"It is almost time for Klein to hold the Tarot Club."
Amid the ticking of passing time, Nimrod extended his hand and, following custom, set up a Spirit Wall infused with gray fog, beginning to wait for the moment he would be "pulled" onto Sefirah Castle by Klein.
—The Sefirah Castle on him had the effect of obscuring vision, and Sefirah Castle itself could not only block the gaze of high-level entities but also, to a certain extent, make him feel secure.
A long-lost sense of security, like a fledgling returning to its nest.
Soon, the same feeling as before emerged before Nimrod.
Gray fog suddenly rose from all directions, and deep red light overflowed from the surroundings, rapidly expanding before Nimrod.
Nimrod stood on the stone platform of Sefirah Castle, casually pulling a piece of gray fog from the side to serve as a temporary seat beneath him.
Feeling the familiar, and even somewhat cordial atmosphere around him, he slowly exhaled.
At this time every Monday, when Klein held the Tarot Club, he could have a relatively safe and relaxing time to think, listening to Klein pretending to be the "Fool" at the Tarot Club while considering the detailed matters after transmigrating to the circlet timeline at night.
Before Nimrod could adjust the patch of gray fog near the Tarot Club in front of him, he suddenly felt a force tugging at his spirit body coming from his side, yet it could not truly shake him.
Nimrod immediately realized something, and a thought surfaced in his mind:
"...Is Klein trying to pull me onto the Tarot Club again?"
He immediately re-confirmed his state—yes, this time the pulling force was exceptionally deep; it seemed Klein was trying different methods to pull him onto the Tarot Club.
...That is true, this is indeed something the current Klein would do.
He is currently at a low Sequence and his knowledge of mysticism is somewhat shallow. Without knowing the special situation regarding Sefirah Castle, a suddenly appearing "peer" would indeed be someone he would want to help and seek help from.
And Nimrod was naturally happy to oblige; always watching the Tarot Club from the sidelines was somewhat boring, and naturally, he wanted to personally check in at the Tarot Club.
Following his feelings and instincts, he reached out to pull the surrounding gray fog, letting the gray mist shroud his spirit body.
Under his precise control, the part of Sefirah Castle wrapping his spirit body returned to his physical body, controlling his body to slightly tilt its head toward a certain direction in the sky.
The next moment, he abruptly relaxed his control over his spirit body and, following the pulling force, ascended once more toward Sefirah Castle.
Deep red appeared before Nimrod's eyes, enveloping every corner of his vision.
He opened his eyes and saw the magnificent and ancient palace appearing around him, saw the two clusters of deep red that had not yet turned into human shapes beside him, saw the "Fool" sitting on the stone throne, and saw the strange figure standing beside the "Fool"...
A figure?
Wait, what on earth got mixed in? Nimrod stared at the Celestial Worthy, and after confirming that it was just a phantom that only he could see, he tentatively called out:
"Zhou Mingrui?"
Holy crap, damn! Klein was shocked; this was the first time he had been called by his real name above the gray fog.
But soon, he relaxed again:
"It is me."
"This is a special ability I have mastered—unlike yours, the special aspect I have mastered can only accommodate my spirit body, unlike the gray fog shrouding the surface of your spirit body."
Having said that, Klein added:
"This is also what I saw when I tried to 'pull' you up just now. Perhaps this is the difference in what we have mastered that is exclusive to a Transmigrator."
"I see."
Nimrod nodded and started bluffing:
"Perhaps this is the difference between an 'active skill' and a 'passive skill'. Although the special aspect you have mastered has not spread to reality, its functionality seems to be greater..."
"—Regarding the special aspects between us, we will talk about it later. There is not much time left; let me briefly introduce the upcoming banquet to you."
Klein, above the gray fog, seemed to naturally immerse himself in the identity of the "Fool", his tone unconsciously taking on a somewhat forceful tone:
"When I first came here, the spirit bodies of two people were also brought here by me. They regarded me as the master of this space at that time, and I also took the opportunity to organize a gathering similar to a 'Beyonder' gathering."
"There are five minutes left until the meeting I scheduled with them. At that time, I hope you can join here as a participant and help me ask some questions that the 'Fool' cannot ask... Ahem."
Speaking of matters related to the "Fool", Klein was obviously a bit embarrassed: "Of course, if you are not willing..."
"It is fine, I am very willing."
Nimrod smiled:
"I think you must have held some thoughts of 'it is relatively safe here' before pulling me up here? —We will talk about these things after the meeting ends. However, what is the name of this 'gathering' you organized? And how should I address myself?"
"I think you would not use your real name—you mentioned just now, 'Fool', did you play the role of the first card of the tarot cards?"
"...Yes." Is the "Cryptologist" actually this sharp... Klein adjusted his state:
"The gathering I organized is called the 'Tarot Club'. From what it looks like now, it is just an ordinary Beyonder gathering."
"As for the code name, you can choose any one from the Major Arcana cards. Of course, the 'Fool', 'Hanged Man', and 'Justice' cannot be chosen; they already have owners."
Klein pulled out three tarot cards from the deck in turn, displayed them to Nimrod, and then put them back, smiling slightly, and said in a joking tone:
"One of them is me."
"The 'Hanged Man' has been taken?" Nimrod timely expressed the disappointment of a troll (although he had long known the ownership of the Hanged Man card):
"Let us draw a card. I originally wanted to choose the 'Hanged Man'—this fits my identity as a Believer of the True Creator very well."
You definitely want to scare others and play pranks by calling yourself a "Believer of the True Creator"... Klein's mouth twitched. After picking out the three tarot cards, he simply cut and shuffled the remaining cards and pushed them in front of Nimrod:
"Come, draw one."
Nimrod extended his hand and spread out the tarot cards one by one, unfolding them into a fan shape.
Then, he randomly drew one from them and flipped it open to the left.
