The peculiar symbol, radiating a hazy glow, suddenly brightened, and a torrent of ethereal, complex information surged forth. A not-quite-real panorama of civilization appeared, and a vast, indifferent will echoed directly in Aaron's mind, transcending the Astral World.
The feeling of being watched vanished in an instant. Aaron, digesting the complex information in his mind, tossed the special symbol gifted by the God of Steam and Machinery back into the hidden space of the Star Crown. Only then did he pinch his aching brows and mutter to himself, "The Hidden Sage has become active again…"
After Roselle fully awakened, he had learned from his old friend's account that the "Mother" card, one of the 22 Cards of Blasphemy, was essentially a Sequence 1 "Tree God" Beyonder characteristic from the Outer Deity Pathway to which the Mother Goddess of Depravity belonged.
Connecting this with the lingering aura of the Mother's Nest in the Evernight Plains and the Hidden Sage's rapid recovery after being heavily injured, Aaron was almost certain that this direct boon from the Mother Goddess of Depravity had "nurtured" a true "Tree God."
"Truly worthy of being at the pinnacle of Outer Deities…" Aaron sighed with emotion, then immediately recalled the Angel who had escaped from the Abyss. Considering that the newly promoted Beauty Goddess was Barranca, the former "King of Curses" of the Rose School of Thought, these two Outer Deities had at least reached a certain level of cooperation.
Having learned from the last lesson, when the Outer Deities jointly pressured the Astral World barrier and the Gods were powerless to directly interfere with reality, Aaron weighed his options for a moment and then lowered his original expectations.
If the Lord of Storms and the God of Steam and Machinery could successfully descend, they would then encircle and suppress the converging Outer Deity forces. Otherwise, they would merely ensure the prevention of George III's advancement and hunt the last "Hand of Order" Beyonder characteristic.
With a decision made, Aaron no longer lingered. Leaving Varna, who had just advanced to Sequence 1, and Reinette Tinekerr, whose body was complete and had recovered her Angelic rank, to guard East Balam, he stepped into the starlight portal with Pallez, whose aura was continuously rising.
The Astral World, filled with abstract concepts and symbols, flashed by. After the "roaming" ended, what greeted their eyes was a twilight that seemed to have solidified.
"The ancient Elf Island, once upon a time…"
Looking at Sonia Island, which had split in the middle and was completely divided into two halves, Pallez sighed lightly with a hint of emotion. The decaying aura brought by the remaining divine power of the God of Combat had turned this strait into a death zone comparable to a divine battle relic. Even creatures without divinity would uncontrollably decline if they approached.
"It just needs to be neutralized by the Earth Mother's divine power. Hmm, Frank would definitely be very interested in this subject…" Aaron silently grumbled to himself, inexplicably recalling a certain Druid who had been left to his own devices.
Considering that the Mother Goddess of Depravity's influence within the barrier was growing stronger, Aaron felt it was necessary to bring Frank back, lest the fellow, in his innocence, attract the Mother Goddess of Depravity's attention without realizing it.
Sensing their arrival, the light spots in the historical fog suddenly connected with reality. Astolfo, who had completely assimilated two "Abomination" Beyonder characteristics, slowly walked out, his deep, oppressive, hoarse voice seemingly capable of piercing spirit bodies:
"My connection with the Chained God has been severed. The Mother Goddess of Desire has likely gained complete control over that body. It is no longer meaningful to continue searching in the historical fog; instead, it is easy to fall into a trap…"
After using a faith anchor to have Victor Abraham, who was about to completely digest the Sequence 4 "Secrets Sorcerer" potion, find and bring back Frank, Aaron collected his thoughts and informed Astolfo of the God of Steam and Machinery's warning and his own speculation about the cooperation between the two Outer Deities.
Several Angels successively emerged from the historical fog and exchanged glances. Duke Qiaona "New Moon," who had come directly from the Moon Country to Sonia Island, reacted particularly strongly, connecting it with the recent changes among the Sanguine.
Bernadette, on the other hand, frowned and dismissed the idea of using the "Clairvoyant" authority. Not to mention that it involved multiple high-level existences, the revelations given by fate were inherently vague, and the potential interference from the Hidden Sage alone was enough to make her revelations point to Error.
"Grand Duke Solomon" Nast, who carried the Black Emperor card and used it as a conduit to receive the boon from the Nation of Disorder, had an aura that already surpassed Qiaona and Bernadette. The dark red light in his eyes contracted and expanded again, and he spoke in a low, deliberate tone:
"Aside from George III, the Augustus family still has two Angels. Therefore, the remaining six mausoleums are highly likely to face those Angels who worship Outer Deities…"
Glancing at "Calamity Queen" Cohinem, whose condition had recovered after her faith stabilized, Aaron nodded slightly, and his spirituality converged into seven light spots.
After tirelessly chanting Will Auceptin's honorific name to gain sufficient luck, Aaron used a decree to block all possible negative influences and completely randomly distributed the light spots containing the coordinates of different mausoleums and the ritual symbols required to enter them.
As an Angel of the Judgement Pathway, eliminating negative interference and randomly distributing the mausoleums meant that, under the influence of Beyonder characteristic Convergence, the mausoleum he drew was highly likely to be the one guarded by the Hand of Order of the Augustus family.
As for Mausoleum No. 1, where George III was located and where Beyonder characteristic Convergence was even stronger, it had already been separated in advance and handed over to Demoness Trissy Cheek.
When helping Audrey advance and reaching a cooperation with Hermes, the No. 9 ruin, which was guarded, had already been excluded by Aaron.
"Mausoleum No. 7…" "Calamity Queen" Cohinem digested the information that surged into her spirituality, then glanced at the empty space in front of Astolfo and chuckled lightly:
"The Black Emperor's ritual should require nine mausoleums…"
Looking calmly at the Elf Queen, Aaron explained concisely:
"The mausoleum in Backlund is already being handled by someone, and the mausoleum in East Chester County is guarded by Hermes; that place doesn't need to be concerned with."
"The Sanguine will also provide some additional help derived from historical projections. Astolfo will be responsible for guarding against possible ambushes and be ready to provide support at any time. If the situation is unfavorable, ensure your own safety first, and then simply try to disrupt the ritual."
Azik Eggers, who had remained silent, and Alvin Gallows, the leader of the Night Emperor's personal guards, exchanged glances and accepted the spiritual light clusters in front of them.
After distributing the blood of Beyonders from the 22 Pathways, which were needed to depict the ritual symbols for entering the mausoleum, to all the Angels, Aaron pondered for a moment and still took out seven "Yesterday Once More" Charms from the Nation of Disorder, giving one to each Angel.
Returning to peak condition from a weakened or even severely injured state for a short period was enough to create time for support. If no danger was encountered, it would serve as one of the pre-paid rewards for participating in the operation.
Counting the few given to Will Auceptin, the Snake of Fate, this was all of Aaron's current stock. Cavendish, who had returned to the City of Silver and was assisting in exploring the Giant King's Court, had contributed most of them, and had also squeezed three from Klein.