From a curly-haired baboon... " Justice " Audrey was momentarily unsure whether Mr. "World" was referring to a real curly-haired baboon or using it as a metaphor for certain incompetent humans.
In the Kingdom of Loen, "curly-haired baboon" is a frequently used term for mocking others, often associated with jokes about intelligence. (Note 1)
It seems Mr. "World" isn't going to offer any further explanation. Well, let's just assume it's a real curly-haired baboon for now... Audrey didn't ask any more questions, and instead said:
"Didn't I go to a place with Dragon worship customs in search of the Mind Dragon?"
"But didn't you already discover that the Mind Dragon lived in the Sea of Collective Subconscious of the local residents and chose to leave to ensure its own safety, the Hermit?" Cattleya replied.
"You went back there again, Magician?" Fors guessed.
" Justice," Audrey shook her head:
"No, I've been away from there for a long time. I just heard a rumor recently."
"An archaeological team entered a village in that area. One member suddenly went insane at night, and this mental illness seemed to be contagious. Other members followed suit, killing each other or committing suicide. In the end, no one survived."
Before Alger the Hanged Man could speak, the Hermit the Cattleya spoke:
"This aligns with the characteristics of the Mind Dragon."
"I don't doubt that, I'm just a little curious whether that Mind Dragon is still in that area," Audrey expressed her thoughts.
"No. The Hanged Man," Alger and " The Hermit " Cattleya replied simultaneously.
At the head of the long, weathered table sat " The Fool," Klein, who then thought of something else:
The "anchor" of the gods!
He suspected that the Dragon worship customs in that area were the "anchor" that stabilized the Mind Dragon's state!
Before this custom is completely dismantled or eradicated, the Mind Dragon should no longer need to worry about the "anchor" issue. Therefore, after it leaves, it can completely hide in the Sea of Collective Subconscious of beings in the new region, without having to risk entering various dreams to shape faith. In this way, the three major churches will have a severe lack of clues to find it, since none of them are experts in this field. Even with the corresponding Sealed Artifact, they can at most enter the Sea of Collective Subconscious to fight or force the Mind Dragon out... The Psychology Alchemists, on the other hand, might be able to grasp something... Klein thought casually, and let the dummy "World" say:
"The custom of Dragon worship is very helpful in stabilizing the state of that Mind Dragon. You can have someone keep an eye on this. If there are significant changes, it means that the Mind Dragon will establish similar traditions elsewhere."
He initially wanted to say that he suspected the Mind Dragon was Angel in rank Sequence 2, but after careful consideration, he felt that this was not certain.
Indeed, it is only when humans reach Sequence 2, the level of Angel, that they need an " Anchor of Faith " to anchor themselves and avoid madness. But that is a true Dragon, an ancient supernatural being with ancestral madness. Even with Purification and weakening over generations, it is certainly more likely to lose itself than humans. Therefore, it is possible that at Sequence 3 or even Sequence 4, an "anchor" is needed to combat the tendency to lose control.
"What kind of custom is conducive to stabilizing the Dragon's state? Justice?" Audrey asked, puzzled and confused.
"Yes, World," Gehrman Sparrow didn't explain, but simply gave an affirmative answer.
Audrey subconsciously turned her head to look at the head of the bronze table, considering whether she should consult Mr. The Fool and what price she was willing to pay.
Seeing this, " The Fool " Klein looked around and chuckled:
Why do you think the gods preach?
"Isn't this... God's love for humanity...?" Audrey suddenly had the standard, orthodox answer in her mind, " Justice."
Immediately afterwards, like Alger the Hanged Man and the Hermit the Cattleya, she thought of a second answer:
"Steady state!"
No way... At this moment, " Magician " Fors felt that her brain was not enough. No matter how good she was at making up stories, she couldn't come up with something like this!
So that's how it is. No, it's possible that Mr. The Fool only mentioned one reason. He's secretly eroding the authority of the Lord of Storms... Is this related to divinity? I can ask the Queen about it later... The Hermit Cattleya, pushed up her heavy glasses on her nose with some suspicion.
Alger, the " The Hanged Man," had seen the mural before, and now, upon hearing such a story, he no longer felt the same trembling fear. Instead, he seriously pondered why faith could stabilize the state of Demigod- level being.
The other members, including " The Sun " Derrick, were somewhat apprehensive, feeling as if they had heard something blasphemous, and dared not think about it or speak out.
This is not just about evil gods like the " True Creator "; it is closely related to the existence of the seven true gods and the past Creator of City of Silver!
" The Fool " Klein said nothing more, letting everyone remain silent, his demeanor extremely relaxed.
After about ten seconds, " Justice " Audrey managed a weak smile:
"That's the only thing that's happened to me recently."
What she meant was, it's your turn!
Neither " The Magician " Fors nor " The Moon " Emlyn had encountered anything noteworthy this week, and both shook their heads to indicate they had nothing to say.
