The Second Blasphemy Slate

The whispered conversation between Cyril and Hermes did not last long, and Adam, who had been quietly observing from beneath the giant cross at the front, suddenly announced the start of the gathering.

Guided by Hermes beside him, Cyril stood up to salute Adam, then exchanged nods with the others.

So, even a massive secret organization like the Twilight Hermit Order has such procedures!

The thought flashed through his mind, but in the next second, Cyril forcibly cleared all his thoughts, preventing himself from wandering or complaining internally.

There were too many high-sequence Spectators here; even if they restrained themselves, some powerful Spectators could still discern the true thoughts in others' minds through micro-expressions without using any Beyonder powers.

Just as he suppressed his thoughts, Adam's voice sounded gentle and warm: "As a newcomer, you have one opportunity to view the Blasphemy Slate."

No sooner had Adam finished speaking than a dark, heavy slate covered in mysterious patterns emerged from nothingness, floating before his eyes.

The patterns on the slate seemed to squirm like living creatures. With just a single glance, a massive amount of information surged into his mind, causing Cyril to fall into a brief trance.

In the next second, the voice of Hermes beside him suddenly rang out, pulling him back from his daze:

"Start with the content you need most; there isn't much time for newcomer benefits."

Having regained his senses, Cyril didn't have time to thank him before immediately refocusing his attention on the Blasphemy Slate, searching for and recording the potion formula for the Door pathway that he needed most.

Sequence 9: Apprentice

Sequence 8: Trickmaster

Sequence 7: Astrologer

Sequence 6: Recorder

Main ingredients: One complete brain of Asman, a cursed object from an Ancient Wraith.

Supplementary ingredients: Three pages of a diary with over twenty-two years of history, 10 milliliters of mercury, 10 drops of honeysuckle essential oil, 30 milliliters each of seawater, lake water, and glacial water.

Sequence 5: Traveler

Main ingredients: One Siskun magic worm, one heart of a Shadowless Demon Wolf.

Supplementary ingredients: 10 grams of powder left behind by a trapped ghost, 10 grams of lemon balm powder...

Before he could finish reading the information on all the supplementary ingredients, the Blasphemy Slate in front of him abruptly vanished.

No, wait, I haven't finished reading yet, just a little more...

He subconsciously reached out to grab the air in front of him, then awkwardly pulled his hand back.

Noticing his disappointment, Hermes beside him offered comfort: "This is just a newcomer benefit. Although the time is short, it is enough to obtain the potion formula for your next sequence."

"If you want to obtain more time to view the Blasphemy Slate, you will need to make contributions to us in exchange."

Cyril smiled bitterly and nodded: "My strength doesn't seem to support me in making many contributions."

A middle-aged lady sitting diagonally across from him, who had a gentle face but lacked makeup and wore a consistently resolute expression, chuckled and spoke up:

"The Twilight Hermit Order reaches into every country, tribe, and social stratum across the Northern and Southern Continents and the Five Seas. Although our goals are grand, not everything we do is as lofty as you might imagine."

"Interfering with the course of history and pushing the tides of the era to reach our expectations requires the accumulation of a vast number of events and time. Although we have already completed most of it, the further we go, the more things there are, and the more precision is required."

"Therefore, there are many details that even a Sequence 9 can intervene in. Besides, since you have joined the Twilight Hermit Order, you will inevitably achieve rapid advancement in the coming period until you hit a bottleneck."

Cyril nodded slightly to the lady who had answered his question, thanking her: "I understand, thank you for the reminder."

Seeing that the exchange had ended, Adam then spoke leisurely: "You may begin."

After speaking, He clasped the silver cross pendant on His chest with both hands and began to pray silently, looking every bit the bystander.

Under Adam's signal, the gathering belonging to the Twilight Hermit Order officially began.

The first to speak was the middle-aged lady who had just answered Cyril's question:

"There hasn't been much change in Feynapotter over the past six months. Just as we initially expected, as a relatively weak nation among the Northern Continent countries that believes in Mother Earth, it is difficult for a war to start there."

