Chapter 1129 Pressure
The current Abyss is a place most Devils are unable to live in? Upon hearing Mr. Fool's reply, Cattleya and company inevitably felt a deep sense of shock.
In mysticism, the Abyss was considered by all to be the most corrupted and most disorderly place. It was where the Devils lived. But now, most of the "natives" were unable to survive in there!
Is the environment in the Abyss worsening, causing the Devils to be unable to adapt to it, or is it because the situation regarding the corruption, chaos, and degeneration has improved, making the Abyss no longer suitable for the Devils to live in? Alger quickly had two theories, but he didn't know which one it was.
The Hermit Cattleya shared the same thoughts as him, but she was even more puzzled as to why the Queen would ask such a question. Regarding Mr. Fool's answer, it seemed to have a deeper meaning to it, one that could help the Queen's in understanding whatever agenda she had, and it's secrets.
As for Justice, she suddenly thought of the Church of Knowledge's Prophet demigod. He had once said that the end of the world would arrive in 1368 of the Fifth Epoch. This was publicly acknowledged by all Beyonders who were good at making prophecies. Even the deities had agreed with it.
It's 1350 this year; we're only 18 years from the apocalypse… Hence, there are signs of the Abyss appearing. The chaotic and degenerate environment that is originally filled with abstract meanings has broken past its limits, becoming even worse? Audrey had a rough idea of the situation, and this added to her slight anxiety and unease.
As there weren't any signs of the apocalypse in the beginning, she didn't put much weight on the matter. She usually paid more attention to the current wars, casualties, and the victims of suffering. But now, the anomaly within the Abyss had left her inexplicably horrified. She desperately wanted to improve herself. She wanted to finish digesting the potion and obtain the Beyonder characteristic left behind by Hvin Rambis to advance to become a demigod.
Only then could she have the ability to interfere and resist certain things that she didn't want to see happen.
Mr. World, entrust me with more tasks… Audrey silently prayed in her heart and secretly placated her restless emotions.
The members such as Leonard, Fors, and Xio actually had some doubts about whether the Abyss really existed. This was because, after the Second Epoch, the Abyss had never revealed itself to the world again. The most active Devils in the real world had come from the Blood Sanctify Sect. Even the high-level Devils and evil existences that the rituals pointed to were highly likely to be the highest echelons of the Blood Sanctify Sect.
Of course, the evil god, the Dark Side of the Universe, was widely regarded as the embodiment of the Abyss, but "His" presence was extremely low. If "He" hadn't occasionally responded to the ritual and showed the characteristics of the Devil, "He" would probably be considered a pure legend, just like Giant King Aurmir.
But even so, the secrets of the Church of Evernight that Leonard could come into contact with had also shown that it was possible that the Dark Side of the Universe was a disguise used by other evil gods and hidden existences.
This wasn't surprising to Derrick. In certain places some distance away from the City of Silver, deep in the endless darkness, there were many Devils that were unable to maintain their calm states. There was no lack of demigods like the demons that weren't too different from the Abyss.
If not for the fact that the Giant King's Court and other iconic items existed, the City of Silver citizens would definitely have suspected that the truth behind them being abandoned was that they had been thrown into the Abyss.
As the thoughts flashed through the members' minds, Cattleya restrained her doubts and continued asking, "Honorable Mr. Fool, the second question is: Did the things that Emperor Roselle do in his later years have any external, unnecessary influence?"
This question reminded Klein of the shocking details in Roselle's later diary entries. Immediately, he sighed.
With the posture of The Fool, he slowly shook his head.
No… Those things were what the emperor wanted to do… Just as Cattleya felt an uncontrollable sense of disappointment and sadness when she heard Mr. Fool smile with a sigh.
"It wasn't due to an external influence or influencer, but due to corruption. It's very difficult to detect, even for him."
Corruption… Emperor Roselle was corrupted in his later years? At that time, he was already "He," a Grounded Angel. How could he be corrupted? Is this from a particular true god or the underground corruption that even the ancient gods feared? Amidst the shock, Audrey came up with a guess based on the secrets she knew.
Alger and the other members of the Tarot Club also didn't expect such a thing to happen to Emperor Roselle in his later years. They began to suspect his purpose behind him creating the Cards of Blasphemy.
At the same time, they believed that Mr. Fool's search of the Cards of Blasphemy might contain deeper motives, much more than what they had originally deduced.
In this game that involves the entire world, only important figures like Mr. Fool have the right to become a "player."
And we are only a card or some chips… The Kings of Angels and Sequence 1 angels might be qualified to participate… Alger sighed as he had the desire to become a "player."
The story of the emperor's later years went from being a tyrant to an evil god? A book that starts off with romance, motivation, passion, love, adventure, and even the decadent lifestyle of Intis high society later turns into a horror story? I wouldn't even dare write something like that! If it were me writing it, I would make the emperor's final tragic end stem from a betrayal in one's love, a marriage betrayal, or betraying an oath… Fors couldn't help but let her thoughts go wild. She even had the urge to start writing a set of chronicles for Emperor Roselle.
Of course, there were quite a number of Roselle's chronicles on the market. Some of them were even prohibited items. Corrupted… So it's because of corruption… Cattleya sighed and felt sorrowful.
She sighed with emotion. In the end, the emperor didn't end up like the story of the dragon-slaying warrior he had spoken of. From being a hero, he turned into an evil dragon. He was still a legend worthy of worship, but the sad thing was that, up to today, this misunderstanding was finally beginning to be resolved.
After her emotions settled down, Cattleya recalled the matter of being corrupted. The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became.
She believed that she was one of the members of the Tarot Club who knew Roselle the best. She knew very well what height this emperor had reached in his later years. Of course, Mr. Fool was the convener, a witness, and not a member.
However, a Sequence 1 angel such as "Him," someone who made the throne of divinity a target, had been silently corrupted. "He" and the people around "Him" didn't notice it at all!
This is much more terrifying than it is horrific… Cattleya secretly took a deep breath before slowly exhaling to regulate her emotions.
Then, she bowed towards the end of the long, mottled table.
"Thank you for your answer, honorable Mr. Fool."
…I'm also thankful that you didn't ask anything beyond my means… The Fool Klein, gave a self-deprecating laugh as he leaned back into his chair and nodded slightly.
"You may begin."
Just like the previous gathering, the members of the Tarot Club had either just advanced or were still digesting. They didn't have any trades to do, and they didn't need anything for the time being. After exchanging a few looks, they decided to directly enter the free exchange segment.
Of course, Emlyn was a special exception. He really wanted to make a request to get someone to start a jailbreak to free him from the basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral. Yes, to this day, he was still under "protective custody" behind Chanis Gate at the Backlund headquarters of the Church of Evernight. In his neighboring cell was Bishop Utravsky, and during this period of time, no Nighthawk had come to interrogate him.
If not for the people in charge of guarding the sealed area bringing them water and food every day, Emlyn definitely would've believed that he and Father Utravsky had already been forgotten.
The dark, silent environment is still alright, but it's just a little cold… But without dolls, newspapers, books, and historical documents, this life is meaningless… Besides, the Nighthawks provide me with cow blood, and it tastes nasty. The effects aren't too good either. I'm already becoming weak… Emlyn opened his mouth, but he didn't say a word because he felt that this was a very embarrassing matter. After all, he was the one who asked The Star and had pushed for "protective custody." Yet, he ended up also being brought into "protective custody."
I hope that fellow hasn't forgotten me and is thinking of a way to get me out… Emlyn glanced at The Star Leonard and maintained his silence.
Leonard maintained his posture and didn't respond to The Moon's gaze.
There was nothing he could do for the time being. This was because he was the one who had raised the term "protective custody" in front of the archbishop. As for Emlyn White, he was a vampire viscount, equivalent to a Sequence 5 Beyonder. He was a mobile humanoid bomb that also believed in the Earth Mother. There was no reason for him to be released immediately.
I can only wait for the Sanguine to protest through other channels before I have the authority to handle this matter… The Star Leonard decided to apply for a private exchange later and get Emlyn to think of a way to get the upper echelons of the Sanguine to contact the Church of Evemight.
Their interaction had been noticed by Justice. She immediately thought of the question Mr. Moon had asked her last time. She suspected that something had gone wrong during the "protective custody" operation, but it didn't seem too serious.
I heard that the priest of the Harvest Church saved quite a number of people during the Great Smog of Backlund. I hope nothing bad happens… Audrey nodded slightly and cast her gaze at Little Sun.
The other members of the Tarot Club also cast their gaze towards The Sun Derrick.
They knew that the City of Silver had planned on exploring the Giant King's Court last week, so it was likely that the results were out.
The Sun Derrick sat up straight and glanced at Mr. Hanged Man before saying in a very natural manner, "We've completed our first exploration of the Giant King's Court. Three dead, one missing, five survivors… We first arrived at the front door of the King's Court and saw two Silver Knights in an unknown state standing guard there. This is the name of the Giant pathway's Sequence 3…"
Chapter 1130 News Storm
Two Sequence 3 demigods were guarding the main door… As expected of the Giant King's Court. The divine kingdom of an ancient god… The members of the Tarot Club suddenly felt a similar feeling. As for The Sun Derrick, he didn't pause as he continued his recount.
To him, he was shocked when he first discovered the two Silver Knights guarding the main door of the Giant King's Court. However, the series of events that followed made it seem extremely ordinary, making it difficult to stir up his emotions.
"…According to what Mr. World shared, we followed a rather hidden path to the back of the Giant King's Court… The monsters we encountered were mainly wraiths. They were restrained by the Unshadowed Crucifix…
"After we arrived at the Waning Forest, we tried to explore it, and we discovered that the remnants of the Giant King's will and the divine kingdom's powers had formed an evil spirit. It was protecting its parents' mausoleum…" Derrick skillfully recalled his experiences during the expedition, and the members of the Tarot Club—Audrey, Alger, and the others—quickly reined in their thoughts of the Silver Knight guards and listened attentively.
They were all very interested in the secret hidden in the Waning Forest. They wanted to know what the ancient god, the Giant King, had tried to keep from "His" queen and child.
