Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 366 Let's Bid! The Two Great Churches
Faced with Roger's threat, Ms. D and Ms. S remained silent, while Roger ignored them and continued asking his own questions:

Where is Mr. C?

After saying that, he glanced at Ms. D and Ms. S, who were still silent, then sneered and released two lumps of flesh onto their bodies.

The next instant, both of the "Aurora Society" messengers painfully covered their ears and began to writhe on the ground with ferocious expressions!
At this moment, they both heard a sharp, inexplicable explosion inside their heads. The explosions rose higher and higher, almost reducing their Sanity to zero.

When both of them started to have their eyelids rolled back and foam at the mouth, showing symptoms of mental piercing, Roger ended the "mental stress test" and "played" a piece of calming music to relieve their discomfort.

"Now you can talk, right?"

At this moment, Roger, who was like a living Yama in the eyes of Ms. D and Ms. S, smiled and bent down, patting their beautiful faces one after the other.

"They went to Ahowa County."

Ms. S spoke weakly. Roger waited for a while, and seeing that the two had no intention of continuing the conversation, he shook his head and sighed softly.

The next second, the two female divine messengers began to convulse violently again. Roger could smell the stench, and he finally stopped torturing them.

"You have one more chance to finish what you have to say. You don't want to be found dead in the streets of Backlund the next morning by the extraordinary beings of the Church of the True God, incontinence and in an unseemly manner, do you?"

Roger's words struck them like a dagger, filling them with panic. Ms. D quickly said:

“Mr. C went to Awawa County. We don’t know exactly what he’s doing, but we took advantage of his absence and deceived Connery Gabriel, which is how we found you through him.”

"So Mr. C didn't die?"

"No, we didn't even see him."

Ms. D shook her head.

Roger narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind racing.

In fact, when Roger saw Arexos in disguise earlier, his fate did indeed overlap with that of Mr. C.

This seems to be the power of the "Angel of Fate," Ouroles. After Roger used "gravity" to launch Arexos into the sky and forcibly remove him from the battlefield, the sense of overlapping fates returned to normal.

Roger immediately used the enhancement of the "Original Motion Core" and the ability of the "Living Star Chart" to calculate Mr. C's current fate trajectory.

He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Ms. D's statement was true.

Mr. C is indeed alive. As for what he went to Akhova County for, Roger guessed that he was most likely there to help Mr. P with his "shepherd" promotion ceremony, as he had previously requested.

"Both of you."

Roger laughed, his eyes narrowing into two crescent moons:

"As you all probably know, I haven't been a Saint for very long. Recently, I've been recruiting talented individuals and hoping that the outstanding divine messengers under the 'Aurora Society' can work for me. This is a great opportunity."

"Given your considerable strength, I now invite you to join my camp. Your original status as divine messengers will remain unchanged, and if you perform your duties properly, you will receive additional benefits."

"How about it? Think about it. I hope you won't be ungrateful."

Roger's words immediately stunned Ms. D and Ms. S, who fell silent once again.

"It seems you need to reconsider."

Roger sighed:

"It's okay, I never force anyone."

Upon hearing this, Ms. D raised her head suspiciously, but what she saw was Ms. S, who had been pierced through by the "Black Knight's" longsword, her eyes filled with astonishment, and who was beyond dead.

This scene startled her. Seeing Roger draw the "Spirit and Flesh Blade" and walk towards her, she quickly spoke:

"We can discuss it!"

"Oh?"

Roger smiled slightly and planted the "Spirit and Flesh Blade" upside down in the ground:

How do you want to discuss this?

"Can you really hear my Lord's whispers?"

To Roger's surprise, Ms. D asked a question that seemed rather nonsensical.

"of course."

Roger nodded:

"Want to hear it?"

"May I?"

Ms. D's eyes lit up with anticipation.

Roger nodded slightly, walked up to Ms. D, and gently touched her forehead with his right index finger.

In an instant, a flood of nonsensical, incoherent ramblings rushed into Ms. D's mind, but instead of showing any pain, she displayed an expression of rapture.

Having not heard the whispers of the "true creator" for a long time, Ms. D was deeply captivated by the familiar yet strange feeling of hearing that voice again at this moment.

After a long while, Ms. D finally managed to stand up.

"Can I live?"

"As long as you are willing to pledge your allegiance, I guarantee that no one but me can take your life."

Roger understood the meaning behind Ms. D's words and nodded in response.

Upon hearing this, Ms. D knelt down on one knee and whispered to Roger:
"As you wish, Your Excellency."

