He really does know more. Clyde keenly picked up on the important information in Azure Dragon's words. Making a request outright meant he knew the gathering's true purpose.
Perhaps this was also what that being wanted to see. The fact that He showed no displeasure was the best proof.
Clyde glanced at the seat of honor and spoke directly:
"I can get all those things. I'd like to know how we should exchange them."
He was probing further, hoping to uncover Azure Dragon's origins.
Although the ingredients for the two potions were difficult to find in Senegal, they were perfectly ordinary in the outside world. After all, they were only low-sequence ingredients.
Joey secretly rejoiced. He had been worrying about how to spread his honorific name naturally, and Clyde's question was nothing short of perfect.
"You can chant Mr. Hermit's honorific name and send them to me through a sacrifice."
As the two conversed, Helena listened beside them, utterly dumbfounded.
Things can actually be delivered across tens of thousands of miles?
Isn't that an ability of a King of Angel?
I'm only a Sequence 9, and I'm actually involved in something concerning a King of Angel?
Does that mean I won't have to pay exorbitant postage and shipping fees anymore?
Helena, how can you think that? This is insane!
In his guise as Azure Dragon, Joey respectfully bowed toward the seat of honor.
Only after receiving approval did he solemnly begin chanting:
"You are the ruler of calamity and fortune,
The Witness of the Historical Torrent,
The Hermit returned from ages past,
The great being above the ashes."
"The Sacrificial Ritual requires burning incense and lighting candles, preparing food, wine, and an exquisite doll. Chant the honorific name sincerely, and you will receive Mr. Hermit's response."
Helena covered her little mouth, her heart pounding wildly.
Calamity and fortune? Aren't those the Evernight Goddess's authorities? I seem to have started worshipping an extraordinary deity.
Helena stared unblinkingly at Azure Dragon.
He must be Mr. Hermit's favored one.
Clyde trembled inwardly. Every line of an honorific name represented a deity's authority. He had imagined how powerful the Ancient Gods might be, but never to this extent. The ancient god even possessed the Evernight Goddess's authorities, and she was one of the seven gods who ruled the world.
"All right, Viper. What price must I pay?"
In truth, Joey was nervous when he said this. If Clyde requested something he could not accomplish, things would become difficult.
Clyde actually felt he had already gained a great deal today. Coupled with his suspicions about Azure Dragon's true identity, he weighed his options and decided to do him a favor.
"These aren't valuable items. I'm willing to give them to you free of charge."
Well done, Viper! You're my good fortune for the day! Joey secretly rejoiced.
As Azure Dragon, however, he still had to put on a show of declining.
"How about this? I can't let you lose out. I can exchange some information for them-information about the Deep Dweller Pathway. You can choose to discuss it here or speak privately."
The Deep Dweller Pathway? Could there be secrets even the Church doesn't know? We can speak privately, too? Since it concerned the secrets of his own pathway, he considered it and decided on a private conversation.
"I choose to speak privately."
Joey manipulated the gray fog to isolate the two of them.
Disappointment showed in Helena's eyes beside them.
I really want to hear it. Wasn't this supposed to be a discussion gathering? How can they leave me out? She stamped her foot angrily.
Joey recalled the information he had happened upon in Senegal, organized his thoughts, and then spoke:
"Hydra is not the Sea God. He is merely a marauder who stole the authority. The true Sea God is the ancient city of R'lyeh."
To substantiate the information, Azure Dragon revealed another shocking piece of news.
"I come from Chernobyl, the place you call the Forsaken Land of the Gods. We possess an original copy of the General History of the Calamity Era."
Clyde froze in shock. Only after a long while did he respond in a faltering voice:
"Thank you! This information is far too important to me. Perhaps I should offer you something more?"
Joey had never expected information that was common knowledge in Senegal to have such an effect. His interest immediately stirred. After a two-second pause, he said:
"Perhaps you could gather some information about the Sun God for me."
The ancient Sun God had also been the most powerful deity of the Calamity Era. Information about Him had always been suppressed by the seven gods, yet Clyde nodded in agreement. The world was vast, and the seven gods could not oversee everything. Something would always slip through the net.
After ending their private conversation, both thanked the Hermit.
