Liar

Klein agreed.

He really wanted to refuse; it wasn't an idea he liked. Besides, he was worried about Dwayne Dantès's identity and feared that Neph might cause him some trouble. But once he agreed...

After all, he still remembered that Neph was an Angel.

This wasn't out of fear; he knew it wouldn't matter if he refused, but that was a private matter between them. In front of so many people, he couldn't be so disrespectful to Neph. In other words, Klein actually suspected that Neph was using this method to force him to agree.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on that; Klein first organized their respective languages.

Groselle, Giant from the Second Epoch, undoubtedly possessed the Jotun. According to Klein's communication, although Groselle had basic communication skills compared to those mindless Giant, he did not speak any foreign languages.

In comparison, the Elf Shatas, who also came from the Second Epoch, had mastered the Jotun —of course, as Elf, she could certainly speak Elvish.

The language spoken by the ascetic Snowman was Giant's Language, the common language of human city-states after the rise of the ancient sun god in the Third Age. Similarly, there was the ancient Fusaac language spoken by Mobert, a nobleman of the Solomon Empire in the Fourth Age, which was the common language of humankind in the Fourth Age.

Of course, this doesn't mean that these two were unable to speak other languages. As individuals who had received a comprehensive and extraordinary education, they mastered all the extraordinary languages that could be learned in that era.

Klein tried comparing his Ancient Feysac with Mobet's. Because the language was constantly evolving, there were some subtle differences between his and Mobet's Ancient Feysac, such as changes in the pronunciation of some words, the addition of extended meanings to some words, or changes in commonly used words. These changes did not affect their communication. Just like the languages of Groselle, Shatas, and Snoman, which also differed from modern versions to some extent, but not to the point of affecting communication.

But the person Klein admired most was Longzel, a soldier from the Fifth Epoch. He was the Uniqueness one among them who had mastered the Loenese. Although more than 100 years is indeed a long time for a language, Longzel was fully capable of reading and learning normally.

However, every advantage has its disadvantages. Klein discovered that Longzel had not mastered any extraordinary language, and he even had to teach him prayers on the spot.

After Longzel imitated Klein's pronunciation and finished reciting the Honorific Name and completing the Ritual, the matter was considered closed. Klein did not intend to take on this trouble. While the group was praying, he sent his Messenger to deliver a letter to "Vice Admiral Iceberg" Edwina.

But in the end, it wasn't Snoman who Klein brought to Edwina; Neph used snowflakes to sweep him away, taking him to a golden ocean.

Snoman looked around the ocean in bewilderment. The seawater was golden, like scattered Yang Guang, and ruins, some real and some illusory, surrounded him. Standing on the sea, he asked Neph, puzzled, "My lord, what is this—"

"Shh." Neph held up one finger and shook her head.

She closed her eyes, raised her hand to draw an Inverted Cross Symbol on her chest, and then pointed to her ear.

Snoman realized something, and he quietly lowered his head, allowing Neph to concentrate on the thunderous sound in her ears.

This is the deepest part of the Sea of Ruins, where the oracle of the "True Creator" can easily reach. Neph could clearly hear His emotionless voice. "I told you to take him to Leomaster, not to bring him to me."

"I know," Neph tried to communicate with the voice, "But he believes in you from the Third Epoch. I'm not confident I can convince him without resorting to underhanded tactics, and I don't think Leomaster does either."

The "True Creator" did not comment on this utterly worthless behavior; his voice disappeared, which made Neph hesitant to act rashly. She stood there with her head down, pondering whether she should have resorted to some means in the first place.

After all, as long as the Honorific Name is invoked, he has no choice but to believe it.

Neph stretched her ankles, her white boots gliding across the water without causing a ripple, as if isolated by an invisible barrier. But behind her, Snoman could clearly see the nonchalance beneath this pious facade.

"----?" Snoman glanced at the Angel in front of him, feeling that something was amiss.

"Neph." Clearly, the Lord had also noticed.

The soft call made Neph pause, then she quickly stood up straight, but it seemed pointless. Neph heard what sounded like a resigned divine oracle, "Bring him here."

Neph breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come with me." She turned around, her eyebrows and eyes flashing briefly. Snoman was momentarily stunned, and he felt as if a joyful light seemed to leap up in those blue-green eyes for a fleeting moment, but it vanished in an instant, making him think it was just an illusion.

Neph exhaled softly, her Spirituality enveloping Snoman, plunging the ocean into Evernight and simultaneously drawing him into its dream world.

As Angel has been granted permission, Neph doesn't actually need to go through the same procedures as ordinary believers—this is what the "True Creator" just told her. She only needs to make something like a staff and imitate the action of Moses parting the sea in mythology to part the sea.

But Neph didn't intend to do that, since they weren't being hunted at the moment, and she preferred to take Snoman through the entire Pilgrimage process.

Why do I feel like I've turned into Ouroboros?

Neph shook her head, clearing her jumbled thoughts, and faced the projection of the "Giant King’s Court." Without turning back, she slowly introduced to Snoman behind her, "At the end of the Age of Glory, someone attempted to deceive the God's Left Hand and plot an assassination against the Lord. The Lord went along with it and organized the assassination. The Ancient God and many King of Angel at the time joined in. Only the Lord's two children were excluded."

"However, at the very end of that assassination attempt, an unexpected event occurred—"

Speaking of which, given his fondness for imitating myths and acting, I wonder if he ever acted in "The Last Supper"? Hmm—it doesn't matter if he didn't; that painting is too famous. I've seen it. Maybe I could imitate it, replacing the twelve apostles with the Eight Kings of Angels. However, religious paintings are best done as frescoes, and I can't paint frescoes— Ouroboros? No, forget it, not a good Teacher. Actually, Lenburg is quite good—so, my student status at Backlund University hasn't been removed yet, it's just that everyone has overlooked me—it seems I can really study abroad? And through the proper Pathway? This, this is truly—

Chapter 24 The Liar

Neph suppressed a laugh that nearly spilled out—it was inappropriate to laugh while recounting history—she took a deep breath, feigning uncontrollable rage, and said in a low voice, "The real traitor, that despicable imposter—I think you know who I'm referring to."

