Speaking of which, that lion never admitted to being a complete "Prophet"... Should I try to give it a full medical check-up when I get back?
Hmm, provided it agrees.
After coming back to his senses, Ebner made another wish, and used his credit in the Quiz Maze to "buy" and "store" it.
—According to the relevant information he had "paid" for in the maze, the Sequence 5 of this pathway, controlled by the "Goddess of Wealth" from an alien planet, is named "Collector," and has a special "space" specifically for storing "purchased" abilities and spells.
There are only four "resurrection" miracles in total. I don't know if Zaratul used any before his death, but even if there are some left, my current credit balance in the Quiz Space is only around 200,000, which isn't enough to buy another one...
*Although I can temporarily "recharge" with items on me, "appraisal" takes some time... It would be bad if something changed here after I entered the Quiz Space. *
Moreover, my intuition tells me I should quit while I'm ahead, otherwise there might be danger...
Thinking this, he glanced at the young "Roselle" not far away, pulling a mysterious smile.
The other party's face was grim. Seeing his strange smile, he immediately said resentfully, "Even if you're wealthy, buying two 'resurrection' 'miracles' must be your limit, right?
"Since you're unwilling to kill me, then leave! I will strip you and your companions of your 'tower climber' status later."
Would a man with such a lack of character be Roselle? Did the Mother Goddess of Depravity perhaps concentrate all the flaws in his personality to create this thing?
Or were these flaws originally scattered, and only became so awful because they converged?
I absolutely refuse to acknowledge such a person as Roselle! Even if his actions are contradictory and he might indeed have a good side.
Thinking this, Ebner pointed at Zaratul deep within the palace: "I bet you have one last arrangement, relying on the 'Holy Grail War' mechanism, to finally make use of Him, right?"
Upon hearing this, "Roselle's" face first contorted into a grimace, then calmed down. He stared at Ebner with cold eyes and said:
"That's right, your 'purchase' of the 'wish' means the 'Holy Grail' ritual couldn't be completed, and there's no victor!
"After you all leave, this oil lamp I'm possessing, which is the 'Lesser Holy Grail,' will merge with the 'Great Holy Grail,' Zaratul... At that point, I'll gamble on directly merging with his uncontrolled spirit...
"Although this is the worst option, with a high probability of being reversely infected by Zaratul's spirit... and even if it succeeds, I'll turn into an uncontrolled monster... there's still a glimmer of hope.
"However, what if you guess correctly?
"You only have two paths before you: either kill me, or leave.
"Don't even think about buying a 'miracle' like before, because 'killing me' will immediately trigger a 'distortion' from my main body, and you won't have time to 'buy' it in advance!
"And a 'miracle' twisted by a deity's status cannot be forcibly bought by that maze."
He's explaining it in such detail... Firstly, he has a rather unpleasant personality and enjoys seeing others frustrated and helpless...
Secondly, it's probably because the small amount of "conscience" he has left is deliberately revealing the plan, trying to get me to stop him.
Analyzing this, Ebner smiled slightly, then extended his right hand. As he conjured a "Lava Sword," he said, "I have no way? Come, let me show you a trick."
With that, he imbued the "Lava Sword" in his hand with his self-created secret art, "Disintegration," and brought it down upon the "Silent Winter" oil lamp.
Crack! Under "Roselle's" stunned gaze, the lamp's light suddenly converged inwards, forming a "profound" darkness.
The next second, this darkness rapidly spread, connecting with the entire "gloomy" palace.
Immediately after, Zaratul deep within the palace, Roselle before the oil lamp, and the entire palace itself were erased as if by an eraser on a pencil drawing, vanishing quickly within a few seconds, leaving no trace.
Only Ebner remained, his "Lava Sword" dissipated.
The "Silent Winter" originally housed the Goddess's power; no wonder Lilith told me just now that destroying it would resolve the threats of Zaratul and Roselle.
Heh, the Goddess is the Lord of Silence, so it's perfectly normal for Her power to be stored within "Silent Winter."
Yet, such a crucial item was initially bought by Edwina from the "King of the Five Seas" at a pirate gathering...
These arrangements showed no sign beforehand; the "Primordial Moon" and Roselle were truly caught off guard.
Furthermore, that gloomy palace must have been brought back by Roselle when he "moved" Zaratul. It probably contained the Goddess's hidden hand, otherwise Zaratul wouldn't have been so easily "secreted away."
Roselle's actions in his later years were truly contradictory: on one hand, he desperately arranged contingencies for resurrection, and on the other, he blindly used the "Calamity Seal" and the original arrangements of the true gods.
But it makes sense; a drowning man always desperately grasps at anything he can.
Overall, though the "Calamity Seal" schemed against him, it didn't intend to harm him.
It can be seen that all of that cunning fellow's plans targeting Roselle must have been initiated after the latter's journey to the moon.
Just as he thought this, Ebner's spiritual intuition was suddenly triggered. He quickly looked up and saw Lilith, with silver hair and eyes and a beauty that made his heart skip a beat, slowly descending before him.
"Well done," Lilith praised, then walked straight over, cupped Ebner's face, and lightly kissed his forehead.
A mysterious power instantly spread from her lips to Ebner's forehead, forming a pattern even more complex than the previous vertical mark blessing.
Then, Lilith pulled back, smiled at the still-stunned Ebner, and added, "This is your reward... the blessing of the 'Beauty Goddess'!
"Once 'activated,' it can make all attacks and curses actively avoid you, even attacks at the normal Angel level are no exception... unless the opponent uses 'authority.' Hmm, it can only be actively 'activated' three times, after which it becomes useless.
"Additionally, even without activation, it has many other benefits, such as multiplying the effect of the 'Charm Humans' Secret Art you learned from 'Blood Feast' by several times... As for the rest, you can explore them slowly yourself."
Ebner, on the other hand, felt his soul had flown away at this point, not hearing a single word, until Lilith watched him with a smile for over half a minute before he barely came back to his senses.
Oh my god... Lilith, if this keeps up, I'll lose control sooner or later!
Recalling the wonderful sensation on his forehead just now, Ebner took a deep breath and activated his "Mechanical Mind," finally suppressing the throb in his heart.
Then, he "retrospected" the words she had spoken earlier, casually made a moon gesture, and solemnly said, "Thank you for your gift."
Because Lilith appeared as the Ancestor of Vampires, Ebner cautiously avoided drawing the holy emblem of the "Earth Mother Goddess."
"You don't need to be so respectful when we speak alone; just be casual," Lilith first wagged her finger, then she looked around and chuckled, "Evernight 'Concealed' both Roselle and Zaratul?
"That's good. The reason I had Roselle split off parts of his soul was, firstly, to allow him more clearheaded time in his later years to cooperate with some arrangements... Secondly, I was worried that he truly couldn't resist the temptation of resurrection and the erosion from that entity on the moon, leading to the return of the 'Black Emperor' with contamination, which would necessitate his complete fall... The separated souls were also the final insurance, which could be used to some extent to 'awaken' his original consciousness.
"However, when Roselle truly returns in the future, those separated parts must also return to him.
"Now that they're in Evernight's hands, it can also put your mind at ease."
Lilith used the guise of asking questions to briefly explain Roselle's state, reassuring him.
However, the first thing Ebner thought of after hearing this was:
So, once Old Huang truly resurrects, he'll remember all the messed-up things his split souls did, all those unscrupulous arrangements?
At this moment, Ebner suddenly remembered a certain "lion" and decided to increase his investment in its "career"!