Seeing that their conversation had ended and it was finally her turn, Helena said:
"Mr. Hermit, I've gathered some information about the Color Out of Space."
Here came the main event. Joey had not forgotten the primary purpose of his gathering.
"Tell me about it. If it's interesting, I'll be pleased," the Hermit replied evenly.
Helena glanced around. "May I request a private conversation?"
Clyde the pirate thought, So I'm not worthy of knowing.
Azure Dragon thought, What a haughty Rabbit Lady.
"Granted!"
As the gray fog surged, Helena was isolated from the others.
"Its ability is to create a kind of mental illness. Those infected have the evil thoughts buried deep within them drawn out. These dark emotions allow it to grow. Once it has absorbed enough vitality and negative mental energy, it will return to the stars."
Joey leisurely propped his chin on his hand and spoke slowly. "That sounds quite interesting. What is its weakness?"
Helena carefully recalled the material she had consulted.
"The Color Out of Space has no fatal weakness. If it does have a weakness, it should lie in the parent entity. The parent resides deep among the stars. What descends is merely its offspring, a tool for gathering energy for it."
At this point, she paused, seemingly awaiting a response. This was everything she had been able to gather, and it was woefully incomplete. She could only hope Mr. Hermit would not be angry.
"Although it has no fatal weakness, the seven gods found a way to deal with it: locate the Color Out of Space that has descended and banish it while it is still growing. A juvenile Color Out of Space disguises itself as a rock. As for how to find it, I'm sorry, but I couldn't find any relevant information."
This was already very important to Joey. If the thing had appeared in the outside world, finding it might have been like searching for a needle in a haystack. But where was he? Senegal. How large was this place, really? Finding its physical form would not be difficult.
Now, therefore, he had to consider what to offer as payment.
"Your information is quite good."
Helena nodded happily, then said:
"May I request an Angel's Blessing when I advance to Sheriff?"
Rabbit Lady, you've always been my lucky charm. This proposal is wonderful! Joey secretly rejoiced, considering whether he should publicize this ability. After all, it offered immense returns for almost no investment.
"Granted."
"My sincerest thanks, Mr. Hermit."
Unlike other pathways, the Arbiter Pathway had to contend with more severe corrupting whispers, because it represented the light that stood against darkness.
Falling into depravity was easy, but turning one's heart toward the light was difficult. Every advancement within the Imperial Order of the Knights of Light required assistance from the high-sequence Transcendents of the Elder Council.
For someone of her low sequence, seeking such protection was nothing more than a pipe dream. She could only endure it herself. If she failed, she would die.
Once Helena had finished speaking, Joey made Azure Dragon speak:
"From now on, our gatherings will be held every Thursday."
He openly established his relationship as a favored one, adding at the end, "This is Mr. Hermit's request."
Helena twirled a strand of hair and interjected, "We-we should give this gathering a name."
"Rabbit Lady's proposal is excellent."
"Let's call it the Heavenly Court!"
Somewhere beyond perception, those words seemed to trigger a connection. The gray fog began to surge, and waves rose across the black, boundless Endless Sea, stirring into furious billows.
"All right, that concludes today's gathering."
After sending everyone away, Joey hurriedly moved his consciousness above the sea. Countless octopus-like tentacles stretched out of the black water, as though trying to break free of their restraints, rush up, and tear him apart.
Looking up, he saw the Sky-Piercing Pillar shaking violently. The Round Table Hall at its summit swayed with it, as if it would collapse at any moment.
"Did I just stir up a hornet's nest?"
Puzzled, Joey circled the pillar but found nothing unusual.
Splash!
The rocks originally clinging to the pillar began falling away bit by bit. Soon, the stone pillar became a cylinder radiating brilliant golden light.
The churning black water instantly calmed. Perhaps it was his imagination, but Joey felt its blackness had faded considerably.
He moved his conscious form farther away so he could see the whole thing clearly.
Four large characters shone on the brilliant golden cylinder, their shimmering glow exuding magnificent grandeur.
"The Sea-Calming Divine Needle?"
When he had first seen those four characters, he had paid them little attention, assuming some ancient god from a bygone era had carved them out of admiration for the Monkey King.
