The dark, layered world rippled. Archbishop Randolph Carter, who was manipulating his inner netherworld and forcefully controlling the clearly corrupted Senior Deacon, "Spear of the Goddess" Riddell, also discovered the loss of that Grade 1 Sealed Artifact.
His heart sank slightly, and a shadow flickered across Archbishop Randolph Carter's sharply defined face. He sighed and pointed his finger at Riddell's glabella.
A quiet, green ghostly flame then emerged from his fingertip, drawing a complex and strange rune on the blood-stained glabella, subtly echoing the dark, layered world surrounding Archbishop Randolph Carter.
As an Undying, he could already use his inner netherworld and the mysterious Door between life and death to borrow the power of the "Underworld" for sealing.
Just as Archbishop Randolph Carter was dealing with Riddell, a man wearing a Church of the Evernight Goddess priest's robe and a very punchable smile appeared in the damaged and collapsed passage behind him.
Randolph Carter's inner netherworld seemed to be interfered with by some power, unable to sense this strange figure, allowing him to approach silently. A faint banner mark also subtly appeared on his glabella.
The golden flame that suddenly rose ignited the priest's robe, and the scorching light instantly illuminated the underground passage, which only had some faint green flames. No screams were heard, and the smile on his face did not disappear even at the moment before his body turned to ash, only carrying a hint of regret.
Randolph Carter's eyes were vigilant. He maintained his finger on Riddell's glabella, turned his head to look at the gradually extinguishing golden flame behind him, and observed the black gelatinous substance with dark red patterns that was the only remnant in the ashes.
Aaron's figure appeared beside the ashes. He frowned as he picked up that Sleepless Beyonder characteristic, and then greeted the still somewhat vigilant Randolph Carter, taking out Arianna's Night Emblem from his storage.
More than a month ago, Aaron had already met this newly promoted Archbishop when he went to the Church of the Evernight Goddess to find Pallez Zoroast, who was parasitizing Leonard.
It was only now that Randolph Carter confirmed that the person in front of him was indeed Mr. Blessed. He no longer secretly mobilized the power of the netherworld, and immediately turned sideways to reveal the dying Riddell behind him.
Quietly putting away that characteristic with its unique corruption, Aaron raised an eyebrow, then looked at the miserable-looking Nighthawks Senior Deacon, as the "Domain of Judgement" quietly contracted.
After sensing it for a while, the "Ring of Mysteries" rippled with faint light. The historical projection of the "Sun Chaser Scepter" appeared in Aaron's hand. Without destroying the complex incantation that had already formed on the glabella, he directly pressed the "Sun Chaser Scepter" against Riddell's chest.
His originally tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, his crimson eyeballs seemed about to pop out of their sockets, and a sharp, infant-like cry came from Riddell's chest. A blurred human face growing on his heart slowly melted away.
Looking at the unconscious Riddell, Aaron sighed and shook his head. Even if this Senior Deacon could be saved, after being corrupted by the True Creator's divinity, he would probably be stuck at this level for the rest of his life.
Feeling the increasingly turbulent aura underground, Aaron's mind stirred. He first teleported Riddell, whose injuries were temporarily stabilized, outside St. Lovett Cathedral, entrusting him to the "Deep Blue Officiant" Randall Valentinus for safekeeping.
Aaron then disbanded the historical projection of the Sun Chaser Scepter. The closer he got to the core seal of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the more intense the backlash this high-level power of the Sun domain would receive.
With the help of Arianna's Night Emblem and the Darkness Mark, Aaron and Archbishop Randolph Carter worked together to pull the core seal back from the brink of losing control.
Standing at the deepest part of the underground again, Aaron's expression was slightly unusual as he looked at the Chanis Gate, which was gradually returning to calm, with several words written on it in crimson blood:
"Ince Zangwill…."
A hint of anger flashed in Randolph Carter's eyes, and he said in a low voice, enunciating each word:
"This damned traitor, this is a provocation to the church's authority!"
Aaron's expression, however, showed little surprise. Even those Lunatics of the Aurora Order wouldn't directly target the Seven Deities. The only one who would dare to directly attack a Church of the Evernight Goddess cathedral at this time was Ince Zangwill.
