Above the gray mist, within the ancient palace, beside the seat of "The Fool," a "prayer point" expanded, radiating one after another concentric circles of light. It was as though, within a closed room, curtains were suddenly drawn aside, allowing sunlight to flood in and pierce the eyes of the "dormant one." The already quiet worm vortex once again surged into frenzy, its slender, strange appendages waving wildly. The God of Origins, Mother of All Things, Nest of Impurity: "Nest" plus "Mother" uniqueness, "Moon" uniqueness, plus one "Natural Walker" exceptional trait, one "Beauty Goddess" exceptional trait. The Disordered One, Shadow of Order: "Realm of Disorder" plus "Black Emperor" uniqueness, "Judge" uniqueness, plus one "Slayer of Order" exceptional trait, one "Hand of Order" exceptional trait. The Catastrophic Disaster, Root of Misfortune: "City of Misfortune" plus "Witch" (Chaos Witch, Primordial Witch) uniqueness, "Red Priest" uniqueness, plus one "Apocalypse" exceptional trait, one "Conqueror" exceptional trait. The Father of Demons, Ruler of the Outliers, Source of Curse: "World of Shadows" plus "Deep" uniqueness, "Bound One" uniqueness, plus one "King of Impurity" exceptional trait, one "Divine Misfortune" exceptional trait. The Faerie of Knowledge, the Mad Enigma: "Wilds of Knowledge" plus the Uniqueness of the Hermit, and the Uniqueness of the Perfect One, with one extraordinary trait of the Emperor of Knowledge and one of the Enlightener. The Key of Light, Ever-Changing Chaos, the Personification of Fate: "Key of Light" plus the Uniqueness of the Wheel of Fate, with one extraordinary trait of the Great Serpent. These are the ancient titles corresponding to all nine primordial essences... Completed, Klein felt a deep sense of reflection. If both he and Emperor Roscel had grasped these mysteries of esoteric knowledge earlier, neither would have found themselves in their current predicaments. At certain times, even without extraordinary abilities, knowledge is entirely equivalent to power. The title formed by combining the "Earth" and "Moon" paths differs somewhat from that of the "Fallen Mother Goddess," suggesting it represents only part of her essence. Thus, the current titles and powers remaining for the Outer Goddess of the "Moon" are: "Fallen Mother Goddess," "Origin of Evil," and "The Unvanquished." Likewise, the full title of the Mother Tree should be: "Mother Tree of Desire," "The Unstable God," and "The Ever-Shouting One." As for the "Child of Chaos," however, He remains rather obscure—so completely absent that no one truly understands Him. Caine nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly. He then asked, "It seems the 'All-Knowing, All-Powerful' is strongest, followed by the 'Master of Mystery' and the 'Unifier of Time and Space,' with the rest ranking in the third tier." This assessment is based on the number of extraordinary paths required, and does not include the Outer Gods. Adam gazed at the "profaned slab" and spoke calmly and steadily: "Not quite. The number of powers and the hierarchy of beings are related, but not entirely; corresponding qualities, potency, and symbolism are equally significant. After the initial Creator split, at the apex of all the ancient realms stood the 'Three Pillars': one was 'God,' the 'All-Knowing, All-Powerful'; another was 'The Enigmatic Lord,' 'King of Time and Space'; and the third was 'The Fallen Mother Goddess,' 'Origin of Evil.'" Hearing Adam's final words, Caine involuntarily glanced down at his left sleeve, where the "Mirror" Arōdes was concealed. It now made sense why Arōdes had said he saw the Pillars, the dominion—Caine suddenly understood, and gained a little more confidence in Arōdes' words. At this point, Adam added calmly and without urgency: "Currently, the two major pillars still exist only in the form of primordial essence. After 'The Fallen Mother Goddess' divided off her 'Nest' and two extraordinary pathways, she has little distinction from the other outer gods—only the symbol of 'pillar' remains." If not for the blood-stained cross stake piercing his chest, Kline would have definitely felt the atmosphere of their conversation was quite pleasant. On several occasions, he even momentarily believed he and Adam were friends, engaged in a relaxed discussion about esoteric knowledge, waiting for Adam's child, Amun, to come home for dinner. Of course, I'm the one who's having dinner... I must admit, the influence of the 'audience' on others' perceptions, experiences, and states is simply overwhelming. While reminding himself to stay alert, Kline expressed his confusion: "I thought outer gods with two or even three primordial essences were what constituted the pillars." Adam lowered his gaze to the silver cross pendant hanging at his chest and said, "She possesses only one primordial essence. 