Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 341 The Dark Ones

When the thought popped into Roger's head, he suddenly had a strange feeling.

His body floated up under the influence of "anti-gravity," and at the same time, a black glint flashed in Roger's eyes as his "Secret Insight" ability was activated.

He flew swiftly through the treasure vault for a long time before landing and looking at Bernadette walking towards him from the opposite direction.

Seeing Roger's somewhat complicated expression, Bernadette spoke up:

"You noticed it too, didn't you?"

"Ah."

Roger nodded:

"Nearly a third of the extraordinary items and potion ingredients here are from the 'Sun' pathway."

"That's how it looks."

Bernadette nodded:

"So, could it be that 'Midnight City' was founded by that favored one of the Third Age Sun Gods you mentioned last time? Or is this the place where He Himself resides?"

"Probably not."

Roger shook his head:

“I think this might be a city supported by one of His angel kings.”

"Another King of Angels?"

Bernadette's heart skipped a beat:
Is it via the 'solar' pathway?

When she and Roger first entered the "Forsaken Land," she had tried to inquire about the "King of Angels," but Roger stopped her from discussing it. Now that he had brought up the topic again, Bernadette naturally followed up with more questions.

After all, Bernadette's willingness to accept Roger's invitation to come to the "Forsaken Land" stemmed not only from her own curiosity, but also from a very important reason: Roger had promised to help her figure out many things as a condition of the deal and as repayment of a favor.

"Yes."

Roger nodded, then looked at Bernadette's even more puzzled expression and said with a smile:

"Ask me any questions you may have."

"If I remember correctly, you said last time that the sun god of the Third Age was a true god with both the 'sun' and 'Hanged Man' pathways, right?"

Sure enough, Bernadette immediately asked.

"You're right, shall we continue?"

Roger smiled.

"As far as I know, to become a true god requires all three Sequence 1 extraordinary traits. If the angel king you mentioned is the angel king of the 'Sun' pathway, then where did His Sequence 1 extraordinary traits come from?"

Roger chuckled softly upon hearing Bernadette's question:
"That's a good question. In fact, it touches on a very crucial question: the source of the power of the sun god in the Third Age."

"Becoming a Sequence 0 True God through two paths is naturally powerful, but this power still does not surpass the level of Sequence 0... In fact, above Sequence 0, there is something even more powerful."

"An even more powerful being?"

Bernadette's heart skipped a beat:
"what is that?
"To be honest, I have seen similar speculations in some books, but there was no solid evidence. I used to think they were just baseless speculations, but I didn't expect you to say the same thing today."

"I can't tell you too many specific details, because exploring this area of ​​knowledge could put you in some danger."

Roger shook his head:

"But I can tell you that to become a being beyond Sequence 0, simply accumulating the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 1 does not fundamentally help. In fact, in the early stages, it is enough to become a true god of Sequence 0 through one path, and for the other paths, it is enough to leave behind one extraordinary characteristic of Sequence 1."

“The excess extraordinary characteristics can be actively extracted and distributed to his followers by this true god who has the potential to surpass Sequence 0.”

"Then you will understand how the angel king named 'Pure White Angel' was born."

"I see."

Bernadette's eyes flashed, and she pressed on:
"The Sequence 1 extraordinary property of the 'other' pathways you just mentioned, must it be an adjacent pathway to the pathway in which this deity resides?"

"Yes, your senses are very sharp."

Roger nodded and casually complimented Bernadette.

"Then here is a problem."

Bernadette shook her head:

"If, as you say, the Sun God of the Third Age wanted to achieve a state beyond Sequence 0 by absorbing the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 1 from multiple pathways, but this is not a simple addition relationship between sequences, then according to the law of conservation of extraordinary characteristics, can I reasonably deduce that the Sun God of the Third Age's authority in the 'Sun' pathway is weaker than that of the 'Pure White Angel'?"
"In this way, His purpose in doing so becomes very unclear, so I guess there might be some other necessary element, besides the extraordinary characteristics of Sequence 1, that the Sun God of the Third Age needed."

"To put it more bluntly, is it what is called 'uniqueness'?"

"Yes."

Roger nodded in agreement:

"You're right."

He wasn't surprised that Bernadette knew about the existence of "uniqueness," after all, she had lived for over a hundred years, and it was normal for her to have heard about certain related knowledge during those years.

"So you really do know about this."

Bernadette was somewhat agitated:
Is every path unique?

"Yes."

Roger nodded.

