Stealing a glance at Dhaniz's expression, Anderson continued as though he didn't notice anything.
"However, their brains seem to have been eaten by zombies. Their zealotry is bordering on stupidity. It doesn't match my aesthetic standards, so I scammed some things and left.
"Eh, why is your face a little pale? There's so much sweat on your face. Are you suffering from sunstroke? As a hunter, shouldn't adapting to the environment be an instinct? "
Dhaniz raised his right hand and wiped his sweat. He cursed inwardly and forced a smile.
"I once heard that once one believes in an evil god, it's nearly impossible to escape from it."
As he spoke, he raised his chin as though he was waiting to see how Klein would die. He didn't consider the fact that German Sparrow had just offended the Aurora Order and that he was wanted by the True Creator's believers. He also didn't connect the fact that he believed in The Fool, who was suspected to be an evil god.
"That's right." Anderson replied with a smile that didn't show any signs of gloom. "It's not like I have any true faith. Back then, I was chanting sentences that I changed from the name of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. After all, they don't like to use their brains. No, they don't have such a thing. As long as they act pious on the surface, they can be fooled by any reason."
Without waiting for Dhaniz to continue the discussion, he asked, "Why did you suddenly mention the Aurora Order?"
"Why did you suddenly mention the Aurora Order?"
Dhaniz bit down hard on the roasted meat and slowly chewed and swallowed. He deliberately waited twenty to thirty seconds before saying, "Because I remembered something.
"It's because I recalled something. I don't know what Gehrman Sparrow did, but he was listed by the Aurora Order as a major target that needs to be eliminated. Oh right, there's also the Numinous Episcopate. And you and I are publicly acknowledged to be connected to him."
"You want me to be careful of the Aurora Order and the Charismatic Order?" Anderson nodded in enlightenment and chuckled. "You seem to have said something similar once recently. Rose School, the Church of the Storm, Rouen's military … Man, sometimes, I feel that German Sparrow is more suitable as a hunter than me."
It was rare for Dhaniz not to retort as he nodded heavily in agreement.
Anderson thought for a moment before suddenly changing the topic without any warning.
"Why did you come to West Balam? Help German Sparrow? "
Upon hearing this question, Dhaniz fell silent for a second. He put down the things in his hands and tidied his clothes unhurriedly.
"A survey of the faith of West Balam's citizens."
This was the goal he had confirmed after a discussion with Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina. In layman's terms, it was to investigate the development and sphere of influence of the various secret organizations in West Balam.
Of course, this would also be accompanied by preliminary contact with the local ruling forces to find out if they had a need to purchase guns and ammunition.
"A survey of the faith of West Balam's citizens …" Anderson repeated Dhaniz's words as he reflexively raised his right hand and rubbed his temples, as though he was having a headache.
…
After ending Tarot and reminding Admiral of Stars to pay attention to the Aurora Order and Charismatic Order's "investigations," and that it was best to seek the help of the Moses Ascetic Order, Klein busied himself with completing the tripartite trade between The World, The Moon, and The Sun. He received 5,000 pounds in cash.
After dinner, he had an unlit decorative pipe in his mouth as he read the newspapers. Then, he saw Miss Messenger walk out of the void and deliver a letter.
"Leonard's …" As Klein reached out to receive it, he noticed that Reinette Tinekerr hadn't stopped. He discovered that Miss Messenger had quickly returned to the spirit world.
This confirmed that Leonard Mitchell had paid the postage. Hence, he took out his other hand from his pocket and unfolded the letter.
"Ince Zangwill has appeared in East Balam. Suspected to have met with Palenque Tacibor of the Charismatic Order's Artificial Death faction …"
Ince Zangwill … Klein ruminated over the name as he slowly leaned back in his reclining chair.
In the letter, Leonard hoped that he could do some investigations in secret to figure out Ince Zangwill's goal.
But the problem is that 0-08 was mentioned the last time. It has a characteristic similar to 'any mention of it will be known.' Knowing of it would also mean being known by it. Furthermore, it's good at arranging coincidences, making people unknowingly follow its baton … Under such circumstances, it's very difficult for 0-08 to not notice an investigation on Ince Zangwill. Not only is there no chance of success, but it's also easy for me to expose myself … As Klein pondered, he got Winner Enzo to walk behind him and massage his shoulders.
He read Leonard Mitchell's letter from the beginning again, hoping to find more clues and an investigation point that he could use from those few sentences.
East Balam … Charismatic Order … Artificial Death faction … Palenque Tacibor … Why is Ince Zangwill looking for them? Is he seeking allies for the royal family's faction, the true murderer of the Great Smog of Baekeland?
"Artificial Death God faction … Artificial Death God faction …"
As Klein thought about it, he suddenly recalled something that almost no one knew apart from him and Mr. Aztec.
