Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 376 "Stars" and "Judgment" (Thanks to reader 2024…626 for the Qidian Coins donation)
"This one."

Jennings picked up the bag-like object and then spoke to Roger:

"As long as you are within 100 kilometers of the 'Star Wanderer', simply channel your spiritual energy into this pocket, and it will automatically approach the 'Star Wanderer' and collect enough of its trail before automatically returning to your hand."

“It’s convenient.”

Roger nodded slightly. With a little "Secret Insight," he knew that the two items were meticulously designed. Although he didn't understand mechanical matters, considering that they were products of the Steam Church, their performance and reliability should be excellent.

"Thank you, Mr. Jennings."

Roger nodded slightly, then took out the cash he had promised beforehand and handed it to the other party.

Jennings didn't stand on ceremony; he took the cash, didn't bother to count it, and simply placed it on the table.

“Another matter, Your Excellency Abraham.”

Suddenly, Jennings, who had been maintaining his composure and calm, became agitated, and his voice even trembled slightly:
"Where did you find the grease that you brought to Weeks last time?"

"Ah, this."

Roger paused for a moment, then immediately realized what Jennings wanted to say, and promptly spoke:

"I found it on another planet while I was traveling through the stars... Is there a problem?"

"No, there's no problem."

Jennings could no longer contain his excitement:
"We tried distilling this oil at different temperatures and derived several secondary fuels with different efficiencies and characteristics, each of which completely surpassed the energy efficiency of coal...and most importantly, they were all liquids!"
Do you know what this means?

"what?"

Roger asked the question knowingly, even though no one in the entire mysterious world knew more about the uses of oil than the remnants of the past. Nevertheless, he politely gave Jennings a chance to demonstrate his knowledge.

"This means we can create a range of devices that can utilize these fuels, with higher energy conversion efficiency and greater energy output per unit time than steam engines."

"In this way, our cars and ships can run much faster... and with such energy efficiency, we can even create entirely new weapons, machinery, and aircraft—not outdated aircraft like airships, but something else entirely..."

Jennings suddenly slapped his forehead as he finished speaking:
"Yes, it's the kind of 'fixed-wing aircraft' that Emperor Rosell envisioned. With it, the journey from Backlund to Trier would only take four to five hours, and that time could be reduced even further!"

Having said that, he rubbed his hands together and said:

"On the other hand, after we completed the distillation of this oil, we also obtained some heavy distillates. Although we have not yet figured out the specific separation and catalysis methods, we currently believe that it can create a series of new materials composed of polymer chains."

"In our current vision, these materials should mostly be lightweight, impact-resistant, waterproof, insulating, highly malleable, and chemically stable... If they can actually be manufactured, they can be widely used in daily necessities, medical applications, agriculture, and specialized equipment. Most importantly, many material problems that have been hindering our power generation and transmission technologies will be perfectly solved!"

"As long as it can be supplied stably, human society and even the development of the entire civilization will undergo earth-shattering changes due to the upgrade of energy and basic materials technology!"

After saying that, Jennings concluded in a rambling, almost roaring, and hoarse voice:
"That will be a completely new era... Your Excellency Abraham! Do you understand? A completely new era!"

"Uh……"

Roger had imagined the Steam Church would be overjoyed at the discovery of oil, but seeing Jennings's frenzied state, he realized that his imagination had been somewhat conservative.

"I see."

After a moment, he nodded and spoke.

"To be honest, this reminds me of a fossil fuel that Russell the Great envisioned more than a hundred years ago, which might exist in the mantle... This should be similar to the oil body you found."

"At that time, Emperor Russell called this energy source he envisioned 'oil' and even organized an expedition to explore it, but unfortunately, they found nothing."

"Now that we can confirm the existence of such a thing, it can be considered as solving one of the many unresolved problems left by Emperor Roselle... The only remaining problem is why we have not found anything similar on our planet."

Jennings rambled on and on for a while, then pressed for an answer:

"So, can this type of oil be supplied stably and safely?"

After saying that, he added a question with some concern:
"Considering that you said it was obtained from another planet, its mining, transportation and storage may become major problems. What are your thoughts on this?"

"After all, we don't know anything about the planet you mentioned, nor do we know how far away it is from here."

"There's no need to worry about that."

Roger waved his hand:

“I have convenient access to that planet, but the methods for mining and storage still need further consideration.”

