What does one need to prepare for a spontaneous time-space journey?
Lynn's answer was simple: nothing at all. Just pick a destination, and bring along his friend who is disguised in a new identity.
Thus, in the early days of the Third Epoch, during the Glorious Era, two travelers arrived in the domain of the Ancient Sun God.
"So, this is Silver City during the Glorious Era? It feels so different from what it becomes in the future," said Klein, disguised as Merlin, as he weaved through the crowd. He gazed at the towering inhabitants of Silver City, each over two meters tall, feeling the pressure from their imposing heights, yet also clearly sensing the vibrancy of this version of the city, starkly different from the one he was familiar with.
Although the average height was still intimidating, the Silver City of the future, which had stood alone in the darkness for over a thousand years, was undoubtedly oppressive. The entire city had an aura of deathly silence, which only began to lift when the Angel of Secrets descended, bringing a small sun to Silver City. It was only after Klein led a team to the Giant King's Court and opened the gate to the outside world that this deathly stillness began to ease.
But even so, the Silver City of the future remained far less lively than the thriving city before his eyes.
"Well, any city that has stood alone in darkness for over a millennium would become withdrawn. It's a miracle the future Silver City hasn't given up hope altogether and still has youths as pure and sunny as Little Sun," Lynn replied in a hushed tone, though he didn't really need to—Klein had long since employed a minor trick to ensure no one overheard their conversation.
Hearing this, Klein nodded in agreement, then curiously asked, "So, what exactly are we here to do?"
Lynn had only mentioned a spontaneous trip but hadn't explained further. Klein had quickly thrown on a disguise and followed, still unaware of what Lynn intended to accomplish in this Third Epoch.
"It's simple. First, I plan to leave behind the Chess of Blasphemy I've been working on, for a destined individual to find. This is part of a closed historical loop," Lynn said with a straight face, raising a finger.
If Lynn had any regrets about this journey, at the top of the list would likely be the fact that, despite working on the Chess of Blasphemy for a long time, he had never actually left it for anyone.
At first, it was because the chess set wasn't ready, just a concept. Later, after he completed it, Lynn became too busy to pay attention to this little game.
So, during what might be his last time-space journey, the first thing Lynn wanted to do was to leave his Chess of Blasphemy in this relatively friendly Glorious Era and let it flourish.
As for why he hadn't chosen to do this in the Second or Fourth Epochs, the reason was simple—the Third Epoch was the only period where Lynn had yet to leave a trace. And before becoming the Demon of Knowledge, he likely wouldn't leave many traces here either.
The Old Era had the marks of Lynn leading the travelers' tour group.
The First Epoch was already designated as the landing point for his next identity.
The Second Epoch, needless to say, was the era of his first identity, where everything began.
The Fourth Epoch had already been turned upside down by Lynn, with his friends and collaborators spread across the world.
The Fifth Epoch was where his main persona resided and served as the anchor and foundation of everything.
In each of these eras, Lynn had, or would soon, leave his mark, to varying degrees.
So, after thinking it through, Lynn decided to make this his first stop. He would leave behind the Chess of Blasphemy and find some amusement for himself.
"Klein, while Amon is still young, let's go give him a spanking!" Lynn's eyes gleamed as he slapped Klein on the shoulder.
"Huh?" The Fool, who had been recalling what the Chess of Blasphemy was, paused, his expression becoming rather strange. "Is that... allowed?"
"Of course, it is! Technically speaking, I'm Amon's senior, so I have every right to educate him," Lynn replied with righteous conviction. Though he had tormented Amon many times, who would ever feel like they'd tormented Amon enough?
'A senior? Well, based on Sasrir's lineage, you'd be more of an older brother at most…' Klein couldn't help but internally mutter, but he also found himself somewhat tempted.
Although Amon's true form in the Fifth Epoch had already been tricked and was now confined to a crystal ball, where he could be considered a magical princess by some standards, young Amon was clearly different from his adult self.
While Klein wouldn't hold the sins of the adult Amon against his younger self, who could resist going back in time to give their nemesis a good spanking and tugging on his ears?
The mere thought was amusing!
Especially when Klein considered that Amon would remember this encounter in the future—it became even more entertaining.
Evidently, whether due to his divinity or simply being corrupted by Lynn, the Fool himself now had quite the mischievous streak.
So, with one glance exchanged between the two troublemakers, they reached a tacit agreement without wasting a single second. Under Lynn's guidance, they headed straight for the palace of the Ancient Sun God.
More precisely, they arrived at the palace where young Amon resided, under the care of the War Angel Medici.
"Little Red, the eternal caretaker. No wonder the Red Priest pathway should really be renamed the Red Maid," Lynn whispered with a smirk as he crept behind the door. He glanced at Klein beside him, and his mouth twitched.
There was no particular reason—Lynn, despite his sneaky demeanor, had not bothered to hide his aura at all. It was as if he had announced his presence to the entire camp of the Ancient Sun God. Klein was certain that Lynn's current behavior was pure theatrics.
But what could Klein do? He had no choice but to follow his mischievous partner's lead, lowering his voice as well and saying, "But the Hunter pathway becomes male after reaching demigod status. So, the 'maid' title might not be very accurate."
Clearly, the Fool was also seriously critiquing.
"True, but if the Hunter advances one more step, they'll become a fashionable hermaphrodite. So, calling them 'maid' isn't entirely wrong," Lynn replied earnestly before muttering, "Speaking of which, I've always been curious about Chick's situation. He's the typical male-turned-female Witch, which explains his hostility towards Beyonders of the Witch pathway. But I suspect he secretly loves Adam. So wouldn't turning into a woman make it easier for him to pursue his true love? Or maybe Adam is actually into men…"
"Ahem…" Hearing this potentially scandalous gossip, even Klein couldn't help but cough awkwardly, his expression becoming somewhat subtle.
Because suddenly, he remembered several details, all of which suggested that Adam's relationship with the Witch Sect might actually be… okay?
'No, no, I can't let Lynn lead me down the wrong path!' Klein firmly shook his head, trying to clear the absurd thoughts from his mind.
"You two, have you finished?"
At that moment, in the hall beyond the door, the War Angel Medici, who had been listening for a while, could no longer contain himself.
His gaze first fell on Klein, seemingly realizing something, before glancing at the young Amon beside him. His expression showed either schadenfreude or… more schadenfreude.
Then, Medici's eyes shifted to Lynn. After a brief pause, he curled his lips into a mocking smile and said, "Talking about me the moment you return? You truly are a good older brother!"
(End of Chapter)