Chapter 912 Strange Digestion Method

Zaratul?

Upon hearing the name, Angel's first thought was the Angel Family of the Solomon Empire in the Fourth Epoch. Then he noticed the limitations in Klein's description:

The leader of the secret order, the fortune-teller angel trapped in the foggy town.

If the history they understood was correct, the Sequence 1 had perished in the subsequent God War, and the leader of the Secret Order in the Fifth Epoch was likely merely his descendant, "Little Zaratul," who had inherited Beyonder characteristics.

Even so, the arrival of an Archangel who had most likely been promoted to Sequence 1 and had successfully escaped from the foggy town in Backlund would also put immense pressure on their subsequent actions.

After all, even with a true God, the Pope and Archbishop of the three major churches were only Sequence 2 at most. Moreover, with war imminent, they would have to defend important church locations and were unlikely to stay in Backlund. A Sequence 1 was the strongest without the advent of a true God.

"How can you be sure that 'He's arrived in Backlund? Even Amon's true form wouldn't dare to set foot in this city so easily..."

Angel asked curiously.

"There are many reasons, such as Arrodes discovering that his body was no longer in its original place, my attraction to the fortune tellers and thieves, and the recent anomalies that occurred during my collaboration with the vampires and the Temperance Faction against the Rose School... But the Red Angel's evil spirit coming to Backlund was the trigger..."

Klein replied, involuntarily glancing at the chaotic streets outside the window.

"Not many people know that I'm Dwayne Dantès and also Gehrman Sparrow and are likely to come into contact with Zaratul. Medici, who worked with Zaratul in the Fourth Epoch, is one of them. The 'gatekeeper' he possessed was probably the envoy sent by the Spiritual Cult to Backlund. I thought he was just taking this opportunity to return from the Southern Continent to the Northern Continent and would leave soon. I didn't receive a response after praying to the goddess, but I didn't expect him to stay here... This makes it possible to communicate this matter with Zaratul and lead him to Backlund."

Members of the Spirit Cult... No wonder the "Red Angel" evil spirit appeared so fearlessly. It turns out that "'He'" believed that with the help of Sequence 1 Zaratul, he didn't need to worry about being attacked by me. Furthermore, he also knew that the goddess wasn't in good condition because she didn't respond in time... No, if Zaratul had been hiding nearby, he could have easily made me into a secret doll and then attacked Klein. That would have been easy for a Sequence 1 who dared to enter Backlund...

Angel pondered and told Klein his doubts, and the latter fell into a long period of contemplation.

"So, for some reason, the Red Angel hasn't reached a cooperation agreement with Zaratul, or is concealing information about me... Why would He do this?"

He muttered, then shook his head and said with determination:

"No matter what, Dwayne Dantès's identity could be exposed at any time. As long as Zaratul knows about this, the next time I return to 160 Böklund Street, all the servants might be waiting for me with the same smile... I, or Dwayne, need to leave."

Angel nodded in understanding, realizing what the other party meant.

Since Zaratul, who had seen Gehrman Sparrow, had already escaped from the foggy town and had come to Backlund due to the gathering effect of the mysterious power in Klein, he would definitely take the initiative to attack once he knew that Gehrman was equal to Dawn.

But when Klein hid in the dark, Zaratul would hesitate and continue to observe. Even though he knew there was something wrong with Dawn, he would still suspect that this was a trap and was unlikely to cause harm to ordinary people.

"What about me? Should I also give up my current status? After all, half of Backlund's upper-class social circles know about our relationship."

She then asked.

"Yes, this is the best solution. You can temporarily hand over your property to the church and ask Miss Audrey to help look after it. Otherwise, if Zaratul can't find me, he will probably target you."

Klein said with a serious expression.