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#66"The Lovers"
Chapter 66 "The Lovers"
Nimrod flipped the tarot cards open on the tabletop.
Two naked figures, one male and one female, stood symmetrically on the left and right sides of the tarot card, while an angel with wings on its back reached out its hands benevolently, covering the tops of their heads.
In the Garden of Eden in the background, there were two fruit trees, with a rugged snake coiled around one of them, staring fixedly at the woman's neck with cold eyes.
The entire card was inverted.
"The Lovers" card!
Inverted "The Lovers"!
Seeing this result, Nimrod was not surprised at all. He calmly opened his hands and said to Klein:
"As expected."
"Ever since I transmigrated into this guy Amon, this 'The Lovers' card has been stuck to my hand as if it were glued there."
Klein looked at the tarot cards in front of him and said in a calm tone: "Perhaps this is fate. Fate wanders in the Spirit World, and spirituality gives us guidance... As a 'Seer', this is also the revelation fate gives us."
Having said that, Klein closed his eyes, feeling his "Seer" potion beginning to quietly melt within his body again. He exhaled and said with a smile:
"Then, welcome to the Tarot Club, Mr. 'The Lovers'."
Nimrod smiled:
"Doesn't that still make me 'Mr. L'? I can't seem to get rid of that title..."
...
Inside the magnificent palace, Miss "Justice" Audrey Hall and Mr. "Hanged Man" Alger Wilson stepped out from the deep red, appearing within the gray fog.
Just as they were about to greet Mr. "Fool", they almost simultaneously noticed the figure sitting in the second seat.
Due to the obstruction of the gray fog, the figure's face was extremely blurry. One could only barely see that the figure was wearing a pure black formal suit, and had a head of black curly hair.
Black hair... Can't tell what nationality... The attire looks a bit like a Loen formal suit... Mr. "Fool" just developed a new member for our gathering like this, without asking for our opinions (Note 1)?
Alger felt a slight dissatisfaction in his heart, and at the same time, a complaint about his own deep blue hair color emerged:
As long as someone with intent notices his hair color, they could quickly pinpoint his general identity!
Mr. "Fool" Klein said in a calm voice:
"This is Mr. 'The Lovers', a new member of the Tarot Club, and a Believer of a potential ally of mine."
After Klein said this, different thoughts emerged in the minds of the three people, excluding Klein.
Mr. "Fool" found an ally just after awakening? Mr. "Fool" is indeed unfathomable!
— This was Miss "Justice"'s inner voice.
Ally, ally, a Believer of an ally... This is at least a deity, or an existence close to a deity, so, Mr. "Fool"...
— This was Mr. "Hanged Man"'s speculation.
Aren't you afraid that your words will become law? Be careful, the True Creator might charge you a copyright fee.
— This was Mr. 'The Lovers''s mockery.
Lol.
— This was the loud mocking laughter of a certain Celestial Worthy who isn't really human.
Nimrod moved his gaze away from the Celestial Worthy, who was diligently acting as an "Attendant of Mysteries", slowly stood up, and bowed to the two. He ignored Miss "Justice" Audrey's gaze and Mr. "Hanged Man" Alger's slightly malicious speculation about him.
After bowing, he bowed slightly towards Klein:
"I come bearing the sincerity of the Lord."
Friend, aren't you a bit too immersed in your role... Klein tried his best to control the twitching of his mouth. After reading Emperor Roselle's diary step by step and gaining some insights, he tapped the tabletop with his fingertips:
"Everyone, I intend to develop our gathering into a regular, secret gathering."
Klein spoke out the thoughts he had already prepared in his mind:
"After Mr. 'The Lovers', every new member who joins needs to undergo strict scrutiny. Secrecy is our tenet."
Having said that, he leaned back slowly:
"Alright, you may begin to communicate freely."
Ally, developing members, Mr. 'The Lovers'... Audrey clearly hadn't recovered from the previous state. She took a deep breath and glanced at the two people beside her — Mr. "Hanged Man" was still thinking, while Mr. 'The Lovers' was a newly joined member...
Ugh, this code name is so strange...
Audrey weighed her words and used the method of acting as a "Spectator" to detach herself, then spoke to "Hanged Man":
"Mr. 'Hanged Man', where must I go to find the 'Psychology Alchemists'?"
After learning that the "Psychology Alchemists" possessed the potion for the "Spectator" Pathway, Audrey was somewhat impatient to know about the situation of the "Psychology Alchemists", wanting to make contact with them and obtain the potions for the subsequent sequences.
But unfortunately, Alger did not know the situation of the "Psychology Alchemists"; he had only encountered a member of the Psychology Alchemists.
After mentioning the "Acting Method" and "digesting potions", Klein timely answered the two with brief sentences.
After this topic ended, Alger's anxiety about Qilangos's promotion speed eased a bit. Seeing that neither "Justice" nor the newly joined "The Lovers" had any intention of speaking, he took the initiative to share some intelligence:
"I heard about something."
"A 'Listener' from the Aurora Order is searching for traces of the True Creator, the sanctuary they proclaim."
Audrey had never heard the name "True Creator" before, and she subconsciously repeated it:
"True Creator?"
"Yes." Alger nodded gently: "That is an ancient existence worshipped by many secret organizations. It is the creator who did not completely die, and the core of what remains of It is the 'True Creator'..."
He briefly described the other images of the True Creator, and after finishing, he asked Klein with a slight probe:
"I'm not wrong, am I, Mr. 'Fool'?"
Probing my opinion on the "True Creator"? Klein had some thoughts in his mind, but as he was brewing his response, a voice came from beside Alger:
"The current 'True Creator' is not equal to the 'creator' who died at the time."