"very good."

Roger smiled and cupped Ms. D's face in his hands:

"Go back and pack your things, then come to the Hexagonal Building to report for duty in two days."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Ms. D answered, and then she added with some concern:

"I……"

"I said, it's okay."

Roger waved his hand. Upon hearing this, Ms. D finally nodded, then respectfully retreated and disappeared into the darkness.

"Brother, are we just going to let her go like this? What if she turns against us later?"

Sam stared in disbelief at everything, then spoke with some concern.

"Will not."

Roger shook his head:

"In a sense, she can no longer decide what she wants to do."

To be honest, he didn't trust Ms. D at all, so during the skin contact just now, Roger used the power of the "Primal Core" to contaminate this "Aurora Society" messenger to some extent.

The reason why Ms. D was not killed was partly because she was useful to him, and partly because she was a friend of the "Hermit" lady.

Although whether Roger kills Ms. D is an internal matter for the Aurora Society, considering that Bernadette is allied with them, such a small exchange of courtesy is still appropriate.

"Where is Connery Gabriel?"

Roger suddenly realized that Connery hadn't said a word since the beginning of the night. He quickly went to the carriage entrance and saw that the unfortunate "hermit" had been completely blown off at the neck by something, and the carriage was covered in blood and flesh.

"Ugh."

Roger sighed slightly. He knew this was probably a contingency plan Arexos had made to prevent Roger's divination and prophecy. At this moment, there was not a single trace of the "Shadow Saint's" cells left in the carriage.

"You really think you can escape?"

Roger sneered inwardly. In fact, when he attacked Arexos with the "Spirit and Flesh Blade" just now, he had already obtained a few drops of the other's blood.

Normally, a high-ranking "Rose Bishop" would be able to sense his lost flesh and blood through mystical connections. However, Roger had already used "leaking" to sever Arexus's senses in this regard the moment he obtained Arexus's blood, thus preventing Arexus from noticing.

While contemplating, Roger collected Connery Gabriel's body and the extraordinary traits he had extracted, as well as the "Shepherd" and "Dawn Knight" extraordinary traits extracted by Mr. L and Ms. S.

"Cousin, what do we do next?"

Cecilia leaned closer and asked.

"Going home. But before that..."

Roger seemed to have thought of something. He pulled his large-caliber revolver from the holster under his arm, released the safety, and fired three shots into the night sky above.

"Brother, what are you doing?"

Cecilia asked with some suspicion.

"Brother, you're calling the police."

Sam's mind raced with memories of something, and he grinned.

Roger smiled. This area was currently under the jurisdiction of the "Punishers," and the reason he called the police was twofold: firstly, to remind the "Punishers" to check if there were any innocent civilians who had been harmed nearby, and secondly, to remind them that their defenses against the "Aurora Society" were still inadequate.

As for how to interpret the subsequent investigation information, that's something the senior deacons need to consider.

Hearing the cars and shouts from not far away, Roger used his "Magnify" ability to pull himself, Bendit, and the siblings together, and then used the "Traveler's" "Teleport" ability to return to Worston Garden.

Because he was worried about his family, Roger did not choose to return to the "Forsaken Land" immediately, but stayed at home for another night.

During this time, he wrote a letter to both Lever Church and Bentley Morris, and after saying a few things in the letter, he finally went to sleep peacefully.

On Monday morning, Roger first checked the replies from the Steam Church and the Knowledge Church, and then confirmed that the "Punisher" was indeed investigating the events of the previous night before he breathed a sigh of relief.

He got up, took a shower, and then carefully dressed himself, putting on a neat and presentable outfit. After greeting Cecilia and Sam, he used the "traveler's" "teleportation ability" to travel to Stohn, the capital of East Chestershire, and arrived at the restaurant where he had met Bentley Morris last time.

Bentley was very welcoming to Roger's arrival. Just like last time, he ordered a table full of Roger's favorite dishes and then suggested having a couple of drinks with Roger.

"No rush, Professor Morris."

Roger waved his hand:

"Have you forgotten that I also invited a friend?"

"Oh, look at my memory."

Bentley slapped his forehead, noticing that his hairline had receded noticeably compared to last time:

"How much longer until that person arrives?"

"We've arrived."

Roger stood up with a smile. As soon as he opened the door to the private room, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a beige suit, wearing a matching bowler hat and thick-rimmed glasses. He looked very refined.

Upon seeing this person, Bentley Morris's eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you come?"

