Secret: The years I served as a foreign aid for the Aurora Club

Chapter 293 The Trend of the Times

598
In a dark church close to the disaster area.

Leonard sat on the worship bench in the chapel, sipping warm tea in small sips, a little absent-minded.

Daley was wrapped in a blanket, reclining on another bench, with a two-meter-wide aisle between her and Leonard.

The two wounded soldiers did not need to participate in the church's relief activities for the time being, and could stay in the chapel to rest for a while. One of them was thinking quietly, and the other closed his eyes to recover his energy, and neither of them spoke.

The luminous stars painted with special luminous minerals on the ceiling emit a steady, faint light in the slightly dim church. The gas wall lamps are very low to the ceiling, and the dim environment makes people feel peaceful physically and mentally, as if they have come to a safe place.

After a long time, Daly broke the silence:

"The spirit in you tells me that you have something on your mind."

Leonard came back to his senses and nodded with a serious expression: "Captain Soest and the others are still missing..."

"That's not what I'm talking about, young man."

Daly straightened her expression, opened her eyes, and looked at Leonard who had fallen silent:
"When we were searching for Ince Zangwill in Enmat, you seemed to be worried. I thought you were upset about not being able to arrest him, but it seems that's not the case. Half of our team is missing, and you feel something other than anxiety and sadness."

Leonard sighed and asked, "What is it?"

"Confused, perhaps? I've only seen your expression on some young people who go out to get drunk late at night." Daly smiled, stretched out her hand to tuck the scattered hair on her forehead behind her ears, looked at her fingers and said, "What are you thinking about? Ince Zangwill is finally dead, and we are lucky not to lose our lives. No matter what, we should be able to relax a little and enjoy the moment."

But there is always a strange and heavy aura about you.

Leonard put the cup of water, which had begun to cool, on the empty seat next to him and supported his chin with his fingers interlaced.

"I'm thinking... Madam, do you think it's possible that... Ince Zangwill is not the real mastermind behind this? He is just a tool pushed to the front, a prop that can be easily manipulated... In fact, someone else planned all this...?"

He tried his best to describe it in words that sounded non-problematic, and did not say anything more about the other person who actually took away 0-08.

Because the existence of the person who first picked up the quill, who had been hiding beside them, already explains everything.

But at the same time, Leonard felt that his current cover-up was completely unnecessary. No matter how hard he tried, the mastermind could not be thought of as the goddess! And he did not lose control even after thinking this way. Leonard almost sighed for his own impiety.

Daly really didn't think that much about it, but she also understood from Leonard's general description that 0-08 was eventually stolen.

"What do you mean? The one who actually planned everything might be that... the mysterious High-Sequence expert whose appearance I can't remember who suddenly appeared and took away 0-08? This is indeed possible..."

Daly rubbed her fingers slowly, thought for a while, and said from the perspective of a very normal official Beyonder:

"Even if Ince Zangwill was just a tool, he committed countless crimes in the process. After 0-08 was stolen again, did you think that Ince Zangwill should be considered an accomplice?"

"That makes sense. Moreover, to the church, 0-08 is still stolen. You can continue to report your findings, but..."

However, Ince Zangwill, who brought death to the Church of Evernight, the Night Watchers, and the sacrificed people, has been confirmed dead, and the stolen Level 0 Sealed Artifact 08-0 has the strange ability to create "coincidences", making it even more difficult to track down. And now the High-Sequence who took 0-08 is even more unidentified, just like a drop of water falling into the sea, completely lost.

Even if it was reported to the church, there would be no way to investigate and it could only be put into the file as a mystery.

The events related to 0-08 should end here.

It and those High-Sequence Powers who were waiting for it appeared and disappeared so coincidentally, as if telling the Nighthawks: It ends here, that's enough, you won't be able to find out anything else anyway.

So is this the end?

Leonard's eyes were fixed on the stone tiles on the floor of the chapel for a long time.

Daly did not speak either. She could still keenly sense that Leonard was thinking about much more than that, but the other party had always refused to open his heart, and she did not know how to ask again.

Silence returned to the chapel again.

After temporarily removing 0-08 from his mind, Leonard immediately remembered another more complicated thing -

About his former colleague, Klein Moretti, who came back from the dead, was promoted at an alarming speed, seemed to be related to a terrifying existence called "The Fool", and was strangely protected by the top leaders of the Aurora Society!
Leonard was in mixed feelings. He felt that with these prefixes added, his official Beyonder identity, which he had been proud of, looked like an ordinary one. It even made him feel that he was a bit overreaching by treating the other party as a colleague.

The old man hadn't woken up yet, and no one could hear what he was saying.

Leonard tried to make sense of it all, but it all seemed like a complete mess.