Thinking back to the scene he had seen, Derrick paused for a moment before saying, "After purging that evil spirit, we came to the mausoleum of the Giant King's parents. There was a stone stele erected there, indicating the identity of the tomb's owner. As for the tomb and coffin, it had long been opened by someone, revealing the corpses inside. They were the corpses of two humans…"
Corpses of humans? The tomb of the Giant King's parents had corpses of humans buried in it? Godfather and godmother? No, there wasn't any religion back then… As a demigod who knew plenty of mysteries, The Hermit Cattleya's first reaction was that the two corpses had another identity.
Immediately following that, she recalled what the Queen had mentioned. It was a question that Emperor Roselle had asked as though he had been talking to himself when he was alive:
Why did the ancient documents and historical records refer to giants, elves, vampires as humanoid creatures or anthropoid creatures?
Why didn't they refer humans as giant-like, elf-like, or vampire-like creatures?
Could it be that all humanoid creatures had descended from humans? The giants, elves, and vampires were the mutations brought by the Beyonder characteristics that could eventually become inherited? Cattleya instantly calmed her emotions as she seriously considered the possible reasons.
At this moment, she felt that her potion would be digested to a certain degree once she returned to the real world.
This was because the Sequence 4 of the Mystery Pryer pathway was called "Mysticologist," and the origins of the giants and humanoid creatures were without a doubt of extremely great value. They were mysticism knowledge that most ordinary demigods had no way of knowing!
The Giant King's parents were humans? That must be fake… Alger immediately suspected that someone had fabricated the scene.
However, on second thought, this act not only required the real remains to be taken away and replaced with human remains, but one had to prepare a suitable coffin to make the tomb look like it didn't belong to a giant. Furthermore, fabricating it was pointless and wouldn't affect reality too much. Alger felt that no one would be so bored as to do something like that.
To be able to enter the Giant King's Court and suppress a powerful evil spirit, the "person" that approached the two graves was at least a saint, meaning that they had long passed the age of pulling pranks!
Could it be that… the ancestors of all creatures were humans? This includes the elves? As he had seen too many shocking things at the Tarot Club, as well as suffer a religious breakdown from the mural on that primitive island, Alger didn't have overly intense emotions run through him. He just couldn't help but raise his hand and touch his dark blue hair.
Mr. Hanged Man connected himself to this matter? The Giant King's parents are actually humans… From the looks of it, most of the creation myths are fake. They were all fabricated by future generations. However, there are also hidden meanings in them… Mr. Moon seems to find it unacceptable… Mr. World seems to have known about it long ago… With the help of Placate and other psychological techniques, Audrey was able to compose herself the fastest, and she instinctively observed the reactions of the other members.
At that moment, Emlyn was the most restless. His mind was filled with thoughts of "impossible" and "it's impossible."
If the original ancestor of giants were human, then what about the Sanguine? Could it be that we were just monsters that had mutated because of Beyonder characteristics? Impossible. We were clearly created by the Ancestor. "She" has the authority of "life" and "creation." It's completely different from the barbaric deities like the Giant King and Elf King who only knew how to fight! As Emlyn's thoughts churned, he felt a baffling feeling that his pride was cracking apart.
His intuition, his rationality, and brain told him that The Sun Derrick didn't have any reason to lie about this matter.
The possibility of other existences fabricating the scene was also very low. Hence, he subconsciously expelled the giant and elves from the ranks of humanoid creatures, and he viewed them as a branch of humanity.
Leonard, Fors, and Xio quickly accepted the possibility that The Sun revealed. To them, regardless of whether the giant ancestor was giant or human, or even a curly-haired baboon, it was no big deal. At most, it just meant that many supernatural creatures were a result of Beyonder characteristics in the bodies of ordinary creatures, but this didn't cause any meaningful changes to their concept of reality.
The Sun Derrick calmed himself down and continued in the strange silence, "After leaving the Waning Forest, we entered the Giant King's Court through the Barren Tunnel…
"…On the way, there were remnant powers of corruption and concealment. We had to make the correct response in order to pass…
"…That palace contains a mural that possesses powers related to the cycle of fate. As such, we were affected and transformed into the people who participated in a gathering. We repeated a very short process, and this process was the establishment of Rose Redemption…"
At this point, Derrick looked around and saw that all the members had temporarily jolted out of their previous states. They were extremely interested in the organization called Rose Redemption.
They all knew that this was an extremely secretive and ancient organization that followed and believed in the True Creator. It was the origins of the Aurora Order, and its members were Kings of Angels like Ouroboros, Medici, and Sasrir.
Derrick retracted his gaze and exhaled silently.
"The two people who convened the Rose Redemption are Dark Angel Sasrir and Evernight Goddess Amanises…"
Ah? Audrey, Leonard, and Xio began to doubt their ears.
They were all believers of Evernight. They never expected that the Goddess would be a member of Rose Redemption, and even be one of its conveners.
This was akin to saying that the Evernight Goddess was a member of the Tarot Club!
If not for the fact that they knew what kind of person Little Sun was—knowing that he wouldn't lie—they definitely would've suspected the truth of this matter. But now, they were left temporarily speechless. They didn't even dare to think too deeply about it.
Alger subconsciously turned his body to look at The Sun, listening to his slow and heavy tone.
"The participants included: White Angel Aucuses, Wind Angel Leodero…"
Alger's eyelids twitched. He didn't even dare think.
"…God of Combat Badheil, Earth Mother Omebella…"
Emlyn, who was leaning against the back of the chair, unknowingly sat up straight. There was only one message echoing in his mind: the Goddess of Harvest, Giant Queen Omebella…
"God of the Dead Salinger, God of Spiritual Creatures Tolzna…"
The Sun Derrick's voice echoed in the ancient and magnificent palace. It made Cattleya, Fors, and the other members exchange looks. No one dared to say a word. It was as though they would suffer from divine punishment if they learned any deeper.
After Derrick finished speaking, they remained silent. The scene was strangely quiet.
Finally, Cattleya sighed and said, "Rose Redemption truly is powerful and terrifying. Before this, I couldn't even imagine that those existences were members…"
Just as she said that, The World Gehrman Sparrow said with a deep, hoarse voice, "That was an organization formed to resist the ancient sun god. Later on, only a few Kings of Angels remained."
Upon hearing their conversation, it was as if Audrey and the other members had just snapped out of their dreams. All of them subconsciously cast their gaze to the end of the long, mottled table, at the figure shrouded in gray fog. It was as though they were waiting for the ruling of the entity of authority there.
The Fool Klein, who had long expected such a scene, didn't respond directly. He nodded slightly and sighed.
"The Fallen Creator was born because of this."
It's real… It's real… The Rose Redemption which Mr. Fool hinted back then actually has such a deeper meaning… What is "His" identity in ancient times, and what position does "He" take in this matter… All these thoughts instantly formed a storm that swept through the minds of the Tarot Club members.
Derrick looked at everyone, and seeing that no one was speaking, he could only talk about the subsequent exploration:
"…We met the leader of the King's Court's Chasers outside the palace, Light Culler Murskogan. He said that Dark Angel Sasrir was in a state of slumber in that palace…"
Compared to the matter regarding Rose Redemption, news of the mysterious Dark Angel currently in slumber inside the Giant King's palace didn't stir up the emotions of Leonard, Emlyn, and the other members of the Tarot Club much. Only some of their curiosities had been satisfied.
Of course, as a Mysticologist, Cattleya only hoped that The Sun could speak a little more.
"After that, we returned. Mr. Fool has bestowed us with the formula for the Silver Knight potion." Towards the end of his explanation, Derrick concluded honestly.
Audrey and the others were still deep in thought over what had just happened. There was still a fear of being blasphemous, and no one responded. Only Alger thought for a moment and said, "Since the birth of the True Creator originated from Rose Redemption, then 'He' isn't unfamiliar with what happened to the Giant King's Court. Why is it that Shepherd Elder Lovia was completely unprepared for this?"
Chapter 1131 An Indescribable Transaction
This is also a question I wanted to ask… The Fool Klein, who was seated at the end of the long, mottled table, echoed Mr. Hanged Man in his heart.
Leonard thought for a moment and tried to find a possible reason:
"Although the birth of the True Creator originates from Rose Redemption, it doesn't mean that 'He' knows everything about Rose Redemption. Perhaps figuring out the truth back then is one of 'His' motives…"
Just as he said that, Justice Audrey objected:
"The Angel of Fate, Ouroboros, who was drawing that mural, is still in Rose Redemption and follows the True Creator. If 'He1 had any questions, 'He* could've just asked 'Him' directly."
"Perhaps the True Creator's goal is to confirm Dark Angel Sasrir's condition. From Shepherd Lovia's strong desire to enter the palace of the Giant King, we can preliminary determine that." Cattleya gave her own opinion.
"I share similar thoughts." Alger glanced at The Sun and said, "Of course, we can't eliminate the possibility that The Star suggested. Perhaps the Angel of Fate Ouroboros's condition isn't right, and 'He' has lost most of 'His1 memories. 'He1 can only rely on the murals 'He' left behind in the past to find 'His' lost past. The odds are very low, but it doesn't mean that it's impossible. We aren't aware of what's special or problematic with the Kings of Angels."
As he spoke, Alger glanced at Mr. Fool, as if hoping to get some hints from this existence. Unfortunately, he failed to get any feedback.
It wasn't that The Fool Klein didn't have any ideas, but that he had too many ideas and was unable to list them out.
Tail Devourer Ouroboros grows up by the True Creator's side every time he "reboots." No one knows what "His" current state is… After muttering in his heart and seeing that no one had any more ideas, Klein controlled The World to look at The Sun.
"I recently obtained a batch of mushrooms that can be grown in the darkness when feeding them the flesh of monsters. I wonder if your City of Silver is interested?"
Mushrooms that can devour the flesh and blood of monsters? Xio and company were surprised and curious. They didn't know how such a creature could exist.
Indeed, there are many things in the world that we have yet to understand… This is what a Scribe should record down… Fors sighed and came to a realization.
Cattleya's eyes suddenly darkened. She sat there without saying a word or moving, like a statue.
Upon hearing this, Derrick was delighted. His thoughts raced as he blurted out, "Can those mushrooms automatically attack monsters?"
If that was possible, then they could be used as food and also be used as the perimeter defense system for the City of Silver.
I thought Little Sun would be afraid of those mushrooms… In the end, his "request" is even more excessive… The World's mouth twitched slightly.
"No, if the mushrooms can automatically attack monsters, it will be no exception for any of you."