Alger turned his head to look at Mr. 'The Lovers' beside him and saw him leisurely making a cross on his chest:
"The Lord has yet to regain His reason. All who believe in the Lord shall see the apocalypse that the Lord bears — I have come precisely to correct the prejudices of the world and regain the Lord's reason."
"The Lord's true name is 'Ancient Sun God'. He holds the five authorities of Storm, Sun, Wisdom, Depravity, and Mind, and is the first King of humanity."
Chapter 67: Familiar as One's Own Treasures
He is a member of the "Aurora Order"?
Alger captured some very important information from Mr. "Lovers'" words.
In that case, the ally of the "Fool" is the "True Creator" worshipped by the "Aurora Order"?
Alger's mood instantly plummeted to the bottom—he was a member of the "Church of Storms," and logically speaking, the "True Creator" was the mortal enemy of devout Believers of the storm like him!
Alger glanced around.
…But then again, since he was sitting here and had taken the codename "Hanged Man," he wasn't exactly devout himself.
"—Before the 'True Creator' has regained his sanity, I prefer to call him the 'Fallen creator.'"
Klein's voice came from the throne, his tone calm, his gaze falling upon Alger.
Still didn't coordinate beforehand… Klein sighed inwardly, not saying anything more.
He had been too hasty this time. Next time at the "Tarot Club," he needed to discuss some things with Nimrod in advance to prevent certain overly sharp members from bringing up topics he couldn't answer.
Meanwhile, Alger had already begun to brainstorm. Suppressing the questions in his heart, he asked Mr. "Lovers" tentatively:
"Can you tell me something about the deity you worship?"
He did not try to probe the "Fool" again; he knew his previous actions were risky enough, and even as a "Beyonder" of the "Storm" "Pathway," he dared not probe any further.
"I welcome anyone willing to understand the Lord, priest of the storm." Nimrod smiled as he said this to Alger, directly exposing Alger's identity:
"But unfortunately, the things I can say are perhaps things you can already find within the "Church of Storms"; there is no need for me to explain them further to you. You must know, the "Church of Storms'" understanding of the "True Creator" might even exceed that of ordinary members of the "Aurora Order.""
Alger's face darkened, clearly dissatisfied with having his identity exposed—but upon realizing that this Mr. "Lovers" before him had similarly revealed which organization he came from, his mindset stabilized a bit.
According to his understanding, people who worship the "True Creator" rarely lie; they devoutly believe their deity is omniscient and omnipotent. And this newly joined "Beyonder" of the "Tarot Club" was clearly one with a severe case of this, firmly believing that the "True Creator" once possessed all authorities, including that of the "Storm"!
This was somewhat absurd to Alger because he knew that the authority of the "Storm" had belonged to the "Lord of Storms" since the Age of Gods…
Suddenly, Alger's pupils contracted like pinpricks.
But what if he wasn't lying?
But if what he said was true, then this was truly an incredible secret!
If that were the case, then the resolute attitude of the "Church of Storms," the Church of Knowledge, and the Church of the Sun in jointly suppressing the "Aurora Order" seemed to have a new explanation!
Miss "Justice," Audrey Hall, saw that the "Hanged Man" seemed to have fallen into deep thought, his obscured face shifting a few times within seconds. She didn't have the heart to disturb the "Hanged Man's" train of thought, so she turned and asked Mr. "Lovers":
"Hello, Mr. 'Lovers.' I wish to hear about the various mysterious organizations and secret sects… Hmm, if you are willing, I will pay the corresponding remuneration."
After saying this, Audrey couldn't help but take a breath, her fingers gently clenching.
This codename is a bit embarrassing… I don't know why Mr. "Lovers" chose this codename…
Just as Audrey's mind was wandering, Nimrod's voice reached her ears:
"Certainly. I require 2,000 pounds in cash or the equivalent. In return, I will tell you the basic information of all secret organizations and sects, along with the deities they worship and the "Pathways" they master."
He vaguely remembered that Alger had swindled 1,000 pounds from Miss "Justice" with unclear clues back then, so he decided to provide some information worth the price to help fill the Tingen City "Aurora Order's" lack of funds.
Speaking of which, Nimrod chuckled:
"The secret organizations and sects I have knowledge of are:"
"Aurora Order, Demoness Sect, Iron and Blood Cross Order, Secret Protectorate, Hermits of Fate, Moses Ascetic Order, Rose School of Thought, Blood Sanctify Sect…"
"…Sinners, Bliss Society, Truth School, and so on."
Alger, on the side, had already been startled from his deep thought upon hearing the number "2,000 pounds," a look of pain for missing out on a huge sum of money appearing on his face—he believed he could have stated this simple knowledge himself.
But after Nimrod listed more than ten secret organizations, his gaze gradually grew serious.
After more than fifteen secret organizations, Alger began to try his best to lower his presence, letting Miss "Justice" ignore his existence at the "Tarot Club," preparing to do everything possible to sponge off this 2,000-pound worth of information.
Among these secret organizations, there were quite a few whose names he had never even heard of.
So many? Audrey was a bit stunned listening to this, and she swallowed a mouthful of saliva:
"No, no problem… How should I transfer the remuneration to you?"
Nimrod chuckled:
"You can summon my messenger. I will tell you an incantation to summon the messenger. As long as you ensure no one is around, you can summon it directly and hand over the remuneration to it."
In front of Audrey, Nimrod did not use the divine pronoun to refer to the "animated void." Although the "animated void" was only the main ingredient of the "Planeswalker" "Pathway," it was still an existence with the status of an angel to some extent; using that term would scare the little friends at the "Tarot Club."
"No problem." Audrey nodded quickly.
When she heard so many names of secret organizations and sects just now, she was momentarily dazzled—2,000 pounds could actually buy so much information?
"I will tell you the incantation separately later." Nimrod responded and began his narration:
"Among the secret organizations I just mentioned, they can be simply divided into two categories. One category consists of the evil god worshippers and terrorist organizations in the universal sense. You can try to make contact and try to join them, but you must not approve of their ideas, and you must not engage in deep contact."
