Veretti awoke from her sleep to hear a dull roar of thunder echoing through the night. She braced herself up, stretched out her arms and turned on the gas button on the wall, allowing the dim light to pour down and illuminate the room.

The pendulum under the wall clock sways from side to side, making a ticking sound. The girl stared at the dial for a moment, and found that not only the pendulum, but the entire dial hanging on the wall was also trembling faintly. She rolled out of bed, and when her bare feet touched the wooden floor, she immediately realized that the whole room, the whole building, was shaking. This shiver seems to originate from the depths of the earth, intermittently and not intensely.

Veretti took her nerve and walked out of the room into the hallway, where she found the master bedroom door on her right hand not open and there was no movement.

Douglas hasn't come back yet...... Obviously, patients should rest more......

He's coming back late, and it's been a long time since he's had a meal......

Sighing a little frustratedly, Veretti didn't turn on the gas lights in the hallway, and after his eyes had probably adjusted to the darkness, he carefully held on to the handrail and walked down the stairs, relying on his familiarity with the house to the kitchen on the first floor. When the kettle was empty, she retook some water and sat it on the stove to make a fire.

During this time, the feeling of tremor that can be felt under the soles of the feet gradually weakens until it disappears. Was it a small earthquake? Taking advantage of the boiling water, Veretti opened the curtains and looked out of the window facing the street.

In the wee hours of the morning, when darkness should have reigned, at the end of her vision, the sky south of Beckland was unexpectedly filled with light, reflecting the sky in a faint blue-purple color. The color was strangely intertwined with the crimson moonlight, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, and several large shadows could be faintly seen moving within it.

Swish!

Veretti subconsciously slammed the curtain shut, keeping the unreasonable sight out of view. Back when they used to live on the East End, Douglas told her repeatedly: When you encounter strange things, don't look at them, don't think about them, just run first.

But then she realized that the Harvest Church where Douglass worked was just south of the bridge. A long time ago, when her brother and father were alive, she also lived in that area, or had a small bunk on the floor of a house in that area.

Such vague memories flashed through her mind. Veretti was now more concerned about the location of the Harvest Chapel, and was it close to the blue fire she had just seen?

Mist-white steam poured out of the hole in the lid of the kettle, and there was a sharp clatter sound against the lid. Veretti was called back to her senses by the sound, and hurriedly carried the kettle away and extinguished the flames.

Unable to contain her worries as she waited for the boiling water to cool down, she carefully lifted the curtain and glanced south, only to find that the inexplicable blue-purple glow had faded, like the trembling of the ground not long ago. The night of Beckland was deep and hazy again, the red moon was obscured by gloomy clouds that had risen at some point, and even a few howling winds could not make it appear in the sky, only a few rays of impure red light were sprinkled. The streets were quiet as if nothing had happened.

Still, there was a vague sense of worry beating in Veretti's heart. She poured herself a cup of hot water and sat in the dark living room with a porcelain cup in her hands, drawing a little heat from it. In order to save money, she usually only turns on the gas lamp in her room when she is alone at home, but after a few moments of meditation, Veretti takes a few coins from a drawer and stuffs them into the gas meter installed in the corner of the room, obscured by a decorative vase, and then flips the light switch, so that the darkness is expelled by light, and the crimson is replaced by warm yellow.

Less than two hours before dawn, Douglas usually returns before dawn. She hoped to see him and talk to him.

At this time, a regular low "tuk tuk" sound sounded in the empty room, startling the little girl. She reacted for a few seconds before she realized it was a knock on the door.

Someone was knocking smoothly on the door in the middle of the night, asking for a visit.

—

"What a strange style."

Amon muttered to himself as he tried to count the floors of the building in front of him. His head tilted slightly, and he soon had to reach out and press the top of his wizard's hat to prevent it from slipping off one of his curls.

He didn't speak loudly, but it made Douglas's shoulders tremble slightly, and his eyes focused suddenly.

