Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 326 The Three-Headed Sanctuary (Seeking Recommendations)
Led by the middle-aged man, Roger and the others walked up the stone path.

“My esteemed messengers, my name is Jack Burton, and I am a candidate for the next elder.”

As they walked, the middle-aged man spoke.

“My name is Roger, and these are Leomaster and Bernadette.”

Seeing that Jack Burton was friendly, Roger introduced himself and his group.

At the same time, Roger asked:
"How many elders are left in 'New Fog City'?"

Jack Burton's face darkened upon hearing this:
"To be honest, there's only one left."

Roger nodded, and after a while asked:

"Are you a 'shepherd'?"

Through "Secret Insight," Roger had already sensed the nature of Jack Burton's supernatural powers.

Even so, he still wanted the other person to say it themselves.

Jack Burton was taken aback:
"As expected of the Lord's messenger, his eyes are truly discerning."

As he was speaking, he suddenly frowned and pulled back two people who were arguing and pushing each other while queuing for food.

“Ered, John, if you two utter another word of nonsense, I’ll send you to serve the ‘Protector’ for a month.”

Upon hearing Jack Burton's words, the man and woman who were pushing each other immediately deflated like punctured balloons, not daring to utter a single word.

They were two of the many residents of "New Fog City" who were attracted by the food brought by Zeus and his companions, but they had a conflict over the issue of queuing.

These people had no idea that the food was food until the guards tasted it first, at which point they realized what was going on and rushed forward in a frenzy.

As for what it meant to serve the "protector," Roger didn't know and didn't ask, but he could roughly guess that it meant living with those terrifying bats for a month.

Once they leave "New Fog City," even if they still live in the cave system, the risk of death increases dramatically, which is the root cause of their fear.

"It's funny."

Jack Burton was somewhat exasperated:

“Since we left ‘Fog City,’ the residents’ mental state has been getting worse and worse… Today they finally received some external stimulation, so their reaction was a bit strong.”

Ever since Roger and his group entered "New Fog City," this candidate elder has been apologizing repeatedly, appearing very polite.

This impressed Roger, who could sense that Jack Burton also had some crazy tendencies, but he suppressed them very well.

In the case of "New Fog City," once one becomes a "Rose Bishop," the risk of sudden death and loss of control increases dramatically. In addition, "New Fog City" is not far from the sanctuary of the "True Creator" and is more influenced by Him, so a situation like Jack's is indeed rare.

Even though Roger had a thousand questions, he forcibly suppressed them and decided to wait until he met the elder to talk about them.

He simply shook his head and said it was alright, then fell silent.

The group followed the path up the steps and finally arrived at a house at the highest point of the cave, which appeared to be on a natural platform.

Jack Burton stood at the door and knocked, and soon heard a woman's voice coming from inside.

The sound seemed to have three tones simultaneously, and these three tones intertwined and echoed, creating an incredibly strange feeling.

"Come in."

Jack Burton pushed open the door with both hands and went inside first.

Roger and the others filed in. It was a fairly spacious house, and on the stone chair at the head of the room sat a strange creature with three heads that was almost inhuman.

It was a female "person" whose upper body had three different black-haired heads.

The three heads were a young one, a middle-aged one, and an old one, with the young and old heads each shrouded in shadow.

Each head took away a third of her body, forming three twisted, blood-stained, slender necks.

Below these necks, there were no shoulders, but instead, they were directly connected to a twisted mass of flesh that was no longer human. This flesh was submerged in writhing shadows, with many arteries and fascia pulsating slightly, giving the entire room a strong, pungent stench.

Ophina and Dionysius nearly vomited, but knowing they couldn't be so disrespectful, they instinctively swallowed the warm liquid that had risen to their throats.

Roger, Leomaster, and Bernadette, the three demigods, and Cattleya were in much better condition, but even so, they were still surprised.

This is clearly a "Triad" who is on the verge of losing control but still retains a sliver of humanity; heaven knows how she managed to maintain this bizarre balance.

Roger, in particular, with his "secret insight," could clearly sense that Alexis was in extremely poor condition, as if her spirit had suffered irreversible damage and she was barely clinging to life to avoid losing her mind.

"Elder Alexis, the guests have been brought."

Jack Burton spoke with great respect.

The "Three-Headed Sanctuary" nodded, and her three heads spoke in turn:
“Everyone.

Please sit down.

"Jack, bring me a chair."

Jack nodded and brought out three clean chairs from the darkness.

The three demigods sat down, while their mid-sequence extraordinary subordinates stood behind them.

