Chapter 1129: Pressure

*The current Abyss is a place most Devils are unable to live

in?* Upon hearing Mr. Fool's reply, Cattleya and company

inevitably felt a deep sense of shock.

In mysticism, the Abyss was considered by all to be the most corrupted

and most disorderly place. It was where the Devils lived. But now, most

of the "natives" were unable to survive in there!

*Is the environment in the Abyss worsening, causing the Devils to be

unable to adapt to it, or is it because the situation regarding the

corruption, chaos, and degeneration has improved, making the Abyss no

longer suitable for the Devils to live in?* Alger quickly had

two theories, but he didn't know which one it was.

The Hermit Cattleya shared the same thoughts as him, but she was even

more puzzled as to why the Queen would ask such a question. Regarding

Mr. Fool's answer, it seemed to have a deeper meaning to it, one that

could help the Queen's in understanding whatever agenda she had, and

it's secrets.

As for Justice, she suddenly thought of the Church of Knowledge's

Prophet demigod. He had once said that the end of the world would arrive

in 1368 of the Fifth Epoch. This was publicly acknowledged by all

Beyonders who were good at making prophecies. Even the deities had

agreed with it.

*It's 1350 this year; we're only 18 years from the apocalypse... Hence,

there are signs of the Abyss appearing. The chaotic and degenerate

environment that is originally filled with abstract meanings has broken

past its limits, becoming even worse?* Audrey had a rough idea

of the situation, and this added to her slight anxiety and unease.

As there weren't any signs of the apocalypse in the beginning, she

didn't put much weight on the matter. She usually paid more attention to

the current wars, casualties, and the victims of suffering. But now, the

anomaly within the Abyss had left her inexplicably horrified. She

desperately wanted to improve herself. She wanted to finish digesting

the potion and obtain the Beyonder characteristic left behind by Hvin

Rambis to advance to become a demigod.

Only then could she have the ability to interfere and resist certain

things that she didn't want to see happen.

Mr. World, entrust me with more tasks... Audrey silently

prayed in her heart and secretly placated her restless emotions.

The members such as Leonard, Fors, and Xio actually had some doubts

about whether the Abyss really existed. This was because, after the

Second Epoch, the Abyss had never revealed itself to the world again.

The most active Devils in the real world had come from the Blood

Sanctify Sect. Even the high-level Devils and evil existences that the

rituals pointed to were highly likely to be the highest echelons of the

Blood Sanctify Sect.

Of course, the evil god, the Dark Side of the Universe, was widely

regarded as the embodiment of the Abyss, but "His" presence was

extremely low. If "He" hadn't occasionally responded to the ritual and

showed the characteristics of the Devil, "He" would probably be

considered a pure legend, just like Giant King Aurmir.

But even so, the secrets of the Church of Evernight that Leonard could

come into contact with had also shown that it was possible that the Dark

Side of the Universe was a disguise used by other evil gods and hidden

existences.

This wasn't surprising to Derrick. In certain places some distance away

from the City of Silver, deep in the endless darkness, there were many

Devils that were unable to maintain their calm states. There was no lack

of demigods like the demons that weren't too different from the Abyss.

If not for the fact that the Giant King's Court and other iconic items

existed, the City of Silver citizens would definitely have suspected

that the truth behind them being abandoned was that they had been thrown

into the Abyss.

As the thoughts flashed through the members' minds, Cattleya restrained

her doubts and continued asking, "Honorable Mr. Fool, the second

question is: Did the things that Emperor Roselle do in his later years

have any external, unnecessary influence?"

This question reminded Klein of the shocking details in Roselle's later

diary entries. Immediately, he sighed.

With the posture of The Fool, he slowly shook his head.

No... Those things were what the emperor wanted to do... Just

as Cattleya felt an uncontrollable sense of disappointment and sadness

when she heard Mr. Fool smile with a sigh.

"It wasn't due to an external influence or influencer, but due to

corruption. It's very difficult to detect, even for him."

*Corruption... Emperor Roselle was corrupted in his later years? At that

time, he was already "He," a Grounded Angel. How could he be corrupted?

Is this from a particular true god or the underground corruption that

even the ancient gods feared?* Amidst the shock, Audrey came up

with a guess based on the secrets she knew.

Alger and the other members of the Tarot Club also didn't expect such a

thing to happen to Emperor Roselle in his later years. They began to

suspect his purpose behind him creating the Cards of Blasphemy.

At the same time, they believed that Mr. Fool's search of the Cards of

Blasphemy might contain deeper motives, much more than what they had

originally deduced.

*In this game that involves the entire world, only important figures

like Mr. Fool have the right to become a "player." And we are only a

card or some chips... The Kings of Angels and Sequence 1 angels might be

qualified to participate...* Alger sighed as he had the desire

to become a "player."

