After Audrey obtained the formula, Adrian, barely stifling a grin, watched Klein "reluctantly" and "calmly" accept her 300-pound compensation. Using his Sefirot authority, Adrian recorded the entire scene. If he recalled correctly, Klein had even set his account password as his divine title—what a noble commitment to secrecy, worthy of emulation.
While watching The Sun get fleeced, Adrian idly waited for Klein to finish his reading session.
"August 9th. The events of these past days unsettle me. The Industrial Revolution I sparked, the Age of Steam and Machinery I forged, will become a breeding ground for an evil god's descent?"
What did that mean? A breeding ground for an evil god? Klein frowned, his index finger gently tapping the ancient table's edge. Among evil gods, the True Creator was the most likely and infamous in Loen. The Dark Side of the Universe, Mother Tree of Desire, or Primordial Moon rarely showed traces, far less notorious than the Aurora Order. Yet, Adrian's prior lessons on evil gods had dismissed this: if an evil god were to descend, assume it's the True Creator or Dark Side of the Universe!
When Klein asked why, Adrian only smiled, saying their authorities most closely aligned with "evil god." The Primordial Moon and Mother Tree of Desire seldom appeared publicly. Ask about the Aurora Order, and eight of ten Loenites would know them, one likely a petty thug loosely tied to them.
Adrian, watching Klein, recalled scenes from his cosmic oversight in the starry void.
If tragedy or comedy were the High-Dimensional Overseer's favorite shows, the fall of an emperor wielding absolute power was the most captivating act, signaling a dynasty's collapse. Grand and thrilling.
Roselle built a dynasty on sin and blood, but Huang Tao, from the Old Days, was consumed by the Black Emperor's supreme shadow. He did nothing wrong, the High-Dimensional Overseer mused. He simply lost his first bet. He'd wagered everything at history's turning points millions of times, like Caesar, always rightfully victorious. But in his final gamble, he underestimated an Outer God's millennia-spanning schemes.
In a fleeting moment, the High-Dimensional Overseer considered inviting Huang Tao to His courtyard as a follower. That arrogant tyrant, believing himself chosen, might've tried unraveling His Sefirot's secrets with a frail mortal frame.
Alas, Roselle preferred a fleeting glimpse of a moonlit silhouette resembling his memories, letting the Fallen Mother pollute and control him, over accepting another Outer God's offer. The High-Dimensional Overseer saw Himself as humane, not recklessly harming humanity, but Roselle didn't trust Him. Hah, this "kind" Outer God only hoped Roselle's polluted return would bring a surprise—how was that destructive?
The brutal monarch who'd slain countless suddenly grew sentimental for his nation.
"Roselle…" The High-Dimensional Overseer drifted, carrying His full Sefirot toward the Fallen Mother. Having lost half Her Sefirot, She barely maintained Her pillar status, no different from other Old Ones. She warily eyed the High-Dimensional Overseer, poised to strike.
Poor Fallen Mother, unable to protect Her Sefirot, clinging tightly to Roselle and Berkeley. The High-Dimensional Overseer pitied Her, chick-guarding hen-like, though He wasn't sure whence His pity sprang. He chalked it up to His Sefirot's influence.
"What do you want?" the Fallen Mother asked coldly, puzzled by this unlike-Outer-God peer's visit. During their cosmic siege on Earth, calmer Outer Gods agreed that, unlike their emotionless selves, the High-Dimensional Overseer seemed almost human.
—He could grasp human suffering, then crush it mercilessly.
"I want your Roselle," the High-Dimensional Overseer said earnestly, making an impossible demand.
"Leave," the *Fallen Mother* replied icily.
The High-Dimensional Overseer's lips curled, His form shifting from a massive eyeball. Countless incomprehensible geometric shapes emerged around Him, space unraveling brutally. Contacted matter stretched, split, and fused into radiant, overlapping beams in the cosmos.
The Fallen Mother countered, black tendrils sprouting on matter, entwining His spreading limbs. Two apex Outer Gods clashed mercilessly.
Winner takes all, loser loses everything—that's the law of this dark cosmos.
Even the most "humane" Outer God was no exception.
"Did you win?" the True Creator asked, expressionless.
"Nope," the High-Dimensional Overseer replied, gingerly realigning His limbs, skewed by the Fallen Mother, while clearing light screens damaged in the divine clash. He'd underestimated Her—she was a former pillar, and Her remaining half-Sefirot kept Her from collapsing under His assault.
Instead, He'd fled first, retreating to His Sefirot, which even the Celestial Worthy couldn't shatter, and shamelessly bolted. Regretfully, many of His curated livestreams were ruined, but He'd seized the chance to pummel Huang Tao and Berkeley, snagging some kindly donated Beyonder characteristics.