The sense of chaos that had shrouded his mind suddenly disappeared, and so did the scenery that belonged to Beckland, and even Sesima, who had controlled the dream, disappeared.

When Douglas turned his head, and when his eyes reflected the thin figure wrapped in a pitch-black robe, the desire to attack that had not yet been completely eliminated could not be controlled into a lot of resentment that came out of his heart:

He's here, he's watching! It is obviously not difficult to fight against demigods as an angel, and if Amon is willing to help, many people will not die at all, and no one will die at all...... He was too cold-blooded......

Also, he knew where the other time-travelers were, and knew the truth about the crossing, but he wouldn't tell me at all......

And somehow, without saying hello, they would take me to Vrsack...... If you don't go to Vrsack, you won't provoke a madman like Aven! It's all His fault!

……

Fortunately, these dark thoughts were no longer as strong and aggressive as they had been at the beginning, especially with Amon himself in front of him. Douglas took a few deep breaths, barely calming his mind, and his thoughts turned normally.

And those thoughts just now were added to Amon, which made him suddenly have an abrupt and bold guess, and couldn't help but blurt out: "That guy, is that guy like me and has become a dependent?" Became, the 'Mother Tree of Desire', or the enchantment of the 'Primordial Moon'? ”

At Vrsack, the pollution on Aven's body clearly belonged to the realm of the "primordial moon"; That guy himself is a demonic path, and most demons believe in the "Mother Tree of Desire";

Amon once said that the evil gods of the "Mother Tree of Desire" and "Primordial Moon" are either his enemies or have some connection with "crossing";

The Demon Family seems to have a special way of finding traversers, and the Andrerad family active in Beckland has made a list of suspected traversers, and Douglas's own name has been on it!

These fragmentary threads were connected in his mind, and Douglas seized on the scattered inspirations, blending them together to try to come to a conclusion:

That is, just as Amon deliberately approached him, the evil gods such as the "Mother Tree of Desire" and "Primordial Moon" are also using Evan or other time-travelers to try to achieve a goal that he can't guess or imagine!

The angel with a wide forehead and a thin face lifted the brim of his hat and seemed to think for a moment: "Aven. Thombertson was not voluntary. Hehe, he can be called 'illiterate' in the field of occultism, lacking common sense, naively thinking that promotion will get rid of pollution......"

Noticing Douglas's slightly puzzled expression, he chuckled and added casually: "Normally, potions will contain some knowledge of the corresponding person, but the true gods or angels of the same way have the ability to change and delete this knowledge to a certain extent, which is misleading to the bottom sequence. ”

…… Is that okay? As a low sequence, Douglas frowned when he heard this, and intuitively felt the pure malice and madness at the bottom of the extraordinary world.

But that's not the point of his attention at the moment - the point is that Amon didn't deny his speculation!

This means that whether it is voluntary or not, there must be no less than angel-level forces behind that "devil" to support it, which means that the difficulty of killing the other party will increase exponentially! Even the two major churches, if they had not fully anticipated this situation, would have suffered considerable casualties and losses in the pursuit!

However, listening to Amon, Aven's state is not intact, although he is no longer "pregnant" with anything, but he is still in a tainted state?

And this guy obviously doesn't like to be "favored" by the gods. Douglas had close contact and conversation with Aven, and the other party's words still seemed to echo clearly in his ears:

[I haven't enjoyed a new life yet, why am I willing to wait for death?] ]

[Will you become a pawn of the gods without rebellion, a doomed victim?] ]

[…… I'm trying my best to find an opportunity to get rid of the contamination of the Evil God's Descendants once and for all......]

[I hate foolish people who turn their backs on humanity because of the gods......]

He hated God, hated the church, and even hated the faith itself...... At this point, Evan has undisguised inclinations! He greatly respected the freedom of his own will and did not like to be controlled by any force!

In a flash of thought, Douglas felt that he had found one of Avan's motives, perhaps even the strongest one:

That is to constantly look for ways to completely get rid of the influence of the "Mother Tree of Desire" and the "Primordial Moon"!

