Restraining his thoughts, and looking at the angel of Concealment across him, Klein deliberated over his words.
"Is there a possibility that the ruins you saw was actually ‘imagined'?"
He didn't directly mention Adam or the Twilight Hermit Order, afraid that discussing such matters in Arianna's Concealment zone would still be heard by the Adam who wielded the Spectator pathway's Uniqueness and recently obtained 0-08.
As he was inside Arianna's world of Concealment, Klein believed that thinking of Adam and the Twilight Hermit Order wasn't likely to pose any problems, but it wasn't necessarily the case when saying it out loud. After all, Mr. Door could freely discuss Adam with Emperor Roselle back then, not only because of the Beyonder powers of a Secrets Sorcerer's Secret Keeping, but more so because "He" was also a King of Angels, a level not lower than Adam and Amon, perhaps even higher.
"Imagined..." Arianna repeated Klein's keyword softly as though "She' had figured out something
At "Her" level, "She" was no stranger to ancient history and the main characteristics of the twenty-two pathways.
Furthermore, "She" was also an angel that represented the authority of Concealment. She possessed the highest clearance in reading all the Church's confidential information.
A few seconds later, Arianna observed Dwayne Dantès who remained sitting there.
"Psychology Alchemists?"
From Qonas Kilgor's statement, it was obvious that the king's faction was working with the Psychology Alchemists. And this was an organization that had the Spectator pathway in its control.
Klein first nodded and then added, "Their higher-ups likely do not have the ability of turning imagination into a reality.
"In this world, there are only one to two people who have such authority."
Arianna nodded in thought.
"I understand.
"Now that the underground ruins are open to us, I will find a chance to verify it. If it's true, it means that one or several archbishops of the Church of Steam and Storms are working for ‘Him."
"She" didn't raise the possibility that the Church of Evernight's upper echelons were problematic, as the Goddess wielded the authority of Concealment. It was very difficult to keep such matters from "Her" for prolonged periods of time.
Klein couldn't help but ask in surprise, "The underground ruins will be left open to the three Churches?"
"Yes, if it truly is ‘imagined,' it means that their cooperation is on the brink of success and that they just need to delay things a little longer," Arianna simply explained her theory.
This is also what I'm thinking... The tide of the times is coming in a bid to drown out everything... Thankfully, I'm a lot more prepared than before. I now have a demigod-level marionette, and in certain areas, he's stronger than me. After all, he can use my Beyonder powers, while I can't use his... Since I can't digest the Bizarro Sorcerer potion anytime soon and seek my advancement, strengthening my marionette is also an effective measure to protect myself... I can also take note of the Sanguine's and Miss Sharron's plot against the Rose School of Thought... Klein's thoughts instantly turned clear.
He reined in his thoughts and casually asked, "Do all three Churches doubt Prince Grove's explanation?"
"They don't." Arianna frankly shook "Her" head. "Qonas Kilgor had mentioned Katarina."
But you don't have evidence. After all, they can explain that, after they split with the Demoness Sect, Katarina was sent to discuss things and attempt to make amends, but was cruelly rejected. During this process, as they knew each other's secrets, none of them took action at the meeting. It could then be explained that Qonas Kilgor, a demigod who wasn't privy to the matter, made the mistake that the cooperation effort was still in place...
And faced with an angel family, one that wields at least half the forces in the military, the three Churches won't immediately lose decorum with them unless there's evidence. Firstly, they aren't united, and they have to consider that if a civil war were to erupt, countries like Feynapotter, Intis, and Feynapotter, as well as the Churches of Eternal Blazing Sun, God of Combat, Earth Mother, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom might try to take advantage of the situation... Klein quickly came up with an analysis of the present situation.
He simply mentioned, "There were signs of Saintess of White Katarina appearing over at Viscount Stratford's side. I will try to find her."
Apart from that, Klein still wanted to find the dangerous Trissy and eliminate her, making up for his mistake of letting her go just because he wanted to use her.
Her value was clearly not as dangerous as her!
"I'll try to do so as well." Arianna indicated that "She' would investigate the clue regarding Katarina.
Hmm... I have to say that Ma'am Arianna's attitude when discussing matters with me is rather comforting. "She' doesn't exude that condescending attitude an angel or archbishop has. "She" completely treats me as an equal.. After hearing Arianna's words, Klein felt a baffling sense of poignancy.
He instead asked, "Has Hvin Rambis of the Psychology Alchemists been captured?"
This was one of the key figures mentioned in the information from Qonas Kilgor's testimony, one of the clues that exposed the machinations of the king's faction.
"He has gone missing," Arianna answered succinctly.