After calming Randolph Carter's emotions and confirming that this guy had erased all his traces, Aaron slowly spoke:
"You can report Ince Zangwill's matter to the Sacred Hall later. For now, let's open the Chanis Gate and enter together to reinforce the seals on those dangerous items."
Taking advantage of this gap, Aaron quietly retreated two steps and sacrificed the Sleepless Beyonder characteristic he had acquired to the Nation of Disorder.
As soon as this black gelatinous substance covered with dark red patterns appeared, it was enveloped by surging dark gold mist. The sub-consciousness remaining within the Sefirah formed an unreal human figure on the throne and took out the "Red Priest Card" from the pile of miscellaneous items.
Before Aaron could do anything, Roselle Gustav, sitting in the chariot and wearing a crimson robe in the center of the tarot card, suddenly became vivid. A rich, iron-blooded aura surged out, attempting to merge with the Sleepless Beyonder characteristic covered in dark red patterns.
With a slight thought, Aaron completely isolated these two items, confirming his guess.
"That Red Angel evil spirit from the underground ruins was actually brought out by Ince Zangwill…."
Looking at the iron-black Door, inscribed with seven Dark holy emblems, opening slowly like a deep, dark heaven, Aaron's expression was somewhat uncertain.
It was then that he belatedly realized that, after making the deal with Adam last time, he seemed to have deliberately ignored the Blood Emperor's ruins in Backlund and the Red Angel evil spirit that Ms. Arianna had re-sealed.
-----------------
Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Dr. Aaron's house.
Klein handed the gift to the maid and was led into the living room by the smiling Dr. Aaron.
The room had been arranged beforehand, with tables placed against the walls and plates of food scattered on them, mainly cold dishes such as ham, bacon, cakes, and puddings. There was even ice cream, even though it was already December.
Leading Klein towards the inner room, Dr. Aaron clearly noticed his surprise and explained with a mix of indulgence and helplessness:
"Haha, pregnant ladies always get some special privileges, don't they?"
"Although she always says it's our baby who wants to eat…."
At this point, Dr. Aaron's steps paused slightly. He looked at the lady leaning on a lounge chair in the small garden, her abdomen already bulging, and introduced with a smile:
"Sherlock, this is my wife, Wilma Gladys."
As a polite gentleman, Klein certainly wouldn't stare at Aaron's wife. He merely glanced, and his gaze moved away from Ms. Wilma Gladys, only to discover an extremely terrifying scene.
Dr. Aaron walked ahead with a gentle smile, occasionally turning his head to say something to the empty air beside him. The maid who had been following behind, ready to be summoned at any moment, also seemed not to see Klein, who was still standing in place, and walked straight past him.
This… Klein was about to speak when he saw the boundless deep Darkness, and within it, an exceptionally lonely oval light sphere.
His spirituality unconsciously extended, touching that illusory and hazy object.
The surrounding world suddenly distorted. Klein unknowingly found himself in a desolate plain, with paintblack stones under his feet and not even a single weed.
In the center of the plain stood a black spire, around which a giant silver-white long snake coiled. Its head was already raised, and its crimson eyes coldly watched this direction.
The silver-white giant snake had no substantial scales; its body was covered with dense patterns and symbols. They formed interconnected wheels, and around each wheel were different markings.
Klein, who had regained consciousness, his pupils suddenly contracted. When the Marionettist Rosago died violently earlier, he had seen almost identical patterns and symbols on the Wheel of Fortune card.
Hesitating for a moment, unable to determine his current situation, Klein had no choice but to brace himself and, under the gaze of the silver-white giant snake, approached the paintblack spire step by step.
It could be confirmed that Dr. Aaron did indeed conceal a Snake of Mercury… Klein quickly made a judgment and began to wonder what such a prominent figure wanted from him.
The seemingly extremely distant journey, Klein had only taken a few steps, and the destination was already before him. The silver-white giant snake lowered its upper body, seemingly contemplating how to enjoy the dessert delivered to its mouth.
Its mouth was wide open, yet no fishy smell emanated. Its red eyes were cold and ruthless, viewing everything as prey, yet without the slightest hint of slaughter or cruelty.
Before it, everything seemed insignificant, and equally so because of its insignificance.
