After the Tarot session, Odis returned to the real world, rested for a while, and then got up to write a letter to Rupert, telling him that she was preparing to make natural contact with a vampire.
For Odis, annexing the vampires was unrealistic, but he could have some of them fight for Lenburg.
These long-lived creatures are too idle; we need to find them something to do.
Odis then returned to his office to continue his official duties.
Backland Department Store.
Emlyn, sporting a beard and a long-brimmed hat, strolled casually through the leisure department store area.
He saw the manager entertaining guests, and the guy didn't look like a spy at all.
Emlyn had previously purchased dolls from here and had also chatted with the manager. He seemed to know a lot about dolls, and we had a very pleasant conversation.
Thinking of this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had hidden himself well and had not let the other party realize that he was a vampire.
At that moment, the manager seemed to notice Emlyn's gaze and looked over in their direction.
Emlyn quickly turned his head and continued walking forward.
That evening, Odis did not have dinner at the presidential palace. Instead, he planned to go to Cruz Island to buy some barbecue and beer, which he would then enjoy in the warm sea breeze.
Just then, his assistant Parada knocked on the door and came in: "Mr. President, Mr. Jared says he has something urgent to report."
Parada was a young man Odis brought from Trensus, whom Odis had specifically ordered to participate in the previous battle against Massil.
Because of his extensive and extraordinary combat experience, he has accumulated enough merit to be promoted, and he is currently an "interrogator".
Odis deliberately kept him by his side so that he could report on the current developments in Remnantburg to the Trensault family.
I believe this family won't be content to remain anonymous forever; when the time is right, they can be a force to be used.
Jared is one of the extraordinary captains protecting the presidential palace. Odis said, "Let him in."
"Mr. President, we suspect we've been attacked by a 'demon'." Jared said as soon as he entered, "Please be careful."
He roughly knew that the president was also an extraordinary being, and seemed quite powerful, but he wasn't sure what rank he was. In this situation, he should quickly report it and warn the other party to be careful.
Odis immediately asked, "Were there any casualties?"
"No," Jared said. "It's just that one of the guards seems to have been disturbed by an unknown force and has become a chatterbox. I suspect he may have leaked some information about the presidential palace."
Odis chuckled and said, "Since you're here, have a cup of tea."
His voice wasn't loud, but all the extraordinary people in the entire presidential palace could hear it, while ordinary people couldn't, and they continued to leave work as usual.
The "demon" had obviously greeted Odis by attacking members of the Extraordinary Guard. Since there were no casualties, the other party should have meant no harm, so Odis returned the greeting.
Jared paused for a moment, realizing that the president seemed to know who the attackers were.
After waiting a few seconds and seeing no response, Odis said again, "I will be leaving Azshara in ten minutes and will not be back until tomorrow."
As he spoke, he waved to Jared and Parada, signaling them to go out first.
The two exchanged a glance, closed the door, and stood quietly outside.
Odis glanced at the clock and then sat back down in his chair.
As time ticked by, ten minutes passed. Odis got up to leave, but his intuition seemed to sense something and he looked toward the window.
It was already dark outside, and the streetlights came on one after another. A black liquid, thicker than the normal darkness, appeared at the window and was about to flow into the president's office.
Odis said somewhat impatiently, "Hurry up and come in. There's no need to dawdle and waste everyone's time."
""
The black liquid paused for a moment, but continued to flow in, then formed a black human figure that bowed politely to Odis and said, "President Gar, perhaps I should call you Your Highness."
Odis smiled, clearly understanding that the other person was subtly implying: I know you are an angel.
Odis sat down again, but showed no intention of letting the "devil" in front of him sit down: "Which family are you from?"
The other party answered honestly, "The North family."
Odis asked, "Did the 'Dark Side of the Universe' send you here?"
Starting from the Fifth Age, the "Demon King" basically stopped directly responding to the prayers and requests of the demons, but at this time, the "Dark Side of the Universe" appeared.