*The story of the emperor's later years went from being a tyrant to an

evil god? A book that starts off with romance, motivation, passion,

love, adventure, and even the decadent lifestyle of Intis high society

later turns into a horror story? I wouldn't even dare write something

like that! If it were me writing it, I would make the emperor's final

tragic end stem from a betrayal in one's love, a marriage betrayal, or

betraying an oath...* Fors couldn't help but let her thoughts go

wild. She even had the urge to start writing a set of chronicles for

Emperor Roselle.

Of course, there were quite a number of Roselle's chronicles on the

market. Some of them were even prohibited items.

Corrupted... So it's because of corruption... Cattleya sighed

and felt sorrowful.

She sighed with emotion. In the end, the emperor didn't end up like the

story of the dragon-slaying warrior he had spoken of. From being a hero,

he turned into an evil dragon. He was still a legend worthy of worship,

but the sad thing was that, up to today, this misunderstanding was

finally beginning to be resolved.

After her emotions settled down, Cattleya recalled the matter of being

corrupted. The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became.

She believed that she was one of the members of the Tarot Club who knew

Roselle the best. She knew very well what height this emperor had

reached in his later years. Of course, Mr. Fool was the convener, a

witness, and not a member.

However, a Sequence 1 angel such as "Him," someone who made the throne

of divinity a target, had been silently corrupted. "He" and the people

around "Him" didn't notice it at all!

This is much more terrifying than it is horrific... Cattleya

secretly took a deep breath before slowly exhaling to regulate her

emotions.

Then, she bowed towards the end of the long, mottled table.

"Thank you for your answer, honorable Mr. Fool."

*...I'm also thankful that you didn't ask anything beyond my

means...* The Fool Klein, gave a self-deprecating laugh as he

leaned back into his chair and nodded slightly.

"You may begin."

Just like the previous gathering, the members of the Tarot Club had

either just advanced or were still digesting. They didn't have any

trades to do, and they didn't need anything for the time being. After

exchanging a few looks, they decided to directly enter the free exchange

segment.

Of course, Emlyn was a special exception. He really wanted to make a

request to get someone to start a jailbreak to free him from the

basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral. Yes, to this day, he was still under

"protective custody" behind Chanis Gate at the Backlund headquarters of

the Church of Evernight. In his neighboring cell was Bishop Utravsky,

and during this period of time, no Nighthawk had come to interrogate

him.

If not for the people in charge of guarding the sealed area bringing

them water and food every day, Emlyn definitely would've believed that

he and Father Utravsky had already been forgotten.

*The dark, silent environment is still alright, but it's just a little

cold... But without dolls, newspapers, books, and historical documents,

this life is meaningless... Besides, the Nighthawks provide me with cow

blood, and it tastes nasty. The effects aren't too good either. I'm

already becoming weak...* Emlyn opened his mouth, but he didn't

say a word because he felt that this was a very embarrassing matter.

After all, he was the one who asked The Star and had pushed for

"protective custody." Yet, he ended up also being brought into

"protective custody."

*I hope that fellow hasn't forgotten me and is thinking of a way to get

me out...* Emlyn glanced at The Star Leonard and maintained his

silence.

Leonard maintained his posture and didn't respond to The Moon's gaze.

There was nothing he could do for the time being. This was because he

was the one who had raised the term "protective custody" in front of the

archbishop. As for Emlyn White, he was a vampire viscount, equivalent to

a Sequence 5 Beyonder. He was a mobile humanoid bomb that also believed

in the Earth Mother. There was no reason for him to be released

immediately.

*I can only wait for the Sanguine to protest through other channels

before I have the authority to handle this matter...* The Star

Leonard decided to apply for a private exchange later and get Emlyn to

think of a way to get the upper echelons of the Sanguine to contact the

Church of Evernight.

Their interaction had been noticed by Justice. She immediately thought

of the question Mr. Moon had asked her last time. She suspected that

something had gone wrong during the "protective custody" operation, but

it didn't seem too serious.

*I heard that the priest of the Harvest Church saved quite a number of

people during the Great Smog of Backlund. I hope nothing bad

happens...* Audrey nodded slightly and cast her gaze at Little

Sun.

The other members of the Tarot Club also cast their gaze towards The Sun

Derrick.

They knew that the City of Silver had planned on exploring the Giant

King's Court last week, so it was likely that the results were out.

The Sun Derrick sat up straight and glanced at Mr. Hanged Man before

saying in a very natural manner, "We've completed our first exploration

of the Giant King's Court. Three dead, one missing, five survivors... We

first arrived at the front door of the King's Court and saw two Silver

Knights in an unknown state standing guard there. This is the name of

the Giant pathway's Sequence 3..."