From this point of view, Evan, who lacks occult knowledge, came to attack the "Mother Earth" church, which has a similar authority to the "primordial moon", in order to learn more about the relevant field and find a way to restrain pollution?

The ability to appear accurately in Beckland and appear in front of him stems from the Demon Family's ability to locate the traverser? Aiwen's ability has become stronger due to the favor of the evil god, so he calls himself the "demon of connection"?

Well...... It's still a bit far-fetched, for Aven, I can't prioritize more than himself. Even if he had the ability to come to Beckland to find me, he shouldn't have put that before he got rid of the pollution...... Or is it related to the coincidence created by the "audience" approach that Father Schultz mentions? Could it be the "audience" lady? She commissioned me to do a survey and showed interest in the matter......

Faced with a field of occultism that he was completely ignorant of, Douglas subconsciously looked at Amon and tried to find an answer.

With an angel by his side, it's a waste of time to think about it.

Amon looked at him, but instead took the lead in throwing out the question: "Don't you think this is a good opportunity?"

Douglas was distracted by the question, and after a few seconds of pause, he said uncertainly.

“…… Is it about leaving the church, leaving Bakeland? ”

His brow furrowed.

"That's right." The corners of Amon's mouth rose slightly, and his tone was unhurried, full of temptation, "This is a natural and reasonable opportunity. I can make you 'die' now and put the matter on the Night's Watch of the Nighthouse. Your colleagues will miss you, your family, well, you will get a pension that is enough for your life, you yourself will be digested by potions, you will be promoted in the fastest and best state, and you will be out of danger. ”

Douglas opened his mouth, tilted his head again, and chuckled slightly with a twisted expression.

"You're right, I didn't even think about it...... What a good choice.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't my choice. So I refused.

"It's not that I can't give up, it's not that I can't leave, but definitely not at this moment, in this way."

What is the difference between leaving at such a time and desertion? I'm gone, and Evan won't become sensible and gentle, and won't hurt the people around me! Douglas was very self-aware, and he clearly recognized that if he left the calamity caused by himself to the innocent, the residual guilt and remorse would definitely torment him for a long, very long time.

It's not that he can protect everyone by staying in Beckland, but those senseless sacrifices were brought by Aven, not his fault.

There is only one thing that will make him regret and unwilling: that is, when he still has the opportunity to try to change, he chooses to give up the choice and escape!

For example, if you persist for ten days and half a month when you were preparing for the college entrance examination in your previous life, will you not be so dazed, you will not be so painful, and you will not have even a little motivation to support yourself to get up after opening your eyes every morning?

He will never know the answer.

Because he chose to give up at that second, he will never know in this life whether he has the ability and qualifications to live a happier life, and he will never know whether all the misfortunes and pains he will encounter in the future will come from that second, and he will not be able to give up again in that second.

…… Well, at least crossing this thing probably has nothing to do with the results of the college entrance examination, after coming here, I am not too obsessed with the things of my previous life, after all, I will not die if I fail the college entrance examination, but I will really die if I lose in the extraordinary world!

Douglas let out a self-deprecating "hey" in his heart, also knowing that if Amon decided to take him away, he would still accept it, because disobeying Amon was not something he could hope for if he tried hard.

But in the nature of this angel, merely asking rather than doing it directly means that he has the power to give himself a choice—a power that Douglas certainly will not waste, even if what belongs to him is now "handed-out," he continues, without hindrance:

"And it doesn't seem like a nice thing for you to be chased away in such an embarrassment."

"Botched provocation."

Amon casually commented, not showing displeasure.

He stroked his monocle and then answered Douglas's earlier question, giving the latter the impression that the few words of conversation he had just spoken were a fleeting illusion.

"The 'audience' lady is not capable of creating such coincidences, either on an extraordinary or psychological level.

"Reach out to her more, gain trust as soon as possible, and be an underline to her, or the other members of that secret organization behind her—that's the first assignment I've given you.

