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After listening to "Red Light" Aiur Moria's account, Aaron's expression became a little strange; Haiter, the leader of the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death Faction and former High Priest of the Death Church, was also involved.
Because half of his soul was separated, Azik had repeated the experience of waking up, searching for memories, and falling asleep again countless times over the past thousand years.
During such a long period, Haiter had never intervened, but this time he suddenly made a move. If not for the "Pale Death," a remnant of Death controlled by Bernadette, coincidentally causing some changes in Backlund, Azik would not have broken free from his restraints.
"This sudden change cannot be without reason, a change related to Death...."
Aaron, deep in thought, focused his gaze slightly and looked at Aiur Moria, whose expression was solemn, and asked ponderingly:
"What has Calderon become now?"
As early as his last visit to retrieve water from a tributary of the River of Eternal Darkness, Aaron had already triggered the imprints of the two former Deaths, who had been dormant in the River of Eternal Darkness, due to the aura of the Nation of Disorder he carried.
When Calderon first mutated because of this, Aaron encountered Haiter at the outer entrance, who, even though unable to leave the mausoleum, still projected his power.
And before that, to help Astolfo recapture his body, Aaron had also banished the Abomination, Suah, who carried the power of the "Chained God," to Calderon. Considering the dangers within, he had never explored what changes had occurred there.
Not surprised by the question, Aiur Moria pondered for a moment, his expression becoming serious, and slowly shook his head:
"Calderon has been enveloped by a higher-level power. Even I cannot know the specific situation inside without personally going in to investigate."
Considering that Klein was nearby, he did not directly mention the River of Eternal Darkness, but Aaron, who was a direct participant, easily understood his meaning.
Without a precise answer, Aaron did not press further. After obtaining the Spirit World coordinates corresponding to Azik's last known location, he bid farewell to Red Light with Klein.
Listening to the question-and-answer session, which felt like a riddle, Klein, lacking the necessary knowledge, could only commit the name Calderon to memory and secretly guess its connection to Mr. Azik.
Before he could think more, the invisible force that had been carrying him through the Spirit World suddenly tightened. A familiar sense of weightlessness struck him, as if he had been thrown into an icy pool.
The terrifyingly cold and deathly aura stung Klein's spirituality. The fear of life slowly draining away instantly overwhelmed the discomfort of weightlessness, until Azik's copper whistle he had been clutching trembled slightly, and this sensation significantly weakened.
Gasping for a few breaths, Klein subconsciously looked around and found himself in an ancient castle hall with a simple style and architectural features distinctly different from the styles of the northern continent's countries today.
Even though it was old, it was extremely well-preserved, except for the faint murals carved on the black-based walls, which could no longer be discerned after the erosion of time.
On both sides of the hall, coffins of different shapes and colors were placed, resting quietly, as if their very existence had been weathered by Death.
As Azik's copper whistle in Klein's hand trembled, slight sounds suddenly emerged from inside these coffins, like rusting joints opening one by one.
Silently, bones emerged from the coffin closest to Klein, gushing like a fountain into the air, forming a giant skeleton nearly four meters tall.
"This is Mr. Azik's Bone Messenger! This feeling, it seems to be the one who shielded me from disaster in Tingen City. Has it returned from the Underworld?"
As his gaze met the two pulsating pale flames within the giant skull, various thoughts arose in his mind, but it did allow Klein to finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, the oppressive and deathly aura pervading the hall did not diminish.
The Bone Messenger lowered its head and looked down at Klein for a second. But when it looked at Aaron, who was smiling faintly at the side, the flames in its eyes trembled violently, and it voluntarily bent its back, lowered its right arm, and opened its palm.
A thin glove, as if made of human skin, lay quietly on the palm formed by bones. An indescribable sense of hunger, accompanied by illusory chewing sounds, spread outwards.
In this ancient castle hall, already filled with Death and Yin energy, Klein seemed to hear the unwilling shouts and painful moans hidden within the chewing sounds.
Distorted, hideous, and wailing transparent faces faintly appeared on the surface of the human skin glove, overflowing with a sorrow and madness that made one unbearable to behold, and all of this ceased abruptly a few seconds later.
