Death

"It should have been a term passed down among the major Angel families at the end of the Fourth Epoch, before the fall of the Balam Empire." Without explaining the exact meaning of "Angel families" to Klein, Azik answered calmly, "Back then, they all feared the 'Silver-Eyed Eggers Family.'"

Over the following days, Aster not only tried to infiltrate and investigate the defenses of the Church of River and Sea, but also looked into the houses with red chimneys in Tingen City.

Aside from those two matters, he also carried out his daily tasks, trying to act as a Spirit Medium and gathering the advancement materials for a Spirit Guide.

In short, Aster's days had been quite fulfilling lately.

"Just a little tiring..." Aster wiped the sweat from his forehead and, pale-faced, dismissed the large number of spirits he had released.

The spirits summoned by a Spirit Medium did not require a constant supply of spirituality to maintain their summons. The reason Aster was so exhausted was that he had remained in communication and contact with the scouting spirits he had released almost around the clock. This not only effectively trained his control over his abilities, but also made his scouting highly efficient.

Unfortunately, Aster had yet to discover anything unusual.

"Fortunately, this seems to count as acting as a Spirit Medium too. Combined with the acting points from my previous daily tasks, I'll reach level 30 in less than two weeks and can start preparing for advancement..." Aster rubbed his shoulders and looked around at the nearby horse-drawn trams, preparing to return to the inn for some proper rest.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something strange about a row house not far away.

"Did I investigate that place just now...?" Aster wondered, instinctively sending a spirit drifting over.

He turned into a small alley, leaned against the wall, and pressed one hand against his forehead. His silver pupils gradually became transparent, as though reflecting the Spirit World.

At his current stage, Aster could only obtain information through simple communication with spirits.

"Nothing unusual in the room... No one found for now..." The spirit he had sent out was a type of scouting spirit that players of the Death Pathway had loved in his previous life. It possessed abilities similar to scanning and modeling, with extremely high investigative accuracy. Its drawbacks were its relative fragility and slow speed.

Recalling its abilities from the game in his previous life, Aster continuously modified the summoning incantation until he finally summoned this scouting spirit body.

By then, he had already closed his eyes. As he sensed the building model forming in his mind, Aster still found no problems.

"I clearly sensed strange spiritual fluctuations. Was it an illusion? Or had that thing already left?"

If Aster were still the player he had been back then, he would definitely have turned over every inch of ground nearby. This was obviously a clue to a hidden quest chain—if he completed it, the rewards would be plentiful!

But the current Aster was a Beyonder who had been harshly taught by reality many times after transmigrating. He no longer possessed his former recklessness. Since he had found no problems for now, he had no intention of investigating further.

"Since I haven't found anything, either I'm being suppressed by a higher level and can't detect anything, or the source of the problem has already left—or never existed in the first place. There's no need to invite trouble..." Just as Aster was about to withdraw the scouting spirit body, he suddenly sensed another strange fluctuation within that house.

"It appeared?" Aster was delighted and immediately had the scouting spirit turn its gaze toward the room's door.

The doorknob turned, the wooden door was pushed open, and a blonde woman walked in.

The moment the blonde woman's appearance formed in his mind, Aster felt as if his eyes had exploded.

The instant it saw that woman, the scouting spirit was annihilated. Only the final information it transmitted warned Aster to flee immediately.

The woman had long golden hair, a smooth forehead, hollow eyes, and a greatly swollen abdomen.

Megose!

That was definitely Megose, the [Holy Mother] carrying the True Creator's offspring... Why was she here...? Run!

Aster squeezed his eyes shut, his face covered in blood. Without the slightest hesitation, he reached his left hand into his pocket, gripped a stone marked with scorched patterns, and infused it with spirituality.

"Door..." He softly uttered a word in Ancient Hermes. In that instant, Aster felt the surrounding shadows rapidly surge toward him.

But the shadows were still one step too slow. Aster's body instantly turned transparent and vanished from where he stood. A wind blade swept past the spot where his neck had been, severing a drainage pipe in the alley.

"Damn it, we've been discovered... We must immediately relocate with the divine child..." An irritated man's voice came from the shadows in the alley. The shadows began to ripple unnaturally, swiftly moving in Megose's direction.

By the Tussock River, Aster's figure appeared and collapsed onto the grass. His eyes remained tightly shut. Lying on the ground, he panted painfully several times before barely managing to sit up. Dipping his fingers into the blood on his face, he drew a symbol on his palm and summoned a new spirit.