The middle-aged man, upon seeing Bentley, paused slightly before immediately retorting:
"Why can't I come?"

"Since you two know each other, there's no need for me to introduce you."

Roger grinned, then gestured to the middle-aged man:
"Please take a seat, Mr. Weeks."

The man named Weeks nodded slightly, and then followed Roger's directions to sit down on a chair to the side.

As Weeks passed by Morris, the triangular emblem he wore on his chest reflected the light and stood out conspicuously.

"Gentlemen, Roger is treating you to a meal today."

Roger chuckled and opened the wine Bentley had brought. He knew that Bentley had originally intended to treat him to dinner, but now that he had brought Weeks, it was a different story.

Weeks' full name was York Weeks, the bishop of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery in Stohn and an astronomer.

"cheers."

Guided by Roger's smile, even though Bentley and Weeks had some disagreements with each other, they could only clink glasses.

"Everyone ate and chatted."

Roger didn't stand on ceremony. He placed an appetizer and cream of mushroom soup in front of him, took a couple of bites, and then said:
"Let's eat."

"it is good."

Bentley and Weeks nodded, and they both began to drink their soup. After clinking glasses twice more, Roger finally spoke:
"I've called you two here today because I have a project here and would like to invite you to bid on it."

"Bidding?"

Bentley and Weeks were both stunned; they even exchanged glances, both completely baffled as to what Roger was up to.

"The Steam Church and the Knowledge Church have always been renowned for their research achievements in science, technology and various extraordinary fields. Now I want to commission you to make two extraordinary items, so I would like to ask if the churches behind you have the ability to complete them."

Upon hearing Roger's words, Bentley and Weeks asked in unison:

"What kind of item is it?"

After saying that, the two looked at each other with great disgust, seemingly embarrassed by their previous "telepathic" understanding.

"After some time, I should go to the starry sky to collect two extraordinary materials."

"However, I have no idea how to get them. I only know that I need the corresponding containers, so I would like to ask you two for advice."

"If you can meet my requirements, I will pay the necessary fees and can also do one extra thing for you."

Bentley frowned, still reeling from the shock of Roger's impending journey to space, but upon hearing Roger's offer, he immediately pressed for an answer:
"What's going on?"

"I can promise to help you once, provided that my own safety is guaranteed and that it does not violate my alliance with my established allies."

Roger spoke softly, his demeanor calm and composed.

In fact, the reason he brought this up was that he hoped the high-ranking officials of the two major churches would personally make what he wanted. To achieve this goal, it was necessary to offer a sufficiently tempting offer.

Although Beyonders of Bentley and Weeks' level don't know how significant this matter is, Roger is currently the only Beyonder in the Northern Continent who possesses a Source Material and the ability to travel to the stars.

Judging from Roger's previous ability to severely injure "Primal Hunger," his credentials are undoubtedly valuable. Therefore, his promise to help once, even if it has little use in the short term, is something the highest levels of the two churches would find impossible to refuse in the long run.

Roger then told Weeks and Bentley about his encounter with the "Star Wanderer" and the starlight that had traveled through the stars for over 50 billion years, as well as his collection requirements. Only then did these two bishops finally put down their knives and forks and carefully inquire about the details.

Soon, they said they needed to leave the private room, citing that they were unable to make the decision themselves and needed to contact higher-ups in the church.

"Please."

Roger responded casually to their request, knowing that the task involved knowledge the two men lacked and that a higher-level Church Extraordinary would be needed to reach a conclusion.

Nearly an hour passed while Roger ate and drank in the private room. Just as he was getting a little sleepy, Weeks was the first to return.

"Is it settled?"

Roger smiled and asked.

However, before Weeks could reply, Bentley walked in.

"What a coincidence, Mr. Weeks also just got back."

Roger smiled subtly, easing Bentley's anxiety, and then asked:
"Have you two made any progress regarding the two items I requested?"

"Have."

Weeks spoke first:
"The 'astronomers' of the Steam Church can create for you a supernatural item that can filter out all stray light, collect only light within a specific wavelength range, and temporarily freeze it."

"As for 'star wanderers,' they are similar to living comets that travel aimlessly through space using the gravitational slingshot effect. They can determine their own flight direction to a certain extent and have significant characteristics of being alive."

"...They can spew out fire and ice, and charge and attack any living entity that gets close to them in a ferocious manner. And it must be said that, based on our observations, there has been no sign of the 'Star Wanderers' approaching for at least fifteen hundred years."

