The mysterious leader of the " Hermits of Fate " liked to sit there, quietly watching everyone converse. Once they wanted to do something, they could quickly reach a consensus... This really fits the characteristics of the " Spectator " approach... I increasingly feel that He is Amon's brother, the son of another Creator, Adam... Later on, after learning many Concealment from Mr. "The Door," the Great Emperor should also be able to make similar judgments... Klein checked the diary's description against his own knowledge and conjectures while his gaze moved down to read the rest of the page:
"On March 11th, the more I think about what happened yesterday, the more terrifying it feels. A Demigod was given his Fate in just a few words. He didn't even have a chance to object. And the composition of that ancient Concealment organization makes me believe that there is nothing they cannot do except deal with the church of the seven true gods. Even overthrowing a country is not impossible for them."
"I'm so glad I was recruited into this organization. Otherwise, I might have been assassinated someday, without any chance of resistance, and died with my eyes wide open in disbelief!!"
"The idea of an organization that hides behind the scenes, secretly Judgement others, and decides the life and death of its targets is hard to accept. Even though I am one of them, I am still a little scared and terrified."
"This world is far more dangerous than Earth. Perhaps you are just born with a higher Spirituality, perhaps you just flipped through an ancient book, perhaps you were just doing normal business by boat, perhaps you just fell in love with a beautiful girl, perhaps you just loved to travel and entered some castle, perhaps you were just woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of fighting next door, perhaps you just invented something meaningful. You might die inexplicably and tragically!"
"And that's one of the driving forces behind my desire to improve, strive for promotion, and take control of my own Fate. I'm sure I can succeed; I'm the protagonist of this era, haha."
"On March 12th, I felt it necessary to proactively seek out and collect information about the Quaternary, Tertiary, and even the Second Period. My experience participating in that ancient Concealment organization told me that it might contain countless secrets that could influence the course of the current era."
"Unfortunately, similar materials are shockingly scarce. They're either collected by the church or tragically destroyed. I think it's difficult to gain anything by relying solely on my own subordinates. The best approach is to elevate my own Sequence and obtain a higher position and greater authority within the church."
This page of the diary clearly shows that the Emperor established contact with Mr. "The Gate" long after joining the " Hermits of Fate," perhaps even at High-Sequence, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to withstand Mr. "The Gate's" ramblings... Compared to the Emperor, historical exploration is far easier for me. The Fourth Age has his diary, the Second Age has City of Silver, and I occasionally encounter Evil Spirit evolved from the remnant soul of the Angel King... Hmm, from the middle period onwards, the Emperor's chuunibyou seems to have improved considerably... Klein casually flipped to the second page of the diary:
"On May 18th, I've been having nightmares lately. I dream that I'm wearing ancient silver-gray armor, sitting on the edge of a cliff. In front of me is a quietly surging black mist with no bottom in sight. It's filled with Depravity and evil. Just seeing it will affect me. In the end, as I monitor the Abyss, black and complex patterns grow on my face, my skin hardens, and a viscous liquid flows on its surface. My eyes completely lose their reason."
"This is a reflection of the Abyss, a reflection of the Abyss I saw and tried to enter last month!"
"As these nightmares became more and more frequent, I found myself increasingly prone to extreme thoughts. Anger that would normally just lead to a beating might suddenly conjure up the idea of dismembering a target. Also, dark red bumps started appearing on my back, and my body temperature was gradually decreasing."
"Has it been Corrosion by the Abyss?"
We need to find a way to confirm and resolve this!
"We can't contact the church for now, otherwise we'll have to reveal the existence of that primitive island and the Abyss."
"Yes, we can try contacting the priests and bishops of ' Eternal Blazing Sun,' they should be more skilled at Purification!"
"On May 19th, through connections, I received Concealment treatment, and I immediately felt much better. All the previous abnormalities started to improve."
"While I was happy, I was also thinking about a problem. I only explored the outer edge of the Abyss and did not come into contact with any high-ranking Devil. Even some items on the Black Emperor that resisted Corrosion were unknowingly affected and showed signs of Depravity. Those Beyonder followed the ' Criminal ' path had to sacrifice themselves to high-ranking Devil from time to time, so the corruption they encountered must have been even more severe. After a long time, most of them would be beyond cure and could only be completely Purification along with their aura."
"Similarly, High-Sequence Beyonder, especially Angel, should be able to actively influence Low-Sequence Beyonder in the same pathway, with corresponding limitations depending on their level. Once they become true gods, they will likely be able to 'communicate' without hindrance throughout the entire world and the entire Spirit World..."