"And the other category of organizations are the thorough enemies of humanity. You must not make contact with them at all; just understand them simply—once you try to make contact with them, what awaits you will inevitably be a fate more miserable than death."
Nimrod gazed at Audrey's eyes, which were like brilliant gemstones:
"The most typical of this category are the 'Sinners,' 'Bliss Society,' and 'Truth School'… They will disguise themselves as normal secret organizations to attract wild "Beyonders" and develop their own members."
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#68Finish
Chapter 68: The End
Just how riddled with Outer Gods is this world? In another one to two years, when the war between the three nations breaks out, the Outer Gods will begin to infiltrate the real world, forming all sorts of bizarre Outer God organizations.
These organizations are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, and Nimrod can't remember the exact time of their birth. Some organizations might have even started when an ordinary person, bored out of their mind, glanced at the Cosmos and then gained some strange and mysterious knowledge... and an Outer God organization was born just like that.
One can only say, it's impossible to guard against.
Since Klein was also quietly listening to his words, Nimrod simply divulged more information, allowing Klein and the members of the Tarot Club to understand more, lest one day, while communicating with someone who seemed perfectly normal, a sudden flash of inspiration causes them to sprout tentacles.
"Why are the second type of organizations different from the first type?"
Hearing Nimrod's deliberate emphasis, Audrey asked with thinly veiled curiosity:
"According to the Church, they all worship evil gods or hidden existences, so logically, they should be equally dangerous..."
Looking at the innocence and clarity in Audrey's eyes, Nimrod replied:
"Because their goals are different from the former."
"The purpose of the first type of secret organizations might be due to faith or ideology, but many of them are just ordinary Beyonders."
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"But the second type of secret organizations has only one goal: to help their 'Lord' descend!"
"You should know that in the Fourth Epoch, deities walked the earth—even the descent of righteous gods like the Evernight Goddess and the Lord of Storms would bring unavoidable disasters. Even if they restrained their influence, the aftershocks of their movements and battles would be enough to kill a large number of ordinary people."
Nimrod paused:
"And the second type of secret organizations I just mentioned, the deities they worship do not restrain their power. Once they descend to reality, the least they will bring is the destruction of an entire continent."
"Moreover, the deities worshipped by these secret organizations will personally bewitch their members, subtly twisting their minds—you wouldn't want someone wearing your skin to occupy your identity, walking among your family, plotting a world-destroying plan, would you?"
"Of course, I suspect that some of the first type of secret organizations also overlap with the second type, but there are no definite clues or information, so they haven't been categorized into the second type."
Nimrod's words gave Audrey goosebumps. Her teeth chattered slightly, and a forced smile appeared on her face:
"I understand, Mr. Lovers... I won't go near those organizations. Please continue."
In that instant, Audrey used her imagination to conjure an "Audrey" wearing her skin, smiling and greeting her family, and immediately made up her mind:
She must be cautious in contacting those secret organizations and not let such a thing happen to her!
...Nimrod briefly described the beliefs and Pathways of the secret organizations he mentioned. After he finished, the three exchanged some irrelevant information, and Klein announced the end of the Tarot Club meeting.
The crimson light dissipated around Nimrod. He watched the Fool, seated on the gray fog, slowly rise from his throne and walk to his side, casually asking:
"Staying in one pose all the time, does your back hurt?"
Klein's mouth twitched when he heard Nimrod's casual remark: "This is a god's self-cultivation."
Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man had already imagined him as a god; at this point, he couldn't possibly reveal that he was a Sequence 9 Beyonder.
—But how could you say something so unromantic so naturally?
"True, you even named yourself 'Fool'."
Nimrod said to Klein, seemingly casually:
"I previously accessed some information related to the antigonus family notebook incident at the Aurora Order. Guess what I found?"
Hearing the name "Antigonus," Klein subconsciously asked:
"What did you find?"
After the Church of the Night recovered the antigonus family notebook, Klein had no further clues related to the death of the original owner of this body. And now Nimrod was telling him that he had found information related to the "antigonus family notebook Incident"?
"The Antigonus Family's name comes from 'Antigonus.' According to some fragmented records, this was an angel active in the Fourth Epoch. Coincidentally, some rumors and legends mentioned one of His titles..."
Nimrod stared intently at Klein: "Guess what His other title is?"
Without waiting for Klein to answer, Nimrod directly stated the answer to the question.
"His other title is:"
"Half a Fool!"
Klein's gaze instantly froze as Nimrod's voice fell. After several seconds, he slowly exhaled and whispered:
"Half a Fool... You mean, 'Fool' might be the name of a high-Sequence potion on the Seer Pathway?"
"Exactly, and very likely the highest Sequence," Nimrod slowly said:
"I suspect that this gray fog we are currently in is the high-Sequence item common to the 'Seer,' 'Marauder,' and 'Door' Pathways, as mentioned by Roselle Gustav in his diary. Otherwise, the sentence in Roselle's diary cannot be explained."
"His greatest regret was not choosing these three Pathways," Klein murmured:
"And this gray fog is closely related to our transmigration—could this be the reason he spent his entire life unable to find a way back?"
Thinking of this, Klein's gaze became somewhat complex, a mix of brightness and sadness—but the bright light quickly overshadowed the sadness in his eyes, and his tone became extremely firm:
"Nimrod! Whether it's you or me, at least one of us must find a way to reach a high Sequence—that way, we'll have hope of returning home!"
The sadness in his eyes came from pity for Roselle, who had searched for home his entire life but found no direction. The light in his eyes, however, stemmed from his own hope of returning home!