Is there a unique way to become a "peeping Tom"?

she asked again.

"Yes."

Roger nodded again.

Is it with the 'Hidden Sage'?

Any extraordinary being is particularly interested in the knowledge of the esoteric path, especially extraordinary beings like Bernadette who follow the "peeping into the secrets" path.

"Yes."

Roger laughed:

"In fact, it is the true form of the 'Hidden Sage'."

"The true form of the 'Hidden Sage'?"

This answer surprised Bernadette quite a bit:

"You mean, the 'Hidden Sage' is the very uniqueness of the 'Hidden Seeker' path?"

"Yes, that's right."

Roger nodded slightly:

"In fact, the 'Hidden Sage' is not a god in the true sense; He is merely a product of the unique activation of the 'Hidden Man' pathway."

Can the uniqueness of a single path be activated?

Bernadette took a deep breath:

"Is this activation consistent with the 'living characteristic' possessed by some sealed artifacts?"

"Although they sound similar, they are completely different in nature."

Roger shook his head:

"This kind of knowledge is also very dangerous, so let's leave it aside for now."

"Ok."

Bernadette nodded, then hesitated before speaking:
"I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."

"Ask away, just don't tell anyone."

"After all, the 'Forsaken Land' is a place where the sun never shines."

Roger blinked; he already had some guesses about what Bernadette wanted to ask.

"So what is the answer?"

From Roger's words, Bernadette realized that he had already understood the content of her doubts.

"Ask me, and I'll tell you."

Roger looked at Bernadette with a smile, finding the "mysterious queen's" conflicted expression quite endearing.

"Okay... what I wanted to ask was..."

Bernadette was at a loss with Roger, because once her curiosity was piqued, it was hard to suppress.

She took a deep breath, as if recharging herself:
What is the relationship between that 'Pure White Angel' and the current 'Eternal Sun'?

Upon hearing this, Roger stretched out both of his hands, and then extended two index fingers.

The next second, he put his two index fingers together and then hooked them together.

The meaning of this gesture is simple: it means that "there is consistency between the two".

"really……"

Bernadette suppressed her shock and remained silent for a long time before asking again:
“You previously said that you stopped the ceremony for George III to become the ‘Black Emperor,’ which saved my father.”

"To be honest, this statement confuses me because, based on both historical records and my own experience, my father seems to be dead."

"What else do you know about Russell Gustav? Is he still alive?"

This was also a question that Bernadette had been very confused about. In fact, when she first met Roger, she didn't really trust him and thought he was just trying to gain benefits for himself by grafting various external resources onto each other.

But the more she got to know him, the more Bernadette realized that this "King of the Galaxy" was no ordinary man. Especially after she learned about Roger's relationship with "The Fool," she became even more convinced that what Roger had said was true.

Bernadette had previously tried to use "Admiral" Cattleya's words to ask "The Fool" at the "Tarot Meeting" whether her father, Emperor Roselle, was still alive. At that time, "The Fool's" answer was very ambiguous. Now Bernadette has found an opportunity and wants to try asking Roger again.

"Maybe."

Roger shook his head, then looked at Bernadette's somewhat disappointed expression and said further:
"But I can offer some reasonable speculations."

"In my view, the current state of Emperor Russell is probably very complicated. He cannot be considered to be living normally, but he is not really dead either."

"Why do you say that?"

Bernadette's eyes lit up again; she wanted to figure out what Roger's basis for this conjecture was.

"The reason is simple; it involves the 'Black Emperor's' own abilities."

Roger thought for a moment, then asked again:
"Do the rules your father promoted and the technologies he created still profoundly influence the countries of the Northern Continent and their overseas colonies?"

"of course."

Bernadette nodded. This was obvious. From a technological standpoint, Emperor Roselle almost single-handedly created the foundation for the prosperity of the Fifth Age. In terms of law, the legal code established by Emperor Roselle was also very comprehensive and profoundly influenced the legislative and judicial concepts of the countries of the Northern Continent.

"That's it."

Roger laughed:

"As long as the influence of the rules He established has not been completely eliminated, He cannot be considered truly dead."

"Therefore, the only way to truly and completely kill a 'Black Emperor' is to give birth to another 'Black Emperor'."

"I see……"

Bernadette finally understood what Roger had said earlier, but she immediately realized something else:

"'Black Emperor' is not Sequence 0 of the adjacent pathway of 'Generalist' pathway, right?"