Bentley Morris, seemingly worried that York Weeks had stolen all the limelight and the "right to interpret," also stepped into the conversation, showcasing the knowledge and abilities of the Church of the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom."

“Indeed, since the end of the Quaternary Period, no human extraordinary beings have observed any trace of the activities of ‘Star Wanderers’... This knowledge has become obscure. If you hadn’t brought it up today, I wouldn’t even know that such a supernatural being existed.”

York Weeks took over the conversation, adding his own words.

"That's it..."

Roger fell into deep thought upon hearing this, and after a while, he spoke again:
"So, do either of you have a way to collect its trail?"

"of course."

Weeks and Bentley spoke at the same time, and then the latter seized the pause to continue speaking in a rapid tone:

"Although the 'Star Wanderer' is a living organism, the trail it emits is still a form of matter, and it is much easier to collect than starlight."

"The only problem is that you need to figure out how to beat it, or get its trail without the other party knowing."

"I understand."

Roger smiled slightly, and then said:
"Thank you both. Now we will begin the bidding process."

Upon hearing this, Bentley and Weeks exchanged a glance, and the latter spoke first:

"We do not charge any fees."

"So are we."

Bentley echoed this sentiment.

In fact, the raw materials needed to make those two items were not expensive, but they were extremely labor-intensive, especially the technology that could temporarily freeze starlight, which required forging a special crystal and was a very complicated process.

Even so, the two churches still wanted to seize this opportunity to establish further ties with Roger, even if the relationship wasn't useful now, it might still have unexpected uses.

For Stiano, the "God of Steam and Machinery," the overall progress of civilization in the Northern Continent had almost stagnated after the death of Rosell Gustav, with no major technological breakthroughs. This was actually affecting his ability to gain more followers and more "anchors."

From His perspective, Roger, as an incarnation of an Outer God, comes from outside the planet. No one knows what kind of understanding this guy has of technology, so making a good relationship with him now may come in very handy later.

As for the old dragon Herabogen, He naturally already knew the news that Adam had become the Sequence 0 true god.

Because Herabgan is the true God of the adjacent path to Adam, and because Herabgan participated in the "Feast of Rebellion," He has always feared the existence of this "dreamer."

Considering the relationship between Roger and Adam, even if the former was unwilling to target the latter, Hrabergen hoped that he could become a buffer zone and mediator between himself and Adam, so that he would not be schemed against and devoured by that "dreamer" without his knowledge.

Therefore, both churches had their own agendas regarding Roger, the incarnation of Outer God, and the latter's promise to intervene once was undoubtedly very tempting.

"No, gentlemen, I must pay the necessary labor costs."

Roger tapped the table lightly with his finger:

"Since it's a bidding process, I advise you two not to put your efforts into this aspect."

"It's impossible for it to be free, and I don't want any great beings to feel uncomfortable about it."

"But you two could promote the strength of your respective churches to persuade me, your client."

By the end, Roger felt a sense of helplessness.

In the mysterious world, both the Steam Church and the Knowledge Church are dominant in their respective territories in terms of knowledge and technology. This means that they do not conduct bidding like the enterprises of the old days, but rather accept almost all major projects without bidding.

Therefore, they lack the keen awareness of the remnants of the old regime when it comes to many business matters, and are even less as adept as ordinary businessmen.

Upon hearing Roger's prompting, the two finally realized what was going on.

"You have also dealt with the Steam Church and are familiar with the history of the entire Northern Continent."

"So you should be very clear that we are the true authorities in materials technology, alchemy, and engineering."

Weeks was quite proud of the technological prowess of the Steam Church.

After all, the technological explosion of the entire Fifth Age was almost entirely driven by the Steam Church—although Emperor Roselle played a decisive role in this, at that time he was still a believer in the "God of Craftsmen" in the public eye.

"That's natural."

Roger nodded slightly; he had no doubt about the strength of the Steam Church.

Aside from the fact that it lacked oil and various industrial derivatives, and thus wasn't immediately brought into the subsequent industrial revolution by the mainland, the Steam Church can be considered the true technological backbone of the mysterious world.

"Let me tell you, you 'generalists' may be skilled in industrial technology and the manufacture of various machines, but you are not as knowledgeable as we are about the underlying principles of various kinds of knowledge."

Bentley, not to be outdone, straightened his back:

"For us extraordinary individuals on the 'Reader' path, acquiring extensive knowledge and delving into the underlying principles of various phenomena are the most crucial aspects of digesting the potion."

