Emlyn stood by the window, grinning foolishly for a long while. When the warmth in the room had completely dissipated, he couldn't help but shiver, finally snapping out of it. He murmured with some confusion:
"When did the window open?"
The cold wind blowing in from the open window gradually calmed his thoughts. He then looked up at the Crimson Moon outside the window with a sense of realization, muttering to himself in a daze:
"Tonight's Crimson Moon seems brighter than usual."
Before he could close the window again, as his thoughts calmed down, he quickly noticed some anomalies around him, relying on the Beyonder's hearing and smell, which were different from ordinary people.
Overlapping moans, male and female, came from the surrounding houses, and the faint chirping of insects, which should have been absent in winter, was also discernible. Even the roadside trees on both sides of the street, stained with white snowflakes, had sprouted tiny new green leaves.
What was going on? Had spring arrived early? Emlyn pondered for a moment in a daze, a vague premonition stirring in his heart: the situation around him might be related to the arrival of Duke Round Moon.
Was this an effect he deliberately left behind? Or was the Duke himself not in good condition, failing to properly restrain his aura?
After his thoughts wandered for a moment, Emlyn reclosed the glass window, turned, and walked to the bed. He removed the hot water bottle from under the covers and lay down in the warm bedding.
Backlund, Empress Borough, inside the Hall family's villa.
In an elegantly decorated bedroom, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling cast a bright but not dazzling light. The light intertwined with the crystals, casting dappled light spots on the room's floor and walls.
Audrey sat fretfully in front of her neatly arranged dressing table, her hand pressing down on a letter that had been heavily revised several times but was still unfinished.
At her feet, the golden retriever Susie asked with some concern:
"Audrey, what's wrong? You've been preoccupied since this afternoon."
Audrey put down the fountain pen she was holding, propped her elbows on the table in frustration, and cupped her face with her hands, saying:
"I'm fine, it's just that there's something very important I need to tell Alfred, but I don't know how to tell him."
"I don't know what reason to use to persuade him to temporarily leave the Southern Continent. He is already a colonel now; he can't just leave the military zone and return to Backlund because of a letter I casually send. Moreover, mailing the letter will take a long time, and perhaps by then, the matter will already be over."
The golden retriever at her feet shook its head twice in confusion, looking as if it didn't quite understand, and said:
"If this matter is very dangerous, you can first write to him asking him to leave the Southern Continent for a period. Given your relationship, he will definitely listen to your advice, even if he has some doubts. As for the reason, you can always think about it later."
"If the danger of this matter is within an acceptable range, then you can make some subtle hints in the letter, allowing Alfred to overcome it with his own abilities."
"This isn't a problem that can be solved with one's own abilities. Unless one becomes a demigod, there isn't enough certainty to protect oneself in a chaotic battle..." Audrey sighed inwardly, then softly said:
"I also don't know how far things will develop, but it will definitely be very serious. There's a high probability that there will be a Beyonder melee."
"I've asked a trustworthy friend to expel Alfred or seal him off for a period when the battle breaks out, but I'm worried he might forcefully break through the obstruction and return to the battlefield on his own. Given his personality, this is very likely to happen."
"On a chaotic battlefield, even a powerful Beyonder cannot always focus on one person and provide protection at critical moments."
The golden retriever Susie opened its mouth but couldn't speak. It was just an unqualified hound; Audrey's problem was too difficult for a dog.
After pondering for a moment, it said somewhat uncertainly:
"Audrey, although I can't quite understand what you're saying, I think if you're very worried about Alfred, then you should write to him and give him some warning."
"As long as you promise to give him a reasonable explanation later, he will definitely listen to your advice. You can tell him to treat this as a secret between the two of you, the kind that even the Earl and Countess don't know."
Audrey's eyes gradually brightened, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up as she said:
"That's a great idea! Knowing Alfred, he will definitely listen to my advice and keep my secret!"
"Susie, you're amazing~"
Audrey half-crouched down, pulling the golden retriever into her embrace, rubbing and praising it.
"Mmm… Audrey, I can't breathe…"
West Balam, Paz River Valley.
Leyton was enjoying the breakfast brought by the waiter in his hotel room: a simple pancake, a fruit platter mixed with various fruits and seasonings, and a cup of hot coffee.
Bugs Bunny had an identical breakfast in front of it. It put the seasoned fruits into a cup of water and rinsed them repeatedly several times before closing its eyes, putting the fruit into its mouth, and chewing and swallowing with a distorted expression.
After finally managing to eat a piece of fruit, it immediately took a big gulp of water, as if there was some unpleasant taste lingering in its mouth.
"Mmm… The fruit itself already tastes good, why do people here put them together with these strange seasonings? For a rabbit, this is simply too unpalatable."
Bugs Bunny grumbled, looking at the breakfast in front of it on the table, not eating a second piece of fruit. It lay listlessly on the table, like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.
Leyton reached out and rubbed Bugs Bunny's fluffy head, chuckling as he said:
"Perhaps the local people are tired of eating delicious fruits, so they invented these strange ways of eating them."