"Of course, it is sequence 0 of the 'lawyer' pathway."

Roger nodded, acknowledging Bernadette's question.

"Then... has my father gone mad?"

She asked with some concern, her voice somewhat somber.

"This is highly likely."

Roger nodded, then looked at Bernadette's somber face and added:
"However, do you know why your father chose the 'Black Emperor' path to become a god?"
"why?"

Bernadette asked:

"Because sequence 0 is missing in this path?" "You're right, but that's only one of the reasons."

Roger shook his head and added:

"Because when the 'Black Emperor' is resurrected, he has the opportunity to separate out all the excess miscellaneous sequence extraordinary characteristics and contamination from his body, and only recover the three Sequence 1 'Prince Killer' extraordinary characteristics and uniqueness."

"In that case, there is hope that your father will return to normal... but there are many variables involved, and I don't know the specifics."

Although Roger's words were somewhat ambiguous, it was a very likely outcome, which made Bernadette's expression improve considerably.

"Ok."

Bernadette paused, then said:
"Thank you, Roger."

"You're welcome."

Roger shook his head, then changed the subject:
"In any case, let our men take stock of the items here and see how to distribute them."

"Given what we have done and will do to help Midnight City, I think we can distribute these spoils according to the amount of our contribution."

"I think we can be more lenient with the allocation of low- and mid-series items, but we must be very careful with seals and potion materials of sequence 5 and above."

Bernadette nodded slightly:

"If we're talking about merit, you deserve the most credit. Apart from offering some suggestions, I didn't do anything else."

"So you can control the allocation... Also, I agree with what you said about the allocation plan for high-sequence sealed items."

"On the other hand, considering that we may be entering the 'Underground Midnight City' next, we can't take everything with us."

"To put it bluntly, they don't have the ability to save these things; whoever has the ability should keep them."

"However, considering that they may have an angel or an equivalent sealed artifact, it is necessary for us to express sufficient goodwill by distributing supplies in order to gain their trust."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Roger nodded, agreeing with Bernadette's words once again.

In fact, at Roger's level, matters related to promotion and improving strength require long-term planning and cannot be accomplished in a day or two. Unless they can obtain angel-level sealing artifacts, it is difficult to make a significant improvement in strength.

In addition, Roger and Bernadette already have a lot of sealed artifacts. Roger has two angel-level sealed artifacts, and Bernadette has at least one sequence 0 level sealed artifact.

Based on the current situation, there shouldn't be any level 0 sealed artifacts in this treasure vault; at most, there are only three level 1 sealed artifacts, so Roger isn't too worried.

Afterwards, Roger and Bernadette organized their men to enter the vault and begin sorting and inventorying the collection.

Because there were two "appraisers" in the team, the identification of low- to mid-series extraordinary items became very simple, while the high-series items were identified by Roger and Bernadette together.

Once the list was compiled, Roger began reading the long list that took up several pages.

He quickly identified two things he wanted.

"'Blood of the Wicked and Evil'... Hiss, 400 milliliters? That much?"

This is a potion ingredient that Bernadette identified using a sealed artifact in her possession. It is also one of the auxiliary materials needed for the advancement of a "Trickster".

Considering that Klein is about to advance to Sequence 4, Roger plans to keep this item and wait for a later transaction at the "Tarot Club".

On the other hand, Roger was somewhat disappointed that he did not find "Phantom Raider's Dust" or the main ingredients for "Trickster's" potion on the list.

"Hmm, and this ring, which corresponds to the Sequence 4 'Darkless One' extraordinary trait of the 'Sun' pathway, is a real gem."

Roger remarked that although this extraordinary item had significant side effects, attempting to forcibly "purify" its owner every five minutes or so, its effects were also remarkable.

In addition to various attack methods, the "purification" ability that the "Dark Ones" excel at has also been retained.

This extraordinary ability is extremely useful to the leader of an organization. It can not only purify the contamination within extraordinary traits, but also allow the extraordinary traits within those who have chosen the path of God to be extracted.

While this cannot change the physical alterations already caused by those extraordinary traits, it is a boon for those with mid- to low-sequence extraordinary abilities.

Because many extraordinary individuals chose a divine path that was unsuitable for them or went against their original free will in a state of confusion. The most typical examples are Linsaya and Miranda, as well as some extraordinary individuals who chose the "Secret Prayer" path due to coercion or deception.