After all, it had only been a stone pillar. Now that its disguise had fallen away, he had good reason to believe it might be genuine.
His heart racing and hands trembling, he gently stroked it.
This was a wondrous treasure straight out of legend.
Clang!
Suddenly, a sound rang in his ears. Looking up, he saw the four golden characters melting little by little.
Yes, melting. The four characters began to distort like liquid, falling and dissolving. Within seconds, they had vanished.
It was as if they had fulfilled some mission. After burning through their final light, they faded into darkness and vanished into dust.
For some reason, an inexplicable sorrow spread through his heart. The Endless Sea, which had regained its calm, began stirring again.
"Whew!"
He hurriedly returned to his body, and only then did that feeling gradually disappear.
Meanwhile!
On the boundless sea off Las Vegas, a large ship was sailing slowly. Suddenly, fierce winds swept across the previously placid water, thunder rolled, and countless whirlpools appeared around the vessel. Like innumerable wild beasts, they opened their bloody maws and mercilessly tore at their prey.
Panic began spreading aboard the ship. Then people started killing indiscriminately, attacking men and women, children and the elderly alike. Their eyes turned scarlet, and they bit and killed anyone they saw.
Cries of agony were swallowed by the waves as everyone aboard descended into madness.
Within moments, the sailing ship, weighing several tons, was dragged to the seabed by the whirlpools. Countless lives were lost.
Several such incidents occurred simultaneously, forcing the authorities to send investigators. For a time, pirate ships and official vessels fought endlessly across the sea.
Isamott, the royal harbor.
In an exquisitely decorated café, a woman in a professional work dress sat by the window. She was a junior supervisor at a nearby factory, and whenever she had a rare leisurely afternoon, she came here for a cup of tea.
Suddenly!
Her expression grew dazed, and her pupils abruptly lost focus. After several seconds in that state, she took a pair of gold-rimmed glasses from her pocket and put them on. A faint smile curved her lips.
Her high heels clicked against the floor like the rhythm of some concerto.
As she watched a royal warship preparing to sail, the sea breeze lifted a strand of her hair. Her dark brown eyes gazed into the distance as she murmured:
"The seal has finally loosened. Hydra, can you still hold yourself back?"
With light steps, she slowly boarded the royal warship. Strangely, the soldiers standing guard seemed not to see her at all, allowing her to board at her own unhurried pace.
In Senegal's West District 9, the faint morning light heralded daybreak.
Joey opened the window and looked at the gray sky, where a blazing sun should have hung.
"The fog has grown thicker again."
That meant the Color Out of Space had grown further.
"It'll be hard to find the Color Out of Space's offspring on my own."
The situation had reached another impasse. Even if he found the target by himself, he had no way to deal with it. Reporting it to the authorities, however, would leave him under suspicion.
"Is there a way to make use of the authorities' strength without drawing suspicion to myself?"
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, then his expression grew grave.
Time was pressing, and he had no choice but to risk an attempt: corruption by an evil god. He would use himself as bait, allowing a sliver of Julius's consciousness to descend. Then he would confess to Vade Wisker and ask the imperial knights to purify the corruption.
That would also explain how he had learned certain secret information through that consciousness.
This method was extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake could turn him completely into an Undead Cultist.
"Hm?"
As Joey pondered by the second-floor window, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
On the street, a figure used the fog as cover and furtively darted into a nearby alley.
"I was just thinking of looking for you, and now you've come right to my door? Interesting."
Undead Cultists carried a distinctive aura. After fully digesting the Fortune Teller Potion, Joey had discovered that he possessed an exceptionally powerful sense of perception.
Thanks to Wade, he had memorized the Undead Cultists' distinctive aura. He quickly changed his clothes and followed.
Normally, these sewer rats would not show themselves so readily. Now that thick fog enveloped all of Senegal, every manner of monster had emerged without the slightest attempt at concealment.
He soon reached the alley where the figure had disappeared. Rather than hurry inside, Joey took a silver coin from his coat, tossed it into the air, and caught it. "Heads. Looks like I'll be quite lucky today."
As a Fortune Teller, giving himself a little extra luck was essential.