Aaron toyed with the thin, human-skin-like glove. The "Creeping Hunger," which already possessed living characteristics, became extremely docile at this moment, not daring to release even a trace of malice, like a hound crouching there, not daring to move.
Having seemingly completed its mission, the Bone Messenger did not linger. It disintegrated instantly as if fleeing a plague god, falling like a waterfall into the coffin and quickly disappearing.
Aaron, disinterested, tossed the human skin glove to Klein, who was staring at him eagerly. The "Creeping Hunger" had long been sealed by Azik. Aaron, pretending to be unintentional, whispered:
"Although Sealed Artifacts with living characteristics are dangerous and terrifying, to some extent, this characteristic can also be exploited. After all, consciousness allows for communication, and even more so, intimidation."
After speaking, he no longer looked at Klein, whose expression had changed. Aaron ignored the coffins that kept making strange noises and walked directly into the depths of the hall. The layout here was quite familiar to him, with some similarities to certain buildings in the inner areas of Calderon.
At the deepest part of the hall, a pure black coffin adorned with pale feathers was placed. This was also the source of all Yin energy.
His pupils turned crimson gold. Under the gaze of the "Eye of Judgement," the black coffin looked more like a fusion of abstract, complex symbols connected to the Underworld, helping the slumbering Azik resist the invasion of some power.
Aaron thoughtfully withdrew his gaze, took out an envelope from his Inventory and threw it in front of the coffin, then returned to the edge of the hall, comforted Klein, and continued:
"Your current identity is not suitable for returning to Backlund. Where do you want to go next? I'm in a good mood right now, maybe I can give you a ride."
Klein's originally somewhat joyful expression slightly dimmed. In a few days, it would be his first New Year since arriving in this foreign world. His lips moved, but he ultimately held back.
Putting away the Creeping Hunger, Klein's gaze became firm again, and he said softly:
"Tingen!"
"I want to go back to Tingen first!"
Aaron took in the changes in Klein's expression and smiled, offering his suggestion:
"I can hold a mass in the name of the East Tucker Charity Foundation. 0-08 has already left Backlund. With me to cover for you, you should be able to see the people you want to see."
"The mass needs to be coordinated with the Evernight Church. I can take you back to Tingen first."
Klein opened his mouth, but still followed his inner voice, nodding with a complex expression.
Tingen City, Raphael Cemetery.
Although the afternoon sun was quite strong, many areas here were still dark and cold.
Klein stood before a grave, quietly gazing at the black and white photograph on the tombstone, and softly said:
"Captain, I've come to see you....."
-----------------
Backlund, Hillston District, Myriad Star Cathedral.
The chairs that were neatly arranged in the prayer hall were now replaced by bodies covered with white cloths. A melodious lullaby emanated from the sacred platform inscribed with the sacred emblem of Darkness, soothing the whispers of pain and comforting the suffering souls.
This was a small requiem ceremony, and in the square outside the Myriad Star Cathedral, more bodies covered with white cloths were awaiting requiem. After the requiem, unclaimed bodies would be buried in the public cemetery.
Melissa, with some stains on her clothes, looked at the white cloths with vacant eyes. In her ears, the sharp, weak, lingering cries and wails seemed to echo, making her recall that afternoon in Tingen City.
Her shoulder was suddenly patted. Melissa slowly turned her head and met Leonard's somewhat worried gaze.
Looking at the overcoat soaked by the heavy rain, Leonard sighed and placed a thickened priest's robe in Melissa's hand, saying in a deep voice:
"You've done very well. There's no need to take on responsibilities that don't belong to you. Your brother must be very worried about you. Go rest for a while, then go home."
Melissa took the robe, looked at the prayer hall covered in white, and her voice was a little hoarse, as if she was asking Leonard, and also herself:
"What did they do wrong?"
His dark green eyes narrowed slightly, and Leonard fell silent. As a member of the Red Gloves team, with Pallez Zoroast hidden within him, he had some understanding of the essence of this great fog.