On the other hand, some divine pathways are already occupied at Sequence 0, so extraordinary beings on these pathways can only reach Sequence 2 at most. Unless they forcibly switch pathways, it is almost impossible for them to become true gods of Sequence 0.

Of course, the latter situation is very rare, because most extraordinary beings only know about Sequence 0 after they become demigods. By then, it is too late to change their path, and most people will not do so.

However, for Roger, who currently controls several superhuman organizations such as the "Hercules School" and the "Star Fleet," the "purification" effect of this item is very practical, allowing some of his own extraordinary individuals to choose their own paths again.

It can be said that this is a seal that can enhance the foundation of an organization.

Of course, its combat capabilities are also quite good. The offensive and defensive capabilities of the Sequence 4 "Sun" pathway demigod are both quite impressive.

Overall, Roger was very satisfied with the item and decided to keep it.

Besides this sealed item, the other two Level 1 sealed items are a rusty longsword, which corresponds to the "Warrior" pathway Sequence 4 "Demon Hunter", and an item that corresponds to the "Mystic" pathway Sequence 4 "Black Knight".

Neither of these items was of any use to Roger, because he was already a "Black Knight" and possessed the "Demon Slayer," a demigod-level sealed artifact of the "Warrior" pathway that he could fully control, and thus already had the same power.

In addition, Roger also planned to leave behind a few demigod-level potion ingredients for future use.

When Alexis, Leomaster, and Jack arrived, Roger allowed them to select some spoils for "New Fog City" and for himself.

Alexis and Jack seemed to share a certain consensus. They knew that the current favorable situation in Midnight City was almost entirely due to Roger's efforts. Therefore, they did not take the demigod-level sealing artifacts, but only some low- to mid-level magic potion materials, etc., to cultivate the extraordinary beings of New Fog City and to provide support for research on how to remove the pollution from the people of New Fog City.

Leomaster once again took nothing, and Roger did not force him but respected his request.

Bernadette, on the other hand, selected some low- to mid-rank potion ingredients and then turned her attention to the rusty longsword.

"Roger, I want this item, but considering my contribution, I can offer an additional £25,000 in cash as compensation. I wonder if you can accept that?"

Bernadette hesitated slightly when she said this, because she knew that Sequence 4 sealed artifacts were hard to come by, so she tried to quote a price first.

Roger pondered for a moment and then spoke:

"Let's talk in private."

Bernadette looked at Roger with some confusion, then at the other three demigods who were consciously ignoring their conversation, nodded, and went with Roger to a secluded corner.

“Bernarde, what I want to say is that I would rather have the potion recipe than the money.”

"Potion recipe?"

Bernadette was taken aback:
Which route do you want?

"Sequence 4 of the 'Secret Seeker' pathway, 'Mystic'."

Roger began to speak.

In fact, Roger doesn't need the potion recipe right now, but considering that he has the "Hercules School," a secret organization in its early stages, and that it has many extraordinary individuals with the "Secret Seeker" pathway, and that Roger might cultivate his own high-sequence subordinates in the future, Roger has to consider many things in advance.

After all, with the protection of the "Original Core of Heaven", these "Secret Seekers" are basically not afraid of the knowledge imparted by the "Hidden Sages". The risk of losing control or going crazy is greatly reduced, and the difficulty of digesting the magic potion is far lower than that of the "Secret Seekers" outside.

In this respect, the "Hercules School" has a great advantage over the "Morse Ascetic Order". Given time to develop, Roger believed that the "Hercules School" would become very powerful. Therefore, mastering the "Mystic's" potion formula at this stage would be entirely beneficial to Roger.

Furthermore, the deal for a demigod-level potion formula isn't something he can just propose and expect others to agree to; there must be a suitable opportunity, and right now is a perfect one.

"Yes, but you can't tell anyone about this."

Bernadette eventually agreed.

"Of course, otherwise why would I have called you over to talk to me alone?"

Roger blinked and answered very sensibly.

This reassured Bernadette. She dictated the "mystic's" potion recipe to Roger, and after confirming it with him to ensure it was correct, she returned to the entrance of the vault with Roger.

Bernadette picked up the rusty longsword, examined it for a while, and then put it away, intending to study it later.

Afterwards, the group spent about three hours having their subordinates collect some potion materials and sealing artifacts according to their respective contributions, with Linsaya and her tactical squad being the largest contributors.

They obtained the largest amount of potion materials and sealing artifacts, especially among the tactical squad members who already met the promotion requirements, a considerable number of whom found the materials they needed for their advancement.