——First of all, Klein died right after the true Creator God descended, and was then suspected to be resurrected by the "God of Death" of the mysterious organization. This was his escape plan, and it should be correct. In connection with the shadow that protected him, Klein is likely to have a certain status in the Aurora Society, and is protected by a high-sequence strongman (the one who can take Klein away from the person who stole 0-08 must also be a high-sequence), and he may be the follower of a saint or angel.

But judging from these two things, this makes sense, but combined with the incident of God's descent, it is completely incomprehensible.

If Klein is a believer of the True Creator, then why did he help the Nighthawks stop Lanevus? If Klein's goal was to become an undercover agent of the Church of the Night, then why did he really sacrifice himself to stop the True Creator from descending and give up this identity? Why was he resurrected after his death by Azik Eggers, the "God of Death" from an organization related to tarot cards?
Could it be that "The Fool" is another identity of the true Creator?

Or, are these two evil gods related in some way?
He couldn't figure it out. He couldn't figure it out at all. There was too much missing information. Leonard could only come to one conclusion based on his own speculation:
That's Klein Moretti himself, and he's not a bad guy.

At least, he is not as crazy and cruel as other Aurora believers. He has a conscience and is kind to the church. Even if he can be resurrected, he really died to protect Tingen. Maybe, maybe he went astray and was not really brainwashed into a cultist?

I have to go and ask him in person...I have to hear the answer from his own mouth!
Leonard's eyes became serious again. He scratched his head, picked up the herbal tea beside him and drank it all.

after that……

Then it’s time to think about my own choice.

……

After being swallowed by the shadow, when he opened his eyes again, Klein found that he had been sent to the Aurora Society base in Backlund.

He appeared in the corridor, so he simply found an empty room, walked in, locked the door, and walked four steps backwards.

Above the gray fog, Klein stared at it deeply and closed his eyes to rest for a while.

After confirming his status, Klein immediately walked towards the depths of the mysterious space above the gray fog, towards the stairs of light that seemed to lead to heaven.

As he expected, there was another step there, a step where light was concentrated.

This time, Klein was sure that he could use the six steps that looked like a giant's to climb up the condensed gray cloud.

One step, two steps, three steps... He walked to the end, jumped, and stepped on the cloud formed by gray fog.

What caught his eyes was a brilliant gate of light stained with a hint of blue-black. It was composed of countless overlapping light balls. The main body of each light ball was a pile of twisted worms huddled together. Some of them were transparent, and some were translucent.

Above the light gate, thin black lines hung down, suspending one almost completely transparent "cocoon" after another.

Those "cocoons" swayed gently, wrapping different souls. Some were black, some were yellow, and some were white. Some wore jeans, some held mobile phones, some wore bright clothes, and some had beautiful facial features. They all had the breath of life, but their eyes were closed.

Klein's eyes froze for a moment, and he seemed to be back on Earth, walking on a street filled with people of all races.

Then he noticed that four of the "cocoons" had been broken open, with nothing inside and swaying in the wind.

Klein raised his head and looked up, watching all this silently.

599
"Agaritu is dead? Is he really..."

While Cattleya was preparing for the promotion ceremony in the safe waters near the ruins of the God War, she suddenly received such a message from Gehrman Sparrow of the "World".

Cattleya clutched the occult book in her hand tightly in disbelief, and she raised her head to look at the sky outside the porthole, feeling for a moment like she was in a dream.

It was a feeling of relief, but it seemed that rather than joy, there was more of a sense of emptiness and confusion... No, I couldn't think like that. I had to continue working hard to get promoted, get promoted, become a demigod, further search for and contact the survivors of "Elemental Dawn", and then piece together the truth of Her Majesty the Queen's death... Cattleya quickly adjusted her mood, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and she stood up from her chair, ready to ask the chef of "Future" to add an extra portion of her favorite dessert for lunch today.

She opened the door, walked up the stairs, and saw Frank coming with a bag of mushrooms.

Cattleya's relaxed mood gradually disappeared along with the smile on her face. The smile shifted to Frank's face. Frank raised the sack in his hand happily and showed it enthusiastically:
"Look! Captain, these are the new mushrooms I improved. They have stable genes, taste better, are rich in nutrients, and will not mutate, become invasive species, or actively attack living people!"

Why would the original mushrooms actively attack living people... Cattleya forced a smile. Since Frank had completed important orders many times and had become an indispensable source of funds for the "Future", she could only reluctantly raise her interest and ask:
"Oh, so what can they do?"

