The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

...Trouble? Morian's expression changed slightly.

The other party used the word "trouble," implying that the matter was more serious than it originally seemed.

"If it were just a simple robbery, it wouldn't be worth our attention," Earl White said, his expression turning serious. "The important thing is that this case might be related to an initiation ceremony."

"ceremony?"

"Is it going to be held in Bet City?" Morian asked directly.

"It's not clear yet," Earl White shook his head.

"But according to the intelligence you provided, combined with information we obtained through our channels, Joseph has indeed been in frequent contact with some members of the organization in recent months."

Earl White paused, glancing at the standing maid.

Without a word, Ava immediately understood, took out a folded sheet of paper, walked to the table, and laid it out flat.

It was a detailed map of Bet City, with many annotations, and the South Wharf area was specially circled, with several locations marked in it.

Maurice glanced at the list and found that the marked locations were all hidden places such as warehouses or abandoned factories, with brief descriptions indicating that they were suspicious transaction locations.

"Joseph is ostensibly a dockworker, but he's actually one of the middlemen in the underground market." Earl White's finger landed on the words "building materials factory" on the map.

"In recent months, he has been privately acquiring a large number of books and even physical objects related to 'ancient god worship' and 'ritual magic'."

"Once a ritual involving an evil god is involved, the damage it causes will far exceed that of an ordinary crime. Even the royal family and the police are now investigating this matter to prevent an irreparable accident from happening."

If what the other party says is true, then the nature of the whole case is completely different. Thinking about it in a serious direction, it might endanger the entire city, or even a wider area.

"So, you want me to continue the investigation?" Mori listened quietly and then spoke cautiously.

In fact, even if I stopped asking, the answer to this question would have already been found.

Regardless of whether the White family invites him to continue the cooperation, he must investigate to the end. If Bet City has truly become the place where the evil god descends, then as a member of the city, he cannot remain uninvolved.

"That's right." Earl White smiled mysteriously and answered crisply, "But I hope you can continue your investigation as a private investigator, rather than by affiliating with the family's influence."

"In this way, you won't be considered a formal third-party intervention, and even if you are discovered during the process, you will still have room to maneuver."

"With your family's influence under the kingdom's control and supervision, things can be somewhat inconvenient, while your background is relatively clean, giving you more freedom of action."

The White family doesn't want to be discovered as involved in the case, yet they still want to participate. Why? Is it to find out the truth first and then curry favor with the royal family? Or are there other, deeper considerations?

Morian fell silent, unable to fathom the true motives behind the old nobleman's words, but upon reflection, whatever the other party's real purpose might be, at least the starting point was good.

The reception room fell silent for a moment, and Morian spoke again after about half a minute.

"Which factions has Joseph been in contact with, or is it the Elysium Society?"

"No, the Elysium Society is at best a small, insignificant organization," Earl White shook his head and added, "Joseph's true collaborator is perhaps the 'Cult of the End.'"

"If the Elysium Society is likened to 'madmen' who use the world for their own amusement, then the members of the End Times are more like true 'lunatics,' whose ultimate goal is to bring about the end of the world."

"Although these cases involve multiple organizations, their objectives are not conflicting, and may even be partially the same, which is why the whole incident looks so complicated and like a tangled mess."

The End Cult... It seems the forces behind this case are more numerous than anticipated...

The purposes of the former two are still unclear, but in comparison, the royal family, the police, and even the Earl of White in the present situation should all be on the side of maintaining order.

If you get involved, you become an unexpected "pawn." This identity, which doesn't belong to any faction, can indeed play an unexpected role at times. The key is how to influence the situation.

Can it really influence the situation?

After a brief moment of thought, Morian decided to address the most pressing issue first.

"My lord, before we officially begin the investigation, I have a few questions I'd like to ask, as this information is crucial to my next steps."

Upon hearing this, Earl White smiled slightly: "Based on our cooperative relationship, as long as it doesn't involve the core secrets of the family, I will provide you with as much information as possible."

"Thank you so much."

Morian nodded slowly, then posed his first question:

"What are Extraordinary Destiny and Ether? What is the connection between the two?"

Faced with this question, Earl White was also taken aback, and his expression became somewhat subtle.

You, an Ascended Being who can defeat a Lv2 Joker, are asking me what Extraordinary Destiny is, and asking such a basic question?!

The surprise lasted less than a second before Earl White regained his aristocratic demeanor and answered earnestly.

"An extraordinary destiny can be understood as a 'path' to 'sublimation,' which determines the inclination of the ascendant's soul essence and the individual's behavior and practice of that destiny."

"An extraordinary destiny is both a 'road' and a 'direction,' and in a sense, it is also a 'destination.'"

"Some ascendants will inevitably reach the 'end' of their destiny due to its inherent nature and core." Earl White gave Morian a meaningful look.

This is not fatalism, but rather a matter of inherent characteristics.

"For example, Ava's destiny is 'a thousand faces,' which is why she can switch freely between multiple etheric forms."

"But it also means that throughout her life's journey, she must always remember her true identity and maintain a clear sense of self, otherwise she could easily become lost under the influence of 'a thousand faces'."

I see… Morian silently noted it down.

While becoming an Ascended One grants extraordinary power, it also comes with corresponding risks and costs.

So what about myself? What is the core and essence of my unique "sage" destiny? What potential risks should I be wary of and avoid?

Because there is no one like this before or since, information about this destiny is probably nowhere to be found, so there are only two paths ahead.

One approach is to gradually experience and summarize one's insights during the process; the other is to follow the clues of the "Book of the Sages" to find the source and seek answers. However, neither path is easy.

"How many extraordinary destinies are there in the world?" Morian continued to press.

"This is something that probably no one knows. There are dozens of such cases that are recorded and publicly acknowledged by various major powers alone. This does not even include the 'different fates' of believers of evil gods and outward gods. As for those that have not been recorded or discovered, we really don't know how many more there are."

Earl White sighed softly and said earnestly, "Among them, you must be especially careful of those who possess the 'Otherworldly Fate.' The abilities of those mad cultists are often extremely bizarre and rarely recorded."

After saying this, he suddenly turned to look out the window and gazed at a tall tree in the garden with a thick trunk and lush foliage.

"Do you see that tree?" Earl White said softly. "From bottom to top, the trunk branches out into smaller branches, and those smaller branches then branch out into even smaller twigs."

"The same principle applies to the extraordinary path. Each promotion is like stepping onto a new fork in the road, where a new leaf grows."