Infernal affairs?

After the Beyonder Characteristic gradually coalesced, one Beyonder Characteristic became seven Beyonder Characteristic, ranging from the Savant at Sequence 9 to the Scholar of Yore at Sequence 3.

Arianna simply reached out and took all the Beyonder Characteristic except for the Scholar of Yore, then said, "This is my reward for your help."

What could Kronos do? This was his superior, a Sequence Two Angel, so he could only shrug helplessly and accept the last Beyonder Characteristic.

Since things had already come to this, there was nothing more to say, and Kronos decided to leave.

"There's one more thing I need to remind you. The Sealed Artifact you obtained from Horamick doesn't belong to him; it's Sealed Artifact of the Saint Hilleran Cathedral. Therefore, the Church of Steam and Machinery will definitely retrieve it."

"Horamick has made significant contributions to the Church of Steam and Machinery, but even so, he still cannot obtain this Sealed Artifact."

"Its number is 1-17, such an early number, you can imagine its importance."

"Unless it's absolutely necessary for you, I advise you to give it up. Otherwise, the Church of Steam and Machinery Church of Steam and Machinery will come knocking on your door very soon. They might not be fast at finding people, but they're incredibly fast at finding things."

Arianna spoke in a calm tone, but this matter was clearly not a simple one.

The pros and cons were explained very clearly, but Kronos was still somewhat unwilling.

That Rules Peeper is a really good thing; how could he possibly give it up?

So Kronos had no choice but to ask, "Isn't there any other way? The goddess holds secret authority; surely she can help me?"

After Kronos spoke, Arianna, who was usually calm and collected, surprisingly smiled and said, "Of course, the goddess can help you."

Seeing this expression, Kronos understood that the Evernight Goddess had a plan, but didn't want to issue it as a command, which was why she took such a roundabout approach.

Tell me, what do you need me to do?

Arianna stated directly, "You have two choices: you can accept the goddess's advice and protect 1-17 yourself, or you can let the goddess intervene personally and then do something for her."

Kronos didn't speak, but simply made a gesture that suggested he was eager to hear more.

"Using this Sealed Artifact properly isn't actually that difficult. Although the ownership of this Sealed Artifact doesn't belong to Horamick, it has never left Horamick side."

"So, to use it effectively, all you need to do is become Horamick. You're about to advance to Sequence 3, so you can perfectly replace Horamick and become the Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese."

Upon hearing this suggestion, Kronos shuddered; it was an Consciousness shiver.

That's a really ruthless suggestion; it planted an undercover agent directly in the Council of the Gods of the Church of Steam and Machinery.

But for Kronos, this suggestion was a recipe for disaster.

If he were asked to impersonate a bishop or a Captain of the Machinery Hivemind, he would dare to do it, since he would only need to face Sequence 4- or Sequence 3 Archbishop, which Kronos is currently capable of handling.

But impersonating an Archbishop means you could be facing Angel or even the True God at any moment, which is truly insane.

Seeing that Kronos was reluctant to accept the suggestion, Arianna continued, "You could also ask the goddess to help conceal the Sealed Artifact, thus avoiding the Church of Steam and Machinery's search."

"However, after the goddess helped you, you should help her once more."

For some reason, Kronos was always "lenient" towards the Evernight Goddess and never forced him to do anything.

The tasks he received were all very simple, the kind that could be completed easily.

This made Kronos feel like he was being treated like a protagonist, and even Klein didn't seem to be treated this well by the Evernight Goddess.

Kronos had considered this matter, but had not received a definite answer.

"Is there anything the goddess needs me to do?" Kronos asked directly.

Arianna said with a half-smile, "The goddess wants you to replace Horamick and find out some things about the Church of Steam and Machinery."

At this point, Kronos wanted to retract his earlier statement that the goddess was very forgiving.

The goddess had been quite forgiving before, but this one mission shattered Kronos's impression of her completely.

They push themselves to the limit with just one mission.

