"Father"

This was Klein's first real meeting with the legendary Angel of Time, but Amon seemed to have no concept of boundaries. Putting aside his impressive entrance, he simply sat down naturally, picked up a string of Mushroom from the grill, took a bite, and commented, "I've seen this kind of food in City of Silver and Moon City, and I've even picked some from their growing areas."

"The Mushroom themselves are fine, there's nothing to criticize, but their cooking method is too primitive, and they don't use any seasonings, relying solely on the flavor and texture of the Mushroom themselves."

"Food cooked this way might be considered gourmet food by them, but I always feel it's missing something. Yours, on the other hand, tastes much better."

Klein kept his eyes on Amon, remembering that Amon's Pathway was adjacent to his own. Even though Neph said that Amon had most likely given up the idea of competing with him, he did not let his guard down. After all, the Authority of this King of Angel contained deception.

But the difference between Saint and the King of Angel is so great that it leaves one with no desire to resist. Even with the "Sefirah Castle" as support, Klein is only confident of escaping. Of course, that is in terms of facing the main body. The Amon in front of him seems to be just an avatar, so Klein is not actually that afraid.

However, Klein did not intend to act rashly. As an "Scholar of Yore" who had already digested the Potion, he could enter the "Sefirah Castle" at any time, which gave him the confidence to communicate with Amon. The worst consequence would only be the loss of his life, and Amon might not even do anything to him!

Of course, the real reason is that this is the "Forsaken Land of the Gods," where it's said that Amon's true form has always been active. Klein suspects that if he dares to make a move, Amon could switch back to his original form in the next second.

This was a terrible idea, so Klein chose to speak with Amon first, "When she introduced you to me, she didn't mention how outgoing you were."

"Little White?" Amon bit into another Mushroom. "That's quite normal. After all, she's even more outgoing than me. The first time we met, she dared to ask me if I had ever seduced my father."

"----?" Klein opened his mouth, realizing he had chosen a really bad topic.

But if he cares so much, could it be that he really seduced her?

The thought was immediately suppressed by Klein; he couldn't possibly ask the question Exit, so he changed the subject. "I do need a guide. Compasses don't work here, and I'm unfamiliar with the area—"

"She didn't give you a map?" Amon gnawed on the last Mushroom on the skewer. "Where do you put the skewer?"

"Will you still eat?" Klein asked earnestly.

"Anything else?" Amon swept the floor.

"We can plant more—" Klein replied, "But I don't have any more Monster corpses."

Amon gave a polite "hmm" and asked, "Do you have any preferences regarding the type of plant?"

Klein shook his head. Amon reached out and turned the Monocle over his right eye. After a dark vortex, a Monster's corpse appeared on the ground.

"Give it a try?" He asked.

Then the conversation naturally turned to Mushroom and barbecue. Klein was surprised to find that this King of Angel, born in the Third Epoch, knew a lot about barbecue, or rather, he knew a lot about the food in this world.

He almost forgot about Amon's dangerousness until they finished the barbecue, and Amon sat on the ground, smiling, and said, "Alright, now we should talk about serious matters."

"Although my defeat seems inevitable, to be honest, I am still unwilling to just watch you ascend to the position I have always longed for."

So, I've decided to cause you a little trouble.

"In this land, besides that door, there are only a few other people you can look for, and among them, the Demonic Wolf Kotar will definitely have a place."

"I will destroy all traces and clues about Kotar's existence, making your journey to find Him a little more difficult."

He stood up, smiling warmly, "Keep it up!"

Klein watched His seemingly schizophrenic behavior, speechless, but couldn't help reminding Him aloud, "Don't forget, I have no idea which way is which. Even if you don't destroy this place, I probably still won't be able to find it—"

"Ask your friend," Amon said, turning around as he walked away. "Didn't I tell you? She has a map. If that doesn't work, you can pray to my father. I can show you a way to see Him. Do you want to go and take a look?"

He turned to look at Klein, Klein hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Which direction?"

So Amon actually pointed in a direction and told Klein, "Just keep walking in that direction."

"Are you going to keep listening?" Neph asked, staring at Amon.

"Go on," Amon forced a smile, "You've only talked about the popular ones, tell me about my father."

"Which father do you want to listen to?" Neph asked.

"What other father could I possibly have?" Amon retorted.

"That's a lot," Neph smiled. "It seems that in my memory, you've already had a dozen or twenty fathers—"

"----?" Amon stared at Neph, waiting for her explanation.

Neph, still smiling, continued, "It all starts with the definition of father."

"As you know, the word 'father' can be discussed from two perspectives: one is blood relation, which is easy to understand and needs no explanation; the other is—"

"I'm sure you're familiar with this: there's a situation in the human world where people adopt children who have lost their parents. In such cases, kinship can develop between two people who are not related by blood."

Amon nodded, Neph continued, "Through these two dimensions, we can construct a nine-square grid—well, perhaps we should call it a coordinate system? Anyway, we can define different fathers for you, using these two as axes and assigning relationships from strong to weak—"

"----" Amon said expressionlessly, "Tell me the one that impressed you the most."

It was Lumian, Circle of Inevitability, and his Angel Neph sincerely who advised, "I advise you not to ask."

Amon was still staring at her, Neph raised her hand to swear. "I assure you, I have never participated in this type of discussion; I have only seen the conclusions."

"What types of projects have you participated in?" Amon asked.

"Good question," Neph lowered her head.

Amon sneered and said again, "Tell me about my father."

