1096 - 1103

Chapter 1096 Cooperation

At just past six in the morning, the entirety of Backlund remained dark. It was very quiet, with most areas being illuminated only by the street lamps.

Wearing his pajamas, Klein sat on the bed and looked at Miss Messenger who was carrying four heads. He rubbed his temples and asked helplessly, "Who sent the letter?"

Why couldn't he have a good night's rest?

The three heads in Reinette Tinekerr's hands replied one by one, "That…" "Particular…" "Brainless…"

"Servant…" "Of…" "Yours…"

Danitz… He prayed in the middle of the night in the past, and now he's sending letters in the morning… Klein took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Following that, he received the letter from Miss Messenger.

When he opened it, his expression gradually turned solemn. This was because Danitz's and Anderson's discovery of Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy's location was extremely untimely.

According to Klein's deductions, it wouldn't take long for the pirate admiral and Demoness of White Katarina to regain their "freedom." They wouldn't be hiding much, making it easier to find them. Now that they had dealt with the intelligence peddler, Bartz, and obtained the items to contact Tracy from him, the greatest possibility was that they had frightened the target and made her continue hiding.

Of course, Klein could seek the help of Queen Mystic Bernadette to find a way to lock onto Vice Admiral Ailment through the mirror. However, the problem was that he suspected that the target's hiding place was an important stronghold of the Demoness Sect. It might even be the headquarters where there were Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts. This way, even if he had confirmed the whereabouts of Tracy, he wouldn't dare to "Teleport" over to capture her. Hence, any contact would alert the pirate admiral.

And if he didn't take the opportunity to contact her, regardless of whether Bartz was dead or alive, the news would spread after daybreak. Similarly, Tracy would be on guard.

Seriously… However, this is also because Anderson and Danitz don't know the truth. They don't know the changes in the situation of the Loen Kingdom… After some thought, he said to Miss Messenger who was waiting by the side, "Wait for me. I'll write a reply."

He had originally planned to "Teleport" over directly to decide what to do next, but after some consideration, he still chose to write a letter.

Although he believed that Zaratul wouldn't waste time on an obvious "bait" like Danitz, he still felt that he had to be more careful. If Zaratul didn't do so, it didn't mean that the members of the Secret Order under "Him" would do the same. Such a huge secret organization definitely had a few demigods at the saint level. Once he got entangled by the other party, it would be a huge problem.

"Alright." The head carried by Reinette Tinekerr that had failed to speak previously rushed to answer first.

Klein got out of bed, walked out of the bedroom, and came to the room outside. He took out a pen and paper and wrote fluidly:

"Think of a way to make Bartz faint until dawn.

Then, leave his room immediately and stay far away. There is a great danger lurking there.

"Monitor Bartz again when daybreak arrives, but don't alarm him."

The so-called danger was a half-truth, and his main goal was to get Anderson and Danitz to leave the scene, so as to draw away any possible spying.

Putting down the pen and looking through it again, he folded the letter and handed it to his messenger, Reinette Tinekerr, who had followed him out.

At 3:10 a.m. in the Berserk Sea, Theros Island, Bartz's room.

Danitz had just finished clearing the altar and wiping away the traces when he saw the terrifying messenger with four heads return.

Gehrman Sparrow actually didn't come… Danitz reached out to receive the letter in surprise, then he took out a gold coin for the messenger.

After the figure with four heads and dark, complicated long dress disappeared into the void, he opened the letter and quickly read through it.

T-there's danger! Danitz's pupils dilated as he rushed towards the door as if he had been burned in the ass.

After leaving the room, he said to Anderson, who was standing in the corridor with his back against the wall with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, "Quick, let's go. It's very dangerous here!"

"…Did Gehrman Sparrow say that?" Anderson was taken aback as he asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, how do you know? Couldn't it be that I discovered something?" Danitz replied instinctively.

"You? Heh." Anderson chuckled and asked rather relaxed, "What else did he say?"

"Aren't you nervous? Gehrman Sparrow is very reliable on such matters." Danitz's focus was completely off.

Anderson fell silent for a moment before saying, "His messenger is more reliable. At least, within the few minutes of his messenger's return trip, there won't be any danger here."

If there really was any "danger" lurking here, they would silently shrink back when they saw the messenger.

Danitz originally wanted to reply that it may seem so in terms of her image, but for some reason, he instinctively gave up on that sentence.

He switched to saying, "Gehrman Sparrow also said to let Bartz pass out until dawn so that we can monitor him again when the sun rises without exposing ourselves."

Anderson frowned. "What does he want to do? There won't be any latent dangers anymore once the sun rises?"

Without waiting for Danitz to respond, the Strongest Hunter of the Fog Sea turned around and entered the room. He took out a small metal bottle he carried with him and pulled out the stopper. He placed it at the tip of Bartz's nose and moved it back and forth.

"It's done. Let's go." Anderson didn't hide his curiosity as he surveyed the area before leading Danitz out of Bartz's room and walked far into the distance.

Backlund, Empress Borough, Inside the Hall family's luxurious mansion.

At 7:25 a.m., Audrey suddenly woke up from her dream.

She dreamed of the boundless gray fog and dreamed of The World Gehrman Sparrow asking her to help hypnotize someone, making the target forget everything that had happened in the past six hours, as well as all the people who asked about a particular secret island.

This is something that can be used as contributions needed for the Manipulator potion formula and Beyonder characteristic… Also, Mr. World said that he would donate 7,000 pounds for the war efforts… Audrey got off the bed very lightly and put a teal cloak over her white nightgown.

Following that, she followed Gehrman Sparrow's instructions and set up a ritual, praying for Mr. Fool's bestowment.

The illusory door quickly took shape and opened, sending three items flying out and landing on the altar.

One of them was a thin human-skinned glove, the other was the "instruction manual" on a piece of paper, and the other was a neat stack of cash that wasn't tied up.

This is Creeping Hunger? Audrey scrutinized the altar and thanked Mr. Fool.

Then, she put on the glove and, according to the "instruction manual," activated the spirit of the Traveler.

When the glove turned transparent, the twelve sacred angels with fiery wings suddenly appeared in front of her.

This is the Angel's Embrace that Mr. World has requested? Its effect is to interfere with divination and prophecy powers at the scene, so as to ensure that my identity won't be exposed? Audrey's eyes darted around as she changed the Lie accessory which she had already prepared into a silver mask, and she wore it on her face.

Following that, she followed the coordinates given by The World Gehrman Sparrow and began the "Teleportation" step.

During this process, the strange scenery of the spirit world and all kinds of strange creatures left a deep impression on her. However, before she could carefully observe them, she arrived at her destination. She saw that the colors were saturated, and the stacked scenes rapidly faded away, becoming normal. It was still late at night outside.

It feels like I've recovered my feelings and mood from when I first entered the mysterious world… Audrey analyzed her mental state and focused her attention on the target lying on the floor in the room she was in.

It was an unconscious man. The door to his Body of Heart and Mind was rather weak, meaning that he was someone who could easily be charmed, even if it didn't involve Beyonder powers.

Hypnotizing such a target wasn't difficult for Audrey. However, in order to digest the potion, she decided to use dreams to help with the "Hypnosis."

The unconscious Bartz had a dream. He dreamed of a blurry female figure. In his dream, he believed that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, a perfect state that Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy could achieve.

Bartz wildly chased her as he ran back and forth in the wilderness, hills, and mountains. However, he couldn't catch up to her, as though he had left behind something very important.

After an unknown period of time, he woke up from exhaustion and slowly recalled what had happened last night. He was in a bad mood because of him losing money. He had fallen drunk after drinking only half a bottle of Lanti Proof. Up to now, his temples were still throbbing in pain.

I even knocked the back of my head… Bartz rubbed the swollen area and lumbered back to the bed. He fell into it and continued sleeping.

And for Audrey who had completed a milder form of hypnosis with the Dreamwalker's powers, she had long followed The World Gehrman Sparrow's instructions and restored the scene completely, leaving nothing suspicious behind.

This was the ability of a senior Spectator.

Then, she "Teleported" back to Backlund and sacrificed Creeping Hunger to Mr. Fool.

The entire process didn't cause much of a stir. The Church of Evernight Beyonders in charge of protecting the Hall family were completely unaware.

After dealing with all kinds of traces, Audrey pulled a bell and let the maidservants waiting outside enter.

Her personal maidservant, Annie, gestured for the other maidservants to get busy as she said to Audrey, "Miss, there's a piece of news from the bursary foundation."

"What news?" Audrey interpreted the shock, confusion, disbelief, joy, and curiosity in Annie's tone.

Annie replied quickly, "That Miss Eudora who needed to have her leg amputated has completely recovered. It's as though she was never injured. This… this is a medical miracle!"

Audrey was similarly stunned. She had some guesses, but she didn't dare to confirm them. She lacked sufficient clues and evidence.

