"This way, we can temporarily divert the 'Sea King's' attention."
After sitting back down, Klein added, "But I'm not sure how long we can hold him off."
"That's enough."
Silas replied, quietly assessing his own strength.
"Our goal is to find the person. Once we do, we retreat. A full fight is the worst-case scenario.
Even if it comes to that, I should be able to handle two Sequence 4s for a short while."
The other two fell silent for a moment.
Coming from anyone else, such a statement would have sounded outrageously arrogant.
One Sequence 4 claiming he could take on two Sequence 4s so casually? Yet Silas had solid battle records to back it up.
He had even single-handedly stormed the Loen royal palace while he was only Sequence 5!
If it weren't for the "Sea King" on the island, he would have seriously considered barging into the Governor's Mansion and taking out one or two Sequence 4s to Shepherd.
"Because of a mission from the Church, I've been monitoring MI9 in Bayam recently.
In the process, I've mapped out the military's defensive layout, their internal passwords, personnel rotations, and other intelligence."
The Hanged Man, Alger, collected himself and spoke calmly.
With the help of Mr. Fool, he materialized the relevant documents and passed them to Silas.
"Thanks, this is a huge help."
Silas took the materials, glanced them over briefly, confirmed they were indeed valuable, and nodded in acknowledgment of the favor.
"Give me a heads-up before you act, so I can be ready too."
The Hanged Man let out a deep breath.
Since this matter was unavoidable, all he could do was try to turn it to his own advantage.
If Temperance and The World's plan went smoothly, fine.
But if complications arose, it would inevitably lead to a clash between demigods.
And chaos was the best time to profit.
"I'll remember that," Silas said.
The three of them exchanged glances.
With nothing more to discuss, they all turned to the empty seat at the head of the table. "Mr. [Fool], we're done here."
Backlund, St. Samuel's Cathedral.
"Finally, the Aurora Order has surfaced again."
Soest, captain of the Red Gloves squad, set down the telegram and sighed.
"Blood sacrifice scenes, fanatical believers, dangerous divine descent rituals.
From now on, these cases are going to increase."
For a moment, he almost missed the time when the Blood Reverend was still in Backlund.
At least that individual's hostility toward the Aurora Order was so intense that he always charged to the frontlines of confrontation.
During one period, the Aurora Order in Backlund practically vanished completely, making people wonder if he'd wiped them all out.
Hearing this, the Red Gloves gathered around.
"Aurora Order?"
Leonard, who had been resting with his legs propped on a table in the corner, straightened up and asked curiously.
"Yeah, a new underground Beyonder gathering has appeared in Backlund recently.
The organizer calls himself 'Mr.X' and has been trying to proselytize to some attendees."
Someone finished reading the telegram and relayed its contents.
"Mr.X sounds like an envoy."
Leonard laughed.
"Could also be some bold character deliberately impersonating one to intimidate the participants."
"Probably not. This 'envoy' is quite powerful."
Soest shook his head.
"The Punishers once sent a squad to raid the gathering location.
But not only did Mr.X repel the assault, he also calmly teleported away before Church reinforcements arrived.
Not long after, he organized another gathering elsewhere."
With such capabilities, he really did seem like an envoy.
Leonard's expression grew serious. "Then we have one more enemy to face in the future."
"May the Evernight Goddess watch over us and grant us swift victory over our enemies."
Soest traced the crimson moon on his chest.
The others followed suit and began discussing how to deal with the Aurora Order going forward.
Leonard listened for a moment but gradually lost interest.
After saying goodbye to the group, he left the break room. He wasn't on duty today; he only needed to sign in at headquarters before heading home.
In the center of his living room in the house where he lived alone stood a whiteboard covered with various briefings, with multiple faction and personal names written on it.
A quick scan revealed the Aurora Order, the Demoness Sect, Prince Edessak, and others.
Leonard was also pursuing the truth behind the Great Smog incident.
In the two corners of the whiteboard were two names: "Blood Reverend" and "Sherlock Moriarty."
Several black lines connected them to the Aurora Order, the Prince, and other names.
Below "Blood Reverend" were briefings and photos of cases like "The Lanevus Case" and "The Capim Case."
Leonard pinned a wanted poster below "Blood Reverend," then stared at the photograph for a long time.
His brow gradually furrowed.
"Old man."
Leonard spoke aloud.
"Do you have any impression of this person? I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
Though the features weren't familiar, the overall aura seemed somehow recognizable.
"How would I know?"
In his mind, an aged voice replied irritably. "And stop disturbing an old man's rest."
"Tch."
Leonard shook his head disdainfully, feeling that the parasite inside him was quite useless.
"Didn't you get replenished from that person's tomb? How are you getting weaker instead?"
A while ago, the being in his mind had participated in an adventure exploring a Fourth Epoch noble's mausoleum.
"It's precisely because I received a supplement that I need to slowly digest it. Don't you understand?"
The aged voice retorted.
"Fine, fine, whatever you say."
Leonard brushed him off and stopped paying attention, instead focusing on the whiteboard before him.
There hadn't been much progress on leads regarding the Demoness Sect and Aurora Order.
Perhaps it was time to pursue another line.
He reviewed the list of related individuals and finally settled on that detective who'd made such a name for himself in such a short time.
"People connected to Sherlock Moriarty. His landlord, the missing girl he once tried to find, other detectives he's crossed paths with..."
Leonard muttered while compiling a checklist, determining whose dreams he would explore tonight.
At this moment, he had no idea what he was about to discover tonight.
The Sonia Sea, in a remote area outside Bayam, the "City of Generosity," in the captain's cabin of the Doe.
"Whoosh."
Silas spread a map of Bayam across the table and looked up at the people before him.
First Mate Anderson, Boatswain Walter, Helmsman Ruber, Ship Doctor Darkwill, every human Beyonder on the ship was present.
"For a certain reason, I need to infiltrate the Governor's Mansion in Bayam.
Ideally, I complete the mission without being noticed. But if things go wrong, I'll need your support."
He intended for his subordinates to stir up chaos at the port to change the course of events in their favor.