Chapter 31: First Sermon

Chapter 31: First Sermon

Klein felt not the slightest surprise at Patrick Bryan’s answer. He nodded gently and asked,

“Which life of yours is this?”

As far as he knew, an Undying would die once every sixty years, then revive once, forgetting the vast majority of their past memories and needing to slowly recover them afterward. It was like beginning a new life.

This was knowledge that came with the potion. Patrick Bryan easily understood what the favored one opposite him meant. After weighing his words, he said,

“I am not yet fifty. It has been less than ten years since I became an Undying.”

Klein naturally followed up:

“When did you convert to my Lord?”

The “Lord” here referred to the Lord of the Underworld.

Bryan thought back for two or three seconds.

“At that time, I had just passed my thirtieth birthday.”

Only entering the world of mysticism and walking the Beyonder path at thirty, then becoming a Sequence 4 demigod before forty… This speed either means his talent is astonishing, or it means he is very likely a favored one… Heh, as expected, during that ritual, both his spirit and body were affected by the Uniqueness of the Death pathway… As Klein listened, he thought, becoming even more certain of his previous conjecture.

Of course, compared to Klein himself, who had gone from an ordinary person to a Sequence 4 demigod in only a year, Patrick Bryan’s speed of advancement was not worth mentioning.

Klein, however, did not feel there was anything to sigh about in that regard, because he truly was a favored one. And he also had external cheats—more than one.

The only question was whether the remuneration currently exchanged for those gifts had already become sufficient.

After pondering for a moment, Klein changed the subject and asked,

“What is your public identity right now?”

“I am a businessman. I own two ready-made clothing factories in Backlund. On the surface, I believe in the Evernight Goddess and support the New Party…” Patrick Bryan introduced himself.

Klein nearly let out a “heh,” but continued asking,

“How many members of the Numinous Episcopate do you command, and what are they doing?”

Bryan had clearly prepared. He answered smoothly,

“Two small groups, twelve Beyonders. Some work in my clothing factories, while others work at clock shops. Each has a proper occupation.

“Under normal circumstances, they carefully and cautiously spread God’s faith among those around them. Progress in that respect is very slow, and it is not our main objective. The total number of believers does not exceed one hundred.

“Most of the time, they gather clues regarding the various things God left behind, as well as the different materials required for awakening rituals.

“Once we have clues, we launch corresponding operations. And when the materials are complete, we experiment with different awakening rituals to find the most effective one. I am the presider of the operations, and also the core element of the rituals.”

He sounds rather proud… Klein asked about several other matters as well, receiving detailed answers for each.

In the end, after thinking for a while, he spoke with a solemn expression:

“Obeying God’s oracle, from this moment on, you will follow my instructions.”

Patrick Bryan immediately stood and gave a formal bow.

“Yes, Your Excellency Favored One.”

Klein nodded slightly.

“First, stop every ritual and cease gathering materials. God has already preliminarily awakened and is now in the process of recovering. You must not allow noisy ‘voices’ to disturb Him.”

In Klein’s view, no matter how Bryan and the others changed the form of their awakening rituals, the final target was always the artificial Death—the Uniqueness of the Death pathway. This would further activate it, which was unfavorable to the Goddess’s deeper control.

And regardless of whether Klein was happy to see such a situation occur, since the Evernight Goddess had already sent Bryan to him, he had no choice but to make this arrangement.

Patrick Bryan had no doubts about Klein’s explanation. After all, Death had indeed already awakened, and the essence of “awakening” was in itself a kind of “disturbance.”

The Undying thought for a moment and asked on his own initiative,

“Your Excellency Favored One, what should we do next?”

Klein smiled approvingly.

“Continue searching for clues regarding the things God left behind. This will aid His faster recovery.”

At this point, Klein was about to raise the second requirement, but because he worried there might be too few such clues and that the Numinous Episcopate members would have nothing to do, thereby causing other situations, he added another sentence:

“In addition, you and your subordinates must broadly carry out literacy and reading activities inside the clothing factories and in the other areas where you are active. Establish night schools or study classes, allowing the people around you to break free from ignorance and barbarism.”

To strengthen his persuasiveness, Klein placed his right hand over his chest and began preaching with exceptional piety:

“God says: Only by understanding what one believes can one truly believe.

“God says: For those who are lost, one must first strengthen their bodies and arm their minds, because the kingdom He promises has no place for barbarism or ignorance.”

Patrick Bryan did not question Dwayne Dantès’s words, nor did he find it strange that those two sentences had not been recorded in the Numinous Episcopate’s scriptures. The other party was God’s favored one, the deputy specifically designated by God!

He nodded sincerely.

“I will remember God’s teachings.

“May every spirit enjoy eternal life in God’s kingdom!”