Derrick immediately felt a little ashamed as he hurriedly nodded.
"I understand, Mr. World."
Following that, he let the fake World make a further description:
"Some of those mushrooms can be ground into flour, others can produce milk or are rich in oil. They're equivalent to beef. Some have a flavor that's close to fish, but there are no bones… Other than milk which can be drunk directly, the rest must be cooked through steaming, boiling, frying, and roasting. Otherwise, the mushrooms will absorb your flesh and blood while inside your body, regaining their vitality, turning a person into countless mushrooms…"
Audrey, Alger, and the other members of the Tarot Club originally listened on with interest as though it was an exciting story, but as they listened in, they subconsciously shrank back, becoming unusually silent.
Only The Hermit Cattleya's eyelids twitched. She decided to have a good "talk" with Frank when she returned to the real world.
She was very worried that, one day, when the Star Pirates were to hold a vote, a large number of mushrooms would be amongst those casting that sacred vote.
At this moment, after listening attentively, Derrick couldn't hide his anticipation and curiosity.
"Mr. World, what is flour? Is it like black-faced grass powder?
"Also, what is milk, what is beef, what is fish?"
In fact, he had seen fish before, but he didn't think that they were fish. In a swamp in the southwest region of the City of Silver, there were quite a number of strange fish-shaped monsters that contained venom. They had boils all over their bodies, while others had teeth growing out of spots where their eyes were. Some of their heads had split open, revealing a white membrane layer that could be used to hunt other creatures.
…No matter how strange those mushrooms are, to the City of Silver, they're all good things that are worth looking forward to… The first thing they need to solve is to be in possession of something, rather than whether it's good or not… When The Fool Klein heard that, he cast The World's gaze toward Justice Audrey.
Giving detailed descriptions of flour, milk, beef, and fish didn't match The World Gehrman Sparrow's persona.
As a senior Spectator and Gehrman Sparrow's psychiatrist, Justice instantly understood what he meant. She deliberated for a moment before saying, "The milk is the liquid that cows use to rear its young…"
She believed that Little Sun could understand this easily. After all, the City of Silver had pregnant women and babies.
Seeing The Sun nod in acknowledgment, she continued' "Milk can provide you with a lot of nutrition and help you grow taller and stronger…"
Audrey didn't finish her sentence because Little Sun, who was sitting in his seat, was very muscular.
After Miss Justice finished explaining the concepts, The Sun Derrick looked eagerly at The World Gehrman Sparrow.
"Thank you, Mr. World. This is exactly what our City of Silver needs. When I return, I'll immediately inform the Chief. He'll definitely be very happy.
"What would you like in exchange?"
The Fool Klein hesitated for a moment before controlling The World Gehrman Sparrow.
"The formula for Classical Metallurgist."
No! Cattleya subconsciously tried to stop him, but she ultimately held back her urge.
She secretly looked at Mr. Fool, and seeing that the great existence was silent, she immediately felt a lot more at ease. "Alright." Derrick happily agreed.
After the exchange, Leonard applied to have a private conversation with Emlyn.
The moment the other members of the Tarot Club were screened from them, Emlyn asked, "When are you letting me out?"
Leonard maintained his posture and said, "This isn't something I can decide on. My suggestion is to get someone to contact the upper echelons of the Sanguine as soon as possible and get them to think of a way to get you out."
These two fellows created such an accident with the simple term "protective custody"? The Fool Klein, who was listening by the side, felt the urge to laugh, but he held back.
Emlyn's expression darkened. After a few seconds, he said, "Will it be useful finding the upper echelons of the Sanguine?"
"The Goddess is the Lady of Crimson. She still cares a lot about you guys from the Moon domain. Although you do not believe in 'Her,'" Leonard said perfunctorily.
The real explanation in his heart was that an ancient race like the Sanguine, who had lived for several years, definitely had some connections with the various Churches, especially when the Sanguine Queen was still the Night Emperor's queen. At that time, the Church of Evemight had supported the Night Emperor.
Emlyn also thought of this and nodded slightly.
"I'll try to entrust this to Mr. World."
This was the most reliable person he could think of.
Just as he said that, Emlyn and Leonard suddenly spoke at the same time:
"That won't work."
You also realized it?" The Moon Emlyn immediately glanced at The Star beside him.
Leonard scoffed.
"It's such a simple problem."
Emlyn returned with a scoff.
"But you just suggested that I contact the upper echelons of the Sanguine.
"I've been locked up in the Church of Evernight for days. They must've known about it long ago. They probably didn't attempt to rescue me because they're observing, wanting to know who would rescue me; thus, finding my partners,
Leonard looked elsewhere.
"That's probably the case. So, you can only continue staying behind Chanis Gate. Perhaps in a few more days, they'll lose their patience and get you out."
Emlyn didn't know what expression to show.
After a private exchange between the human and Sanguine, The World Gehrman Sparrow looked at Fors and said, "Give me the venue and time for the meeting. After the gathering, I'll look for you and bring you to a new place."
"Alright." Fors hurriedly applied to Mr. Fool and conjured a parchment.
While handing it over, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Mr. World, what needs to be taken note of this time?"
"Keep warm," The World Gehrman Sparrow simply replied.
Keep warm… Fors was momentarily stunned, unsure of what he was trying to get at.
After looking at the parchment, The World Gehrman Sparrow surveyed the area and said, "Everyone in Backlund, please pay close attention to your surroundings for anything abnormal."
Firstly, it was very likely that Zaratul would "fish" out Amon. Secondly, Demoness Trissy might be able to help Mr. Door prepare a ritual. Thirdly, George III might take the final step to becoming the Black Emperor at some point in time.
"Alright." Audrey and the other members of the Tarot Club who were in Backlund nodded one after another. They recalled the recent situation and didn't find anything out of the ordinary.
After another exchange, the other members requested Miss Justice to use hypnosis to help them forget a portion of their memories. After this gathering ended, one figure after another vanished above the gray fog, leaving only The Fool Klein.
After sitting in silence for more than ten minutes, he thought of other questions before returning to the real world. He "Teleported" to the agreed-upon location and waited for Miss Magician to meet him.
It was almost winter, and the sky had turned dark at four in the afternoon. Under the heavy black clouds, the street lamps hadn't been lit, as coal and gas resources were controlled due to the war.
Chapter 1132 Interlude
In the alley where few people visited, the environment grew darker as a cold wind wafted through it. Although it wasn't like a blade that could slice a person's face with its coldness, it seemed to possess magic as it slowly but firmly seeped into the clothes of people.
As Gehrman Sparrow, Klein raised his hand and pressed down on his top hat. He saw Miss Magician wearing a dark- colored scarf and a thick coat. She carried a rather heavy suitcase and walked into the alley, looking extremely wary.
In the Loen Kingdom, due to the Church of Evernight's influence, many of the clothes that were deemed only male also had lady versions of them. Just like in Intis, the ladies of high society often sat sideways while on horseback, thanks to a special saddle. However, Loen didn't do the same. The ladies had their own horseback attire.
Klein pulled out his left hand that was wearing Creeping Hunger from his pocket and spread open his fingers.
"Do you have a stockpile prepared?"
Fors suddenly felt a cold wind blow down her neck as she subconsciously shrank back.
"Enough for at least two weeks of being serialized.
"I've already handed it over to the editor of the newspaper."
Without waiting for Gehrman Sparrow to ask further, she hurriedly added, "I brought a fountain pen, ink, and paper."
Klein nodded slightly, took two steps forward, and reached out to grab Miss Magician's shoulder.
Fors immediately focused as an illusory book appeared in her eyes as it slowly flipped through.
Her surroundings immediately became dark and colorful—the reds were redder, the blacks were blacker, and the browns were browner—as they overlapped each other, making her feel like she was in a trance.
Fors was already used to this state and had successfully "Recorded" during this "Traveling" process. She also carefully observed the scenery of her "trip," as well as the strange and indescribable spirit world creatures that branded themselves in her mind.
After a few breaths, her vision went black, and she felt a cold she had never experienced before. Her body couldn't help but tremble.
Fors instinctively used a magic trick to illuminate her surroundings. Looking around, she realized that she was in a wooden hut. The World Gehrman Sparrow had already vanished.
Where ami… Fors looked at the window and saw that there was a thick layer covering it, preventing any light from shining inside.
This made her even more puzzled. She came to the door, stretched out her right hand, and pulled the door behind her. With a creaking sound, she saw the snow blocking the exit.
Fors was stunned as Gehrman Sparrow's warning echoed in her mind:
"Keep warm…"
In just one or two minutes, Klein had already circled the sea once. He used his prey that he had long selected to placate Creeping Hunger, and he returned to his rental apartment in Backlund, awaiting Queen Mystic and Miss Sharron to gather information about any anomalies.
In fact, with Klein's style, he would've personally taken action in this area and conducted an additional investigation at the same time. He wanted to ensure that Demoness Trissy had no plans to help Mr. Door escape, but considering that Zaratul was already in Backlund, he decided to be cautious and give up the idea of loitering around.
Under the influence of the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics, he felt that if he were to wander around Backlund, it was only a matter of time before he ran into Zaratul or even Amon.
Sigh, I'd already thought of how to disguise myself. Buying a bicycle, getting a uniform, and riding it across different streets as a postman… This is the easiest way to avoid suspicion… After taking a sip of Gurney Sap he brought back from the sea, he leaned back into his chair and allowed his marionette, Enuni and Qonas, to individually massage his shoulders and legs.
The Forsaken Land of the Gods, in the Afternoon Town camp.
After Derrick Berg opened his eyes, he immediately stood up, opened the door, and walked around the bonfire to the Chiefs room.
Suppressing his excitement, he took a deep breath and raised his hand to lightly knock on the thick wooden door. "Please come in." Amidst the sounds of knocking, Colin Iliad's deep voice sounded.
Derrick turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. As he looked at Demon Hunter Colin, whose hair was white and had old scars on his face, he blurted out, "Your Excellency, I found some strange mushrooms. They can be eaten!'
Colin Iliad fell silent for a moment before slowly asking, "Mushrooms?"
Hearing the puzzlement in the Chiefs words, Derrick instantly recalled a mushroom he had seen before.
It came from the abandoned temple of the Fallen Creator. It looked especially bright and appetizing, but it was essentially extremely dangerous.
