Pastor's Tantra

Hearing that Aiwas was going to look for Hecate, Haibasha volunteered to go with him.

"You know Hecate?"

On the way, Aiwas heard Haibasha talking about the past and couldn't help but be a little surprised: "But..."

...But Aiwass still remembered what Cardinal Hecate looked like.

She wore a laurel wreath on her head and had beautiful brown wavy long hair. Judging from human age, she was probably around 30 at most. Her power was not that strong, and she could even be considered weak among all the cardinals.

And Haibasha is an ancient being that existed at least two thousand years ago. And at the latest, she was promoted to an apostle 500 years ago... In other words, the people she knew back then should have been at least 1,500 years old. This level of time is long enough for an elf.

Or has Hecate already acquired the secret of immortality?

...Just like the Child of the Moon, he gained the ability of immortality from Hengwo?

"Don't mention me... Both Hermes and Hercules know her."

Haibasha glanced at the giant sword floating behind Aiwass with some nostalgia: "Although... you may have forgotten it now."

Neither Hypatia nor Aiwass concealed Don Quixote's true identity. Whether to accept this identity should have been his own decision, not deliberately hidden "for his own good".

To Don Quixote, Hypatia whispered, "One of the twelve labors of Hercules at that time was to go to the underworld and bring Cerberus back to the material world. Just like... you brought Crocus back."

"...The physical body goes to the dream world?" Aiwass exclaimed.

"That's right. But he didn't know the way, after all, there is no map in the dream world. That's why he asked Hecate to open the door to the Shadow Kingdom for him... After all, Hecate and Scathach are familiar with each other. She was already a half-step apostle back then, and the reason why she didn't ascend to the dream world was simply because she wanted to become a celestial official."

Scathach—Aivas remembered that was Shadow Tiansi's real name.

"Then Cardinal Hecate... wouldn't she have lived for at least two thousand years?"

Isabel murmured to herself: "Is it so powerful..."

“Maybe more than that.”

Haibasha smiled and revealed a big secret: "She is very powerful. When Hengwo became a moon witch, he had received witchcraft knowledge from Hecate. In a sense, Hecate can even be regarded as half of Hengwo's teacher.

"She was not a priest back then, but a shaman of the Way of the Beast. It must have been a long time before she embarked on the path of devotion... at least definitely later than the establishment of the Herasil Empire.

"I haven't seen her for a long time. But what you described is undoubtedly the Hecate I know. As for how she has lived for so long... I don't know. But I guess it should be some kind of rejuvenation, or the ability to give up power in exchange for longevity. After all, she was quite strong back then... But from what you said, she seems to be unable to reach the sixth level."

As they were talking, they followed the elevator into the seventeenth ring.

The Seventeenth Circle - This is the witchcraft level, and Cardinal Hecate is in charge of this level.

"Seventeen" is the limit of the curse. Whether it is seventeen people, seventeen days, seventeen years, or seventeen generations... the power of the curse is like a tide. When the number reaches the holy number seventeen, the power will reach its final peak and will begin to decay.

All the knowledge of witchcraft, curses, spells, and herbs in the Theocracy is stored in this layer. Most of the few elven witches in the Theocracy live here, and some elven wizards also like the atmosphere here, so they choose to live here.

From the outside, it looks like a dark and dark forest. You can smell the strong forest scent while walking on the road.

The residents here were extremely sparse. Even as Aiwas and his companions walked along, they didn't see a single living person.

They walked along the cobblestone road through the forest.

Although his memory was not very good, he still remembered the scene when the cardinals served as carriers of the Pillar Gods that day.

Before being possessed by the Constant Self, Cardinal Hecate had deep blue pupils as beautiful as gemstones and as deep as the starry sky. It was after being possessed by the Constant Self that the sapphires in her eyes turned into pigeon blood-like rubies.

But now Cardinal Hecate...

You can see it at a glance - her eyes are red.

As vivid as blood, as bright as fire.

That was not Cardinal Hecate.

——But it is the constant self.

And no one else...even Haibasha, did not realize this.

"Ms. Hecate…"

Haibasha looked at Hecate with a surprised look: "You are actually... younger than you were back then?"

In her impression, Hecate should be a middle-aged woman in her forties.

"Hecate" just smiled and said nothing.

Sherlock frowned slightly, and vaguely guessed something from this reaction. And Isabel suddenly looked at Hecate with some suspicion, then looked at the quiet Aiwass, and then obediently swallowed the greeting that was almost blurted out.

Hecate opened her arms slightly towards Aiwass, made a hugging gesture and waved at him.

Aiwass took two steps forward hesitantly and looked back at Isabel. Then continue to move forward slowly.

At this moment, several extraordinary people on the path of wisdom realized something - it was impossible for Aiwass to be so polite and respectful to a cardinal.

Haibasha was the first to react. He bowed respectfully to Hengwo and said, "Greetings, Hengwo."

"...Don't be so reserved in front of me. Tia, we are friends."

This was the first time I spoke and made a sound. Her voice was clear and slow, clumsy and gentle. That feeling is like a gentle teacher who has just learned a foreign language, patiently guiding foreign children in a not very standard, clear but slow tone.

The name "Tia" is Haibasha's nickname. This is enough to prove how close their relationship once was.

But Aiwass also clearly realized that... Hengwo felt something was not right at the moment.

——We met again as old friends, but he couldn’t sense the fluctuations in my heart at all. She was neither happy nor indifferent.

That feeling... reminded Aiwas of his class reunion many years after graduation. At the class reunion, everyone maintained fake smiles and tried to create fake excitement.

But in fact, I have completely forgotten the story of my "old classmate" Haibasha. You may even have forgotten each other's name. But for the sake of face, he still had to maintain a friendly smile... The smile on his face was so gentle but fake.

Is this also the erosion of nothingness?

...No, this should just be the sequelae of self-cutting. Aiwass thought.

After all, the Pillar God is the purest and most holy being, and any living thing born in the material world cannot be so pure. Once you become a pillar god, it means you lose your "humanity".

Even the Pillar God of the Path of Love is no exception.

——Even the pillar god on the path of love may not be able to maintain his own heart to "love".