Chapter 992: Arrodes's Congratulations

"You are?" Klein asked in a rather complicated state of calmness.

The lady in a simple robe nodded and said, "Arianna, Servant of

Concealment."

Servant of Concealment... Arianna... Klein's eyes constricted, as he

knew who the lady was.

As a former Nighthawk, how could he not be aware of the name "Arianna"?

She was the Evernight Cloister's matron, head of the thirteen

archbishops, a likely candidate for the future Pope. Regardless of which

identity she had, she was part of the general knowledge that couldn't be

avoided in religious studies and mysticism!

As for the name, Servant of Concealment, Klein had read about it in

Emperor Roselle's diary. Considering the similar name of Attendant of

Mysteries, he suspected that this pointed to an angel. Meanwhile, based

on the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Conservation, with a Sequence o

in existence, it meant that Attendant of Mysteries couldn't be a

Sequence 1 angel. Therefore, Klein believed that the Servant of

Concealment was likely Sequence 2 of the Evernight pathway.

This... It isn't that the Goddess didn't reply, but that she used a very

special way to respond... "She" directly sent her servant over... Klein

felt mixed emotions that could hardly be described.

He fell silent for a few seconds before giving a solemn bow.

"Good afternoon, Your Eminence."

In the various Churches, if a demigod at the angel level walked the

land, there was a need to address them as "Your Eminence" as a show of

respect. Likewise, towards the pontiff, pope, and chief

shepherd-representatives of the deities-one had to use "Your Holiness."

In addition, a Church's head was synonymous with the Holy See or

Apostolic See. Of course, many a time, the Holy See could also represent

the Church's headquarters itself.

Arianna tapped her chest four times in a clockwise fashion and replied

in a pious manner, "May the Goddess bless you."

She then said, "I'm an ascetic. You can just call me Ma'am."

"Yes, Ma'am Arianna." Klein didn't insist.

Arianna looked at him calmly for two seconds and directly asked, "You

plan to deal with Blasphemer Amon's avatars in Backlund?"

"Yes, I wish to obtain the blessings of Concealment," Klein frankly

replied.

At this moment, he felt a little stumped because this was different from

what he expected.

He originally expected the Goddess to answer by blessing him. Then, he

and Pallez Zoroast could join forces to wipe out all of Amon's avatars

in Backlund. During this process, it wouldn't expose Leonard or the

Marauder pathway angel. But now, with the blessings becoming something

corporeal that would be involved in the battle, Pallez Zoroast would be

immediately be discovered once "He" took action. When that happened, it

was hard to predict what would ensue!

Don't tell me I don't need to ally with Pallez Zoroast? I'll only get

"Him" to provide intel and then split some of the spoils of war? Klein's

thoughts rapidly ran through his mind as Arianna spoke unhurriedly:

"I can provide the power of Concealment to shield everything that

happens from the prying of fate. However, I cannot guarantee that I can

eliminate all of Amon's avatars in Backlund."

Pallez Zoroast said that "He" has the means of doing so... The person

who understands Amon the best is indeed a Sequence 1 of the same

pathway... Klein thought and said, "Ma'am Arianna, I have already come

up with a well-thought-out plan. All you need is to provide the power of

Concealment. You do not need to be involved in the actual battle. Leave

the rest to me."

Arianna nodded and raised her right arm as she spread her palm.

Points of light lit up, profound and resplendent as they quickly

outlined an emblem in her palm.

This emblem was completely crystallized, as though it was made of

obsidian. It made one realize its existence when looking at it, but it

appeared to vanish when not looking at it.

"This is my Evernight coat of arms. It doesn't possess any

characteristics or power by itself. The only use is that, when

triggered, it will establish a connection with me, regardless of where

you are in the real world," Arianna explained simply. "Before you begin

your operation, remember to use it. I will provide you with the power of

Concealment. If you need more direct assistance, use ancient Hermes to

chant 'Arianna' when triggering it." This is equivalent to an itemized

altar and ritual that points to her... Oh, at the level of angel, the

range of responding to prayers has extended to the entire world? Klein

instantly grasped the true nature of the Evernight coat of arms.

As a Bizarro Sorcerer, he did not have the means to reply to prayers.

This was a trait that could be obtained only at Sequence 3. Of course,

as Sea God and The Fool, he was very well-versed in such matters.

Klein didn't stand on ceremony as he accepted it and bowed sincerely.

"Thank you."

After saying that, he tapped four spots in a clockwise manner on his

chest, forming the sign of the crimson moon.

"Praise the Lady!"

This way, he could still join forces with Pallez Zoroast. As long as he

triggered the Evernight coat of arms without using ancient Hermes to

chant Arianna's name, everything would be fine.

