"Ashes, do you know how to prepare potions?" Audrey asked curiously, holding a brain that kept changing colors.
"No, I don't," Ashes replied with a slight shake of his head.
"Huh?" Audrey blinked, surprised by Ashes straightforwardness. "Then where do you get your potions?"
"Bishop Anthony always prepares them for me. All I have to do is drink them," Ashes explained calmly.
"..." Audrey suddenly felt a bit deflated. She didn't know any Bishop named Anthony, only the Archbishop Anthony of the Backlund Diocese—the head of the entire Backlund region's Church of the Night.
"If you really need my help with preparing the potion, I can give it a try," Ashes offered when he saw Audrey's disappointment.
"Never mind, I'll do it myself," Audrey replied, a bit dejected. Although she was still a novice, she did have some experience—after all, she had prepared her previous Spectator potion herself.
A few minutes later, a bottle of liquid shimmering with rainbow colors was successfully prepared. Audrey's heart began to race with a mix of tension and anticipation, but she eventually drank the potion for sequence 8 Telepathist. Fortunately, despite her lack of expertise, she didn't make any mistakes. She successfully passed through the phase where the Beyonder characteristics fused with her, and she advanced to Sequence 8 as a Telepathist.
Audrey immediately began to collect her scattered spirituality to stabilize her state as quickly as possible.
"Congratulations," Ashes said softly.
"Mm-hmm," Audrey responded, lifting her pale, elegant neck as a proud and reserved smile formed on her lips. Although Sequence 8 was still considered low, she had advanced from an ordinary person to a Beyonder in less than two months. If she hadn't spent time gathering the main ingredients for the potion, she could have advanced even faster. Even so, her speed had already surpassed that of most Beyonder individuals.
"Ashes," Audrey lowered her voice, suddenly remembering something important, "do you still remember Fors?"
"Yes," Ashes replied without showing any reaction. He was, after all, currently living with Fors, though Audrey didn't know that.
"Well," Audrey explained softly, "about two weeks ago, I was invited by Viscount Glaint to attend a Beyonder gathering with Miss Fors and her friend, Miss Xio Derecha."
Audrey paused, carefully observing Ashes expression. Viscount Glaint had sought the Apothecary potion formula, which she had acquired from Ashes on his behalf. However, since the formula alone wasn't enough without the Beyonder ingredients, he had to rely on Fors to get them. Fors still owed them a favor, so Viscount Glaint used this opportunity to have her introduce him to the Beyonder gathering.
Seeing that Ashes expression remained unchanged, Audrey felt relieved and continued explaining, "During the gathering, Viscount Glaint sought out the necessary ingredients for the Apothecary potion but didn't have any luck. Instead, I managed to obtain another main ingredient for the Telepathist potion—the spinal fluid of a Falceman Rabbit."
"Of course, that's not the main point," Audrey's tone grew serious. "The key issue is that the organizer of the Beyonder gathering called himself 'Mr. A.'"
"Mr. A?" Ashes eyes flickered as he recalled the information The Hanged Man had shared during the Tarot meeting. The Aurora Order's twenty-two divine envoys used aliases like Mr. A or Mr. X.
"Yes," Audrey nodded lightly, "you're looking for the Aurora Order, right? I believe this Mr. A might be connected to them. Miss Xio told me that Sequence 7 Beyonder individuals have tried to target Mr. A, but they all disappeared without a trace. This suggests that Mr. A is at least a Sequence 6, or even a Sequence 5."
"If he is indeed Mr. A of the Aurora Order, then he's at least Sequence 5," Ashes said after a moment of contemplation.
"That's what I think too," Audrey replied, raising a slender finger and speaking earnestly. "As the holder of the initial letter 'A,' he might be one of the most powerful members of the Aurora Order, second only to the 'Saints!'"
"The pathway the Aurora Order controls is the Secrets supplicant pathway, and its Sequence 5 is the Shepherd," Ashes nodded slightly, seemingly expecting Audrey's analysis. "The Shepherd can 'pasture' the souls of seven individuals of the same Sequence, meaning he can wield the abilities of eight different pathways, including the Secrets supplicant pathway itself, all at the Sequence 5 level."
"Eight pathways?!" Audrey's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth forming an 'O' shape. "Doesn't that mean he's almost unbeatable among the lower Sequences?"
"No," Ashes shook his head slightly.
"There's an even stronger pathway than the Secrets supplicant pathway?" Audrey asked, curious.
"No," Ashes looked at her calmly, "I meant that starting from Sequence 5, the Secrets supplicant pathway undergoes a qualitative leap. At Sequence 5, the Shepherd can pasture seven other Sequence 5 souls from different pathways. At Sequence 4, he can replace those souls with those of Sequence 4 Beyonder individuals from other pathways, and so on. So, on paper, the Secrets supplicant pathway is nearly invincible at the same Sequence level."
"But actual combat isn't just about comparing stats on paper. Otherwise, the Aurora Order wouldn't still be a secretive, wanted organization instead of standing alongside the seven major Churches as the eighth," Ashes words were calm and cold, yet they contained information that sent chills down Audrey's spine.
As a newly advanced Telepathist, Audrey could now see through people's natures even better. Although she still couldn't fully read Ashes, he wasn't hiding anything. His every word and action reflected his attitude toward the seven major Churches... Audrey didn't know how to describe it. His attitude wasn't exactly contempt or disdain—those words were too strong, and she didn't even dare think them—but she was certain of one thing: Ashes clearly lacked a sense of reverence for the divine! He had no faith or fear of the seven major Churches, not even the Church of the EverNight Goddess!
But wasn't he a Beyonder of the Church of the EverNight Goddess?
Audrey felt a bit confused. Her family had always been devout followers of the Goddess...
"Hmm," Audrey hesitated. Could she still consider herself a follower of the Goddess? It seemed that, perhaps, maybe, she might have already switched her faith to The Fool?
Audrey quickly changed the subject, not daring to think any further. "Ashes, why didn't you choose the Secrets supplicant pathway?"
Ashes looked at her oddly before explaining, "Because the Secrets supplicant pathway's Beyonder individuals constantly hear the voice of the True Creator. That's why members of the Aurora Order inevitably go mad. Didn't The Hanged Man explain this before?"
Audrey's expression became awkward. Of course, she remembered The Hanged Man mentioning this. Audrey, oh Audrey, your attempt to change the topic was too clumsy!
"So, are you going to find Mr. A?" Audrey changed the subject again.
"Of course," Ashes replied slowly, "the Painted World is in the hands of the Aurora Order, and as the head of the Aurora Order in Backlund, Mr. A must have relevant clues. Finding him will lead me to the Painted World."
Audrey thought for a moment before seriously analyzing, "I attended Mr. A's Beyonder gathering, but I don't have a way to contact him directly. I can only participate passively when the next gathering is held. However, if it's Miss Fors and Miss Xio, they might have a way to actively contact Mr. A."
(End of the Chapter)
60 PWS = Extra chapter