"Also, all the patients with serious medical conditions have fully recovered!" At this point, Annie couldn't control herself. She lowered her voice and said, "I heard that there was a ghost wandering around. Half of its face had mushrooms growing all over, and the other half was covered in weeds. It ate illnesses, trauma, and grief. I don't know if it's true, but it's scary."

"Mushroom… Weeds…" Audrey repeated the two words, momentarily at a loss.

Chapter 1097 Different Conundrum

Seeing that her mistress was clearly interested in ghost tales, Annie glanced at the other maids who were preparing hot water, combs, and other items. She continued, "The doctors and nurses wished to invite the Church's bishop to host a Mass, but the remaining patients strongly objected to it. They look forward to meeting that ghost. They all call it 'the Clown Angel.' They say that its terrifying appearance resembles a specially dressed clown, but in actual fact, it's an angel who can resolve pain and torment."

"This title is very interesting…" Audrey said with a faint smile.

If it were in the past, she would definitely be very interested in this, perhaps eager to make a trip to the hospital via Dream Traversal to figure out what was going on with the so-called "Clown Angel." However, the sudden eruption of the war made her feel rather depressed. She felt that there were too many important things that she needed to do, so she wasn't in the mood to probe further.

In fact, if she hadn't experienced the air raid herself and seen those who were injured because of it, she would definitely feel like a war had never happened over the past few days and that Backlund was still very peaceful.

This was because, after that air raid, the airship fleet of the Loen Kingdom had been roped into the war effort. The air defenses of the coastal city's had all been raised, and Backlund didn't suffer another attack again. Currently, the battle between Feysac and Loen was mainly focused in three places—the Winter County's Amantha mountain range, the heavy industry metropolitan area along the Midseashire's east coast, and the few harbors along the Sonia Sea coast. Furthermore, they were in a deadlock with no side gaining an advantage over the other. Even if there were casualties, it didn't have any material impact on Backlund. Other than the rise in prices with several editorial pieces in the newspapers, this city seemed to restore its peace in a few short days.

However, Audrey didn't think so. Her father and brother have been busy with work recently, often returning late at night or convening a private gathering with a group of nobles, Members of Parliament, and clergymen. Through the other charity organizations in the Church of Evernight, she learned of the exact number of casualties at the front lines of Pritz Harbor and Amantha. She even saw some photos of the battlefield. She was working hard to gather funds, contacting various pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, hoping that she could organize help and treatment needed in the war effort.

Who would've thought that the crazy adventurer has not only offered the excess food in his manor, but he has even donated 7,000 pounds in cash… Audrey sighed secretly and began letting the maidservant help doll her up.

South of the Bridge, Rose Street.

Emlyn White casually donated ten pounds to a charity organization's solicitor. He pressed his top hat and walked up the stairs, entering the Harvest Church.

At this moment, there were no believers in the cathedral. Father Utravsky, who looked like a half-giant, sat at the front and prayed sincerely.

Emlyn was in no hurry to change into his priest robes. He sat beside the priest and wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he ended up scoffing.

"It must be your typical Feysac appearance and figure that made those believers fearful of coming over," Emlyn said casually as he looked at the altar in front of him.

Bishop Utravsky put down his hands and opened his eyes.

"I can understand them."

"What's the point of understanding them? If the war gets more intense and the number of soldiers who die in the battle increase a bit more, the believers might rush in here and bum the cathedral and hang you to death." Emlyn continued to look at the Sacred Emblem of Life.

Father Utravsky shook his head slightly.

"No, they won't. They sincerely believe in the Earth Mother. They won't bum the cathedral. At most, they will banish me. If I express that I've given up on my Feysac nationality, there will always be people who will understand and accept me."

Emlyn tsked and said without moving his gaze, "What if Feynapotter joins in the war and attacks Desi Bay, Loen territory?

"What if the Church of Earth Mother calls all clergymen to arms and become enemies with Loen?

"Are you going to obey the orders of the Church and abandon the believers here, or are you going to pretend that you don't know anything? Continuing promoting how precious life is, how joyous the harvest is as you are now? Or, will you directly organize those believers to make them become enemies with their own kind, using blood and sacrifices to prove their faith?"

Bishop Utravsky slowly looked at the Sacred Emblems of Life up and above the altar, not saying anything for a long time.

Emlyn didn't bring up any more questions as he fell silent like the priest.

The entire Harvest Church was silent.

On a colonial island, Alger Wilson, who hadn't had the chance to return to Pasu Island, didn't leave the Blue Avenger due to his principles of being cautious. He only sent his sailors to take turns to gather information.

"Captain, there still isn't any news about mustering us," a sailor reported to Alger of his findings of the day while reeking of alcohol.

Alger waved his hand and dismissed his subordinate to leave the room. Then, he frowned slightly and muttered silently to himself, The Church doesn't seem to care much about this war…

From what Alger knew, this was likely an intense war that would cover a huge scale. As the victim of an invasion, the Church of the Lord of Storms would definitely mobilize all its strength to defeat the enemy, including the "captains" who were scattered across the sea by giving them corresponding missions. However, at this moment in time, Alger had yet to receive orders from Pasu Island.

This didn't mean that the Church of the Lord of Storms was slacking off. The activity of the Church's forces amongst the Loen army and the air raid drills it was involved in the various major cities, and the activities of the demigods implied that the Church of the Lord of Storms was seriously resisting the invasion of the Feysac Empire. It was just that it wasn't going all-out.

Could it be that it's because we're still in the early stages of the war? The Church wishes to preserve a portion of its strength for the critical moment? Alger held back the stirrings in his heart and waited for further information.

At night, another group of sailors returned with news that had nothing to do with the war.

"Captain, there seems to be some kind of monster hiding on this island. Many pirates say that they encountered a terrifying situation when they head out to pee after drinking too much. Some of them were violently slapped by the branches of trees, while others saw fruits growing on their bodies—ones filled with blood and flesh in them. Some of them encountered skinny ghostly figures with wheat faces…" A rather sober sailor described the rumors he had heard.

Tales about ghosts and monsters… Alger didn't have the intention to probe into the truth of the matter. He nodded and sternly warned, "Don't go out at night."

After such paranormal tales started in Backlund and Pritz Harbor, Klein never went to those hospitals again, afraid that he would directly meet Zaratul's marionettes.

With the Creeping Hunger and the ability to "Travel," he expanded his range for creating terrifying tales. Sometimes, he would be in the Sonia Sea, at other times in the Fog Sea. He would go to Lenburg, sometimes to Feynapotter, and sometimes appear in places like East and West Balam, the highlands and valley. He didn't abide by any rules, and he relied solely on his momentary inspiration. He would visit some cities two or three times while not stepping foot into others even once.

During this process, Klein felt an inexplicable strange feeling. In the terrifying darkness, invisible tentacles extended out, either searching for his whereabouts or attempting to predict his movements so as to intercept him ahead of time.

They were silent and cold, and once they entangled him, the consequences were unimaginable.

Klein knew that this might be the result of Zaratul's "search." His best solution was to temporarily stop acting and to lay low in wait. However, it was also this subtle feeling that made him wish to digest the potion as soon as possible. Hence, he made use of the gray fog's powers. Every time he randomly chose a target location, he would go above the gray fog to divine the danger level and use Paper Angels to interfere.

At this moment, with the huge progress in his digestion, he "Teleported" to Cookawa, which was in the Northern State of West Balam.

This was where he had killed Ince Zangwill to avenge himself and the captain.

The moment his figure appeared in the White Feather Square, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

The residence that belonged to Maysanchez was too quiet. It was so quiet that it sent chills down his spine.

Maysanchez was a native general who had previously bought arms from Dwayne Dantes. He was a Beyonder of the Death pathway, and he was backed by the Church of Knowledge.

What happened? Klein frowned slightly as he considered whether he should enter to confirm the situation. After all, that was his "collaboration partner."

Furthermore, if he were to encounter an enemy that wasn't weak, it would be a very good opportunity for him to act. After doing a self-analysis of the situation, he believed that if he could use a saint-level demigod as the main lead and create a few more horror tales, then his Bizarro Sorcerer potion would be digested for the most part.

Of course, the prerequisite for everything is to be safe. I have to be careful and cautious… As he made his marionette, Qonas Kilgor, transform into the appearance of Dwayne Dantes, he took out a gold coin.

This time, the revelation he received was that there wasn't any danger.

Strange… Klein didn't let his guard down as his body turned incorporeal before becoming a shadow that disappeared into the darkness of the night. As for his marionette, Qonas Kilgor walked slowly towards Maysanchez's mansion with his face facing down.

This was the ability to hide in the shadows that Creeping Hunger provided itself.

As for the other marionette, Enuni, he was waiting about 1000 meters away. As for the few "rats" that belonged to the marionette, they were spaced out nearly 1000 meters away from each other, but they were unable to do anything.

