Originally, His mood had been quite good, but after just those few simple words, His mood grew heavy again.
This guy was definitely doing it on purpose!
----------------------------------------------
'Hehe, since you're in a cheerful mood, doesn't that make my mood troubled?'
Seeing the Son of Chaos's annoyed look, yet not daring to swing a fist at him, Hastur felt much better.
As expected, only the Son of Chaos could ease his troubles.
"Not long ago, I sensed an unusual aura deep in the starry sky."
The sudden words of the Mother Tree of Desire stunned both Hastur and the Son of Chaos.
Could it be that some unknown existence has truly awakened?
Hastur was full of question marks. The reason he had said that earlier was so that, in the future, when he sabotaged the schemes of the Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire, he could find a scapegoat and avoid exposing himself as the one interfering behind the scenes.
Unexpectedly, the Mother Tree of Desire had already sensed another existence awakening in the starry depths, indirectly helping him patch up the topic.
"An aura never felt before?" The Son of Chaos also grew more serious.
"It should be an existence that has only recently awakened. It is a Nameless One. It swept past like a gust of stellar wind, and I only had time to briefly sense its presence."
"A Nameless One?"
The Son of Chaos was stunned for a moment. Another part of him was known as the Uncertain Mist, which in some sense could also be called a Nameless One.
Could it be that the awakened existence was somehow related to himself?
The Son of Chaos glanced again at Hastur, who only smiled silently, which made his mood heavier.
"You didn't go and greet It?"
"It only lingered briefly at the outer edge of the original barrier, then disappeared once more into the depths of the starry sky. By human reckoning, it stayed about three days."
Three days? That was indeed brief.
Perhaps the time it took for the Mother Tree of Desire to open its eyes once had already surpassed three days.
The Son of Chaos thought for a moment, then asked: "Around when did It appear in the starry sky?"
Hastur was also very interested in this question.
The Mother Tree of Desire looked at Hastur and said in a deep voice: "Before you appeared."
Hastur's expression remained calm, utterly unmoved. Who could know if this was just the Mother Tree of Desire testing him?
The Son of Chaos also turned his gaze toward Hastur, then waited for the Mother Tree of Desire's next words.
"This place is different from Its aura."
The Mother Tree of Desire's words left the Son of Chaos rather disappointed. He had hoped to seize upon some clue.
"The stars are awakening." Hastur calmly cast out a cryptic remark.
"…"
'Another riddler!' The Son of Chaos clenched his fists in secret.
The Mother Tree of Desire said thoughtfully: "Will God Almighty also awaken?"
Of the Three Pillars, apart from the Mother Goddess of Depravity, the other two had fallen in the distant past. Now that the Lord of Mysteries was about to awaken and return to Its place, then what about God Almighty?
Did He not leave behind some means of resurrection? Perhaps He had already begun to awaken in even more distant ages.
Hastur only smiled without speaking, which made both the Mother Tree of Desire and the Son of Chaos grow much heavier in mood.
The barrier could only last a dozen more years. If during this period either the Lord of Mysteries or God Almighty fully awakened, then it would be far more difficult for them to reclaim their paths and origins than now.
They themselves might even be threatened.
Time was truly not on their side.
The Son of Chaos said in a deep voice: "Let's hurry and complete the transaction, otherwise we'll all just be making wedding garments for Them."
The atmosphere immediately grew heavy. Hastur swept a glance at the two of them and said with a smile: "Let's end the gathering here."
The Son of Chaos and the Mother Tree of Desire did not object. Hastur waved the Chains of Order and sent them out of the Starry Hall.
The vast and empty Starry Hall, with the starry sky shining brilliantly above, the stars seemed to be awakening from their slumber.
Hastur's expression was grave, recalling the mysterious existence mentioned by the Mother Tree of Desire.
The Nameless One, who rode the stellar wind, appeared before him, emerging silently and vanishing swiftly, this could hardly be mere coincidence.
That existence might just be the King in Yellow! Could it be that the one originally meant to descend was the King in Yellow?
And by some twist of fate, he himself replaced the King in Yellow's descent? Was that possible?
Hastur shook his head, finding the idea too far-fetched. That was the King in Yellow, how could he possibly replace Its descent?
It was more believable to say he was Its avatar.
Sigh, better not dwell on it. Quickly raising his own strength was what truly mattered.
Whether or not the other was the King in Yellow, and whether or not he bore some destiny, grasping power was the most reliable path.