His mood instantly calmed down. He nodded and said, "Yes, mushrooms, different breeds of mushrooms. They can devour the flesh and blood of monsters to grow…"
Derrick described the unique traits of the mushrooms in detail, and he explained what milk, beef, fish, and flour were.
In the end, he emphasized that the mushrooms had to be fully cooked before they could be eaten. He also had to take note of the species which were rich in poison.
Colin Iliad listened quietly without showing any change in emotions. After some thought, he said, "What other dangers do they have? Or should I say, points that require taking note of?"
"Uh…" Derrick's face suddenly flushed red. "I'll study it again."
Without waiting for the Chief to speak, he turned around, opened the door, and ran out.
Returning to his room, he took a deep breath and sat down. He began to pray to Mr. Fool, asking him to forward the questions to Mr. World.
Above the gray fog, Klein sat on the high-back chair belonging to The Fool. He tapped the armrest with his index finger and silently muttered, What other dangers are there?
Although Frank's imagination, actions, and creativity make me a little fearful, he's still a Sequence 5 Druid after all. No matter how dangerous the mushrooms are, how dangerous can they be? With the years of experience the City of Silver has experienced in the dark environment, it's easy to deal with those mushrooms.
In the ruins of the battle of gods, the Future's producing of milk, the pirate's head growing a watermelon, and other shocking phenomena were due to the remnant aura and divine power of Earth Mother in that area. The real "murderer" was a deity rather than Frank…
Man, if the formation of the Forsaken Land of the Gods happened due to the betrayal of the ancient sun god, the things left behind in that intense battle are definitely not limited to the powers of Evernight, Concealment, Degeneration, and Storm. Perhaps there are some areas that have the influence of the Sun and the Earth…
This…
After some thought, he conjured The World Gehrman Sparrow and made him tell the truth:
"…If they encounter divine powers of the Earth domain, those mushrooms might experience an unknown mutation…" After receiving a response, Derrick rushed out of his room and ran to the Chiefs door.
This time, the door opened without him knocking.
Derrick turned back to look at his teammates by the bonfire. He entered the room and casually closed the heavy wooden door.
The divine power of the Earth domain might cause the mushrooms to undergo an unknown mutation," he said frankly without explaining how he had figured that out.
Demon Hunter Colin's expression remained unchanged as he repeated the key phrase softly, "The divine power of the Earth domain…"
He lowered his voice and finally fell silent. Ten seconds later, he said, "After we return, we can set up a region to plant them to see the effects.
Then, what's the price?"
Derrick immediately replied, "The formula for Classical Metallurgist."
Colin Iliad nodded slowly.
This has to be decided by the six-member council. When we return to the city, I will push for this matter as soon as possible."
Their expedition team would be returning to the City of Silver in the next two days. Firstly, after the exploration, the few who survived, as well as those who had lost their loved ones, needed time to adjust their mental states. Secondly, there was a limited amount of food left in the camp, and there was no way to plant any Black-Faced Grass around Afternoon Town. They could only rely on hunting monsters to replenish themselves. Therefore, one of the responsibilities of the expedition team was to deliver safe food. Switching out teams would happen at fixed intervals.
Yes, Your Excellency." Derrick didn't rush him.
He had long gotten used to this process.
After he left the room, Colin Iliad came to the window and looked at the bonfire in the middle of the camp.
That flame burned quietly. In the deep darkness, the faint yellow light scattered across the entire camp. Roasting over the fire was a disgusting vampire covered in puss.
A few days later, Klein separately received the corresponding feedback from Queen Mystic Bernadette, the Numinous Sect's Patrick Bryan, and Miss Sharron. He confirmed that there were no anomalies regarding material or personnel flow in Backlund recently.
From the looks of it, Demoness Trissy only wishes to speak to Mr. Door for the time being… Furthermore, this seems to be the first time they will establish a connection… Regardless, I still need to give a warning beforehand. This requires finesse. The more I say, the more likely a mistake will be made. Furthermore, I cannot reveal my trump card… After some thought, he found the hair of the deceased that Miss Magician had provided. He unfolded the piece of paper and wrote:
"…This is what you need. It's a lock of hair from a descendant of the Abraham family… The person who provided it has a request; that is to help ask the existence one question: The problem regarding how they get rid of the curse… "…Finally, let me remind you to be careful of Mr. Door."
Klein folded the letter and tucked the lock of hair into it. He took out the adventurer's harmonica and blew on it. After a brief silence, Reinette Tinekerr walked out of the void with four beautiful heads in hand.
"Give this letter to the seduced idiot," he instructed as he handed over the letter.
Just as he said that, his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly added another question:
"Can you locate him?"
"Yes…" One of the heads of Reinette Tinekerr answered the question before biting the letter.
Klein narrowed his eyes.
Chapter 1133 Chan
In the Backlund Bridge area, according to the information provided by Miss Messenger, he found the man who had been seduced by Trissy and ended up helping her "send" the letter.
However, Klein didn't enter the apartment, nor did he disturb his target. He stuck both hands into his black trench coat pocket and continued walking forward.
Under the illumination of the street lamps, he walked all the way to the crossroads and turned into another street.
During this process, a rat that was stealing food in a particular building suddenly shivered.
It then gave up on the piece of cheese and followed the usual "tunnel" that it used to pass through, and it moved towards the target area.
Then, the rat opened its mouth and let out a human's voice:
"Blessed of the sea and spirit world, guardian of the Rorsted Archipelago, ruler of the undersea creatures, master of tsunamis and storms, the great Kalvetua…"
The moment the rat finished its sentence, Klein, who had already turned into another street, vanished. There was only a spark left on the spot that quickly dissipated.
He had used Flaming Jump, but he wasn't using it to travel. Instead, he had entered a hotel room that he had booked to rendezvous with one of his marionettes, so he didn't need to worry too much about being sensed by Zaratul and meet with an accident. After all, the destination was clear, the journey was short, and there was protection.
In the room, with Enuni watching, he took four steps counterclockwise and arrived above the gray fog.
As he sat at the end of the long bronze table, he held the Sea God Scepter. With the help of the prayer light, he observed the target through his "true vision"—the man who helped Demoness Trissy relay the news.
A few minutes later, Reinette Tinekerr appeared in the apartment as promised. She took the gold coin and left the envelope on the table.
The man trembled in fear again, but in the end, he overcame his own fear. He picked up the letter and weighed it.
Fifteen minutes later, he carefully took out the black sticky paste, separated a small blob, and applied it on the surface of a mirror.
Soon, he saw the young girl who had occupied all of his dreams in the dark mirror and hurriedly said, "That crazy adventurer just sent a letter. It seems to contain something else. I didn't open it as per your instructions."
At that moment, above the gray fog, the scene Klein saw began to show a strange phenomenon.
In his vision, the mirror's condition had already turned blurry. It was closer to being a dark and illusory passageway that didn't look realistic enough. It was connected to something similar in the surrounding area, forming a complicated and abstract "spider web" that was interwoven into a profound and strange "world."
Through the gray fog's "true vision," he could barely make out the general situation, but he was unable to make out the details. He didn't know what strange and terrifying creatures hid within that world.
In mysticism, mirrors are often given the symbolic meaning of leading to another "kingdom," and are mostly related to terrifying horrors… Is this the mirror world? My Beyonder powers are completely unrelated to this domain… That's not true. If someone prays to me and attempts magic mirror divination, then there will naturally be an illusory passageway that points towards me, towards the gray fog…
Strictly speaking, the mirror world isn't a real world. It's closer to the collective manifestation of doors. By connecting to different mirrors and different mysterious kingdoms, if one becomes lost in there, they might directly appear in the Abyss, or even the cosmos… Of course, demigods with this ability should be able to create a "reflection world" and hide inside …
The collective manifestation of doors… High-Sequence Beyonders of the Demoness, Wraith, and Apprentice pathways also have similar powers? Does the "secret" in Secrets Sorcerer represent the mirror world to some extent? This is sufficiently mysterious and secretive… Under normal circumstances, even through "true vision," there's no way to directly see the mirror world unless someone triggers it… Klein nodded in thought as he heard Demoness Trissy's melodic voice reply:
"Throw the letter into the mirror."
"Can it be thrown in?" As a Low-Sequence Beyonder, the man had never seen such a miraculous thing before. After some hesitation, he held the letter and pressed it against the mirror.
On the surface of the mirror, the darkness suddenly spread out like ripples of aqueous light.
The man felt his firm touch lighten, and he saw the letter magically pass through the glass surface and enter the illusionary, swirling interior.
Right on the heels of that, the letter seemed to be attracted by a huge whirlpool as it continued to sink deeper into the room where Trissy was.
Above the gray fog, Klein raised the Sea God Scepter high and focused on tracking the letter, attempting to lock onto the location of the Demoness.
At this moment, in his "true vision," the dark and deep mirror world began to quake violently, turning everything into a blur.
By the time the quaking calmed down, Klein had already lost traces of the letter and Demoness Trissy.
The aura of the Primordial Demon Girl can even interfere with observations like this… After a moment of silence, Klein let out a sigh.
It was precisely because of the various peculiarities related to Trissy that he didn't take the risk to mix his hair into the materials to locate her. It was easy for him to suffer from a terrible hex. He might even die on the spot.
To Klein, death didn't really matter. After all, as long as his corpse wasn't pulverized, it was likely the case that he could be revived. But that would mean that he couldn't seize the opportunity to lock onto Trissy. She would definitely change locations quickly. Wouldn't that be equivalent to wasting a precious chance to revive?
After suffering the setback, Klein quickly returned to the real world and left the Backlund Bridge area.
The next morning, with an ordinary face, Klein rode a carriage to Saint Samuel Cathedral.
He planned on chanting the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess to inform "Her" of Demoness Trissy. When the time came, if an accident were to happen on the night of the full moon, there would at least be a deity watching over Backlund, and would also be prepared ahead of time.
Back then, the Evernight Goddess was one of the ones who had exiled and sealed Mr. Door. "She" definitely knew the other party's tricks very well.
In such aspects, Klein had never put on a strong front. He had a very clear understanding of himself.
Since he couldn't solve the problem himself, he would find someone who could solve the problem to help out!
As for why he wasn't doing this at home and had to go to Saint Samuel Cathedral, it was because he wanted to observe the situation in the areas around Boklund Street and search for any tiny traces that spelled Amon's arrival.
