"We meet again, Mr. Aiur Moria."
Silas bowed in greeting to the crimson paper figure.
Their last meeting had been when he accidentally entered the spirit world and Crimson personally rushed over to swiftly escort him out.
"Personally rushed over"... putting it that way, Aiur Moria's reaction was so strong back then. Perhaps it wasn't just because he cared about me, but more because he worried that staying in the spirit world too long would cause something bad to happen?
"Hello."
The crimson paper figure likewise inclined its body, speaking politely. "You may address me directly as Aiur Moria. Congratulations, you have ascended to a new level."
Crimson noticed I advanced. That's quite a subtle compliment...
Silas's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly.
"My confusion is precisely related to this matter. I originally planned to find a creature from the spirit world to serve as a messenger to transmit messages.
However, after performing the ritual, the creatures I summoned were all very afraid of me and unwilling to communicate. Mr. Aiur Moria, what is the reason for this?"
"..."
Crimson fell silent, as if finding it difficult to answer or organizing his words.
"Because your level has further increased, the aura from the source has become more concentrated. For ordinary spirit world creatures, this aura will instinctively make them feel repulsed and fearful."
After a moment, Aiur Moria spoke to explain.
"Aura from the source. You said something similar last time." Silas recalled their previous conversation in the spirit world. "You said the source of this aura is conceptual, abstract."
Crimson didn't respond, presumably expressing tacit agreement.
So that's why they refuse the summoning after seeing me... Silas seemed to understand something. Unfortunately, Crimson's answer was too cryptic, like a riddler, completely avoiding the main point. He could only guess blindly on his own.
Could the aura Crimson mentioned be related to that sea... After all, after advancing, I gained more control over that sea area, and that tower also rose on its own...
Silas thought to himself and looked at Crimson once more.
"I apologize, but please don't ask further. This is all I can say about this matter."
Aiur Moria seemed to guess Silas's thoughts and spoke calmly. His attitude was polite enough, but he just wouldn't speak plainly and clearly tell Silas exactly what the reason was.
Can't say, or won't say?
"Very well."
Silas looked deeply at the bright crimson paper figure. "Then, may I ask if there are any creatures in the spirit world that can withstand this aura?"
Although the Seven Lights of the Spirit World didn't rule the spirit world, they were still high-ranking existences within this special space.
They should be much more reliable than his random summoning of messengers. Even if that question went unanswered, it would be fine to find a suitable messenger through Aiur Moria's introduction.
"Spirit world creatures that meet your requirements do indeed exist."
Aiur Moria said. "However, they are either extremely dangerous, or difficult to communicate with, or both... In short, they cannot serve as your messenger."
Silas was almost laughing from frustration.
"Mr. Moria, according to you, there isn't a single suitable messenger for me in the entire spirit world?"
"That's correct. Not only that, as your rank continues to rise, even the spirit world itself may come to reject you."
Crimson responded solemnly.
Silas fell silent.
His advancement would actually be rejected by the entire spirit world. It seemed finding a messenger from the spirit world was out of the question.
"Thank you very much for your guidance."
In the howling cold wind, he bowed to the bright crimson paper figure and ended this ritual.
Standing before the altar, he thought for a moment, pulled out paper and pen, and quickly wrote a letter to the "Queen Mystic."
The letter's content was as follows:
[Esteemed Queen, I have several questions I'd like to consult you about.
What is more abstract and conceptual than the spirit world, whether a place or thing?
Besides the spirit world, are there other channels for contracting messengers?
I wish to obtain a high-level Beyonder item, primarily for combat. Beyonder items with auxiliary functions or that provide high-damage effects are both acceptable. If your treasury has similar collections, I'm willing to pay some compensation in exchange.]
He thought for a moment and added at the very bottom of the letter: [Regarding the "Black Throne," I haven't begun searching yet, only following its guidance, I've discovered its direction constantly changes.]
Come to think of it, that ghost ship can also traverse the spirit world. If it has sentience, maybe I could use it as a messenger... Silas entertained this absurd thought as he sealed the letter, placed it on the altar, and began summoning the Queen's messenger.
"Whoosh..."
A gust of wind blew past, and the letter disappeared without a trace. The messenger's appearance didn't manifest at all.
Such a discreet messenger, how nice...
Silas couldn't help but feel a surge of envy. He sighed, waving the silver dagger to pierce the wall of spirituality. The spiritual wind howled, dispersing the mystical aura in the space.
---
The Forsaken Land of the Gods, the City of Silver.
The pitch-black canopy was occasionally illuminated by lightning. On the deep, despairing earth, only this city still flickered with faint light.
"Let's depart."
Outside the city walls, a team of Beyonders had gathered. The leader was none other than the Chief of the City of Silver, Colin Iliad. His hair was grizzled, his nasolabial folds deep, and his face crisscrossed with scars.
"Yes!"
Derrick, along with Joshua, Haim, and others, shouted together and followed the Chief toward the dark depths.
This time, they were heading to explore "Afternoon Town."
This small town had once been a necessary stop on the Kingdom of Silver's route to the Giant King's Court. There, humans and giants lived together in the town, clustered around the ancient god's dwelling forever frozen at dusk, like the blurred boundary between the real world and mythical legend.
The Chief believed Derrick's Sun pathway would be very useful there. Although his sequence was a bit low, he still brought him into the team.
Derrick had absolutely no objections to this.
As he walked, he secretly observed someone not far away.
Elder Lovia followed the team expressionlessly. The beast-skin lanterns carried by the group illuminated her figure. She continuously scanned the surrounding darkness with her pale gray eyes, as if guarding against dangers hidden within.
Just happens that Mr. Temperance asked me to pay more attention to her...
Derrick controlled himself, keeping his gaze forward while observing the lady with his peripheral vision.
The amount of spirituality Elder Lovia emanated was still the same as before.
He'd heard the operation to capture monsters continued. In other words, she probably hadn't advanced yet.
After coming out from the bottom of the tower, she also maintained a low profile, showing no intention of spreading her faith to others... She doesn't seem anxious at all. Why?
Just as Derrick was mentally speculating about Elder Lovia's thoughts, suddenly, he discovered that the lady had turned her head to look at him.
Then, she walked toward Derrick.
Walked over!