Klein, still in his bathrobe, remained motionless, the intruder's " Spirit Body Threads " already appearing in his Spirit Intuition.
In other words, if he wanted, he could turn everyone at 160 Böklund Street into Marionette without even leaving his bed. Of course, for a Demigod, a " Bizarro Sorcerer," even neighbors a few houses away were within his Manipulation.
"There were many spirits around, one of whom helped him complete the flight and land on the balcony next door... Is this Beyonder of the ' Death ' pathway or the ' Evernight ' pathway? To be able to do something like this, one must be at least Sequence 6... Is he here to see Richardson? No, he walked towards the door of my bedroom, he stopped there, he stretched out his right hand, and made a knock on the door... Is he sure I can sense it?" Klein sat up with a slightly somber expression.
His initial judgments were made using the " Spirit Body Threads," while the subsequent ones were made by directly "seeing" the images that formed in his mind.
After Klein became Sequence 4, not only was the " Clown's " ability to sense danger enhanced, but the power of the mysterious space above the Gray Fog that he could manipulate and utilize was also fundamentally improved. With these two aspects combined, it was not difficult for him to intuitively sense the figure and movements of the person in his mind even when they were far away.
Furthermore, based on his increased control over all aspects of that mysterious space, Klein was able to reduce the influence of the Gray Fog on the real world, making it impossible for Beyonder with special abilities to detect any trace of it. According to his judgment, when he was above the Gray Fog, with the " Card of Blasphemy " attached and wielding the Sea God Scepter, the power that " The Fool " projected onto reality was already infinitely close to the true Angel level.
Otherwise, even if the Gray Fog and Paper Figurine Substitute did provide the ability to keep one awake in a dreamlike state, Klein would not dare to let Miss " Justice " face Sequence 4, or even Sequence 3, from the " Spectator " pathway.
Lost in thought, he got out of bed, put on his slippers, straightened his bathrobe, walked to the armchair, and slowly sat down, saying:
"Please come in."
The master bedroom door opened silently, but the cold wind didn't blow in; it only swirled in the hallway.
The "visitor" was a man of similar age and height to Dawn Dantès, with black hair, brown eyes, and striking features—a typical Loen appearance.
He wore a silk top hat, had a rather long and thin face, and possessed a rather cold and aloof demeanor, but not in a gloomy or unsettling way; rather, he embodied the atmosphere of a suburban cemetery at night.
In that instant, Klein saw countless spirits surrounding the middle-aged gentleman, making him appear dimly lit and layered, as if a world were hidden within.
Klein's Spirituality intuition told him that this was a Demigod.
I just returned to Backlund, and here comes a Demigod... Aside from the Archbishop of Backlund in the Church of Evernight, Dawn Dantès ' identity hasn't been exposed at all... Klein stared at the doorway with a pained expression, his face blank, revealing neither anger nor surprise.
The Demigod took two steps, then suddenly let his right hand hang straight down in front of him, causing his back to bend, like a bow stretched to its limit.
He bowed solemnly in a peculiar gesture, his attitude one of utmost respect, and at the same time, a cold wind blew, and the door closed silently.
Klein was almost stunned, unsure how to react, but then his thoughts began to wander, and he vaguely made a guess.
Just then, the Demigod, maintaining his posture, spoke in a deep voice:
" Patrick Bryan of the Spirituality Religion has come to pay homage to Your Excellency via divine decree."
"Oracle..." Klein controlled the twitching of his cheek muscles, and combining his previous guesses, he roughly understood what was going on:
The " Evernight Goddess " has further deepened her control over the " Uniqueness" of the Artificial Death, or the " Death " pathway, and is now able to issue divine pronouncements to high-ranking members of the Spirituality Religion's Artificial Death Faction!
Klein half-sighed, half-chuckled, and placed his right hand on his chest, but without any further action:
What is God's decree?
Bryan slowly straightened up, looked at the gray-haired gentleman sitting in the armchair, and responded with a hint of fervor:
"We succeeded! God has finally awakened, and He commands me to obey His commands and accept His arrangements from this day forward."
Klein had expected this, but upon hearing the other party's reply, he still felt a lump in his throat, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
This means I, Blessed of the Evernight, am also Blessed the Artificial Death, secretly leading the Artificial Death Faction Spirituality Religion... Is this a gift of Fate, or a price already set in secret? Since the Goddess didn't assign this matter to a high-ranking bishop or deacon, it means She wants strict secrecy... Klein suddenly stood up, trying to make his expression and tone appear devout:
"I will obey the divine decree."
"God's will is my will!"
Having stated his position, he sat down again, looked at the Demigod standing upright, and pointed to the sofa opposite him, saying:
"Please sit down. And while you're at it, please introduce yourself. It's basic courtesy, isn't it?"
Just now, as a series of thoughts flashed through his mind, Klein vaguely grasped the reason why the Goddess had entrusted him with the leadership of the Spirituality Religion's Artificial Death Faction:
Gehrman Sparrow's identity is closely related to the former " Death Consul "!
