After hearing the High Priest's reply, Klein held his lantern and walked twenty to thirty steps to the right, parallel to the grayish-white fog.
Then, he half-closed his eyes as though he was sensing something. This made the Moon City Beyonders behind him not dare to make a sound, afraid of disturbing the oracle.
After four to five seconds, Klein stretched out his right hand and slowly grabbed the air ahead.
An altar made of stone dropped into the real world. On it were three candles made of oil and seven to eight spiritual materials.
As a Sequence 4 demigod, Nim was taken aback. He found it difficult to believe his eyes.
Previously, he had seen Gehrman Sparrow take out his cane to treat his companion. He had only believed that Gehrman Sparrow possessed the powers of space or had received the favor of Mr. Fool. But now, his judgment had been completely overturned. This was because he found the altar, the few candles, and the spiritual materials very familiar.
They were all used by him once!
He actually managed to create something that I've used before? Is this a power that comes from history, a power that comes from time? Nim recalled the content of the remnant tomes in Moon City, and his understanding of demigods as he came to a preliminary guess.
At that moment, Klein turned around and looked at the High Priest.
"You may begin."
Nim quietly drew a deep breath. Under the watchful eyes of the likes of the A'dal, Xin, and Rus, he walked to the altar and created a wall of spirituality.
After taking a look at the symbols, labels, and patterns engraved on the altar and confirming that there were no problems, he followed the process that had been engraved into his memories, and he began the ritual with great familiarity.
In the end, he bowed his head and chanted in a low voice:
"The Eternally Imperturbable Fog;
"A Barrier frozen in Space-Time;
"The Existence that contains Everything..."
Before the prayer ended, Klein had already placed his attention on the grayish-white fog, hoping to hear sounds coming from deep within.
For this, he had secretly controlled the large number of monster marionettes that walked in the surrounding darkness to separate. He spaced them out at a certain distance, hoping that he wouldn't miss any suspicious traces.
However, he didn't notice anything unusual until the ritual was completed.
After waiting for a while more, Klein cast his gaze at the High Priest of Moon City, Nim, and said calmly, "One more time."
...
Backlund, Empress Borough, in the Hall family's study.
After receiving permission, Audrey pushed open the door and walked in. Her father, Earl Hall, and her brother, Hibbert, were discussing some matters.
"Oh, baby, you don't look too well?" Earl Hall cast his gaze towards the door.
Audrey didn't act as she forced a smile and said, "There's a huge lack of food at the Poverty Relief Foundation. I would like to collect more. I visited many nobles today, but they told me that there's no more food left. It's the same even if I offered to buy it with gold pounds."
When these words were said, the nobles were either in a parlor or at a spot specially used for high tea. In front of them were high-quality black tea and many exquisite desserts. From time to time, they would invite Audrey to evaluate their dessert chef's culinary skills.
Their servants had rosy cheeks, and they took very light footsteps. They didn't make a sound to prevent disturbing their guests.
"The current situation..." Earl Hall sighed when he heard that.
Audrey thought for a moment and said seriously, "Father, I remember that there should be quite a lot of food at home. Can I buy some of that with money?"
"Audrey, you've already done too much. There's no need for you to do more," Hibbert Hall said with a frown. As for Audrey, she only looked at her father and didn't respond to her elder brother's words.
Earl Hall's expression that had relaxed after seeing his daughter became serious again.
"Audrey, the prerequisite for charity is not to affect your and your family's life. This is a principle I wish for you to remember."
Audrey, who was wearing a long, golden-white dress, relaxed her eyebrows and said sincerely, "Father, the amount of food we have stored at home is enough to last everyone in this house for an entire year, or even more. Besides, there's also a lot of food over in East Chester County."
As Winter County hadn't completely fallen, the Feysac army that had invaded Midseashire didn't attack East Chester County. As for the Feysac, Intis, and Feynapotter fleet, they were suppressed by the few ironclad warship fleets of Loen. They could only barely deal with the situation and protect the supply line at sea.
Seeing his daughter's emerald-green eyes for a few seconds, he suddenly sighed and smiled.
"Audrey, you have really grown up. You have your own ideas and pretty commendable determination.
"However, we don't know how long this war will last. We don't know what the outcome will be. We have to leave a lot of food to deal with this.
"I can accept us having two less delicacies for every meal to help those who are in trouble, but I don't want my dining table to become like what the newspaper says about the middle class. This will completely make us lose our dignity as nobles. This is something that we abide with every generation.