Hazel and her family had once been involved with Amon, and she herself belonged to the Marauder pathway. Be it her fate or the convergence of characteristics, she was among the high-risk group of people who could meet Amon by chance. With regards to this, Klein didn't dare to be too careless or negligent. He reminded himself, and he made arrangements to do a self-examination every once in a while.
Similarly, due to Miss Justice's follow-up treatment of Hazel's psychological trauma, anything that happened to Hazel could easily lead to her. Therefore, Klein was also very worried about the safety of this noble lady. He believed that it was necessary to check her condition through the crimson star from time to time. Of course, he would avoid relatively awkward periods of time.
As his thoughts raced, Klein, who was already close to Phelps Street, got off the carriage in advance. He allowed his marionette, Enuni, to secretly recite the honorific name of Sea God.
He and his marionette, Qonas, switched positions. In a sealed space that he had "Distorted," he took four steps counterclockwise and went above the gray fog.
Then, with the help of the Sea God Scepter to widen his "true vision", he carefully observed the situation in Boklund Street and the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation.
Hazel isn't Parasitized… Neither is Miss Justice… Same for their maidservants, pets, and bodyguards… The residents and staff of the Charity Bursary Foundation don't show signs either… There are no traces of any Amon-related activity in the various streets in the area… Klein heaved a sigh of relief and returned to the real world.
Following that, he approached Saint Samuel Cathedral and passed through the door, finding a seat in the dark and quiet prayer hall.
After chanting the honorific name of the Evernight Goddess in a low voice, Klein described simply, "…Demoness Trissy has obtained the hair of an Abraham family descendant. She plans to contact a hidden existence on the night of the full moon. I cannot be sure of her exact purpose…"
After sitting quietly for a while and seeing that the Goddess didn't respond, nor did the archbishop appear, Klein wore his silk top hat and slowly walked out of the cathedral.
At night, he switched positions and controlled a rat as a marionette as recited another honorific name:
"The great God of War, the symbol of iron and blood, the ruler of chaos and strife, I wish to meet you…"
Just like before, the rat lost its life the moment it finished praying. Following that, Klein pulled away from the area.
He wanted to meet the Red Angel and talk about Mr. Door and Dark Angel Sasrir.
After waiting for a few minutes, with the help of another rat marionette, he saw that the other rat burst into flames, emitting a burning white flame.
The flame quickly formed a short line on the ground:
"I don't want to see you."
The muscles on Klein's face twitched indiscernibly.
After some thought, he gave up and left the area.
After a few seconds, the remaining burning-white flames formed a new sentence:
"Come on, beg me."
By then, Klein had already left.
In a house somewhere in Backlund, a pale-faced Sauron Einhorn Medici stood up from the sofa in a black, red-lined robe.
He frowned and muttered to himself, "Who's disturbing me…'
In the blink of an eye, a full moon had dawned its light on Backlund.
In a room illuminated by the crimson light, Demoness Trissy stood at an altar. Around her were ritual materials— rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, and lazurite.
After some complicated preparations, she lit the hair in her hand and placed it into a cauldron.
When the fire was tainted with a layer of darkness, Trissy took two steps back and solemnly chanted in Jotun, "Great Door of All Doors;
"Guide of the endless cosmos;
"Key to all mysterious worlds…"
Chapter 1134 Mr. Door
As Trissy recited the words, the gems around her emitted cracking sounds as they shattered into powder and floated up.
They shimmered with red, blue, green, or resplendent light before rapidly gathering into a torrent that surged towards the candlelight on the altar.
At the same time, strands of hair that had been burnt inside the cauldron joined the process.
The fire began to expand and interweave with each other, turning increasingly dark, as if it was an illusory door that led to other worlds.
Trissy immediately felt the surrounding temperature drop rapidly, as though countless dangers were seeping out of the fire.
A sentence flashed across her mind. It was a reminder from Gehrman Sparrow:
"Be careful of Mr. Door."
As expected of someone with a messenger of that level… His understanding of Mr. Door, and his confidence in knowing about my plans, might be deeper and more precise than I imagined… Trissy slowly took a deep breath and patiently waited for the subsequent changes.
In just a blink of an eye, she felt that the void in the room thinned significantly. Many of the places were covered with shadows, as though there were large amounts of indescribable creatures hiding behind them.
The dim, expanding flame slowly turned into a gigantic, deep crimson vortex.
As the vortex spun, an ethereal voice that could pierce through one's Spirit Body finally sounded from the bottom: "…Cheek?"
Upon hearing this voice, the blood vessels in Trissy's forehead throbbed. It was as if her head had been pierced by countless steel needles as they crazily stabbed and twisted.
Her black hair flared up despite the lack of wind. Every strand grew slightly thicker, and the skin on her face became transparent. Her blood vessels protruded out one after another, densely packed like a spider's web.
After spending a great deal of effort, Trissy finally managed to control herself. She then heard the voice that could make most Beyonders lose control, chuckling and saying, "It looks like it's Cheek's Blessed…
"Back then, we had seen the second Blasphemy Slate together… and we were able to surpass Sequence 1… and live to this day… Now, the only ones left are likely the Artisan, Cheek, and me…"
Trissy ignored Mr. Door's poignant sigh and said with a twisted expression:
"Honorable Mr. Door, I have something to ask you."
"Speak… The time spent being lost and trapped in the darkness and the storm is just too boring… It's rare for someone to have a chat with me…" The terrifying voice replied without much change from the slowly rotating dark vortex.
Trissy's facial muscles twitched involuntarily, still unable to get used to the ravings of this evil god's equal.
She paused for a few seconds before saying, "…I want to know if there are any unorthodox ways to enter the nine secret mausoleums built by Blood Emperor Tudor for becoming the Black Emperor,
It was unknown where he was, but Mr. Door's ethereal laughter sounded through the endless void:
"So it's because of this…
"This isn't difficult… I'll give you a symbol… You can gather the blood of Beyonders from different pathways and mix them together… Mixing it with your spirituality, draw the symbol in front of the mausoleum. Then, you can open the secret passage that leads into it…"
As the existence spoke, sparks separated from the dark vortex, forming a rather complicated symbol in midair.
It was like doors that were stacked in decreasing sizes as they randomly extended without end.
Trissy held back the excruciating pain of her Spirit Body tearing apart. She memorized the symbol and sought confirmation:
"There must be blood from all twenty-two Beyonder pathways?
"Each pathway only requires the blood of a Beyonder, regardless of his Sequence?
"How much blood of each pathway is required?"
Mr. Door replied in the same way that he had been raving in earlier, "Right… there's no need for too much… Just a small tube will do… Just guarantee that the symbol drawing can be finished…"
Although Trissy wore a painful grimace, she couldn't help but smile when she received the critical information.
This, combined with her overall expression, made her appear odd, as though she was a lunatic.
After completing her main goal, Trissy asked again to ensure smooth cooperation with Gehrman Sparrow in the future, "The Abraham family wants to know how to get rid of the ancient curse."
The dark vortex was silent for a few seconds before sighing.
"Set up such a ritual… Sacrifice one of the demigods of the Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder pathway… Once I leave the storm and penetrate the darkness… the curse will no longer exist…"
Trissy wasn't interested in how the Abraham family could escape the ancient curse. After receiving the answer, she couldn't take it any longer. As she thanked Mr. Door, she began to stop the ritual.
As for Mr. Door, he didn't attempt to bewitch, threaten, or corrupt her.
After the dark fire vortex disintegrated and the ritual ended, Trissy began to Cogitate, spending nearly an hour to calm the effects of Mr. Door's ravings.
After doing all of this, Trissy took out a pen and paper and copied the symbol provided by Mr. Door. She described the two answers in detail.
She knew that she was being pursued by Saintess of White Katarina, and there seemed to be even more terrifying hunters that would follow her wake. It was very difficult for her to find the blood of Beyonders of different pathways that quickly, so she planned on leaving this matter to Gehrman Sparrow.
In addition, she believed that even if George III and the others believed that there was no problem with the secret mausoleum and that it was safe enough; thus, not leaving too many guards, there were still precautions inside. It wasn't something that a Sequence 4 could quickly force their way through and cause damage. That way, they would be stopped by the reinforcements and lose their best chance.
As for Gehrman Sparrow, even his messenger was at the level of an angel. The strength of the organization behind him was obvious, so they had the ability to destroy the mausoleum at the critical moment, causing the Black Emperor ritual to fail.
She couldn't complete it herself, so of course she had to find assistance from someone with the ability to accomplish it!
After throwing the letter into a mailbox on a nearby street, the black-haired, black-coated Trissy slowly walked down in the cold and lonely road. On the dim road, she looked at the light from the gas lamps and laughed self-deprecatingly.
"For the sake of a little indignation, I've actually gone this far…
"You're lucky. At least I'll avenge you…
"And if I die, apart from those who hate me, no one will remember me…"
After receiving the letter from Miss Messenger, Klein sat on the chair and read it several times.
Before he went above the gray fog to divine the authenticity of Mr. Door's method, he subconsciously thought about how quickly he could gather the blood from the twenty-two Beyonder pathways.
This symbol is very similar to the symbol behind Miss Magician's chair… I can use my own for Seer… For Apprentice, I can find Miss Magician, and also give her some pressure to write… There are three choices for the Marauder pathway:
Transform a marionette into a mosquito and send a mosquito to bite Hazel; obtain it from Vice Admiral Iceberg's third mate named Flowery Bow Tie, and lastly, get it from Leonard's grandpa…
The Spectator pathway, Miss Justice… The Bard pathway, Little Sun… The Storm pathway, Mr. Hanged Man… the Reader pathway, Vice Admiral Iceberg, or that demigod named Lucca… Secrets Suppliant, get the second mate of Ma'am Hermit, Bloodless Heath Doyle…
The Corpse Collector pathway, Numinous Episcopate's Patrick Bryan… The Sleepless pathway, my dear poet… the Warrior pathway, most of the citizens of the City of Silver or Father Utravsky…
Planter, Frank… Apothecary, Emlyn…
Arbiter, Miss Xio… Lawyer, Marionette Qonas…
Hunter, Danitz or Anderson… Demoness, get Trissy to provide it herself…
Prisoner, Miss Sharron or Marie… Criminal, I temporarily have no targets…
Mystery Pryer, Ma'am Hermit… Savant, Frank's experiment assistant…
Monster, Marionette EnunL"
From the looks of it, most of them can be obtained in a very short period of time. The corresponding channels have sufficient trust in me and believe that I wouldn't curse them with their blood… This Demoness Trissy definitely has a way to eliminate the connection between the blood and the actual body. She won't object… Only Devil. Although I've encountered a few, they have either died or fled. Currently, I have no target in mind…
Yes, I can ask Little Sun if the City of Silver has any Devil flesh and blood left in its inventory. They will encounter some from time to time…
If he hadn't thought about it, Klein wouldn't have realized that, in less than two years of his transmigration, he had actually established a deeper connection with most of the Beyonder pathways.
