"Fallen Creator"? The Sun Derrick immediately frowned.
The residents of the City of Silver had always believed in "The Lord who created all, the omniscient and omnipotent God." Upon hearing a similar title prefixed with the word "Fallen," it was inevitable that they would feel instinctive rejection and discomfort.
"Fallen Creator"... That's how Mr. "Fool" refers to the "True Creator"... So this evil god has another form... But why are his statues and temples appearing within the City of Silver's exploration range? That place is suspected to be the God-forsaken Land! Or, perhaps, before it was abandoned by the gods, the "True Creator" was already worshiped there... Could the Sanctuary that the Aurora Order has always claimed actually be in the God-forsaken Land? "The Hanged Man" Alger thought of many things, yet couldn't make a definite judgment. The history before the Cataclysm had long since turned into myths and legends. It couldn't simply be described as being shrouded in mist.
He pondered for two seconds, then deliberately said:
"We have another name for the 'Fallen Creator', the 'True Creator'."
"The forces that believe in Him control a Beyonder pathway: the 'Secret Supplicant', 'Listener', and 'Hermit', followed by the 'Shepherd' you mentioned."
"Shepherd"? The silently listening "Sun" Derrick suddenly sat bolt upright, his eyes filled with shock and horror.
He was not unfamiliar with the Beyonder pathway "The Hanged Man" had mentioned. It was just that for some Sequences, the City of Silver used similar words, such as "Whisperer" and "Listener."
So that bizarre and evil statue represented the "Secret Supplicant" pathway... Elder Lovia was already a "Shepherd"... She had been acting more and more wrong... Derrick suddenly became worried about the newly promoted elder of the Six-member Council. He worried about the safety of the City of Silver.
In past explorations of the surrounding areas, the City of Silver had discovered several completely destroyed cities. In those places, only a few words carved on the back of broken stone fragments proved that such a civilization once existed.
Those words were all variants of the Dragon language, Giant language, and Elf language. The vast majority of them repeatedly described a single existence.
That existence was called:
"Evil God"!
The residents of the City of Silver who had participated in the operations all guessed that those city-states were destroyed by an evil god. So, upon discovering that the pathway to which Elder Lovia belonged was suspected to be controlled by an evil god, how could "The Sun" Derrick not be shocked, not worried, not terrified?
He returned to his reticent state, greatly disappointing "Justice" Audrey, who had been waiting to hear more stories about the City of Silver.
—After so many gatherings, and the matter of purchasing dragon intelligence last time, her interest in the City of Silver was growing stronger and stronger.
His reaction was a bit different from what I'd imagined... "The Hanged Man" Alger calmly observed for a while but gained no additional insight.
For a moment, he couldn't find a better entry point for the topic. And if he asked directly, he suspected that "The Sun" would demand payment, and for him, burdened with a debt for two Beyonder materials, it was no simple matter.
Just at that moment, they all heard the sound of the table being lightly tapped.
Klein, within the thick gray fog, concealed his weariness and chuckled softly:
"Let's end this gathering here."
"Your will is our wish." "Justice" Audrey immediately stood up, lifting her skirt in a curtsy. "The Hanged Man", "The Sun", and "The World" subsequently answered in similar language.
Klein waved his hand, severing the connection, and quietly watched as the blurry figures of Miss "Justice" and the others dissolved into light.
Next, he made his alternate persona "The World" instantly disappear, while he himself picked up the small emblem obtained from Lanevus to study it.
"Hold this item to join." Klein recited the words on the back of the emblem, but found that the item in his hand did not change in the slightest.
He pondered for a moment, then cautiously infused his spirituality into it.
A layer of hazy, faint light bloomed, quickly condensing into a beam of light that shot outward, beyond the gray fog.
However, it was reflected back by the boundless gray fog.
The beam of light abruptly scattered, transforming into an illusory parchment the size of a palm. Written on it was a line in Ancient Feysac:
"8 PM, January 4th, 1350, Bablur River Valley."
A simple communication device in the field of the occult? Transmit a message, request synchronization, and obtain the latest meeting time and place? Klein recalled the scene he had just witnessed and made a preliminary judgment on the emblem's function.
"1350... that's next year... The Bablur River Valley is located in the area before the Tussok River enters Backlund... The time is very specific, but the location is too vague. It's a river valley spanning nearly a hundred kilometers... Maybe, once I'm there, this emblem can be used as a positioning tool..." Klein turned the emblem over in his hand with great interest, trying to study the corresponding symbols, incantations, and markings to see if he could replicate one himself.
Unfortunately, since he had left the Nighthawks team, his knowledge of the occult was still at its original level. He hadn't yet had the opportunity for further study.
So, after studying it for a few minutes, he could only helplessly give up.