Adrian sat by the street, his clothes somewhat tattered. Being dragged through the streets had already cost him all the dignity of the Old Ones in the starry sky. Mr. Z had protected him in the cruelest way—sacrificing all the Aurora Order members in Tingen with a massive explosion, sending them to meet the Lord they revered.
A poignant farce of believers sacrificing themselves for their Lord had concluded. But for the High-Dimensional Overseer, it was a commendable performance.
Feeling the ravings in his mind gradually fade, Adrian's lips curled into a smile. He had successfully "polluted" the True Creator, but this non-controlling pollution was akin to a gift for the True Creator. The True Creator's madness stemmed from a severe lack of anchors and an imbalance of only crazed, fallen humanity without divine balance. The High-Dimensional Overseer's pollution diverted some of that crazed human instinct to counteract itself, leaving the rest slightly calmer, making the True Creator less insane.
Unable to discern Adrian's true identity, the True Creator instinctively made a decision. As the most human god, the True Creator retained the human instinct of a drowning man clutching at straws. Adrian, seen as a lifeline, was designated His favored one, a believer to preserve His hope of clarity.
Adrian watched Mr. Z hurriedly flee, pursued by a dozen bolts of lightning and spiritual entities. Mr. Z had dutifully followed the divine command, perfectly concealing Adrian's identity. Could an Abraham family member, passing by the Aurora Order's gathering site and harboring a blood feud with them, be the True Creator's favored one? Impossible—even Adam wouldn't dare script such a tale. After all, Outer Gods hadn't breached the original barrier in millennia, and the True Creator hadn't had a divine favored one in centuries.
But this look is a bit embarrassing. Good thing no one saw me… The wealthy and dignified Outer God brushed his tattered hem, sighing and secretly relieved he had no acquaintances here. Then a familiar voice rang out: "Good heavens! Mr. Abraham, what happened to you?"
Adrian looked up and saw a face he'd met just yesterday.
It was Benson.
Adrian gritted his teeth, feeling shame from a mortal for the first time. He forced a laugh and explained, "There was an explosion last night, and I was unfortunately passing by—"
"The place that exploded wasn't…" Klein started to say, but his intuition screamed to stop, luckily halting his words. Seeing Adrian's grim expression, Klein gave an awkward smile.
No, Klein! You can't mention that place! Just pretend you don't know… Ahem, men sometimes go to those places… Melissa's right there, control your expression— Klein ranted inwardly, but Adrian continued, "Luckily, I was on the outskirts. I look disheveled, but I'm unharmed. I'm waiting for a friend to pick me up—should be here soon. By the way, Mr. Benson, what are you all up to?"
Benson smiled. "Thanks to you, that contract raised my salary to two pounds a week. My brother also found a job at a security company, so we're looking for a better place for my siblings to live."
"Indeed, that area isn't great for your sister. Congratulations on the raise," Adrian said with a smile. "Once you're settled, invite me over. We'll likely be working together for years."
"Absolutely," Benson replied. After some pleasantries, he bid Adrian farewell and entered the Tingen City Housing Improvement Company's hall to discuss rentals. Adrian stood, leaning on his cane. The weakness of this body was a novel experience for an entity that hadn't been human in eons, nearly forgetting what a human body felt like.
"Lord Favored One, who are they?" a voice asked beside him. Adrian turned to see Mr. Z, blood lingering at his lips, standing nearby. Adrian chuckled. "Employees from a company my factory works with. They're choosing a new rental."
"I see… Lord Favored One, should we convert them into the Lord's lambs?" Mr. Z asked abruptly after a pause. Adrian turned, his expression unreadable. Mr. Z, unnerved, asked, "What's wrong? Did I say something off?"
"Let's find a place to stay first; this spot's too conspicuous," Adrian sighed, stepping forward. He bought a newspaper, glancing at the rental ads. Turning to Mr. Z, he said, "Let's go to 16 Champagne Street to rent a house temporarily. There were no survivors from that explosion, right?"
"Sacrificing for the Lord is their honor," Mr. Z replied, though his tone carried faint discontent. "But Lord Favored One, what did you mean earlier? Did I say something wrong?" The Aurora Order's members, under the True Creator's ravings, weren't known for good tempers. Mr. Z's respect for Adrian stemmed only from the True Creator's oracle, given in a fleeting moment of clarity amid chaos. Adrian's earlier look felt offensive, stirring slight resentment.
"You're a Sequence 6 Rose Bishop, correct, Mr. Z?" Adrian said as they walked. "But even in Tingen, a Sequence 6 isn't invincible. A prepared Nighthawk team or demon-hunting bullets could kill you, right?"
"Yes," Mr. Z said, his voice low.
"Then don't recklessly expand the Lord's followers," Adrian continued. "Your recruitment has always targeted the lower and middle classes, who offer limited aid to the Lord. A hundred of them don't match one stable divine emissary like you in sustaining the Lord's state. Only high-quality anchors can hasten the Lord's return to former glory. If you died, what would happen to Tingen's remaining Aurora Order members?"
"…"
Mr. Z fell silent. "Even if headquarters sent a new Mr. Z, they couldn't protect the existing lambs… Sigh."
"High-quality anchors…" Mr. Z mulled over Adrian's words, his face darkening. "Could our shepherding methods be why the Lord hasn't sent oracles? Is it our fault…?"
Seeing Mr. Z teetering toward dissolving into flesh in public, Adrian patted his shoulder, snapping him out of self-blame. Pressing Mr. Z's shoulder, Adrian said earnestly, "No, it's not your fault. I'm just a new Secret Supplicant of the Lord, while you've devoted so much time to Him. Your efforts have indeed helped the Lord's clarity—otherwise, I couldn't commune with Him. In this fallen era, the divinity cannot be resisted alone. But the Lord is the world's clearest mind, loving all beings and bearing their fall. That's why He's mad, not because He's an evil god. Our approach was wrong, Mr. Z."
Mr. Z sighed. "I shouldn't have doubted your identity, Lord Favored One. You have devotion matching the Lord's wisdom."
"We'll ensure the Lord shines with His former glory," Adrian said, walking with Mr. Z toward their destination.
The High-Dimensional Overseer gazed coldly at the Forsaken Land of the Gods, its stare slowly corrupting a mutated creature into its kin. Controlling this body, it stood cautiously before the True Creator.
"Outer God…" the massive inverted giant's ravings thundered. "Why help me…? I'd never betray Earth…"
"A transaction," the High-Dimensional Overseer said indifferently, manipulating its avatar to walk the earth, confirming the True Creator's favor on it. Such an unfrank god, it scoffed. If discovered, this act would brand the True Creator a traitor—though, even doing nothing, He'd still be deemed an evil god by the Seven Gods. The Ancient Sun God's fall to this state was truly lamentable.
"…Transaction?" the True Creator asked, puzzled.
"I don't want your divine half to become the Ancient Sun God, nor do I wish to see God Almighty born," the High-Dimensional Overseer said frankly. "Unlike my pitiful kin, my Sefirot remains intact, my pathway undamaged. I have no interest in destroying Earth—rather, I want to see it perform a grand drama rushing to the stars."
"What do you want…?"
"Simple. I need you to let my avatar walk the earth as your favored one. I'll gradually awaken you from outside, restoring your clarity," the High-Dimensional Overseer said. "I'll also unconditionally support the candidate chosen by the Evernight Goddess and others, helping him replace the Lord of the Mysteries —but on one condition: God Almighty must not emerge."
"…"
After a long pause, the True Creator raved, "Good—"
"I'll watch the one chosen by the Evernight…"
(End of Chapter)