He immediately retracted his thoughts and seriously considered Mr. Door's escape ritual.
Sacrifice one of each: Marauder, Apprentice, and Seer demigods… These are the three pathways that can be interchanged… Mr. Door wants to temporarily reconcile the three pathways, and use an ingenious method to open the passage to return?
…The demigods of these three pathways aren't that easy to capture. It's possible for the Abraham family to do so at its peak. After the death of the High-Sequence Beyonders in the War of the Four Emperors and the corresponding setbacks, it's pretty much hopeless…
If Mr. Door could be more patient and give the descendants more time to grow, it wouldn't be impossible. However, "He" still constantly cries for help, causing the deaths of promising descendants…
Is "He" crazy? A lunatic who looks like a normal person?
After some thought, he burned the letter and went above the gray fog to do two divinations.
The revelations he received was that the method to enter the secret mausoleum was real. Mr. Door's return ritual was also true.
Looking at the spirit pendulum in his hand, he sat silently in the high-back chair for a long time.
After a few minutes, he clenched his left hand and gripped the topaz pendant tightly. He muttered to himself, All there is left is to wait for the Bizarro Sorcerer potion to be completely digested, and for George III to hold the ritual…
Chapter 1135 Fragran
On the Sonia Sea, Pasu Island.
The Blue Avenger, which had been summoned, finally arrived at the headquarters of the Church of the Lord of Storms. It was docked at a port.
Alger removed the cloth wrapped around his head and jumped off the shipboard, landing firmly on the dock thanks to the wind.
The Wind-blessed potion he had consumed had long been digested. The reason why he had done so was to make himself appear more like the other members of the Church, making them feel a sense of kinship.
Years of experience told Alger that it was best to maintain uniformity with the people around him most of the time. He didn't want to appear out of the ordinary. Under the circumstances where he had plenty of secrets, it was even more imperative to do so!
"Haha, Alger, control your impatience." A man who had been waiting at the dock came forward with a smile.
He had a head of soft yellow hair and a long robe embroidered with lightning patterns. He was Alger's former partner, but later on, one chose to be the captain of a ghost ship and continue floating out at sea, while the other returned to be a clergyman.
Alger smiled as he raised his right hand and struck his left breast.
"May the Storm be with you."
"May the Storm be with you." The yellow-haired man, who was in his prime, replied with a smile.
He immediately lowered his voice and said, "I heard that you've already adapted to the Wind-blessed potion?"
Yes, it's very simple. I fly every day and maintain the state of floating. I often use the wind to travel back and forth in different places to quickly adapt. I've already sent a telegram to report this matter." Alger arched his brows to look proud.
The yellow-haired man looked around and maintained his volume from before.
"It's no wonder you were summoned back.
"I heard that, because of the ongoing war, there's a lack of manpower on all sides. The Council of Cardinals has decided to organize a group of Wind-blesseds to advance to Sequence 5 as soon as possible. You should be within those ranks. How enviable. I just became a Wind-blessed, so I don't have the chance."
Organize a group of Wind-blesseds to advance as soon as possible… After knowing that there might be a world war ahead of time, Alger Wilson wasn't surprised. A word suddenly appeared in his mind: cannon fodder!
In fact, just from his contributions for the Bansy Harbor incident, Alger, who was only a Seafarer back then, could've advanced to Ocean Songster without any obstacles. Furthermore, he was usually hard at work, having completed countless missions. In the end, he had only become a Wind-blessed. He had to join the queue for an opportunity to advance to Sequence 5.
And now, there was no need for him to do anything. He was suddenly placed on the list of candidates, and he would soon enter the ranks of the quasi-upper echelons of the Church. He couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Indeed, once a full-scale war begins, the order that prevents people like us from rising will split apart… However, the most important thing is to survive the war. Only by surviving will everything be meaningful… As Alger's thoughts raced, he asked in surprise, "Sainz, is that true?"
"I can't be sure. In short, that's what I heard. Let's go and catch up. If you have the chance to become a high-ranking deacon or a cardinal, don't you forget us!" The yellow-haired man named Sainz reached out his hand and patted Alger on the shoulder.
Alger dodged without a trace and replied with a smile, "Definitely.1
In the City of Silver, the expedition team brought back news that there was a sea on the other side of the Giant King's Court. All the citizens temporarily entered a state of excitement.
After two days of waiting, Derrick Berg finally received a notice from the six-member council, permitting him to receive the Classical Metallurgist's potion formula.
This meant that the upper echelons of the City of Silver had agreed to exchange for the special mushrooms.
The advancement ritual is to personally refine a Stone of Life… What's a Stone of Life? There's no explanation here… Derrick glanced at the parchment in his hand and began preparing a ritual without much thought.
In his opinion, Mr. Fool definitely knew what the Stone of Life was. He didn't need to worry about Mr. World.
After setting up the altar, he took out two metal tubes, each containing the blood of him and a Dawn Paladin from the City of Silver.
The Dawn Paladin had reached a certain age, and his body could no longer withstand the corrosive effects of the poison in most foods. In the foreseeable future, he would gradually reach the end of his life. Two days ago, his granddaughter had personally delivered the final stab with a sword.
As for Derrick, he had previously obtained the Chiefs approval and found an opportunity to extract some of the deceased's blood.
As for the Devil's blood that Mr. World needed, the City of Silver's inventory temporarily didn't have one. However, Chief Colin Iliad said that, as long as the mushrooms could satisfy the needs of the City of Silver's food requirements, he would organize a small hunting team and go to a region where Devils appeared.
After placing the two metal tubes and goatskin parchment onto the altar, Derrick took two steps back and faced the lit candles as he began the sacrificial ritual.
After a series of tasks, the illusory door that was formed from flames and spiritual materials opened heavily. After the sacrificial items were taken away, a dark glow was left behind.
The brilliance slowly faded as large numbers of mushrooms of different shapes appeared before Derrick's eyes.
As for whether they "looked" strange, Derrick didn't even think about it. This was because he had seen mushrooms once—abnormal ones. Therefore, he lacked a point of reference for comparison.
After recalling Mr. World's description of different breeds of mushrooms and effects, Derrick quickly categorized them and placed them into different leather handbags.
Immediately after, he picked up the Unshadowed Crucifix excitedly and prepared to head for the spire.
However, just as his hand touched the bronze cross, he felt it burn and feel prickly. It was as if a light was seeping out of the rust and shining at the mushrooms.
"They're evil and need to be purified…" Derrick was confused, but he eventually decided to believe in Mr. World.
He hid the Unshadowed Crucifix and carried Thunder God's Roar. He walked all the way to the spire and met Chief Colin Iliad.
"Are these the mushrooms?" As he spoke, Demon Hunter Colin's eyes reflected two complex dark green symbols. His gaze swept across the different mushrooms that were either pure white and full, or filled with flesh.
Yes…" Derrick began introducing them, one by one.
Colin returned to normal and remained silent for a few seconds.
"There's an evil and tainted aura emitted from them, but they're in minute amounts and can be tolerated.
"This must've settled down after they devoured the flesh and blood of monsters."
He paused for a moment before saying, "Let's first test their proliferation ability."
Following this sentence, a number of City of Silver personnel, who were prepared to "usher in" the mushrooms, carried a few monster corpses into the Chiefs room and scattered them over the different kinds of mushrooms.
The moment those mushrooms came into contact with the flesh, they immediately grew hyphae and burrowed into them.
About twenty to thirty seconds later, they began to rapidly expand and spit out spores.
After a while, the corpses of those monsters were densely covered with mushrooms.
However, the mushrooms didn't stop growing. They kept growing upwards, and in the end, some of them were even taller than Derrick Berg, facing him as if they were "looking down" at him.
…Mr. World didn't say that they would grow this large… Besides, the speed at which it grows is way too fast… Derrick looked at it in a daze, but he didn't think it was a problem.
There wasn't much of a change in Colin Iliad's expression. Only after the monsters were left with skeleton and dregs did he look around.
"It's better than I expected. Next, who wants to try the effects of eating it?"
Without hesitation, Derrick took a step forward and said, "Your Excellency, I'll do it."
He was in charge of "importing" the mushrooms, so he definitely had to personally confirm its safety.
Colin Iliad nodded slightly and said, "Okay."
He then turned his head and said to another City of Silver resident, "Invite Elder Lovia over to prevent any accidents." As a Beyonder who controlled flesh and blood, Lovia could resolve most of the changes in the human body.
Of course, whether the mutated individual could survive was another matter.
Everyone waited for a few minutes before Shepherd Lovia, who was wearing a deep purple robe, arrived in the Chiefs room.
She had just passed through the door when her light gray eyes suddenly narrowed. She instinctively looked at the mushrooms that occupied most of the space.
After staring at it for a while, Lovia looked at Colin Iliad and nodded slightly, indicating that she was ready to provide any help.
Without any hesitation, Derrick Berg chose a black mushroom that was embedded with blood-red threads and marbling, standing at half his height. He tore off the mushroom that had wrapped around the skeleton, and he produced a bonfire and began roasting it.
Gradually, a fragrance that seemed to be able to drill into one's stomach emanated out. This was a smell that the residents of the City of Silver had never smelled before.
Their throats bobbed as they instinctively swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
The bonfire emitted a sizzling sound before the fragrance grew stronger.
This wasn't the usual sound. It was as if it could make one's soul yearn for this strange smell. It was the type that everyone was rather familiar with. It was the natural desire for Black-Faced Grass food after returning to the City of Silver, having not eaten them for a long time.
As the sizzling sounds grew louder and frequent, they felt as though a hand had reached out from their stomachs, eager to grab the food back.
