2 Chapter 2: The Hall of Stars, the Lamp Genie, and the Fallen Mother Goddess
Chapter 2: The Hall of Stars, the Lamp Genie, and the Fallen Mother Goddess
Since arriving in the mysterious world, one must inevitably become an Beyonder.
Fortunately, the original owner of this body had not carelessly chosen a Pathways and consumed a magic potion; otherwise, this new 'account' of mine would have been half-ruined already.
In the mysterious world, once you choose the Beyonder Pathways you wish to take, your enemies and friends are more or less determined.
If one wishes to challenge Sequence 0 in the future, they must avoid Pathways that have already led to godhood, as well as those that are about to.
The Pathways of the Full Five Families, the Gou Three Families, and the Black Death War—these eleven Pathways—are absolutely not to be chosen.
Other Pathways associated with gods, secret sages, primal witches, Lilith, and the Bound God are also not options. The demonic Pathways is too dangerous and not suitable for me.
I actually wanted to take the Pathways of fate, which is exclusively for the lucky ones, but I truly lack confidence in my own luck.
If I had ever performed a miracle, or achieved the feat of double gold in ten attempts, then I might have a little more confidence in myself.
For someone who almost always hits rock bottom, it's better not to take the Pathways of fate, as it's easy to become a cautionary tale.
That leaves only three Beyonder Pathways: Judgment, the Black Emperor, and the Hunter.
If one seriously considers becoming a god, the Hunter's Pathways is the best choice.
Because the ingredients for the tricolor hotpot base have been gathered, all that's needed is to wait for the perfect moment, and becoming a god in one step might not be impossible.
Unfortunately, its adjacent Pathways already have a deity, and with the cunning of the Red Angel, the scrutiny of Adam and Amon, there are too many variables and the risk factor is too high.
The most suitable and safest Beyonder Pathways are undoubtedly those of Judgment and the Black Emperor, the Pathways of order.
These two Pathways are adjacent and currently lack corresponding deities, making them the most hopeful for achieving godhood.
Now residing in Backlund and possessing the noble title of baron, I am more suited to these two Pathways than the average person.
Should I choose the Pathways of Judgment or the Black Emperor?
After serious contemplation, Hastur decides to take the Pathways of the Black Emperor.
Although he doesn't want to confront his fellow countrymen, this is the Pathways that suits him best.
Since inheriting this body, he must fulfill the original owner's last wish to restore the glory of the Campbell family.
The Pathways of the Black Emperor is tailor-made for the noble class.
Moreover, in Backlund, there exists an unclaimed Black Emperor card. Once obtained, the Pathways of the Black Emperor will have no more secrets for him, saving a great deal of effort.
Another point to consider is that in the future of Backlund, someone will attempt to become a god through the Pathways of the Black Emperor and ultimately fail.
If I am strong enough at that time, I might be able to reap tremendous benefits after the failed god-making ceremony of the Black Emperor.
Hastur thinks of a possibility, smiles, and becomes even more determined to start his Beyonder journey on the Pathways of the Black Emperor.
Having chosen the Beyonder Pathways, it's time to start looking for the formula for Sequence 9, the Lawyer.
In the Campbell family's collection, there are only formulas for Sequence 8, the Barbarian, and Sequence 7, the Briber, from the Pathways of the Black Emperor, but strangely, not the starting Sequence 9.
Fortunately, it's just the starting Sequence 9, and the potion formula won't be too expensive. I should be able to afford it. By attending a few more gatherings of mysticism, I should be able to purchase it.
Now comes the biggest problem.
I'm not a law graduate; I'm not completely ignorant about the law, but I'm also not very clear about it.
To play the role of a lawyer well, the tedious legal provisions that can make one prematurely bald are an unavoidable hurdle.
"What a headache."
Hastur rubs his temples. The lawyer must be one of the most difficult Sequence 9s among the twenty-two starting Pathways.
"Sigh, I must learn. It's all fate!"
Hastur sighs and decides to go to Backlund University in the afternoon to enroll in a lawyer training course.
Fortunately, the original owner had dabbled in Hermes language, ancient Hermes language, Giant language, and Elvish language for the resurrection ceremony. Although not very proficient, he was not completely illiterate.
Otherwise, the amount of knowledge he would need to learn would be overwhelming, probably more than he had learned during his three years of college entrance examination preparation.
Having determined his next course of action, Hastur relaxes and suddenly feels a wave of sleepiness.
"I need to catch up on some sleep first."
Hastur tidies up the desk, covers the remaining oat bread with a piece of blue floral cloth—his only food for the day.
The original owner had spent all his cash on mystical materials, leaving not even a penny. The plantation that grows cotton and grapes provides some financial support, but it only yields profits twice a year.
The profits from December have already been spent by the original owner, and the next profits won't come until mid-year, around the end of June, which is still four months away.
As for selling houses and land, unless there's absolutely no other option, he wouldn't do it.
As a person from Greater China, houses and land are imprinted in the genes, a source of immense comfort and wealth.
"I need to think of a way to make money quickly."
Hastur finally understands the difficulty of living as a poor deity. Tired, he returns to his room on the second floor, closes the open window, sets the alarm bird's timing, then flops down on the silky soft quilt and falls asleep.