Watching Melissa walk away alone, Leonard sighed, and a teasing voice came from beside him:
"I have to say, your personality is quite similar to that guy's. With your way of chasing girls, alas...."
Choked by the long sigh, Leonard looked at Madam Daly, who was standing in the shadows, leaning against the wall, and retorted:
"Madam Daly, you've misunderstood. I made a promise back when I was in Tingen."
"Since I couldn't prevent Melissa from becoming a Beyonder, I had to at least do my best to look after her."
Saying that, without waiting for Madam Daly's reply, Leonard changed the subject, his expression also becoming serious:
"Have the specific casualty figures been tallied? Have the culprits who caused this disaster been caught?"
No longer dwelling on the previous topic, Daly stepped out of the shadows and gently shook her head:
"The East Borough, Dock District, and Factory District, which were most severely affected by the great fog, are still being tallied. Even though the Church of Storms reacted quickly and brought down heavy rain in time, those three areas already had poor sanitation and extremely high population density, so the situation is probably not optimistic."
At this point, Daly's tone became even more sarcastic, and she scoffed:
"As for the culprit, heh, Prince Edessak, who was tempted by a Demoness and colluded with cults, has committed suicide. Is that enough?"
Leonard's expression instantly darkened, and he asked incredulously:
"That's it?"
"Can Archbishop Anthony accept this explanation? Have those two from the Church of Storms and the Church of Steam acquiesced?"
Daly took a deep breath, averted her gaze, and whispered, looking at the Dark Sacred Emblem on the altar:
"The Royal Family has promised that anyone who obtains a corresponding peerage, no matter how, can obtain a seat in the House of Lords, especially those factory owners and bankers supported by the Church."
"As punishment for the lax supervision of MI9, the three major Churches are also allowed to send personnel into the military."
Quietly recounting the information she had obtained from Bishop Electra, Daly looked back at Leonard, who had fallen silent again, and said softly:
"The remaining matters will be handled by other Nighthawks. Prepare yourself and come with me to the airship. There's a new mission."
"St. Samuel's Church received an urgent telegram. Ince Zangwill has appeared again, attacked Dilis, a coastal city in Intis, and fled to the Sea of Intermittence."
"We will take the airship to the Midseashire County first, and Archbishop Randolph Carter will meet us there!"
Leonard tilted his head slightly, seemingly listening to the lullaby coming from the altar. After a few seconds, he nodded slightly.
-----------------
Empress Borough, Count Hall's luxurious villa.
Audrey stood by the window, watching the pale yellow and iron-black mist quickly dissipate, and the heavy rain, uncharacteristic of winter, poured down, her mood calming considerably.
It was only after her father finally returned from the Church that Audrey learned the official response, but her confusion had not lessened at all.
After finishing dinner, still preoccupied, Audrey had just returned to her room when she felt a familiar aura and exclaimed in surprise, somewhat delighted:
"Aaron!"
She then lowered her voice. After confirming the door was locked, she stared intently at Aaron and asked somewhat urgently:
"Is the truth hidden behind the Great Fog incident truly just caused by those cultists trying to awaken the Primordial Demoness and the True Creator's descent?"
"Why did Prince Edessak choose to cooperate with them?"
"I remember he wasn't that kind of person before."
Looking at the somewhat confused Audrey, Aaron pondered for a moment before saying:
"He was hypnotized by a virtual personality, just like you once were. He was merely a scapegoat pushed forward."
"However, the Evernight Goddess Church was prepared and promptly eliminated the Demoness of Despair, preventing the awakening of the Primordial Demoness, keeping the level of contamination from the Great Fog within a controllable range."
"Moreover, the Aurora Order's ritual was also destroyed, and the True Creator, who attempted to descend through it, remains cut off from the real world."
When did Backlund become so dangerous? Two evil gods appeared in one great fog!
If it hadn't been stopped in time, the entire Backlund would have been destroyed....
Thoughts raced through Audrey's mind, and her expression was a little dazed. She had originally thought that the so-called evil gods were just propaganda used by the Church, never expecting that there were actually two hidden existences, on the same level as Mr. Fool, secretly interfering with reality.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | 16 novels being updated, I can't read all comments