Chapter 77: Chapter 77: The Indescribable Ones, The Stars Awaken
Chapter 77: The Indescribable Ones, The Stars Awaken
"Haha, you're pleased, but doesn't that make me troubled?" Watching the Lamp Gods annoyed yet restrained demeanor, Hastur's mood improved significantly.
Indeed, only the Lamp Godcould shift his own troubles.
"Not long ago, I sensed an unusual presence deep in the starry sky."
The sudden statement from the Mother Tree of Desire startled both Hastur and the Lamp Genie.
Could it be that an unknown being has awakened? Hastur was full of questions. His earlier remark was meant to find a scapegoat for the future, to disrupt the plans of the Lamp Godand the Mother Tree of Desire without revealing his own meddling.
Unexpectedly, the Mother Tree of Desire had already sensed another being awakening in the depths of space, inadvertently helping him complete his narrative.
"A presence never felt before?" The Lamp Godgrew serious.
"It must be a being that has just awakened. It is indescribable, like a gust of star wind passing by, and I only managed to briefly sense its presence."
"The Indescribable One?"
The Lamp Godpaused, his other part known as the Undefined Mist, could also be considered indescribable in a sense.
Could this awakened being be related to him?
The Lamp Godglanced at Hastur again, who simply smiled without speaking, weighing down the Lamp Gods mood even further.
"Didn't you greet it?"
"It lingered only briefly on the outer fringes of the initial barrier before vanishing again into the depths of space. By human reckoning, it stayed for about three days."
Three days? That was indeed brief.
The Mother Tree of Desire probably takes longer than that just to open its eyes.
"When did it appear in the starry sky?" pondered the Lamp Genie, a question that also piqued Hastur's interest.
The Mother Tree of Desire looked at Hastur and said solemnly, "Before you appeared."
Hastur remained unfazed, not moved by what could be a probe from the Mother Tree of Desire .
The Lamp Godalso turned his gaze to Hastur, waiting for the Mother Tree of Desire to continue.
"The aura here is different from its."
The words of the Mother Tree of Desire left the Lamp God Disappointed, having thought they might catch a glimpse of the fox's tail.
"The stars are awakening."
Hastur calmly threw out a cryptic statement.
"…"
Another enigma! The Lamp God Clenched his fists in secret.
"Will God also awaken?" mused the Mother Tree of Desire .
With two of the three great pillars fallen long ago, and the Mysterious One about to return, what of God? Had He not left any means of resurrection? Perhaps He had already begun to awaken in a more distant era.
Hastur smiled without speaking, which weighed heavily on the hearts of both the Mother Tree of Desire and the Lamp Genie.
The initial barrier could hold for a decade or more, but if either the Mysterious One or God fully awakened during this time, their paths to reclaiming their essence and source would be much more difficult than now.
Even their very beings might be threatened.
Time was indeed not on their side.
"Let's hasten the transaction," the Lamp Godsaid gravely, "otherwise, we'll end up dressing them."
The atmosphere suddenly turned somber. Hastur glanced at the two and said with a smile, "Let's end this gathering here."
Neither the Lamp Godnor the Mother Tree of Desire objected, and Hastur waved the Chains of Order to send them out of the Star Palace.
In the empty Star Palace, with the starry sky bright and brilliant overhead, the stars seemed to be waking from their slumber.
Hastur's expression grew solemn as he thought of the mysterious being mentioned by the Mother Tree of Desire .
The Indescribable One, riding the star wind, had appeared before him, quietly emerging and then swiftly vanishing. This was unlikely to be a mere coincidence.
That being might well be the King in Yellow! Was the one originally destined to be born the King in Yellow?
And somehow, through a twist of fate, had he taken the place of the King in Yellow's birth? Could it be?
Hastur shook his head, thinking the idea too fanciful.
The other was the King in Yellow; what right did he have to take His place at birth?
It was more credible to consider himself a split of the King.
Sigh, better not to dwell on it. The most important thing was to quickly enhance his own strength.
Whether the other was the King in Yellow, and whether he carried any destiny, holding power was the most solid path.
…
June 23rd, Saturday.
In the study, Hastur finally finished memorizing the vast amount of legal texts required for this period.
By Professor Wayne's standards, he could now become a lawyer, equivalent to a law student just graduated from Beckland University.
