The crimson moonlight, shrouded in dark golden mist, pulsed as if breathing, and the dry, cracked bark slowly writhed, like a curled body stretching its limbs.
The severely damaged, stripped, and missing bark grew back at a visible rate, and this eerie regeneration caused the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact's surface to crack open with one illusory and complex "Doors of Summoning" after another.
They seemed to want to connect to different places, to allow some indescribable horror to descend, but due to the isolation of the Nation of Disorder, all of this lost its meaning.
"The Convergence of symbols has truly revived the dormant will within this Sealed Artifact..."
Aaron nodded thoughtfully, not giving "Gift of the Land" a chance to continue its activation. With a slight shift of his will, he immediately modified the "regeneration" rule within his Divine Kingdom, but he did not completely destroy it.
This Sealed Artifact was related to the Brood Hive and was the only Pathway to find the Mother Goddess of Depravity's remaining contingencies later. However, before determining the hidden secrets contained within this Sealed Artifact, he did not plan to take it out of the Nation of Disorder.
Layers of dark golden mist surged, and the wolf-headed, snake-bodied statue, which had absorbed some of the River of Eternal darkness's tributaries deep within Calderon, appeared. The intense aura of eternal stillness made the "Gift of the Land," whose regeneration had been suppressed, instinctively want to flee.
Aaron immediately raised his hand, and "Gift of the Land," bound by layers of golden threads formed after being solidified by the dark golden mist, let out a mournful cry and instantly vanished into the open wolf head of the statue.
Before the crimson moonlight was completely submerged, a deep darkness, where a silent, illusory river coiled and flowed, was faintly visible.
Aaron held the shrunken wolf-headed, snake-bodied statue in one hand, his gaze full of threat sweeping over the Wishing Divine Lamp suppressed at the bottom of his Divine Kingdom. The lamp's cracked body trembled imperceptibly, and it very skillfully began to play dead.
"What was that thing? It was actually able to draw out most of the corruption from my body?"
A broken, rather weak, and hoarse voice faintly drifted over, with unconcealed surprise in its tone.
Ignoring the Lamp Spirit, Aaron's figure reappeared on the desolate primitive island. He scrutinized Roselle, who had shed the shadow of order and reformed his human shape deep within the mausoleum, and responded concisely:
"The remains of Giant Queen Omabella. I retrieved them from the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
After a long silence, Roselle sighed with emotion:
"So that's how it is. In that case, from some point in the Second Epoch, the Earth Mother had already been replaced without anyone realizing it. What a grand scheme!"
After carefully examining Roselle with the blessing of the Nation of Disorder, Aaron nodded slightly and smiled as he changed the subject:
"Although it didn't reach the best outcome I expected, with your current state, you no longer need my additional blessings to suppress it. This way, I can fully focus on George III."
The lingering effects of the River of Eternal darkness gradually receded, and Roselle, completely free from the state of eternal stillness, no longer obsessed over the Earth Mother's true identity. Feeling his own condition, he leaned back comfortably in the giant's chair on the central high platform:
"Such captivating tranquility..."
Looking at Roselle, who was somewhat uninhibited, Aaron rubbed his temples, a little speechless, and emphasized with a heavier tone:
"Although a new balance has formed and the remaining Mother Goddess of Depravity's corruption has been completely suppressed, what remains after being attracted by Omabella's remains is the true persistent problem, and it is the root cause of your current state."
Roselle hummed indifferently, stretched, and responded with a smile:
"As long as I don't leave this Sefirah, this hidden danger won't truly erupt. At most, once you ascend to godhood and completely assimilate the Nation of Disorder, the quasi-Outer Deity status of a neighboring Pathway should be enough to resolve this hidden danger within the barrier."
"By the way, have you considered your ritual for becoming a god? Judging a True God is not easy. The Primordial Demoness is nowhere to be found, and the dark side of the universe is still involved with Outer Deities in the deepest part of the Abyss. However, Adam seems to have a grudge against the True Creator..."
He raised his hand to interrupt the guy's long-winded speech. Looking at Roselle, who seemed to have more to say, Aaron said with a strange expression:
"I didn't expect you to be such a chatterbox. I already have a target for the god-ascension ritual, but this involves a certain agreement, so it needs to be kept secret for now."
"George III should be attempting to advance to Black Emperor soon. Although I am fully prepared, to be safe, I still have to plan for the worst."
"Once I determine that I cannot prevent him from advancing, I will immediately transfer you to the Astral World. Before things settle down, you must be ready to revive at any time!"
Roselle's expression became a little more serious, then he suddenly smiled freely:
"If it really comes to that, I will fully cooperate with you to complete the advancement ritual before the corruption worsens."
"There's no need to sacrifice you; this is just the worst-case scenario!" Aaron emphasized, looking at Roselle, then continued as if remembering something:
"I've only collected a few of the Cards of Blasphemy you made back then."
"You have nothing to do staying in the Nation of Disorder anyway, so why not take this opportunity to organize all the potion formulas for the 22 Pathways and the methods for making the Cards of Blasphemy for me."
"If the plan against the Hidden Sage goes smoothly, I will give the Knowledge Emperor characteristics I gain to Bernadette and help her complete her advancement."
Hearing Bernadette's name, Roselle's face immediately showed the benevolent smile of an old father, and he nodded at once:
"That's simple. I can give you all the potion formulas right now. However, the method for making the Cards of Blasphemy has been affected by corruption, so I'll need a bit of time to sort it out before telling you."
As he spoke, he distorted order and transmitted the spirituality containing numerous potion formulas to Aaron outside the mausoleum.
Flipping through the information infused in the spirituality, Aaron nodded. After placing the statue containing "Gift of the Land" at the bottom of his Divine Kingdom, he looked at Roselle with a slight curve of his lips:
"I've opened up some permissions for you. You can connect to Bernadette's and Bornova's prayer stars yourself. It's better for you to convey the news of your revival yourself."
---
Feynapotter Kingdom's capital, Feynapotter City.
A graceful blonde woman stepped towards the Sea of Collective Subconscious, her face covered by a peculiar mask that gave the impression that the wearer was sleeping.
It was Miss "Sloth," a committee member of the Psychology Alchemists responsible for Feynapotter.
"President, is there something urgent that you summoned me so hastily for?"
The illusory Subconscious Sea quickly disappeared. "Sloth," who had arrived in Eden, looked at Pauli Derlau at the end of the long table and asked lazily.
Pauli Derlau tapped the table lightly and responded concisely:
"Effective immediately, the Psychology Alchemists will temporarily withdraw from Feynapotter City. I will notify you separately when to return."