Southern Continent, East Balam, in a room beside a cathedral of the Goddess of Night, Leonard's consciousness returned to the real world.
He silently sat for a few seconds, then picked up his coffee, which had already cooled considerably, and took a light sip.
The bitter taste immediately filled his mouth, gradually clearing his mind.
«Old man, what exactly happened today?» Finally, unable to contain himself, Leonard took the initiative to ask.
After a moment of silence,
«Error»... Leonard almost didn't react in time to which entity the old man was referring to.
The next second, barely able to conceal his astonishment, he asked, almost forgetting to lower his voice: «
This was a true god in the standard sense!
«Mm.» Pallez Zoroast's voice seemed even older than before. «To be precise, Amon's main body has fallen.»
Leonard had no mind to parse the subtle implications of the old man's words and spoke incredulously: «How, how could there be no signs at all?»
Back then, he had personally witnessed the anomalies around the fall of the
Yet just now, the only two anomalies were: the doors and windows suddenly shutting tight; and himself seeming to forget something.
The latter is actually something most people experience in daily life, nothing worth being surprised about.
Pallez Zoroast's tone became low: «He likely fell within the Sefirah Castle.»
Within the Sefirah Castle? Leonard was startled.
The place where he had just attended the gathering was inside the Sefirah Castle!
Had a divine war just broken out there? Had Amon invaded the Sefirah Castle? As Leonard's thoughts churned, his expression gradually grew solemn: «Old man, was Mr. Fool injured by this and forced to go into slumber?»
«He's going into slumber?» Pallez Zoroast asked back.
He didn't seem too surprised by this.
Leonard hummed in affirmation: «He convened us urgently today precisely for this matter.»
Pallez Zoroast was silent for a few seconds before saying: «His choice of slumber is indeed related to the previous divine war and Amon's infiltration, but not because of injury, but because of corruption.»
«Corruption?» Leonard blurted out in surprise.
At Mr. Fool's level, could he still suffer corruption that's difficult to expel?
Pallez Zoroast returned to his previous emotional tone: «Everything has divinity. Those who rely on divinity to become stronger can never escape the bonds of divinity.
«In this regard, it's the same for you, for me, and for Mr. Fool. Hah, perhaps I should no longer call Him 'Mr. Fool.' He is now equal to half of the '
«Lord of the Mysteries»... Leonard indeed understood the issue of spiritual imprints within Beyonder characteristics better than demigods of his same level, but when it came to knowledge that might involve higher levels and could bring corruption just by knowing it, he still had many gaps. Even though he had heard the term 'Lord of the Mysteries' from the old man before, he still didn't understand what it actually represented.
However, he could now determine from Mr. Fool's words at the gathering and the old man's remarks that Mr. Fool's rank had already surpassed Sequence 0 and his strength was enough to kill a true god.
Leonard wisely didn't press further and changed the subject in a low voice: «Old man, why is Klein also going into slumber?
«Do you have any way to wake him up quickly?»
Pallez Zoroast's tone turned somewhat strange: «How could I, an old and weak angel, know about matters on the level of gods?
«As for waking him, even Mr. Fool has no better way, let alone me?»
Leonard fell silent for a moment, picked up his coffee cup, and took another sip.
After a while, he hesitated and asked: «Old man, is there a way for you to 'steal' someone else's talent?»
Pallez Zoroast let out a derisive laugh: «The word 'talent' is vaguely defined and not clearly categorized, so it can't be 'stolen.' «However, if you change it to 'aptitude,' then there is a way.»
«... Forget it.» In the end, Leonard couldn't bring himself to do something as 'stealing' someone else's aptitude to solve his own problems.
Pallez Zoroast added with a smile: «If you can't accept this method, you could find a person who has the desired aptitude but is very poor, and make a deal with them, giving them the money they desperately want in exchange for their aptitude.»
«That sounds a bit like a demon...» Leonard commented judiciously.
Pallez Zoroast chuckled: «There's an even simpler method: hire a talented person with money to help you solve the corresponding difficulties.»
«... Old man, why didn't you say so earlier?» Leonard suddenly saw a glimmer of hope.
Pallez Zoroast gave a dry laugh: «Didn't you think of something so simple?
«I thought you had already ruled out this option before coming to ask me.»
Leonard ignored the old man's mockery, thought seriously, and decided that this method was indeed feasible.
However, he soon felt a bit of guilt and unease, as if he was shirking responsibility.