"Do you understand what I mean? I was just making an analogy. The essence of this is that I value the continuation and the future of the family line more. I value our status and standing. Only when it doesn't affect them will I express my love and kindness.
"Audrey, what I said may be cruel, but you have already grown up. It's time to hear this. Everyone is selfish, but at varying levels. In my heart, the entire Hall family is more important than me and your mother, yourself, Hibbert, and Alfred. Apart from these, it will first be faith and good friends. Next, it's people we are acquainted with. Finally, it would be all of Backlund, those who are in need of help.
"If it doesn't affect the ones first listed, I don't mind helping them. Unfortunately, I have to consider even more things now."
At this point, Earl Hall shook his head in a self-deprecating manner.
"I'm sorry to let you know that your father is such a selfish person."
As Audrey listened to her father's words, her expression changed slightly at first, but then it disappeared. Until the end, there were no additional emotions.
At that moment, she was silent for a moment before asking again, "...But we've already obtained a lot more than what we need. Can't we even share a portion of it?"
Hibbert Hall interrupted angrily, "Why are you giving away the things we painstakingly obtained to others?
"This is produced from our land, farmland, and forests. This is what we bought with money. And these funds and assets were passed down the family. It was earned by Father's acumen and powerful charisma. It was accumulated over generations.
"By doing charity to help others, it's an additional display of love, not something that we have to do, do you understand?"
Earl Hall nodded.
"What Hibbert said is generally right. I share his thoughts as well."
Audrey pursed her lips and slowly nodded.
"I understand..."
Earl Hall retracted his gaze and said to Hibbert, "We have to keep the food stored properly. If the outcome of the war cannot be reversed, try contacting the fellows from Intis and show them some of our sincerity.
"The battle has been going on for so long. Quite a number of people have died as well. Many fields have been abandoned, and the prices in the cities have soared. There must be a very high demand for food, cattle, and land. In addition, I have shares in the Intis Suchit Bank, as well as the shares in the Varvat Bank and Backlund Bank. I should be able to bribe them. Heh heh, in such times, only by satisfying these aspects can we talk about familial relationships."
Intis and Loen often had marriage alliances. Many nobles were relatives, especially the believers of the God of Steam.
"Father, are you considering surrendering?" Hibbert asked in surprise.
Earl Hall nodded slightly and sighed again.
"How can I not consider it in light of the current situation?
"When the time comes, you will be the new Earl Hall."
Hibbert's heart palpitated when he heard that, but he was also puzzled.
"What about you, Father?"
Earl Hall replied with a bitter smile, "Both your mother and I are devout believers. We have a certain status in the Church. When Loen falls and the Church is destroyed, the outcome will not be good if we're still unwilling to step down."
At this point, he comforted his eldest son.
"As long as the Hall family is still around and the aristocratic title is still there, we won't lose much of our core assets. We won't be in such a miserable state for our advanced years. Remember to prepare a secret prayer room for us at home after you convert your faith to the God of Steam."
As the two of them conversed, Audrey, who was wearing a long, golden-white dress, watched quietly from the door. She was listening quietly, her green eyes shimmering like gems.
...
After repeated attempts, the projection of the altar vanished. The High Priest of Moon City, Nim, said to Gehrman Sparrow, who was holding the strange lantern, in deliberation, "It looks like it won't work today. We can try it tomorrow. It won't last more than two months."
At that moment, all Klein could think of was another question:
Could it be that the ritual was unsuccessful since it appears too perfunctory using Historical Void projections?
He reflected on himself deeply and decided to listen to the High Priest. They could try again tomorrow. When the time came, he would definitely get him to bring the real materials.
He was about to nod when he heard a faint voice.
The voice sounded from deep within the grayish-white fog. It was layered and indistinct.
It's effective? This ritual really does have an effect, but the delay is too great... Klein was delighted as he immediately raised his right hand and pressed down slightly, gesturing for the Beyonders of Moon City to be silent.
He immediately held his breath and focused on listening.
The voice that echoed within the grayish-white fog seemed to come from many different sources. They intertwined with each other, occasionally overlapping with each other in destructive interference and creating a resonance when in constructive interference.
Gradually, the voice became clearer in Klein's ears, especially when it resonated.
It seemed to be a language he was familiar with. It seemed like countless people were chanting a name together.
The name was:
"The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings."
