Chapter 151: Leikdun's Advice

Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik, seeing that the demon topic had passed, thought for a moment and then brought up something that had recently happened in Silver City.

"In a recent expedition organized by Silver City, they discovered a half‑ruined temple, inside of which a statue was a naked man nailed upside‑down to a cross, his body smeared with a lot of blood."

"Do you know which deity this is?"

Leikdun leaned his body slightly forward against the chair back, and said in a voice neither loud nor soft:

"This is the True Creator."

Xiao Taiyang frowned slightly; this title is very close to the Silver City belief of "the Lord who creates all, the omniscient and omnipotent God," yet it is prefixed with "True."

Could there be a false Creator? Xiao Taiyang's emotions were very complicated.

Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man were unfamiliar with the image Xiao Taiyang described, but the title True Creator was not unfamiliar to them; it is the evil god worshipped by the Aurora Society.

Hanged Man A'erjie paused for two seconds and said:

"The faction that worships the True Creator is the Aurora Society; among the Extraordinary Paths they possess, there is a Sequence that includes the Shepherd you mentioned."

"Shepherd?"

The silent Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik sat up straight, recalling Elder Luo Weiya, whose behavior had become increasingly erratic—she is the Shepherd. He grew somewhat worried about the newly appointed elder of the Six‑person Council, fearing for Silver City's safety.

Leikdun glanced at the now clearly anxious Xiao Taiyang on his right and said reassuringly:

"You don't need to worry too much; the True Creator won't do anything to your Silver City."

"Of course, if you approach Him voluntarily, that's another matter; His condition is poor, and He lacks much reason."

Xiao Taiyang turned his head in shock toward Mr. White Tower on his left, his tone noticeably wavering, and said:

"Really?"

"Indeed, your Silver City has been developing in the God‑Abandoned Land for over a thousand years; you wouldn't think He hasn't noticed you, would you?"

Leikdun said something that wasn't really comforting.

Xiao Taiyang still wanted to continue asking something, and Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man were both listening intently.

Before Leikdun's voice, the sound of a bronze long table being struck rang out.

Shrouded in gray mist, Ke Lai En concealed his fatigue and spoke in a light voice:

"Let's end this gathering here."

Although he still wanted to ask more about the True Creator, seeing that Mr. Fool had already spoken, Xiao Taiyang Dai Lik suppressed his curiosity, thinking he'd ask Mr. White Tower for more information at the next meeting.

Under the lead of Miss Justice Odette, everyone rose in turn to bow.

The vague silhouettes of the crowd dissolved into light and scattered.

After the Tarot Society ended, Leikdun remained seated in the recliner on the balcony, feeling a premonition that Ke Lai En would come to ask him some questions.

After about ten to twenty minutes, Leikdun saw Ke Lai En walk out of a house opposite the street.

Ke Lai En looked up as if sensing something, saw Leikdun perched on the recliner on the second‑floor balcony, holding a plainly covered book and reading quietly in the afternoon sun.

Striding across the street, as soon as Ke Lai En placed his hand on the gate, the gate opened automatically.

Ke Lai En's gaze lightly swept over the spirit attached to the door handle, using the Clown's ability to keep his slightly twitching mouth corners under control.

An otherworldly smart furniture. If this fellow followed the Generalist Path like Emperor Russell, it would probably bring a second industrial revolution to this world.

Ke Lai En did not see Tu Ba Ge in the living room, nor the corpse‑collecting path's raven. He intended to close the gate and go up to the second floor himself, but the gate closed automatically under the spirit attached to the handle.

"Alright! It really is smart furniture."

With a sigh, Ke Lai En walked straight toward the second‑floor stairs.

On the second‑floor balcony, the Invisible Servant brought a chair and, thoughtfully under Leikdun's control, brewed a cup of coffee.

Ke Lai En sat on the chair, looking at the steaming coffee before him, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Is this your extraordinary ability making life more convenient?"

"When you reach Sequence Five, you will be able to as well."

Leikdun set the book down, smiled and replied, and before Ke Lai En could speak, continued:

"Are you here to ask what happened this morning?"

"Yes, and this," Ke Lai En said, pulling out the badge he had obtained from Lan Erus.

After infusing it with spirit, a faint, misty layer unfolded, coalescing into a beam of light that shot upward.