"I see."

Jennings' eyes lit up:
"To be honest, I had read in some documents that the Abraham family was skilled at traveling to the stars, and now that you've said this, it seems to confirm what I read in the book."

"Regarding storage, we can provide technical support, but mining would be extremely complicated. We don't know if the environment of that planet is suitable for human visits and stays?"

This question stumped Roger. To be honest, the natural conditions on Butak were sufficient for mid-sequence extraordinary individuals on Earth to survive, and even low-sequence extraordinary individuals would have no problem if they took some medication in advance.

The key issue is that Roger did not want to bring anyone other than himself, especially those with strength at the intermediate level or above, to Butak. Firstly, this would bring a lot of anxiety to the peaceful lives of the "Blue-skinned Ones," and secondly, it might expose Roger's trump cards and foundation in the star system to the Steam Church when it should not be exposed.

Roger thought for a moment, then replied:

"To be honest, there are some intelligent races on that planet who prefer peace and a tranquil life, and I don't want to bring too many people from here over there."

“I will find a way to resolve the mining and exploration issues, but I need the Steam Church to provide me with the technology and blueprints corresponding to the exploration equipment… I believe that during the time of Emperor Roselle, He must have already done his homework in this regard, wouldn’t he?”

Seeing Jennings's hesitation, Roger added:

"Believe me, I also have a group of 'generalists' under my command, and I know what the Steam Church is thinking. But please forgive my frankness, I have absolutely no problem in ensuring a stable supply of this energy substance and cooperating in its development and utilization... but our cooperation is limited to this point, I hope you understand."

Roger understood this very well. Oil was far too disruptive for a civilization still in the steam age. Although the steam church, represented by Jennings, had predicted its effects, none of them had personally experienced the extent of its impact like Roger had.

It could not only be a lever to sway the entire world order, but also contain extremely terrifying profits. Even a wealthy official extraordinary organization like the Steam Church would be unable to resist after gaining a deeper understanding of it, and might even forcibly involve state power in the process.

For Roger, he was now innocent but guilty of possessing a treasure. He was not afraid that someone would bypass his channels to steal oil from Butak, nor was he afraid that these people would take his life after they realized how much profit was contained in the oil.

After all, this world is not only about the real world, but also about the existence of supernatural powers. If someone really wanted to kill him, a time bomb carrying various forms of alien pollution, Adam and the goddess would definitely wipe them out without him even having to lift a finger.

The only two issues are that the Steam Church cannot monopolize this pie, and the Night and Storm Churches must also be involved in matters such as the distribution of petroleum products. This is to allow the three major churches to balance their own religious presence and faith, both for security reasons and to maintain a balance between various relationships.

Before Roger becomes an angel, or even a Sequence 0 true god, he must be very careful in managing the relationships between the various churches, which has always been one of his survival strategies.

What he was really worried about was the location of Planet Butak and the leakage of various occult information. He feared that someone might use these things to create obstacles for him through some kind of supernatural ability, which would be a huge loss.

Therefore, considering all factors, Roger needs to do two things next. The first is to help his family and friends find a way out. They must be safe enough to be targeted. For this, he may need some powerful angel-level sealing artifacts to assist him, or he may directly pray for the protection of the Sequence 0 true god.

The second thing he planned to do was to cultivate more "generalists" and "readers" in "New Fog City" and "Underground Midnight City," and then teach them the oil exploration-related knowledge and equipment that the Steam Church had transferred over.

After all, these people are simpler and more trustworthy than the catfish demons of the Northern Continent. Roger can have them search for potential oil fields outside the "blue-skinned" settlements on Butak Planet, and then carry out shift-based mining operations, while ensuring that there is no unnecessary contact between the two groups.

This can also be considered a part of the "world of light" promised by Roger. After all, compared to the terrible living environment of the "forsaken land", Planet Butak seems like a paradise in every way. He believes that after seeing the beautiful scenery there, the natives of the "forsaken land" probably can't say they are completely satisfied, but they can only say they are intoxicated.

Of course, these "oilmen" could also return to Earth to rest under Roger's arrangement—especially after the people of these two city-states leave the "Forsaken Land" in the future—after all, comparing Butak Planet and the world of light on Earth, they can only be considered to have their own merits, and neither is better than the other. In addition, their families and children are all on Earth, so Roger is not afraid that these people will stay on Butak Planet and not come back.

