The group chatted for a few more moments. Toward the end, Estelle spoke up as if suddenly remembering something:
"How did you find out that the Royal Family is connected to an Abyssal Evil God?"
Eros didn't mind and casually recounted how Saliba had targeted Undine’s Spirit-Blessed Body back then. Fearing Estelle might not understand the term, Eros thoughtfully explained the characteristics of such a constitution.
After listening, Estelle fixed her beautiful eyes on Eros, her expression turning unreadable. "Why are you only telling me something this important now?"
Eros’s expression faltered. He had truly forgotten; since he had handled it so effortlessly at the time, it hadn't crossed his mind again. However, facing Estelle, he couldn't just say that. His thoughts raced, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Undine gloating nearby.
He gave a dry cough and put on an innocent face:
"I thought Big Sister would have told you, so I didn't say anything. Mother won't blame me, right?"
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Estelle immediately shifted her gaze to the gloating Undine. Undine’s smile froze. Seeing this, Eros kept his face neutral while inwardly laughing. Silly sister, you're still too young.
Estelle stared at her two troublesome children for a long while before withdrawing her gaze and speaking softly:
"Is there any way to restrict that kind of constitution?"
Indeed, without restrictions, if Eros hadn't stayed near Undine, the trait of attracting the "Weird" alone would have made her situation incredibly dangerous.
"Don't worry! I've already solved that problem," Eros replied with a confident smile. Hearing that the issue was handled, Estelle breathed a sigh of relief.
By nightfall, Eros looked at the crescent moon in the sky, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. It seemed he still wouldn't be able to study the Full Moon Bracelet tonight. Fortunately, that wasn't his primary goal at the moment. Understanding the secrets of the bracelet sooner was better, but if not, it didn't matter—there was no rush.
The most important task right now was successfully obtaining a Profane Spark. Once he had that, he could go to the Church of Reincarnation to request the Sequence 6 potion.
To obtain a Profane Spark, one had to find a "Weird Thing." Thinking of this, Eros curiously asked Barbara in his soul space:
"Why is a 'Weird Thing' needed to craft a Profane Spark?"
Barbara didn't keep him in suspense and explained directly:
"Because Weird Things are pure spiritual entities. Moreover, all Weird Things in the world originally stem from 'The One' in the deep sea, so a negligible wisp of His aura remains within them."
"What we use is that tiny wisp of aura. By igniting it, we trigger the 'Spiritual Fire' within our own bodies."
"Only once you have ignited your Spiritual Fire can you truly be said to have stepped onto this Path of Profanity."
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Eros was somewhat surprised. "Does that mean Sequence 9 through 7 don't count as having stepped onto it?"
Barbara thought for a moment, organizing her words before speaking:
"Sequence 9—Secret Pryer. As long as you encounter the mystical and survive, you naturally become a Secret Pryer. This only means you have seen the 'Great Door of Mystery'."
"Sequence 8—Listener. At this stage, you can occasionally hear calls from the mystery, meaning the door has opened a crack for you."
"Sequence 7—Light Chaser. By now, you have fully entered the door, but you are only on the first floor, because you haven't found the light emitted by your own Spiritual Fire."
"Reaching Sequence 6—Fire Stealer—means you have successfully stolen a spark from 'That One' and used it to ignite your own Spiritual Fire. This lights up the steps before you, allowing you to tread upon them."
"That is why I say only after igniting the fire have you stepped onto the Path of Profanity. Because the steps you light up are that path. To become a God is to climb those steps, one by one, evolving your Spiritual Fire into a Divine Flame."
Eros felt a sense of realization. So that's how it is.
Inside the soul space, Barbara’s figure flickered and vanished. The next second, she appeared beside Eros, sitting on his shoulder. Eros’s gaze was instantly drawn to the pair of small feet clad in delicate white silk hanging before his chest.
A faint blush rose on Barbara’s face. She kicked Eros’s chest with her heel and said irritably:
"Where are you looking?"
Eros gave a dry cough and withdrew his gaze, asking curiously, "Why did you come out?"
Barbara huffed. "Since I'm explaining this anyway, I figured I'd finish teaching you this knowledge face-to-face."
Eros nodded. While reaching out to grasp Barbara’s dainty foot—which wasn't even as large as his palm—he said absentmindedly:
"Go ahead! I'm listening."
Barbara tried to pull her foot away, but finding she couldn't, she simply let him play with it. Suppressing her inner shyness, she continued her explanation:
"Sequence 5—Fire Passer. Reaching Sequence 5 means you have walked a significant distance on the Path of Profanity. You can now choose to engrave your spiritual genes into your bloodline to be passed down—this is the origin of 'Family Bloodline Baptism'."
"Furthermore, at Sequence 5, you can divide your own Spiritual Fire to help others ignite theirs. This is why it's called 'Fire Passer.' However, a warlock who becomes Sequence 6 this way will never surpass the person who passed them the fire. If the Fire Passer is stuck at Sequence 5 for life, the recipient will be stuck at Sequence 6 forever. Unless absolutely necessary, almost no one chooses that path."
"Sequence 4—Watcher. Upon ascending to Sequence 4, your life level undergoes a leap. You can no longer be described as 'human' because you have completely transcended the human scope. Once you reveal your 'Transcendent Form,' any warlock below Sequence 4 will be contaminated. The only difference is that the stronger ones last a bit longer. It is called 'Watcher' because it watches over the boundary between man and Transcendent."
"Sequence 3—Ferryman. This realm is exactly as the name suggests: ferrying across a river, specifically the River of Time. You must travel upstream against the current of time and leave your mark in the past—the further back, the better. If you return successfully after leaving your mark, you cross the barrier between Transcendent and Mythological. Your life level is sublimated."
"Sequence 2—Wanderer. Once you become a Wanderer, as long as you don't provoke ancient taboo entities, the world can no longer restrain you. That is why it is called 'Wanderer'."
"Sequence 1—Saint. In this era where Gods do not walk the earth, a Saint can be called a 'Grounded Deity.' Reaching this rank means standing at the very doorstep of Divinity."
"As long as you obtain sufficient Authority and use the River of Time to leave a mark in the future, you can attempt to ignite your Divine Flame, elevate your Divine Throne, and ascend to Greatness."
"Finally, Sequence 0—True God. Once you become a Deity, your marks in the past and future merge with your present self. From then on, you Are Now, Were Then, and Shall Be Forever. Unless you can be erased from the River of Time itself, you will eventually return from it one day."
After hearing Barbara’s long explanation of the Godhood pathway, Eros felt profoundly shaken—especially the description of a Sequence 0 True God.
Present, Past, Eternal. Is that what it means to be a God?