Of course, Kronos can choose to abandon the Sealed Artifact 1-17, thus avoiding the need to infiltrate the Church of Steam and Machinery.

However, in Kronos's view, unless it was a matter of certain death, he should not casually refuse his powerful backer.

He's gotten himself into bigger and bigger trouble lately, and finding a reliable backer isn't so easy.

Therefore, Kronos wanted to understand the situation more thoroughly before making a decision.

"Could I ask for more details?" Kronos asked.

Arianna thought Kronos was going to refuse, but to her surprise, he asked for more details.

"Of course, no problem. God believes that the world is about to experience great upheaval. The Church of Steam and Machinery was originally our loyal ally, but recently the communication between the two sides has not been as close, so we need to have some eyes and ears within the Church of Steam and Machinery to protect the interests of the Church of Evernight."

Well, if he hadn't known what happened next, Kronos would have believed it.

The world is about to experience turmoil—this prophecy is incredibly accurate! How could it not be? The turmoil is driven by the Evernight Goddess.

The gods intended for George III to become a god, but this failed, Evernight Goddess took the opportunity to trick the God of Combat.

The other True God were all very restrained, except for the God of Steam and Machinery, who sided with the Church of the Night early on. As a result, he was eventually expelled from the Loen Kingdom by the Church of Evernight.

No wonder the God of Steam and Machinery was completely outmaneuvered; the Evernight Goddess had been laying the groundwork for this for a long time.

Now that Kronos has been allowed into the Church of Steam and Machinery, who knows how many people have already been buried inside before him?

"What security guarantees do I have? And for such a big deal, they can't just cover for me up on 1-17, can they? That's an unbalanced deal."

Arianna, clearly anticipating Kronos's words, replied, "If you wish, the goddess will personally cast a spell of concealment for you, ensuring that the Angel of the Church of Steam and Machinery will not discover anything."

"Moreover, the various churches and the Loen Royal Family have long since reached an agreement that Angel will not appear in Backlund. Therefore, as the Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese, Horamick should not have had any contact with the Angel of the Church of Steam and Machinery for a long time."

If it weren't for the issue of status, Kronos would have rolled his eyes.

It's one thing for others to say this, but Arianna really does wander around Backlund all the time. I really don't see any restraint from this unspoken Rules that everyone agrees on.

Arianna continued, "You don't need to worry about the God of Steam and Machinery finding out. He is weaker than the Goddess, so it's difficult for him to be distracted by other things in the Astral World. He basically has no ability to interfere much in the Real World."

Since the threat from the Outer Deity has grown ever closer, the gods have been stationed permanently in the Astral World to guard against a surprise attack from Outer Deity, so Arianna's words do have some credibility.

However, it was just a matter of safety. While Kronos isn't someone who only acts when there's a profit to be made, it's definitely impossible for him to take risks without any benefit.

Arianna clearly understood Kronos's attitude, so she immediately began to talk about the benefits.

"Your path to promotion is basically blocked. Now you're preparing to change your Pathway. Have you thought about how to Advancing to Angel?"

Before Kronos could answer, Arianna continued, "Horamick is an excellent choice, because he must possess the Potion Formula and Advancement Ritual for Sequence Two Knowledge Mentor."

"Not only the Potion Formula and the Advancement Ritual, but he may have already gathered most of the materials. Once he has digested the Scholar of Yore's Potion, he can directly begin the advancement process."

"Once you take his place, you can directly inherit all his 'legacy,' and you won't need to worry about what comes next."

"Furthermore, God said that the Blasphemy Card Roselle made, especially the Hermit Card, are very likely in the Church of Steam and Machinery Church of Steam and Machinery, which also holds a Sequence One Beyonder Characteristic of the Knowledge Emperor."

"If you can find a way to bring them under your control, you won't need to worry about anything all the way to Sequence One."

This information largely aligns with Kronos's predictions.

