"We now have common interests and goals"?
The moment Nimrod noticed that gaze, he swiftly realized who was watching him:
The former Ancient Sun God, the current True Creator, and the future Omniscient and Omnipotent One.
A pioneer willing to sacrifice anyone for Earth as a whole, but also willing to sacrifice himself.
Grisha Adam!
"He really did notice me..."
Gray fog rapidly enveloped Nimrod's entire body, its force so overwhelming that it could even cut off Adam's gaze. Feeling a searing sting at the back of his neck, Nimrod ignored the Celestial Worthy's earlier teasing remark and murmured to himself:
"So after noticing my existence, he blocked the gazes of this era's Celestial Worthy, Mother Goddess of Depravity, and Miss Salted Fish, making them overlook my existence?"
The burning sting at the back of his neck slowly faded beneath the gray fog's cover. The fog also dispersed around Nimrod, revealing the scene before him:
Crimson moonlight spilled through the outline of the window, bathing the room in an eerie pale red.
Nimrod turned around and gently tugged at the Amon-exclusive Warlock's Robe wrapped around him, then angled his body to look at himself in the mirror-a tattoo of an Inverted Black Cross had appeared on the skin at the back of his neck, with a thin layer of gray fog lingering over it.
Damn, now that I have a tattoo, I can't apply for a civil service job.
That was the first thought that surfaced in Nimrod's mind.
Then Nimrod straightened his clothes. An intensely excited knocking sounded at the door, knock, knock, knock. Having guessed who it was, he said:
"Come in."
Nimrod could roughly guess who would visit at this hour-the place where he lived was one of the Aurora Order's bases, and Mr. Z, a fellow Oracle, naturally lived here too.
And just before he returned to the Lord of the Mysteries timeline, Grisha Adam's gaze had fallen upon him, forming a black inverted cross mark.
Grisha Adam equaled the future True Creator, while the current True Creator's mind was almost completely mad. Sometimes, he could not even distinguish the specific circumstances of his own Blessed, and his ravings would reach every one of his low-sequence followers indiscriminately.
Thus, the True Creator could not distinguish whether he had bestowed the mark left on Nimrod by that gaze.
...In other words, Nimrod had now effectively become one of the True Creator's Blessed, an agent upon whom he had personally cast his gaze and bestowed a blessing.
However, Sefirah Castle's aura enveloped the mark Adam had left on him, preventing this era's Adam from discovering him easily.
The instant Nimrod finished speaking, the door burst open with a bang. A figure clad in black robes rushed through it with lightning speed, only then unconsciously softening his footsteps. He stood respectfully before Nimrod and humbly lowered his head:
"...Your Excellency, Chosen."
Hearing those words from Mr. Z, Nimrod felt that a tragic, thick barrier had already sprung up between them.
"What is it?"
Nimrod spoke to Mr. Z as calmly as he could. Mr. Z hesitated for a moment before replying gravely:
"I have sinned. I should not have questioned your devotion."
"I failed to see the devotion and strength within your heart, failed to hear your faith in the Lord... I am deeply ashamed of the harsh words I directed at you yesterday."
I still prefer that defiant attitude you had before.
Nimrod muttered inwardly, then considered his next words, preparing to sway the man's heart a little:
"There's no need for this, Z."
"We are all the Lord's Oracles. We have all gathered for the Lord's glory. What we should do now is unite and strive for his return, rather than pursue each other's faults here."
Yet the anguish in Mr. Z's eyes did not diminish in the slightest. His chest heaved violently, as though he would cough up his lungs at any moment:
"But a wrong is a wrong. I actually slandered one of the Lord's Saints... I have sinned..."
Excellent, room and board included. The way you look now fits my stereotype of an Aurora Order fanatic perfectly... Nimrod sighed softly and helped up Mr. Z, who had prostrated himself in his agitation, then said sincerely:
"If that is how you feel, atone through your service to the Lord."
Before returning, Nimrod might have considered the possibility of receiving Grisha Adam's attention, but he had never imagined that attention would turn into the True Creator's favor.
The situation was far better than Nimrod had imagined. The Aurora Order fanatics he had originally expected to contend with had now become his allies. All that remained to face were this era's Adam and Ince Zangwill, who held "0-08" thanks to Adam's arrangements and a deal with the Evernight Goddess.
In any case, although the idea of sacrificing all of Tingen City to bring about the True Creator's descent had a certain kick to it, Nimrod, a young man raised in the modern era with basically normal values, would certainly have to stop the True Creator's descent.
Besides, putting all that aside-could sacrificing a city's population really restore the still-insane True Creator's sanity and allow him to descend into the real world?
Back then, the True Creator had been driven out by seven gods working together and had retreated to the Eastern Continent, now the Forsaken Land of the Gods. If he recklessly descended here, what followed would inevitably be a joint assault by Leodero, Aucuses, and Herabergen.
Of course, the True Creator's fanatics had no minds of their own. They blindly believed that once their true god returned, he would sweep away everything.
Thus, Nimrod had other plans concerning the True Creator.
Thanks to the protection Sefirah Castle provided, no one could learn the thoughts that arose in Nimrod's mind. Even a true god could not penetrate that defense.
Judging from his and the Celestial Worthy's circumstances, Klein currently held Sefirah Castle's authority above the gray fog, yet the power it bestowed upon Nimrod in the real world was actually greater.
"...You are right."
After Nimrod quietly employed the supernatural eloquence and charisma granted by Swindler, the frenzied Mr. Z soon recovered what little reason he had left. After a long silence, he slowly addressed Nimrod:
"Mr. L, although the Lord should already have informed the other Oracles and Saints that you have become his Blessed and agent, I still need to report this to Saint Tenebrous."