No, this isn't the best approach... Angel pursed his lips, pressed down Klein's hand that had been placed on his shoulder, and said:

"You should know that my best option is to continue appearing as Christine and link her to 'Erin Watson' in the world of mysticism, solidifying my identity as the goddess's favored one. That way, Zaratul won't attack me unless there's a direct conflict of interest... and our one-on-one presence will be beneficial for all subsequent actions. Otherwise, even if I hide in the dark, Elaine and even Annie might be targeted by Zaratul, and sooner or later they'll be captured by Him. It would be better to stay safe in Backlund."

Klein's expression was a little tense. He looked at Angel for a long time before speaking:

"But there's still a risk. If Zaratul is desperate and thinks that capturing you will give him clues about me, and is willing to risk the goddess or other gods descending from him..."

"Would a Sequence 1 Archangel be so reckless? Even the Red Angel was willing to communicate calmly, knowing they were no match for me. Zaratul would only hide in the shadows, gathering all the information, and only strike cautiously after judging there was no risk... just like you normally do. Furthermore, I don't think the Red Angel would share your information with Zaratul... They lack any reason to cooperate."

Angel tried to lighten his tone as he analyzed the mindset of their imaginary enemy.

Looking at Angel, who was trying to find a reason to stay in Backlund so he could contribute to the upcoming war, Klein sighed with a mixture of heartache and worry, and said:

"They actually have reasons to cooperate. It's due to the fact that they're adjacent or fighting on the same path. The 'Red Angel' wants to deal with you, and Zaratul wants to find me... But you're right. It's actually a safer option for you to stay within the sight of the gods. After all, before you gain new Beyonder characteristics, that three-in-one evil spirit can't do anything to you, and Zaratul's main target is me, not you..."

If He captures me, the "Fool," the battle will be over. However, if He captures Angel, the risk will be less than the reward. A calculating "Fortune Teller" would not do something with such high risk and low reward... Klein added silently in his heart.

After deciding that one person would hide in the dark while the other continued in the light, the two discussed the next targets to visit and contact, such as Bernadette, Triss, and even Will Auceptin, who was less than half a year old, in order to obtain their help and support. Only then did Klein take the secret doll and quietly leave Angel's bedroom.

Looking at the empty and somewhat deserted room, Angel let out a long sigh, opened the door, went to the first floor, and found the butler, Rebark, who was directing the servants to load valuables onto the carriage.

After returning home from the battle today, despite feeling depressed, Angel still managed to muster up the energy to give the butler a number of orders, asking him to organize the servants to quickly purchase enough food before Backlund fell into panic, and to transport it to the Iris Winery in the suburbs as soon as possible. He then took all the servants out of the city and headed to the winery to avoid any possible attacks.

In order to appease the servants and protect as many people as possible, Angel asked the butler to announce that they could bring their families with them. After all, the manor was very large, and more manpower would be needed in the upcoming war period to prevent chaos in public security.

As a retired soldier, Ribak has enough experience in this regard, so Angel doesn't need to worry about it.

As for the reason for overbuying food, Angel believed it would be helpful in case of famine, so she could donate and help others. After all, most people at the bottom of society simply didn't have the money to stockpile enough food. Even if she didn't buy, other nobles and wealthy merchants would, and even if they did, they wouldn't donate...

Seeing that the wine and stored food in the cellar had been loaded onto the carriage, Angel stopped the servants who were loading murals, vases and other items that were useless in the war, and asked them to go directly to the Iris Winery before it got dark. Then he took a light two-wheeled carriage and rushed to St. Samuel Church in the north district.

On the way, she found that except for the North District which was directly affected by the air strike, the streets in other areas still maintained basic order. Although everyone had an uneasy expression on their faces, walked hurriedly, and looked up at the sky from time to time, overall, they had not yet fallen into real chaos.

But this peaceful scene may not last long...

According to the newspaper, the airstrike launched this morning in Backlund resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people in the North District and the injury of over a thousand. The airship unit that had been dispatched from the North District to the West District focused its bombing on facilities such as the City Hall, the House of Commons, and the Kingdom Theater. Before being intercepted and destroyed by the arriving Loen army and the official Beyonders hiding in the dark, it also caused the deaths of over two hundred people and nearly paralyzed Backlund's political center. Several large factories in the East District were destroyed, and the casualties were still being counted. However, the attack took place on a weekday morning, when the factories were operating at full capacity, and the situation was not optimistic.