Unknowingly, the other City of Silver residents who had been doing something else in the spire had followed the fragrance and gathered at the door.
It took Derrick a great deal of effort to control himself from tasting the mushroom midway. He waited until it was completely charred yellow on the outside before he took it back and blew at it.
At that moment, everyone's eyes were on him, including Colin Iliad and Shepherd Lovia.
With his faith in Mr. World and Mr. Fool, Derrick didn't speak. He lowered his head and bit the mushroom.
"Ssss…" He let out a sound of being scalded before chewing and gulping it down.
After nearly half of the mushrooms were gone, Derrick raised his head, his face slightly red. His mouth was glistening with oil as he mumbled, "It's such a weird… taste… I can't help it… I can't stop…"
Colin Iliad sized up Derrick for a few seconds before turning his head to look at Shepherd Lovia.
Lovia slowly shook her head and said, "No problem."
The surrounding people of the City of Silver immediately let out cheers as they rushed forward and surrounded Derrick. They either wanted to share a piece or ask him what to do with the other mushrooms.
When Colin saw this, his expression gradually relaxed. He slowly closed his eyes and lifted his chin.
He took a deep breath of the fragrance that had filled the room.
The City of Silver held a mushroom ritual? Isn't this a little strange… Also, what's a Stone of Life? Yes, the people from the Church of Earth Mother definitely know, and Frank is no exception… Above the gray fog, as Klein listened to Little Sun's latest report, he opened the parchment that he had received but hadn't had the chance to read in detail.
The reason why he had rushed back to the real world after the sacrificial and bestowment ceremony was because the serialized horror stories of Backlund's hospitals in several newspapers had reached its climax. Hence, he received a lot of feedback over the past few days. He was at the critical moment of having his Bizarro Sorcerer potion digested.
And now, he had already completed this step.
He was already prepared to advance to Scholar of Yore.
Chapter 1136 Rumors from Ancient Times
Putting down the Classical Metallurgist potion formula, Klein cast his gaze towards the two tubes of blood Little Sun had sacrificed.
Then, he beckoned for a ceramic jar wrapped in layers of paper figurines.
This was the Beyonder blood from different pathways that he had previously gathered. It had been placed above the gray fog and sealed with the Paper Angel in order to slowly integrate it into this mysterious space's aura, removing the connection between the blood and the individual. This was to prevent any accidents from happening to the provider when the door of the symbols was opened.
To him, it was fine if he suffered backlash. After all, there was at least one more chance of him reviving. If it would affect those who trusted him and gave their blood, he would rather not do it.
After peeling off the paper figurines at the mouth of the jar and pouring the two tubes of blood into it, he conjured a glass stick and reached in to stir it.
Right on the heels of that, he used Paper Angel and sealed it again.
I'm just short of Prisoner, Devil, and Demoness… After I complete the ritual, I'll personally pay Miss Sharron a visit. It's better to make a request in person regarding such matters. It's too rude to do it by writing letters… Only Miss Magician is a little special. Clearly, she would prefer it if I wrote a letter rather than meet Gehrman Sparrow in person. Heh, she actually used the excuse that the ink had frozen due to the low temperatures to delay her writing. Heh, are her magic tricks just for show? Thankfully, my potion has already digested, so there's no need for me to push her anymore… Klein mumbled inwardly as he threw the ceramic jar covered in paper figurine back into the junk pile.
After leaving the world above the gray fog, he didn't immediately prepare to advance to Scholar of Yore. Instead, he took out a pen and paper and drew the symbol that was a mixture of concealment and mystery prying.
This was something he had planned to do before he consumed the potion—to ask Arrodes about Sefirah Castle.
As the symbol took form, the light in the originally badly-lit room became darker, as if clouds were drifting past, blocking out the sun.
After more than ten seconds, the full-body mirror with cracks suddenly rippled with aqueous light and silver words quickly appeared:
"Exalted Great Master, your devoted, loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, is here to answer your summoning.
"I-I am still the servant that you trust the most, the closest and most favorite, right?"
This question… I seem to be able to read the panic and anxiety of this magic mirror… Does it feel a sense of danger? After some thought, he nodded in amusement.
"Yes."
Actually, that has never been the case… I'm just comforting you… After answering, he silently added in his heart.
The surface of the mirror lit up and the silver words were dyed golden.
They squirmed and formed a new sentence:
"Great Master, do you have any questions for me?"
"Yes." Klein secretly tensed up. "What do you know about Sefirah Castle?"
Arrodes fell silent for a few seconds before the pale golden words changed:
"I don't know much about this. I've only heard some rumors. In the early days of the Second Epoch, the ancient gods believed that the original Creator left some things behind. That might be a 'kingdom' formed from a certain part of 'His' body or something created by 'Him.' And Sefirah Castle is one of them.
"This was the name that the King of Demonic Wolves, Flegrea, gave. 'He' calls the Hounds of Fulgrim as Sefirah Castle Keepers. However, 'He' failed to enter Sefirah Castle even to 'His' death. Therefore, many powerful creatures suspect that Sefirah Castle doesn't actually exist, but is just an abstract concept."
It had something to do with the original Creator? After pondering for a while, he said, "One of them… How many other entities like Sefirah Castle are there?"
"Eight. There are detailed records on the second Blasphemy Slate. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it." On the surface of the mirror, lines of words appeared one after another. However, the pale gold color faded away, becoming silver once again. "The ancient gods suspect that the source of the underground corruption comes from a place similar to Sefirah Castle. They call it the Chaos Sea. Also, there are rumors that deep in the spirit world city, Calderón City, there are clues to the River of Eternal Darkness. This comes from the ancient god, Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace. As for the others, I've heard of some names, but it's not a complete list. There's Tenebrous World, Knowledge Moor, as well as the Brood Hive that's related to the moon."
There are a total of eight. Chaos Sea, River of Eternal Darkness, Knowledge Moor, Tenebrous World, and Brood Hive… Brood Hive is related to the moon; it sounds very dangerous… I wonder if it has anything to do with the Mother Tree of Desire… Klein silently repeated the key information in Arrodes's response. He had a nagging feeling that he should be able to grasp something, but he didn't gain much from it. He even lacked the ability to piece together the clues.
When he saw that Arrodes had only heard rumors and didn't have any actual understanding of them, he organized his thoughts and said with a smile, "From the looks of it, you might come from the Chaos Sea."
"That's not important. What's important is that I'm your loyal, lowly, and obedient servant." Arrodes said the entire sentence at once.
Obedient, this use of words… Klein silently lampooned before asking, "What are the origins of Dark Angel Sasrir?"
On the surface of the mirror, silver words formed one after another:
"I similarly can't see it, but at that time, there was a myth that said that, when the ancient sun god was born, 'He' was light and darkness combined. After all, 'He' calls himself the Creator, so 'He' must be well-rounded and not lacking anything.
"Later, 'He' separated the darkness in his body and used it to create the first angel with one of his ribs, Dark Angel Sasrir."
This… rib… I can totally imagine it. Back then, it was the ancient sun god who personally fabricated and spread this myth… Amon's brother, your wife has become the Dark Angel! Klein was first alarmed before many strange ideas arose in his mind.
As his thoughts settled, he began to analyze the truth behind this myth.
With such a myth spreading, it will cause the believers to believe that Dark Angel Sasrir is the dark side of the ancient sun god. They would worship "Him" in the same way as the Lord. No one objected or forbade this myth. As for Dark Angel, "He" was ultimately the deputy of the divine kingdom, god's left hand. So this implies that this was very likely true…
What happened afterward can be summarized as the dark side of the ancient sun god colluding with foreign enemies, bewitching the Kings of Angels and assassinating the main body?
This can explain why Ouroboros and Medici joined Rose Redemption. "They" were only following the orders of the "Lord"…
From this angle, isn't the position of Dark Angel Sasrir, in the ancient sun god's divine kingdom, equivalent to The World of the Tarot Club? Hmm…
Thankfully, The World is a fake person. He doesn't have his own spirituality and thoughts…
As he thought about it, he suddenly felt drenched with sweat. He was glad that he was a Seer and not some other pathway.
Based on his previous reasoning, he quickly guessed the reason why Dark Angel was sleeping in the Giant King's Court.
Perhaps it has something to do with the fall of the ancient sun god…
Therefore, the brother of Amon, the Dragon of Wisdom, and the True Creator wish to confirm the state of Dark Angel Sasrir…
However, there are many other problems… In the twenty-two Beyonder pathways, which pathway is this King of Angels, the left hand of God?
The Marauder has Amon, Apprentice has Mr. Door, Spectator, Reader, Bard, Sailor, Secrets Suppliant, Warrior, Sleepless, Planter, Savant, Monster, Hunter, and Arbiter are obviously impossible… Corpse Collector is also impossible due to the existence of Death in the Fourth Epoch. It's impossible for there to be a King of Angels to exist at the same time—unless the Dark Angel had already fallen to Sequence 2… By the same logic, the Seer and Lawyer pathways can be eliminated for now. It can then be confirmed that the Dark Angel is no longer a King of Angels…
Mystery Pryer, Moon, and Devil are all certain possibilities. I cannot eliminate the possibility that the Hidden Sage, Primordial Moon, and the Dark Side of the Universe are the Dark Angel's "alt"… Yes, there might still be the Mother Tree of Desire hidden within…
It's also possible with Prisoner. There's no clear evidence that this pathway has produced a true deity. Back then, the Chained God might not even be a King of Angels.
After some thought, he said to Arrodes, "It's your turn to ask."
On the cracked full-body mirror's surface, silver words twisted together and formed a new sentence:
"Great Master, may I guess what you want to ask next?"
"…" Klein nodded slightly and answered, "Sure."
"You wish to ask about Sasrir's current state. My answer is, I don't know, as I can't see." Behind the silver words was a smiley face with a simple drawing.
"Not bad," Klein praised. "That's all for today. I will summon you again in the near future at any time."
"Yes, Great Master. Your loyal servant, Arrodes, is constantly preparing to serve you!" On the surface of the mirror, the simple smile on his face turned into a waving cat's paw.
When the mirror returned to normal, Klein took out a pen and paper and wrote down what he had just learned.
This was one of the documents he had prepared for the Scholar of Yore ritual.
In the past few days, he had written a lot of documents on ancient history.
Following that, with the information and two marionettes, he "Teleported" to the Southern Continent.