Of course, the latter was actually eager to show off that he had become the ultimate winner of the hunting competition and received a ring made by the Progenitor.
" The Hanged Man," Alger, thought for a moment, then looked at "The World," Gehrman Sparrow, and said:
"Could we share that mural with everyone?"
He believed that the mural was directly related to certain events that had occurred in Afternoon Town and the Giant King's Court, allowing " the Sun " to know in advance what it would discover and encounter as it continued to explore City of Silver, thus preparing in advance and avoiding danger. For this reason, sharing was a better choice than concealing it.
"I have no objection." Klein had similar thoughts, prompting "The World" Gehrman Sparrow to respond.
"What mural... It seems quite important... Is this the mural that Mr. ' The Hanged Man ' and Mr. 'The World' saw during their collaboration to find the ' Tyrant ' card?" Audrey, the " Justice " shrugged with curiosity as she awaited the unveiling.
As gazes turned toward him, Alger the Hanged Man, with the permission of Mr. The Fool, materialized the mural depicting the Angel King devouring the Creator City of Silver.
The bloody, evil, horrifying, and dark scene stunned all the members of the Tarot Club. Even the knowledgeable and well-informed " The Hermit " Cattleya momentarily forgot to think.
Who are they, what are they doing, and this way of eating is too barbaric! Since the Fourth Epoch, we Sanguine have not advocated doing this... Respect life, simply drink blood... " The Moon " Emlyn was a little confused because he had never seen the six god statues in the Tudor ruins and could not recognize what the three around him represented.
He hadn't Tarot Club when "The World" shared those six human-shaped statues.
However, he recognized from the Radiant Cross who the victim of the devouring was. Perhaps, probably, it could be the Creator of the City of Silver, the Ancient The Sun God " The Sun " from mythology Derrick. In the previous free exchange session, he had shown the symbolic emblems and sacred objects corresponding to the Lord Who Created Everything.
This... isn't this the " Eternal Blazing Sun Lord of Storms, God of Knowledge and Wisdom " that Mr. "World" presented? Why are they eating people? No, they are devouring the Ancient The Sun God, the Creator of City of Silver! " Justice " Audrey was greatly shocked and instinctively suspected that someone was Distortion and slandering the image of the true god.
While trembling with fear, " Magician " Fors felt that the mural was full of dark and eerie beauty, and had great artistic value.
In her mind, she already had a title ready: the title of the mural.
"The Last Supper!"
The " The Hermit " Cattleya had also never seen the statues of the Six Gods, only recognizing the Ancient The Sun God. She subconsciously frowned and blurted out:
"The Angel King?"
"Yes, at least the three around him are... The Hanged Man," Alger gave an affirmative answer, but he himself was unsure who the dark-skinned infant sitting on the chest and abdomen of the City of Silver Creator actually represented.
As he spoke, Alger glanced at " The Sun " Derrick and noticed that the boy's gaze was vacant, as if he were lost in thought.
At this moment, " The Sun " Derrick's mind was filled with pain and despair.
He recognized the being devoured as the Creator worshipped by the City of Silver, and also recognized the three around him as " the Lord of Storms Eternal Blazing Sun God of Knowledge and Wisdom "!
This made him doubt the claim that the gods had abandoned the earth.
The various ancient texts of City of Silver emphasize that God abandoned this land for certain reasons, turning them into people of darkness. Therefore, as long as everyone sincerely repents and prays for forgiveness, one day God will truly return and let the sun shine on the whole world.
"No, no matter how much I repent, no matter how much I beg for forgiveness, City of Silver will never be redeemed... The Sun," Derrick murmured to himself, "Because God is dead, eaten, and will never return..."
This means that the hope that City of Silver has been waiting and pursuing is just an illusion, an illusion that can never be realized.
After a long silence, " Justice " Audrey spoke as if she had convinced herself:
"Is this Distortion of the legend that the three gods were born from the spirit of the Creator?"
The eyes of the "Three Gods"—" The Hermit " Cattleya and " The Moon " Emlyn— narrowed simultaneously. They had already grasped the general meaning of the mural and knew what terrifying thing it symbolized.
"Perhaps, but that can't explain the baby. The Hanged Man," Alger responded.
He glanced at Mr. The Fool and found that the great being had no intention of speaking, but simply watched calmly.
" Justice " Audrey was speechless, and so were the other members of the Tarot Club.
The silence was broken only when Alger, the " The Hanged Man," removed the mural and turned to ask Derrick, the " The Sun."
"Have you investigated the matter of the former chief's mausoleum?" Alger asked.
Note 1: Originally, I designed the curly-haired baboon to represent a custom in Loen, a metaphor for people with low intelligence. But you all took it personally, making me embarrassed to write it that way anymore. I could only soften the tone and say it's related to jokes about low intelligence...