The Evernight Goddess had gained initial control over the Uniqueness of the Death pathway, which was also Artificial Death. She was currently usurping, digesting, and grasping the corresponding authority!
In other words, the Charismatic Order's Artificial Death faction believed in something that could be considered the Evernight Goddess to a certain extent. Once the authority was transferred and grasped, they would definitely be cleansed and gradually integrate into the Church of Evernight. Otherwise, they would continue their activities with their current identities, interacting with the other factions of the Charismatic Order and various secret factions, and secretly cooperating with the Nighthawks.
To Klein, this wasn't the main point. The main point was that he remembered that the ancient documents he had previously gathered mentioned that:
In order to artificially create Death, the members of the Charismatic Order would pray to the Uniqueness every day, as though it was a real deity. They would attempt to awaken its intelligence bit by bit, allowing it to come to life.
Of course, this was only one part of the plan, and it wasn't the key.
Then, is there a possibility that when Palenque Tacibu prayed to Artificial Death, he mentioned Ince Zangwill's goal to obtain blessings?
But what he didn't expect was that the Artificial Death opposite him had already been controlled by the Evernight Goddess. Although it hadn't become her embodiment, it had already lost its "freedom."
From this angle and this logic, directly setting up a ritual and praying to the Goddess might allow me to obtain Ince Zangwill's goal … This isn't impossible! The more Klein thought about it, the more he felt that his seemingly ridiculous plan had a chance of success.
And the basis for this possibility to become a reality was:
The enemy's "leader" is our "spy"!
After getting Enzo to stop massaging him, Klein slowly got up and paced back and forth, considering if he should give it a try and how he should do it.
Ince Zangwill is a traitor of the Church, a disgrace to all Nighthawks. If there's a chance to get rid of him, the Goddess should be very happy and wouldn't mind providing some help …
But now, the Goddess is in a critical period of digesting the authority of Artificial Death. "She" might not be able to give me a response for a very long period of time. "She" can only maintain the feedback of normal ritualistic magic. Besides, I lack the corresponding ingredients …
Also, I've always been warning myself to be vigilant. I can't completely trust and rely on the Goddess … Directly praying to "Her" to obtain a revelation doesn't feel right. I wish to maintain a safe distance … Amidst his thoughts, Klein was momentarily hesitant.
He scattered his thoughts in an attempt to find a more acceptable solution.
Suddenly, he had an even more ridiculous idea:
Directly praying to Artificial Death!
On the one hand, this wasn't dangerous because Artificial Death didn't respond to prayers or rituals. If he received any feedback, it meant that the Evernight Goddess was "controlling" it. On the other hand, Klein had the feathers left behind by the Artificial Death Project's subsidiary products. With Aztec's copper whistle, he didn't need to spend too much time gathering ingredients to set up a ritual to pray for a revelation!
In addition, there's a layer of separation. It's not a direct "connection" with the Goddess. Perhaps this can help "Her" further grasp the authority of Artificial Death. Klein consoled himself and began busying himself in his room.
He first used the sacrificial and bestowment ritual to bring back one of the remaining two feathers, the Full Moon essential oil, night vanilla powder, and other items he hadn't used in a long time to the real World. Then, he modified the altar and completed the preparations for the ritual. Since it was essentially praying to the Evernight Goddess, he couldn't be bothered to buy additional materials for the ritual in the Death domain.
This was essentially no different from ordinary ritualistic magic. Klein skillfully lit the candle, dripped the essential oil, and drew the symbols of "Man" and "Concealment" from mysticism on the fake goatskin. Amidst the thin fog that emanated, he pressed Aztec's copper whistle onto it.
Right on the heels of that, he placed the white feather that was stained with pale yellow oil into the silver bowl that was burning the herbal powder. He saw that it didn't curl up at all, nor did it show any signs of being charred.
Exhaling silently, Klein took a step back and chanted in Hermes, "That's right.
"You are the essence of death;
"You are the ruler of the dead;
"You are the final destination of all living beings.
"I pray for your help. I pray to know the purpose of Ince Zangwill's contact with the Charismatic Order.
"…"
Just as he said that, the three candlelight suddenly expanded. They seemed to brighten up, but they were tainted with a dark green color. The surroundings instantly turned cold.
Klein nervously closed his eyes and meditated for thirty seconds. He walked to the front of the altar, picked up the Full Moon essential oil, and dripped a drop on each of the three candles.
After doing this, he retrieved Aztec's copper whistle, grabbed the fake goatskin, and placed it in front of the candle that symbolized "me." He lit it and threw it into the silver bowl.
With a whoosh, the white feather that wasn't damaged soared into a pale flame, completely covering the entire silver bowl and blocking Klein's vision.
Two to three seconds later, the flames completely receded, leaving only a pile of powder in the silver bowl.
The powder moved without any wind, forming words:
"Evil spirit possession. Need to be exorcised."
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