Many extraordinary individuals who know about the "Dark Side of the Universe" believe that the "Dark Side of the Universe" is the "Demon King" Fabti.
Odis also thought that this was the case: the "Demon King" used his "otherworldly" authority to hide in the shadow of the three demon family members.
Odis wasn't entirely sure of the exact details, but it was likely that they were hiding in the shadows, and had moved to a different "dark side of the universe."
Using a pseudonym, they continued to control the Blood Worship Cult.
The "devil" said somewhat fanatically, "It is an order personally given by the great king. He hopes to have a talk with you."
The "Demon King" had been missing for a long time, and the sudden issuance of this command was enough to excite the "devil".
Odis laughed and said, "Fabuti is quite aware of his situation."
In the memories Odis gained after ascending to the angelic realm, the "Sage" had contact with Fabti during the Second and Third Ages; they were neither friends nor enemies.
In those memories, Fabuti was in a good state; he was an ancient god who was both very restrained and very cunning.
This ancient god rarely did anything out of line. For example, he never challenged the authority of the "Ancient Sun God" like other ancient gods. Therefore, the "Demon Kingdom," which was more evil than the extraordinary forces established by giants and elves, was not eradicated until the Third Age.
Just like now, he directly speaks to Odis as the "Demon King," which shows great sincerity.
"Tell Fabti that I do have something I want," Odis added. "Think about what you'd like to trade with me before you come back to talk."
"Moreover, he can do it himself. As long as his subordinates don't commit crimes in Rembrandt, we can still talk."
The "devil" replied, "'The Demon King' says he has already decided on the terms of his deal with you."
Odis paused for a moment, then thought for a while before saying, "Please have him come here to meet me in an hour."
"Alright." The "devil" immediately took his leave, clearly eager to return and report to the "demon king."
Odis did not linger and immediately "reappeared" as Suzaku, arriving at the cabin on Cruz Island.
After exploring the area with her spiritual senses and confirming that it was safe, Odis entered the "Wilderness of Knowledge" and the ink-wash pond in the "Sage's Time." As soon as she entered, Odis said, "Fabuti has come knocking on the door."
He said to the Celestial Master sitting on the stubborn rock: "Although I didn't know what Fabuti used that 'Filthy King' characteristic for before, it was probably to fight against the 'Mother Tree of Desire'. Although I don't know what he wants to exchange with me, I plan to give him that characteristic."
"Then listen to his plan, and if it can help, then lend a hand."
The Celestial Master glanced at Odis before saying, "I suspect that the 'Demon King' intends to use this characteristic to better evade the 'Mother Tree of Desire's' surveillance and search."
"You need to ascertain one thing from Fabti: Does the uniqueness of the 'Abyss' pathway contain the spiritual imprint of the 'Primordial God'? Is it part of the 'Primordial God's' resurrection plan?"
Odis paused for a moment: "The primordial God once intended to resurrect through the 'Abyss'? Why this method?"
"I don't know," the Celestial Master said. "I only recently learned of this news myself, and I don't know the specific arrangements made by the 'Primordial God'."
Odis then asked, "I'm going to talk to Fabti in a little while. What are your specific plans?"
The Celestial Master did not answer immediately, but said, "You need to confirm one more thing: has the dark side of the universe been severely eroded by the 'Mother Tree of Desire'?"
"If that's really the case, we can try to use the spiritual imprint of the 'Primordial God' to erode the 'Mother Tree of Desire' in reverse."
Odis exclaimed, "You're ruthless!"
He felt he was still too naive.
The Celestial Master smiled slightly: "The situation is unclear now, and it's uncertain whether we can achieve this goal."
"If Fabti truly has the arrangement of the 'Primordial God' within him," Odis asked, "could we, in our status, accomplish such a plan?"
