Selene and Hypatia

"Such a dangerous secret..."

But Lily seemed somewhat hesitant after hearing Hypatia's account.

She glanced at Iver instinctively.

—In fact, just hearing the description of this Grimoire made Lily's heart flutter.

It was a deep, heartfelt connection... and she suddenly understood why she had been recognized by this tantric text.

Lily had long been struggling with inner conflict. On one hand, she wanted to better meet Iver's needs, out of gratitude; on the other hand, she harbored a wild, unbridled desire.

Her actions are always quiet and reliable, silent and unnoticed like a shadow... always by her side.

Yet, deep within her lay a violent desire—as when she killed Minister Drost, she felt a sense of euphoric revenge mixed with a perverse sense of liberation.

From that moment on, Lily felt a wild beast dwelling within her. When she transformed into a werewolf, she nearly harmed Iver.

If he could separate himself from his ego... that might be a more complete redemption, a complete cure for his uncontrollable madness. But the other self— Lily, the wolf witch of the Path of Love —without the restraint of reason, might harm Iver.

Another problem is that a complete separation seems to take some time. What will happen to Iver if, during this time, she gets her body taken over by the wolf witch?

Who will take care of Iver? Iver has no mother and has been cared for by Lily since he came to the Moriarty Family. In a sense, Lily is like Iver's foster mother.

On the one hand, she worries that Iver will have no one to take care of him; on the other hand, she is genuinely terrified that "Iver has really grown up and no longer needs her care."

If I were to use the "Ovum Moon Grimoire," would Iver realize it?... Or has he already realized it? Is it that I, rather than Iver, truly need independence now...?

Lily subconsciously started to have wild thoughts.

"—No need to overthink it."

Iver interrupted.

He easily guessed what Lily was thinking, "The Grimoire prioritize adaptability. Rather than people choosing tantras, it's more like tantras choosing people... just like how you were recognized by the Silken Grimoire and the Night Rabbit Grimoire."

At the time, Iver had a vague feeling that Lily's recognition by two Grimoire meant she was truly extraordinary. But in reality, he couldn't really sense her presence at all.

It's like a bottomless pit of resources. Moreover, there's almost no connection between her two paths, and they even conflict with each other— Lily in her werewolf form is close to berserk and can't smoothly use the Silken Grimoire that Path of Adaptation.

Now, after reading "The Ovum Moon Grimoire," Iver finally understood...

The fact that Lily is recognized by this book indicates that her tendency to split is already quite obvious. Even without reading this Grimoire, she is very likely to split on her own later... but such an uncontrolled split would become very dangerous.

From this perspective, the resources Lily consumed were essentially enough to feed two people. Therefore, allowing them to officially separate would be a relief for both of them; otherwise, there's a high probability the situation would spiral out of control in the future.

"This Grimoire is considered a technique of the Path of Love, but it also contains elements of the ' Dark Side of the Moon,' night, and adaptation."

Hypatia added from the side, "You, on the Path of Love, can obtain an ability called 'Moonlight.' That is the core ability of the Moon Egg as the Mother of Monsters. In the Primordial Empire, they called it ' Imperial Flowing Paste.' 'Its shape is like countless Olive and ten thousand golden threads, which can transform plants into demons—' that is, they become Magic Creature. And mortals who come into contact with it will go mad... The witch's power to create werewolves is also related to this."

"And on the side that Path of Adaptation, one gains the ability to deal with the Shadow Domain. Like the Dark Side of the Moon, invisible to mortals—you can possess the back of others and become a true shadow."

"I have a suggestion for you, girl," the seven- or eight-year-old elf girl looked up at Lily seriously, "First, make it clear which side of yourself will inherit your name, and how the other side of yourself should be called—names are constraints."

"When monsters are given names, their madness decreases. Therefore, the creatures you create can also be brought into order by giving them names."

"What, it's time to name the child already?"

Upon hearing this, Iver immediately perked up. "I'll do it! I'm best at naming things!"

"The real me, the real Lily, can only be Lily, the maid who accompanies the young master."

Without any hesitation or thought, Lily blurted out, "Therefore, Lily can only be the one who Path of Adaptation."

"So, there's another witch, right..."

Iver pondered for a long time.

A witch related to werewolves...

... How about calling her Little Red Riding Hood? The Legacy of the Mother of Monsters —or Lily? "I do have a suggestion."

Hypatia asked, "How is Selene?"

Upon hearing this, Iver was taken aback.

He had certainly heard of that name, just as he had heard of Dionysus. In his world, Dionysus was the name of the Greek Mythology of God of Wine, while Selene was the name of the moon goddess.

... Isn't this name a bit too grand? I've known her since Constant Self was a mortal, as a veteran powerhouse.

Hypatia recounted some unknown Secret Knowledge: "This is one of the pseudonyms that Constant Self used when he was a mortal. Generally speaking, the names of the Pillar God during their mortal days are taboo and hidden as knowledge that has been destroyed. Just as the name of the Supreme Heaven has been concealed even though He fell... But there are some exceptions here."

"If the Pillar God severed his self when he ascended to power, then the other self that was split off would no longer be a secret. And this is also related to the secret of 'cicada molting'."

