A new identity
The Worm of Time wasn't so easy to obtain, so Klein temporarily focused his attention on Neph's so-called "wine glass."
His current location is in East Balam, and the custom of using human bones to make wine glasses, as mentioned by Neph, actually originated in West Balam.
Although both belonged to the Balam Empire, the customs of the West Balam were quite different. This was because the territories directly under the Imperial Family during the Balam Empire had some customs that were different from other places, such as using human bones as decorations.
For them, the death of a loved one does not mean the end of their relationship. Before burial, they will take a bone from the body and place it in the house as a decoration to show that the deceased is still with the living.
The specific bone chosen was determined by the Priest presiding over the funeral through Ritual, with the Skull being the best and most symbolic.
Some families would have the Skull made into a wine glass, but this was only used when entertaining the most distinguished guests.
Klein obtained all these things by occupying and researching information, which greatly troubled him, because Dwayne Dantès came to the Southern Continent to do business, and he had no reason to go to West Balam for the time being!
Perhaps I could talk to Neph —well, anyway, if a trading channel is established, I'll have many more opportunities to come to the Southern Continent, and she probably isn't in a hurry this time.
As Klein pondered his words, a series of prayers suddenly erupted, forcing him to head to "Sefirah Castle" to check the contents.
The pulsating Crimson Star belonged to "the Moon," Emlyn. Klein extended his Spirituality over it and heard Emlyn's prayer. "----I saw Alex at the party again. He seemed perfectly normal, even when he saw me, he acted as if nothing had happened----"
Klein frowned and withdrew his Spirituality.
Alex's death came suddenly, and it was obvious that he was just a substitute. Therefore, Emlyn did not need anyone to remind him to try to find out about Alex within the Sanguine. The result he learned was that Alex had an unexpected encounter with Official Beyonder. Although he managed to escape, he was injured and was currently recuperating.
This made them realize that Alex had no intention of leaving Backlund, nor did he seem to care about Emlyn, who knew his identity. This arrogance worried Klein, so he went to Neph. Neph pinched her brow and replied, "I don't really have any good ideas about this— the Uniqueness thing I can think of is to report it to the Official Beyonder and to other Church."
Emlyn actually had no objection to this, but his Vampire identity made it inconvenient for him to contact Official Beyonder. The Uniqueness he could contact Church of the Earth Mother, which had already made an attempt. After careful consideration, he made this request at the Tarot Club.
Alger the Hanged Man, Fors the Magician, and Audrey Justice all expressed their willingness to help, and even The World got involved. However, Alger the Hanged Man reminded him that before reporting to the Church, he should see Alex one more time, at least to know Alex's current situation, and to provide them with a way to find Alex.
Otherwise, he wasn't very clear about other Church, but Church of Storms usually waited until the second report to the police when they reported suspected members of Evil God without much information.
Emlyn and the others also agreed that it was indeed necessary. He didn't necessarily need to provide a way to find Alex, which was strictly the Church's responsibility, and the Church could accomplish this by negotiating with the Sanguine high command. However, he did need to ascertain Alex's current situation and his attitude towards the Harvest Church matter.
He worried that Alex would then target Bishop Utravsky.
It now seems that Alex intends to pretend this never happened?
They certainly didn't think Alex had forgotten about it. Emlyn made it clear in his prayer that he would immediately report everything to the Church of Steam and Machinery —this was the result of their discussion. Although Klein had a clear bias towards the Church of Evernight, in matters like this, the reliable Church of Steam and Machinery made Klein trust it more.
As for the Church of Storms —didn't you see that even Alger himself didn't trust it?
The message was relayed by Klein to "The Magician" Fors, who then returned to the Real World to ponder the Skull.
In a room adorned with various bone ornaments, a man knelt on the ground, his eyes burning with fervor as he gazed at the words written in Bone Powder before the Altar: "My messenger has arrived in the Southern Continent; you may request her assistance—"
A moment later, he emerged from the room. Several anxious people had gathered outside, and upon seeing him, they rushed forward, eagerly asking, "Lord Tasibu, how is it? Have you received the Lord's response? Those guys from the Church of Evernight are getting increasingly relentless; they'll find this place soon!"
This is Palenque Tasibu, one of the Saint the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death God Faction in the Southern Continent, and also the current head of this stronghold, a Demigod of Sequence 4, known as "Pale Hand"!
Palenque Tasibu looked around and said in a tone of suppressed, fervent joy, "The Lord has sensed our predicament. He has sent a messenger, carrying his personal belongings. This is what she looks like—"
He handed the newly created picture, made through the Ritual, to one of the people, who then passed it around to look at. He continued, "Once we find the Lord's messenger, our predicament will naturally be resolved!"
"So, that's why you interrupted my meal? Hmm, maybe you stole my food—" Neph asked, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the girl wolfing down her food.
There were no extraordinary marks on the girl, which is easy to understand. In the Southern Continent, the Death God is not considered Evil God. Countless people believe in the Death God, and many of them have joined the Numinous Episcopate. Among them are Beyonder as well as ordinary people.
This girl was just one of the ordinary people on the outskirts of the Numinous Episcopate. After "Pale Hand" Palenque Tasibu issued the order to find the Oracle, the mission was sent out to the outskirts. This girl was one of the children who received the mission, and she was lucky enough to find Neph, who was struggling with the flavors of the Southern Continent.
"You look like you're in a lot of Affliction— " the girl said amidst her busy work, "I just wanted to help you share your Affliction."
"----That statement would be more believable if you weren't eating so fast," Neph reminded her.
"I'm sorry—cough, I wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible, and then take you to see Lord Tasibu —I haven't met that lord yet!" the girl replied with anticipation.