He didn't dare to advance in Backlund. If anything were to happen to him, Amon and Zaratul would definitely be able to detect it and come straight for him!
Chapter 1137 Amidst History
On a barren island in the Berserk Sea.
This place wasn't far from the Southern Continent, but it didn't belong there geographically. The reason why Klein had chosen this island as a place for himself to advance to Scholar of Yore was, firstly, because he wanted to avoid Amon and Zaratul to the best of his ability. He also didn't want to enter the region where the Mother Tree of Desire had a wide range of influence. Secondly, because the Berserk Sea was enveloped by the power left behind by Death, this was, in a way, a part of the Evernight Goddess's kingdom. If the ritual were to create a huge commotion, it was possible for some effective screening.
Furthermore, this place is very desolate. There aren't many creatures here, so there's no need to worry about any accidents affecting the innocent… Klein surveyed the area and began to set up a ritual. He brought the corresponding materials back from above the gray fog to the real world.
Following that, he flipped through the thick ancient history documents and pulled out some records that he couldn't be certain of. Those that couldn't be confirmed with divination were also removed.
Pa!
With a shake of his hand, the scarlet flames rose and devoured the stack of paper.
The supplementary ingredients needed for the Scholar of Yore potion were a large amount of real ancient historical records. Therefore, he didn't want to take the risk of using things he couldn't be sure of. He would rather have fewer of them.
After making his selection, he poured the Hound of Fulgrim's blood into a huge cauldron and placed the few White Frost Crystals that he had weighed beforehand into it.
The moment the two supplementary ingredients came into contact with each other, a thin mist immediately rose up. It enveloped the container and was about half the height of a person and an arm wide.
With a glance, Klein followed his spiritual intuition and temporarily gave up on adding the last supplementary material. He first got his marionette, Enuni, to grab the Demonic Wolf of Fog's transformed heart and threw the item that seemed condensed from white mist into the cauldron.
As white frost condensed across Enuni's arm, the mist that emanated from the vessel became extremely dense. It began to contract and expand, as though it was alive, like a slowly-beating heart.
Without any hesitation, Klein controlled his marionette, Enuni, to pick up the pair of eyes from the Hounds of Fulgrim. He stuffed the two dark red flame-like objects into the seemingly corporeal mist.
The mist's color quickly darkened, making it impossible for him to see the huge cauldron at its core.
He didn't panic. Instead, he calmly got his other marionette to throw page after page of the ancient historical records into the blob of thick, dark mist.
The thick mist slowly collapsed. After "digesting" the historical records, it finally fell back into the cauldron, like water vapor, turning into something that coexisted as both a liquid and a gas. Its color was dark red, almost the size of a baby's head.
Upon seeing this scene, Klein removed the spirit pendulum from his left wrist and used divination to determine if the potion was successfully concocted.
He received a revelation that it was rather dangerous, but one that he could barely withstand.
And this meant that the potion was successfully concocted.
Even if it were strictly concocted according to the formula, a Sequence 3 potion is equivalent to poison. If I can withstand it, I'll advance. Otherwise, I'll go crazy, lose control, or even die… After staring at the topaz pendant spinning rapidly in a counterclockwise direction for a few seconds, he pulled up the silver chain and wrapped it around his left wrist.
He cast his gaze at the potion floating in the cauldron as thoughts flashed across his mind:
A Bizarro Sorcerer's acting not only has the key terms of "fear," "horror," "directing," and "inexplicable," there's also some level of mystery, unknown, complicated, and unpredictable aspects of fate. The two aspects combine to form a complete Bizarro Sorcerer… This is a behavioral style, while the other is the attributes…
And to me, my origins are such a mystery that I haven't even figured out the truth. I've experienced so many complicated matters that I've already stopped a true god from descending, scared a King of Angels. Even my fate is so unpredictable that a Snake of Mercury is unable to discern. Therefore, I've already acted in advance and naturally digested that portion of the potion. There's no need to summarize the principles…
This truly reflects the single word "bizarro"…
Yes, the ritual requirements for Scholar of Yore requires me to be completely separated from reality for at least 300 years. Only after I become history and no longer belong to the present era do I consume the potion. My life while I was sealed within a cocoon and hung above the gray fog is more than enough. But after becoming Klein, I've experienced too many things in the past year. I've already left a mark in the present era. Would it affect the effects of the ritual?
It should be… Fortunately, it hasn't even been two years. The mark won't be too deep and can barely be accepted. After all, it's impossible for me to hang myself up for 300 years again before I consume the potion… There's another decade or so until the apocalypse!
Furthermore, the ancient history I grasp is definitely far superior to any Bizarro Sorcerer. It can be considered as me effectively acting ahead of time. I can definitely avoid many dangers…
As his thoughts raced, Klein took a deep breath and stopped thinking about it.
Wearing a silk top hat and a double-breasted coat, his skin suddenly turned transparent as maggots that contained three-dimensional symbols crawled out.
The transparent maggots were itching to move, as if they were going to crawl into the dense mist in the cauldron, leaving behind only empty clothes and hats.
Klein managed to barely control his state as he calmly extended his right hand and picked up the potion that was wrapped in mist.
The potion didn't seem to have any weight as it floated in front of his face.
Klein opened his mouth and took a deep breath.
The potion instantly transformed and extended into Klein's mouth, making him feel like he was devouring a dark red glow.
The transparent maggots swarmed back into his body, tearing down the parts of the potion and swallowing them.
As his Mythical Creature form was special—both a full body and also separated into many small parts—Klein could only consume the potion in such a manner.
Of course, if he could control his incomplete Mythical Creature form, it would be much simpler.
Without a sound, he felt a cold feeling spread through every Worm of Spirit, with a searing pain.
A familiar, boundless grayish-white fog appeared in front of him. It enveloped the entire world, revealing some of his past experiences.
This included the terrifying legends he created, his conversation with the Red Angel evil spirit; the treatment of the demigod, Lucca, with the help of Miss Justice; hunting Hvin Rambis; dealing with Amon's avatars; revenge on Ince Zangwill; exploring Calderón City; infiltrating Saint Samuel Cathedral; dominating the seas; stopping the True Creator's descent; saving Tingen; and various other details of his daily life.
They made conflicts with different people and things, becoming extremely complicated as they merged into a sea. As he "flew" through it, he was unable to find a clear and accurate sense of self. He felt like he was about to be lost in this area. The cold, burning pain constantly drove him forward, so as to expel the influence on him. This made it difficult to return to the real world.
With great difficulty, Klein managed to control this feeling. As he gradually lost consciousness and his body slowly descended, he tried his best to find something that could confirm his identity.
Finally, he saw the deep depths of the gray fog. At the end of the sea was a shattered spot of light. With a thought, he followed his intuition and flew over in a manner that seemed to travel the cosmos.
There was a figure hanging from the blurry door of light in the spot of light. He was stored in a transparent cocoon as he swayed gently. He looked like the original Zhou Mingrui. This had nothing to do with his surroundings. He was alone and easily grasped.
I couldn't see this before when I used the Yesterday Once More charm, but I can actually do so now… In other words, during the advancement process, I can indirectly influence the Sefirah Castle above the gray fog? Wait, my ability to think has been restored… Klein's consciousness instantly cleared up as he finally understood the essence of the ritual.
By eliminating the interference, he could provide a clear definition of himself to become a Scholar of Yore. This prevented him from getting lost!
Following a similar spot of light, Klein began to fly deeper into the grayish-white fog. Along the way, he discovered that the surrounding fog was scattered with fragments of light. They had colonial phases, times when Roselle ruled, the Battle of the Violated Oath, the White Rose War, the Twenty Year War… These were all bits of history that Klein knew of the Fifth Epoch.
As he passed through them, he naturally split his consciousness and completed an invisible connection, making his definition of his own identity even clearer.
In the Pale Era, during the War of the Four Emperors, the Trunsoest Empire, the Tudor Dynasty, the United Empire, Solomon's first and second Empire, the fall of Red Angel, the Blood Emperor's apotheosis, the Black Emperor's return, and other historical fragments continued to surface as Klein kept rushing forward. They appeared in different spots in the endless gray fog, like the stars in the night sky, they illuminated the path to return.
In such a manner, Klein felt that he was becoming more and more lucid. Every Worm of Spirit's coldness and burning sensation became milder.
He could've turned around a long time ago and returned to the real world. However, he didn't stop and continued flying forward.
Scenes of the fatal attack of the Rose Redemption; the three great angels, White, Storm, Wisdom sharing in the body of the ancient sun god; and the plotting in the Giant King's Court with the Church of Evernight, Earth, and Combat hiding as secret organizations flashed across the grayish-white fog. The more he proceeded forward, the more relaxed he felt. He felt like he was about to fly up from running down a runway.
At some point in time, a group of terrifying canine-like creatures with dark red eye sockets appeared beside him. They ran around the indiscernible bottom of the gray fog as they followed him by his side as if they were accompanying and guarding him.
Among them, two of them only had one eye.
Klein looked around and smiled. He didn't stop and continued proceeding deeper into the gray fog.
The history of the Dual Era and the Early Era of Fire swept past him from behind, pointing out the path that led forward. Finally, Klein stopped in front of a lonely fragment of light. Inside was a withered forest and a normal-sized tomb.
He went forward and saw that the grayish-white fog was silently enveloping everything. It was unknown where the other fragments of light were floating.
Feeling his spirituality depleting, Klein didn't continue the search. He connected his consciousness to his origin, and he suddenly plummeted.
As the gray fog rapidly faded away, Klein felt his body and saw the cauldron in front of him.
He didn't care about his current state, and he subconsciously looked up into the sky.
He directly saw the gray fog and the ancient majestic palace above the gray fog.
The mysterious space was trembling slightly.
…
In Backlund, a postman who was riding a bicycle stopped. He turned his head slightly and adjusted the monocle on his right eye.
He then muttered to himself, "Sefirah Castle…"
After a few seconds of hesitation, the thin-faced young man curled his lips and laughed. His expression was filled with anticipation.
In a rental apartment at East Borough of the same city, figures hanging in the air swayed gently. At the same time, they simultaneously made a sound:
"Sefirah Castle…"
In the basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard Mitchell, who was assigning missions to his team, suddenly heard an elderly voice in his mind:
"Sefirah Castle…"