'Even though borrowing my power likely won't affect the outcome of the ritual, I couldn't help but wonder. The Fool's ascension ritual involves deceiving history, so if I take Klein on a journey through history, leaving behind his traces and turning the false ancient god who woke up to a true ancient god, wouldn't that count as deceiving history?'
Lynn couldn't help but ponder this. The main reason he didn't want Klein to rely on this cheat to hunt a Sequence 4 Beyonder was, as he had said before, to ensure that Mr. Fool would gain enough experience.
Taking down Zaratul ahead of schedule was one thing, as it was more of a sneak peek into the future, but this task, meant for Klein at his current stage, was something Lynn wouldn't assist with too much.
After all, if Klein wanted to become the Lord of Mysteries, he couldn't be a sheltered flower.
Klein wasn't disappointed by Lynn's words. Instead, he recalled something and asked, "But I'm only at Sequence 5. If I fuse with the historical projection of myself from the future like this, wouldn't there be side effects?"
Klein didn't think the Angel of Secrets would harm him, but the actions of a certain someone had always been so absurd that he couldn't help but be wary. Especially the fact that a Sequence 5 could briefly borrow the power of a Sequence 1—it sounded too much like a cheat. No matter how he thought about it, there had to be side effects.
"There are two side effects. First, after borrowing the power, you will experience a period of weakness for a few hours. It's not a big deal; a good sleep should fix it." Lynn didn't hide anything and continued to explain through the Angel of Secrets.
"Second…" The Angel of Secrets paused here, looking at Klein with a somewhat subtle expression. "You've already had some lessons with Bethel, so you should know that when pulling in a historical projection, if the person in question holds the relevant authority, they can project their consciousness into the historical projection."
Klein was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood. He asked in disbelief, "So, my future self could project consciousness into the historical projection?"
The Angel of Secrets smiled slightly and explained, "This little trick was borrowed from my ability to communicate with different eras of myself, but it's not part of my core powers. So, your future self wouldn't really be able to project full consciousness and control the historical projection. At most, you might feel some emotions or the future self might gain a sense of things—like your memories, for example."
"But overall, it's still you, so there's no real loss." The Angel of Secrets winked at Klein. "All in all, it's a rather interesting trick."
Of course, Lynn wouldn't tell Klein that his original intention in developing this skill was to see if he could bypass the restrictions of his smurf account and create alternative identities.
Though it ultimately failed, in a way, it was still a success—thanks to this ability, Lynn could communicate with future friends across different points in history.
This was something the original Lynn couldn't do. Time travel required coordinates, and he didn't have any for future timelines. Plus, who knew when the next new identity slot would open?
Even if he got a new slot, Lynn didn't plan to place his next identity in a future timeline but in another era altogether.
After all, relying on Mr. Fool to ascend as the Lord of Mysteries would take a long time, and Lynn didn't want to rush his friend too much. So, he had a new idea: if he couldn't easily access the Knowledge Moor in this timeline, why not go back to a time when the Nine Sefirot, including the Knowledge Moor, were first left behind after the Great Old One's awakening but before they were sealed by the Celestial Worthy?
If Lynn opened a new identity in that era, wouldn't he be able to directly claim the Knowledge Moor without waiting for the seal on the Western Continent to be lifted?
"Can this really be called a little trick?" Klein didn't know that a certain angelic friend was already planning how to bypass the seal of the Celestial Worthy to claim the Knowledge Moor. Shocked by the Angel of Secrets' game-breaking ability, Klein couldn't help but voice his disbelief.
"Well, for me, it's just a little trick." The Angel of Secrets smiled faintly, then added, "Oh, right, the historical projection summoned by this trick isn't from any timeline I've interfered with—it's the original history. So when the time comes, try not to empathize too deeply. Otherwise, I'm afraid you might cry on the spot."
A question mark slowly formed above Klein's head as he looked at the Angel of Secrets and asked, "Was I really that miserable?"
"Well, if we're talking about strength, then no, you were certainly powerful. Future you is, without a doubt, the strongest on Earth." The Angel of Secrets' tone grew heavy as he looked at Klein with a sigh. "But from a personal standpoint, the future you from that timeline… Well, I could sum it up with one word: loneliness."
Klein instinctively furrowed his brow and showed a thoughtful expression. He seemed to understand something.
The Angel of Secrets didn't elaborate further. After patiently waiting a few seconds, he said, "Foggy Town belongs to the Evernight Goddess, so before we visit, I'll need to notify Amanises first. Considering the time required to return from the Forsaken Land, I'll come to you in about three days. You'd better be mentally prepared."
"I will." Klein nodded seriously, then asked curiously, "Has your business there concluded?"
He knew that a few days ago, the Angel of Secrets and the Angel of War had left Silver City without a trace.
"Pretty much. I originally wanted to beat up Amon, but I've been too busy lately, so I'll let him off this time." The Angel of Secrets shrugged. Though his initial reason for visiting the Forsaken Land had been to deal with Amon, a series of unexpected events had made that goal less important.
After helping Silver City explore the temple of the True Creator and meeting the True Creator in person to confirm His improved condition, Lynn indeed planned to end his journey and return to Backlund.
Just in time, it was almost the moment to give the Augustus family a little surprise. Lynn could also nudge the Aurora Order into action and enjoy the spectacle of their performance.
(End of Chapter)
If you want, support me on Patreon and get access to the end of the story in advance:
p@treon.com/IHaveNoNamingSense