Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1236 The Surrender of Zaratul?

Amon and Adam joined the Outer Gods?

These words reached Klein's ears through the marionettes of the entire church, surprising him so much that he almost stood up from his high-backed chair.

His first feeling was that it was absolutely impossible.

Adam has become a "dreamer" after the end of the world war by guiding the world trend, while his brother Amon has already collected three "Worms of Time" and the corresponding uniqueness, and he can be promoted to a true god as soon as the ceremony is completed. They are not like ordinary people who believe in these evil beings in order to realize their wishes and gain power.

They have already become gods or are about to become gods. If they become lackeys of the outer gods, what good ending will they have after the barrier is broken and the earth is destroyed?
Will the "Old Ones" who have been eyeing the Earth's essence and extraordinary characteristics let go of these ordinary true gods who have no power to fight back?
But Klein thought again. Amon and Adam were both descendants of the "Ancient Sun God". They were born mythical creatures and had no humanity. This could be seen from Amon's habitual "plague-like parasitism" method on Boklund Street and Adam's attitude in playing with Angel's memory. They had no so-called moral burden and good feelings towards the earth and humans. It was entirely possible that they would betray for the sake of interests.

And the benefits...

"Do you have any evidence?"

Another secret puppet in the Fool Church asked.

Zaratul turned to the elderly follower of the Fool and answered with a warm expression and gentle tone:
"Of course there are. If it weren't for the strongest 'audience' covering the tracks of those evil god believers lurking in Intis, how could it be possible that no important figures were caught by the official Beyonders in half a year? That audience even went deep into the underground Trier to help them find something... And Amon, He has been dormant, actually trying to put the ancestor of Abraham's family back to the real world, but there are still some problems with the ritual, so He has not succeeded for the time being.

"Another piece of verifiable evidence is that Nast Solomon, the 'King of the Five Seas', did not die in the depths of the Misty Sea. He is still active along the coast of Intis, serving the Outer Gods of his faith."

Intis... Why did Zaratul only emphasize the followers of the evil god there? By the way, He is the leader of the Secret Society, and the Secret Society is the predecessor of Intis's "Eighth Bureau". His disciples are all in it and can get first-hand information at any time... This indirectly proves that Zaratul is not talking nonsense... Nast is not dead? Did Roselle hide something, or was it just a substitute who went to the depths of the foggy sea?
Klein tapped the bronze table rhythmically with his fingers, quickly analyzing the other party's words.

As for why Amon wanted to release Mr. "The Door" Bethel Abraham, Klein quickly guessed it.

In the conversation between Angel and Antigonus, it was revealed that these two angel kings were both subordinates of the "Blood Emperor" Tudor, and after hundreds of years of working together, they had developed some feelings for each other, which was enough to form the basis for cooperation.

The only problem is that Mr. "Gate" has obviously been contaminated by the "Fallen Mother Goddess". Amon's letting the wolf into the house is equivalent to helping the forces of the outer gods enter the barrier. Just as Zaratul said, he has joined the "Old Days" outside the barrier.

Thinking of this, he believed the words of the "mysterious waiter" who walked into the church on his own.

At this moment, a deep red light flashed from the row of high-back chairs closest to Klein's left. Angel's figure in a nightgown emerged and looked at him in confusion:
"what happened?"

Glancing at Zaratul, who was patiently waiting for an answer in the crimson star representing the many fool believers in the church, Klein quickly told Angel what had just happened, and then said carefully:

"In the last battle when Zaratul's historical image attacked me but was defeated by you, He should have realized that His true body is not absolutely safe even if it hides in the mist of history. For this reason, He is willing to take the risk and come to Yharnam this time. It is very likely that He is sincere."

"Sincerity? Is He really prepared to die in front of you, give up the trait of 'Secret Servant', and help you become a true god?"

Angel leaned back in his chair and sneered. He had no good feelings towards this archangel who attacked Klein time and time again.

Countless cases in history have shown that there is only naked hatred and interest relations between Sequence 1s of the same path, and they can only fight to the death. The three "conquerors" Medici, Soren and Einhorn are the most vivid examples.

Only when there is a Sequence 0 in the adjacent pathways, and all uniqueness is occupied, and the basic conditions for promotion to the Old Ones are met, can other Sequence 1s "coexist peacefully". For example, the current "Twilight Giant" and "Death God" pathways allow two Sequence 1s to appear, and they can live in peace.