"Thinking about it so deeply, wouldn't I be influenced to some extent by the ' God of Craftsmanship' —no, I should call him the ' God of Steam and Machinery '? That's a bit scary. It seems that only by becoming Demigod can I begin to escape this influence?"
"Fortunately, since the Fifth Age, there have been no instances of true gods leaving the Astral World and descending to Earth. Compared to the absence of a path for true gods, the problem is not so serious."
"On May 20th, after a period of depression, I returned to social circles!"
"Damn it, those bastards are secretly mocking me for not going out much lately because I was partying too much and my body's gotten weak! Just because I kept having nightmares, wasn't sleeping well, and had noticeable dark circles under my eyes?"
"Ha, I'll show them what true talent is!!"
What would the influence of Angel levels on Low-Sequence in the same pathway look like...? Long-range whispered communication? Active attraction of attributes? Divinity that responds wherever the other recites their name? Direct erosion or Deprivation of Beyonder Characteristic upon encounter? If all these are present, then it's equivalent to a miniature god... No wonder in the Second Age, Angel were called "from the gods"... Klein's thoughts shifted, he flipped the paper in his hand, and began reading the last page of the diary:
"On October 12th, Edwards came to tell me that one of his knights had stumbled upon a strange little chapel that might be related to pre-Quaternary religious beliefs and worship."
"That piqued my interest, so I immediately rushed to this small town called Bansy."
"On October 13th, Bansy is a small town built on a mountain. All the houses have protruding Round Tower, like wearing white straw hats, which is very distinctive."
"After walking up the street and down several steps, I finally found the strange little church. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary house, nothing special. But once I went inside, I could see the difference."
There was only one priest here. He was a kind and reserved middle-aged man, dressed in a simple white robe, with a light golden beard that almost covered the lower half of his face, and a pair of clear, childlike light-colored eyes.
He called this place the temple of the Creator, and that any race of beings, any believer of any god, could enter.
"Hearing him mention this reminded me of a question I had before: apart from the seven main gods, all other faiths are considered heretical and it is impossible to build churches openly. Apart from the Original Creator, there has never been a corresponding church, and even churches are extremely rare!"
"In front of this small chapel, there is a simple shrine with a man carrying a cross inside. This should be the so-called statue of the Creator."
"I sat in the front row and chatted with the priest. He told me many different stories."
He said that in the early days of humankind, the sky, the earth, and the sea were dominated by all kinds of crazy and bloodthirsty Monster, who were the origin of later races such as Dragon, Giant, and Elf.
"These Monster ran rampant with their desires, ravaging every place, and it seemed that it wouldn't be long before they destroyed the entire world. At this moment, the Creator awoke, took back the special powers and privileges he had given them, and bestowed them upon humankind."
"After that, He fell into a deep sleep again, leaving behind a prophecy:
When madness, cruelty, Greed, indulgence, indifference, and bloodlust once again engulf the earth, He will awaken and reclaim everything.
"As he spoke, the priest clutched the crucifix pendant to his chest and began to pray silently."
"This kind of myth is completely different from that in church scriptures; there are many things worth pondering, it's quite interesting."
"October 15th, a day after returning to Trier, I realized I hadn't even asked the priest's name!
"Never mind, there will be other opportunities in the future. My manly intuition tells me that I will definitely go back to that little chapel."
Isn't this just a condensed and blurry version of the City of Silver myth? Hmm, the part from the end of the Second Age to the beginning of the Third Age... That priest seems to know quite a bit, or rather, he knows quite a bit about the organization that has passed down the corresponding myth from generation to generation... Klein's thoughts raced, and the diary in his hand vanished in an instant.
Then, he raised his head and looked at the " The Hermit " lady:
"Speak."
The " The Hermit " Cattleya immediately lowered her head and said:
"Dear ' The Fool ' sir, I would like to know, where does the heart and spirit of Emperor Roselle reside—on that island, or deep within the Starry Sky?"
That island? The primitive island that caused Green's death and surprised the Great Emperor? It seems the Great Emperor valued this island quite a bit in his later years; even the then " Mystery Queen " Bernadette had some awareness of it...
What does "the depths of the Starry Sky" mean? The Astral World? Or other planets? The Emperor's actions were so far ahead of his time that his daughter suspected he was an alien?
This is somewhat absurd, but it makes perfect sense. After all, many studies have proven that this is a planet, the Sun is a star, and beyond that lies the boundless universe, countless star systems... How should I answer? I can't just talk about time travel, but I can't say nothing at all... Klein pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a smile and said:
"None of those."
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