The story has officially concluded with Chapter 491 on Patron, so if you want to read the ending early, feel free to check it out on Patron.
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Edwina withdrew her gaze. She wasn't oblivious to Danitz's reluctance, but she saw no malice in Alaric toward him. In fact, this could be Danitz's opportunity. With Alaric and his group's resources, Danitz's chance to reach Sequence 5 might lie here.
Moreover, Edwina knew Danitz's personality... he only pushed forward with proper motivation. Without a nudge, he might never climb higher in his pathway.
As for any romantic notions, Edwina didn't care. She had no interest in relationships, driven instead by a thirst for knowledge, uncovering secrets, and ascending the Beyonder pathway to witness greater wonders.
In short, Edwina was a career-driven intellectual.
With Edwina's departure, Anderson stayed behind, still counting on Alaric to take him to meet the God of Knowledge. Leonard and Pallez, however, left... Leonard's leave was limited, and he had to return to work.
Though Pallez's main body departed, he left an avatar with Mobet Zoroast, ostensibly to oversee his studies... though Alaric suspected it was more about enjoying his great-grandson's antics or keeping a close eye on a long-lost descendant.
Alaric, Klein, and Lil' Amon huddled together, murmuring.
"I'll hand Groselle's Travels to my teacher. Once he's unraveled its secrets, he might return it to us," Alaric said, holding the book.
Klein and Lil' Amon had no objections. Lil' Amon, in particular, wished Lucifer would swoop in, take the book, and unlock its mysteries to revive The Ancient Sun God.
Klein, less preoccupied, reviewed their battle with the King of the North while casually asking, "Where to next?"
"Barring surprises, we're headed to Bayam, the City of Generosity," Alaric said, his eyes lighting up as a thought struck him. "Speaking of which, Gehrman, you're short a marionette, right? Why don't we try turning the sea serpent Kavetua into one?"
Klein blinked, pointing at himself uncertainly. "I'm only Sequence 5, remember?"
Kavetua was Sequence 3.
"Theoretically, a Sequence 5 Marionettist can control a Sequence 3 semi-marionette, no?" Alaric asked with a smile.
Klein hesitated, then nodded.
It was challenging but feasible. Just as a Shepherd could herd Sequence 4 souls, a Marionettist could, in theory, control a converted marionette of a higher sequence.
"But in practice, it's nearly impossible. If you hadn't weakened the King of the North earlier, I doubt I could've controlled its spirit," Klein said honestly. A Marionettist's ability to convert a target depended on the target's spiritual strength. A powerful spirit could resist spiritual threads, making conversion extremely difficult.
Once converted, however, even a Sequence 3 would become a true marionette.
"I'll handle that. You know I've got plenty of handy trinkets," Alaric said with a grin. Klein's Sequence was still low, but that was unavoidable given how recently he'd become a Beyonder.
While Alaric no longer expected Klein to become the Lord of Mysteries, he hoped Klein could play a significant role in the coming changes, aiding his own ritual to ascend as a Miracle Invoker. Since Klein couldn't advance his Sequence quickly, crafting a Sequence 3 marionette for him was a solid alternative.
…
Given the importance of Groselle's Travels, Alaric soon had his "main account," Lucifer, make a quick trip to The Future to retrieve the book from his "alternate account."
Lucifer's timing was impeccable, arriving just as Mobet Zoroast, armed with a bouquet of roses he'd somehow procured, loudly confessed to Siatas on the deck.
Alaric raised an eyebrow, glancing at the confessing couple and the heads peeking from a corner, but stayed silent, not interrupting.
He had principles... disrupting a romance wasn't his style.
Unless it was something as unhinged as Tudor and the Primordial Demoness, of course.
Alaric watched the confession unfold with interest. After a few seconds of silence, Siatas took the roses from Mobet.
The next moment, she tossed them aside, and the two embraced under the crimson moonlight, the atmosphere tender and warm.
"Ahem, you lot over there, stop hiding."
After a brief embrace, the couple parted without further intimacy. Mobet coughed, a bit embarrassed, and called out to the onlookers' corner with mild exasperation.
"If you want to watch, do it openly. It's not like it's something shameful. What, am I going to stop you?" Siatas shot the crowd a glare, her tone sharp.
"Haha, everyone's here…"
"We didn't want to interrupt…"
"Those flowers were nice…"
"Mobet, didn't you say you were over Siatas? Guess this is your kind of 'over.'"
"When's the wedding? Need me to find a priest?"
One by one, the onlookers emerged... some awkward, some delighted, some teasing. Regardless of their expressions, they all congratulated the new couple.
Pallez's avatar, appearing out of nowhere, patted Mobet's shoulder and said gravely, "Marry soon and have kids. The Zoroast family's counting on you to grow the line."
This was the honest truth. While there were surely scattered Zoroast bloodlines out there, openly bearing the Zoroast name were just a handful now. Pallez, at his age, wasn't about to marry and have kids, and Alaric wasn't a likely candidate either. That left Mobet to carry the torch.
"Ahem, that's up to Siatas," Mobet replied, his face red, sneaking a glance at her.
Siatas's expression remained neutral, though her ears tinged slightly red, likely unused to such urging.
***
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