"...But the most pressing matter right now is to solve Ince Zangwill's problem." Nimrod sighed, a complex, hard-to-discern emotion flowing in his eyes:
"If I'm not mistaken, Ince Zangwill will be unable to restrain himself and begin his plan in at most a month."
Chapter 69: Before Crossing Over Again
After communicating with Klein Moretti about matters related to Ince Zangwill above Sefirah Castle once again, this Tarot Club meeting officially ended.
After the Tarot Club ended, Nimrod moved his slightly stiff neck, looked at the Celestial Worthy sitting in the corner of the room as always, and let out a long "Tsk," making no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction.
"Truly vivid humanity."
Seeing Nimrod's performance, the Celestial Worthy put down the newspaper in his hand and said with emotion:
"Compatriot, are all the deities in your world like you?"
"—Pretty much. At least, the 'gods' I acknowledge do not need humans as their anchors."
Nimrod said casually:
"To me, the reason gods are called gods is because gods love the world—and love does not need reasons or benefits."
"Then the place where you live is truly a world that is too wonderful for these frail little creatures." Hearing Nimrod's words, the Celestial Worthy chuckled:
"What do you plan to do next? You have already touched the deep dreams of the Red Priest cub. The enemies you will face next will not be as fragile as those in the first layer of the dream."
"Especially after you made Lumian vaguely aware of the fact that he is in a dream, his mental state will enter the next stage more rapidly—in his dream, the powers belonging to the Old Ones will gradually revive, naturally forming strange and terrifying enemies within the dream."
"Even there, my spirit is still suppressed by you, unable to help you solve problems."
For example, in Lumian's first "Cordu Village Cycle," the enemies he faced were just some ordinary villagers and the group of Beyonders led by the Parish Priest.
Then in the second Cycle, the enemies Lumian had to face were Madam Pualis and others who had received the "boon" of the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
And in the third Cycle, the enemies Lumian had to face in his own dream were the fully-formed "boon" receiver of the Circle of Inevitability, the Parish Priest, as well as another "self" and "Aurore," an NPC whose behavior was controlled.
After Nimrod came into the dream, what he needed to do was to let Lumian solve the events related to the "Cycle" in a short time, because in this dream, the "Cycle" itself represented the problems Lumian had encountered before; it was Lumian's deepest trauma and psychological shadow.
Just like "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder," even if Lumian knew there was something special about the place he was in, and realized in his subconscious that he was currently in a dream, it was very difficult for him to actively overcome it relying on his own psychology.
He needed to solve the corresponding events step by step, and thicken his wall of heart step by step, so that he could truly know the truth without dying directly due to the collapse of his mind triggering the Beyonder powers within his body.
And for Nimrod, who appeared almost equivalent to the Celestial Worthy from the outside, the power left behind by the Outer Deity would produce a stress reaction towards him, so battles with those Outer Deity Believers in the dream were inevitably unavoidable.
Similarly, in the "mysteries timeline," after Nimrod forced Ince Zangwill into a corner, he knew he would face this Sequence 5 Beyonder, Ince Zangwill, at any time.
And at the level of Sequence 5, Beyonders of any Pathway already possessed truly transcendent abilities in the real sense. For some Beyonders who could skillfully use their own abilities, they could even use their Beyonder abilities to achieve feats far beyond their Sequence, or even destroy a not-so-small city-state.
As for a frontal battle, even if Nimrod had that Sequence 5 "sun scythe," he only had the confidence to escape from a Sequence 5 Beyonder; after all, the combat power of a "Cryptologist" was basically equal to zero.
The Sefirah Castle characteristic on him served more as a symbol; this was quite important for high-Sequence individuals, but low-Sequence individuals could not recognize it.
And Ince Zangwill possessed the "0-08" weapon of mass destruction, and behind him, there was Adam, with an unknown attitude, watching Tingen City.
—Damn it, Adam in the circlet timeline is watching me, and Adam in the mysteries timeline is still watching me. Both are hellish starts.
This was the inner voice that suddenly emerged in Nimrod's heart.
Even with Mr. Z assisting him, Nimrod still had no bottom in his heart. Although he estimated that Adam would not personally enter the fray, there was no telling what kind of efforts "0-08" would make to break free.
Accidental coincidences, wild Beyonders, or even the meteorite that Ince Zangwill used to eliminate Klein Moretti at the time, were all "accidents" that could possibly occur!
Therefore, Nimrod needed to improve his strength, but he did not have the "Prometheus" characteristic now and could not advance in time. Then... what about other Beyonder powers?
And in the "circlet timeline," there happened to be Beyonder powers other than "potions."
The "boon" from the "Circle of Inevitability"!
For Nimrod, if it were in the "mysteries timeline," wanting to steal the "boon" of the "Circle of Inevitability" would be complete nonsense.
Because in the "mysteries timeline," the amount of Sefirah Castle grey fog Nimrod could use was very small, basically only having symbolic meaning.
Whereas in the "circlet timeline," Cordu Village had a very thick grey fog coming from "Sefirah Castle"—even if these grey fogs came from the "Fool's" Seal, Nimrod could still use these grey fogs to overdraw some power and complete a "theft" that exceeded his current Sequence.
Before this, Nimrod specifically asked the Celestial Worthy about this matter. And the Celestial Worthy indicated that this matter had a certain feasibility and was something that could be attempted.
And besides the power sealed in Lumian's left chest, the "life-hunting blade," which was also a "boon" from the "Circle of Inevitability," was also Nimrod's target.
With "Sefirah Castle," Nimrod could suppress the negative effects of the "life-hunting blade" to a very low level, greatly increasing his combat power.
Although he now possessed the "sun scythe," he still felt that his frontal combat ability was insufficient.
Because he was not just planning to protect himself in the turmoil of Tingen City, but was prepared to repel Ince Zangwill!
There were quite a few benefits to doing this, such as very likely winning the support of the Evernight Goddess, the trust of Klein Moretti, and so on.