Neph fell silent, leaning back in her chair and watching the girl eat with her head down, her expression thoughtful.
With the events in City of Silver as a precedent, and Klein becoming Blessed as an example, Nai...
Fu knew perfectly well how she had become Oracle.
She wouldn't have many questions, she even knew the Death God's personal belongings—wasn't that the Ring she'd left in the Pure White Space?
However, Neph had a concern.
After all, everyone knows what the "True Creator" is like. Neph wasn't surprised that the "True Creator" controlled the Uniqueness "Death God." She could even guess that the way the other party controlled it was not by containment, but by Grazing. This was much easier than the Evernight Goddess controlling the Uniqueness "Death God," because the other party really had a need for containment.
But even Grazing might not be immune to the impact on her mental state; Neph was actually quite worried about the "True Creator."
The state.
Her fingertips traced patterns on the table until the child in front of her finished eating, got up, and led the way, at which point she silently followed.
"Your Oracle Your Excellency, may I ask you a question?" the girl asked before setting off.
Neph raised an eyebrow at her, gesturing for her to continue, and then she heard the girl's voice. "Why did you look so Affliction while eating this meal? And why were you forcing Affliction to eat it? Is this your way of expressing your piety to God?"
"No," Neph's expression froze slightly, her tone deep, "I don't like food with strong flavors—you've added too many spices, I really can't get used to it—well, as for why I have to eat it—"
Neph paused for half a second, then calmly said, "A friend of my mother's doesn't like me wasting food."
After changing hands several times, Neph finally saw the legendary "Pale Hand." She had found a gap in the process, retrieved the Black Square Ring from the Pure White Space, and put it on her hand. Therefore, when Palenque Tasibu saw her, he had no questions and immediately stepped forward to greet her:
--
"We have finally found you, Your Oracle Your Excellency!"
"Hello?" Neph tried to greet him.
Palenque Tasibu appeared to want to shake her hand, Neph pretended not to notice and put her hands in her pockets. Palenque Tasibu then stopped in front of her and asked, "How should I address you?"
"---- Neph," Neph lowered her eyelashes and said, "Perhaps you need a name that matches your title?"
Then I can make one up for you on the spot—actually, you don't even need to make one up, just call it "Pure White Walker," since nobody knows what that is anyway—
"Do you have any?" Palenque Tasibu asked.
"Pure White Walker —well, most of the time, people call me Pure White," Neph said calmly.
Palenque Tasibu noted down the title, then continued, "Neph Your Excellency, we've encountered a problem."
"The Lord tells us that as long as we see You, our difficulties will be resolved—"
Neph had heard this explanation the whole way, but even after being led here, she still didn't understand what the predicament was. So she asked, "What predicament?"
Palenque Tasibu replied, "The Church of Evernight is tracking down the Numinous Episcopate. This stronghold will likely be discovered soon, and then we will lose many people and resources—"
Oh no, I can actually solve this! --- Church of Evernight --- Haha ---
Neph almost lost her composure when she heard the familiar name. This was indeed a problem she could solve, after all, besides being some inexplicable Death God Oracle, she was also the Twin sister personally acknowledged by the Evernight Goddess!
Although those below the level of Angel in the Church of Evernight probably didn't know about this, it didn't stop her from using the keepsake left by Arianna to persuade others.
And she has done this more than once.
"Don't worry about that," Neph shook her head. "I'll handle it. Do you know where the Church of Evernight is based?"
The question caused Palenque Tasibu's mind to Blank for a moment. He subconsciously asked, "You—you're going to go and fight them? I don't recommend you do that. You're all alone, and the Church of Evernight must have brought powerful Sealed Artifact with them. Besides, they have local Church providing support. Although we can also support you, but—"
His expression was very troubled. Neph raised her hand to her forehead and denied it, saying, "No, I have no such intention."
"I just want to talk to their leader."
Palenque Tasibu, still frowning, advised, "Taking care of the enemy leader first is indeed a good idea, but it won't work against Official Beyonder. They have a well-established set of procedures that won't change just because the leader is dead—"
Neph realized this approach wasn't working; she had to clearly state her origins and purpose to free Palenque Tasibu from his hostile mindset. However, she had previously told Leonard and Klein that the Evernight Goddess was her sister because the Church of Evernight had a tradition of secrecy, and besides, she trusted Klein. As for Palenque Tasibu—
Neph stared at him for two seconds, then chuckled softly, "Why do you think I'd fight them?"
"You can't defeat the Church of Evernight, so do you think sending a more powerful thug will solve the problem?"
"If that's the case, why doesn't He just scatter the ashes of the Evernight?"
These remarks would be enough to shock even those from opposing cults. Palenque Tasibu, a Cultists, clearly had some reverence for God, and Neph's words showed little respect for Death God. All of this terrified Palenque Tasibu, who turned pale, looked around, tapped his chest repeatedly with his fingers, and muttered something under his breath.
Knowing when to stop, Neph lowered her eyes and smiled, "I have a special connection with their Goddess."
"Tell me where the Church of Evernight is based, and then you won't have to worry about it anymore."
A connection to the Evernight Goddess —Palenk Tasibu paused for a few seconds, then looked at Neph and asked instinctively, "I've never seen you in the Numinous Episcopate before, so that means—"
"Could it be that you were once Official Beyonder?"
"No," Neph glanced at him, "He and I—well, we know each other."
know----?
Palenque Tasibu's brain went blank for a moment.
The concept of "knowing" can be broad or narrow. Meeting someone once from afar counts as knowing them, as does living with family members, or being friends for many years. But all of this has one prerequisite:
Nobody will say they know a God!