Although it doesn't directly meet all the conditions described in a complete potion recipe, it is still a significant advancement.

As for the remaining materials, Roger compiled a list of them all, intending to purchase them later through Mr. C's channels.

After settling these matters, Roger finally spoke:

"Gentlemen, I think I have found the entrance to the 'Underground Midnight City'."

"So fast?"

Bernadette was somewhat surprised; she had originally thought that Roger would need a long time to overcome the seals and restrictions imposed by the two angel kings.

However, I never expected that this guy would be so efficient.

"It's normal for it to be fast."

At this moment, the elderly Alexis smiled and spoke:

"After all, Lord Roger found the New Fog City by following the guidance of the 'Angel of Time,' and presumably the same is true for the 'Midnight City.'"

This explanation makes perfect sense, since the seal beneath "Midnight City" was set up by Amon, and it's only natural that he would guide Roger to break it.

Upon hearing this, Bernadette stopped asking questions. However, to be honest, she had always felt something was off about Roger having an angel king behind him, but she didn't dare to ask.

"Next, let's assign tasks."

Roger looked at the four demigods before him:

“According to the previous plan, Lady Alexis needs to come with me to try to enter the ‘Underground Midnight City’, and the ‘Midnight City’ also needs at least one demigod to be in charge.”

This is a necessary measure because it is anticipated that other extraordinary beings, potentially corrupted by the "Celestial Venerable," may also arrive.

"Let me do it."

Bernadette took the initiative to take on this task because half of the joint exploration team was her people, and because she had a good relationship with Roger, Zeus, Dionysius, and other high-ranking members of the "Star Fleet" were also quite cooperative with her arrangements.

As long as these arrangements do not conflict with Roger's plans and are beneficial to the team's overall plans and interests, they will comply.

In this respect, neither Leomaster nor Jack could compare, especially the former, who always seemed somewhat mentally unstable. Many members of the joint exploration team were genuinely afraid of this "Black Saint" of the "Aurora Society."

"I can stay too."

Upon hearing this, Leomaster took the initiative to speak.

Although he was eager to see the "Underground Midnight City" and learn more about its history, he also believed deep down that Roger's earlier assessment was that, apart from himself, only Alexis might meet the requirements to enter the "Underground Midnight City".

"It's alright, Lord Leomaster."

Roger shook his head:

"Let Jack stay. It'll be good for him to look around 'Midnight City' and see if there are any books or materials that 'New Fog City' can use."

“You should come with us, because although you may not be able to enter the ‘Underground Midnight City,’ Lady Alexis and I may face some dangers when we try to enter, and we will need your timely help.”

Although he didn't hold out much hope, since a thousand years had passed, even if there were any books or documents in "Midnight City," they would probably have long since decayed and been destroyed.

But something is better than nothing, since judging from the previous situation in the vault, the language system of "Midnight City" and "New Fog City" is almost identical.

Compared to books from the Northern Continent, knowledge produced from a similar cultural background may be more suitable for the "readers" of "New Fog City" to understand and identify with.

Moreover, Roger was also uneasy about Leomaster slipping out of his control. He couldn't rule out the possibility that the guy might use his "listening" ability for some unpredictable and strange reason, such as seeing some sacred emblem or sculpture inside "Midnight City." If that happened, all of Roger's previous work would be in vain.

"Ok."

Leomaster was somewhat pleased, because Roger's arrangement not only satisfied his thirst for knowledge, but also showed that this saint, who also belonged to the "Aurora Society," trusted him greatly and was willing to entrust his back to him.

"I will absolutely live up to your expectations."

He nodded to Roger and said softly.

"Okay, let's arrange it that way."

Roger clapped his hands.

Then, as the figure of "Fallen Earl" Chunus Colger appeared, the "magnified" power also enveloped him and Alexis.

Because Leomaster was capable of traveling on his own, and he also offered not to be accompanied by Roger, the latter only took Alexis, whose athletic ability had not yet returned to its peak.

As the force of "anti-gravity" emerged, Roger and Alexis's figures floated up simultaneously, while Leomaster nodded slightly and disappeared into the darkness, following in their footsteps like a black arrow.

After flying for about twenty minutes, the three of them finally landed in a mountain valley.

This ravine is not far from where Linssaya found the severed limb, but it is on the other side of the valley, making it normally very difficult to find.

"Is this where it is?"

Leomaster looked at the bare stone wall in front of him with some doubt and asked.

(End of this chapter)