But Nimrod was doing it more to achieve peace of mind—if he had "Sefirah Castle" and still acted timidly, wouldn't he have transmigrated in vain?
For this, he was willing to accept risks and challenges.
Of course, being willing to challenge did not mean rushing in blindly without doing anything. Nimrod would also maximize his grasp when facing danger, striving to reduce the risks to the lowest possible range.
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#70The second cycle begins
Chapter 70: The Second Cycle Begins
When Nimrod opened his eyes again, the scene before him had already turned into the ruins of Cordu Village.
He took two steps forward, walked straight to the side of Lumian, who was sitting in place gazing up at the Cosmos, and asked him:
"What are you looking at?"
"I'm just thinking about the scene Sister saw earlier..." Lumian's tone was filled with irrepressible pain:
"I never thought that such days would change one day."
"I once heard a blue-skinned, two-headed bird say that change is the norm of life," Nimrod said to Lumian, using 'fraud' to replace part of the effect of 'appeasement':
"If you truly love your sister, then stand up and continue living instead of thinking about whether to seek death. If you are bent on dying, then it is not Aurore you love, but yourself."
"But how should I resist those Great Ones?" Lumian exhaled deeply, picking up the half-bottle of strong liquor he had found in the ruins beside him:
"According to what you said, They are the saints and angels of legends, the true gods—while I am just an ordinary person who has just stepped into the Beyonder world."
"It's very simple, why don't you just become a god?" Nimrod scoffed:
"Have you heard of 'becoming a god in five years, XX in three years'? As long as you master the Acting Method well enough, you can advance one Sequence every six months, and you can become a god in five years."
"Moreover, those Great Ones who want to mold you into a specific person will also push you forward. As long as you can persist, one day you will be able to overturn the card table in front of those arrogant gods."
"Besides, even for the sake of my own schemes, I will provide you with help."
Lumian's mouth twitched:
"So, what exactly are you planning?... If you also want to mold a tool with a fixed personality, wouldn't it be a simpler choice to collude with those Great Ones?"
Seeing that Lumian was already being sarcastic about those "Great Ones" in his tone, Nimrod knew that the negative emotions that had erupted in Lumian's heart had already dissipated quite a bit:
"Because I am your godfather, Mr. Lee."
Lumian slightly raised his head, his eyes filled with seventy percent shock and thirty percent confusion, clearly not understanding why Nimrod would say such words in the name of a father at this time.
"——You don't understand it now, which is normal." Nimrod withdrew his gaze, yawned, and walked towards the house nearby:
"You only need to know that I can profit from the matter of 'being your godfather.' As for what kind of person those Great Ones want to mold—I don't care about their thoughts; I care more about your own will."
"Go back and rest. Didn't you go to 'replicate' the experience of meeting that trio earlier this afternoon while you could still control your sanity? Tomorrow, we need to take the initiative; it will be hard to have any chance or time to rest."
Lumian watched Nimrod walk away and nodded slowly and heavily.
...
The next morning, Lumian tiptoed to open Aurore's door. After quietly watching her for a long time, he walked into the kitchen and simply prepared three portions of breakfast.
After finishing his own portion of breakfast and placing Aurore's portion properly on the table, Lumian looked up and said to Nimrod:
"Godfather, I saw Valentine, Lia, and the others yesterday. Do we need to team up with them later and tell them some of the intelligence we've probed?"
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Nimrod shook his head:
"No, we don't need to."
He said clearly and logically:
"First, they are not mid-to-high Sequence Beyonders, so they know very little information. And it's not easy for us to explain things related to the 'Cycle' to them; it would take a lot of time."
"Secondly, our goal this time is not to kill the Parish Priest and the others, so we don't need that much combat power. We cannot solve this Cycle, which has a 12-day period, just by killing them. So, why should we spend so much energy on the Parish Priest and the others?"
"Furthermore, we have no way to kill the Parish Priest first. At the end of the last Cycle, the moment we killed the Parish Priest, the Cycle was forcibly restarted. From this point of view, the Parish Priest is one of the 'trigger points' of the Cycle. You can understand what I mean, right?"
Lumian nodded. Aurore had also told him about these strange terms, so Lumian was relatively not unfamiliar with them.
"Now let's be clear about one thing: what do we need to do in this Cycle?" Nimrod said slowly and methodically while walking with Lumian on the country roads of Cordu Village:
"What we need to do is end this Cycle."
"Do you think, if three mid-Sequence official Beyonders go missing here, what would be the official reaction?"
"Undoubtedly, for the safety of other regions, they would destroy this place. And once that happens, neither you nor I would survive. And once you die, your sister would lose the chance to be resurrected."
"Therefore, we must collect enough clues to end the Cycle—the daytime is the time for collection, and only at night can we analyze the clues collected during the day to find a way to end the Cycle."
"It is precisely because of this that we need to avoid the trigger points of the Cycle as much as possible this time, while figuring out the key to this Cycle. Do you have any other questions?"
Lumian listened to Nimrod's words quietly, shook his head, and said to Nimrod:
"I understand, Godfather."
"Very good." There was a hint of subtle relief in Nimrod's tone:
"I am very happy to see you recover so quickly."
"However, I need to remind you that while you are contacting the clues, it is very likely that you will also trigger the 'Cycle'—but that also symbolizes that you have come into contact with core clues."
"At night, you can try to look for new Monsters and attempt to hunt—hunting high-Sequence Beyonders is the best means of 'Acting,' and improving your own Beyonder abilities can also increase your chances of breaking through the Cycle."
"I will also perform some rituals in the ruins of your dream, on one hand to look for clues, and on the other to collect some special powers that exist in the ruins of your dream; this is very useful to me."
Nimrod did not shy away from his desire for the special things in Lumian, and chuckled:
"Of course, this is also one of the reasons why I am willing to help you."
