After finishing all this, Gilan bid farewell to the February Apostles, "demoted" himself out of the Divine Homeland, and returned to the mortal world.
To his surprise, the Art faction made no attempt to reclaim the Black-and-White Gate for some time afterward, as though they had lowered their banners and ceased hostilities.
But Gilan knew this was the calm before the storm.
After all, he had ambushed and killed the two Apostles guarding the Gate of Ascension—Black Swan Sigel and White Hat Pantcy. It was tantamount to slapping the Three Art Hour-Gods across the face.
Especially Lady Ya, the June Hour-God.
She would certainly not let the matter rest. The current calm only suggested that an even more terrifying storm was brewing.
The Bu'ao War in the mortal world remained locked in a war of attrition. Battles large and small produced victories and defeats on both sides, and the direction of the war was still unclear in the short term.
Taking advantage of this relatively "peaceful" period, Gilan once again brought Tolina's avatar to Seclusion, the volcanic island in the southern Blood Sea.
He planned to focus all his efforts on clearing out the clusters of Nightmare Steles beneath the sea as quickly as possible, striving to disperse the Dream of the Remnant Worm soon and fulfill the prerequisite for the Intercalation Ritual.
Time passed quietly.
A year went by.
Over that year, Gilan spent most of his time with Tolina on the island in the Blood Sea, remotely overseeing the overall affairs of the Mystery Investigation Committee through the Alchemy Hotline.
He would occasionally make a trip back when the Committee faced matters it could not decide, or when President Caesar summoned him to discuss confidential affairs.
Other than that, Gilan spent almost all his time diving into the