Soon, Dwayne Dantes arrived in front of the general's residence and activated his Spirit Body Threads vision.

What entered his vision were black illusory threads that were "grown" in a messy fashion. They seemed to come from different people, but they also had an obviously similar aura.

And normal Spirit Body Threads didn't exist at all.

After a few seconds of silence, Dwayne Dantes extended his right hand and pushed open the closed door.

The scene inside was completely different from what he remembered. The pillars that were covered with golden foils, the golden sculptures on the walls, and gorgeous stairs were now rolled into a bunch like a huge porcupine with golden spikes growing out of it. On the ground, there were sharp stone pillars and shattered glass everywhere.

Apart from these, there were more illusory bookshelves in the hall that didn't appear real. There were pools of black shadows hidden in different spots on the bookshelf as they curled and stretched like eyes from time to time.

As the door opened, the pool of liquid-like shadows suddenly came alive and produced the same sound:

"It's you!

"My prediction was right. You're the one who can help me out of my conundrum!"

Chapter 1098 Contribution Accumulation

Upon hearing the words of the pools of black shadows, a figure suddenly appeared in Klein's mind.

It was the elder in a white robe with inlaid brass lines. His hair was completely white and neatly combed. His pair of gray-green eyes left a deep impression on him.

He claimed to be a member of the Church of Knowledge and that he was in charge of matters in West Balam and had a close relationship with Maysanchez.

Back then, he had suddenly paid a visit to Dwayne Dantes, giving the excuse for his visit as him having predicted that he would be in a very troublesome situation in the future, and that someone he met during that time period would help him resolve the problem.

After some thought, he slowly said, "Lucca Brewster?"

"Yes, it's me. You actually still remember me!" In the different parts of the illusory bookshelves, the pool of liquid-like shadows rushed to answer.

Their voices were no longer uniform. They were layered over each other, echoing endlessly. Even though he was separated by his marionette, Klein's ears still rang, and he felt a sense of dizziness.

This isn't a normal sound. It contains a certain inclination towards losing control or experiencing mental corruption… The illusory bookshelves themselves are just for show… Just as this thought flashed through Klein's mind, he heard the black shadows curling and extending at the same time.

"Sorry, I was too agitated just now and couldn't control myself."

Hiding in the shadows outside the mansion, Klein controlled his marionette, Qonas Kilgor, and said, "What did you encounter? How did you end up like this?"

The black figures sighed and said, "The Adjudicator of the Feynapotter military, Bellacosta, and the Church of Earth Mother's archbishop, Martina, jointly attacked this place, with their main target being me. I had no choice but to activate my Mythical Creature form and make them temporarily retreat. Seeing as you entered without noticing anything, you must've 'Teleported' here.

"You're also a demigod. You should know that once you reveal your Mythical Creature form, it won't be easy for you to return to normal. I was also affected by inclinations towards going insane, and I nearly lost control. Fortunately, I was once a Mysticism Magister and had mastered many strange but effective mystic arts. Hence, I sealed myself to a certain extent at the critical moment and ended up like this.

"Sigh, this can only last for some time. The madness is still eating at me. I've already contacted the See, and it wouldn't be long before a helper comes. However, I don't know if I can last that long.

"I was just thinking that this should be that very troublesome conundrum in the prophecy, and I was wondering if the person who could help me solve this problem would appear. I'm so happy that you're here. This proves that my prediction and interpretation wasn't wrong. This has improved my mental state…"

He really is a demigod who's determined to see his predictions succeed… If I were to turn around and leave at this moment, would you just break down and lose control on the spot… After lampooning silently in his heart, Klein began thinking about the key information that was revealed by Lucca Brewster.

The Feynapotter military and the Church of Earth Mother had begun taking action!

He then got his marionette, Qonas Kilgor, to take out a gold coin and flick it before reaching out to catch it.

From what he knew, the clergymen of the seven Churches were focused on maintaining order and ensuring the safety of their believers, regardless of the situation. From this angle, it was impossible for Lucca Brewster to be a Devil or a Demon.

As for the impression that Vice Admiral Iceberg and Detective Isengard Stanton gave him, it made him feel that the Church of Knowledge wasn't too bad. He felt that, other than their habitual discrimination against people with low intelligence and those who were not fond of studying, there was nothing wrong with their actions and style.

This is also the reason why they're unable to develop and expand. They can only stay in a few small countries… Klein didn't look at the result from flipping the gold coin. He mumbled a few words before saying, "How can I help you?"

The excited black shadows fell silent. A few seconds later, they said, "I don't know either…"

Klein looked at them, and they looked back at him in silence. Instantly, there was a mutual silence.

Why don't I suggest turning you into my marionette? Nearly ten seconds later, Klein lampooned inwardly.

His thoughts raced as he began to think of a way to resolve the Lucca Brewster's problem of not being able to recover from his Mythical Creature form.

To be honest, his seriousness towards helping Lucca out wasn't just because of his good impression of the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom, but also because of interests that could benefit him.

Firstly, there was the inkling of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom's existence in the matter of Groselle's Travels. At present, he was unable to determine the true god's goal. He felt that showing some goodwill might lead to pleasant surprises. Secondly, if Roselle's return really happened, the attitude of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom was rather important.

From the Red Angel evil spirit's tone and manner of speech, Klein could make a preliminary judgment: Compared to the Fourth Epoch, the seven deities of the present era had a drastic change in attitude towards the appearance of a Black Emperor. Their reaction wasn't as intense as before, and they were more inclined to tacitly approve of it, even if the person wasn't their own candidate of choice.

Under such circumstances, if Emperor Roselle were to return, the only ones who would be against it would probably be the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery. After all, back when Roselle perished, "They" had been involved in the matter to some extent.

However, this objection wouldn't be too strong either. As long as Roselle's mental state was normal and he escaped the corruption and madness, there was a chance of being accepted. After all, the Black Emperor didn't have the problem of switching with the Sun and Savant pathway, so there weren't any direct conflicts of interest.

As for the original grudge, it wasn't too serious at the level of a deity. Of course, this was just a guess Klein made from his knowledge of ancient history and from the angle of mysticism. According to his understanding of the situation, other than the God of Craftsmanship, the other six deities had been enemies with each other back during Solomon's first empire. "They" had left behind countless grudges, and had no choice but to rope in the Black Emperor back then to help "Them." In the end, "They" still put these matters behind "Them" and formed an alliance that lasted to this day.

Even the deities of neighboring pathways could coexist peacefully to a certain extent. As long as Roselle could really be revived, then as someone who wasn't completely dead, the feud between him and the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery could be resolved.

Of course, with his understanding of Roselle, it was only a matter of time before Roselle took revenge. As long as he wasn't crazy and wasn't forced into a corner and wasn't extreme, he could still understand the situation clearly and know what to do and what it meant to wait for an opportunity.

Under such circumstances, Klein believed that the ones who were able to suppress the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery when "They" expressed "Their" objections and also make "Them" tacitly agree to it were definitely the Lord of Storms and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, because "They" and the Eternal Blazing Sun were on Beyonder paths that could be interchanged.

I'm just afraid that the corruption that stems from the cosmos isn't that easy to resolve. The revived Roselle may end up completely turning into an evil god, but such matters can only be done one step at a time. Only by understanding the situation can one grasp the crux of the matter and decide whether to press the "button" at the final moment… Humans can't stop because of worries with low odds. If that's the case, nothing can be done. Even drinking a mouthful of water might lead to the descent of an evil god…

Similarly, what are the reactions of the various parties towards Roselle's return, and how intense would they be? This will require me to wait and make further observations before I can find the most acceptable solution for everyone… At the moment, causing damage during the ritual at the critical moment has the highest chance of success… As his thoughts raced, Klein looked at the pool of dark shadows and slowly said, "How long can you last?"

Lucca Brewster observed his condition and said, "Seven, seven minutes.'

I thought you were going to say "seven, six, five, four, three…" After lampooning, Klein said, "I'll get you a Psychiatrist."

As he spoke, he retreated a few hundred meters out of the shadows of Maysanchez's residence. Then, he set up a ritual and sacrificed Creeping Hunger above the gray fog.

After doing all of this, he sat in The Fool's chair, conjured Gehrman Sparrow's figure, and made him do a simple and quick prayer.

At this moment, it was almost dawn. As for Audrey, who had been busy with charity work, she had yet to sleep.

Treat a demigod who has shown signs of losing control… I can accumulate more merit points as well… Audrey put down the fountain pen in her hand and put on a white cloak with golden patterns.

Just like the previous mission, she set up a ritual to receive Creeping Hunger and wore Lie, which was in the form of a silver mask. Under the protection of Angel's Embrace, she "Teleported" to the Maysanchez mansion in West Balam according to the map provided by Gehrman Sparrow.