In the end, Jennings had no choice but to agree. It seemed that the Steam Church had already made some contingency plans for this, so he only hesitated for a moment and did not argue with Roger too much.

"Although Emperor Roselle stated beforehand that you, as the actual discoverer of this substance, have the right to name it."

Jennings looked at Roger with anticipation:
"As long as the name isn't too outrageous, I will report it to the Steam Church to formulate relevant regulations."

"There's no need to go to too much trouble in that regard."

Roger waved his hand:

“I think the name you just mentioned, ‘Oil,’ which was chosen by Emperor Roselle, is quite good. Let’s use that.”

"Are you really not going to reconsider? This is a momentous event that could go down in history."

Jennings couldn't help but offer another word of advice, saying that if it were him, he probably wouldn't have let such an opportunity slip by.

"No, I have no interest in making a name for myself in history."

Roger shook his head. This was the truth. After all, with the end of the world approaching, it was uncertain whether human civilization could survive or in what form. At this critical juncture, thinking about leaving a mark on history was indeed a bit too absurd.

On the other hand, the term "oil" also evokes memories of the past for Roger. As the trajectory of Earth's civilization development increasingly aligns with the history of the past, his self-existence becomes clearer and his humanity more solidified.

This is not only true for themselves, but also for Klein, Roselle, the goddess, Fabti, and all the time travelers from the old era. Although not all of them knew that this was home, the feeling of "home" was invaluable.

"Alright then, we'll do as you say."

Jennings nodded:
"I will have three days at most to prepare the relevant materials. During this period, I hope you can provide us with a few more barrels of oil samples to facilitate our further research on purification processes."

"Easy to say."

Roger nodded. Seeing that the important matters had been discussed, he stood up, gave Jennings a slight bow, and then turned and walked outside.

……

Over the next two days, Roger first helped Bandit, Klein, and Lindsay create and improve the high-sequence sealed artifacts they had obtained from their previous battles with the two saints of the "Aurora Society." He then made a special trip to Butak Planet and, with the guidance of Augur Gur, found the location of the oil spill.

He took three full barrels of oil as Jennings had instructed and handed them over to the Steam Church.

As agreed, Jennings handed over the knowledge and mechanical design plans related to oil exploration and extraction to Roger, who then distributed them to the "readers" and "generalists" of "New Fog City" for study and learning.

Although they didn't know what oil was, these eager fellows frantically studied and read anything new, especially anything related to modern mechanical design.

The church in the main film, "New Fog City," was filled with a lively and bustling atmosphere. The group would occasionally come up with new questions during their discussions and would grab Roger to ask him, which immediately gave Roger a headache.

Although Roger understood the uses of oil, he was not a true technologist. In the end, he could only compile the questions he could not answer and send them to the Steam Church to ask them to produce a document to help answer the questions.

After finally managing to escape, Roger sat down in a chair before 3 p.m. Backlund time and entered the "Tarot Meeting" in a relaxed manner.

As soon as he saw the scene before him, he immediately realized that it was different from what he had seen before.

That is, there are two more members here than last week!
"Leonard...and Hugh?"

Roger looked up and quickly scanned the area. He recognized Leonard immediately because he had seen him many times before.

As for Hugh himself, Roger had never seen him in person, but judging from his short stature and feminine appearance, he was still fairly certain that he was Hugh.

Although it's unclear how Klein managed to bring these two up, Roger was still very happy to see all the members of the "Tarot Club" from the original story gathered together.

As the others and the two observed each other, "Justice" Audrey broke the silence first:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

After greeting the other members of the "Tarot Club" as before, she looked with interest at the two new people beside her and opposite her:

"May I ask who these two are?"

Mr. Fool spoke softly, his tone full of amusement: "Two new members."

Mr. "Star".

"The 'Judgment' Lady".

After receiving confirmation from Mr. Fool, Audrey suppressed her excitement and greeted both men, receiving a nervous but equally polite response in return.

"They don't seem to be difficult people to talk to..."

Audrey took a deep breath and made her own judgment in her heart.

“Dear Mr. Fool, I did not receive Russell’s Diary this time.”

It was the "Hermit" who spoke, addressing the "Fool".

"You can begin the transaction now."

Mr. Fool nodded without saying anything more.

