"You can go back now. Ashes, remember to go to the cathedral first; the archbishop wants to see you."
After entering the underground from the "Backlund Detective Agency," the group handed over the two sealed artifacts to the guardians inside the Chanis Gate.
Ash and the others returned the same way, while Crestet stayed at the Chanis Gate with Old Neil.
The pollution issue on the other side had to be addressed immediately, without delay.
However, he was unsure of the extent of the contamination and whether it involved any conspiracies against the church.
To prevent any accidents, he needed to leverage the power of the Chanis Gate.
Meanwhile, the four returning through the same path reached a crossroads.
Going straight ahead led to the detective agency, the Chanis Gate was behind them, and turning right led to the cathedral.
The layout was the same as in Tingen City.
Whether it was intentional was unknown.
Al and the others continued straight ahead, while Ash turned right at the crossroads.
"Finally back," Loretta collapsed on the sofa in the detective agency's hall, complaining quietly to another girl sitting on the sofa, "Eve, you should control your Simon! Because of his jinxing, we almost got wiped out in Tingen City this time!"
"But you're all fine, aren't you?" Simon responded, a bit helpless, looking at Loretta. Was it really okay to slander him in front of his fiancée like this?
"She's telling the truth," Al Harsen rubbed his temples, looking tired. "This time, we really almost got wiped out in Tingen City."
Simon's expression turned serious upon hearing this.
"What happened?"
...
Walking alone in the dark passage gave Ash an inexplicable sense of deja vu about the sewers.
Similar, yet entirely different.
At the end of the passage, Ash ascended a winding staircase.
Finally, he passed through a hidden door and appeared in Saint Samuel's Cathedral.
As he appeared, Archbishop Anthony greeted him with a smile.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ashen. I hope your trip to Tingen was pleasant."
"Good afternoon, Archbishop," Ash nodded slightly, responding.
But his expression was a bit odd—
Archbishop, huh.
He had encountered a few archbishops before.
But unfortunately, none of them could communicate normally with him.
Either they were long dead, or they started fighting upon meeting.
"Mr. Ashen," Anthony asked with a smile, "Did you find what you were looking for on this trip to Tingen?"
"No," Ashen nodded slightly.
Although he confirmed there was another candidate for kindling, he still had no clues about the black Emperor.
"If that's the case," Anthony still looked kind and amiable, smiling, "I suggest you interact more with the upper-class nobles of this country. You might gather information about the Black Emperor from them."
"Nobles?" Ash slowly raised his head, wondering if the plot was advancing.
"What should I do?" Ashen asked.
"Mr. Ashen," Anthony smiled, "There are always endless balls, banquets, and salons among the nobles. I will arrange invitations to these events for you. Once you join them, you will have the opportunity to gather intelligence from these nobles."
"Of course," Anthony paused, then continued, "I don't recommend openly asking about the Black Emperor. The ordinary nobles may not know, and those who do..."
Anthony didn't finish his sentence, but Ash understood what he meant—
Those who know might be enemies.
Revealing that he was seeking information on the Black Emperor might alert the enemy.
If the alerted enemy attacked him, that would be great.
But it might also make the enemy flee, which would be troublesome for Ashen.
"When?" Ashen asked.
"There's a banquet tomorrow night," Anthony seemed to have anticipated Ashe's question, smiling slightly. "And the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. You can attend anytime you wish. As I said, the nobles' balls are endless."
"But before that," Anthony continued, "I think it's time for you to start learning about the 'Paths'."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ashen's world suddenly shattered like a mirror.
Anthony's figure disappeared, replaced by a lady in a simple linen robe.
Yujin had seen her before—
Arianna.
"There are twenty-two Sequence Paths in this world," Arianna said softly. "You could also call them the Paths of the Gods."
"The church does not possess all the Sequence formulas, but we have the lower Sequence formulas for all twenty-two Paths, and some have middle and even high Sequence potions."
As she spoke, a piece of parchment appeared in front of Yujin.
It listed the names and abilities of the middle and low Sequence potions for the twenty-two Paths. Normally difficult to access, they now seemed to await Ashen's favor.
"If you need, you can choose any one of them."
"Any one?" Ashen was a bit surprised.
"Yes, any one," Arianna nodded solemnly, then paused, drew a crimson moon on her chest, and added in a low voice, "Of course, excluding the Paths of Darkness, Death, Warrior, Moon, Mother, and Witch."(TL/N : LOL Evernight is scare the MC is going to hunt her down)
"So I only have sixteen choices?" Yujin nodded slightly.
In fact,
He roughly knew why these Paths were 'excluded'.
Despite his missing memories, he remembered some very important things—
For instance, some Sequences would turn men into women, such as the Witch, Moon, and Mother.
He had no clue about Night and Death, but since they were listed together, it probably meant the same.
Ashen obviously had no intention of becoming female, even if he could change back to male anytime.
So exclusion was fine; he wasn't interested anyway.
"Anything else?" Ashen didn't rush to look at the parchment, instead asking.
He felt Arianna had more to say.
"..." Arianna opened her mouth, then drew another crimson moon, and said softly, "I suggest you choose the Apprentice or Seer Path."
"These two Paths are the first choice; the second choice could be the Spectator and Thief, or the secrets Supplicant, Mystery Pryer, and Lawyer."
"I see," Ashen looked at the sixteen Sequence Paths before him, lost in thought.
"Can I choose more than one?" Ashen pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked.
Human power has limits.
So he chose to master both melee and magic, as well as miracles.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to drag those ashen kings to the flames.
Thus, when facing these Sequence Paths, he wondered if he could take on multiple.
"..." A look of surprise briefly appeared on Arianna's otherwise calm face before she quickly regained composure. "A person can only take potions from one Sequence Path. Taking potions from two different Paths leads to madness and loss of control."
"Madness, huh," Ashen fell into thought.
If taking different potions led to death, he wouldn't be afraid at all.
But if it led to madness, he might need to seriously consider whether to gamble—
To gamble on whether he could restore his sanity through death and resurrection after going mad.
But without absolute certainty, it was better not to try rashly.
"Better not try," Arianna reminded in a low voice.
"I understand," Ashen nodded slightly, his expression extremely calm. It was unclear whether he truly understood or just pretended to.
"Then," Ashen slowly reached out to point at one of the Sequence Paths, "I choose..."
(End of Chapter)