The difference this time was that, due to her facing a demigod, not only was she wearing a mask, she had also used Lie to adjust her figure, aura, and appearance under the mask.

Then, she saw "Mr. World" in the form of Dwayne Dantes.

"That demigod has broken down into pools of black liquid. Try not to communicate with his Body of Heart and Mind directly. This will infect you with his inclination to lose control. If you can't treat him, I can lend you a Beyonder characteristic." Klein specially warned Miss Justice.

Audrey didn't say that she was very clear about this. She was very professional in this aspect and listened attentively. "Let me give it a try first."

She tugged at the cloak covering her body and took a few steps forward, casting her gaze at the illusory bookshelves and the pools of black liquid.

"Thankfully, he hasn't truly lost control." After examining for a few seconds, Audrey said gently.

Accompanied by her calm and powerful words, an invisible wind of Placate began to blow.

The frequency at which the pools of black liquid curled up and stretched began to decrease as the sense of anxiety weakened.

Audrey used Placate a few more times. It was only when Lucca Brewster's mental state was completely stabilized and he had the ability to cooperate did she get him to open up his mind and receive the treatment.

And she took the opportunity to open the door to the demigod's Body of Heart and Mind. She split her use of Placate into multiple treatments during the process of purifying the corruption. She planted psychological cues, cuing Lucca Brewster into believing that everything was fine, allowing him to easily converge his Mythical Creature form and turn back into a human.

The reason for splitting up the process was because if Audrey was affected by the slightest bit of corruption and the negative effects, then she would immediately retreat and resolve her mental problems first.

Finally, she completed the treatment and cues before taking a few steps back.

"Your Excellency, you can remove your Mythical Creature form."

The moment she finished speaking, the illusory bookshelves in the hall vanished. The pools of black liquid gathered together like life, taking on a human form.

The black colors quickly faded away, turning back into Lucca Brewster's original form. He sighed and said with a smile, Thank you very much. When I saw a Sequence 5 Spectator come over, I thought that I would become the main ingredient for her switching to another pathway…"

This old man's words are so direct… I don't even know how to respond to his words… Klein turned his head to look at Justice Audrey. He realized that her eyes were closed tightly.

Uh… Klein opened his mouth to respond to Lucca Brewster.

"Don't worry. What you need the most right now is a set of clothes."

Chapter 1099 1368 Lord of the Mysteries

"…"Lucca Brewster looked down at himself and hurriedly raised his right hand to grab something beside him.

Then, his grayish-green eyes darkened.

The gold that mixed with the stairs suddenly flew out and fused in midair, forming a thin piece of armor that then covered Lucca Brewster.

Lucca stretched his arms and explained as he took in the feedback, "Stiano's Golden Armor Art. Its defensive capabilities are equivalent to that of a Sequence 5 Guardian."

"Stiano?" Klein asked casually.

Lucca said in a tone as though he was introducing a famous historical figure, "One of the earliest founders of the Moses Ascetic Order.

"I heard that Emperor Roselle had previously modified this Golden Armor Art. I wonder what effects it eventually produced."

…I can roughly imagine… Maybe this "Golden Armor" has twelve different styles[l]… After muttering inwardly for a while, Klein changed the topic to the main topic at hand:

"Will Feynapotter and the Church of Earth Mother officially join the war?"

When Lucca introduced the Stiano's Golden Armor, Audrey opened her eyes and turned her head in a controlled manner. Without any perturbation in her eyes, she looked at the glimmering demigod.

Lucca sighed and said, "Regardless of what they were thinking previously, they'll officially join the war tonight.

"Of course, they wouldn't target Loen for the time being. There's a high chance that they will attack either Lenburg, Masin, or Segar. It's to prevent an extended battlefront and from making too many enemies which would prevent them from being able to concentrate their strength. Furthermore, the Church of Earth Mother might not be willing to exert too much strength…"

After sighing, this demigod from the Church of Knowledge earnestly said to the silver-masked Audrey, "What kind of consultation fee should I pay you?"

Audrey glanced at Mr. World beside her.

"He has already paid."

Lucca Brewster immediately shifted his gaze to Dwayne Dantes.

Klein thought for a moment before saying, "Let me ask a few questions."

"Please speak." At that moment, Lucca didn't look like a demigod at all. Instead, he looked more like a professor waiting to answer his student's questions in class.

Of course, if he could take off that set of golden armor and change into a three-piece suit, the resemblance would be uncanny.

Without thinking, Klein directly asked, "What do you know about the corruption from underground?"

In his opinion, if the Church of Knowledge, which was famous for being knowledgeable, knew about it, then he was definitely at a strong enough level to bear the effects. And if this wasn't suitable for Miss Justice's ears, then he believed that Lucca would bring it up. After all, he wasn't merely a bookworm.

As the discussion about the underground corruption stemmed from their experiences from exploring the sea of collective subconscious in Groselle's Travels, Audrey had a certain understanding of it. At that moment, it didn't feel as though she couldn't understand anything. She was very focused on waiting for the demigod to give an answer.

Lucca frowned slightly and said, "I don't know much about it. It's as though just knowing about it will result in corruption in of itself.

"Uh, I've seen a sentence before in an ancient book: The higher the Sequence, the more dangerous it is to be closer underground."

So the Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt left an extremely deep trauma and some kind of fear down there? Audrey instantly thought of the object sealed in the bronze door of the City of Miracles, Liveseyd.

She then looked at Mr. World beside her, but she didn't notice any changes in his expression.

However, Klein made his marionette nod gently, so as to tell Miss Justice that the connections he made with were identical to hers.

This made Audrey feel like she had returned to the past. Back then, she was still a Low-Sequence Beyonder of the Spectator pathway. There was no way she could decipher any useful information from Mr. World's expression and actions.

The higher the Sequence, the greater the threat of underground objects? This doesn't make sense… Realizing that Lucca was unable to provide more information, Klein thought for a moment and said, "Second question, what prophecy do you have regarding this war?"

With the mention of a prophecy, Lucca Brewster suddenly became spirited.

"It's only the beginning. It's far from reaching its peak.

"Also, a greater portion of the damage stems from the war and is also present beyond the war. I don't know what it is exactly though."

The war has just begun… Audrey's heart sank uncontrollably.

Stems from the war and is also present beyond the war? Is it the apotheosis ritual of Amon's brother, or is it the advancement of the Black Emperor? Or perhaps, the return of Roselle? With a guess, Klein nodded and raised the third question:

"Have you heard of the prophecy of the apocalypse? How do you interpret it?"

Lucca Brewster's expression instantly turned serious.

"No, this is not a prophecy•

"Anyone with the ability to predict the future is certain that the apocalypse will definitely come.

"God mentioned in 'His' holy bible that the apocalypse will happen in the year 1368 in the Fifth Epoch.

"Of course, God also said that there will be a savior."

The prophecy of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? 1368, there's only about ten years left… Could the Goddess's act of destroying the alliance with the God of Combat to control the Uniqueness of the Death pathway have something to do with the impending apocalypse? Without realizing it, Klein's expression turned serious. However, he didn't show his reaction on the marionette's face.

It will be the apocalypse in about ten years… As for Audrey, she ruminated over the demigod's words in a daze.

To be honest, she felt that it was fake. It was used by people who pretended to be mysticism experts and were religious cheats so as to deceive the people and earn money through that.

Although she could foresee a large-scale war breaking out, she had never imagined that this world was very close to ending.

This was the understanding of almost all ordinary people and Beyonders.

"Why 1368?" Klein couldn't help but ask.

Lucca Brewster shook his head.

"I don't know either. That's what God's prophecy says."

At the thought that he was only a Sequence 4, making him not have the ability to resist the apocalypse, Klein rationally ended the topic. He said to the saint of the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom, "That shall be all."

What he really wanted to ask were things that the other party probably didn't know either—matters like the corruption that stemmed from the cosmos, or whether Roselle could return or not, or what his state was.

Lucca Brewster nodded and said, "In the future, if there's anything you need help with, you can come to me. For the details, find them out through Edwina."

He remembered that Dwayne Dantes's firearms transaction with Maysanchez had been facilitated by Edwina Edwards.

Edwina… Vice Admiral Iceberg? Audrey was taken aback for a second before coming to a realization. She glanced at Mr. World curiously.

She remembered that she had read a newspaper article before. It contained the story of Gehrman Sparrow and the three female pirate admirals.

"Alright." Klein was never worried about having too many helpers.

After he nodded at Justice Audrey, Lucca Brewster's figure quickly turned transparent, as though he had fused with the spirit world.

Then, he disappeared.

Looking at the spot where he had been standing earlier and then at the hall that no longer had any gold. Klein let out a terse remark inwardly and fell silent for two seconds.

He then made his marionette look at Justice Audrey.

"I thought it would be a little more troublesome."

"That saint had saved himself in time and was willing to trust me, allowing me to plant a psychological cue," Audrey replied with a faint smile, trying her best to appear sincere and humble.

