By mid-August, Tingen's atmosphere remained fraught, as the city's official Beyonders noticed a surge in strange Beyonders.
Word of the changes had spread, drawing Aurora Order members from East Tucker County, East Chesham Sea County, and even Southville County. Though no emissary-level mid-Sequence Beyonders appeared, their fanaticism was a headache.
This wasn't 0-08's doing but the inevitable ripple of the evil god's heir's impending birth. Aurora Order members, devout fanatics, rushed to protect their divine child upon hearing of its arrival and the heretic organizations obstructing it. Emissary-level mid-Sequences might retain some rationality, but Secret Supplicants and Listeners were deranged lunatics.
Even as officials, sensing something amiss, began pulling Beyonders from other regions, the Aurora Order's suicidal assaults overwhelmed them, like pouring water on a blazing fire.
Official Beyonders, well-equipped, suffered few casualties. But the Aurora Order's lunatics carried the evil god's taint. A Sequence 7 mid-Sequence gazing into a Sequence 9's dream risked corruption, let alone facing the malevolent aura unleashed in combat.
Thus, even successful crusades against the Aurora Order forced participating official Beyonders into recovery periods to avoid losing control. Worse, in the shadows, a clumsy playwright wielding a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was tirelessly scripting new plots.
The Aurora Order's lower ranks dwindled, but they cared little. With a true god's backing, Sequence 9 characteristics were plentiful. Manpower? A joke. In this era, people were abundant. A stroll through any city's slums, offering a meal, would yield countless desperate souls ready to fight. Loyalty? Whether loyal before the potion, they'd be fanatically devoted after.
Amid these odd Beyonders, not all were Aurora Order maniacs. Take the female Beyonder who first appeared in early August.
She was remarkably active, popping into official Beyonders' sights every few days, dropping cryptic remarks, then vanishing. Her behavior was so bizarre it felt like she was toying with them. Yet her tips—pointing to dangers from Mr. A's hideout to slum-based evil god rituals—were too perilous to ignore, even if potentially false. Terrifyingly, they often proved true.
In a way, this lady significantly bolstered Tingen's security. But undeniably, Tingen's official Beyonders were now busier than ever.
This woman, both loved and loathed by officials, now sat before a vanity mirror, subtly altering her makeup.
Though official Beyonders recognized her, she tweaked her appearance each outing. Caution was an Assassin's hallmark, and a skilled Instigator knew to stay detached.
But as Trissy deepened her eyeliner to reshape her eyes, her mirror flickered, and a cat's image appeared within.
Only then did her Beyonder ability trigger, not easing but heightening her shock—
"How?! This is my ability! How did you do it?"
Indeed, her ability's activation confirmed the damned cat had used the hair she'd given him to cast this spell. But why, when the communication was mediated by her Demoness ability, was he in control?
"I've said it before: don't rely on Beyonder powers," the black cat in the mirror said, narrowing its amber eyes. A dangerous glint made Trissy's scalp tingle.
She'd long suspected the cat was backed by a high-Sequence powerhouse, but only now did she truly feel their strength and eeriness.
"What's the job this time? Kill someone? Save someone?" Trissy, no fool, skipped asking about his true Sequence and cut to the task.
The cat, pleased with her pragmatism, flashed a chilling smile and tapped the mirror with a paw.
"Find a girl named Elizabeth, a student at Ivors Public School. Her family owns an estate in Ramde Town. That should be enough to pinpoint her."
"It is," Trissy nodded. Such intel would yield results from even a mundane private detective in days. But she knew the task wouldn't be simple. To avoid the cat's infuriating "wordplay," she asked directly,
"After finding her?"
"Check if she's haunted by a wraith or ghost. If so, inform Mr. Klein Moretti at 2 Daffodil Street. He's an official Beyonder. Oh, and mention the wraith is tied to an amnesiac with a mole on their earlobe," the cat said, its smile growing creepier. Trissy nodded, committing it to memory, then asked,
"And if she isn't?"
"If not, go straight to the Seer and tell him there are clues in Ramde Town's old castle linked to his altered fate—and the amnesiac with the ear mole," the cat said, licking its paw leisurely before tapping the mirror.
"That's it for this task. It's not hard, involving just a Sequence 9. I'll give you a 500-pound question quota. Any questions?"
"I want to know why Acting digests potions," Trissy said immediately, a question she'd long pondered. Lately, she'd relied on her invisibility and Sequence 7 status to tail Aurora Order Listeners, leaking their vile plans to officials. While less effective than exposing the Hidden Sage's corruption of a Sequence 9, it far outstripped killing civilians.
"Oh, that one? I do know, but it's a core question about the Acting Method. Your 1,300-pound quota isn't nearly enough!" the cat replied gleefully.
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
I. Sequence 1's aura alone can corrupt ordinary people into werewolves or living corpses. Even without characteristics, producing low-tier potions via True Creator's aura is feasible, albeit with higher loss-of-control risks.
// . 0n the impact of reaching Sequence 0 on its pathway—
First, mental influence is inevitable, even without reaching the top. Accommodating uniqueness affects the pathway. For example, Amon alters inherited knowledge to exploit this. Chick's ascension made males less suited for the Witch pathway, and the Hidden Sage floods Hermit pathway Beyonders with knowledge.
Second, does it affect the pathway's inherent traits? Likely not. Whether spider, snake, or cat Beyonder, becoming female is inevitable, as the pathway embodies "femininity." Lily ascending might add cat ears to Witches, like their current spider silk abilities, but no more.
Third, does it alter mythical creature forms? The original novel doesn't clarify, but some deviation is likely. The Death pathway's mythical form was once a phoenix but is now a feathered serpent. Reasons could be:
1. South Continent's Death worship altered the mythical form.
2. The Black Emperor's rise as second-generation Death caused it.
Given Susie's dragon scales during advancement, her final form might blend dragon and dog… Wait! By that logic, a feathered serpent combines snake and bird? So Salinger was a snake? Come on, you're Salinger, not Salazar!