A pressure originating from the life level made Klein's calves tremble slightly. Using his Clown abilities to control his body, he bowed slightly under the gaze of those crimson eyes, then spoke in a deep voice:
"Respected Will Auceptin, I merely wished to visit my friend and had no intention of offending you."
Klein maintained this posture for only a few seconds, then the terrifying pressure suddenly vanished, and the Door at the base of the black spire opened with a roar.
He instinctively looked up and found that the white giant snake wrapped around the black spire had disappeared. He took a deep breath and stepped directly into the interior of the black spire.
The layout here was unusually chaotic. The stairs spiraled upwards, then slanted downwards, passing through Doors and walls. Klein no longer knew where he was within the black spire.
As he turned a corner, Klein's steps paused slightly. On the wall of the hallway ahead, there appeared a series of comic strips, as if a segment from the River of Fate had been intercepted and pasted on the wall frame by frame.
Klein slowly walked through the hallway, his gaze sweeping over the comic strips, stopping at the last frame:
A dilapidated church, the solemn Duke Aaron, the blood-stained Chanis Gate, and the crimson words "Ince Zangwill" on the Door!
Before Klein could figure out what this scene meant, a strange rustling sound attracted his attention, like the sound of an object rubbing against the ground.
He instinctively took a few steps forward and found a pile of tarot cards scattered on the ground in the Darkness. All the card faces were facing down, with only the topmost one revealing the silver wheel pattern on its face.
Klein stared intently. Below this "Wheel of Fortune" card, a few other words seemed to be written:
"Cherwood Borough, Sifeild Street, No. 44."
Whoosh!
The surrounding scenery instantly shattered. Klein found himself still standing in place. Dr. Aaron and the others seemed to have not noticed the anomaly just now.
His thoughts were chaotic, but Klein also pretended that nothing had happened. After lunch, he left Dr. Aaron's house.
It wasn't until he returned to 15 Minsk Street that Klein finally relaxed his tense nerves. He hurried back to his bedroom, eagerly took out paper and pen, and drew a complex symbol that blended "Secrecy" and "Change."
On the surface of the full-length mirror in the bedroom, ripples suddenly spread out in circles, and silver light formed Loen characters:
"Most High, Great Master, your loyal, humble servant Arrodes answers your summons!"
After the familiar fawning and flattery, the silver light on the mirror's surface suddenly flowed more swiftly, forming new words:
"Great Master, what are your commands?"
Klein had regained his The Fool's dignity. His eyes flickered, and he spoke in a deep voice:
"I want to know if Ince Zangwill has left Backlund now?"
The scene that the Snake of Mercury showed him could not have been in Backlund, as such a large commotion could not be concealed.
Due to the existence of 0-08, Arrodes could not directly locate Ince Zangwill's whereabouts, but also because of the limitations of 0-08's ability range, Arrodes could inversely sense whether the power affecting his ability still existed in Backlund.
The surging silver text shifted and distorted, finally forming a brief sentence:
"Yes, Great Master, do you have any other questions?"
Looking at the affirmative answer, Klein controlled the change in his facial expression, suppressing the question he had originally wanted to blurt out: "How to successfully escape Backlund?"
At this moment, he had suppressed his initial surprise and realized a new problem:
Even in the best-case scenario, if he really left Backlund without much hindrance, when Ince Zangwill returned to Backlund and wielded 0-08, he would definitely discover this anomaly in himself.
This would certainly shift Ince Zangwill's and the Royal Family's attention to Dr. Aaron, and how could that Snake of Mercury, whose state was not right, agree?
His eyes flickered, and Klein changed the topic, speaking in a deep voice:
"If I leave Backlund in the future, pay attention to the situation at Dr. Aaron Ceres's house. Once his wife gives birth, remember to inform me actively when I summon you."
After careful consideration, Klein believed that entrusting this matter to "Magic Mirror" Arrodes was more appropriate, as others could not monitor Dr. Aaron's residence 24 hours a day.
"Okay, Master." The text on the mirror fully expressed Arrodes's mood, "I have a question."
"Speak." Klein nodded in agreement.
This time, "Magic Mirror" Arrodes's highlighted words were full of pauses, giving a strong sense of hesitation:
"Great Master, what is the relationship between that child and you?"