Jack Burton went to Alexis's side and stood respectfully.

“Gentlemen, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Alexis.”

"I heard that you are..."

"A messenger of my lord?"

Bernadette nodded in response to Alexis's question:
"To be precise, it's these two who are the real ones; I'm just their friend."

This aligns with Bernadette's initial persona; she didn't want to get too involved in the affairs of the "true creator's" followers, as it felt very strange to her.

However, at that moment, the younger of Alexis's three heads spoke up:
"Since you are not my lord's messenger, why are you with them?"

The middle-aged man immediately rolled his eyes.

"Children should talk less. Didn't you hear what she said? She's a friend of the messenger of God. Don't you know what a friend is?"

However, the young head refused to accept this and retorted:

"In short, I just feel there's something wrong."

The two heads started arguing, until the older head coughed, which finally silenced them.

This scene sent chills down Dionysius and the others' spines; it was the first time they had ever witnessed such a bizarre situation.

This "Tri-Headed Sanctuary" Alexis seems to have some kind of split personality, which manifests under certain catalysts, and the scene just now was evidence of that.

In terms of status, the young and middle-aged heads seem to be of similar status, while the old head occupies a dominant position and seems to be the main personality of Alexis.

"Your Excellency Alexis".

Roger began:

"We are believers of our Lord who come from beyond darkness."

Roger did not utter the words "the land forsaken by God" because he knew that the "Angel of Fate" Urolius had once developed the belief in the "True Creator" in "Fog City," so the residents of "New Fog City" might not believe that their place was a continent abandoned by God.

Therefore, he used the intuitive term "darkness" to refer to "the land forsaken by God".

Upon hearing this, all three faces simultaneously showed expressions of surprise.

Especially that young face, which showed a hint of longing and childlike innocence, seemed very out of place.

"you.

“From”

"Outside the 'Forsaken Land'?"

she asked.

"You know the name 'The Forsaken Land'?"

Leomaster was somewhat surprised; in fact, he was more able to empathize with the people of "New Fog City" than Roger.

After all, for the pilgrims of the Aurora Society, the fact that the "sanctuary" of the "true creator" was located in the "forsaken land" was already very unacceptable, because it meant that the "creator of everything, the all-knowing and all-powerful God" seemed to have been framed and imprisoned by the seven so-called true gods, which was very difficult for Leomaster to accept.

It is precisely for this reason that the Aurora Society has been dedicated to guiding the descent of the "True Creator" in the Northern Continent. Although Leomaster can no longer accept the practice of human sacrifice, his desire for the "True Creator" to descend upon the Northern Continent has never changed.

Therefore, he could easily guess how grief-stricken Alexis, now an elder of "New Fog City" and most likely the former Archbishop of "Fog City," would have felt upon learning this fact.

"This is Vinera."

"When the adults were destroying 'Fog City'..."

“Tell me.”

Alexis nodded slightly, sighed, and then said a name that Leomaster hadn't expected.

Roger didn't tell Leomaster about Vignella because he wasn't sure of the consequences, so he put it aside for the time being.

However, Vinera's unexpected remark surprised Leomaster.

"Was Vinera involved in the destruction of 'Fog City'?"

Leomaster asked incredulously.

"Yes, she said it was punishment for the appearance of heretics in 'Fog City'."

Alexis nodded all three times, then asked with some confusion:

"You know me."

"Vignera."

"grown ups?"

In fact, Alexis still doesn't know what's going on outside the "Forsaken Land," nor does she know what kind of relationship Vignella has with Roger and Leomaster.

"It's more than just acquaintance."

Leomaster sighed:
“She and I are both saints of the Lord… What I really find incomprehensible is that Vinera never told me she had been to the ‘Forsaken Land’.”

Could you tell me what you know about the situation?

Alexis nodded all three times, and then began to tell the three of them what Vinera had said at the time, and her image in the hearts of the people of "Fog City".

"You mean, Vinera is... an underling of the 'Angel of Fate,' and can even command 'divine servants'?"

Leomaster frowned and summarized what Alexis had said.

He only knew a few clues about the legend of the eight archangels, and today it has finally been confirmed.

"Yes."

Alexis's affirmation immediately plunged Leomaster into deeper confusion.

He never imagined that behind Vignella was an angel under the command of the "First Creator," but on the other hand, he was skeptical of this, and even began to doubt whether the two Vignella were the same person.

Roger noticed Leomaster's reaction and, after a moment's thought, asked Alexis:
"Your Excellency Alexis, do you know anything about the other angel kings?"

"learn.

"one.

"part."