As expected... The possibility of a leak has increased again... Hvin Rambis has gone underground, but that doesn't mean that he can't contact Miss Justice and other members directly... When the time comes, heh, Miss Justice has already hated him for some time... The only problem is whether Adam will appear in Backlund and "imagine" fake ruins. If that were the case, attacking Hvin Rambis might mean a non-zero probability that he's being watched by this King of Angels. It might even be the case that "He" will sit beside Hvin Rambis without anyone knowing... The more Klein thought, the more of a headache he had.
It had to be said that in an era in which deities rarely descended upon the real world, the two brothers, Adam and Amon, were the limits to one's level and strength. They were synonymous with being terrifying, powerful, frightening, and formidable.
A King of Angels was an existence closest to that of a deity!
Compared to Amon, I'm more afraid of Adam. "He" might be sitting beside you, listening to you and watching you smile while "He" reads your most truthful thoughts, making you die in the most natural, logical, but baffling manner... At this thought, Klein couldn't help but look around, afraid that the simple priest with pure-looking eyes and beard would be holding a tray, standing beside the roasting rack as "He" waited for the food and watched him with a smile.
Without a doubt, Klein didn't discover anything.
Noticing his reaction, Arianna calmly added, "He' isn't here."
Phew, thankfully, there's the blessings of an angel of Concealment... Klein controlled his thoughts and nodded gently, "I will take note of Hvin Rambis's whereabouts."
Arianna nodded and said, "After this matter is over, you can attempt to pray to the Goddess for a bestowment."
That is to say that the Goddess is very satisfied with my performance up to now? When the time comes, "She" will bestow me with the Scholar of Yore potion formula? Klein roughly understood Arianna. He stood up and tapped his chest four times.
"Praise the Lady!"
Arianna also drew the crimson moon.
"Praise the Lady."
"Her" figure disappeared bit by bit as though she had been erased. Yet, the guests at the bonfire party didn't notice the arrival of the ascetic at all.
Klein sat down again and continued analyzing his situation from another angle.
Qonas Kilgor disappeared without any warning. From the evidence presented by Ma'am Arianna and the words "She" said, it implied that the MI9 deputy director is in "Her" hands. In other words, the assault on Qonas Kilgor is definitely related to the Church of Evernight.
Qonas Kilgor disappeared in Maygur Manor which belongs to Dwayne Dantès, and he is a believer of the Evernight Goddess...
From what the king's faction and the Psychology Alchemists know, Dwayne Dantès can likely be confirmed to be a secret informant of the Church of Evernight...
This way, my safety can be guaranteed, but I can't avoid being observed and monitored. I have to be careful... I have to think of a reason to add a new servant. I can't keep having Qonas Kilgor or Enuni hide in this manner. This will make it easier for a problem to be discovered. Or maybe I can make one marionette turn into human-skin clothes, fusing with the other marionette...
As he thought, Klein stood up and placed the glass of sweet white wine on the table beside him. He then turned to walk to the main building of the manor and entered one of the bathrooms.
He then took four steps counterclockwise and arrived above the gray fog. He summoned the Sea God Scepter and used the prayer point he marked as Enuni to observe every corner of Maygur Manor.
During this process, Klein's mind was somewhat tense, worried that he would see a priest wearing simple clothes while having a beard and golden eyes.
Of course, compared to seeing this priest, he was more afraid of the priest looking up and smiling back at him, raising the cup of wine in his hand.
Fortunately, after a series of inspections, he confirmed that there was nothing unusual with Maygur Manor.
Klein heaved a sigh of relief and retracted his spirituality. He then cast his gaze at the bronze cross on the long mottled table.
This was an item that The Magician and Judgment had recently sacrificed. They said that it was to thank Mr. Fool for "His" blessings, and hoped to please this existence.
It doesn't look like its level is low... Klein picked up the spiky cross and used divination to quickly figure out the mystical item's Beyonder powers and negative effects.
Both of them were one and the same.
The bronze cross could cleanse powers of degeneration, corruption, corrosion, darkness, evil, ailments, and other domains, quickly causing them to dissipate until nothing was left.
Due to this reason, this mystical item could also clear the mental corruption of Beyonder characteristics.
And it was precisely because of this potent purification that the bronze cross couldn't coexist with other mystical items or be in contact with other Beyonder characteristics. It couldn't exist on the same person. Furthermore, it also repelled the wielder's Beyonder characteristic, albeit not in a manner that was as obvious. Over the passage of time, it would slowly cause a Beyonder's characteristic to seep out!
This also meant that if one were to carry or wear the bronze cross for more than an hour, the Beyonder's Sequence would drop by at least one Sequence. Beyond three hours, non-demigods would definitely be reduced to an ordinary person. Exceeding six hours, Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 saints would also lose their Beyonder powers. It was almost ineffective against angels because "They" had the ability to shatter Beyonder characteristics. "They" had extremely strong control over "Their" source of power.
It can be used to retrieve the characteristics of Beyonders who failed to advance without dying or from those who lost control... This cross's powers resemble the Sun pathway's Unshadowed... Klein nodded thoughtfully.