"However, we have been strengthening our contact with the Feynapotter Empire over these years, and coupled with the special relationship between Mother Earth and the God of Combat, if Feynapotter launches a war, Feynapotter will surely follow suit."

The young man sitting next to her commented without much expression: "At the level of the Seven Deities, interests outweigh kinship."

Cyril nodded in agreement internally, especially since Mother Earth wasn't even the biological mother of the God of Combat; she wasn't even a stepmother.

The meeting proceeded quickly, and basically, topics that were raised were either dismissed or decided upon in just a few words.

Cyril did not speak from beginning to end, sitting quietly on the side, listening very carefully, yet feeling very lost.

Although he had a basic understanding of the Northern and Southern Continents and the Five Seas of this world, once it involved specific details, he was in the dark, so he found much of the discussion content confusing.

Even regarding the Northern Continent, which he was most familiar with, most of the information he knew was limited to Loen, so most of the time he could only force himself to memorize the content, planning to look into it in detail after he returned.

As the gathering neared its end, he finally heard something familiar—a topic raised by a high-ranking member of the Psychology Alchemists: the assassination of Duke Negan.

"To start a war, one must first weaken the conservative factions within the kingdom. The most suitable target in the Kingdom of Loen is the brother of Prime Minister Aguesid Negan, Pallas Negan."

"He is also one of the representatives of the Church of the Lord of Storms in the kingdom's political sphere. He has enough weight, but not enough to affect Loen's national strength or cause any irreversible consequences."

His proposal was quickly passed by most of the members, and an executor was selected: a pirate admiral, Admiral Hurricane Qilingus.

He looked to be about thirty years old, with rugged features that bore the clear marks of a life spent drifting at sea. His jaw was broad, a very striking characteristic, and he had dark green eyes with brown hair tied back in an ancient warrior's topknot.

Cyril's gaze swept unobtrusively over the man's right hand, where a subtle leather glove could be seen. This was clearly the Creeping Hunger, which would later be subjected to long periods of food deprivation and eventually end up as a toy for Amon.

After a brief glance, Cyril shifted his focus to the member of the Twilight Hermit Order who had proposed the assassination of Duke Negan.

The man was a well-dressed gentleman with his hair neatly combed back. His pale yellow eyebrows were long, his forehead had a few wrinkles, and his face possessed an unnatural pallor.

Having noted the man's features, Cyril withdrew his gaze. This was likely the head of the Psychology Alchemists, a Saint of the Spectator pathway. Not only was he sensitive to gazes, but he could also easily read micro-expressions; it was best not to interact with such a person.

At the same moment he looked away, the man glanced over, a polite and warm smile on his face.

Cyril returned the smile, though he suspected the man was only showing friendliness because he had seen him conversing with Hermes earlier.

As a Beyonder organization established by excavating the ruins left behind by Hermes, Cyril felt that this man's joining of the Twilight Hermit Order was likely guided by Hermes as well, intended to facilitate the infiltration and influence of the Loen Kingdom's political circles.

After confirming the operation to assassinate Duke Negan, the group discussed several topics regarding the promotion of legislative changes in various countries. Then, with Adam's tacit approval, the meeting discussion concluded, and they entered the phase for trading materials and information.

After watching quietly for a while and understanding the transaction process, Cyril took the opportunity to state his own requirements:

"I need some Beyonder materials. They are all low-sequence materials, but they are relatively rare."

"The stomach pouch of a Spirit Eater, the blood of a Deep Sea Spearfish, the blood of a Lava Octopus, and a Star Crystal."

The former were the main ingredients for his Trickmaster potion, while the latter were the main ingredients for the Seer potion, which he could sell directly to Owen.

After all, he had freeloaded three potion formulas and a complete set of Apprentice potion materials from the man. Providing appropriate positive feedback was the only way to facilitate future freeloading—er, trading.