"I'll offer you protection and make you forget what needs to be kept secret. When you think back to this conversation, it means that there is no surveillance or prying eyes.

"Hehe, she should want to see you at this time, and maybe she's sitting in your living room now."

...... Miss "Audience" at my house? She already knew about Aven's appearance? It's fast! Well, it's normal for such a demigod to have a secret organization behind him, but I can't hear his relationship with that organization from Amon's words, it doesn't look like he's hostile, but he asked me to go undercover......

Hey, nominally, I can already claim to be a member of the "Gnosis Society", a subordinate of the "Witch Sect", a subordinate of the "Iron Cross Society", a priest of the "Mother Earth God" church, a student of the "Red Glove" of the Night Church, an acting oracle of the "Aurora Society", and a true friend of an ancient angel! If it is printed as a business card, it will almost be impossible to write on the front...... I don't know what other name can be added after this undercover......

Douglas, who had a lot of experience in this kind of thing, bowed slightly, and did not resist, because the "audience" lady could still bring him Gelman. Sparrow's intelligence, getting close to the other party itself is also what he wants to do.

This gives me one more channel to use...... I'm so bad with Aven that I can't change my mind to guess what that guy is going to do next, and I need more information...... The matter of going to the Aurora Club cannot be delayed any longer! I'm no longer the protagonist in this attack, so I shouldn't be under too much scrutiny and attention......

"There's one more question." After thinking about it, Douglas seized the opportunity to ask Amon, "What is the so-called 'demon of connection', and is there a way to interfere with this ability so that Evan can't lock on to the people around me?" ”

The answer to this question largely determines how much of the means he can use.

If Evan can follow this connection to "see" all the people or forces that can support him, coupled with the devil's premonition of crisis, that guy can always hide in the shadows, easily seize the opportunity, and let himself fall into complete passivity.

The only thing that made Douglas a little fortunate was that fellow travelers had seen themselves in Vrsack and knew that they were connected to the Predator-Blooded Cross, but it was not too likely that Evan would use this to make the church doubt himself and sow discord. Because the official extraordinaries are aware of the demon's ability to demagogue and incite desires, they will not easily believe any words that come out of the demon's mouth.

Amon scratched his chin, and there was a hint of concern in his eyes, and his tone slowed down: "No matter what kind of ability it is, if you want to obtain occult information or instructions, it is essentially through the spirit world, the astral world, or the great being itself, to 'read' the corresponding content, and then interpret it. ”

Douglas, who has a certain divination ability himself, does not have a very difficult time understanding the meaning behind this:

The information that can be obtained by this kind of means is extremely abstract and symbolic than the actual scene, and the viewer can often only interpret it within his own vision and experience, which is easy to misread and deviate.

Even if you have the ability to capture "connection", how to use it depends on Evan himself...... And Aven, Aven is an illiterate occult......

Thinking of this, he briefly had a feeling that he didn't know what to say.

"The key to completely disabling this ability is to give enough interference to it, just as it is to disable prophecy in divination." After a pause of a few seconds, Amon continued, "And when it comes to providing interference, the 'True Creator' is more professional than I am. ”

Douglas was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect Amon to say such words, but in terms of personality, the "true creator" is a powerful evil god who has been famous for a long time, a real god, and is indeed a notch higher than the angels.

While the True Creator and His followers are no less dangerous than Aven, I would have been dealing with the Aurora Society. And, well, if it's just a distraction, I don't necessarily need to pray to that evil god, or even myself!

Isn't "Wriggling Hunger" a devout believer in the "true Creator" and suspected to be Mr. A, the oracle who mastered the Beckland branch during his lifetime? Pray and be blessed by this living seal, and I only need to carry it with me to resist occult prying eyes to some extent, as it will expose the prying eye to the breath of the "true Creator" at the same time!

Douglas, who gradually found his way to make a plan, was a little more settled in his heart, and he had the spare time to turn his head to look at the illusory city - such a large background board, he was not invisible, but endured until he got enough information from Amon before he paid attention to it.