Dwayne Dantes nodded and said, "This help will be taken into account. Go back as soon as possible. It's very dangerous here."

Seeing that a demigod had nearly lost control, Audrey had no doubts about the danger Mr. World warned her about. She immediately used Creeping Hunger and "Teleported" back to the Northern Continent through the spirit world.

After she sacrificed the human-skinned glove to Mr. Fool and settled the rest of the matters, Earl Hall and his eldest son, Hibbert, returned home.

Just as Audrey was about to head out to meet her father and chat with him, she heard her mother, Lady Caitlyn, ask in the hall, "Did something happen again? You came back a lot later than scheduled today."

Earl Hall sighed and said, "Feynapotter has invaded Lenburg."

"Extra! Extra! Feynapotter invades Lenburg!"

Leonard, who was wearing a pair of red gloves, got off the carriage. Just as he was about to enter Saint Samuel Cathedral, he saw the paperboy waving a newspaper and running quickly across the streets and square.

He stopped the paperboy and took out a penny and bought a newspaper. As he flipped through it, he said in a low voice, "Perhaps it won't be long before the south becomes a battlefield."

"That's right." Pallez Zoroast's slightly-aged voice echoed in Leonard's mind.

"But why am I still staying in Backlund…" Leonard muttered in confusion.

After advancing to Spirit Warlock, he had already become the captain of a Red Gloves team. The members had been transferred from other teams, including the familiar faces of Cindy and Bob.

After the war broke out, Leonard had originally thought that his team would be transferred back to the Holy Cathedral like Soest's team, so as to participate in the battle at the Amantha mountain range. To his surprise, he was arranged to be used as a reserve force for the Backlund diocese.

As for this large city, due to its implementation of a night-time curfew and other emergency policies, its security was good, and there weren't many Beyonders who came out to cause destruction. Even the Devils who liked to murder didn't create chaos. It made Leonard rather free, making it more relaxed for him than during non-wartime duty.

At that moment, Pallez Zoroast smiled and said, "I have a guess."

"What guess?" Leonard hurriedly asked in a low voice.

"I'm not telling you now," Pallez replied leisurely.

Leonard didn't say a word. He straightened his collar and entered Saint Samuel Cathedral. He exchanged a few words with the archbishop and prayed for five minutes.

Then, he went underground and pushed open the door to his Red Gloves team's temporary office.

"Good morning, Captain." Bob, Cindy, and the other Red Gloves all stood up and bowed.

Upon hearing their greetings, Leonard, who felt that he was already used to it, was once again in a daze.

In the blink of an eye, it was Monday afternoon. Leonard arranged for his team members to go on separate missions, and he found a lounge to wait for the gathering to begin.

[1] Reference to Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac.

Chapter 1100 One Book

Above the boundless gray fog, inside the ancient palace that resembled a god's residence.

Dark red beams of light shot up from both sides of the long bronze table, materializing into blurry figures.

Justice Audrey immediately stood up, lifted her skirt, and curtsied towards the seat of honor.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."

She wasn't in a bad mood, but with everything that had happened recently, she couldn't keep her spirits up like before.

After all the members bowed and took their seats, Audrey swept her gaze and habitually began observing.

Almost instantly, she discovered that Ma'am Hermit's mental state and body language indicated that she was worried about something.

It has something to do with Queen Mystic? Or could it be that there are other problems? Or could it be that both factors are involved in the matter? Audrey was slightly surprised, and she curiously considered the possible reasons for this.

After so many Tarot Gatherings, she had long drawn a psychological portrait of Ma'am Hermit. She believed that she was a rather contradictory Beyonder. She was experienced, knowledgeable, and calm. She was also bold and reckless in certain aspects, like a young girl who had yet to mature.

Combined with the relationship between the other party and Queen Mystic, Audrey's interpretation of this analysis was that, although Ma'am Hermit had experienced a lot, she had managed to resolve many problems successfully with Queen Mystic's protection and arrangements. Deep in her heart, she was still a young girl who yearned to be loved and cared for.

And it was precisely within such a concealed state that Audrey boldly guessed that, when facing someone who had been "abandoned" and one who didn't commit any serious mistakes, she would unknowingly show mercy, pity them, and help them.

At the same time, due to her being a woman who was active at sea, with the strength of Sequence 5 who also had quite a number of mystical items, experience, and knowledge, while wearing heavy glasses and having interactions with Gehrman Sparrow, Audrey believed that if she casually flipped through the wanted posters and newspapers related to pirates, she would be able to confirm Ma'am Hermit's identity without a doubt. However, she deliberately didn't do this. She only had a general idea as to her identity.

No, Ma'am Hermit should already be a Sequence 4 demigod, so there shouldn't be too many things for her to be worried about… It's definitely not because of the war. It's impossible for a powerful pirate to be too troubled over it…

As her thoughts raced, due to her lack of knowledge, Audrey had no clues apart from guessing that it was related to Queen Mystic.

And at this moment, there were two matters echoing in Cattleya's mind:

Why did Her Majesty send so many diary pages over? If I hadn't become a Mysticologist and grasped certain secret techniques, I wouldn't have been able to memorize all of them in such a short period of time… What exactly happened? Has the Queen fallen into some sort of dilemma?

That fellow, Frank, actually didn't want to hold a ritual and wanted to directly consume the potion. Thankfully, I stopped him. However, the Druid ritual isn't difficult for him at all. Being aware of the behavior and physical structure of various ordinary animals and three kinds of extraordinary creatures. As a crazy Biologist, he has already done his homework in advance by trying to crossbreed plants and animals. Next week—no, he will become a Druid in the next two days. What he needs to do is write down all the knowledge and experience that he has built up as part of the ritual…

Amidst her thoughts, Cattleya shelved her concerns and turned to the end of the long bronze table. She lowered her head and respectfully said, "Honorable Mr. Fool, I have found an entire book of Roselle's diary this time."

An entire book… Upon hearing Ma'am Hermit's words, all the members, including The Hanged Man Alger, were clearly stunned. This was something that exceeded their understanding.

In the past, submissions ranged from one to three pages at a time. This time, it was an entire book!

Did something happen? Even though he was the least concerned about such matters, the slowest-to-react The Sun Derrick, had noticed something unusual.

They all knew that Queen Mystic Bernadette was the eldest daughter of Emperor Roselle. It was normal for her to be able to provide an entire diary. However, it was abnormal for her to give an entire book!

Cattleya ignored everyone's gazes and continued, "These diary pages aren't connected, but they all originated from Emperor Roselle's later years."

Very good." The Fool Klein nodded slightly, indicating that The Hermit could begin conjuring them.

One page after another, the slightly yellow pages of the diary took shape, and soon, it was stacked into one book.

After receiving it, he casually flipped through it. Without reading it, he put down the diary and looked at The Hermit Cattleya.

"You can raise your questions now.

"Including the contributions you previously accumulated, you can ask a total often questions."

He didn't read the diary carefully, because there were too many pages this time. There were at least thirty pages to read. It would require the members of the Tarot Club to wait for too long, affecting Mr. Fool's image; therefore, he planned to read it slowly after the gathering ended.

Ten… Cattleya immediately felt a headache. This was because there were only two questions that Queen Mystic had asked her to raise.

She deliberated for a moment before saying, "Honorable Mr. Fool, can we split the questions into multiple sessions?"

"Sure." Klein nodded with a smile.

This was convenient for what he had in mind. To answer ten questions at once was also a very difficult task for Mr. Fool.

Cattleya secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

There are two questions this time:

"First, why does one need to be careful of the Spectator?"

Be careful of the Spectator? Audrey wore a blank look. For a moment, she was unable to find any leads for coming up with a guess. She even examined herself.

Be careful of the Spectator? The Moon Emlyn, The Star Leonard, and the other members of the Tarot Club all cast their gazes at Miss Justice.

The Fool Klein chuckled and leisurely said, "A Spectator always likes to hide in the shadows to secretly control certain matters, making it difficult for people to notice and be on their guard.

"In particular, one needs to be especially careful towards Angel of Imagination Adam. 'His' apotheosis ritual is to consume the potion when the trend of the times follows what 'He' envisioned."

"The trend of the times that follows what 'He' envisioned… Allow the development of the times to meet 'His' expectations?" Justice Audrey couldn't help but ask Mr. Fool.

Klein nodded slightly and said, "That's right.

"A war that sweeps the entire world is exactly what Adam wants."

This… The Hanged Man Alger, The Hermit Cattleya, and the other members of the Tarot Club were bombarded by the information divulged by Mr. Fool, and their minds were momentarily incapable of thought.

Be it the apotheosis ritual or the trend of the times, all of them involved a very, very high level. It was so high that they could only look up at it!