…
June 23rd, Saturday.
In the study, Hastur finally finished memorizing the large number of legal provisions required during this period.
By Professor Wayne's standards, he could already become a lawyer, equivalent to a fresh graduate in law from Backlund University.
Hastur closed the book, leaned back in his chair, took a sip of Earl Grey tea, and closed his eyes slightly.
Today is June 23rd, only 5 days left until Klein's birth.
He originally thought about making a special trip to Tingen to witness the future Mr. Fool's birthday.
After thinking it over, he decided against it. Suddenly running to Tingen would easily arouse suspicion, and right now Ince Zangwill is holding 0-08 and writing some second-rate script.
If he barged in suddenly, it might alert 0-08, or trigger unnecessary changes.
Besides, with Mr. A always secretly watching him, staying in Backlund was the safest choice.
Speaking of Mr. A, he hadn't shown up for a while. From the news brought by Xio and Fors, the Beyonder gatherings there hadn't been held either.
Maybe Mr. A was being tracked by the Night Watchers, chased around everywhere.
Hastur felt it was a bit of a pity, Mr. A's gatherings were of higher caliber, while Mr. Eye of Wisdom could hardly provide him any help now.
Fortunately, he still had Sharon and Maric.
For the Beyonder materials of Sequence 7 Briber, he now lacked only the most crucial one, a Weeping Infant Flower.
This was a very magical and rare Beyonder material, basically unavailable on the market.
According to Sharon's speculation, this kind of material was mostly in the hands of the Loen royal family or great nobles.
His best breakthrough was to seek Greg's help.
But Hastur had always considered asking Greg for help as a last resort. For now, his Barbarian potion had only digested two-thirds. It would take about another month to fully digest, so he still had time to continue searching.
According to his original plan, he should have advanced to Sequence 7 before Klein's birth. But the Barbarian potion didn't suit him well, and the digestion speed was slow.
Knock knock knock.
Butler Neil knocked on the door. Hastur straightened his posture and had Butler Neil open the door and come in.
Neil looked in a good mood. His usually calm and composed face now showed a faint smile.
Hastur chuckled, "Did something good happen today?"
"The plantation sent this year's first-half profits."
Hastur immediately grew serious, he had finally been waiting for this money!
Recently, he had spent almost all his spare funds on purchasing Beyonder materials and renovating the house in the Empress Borough. His bank account had only 200 pounds left.
For a noble, this was already on the verge of bankruptcy.
Neil stepped forward, placing a brass chest on the desk. He opened it toward Hastur. Inside lay a thick stack of 10-pound notes, the thickness alone showing its weight.
Neil smiled, "Altogether 6,780 pounds."
"Not bad." Hastur stared for a while before slowly uttering those two words.
"Yes, it seems this year is a bountiful one. The second-half profits may exceed 8,000 pounds."
Neil's tone was equally relaxed and cheerful. As a butler, he knew very well how tight the baron's finances were.
With such a sum, the household could hire over a dozen more maids and workers, buy a better carriage, and have several new outfits made for the baron.
"This is the goddess's blessing for her devout believers." Satisfied, Hastur drew a crimson moon over his chest.
After the joy and excitement, Hastur planned the use of the funds.
He would hand 5,000 pounds to Greg for stock investments, confident he'd soon earn back the principal.
He'd keep 800 pounds in the bank, raising his deposit to 1,000, his private stash, an emergency fund.
The remaining 980 pounds would be for household expenses.
The renovation of the Empress Borough's house required a large sum. He could also hire two more chefs. As for other servants and maids, Neil could handle the arrangements.
Once Hastur finished giving orders, Neil took the 980 pounds from the chest and left.
Hastur gazed at the chest of notes for a long while, gently stroking them before closing the lid.
In good spirits, his fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
"With finances improving so much at once, should I invite Greg, Glaint, and the others here for a banquet?"
Since his rebirth, almost three months had passed. He had attended banquets hosted by Glaint, Greg, and the royal family, but hadn't invited anyone himself, it seemed rather impolite.
"Mm, I can wait until the new house in the Empress Borough is finished. Then I'll have an excuse to host a banquet."
"Sharon and Maric won't attend such banquets… but I can invite them here beforehand for a small gathering. With just three people, they probably wouldn't refuse."
"And I happen to have something to inform them about."
Hastur thought for a moment, finding this plan more suitable.
That night, he would go to the Bravehearts Bar to inform Maric and Sharon.