Klein felt no surprise at Patrick Breen's response. He nodded lightly and said:
“Which life is this for you?”
As far as he knew, the “Undying” died and resurrected once every sixty years, forgetting most of his past memories in the process, needing to slowly recover them afterwards, like starting a new life.
This was knowledge inherent to the potion. Patrick Breen easily understood the meaning of the Blessed opposite him. After pondering his words, he said:
“I’m not yet fifty. I became an ‘Undying’ less than ten years ago.”
Klein pressed on:
“When did you convert to my Lord?”
Here, “Lord” referred to the Lord of the Underworld.
Breen recalled for a couple of seconds and said:
“It was right after my thirtieth birthday.”
Entering the mystical world at thirty, embarking on the Beyonder path, and becoming a Sequence 4 demigod before forty… That speed either indicated astonishing talent or strongly suggested he was a Blessed… Hah, as expected, during that ritual, his spirit and body were both influenced by the “Uniqueness” of the Death pathway… Klein mused as he listened, his earlier guesses further confirmed.
Of course, compared to his own rise from ordinary person to Sequence 4 demigod in just one year, Patrick Breen’s advancement speed was hardly worth mentioning.
Still, Klein didn’t feel the need to marvel at this, because he truly was a “Blessed” and also had external advantages—more than one.
The only question was whether the rewards he’d obtained for those gifts had been sufficient.
After a moment of thought, Klein changed the topic:
“What is your public identity now?”
“I’m a merchant. I run two clothing factories in Backlund, outwardly worship the Goddess of the Night, and support the New Party…” Patrick Breen introduced himself.
Klein nearly let out a laugh and continued asking:
“How many members of the Church of the Dead do you have under you, and what are they doing?”
Breen answered fluently, as if prepared:
“Two groups, twelve Beyonders. Some work in my clothing factories, some in a watchmaker’s shop; all have formal jobs.
“Generally, they cautiously spread the faith of the God around them. The progress is slow and that’s not the main goal; the total number of believers hasn’t exceeded a hundred.
“Most of the time, they gather clues about the various things the God left behind, as well as the different materials needed for the awakening ritual.
“When there are clues, we take corresponding actions. Once the materials are complete, we experiment with different awakening rituals to find the most effective one. I am the leader of the actions and the core element of the ritual.”
He sounded quite proud… Klein asked a few more questions and got detailed answers.
Finally, after thinking for a while, he said with a serious expression:
“Following God’s decree, from now on, you will follow my orders.”
Patrick Breen immediately stood up and bowed solemnly:
“Yes, Blessed Lord.”
Klein nodded slightly:
“First, stop all rituals and stop collecting materials. The God has initially awakened and is in a phase of recovery. We cannot let noisy ‘sounds’ disturb Him.”
In Klein’s view, the awakening rituals of Breen and his people, regardless of how their form might change, ultimately pointed to the artificial Death, that is, the “Uniqueness” of the Death pathway. This would deepen its activation and hinder the Goddess’s further mastery.
And whether Klein welcomed such a situation or not, since the Goddess of the Night had sent Breen to him, he had to make such arrangements.
Patrick Breen had no doubt about his words, because the “Death” had indeed awakened, and the very essence of “awakening” was “disturbance”.
The “Undying” pondered for a moment and took the initiative to ask:
“Blessed Lord, what do we need to do next?”
Klein smiled approvingly:
“Continue to seek clues to the things the God left behind. This will help Him recover more quickly.”
Klein had been about to bring up the second requirement, but worried that there might be too few such clues, leaving the members of the Church of the Dead with nothing to do and causing other problems, so he added:
“Additionally, you and your subordinates should broadly promote literacy and reading activities in the clothing factories and other areas where you operate. Set up night schools or study classes to help those around you cast off ignorance and savagery.”
To strengthen his persuasiveness, Klein placed his right hand on his chest and began to preach with profound devotion:
“God said, you must understand what you believe to be able to believe.
“God said, to the lost, first strengthen his body and arm his mind, for the kingdom He promises has no barbarism or ignorance.”
Patrick Breen did not question Dwayne Dantès’s words, nor did he find it strange that these two sayings were not recorded in the Church of the Dead’s holy book, because the other party was a Blessed of the deity, the appointed agent of the deity.