"Then let me mention one I was involved in," Neph raised her hand and made an Inverted Cross in front of her chest, "it's about you eight King of Angel, each one of His eight—uh, eight—"

She stammered, seemingly unable to find a suitable adjective.

"Eight what?" Amon frowned as he looked at her.

Neph hesitated for a few seconds. It wasn't that she was unwilling to say it, but rather that she realized there was no such word in the Loenese she knew—perhaps because there wasn't a suitable noun to describe this phenomenon.

"It's the role played by those men that Demoness often keep," she finally said.

"----?" Amon raised his hand and gripped his Monocle tightly. "Is this why you asked me why my father didn't consider becoming Demoness?"

"No," Neph shook her head, "It's mainly because He's really suitable, and the Ritual have all been completed—wait, how do you know this?"

She suddenly realized what was happening and glared at Amon.

Amon chuckled softly, not answering the question, but instead said with a smile, "Judging by the time, your friend should be coming to see you by now—"

"What—" Neph was slightly taken aback, and before she could ask any further questions, she heard a prayer.

Klein, Klein was in the "Forsaken Land of the Gods," described his Affliction experience of being lost, and mentioned his encounter with Amon, emphasizing his impressive entrance. Finally, he asked Neph for a map of the "Forsaken Land of the Gods."

Neph didn't have time to pay attention to the map, even though it was indeed her oversight—just as Ouroboros hadn't considered that she didn't know the way, she had also forgotten that Klein might not know the way either.

But would giving him a map really help? The real problem is movement; he was using the "Staff of Stars Staff of Stars," which he hasn't obtained yet. No, I can't solve this problem for him. Adam isn't a god yet; it would be awkward if he ran too fast.

Neph's thoughts drifted for a few seconds before returning to the current focus. She glared at Amon and asked, "You went to see him?"

"That's the decision of the main body," Amon said with a smile.

"Don't give me that!" Neph scoffed. "When something goes wrong, you just shift the blame to the main body. What? If I told you to come with me to fight the main body, would you really go?"

"Why do you think I won't go?" Amon's clone asked in surprise. "Of course I'll go if you invite me, but only if you trust me as your teammate."

"----?" Neph moved her lips twice, but couldn't utter a word.

This statement seems to make sense. Given Amon's Avatar's personality, if she invited him, he would most likely agree. However, betrayal at the last minute is also inevitable.

"Very good," Neph grinned, "But I can't beat your true form, so I'll have to beat you up!"

She raised her hand, and an Ice Blade suddenly slashed down. Amon dodged in a panic, sighing, "Is this alright?"

Neph angrily withdrew her hand.

She wasn't serious, because taking her anger out on a clone was pointless; Amon didn't care about losing a clone, and wouldn't even mind giving it to her for free.

The Amon's Avatar moved back to its original position, shrugged, and said, "You know what? The way you looked just now really reminded me of how a human mother reacts when her child is being bullied—"

Neph's expression froze for a moment. She suddenly remembered those few unsettling calls of "mother," even though they were just jokes, Neph couldn't help but feel a little worried sometimes.

I hope that even if this does come true, at least in a way that I can accept, and not in a way that is...

Neph took a deep breath, deciding to get Amon away as soon as possible. "Well then, if you know what's good for you, you should leave now, lest I really beat you up—and remember to leave the location of the Mausoleum."

"Aren't you going to come with me?" Amon asked pitifully. "I still want to see how the ancestor of the Jacob Family reacted when they saw me—"

Isn't that you too? -- But you gave me an idea -- Neph pulled a Monocle from her pocket and put it on her right eye.

"How about this?" she asked.

Amon circled her, looked her over, nodded in satisfaction, then shook his head.

"It's a pity you don't look like me," He said, "but it doesn't matter, just think of it as your original self wanting to try out a new look----"

Hey, I'll remind the main body to sever the connection. Good luck!

He finally left, Neph disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye. Actually, she didn't feel that Amon had left anything on her, but entering the Pure White Space to disinfect herself after seeing Amon had become a habitual behavior, Neph had no intention of correcting it.

Reassured, she checked on Klein's situation. Mr. Fool seemed to have no expectations of her and had already started walking with his Lantern. Neph hesitated for a few seconds, then handed the map to Klein, marking the "True Creator" stop for Klein.

He pointed to the location of that mountain peak and whispered, "Even if I give you a map, you won't be able to find your way without guidance."

"Although I don't know what Amon wanted from you, He was right about one thing—you really should consider praying to my My Lord, or going to see my My Lord —His gaze will guide you."

Inside the "Forsaken Land of the Gods," Klein frowned and remained silent after hearing this.

He suddenly realized that in this area where communication and location services were cut off, the "True Creator" had become his Uniqueness way out. This was hardly good news. Even though his impression of the "True Creator" was no longer that of Evil God, and the old grudges in Tingen City had long since ended with the deaths of Ince Will and Lanevus, he still couldn't quite accept it, even if he prayed.

But the two statements made Klein suddenly realize that this might be one of Amon's purposes. Putting aside his own purpose, he might have come for his father, and his purpose was to make him pray or climb that mountain.

Both of these have a common effect: establishing a connection with the "True Creator".

"Then—" Klein whispered, barely able to contain himself, "am I going to become the ninth King of Angel under His command? What should I be called? The Angel of Miracles? Ha, I might as well learn from Neph and impersonate the Angel of Time— "

This was just a joke; Klein would never make such a self-destructive attempt. After a few seconds of contemplation, he rationally chose prayer over going to see the other person.