Hearing Nimrod's words, Lumian instead let out a long sigh:
"You saying that actually makes me feel more at ease."
"Then I'll start taking action, Godfather."
Chapter 71: "Mr. Fool," are you there?
After starting his search, Lumian took the initiative to chat with the Parish Priest, whom he had killed with his own hands once, and conducted some probing. He encountered Pierre Berry and spoke with him about church matters.
Afterwards, Lumian snuck into Pierre Berry's home and saw three people who had been turned into sheep, which sparked more conjectures in his mind.
Although he struggled with the idea of whether to kill Pierre Berry, he ultimately refrained from doing so, fearing it might trigger the Cycle.
"Sheep... people turned into sheep..."
Lumian walked along the road, pondering the scene he had witnessed:
"This must be the ability that the son-of-a-bitch Parish Priest and his group obtained from the evil god they worship. Otherwise, why would a priest, who is unparalleled in his glory in the village, worship an evil god?"
It was nothing more than to gain power that he couldn't obtain from the Church!
"Since that's the case, these sheep are very likely the sacrifices for this ritual!"
Lumian, having already disrupted the Lent ritual once, quickly associated the purpose of these "human-sheep," and a malicious thought suddenly emerged in his heart:
"If I kill these sheep and replace them with real ones, would I be able to disrupt this ritual?"
"This is undoubtedly an act of deceiving the gods. As long as they don't discover that these sheep have been replaced, it is very likely that their ritual will fail, or even cause the ritual to backfire on them!"
"Although, although the Godfather told me that everything I am experiencing right now is not real, I still have to make these bastards get the miserable end they deserve—worse than death!"
Lumian rubbed his fingers and suddenly clenched his fist, which was trembling uncontrollably.
He slowly exhaled, suppressing the malice in his heart.
It wasn't that he couldn't bear to kill these few people-turned-sheep, but he was worried that killing them would also trigger the Cycle.
Lumian's ears twitched, hearing some chaotic footsteps walking towards the sheep pen. He took one last look at where the sheep were, then, without hesitation, used his "Hunter" physical fitness to vault out of the pen and return to the road.
"Ask the Godfather? But I don't know where the Godfather has gone now..." Lumian muttered as he walked along the country path:
"But this way, the investigation will stall... In this way, the daytime hours will be wasted in vain..."
"Right, I'm not the only one who knows about the things related to the Cycle here besides the Godfather; there's also that mysterious woman in the tavern!"
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"I can go ask her! It's just that I don't know if she's in the tavern right now!"
Although he said that, after this thought occurred to him, Lumian quickly changed direction and hurried towards the Old Tavern.
Even if that mysterious woman wasn't at the Old Tavern, he could still look for clues about other anomalies in the village from other angles!
However, fortunately, the mysterious lady who had given him some help was sitting in the Old Tavern. Her expression was slightly serious as she sat there, dividing several tarot cards into piles.
"Lady." Lumian quickly walked forward and said to her, "I have discovered some problems."
However, Fors (Angel Version) did not answer Lumian. She turned her head and said to Lumian:
"I originally thought you would come to me first to ask about what happened in this village. But now it seems that you have other help by your side."
She could tell? Well, she is also a powerful Beyonder... Lumian was slightly surprised, but not overly shocked:
"Do you know what happened by my side?"
"No, I don't watch you all the time." Fors shook her head, gently picked up the wine glass beside her, and took a sip: "It's just that I saw some discordant traces and discordant fate around you."
Why is this person so hard to understand... Lumian compared the woman in front of him with his newly acknowledged Godfather, feeling that the woman before him always spoke in riddles:
"Yes, Lady. He has some gray-white mist on him similar to that in my dreams. I thought he was your companion—so, he isn't?"
Hearing Lumian's words, the originally serious expression on Fors's face quickly softened, replaced by a strange look that Lumian couldn't understand:
"It can't be said that he isn't my companion, it's just that I didn't expect him to come here in person..."
Why did this lady suddenly show such an expression? This expression is just like my sister in the last few days before submitting a manuscript...
Lumian thought to himself with some confusion, but he instinctively felt that what the lady in front of him was thinking might not be the same thing he was talking about.
Just as he was thinking about how to continue the conversation, Fors had already drained the strong alcohol in front of her and changed her tone to speak to Lumian:
"What help did he give you? Or, let me rephrase: what did he do?"
Lumian weighed his words:
"He took me along to disrupt the Lent ritual... Um, in the last Cycle. He also told me that the place we are in right now is not real, and he saved me when I was on the verge of breaking down."
"Then, he asked me to investigate the clues related to this Cycle today, striving to find all the clues to the whole event in a short time to break this Cycle."
Lumian said everything he could in one breath and looked up at the mysterious lady in front of him. However, he saw the mysterious lady's expression become even stranger:
"This is indeed his style... Alright, since you know so much, it saves me the trouble of explaining. Let me tell you about things related to the 'boon' and give you some small hints."
...
After telling Lumian about the "boon," giving him the hint that "the twelfth night is the key," and answering some of his doubts, Fors watched the fruitful Lumian leave the Old Tavern.
After Lumian left the Old Tavern, Fors remained seated there, putting away the tarot cards in front of her one by one, and muttered to herself:
"Is Mr. Fool's condition this good now?"
"It shouldn't be that person who is competing with Mr. Fool. If it were that person, then I would be the one most deeply affected right now..."
"The biggest 'Amon' hasn't returned to this planet either..."
Fors hesitated for a moment. Watching the surroundings become increasingly unreal, she tilted her head with some hesitation and tentatively said softly:
"Mr. Fool, are you there?"
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#72Night of the Hunt
Chapter 72: Night of the Hunt
At night, Lumian pushed open the door to his safe house in the dream and saw his godfather, Nimrod, standing there waiting for him as always.
