"Name your terms," Alger asked cautiously, hearing Adrian's proposal.
"Same conditions—I only need that island's coordinates; other terms don't matter," Adrian said breezily, waving a hand. "But unlike before, I'll provide more intel and personally sail with a ship, narrowing your search."
"Trust me, this cuts your payment by half. If you fail to find the coordinates, you'll still owe me a full Beyonder characteristic."
The High-Dimensional Overseer's true targets were never the Tarot Gathering's members. If Klein, as the Celestial Worthy's heir, warranted some attention, the others lacked the power or status to occupy His focus.
—They were too weak.
Even at the apocalypse, they'd never reach True God. Below True God, even angels were mere mortals, slightly stronger, before the High-Dimensional Overseer.
For Old Ones in the starry void, a single breath (laced with Sefirot essence) could corrupt a King of Angel. The Fallen Mother, despite losing half her Mother Nest, could still seep Her influence through Mr. Door into the primal barrier.
Only the Blasphemy Slate, forged from God's corpse, could block Her descent.
Thus, the High-Dimensional Overseer's sole Earthly target was one:
Roselle Gustav. Huang Tao. The *Black Emperor.
As an Outer God, fully infiltrating Earth undetected by the gods was impossible. Even the Fallen Mother, a half-pillar, was barred, her followers hounded by the Seven Gods.
The primal barrier made it near-impossible for starry Outer Gods to project their authority to Earth.
Even the unique High-Dimensional Overseer was no exception. He needed no anchors, but His humanity and Sefirot will craved eternal oversight. Madness? He'd endured that upon transmigrating into a Sefirot incarnation. In this dark cosmos, order was fleeting, madness eternal.
Time's grind dulled even the wildest consciousness, making madness mundane.
The High-Dimensional Overseer reckoned His presence on Earth was nearing detection. Adam's millennia-long schemes would surely spot an anomaly. Even with the Evernight Goddess's cover…
Hah, He knew the Evernight Goddess wouldn't fully commit. Too shrewd, too adept at picking sides. She and the True Creator likely never fully trusted Him. Naturally, He saw their alliance as mutual exploitation.
Their current cooperation hinged on both gods holding cards to deter Him, and His temporary lack of hostility toward Earth. If that balance broke, the Seven Gods might corner Him overnight, dragging Klein—and Sefirah Castle—into ruin, fed to Amon.
If things deteriorated that far, the Evernight Goddess and True Creator wouldn't bet on whether Klein could resist corruption by the dangerous High-Dimensional Overseer. Should the Celestial Worthy align with the stars, Earth faced absolute annihilation and eternal despair.
The High-Dimensional Overseer found such thoughts foolish. Absolute annihilation? Despair? They wouldn't even let Beyonders surface, leaving Earthlings with treasures they couldn't use to step outward.
In the Old Days, when Beyonders were hidden, humanity strove to develop its own strength. Now, with power easily tapped, Beyonders, climbing effortlessly, stalled technological progress.
The High-Dimensional Overseer gazed at the dark night sky, watching stars lit by the Supernova Dominator to please Him—sparkling "fireworks." Pleased with His creation, He patrolled His eternal cosmic domain.
Under the Supernova Dominator, some civilizations grew into vast empires. Though Beyonders were scarce, they fused meager characteristics and artifacts with science, birthing new technologies. With limited means, they dodged the massive celestial body overhead, living arduously yet hopefully.
Elsewhere, the Primordial Hunger devoured planets and ships like a black hole; the Inextinguishable Ravings randomly chatted with "lucky" planets, sowing chaotic whispers; the Uncertain Mist drifted listlessly, soulless.
A True God could shatter a star; an Old One could rule galaxies. Their might was invincible, yet life's faint glimmers persisted in this vast cosmos.
The universe was vast—some civilizations ended without ever facing an Old One's threat. Sefirot cloaked planets, but not all were destroyed. The cosmos was mad, not hopeless. Races soaring freely could forge civilizations far grander than Earth's.
To claim non-Beyonder life was fragile, while cowering on one planet?
Having observed countless weak beings, the High-Dimensional Overseer scoffed. Even in the cosmos, myriad individuals thrived. He loathed Earth's complacent civilization—*ivilization's Mentor stood by, yet after 5,000 years, they lingered in the Middle Ages?
He'd make a better Demon of Knowledge, guiding weak races to glory at key junctures. The High-Dimensional Overseer deemed Himself merciful, answering nearly all prayers directed His way.