After only a few glances, he concluded that this was probably a mixture of the cities he had seen when he was born, raised, went out to study, and returned to his hometown during the holidays, and occasionally mixed with some of the landscapes he saw when he traveled. After all, it is visible to the naked eye that a bridge across the strait is mixed with normal high-rise buildings, as well as an amusement park with a Mickey Mouse head, a vermilion torii gate, a sphin-tail-like fountain, and a torch-like Statue of Liberty......

The grotesque feeling of these buildings that should not have been gathered together brought about a grotesque feeling that could not be ignored, so that Douglas did not dwell too much on the scene, but muttered in a low voice: "It's a dream after all......"

Amun, who was standing beside him, raised his hand and lifted his monocle, looking at this city whose style and shape were different from any era and any country on this continent, and suddenly asked, "In your world, where is the building mainly made of gray-white rough materials, and the style is characterized by heavy, broad, and huge?" ”

Douglas looked sideways at Amon without much understanding, and said, "Is there an image that I can refer to?" ”

Such a description is too general, so that he has never studied architecture and cannot find the corresponding content from his memory at once.

"Nope." Amon chuckled vaguely.

He could have embodied the vision of "Chernobyl" in the forsaken land of God, but it was too early for Douglass to know the truth at this point in time, which would only hinder the implementation of his plan.

Before he could ask questions, Douglas suddenly emptied the soles of his feet, and his whole body fell straight down, unable to move as he watched the emaciated face with a broad forehead leave him. Then, what appeared in front of him was a not too dazzling light, his body trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes like waking up from a big dream.

The person standing next to him has changed from a mysterious wizard in classical times to a Sesima with a trench coat neckline standing high. Crestel. One of the "Red Glove" triumvirate was lowering his right hand that was gently pressing his eyebrows, bowing slightly at him.

After receiving Douglas's solemn acknowledgment, Sesima asked, as if unintentionally, "At the end of the dream, what does the thing that really frightens you but has no concrete form represent?" ”

Douglas's expression remained unchanged, and he replied calmly: "You know, I am from the Wild Extraordinary. ”

He didn't know how Amon had deceived the demigods who specialized in dreams, or even what Sesima was asking, but he believed that the senior deacon must have made a certain judgment, and as long as he provided a reason that could be interpreted in many ways, the other party would naturally find the answer he wanted.

Sesima didn't ask, but finally nodded, buried the lower half of her face in the collar of her trench coat again, and left the scene without any movement from the spirit of the contract.

Glancing at the ruins of the "Harvest Church", Douglas silently walked to the makeshift medical area and repair team on the edge of Yuejihua Street, boarded a freight wagon carrying building debris, bypassed the newspaper reporters who had already swarmed to leave the scene, and got off halfway to the edge of the East End.

As it was too early and there was no public transport, he hired a horse-drawn carriage at a high price of eight souls and soon returned to Covent Street.

It was just after six o'clock in the morning, and the morning light would illuminate the streets and houses. In the North End, this time is a bit early for getting up and going to work. As a result, among the many townhouses that are still in a drowsy state, the only one with the lights on stands out.

Slowly climbing the steps, Douglass grasped the doorknob in his hand and silently pushed the door in.

The first thing he noticed was a caramel-colored, checkered beret and a dark hooded cape. They hang on a coat rack by the door of their house, and they hang openly and openly.

After half a second of staring, he paced into the living room with the same steps, saw the two cups of hot tea still steaming on the table, and saw Veretti, who was dozing off on the small sofa with her knees huddled in her nightgown.

How do you sleep here...... Douglas shook his shoulders and threw off his coat, but looked at the dust and blood stained on it, gave up the idea of using it to cover the person, put it on the back of the seat, and turned his head so that the figure sitting in the main seat, clearly without any cover, but it was impossible to see the face and features, and could only barely distinguish that it was a woman.

"Good morning."

The visitor greeted him in standard and clear Rune, with no accent inaudible, and made a "please" gesture against the guest