Alexis nodded, and then spoke of what she knew about the King of Angels.

Besides Urolius, the "Angel of Fate," she also knew the three angel kings: Adam, the "Angel of Imagination," Amon, the "Angel of Time," and Sasriel, the "Vice-King of Heaven" and the "Angel of Darkness."

Roger was somewhat surprised to hear this, as even Silver City had very little information about it, and he didn't expect New Fog City to know about these things.

It is unclear whether this is a legacy of "Fog City" itself or a message released by "Angel of Fate" Urolius.

In any case, Roger was very fortunate that Alexis knew more than just the title of Angel King.

Because once "Venera" is established as someone under the King of Angels, Leomaster will develop an inexplicable sense of awe towards her, making it difficult for him to use Leomaster to fight against Venera.

He quickly thought it over and came up with a plan.

Roger's expression turned serious, and he spoke:

“Elder Alexis, in fact, I also received a revelation from my Lord’s ‘Angel of Time’, which is how I learned of the current plight of ‘Fog City’.” Huh?
In an instant, all ten heads in the arena, including Alexis's three heads and excluding Roger's head, turned towards Roger.

The members of the joint exploration team, in particular, never expected Roger to say such a thing.

When did he become involved with the "Angel of Time"?

The most surprised of them all was "Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya, whose mind immediately turned to analyzing the relationship between "The Fool", "The Angel of Time" Amon and "The Dark Star Saint" Roger.

For a moment, she was a little confused about the factional relationships involved, because Mr. Fool was clearly an enemy of the True Creator, and Amon, the Time Angel who once belonged to the True Creator, was actually in contact with Roger?
Did Mr. Fool recruit Amon, the Angel of Time, or Roger, the Dark Star Saint, through his personal divine lineage, or was he simply using someone else's name to make a big show of things?

Also perplexed are the "mysterious queen" Bernadette and the "black saint" Leomaster.

Bernadette's doubts were similar to Cattleya's, while Leomaster's confusion was much simpler.

"Why do Vignella and Roger both have angels behind them? As the Lord's most devout ascetic, why do I have no angels supporting me?"

Leomaster's initial doubts about Vinera were now shared between Vinera and Roger, and for the first time, Leomaster felt as if he knew nothing about the "Aurora Society."

He had previously found it strange that Roger had inexplicably gained a lot of knowledge about "Fog City" and that he was able to control "divine servants." Now, hearing what he said, he suddenly felt like he understood.

Roger noticed all these changes in everyone's expressions, and in fact, he wasn't talking nonsense.

It was Amon who had given him hints about "Fog City" and guided him to find "New Fog City." As for the nature of his relationship with Amon, he had no intention of explaining further.

At this moment, Alexis's young face spoke again in a childlike voice:

Do 'Time Angels' really exist?

“That was something the ‘Angel of Fate’ personally revealed to us… By the way, you’re too young to know these details.”

The middle-aged woman shook her head; she seemed to find young Alexis ridiculous.
"The only problem is, how can you prove that you have truly received revelation from the 'Angel of Time'?"

"Don't be rude."

The elderly Alexis sighed, clearly still inclined to believe Roger, and then she asked:
What instruction does He have?

He continued calmly:
"He guided me to bring the correct calendar and time to the 'New Fog City'."

"This is the first step in redemption."

It couldn't be more logical that the "Angel of Time" would guide a "Black Knight" to "New Fog City" to deliver the correct time.

According to the online games of my past life, if you can't beat them head-on, just shoot through them. Although Vinera has the "Angel of Destiny" sniper rifle, Roger also has the "Angel of Time" as a barrier.

Only magic can defeat magic. If you still can't accept that, I also have some connection with both the "Imaginary Angel" and the "Red Angel."

For a moment, Cattleya felt as if she understood something, but at the same time, she felt as if she understood nothing.

At this moment, she suddenly began to look forward to the next "Tarot Meeting". This seasoned "secret seeker" had many questions she wanted to ask Mr. "Wheel of Fortune".

After a long silence, Alexis's three heads suddenly broke the silence simultaneously:
"Praise my Lord!"

In any case, for devout believers in the "true Creator," it's highly likely they'll be right to start by praising the Lord when they hear something amazing.

"Praise my Lord!"

Roger and Leomaster also spoke as if by reflex.

After the praise, Alexis seemed to regain her unified personality, and her three heads asked in unison:
"Lord Roger, you just said that my lord is willing to accept the atonement of 'New Fog City,' is that true?"

"Yes, but 'New Fog City' must first rediscover the correct concepts and gradually return to the path that our Lord has set for you."

