"It's fine, I accept working to repay the debt," Lynn said earnestly. "My church just happens to need a Pope. After you rid yourself of the Corruption from the Mother Goddess of Depravity, you can come to my church to work off your debt as the Pope."
Lynn's words were serious. He had considered who would be the best candidate for the Pope of his future church and had thought about recruiting Medici. Ultimately, Lynn felt that Bethel was the most suitable choice for the position.
Firstly, Bethel did not have a deity to follow and did not need to establish a church. Secondly, their relationship was already quite good. Lastly, Bethel owed him a significant favor, so working to repay the debt was only natural.
Hearing this, Bethel was visibly stunned. He had not expected such a proposal from Lynn. However, Bethel then showed a thoughtful expression and nodded, saying, "A Pope? That doesn't sound too bad."
"Then it's settled. Once I help you deal with the Corruption from the Goddess of Depravity, you will come to my church and serve as the Pope." Seeing Bethel's response, Lynn quickly cemented the agreement.
Lynn then looked at Bethel and asked, "Bethel, when were you Corrupted?"
Lynn asked this question to understand Bethel's specific situation regarding the Corruption from the Goddess of Depravity, hoping to assist him in the Fourth Epoch.
Although Lynn could directly try to rescue Mr. Door from the Fifth Epoch and address his Corruption, considering Bethel's prolonged suffering under the Goddess of Depravity's control, Lynn thought it best to resolve the issue from the source.
Just as he chose to rescue Medici shortly after his fall in the Fourth Epoch rather than as the lonely wraith of the Fifth Epoch, Lynn believed that preventing suffering from the beginning, even if the memories of it remained, would provide more comfort.
Of course, if the individual had different wishes, like Medici who made a choice, Lynn would respect it. Lynn always treated his friends well.
"I was officially captured by the Mother Goddess of Depravity after being expelled into the cosmos by the Evernight Goddess and the Lord of Storms. However, even before that, I had already been Corrupted by Her. The reason for my expulsion was largely due to my Corruption at that time..."
Bethel lowered his eyes and sighed. Though his tone was calm, his slightly trembling fingers revealed his true emotions.
"But I'm not sure when exactly I was Corrupted. Before the outbreak of the Corruption, I never noticed anything amiss, even though I checked my condition multiple times..."
"Perhaps, the Corruption was hidden within me since my first venture into the cosmos. Given the Mother Goddess of Depravity's power, secretly Corrupting a Sequence 3 like me was too easy. By the time I ascended to King of Angels, the Corruption must have deepened, making it impossible for me to detect..."
Bethel gave a self-deprecating laugh. He had always thought he was cautious, believing he had avoided the influence of the Outer Gods despite multiple travels to the cosmos. But in hindsight, it was likely the Goddess of Depravity had simply hidden Her intentions until She succeeded.
"Ah, this..." Lynn blinked and thought of Roselle's similar situation with the Goddess of Depravity, unable to resist saying, "It seems the Goddess of Depravity is quite cunning."
Roselle had also been subtly influenced by the Goddess of Depravity from his first contact with Mr. Door's Corrupted persona. This subtle influence eventually led Roselle to the moon, where he was fully Corrupted by Her.
Yet, despite this, Goddess of Depravity did not choose to capture Roselle outright but instead let him return to Earth.
If not for Roselle's decisive actions to become the Black Emperor, using death to escape, and then discovering that even death couldn't remove the Corruption, opting to linger between life and death, the Goddess of Depravity's plan would have caused significant harm to the world. For Her, this would have been far more valuable than capturing a Sequence 2.
Similarly, if Bethel had been subtly Corrupted since his Sequence 3 ventures into the cosmos, it would indicate a strategic move by the Goddess of Depravity.
The Goddess of Depravity might have intended to use Bethel to gain a foothold in the Lord of Mysteries' position. Unfortunately, Bethel lost the War of the Four Emperors, and his Corruption unexpectedly erupted, leading to his expulsion. The Goddess of Depravity then had to settle for controlling Bethel completely.
Although this was just speculation, Lynn found it highly plausible.
The Outer Gods, despite their madness, were not mindless. The Lamp Genie, for example, though pitiful and seemingly naive, was not without reason. The Goddess of Depravity, with Roselle and Bethel's experiences, clearly demonstrated its cunning.
"Looks like I'll need to check your spirit in the Fourth Epoch. If there's already Corruption... well, don't worry. I have a plan to remove it. Even if you've been Corrupted in the Fourth Epoch, I can still find a way to solve it." After reflecting on the Outer Gods' intellect, Lynn reassured Mr. Door.
Before today, Lynn hadn't considered the possibility that Bethel might have been Corrupted in the Fourth Epoch. This was understandable since Lynn, despite being friends with Bethel, wouldn't routinely check Bethel's spirit. If the Goddess of Depravity had hidden the Corruption deeply to achieve its goal, it made sense that Bethel himself couldn't detect it, and neither could Lynn.
"I should have paid more attention when borrowing power from my True Self, examining Bethel more closely instead of just skimming over him. I never truly used omniscience on Bethel, so I didn't gather deep-level information..." Lynn muttered internally but didn't dwell on it.
If Bethel had been Corrupted long ago, discovering it sooner or later wouldn't make much difference since it couldn't be resolved immediately. So, Lynn decided to check on Bethel's spirit soon and then turned to Mr. Door.
"Drifting outside the cosmos like this isn't a good idea. It feels like you could be picked up by any passing Outer God. How about we create a space tethered outside the Earth, where I can attach my Spirituality? This will help suppress the Corruption and deter malevolent Outer Gods."
Lynn, skilled in borrowing authority, believed that the Outer Gods wouldn't forget the time he used his True Self's power to defeat them. By attaching his True Self's aura to the space, it would likely scare off many Outer Gods.
(End of Chapter)
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