Whether it was the previous Tingen's evil god progeny incident, the recent Lanevus-True Creator's attempted descent, or the ambassador case that Lynn Sotos got involved in, Crestet Cesimir's past experiences told him that such cases were rare, happening maybe once in several years. But now, they seemed to be lining up one after another.
In just twenty days, Cesimir had encountered more significant events than in several years combined.
Compared to those, the devil dog case wasn't as significant, but it did involve a Sequence 6, so it wasn't a small matter either. Fortunately, the devil dog had been dealt with, and this matter should be concluded. The next step was to follow the Tarot card clue and investigate the organization behind the Angel of Secrets without overreacting...
As Cesimir was contemplating this, there was a knock on the door.
Somewhat surprised, Cesimir allowed the person in and was informed that the church had just received an anonymous tip-off.
The anonymous letter detailed the master behind the Demon Hound, a Sequence 5 Desire Apostle, and this Desire Apostle's next target: Duke Negan.
—Although Lynn didn't intend to get involved with Duke Negan, it didn't stop him from writing the Desire Apostle's plan in the tip-off letter. After all, this was the fastest way to get the Evernight Church's attention.
As for whether Adam would notice him because of this, Lynn thought that since he had already obtained 0-08, he was surely under someone's watch. Anyway, he wouldn't interfere with the person's godhood plan, so if he was noticed, so be it.
Reading the letter, Cesimir...
Sorry, he spoke too soon.
Indeed, anything related to the Angel of Secrets was never simple.
"Notify the Archbishop, we need another meeting to discuss this," Cesimir instructed, rubbing his increasingly aching temples.
...
While the Evernight Church was having another meeting, some well-connected mysticism enthusiasts also got wind of the devil dog incident through certain channels.
For example, Audrey's friend, Viscount Grelint, learned about the first-hand news through someone like Mr. Leak.
"Audrey, do you remember the Lanevus case?" The moment Viscount Glaint got the news, he couldn't wait to share it with his friend.
"The Lanevus case?" Audrey Hall was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes lit up. Of course, she remembered the Lanevus case. Although she had no concrete evidence, Audrey had long believed that it was done by members of their Tarot Club. The only pity was that she couldn't verify it and didn't want to directly ask other members, relying solely on guesses.
"Is there another similar case?" Audrey asked expectantly.
"I just got the news. A devil was killed by an unknown Beyonder. Look, this is a photo of the devil's death scene. Doesn't it look like the last one? I guess it's the same organization," Viscount Glaint said excitedly, sharing everything he knew with his friend.
Listening to his description, Audrey couldn't help but imagine a highly artistic and ritualistic scene, feeling ecstatic.
Indeed, she knew the Lanevus case must have been done by the Fool's followers!
If it was a coincidence once, twice would almost confirm it!
'And... and last time it was the Aurora Order, and this time it's a devil. Our Tarot Club is indeed a righteous organization. Ahem, maybe that's not the right way to put it...' Audrey thought, feeling a bit embarrassed.
'I just wonder if there's some deeper meaning behind this. If only I could know more information. Maybe there's some high-level struggle behind this...: Audrey mused, both curious and expectant.
'Right, Mr. World and Mr. Pope are in Backlund. Mr. World was a member of the Fool's faith even before joining the Tarot Club. I wonder if he knows any details. Maybe I could subtly ask him at the next Tarot Club meeting?'
With this in mind, Audrey started looking forward to the upcoming Tarot Club meeting.
...
At 16 Minsk Street.
After dealing with the tip-off letter, Lynn rested for a while, then switched to his Sequence 2 Sage state to start creating the magic based on his previous ideas using the Mystery Reenactment ability.
Surprisingly, he succeeded.
In the well-drawn curtains' enclosed space, two identical young men stood facing each other. One had a lively, spirited look, while the other's eyes were dull and lifeless, like a puppet without life.
Mystery Reenactment: Divine Incarnation!
"Initially, I thought I could create a personality clone, but it turned out to be just a divine shell... But in a way, it's not a bad thing," Lynn murmured, pinching his chin as he examined the shell that was identical to him but without a soul.
"With this shell, my divine nature issue can be better managed."
Perhaps due to the nature of the hidden event he referenced—where the Ancient Sun God separated his divinity from his humanity—the magic Lynn created inherited this trait. The divine incarnation, apart from being fully controllable by him, could also bear his excess divinity, acting as an additional divinity reservoir.
However, the downside was that controlling the "divine incarnation" meant he would still be influenced by its accumulated divinity. Thus, he still needed treatment for his divinity issues. The incarnation could only temporarily bear the divinity when he had overindulged.
"And most importantly, the divine incarnation lasts indefinitely unless I actively cancel it or it gets destroyed. It's similar to the Spectator pathway's clone, not requiring me to stay in Sequence 2 state."
Lynn was very pleased with this trait, as it meant he could now operate on two fronts even in the Fifth Epoch.
"The only drawback is that the divine incarnation's true strength matches my main body's, which is Sequence 8, limiting my options for causing trouble."
"But that's not a big deal. As long as my soul descends into the 'divine incarnation,' I can still use the powers of the Smurf Account and even borrow power from True Self."
Thinking about this, Lynn's expression became a bit complicated.
"But this way, I'm quadruple-tasking. What kind of workaholic life is this!"
(End of chapter)