"Knowledge—all kinds of knowledge—are the objects of our study. In fact, there's something you didn't mention earlier: in the Northern Continent, the vast majority of research results, whether in science and technology or in the realm of the extraordinary, are produced by the Church of Knowledge."

"You may only have two or three ways to freeze a specific wavelength of light, but we have at least seven."

"Yes, you have many ideas, but what's the use if you can't actually build it?"

York Weeks immediately scoffed:
"For His Excellency Abraham, what he needed was not so many means and methods to solve problems; on the contrary, he valued the reliability and stability of technology more."

"In fact, this is the problem that you 'readers' have always had—as long as the objective needs are met, you don't care how many potential means are not being used?"

After saying that, Weeks turned to look at Roger:

"You agree, Your Excellency Abraham?"

This argument left Bentley speechless; he couldn't find a reason to refute it.

Roger listened with great interest to the debate between the two, and it must be said that the disagreement between the Steam Church and the Knowledge Church on this issue is a classic example.

In fact, in the course of historical development in the past, there were long-standing conflicts between theorists and practitioners, and between the rationalists and the engineeringists. It was not until the beginning of the 21st century, with the rapid development of various military and civilian technologies, that the overall social trend began to shift from confrontation to seeking common ground while reserving differences, and then gradually to cooperation and win-win.

While both arguments have their merits, Weeks's points were undoubtedly very compelling to Roger.

That is, he is not a researcher of science and technology; he is just preparing for his promotion ceremony. As long as the corresponding equipment is reliable enough and can solve his personal problems, why should he care about so many theoretical things?

After all, he was just a customer, not the creator of the technology. As a charlatan, Roger knew exactly what he was capable of in this area.

So, Roger nodded in response to Weeks' words:
"That makes sense."

This attitude immediately deflated Bentley, who said somewhat helplessly:

"Your Excellency Abraham, our fees can be very low."

However, Roger shook his head and said:
"As I just said, the cost is not my main concern; on the contrary, I would like to pay more."

Roger has always been very cautious in dealing with the Church of the Night, the Church of the Storm, and churches other than Adam's. He is not short of money right now, and he knows that he must not try to be clever or accept their favors casually.

Roger understood the principle of "he who eats another's food is bound to him" very well, and he also knew what his current base of support was. He would never waver on this point and risk alienating others.

"Don't be discouraged, Mr. Morris. I will have many more opportunities to cooperate with the Church of Knowledge in the future."

After comforting Bentley and seeing that his condition was gradually improving, Roger turned to Weeks:

"3 pounds, solves everything, my promise still stands, is that okay?"

"Yes, of course."

Weeks perked up. Although he felt that 3 pounds was a bit too much, the quick-witted steam church bishop immediately remembered what Roger had said earlier and understood his attitude.

In any case, money is not the most important thing; the most important thing is how to solve the saint's needs and obtain his promise.

"That's good."

Roger smiled slightly, confirmed the delivery time with Weeks again, and then raised his glass with a smile:

"Drink, drink."

……

After paying the bill and seeing the somewhat tipsy Bentley and Weeks off to their respective carriages, it was already past 2 p.m. Roger, seeing that it was getting late, hurriedly used his "Traveler" ability to return to 15 Minsk Street.

Roger didn't go straight back to Worston Garden because he thought 15 Minsk Street was quieter, and considering he was going to participate in the "Tarot Meeting," he preferred to stay in his own studio.

When it was 3 o'clock, Roger's rust-colored light burst forth precisely on time, and he appeared in front of the bronze table amidst the gray mist inside the "Source Castle".

Good afternoon, Mr. Fool!

Audrey's cheerful greeting came through the air. After the members of the Tarot Club greeted each other, Cattleya the Hermit was about to speak when she heard Mr. Fool gently tap the edge of the bronze table twice.

This immediately put everyone except Roger on edge. They all looked at Mr. Fool, anticipating what this great deity would say next.

After all, in their view, anything that Mr. Fool would emphasize at the outset must be a major event.

“Amon recently arrived in Backlund, his clone.”

As Mr. Fool's slightly amused voice rang out, everyone present suddenly became uneasy.

Only Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," secretly grumbled to himself:

"He arrived a long time ago... He even opened an antique shop in St. George's District for more than half a year... Otherwise, where do you think the Fourth Age silver coins and noble medals I gave you came from?"

However, Miss Justice seemed particularly nervous in comparison, and she asked:
"Dear Mr. 'Fool,' may I find a way to inform the church about this matter?"

(End of this chapter)