Hermit Cattleya glanced at Leyton, her gaze filled with confusion and curiosity. Is the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom going to start rectifying the beliefs in the Southern Continent? I wonder what the attitudes of the other major Churches are.
Unity, this will inevitably be accompanied by war, Hanged Man Alger sighed inwardly.
Justice Audrey looked in Leyton's direction, somewhat hesitant to speak. Paz River Valley? I remember that's a colony Loen and Intis are currently fighting over. Alfred is there. I need to subtly remind him to be careful, or find a suitable reason to have him return to Backlund. But, that's impossible. Alfred is already a colonel; he can't just leave his military district.
Mr. Tower, representing the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom and their allied forces, wants to unify the Paz River Valley. This will inevitably conflict with Loen and Intis, who are currently vying for the colony, and such conflicts are often accompanied by force, very likely escalating into war.
After a long internal struggle, Audrey finally looked at Leyton and slightly raised her right hand, saying:
"Mr. Tower, who will be unifying the Paz River Valley in the unity you speak of?"
"The local resistance forces. All we need to do is drive out those foreign colonists and local cultists. Neither the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom nor any other power will interfere with the management and rule of the Southern Continent."
Leyton looked at Audrey with a slightly meaningful gaze, probably guessing what she was worried about, and responded with a light chuckle.
Audrey nodded, not asking any more questions, and sat in her seat with a somewhat low mood.
The Tarot Club's discussion continued until it was nearing its end, when Audrey requested a private conversation with The Fool.
After Klein gently nodded, he temporarily shielded the senses of the other Tarot Club members. Then, he leaned back against the chair, leisurely saying:
"You may begin."
Miss Justice is worried about the Southern Continent. Does she have some relatives there? The Paz River Valley is a colony Loen and Intis are currently fighting over. Is her father or brother an officer there?
Some guesses quickly formed in Klein's mind. He casually looked at Leyton, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. You're really busy, always causing major events wherever you go!
Upon receiving The Fool's response, Justice Audrey looked at Leyton apologetically, then said:
"Mr. Tower, are you also contacting the Bloodline on the Southern Continent through Mr. Moon to expel foreign colonists and help the local forces of the Southern Continent unify the Paz River Valley area?"
"Yes, recently, those Followers of the Primordial Moon have been particularly active, and we don't have enough manpower to deal with them, so we had to seek some cooperation with the Bloodline of the Southern Continent."
Leyton chuckled. He could tell that Audrey wasn't asking that question, but he still calmly answered her question.
Audrey was silent for a moment before continuing:
"I have something I want to ask of you. If you find it too difficult, you can refuse."
"My brother is currently serving in the military. He happens to be in the Paz River Valley. Due to his identity, I can't just find a random reason to have him return to Backlund."
"When the conflict breaks out, can you directly expel him without putting his life in danger, or keep him confined for a period until the conflict ends? I know this request is a bit much."
"Yes, this isn't a very difficult request. We can't possibly anger so many forces at once, even the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom can't handle that."
Leyton chuckled and nodded, agreeing to Audrey's request.
Upon receiving a positive answer, Audrey finally breathed a sigh of relief, then a proper smile appeared on her face as she said:
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Tower."
"However, such actions by the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom in the Southern Continent will inevitably provoke reactions from various nations and Churches. Will this matter truly not escalate into a War of the Gods between the Northern and Southern continents?"
The Southern Continent is not the base of the Seven Churches. The Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom only needs to make certain concessions and not affect the missionary activities of other Churches in the Southern Continent. The other Churches probably won't interfere much with these matters, unless the Churches of the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Lord of Storms are inherently at odds.
Klein, at the head of the mottled long table, leaned back against the chair, his right index finger unconsciously rubbing the armrest of the high-backed chair, answering the question Audrey had just asked in his mind.
Leyton tilted his chin slightly, resting his head on the back of the chair, and chuckled aloud:
"The Churches will not directly interfere in the conflict between the nations and the Southern Continent, but they will not allow other forces to help the military of Intis and Loen."
Audrey was stunned for a moment, wanting to say that the military power gap between the Northern and Southern continents was too great, and those local forces could only maintain their stable fragmentation by relying on the mutual restraints between nations.
Mr. Tower couldn't possibly not have thought of this problem. He still has great confidence in the local forces of the Southern Continent. Relying on Beyonders to change the course of the war? That would require many Beyonders, especially High-Sequence powerhouses!
One thought after another flashed through Audrey's mind. She did not continue to ask questions, and then The Fool Klein removed the shielding from the other members.
Audrey was somewhat distracted for the rest of the Tarot Club meeting, until The Fool Klein announced that today's meeting was over.
Audrey then rose with the others, bowed, and took her leave. Streaks of crimson light rose in the palace and quickly disappeared. In just the blink of an eye, only Klein remained in the palace.
Looking at the empty palace, Klein sighed:
"I need to speed up the Faceless acting. Fortunately, my previous acting as Admiral Amyrius brought me considerable gains, and all the Faceless acting principles have been summarized."
"Next week's Tarot Club, I can almost ask Ms. Hermit or Mr. Hanged Man about going to sea to the Sea of Ruins."