“Mr. Hanged Man, I have a material that I would like to commission to the craftsman you mentioned earlier, the one you know, to make into a magical item.”

"That 'craftsman' was controlled by some members of the 'Rose School' who believe in the 'Primordial Moon.' This is what I know, and the matter has been handed over to the 'Hermit' lady for further handling."

"'Rose School,' 'Primordial Moon' believers?"

Leonard, the "Star," and Hugh, the "Judgment," who had just joined the party, looked around immediately, both feeling the pressure.

What is this all about? They're talking about fanatical cultists right off the bat.
Upon hearing this, the "Hermit" lady spoke up:

"This is a bit complicated... I can't promise you anything, but you can wait a week or two, and someone might be able to help you make the magical item."

“No problem, Lady ‘Hermit’.”

"The Magician" Fors nodded; she had enough confidence in "The Hermit".

"If you need help with this, you can contact me."

At this moment, Mr. World suddenly spoke to Ms. Hermit.

This immediately caught the attention of Leonard, the "Star," because he had deduced through his analysis and the sorting out of various clues that Klein Moretti was at the party, and he had also confirmed this with Mr. Fool when he drew the "Star" card.

It has to be said that Mr. World's tone and manner of speaking were very different from the Klein Moretti he remembered, but Leonard assumed that this was a deliberate disguise by his former teammate, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.

“Okay, if I can’t handle it, I will ask you for help through Mr. Fool.”

The Hermit nodded, while subtly reminding everyone that the communication among the Tarot Club members wasn't just limited to their weekly Monday gatherings; they could also pray to the Fool on ordinary days.

This wasn't purely out of goodwill, but rather a deliberate hint made out of concern that the two new members might have too many questions. It was a habit, and also a habit of a pirate leader to establish authority in front of newcomers.

Of course, Roger, who had already seen Cattleya in her dazed state in the collective dream, knew very well the true nature hidden beneath the appearance of this "hermit" lady.

Just as Leonard and Hugh continued to observe and listen, Mr. "The Hanged Man" spoke again:
"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' there's something about the 'Blood Worship Cult' that I don't know if you've heard about."

"whats the matter?"

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," immediately showed a curious expression.

In fact, after helping Fabuti twice before, he had not received any response from this "dark side of the universe" and "demon king" since then. So it was quite unexpected to hear about the "Abyss" believer organization from Alger now.

The reason why "The Hanged Man" Alger thought of telling Roger about this was because he and Roger had encountered an incident related to the "Abyss" when they went to "Blackwing Reef" before. Roger had also been paying attention to this matter. Alger had recently learned about the situation through a senior deacon of "The Punisher" and took the initiative to bring it up.

"The original high-ranking leader of the Blood Worship Cult died suddenly for unknown reasons, which plunged the Blood Worship Cult into chaos."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," paused, then continued:

"According to what I've heard, there are currently two different forces competing within this organization. One is the conservative faction directly under the original leader, while the other is the reformist faction that wants to revise the doctrine."

"The leader of the reformist faction, an 'Apostle of Desire,' claims to have received revelation from the 'Abyss' and has given a new interpretation to the doctrine. His core proposition is to change the chaotic and evil stance that the Blood Worship Cult has always held to a certain extent, and to move towards a chaotic and neutral stance... But I am still learning about the specific program."

"Both sides have their strengths and weaknesses, but it is worth noting that many of the extraordinary individuals in the reformist faction are low-sequence extraordinary individuals, while there are relatively few mid-sequence extraordinary individuals. These individuals seem to be more likely to agree with the reformist viewpoints, but relatively speaking, their fighting power is also somewhat insufficient."

"Oh? Interesting."

Roger raised an eyebrow:
"From what you've said, does the Church of the True God have any hidden forces secretly involved in this struggle?"

This is easy to understand, because firstly, the “substitutes” are closely watching this matter, and secondly, although the reformists’ power is waning, they are still able to maintain the struggle, which makes it hard to say that the power of the Orthodox Church is not involved.

"...You are truly a man of exceptional wisdom."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," was silent for a moment, then nodded:
"Yes, as far as I know, they want the reformers to come to power and take control of the Blood Worship Cult."

"After all... the Blood Worship Cult is difficult to eradicate, but in order to reduce their negative influence, cultivating a leader who is relatively less harmful is also a better option."