Suddenly, they vaguely understood the reason why the Psychology Alchemists were deeply involved in the royal family's conspiracy. And the members who knew of the Twilight Hermit Order further understood the essence of keeping the trend of the times on track.

Only an existence at Mr. Fool's level can understand these secrets and participate in the corresponding game… Alger quickly found his train of thought and sighed inwardly. He was increasingly eager to become a demigod.

He believed that this war would bring him plenty of opportunities, but he didn't know if he could seize them.

The members of the Tarot Club were silent. As their thoughts ran through their heads, The Fool Klein, let out an inexplicable sigh. This was because he had no way of stopping this war. If it was only the matter of making George Ill's Black Emperor ritual fail, he could jump through some hoops and stretch himself out to affect it slightly. However, in this war involving the trend of the times, even if he was an angel—a Sequence 1 angel—there was no way he could affect the overall situation. Forcibly trying to stop it would only squish him under the rolling wheels of history.

Apart from Adam, who has spent one to two thousand years arranging for such a plot to play out, the rest of them— even the Kings of Angels—can only change certain situations but not the overall trend. Only a true deity at Sequence 0 can truly participate in this game… It's no wonder the emperor said that only by becoming a god can he protect those who he wants to protect… The only thing I can do now is to make preparations for the Resistance in the Rorsted Archipelago. I hope they have the opportunity of being liberated from being colonies… Klein reined in his thoughts and made his gaze maintain a smiling look.

He wasn't blindly opposed to everything about war. The education he had received in his previous life, and what he had seen at sea and in East and West Bayam, had made him have a supportive attitude towards overthrowing colonial rule.

To put it simply, what he didn't like and abhorred was an "unjust war."

Sensing Mr. Fool's gaze, The Hermit Cattleya controlled her chaotic thoughts and said again, "Secondly, where is the secret mausoleum that Emperor Roselle has yet to discover?"

Secret mausoleum? Yet to be discovered? Fors became more focused as she felt that this was material for a bestselling novel that possessed all kinds of popular elements.

On the other hand, Audrey and Alger could acutely sense something from this question:

The eldest daughter of Roselle probably wasn't willing to accept her father's death, and was still searching for traces left behind by "Him," hoping to find clues to revive the emperor.

Of course, they couldn't eliminate the possibility that there were other important items in the secret mausoleum. That might be Queen Mystic's goal as well.

Roselle even left behind a secret mausoleum? I wonder what's inside… The Star Leonard and Judgment Xio were more concerned about this.

The Fool Klein was already prepared for this. He smiled and said, "Perhaps in the Fog Sea—in the secret primitive island Roselle discovered—or the Abyss."

Abyss… Emlyn immediately felt his eyelids twitch.

In the history of the Sanguine, there were many records of Second Epoch Devils wreaking havoc. Even when he read those materials after thousands of years since it happened, he still felt himself turn impetuous and become entangled by chaos.

The Sun Derrick had a similar feeling as him, but he didn't think too much about it. When reading certain documents, his mental state would be over-exerted, and his mental state would unknowingly be affected. This was common knowledge known by everyone in the City of Silver, so he had to first receive general education and listen to a teacher's recount.

Abyss… Audrey, Xio, and company subconsciously repeated that term in their hearts.

In their daily lives, the Abyss was an abstract expression. It was synonymous with danger, pain, decadence, and corruption.

They never expected that it really existed somewhere in the Fog Sea!

Chapter 1101 Special Reward

Cattleya also didn't return to her senses for a few seconds. She never expected Emperor Roselle's secret mausoleum to involve the Abyss.

However, after some careful thought, she realized that it wasn't surprising that a conflict at that level would involve something like that.

For a moment, she hoped that the Queen wouldn't pursue this matter, but in the end, she suppressed this thought to the bottom of her heart. She felt that if it were her, then she would also make the same choice.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through her mind as she bowed towards the end of the long, mottled table.

"Thank you for your answer. I have no further questions today."

The Fool nodded slightly and surveyed the area.

"You may begin."

Just as he finished speaking, Fors, who had been mustering her courage all this while, said as she closed her eyes as though she had resolved herself to charge towards death, "Mr. World, I have a commission for you."

Seeing The World Gehrman Sparrow look over, she hurriedly explained, "You don't have to do much. You'll just leave me at an unfamiliar place every once in a while, and you can pick me up after a few days. If you're really busy, you can present 'Traveling' to me several times at a particular point in time for me to 'Record.'"

Upon hearing Miss Magician's words, the first thought that came to Klein's mind was:

Man vs. Wild?

I have too many suitable places, such as the battlefield of the gods on the easternmost front of the Sonia Sea, Calderon City in the spirit world, the City of Miracles Liveseyd in Groselle's Travels. They're ten times, a hundred times, or even a thousand times more dangerous than the wilderness. I'm just afraid that Miss Magician won't be able to handle the danger… Klein didn't let The World Gehrman Sparrow immediately answer. He controlled the fake person and cast its gaze on Miss Magician with a pressuring look.

Fors silently took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and added in more detail, "This is the thing: I'm a Sequence 6 Scribe of the Apprentice pathway now. In order to digest the potion, aside from recording all kinds of Beyonder powers, I still need to record down the local customs and traditions of different places. I h-hope that I can become a Traveler as soon as possible. Only then can I avoid most of the dangers during the war.

"Mr. World, I've only 'Recorded' 'Traveling' once, so I won't be able to return if I go somewhere else. I can only ask for your help. I wonder if you're interested, and what kind of payment you'd wish to receive?"

So that's how it is… Justice Audrey finally came to a realization. Furthermore, she felt that Fors's method was really great.

Especially since she's a best-selling novel author, her act of "Recording" scenery and customs and publishing it as a book should be able to greatly aid in her potion digestion rate… Audrey nodded silently as she felt sincerely happy for her friend.

However, as a senior Spectator, how could she not sense Fors's horror and fear towards Mr. World? She was looking forward to knowing what would happen when the two of them formally interacted.

Audrey, this state of mind isn't good! However, this is the attitude of a Spectator… Fors definitely wouldn't expect that the so-called crazy adventurer she fears is only a mask. Beneath it is a gentle and kind heart… I also have to work hard to digest the Dreamwalker potion. I should visit the dreams surrounding me every night… Audrey didn't show any changes in her expression or gaze as she maintained the attitude of a spectator.

After The Hanged Man Alger heard The Magician's words, he sighed. This was because even this Apprentice was beginning to break through to Sequence 5, while he was still stuck at that level.

The World and The Hermit are already at Sequence 4, Justice, The Sun, The Moon, and The Star are also all at Sequence 5. Apart from The Magician, the newly joined Judgment is lower than my Sequence… As his thoughts churned, Alger felt that stifled, a heavy feeling that was difficult to resolve. He wished he could immediately find an opportunity to make contributions and become a demigod—a Cataclysmic Interrer.

He yearned to have a high position and be in a position of power. He wanted others to acknowledge and respect him and be submissive to him. He didn't wish to fall behind in the Tarot Club.

Is that so… At the same time that Klein understood what Miss Magician was thinking, he suddenly recalled something. It was the identity that the other party had mentioned in front of Mr. Fool during a particular full moon.

An ex-surgeon who was now a novelist!

Hmm, will spreading the terrifying legends that I create into text form help me digest the Bizarro Sorcerer potion further… Hmm, the more shocking, harrowing, terrifying, and incomprehensible the description in the novel is, the better the effects… Klein suddenly had inspiration and controlled The World Gehrman Sparrow to say, "This commission is very simple, but the payment I need is very special."

Upon hearing that Mr. World was inclined to agree, Fors asked in both joy and anxiousness, "What's the payment?"

The World Gehrman Sparrow pondered for a moment and said, "Collect information about the ghost stories that have happened recently in the various major hospitals in Backlund, and write them into a small publication or have them published in the newspapers.

"The requirement for the novel is that it's even more terrifying and bizarre. It's best if it can be a best-selling novel."

The reason why he only mentioned the matters of the major hospitals in Backlund was because Miss Magician was a local author who was part of medical circles. Being able to come to know of the urban myths and use that as material for a novel was very reasonable, and it wouldn't incur suspicion. However, if she had even learned of the urban myths in the Rorsted Archipelago, Fog Sea, and East and West Balam, then Zaratul's marionette would definitely "visit" her.

The ghost tales of the various hospitals in Backlund… After hearing The World Gehrman Sparrow's words, Audrey was stunned for nearly three seconds.

She had originally thought that those rumors were caused by the Church's Beyonders secretly treating the injured victims. Mushroom and weeds were the negative effects of the mystical items, but she never expected it to be something else.

Audrey had also guessed if it was done by "Dwayne Dantes." After all, this gentleman had heard from her about the victims of the air raid. Furthermore, he was a very kind gentleman. However, due to the lack of clues and evidence, she could only believe that it was more likely to be related to the Church.

