Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Followers of the Star
Chapter 46: Followers of the Star
After seeing off the Lamp God, Hastur felt much more relaxed. Leaning back in his chair, he pondered the gains from tonight.
Successfully summoning the Lamp God for a meeting had given him a new understanding of the Star Hall's abilities.
Tonight, he had initially used the Star Hall's power to create a starry sky above the Wishing Lamp. When Bernadette tried to interfere and strengthen the seal, Hastur had expected failure.
However, to his surprise, Bernadette's power couldn't affect the Star Hall. With a simple thought, he broke through the layers of seals and brought the Lamp God to the Star Hall.
From the energy he sensed, it was clear that the Lamp God hadn't fully arrived at the Star Hall. Instead, only a small part of it—a conscious fragment—had been pulled here.
The true body of the Lamp God remained sealed within the Wishing Lamp, unable to break free.
Only when he grew stronger and fully mastered the Star Hall could he break the Wishing Lamp's seal across space and help the Lamp God return to the stars.
The Star Hall's abilities were terrifying. If it fell into the hands of ancient beings like the Fallen Mother Goddess or the Mother Tree of Desire, they could potentially reverse the process and bring outer gods from beyond the barrier into the mortal world.
That would be a catastrophic disaster.
Apart from these insights, Hastur also learned several secrets from the Lamp God.
For instance:
The Star Hall's primary power came from star energy, with order and rules being just minor aspects.Stars were not equivalent to star realms; the latter was merely a special world within the entire universe.The term "Star Aligner" seemed to refer to maintaining order and rules in the entire universe.
However, Hastur realized that something was amiss. If the Star Hall's main authority was order and rules, how could it truly represent the stars?
He dismissed his initial thought and decided that to unravel this mystery, he needed a clearer understanding of what the stars truly represented.
As he pondered, Hastur's gaze shifted toward the stars where the Fallen Mother Goddess and the Mother Tree of Desire resided. Ultimately, he focused on the star where the Mother Tree of Desire was located.
Next time, he would attempt to summon the Mother Tree of Desire for a meeting.
As for the Fallen Mother Goddess, Hastur maintained the highest level of vigilance. In the absence of God's return and the mysterious awakening, she represented the strongest force.
Her danger level far exceeded that of the Mother Tree of Desire, making her the top priority.
Before summoning the Mother Tree of Desire, he needed to prepare some self-defense measures and test the waters.
After all, the Mother Tree of Desire was no ordinary being; it thrived beyond the stars, even devouring bound gods.
Summoning it could easily provoke a counterattack, so he had to be cautious.
Lost in thought, Hastur suddenly realized that he might not be able to whip the Lamp God anymore in the future.
Perhaps he should try whipping the Mother Tree of Desire next time and observe its reaction. If it proved too troublesome, he could skip summoning it for the next meeting.
On second thought, he decided against it. Being reckless could lead to disaster. Better to be cautious.
He would wait a little longer.
Meanwhile, aboard the Dawnship, Bernadette kept a close eye on the Wishing Lamp, fearing any further anomalies.
Suddenly, the starry sky reappeared above the lamp, and a chain of starlight descended onto it. Before Bernadette could react, the entire starry scene vanished, returning to normal.
Although she observed the Wishing Lamp closely, she detected no abnormalities. However, the Lamp God remained hidden inside.
"Seems I need to make a decision. The Storm Sanctuary suits you," Bernadette said coldly. "Even if suppressed there, destiny cannot be avoided."
The Lamp God emerged from the Wishing Lamp.
"Do you think I'll believe your words?" Bernadette challenged.
"I have no reason to lie about this matter. You witnessed it yourself," the Lamp God replied.
"What kind of power was that?"
"I'm not sure."
The Lamp God, too, felt helpless. The fragment sent to the mysterious temple possessed consciousness and memories but lacked significant power. It couldn't reveal many secrets.
Any disturbance, and the mysterious entity would erase the fragment.
Although the Lamp God didn't care about the fragment's fate, it didn't want to offend its counterpart during their first meeting.
"Who is this entity?" Bernadette asked.
"Are you sure you want to know?" the Lamp God smiled. "Knowledge can be toxic. Once you know about it, it will know about you."
"It already knows of my existence. I naturally want to learn more," Bernadette replied, undeterred.
"I can tell you everything that happened earlier, but you
The Lamp God smiled and looked at Bernadette. "You're right. I don't know the entity's identity. That's why I want to explore everything related to it through the potential followers of the stars."
Bernadette raised an eyebrow. "Followers of the stars? What mysterious organization is that? Why have I never heard of it?"
Could it be a new organization established by the Black everNight Goddess?
The Lamp God pondered for a moment. "I'm not even sure if there are followers of the stars. You just need to pay attention casually. Consider it part of our deal."
"But this isn't a wish," Bernadette replied cautiously.
"This transaction is unrelated to the Wishing Lamp," the Lamp God declared, its majestic voice resonating. The faint golden light surrounding it indicated no deception or hidden motives.
Curiosity piqued, Bernadette still hesitated. She wouldn't easily make promises. "Fine."
The Lamp God continued, sharing everything its fragment had witnessed and heard during the encounter.
Listening intently, Bernadette couldn't help but sneer. "No wonder you were so cooperative last night. You didn't even know the entity's identity. You hoped to learn more through these potential followers of the stars."
"The entity poses greater danger to all of you. If it collaborates with beings like the Fallen Mother Goddess or the Mother Tree of Desire, even if the barrier remains unbroken, their corruption and pollution of this world will multiply."
Bernadette fell silent. The events of last night had left her both shocked and alarmed. It was akin to the Fallen Mother Goddess reaching across the barrier to strike her.
The danger was immense—terrifying.
"You can share this information with the Seven Gods Church," the Lamp God suggested. "Rather than letting the entity remain hidden beyond the stars, they should investigate its origins promptly."
Unknowns were often the most frightening, especially for beings like the Lamp God.
"Do you fear it?" Bernadette noticed the Lamp God's caution.
"If you were in my position, you'd feel the same."
"I'll consider it," Bernadette replied without making any specific commitments. After ensuring the Wishing Lamp's seal remained intact, she left the cabin.
"Eleven seats… besides me, who else will attend?" The Lamp God returned to the Wishing Lamp, contemplating its gains from tonight.
Three questions consumed its thoughts:
Who was this mysterious entity?Where was the enigmatic temple located?Did the eleven seats imply that other ancient gods would attend the meeting?
After much reflection, the Lamp God sighed. Its golden form faded away.
Trapped within the Wishing Lamp, it could know but couldn't change anything.
Hastur, meanwhile, had slept deeply, missing breakfast. Neil, the butler, knocked on his door three times but failed to rouse him.
Finally waking up near lunchtime, Hastur realized he'd slept longer than intended. His spiritual energy had been severely depleted, and sleep was the only way to recover.
"Next time, pay attention to the time," he chided himself. "Avoid exhausting yourself like this."
After freshening up, he decided to explore the city. As a Rank 8 Barbarian, he had spent two days adjusting to his new status.
Now that he had a better grasp of his formidable powers, he felt safe enough to venture out.
(End of this chapter)
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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