At this moment, he realized that the Celestial Master hadn't deliberately concealed the truth about how to deal with the "Defiled King" characteristic; rather, he hadn't had a concrete plan at that time.
The Celestial Master pondered for a moment and said, "I foresee that within two years at most, you will regain control of the uniqueness of the 'Hermit' path."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Adam will be promoted in a few months."
Odis understood what the other person meant: if he could grasp the uniqueness of the "Hermit" path, or if Adam became a god, he could accomplish such an operation.
He said, "I know what I'm doing."
"After we reach an agreement with Fabti, we will discuss the specific plans."
The Celestial Master nodded and entered a meditative state once more.
Odis left this ink-painting-like space and returned to the real world, flying back to the presidential palace in Azshara to await Fabuti's arrival.
The "devil" arrived almost exactly one hour after the agreed time. Odis glanced out the window and saw a phantom human figure standing in mid-air, neither too close nor too far away.
Back in Sequence 7, Odis had seen Fabti in this state. At that time, Odis could not see the appearance of this ancient god clearly, but could only see a figure there.
The figure is still somewhat blurry; all that can be seen is that it is a thin, middle-aged man.
Odis said, "Do you need this 'devil' to convey what you want to say?"
1
At this moment, Fabuti is in a state that seems to be hidden in a space outside the real world, so he can only communicate with Odis through this "demon".
The "devil" said, "The great king said: Yes."
Odis sat in his seat, stuffing tobacco into his pipe, and said, "I'm curious about your current state. The 'Dark Side of the Universe' has been severely affected—well, perhaps I'd better not mention his name directly."
"Do I mean the 'dark side of the universe' has been corrupted by the Outer God you've been hiding from?"
The "devil" was somewhat surprised, clearly unaware that the "dark side of the universe" had already been corrupted.
He soon received Fabti's instructions: "The great king said: It seems you have recovered most of your memories. I guessed right, you are not a physical entity, but a simulation."
After saying that, the "devil" carefully examined the angel in front of him, clearly surprised from the very beginning of the conversation.
Odis smiled and said, "Things are far more complicated than you think, but your guess is largely correct."
The "devil" scrutinized Odis again, as if to say: Was it really a simulation?
At that moment, he heard Fabti's voice again, and immediately said, "The king said: I thought you would be more curious about what I would offer you in exchange."
Odis smiled and said, "A deal is important, but before you do, you should always get to know the other party."
Then he asked, "Is the arrangement of the 'Primordial Creator' inside the body of the 'Dark Side of the Universe' or inside the body of the 'Demon King'?"
Finally, Odis said to the "demon," "You don't need to emphasize that it's the 'Demon King' every time; just relay it. If you want to say something specific, then state that it's your own thought."
The "devil" nodded and said, "Yes, that's what I meant."
He had no time to be surprised at this point, and after a pause, he said, "It seems that the wise and learned 'sage' has returned. Few people know that the 'Primordial' has made arrangements along the 'Abyss' pathway."
"Currently, the title of 'Demon King' only has a certain symbolic meaning. My main authority and characteristics, which once belonged to me, are all in the 'Dark Side of the Universe'!"
"Around the second era, I could clearly feel the influence of that Outer God. As time went on, I also noticed that the 'original' will seemed to be able to awaken from depravity and filth at any time."
"The influence of that Outer God is due to the unique characteristics of the 'Abyss' and the 'Bound Ones,' which were torn off from that Outer God by the 'First Creator.'"
"This process happened thousands of years ago, so there are ways that can affect me."
"The influence of the 'Original' is because it once contained the 'Shadow World,' and it influenced me in reverse through the 'Shadow World.'"
"At the end of the Fourth Age, the influence of the Outer Gods on the real world intensified, and I was more severely corrupted. Under the influence of this severe corruption, the corrupting authority caused me to fall and create a completely new self."
"I can only fight for control against that new self while keeping my main consciousness hidden in the shadow of the demon family members to avoid being completely corrupted and affected."
