Dark Angel and Lovia

Luther recalled the attack on the ship that day.

"Now that I think about it, the Naturism Sect probably received a divine message from the Mother Tree, which is why they lured my crew away and left a Concealment Corrosion within him, intending to slowly corrupt me during the voyage."

This kind of insidious, gradual pollution is terrifying, because if the level is too small, it might not trigger the Tide's automatic resistance; by the time one notices something is wrong, it's too late. But who could have imagined that the "Dice of Probability" would unexpectedly awaken and roll a 1, bringing Misfortune and prematurely detonating this Concealment bomb?

Luther couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity and comicality—from this perspective, was the misfortune brought by the Dice actually a kind of Luck?

Fate is a truly unpredictable thing.

"Is there anything else worth mentioning about the Mother Tree of Desire?" He collected his thoughts and continued to ask the [Hermit].

"Have."

Cattleya frowned and thought for a moment, then slowly said, "The organization of the Mother Tree of Faith is the most unpopular. Not only the Orthodox Churches, but also evil cults such as the Aurora Order and the Numinous Episcopate are resisting them. I've even heard that Saint from the Numinous Episcopate once personally Destruction Rose School of Thought stronghold in the Southern Continent."

In other words, although the True God and the evil gods fight each other, neither of them likes the "Mother Tree of Desire" as a deity.

The people at the Tarot Club digested this knowledge, and everyone gained something and made some guesses.

After a moment, Derrick, who had been Sun all along, finally spoke, "During this time, our City of Silver dispatched a small team to explore the area surrounding the Giant King’s Court."

His brief opening immediately drew everyone's attention.

The events on the Sonia Sea, the mad cults, and the evil gods were not topics that [The Sun], trapped in the "Forsaken Land of the Gods," could discuss, so he had remained silent until now.

"I followed the exploration team led by the 'Chief' to Afternoon Town. This is the only way to the 'Giant King’s Court,' and also the gateway separating myth and reality."

He omitted unnecessary details and focused on sharing what he saw and heard in the Afternoon Town, including the town's dark and desolate atmosphere and how he discovered an underground Altar.

"I recognized three names and their corresponding titles on that altar: 'Angel of Fate' Ouroboros, 'Red Angel' Medici, and 'Dark Angel' Sasrir."

"That's what [the Sun] Derrick said."

"Dark Angel" Sasrir?!

Upon hearing the last name and title, Luther's body twitched slightly. This was the third time he had heard this name; the first two times were from the three-in-one evil spirit of the "Red Angel." It told Luther that this King of Angel had a very deep connection with the Phantom Tide within Luther.

"Mr. [Temperance]'s reaction is a bit excessive. Has he ever heard the name 'Sasrir' before?"

[Justice] Audrey noticed Luther's subtle movements and secretly guessed what was going on in her mind.

Derrick, oblivious to Luther's odd behavior, continued his narration. Their group entered the Temple and encountered a praying figure. The figure repeatedly confessed, saying he had witnessed the betrayal of the King of Angel, and that calamity had descended upon the earth, engulfing everything.

A chill ran down everyone's spine as they listened, as if through Derrick's description they were vaguely seeing an Apocalypse scenario from ancient times.

"I said, you all seem to know these three names."

"Can Emlyn Moon n't help but ask.

He Tarot Club after the New Year and didn't receive any of the relevant knowledge. Although [The Hermit] Cattleya joined even later, she had a vague idea of what was going on because of her own knowledge of occultism.

"That's a legend from City of Silver."

[Justice] Audrey enthusiastically shared terms like "Rose Redemption" and "Creator of the City of Silver" with them, leaving the two stunned and deeply moved.

"However, while we already knew about Ouroboros and Medici, this is the first time we've heard of Sasrir."

She spoke, seemingly casually, glancing at [Temperance] out of the corner of her eye.

However, [Justice]'s guidance failed to work. Luther had no intention of sharing the secrets related to his Golden Finger, and simply continued to urge [Sun], "Is there any other information?"

"The chief asked the man who the King of Angel were, and when he mentioned the name of the fourth King of Angel, he was suddenly engulfed by strange flames."

"[The Sun] Derrick said regretfully."

Were they silenced?

Luther frowned and thought for a moment.

Are you still in Afternoon Town?

He asked [the Sun].

"It's still there. We've only just established a foothold; we haven't fully explored it yet. The chief's idea is to completely clear the area and turn it into an advance camp."

"[The Sun] "Derrick replied.

This is preliminary preparation for exploring the Giant King’s Court.

"Share any findings promptly."

Luther said.

"Okay. Oh, by the way, Mr. Temperance, there's one more thing."

Derrick was about to agree when he immediately remembered what she had asked him to do earlier. "You told me to keep an eye on Elder Lovia and to tell you as soon as I notice anything. She has indeed been acting strangely these past two days; she even came to chat with me on her own initiative."

He was referring to Elder Lovia's question about whether he had successfully advanced in rank.

Luther thought for a moment.

That "Shepherd" guessed I was on Sequence 4. Well, that's to be expected. However, as a follower of the True Creator, her attitude towards me was more one of concern than hostility.

Something's wrong with her!

Luther looked towards the Sun.

"I remember you said that Lovia's previous state was extremely crazy?"

"Yes, Elder Lovia used to be very unstable, her face was always either crying or laughing, or she would mutter to herself, but ever since she went to the Temple of the 'Fallen Creator,' she has returned to normal."

Luther narrowed his eyes slightly.

Her unstable demeanor, alternating between crying and laughing, seemed to suggest that the Grazing Lamb within her were affecting her spirit. However, after believing in the True Creator, her Spirituality stabilized, allowing her to suppress those Lamb Soul —this now seems to make sense.

Luther, who had also been a "Shepherd," secretly made his own deductions.

In other words, was she not a believer in the True Creator before exploring the temple? Was she not corrupted by the True Creator's murmurs during her "Listener" phase?

The "Forsaken Land of the Gods" where City of Silver is located is a special place, and such a thing might actually happen.

Luther was somewhat surprised by his own bold guess.

Just then, Alger, the Hanged Man, who had been Listening in the dark, suddenly spoke up.

"Wait a minute, you mean, Lovia was with you?"

"Uh, yes."

"And you still came here to attend the Tarot Club, even though you were in the same camp as her?"

Alger's gaze grew increasingly deep, and his questioning words stunned [the Sun].

The Forsaken Land of the Gods, a temporary camp outside Afternoon Town.

Derrick lay in his assigned tent, eyes closed, seemingly asleep. The tent was dimly lit, a safety measure to ensure constant light and prevent the emergence of Monster in the darkness.

And from the long shadow cast by the Derrick lights, Lovia's head slowly emerged.

She watched Derrick silently, who was completely unsuspecting.