Furthermore, Pritz Harbor south of Backlund was attacked almost simultaneously. Taking advantage of the dense fog, the Feysac Sonia Fleet approached and bombarded the Royal Navy base and the surrounding shipyards, destroying several warships on the slipways. Fortunately, the three ironclad fleets were out fighting pirates or conducting routine training, and were not stationed in the harbor, so they suffered no losses.

Under such an attack, it was inevitable that Loen would declare a full-scale war on Feysac. Even if Backlund strengthened its defenses and was no longer vulnerable to Feysac's sneak attacks, problems such as rising prices and declining incomes would plague this city of five million people, making it even more difficult for the lower-class people, who were already struggling to make ends meet.

I hope I can do something, even if it means returning to the battlefield... Angel withdrew his gaze from the window and closed his eyes.

…

When we arrived at St. Samuel's Church, it was already dark, but the square in front of the church was still full of people who believed in the goddess. Some of them came here to seek comfort due to their inner confusion, while others were simply afraid of subsequent air raids and came to hide near the safe church.

Angel noticed a bishop constantly moving through the crowd, soothing the faithful. He emanated a calming energy, seemingly derived from some special sealed artifact. Under his persuasion, most of the people calmed down and left, only to be replaced by a new group of panicked and confused people.

This means that the church believes that there will be no subsequent air raids... Angel felt relieved and told the carriage that brought him to the church not to wait for him, but to go directly to the suburban manor and then enter the church.

On the way, she had received a message from Triss through the magic mirror, and learned that the witch, who had obtained the method of contacting Mr. "Door" from the "Original Witch", had made corresponding preparations.

According to the agreement, Triss has to communicate with this being of unclear good or evil under Angel's supervision, so the most critical "blood of Abraham's family members" is kept by Angel himself, and she plans to find Triss after confirming the goddess's attitude, otherwise she may bring bad luck to this unfortunate witch.

After passing through the tall but narrow porch and arriving at the large prayer hall, Angel discovered that the hall, which was usually only filled during high mass, was already packed. She found a corner and whispered the goddess's name, briefly conveying everything that had happened today to the deity through prayer, including her and Klein's belief that Zaratul had arrived in Backlund and her willingness to remain in the open.

Finally, she thought of her previous guess, took a deep breath, and continued to recite in a low voice:

"…Respected Goddess, I would like to know if I can continue to serve you and gain your favor as the deceased Irene Watson and Angel Granger…"

After praying, Angel leaned against the wall, quietly looking at the prayer hall filled with people from the North District, his thoughts gradually drifting away.

Suddenly, her spirit was touched, and there was a momentary change of light and shadow at the edge of her vision. Archbishop Anthony, wearing a black robe with a red moon symbol, appeared in the hall without making any sound.

Follow me—he gestured, and then walked towards the side door of the church.

At least the goddess made him respond instead of doing nothing. Otherwise, I would really have to consider hiding in the dark and avoiding Zaratul and the "Red Angel"... Angel muttered and followed them to a secluded corridor.

Beneath the stained glass depicting the Holy Emblem of Night, Anthony stopped, turned around, smiled kindly, and said aloud:

"Your Excellency, 'Shadow of the Goddess,' Christine Theresa protected the people during the war, Irene Watson calmed the great smog, and Angel Granger saved Tingen from the clutches of the evil god. Now that war is about to break out, as a favored one of the Goddess, are you willing to continue to contribute your strength?"

Hearing this series of names, Angel's expression gradually changed from a formal smile to one of surprise and horror.

Because the potion in her body was being digested at an astonishing rate, and the amount was far more than what was needed to successfully perform in front of a saint!

Her guess was correct, the goddess really provided some help!