"Alright, we'll go out and buy some fresh fruit later, or you can just find an empty space, sprinkle some seeds, and use your Beyonder abilities to grow a plant, making it bear fruit and ripen quickly."
"Mmm… The growth of plants requires a process. Fruits that are directly Birth and ripened quickly have no taste at all; they are just fake goods with a false appearance!"
Bugs Bunny grumbled, refusing the suggestion of using Beyonder abilities to grow fruit. After a pause, it continued:
"And if I, a weak little rabbit, go out alone, what if I encounter that crazy Primordial Moon worshipper? Even if I only encounter his puppet, I can't beat him. He'll definitely catch me and dissect me for research."
Leyton ate his breakfast while listening to Bugs Bunny's rambling, not interjecting. His spiritual intuition was suddenly touched, and he looked up at the area below the roof.
A deep blue glow flickered in his eyes, his gaze penetrating reality, and he saw a Book Messenger descending from the Spirit World Depths.
The golden book suddenly flipped open, and he felt as if the rustling sound of pages turning echoed in his ears.
In just a moment, a pale yellow sheet of paper with a sunflower pattern floated down from the Spirit World, penetrating the obstruction and landing on Leyton's outstretched left hand.
"Vampire?" Leyton murmured to himself. His own spiritual intuition pointed to the matter of cooperating with the vampires, which had been mentioned at the Tarot Club yesterday.
"That Emlyn fellow acts quite fast. How did he convince those high-ranking vampires? Did Lilith really push this matter from behind? Perhaps Lilith's attention and favor towards him appeared from the very beginning when he chanted The Fool's honorific name."
Leyton sighed inwardly, then his gaze fell on the letter in his hand, and he began to read it carefully.
The handwriting on the pale yellow letter was neat, and it carried a dark red like dried blood, sprawling across two lines of words:
"I am Duke Full Moon Olmer of Round Moon. Following the Ancestor's revelation, I will represent the Vampires in cooperation with you. In this matter, I believe you can directly represent the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the worshipper of the Omniscient One."
"The worshipper of the Omniscient One? Currently, the only one in this world who can be called the Omniscient One is the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. How did It see that? The Book Messenger?"
As his thoughts drifted, Leyton's spiritual intuition was touched again. He felt something approaching from the Spirit World, and the hotel room he was in was undergoing some peculiar changes.
Leyton tilted his head slightly, and a deep blue, almost purple, glow swirled in his eyes. Everything around him transformed into complex, layered information in his sight. He could easily detect unusual aspects from this information.
This was an ability that evolved from the further transformation of his Eyes of Mystery Prying after he advanced to Clairvoyant. It allowed him to see the essence of surrounding objects from countless pieces of information.
His intuition told him that this was not an ability possessed by every Clairvoyant; it was most likely a change brought about by some unique aspect of himself.
Soon, he discovered some differences in his surroundings: information representing gravity and electromagnetism showed abnormal disturbances, and a strange power unfolded around him, constructing a semi-real, semi-illusory environment.
The ability to directly control gravity and electromagnetism, even for a Paragon pathway's Arcanist, would be difficult to achieve without mastering the corresponding knowledge. To manipulate it at will, one would at least need to be a Knowledge Magister. A power outside the 22 Paths of the Divine?
As his thoughts drifted, the surrounding environment had already transformed from a hotel room into a dim, ancient palace hall. Through the stained-glass windows around, one could vaguely see the Crimson Moon hanging high outside.
Bugs Bunny, who had been listlessly lying on the table, sprang up with a carp-like flip. It vigilantly scanned its surroundings, murmuring:
"Where's our hotel? How did it suddenly turn into an ancient castle?"
As it spoke, it quickly moved closer to Leyton, jumping onto his shoulder, its legs pressing against the back of the chair, pressing its body tightly against Leyton's back.
Leyton reached out and rubbed Bugs Bunny's soft, floppy ears twice, soothing its emotions. Then he turned his head to look in front of him; the original dining table had silently been replaced by a long dining table covered with a dark red tablecloth and laden with tableware adorned with crimson patterns.
Directly opposite the dining table sat a middle-aged gentleman, richly dressed, exuding an aristocratic aura, but whose face was unclear.
His eyes were deep red, like a blood moon, with an undeniable weariness in them, like a sage who had experienced countless years.
Leyton nodded impassively at the other party. The deep blue, almost purple, glow in his eyes intensified. Amidst the vast and complex knowledge, he saw the power of creation within the other party, saw the enormous, sky-obscuring bat wings behind Him, and saw the crimson Round Moon hanging high in the sky…
"Duke Round Moon?" Leyton stared at the other party, his words carrying little doubt.
The middle-aged gentleman opposite, whose face was unclear, looked at Leyton with some surprise, then his gaze fell on Bugs Bunny, who was patting his back.
After observing for a moment, He habitually adjusted His long black and red tailcoat, then spoke in a calm, somewhat arrogant tone:
"You know me?"