Therefore, if anyone were to discover something amiss and begin investigating the change of leadership in the Artificial Death Faction Spirituality Religion, they would find that it was related to Gehrman Sparrow, and then suddenly realize that they had grasped the truth and understood why the Artificial Death could initially come to life and deliver divine pronouncements.
Based on this speculation, Klein deliberately had Dawn Dantès use one of Gehrman Sparrow's catchphrases.
Patrick Bryan sat down on the sofa, thought for a moment, and said:
"I am from Loen. I once went to East Balam to do business. I contracted a disease there and almost died. I was rescued by members of the Spirituality Religion and received divine grace in a ceremony, which saved my life. So I secretly changed my faith."
"My faction is always slandered by other members of the Spirituality Religion, who believe we are blasphemous and trying to create a new Death of Death. But that's not the case. We firmly believe that God did not fall at the end of the Fourth Age, but simply fell into a deep sleep, and needed to be awakened by specific methods to gradually revive Him. Facts have proven that we are right, and you are our witness."
The ancient documents I obtained didn't say that. Those high-ranking members of the Spirituality Religion Omniscience they were imitating the " Hidden Sage " to Artificial Death... Could it be that the gentleman opposite me isn't a core member of the Spirituality Religion's Artificial Death Faction faction, and lacks sufficient understanding of knowledge such as " Uniqueness "? But how could a Demigod not be a core member? Even if the Spirituality Religion was transformed from the former Balam royal family and the Church of Death, with its deep accumulation and numerous powerful members, it wouldn't waste a Demigod like this... Even the seven great righteous churches couldn't do such a thing... Klein listened with extreme doubt, and asked calmly:
"Where are the other high-ranking members of your faction?"
Patrick Bryan said with a look of reverence:
"When I joined the Spirituality Religion, God had already awakened a little, thanks entirely to the Saint of the past who sacrificed themselves in countless ceremonies."
"Currently, we have three Saint and one Angel, all of whom are in East Balam. I am in charge of all matters in Backlund."
This doesn't make sense. According to the information provided by Leonard, the Spirituality Religion's members in Backlund are divided into multiple groups, unaware of each other's identities, and only contact designated personnel in the Southern Continent. There is no overall leader at all... Klein's first reaction was that Patrick Bryan was lying, but he immediately dismissed the idea, because these things are very easy to verify for the Blessed in the oracle.
He thought for a moment, then asked:
"What's the Angel's name? Where is he/she currently? Has he/she received any divine guidance?"
Patrick Bryan frankly stated:
"God has prevented me from telling others or asking them about it."
"Our leader is called Heitel, which is both his surname and given name. He was once the high priest of the church, and later received the grace of God to become Angel. He has been dedicated to awakening the sleeping God, but he was severely corrupted during a certain ceremony and is currently unable to leave his tomb, otherwise he will directly lose control. He is, in a sense, my teacher."
This Demigod, who existed since the time of the Balam Empire, is clearly the key figure behind the Artificial Death Project... Klein asked thoughtfully again:
"He and the other two Demigod were Balam, pure-blooded?"
"Yes." Patrick Bryan nodded.
I think I understand what's going on... Klein couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He believed that Patrick Bryan was not a normal Demigod, but a byproduct of the Artificial Death Project!
Initially, Heitel and other members of the Spirituality Religion's Artificial Death Faction didn't intend to save a Loen man. Instead, they planned to use him as a sacrifice or material for a certain ritual. However, their attempt, which was already uncertain, went awry. The " Uniqueness " of the " Death " developed a preliminary instinct or underwent other changes, resulting in Patrick Bryan surviving and establishing a certain connection with the so-called Artificial Death, with both his spirit and body becoming tainted by something special.
Having witnessed these events, Heitel and other high-ranking officials began to regard Patrick Bryan as one of the keys to the success of the Artificial Death Project. They gave him Potion, taught him knowledge, instilled in him the faith of the Death, and wove perfect reasons for their actions. Due to his special state, Bryan rapidly improved step by step, becoming Demigod.
Of course, no matter how crucial he was, he was still experimental material Patrick Bryan was never truly considered a member of the Spirituality Religion's Artificial Death Faction. Later, he was even sent to the Kingdom of Loen in Backlund to lead two or three groups of members to perform various rituals in an attempt to further activate " Uniqueness ".
This conjecture aligns with everything Klein currently knows: First, Leonard mentioned that the Spirituality Religion's Artificial Death Faction placed their experiments in Backlund, intending to destroy the enemy's capital should anything go wrong; second, many groups maintain single-line contact with the Southern Continent, and there is no overall leader in Backlund; and third, Patrick Bryan's information about the Artificial Death deviates significantly from the truth.
In other words, those guys in the Southern Continent didn't care about Bryan's life or death, nor did they tell him the truth. There's no better explanation for this than that he was a byproduct of the Artificial Death Project.
Hmm, it seems the goddess's grasp of " Uniqueness " is still limited. She can only issue divine pronouncements to a fanatical believer with direct ties to the Artificial Death, and cannot yet influence Heitel and Angel like Saint... Klein collected his thoughts and asked:
What Sequence number do you currently have?
Patrick Bryan did not hide anything:
"I am the ' Undying '."