"At this point, the 'Demon King' has become the 'Dark Side of the Universe,' the final battlefield in my tug-of-war with that Outer God. I am already at a disadvantage, and on the eve of the apocalypse, I will completely lose myself, just like the ' Bound God ' Thorzner."
Odis was so engrossed in listening that he forgot to smoke his pipe.
After a moment's thought, Odis said, "Your consciousness hidden in the shadows seems quite intact, as if it hasn't been greatly affected."
The "devil" relayed: "This is because I made many preparations in advance."
"When I became an ancient god, there was no concept of the path to godhood, so I had two 'filthy king' characteristics and one 'divine wrath' characteristic. Only after I became a god did I obtain a third 'filthy king' characteristic."
"So I took advantage of this property and 'fell' into a clone, which I made hide in the depths of the Misty Sea."
"Use the properties of the fog in the Sea of Fog to interfere with the gaze of the Outer Gods."
"The 'Abyss' path is somewhat special because the existence of a real abyss allows me to 'fall' into a clone called Napolidisli, which is a 'divine abomination' of that 'divine evil,' while I can still maintain my status as a true god."
"However, this arrangement also has drawbacks. After the 'dark side of the universe' was severely eroded and affected by that Outer God..."
The abyss in the real world has also been affected, and demons can no longer survive in it.
"With these two clones, my main consciousness has a foundation to exist in this world, so my will is relatively intact."
Odis nodded, thinking to himself: "Indeed, he is a god who has lived for four centuries, having secretly made so many arrangements."
The "devil" took a deep breath and continued to relay: "But after Torzner was controlled by that Outer God, the location of Napolidisli's clone was quickly discovered by the other party."
"On the other hand, that Outer God bypassed me and quietly influenced Andrerad and Belial within the Blood Cult."
They found my 'Filthy King' clone and killed it.
Fortunately, the "Goddess of the Night" noticed this in time, helped me hide the clone of Napolidisley, and put him into a deep sleep.
"In this way, although I can no longer fight against the 'Mother Tree of Desire,' I can maintain my consciousness for a long time and wait for the possible opportunity to reclaim my clone."
"Just yesterday, I sensed that 'Defiled King' characteristic, seemingly immersed in an ocean of spirit and knowledge, and I suspect it may have been obtained by you."
Odis roughly understood: "The two 'Blood Dukes' guarding the 'Filthy King' trait were Andrerad and Belial. Why didn't they use that 'Filthy King' trait to advance?"
The "devil" relayed: "That Outer God hopes that when the time is right, he can reabsorb that characteristic, and with that characteristic, he might be able to draw me out from where I have been hiding."
Odis hummed in agreement, then fell into a brief moment of contemplation. After a few seconds, he asked, "Is the connection between the 'Dark Side of the Universe' and that Outer God very close?"
"Yes."
Odis smiled and then said, "Now let me hear what you intend to offer in exchange for this Sequence 1 level property."
The "devil" relayed: "After obtaining this property, I can make the main consciousness of the 'Demon King' reach the level of the Angel King."
"And it's about maintaining your own state, whether you're fighting the 'Hidden Sage' or the 'God of Steam and Machines,' I can help you."
"The key is that once this clone appears, it will definitely attract the power that Outer God has accumulated in the real world, including Thorsner, who has been missing for a long time."
"If you are well prepared, I am willing to act as bait."
Odis smiled: "That's all?"
"It's not that I lack sincerity, but rather that I currently have nothing of note to offer."
Odis fell into a brief moment of contemplation. The sudden silence made the "devil" very nervous. He knew very well that whether the great king could continue to be great depended on the angel's next decision.
After thinking for a while, Odis said, "How about this, I'll treat it as a long-term investment."
"I can give you that feature, but not now, after I'm ready."
"good."
Odis added, "I'll definitely use you as bait, but I'll guarantee your safety. If you die, I'll have a hard time getting my investment back."