In a state between sleep and wakefulness, Hastur feels light as a feather and arrives at a place where starlight converges.
The surroundings are empty, with only a dazzling starry sky overhead. Each star seems to be a pair of eyes watching him, beautiful yet hair-raising.
Especially when considering that each star might represent an Old God or an Outer God, it's even more chilling.
"What is this place? Is it just a dream?"
Hastur gazes at the starry sky above, trying to make sense of it.
"It's probably not just a dream."
After much study, Hastur has a guess.
This place seems to be a mysterious world detached from reality, perhaps similar to the Sefirah Castle.
Could this be my golden finger?
Hastur's heart races with excitement, and with a thought, he wishes for this space to transform like the Sefirah Castle.
Instantly, the starlight shines brightly, and a majestic, grand, sacred, and spectacular platinum hall slowly emerges under the illumination of the stars.
Four huge, towering crystal pillars studded with stars support the circular dome, which is hollow in the center, allowing a clear view of the stars overhead.
Directly beneath the dome, where the starlight converges, appears a long table forged from black crystal, deep and dark.
Endless starlight above the long table coalesces into the first chair, and then five chairs on each side of the long table, totaling eleven chairs.
Hastur, full of interest, takes a turn around and then sits down in the leading chair.
The moment he sits down, a sense of enlightenment emerges in his mind.
The Hall of Stars, the ruler of chaos and order, the origin of all rules in the starry sky, the one who returns the stars to their places.
Hastur frowns and ponders for a long time, still unable to fully understand the meaning of these words.
He vaguely understands that this place is related to order and rules.
Being here, with the rules upon him, he is the master of this Hall of Stars!
In other words, as long as he is in the Hall of Stars, he should be an invincible existence!
But why are there only eleven chairs?
Is it simply based on my thoughts, or is there a secret I'm not yet aware of?
He tends more towards the latter. The twenty-two chairs in Mr. Fool's Sefirah Castle corresponds to the twenty-two Beyonder Pathways, so the eleven chairs in the Hall of Stars must also have their own unique significance.
It seems this place is indeed similar to the Sefirah Castle
.
It must also be a manifestation of some kind of essence related to rules and order, but this place doesn't seem like the Land of Disorder.
Stars are the theme here.
Order and rules can only be subordinate to the stars.
Hastur can't figure it out and doesn't continue to delve deeper. When he becomes stronger, he will naturally solve these mysteries one by one.
For now, he is more concerned about one thing.
Can the Hall of Stars summon people for meetings like the Sefirah Castle?
Hastur looks up at the starry sky, each star radiating its own unique light.
As Hastur's thoughts move, the distant starry sky zooms in instantly, allowing him to observe more closely.
Hastur's gaze sweeps over each star, finally settling on the two brightest.
Approaching the star on the right, it's as if breaking through some boundary, the starlight dissipates, replaced by a phantom lamp. Inside the lamp seems to be an imprisoned being.
"Could it be that part of the Chaos Child made into the wishing lamp?"
The more he observes, the more he believes it's the unfortunate Lamp Genie. When a slender hand appears above the lamp, the guess becomes a certainty.
That's the
That's the Lamp Genie and the Yellow Beibei!
Is this suggesting that I should summon the Lamp Genie, an Old One, to the Hall of Stars for a meeting?
If it's truly possible to summon them for a meeting, then the Hall of Stars might hold a higher position than I imagined.
Hastur naturally doesn't rush to experiment but ceases his observation, turning instead to look at the equally bright star on the left.
Joking aside, if he accidentally summons the Lamp Genie, an Old One, and the Hall of Stars can't suppress it, wouldn't he be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den, delivering himself to the doorstep?
However, the Hall of Stars granting him such power suggests there must be a way to suppress any Old One who comes to a meeting, as under the rules of the Hall of Stars, he is the master of this place.
No rush, let's wait and see.
As Hastur's gaze shifts, the second star's surface light disperses, revealing a phantom star gate. Inside the gate, two different-sized orbs of light are locked in a struggle, swallowing and entwining each other.
Could this be Mr. Door and the Fallen Mother Goddess?
It must be.
Hastur observes for a moment longer and sees that the orb representing Mr. Door is clearly at a disadvantage in the struggle against the Fallen Mother Goddess, its light gradually being compressed and devoured.
Alas, the great Door of All Doors, what a pity.
He has a fondness for the character of Mr. Door. Even when manipulated by Amon and Adam and facing the opportunity to become a god, he chose to sacrifice himself to prevent the spread of the Fallen Mother Goddess's corruption.
Unfortunately, he is powerless to help now.
Unless he can ensure that the one summoned for the meeting is purely Mr. Door and not the Fallen Mother Goddess, he won't take the risk.
One star connects to the Lamp Genie, a Chaos Child, and another to the Fallen Mother Goddess, an Outer God, showing that the Hall of Stars is indeed a place for a gathering of Old Ones and Outer Gods.
Right now, he's not even a Sequence 9, so it's best not to provoke them lightly. Perhaps once he becomes a Sequence 9 Beyonder, the Hall of Stars will undergo new changes.
Hmm, better to log off and sleep for now.
(End of Chapter)