Yet this place wielded the Celestial Worthy and God Almighty—two ultimate weapons. Like children with nukes: naive, deadly. Even He knew, to keep enjoying the cosmos, He had to place timely bets.
Klein becoming the Celestial Worthy to unseal the Western Continent's Sefirot would let Him claim the Wilderness of Knowledge. A second Sefirot might revive His original consciousness, but after eons, that voice in His "mind" (lacking a brain) never spoke.
If Klein couldn't dominate as Lord of Mysteries, nailing the Celestial Worthy's coffin shut was a fallback—however long it took, even the strongest seals would crack.
Sealing God Almighty's urn, that egomaniac craving universal praise, was paramount. Unlike the Celestial Worthy's puppet shows, a cosmos chanting God Almithy's glory was duller.
Though He'd never fought God Almighty, fleeing the Celestial Worthy's pursuit gave Him a sense of God Almighty's might.
Now, thinking back—ouch, the Celestial Worthy hit hard…
But the Supernova Dominator had clashed with God Almighty. He could ask His friend how it went. The Supernova Dominator, brimming with confidence, entered the Astral World only to be ignominiously expelled amid quaking star clusters.
Hopefully, He wouldn't mind revisiting that tale.
Beyond these two, Earth hid a fourth pillar. Its emergence would end the cosmos, and the High-Dimensional Overseer, not done savoring existence, opposed the Evernight Goddess becoming that pillar.
Likely, She used the fourth pillar as deterrence, unwilling to truly embody it—a weapon to prove She could drag the cosmos down with Her.
"We must find a chance to claim the Hidden Sage," the High-Dimensional Overseer said, reclining in His Sefirot's core, addressing His countless dimensional selves. "We need a time node to send the Hermit's uniqueness to the stars."
"What's a good time?" a student-clad Adrian asked, adjusting his glasses, speaking to Himself. "We need an event to distract the Seven Gods."
"Exactly. We can't disrupt our endgame. If Klein doesn't become Lord of Mysteries, we nail the Celestial Worthy's coffin. If we don't seal God Almighty's urn, our prior moves collapse," another, maturer Adrian said, assembling his form in 3D from another dimension.
"Roselle Gustav," the *High-Dimensional Overseer declared grandly. "We can return Him to Earth. When the Seven Gods notice another evil god behind the curtain, we seize the Hidden Sage."
"Solid plan," a youthful Adrian's eyes gleamed. "We can use Intis's emperor to tie up Eternal Blazing Sun and Perfect One."
"In that case," an elderly Adrian chuckled, "we pick this moment…"
...
"So, how's this deal, Mr. Hanged Man?" Adrian fixed on Alger. "Considering your feelings and my conscience, I've compromised greatly, even sailing myself. In return, use your connections to secure me a channel to buy a long-range ship."
Alger hesitated—Adrian's concession was huge, halving his workload and adding a survival boost at sea.
As a seasoned sailor, he knew the deal's value.
But compared to hunting a Sequence 5-equivalent Beyonder, the benefits seemed too generous, making Alger suspect a hidden agenda.
As Alger wavered, Adrian continued, "I won't let you gain so much for nothing."
"In exchange, provide detailed sea routes and have someone thoroughly teach my subordinate navigation. Trust me, she's a Beyonder with knowledge absorption to become a competent captain quickly."
Likely a Reader or Mystery Pryer Beyonder… Alger relaxed, starting to haggle. "I'll give half the route maps. You know, maritime knowledge is precious, outweighing common Sailor potions."
Alger exhaled deeply.
"…I accept, but you must swear before The Fool," Adrian said, feigning hesitation for a few seconds. To Him, the oath was meaningless, but for Alger, a vow before a deity was inviolable.
"Done," Alger said, elated, agreeing instantly. He'd braced to surrender 70% of his routes, but a mere oath spared the extra cost.
—Perhaps White Tower feared incomplete teaching could endanger him. But Alger had no intent to breach from the start.
They locked eyes, smiling. Audrey, mouth agape, doubted her Spectator abilities again: White Tower clearly made The Hanged Man pay extra, yet he's thrilled…*
As their deal concluded, Audrey quickly proposed a task to find her Beyonder materials. Amid their exchanges, The Sun, Derrick Berg, felt increasingly alien—their topics were unheard of in Silver City.
When the trading segment ended, Klein scanned the group, addressing The Sun gently, "Does Silver City still worship a deity?"
Derrick answered reverently, "We still worship the Creator of All, the Omniscient, Omnipotent God."
(End of Chapter)