Chapter 487: Spoils of War

The night remained silent, with only a dark cloud looming overhead. When a figure not belonging to Backlund slipped out of Queen's District, a thunderbolt struck, reducing Amon's remaining avatar to ashes, leaving behind only four translucent Time Worms.

Boom!

Several more bolts of lightning descended, burning the four Time Worms into powder, which scattered with the wind.

The dark clouds dissipated once again, and the starry sky returned to its usual tranquility and brilliance.

In the study, facing 008's flattery, Hastur admitted that he felt quite comfortable, but it was ultimately a troublesome matter.

*You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days.*

Adam and Amon already knew about 008 in his possession, and they would inevitably come to snatch it again in the future. Although protecting 008 wasn't too difficult, Amon's unpredictable nature was a concern.

One day, it might implicate innocent people, such as the household butler, maids, or friends Sharon, Audrey, Greg, and Maric.

With Amon's abilities, investigating his social relationships was easy, and dealing with them would be just as simple.

For a naturally mythological creature like Amon, these emotions he cared about were all exploitable.

A single failure might be seen by Amon as a challenging game. But if he kept failing, Amon would eventually take actions affecting others, as he had no concept of innocence regarding their lives.

In contrast, Adam was easier to deal with. Understanding human nature, Adam wouldn't push things to extremes unless absolutely necessary. But Amon was different.

This was likely Adam's true intention in having Amon visit Backlund. He was telling him that if he had concerns, he should let go of 008, or else the next snatch attempt could have unpredictable consequences.

Admittedly, this was a threat, but it was very effective. After all, he couldn't protect Sharon, Audrey, and others simultaneously, even with the stars as his support.

"Master, you're not considering handing me over, are you?"

008 was smart. Seeing Hastur's silence, it roughly guessed what Hastur was contemplating. Using it for a suitable trade was the most reasonable choice.

"What do you think?"

"I... I want to escape this fate. Perhaps the master could separate me from this extraordinary writer's trait and let me become the new 008."

008 wrote its answer slowly on a blank sheet of paper, feeling dejected.

"That's indeed a good idea," Hastur nodded, "but it's not the right time yet."

He also had things that Adam feared. If things got out of hand, he could send 008 to the stars, making it impossible for Adam to ever become a god. But as the apocalypse approached, this deterrent would become less effective.

008's suggestion was the best solution. Adam only needed the extraordinary writer's trait. Separating this trait while retaining 008's complete consciousness wasn't difficult.

But for him to compromise, Adam had to show enough sincerity.

Perhaps foreseeing its final fate, 008 was not in high spirits, casually drawing wavy lines on the blank paper.

"How about combining you with the *Yellow Book*?"

008's pen stopped abruptly. After a while, it wrote hesitantly, "Everything is up to the master."

This scene gave Hastur a sense of déjà vu, like a landlord rewarding his servant to his favored girl.

---

Outside Backlund Street, Leonard had reached a safe area. Sensing Amon's disappearance and the street's return to normal, Pales asked Leonard to contact Klein and Hastur.

In a dream, the three gathered again.

"Are you all okay?" Leonard asked worriedly.

"We're fine," Klein replied, looking at Hastur. "Amon didn't come for me."

"Yes, he came for me. Fortunately, I made some preparations in advance," Hastur admitted without hiding it.

Leonard exclaimed, "Wasn't that dangerous?"

"It was just an avatar, not the main body, still within manageable limits."

Hastur's calm words left Leonard and Klein equally shocked. Even a weaker avatar of Amon should be at Sequence 3. Judging by tonight's events, the battle on Backlund Street was likely a decoy, with Amon's true objective tied to another avatar.

This avatar's strength couldn't be too low, likely a Sequence 2. That Hastur could survive against an angel and even gain the upper hand was remarkable.

But they were smart. Since Hastur didn't elaborate, they didn't press further.

After a brief conversation, Hastur began distributing the night's spoils.

"We obtained thirteen Time Worms from the battle on Backlund Street. One is larger, and the other twelve are similar in size. I'll take the largest one, and you two can split the remaining twelve."

"As for the one that came for me... all its Time Worms belong to me."

"How does that sound?"

Leonard and Klein exchanged glances, feeling they were getting too much. They had contributed little to the night's battle, with Pales planning and Will exerting some effort. They were mostly spectators.

The majority of the spoils should rightfully belong to Hastur. Getting three Time Worms each was already a generous reward.

"If you have no objections, it's settled."

Hastur sent the twelve Time Worms to Leonard and Klein through Will's dream.

"Amon, as the Angel of Mischief, even if he can't fully grasp what happened in Backlund tonight, will certainly pay extra attention afterward. Be careful."

With this reminder, Hastur left Will's dream.

Leonard and Klein felt a chill. The thought of Amon, an Angel of Mischief, possibly lurking outside Backlund was terrifying.

Especially for Leonard, knowing the food chain relationship between Pales and Amon made him wary of encountering Amon in the crowd.

After the dream ended, Hastur checked the time. It was past eleven. He took a bath and then took a carriage to the new base of the Temperance Faction to bring back Sharon and Azara.

To avoid any mishaps tonight, he had sent Sharon and Azara away from home to avoid running into Amon.

Resting his eyes in the carriage, Hastur was soon pulled into Will's dream.

In this dream, only Will and Hastur were present.

"Where's my share of the spoils?" Will pouted, seemingly upset that Hastur hadn't given him any Time Worms.

"Oh, you need Time Worms too?"

"Of course, I'm growing and need a lot of nutrients," Will argued reasonably. "And those Time Worms from Amon can be used for many things."

"In recognition of your help with the dream tonight, I'll give you two small Time Worms, no more."

Generous from his significant gains, Hastur gifted two small Time Worms.

Will blinked, not minding the quantity, waved, and left the dream.

Will then used the same reason to get three Time Worms from Klein and two from Leonard as payment for providing the dream communication.

With seven Time Worms, Will became the biggest winner of the night after Hastur.

Meanwhile, Pales was still lamenting the two Time Worms given away. These were true nourishment and lifesaving medicine for him. Unfortunately, his limited role tonight meant he couldn't shamelessly ask for more to recover.

---

In Pritz Harbor, a young man with black hair and eyes, a thin face, and a monocle rode a bicycle leisurely back home, humming a tune.

With a noticeable smile, he took the newspaper and letters from the mailbox and entered his house. Walking, he opened an unsigned letter.

"If all of us in Backlund lose contact, it means the game is getting more interesting. Hastur Campbell, what is his true identity?"

"If he's merely a believer of the stars, he wouldn't have the power to deal with all of us. What terrifying truth lies behind his powerful rise?"

"I'm sure you're equally interested in this question. We both love adventure and seeking the truth. As for the deal with that fanatic, keeping promises isn't our traditional virtue."

"Oh, and there's also a follower of the night involved. He's quite interesting. In fact, everything here is interesting. If you have time, you should come here yourself. You'll gain a lot."

The young man slowly burned the letter to ashes, went to the window, tapped the sill with his fingers, and hummed a tune, gazing towards Backlund.

After a while, he frowned slightly and instantly disappeared, leaving behind a single sentence, "How annoying."

Next chapter