"Time and calendar are just the first step. As long as 'New Fog City' performs well, it will definitely be redeemed in the end."

Roger saw that Alexis was starting to believe him, so he continued.

In fact, Alexis had no choice but to believe it, since Roger and his group were the first outsiders to visit in thousands of years, besides Vinera.

Not to mention that they possess the divine power of the "Black Knights," a power that only devout believers of the "True Creator" can possess, and this is certainly not fake.

Upon hearing this, tears suddenly streamed down the faces of all three of Alexis's heads.

The elder of "New Fog City" began to sob incessantly, and eventually her three heads began to emit strange roars, groans, and cries of laughter.

"not good."

Roger sensed danger and immediately used his flesh and blood to create a barrier, separating all those without divinity, including Jack Burton, behind him.

Sure enough, the middle-aged man's head in the middle of Alexis suddenly split open, continuously spurting out a large amount of flesh and blood and a mixture of shadowy fluid that seemed to have a physical form.

The mixture quickly covered her entire body, and the two remaining heads that hadn't exploded began to emit strange, piercing cries. The "Three-Headed Sanctuary" began to show signs of losing control and transforming into a mythical creature form!

Extraordinary individuals who follow the "Secret Prayer" path are prone to losing control, and this is even more true for those who follow the "Three-Headed Church."

The necessary condition for advancement to the "Triad" is to experience a split personality without losing control. This is inherently an act of teetering on the edge of losing control. In fact, given Alexis's current state, it's a miracle that she's still alive.

"Mysterious Queen" Bernadette and Roger reacted quickly, striking simultaneously. The former's eyes began to radiate a dazzling starlight, and when her gaze shifted to Alexis, Alexis's mutation rate began to slow down noticeably.

Roger, on the other hand, used "Secret Insight" to capture Alexis's exact state and then bestowed upon her a false destiny.

With the combined efforts of both sides, Alexis finally stopped roaring.

After a long while, the shadows dissipated again, and Alexis's three weary faces reappeared before Roger.

"I'm sorry that you all saw my embarrassing state."

Alexis sighed weakly:

"As you can see, after I led everyone away from 'Fog City,' the other elders either died during the migration or died from losing control... and I, due to many factors, have been on the verge of destruction for the past ten years."

"It's just that I'm worried about the people of 'New Fog City,' which is why I've been persevering with my willpower... But I can feel that my days are numbered, and just now I was too excited, and my willpower weakened, which almost caused a problem."

“I can sense that you just used some kind of special supernatural ability to temporarily save me… Was that also the power of time bestowed by the ‘Angel of Time’?”

Roger nodded, "acknowledging" it.

Bernadette suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, her suspicions growing stronger that Roger was using Roger's name to make a big show of things.

She was the one who used time-based magic just now, while Roger should have used some kind of fate-based ability. However, when faced with Alexis's questioning, he shamelessly admitted it.

However, Bernadette didn't say anything, because she knew that Roger seemed to be competing with Vignella and unwilling to be at a disadvantage.

"Lady Alexis, how much longer can you hold on?"

At this moment, Leomaster asked with concern.

"It won't be long..."

"After that ordeal just now."

"Maybe I'll die the next time I fall asleep."

Alexis sighed and looked at Jack Burton:

“Jack, after I die, you will be the next elder.”

"Yes, Elder."

"Don't think too much. You will definitely survive. 'New Fog City' needs you."

Jack Burton's eyes reddened slightly. Although Alexis had always been eccentric, she had indeed been the spiritual pillar of the entire "New Fog City" and was widely respected over the years.

At first, when the residents of "New Fog City" began to show deformities and mutations, many people felt ashamed and found it hard to accept. In the end, it was Alexis who stepped forward and took the initiative to show her own twisted form to appease the residents of "New Fog City".

She said that physical changes are a symbol of gaining freedom, and there is no need to be afraid. As long as everyone holds fast to their beliefs, they will surely be able to possess the same abundant divinity as her.

Although to outsiders Alexis's words and actions seemed bizarre and twisted, given New Fog City's own history and its already fanatical beliefs, Alexis ultimately succeeded in stabilizing the hearts and minds of the people of New Fog City, and many even came to regard her as a mother.

In a sense, Alexis is like Elder Lovia of the Silver City. They are both believers in the "True Creator," filled with an uncontrollable madness, yet loyal to their city-state and its people. When the entire city-state has embarked on a twisted and chaotic dead end, they play the role of the last bizarre yet warm candlelight.