He had only escaped with his life by relying on the teleportation stone Fors had given him. He had not even had time to dismiss the spirit bodies under his command. There was no doubt that the shadow attack could only have come from Mr. A of the Aurora Order, who had arrived in Tingen. As for Aster's injured eyes, the damage likely came from the divine child in Megose's womb.

"One must not look directly at a god..." Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Aster was still shaken. "Luckily, there was a spirit body between us, and I didn't directly see that evil god's offspring. Otherwise, I'd definitely be dead by now..."

"It hurts so much... Hiss..." Aster touched his eyes. This was the most severe and painful injury he had suffered since arriving in this world. His eyes probably would not be able to see anything for a while. Fortunately, after feeling around, Aster could confirm that his eyeballs were still there rather than having exploded outright.

After wiping the blood from his face, Aster tried hard to open his eyes, but everything remained blurry. On the riverbank at night, he could barely see anything.

"Is this the Tussock Riverbank...? It's different from the intended teleportation destination... Mr. A's distortion?" Aster struggled to stand, only to feel intense pain throughout his body. "Good thing I ran decisively enough. Otherwise, I really would have been dead..."

Even if Aster had not suffered the damage from looking at the divine child, his chances of defeating Mr. A in peak condition would not have exceeded ten percent. However, if that had been the case, he was confident Mr. A would not have been able to keep him there.

"My internal organs may be injured. Should I find somewhere to treat them... No, I must notify... Swain and Klein..." Only after expending enormous effort did Aster manage to stand. He knew full well that he had to report Mr. A and Megose to the official Beyonders immediately!

A crisis of this magnitude was absolutely not something I could handle right now... If I fail to seize this opportunity, once the divine child is born, not only I, but all of Tingen City will inevitably be destroyed!

And besides... Aster supported himself against a tree and turned toward the spirit he had summoned.

Aster had escaped too hastily and had not performed any Anti-Divination at all. If Mr. A was not intercepted and dealt with in time, once they settled down again, Aster would certainly be in grave danger!

Mr. A had to be dealt with immediately. At the very least, he had to be kept too busy to retaliate against him... Aster was certain that was Mr. A. Even if it was not, possessing Beyonder Abilities such as controlling shadows, wind blades, and something resembling distortion was enough to prove that person was a Shepherd. In any case, the other party was extremely dangerous!

"Megose, carrying the True Creator's offspring, and her suspected protector, Mr. A, have appeared in the East Borough..." Aster's weak voice reached the skeletal spirit body. "I'm injured and cannot provide assistance for the time being."

After saying that, Aster used the little spirituality he had left to summon the Phoenix messenger Alidibus. "Please help me. Help me take this spirit to Swain at the Evil Dragon Bar... I can't provide the spirituality as payment right now. Could it wait until tomorrow...?"

After speaking, Aster staggered and nearly fell to his knees.

"That will not be a problem." Though he could see nothing, that did not prevent Aster from feeling a trace of relief upon hearing Alidibus's voice. This important figure's tone remained casual; clearly, he did not care much about Aster's small amount of spirituality. Sometimes, Aster even suspected that Alidibus took so much spirituality from him merely to set a threshold and prevent him from constantly asking him to deliver messages.

The cold sensation around him vanished, and Aster unsteadily moved away from the riverbank. With his eyes closed, he could see nothing. He could only simply use a Spirit Medium's basic ability: communicating with spirits.

By communicating with the natural spirits and dead spirits floating around him, Aster felt his way away from the Tussock River and into the riverside forest.

"My injuries are serious... There should be a safehouse nearby that I rented before..." Aster's physical strength and spirituality were both draining away. He was clearly in poor condition. With a Corpse Collector's understanding of corpses, he knew very well that if he did not receive treatment in time, he might die.

"I can't trust the official Beyonders either... I should either find Klein or Azik. Klein has secrets... If I use that to threaten him, the Nighthawks probably won't lock me up... But I'm afraid I won't get the chance to find him... Cough, cough..."

It was not just his body. Aster's spirit body had also suffered considerable damage.

After being injured, he had not treated his wounds immediately. Instead, he had forced himself to continuously use Beyonder Abilities and the teleportation stone. By now, his injuries had worsened somewhat.

At this moment, Aster dearly missed the equipment that could restore health. Unfortunately, he had none.

After stepping over another rock, Aster finally could not hold on any longer and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Am I going to die..." Aster's eyes were injured, and his vision was completely dark. At this moment, he discovered in surprise that his mind was remarkably clear.

"Is this what death feels like?" He lay flat on his back in the grass, not feeling even the slightest fear.