"That cat-person from that planet died too…" the High-Dimensional Overseer sighed to the True Creator, removing frozen light screens. "She prayed to me as she lay dying. I was actually rooting for her revenge… Tiny thing, lying in a pool of blood, pleading."
"How'd she die?" the True Creator asked curiously.
"Caught in the blast of one of the Fallen Mother's spawn—the one I smashed into bits," the High-Dimensional Overseer recalled. "Its fragments flew over her planet's sky, so no real damage to the planet. Problem was, that cat-person was a Sequence 5 Scholar pathway."
"Oh…" The True Creator paused, then asked instinctively, "Then what?"
"She was preparing to advance in the starry void."
"…" After a long silence, the True Creator managed, "…Died gloriously."
"Since I sparked the war, I'll fulfill her last wish," the High-Dimensional Overseer said somberly, feigning guilt.
"Uh… How?" the True Creator eyed the unreliable Outer God skeptically.
"Look at this," the High-Dimensional Overseer said gravely, presenting a scroll of chaotic colors. "Here."
"?"
"Yep, this is it. Her enemy's in here," He explained. "Couldn't be outside that planet, so I flattened the region into 2D and took it. She had no attachments there, so I casually dealt with her foe."
"…Wow."
...
Audrey recalled the Tarot Gathering's earlier news, sighing. The mysterious White Tower had already found Qilangos's trail, while she'd been smug about her own gains…
No, no, Audrey! You're still hustling for your potion! Don't lose to the formidable Mr. White Tower!
Audrey slapped her cheeks, rallying her spirits.
…
"I found Qilangos's trail, A," Mr. Z said solemnly to Mr. A that night, seated in the Aurora Order's Backlund manor. "We don't need to compete for the Favored One's mission, right? Our goal is to ease the Lord's burdens, not waste His followers' strength. We can share intel to complete the task faster. A, if you want the credit, I'll yield it."
Mr. A paused, then replied, "I'm not that petty, Z. But I salute your honor. On the credit issue, I'll clarify with the Favored One after we finish."
"And Qilangos's trail?" Mr. A's lips curled into a grin. "This is the Lord's oracle, His wrath! It's time the wicked face His fury. Right, Z?"
This week, Klein lived comfortably: a raised salary, lighter workload, and a successful Sunflare charm crafted from rare materials. Such days left him slightly complacent. His only unease stemmed from the Sharon case.
Fors and Xio were in equally high spirits.
After Fors eloquently detailed the mission's dangers to Audrey, Miss Audrey added 200 pounds to their reward, bringing the total to a staggering 650 pounds! This fortune could easily fund Xio's next Sequence potion and let them enjoy a cozy winter trip.
Two hundred pounds… Fors began dreaming of the journey, hoping to receive her teacher's potion before New Year and bask in a delightful Desi Bay vacation…
"Darkholm hasn't updated us on recent findings. Why don't we visit him?" Xio suddenly turned to Fors.
Darkholm, a Backlund East District gang leader, controlled beggars and thieves. Though loathsome, he knew the city's vagrants better than most, and his intel could pinpoint Qilangos.
But when they reached Darkholm's home, a horrific scene awaited. Pale severed limbs hung on gas lamps, entrails and flesh splattered the floor, forming a ghastly tableau.
At this hell's center, bones were stripped clean, Darkholm's head placed among them, his face eerily bearing a kindly smile.
"This…" Fors stepped forward, boldly examining Darkholm's corpse. Her expression hardened. "Matches Qilangos's Beyonder item's traits. We need to leave—no, run!"
Heeding her teacher's vigilance, Fors used her Trickmaster abilities to conjure subtle ice walls around them. Glancing through an ice mirror, she spotted a man in his thirties in the opposite house.
Pirate Admiral Qilangos!
Mind racing, Fors yanked Xio aside, dodging the doorway's line of sight. Gritting her teeth, she removed a bracelet hidden under her sleeve's ruffle.
The silver bracelet bore three rough, dark cyan stones, their surfaces scorched and uneven.
Fors snapped off a stone, whispering in ancient Hermes, "Door!"
Their forms faded, vanishing. From a distance, Adrian coldly watched Qilangos's bewildered expression, a chilling smile on his lips. Muttering eerie, dissonant words, his figure dissolved.
...
Another Tarot Gathering.
Klein noticed Adrian and Audrey's faces bore indescribable gravity, piquing his curiosity. Uncharacteristically, Miss Justice skipped greetings, addressing The Hanged Man sternly, "My investigators found Qilangos's trail."
"I found Qilangos," Adrian stated.
The two stared at each other, at a loss. Audrey was genuinely confused; Adrian was pretending.
(End of Chapter)