"I'd be delighted."
Julian looked straight into Hanass Vincent's eyes without flinching.
But honestly, the word "listen" made Julian rather uneasy, because it naturally reminded him of "Listener," the name of the Sequence 8 potion of the Secrets Suppliant pathway.
Beyonders of this Sequence could easily hear the whispers of higher-ranking beings of the Secrets Suppliant pathway, including the voice of the True Creator.
But if Julian chose to advance his plan, he would have to accept the information Hanass offered, and that inevitably carried some risks.
Fortunately, not only was Julian contaminated by the Colour Out of Space, but he was also a favored one of Amanises, the Evernight Goddess.
If the Aurora Order really did use some method to expose him to the True Creator's corruption, the Goddess would most likely intervene to protect him.
Of course, Julian had not staked everything on the Goddess's morality. Even in the worst-case scenario, the Colour Out of Space's contamination within him served as an invisible deterrent.
At present, Julian and the Colour Out of Space were more or less in a state of limited equilibrium. But if the Goddess chose to let the True Creator corrupt Julian, he would inevitably go mad and lose control.
There would then be a high probability of the Colour Out of Space running amok. The Tide Restaurant was in a densely populated residential district, so large numbers of civilians would inevitably die if Julian lost control. In the worst case, at least half the Tingen Diocese would be dragged into the disaster.
Even if he did not lose control, Julian had a way to make the Colour Out of Space run amok through a specific prayer. This was one of the many pieces of forbidden knowledge the original owner of his body had acquired before dying.
Thus, Julian was not worried about the Goddess withdrawing her protection. It would neither be worth the cost nor remotely necessary.
With that in mind, even if these members of the Aurora Order tried to corrupt him, they would most likely fail.
After all, the Loen Kingdom was a stronghold of the Evernight Goddess's faith. The True Creator, sealed away in the distant Forsaken Land of the Gods, could project relatively little power here-certainly not enough to rival the Goddess.
Having worked through these objective realities, Julian grew confident in his safety.
With his safety assured, he was actually rather curious about what methods the Aurora Order intended to use to brainwash him, and what tricks they might have up their sleeves.
Vincent smiled faintly at Julian's reply, then continued:
"It seems we really might become like-minded companions. That is something worth celebrating.
"In fact, I anticipated this long ago. Does everyone know why?
"Because Julian foresaw the path God showed me. Surely, this is a resonance of the spirit."
He raised his glass.
"Then, ladies and gentlemen, let us first drain our glasses."
"Cheers!"
Julian glanced at the wine, which showed no unusual coloration, then drank it in one gulp.
Once he put down his glass, Hanass nodded in satisfaction before saying:
"Julian, as I said earlier, according to the creation myth, the omnipotent Original Creator created this world, becoming living beings, nature, planets, and the universe.
"The orthodox churches also cite this account, except they interpret the deities as manifestations of the Original Creator's organs. This grants them sufficient distinction from the vast majority of living beings, as well as the legitimacy to rule the world.
"But don't you think there is a logical flaw in that account?"
"A logical flaw?"
Julian frowned and asked curiously:
"To be honest, I've never thought about that."
"Most people have never thought about it. That's neither strange nor a problem."
With the air of a patient guide, Hanass continued explaining:
"If the original Creator was infinite, supreme, and transcendent, then He ought to encompass all things. He would have no limitations, nor would there be any distinction between the special and the ordinary.
"But look-all the deities worshipped by today's churches have fixed symbols. This means their domains are restricted to those aspects that are great, radiant, correct, and obvious.
"Most people, and indeed most of the world, seem to be excluded from their divine authority. This clearly contradicts the true meaning of the creation myth.
"We are the underlying color of creation, the shadow of so-called 'light,' the ninety-nine percent that forms the foundation of the world.
"In truth, it is not only those deities. Every person, every animal, every plant, even the tiniest speck of dust possesses the divinity of the Original Creator.
"Most people simply fail to realize that they possess this divinity. That does not matter, because once we recognize it, we will eventually set foot on the right path to reclaiming it."
What Hanass was describing was precisely the core theoretical basis for the Aurora Order's worship of the True Creator.
Julian had to admit that, after nearly a century of refinement, this theoretical framework, which had originally been little more than a form of animism, had become comprehensive. It was not only basically consistent in its logic, but could also fully justify itself.
By comparing the limitations of the deities to the infinity of the Oldest One, it denied the omnipotence of the orthodox gods while emphasizing that ordinary people also possessed divinity. In a sense, this could be considered a movement toward religious liberation.
But rather than genuine religious liberation, the Aurora Order's ultimate goal was to steer these ordinary people who questioned orthodox faith toward worshipping the True Creator.
He paused briefly, then looked at Julian again.
"Can you understand what I've just explained?"
Julian nodded.
"Yes.
"I must say, it's a very interesting theory. Quite refreshing.
"It's just that I've never explored the implications of the creation myth before, so I don't know much about this subject."
"That's all right."
Hanass nodded in satisfaction.
"As I just said, everyone has divinity within them. We merely lack the means to perceive it.
"But I have a way to let you feel it all... Julian, give me your hand."
At these words, the other members of the Aurora Order also turned encouraging, expectant gazes on Julian.
Judging by this... they must have some kind of ritual magic or Sealed Artifact that can expose people to the True Creator's influence?
Julian's brows
lifted slightly. Fortunately, he had already taken precautions, so he was not particularly afraid.
He continued silently reciting the Evernight Goddess's Honorific Name, requesting her protection while slowing the pace of his recitation. In this way, he loosened the restraints on the Colour Out of Space a little.
The Colour Out of Space's humming faintly sounded in his ears once more, forming an invisible buffer that could block some of the whispers.
With this barrier, Julian could reduce the influence of the True Creator's ravings. Combined with the Goddess's protection, it gave him two layers of insurance.
On the other hand, the moment anything went wrong, Julian would immediately release the Colour Out of Space and let it kill all these cultists, including Lanevus.
Only after making sufficient preparations did he extend his right hand to Hanass, clasping the other man's slightly cold right hand.
Just as Julian had anticipated, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly seemed to come alive, silently winding its way up his calves.
At the same time, Julian heard a dense chorus of whispers whose meanings he could not discern.
These whispers seemed to come from the shadows beneath his feet, seething with chaos and madness. Even a single second of listening made Julian feel as if his head would split.
Fortunately, thanks to his preparations, Julian did not actually go mad.
He even had enough composure left to tilt his head slightly and carefully distinguish the meaning within the ravings.
It was a strange form of expression mixing roots from Jotun, Dragonese, Ancient Hermes, and Russian. Julian could make out hatred, accusation, despair, inner conflict, and an impulsive desire to corrupt everything.
There seems to be... a trace of pity for me, too?
The True Creator is pitying me?
This strange feeling, arising out of nowhere, made Julian freeze for a moment.
But before he could glean any more information, the Colour Out of Space suddenly reacted violently.
As though it found the True Creator's ravings too noisy, the Colour Out of Space let out an intensely fierce hum filled with displeasure before Julian could stop it.
In an instant, it almost completely drowned out the True Creator's ravings.
At the same time, the multicolored radiance that had merely surrounded Julian abruptly swelled, sweeping straight across the dining table and lunging at Hanass Vincent and Lanevus!