Of course, there have been rare periods in history when the Angel Kings of the three paths of "Source Castle" coexisted peacefully and even became friends, but this was only possible due to the suppression of a half-crazy "Blood Emperor" who would kill his angels with his own hands. The "Red Priest" path he belongs to has professional means to deal with the clones, substitutes, and secret puppets of these three paths, which is enough to suppress any dissatisfaction.

So, Zaratul really came here to die?
Thinking of this, Angel looked towards the crimson stars with some curiosity.

In the picture, the tall bishop of the Church of Fools was relaying another of Klein's doubts:
"What good does it do to Amon and his brothers?"

Hearing his question, Zaratul's wrinkled face showed an obvious smile.

He looked around and saw that all the puppets were staring at him closely without caring about their identities being exposed, so he spoke loudly:
"What you did in the God-Forsaken Land restored the strength of the 'True Creator' hiding there. He is currently tracking Amon and his brother. Although both are Sequence 0 True Gods, the former is obviously stronger than the latter. As for the other three gods in the adjacent path, they are unlikely to provide any help. This is the main reason why they seek help from the Outer Gods.

“Amon himself has already gathered all the extraordinary characteristics and uniqueness required to be promoted to a true god, but he lacks the help of rituals. Even if he is a natural mythical creature, if he is promoted directly without the rituals, he will most likely go crazy and allow the ‘Heavenly Lord’ that no one wants to see to awaken in his body.

"And the return of Bethel Abraham will trigger the true deification ritual, giving Him the opportunity to steal and thereby become a god."

The fight between the "True Creator" and Adam... This is something we had anticipated. The former inherited the humanity and most of the negative emotions of the ancient sun god, while the latter is his descendant, and wants to resurrect his father with a paranoid attitude... The three gods of storm, scorching sun, and wisdom hope that they will fight each other, and it would be best if both of them perish, completely cutting off the possibility of the ancient sun god's resurrection... Klein's mind was filled with thoughts, and he subconsciously looked at Angel.

Angel gently reminded:
"Desecration of the Slate."

By the way, the first blasphemous slate occupied by the "Dark Angel" Sasriel fell into the hands of the "True Creator", which gave Him the ability to control the source substance "Chaos Sea". I'm afraid Adam has already lost the upper hand in the battle of the gods... So, Storm and the other three gods should be inclined to help Adam maintain balance? Otherwise, the true creator who defeated Adam is likely to become a true god of the dual path, posing a threat to them... But the true gods have to maintain the barrier in the astral realm and cannot descend to help for a long time. Is this the dilemma of Adam that Zaratul mentioned?
Because of this, Amon could not get much help from his brothers and was troubled about how to complete the ascension ceremony. If he did not want to become a crazy god like the ancient gods, his only way was to welcome back Bethel Abraham, who was also the king of angels, and steal from him when he became a god.

Klein understood something and cast his gaze towards Zaratul in the church. He asked the fat pigeon that flew in from the square outside to speak:

"You should know that Abraham has been polluted, right? Isn't Amon afraid of inheriting this pollution in the process of becoming a god and becoming a puppet of the foreign gods?" "Haha, this is the most interesting part of the whole thing," Zaratul's beard trembled, and the corners of his mouth kept curling up. "The Amon brothers in the barrier don't trust the foreign gods, and the foreign gods don't trust them either... Therefore, all transactions, including those of some traders other than them, are completed under the witness of a great being who can supervise multi-party transactions."

"Who?"

Klein asked back through the secret doll.

Zaratul raised his head slightly, his eyes moved upward, and answered as if he was looking at Klein through the gray fog:
"All transactions will be completed under the witness of the great 'Uncertain Mist' - that's what the evil god believers said."

The uncertain fog, the part where the "Lamp God" is in the starry sky... Klein and Angel looked at each other, and both saw the emotion of "as expected" in each other's eyes.

As early as when they borrowed the "Wishing Lamp" and summoned the genie inside to communicate in the gray fog, the existence which was essentially a part of the "Son of Chaos" gave a reminder that He believed that the "Uncertain Mist" in the starry sky would establish cooperation with other outer gods in order to regain the source substance "Land of Disorder" and merge with the consciousness remaining in the barrier, and that it would be a multi-party cooperation based on a similar "contract" method.