"But... you are no longer merely an Oracle, so I must ask your wishes: would you like to contact Saint Tenebrous personally?"
Hearing Mr. Z's words, Nimrod fell briefly into thought.
Now that he had received the True Creator's favor, Saint Tenebrous would certainly not suspect his identity. On the other hand, he would officially enter the sight of the Aurora Order's upper ranks-including those few angels.
Now came the problem.
I am an avatar of Amon.
Even if the low- and mid-sequence Oracles did not recognize his appearance without a Monocle, the Aurora Order's upper ranks would never fail to recognize the Angel of Time. And as one of the True Creator's Blessed, someone previously unremarkable yet considered quite devout by the upper ranks, he had absolutely no reason to refuse contact with them.
But considering how thoroughly the Aurora Order's members had abandoned their brains, this might carry a certain degree of risk, yet it offered even more opportunity.
After carefully considering it for a moment, Nimrod nodded:
"All right. We'll contact Saint Tenebrous after dawn. I just went through some... unimaginable things, and I urgently need rest."
Hearing this, Mr. Z did not raise even the slightest objection. He merely bowed slightly, then left the room after paying his respects, carefully closing the door behind him.
"You fanatics of the Secrets Suppliant Pathway are oddly considerate at times like this..." Nimrod muttered. Feeling exhaustion spread through his body, he took off his clothes and collapsed onto the bed.
The pressure and accumulated fatigue Nimrod had experienced in the Circle of Inevitability timeline had been very real. He urgently needed rest.
At noon the next day, after getting up, Nimrod took off his "signature Amon Warlock's Robe" and changed into a well-tailored suit-he was not a real cultist, after all, and had no need to wear black robes that made him look like a villain.
He planned to contact Saint Tenebrous looking as he did now.
When he entered the villa's basement, Mr. Z was already waiting there. He had prepared all the Beyonder materials needed for the ritual and was awaiting Nimrod's arrival.
Seeing Nimrod enter the room, Mr. Z bowed slightly and said steadily:
"We can begin at any time."
Nimrod nodded lightly. Mr. Z, whose emotional intelligence rose dramatically under certain circumstances, understood his signal and began activating the ritual before him.
Soon, Mr. Z's shadow stretched forward, forming a figure who looked very young, though his face could not be seen clearly.
Saint Tenebrous, Kisma!
Nimrod raised his head slightly to look at Saint Tenebrous before him, then gently lowered it:
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
"Hello." Saint Tenebrous spoke calmly, correcting the mistake in Nimrod's manner of address. "You are the Lord's agent and Blessed. We should be of equal standing. There is no need for honorifics."
So the Aurora Order already maintained this bizarre hierarchy before the True Creator and Adam merged.
"I understand, Your Excellency." Nimrod nodded lightly and said sincerely, "Mr. Z suggested making this report. Should I explain how I received divine favor?"
"Of course not." Saint Tenebrous's tone seemed to soften a little. "The Lord's favor is his gift to you. No one has the right to question his gifts-however, there is one thing I would like you to clarify for me, Mr. L."
Saint Tenebrous sounded a little strange, as though he wanted to say something but forcibly swallowed it back. "Your appearance resembles that of the Angel of Time in the rumors. Are you... his descendant?"
The Aurora Order's upper ranks had a vague understanding of the Amon Family's relationship with the Ancient Sun God and the True Creator, but their alliance during the Solomon Empire's era was an indisputable fact.
This Mr. L greatly resembled the Angel of Time and had also received the Lord's favor. Could he have countless ties to the Lord...?
At that thought, Saint Tenebrous's gaze subtly grew a little more respectful.
"Unfortunately, I don't know." Nimrod hesitated for a while before saying, "From the moment I became conscious, I was already a believer in the Lord."
"I don't know"-I don't know whether an avatar of Amon counts as his descendant.
"The moment I became conscious"-the moment I transmigrated.
Watching Saint Tenebrous nod gently, Nimrod felt the still-undigested Swindler Potion within him show signs of significant digestion once more.
"I see." Saint Tenebrous nodded. "In that case, I won't ask further. Going forward, we will provide you with the treatment befitting one of the Blessed. You are a Beyonder of the Marauder Pathway. We will find the Fire Thief Potion formula for you and provide you with a Beyonder item equivalent to Sequence 5."
"However, for certain... reasons, Beyonder characteristics of the Marauder Pathway are extremely difficult to find at present. You may need to wait some time."
Unable to help himself, Saint Tenebrous stole another glance at Nimrod.
"You may freely choose the type of Beyonder item. Afterward, the Saint of Secrets will deliver the item you selected. Furthermore, you now have full responsibility for Tingen's Descent of God Operation. This, too, is the Lord's will."
Having said that, Saint Tenebrous slowly fell silent, waiting for Nimrod to speak.
"...An offense-oriented weapon." Nimrod thought for a moment before saying, "Preferably a melee weapon."
Saint Tenebrous nodded lightly to indicate that he understood. Just as he was about to end the conversation, however, Nimrod suddenly spoke:
"Your Excellency, there are some other matters I need to report."
"Regarding the Lord's descent, I have noticed far too many coincidences surrounding this matter. Someone behind the scenes may intend to use the Lord's descent to arrange certain things."
Then Nimrod lowered his voice. "I suspect it is related to Spectator."
Without question, as a demigod of the Aurora Order, he possessed sufficient knowledge in this area and naturally knew something about the Spectator Pathway, which was adjacent to his own.
Although I can't influence this era's Adam yet, surely I can deal with you, Ince Zangwill, when you're still only Sequence 5?
Before you continue