He leaned back in the high-backed chair, closed his eyes, and pondered for a moment. Then, his spirituality spread out, enveloping himself, simulating the feeling of falling, and leaving the space above the Gray Fog.
Backlund South District, in the Harvest Church on Daffodil Street.
Emlyn woke up on the recliner in the clergy's lounge. He subconsciously turned his head and looked around. Seeing that no one had come into the lounge during this time, he finally relaxed.
How am I going to tell Lord Nibbs about contacting the Bloodline of the Southern Continent? I have no connection with the Bloodline there at all.
He irritably reached out and ruffled his neatly combed hair twice, then got up from the recliner and walked towards the church's prayer hall.
Father Utravsky's mountain-like figure quickly came into view. He looked at the Father, who maintained this praying posture almost continuously except for necessary meals and conversations, and lightly coughed twice, saying:
"Father, I've finished my work for today. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Father Utravsky slowly opened his eyes, looked at Emlyn, then spoke in a calm voice:
"That is your freedom."
As Emlyn was about to turn and leave, he added:
"You seem a little worried. If you encounter troubles, you can try to calm down and pray to the Great Mother. The Great Mother will respond to every devout believer!"
"Mother... Cough! Father, I think I need to remind you again, I believe in the Moon!"
Emlyn subconsciously wanted to say that the Mother Goddess couldn't help people solve their troubles, but he stopped just before speaking and instead emphasized that he believed in the Moon.
Then, without waiting for Father Utravsky's response, he let out a frustrated huff and quickly walked out of the Harvest Church.
After leaving the Harvest Church, he casually hailed a carriage and headed to Odora Manor in the West Borough.
As soon as he entered the manor's hall, he saw Cosmi Odora, who had already received the news and come to greet him.
This was a very elegant middle-aged gentleman, wearing a custom-made long tailcoat, with his hair meticulously styled. His eyes were crimson, concealing complex emotions.
Upon seeing Emlyn, he subconsciously tilted his chin slightly and said:
"Why have you come?"
"Cosmi, I'm here to see Lord Nibbs. Please inform him, it's very important!"
Emlyn tilted his chin up, directly calling out Cosmi's name without adding 'Baron' at the end, implying that he was also a Baron and they were of equal standing.
Cosmi's eyes darkened, and he forced a insincere, polite smile at the corner of his mouth, saying:
"Important matter? What important matter? What you consider important might not be important to my grandfather."
"Heh. I received an oracle from the Ancestor. Is that important?"
Emlyn said with a slight tilt of his chin and a proud expression.
Cosmi was stunned for a moment, wanting to say, 'Are you kidding me?', but then he remembered his grandfather's previous instructions, and the other party had clearly already established some connection with The Fool—perhaps this was The Fool's instruction, and he wanted to have some communication with their Bloodline.
As thoughts flickered, Cosmi took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and said in a deep voice:
"Please wait here for a moment. I'll go inform grandfather."
With that, he turned and quickly left the hall without looking back.
Emlyn narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Cosmi's retreating back, and couldn't help but sneer as he thought of how annoyed Cosmi had looked but couldn't erupt.
In the manor's basement, Cosmi spoke in a deep voice to a black coffin, recounting Emlyn's words.
After a moment of silence, a hoarse, ancient voice slowly emerged from the black coffin:
"Did he really say that?"
"Yes, Emlyn's tone was very certain. Grandfather, could he have been misled by The Fool, or perhaps..."
Cosmi mused, stating his opinion.
Inside the black coffin, the hoarse voice said without any emotional fluctuation:
"Misled? What good is misleading a Baron who just advanced not long ago? Perhaps He wants to communicate with us, or perhaps his actions truly received a response from the Ancestor."
"How is that possible?"
Cosmi wanted to say something, his face full of disbelief, but he was directly interrupted by the voice from the coffin:
"Alright, go bring him over."
"Yes, Grandfather." Cosmi opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't say anything. He quickly composed himself, then turned and walked out of the basement.
In the manor's hall, Emlyn leisurely sat back on the sofa in the shadows, dozing, until Cosmi approached. Only then did he slowly open his eyes, his gaze steady as he looked at the other party.
Cosmi took a deep breath, his gaze composed as he looked at Emlyn and said:
"Grandfather wants to see you."
With that, he directly turned and walked deeper into the manor.
Emlyn chuckled indifferently, following Cosmi at a steady pace. Before long, the two arrived one after another in the basement where the black coffin was located.
Emlyn stepped forward two paces, respectfully bowing to the black coffin and greeting:
"Good afternoon, Lord Nibbs."
Nibbs's old, hoarse voice came from inside the black coffin in the center of the room:
"Cosmi says you received an oracle from the Ancestor?"
"Yes." Emlyn tried his best to maintain his expression, feigning composure as he nodded.
"Cosmi, you may leave first." Nibbs's voice came again from inside the black coffin.
"Yes, Grandfather." Cosmi was stunned for a moment, then gave Emlyn a deep look before responding in a deep voice and walking to the basement entrance to stand guard.
Once Cosmi had left, Nibbs continued:
"Come a little closer."
"Huh?" Emlyn didn't react immediately, and after a moment of shock, he took two uneasy steps forward.
As he moved forward, Emlyn felt a scorching gaze fall upon him. He shivered slightly, feeling uncomfortable.