When "The Fool" Klein heard Miss Justice's question, he also controlled The World to adjust his sitting posture. He too wanted to know how Mr. Tower had escaped—could it be that the Earth Mother and the Goddess had erupted into a divine war?
Was Tower erased by a powerhouse from the Church of the Evernight Goddess? Erased... that word is quite interesting... Generally speaking, isn't it equivalent to "killed"? Was it Mr. Fool who saved him? The Hanged Man Alger turned his head, looking toward Tower with interest.
The others also looked over in unison—even Xio was no exception. She had recently been busy handling various follow-up affairs from the Great Smog. Though she knew Ebner had returned to Backlund, she hadn't had time to meet him yet.
Seeing that Miss Justice seemed somewhat guilty, Ebner thought for a moment and smiled as he said, "I wasn't injured. That angel merely sent me into the Land of Evernight… I even killed one of the main culprits behind the Great Smog incident there—Despair Nightingale Panatiya."
As he spoke, he obtained Mr. Fool's permission, then manifested Panatiya's Beyonder characteristic and continued, "If anyone has need of it, you can make me an offer."
That Demoness of Despair who sought advancement was killed by Tower? He really is a demigod—maybe even not an ordinary one! The Moon Emlyn didn't associate this matter with the message The Fool had him pass to Bishop Utravsky earlier. He simply marveled at how extraordinary he was—surely it was because he was special, the savior of the Blood Tribe, that he could join such a high-level gathering as a mere Sequence 7.
But The Hanged Man Alger caught the key point in Ebner's words and asked, carefully considering his words, "Land of Evernight? The one at the peak of Mount Hornacis? Wasn't that place already abandoned? I remember some documents saying that only ruins remain there, and the people inside seemed to have vanished into thin air."
As for the Demoness of Despair's Beyonder characteristic, he had no need for it, even if it was an item at the demigod level.
Ebner nodded, then shook his head and said, "It is indeed that Land of Evernight, but it wasn't abandoned—it was hidden by the Evernight Goddess."
Hidden? The rest of the members all sensed that this "hidden" likely didn't carry its ordinary meaning, but rather a deeper and more specific connotation. But what exactly it meant, they couldn't guess. They could only speculate randomly based on the Goddess's title, Mother of Secrets.
Could it be… authority? Klein's heart stirred. He recalled the phrase mentioned in the diary he had just read and immediately made a connection.
"Mr. Tower, could you show us a glimpse of the Land of Evernight? I'm willing to pay an appropriate price." At this point, Miss Justice had completely forgotten her original intent, asking with reserved curiosity.
Well asked! Klein almost applauded Miss Justice.
But Ebner hesitated at this moment. Other places might have been fine, but the Land of Evernight was the Goddess's domain. Talking about it was one thing—if he were to reveal the secrets within, would he be punished by the deity?
"I'm sorry, Miss Justice… That is the Goddess's secret." In the end, Ebner didn't dare display the scenes from within the Land of Evernight, afraid of disrupting the Goddess's arrangements… This also came from a certain premonition of his.
Although the Goddess surely couldn't peer into the interior of the Castle of Sefirah, She was watching Klein…
"Ah… I misspoke." As a follower of the Goddess, Audrey instinctively wanted to draw a crimson moon before her chest, but quickly realized she was in Mr. Fool's divine kingdom, so instead silently offered a prayer.
Then, she sincerely said, "Mr. Tower, thank you once again for stopping and eliminating the Demoness of Despair, thereby preventing the awakening of the Primordial Demoness, and keeping the pollution level of the Great Smog within a controllable range."
As she spoke, she looked toward Judgment and The World as well, equally sincere in her tone. "And thank you both for disrupting the Aurora Order's plot, once again blocking the descent of the True Creator into the material world."
She had long wanted to express her gratitude to Tower, The World, and Judgment, but had suppressed her eagerness due to Mr. World's interruption and the sequence of the Tarot Club. Now, she naturally had to make up for it.
The Primordial Demoness wants to awaken… The True Creator attempted to descend… What exactly happened in Backlund? This is far more dangerous than I imagined! At the same moment, The Hanged Man Alger and The Moon Emlyn had the same reaction, though their expressions differed. The former only lifted his eyelids slightly, his pupils contracting as he unconsciously leaned to the side, while the latter gave the impression he was about to leap up.
Mother Goddess—no, by the Moon above—when did Backlund become so dangerous? Two evil gods appeared during one Great Smog? That young lady must be exaggerating, right? Mr. Fool might be a suspected deity, but even he can't afford to offend two existences of that level at the same time…Unless he is actually an incarnation of one of the orthodox gods? Or maybe he's backed by an alliance of deities?
Wait… Right after the Great Smog, Mr. Fool did have me pass a message to a priest of the Earth Mother… Could Mr. Fool be in an alliance with the Earth Mother?
And I even asked Mr. Fool to help remove the mental suggestion that bishop from the Earth Mother's Church placed on me…
No… that's not right… It was the Ancestor who told me to pray to Him for help… Don't tell me the Ancestor and the Earth Mother are also allies? That's why those old geezers in the family turned a blind eye when I became a follower of the Earth Mother?
Am I actually the liaison among all three? The Ancestor really does value me most!
The more Emlyn thought about it, the faster his heart pounded, and the more excited he became… but he still couldn't confirm anything.
—The Blood Clan having the nickname "vampires" didn't mean they had no heartbeat; it was just significantly slower. Their heart was still one of their vital weaknesses.
As expected… No wonder this event caught Mr. Fool's attention… But what benefit does He gain from foiling the evil gods' schemes? The Hanged Man Alger pondered silently as his gaze fell once more on the newly appeared "Demoness" card.
Could that be Mr. Fool's reward?
Hmm… The Blasphemy Card may be priceless to us, but to someone near godhood—or even an actual god—like Mr. Fool, it likely isn't all that valuable…
Perhaps He used this opportunity to achieve a deeper goal… like forming an alliance with a deity who loathes the Primordial Demoness and the True Creator…
Connecting this with Mr. Tower escaping from the Land of Evernight almost unscathed… Could it be the Evernight Goddess?
Alger's thoughts traveled far in that moment.
The Magician Fors, on the other hand, was once again gripped by fear. Though she had heard a few scattered hints from Xio, she never imagined that behind the Great Smog—an incident that had already claimed tens of thousands of lives—there lurked an even more terrifying truth.
Ebner, however, didn't wish to continue this topic. He turned instead to The Sun Derrick and asked, "Did you escape that cycle?"
The Sun Derrick was momentarily stunned, then gave a sincere nod. He turned toward the head of the bronze table and bowed.
"Great Mr. Fool, I am immensely grateful for your guidance. It helped me discover the key point—the Angel of Destiny—from the mural with the words 'Rose Redemption,' and assisted our Chief in breaking the cycle of fate."
Angel of Destiny? Is that the "Mercury Snake" Mr. Tower mentioned, the one who loves to paint? Half-understanding, Klein—the Fool—responded with a smile, "Not bad."
After thanking Mr. Fool, Derrick looked at Ebner and Alger with equal sincerity and said, "Mr. Tower, Mr. Hanged Man, I thank you both as well for your guidance...
"Also, Mr. Tower, I asked that little boy about the origin of the gear-shaped book."
(End of Chapter)