Before the beam departed, a flash of starlight flickered and vanished, enveloping the beam.

The starlight flashed again, now appearing in Leikdun's raised right palm; the beam burst open, turning into a palm‑sized illusionary parchment bearing a line of Gufzak script:

"January 4, 1350, 8 p. m., Babul Valley."

Glancing at the parchment's content, Leikdun brought his right hand together, gave a gentle pinch, and the parchment dissolved into specks of light.

Leikdun asked in confusion:

"You want to go to that thieves' gathering?"

Ke Lai En shook his head slightly, then repeated his question:

"You said there might be A Meng mixed in there; am I going to deliver a head? I want to know how to handle this badge—will it transmit information outward, like that beam just now?"

"As long as you don't infuse it with spirit, it won't. As for dealing with it, just toss it aside and ignore it, right?"

"The presence of an A Meng avatar at that gathering is only my speculation; they might be well hidden and not discovered by A Meng, you know."

Seeing Ke Lai En's inquisitive gaze, Leikdun explained why he made that guess:

"A Meng has aggregated the majority of extraordinary traits from the thieves' path; given His nature, He doesn't need to conceal the effects of this aggregation, or rather, He is quite happy to encounter unlucky diviners and apprentices."

"Therefore, in a gathering composed entirely of thieves, the chance of an A Meng slipping in is high!"

Ke Lai En completed the part Leikdun hadn't said.

Leikdun raised his hand slightly, indicating the topic was over:

"Although He is not a Viewer Path, mentioning Him too often could be sensed by the other side, especially in a metropolis like Beckland, which surely has His avatars."

These words caused a cold sweat to break out on Ke Lai En; he thought that, as a detective roaming Beckland, he might be targeted at any moment.

"Your luck wouldn't be this bad; isn't there a Yellow‑Black King who holds good fortune?"

Leiketon said half‑jokingly.

Kelei En's expression froze for a moment, then collapsed rapidly; he even wanted to admit that the fool above the gray mist was himself, but reason stopped that impulsive thought.

"The essence of knowledge, the source of mysteries, the brilliance of civilization, the steadfastness of truth."

"If you truly encounter an urgent matter, you may recite this revered name, though it might not work."

Leiketon gave Kelei En the revered name that points toward the Wilderness of Knowledge.

At the same time, the sound of his own recitation of that revered name echoed in his ears; he gently tapped his forehead twice, easing the discomfort caused by the sound resonating directly in his mind.

Kelei En committed the revered name to memory, carefully not repeating it in his mind.

Then he asked, "What was the simpler, quicker method you mentioned earlier for obtaining materials?"

"Go pray at the Night Church!"

Leiketon smiled faintly and said.

Kelei En was stunned for a moment; he thought the other was teasing him, then denied that thought in his heart. A speculation he had long refused to consider surfaced in his mind:

"Am I being watched by the goddess?"

Kelei En instantly recalled the scene where he swore before the Sword of the Goddess, which can form a certain connection with the Night Goddess.

Earlier Al had also said that because I saw the phantom left by the Hidden Sage, the Hidden Sage ended up gazing back at me. My oath witnessed by the Sword of the Goddess could also be considered as being witnessed by the goddess herself.

Yet the Night Church gave me no extra response—has the goddess tacitly approved my existence?

Kelei En's thoughts kept drifting, and the more he pondered, the more reasonable it seemed.

Seeing Kelei En remain silent, Leiketon spoke up to explain:

"The Night Church also controls part of the diviner's path, and even keeps mermaids needed by the Ascension Secret Ambassador."

"As long as you keep walking this path, you will inevitably intersect with the Night Church."

Kelei En let out a slightly conflicted sigh:

"My status within the Night Church is already that of a dead person."

"Give me the trait left by Luo Sa Ge, and I'll find someone to extract each sequence's trait for you."

Leiketon did not let Kelei En continue searching for the Night Goddess; he said he could go to Huang, which would also solve the problem.

Kelei En stared wide‑eyed at Leiketon, his gaze already conveying his question, "Is that also possible?"

Leiketon nodded slightly and explained:

"An entity possessing an angelic rank can shatter seals and traits, allowing them to recombine."

"The Sun Path's purification ability of the Unshadowed can also sequentially extract extraordinary traits."

(End of chapter)