As he spoke, he used the current prayer posture of the Numinous Episcopate’s artificial Death faction: raising both hands high, with the thumbs touching each other and pressing against the center of the forehead.

According to the corresponding mystical theory, this was the core of every Gatekeeper’s underworld, symbolizing the position of Death.

Klein returned the same gesture and words, then said,

“Second, for any orders sent from the Southern Continent, regardless of whom they come from, you must submit them to me first. Only after receiving my permission may you act. If I do not allow it, you may not act privately. You may only reply according to my intentions.”

He was worried that Haiter, the High Priest and angel of the Death domain, would remain enthusiastic about the artificial Death plan and would from time to time instruct Patrick and the others to attempt something new.

At the same time, he had to ensure that before the Goddess further gained control of the Uniqueness of the Death pathway, Haiter and the other two Saints would not notice anything unusual, avoiding any intense reaction from them.

Bryan still had no objections.

“Yes, Your Excellency Favored One!”

After giving instructions on those two most important matters, Klein’s expression remained unchanged, though inwardly he relaxed a little. After considering his words, he said,

“Third, unless I summon you, you may not take the initiative to seek me out. Ordinary contact will be completed through messengers.

“As you know, many existences in the astral world do not wish to see God revive.”

Patrick Bryan nodded heavily.

“I understand.

“My messenger’s summoning phrase is: ‘A spirit that roams the upper world, an absolutely friendly creature, Patrick Bryan’s contracted partner.’”

As expected, it’s impossible for a demigod of the Death pathway not to have a messenger… Normally speaking, this pathway can have one by Sequence 6… Without hesitation, Klein said at an unhurried pace:

“Remember, my messenger’s summoning phrase is: ‘The spirit that wanders through the void; the friendly creature that can be commanded; the messenger that belongs solely to Gehrman Sparrow.’ Mm, whether receiving or sending letters, one gold coin must be given in order to complete the agreement.”

Klein deliberately revealed the connection between Gehrman Sparrow and the identity of Dwayne Dantès, mainly because he wanted to see how the other party would react.

“Gehrman Sparrow…” Patrick Bryan repeated the name in puzzlement. Then he suddenly seemed to understand, and with considerable pleasant surprise, he addressed him, “Your Highness Death Consul?”

Good. Although he is a byproduct of a ritual and fanatical in faith, at least he has normal intelligence. He can consciously gather information and analyze problems… Klein breathed out inwardly and replied with a smile,

“I am not. He is my teacher.”

Bryan nodded thoughtfully, feeling he already had a clear grasp of the entire matter.

Klein could guess what he was thinking but did not bother with it. He crossed his right leg, clasped his hands over his knee, and changed the subject:

“What do you know about the Numinous Episcopate’s other factions?”

Patrick Bryan sat down again.

“The strongest branch within the Numinous Episcopate is the royal faction. They are centered around God’s descendants and have established multiple organizations…

“Their current leader is a divine descendant with rather diluted blood, named Sia Palenque Eggers. She may be an angel, or perhaps she controls an important relic of God. She calls herself the Pale Empress…

“Besides her, the royal faction has five Saints. Some are true demigods, while others rely on Sealed Artifacts…

“Outside the royal faction and our faction, the other branches are comparatively weak. The main ones include the Repose faction, the Underworld faction… Altogether, they have only three powerhouses whose strength is equivalent to Saints…”

After Bryan finished, Klein nodded almost imperceptibly.

“That will be all for today. If anything comes up later, contact me.”

“Yes, Your Excellency Favored One.” Patrick Bryan rose and bowed, retreating to the door.

The door silently opened. Outside, “figures” stood in clusters, while cold winds flowed through the corridor.

After everything calmed again, Klein glanced at the closed wooden door, walked to the window, pulled open the curtains, and looked toward the street.

At some unknown time, several carriages had appeared there. Two carriage lamps hung before each, their light unusually pale, tinged with a sinister green, making the surroundings appear hazy and blurred.

Within that hazy scene, nearly transparent figures crowded on both sides and in front and behind. All of them wore illusory clothing resembling formal attire, appearing quite solemn.

When Patrick Bryan descended from midair and returned there, those figures all prostrated themselves at the same time, respectfully welcoming the demigod and the spirits around him onto several barely visible carriages. Then they escorted the convoy toward the distance, front and back.

The pale light, tinged with eerie green, grew fainter and fainter until it finally vanished into the darkness, as though it had never appeared at all.

Klein withdrew his gaze. His expression turned somewhat grave as he muttered inwardly:

“Although Patrick Bryan receiving a divine oracle stems from the Goddess’s considerations on every front, I still feel that the undercurrents in Backlund—even in the entire world—are surging more and more violently.

“I don’t know when they will rise into waves…”

Thinking of this, Klein did not delay. He decided to immediately contact the Demoness Trissy and confirm that nothing abnormal had happened on her side.