"Praise the Lady," Arianna replied piously.

Her figure then vanished as though she had been erased by an eraser.

This is a departure by entering a concealed state? Klein pursed his lips

in thought.

Meanwhile, he was filled with suspicion over Arianna's swift arrival.

After all, the Evernight pathway wasn't well-versed in methods such as

teleport. To go from Winter County all the way to Backlund required a

significant amount of time.

My ritual isn't the kind that prays for a direct descent... Could it be

that Ma'am Arianna happened to be in the vicinity, in the Backlund

diocese? Isn't that too much a coincidence? If it isn't one, it only

serves to exacerbate the problem. What is "She" doing in Backlund? The

undercurrents are stirring... Klein retracted his gaze and patiently

waited a while before turning back into Dwayne Dantès.

He found a pen and some paper once again and drew the symbol that was a

mixture of concealment and mystery prying.

When the final stroke was written, the full-body mirror in the master

bedroom produced a dark but pure light, as though a silent undercurrent

was surging out from the bottom of a lake.

Right on the heels of that, fireworks appeared, bursting in the sky.

Colors of gold, silver, red, and blue exploded as words formed in the

mirror:

"Welcome back, Great Master!

"Your humble servant, Arrodes, has witnessed the retrieval of a portion

of your authority. I'm thrilled that you are gradually recovering your

aura. You will eventually return to your supreme position and make the

entire world turn silent under your watch!"

This is really... passionate... There's always something new... Klein

nodded in silence.

Amidst the fireworks, those words dissipated and formed into a new

sentence:

"Great Master, what instructions do you have for me?"

"I have a question," Klein said calmly. "In a place where being in

darkness can result in danger, how should one create a safe but pure

darkness? There are two kinds of dangers involved. One, it will make a

person directly vanish in the darkness, and two, it will cause strange

monsters to appear and attack."

The fireworks in the full-body mirror calmed down as aqueous light

rippled. Silver words surfaced one after another:

"Great Master, are you referring to the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"

This magic mirror actually knows quite a lot. He also gave me a free

question in passing... Klein nodded and said, "That's right."

Without any breaks in between, Arrodes's full-body mirror produced new

lines of Loenese text:

"The formation of the Forsaken Land of the Gods is related to the second

Creator's fall. The danger of night there stems from the transformation

of two essential powers.

"First, it's the remnants of the Evernight Goddess's divine powers.

Second, it's the influence left behind by the Creator. "He" wielded

partial authority over shadows, darkness, fallen, corruption, and

mutation. The former makes creatures vanish into thin air, while the

latter produced monsters in the darkness.

So the two types of dangers stem from different powers. It's no wonder

that there's such huge differences... Arrodes called the ancient sun god

the second Creator... This is very close to my theory... Amon's and

Adam's father isn't the reawakening of the original Creator, but a

transmigrator who inherited a huge "inheritance"? Klein asked in

thought, "In that case, the Evernight Goddess was involved in the fall

of the second Creator?"

This was something Klein had vaguely expected. This was from the trait

of humans evaporating in the darkness of the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

It was very similar to the strange disappearances if one didn't sleep at

night in the ruins of the battle of the gods. And based on Little Sun's

description, King of Demonic Wolves, Flegrea, who wielded control over

the Evernight and Concealment authorities, had long perished in the

Second Epoch. It was impossible that "He" had done it.

Therefore, unless there was another deity of the Evernight pathway born

in the middle, it was difficult for the two abnormalities to not have

the Evernight Goddess involved.

On the surface of the mirror, the silver light rapidly converged forming

a short sentence:

"That's right."

That's right... Klein was just about to press on when he immediately

shut up. He had just recalled one of his identities---Blessed of the

Evernight. Therefore, even without anyone watching him, he had to show

respect to the deity and not seek out relevant secrets. Of course, time

in the mysterious space above the gray fog was excluded.

He was just about to focus on the main question from before to urge

Arrodes to list out solutions when he saw the silver words in the

full-body mirror change:

"Great Master, your loyal servant, Arrodes, wishes a small favor from

you. C-can we not discuss matters regarding the Evernight Goddess?"

At the end of the question, a simple stick figure was drawn.

Just as I wished... Klein deliberately pondered for two seconds and

said, "Okay."

The silver swirls on the surface of the mirror immediately turned brisk

as words began taking form:

"As for the question you asked, there are two solutions:

"One is to accept the corruption and let oneself transform into monsters

of the darkness. The reason why these creatures do not vanish into thin

air during the night is because they have received the protection of the

'Fallen' authority. This way, all the darkness is equivalent to safety.

"The second is to create a darkness that comes with the dream world.

This will allow the Spirit Body to receive the protection of the dream;

thus, slowing down the encroachment of danger at night."