In the end, Truman didn't host the thirty-day mass.
He brought the Angel of Secrets to his stone house.
"You're here," Lilith said, sitting on a stone stool, her face indifferent as she eyed the arriving pair.
She stared at the Angel of Secrets for a long time, then turned to Truman, commanding, "I want an avatar like that."
"I'll make you my pontiff," she added, softening her tone and offering a promise.
Truman didn't mind, though his expression was odd. "Wake up, you're just a vampire now."
Sanguine don't have churches, so no pontiffs.
Truth be told, he was tempted. The future Earth Church would be a true god's church, a mainstream faith rivaling the Evernight Church.
The pontiff role wasn't just a title—it came with countless followers, enough to unlock more of the Book of Dreams' power.
"It's Sanguine," Lilith corrected. "It won't take long."
"We'll see," Truman said, not refusing. The goddess remained calm, already aware her pontiff doubled as the Ancient Sun God's Angel of Dreams.
Don't put all eggs in one basket, and pull future powerhouses onto your chariot.
That was Truman's survival strategy in this era.
Without his "Purifier" trait, if discovered by ancient gods, their madness might override fear of the Book of Dreams, prompting an attack!
Two ancient gods dared touch Sefirot: the Dragon of Imagination, tainted by the Chaos Sea, and the Phoenix Ancestor, who drew a tributary of the River of Eternal Darkness.
His current allies were reliable. The Ancient Sun God, before the Fourth Epoch, was the greatest backer.
After the Third Epoch, the two true gods could likely protect him.
Unable to ascend quickly via characteristics, this was the best path.
The goddess approached Lilith. Lilith's face stayed expressionless, but Truman sensed her tension—the floral crown on her head gleamed brighter.
She'd seen that decisive, ruthless scythe before faking her death.
"Ahem, meeting time!" Truman called, breaking the silent standoff.
The Book of Dreams flashed, and the trio's eyes glimpsed the radiant Dream Parliament.
In an instant, they sat in the Dream Parliament.
Sasrir, summoned, entered promptly.
Another Dream Council.
The last gathering saw two ancient gods fall and the Ancient Sun God rise to history's stage. This one would surely shape the world's future.
"You first," Truman, the meeting's convener, prompted Sasrir.
"My lord plans to reveal the potion sequences to the world," Sasrir dropped a bombshell.
"Public sequences…" Once revealed, the Ancient Sun God would solidify his image as the awakened Creator in human hearts, surpassing ancient gods.
Likely, as with Hermes' share, only low-to-mid sequence knowledge would be shared. Demigod or higher knowledge required pledging to the Ancient Sun God or paying exorbitant costs.
In a few years, the Ancient Sun God's power would swell to crush ancient gods.
"Knowledge monopoly is pure profit…" Truman sighed.
"Won't the ancient gods grow wary and unite to eliminate you first?" Lilith asked after a pause.
The ancient gods, injured and unstable, were at their most vulnerable. Facing extinction, they might unite against the Ancient Sun God.
"Impossible. They need time to lick their wounds. Unless my lord moves now to reclaim all authorities and wage divine war, they can't unite," Sasrir said confidently.
The Ancient Sun God had likely verified this through mystical means.
The goddess raised her hand, looking at Sasrir, then Truman. "My Evernight Church will formally integrate into the world."
Truman nodded. As pontiff, he had to show support.
"…" Sasrir glanced at Truman. You're also my lord's Angel of Drems…
But he shook his head, prepared. "I'll avoid the Darkness pathway, but you can't touch other sequences."
He glanced at Truman, who sat upright, staying silent and uninvolved.
This was Sasrir's biggest concession to an ally.
"Thank you," the goddess nodded. The promise was generous.
She wasn't yet a true god, unable to negotiate equally with the Ancient Sun God, who controlled all sequence knowledge.
As for Lilith, she was just a Vampire.
"When will you act?" Truman raised another matter.
"When the ancient gods fully recover. My lord will end their era at their peak," Sasrir said slowly, silencing the goddess and Lilith.
His words brought heavy pressure.
None doubted the Ancient Sun God's ability—it was a matter of time.
This likely meant even if they became gods, they'd live under his shadow.
They'd anticipated this before cooperating, but its speed was startling.
"This could take centuries. Many things can't be set now," Truman said, closing the topic.
"Now, trading session." Truman looked at Sasrir. "Got any Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristics?"
Sasrir nodded lightly.
"Let's trade!" Truman offered a Sequence 2 characteristic from the Mutant King.
"Fine," Sasrir agreed. Most of the Error pathway was likely in his hands.
"Great!" Truman perked up. He had a soft spot for the mysterious trio of pathways. With Sequence 2 characteristics for all three, he could upgrade the glove of the ancient!
"Shame there's no skilled Artisan yet. I'll have to do it myself."
The trading session ended. Sasrir, flush with resources, held countless characteristics. The goddess had just secured the Darkness pathway and half the Fool's, Lilith likewise.
Truman was the poorest.
"No way, I need to build some wealth—Sequence 1 characteristics and uniquenesses!"
He did have one Sequence 1 characteristic from the Mutant King's "Divine Adversary," and most of his haul was from that pathway.
(End of Chapter)