"Good evening. Did you make any discoveries during the day?" Nimrod glanced at Lumian and beckoned to him.
"Let's go. I'll take you hunting tonight—we can talk as we walk."
"Alright."
Lumian didn't ask further questions and quickly followed in Nimrod's footsteps. He began to recount his discoveries one by one, including the deduction that the sheep were originally humans based on the words they wrote, the mysterious lady's behavior and reactions, and the discovery that his childhood friend, Raymond, had gone missing, among other things.
"Hmm, the method you thought of is quite good, but you still need some help with the deception."
Nimrod listened to Lumian's development of the uses for these "human-sheep" and nodded slowly.
"Just using sheep that look similar won't be enough to Fool that Shepherd. I need to impose some Thought Misdirection on that Shepherd—tch, that title is really strange; it always reminds me of my 'Shepherd' friends."
"...You also have friends who are Shepherds?"
Lumian clearly didn't understand the hidden meaning in Nimrod's words, but he didn't ask further and simply changed the subject.
"Godfather, how should we conduct the 'hunt' tonight?"
"That's something you need to figure out yourself. Didn't you bring a hunting rifle? Or is that thing in your hand a water gun?" Nimrod said.
"Use your brain as a 'Hunter' and go hunt a few Monsters with a higher Sequence than you. Once you understand how to act as a Hunter, you'll be able to digest most of your potion in a day."
Hearing Nimrod's words, Lumian was momentarily stunned.
"It's that simple? I just became a Beyonder..."
Wasn't it said that it takes half a year to digest a potion of one Sequence?
What do you mean by digesting most of it in a day?
"For most Beyonders, being old doesn't necessarily mean being strong. Hunting high-Sequence individuals is the most dangerous, yet most efficient, way for a Hunter to act." Nimrod signaled for Lumian to crouch down and hide behind cover.
"Come, pay attention. This is your first target for tonight."
Lumian subconsciously looked in the direction Nimrod was pointing and saw a disgusting sight.
A headless Mandible Monster with a bare torso and black trousers was extending black tentacles, dragging a mass of writhing flesh.
These tentacles extended from the Monster's neck—on the cross-section of its neck grew spiral-shaped sharp teeth. After dragging the flesh in front of itself with its tentacles, it opened its mandibles and began to gnaw on the still-writhing flesh.
"This is a Monster blessed by the evil god worshipped by the Parish Priest and the others. I need the flesh from its body for some... rituals. Remember to help me preserve the mark on its chest; it will be useful later."
Nimrod chuckled. "Go on. I won't interfere with your hunt tonight unless you're about to be beaten to death. When that happens, I'll drag you back."
"Do you still remember the special trait you triggered here before? Remember your special trait; it might play an important role."
With that, Nimrod sat on a nearby rock and signaled for Lumian to act on his own.
Do you really not want to help me at all? Lumian habitually complained in his heart, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and began to carefully observe the "Mandible Monster."
After a fierce struggle, Lumian used traps and other methods to finish off the "Mandible Monster."
After defeating the Monster, he used an axe to hack off the mark embedded in the "Mandible Monster's" chest—he had originally intended to peel off that piece of skin, but the "Mandible Monster" had been smashed by his traps to the point where it was somewhat stuck together, making it impossible to peel off.
"Let's go. Keep moving deeper."
Nimrod put the flesh into a container and casually tossed it onto "Sefirah Castle" for the Celestial Worthy to analyze. Soon, Nimrod led Lumian to a fresh area of strange traces composed of "handprints" and "footprints."
"Go on, track those footprints and kill their owners." Nimrod patted Lumian on the shoulder. "Did you feel that you've digested the potion to a certain extent from the hunt just now?"
"Yes." Lumian had already entered the state of a "Hunter" and lowered his voice. "But the extent isn't very large..."
"That's normal."
Nimrod nodded at Lumian. "After all, the Sequence of these Monsters isn't very high, so the method of digestion naturally isn't very good—later, you can try to see if you can use traps to kill a mid-Sequence Beyonder. If you do that, the progress of your 'Hunter' potion digestion will increase significantly."
"Of course, this is also so that my subsequent ritual can succeed. I plan to extract the power from the Seal on your chest, and this requires you to have a certain degree of digestion of the potion."
"After the power within the Seal is extracted, the Seal on you will become more solid. However, this has both advantages and disadvantages."
Nimrod added:
"Originally, I shouldn't tell you about this, because it would create a rift between us."
"But I don't want to deceive my godson, so I will tell you one thing: if I don't steal the power of the Seal on your chest, the lady you meet later will teach you the method of extracting the power from the Seal."
"In other words, this power should have belonged to you."
"No, it's not important to me." Hearing Nimrod's words, Lumian shook his head with a heavy expression.
"I don't care about the power in this Seal. I only hope that you can keep your promise and save Aurore from this Cycle."
"Of course."
Hearing Nimrod's answer, Lumian steadied himself and walked slowly into the gray fog, following the footprints, ready to begin the second round of "hunting."
After a moment, Nimrod also began to move, following Lumian from a distance while casually speaking.
"How is it? Are you confident?"
[If I said I wasn't confident, what would you say?]
The Celestial Worthy's voice rang in Nimrod's ear, carrying a hint of amusement.
"I would mock you."
Nimrod said without hesitation:
"Celestial Worthy, it's one thing for you to be restrained by other Outer Deities, but you can't even break through a Seal set by your own successor?"
[...]
[As expected of the godfather of the Calamity of Destruction.]
The Celestial Worthy was silent for two seconds. He felt that this bastard who had occupied his symbol was obsessed with this matter, but he couldn't understand why someone who had just awakened would know about this:
[Fine, I have figured out how to disguise you as the 'Fool'.]
[Heh, for me, this is a very simple matter.]