"In addition, I will try my best to help you reclaim the uniqueness and Sequence 1 property of the 'Abyss' pathway, as well as the uniqueness and a copy of the Sequence 1 property of adjacent pathways, and help you find the 'Shadow World' when the time is right."
"If one day you are able to ascend to the Old Days, you must restrain all the demons and the extraordinary beings of the 'Prisoner' pathway."
After a few seconds, the "devil" said, "I didn't even dare to think about that. I only thought about surviving as a 'filthy king'."
Odis laughed and said, "In my opinion, your feud with that Outer God will keep you on our side."
"In the future, the pressure on the real world will be immense. After all, the Nine Ancients are watching the real world from outside the barrier, and there may also be some Outer Gods taking advantage of the situation."
"If we can have one more person from the past, we will have a better chance of winning."
The "devil" relayed, "I think I've seen the 'sage' from back then again. Okay, I promise you."
"I don't think you need to worry about me being cunning in this regard, because I can only survive if the real world wins."
"Otherwise, you can still escape, but no matter where I run, I can be found immediately."
Odis nodded and said, "After you have recovered to the level of the Angel King, you must obey my orders and not establish any more demon kingdoms. Do something worthwhile."
"good."
Fabti understood, of course, that Odis meant that he would remain Odis's subordinate until he became the Old Days.
Fabti had no objection to this, otherwise those transactions would have involved empty promises, making it difficult for anyone to make a Sequence 1 investment based on them.
After finishing their business, the two exchanged contact information, and the "devil" who had relayed the message, along with Fabti who was hiding in the shadows, left together.
Odis sat in a chair and pondered for a while. He then came to Cruz Island for the second time. After confirming that the surrounding area was safe, Odis once again entered the "Wilderland of Knowledge" and relayed his conversation with Fabuti to the Celestial Master.
The Celestial Master fell into deep thought, while Odis sat quietly to the side, also pondering some of the questions that had just come to mind.
After a long pause, the Celestial Master suddenly said, "In the Western Continent, many people have found a way to merge with the source matter, thus creating a very unique cultivation method. Their subordinates can obtain corresponding power through a method similar to 'blessing'."
"But if one cannot comprehend how to align with the source essence, it will be difficult to obtain extraordinary power in one's lifetime."
"The 'Shadow World' is no exception; the one who controls this source is called the 'Master of the Dark Abode.'"
Odis paused for a moment: "Since the 'Shadow World' has consciousness, it's difficult for Fabuti to become part of the Old Ones."
"Not necessarily," the Celestial Master said with a smile. "They can also try to 'merge with the Dao'."
"There has been an arrangement between us for over a thousand years, so the process of 'aligning with the Dao' is very easy and does not generate any unnecessary consciousness."
"It is not impossible for two different consciousnesses to 'merge,' but they may be like the evil spirit 'Red Angel,' needing to discuss things first and have a common goal before taking action, otherwise they will hinder each other."
"The worst-case scenario is that they all want to devour each other, and whichever gains the upper hand in the struggle will become the dominant consciousness."
Odis sighed and said, "The struggles at higher levels in the Extraordinary Realm are really troublesome. It's either fighting against competitors or against the consciousness of the 'Primordial God' or the 'Celestial Venerable'."
The Celestial Master replied, "It's not just in the extraordinary world; the struggles in the biological world are brutal."
Odis smiled before saying, "We can talk about Fabuti's alignment with the 'Shadow World' later. In our conversation just now, were Fabuti's words true? Was my promise appropriate?"
"It is basically true," the Celestial Master said. "It is very clear that beings who possess the 'Wilderness of Knowledge' have extensive knowledge, which gives us extremely strong judgment. If we lie, we risk being exposed."
"However, there is one point he seems to have deliberately omitted: he did not mention the method of the struggle with the 'Primordial God'."