"It can simulate the taste and nutrition of meat. This is beef, this is chicken, and this is fish... There are also purification mushrooms that can remove pollution. They can safely remove pollution and toxins from the human body. This is made from some 'Singer' spiritual items that your friend gave me, but the quantity is too small (Frank blinked hard)... This is milk mushroom, which is planted on monsters and absorbs the pollution in monster meat..."

Cattleya suppressed the twitching of her lips and patiently listened to Frank's product report. She felt that Frank already had some original believers under the praise of the Aurora Society and some disaster victims and poor people in the southern continent.

But it must be said that after receiving so much feedback, Frank gradually found his direction and goal. The products he made are indeed becoming safer and safer, and even ordinary people without extraordinary abilities can use them safely.

“It’s going to be delivered tomorrow.”

Frank happily moved aside and let the captain go first: "I'll go back and write the instructions for these mushrooms!" "...Okay."

Cattleya was also infected by the other party's enthusiasm and couldn't help but smile: "Come on."

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon, in a small town in Intis.

The customer pushed open the glass door of the cake shop, and the metal wind chimes hanging on the door jingled pleasantly.

The lady behind the aged but still polished counter finished writing the bill, looked up toward the door, and smiled at the customer in black:

"welcome."

"Thank you."

The middle-aged man, who was dressed in a way that didn't fit in with Intis, responded mildly.

A ray of warm sunlight shone in through the gap in the curtains, and countless dust particles danced quietly in the air.

This small cake shop was very tidy. There were freshly baked desserts in the glass display cabinet. The store manager had a freshly baked cake next to her. The pink ribbon quickly turned into a beautiful bow in her hand. Edward did not disturb her. He walked to the empty table in the lounge area, took off his hat and placed it on the table, and slowly sat down on the cushioned wooden single chair.

Then, He smelled the sweet aroma of butter in the air, smiled and asked:

"I remember the last time I came here, this store was still on the corner of the street. Um, it's the same location as the jewelry store on this street."

The store manager put the card into the box and pasted the note on the packed box. Then she smiled and replied:
"Sir, that was almost ten years ago."

"When I inherited the bakery from my father, the business was already going downhill. Handmade pastries can't compete with the factory production speed of big bakeries and convenience stores, but fortunately our brand is still there. When it comes to food, handmade will never go out of style."

Desserts are still a middle-class luxury.

She looked at the guest and, judging by his clothes and appearance, he was most likely a foreign tourist, so she did not speak to him using the blessings and greetings of the Church of the Eternal Sun.

There is still some tourism industry between countries. Although there are few foreigners, there are definitely some.

If you want to do business, it’s best not to mention words related to faith.

After adjusting her apron, the store manager walked up with the menu in hand. She caught a glimpse of the unique gold cufflinks on the middle-aged gentleman's formal suit and the huge ruby ​​inlaid on the cane in his arm, and secretly marveled at the customer's high status.

"I hadn't noticed it had been this long."

The black-clad guest sighed with a smile, took the menu from the store manager, and looked at it with interest for a moment. "Honey croissants and chocolate waffles, and a strawberry cream mille-feuille. You've added many new desserts to your grandfather's menu. They sound delicious. I'm glad I didn't see those eye-catching... daunting 'new palace desserts' on it."

The store manager smiled at the humorous banter, but couldn't help but feel that the customer's words were a bit strange - he looked to be in his 40s or 50s, about the same age as her father, but his tone was like that of his grandfather.

But she didn't say much, turned back to the counter and started preparing the food.

The church in this small city posted a notice on the bulletin board outside the church yesterday afternoon: If you encounter someone with strange behavior, whose age and appearance do not seem to match, and who seems to have incredible power, do not try to offend the other person.

You can choose to report it to the church, but the specific reasons for the appearance of these people still need to wait for further explanation from the Cathedral of Light.

Just yesterday, a fireball streaked across the sky of Saint Vina and fell into an open space outside the city. The fire instantly burned everything around it to ashes. The Sun Bishops who rushed to the church to put out the fire took a lot of effort to put out the flames. Fortunately, no one was injured.

The sky was gray, the earth was shaking, and fire rain and meteors fell from the sky, just like the final scene of the Day of Judgment in the "Holy Book of the Sun". People could only pray in fear at home until several hours later when they felt the warm sunshine falling on them again.

At the same time, they also learned that many cities were hit by flames, causing considerable casualties.

But Saint Vincent is, after all, a small city that is only a dot on the map. It has a small population and is relatively isolated from the news. After inspecting the disaster, the church is still waiting for news from above.

After the disaster, the people of Intis always like to hold some country dances or celebrations to dispel the atmosphere of panic. Of course, sweet snacks and drinks that soothe people's hearts are indispensable in this process, so the cake shop has more orders and business.

"Excuse me, ma'am."