As the Founder of the Moses Ascetic Order, it was perfectly normal for Stiano to possess the Beyonder Characteristic of the Knowledge Emperor.

Although He has not yet fully mastered the power of the Paragon, He certainly will not pass on this Knowledge Emperor, to others, because He is definitely planning to pursue the Pathway of the Hermit.

The path that Arianna, or perhaps the Evernight Goddess, had charted for Kronos still appealed to him.

It was definitely dangerous, like walking a tightrope on a cliff. Any mistake or accident would surely result in his death.

However, if successful, the rewards will be immense; a path to heaven will be right before your eyes.

The path is a good one, but the Church of Evernight only had one piece of information and they were already sending him to risk his life? That attitude wasn't very sincere.

"Lady. Arianna, I am certainly willing to give my life for the Goddess and the Church, but my strength is too weak, and I'm afraid it might affect the Goddess's plans."

Kronos's words were very "sincere," conveying the message: "More money is needed."

Before Arianna could reply, He simply vanished, and in His place appeared a woman in a classic black dress.

When it came to negotiating terms, the Evernight Goddess personally took charge.

"What do you want?" The Evernight Goddess was very direct, putting the question out in the open.

Kronos hesitated for a moment, then said, "I want two Beyonder Characteristic, one for the Undying and one for the Secrets Sorcerer."

Kronos made these demands primarily for his Death God Mask.

The Death Mask was an extraordinary item that greatly helped Kronos; it was formed by fusing Mr. Azik's mask with the blood of the Phoenix Ancestor, Greta Garley.

However, apart from the Faceless's Beyonder Characteristic, this Beyonder Item has no other stable Beyonder Characteristic.

After Kronos obtained the Death God Mask, he used it frequently.

According to Van Aisting's assessment, it wouldn't last much longer. It would gradually begin to deplete the primal power of Gregrace's blood within it, and then its effects would weaken until it completely lost its effectiveness.

The best way to remedy this deficiency is to supplement it with sufficiently stable Beyonder Characteristic, thereby reducing its consumption of Gregrace's blood.

However, there are not many Beyonder using the Death Pathway and the Door Pathway, and obtaining their High Sequence Beyonder Characteristic is not so simple. But asking the Evernight Goddess should still have a high chance of success.

The Evernight Goddess shook her head. "The Church lacks the Beyonder Characteristic of Secrets Sorcerer. Can you accept a Traveler and a Sequence 3 Ferryman's Creed?"

At this moment, Kronos once again felt the love from his "big brother". The Beyonder Characteristic of the Door Pathway was downgraded by one Sequence, but the other party directly made up for it in the Death Pathway, directly making it a Sequence 3.

How could Kronos possibly refuse such a decision? He immediately nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Kronos had agreed, the Evernight Goddess said, "Advance to Sequence 3 within three days, and then replace Horamick, otherwise the entire deal is void. If successful, Arianna will personally deliver the two Beyonder Characteristic to Saint Hilleran Cathedral."

Before Kronos could answer, he was sent directly out of the Darkened Heaven and back to his room in the Saint Samuel Cathedral.

Van Aisting was still waiting here. Just now, Kronos suddenly disappeared. It was only because he was knowledgeable that Consciousness it was the power of the Evernight Goddess, otherwise he would have sought help from the Church of Evernight.

Seeing that Kronos had returned, Old Fan approached and asked, "What happened?"

Instead of answering the question, Kronos countered, "Can the Beyonder Characteristic of a Traveler and a Ferryman be used to perfect my Death God Mask?"

Old Fan was taken aback, then thought for a moment and said, "It's not a big problem. The two Pathway within this Mask are already unbalanced. After it's perfected, the abilities will probably become even more unbalanced, but it won't cause any major trouble."

That's why they say he's a professional; his words and actions are so professional!

After hearing Old Fan's words, Kronos breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I've taken on a big mission, and my rise to prominence is just around the corner, but it's going to be tough. I'll have to rely on you from now on, Old Fan!"