"His plan had been for this moment all along. He pounced on the Lord's body, interrupting the resurrection that should have taken place—without Him, the Lord would have risen again in three days! But He destroyed it all!"

"Then came the Storm, and then the dragon of betrayal." The three of them devoured the Lord's body, disrupted the resurrection Ritual, and usurped some of the Lord's Authority, forcing the Lord to be reborn in resentment.

"The ocean you see outside is the scene that the Lord saw with his last glance."

Snoman jerked his head up, all his other questions vanishing for a moment, leaving only one. "Those traitors—are they still alive?"

Neph nodded. "Yes."

"You should know that we're currently in the Fifth Epoch —hey, I'm not going to give you a history lesson. You go back and go with the others to find Edwina and learn history from her, Gehrman. That's a good idea, excellent, hmm—"

"In short, there are seven recognized orthodox God in the Fifth Epoch: the Evernight Goddess, the God of Steam and Machinery, the God of God of Combat, the Earth Mother, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Lord of Storms, and the Eternal Blazing Sun. The latter three are the Wisdom Angel, the Wind Angel, and the White Angel of that time."

"They are not only alive, they are thriving."

Snoman's face revealed a distinct anger, far more genuine than the one Neph had just portrayed. Neph, ever the learner, smiled and Han Xiao, "I don't demand much from Wisdom. The title 'Dragon of Betrayal' says it all. He always acts according to circumstances. Now, seeing the Lord about to return to His position, He has already offered His confession. You know the Lord is forgiving and merciful; He certainly won't hold such a thing against Him. And since the Lord has forgiven Him and chosen to redeem Him again, we should accept Him as well."

"Yes," Snoman said calmly, "I understand."

Neph shook her head slightly, then continued, "As for the other two—I briefly discussed the other Pure White's problem with the Lord. He might have been instigated, deceived, or even coerced. His actions may not have been entirely of his own volition. I'm unsure of the Lord's attitude towards him, but since He didn't stop me from targeting Him, perhaps—"

"As for the Storm —putting everything else aside, just looking at this Pathway alone, I think He'll probably fight to the death—"

Neph shook her head, said no more, and looked back at the projection of the "Giant King’s Court".

"Are you ready?" she suddenly asked.

Snoman's face instantly turned serious, and he nodded rather solemnly, eliciting a soft, unintentional chuckle from Neph. This reminded Snoman of his question once again, "Sir, I have a question."

"Hmm?" Neph blinked.

"Why—" Snoman tried to find the right words, "Your anger seemed particularly insincere when you mentioned those things earlier?"

"----?" Neph's expression froze for a moment. "Oh, that's because I was acting."

That was true. She felt no anger, but rather found it somewhat amusing. However, she obviously couldn't say such a thing aloud. Under Snoman's astonished gaze, she asked, "Have you ever had contact with Angel, or rather, the Holy Spirit, before?"

Snoman shook his head.

Neph was relieved and immediately began to make up a story. "You know, everything has Divinity. At our level, we accumulate too much Divinity, which causes all sorts of different emotional reactions."

"Angel or Holy Spirits often have some kind of mental problem. If you've met enough Angel, you'll find that I'm one of the relatively normal ones."

"I'm just a bit lively at most—which is understandable, considering I was only born in the Fifth Epoch. In fact, I'm just a one-year-old child—no, I'm not even a year old yet, still a month short."

A one-year-old child?

Snoman's mind went blank for a moment, then he suddenly remembered Gehrman Sparrow, who was supposedly much older than Groselle, and a deep suspicion appeared in his eyes.

As an Ascetic, he had a good understanding of the extraordinary world and knew that one could not judge age by appearance alone, but that did not mean he could accept such illogical content!

If the one-year-old Angel before him was still within his comprehension, then the Adventurer from before was completely beyond his understanding. After all, the Fifth Epoch alone spanned 1350 years, while that Adventurer seemed to come from the Second Epoch, or even earlier—

How could someone who wasn't a Holy Spirit or Saint by the Lord's side live so long? Who granted him such a long life? Who kept him looking young?

Snoman looked at Neph with a mixture of shock and confusion. Neph blinked but didn't intend to answer.

Only half of what she said was true, and that was that most Angel were not entirely mentally sound—that much was indeed true. As for whether her personality was a product of Divinity influence, Neph really couldn't judge.

After all, besides being influenced by Divinity, she didn't believe in a "True Creator."

Neph once again faced the projection of the "Giant King’s Court," and this time, she was finally able to utter that long-forgotten Honorific Name: "The Lord that Created Everything;

You are Omnipotent and Omniscient;

"You are the source of all greatness, you are the beginning and the end;"

"You are the God of Gods, you are the ruler of the vast Astral World!"

Snoman fell silent, watching the sea of clouds part to reveal the passage beneath. Before he could react, the Angel who had been all pious just a moment ago suddenly turned around, revealing a malicious smile.

Then, he was pushed off the cliff.

As Snoman climbed up from the orange-red passage, the girl in the pure white Warlock's robes was laughing hysterically beside him. Snoman looked up and finally confirmed that he hadn't misjudged her—this girl in Pure White really did have eyes that could change color, as if she had hidden all the colors on her body into those eyes.

Based on his previous experiences, a word suddenly popped into Snoman's mind:

fraud.

The Angel who led them out of the travelogue clearly had a lie written all over her face from the very beginning!