The raven with a white ring around its right eye, leading the group, lowered its head to glance at Medici, and a human voice came from its mouth:
"It's just a test of Evernight's attitude. Even if Zaratul recovers his complete Attendant of Mysteries, he's still just a slightly larger pawn."
"But you, tsk tsk, it seems you've gotten that guy's tacit approval…"
It flapped its wings, looking at Trier not far away, and sighed mockingly:
"How proud, an undefilable Sun…"
Ignoring Amon's sarcastic remarks, Medici shrugged his shoulders, his deep eyes, flickering with flames, also looked at Trier, and he muttered to himself:
"The Iron and Blood Cross Order's century-long exploration can finally be put to use. Rather than letting that Conqueror characteristic continue to be wasted on your descendant, it's better to complete me."
As he spoke, the flesh on Medici's cheek wriggled, and a human face vaguely emerged, but under the influence of the bloody mark between his eyebrows, it could never truly form.
Finding Medici's reaction uninteresting, the raven with a white ring around its right eye dissipated. As its playful voice echoed, a twelve-segment Worm of Time floated down:
"I have some avatars still remaining there. I haven't retrieved them to avoid provoking certain sensitive guys. Take this; you will get the help you want…"
---
Fog Sea, La Cha Island, Emerald Palace.
The Mystical Reenactment of the "Nine Tripods" stood majestically. Melissa, no longer as anxious as before after receiving a response from The Fool, was learning Beyonder knowledge in the field of Constellations with Cattleya's help.
"As adjacent Pathways, Constellations Master and Astronomer have commonalities in potion digestion and certain taboos. Cattleya's experience can help you avoid many detours."
"Once you have completely digested the potion, I will provide you with an opportunity to complete the advancement ritual. Only by gaining divinity can you truly become my disciple."
Bornova, wearing a simple priest's robe, spoke gently. He was quite satisfied with the student Aaron had given him. After all, strictly speaking, Melissa was Bornova's first disciple after his humanity returned.
After a series of instructions, Bornova then looked at Audrey beside him and said with a smile:
"The residual mental imprint within that Discerner characteristic had already been cleared by Duke Aaron. This saved me time, and now the final step can be performed."
Audrey was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then became pleasantly surprised. She then followed her previous communication with Bornova, entering her consciousness island to separate a Virtual Persona. At the same time, she looked around curiously and asked:
"Is Bernadette not on La Cha Island?"
As she spoke, a halo surged from the void beside Audrey, transforming into another, less real version of herself. This Virtual Persona held the Blasphemy Slate of the Visionary Pathway in her hand.
"The current situation is turbulent, especially with the changes in the Moses Ascetic Order, so Bernadette has left. If my identity weren't sensitive and unsuitable for appearing in the outside world, I probably wouldn't be able to stay out of trouble here either."
Without concealing anything, Bornova nodded slightly and explained. He waved his hand, casting the Blasphemy Slate along with Audrey's Virtual Persona into the chaotic light emitting gray-white fragments within the giant cauldron:
"The Blasphemy Slate's grade is sufficient to bear the power of an Angel. This is also the most suitable vessel I could think of, capable of maximizing the authority of this characteristic with the smallest cost!"
Patterns formed by symbols surged from within Bornova, integrating the Discerner characteristic, which had been forged to the final step, along with Audrey's Virtual Persona, into the Blasphemy Slate.
Audrey, who had maintained contact with the Virtual Persona, felt a momentary trance, as if she saw countless symbolic patterns and strange designs overlapping and extending, piercing into the surrounding environment, even allowing her to glimpse the essence of this space constructed based on Mystical Reenactment.
This indescribable, wonderful feeling flashed by. When Audrey came back to her senses, she noticed the Visionary card quietly suspended before her, half-illusory and half-real, as if it could disappear into the collective unconscious sea at any moment.
---
At the deepest part of Calderon, at the end of a tributary of the River of Eternal darkness, illusory, almost lightless ripples spread through the gray-white mist, and a faint glow surged from the crack in the corpse gate.
Aaron, who was already prepared, raised his hand to block the surrounding gray-white mist and grasped the faint glow.
"This is the Western Continent's ritual system…"
A bone-chilling coldness came from his palm, bringing a slight sting. Aaron raised his eyebrows, examining the black charm engraved with numerous symbols that materialized after the faint glow dissipated.
With Aaron's current grade and his degree of integration with the Nation of Disorder, this medium was enough to get a glimpse and further refine the envisioned system of blessings unique to the Nation of Disorder.
Although due to initial caution, neither side revealed too much to each other, even the most basic exchange of information allowed Aaron to learn a great deal.
The existence who called himself "Underworld Daoist" was more like a collective consciousness to some extent. Over a long period of time, he had gained some understanding of the world beyond the Western Continent through the Death imprint of Alista Tudor, which had merged into the River of Eternal darkness.
What surprised Aaron most was that this "Underworld Daoist" knew that the Evernight Goddess had obtained the Uniqueness of the Death Pathway. He showed no hostility towards this and even actively expressed his willingness to contact the Evernight Goddess.
And from the veiled content he revealed, Aaron could confirm that the Mother Goddess of Depravity's previous influence on the Brood Hive had also affected the Western Continent, which was based on Sefirah.
Holding this special charm, Aaron looked at the corpse gate again. The gray-white barrier's influence on him seemed to have weakened considerably; he could even vaguely see the figure wearing a rusty iron crown and strange long robes.
"I will hand it over to the Evernight Goddess!"
Without revealing too much of his need for the crack eroded by the River of Eternal darkness, Aaron nodded slightly towards the figure, making a concise promise in his native language, firmly grasping the stepping stone of his Great Old One descendant identity.
Without further delay, dark golden light surged around Aaron, forcefully correcting the rules distorted by the River of Eternal darkness tributary, and he directly teleported out of Calderon.
Suspended deep within the Spirit World, Aaron silently gazed at the ancient divine kingdom shrouded in gray-white mist. Although the water from the River of Eternal darkness had been obtained, the appearance of the Underworld Daoist forced him to reconsider his original plan of using the hidden Celestial Worthy barrier loophole in Calderon.
"I still need to contact the Evernight Goddess as soon as possible. I can feel that the state of the Underworld Daoist and the River of Eternal darkness is completely different from mine and the Nation of Disorder. This should also be the reason for his display of goodwill…"
With thoughts swirling in his mind, Aaron withdrew his gaze and quickly left the Spirit World.