Watching the black cat jump out of the window, Trissy immediately resumed her makeup, though her mind was dwelling on the information the cat had revealed.
'An Oracle of the Aurora Order... should correspond to one of the two Sequence 5s he mentioned. Since it's the Aurora Order, the thing they're looking for should be that "divinity," or at least something related to it. Is it the divinity of the True Creator?'
With this thought, some mystical knowledge granted by the Witch potion surfaced in Trissy's mind. Understanding that divinity could be used to arrange a ritual for a True God's descent, she finally understood why Tingen had become like this.
But...
'Shouldn't Backlund have sent elite Beyonders at a time like this? Or does this involve a game between deities?'
Trissy somewhat regretted not asking all of the thousand-pound questions. But her reason told her that the more she asked, the deeper she would sink. For now, she at least knew that Tingen's martial law was targeted at a specific person, rather than what Emperor Roselle would call a "crackdown."
In that case, as long as she was careful not to expose her Beyonder abilities and maintained her anti-divination, she shouldn't need to worry too much.
"As long as they aren't here specifically for me..."
Trissy began to construct a plan, thinking of how to reasonably and safely reveal the news of that old Mystery Pryer being polluted by the Hidden Sage. Meanwhile, Snow was controlling Lily's body as he walked through the streets, pondering his next move.
Snow had no relationship with Old Neil. If there was anything, it was merely the sympathy a former 'curly-haired baboon' [reader] felt for a character from the original work.
As a "poor soul" who had transmigrated into this world, Snow naturally wouldn't place himself in danger purely for the sake of sympathizing with an original character. The reason he made such a choice during such a sensitive period was twofold: first, to muddy the waters even further, and second, to sink Trissy deeper into the muck. As for saving Old Neil, that was merely a byproduct.
He would only help others if it didn't involve himself, and he would only seek profit if it didn't harm others--well, villains were not included in the "do no harm" category.
"Do not pluck a single hair, do not take a single grain; preserve the true nature and do not be burdened by external things. Hmm, maybe I can form an organization called 'Universal Nature'?" Snow made a mental joke, then bypassed an alley and ducked into Tingen's none-too-spacious sewers.
Snow smelled the air in the sewer and unexpectedly found it wasn't as nauseating as he had imagined. It wasn't because Tingen's sewers were clean, but because he was currently using Lily's body.
The sense of smell in animals is different from humans. Just as dogs are crazily obsessed with the smell of sweaty feet, a cat's concept of "stink" is also different from that of a human.
After nimbly crawling through several narrow passages that an ordinary human body could never pass, Snow successfully arrived at a space that was not very spacious.
"Respected Mr. A, it is I." To avoid drawing the "owner's" hostility, Snow spoke softly outside the passage.
"Tell me." Mr. A's voice remained pleasant. Snow followed suit and entered the passage, seeing Mr. A, who remained elegant despite being in a sewer. "Is there something?" Relying on the power of the [Devil] he had grazed, Mr. A confirmed the newcomer had no malicious intent and was not being followed. Only then did he relax, scrutinizing this black cat before him. "I've found some clues." Snow spoke calmly, looking into Mr. A's eyes.
"Tell me." Mr. A, who had already confirmed there was a mid-to-high-sequence Beyonder involved behind the scenes, didn't think Snow could have found much. However, he didn't want to discourage this devout believer he viewed highly, so he asked amiably, "I've discovered that during the period the Son of God was being gestated, a large number of coincidences occurred surrounding Hanass Vincent--or rather, surrounding the notebook he sold. This includes the gestation of the Son of God within a mortal woman."
"Oh?" Mr. A's originally indifferent expression changed slightly. He realized he might have underestimated this newcomer who had only joined for less than two months.
"Though my knowledge is limited and I do not know what kind of ability this is, I've found that the main range of these coincidences is essentially within the responsibility of the Nighthawk pagans."
Snow spoke in a conjectural tone, and Mr. A gradually got a general idea. He nodded slightly, "Continue."
"Though I do not know what the opponent intends to obtain, if everything is within their calculation, then their target is likely within the Evernight Church itself. When they strike, they will surely find a way to draw away those who could pose a threat."
Snow fell silent at this point, because the subsequent words were not something a believer should say.
But Mr. A clearly understood his meaning. Wasn't he and the Son of God the ones being used to draw away the official Beyonders?
If considered from this angle, then the opponent was currently draining the official Beyonders' energy. Conversely, once the authorities reached their limit, the opponent would likely throw the Son of God out to attract them, using the opportunity to complete their scheme.
Therefore, as long as he kept a close watch on the Evernight Church, he should be able to find the Son of God's whereabouts immediately--and simultaneously determine the identity of this mastermind.
He wasn't worried about being unable to escape, because he had previously recorded the ability [Travel] from Mr. X.
"Your intelligence is very valuable. Is there anything else?" Mr. A planned his next moves in his mind and then looked back at the black cat.
Though he had thought it many times, Mr. A truly found Snow, this newcomer, increasingly pleasing to his eyes.
"Well... I'd like to apply to return to Backlund." The black cat spoke in a somewhat hesitant tone. Hearing this, Mr. A frowned slightly.
He didn't think Snow was trying to be a deserter, because he knew very well that the current Backlund was even more chaotic than Tingen.
"Do you know the current situation in Backlund?" Mr. A thought for a moment and then asked, "I learned from the Backlund Morning News that the Vals Party has been completely wiped out."
Snow's words sounded like a non-sequitur, but Mr. A understood.
The Vals Party was one of the gangs supported by the Aurora Order in Backlund's East District. Many of its members were believers in the True Creator, including several Secret Supplicants. The downfall of the Vals Party essentially meant that the Aurora Order's influence in Backlund was under massive threat.
At the same time, the Vals Party itself was the excuse that had driven Snow out of Backlund. Its downfall also meant that Snow now had a reason to return.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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T/N: Tingen has too many routines, I'm going back to Backlund
This title is a play on a famous Chinese internet meme: "The city's routines are too deep, I want to go back to the countryside" (Chéngshì tàolù shēn, wǒ yào huí nóngcūn). "Routines" (tàolù) refers to schemes, tricks, or insincere behavior. The author substituted "City" for "Tingen" and "Countryside" for "Backlund/London".