"Among the current Nine Pillar Gods, four have severed their egos. Constant Self is one of them. Selene is one of the several names she abandoned, and also the name of the Moon Witch who used the Moonlight Technique to create illusions. You use the techniques abandoned by Constant Self, and then use the name abandoned by Constant Self... It fits perfectly, doesn't it?"

There seemed to be a hint of expectation in Hypatia's eyes.

"... You're right."

After hesitating for a moment, Lily looked at Iver. After Iver nodded, she nodded firmly as well.

As someone Path of Adaptation, she instinctively rejects this dangerous act with unknown consequences, but as someone who Path of Love, she feels an attraction—regardless of which Lily she is, she craves power, craves "usefulness," and craves meaning in life.

However, she, who Path of Adaptation, can adapt to others, which is her nature; yet, on the Path of Love, she cannot suppress her own desires. Now, as Lily loosens her grip on her other self, she offers approval and longing from her very heart.

She was yearning for power.

Lily is always silent precisely because she is constantly caught in this internal struggle of self-doubt.

This tantra was a form of liberation for her.

"Selene ..."

"Iver murmured."

He felt the difference in timelines once again.

Constant Self's lost heritage and name have been recovered—the original Lily never lived to this point, and he had never even heard of Constant Self's old name.

He did recall the "Ovum Moon Grimoire".

This is a bottom-tier ability for players. Its effect is to grant the Path of Love three more summoned creatures that can attack in tandem, and to grant the Path of Adaptation an invisibility ability.

—But the problem is that the Path of Love doesn't lack these three summons, and the Path of Adaptation doesn't lack stealth. As a continuation of the dual paths, it needs to occupy a precious Mystic Art slot in each path. However, it seems that players have received a weakened version now... at least players certainly don't have the ability to split into two selves.

If it were possible to split in two in reality... whether it's a soul in two bodies or complete separation, it would definitely be useful. A second person who can fully understand what you're thinking, whom you can completely trust, and whose abilities are significantly different, could, in a sense, be considered your closest friend.

"You've been so kind in helping us..."

Sherlock sensed something and asked warily, "Is something wrong...? Do you need our help?"

He clearly sensed Hypatia's goodwill.

In his view, "goodwill" cannot be created out of thin air, especially goodwill directed at strangers without any reason.

Whether it was explaining the origin of the Fool's Eulogy Grimoire or helping Lily choose the powerful name "Selene," it was clearly a favor beyond the transaction.

Iver realized what was happening and turned around to remind her, "Ms. Hypatia... I paid for it."

His implication was that I shouldn't be given the troublesome task of running cross-border loops.

Hypatia was incredibly clever; she immediately guessed what Iver was worried about. "It's really a very simple matter, not too troublesome..."

As she spoke, she took out a box.

Upon opening the box, I found a pure white staff with a bell attached.

This was different from what Iver had expected—he had thought it was a dagger, but it turned out to be a weapon used by witches.

"This is something Constant Self used to use; it's my best collection."

Hypatia spoke, the little girl looked at Iver expectantly. "It won't be too much trouble for you; it can be done entirely within the Theocracy. And it won't be done immediately—I'll help handle the initial chores; it'll probably be a month or two later. Can you listen to it first?"

"... You go first."

Iver with some helplessness, "I can't guarantee that we can accept it, or rather, we may not be able to do it immediately... After all, there are quite a few troubles on the Theocracy's side."

Hypatia's attitude made it impossible for Iver to firmly reject her; he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

He had a general idea of what Hypatia wanted them to do.

Let's decline the most troublesome part for now—cross-border quests have already seriously taken up Iver's time, but if it's just within the Theocracy...

Iver began to waver.

None of the things he took from Hypatia this time were for his own use; and if he could help Hypatia under these circumstances, it would be a form of Dedication Path. "... With your strength, what is there that you can't do personally?"

Sherlock was much more wary than Iver.

He stated this directly because he was worried that Iver might be tricked by someone for no reason in the future. But he didn't intend to cause trouble for Iver —if it were truly dangerous and troublesome, then he would find a way to help Iver refuse.

"Because this is a lot of trouble for me, but it will be much simpler for you."

Hypatia answered without hesitation, "I just need you to go to the Dream Realm."

Upon hearing this, Sherlock was immediately horrified.

Every superhuman knows that the Dream Realm is a place that people in the Material Realm can go to after they die—this sounds almost like, "I want to ask you to go to hell."

"I'll try to find a way to help you gain the ability to move around briefly in the Dream Realm!"

Before Sherlock could refuse, Hypatia immediately explained, "I know a potion recipe... it's the prototype of the Drunken Dream Tincture, the Drunken Dream Tincture before it was demystified by alchemists. It allows the souls of the living to move freely and lucidly in the Dream Realm."

"Now that I am a reincarnated apostle, I can no longer return to the Dream Realm. However, I have something important left behind in the Dream Realm, and I would like to ask you to help me bring it back."

"... What on earth is so difficult to understand?"

Sherlock frowned. "With such a large collection here, surely you could have someone else... or even an apostle deliver it over?"

"That won't work, because she wasn't left in the Dream Realm through proper channels. So she can't be touched by any Phantom Demons, otherwise she will completely become a Phantom Demon of the Dream Realm ... Only a living mortal can bring her back safely."

"Who?"

"My daughter."

The seven- or eight-year-old girl raised her head and solemnly emphasized, "My biological daughter."