Compared to the three who were speechless, Lynn was quite satisfied with Antigonus' actions. He updated his impression of Antigonus in his mind and then looked at the Evernight Goddess, saying, "I promised Antigonus to save his sister. Could you give me this favor?"
Amanises' gaze fell on the Mother of the Sky, then returned. She said calmly, "I can let her go, but Antigonus must be restrained. The resurrecting consciousness of Former Lord of Mysteries within him has reached a dangerous level. I cannot allow such a bomb to roam freely."
The Evernight Goddess didn't care much about the fate of the Mother of the Sky. Although killing her would allow her to turn her into a vessel for divine descent, it wasn't like the Evernight Goddess couldn't find another way if she really wanted to.
Her main reason for the destruction of the Nation of Evernight had always been Antigonus.
Upon hearing this, Antigonus gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping over the people present, lingering on Klein for several seconds before finally turning to the Evernight Goddess. He said, "So, if I go with you, you'll spare my sister and the Nation of Evernight, right?"
Amanises looked at Antigonus, a slight expression of surprise appearing on her face. "It seems you've made up your mind."
Antigonus forced a smile, looking somewhat despondent, yet as if relieved. "In any case, I can't become the Lord of Mysteries. Rather than everyone dying here, it's better that only I do…"
Antigonus knew very well that he could never defeat the Evernight Goddess. The gap between an King of Angels and a Sequence 0 was too vast. Moreover, she had several Sequence 0 allies behind her. From the very beginning, he was destined to lose.
In fact, if it weren't for Lynn's presence, he wouldn't even have this chance to compromise—given Amanises' ruthless nature, even if Antigonus were willing to compromise, she wouldn't have allowed such a threat to remain.
Given the situation, it was better to take advantage of Lynn's presence and make a proactive offer. This might allow him to save the others in the Nation of Evernight. Antigonus remembered very clearly that his agreement with Lynn only included saving his sister, not the other people of the Nation of Evernight.
Moreover... Antigonus glanced once more at Klein, who was standing beside Lynn, before lowering his head in frustration.
Amanises looked at the dejected little demon wolf and couldn't help but laugh. She then turned to Lynn and said, "I can stop the destruction of the Nation of Evernight and spare the Mother of the Sky, but they must be kept under supervision. I cannot allow a nation that harbors hatred toward the Evernight Church to go unchecked, nor can I permit a Sequence 2 who resents me to roam freely."
While the Evernight Goddess could personally ignore such things, she had to prevent these entities from causing trouble in the secular world. Beyonders from the Seer pathway could indeed be troublesome if they decided to cause chaos.
Lynn wasn't surprised by the Evernight Goddess' conditions. He simply shrugged and said, "Then perhaps you wouldn't mind leaving them under the supervision of the Church of Steam and Machinery?"
Although the Church of Steam in this era had not yet undergone the transformation Lynn envisioned, he trusted that Artisan wouldn't let him down.
The Evernight Goddess naturally thought of Artisan who had surrendered instantly in the Fourth Epoch, which made her smile and nod. "That's acceptable!"
Thus, the agreement was reached. Those in the Nation of Evernight, who were currently in battle with the Beyonders of the Evernight Church, simultaneously received orders to cease fighting.
Lynn then hurried off to find Artisan of this era, who, as expected, didn't disappoint him. After regaining his memories, Artisan immediately knelt and swore he would properly arrange for the people of the Nation of Evernight.
And so the relocation began. For the sake of Church of Steam supervision and to reassure the Evernight Goddess, the people of the Nation of Evernight couldn't remain in their homeland. They had to follow the Mother of the Sky and leave, with Church of Steam arranging for them to settle within the Intis borders.
Luckily, the so-called Nation of Evernight was, in truth, just one city. The population wasn't large, so the move wasn't overly cumbersome.
As for the original land of the Nation of Evernight, it now belonged to the Evernight Goddess, who transformed it into a prison to confine Antigonus.
"So, you'll be stuck in this wretched place for over a thousand years... Hm, thinking about it, that's quite cruel..." Lynn remarked, looking at the dejected Antigonus sitting on a stone chair. He stroked his chin and continued, "Come to think of it, losing control in your original fate might've been a good thing. Once you lose control, you won't have any sense of time. It'll be like waking up from a long sleep, painlessly dropping to Sequence 2."
"Losing control is never a good thing, right?" Antigonus, who had been moping, finally couldn't hold back and spoke up. "Though I can't leave the Nation of Evernight, I've always stayed here anyway. But waiting to die doesn't feel great."
"Hahaha, I was just joking." Lynn chuckled, flicking one of Antigonus' drooping ears. In a comforting tone, he said, "But 'waiting to die' isn't accurate. You won't die. You'll just drop to Sequence 2."
Antigonus froze for a moment, staring blankly at Lynn. "So... you're not planning to kill me?"
"Why would we kill you when we have no grudge against you?" Lynn rubbed his chin in thought, then nudged Klein beside him with his elbow, asking in a curious tone, "Merlin, are you planning to kill him?"
Klein, who had been innocently called upon, showed a slightly helpless expression. His mind, however, was filled with the future image of a bewildered Antigonus, waking from a long slumber. This made him smile slightly as he replied, "Although we do need the Fool's characteristics and uniqueness from Mr. Antigonus, if possible, I'd much prefer to coexist peacefully with him."
Antigonus perked up immediately, his drooping ears standing upright once more, and his tail wagging.
"You should've said so earlier! If it's just a matter of dropping to Sequence 2, I can totally accept that..." Antigonus didn't seem at all upset about his upcoming demotion. In fact, he was positively excited.
Antigonus had never been overly ambitious about advancing in rank. His main reason for seeking promotion had always been to protect himself, his sister, and the people of the Nation of Evernight.
But now, the people he wanted to protect no longer needed his protection, so his desire to ascend was greatly diminished.
Truthfully, since integrating the uniqueness, Antigonus had been in a terrible state. He didn't like the constant threat of being replaced by others, but until now, he had no choice. To protect those he cared about, he had to keep moving forward.
But now, he could finally take a break.
(End of Chapter)