'Normally, primordial essence cannot be divided. Only when the original Creator split—producing the 'convergence' and 'separation' emanations—can the essence be torn apart, with portions drawn into our planet.' "So, the current 'Fallen Mother' essence is incomplete, and the future 'Old One Mother' will also not be a complete version of the original?" asked Kline. Adam's lips slightly curled, as if smiling, "At first, it was indeed like that. However, primordial essence has the capacity to complete itself. The current 'Fallen Mother' essence is not incomplete, nor is the 'Nest' incapable of producing an Old One. The only issue is that the 'Fallen Mother' can currently only partially utilize the 'pillars' symbols inherent to her, unless she re-unites with the 'Nest.' " "This has also caused certain alterations in the emergence of life and the appearance of negative forces throughout the universe. However, on an astronomical timescale, several thousand or several ten-thousand years is extremely brief, and the corresponding effects have not yet spread widely. As for what would happen if a foreign deity acquired a source essence similar to its own—thus possessing two source essences—what would then unfold, I cannot predict. Until now, only the original Creator has encompassed multiple source essences; yet, as soon as it awakens, it inevitably splits. Klein nodded, thoughtfully asking: 'The original Creator has at least encompassed nine source essences. This cannot imply that possessing two, or even three, source essences would be problematic—there must be a critical threshold.' 'Currently, no one has been able to verify this.' Adam held tightly to the silver cross pendant at his chest. 'I suspect that certain entities have attempted this before, since aggregation is a strong instinct. However, the outcomes remain unknown.' 'Which entities?" Klein ran his fingers over the blood-stained cross pylon embedded in his chest. Adam turned his gaze once more toward the towering cross a hundred meters ahead, speaking calmly: "The 'God' of the Early First Age could also be called 'The Primordial.' There was also 'The Master of Mysteries,' the one you often refer to..." As he spoke, Adam glanced at Klein and, in a mimicking tone, said: "Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Tian Zun."... It seems both of them have passed away... Their efforts appear to have been rather unsuccessful, perhaps? Before Klein could find the right words, Adam had already turned his head and looked toward the second 'Board of Desecration,' stating: "One thing I'm certain of is that certain primordial essences cannot coexist simultaneously. In this universe, there exists an implicit fourth pillar—representing the ultimate fate of all things, including the endings of the Old Days and the universe itself—corresponding to the primordial essences of 'The River of Eternal Darkness' and 'The City of Calamity.'" "In short, if night can become 'eternal darkness,' 'the singularity of all things,' and 'the unifier of space and time,' then it can further claim the paths of 'the Witch' and 'the Red Priest,' embrace 'the City of Calamity,' and emerge as the true Fourth Pillar. Yet by then, either it enters a state of slumber, or it passively splits, or else—along with us and the entire cosmos—it perishes and begins anew." There are such things... at this level above the sequence, symbolism may even surpass authority. Adam, no—indeed, the esoteric knowledge of the ancient sun god is so rich and profound that it's no surprise he was once a near-Old One. Klein was left marveling. He mused, "So, a half-god on the path of 'the Unsleeping' can transition to the path of 'the Witch'?" "Exactly," Adam said, gazing ahead. "But then, it would no longer qualify as an Old One, unless some way is found to separate its earlier exceptional traits." While克莱恩 raised his gaze to interpret the half-divine potion formulas from the paths of "Audience," "The Unsleepers," and "The Arbitrators," he shifted the topic: "Where do the potion formulas related to the Old Days originate? They seem absent from the first 'Board of Desecration'—are they instead hidden within different Sequence-0 potions?" Adam's expression subtly changed, a glow of brightness now evident on his face: "Following my initial acquisition of the powers of 'All-Knowing and All-Doing,' I began to explore and deduce the methods and pathways through which one might become an Old Day. Eventually, I discovered the appropriate formulas and clarified the various symbols. Unfortunately, at that time, the 'Primordial' also stirred to life within me..." So you, as the ancient sun god, created the second 'Board of Desecration' using part of your remains and your will when you fell? 克莱恩 sighed, saying: "Since then, even in the midst of the End, there has been a dawn." It also ended the age of divine conflicts driven by temperament, emotions, and other such reasons, ushering in an era of struggle for the sake of the old. Adam maintained his previous expression and said nothing. Klein fell silent, and after a few seconds, he suddenly asked, "What kind of humanity did you weave into that secret figure of mine?" Adam turned his head again, his eyes clear, and replied, "He is so tired—he wants to rest, to be free, even for just a few seconds." Klein opened his mouth, yet found himself at a loss for words. "Why don't you call him Germain Spaloff, but instead refer to the figure?" Adam asked gently, as though explaining to a devoted follower. Klein glanced at him, then smiled suddenly, "I am Germain Spaloff. Germain Spaloff is part of me. If I separate the two, even if I manage to escape your divine realm, I will inevitably begin to unravel." "At this point, Crayen paused, looked toward the front, and in a low, steady voice asked, 'Do you have only divinity left?'... The Rothesde Islands, the 'City of Generosity,' Bayam. Upon returning here, Verdu Abraham conducted research and learned that the 'God of War' is one of the more active deities of the Fourth Age, capable of responding to devotees. He then invited a poor citizen willing to sacrifice his life to pray to the 'God of War,' to verify whether any danger existed. The cost for this effort amounted to 300 gold pounds. Now, he has received a return—this poor citizen not only survived but also fulfilled several of his wishes!"