Neph's Plan

After all that had happened, the credibility of that statement had plummeted. Seeing Mobet's distrustful look, Klein added, "You know, for beings at the Angel level, Divinity sometimes manifests as personality, and she—well, one aspect of her Divinity is Slander."

"Slander— " Mobet moved his lips slightly, as if he understood.

Klein ignored him and instead carefully told Leonard, or rather, Pallez Zoroaster, about the matter. Of course, he didn't mention the details of Groselle's Travels, which was Pallez's job. He simply recounted how Mobet was trapped and how he had brought him out at Neph's request. Then he asked Leonard to ask Pallez if he had any plans for his descendants.

But before receiving a reply to this letter, Klein had other things to do. He looked at Mobet, his tone somewhat troubled. "Well, I don't think you can pay me a decent rent, but it wouldn't be right to just kick you out like this, and besides, the Surname Zoroaster, in today's world of extraordinary secrecy, will make you sound like a lunatic—"

"Do you have a way to make money? I mean, how quickly can you find a job to support yourself? Or do you have any valuables on you?"

"----?" Mobet stared at Klein in astonishment. "Your Excellency, is your Divinity perhaps stingy?"

"Perhaps this is just my nature," Klein said with a slight smile.

Mobet was speechless. He could only reply, "I don't have much wealth on me, and even if I did, it would probably be antiques by now, something that ordinary people can't afford."

"I've heard that Intis has a business model called Auction; perhaps it should be introduced there."

That's true—speaking of which, it seems Backlund doesn't have Auction? Hmm, maybe they're not that popular, or maybe I'm not at a level where I can access them—no, that can't be right. I must have heard something about it, that is, there really aren't Auction here. That's normal, after all, Loen is an aristocracy, while Intis no longer has nobles, only various merchants. When they declare bankruptcy, their assets are Auction.

"Well," Klein said with a smile, "Perhaps you have a way to find a job?"

He looked at Mobet, Mobet remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking up, "Yes, I think I can, and I can even find myself a place to stay tonight."

"So," Neph put down Leonard's, or rather Pallez', reply, and looked at Klein with Han Xiao, "You just sent him away like that?"

Klein coughed lightly, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

"Mr. Fool," Neph shook her head and sighed, "I really suspect your Divinity is stingy, and even Amon could be proof of that."

"How can Amon corroborate my testimony?" Klein was taken aback.

"How can it not be a form of stinginess for him to collect Beyonder Characteristic from Pathway same or even Adjacent Pathways?" Neph shrugged.

Klein was speechless. Neph then asked, "Have you read your former colleague's letter?"

Klein nodded.

"So what do you think?" Neph chuckled softly.

"I don't think you'll agree to Mobet joining the Church of Evernight," Klein shook his head. "I actually think the Church is unlikely to agree either—otherwise you would have done it in the first place."

"Obviously," Neph shook her head, "But it reminds me of something— Mr. Fool, your ' The Lovers ' card doesn't have an owner yet, does it?"

"Hmm?" Klein looked up at Neph.

Neph smiled and said, "Miss Pure White will never return to the Tarot Club, but I think I might be able to have a representative."

"I don't mind," Klein replied after a few seconds of consideration, "But why Mobet? You're closer to Bernadette, Cattleya would be a better choice, and even if Danitz were to come, it shouldn't be Mobet."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be Mobet," Neph blinked, "But you have to save the ' The Lovers ' card for me."

"Okay," Klein agreed, "But why the ' The Lovers ' card?"

"Because my Divinity is Slander," Neph sneered.

"----Alright," Klein raised his hand to his forehead, "So, have you thought it through? How are you going to deal with Mobet? After all, Pallez doesn't intend to see his descendants."

"Before that," Neph glanced at Klein and shook her head, "I'd like to know what kind of job he found?"

"Uh—" Klein's expression froze for a moment, "He—he applied for a job at a Circus— "

"What position?" Neph asked.

"The Clown." Klein said expressionlessly.

Neph was silent for a few seconds, then couldn't help but burst into laughter and collapsed onto the table.

"I think he's insulting me this way," Klein complained, looking at Neph was laughing uncontrollably. "He definitely knows my Sequence 8 is called ' The Clown.'"

"Be more confident, and let go of your 'feelings'," Neph stood up, her laughter subsiding, only the shifting colors in her eyes betraying her true feelings. "Oh, and remember to remind 'Mr. Hanged Man ' of something."

"What?" Klein's eyes flickered slightly.

"He can imagine what price he'd pay to obtain the Beyonder Characteristic of the Cataclysmic Interrer ' from me," she said. "Of course, you have the Potion recipe."

Klein looked at Neph in surprise, frowning as he said, "I think Mr. Hanged Man still has some time before he finishes digesting the Potion. Even after he finishes digesting the Potion, the Beyonder Characteristic of Demigod are hard to measure."

"Before you brought this up, I was considering splitting off a part of the Sea God Scepter. Although I was worried that the Sea God Scepter would lose its original abilities, the core Sequence 3 is still there, and it should at least still be able to receive and respond to prayers. This is what you want to change."

But since you've brought it up----

"Neph, where are you planning to get Beyonder Characteristic?"

"First," Neph smiled, "I need to ask you for an advance on a Sealed Artifact from the ' Sun ' Pathway. That item should currently be with Viscount Stratford— don't be so surprised, it was a gift from Adam, and even if it wasn't before, it is after I tell you this today."

Klein was startled and subconsciously looked around, feeling that someone was hiding in a corner watching them.

"Stop looking," Neph sighed, "He doesn't want to be discovered by you, and he probably won't be able to—"

"Alright," Klein refocused, "I don't know what it is yet, but I can lend it to you. But I need to know what you want to do with it—remember you can separate Beyonder Characteristic and Purification, right? What use is that to you?"