Upon hearing this, Leonard, nicknamed "Star," narrowed his eyes. As a "Red Glove," he had never heard of this before.

To be honest, although Leonard now knows that not everyone in the Church of the True God is a good person, it is still somewhat beyond his expectations that they would interfere in the internal affairs of a cult, or even support a new faction within it.

In Leonard's view, the normal course of action for a cult like the "Blood Worship Cult," which had caused a lot of bloodshed and chaos, was to wipe them out and destroy their foundation by taking advantage of their internal strife.

Therefore, Leonard found the situation described by Alger, the "Hanged Man," rather incomprehensible.

"Hmm, I think I understand what's going on."

Roger nodded slightly, and then said:

"Do you remember the 'righteous demon' plan I mentioned before?"

Alger, the "Hanged Man," paused slightly upon hearing this, then quickly asked:
"You mean these two things are inherently connected?"

"Maybe."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," gave an ambiguous answer, and then spoke to Alger, the "Hanged Man," in a rather vague manner:

"Sometimes, the relationships between high-sequence beings, especially mythical creatures, are not as people imagine."

"After all, only the antagonistic relationship between adjacent pathways is unchangeable."

"Only the antagonistic relationship between adjacent paths... is unchangeable?"

Algerie, the "Hanged Man," tasted something unusual in it as soon as he did.

"Is Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune' implying that the 'Dark Side of the Universe' worshipped by the 'Blood Cult' is not entirely hostile to the true God?"

Thinking of this, his pupils dilated violently, but before Alger could ask further, he heard Miss "Justice" speak up:
"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' are there any adjacent pathways to the 'Criminal' pathway besides the 'Prisoner' pathway?"

During the Psychological Alchemy Society, Audrey deliberately learned about the fragmented relationships between the 22 Divine Paths through various channels. When she asked about this, she wanted to confirm that the information she had was correct.

"Yes and no."

Roger shook his head, giving another ambiguous answer.

Then he added:

"Of course, I know you have two questions. As for the other one, my answer is: Yes, there is a hostile relationship in the sequence pathway between the 'Dark Side of the Universe' and the 'Bound God'."

"On the other hand, the 'Bound God' is not currently a complete Sequence 0 true god. The more active one in the 'Rose School' is another Sequence 1 archangel, who is also the leader of the 'Hedonistic School'."

“‘God’s Evil’ Siea.”

“‘Divine Abomination’ Siea…”

Miss Justice silently repeated the name several times, then nodded gratefully to Roger, the Wheel of Fortune.
"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'."

Roger smiled and nodded in response, then glanced subtly at Leonard, the "star" to his right.

When this guy first joined the "Tarot Club," he was tense, but he still had the lazy demeanor that Roger was familiar with. However, Leonard now shows obvious unease and is no longer as relaxed as he was at the beginning.

And just as he guessed, Leonard is now practically numb.

Leonard was already shocked enough after confirming with Mr. Fool that the old man on his body was an angel. This was his first time attending a Tarot meeting, and he heard about the King of Angels and Sequence 0.

"What the hell is all this? Can someone explain it to me?"

Leonard desperately wanted to pull the old man out and ask him what was going on, but he didn't dare now, nor could he do so above the "Source Castle".

"By the way, Miss 'Magician', did you receive the letter I left you?"

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," then looked at Fors, the "Magician," and asked with a smile.

"Huh? Oh! I received it."

Miss Magician then came to her senses and asked, somewhat puzzled:

"I've always wanted to ask, how did you know I would be visiting that lady on that day?"

"intuition."

Roger smiled and tapped his temple, looking inscrutable, but offered no further explanation.

What do you think of what I said?

"Yes, I think you make a lot of sense."

Miss Magician nodded:
“After receiving the letter that day, I had already spoken to Nicholson about it, and we also had a meeting to discuss it specifically afterwards.”

"And what was the result of the discussion?"

Roger pressed on with more questions.

"The council has agreed to admit extraordinary individuals in addition to the three existing pathways, but special assessments will be required."

"Those who find potion recipes on their own and become extraordinary must report to their mentors."

"The Magician" replied.

"Should I report this to my supervisor?"

Roger frowned, then asked, "Wheel of Fortune?"
"Miss Magician, would it be alright if I reported this to you directly?"

(End of this chapter)