Xiu described it in a gentle, narrative style: "Through my efforts and those of the 'Ancient Sun God,' the 'Primordial's' series of arrangements through 'omniscience and omnipotence' and other means have been almost completely suppressed."
"According to my and Adam's plan and deduction, after the fall of the 'Ancient Sun God', the consciousness of the 'Primordial God' was probably divided into four."
"A consciousness, along with the divinity of the 'Ancient Sun God,' entered Adam's body; and a consciousness existed within the 'True Creator.'"
"One force seems to be hiding in the uniqueness of the 'sun' pathway; another seems to be in the mirror world."
The Celestial Master paused and then said, "Currently, the 'original' consciousness within Adam has been completely resolved and sealed in the 'Travels of Grosser.' During the Fourth Age, the 'original' will within Adam was still quite evident."
"Or rather, at that time, the 'original' was mainly resurrected through Adam's means."
"At that time, the 'True Creator' did not experience much mental pressure from the 'Primordial God'. Later, even when the 'True Creator' was severely injured by the Six Gods and had to hide in the 'Forsaken Land', the will of the 'Primordial God' did not affect his main consciousness."
"Therefore, we believe that, at least up to now, the 'original God' has not used this method to resurrect."
"And Osekus doesn't seem to have any major problems right now; he should be able to suppress the 'primordial' consciousness."
As for the world in the mirror—
The Celestial Master sighed: "The will of the 'Primordial God' in the Mirror World is beyond our expectations. It seems that some crazy plan carried out by Chik and Tudor has awakened a part of the 'Primordial' will."
"Or perhaps they originally intended to acquire some of the characteristics of the 'original' through mutual fusion, but the 'original' did not respond, while the 'primordial' awakened a certain consciousness along this path."
Odis exclaimed, "These two—no, these two gods are insane!"
The Celestial Master smiled and said, "We only recently became aware of Fabuti's problems."
"Adam and the 'True Creator' seemed to have sensed the 'Primordial's' use of the 'Shadow World' in the past, but they were not sure."
"It's confirmed now."
His expression immediately turned serious as he said, "Considering that the other arrangements of the 'Primordial God' are currently in a relatively peaceful state, it is very likely that he has focused his main efforts on the 'Dark Side of the Universe'."
"Or perhaps Fabti has always been using the 'primordial' will to resist the erosion of the 'Mother Tree of Desire.'"
Odis nodded: "That's more reasonable."
Otherwise, Fabregas wouldn't be performing so well.
This can be seen in the case of " Bound God " Torzner. As Fabti said, the time it took to "initially" tear the characteristics of the "Demon" and "Prisoner" pathways from the "Mother Tree of Desire" was relatively short, and the "Mother Tree of Desire" could still establish some connection with these characteristics.
It doesn't make sense that " Bound God " is completely under control while Fabti is still in such good condition.
It could be because Fabuti reached the level of a true god, or it could be due to prior arrangements.
Even though Fabti's level is slightly higher than " Bound God ," he still has two clones as "anchors."
But not to the point of being in such good condition.
Then it's very likely that they had already put "the original God" in front of them as a shield.
So Odis asked, "Will this affect our plans?"
After all, the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the will of the "Primordial God" have been fighting for a long time, so if an "anti-erosion" is carried out, it should be able to prepare for it.
The Celestial Master thought for a moment before saying, "If the timing is right, it's not impossible."
He paused for a moment, then added, "But before that, it would be best to proactively engage with the 'dark side of the universe.'"
The Celestial Master glanced at Odis: "After you ascend to Sequence 1, you can try fighting the 'Dark Side of the Universe' and carefully observe its movements."
Odis nodded: "Okay."
Then he said, "One last question: 'Mother Tree of Desire,' knowing that the two angels, Andrerad and Belial, were unlikely to be a match for me and Bernadette, why did you still use that Devil's Island to attract our attention?"
Doesn't this mean giving Odis the characteristics of a "filthy king"?