"Thank you, Mr. Fool," Neph smiled at him. "Don't rush, let me explain slowly."

She cleared her throat and continued, "This isn't for separating Beyonder Characteristic; it's for concealment—I'll use the power of the 'Error ' Pathway to disguise what follows as the work of a ' Sun ' Pathway Beyonder."

As for what I'm actually going to do—

Neph curved her lips into a smile, her fingers brushing across the table. A phantom Backlund Map appeared. Klein looked at the map in surprise and found that Neph had circled one address after another with deep blue swirls, and marked each address with a name, rank, and position.

They are all Beyonder from the Church of Storms!

Klein's expression changed, and he asked seriously, "What are you going to do?"

"You said—" Neph's hand traced the map, the phantom vanished, and she smiled at Klein, "If overnight, in the Church of Storms's Backlund Diocese, from the Archbishop down to the Mandated Punishers," all the Beyonder had lost their Beyonder Characteristic and were hung outside the Holy Wind Cathedral— "

Klein shuddered. He looked at Neph and felt a chill run down his spine, but Neph continued, "Well, because Angel can't just disappear like that, I won't attack Angel, nor will I attack the Saint who possess the 0th-level Sealed Artifact —at least until the Sealed Artifact is no longer around them."

"Alright, in short, if the symbols of the Church of the Sun are still present, they have also found traces of the Sun's ' Pathway ' in those people—"

"This is a setup!" Klein interrupted her. "Even a fool would know this is a setup; the Church of Storms would never fall for it!"

Neph shook her head, reminding him, "But the Church of Storms and the Church of the Sun have a long-standing feud, and even if it's a frame-up, the impact on faith is real. An angry Tyrant will at most attack both the framer and the framed."

"I have a question," Klein said, staring at Neph. "I know you wouldn't be so heartless as to want to kill all of them, but I'm curious, have you considered who would handle the overflow of extraordinary events if Backlund lost so many Beyonder overnight?"

"Of course, it's the Church of Evernight and the Church of Steam and Machinery," Neph gave him a strange look. "The Church of Steam and Machinery is constantly moving people from Trier to Backlund, and the Church of Evernight —hey, have you forgotten the Numinous Episcopate?"

Everything seemed to make perfect sense, and Klein found it difficult to refute it. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Then, what if the Lord of Storms discovers what you've done?"

"He can't kill me," Neph said quietly. "He won't find out about this right away. By the time he does, I'll be hiding, and his lightning won't strike me."

So they're planning to use the same timing as during the Great Smog? --- Okay, that's fine. Whether it's the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" or the Sefirah, it should at least ensure her safety. However...

"What if the Lord of Storms attacks your people?" Klein asked again.

"You mean He just randomly strikes down lightning across a wide area, striking everywhere?" Neph asked in surprise. "Does He want to be Evil God?"

That seems to make sense. At most, it's Church Purge, and if it's Church Purge, they can evacuate people beforehand.

Klein glanced at Neph, Neph blinked and said, "While I'm not sure if he'll connect it to the Aurora Order, I think it's time for my My Lord's followers to experience the feeling of Asceticism."

"Suffering, Asceticism?" Klein tried to understand the sentence.

Neph then revealed that she had forgotten to leave food for Snoman, Snoman then confessed everything as part of his Asceticism practice. Klein was deeply shocked and exclaimed, "That certainly fits my impression of you and of fanatics—well, I have one last question."

Has your Lord approved of this?

"That's a good question." Neph, who had been speaking so confidently just moments before, suddenly became nervous. She blinked, looked around, and said in a serious tone, "I think He agreed."

"Otherwise, I should have seen a Blond Priest standing in the corner of the room, smiling at me."

"----?" Klein subconsciously glanced around, then suddenly fell silent.

They hadn't found a Blond Priest, so they all breathed a sigh of relief. Klein finally advised Neph, "I know it's probably no use trying to persuade you now; your plan is perfect enough. But you'd better go see your Lord and mention this matter."

"Furthermore, you'd better be cautious about the evacuation. Besides that, there's one more crucial point."

He stopped, his voice becoming incredibly serious. "Before you actually make your move, remember to take me to the Forsaken Land of the Gods." I don't want to be woken up by lightning the next day, okay?

"To be honest, even if I took you to the Forsaken Land of the Gods," you'd most likely be woken up by lightning, Neph rolled her eyes, "After all, it's lit by lightning there."

Klein stared at her, Neph had no choice but to speak, "Okay, I will. I will also remind you to give all your servants a leave of absence to visit their families and get them away from here. After all, it's too much of a target to have them all gathered together."

"If No. 160 Böklund Street were struck by lightning and gone, that could be explained as unusual weather, at least it doesn't sound as far-fetched as nationwide lightning strikes."

"Actually, that could also be explained as unusual thunderstorm weather—" Klein couldn't help but add.

"Oh, yes," Neph gave a polite smile, "Because of a problem with the Sun's magnetic field, there are frequent abnormal thunderstorms across the country—that's what the news says, right?"

"----You really hit the nail on the head," Klein's lips twitched, "But does this era even have a magnetic field?"

"Don't forget, they have telegraphs—" Neph began quietly, "They definitely understand electromagnetic effects, at most their theories aren't quite perfect yet. After all, there are very few people interested in this area; most people are obsessed with Steam Engine —the name 'God of Steam and Machinery' is to blame for this. If you ask me, He should be renamed ' God of Electricity and Automation.'"

"How about we call it 'Electricity and New Energy '?" Klein suggested. "That sounds better."