Unfortunately, there was no way to verify that guess now. After all, the "door" had already been jointly destroyed by the two versions of himself across the two timelines—unless the Mother Goddess of Depravity pulled something like that again.
But the Seven Gods…surely they weren't that useless, right?
You're supposed to be the gatekeepers of Earth's barrier—how did it end up with Adam cleaning up your messes again?
What was worse was the way Adam "cleaned up"—by throwing Edward out front to take the bullets. First the Dragon of Imagination and the Chaos Sea, then the City of Calamity and the Mother Goddess of Depravity…Adam had used his "immunity to corruption" trait to the absolute limit!
And that Russian priest…does he really not care about my "special nature"? Or is He secretly plotting something?
Edward's expression grew heavy.
Sigh…Forget these worries far beyond my pay grade. Better to hurry back to Trier. Even though I already have the Wanderer's Beyonder characteristic, one more wouldn't hurt.
———
By the time he returned to Trier, the sun had only just set.
After some hesitation, Edward once again took on the appearance of Mr. F and went to the Aurora Order's new safehouse.
Last time, he told himself firmly. This is the last time.
He hadn't bothered to hide his presence. The moment he stepped into the lounge, a servant spotted him and approached respectfully.
"Mr. F, you've returned."
"Mhm."
Edward sat on the sofa and looked at him. "Yesterday—did something extraordinary happen in Trier?"
"Yes!" the servant said quickly. "But the Church and the authorities contained the scenes immediately. Our information is limited. All we know is that more than a dozen Beyonder battles broke out, and over a hundred civilians have died from the collateral damage so far."
"…"
Edward's heart clenched. "Which areas were affected?"
"Mainly Quartier de la Maison d'Opéra, Le Marché du Quartier du Gentleman, Quartier de Noël, Quartier du Jardin Botanique—oh, and there were apparently battles near the Royal Palace as well, but we haven't been able to learn anything about that."
"So the nobles living in the Avenue du Boulevard and the other central areas weren't really affected?" Edward snorted. "Hmph, lucky them."
He said that aloud, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.
Good…they're safe.
These Beyonders…they really don't treat ordinary lives as lives at all.
Still, he could tell they had already been holding back. At least half of those involved had to be demigods; if they'd truly unleashed themselves, they could've ploughed through the entire city.
"Do we know which factions were involved?"
"According to what we've learned, mainly the Demoness Sect and the Iron and Blood Cross Order."
"And the outcome?"
The servant shook his head. "We can't say. But judging from the Church and the authorities' reactions, those people have probably already left Trier. There's been no further incidents all day. It seems to be over."
"All right. I understand. Pour me a drink."
"Yes, sir."
Edward reached into his spatial pocket and took out the brass rod, muttering, "Over, is it?"
Did Intis' plan succeed or fail? And what about the commission He issued?
Strange. The commission was supposed to last three days. By rights, He should be gathering everyone today to give us the result. Even if it failed, He should at least say something.
I practically went through hell for your commission this time.
Thinking this, he tapped the brass rod a few times. "Hey, Intis—can you hear me?"
"Hey. Answer me."
"You're not planning to stiff me, are you? I'm on good terms with the Chief now—don't blame me if I complain to Him."
"Can you hear me?"
Just as his consciousness began to blur, a wave of muffled, chaotic prayers suddenly echoed in his ears.
Edward's body jolted like he had been struck with an electric current. He shot up and snapped his eyes open.
He stared blankly at the ceiling for a few seconds before grinding out four words between his teeth:
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Can't you people let me rest for once?!
Klein, oh Klein…I'm starting to admire you more and more. It's almost inhuman how you can stay so calm and composed in the face of all this madness.
If he really went through with forcibly ascending to the rank of The Fool like in the original story—fell into slumber, or worse, was taken over by the Celestial Worthy…That would be an unmitigated disaster for the entire world!
With a lazy groan, Edward sat up, stretched, and then took four counterclockwise steps—ascending into the Sefirah Castle.
The moment he sat down, the small black bird in the nearby cage—Amon's clone—suddenly began flapping its wings wildly and hopping about in fright.
Edward blinked, realising belatedly that he had indeed captured one of Amon's clones, transformed into a crow, and left it here in the castle.
Frowning, he said, "What's with you? Don't tell me I just caught you mid-escape and now you're pretending to panic to cover it up?"
Amon's black eyes widened in disbelief. "Where did you just go? You're covered in such a terrifying aura!"
He sounded genuinely startled—as if for a moment he'd thought some Outer God had invaded the Sefirah Castle itself.
"Oh, I just went to the City of Calamity," Edward replied casually, "and then had a little fight with the Mother Goddess of Depravity. Made Her cry."
"???"
