform Mr. Fool about this matter."
Audrey raised her eyebrows thoughtfully. She knew that Mr. Fool's Blessed "World" was actually the deceased Nighthawk, Klein Moretti. While feeling somewhat enlightened, she also found herself in a peach orchard filled with lush vegetation and blooming flowers.
At the end of the colorful peach orchard, nine colossal tripods, some round and some square, with two ears and three legs, abruptly came into view. Even from a distance, one could feel their unique solemnity.
Bernadette and Bornova simultaneously withdrew their gazes from the giant tripods and looked at Aaron and the others who had suddenly appeared. Further back, Cattleya, in a Warlock robe, was a beat slower but also turned her head as if sensing something.
Without wasting time on pleasantries, Aaron nodded in greeting, then led Audrey and Melissa to the side of the giant tripods. After briefly explaining his idea, he began to examine the giant tripod directly facing him.
Given his Sequence, he could naturally sense that these nine giant tripods were not physical objects. Like the surrounding peach orchard, they were merely products of Mystical Reenactment, and the "Discerner" Beyonder characteristic he had given to Bornova earlier was among them.
After glancing at the somewhat anxious Melissa, Bornova nodded slightly. Bernadette, beside him, looked at Aaron and explained:
"These are creations I Reenactment from stories left by my father. They can greatly enhance the ability to forge high-level Beyonder characteristics."
"As for your request, Bornova and I have discussed it. A Spectator Pathway demigod can already separate Virtual Personas. We plan to use one of Audrey's Virtual Personas as a guide to create a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact that initially possesses living characteristics."
"With that Virtual Persona as an intermediary, even a Sequence 4 can use a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact to a certain extent. Once she advances to Dream Weaver and completely separates that Virtual Persona as another identity, the corresponding negative effects will be greatly reduced."
After some deliberation, Aaron agreed to the plan. He then looked at the creations, which were very different from the current era, with a strange expression. Even if Bernadette didn't explicitly say so, he could guess the source of the Mystical Reenactment, the Nine Tripods of Chinese Mythology.
The Nine Tripods are for rituals, not artifacts… Aaron silently complained in his heart, but he had no intention of correcting it. Instead, he was thoughtful:
"With the protection of the Celestial Worthy's barrier, the history of the Western Continent should not have been completely cut off. The blessed items that have infiltrated the Western Continent can indeed align with certain myths…"
Gathering his scattered thoughts, Aaron gave some instructions and then no longer lingered. He sensed the positioning provided by the God of Steam and Machinery, and layers of starlight once again surged from the "Crown of Stars," carrying his figure away into the interwoven void.
-----------------
Within the Astral World, which was filled with various concepts, abstract distortions, and chaos, layers of starlight portals appeared, and Aaron stepped out from them.
This was his first time in the Astral World after accommodating a Uniqueness. His true vision swept past various graffiti-like abstract paintings, finally solidifying on the transparent, cracked barrier behind them.
"No wonder Adam and the Evernight Goddess both feel that the apocalypse will arrive early…"
Witnessing the state of the barrier firsthand, Aaron sighed and shook his head, not caring whether mentioning those two directly in the Astral World would cause them to be sensed.
And the moment his voice fell, a misty glow, as if it had been waiting for a long time, surged out from the void, slowly unfolding into scenes of grand and magnificent scrolls.
"This is only the edge of the Astral World being affected. The cracks filled by the divine kingdoms are far greater than here, and Evernight and Earth Mother have also been more or less affected by the Mother Goddess of Depravity this time. The situation has become increasingly dire."
A deep, rich voice emanated from the scroll of civilization, responding to Aaron's sigh. A mechanical puppet, reflecting a cold metallic luster, walked out from the scroll of civilization. Within its semi-hollow chest, a bronze triangular holy emblem imprisoned a vast amount of light composed of illusory particles, which was also the source of the pressure far exceeding that of ordinary angels.
Its eyes, constructed from countless miniature gears, rotated, scrutinizing Aaron for a moment. The mechanical puppet, with an extremely ordinary face, revealed a smile:
"Originally, I was prepared to use the Hidden Sage to help you complete a simplified Godhood ritual to accommodate the Uniqueness, but it seems unnecessary now."
Examining the divine descent vessel before him, Aaron could faintly feel his spiritual intuition warning him. Even the 0-17 back then had not given him this feeling. He raised an eyebrow and spoke thoughtfully:
"Is this divine descent vessel specifically prepared for the Hidden Sage? It feels very different to me."
The God of Steam and Machinery nodded slightly but did not explain in detail:
"Given the current situation, I cannot leave the Astral World. Therefore, I have endowed it with a portion of my authority. With the Hidden Sage's current state, cooperating with you should be sufficient."
"This avatar had already found the most crucial residual aura on the Evernight Plains, and combined with the information gathered over the long period since the Fifth Epoch, I have deduced his true hidden location. The sooner we act, the more difficult it will be for his state to recover!"
By the end of his words, his emotions couldn't help but fluctuate slightly. It was clear that he intended to strike while the iron was hot, eager to eliminate the Hidden Sage, this obstacle on the Outer Deity Pathway.
Aaron pondered for a moment, recalling the oracle relayed by Her Grace Dabomachie, and asked cautiously:
"Besides information on the Hidden Sage, have you detected any traces of the methods used by that Mother Goddess at the apex of the Outer Deity to activate the 'Brood Hive'?"
The God of Steam and Machinery's emotions had already calmed. He pondered for a few seconds before responding:
"The aura of the 'Brood Hive' was indeed eliminated very cleanly, leaving no trace."
Aaron frowned, weighing in his heart whether to trade for the "Blessing of the Earth" formed from Omebella's remains from the City of Silver and risk probing it.
Worried about causing uncontrollable unknown changes, Aaron pondered for a moment and temporarily abandoned this idea. He looked at the God of Steam and Machinery, who was silently waiting for his response:
"You should know that George III is plotting to ascend to the Black Emperor's Godhood, and now he might even be just one step away from the Godhood ritual."
"And to trap the Hidden Sage, I must go all out. If I get entangled with him, and George III takes the opportunity to advance, I cannot accept such a risk."
The splendid scroll of civilization retracted, shrinking back into the triangular holy emblem in his chest. The God of Steam and Machinery, who was quite knowledgeable about the Black Emperor, remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking:
"What help do you need?"