At this moment, she was almost certain that the Clown Angel was Mr. World Gehrman Sparrow. Even if it wasn't, they definitely had a deep connection.

A Mr. World who wears a mushroom and weed mask is the same as the Gehrman Sparrow who wears a crazy adventurer mask… Why does he act like that when he's doing something good? Is it because he needs the feeling or corresponding feedback from creating fear? Audrey thought to herself with some guesses.

As for The Star Leonard and The Hanged Man Alger, one immediately thought of the strange urban myths that the Nighthawks who belonged to Saint Samuel Cathedral were discussing recently, while the other fell deep into thought about the horror stories his subordinates had heard or encountered.

Uh, I've never really heard of such payment before. It's not like I'm writing a biography… Although there has been a recent war, the sales of newspapers and novels seem to have increased. My previous editor has been urging me to write a new book… Yes, I must keep my identity a secret. I have to convince my editor to change my pen name. The excuse is that novels of different styles should use different pen names… Fors didn't think too much about it. After a slight period of deliberation, she agreed, "Alright, no problem."

The World Gehrman Sparrow chuckled and hoarsely said, "If you do well, I'll give you the opportunity to 'Record' the Beyonder powers of a demigod."

"…No problem!" Fors swept away her usual languidness and firmly replied.

To her, "Recording" a demigod's powers not only increased her ability to protect herself, but it could also effectively help her digest the potion.

This also made Audrey, Xio, Leonard and the other members sigh in their hearts. Scribes were truly enviable…

Once a demigod-level expert became a backer, a Scribe wielded extremely powerful strength. They wouldn't be weaker than a Sequence 5, or may even be stronger than one at times!

After coming to an agreement, the scene fell silent for a moment. This was because the other members of the Tarot Club currently didn't have any requirements.

Leonard had become a Spirit Warlock recently, and he had yet to conclude the acting principles. There was still the possibility of him advancing from within the Church of Evernight. As for mystical items, he had already bought the Word of the Sea. If there were any special circumstances, he could request to use Sealed Artifacts of the Church.

Emlyn was reading the Sanguine's research information regarding the Moon domain every day, hoping to make a Scarlet Scholar more practical. As for the Sequence 4 Shaman King's potion formula and Beyonder ingredients, he didn't need them for an extensive period of time, nor could he afford them.

Derrick had recently mastered the powers of Priest of Light, and he was still very far from advancing. As for the Unshadowed main ingredient, he had already obtained it.

Similarly, Audrey and Xio had also recently advanced. One of them was working hard to help Mr. World, accumulating contribution points, while the other was burdened with a huge debt and was eager to repay it.

Alger was in the Church of the Lord of Storms, so he had to keep a secret. He was currently in an awkward position which required him to find a chance to advance. Furthermore, he had obtained the Cataclysmic Interrer's potion formula from The World.

Cattleya had just become a demigod. She was currently deep in research on all kinds of secrets and all sorts of mysticism knowledge. She was pleasantly surprised that, despite having recently advanced, just recalling the knowledge and secrets she knew from the past had allowed her to directly digest quite a bit of the potion. Amongst them, the various things she had heard from the Tarot Club had contributed greatly!

The transaction segment quickly ended as the members began their free exchange.

Emlyn surveyed the area and his gaze landed on Leonard's face.

"If you're an official Beyonder, how will you deal with a clergyman of an opposing faction in your area of jurisdiction? He hasn't done anything wrong, nor does he plan on doing anything wrong."

Although Feynapotter had yet to start a war with Loen, they had invaded Loen's ally, Lenburg. This made the believers and citizens living around the Harvest Church look at Bishop Utravsky in an increasingly odd manner.

Leonard thought carefully and said, "Protective custody."

Chapter 1102 Engaging Tigers to Hunt Wolves

Protective custody… That's quite a witty answer. As expected of a newly promoted Red Gloves team captain… When The Fool Klein heard The Star Leonard's answer, he couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

He knew very well who Emlyn was referring to, and he knew quite a bit about Bishop Utravsky, who wished to be called a priest.

He didn't really believe Emlyn White's claim that "he hasn't done anything wrong, nor does he plan on doing anything wrong." This was because, to a deity's Blessed or a zealot, their understanding of something wrong might be different from a normal person's.

Of course, Klein never suspected Father Utravsky's claim that life was precious and his piousness and acknowledgment of a joyous harvest, but the problem was that the Church of Earth Mother also preached that lives were like "plants," which would ultimately wither and die, returning to the embrace of the Earth Mother. They would then grow again when the "next year" came.

A qualified bishop of the Church of Earth Mother wouldn't treat death in the same manner as the most ordinary of people.

Regardless, Father Utravsky has to be controlled. This is both a form of protection for the Earth Mother's believers, as well as the citizens around him. It's also a form of protection for this half-giant bishop, in case some irredeemable situation occurs… While Klein was thinking to himself, Leonard, who had no lack of understanding of the Harvest Church, also understood the meat of Emlyn's question. He planned on leading his team members to confirm the situation in the next two days, taking the Earth Mother's Blessed into protective custody with the help of the official organizations that were in charge of the area south of the bridge.

And when Emlyn heard the answer, he slowly nodded without saying a word.

Seeing that he was silent, Leonard turned to ask a question he wanted to get some feedback on.

"Are there any major matters lurking beneath Backlund recently?"

What he really wanted to ask was why his Red Gloves team had been left behind in the Capital of Capitals as a part of the reserve forces.

As soon as he finished speaking, the other members of the Tarot Club, including The Sun Derrick, who wasn't too concerned about matters of the outside world, all cast their gazes at The World Gehrman Sparrow.

From what they knew, whenever something happened in Backlund, Mr. World would more or less give a warning.

What major matters has been lurking beneath Backlund recently? There's plenty… The Black Emperor ritual of George III, my secret alliance with Queen Mystic, the three Churches may seem to be tacitly in approval but all have different attitudes… As Klein's thoughts raced, he suddenly understood what Leonard wanted to ask. After all, they would occasionally communicate privately.

That's right. Why was Leonard left in Backlund? Because of me, the Church doesn't want to put Leonard in a dangerous situation? Am I thinking too highly of myself? Klein secretly shook his head and rejected the thought that first came to him.

He quickly changed his train of thought and analyzed the problem on matters that Leonard could be of service.

Leonard is only a Sequence 5, so what use can he play in Backlund that has deep undercurrents?

Even if he's of use, they wouldn't use him. Instead, they would make use of me, who's related to him, or Pallez Zoroast.

This can rule me out. I'm still a qualified Blessed at the moment. If I really needed to do anything, then a simple instruction would suffice…

The clearing of the Amon avatars in Backlund last time made the Goddess or the upper echelons of the Church guess that Pallez Zoroast is hiding in the vicinity of Boklund Street, and they ended up suspecting Leonard?

There's a possibility, and it's not a low one either. Back then, I was concerned to some extent. I only believed that, in the case of Amon becoming a god, the Church and Pallez Zoroast were on the same page, that they could form some sort of tacit understanding. In fact, I believed that that grandpa had such considerations when "He" first chose Leonard as a target for "Parasitizing."

But why is Pallez Zoroast being kept in Backlund? To fish for Amon?

Even among the Kings of Angels, Amon ranks among the top. It's almost impossible for the Goddess to engage in a divine descent. With the Church's angels, Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, and Pallez Zoroast, it shouldn't be difficult to expel Amon, but it's almost impossible to kill "Him," unless "He" doesn't come with "His" actual body. But in that case, it's not worth making such arrangements…

Klein's thoughts quickly developed, and soon, he had a new idea:

Fishing for "Amon" isn't done so as to deal with "Him." Instead, it's to hold back Zaratul who's currently in Backlund?

Similar pathways could be interchanged at high levels. Even if one became a true god at Sequence 0, "They" still have a strong desire for the Uniqueness and Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of neighboring pathways. On this point, the Evernight Goddess's plan was excellent evidence.

The Goddess wants to make Backlund into a potpourri mess before wiping them all out? Klein made The World Gehrman Sparrow hesitate for a few seconds before saying, "The leader of the Secret Order, a Sequence 1 angel, and an old friend of Emperor Roselle, Zaratul, is currently hiding in Backlund."

Seeing that the members of the Tarot Club were clearly a little confused and perplexed, The World added in a hoarse voice, "The Law of Beyonder Characteristics Conservation we often refer to often refers to the conservation of Beyonder characteristics of neighboring pathways.

"In other words, similar pathways also obey the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics."

Leonard immediately fell into deep thought. After a few seconds, he deliberated and asked, "The Marauder and the Seer pathways are neighboring pathways?"

Yes, the Apprentice pathway is also a neighboring pathway," The World answered frankly.

Upon hearing their conversation, Fors first connected the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics to the attraction between Beyonder characteristics taught to her by her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham. She connected it to the Saint of Secrets who had been "attracted."

Then, she began to consider a question.