Amon blinked several times. "Are you joking?"
"Heh, I wish I were," Edward sighed. "But no—it's all thanks to Adam."
Adjusting his monocle with one wing, Amon grinned. "Oh, that explains it then. Come on, tell me the story."
"Next time," Edward replied curtly, already turning his gaze toward the depths of the grey fog. He infused spirituality into the mist, and the image of Roselle appeared.
"Mr. Chairman," Roselle's voice echoed reverently, "I've discovered a very strange, primitive island. It seems connected to a certain evil god. Are you interested?"
Huh? Edward was taken aback. Roselle's already reached that island tainted by the Mother Goddess?
He hadn't expected Roselle to pray to him so soon.
"Who's that?" Amon asked immediately, curiosity shining in his eyes. "One of your followers? You seem to know something about that island he mentioned. What kind of place is it? What's so strange about it? Which evil god is involved?"
Edward pinched the little crow's beak between two fingers and leaned his chin on his hand, thinking hard. He had no desire to face the Mother Goddess again—certainly not this soon.
Besides, if he went there now, who knew what kind of new, unpredictable butterfly effect he might trigger?
Hmm…Better to wait until Roselle leaves before checking it out myself.
Decision made, Edward leaned back in his chair and said faintly, "Not interested."
With a flick of his wrist, he sent the image drifting toward Roselle's crimson star.
"You're definitely interested," Amon chirped again. "So what's on that island, really? Tell me. It's not like I can leave this place anyway, so knowing won't affect you in the slightest."
"I don't even know where it is," Edward muttered. "It's connected to an Outer God—is that answer good enough for you?"
"Which one? How did it manage to pierce the barrier and descend? You do know about the barrier and the Outer Gods, don't you?"
Edward rolled his eyes. "What's so surprising about Outer God infiltration? Didn't the Rose School of Thought get taken over by the Mother Tree of Desire hundreds of years ago?"
Amon chuckled. "The Mother Goddess of Desire slipped in through the Abyss, taking advantage of the Chained God's status. That's different."
"There are plenty of loopholes like that!" Edward countered. Then, with genuine curiosity, he asked, "So by what you're saying, the Mother Goddess of Desire's control of the Rose School—you, Adam, and even the Seven Gods all knew about it?"
"Of course."
"And none of Them tried to stop it?"
The little crow ruffled its wing joints, as if shrugging. "Couldn't."
"Besides," Amon added, "She chose the Southern Continent. The Seven Gods barely have any followers there—it's far beyond Their reach. And against the Chained God corrupted by an Outer God, combined with the 'Devil Monarch'—are you sure the Seven could even win that fight?"
"So They just watched Her influence spread unchecked?"
Amon smirked. "In the end, it all comes down to the final battle—the pillars of both sides. If the Seven Gods win, the Outer Gods' influence disappears entirely. If the Outer Gods win…well, then the apocalypse arrives."
And when the apocalypse comes, nothing will matter anyway.
Amon tilted his head. "So? Are you ready to become the Lord of Mysteries and bear the burden of saving the world from the apocalypse?"
"Of course not."
Edward rested his cheek on his palm, gazing at him lazily. "The Sefirah Castle, to me, is just a convenient tool. When I no longer need it, I'll pass it on—to whoever's worthy of it."
Amon immediately hopped up, flapping his wings excitedly. "Then how about me? What do you think? I'd say I'm a pretty good candidate."
Edward gave him a long, quiet look—then smirked.
"Heh."
———
Meanwhile, in the Fog Sea.
Out on the waves, several nautical miles from the primitive island, Roselle stared at the fading crimson glow of his prayer's reply.
After receiving only the curt "not interested," he felt a pang of disappointment.
If that mysterious Chairman had taken an interest—whether by descending personally or granting him divine protection—Roselle would never have had to leave the island empty-handed.
Then he could've bragged for years: "I once fought alongside a god! He did the killing; I did the cheering!"
He chuckled to himself. "Bernadette's still waiting for me at home…Risking my life for some Beyonder characteristics and a treasure that might not even exist? Not worth it."
After a long silence, Roselle took a deep gulp of Sonia Blood Wine and made up his mind.
When he returned to the deck, his Four Horsemen immediately looked to him for orders.
He knew these men well—after nearly a decade together, he understood them perfectly. If he insisted on exploring the island, they would follow without hesitation, even to their deaths.
"Attention, all hands!" Roselle barked, planting one foot on a barrel and raising his arm high. "Steer clear of that island! We continue west!"
This voyage had never truly been about finding secret treasures. He intended to sail westward, to seek the legendary Western Continent, and to achieve the grand feat of circumnavigating the world.
As for that island…
He would return to explore it—after he became a demigod.
———
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