When the cake was put into the oven, the customer suddenly said, "Please make me another portion of pudding and apple fructus, and take them all away with the previous ones. My friend wants to see me for something."

"Ok, no problem."

The store manager quickly sped up her work and pushed forward the dessert making process. After a while, she began to think about one thing: there was no postman to deliver the letter, and no pigeon to bring the message, so how did the customer know that his friend was looking for him?
She didn't think about this problem deeply and gave up the idea in time.

Since the beginning of the rain of fire, a hidden corner of the world seems to be revealed. All kinds of incredible things happen one after another, and the world described in mythology gradually overlaps with reality.

After working for more than half an hour, the store manager finally completed all the orders required by the other party. Boxes of various sizes were placed on the counter, which made people worry whether the gentleman guest without an entourage could take them all away.

At this moment, the hollow metal tube collided back and forth due to the movement of pushing the door, and the wind chimes on the door rang again.

The regular customer who ordered the cake came in very enthusiastically, and while greeting the store manager, he walked straight to the only cake box on the counter. The store manager was about to greet the customer, but suddenly found that all the other take-away boxes on the table had disappeared, and the middle-aged gentleman who was originally sitting there also disappeared, and the two gold coins were just placed directly on the table.

"Change..."

The store manager stared at the wind chimes on the door that had not yet calmed down, and muttered to herself in a daze.

……

Edward appeared outside the Cathedral of Light with a cake in his hand. The place that was impossible to approach in the past was now half of his back garden. He could come and go as he pleased.

He walked up the steps step by step. At this moment, a carriage arrived at the cathedral, driven by a demigod.

The demigod opened the door for the passenger respectfully like a real coachman, and a young man wearing a bishop's robe, with chestnut hair and light blue eyes full of sacredness stepped out.

The young man nodded to the coachman, pointed the triangular holy emblem on his chest, then walked in front and went up the steps step by step.

Edward looked at Him. He walked to the two steps behind Edward, stopped, and greeted him with a flawless gesture: "Greetings, I will walk with you this journey."

"Long time no see, Bonois."

Edward looked at the young man whose every move seemed to be carefully calculated, and said in a brisk tone: "Are you the one sent by the God of Steam and Machinery to talk to me?"

Bonois nodded slightly: "This is the Lord's will."

The two who had not seen each other for more than a hundred years ended their conversation. They kept at least two steps apart and walked quietly and steadily along the steps of the Cathedral of Light. Steps have an extra meaning in Intis, symbolizing ascension, sublimation, and approaching the sky and the sun. Most churches have more or less steps, giving believers who come to worship a sacred feeling of being far away from the earth.

Inside the cathedral, the bishops of the Church of the Eternal Sun were still receiving study and education, so the place seemed too empty.

The holy emblem of the Eternal Sun has been removed and replaced by a golden cross.

With the secret efforts of the Aurora Society and the Iron Cross, some people had already slightly distorted and confused the teachings of the "Ancient Sun God" and the "Eternal Blazing Sun" - anyway, the praises are all to the sun, and they are all sincere, so how do you know who I am praising?

People who believe in the former, such as Ms. D, and priests and bishops of some small churches, are inconspicuous in Intis, but they are also indispensable, and now is when they come in handy.

"I am here to say goodbye to you."

When they were one-third of the way to the cathedral, Bonois spoke politely again. He led his demigod subordinate, who was already sweating profusely, to a worship room on the side of the cathedral, waiting to be summoned by the Creator.

"Goodbye."

Edward also said goodbye to Him. He walked straight forward and followed the spiritual guidance to the highest point of the cathedral, a small meeting room that blocked out the surrounding perception. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw the real Creator and Medici were inside. Edward walked straight in and placed all the cakes and desserts he brought on the table. The aroma of cream immediately dispelled the smell of cigarettes that seemed to linger in the room.

Medici and the True Creator looked at each other, and neither of them took action.

Devil: "I'll treat you."

Medici immediately reached out and took the plain pudding closest to him.

The True Creator glanced at the food on the table and decided to get down to business first:
"The Feysac Empire just declared war on Loen."

Edward took his favorite Thousand Layer with great joy:
"As expected. I saw Bonois on my way here, Bonois Gustave, and the steam's reaction is not surprising either."

"Yes. Basically, it's the same as we guessed. Next, we have to wait for the attitude of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Feynapotter and Mother Earth will probably become the most prestigious gods in the northern continent in a short time. As for food, I will send people to purify the fields and territorial waters eroded by your abyss. What is the attitude of the southern continent?"

"The Southern Continent has no attitude." Edward said, "That is to say - the God of Death came to ask me, who do you support."

TBC
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Traynor: zzzzzz
(End of this chapter)