In this case, it is easy to explain why Adam and Amon inside the barrier joined this multi-party transaction with sufficient guarantees... The "Fallen Mother Goddess" wanted her own source essence and the dual paths of "Mother" and "Moon". Invading Bethel Abraham was just a means. If Amon could help her penetrate the power into the barrier, it would be reasonable to take Mr. "Gate" as a reward... As for Adam, what he has to do now is to survive the pursuit of the "True Creator". If he can find a few outer gods who do not covet the "Chaos Sea" and related paths to help him, he will undoubtedly be willing to sell out the earth...

Klein quickly figured out the interests involved and asked:
"How do you know all this? I don't believe that a 'Secret Servant' can see through the arrangements of Amon's brother and even know the details of the transaction."

"Haha, I don't believe it myself," Zaratul chuckled, his tone relaxed, as if he was having a confidential conversation with a good friend, "but those 'brokers' did find me, promising that a fair transaction witnessed by the 'Uncertain Mist' would allow me to become the King of Angels. After all, Amon only needs one characteristic of the Secret Servant and the corresponding uniqueness, and the extra one can be given to me."

"That sounds good, so why didn't you agree?"

Klein asked back with a smile using a female secret doll with white hair, black eyes and outstanding temperament.

"Of course it's because I don't want to be associated with those 'Outer Gods'."

Zaratul answered immediately, and seeing that all the puppets showed an expression of "I don't believe it", he smiled and added:

"Of course, another reason is that I don't trust that Blasphemer. Even if we are bound by the contract, He has too many ways to take back the Beyonder characteristics in my body after He becomes a God. In my experience, He is the kind of person who is absolutely untrustworthy."

This is probably the main reason... Klein smiled secretly and asked:
"So, you think I'm more trustworthy and can give you a definite promise?"

Zaratul nodded slightly, looking towards the holy emblem composed of the "Pupilless Eye" and the "Twisted Thread", and said:
"Yes, just as I said, when you really need this trait of the Servant of Mysteries, I will hand it over to you. Use the method you stole the trait from the Half Fool to return me to Sequence 2... And after you truly become the Lord of Mysteries, you must hand over my trait, as well as the other Sequence 1 trait you don't need, to me.

"I will be a forever devout 'Secret Servant'."

Stealing... That was actually the effect of aggregation, but He was right. When I was promoted to Sequence 1, it was entirely possible for me to use the power of Sefirah Castle to use the power of the adjacent Thief pathway... When Angel and I were fighting Antigonus at the top of the Kingdom of Night, was Zaratul watching from the side? Why didn't He take action at that time? Was He afraid that the goddess was also watching the battle?
Thoughts kept coming to Klein's mind, but he didn't agree to the other party right away. Instead, he said:

"We can talk about this matter after I become the Secret Servant. Before that, if you want to show your true sincerity, you can try to join their camp as... an undercover agent."

He still didn't dare to confirm whether Zaratul had really lost the hope of becoming a god and was willing to be an angel king, or whether he had quietly become a believer in the Outer Gods and was just here to test the situation in Yharnam.

In this case, it would be better to let Him "go back" and become an undercover agent. This way, at least there will be no hidden dangers. And if Zaratul truly refuses to become a follower of the Outer God and is worried that Amon will regret it later, then he can become a spy for the Earth.

Hearing this obviously reserved suggestion, Zaratul did not show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he stood in front of the altar of the Church of Fools and smiled sincerely.

"Am I not already a believer in the Outer Gods now?"

“He” said softly, tightening his hood and walking out of the prayer hall.

The bishop, the believers, and the fat pigeon on the ground all watched the figure until He came to the double doors with arches.

“Finally, I want to remind you that Amon is extremely cunning, and his clone does not actually have free will.

"Each clone is equal to Amon."

After saying this, His figure disappeared with a "pop" like a bubble in the sun.

----

Above the gray fog, Angel and Klein looked at the scene inside the crimson star for a long time without moving.

They all thought of the direction of Zaratul's last words.

Amon's clone, who used to be the Archon in the City of Dreams and is still assisting Anne, has access to many "core secrets".

(End of this chapter)