However, this could not reverse the trend of the entire "New Fog City" toward destruction. Due to the severe shortage of food and the gradual deformity, distortion and loss of control of the people in the city, the city-state had lost its original spirit and energy. Everyone was just getting by and was teetering on the edge of destruction.

If Roger and the others hadn't arrived, Alexis really wouldn't have known what to do.

Roger's words are only one side of the story, but at least he can provide some evidence, giving "New Fog City," a city-state that was already on the verge of collapse, some hope. That's enough.

That's why Alexis felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation just now, and almost lost control and died.

"No, Jack."

Alexis's three heads shook simultaneously, and then each spoke in a different tone:

"We are sure to die, even though I am still young and unwilling to accept it."

"But there's nothing we can do about it... Everyone dies, but as long as we can enter the Kingdom of God after death, our lives will not have been in vain."

"Yes, but we will persevere for a while longer... I also want to hear what revelations the messengers of God have brought us."

Finally, the aged head smiled and spoke.

"Yes, Your Excellency Alexis."

Roger nodded solemnly:

"I will lead the team to stay here during this period. During this time, I will teach the astronomical calendar outside the 'Forsaken Land' to the 'New Fog City'. You can learn it first."

"Afterwards, I will give you a magical item that can tell you the current state of the starry sky and the exact time, so that you can have a real-time reference."

Roger didn't rush to reveal his name or the prayers he had been praying for. He planned to take things slowly, first changing the perception of the people of "New Fog City" and giving them some hope, before discussing other matters.

As for what he had promised to give them, Roger didn't have a good idea yet, but it wasn't a difficult thing.

At worst, he could find another extraordinary characteristic corresponding to an "astrologer," "astrologer," or even an "astrologer," or a sealed artifact similar to a "true star map." Roger would then have plenty of ways to modify it into something usable by "New Fog City."

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you."

Alexis nodded:
"The only pity is that, given the current state of 'New Fog City,' it's no longer possible for Jack to advance to the 'Black Knight' level..."

She was referring to the ascension ceremony of the "Black Knight." The ascension ceremonies of the three archbishops of "Mist City" were all completed with the help of the "Angel of Fate," Urolius, when he visited "Mist City." However, the current "New Mist City" has lost his support and no longer has the strength to help a new demigod ascend.

After all, the ascension ceremony of the "Black Knight" usually requires luring 10,000 people into corruption, which is extremely difficult to carry out.

"...No, Lady Alexis."

Roger shook his head:

"In fact, my Lord left twenty-two different paths... five of which are 'adjacent paths,' and the 'secret man' is one of them."

"But today, most believers of the Lord can only choose the 'secret prayer' path."

“These five pathways can jump between each other in Sequence 4... Jack still has the opportunity to advance to become a demigod.”

Roger's words startled Jack Burton slightly, and his previously indifferent eyes suddenly began to show anticipation.

“I know that the ‘Reader’ path seems to be one of them… There are two ‘Guardians of Knowledge’ in the ‘New Fog City’ exploration team. They are extraordinary individuals who embarked on this path back in ‘Fog City’.”

"What are the other three pathways?"

Alexis asked with some curiosity, "Due to the conditions and history of the 'Forsaken Land,' each city-state here can only master three or four extraordinary paths at most, unlike the outside world where there is an opportunity to come into contact with all twenty-two divine paths."

Based on the "Law of Convergence of Extraordinary Characteristics," Alexis could sense the connection between the "Reader" pathway and the "Mystic," which is why she made such a conjecture.

“You’re right, ‘readers’ are indeed one of them.”

"The other three pathways are: the 'celebrator' pathway, the 'sailor' pathway, and the 'audience' pathway."

Roger replied:

"The Sequence 4 names for these four pathways are: 'Prophet', 'The One Without Darkness', 'The High Priest of Catastrophe', and 'The Manipulator'."

"Of these, the potion recipes for 'Manipulator' and 'Calamity Priest' are relatively easy for me to find, but the others may take some time."

“If Jack has such ideas, I can help him find the corresponding potion recipes and extraordinary properties outside the ‘Forsaken Land’, and I can even take him outside the ‘Forsaken Land’ to complete his advancement.”

"Go outside the 'Forsaken Land'?"

Alexis and Jack were taken aback by Roger's proposal and, after a brief moment of stunned silence, looked on with longing.

"It might not be that complicated."

At this moment, Leomaster spoke up:

"As luck would have it, I have the potion recipes for 'The Dark One' and 'The Prophet' here."

“If I have the opportunity to help ‘New Fog City’, I would be very happy to do so.”

(End of this chapter)