Hastur closed the book, leaned back in his chair, sipped a cup of Marquis tea, and closed his eyes slightly.
Today was June 23rd, with only five days left until Klein's birth.
He had thought about making a special trip to Tingen to witness the birth of the future Mr. Fool.
But after some thought, he decided against it. Showing up in Tingen out of the blue would raise suspicions, especially since Ince Zangwill was currently there, holding the 0-08 and writing a rather mediocre script.
If he barged in suddenly, it might alert 0-08 or lead to unnecessary changes.
Besides, Mr. A had been watching him in secret, so staying in Beckland was safest.
Speaking of Mr. A, he hadn't shown himself lately. According to news from Hugh and Fols, there hadn't been any extraordinary gatherings there either.
Perhaps Mr. A was being pursued by the Nightwatcher, forced to run around.
Hastur felt it was a pity; the extraordinary gatherings on Mr. A's side were of a higher caliber, and Mr. Eye of Wisdom was currently unable to provide much help.
Fortunately, he still had Sharon and Maric.
For the Sequence 7 Briber's extraordinary materials, he now only lacked the most crucial one, a Crying Baby Flower.
This was a very magical and rare extraordinary material, almost impossible to find on the market.
According to Sharon's guess, this extraordinary material was mostly controlled by the Ruen royal family or the great nobles.
His best breakthrough was to seekGray's help.
But Hastur had always considered seekingGray's help as a last resort. He had only digested two-thirds of the Barbarian, with about a month left to complete the process, leaving him plenty of time to continue searching.
Originally, according to his plan, he was to advance to Sequence 7 before Klein's birth, but the Barbarian was not compatible with him, and the potion digested slowly.
Knock, knock, knock.
The butler, Negan, knocked on the door, and Hastur straightened his posture, allowing Neil, the butler, to enter.
Neil, the butler, seemed in good spirits, a rare smile on his usually calm and composed face.
"Is there good news today?" Hastur asked with a smile.
"The plantation has sent this year's first-half earnings."
Hastur immediately became serious; he had been waiting for this money!
Recently, to purchase extraordinary materials and renovate the house in the Queen's district, he had nearly exhausted his funds, with only 200 pounds remaining in his bank account.
For a noble, this was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Neil, the butler, stepped forward, placed a small brass chest on the desk facing Hastur, and opened it. Inside lay a stack of 10-pound notes, their thickness indicating considerable weight.
Neil, the butler, smiled and said, "It's a total of 6780 pounds."
"Not bad."
Hastur took a long look before slowly uttering these two words.
"Yes, it seems to be a bumper year. The second half's earnings might exceed 8000 pounds."
Neil, the butler's tone was equally light and cheerful, aware of the baron's dire financial situation.
With such a sum, the household could hire a dozen more maids and workers, get a better carriage, and make a few new outfits for the baron.
"This is the goddess's blessing to her devout followers."
Hastur was quite satisfied, drawing a crimson moon on his chest.
After the excitement, Hastur planned out the use of this windfall.
Of the 5000 pounds, he intended to give toGray for stock investment, confident of a quick return.
He would keep 800 pounds to deposit in the bank, bringing his savings to 1000 pounds, his emergency fund.
The remaining 980 pounds would be for household expenses.
It was time to renovate the house in the Queen's district, which would require a significant sum.
He could also hire two more chefs, and as for other workers and maids, he would leave that to Neil, the butler.
Once Hastur had made his arrangements, Neil, the butler, took 980 pounds from the chest and left.
Hastur gazed at the chest of pounds for a while, gently touching them before closing the chest.
Pleased, he tapped his fingers on the desk.
"With finances improving so much, should I inviteGray and Glairent to a party at my house?"
Since his birth three months ago, he had attended banquets hosted by Glairent,Gray, and the royal family, yet he had not hosted any guests himself, which was rather impolite.
"Hmm, I can wait until the new house in the Queen's district is renovated, then invite everyone…then invite everyone together. That way, the dinner party can have a proper occasion."
"Sharon and Maric probably won't attend such a banquet… so I could invite them over for a small gathering beforehand. With just the three of us, they should accept."
"It's also a good opportunity to remind them of something important."
After pondering for a while, Hastur felt this plan was suitable.
Tonight, he would go to the Brave Bar to inform Maric and Sharon.
(End of Chapter)
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