If it really is as Mr. World said, that Beyonder characteristics of neighboring pathways attract one another, then would it have attracted the attention of Zaratul back then? After all, "He" is in Backlund.

All of a sudden, Fors thought of the raven that was staring at Botis's back.

Uh… Fors hurriedly raised her hand, indicating that she had something to say.

Seeing all the members looking over, she hurriedly said, "My teacher is a member of the Abraham family. He wields a rather important Sealed Artifact."

As the first part of the sentence was known by the other members other than The Star, Fors had no intention of hiding anything. As for the second half of the sentence, she had made some modifications. It was very important to change the phrase to "rather important."

Seeing that no one was raising any questions, Fors continued, "This causes him to occasionally encounter High- Sequence Beyonders of the Apprentice pathway. Previously, when he came to Backlund, the Aurora Order's Saint of Secrets, Botis, had appeared nearby.

"As for me, I noticed that a raven was looking in the direction where Botis was heading."

A raven… The details of the foggy town surfaced in Klein's mind. At the top of the pitch-black cathedral, there were ravens flying around, as if they were holding a memorial or in grief. As for Zaratul's avatar, it was hidden inside the cathedral.

Zaratul is used to using ravens as marionettes? Is this a mark left behind during his phase as a Bizarro Sorcerer? While in thought, Klein made The World speak:

"That might very well be Zaratul."

I actually met a Sequence 1 angel… Fors felt a sense of fear and horror.

She then recalled how she and Xio had discussed Adam and thus ended up possibly targeted. For some reason, she had the illusion that she had become the protagonist of a novel. Despite being only a Sequence 7 or 6, she had established connections with the Kings of Angels and Sequence 1 angels!

With this in mind, Fors hurriedly turned her head to Miss Justice and said, "Can you hypnotize me later into forgetting certain matters? I'm afraid that I might accidentally recall something and attract attention."

"No problem." As Audrey answered, she glanced at Xio and nodded at her.

As for The Star Leonard, he had some ideas as well. He planned on discussing it with "Old Man" when he returned to hear "His" opinion.

Klein didn't continue talking about the major matters that lurked beneath Backlund. This was because they were just too high-end for the other members of the Tarot Club. Not only were they unable to participate in it directly, but even having a complete understanding of them could bring about a disaster upon themselves.

In this aspect, Klein's idea was that he could get the help of the members of the Tarot Club in certain segments, but it was like commissioning a bounty hunter to do something, without getting them too involved in the matter and figuring out the reason for the commission. It was a form of protection for them.

At this moment, Alger looked around and said, "According to my observations, the Church of Storms isn't too enthusiastic about this war."

They aren't too enthusiastic? This doesn't match the image of the Church of the Lord of Storms… Although their teachings don't advocate combat and don't promote war, they definitely emphasize the need to treat their enemies like a storm, and vent whatever anger they have on the spot… When Klein heard this, he felt a little surprised. He then combined his understanding of the deities and began his preliminary analysis.

According to my previous speculations, Storm, Sun, Reader, Spectator, and Shepherd can switch paths at high levels. There should be an immense conflict between them…

As for the Lord of Storms, "He" is highly likely the Wind Angel of yesteryear. "He" had "eaten" Adam's father, the ancient sun god, the City of Silver Creator. Even if "He" had tacitly allowed George III to become Black Emperor, it's impossible for "Him" to sit back and watch Adam make use of the 'flood of the times' to ascend to divinity…

Therefore, the Church of the Lord of Storms is unwilling to have the war increase in scope and allow it to turn into a world war. Hence, "He" is trying hard to control "His" impulse?

It must be really hard on them…

This can explain why Loen and Intis would maintain their strange silence when Feynapotter invaded Lenburg, Masin, and Segar… The Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun and the Church of the Lord of Storms are probably in a difficult position. They're unable to make up their minds.

On the one hand, at the level of the deities, it isn't that there is no possibility of abandoning their alliance to deal with the Church of Knowledge. On the other hand, the battle strategies at the national-level also prompts them to protect those countries. Forcefully breaking the perceptions built-up by the citizens of a country, would be an act that causes the anchors to become unstable.

Also, once they participate in the battle, they would help Adam fulfill the conditions of "His" advancement to Sequence0.

Klein deliberately made The World silent for a moment before replying to The Hanged Man's intelligence.

"At present, this is inevitable."

Chapter 1103 Hin

Klein didn't actually remember if he had told The Hanged Man and the others that the Sailor, Spectator, Sun, Reader and Secrets Suppliant pathways were interchangeable—unless he used dream divination to recall it.

However, since The Hanged Man had expressed his doubts towards the Church of the Lord of Storms, it meant that he hadn't thought about the interchangeability of both paths. Regardless of whether he knew it or not, or if he had yet to connect the two matters together, Klein believed that there was a need for him to explain things clearly. This allowed the members of the Tarot Club to grasp the true stances of the various major factions, thus letting them avoid many dangers.

After The Hanged Man, Alger, and the others cast their gazes at him, he controlled The World Gehrman Sparrow and made him say in a low, uncertain tone, "The Storm, Sun, Spectator, Reader, and Secrets Suppliant pathways are neighboring pathways.

"Likewise for Evernight, God of Combat, and Death.

"And neighboring pathways often become enemies. Of course, that's not absolute. At least the seven deities have established an alliance."

Upon hearing The World's reply, Alger first recalled Adam pushing for the "flood of the times" to become a god. Following that, thoughts flashed through his mind as he gained a certain level of understanding of the Church of the Lord of Storms's current attitude.

This made him feel a rather special sense of superiority and joy. It was as if he had seen the essence of the matter, exceeding the level of most Beyonders in the Church of the Lord of Storms.

Similarly, Audrey had a brand new understanding of Intis's strange silence in this war. She was even more worried about the situation in Lenburg, Masin, and Segar.

In addition, she also knew that she could switch to Unshadowed, Cataclysmic Interrer, and to the corresponding Sequence 4 demigod of the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom she had recently met.

As for the corresponding Sequence 4 of the Secrets Suppliant pathway, it wasn't within her considerations at all.

Of course, compared to other pathways, she still preferred Manipulator. She liked the Spectator pathway from the bottom of her heart. However, she also felt deep fear towards the upper echelons of the Spectator pathway—Hvin Rambis had left a rather bad impression on her. Adam's "any mention of it will be known" had left her with a trauma.

She had no choice but to undergo self-evaluations and treat the corresponding problems from time to time.

The Hermit Cattleya had always been deeply knowledgeable about such matters. Apart from the information mentioned by The World Gehrman Sparrow, she also knew that the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways were neighboring pathways that could be interchanged at high Sequences. It was likewise for the Arbiter and Lawyer pathways, the Prisoner and Criminal pathways, the Hunter and Assassin pathway, and the Planter and Apothecary pathway.

As the other members of the Tarot Club dispersed their thoughts, Alger said to The World Gehrman Sparrow, "Thank you for your answer."

He didn't say exactly what insights he had gleaned from the answer.

In fact, for an instant, Alger wanted to leave the Church of the Lord of Storms and switch to another pathway. This was better than waiting for a very slim chance in the Church. However, he ultimately gave up on this idea. After all, his goal for a long time was to become a cardinal of the Church of the Lord of Storms. At present, he was beginning to yearn to be ranked first amongst the cardinal ranks, becoming an angel in charge of the Mandated Punishers or Ascetics.

As for the position of pontiff, Alger didn't yearn for it. This was because it was too close to the Lord of Storms, and he had many secrets he kept close to his chest.

If he were to be chosen as pontiff, Alger suspected that he would be smote to ashes by a lightning storm that descended from the sky the moment he put on the papal tiara.

Seeing that the exchange between The World and The Hanged Man had ended, Emlyn asked with curiosity, "Which pathway can the Apothecary pathway be interchanged with?"

Being from the Sanguine race made them have no thoughts of switching to other pathways, as it would often mean that they had lost their "identify." Therefore, Emlyn wasn't too concerned about such matters.

"The Planter pathway of the Church of Earth Mother," Cattleya answered casually.

The Planter pathway… Possessed by the Church of Earth Mother… Emlyn frowned as he vaguely grasped something.

At this moment, Xio also asked, "Which pathway neighbors the Arbiter pathway?"

"Lawyer," Cattleya answered simply.

Lawyer of the Black Emperor pathway… In other words, if I could become a Sequence 5,1 would be able to switch to Sequence 4 of the Black Emperor pathway. And Fors had previously told me that Mr. Fool has the Card of Blasphemy; it contains all the secrets of the Black Emperor pathway… Xio suddenly realized that there was a glimmer of light for her future.

It had to be known that the Arbiter pathway was firmly controlled by the two royal families. Even the corresponding military only had the potion formula for the Low- and Mid-Sequences. If they wanted to advance beyond Sequence 5, they had to receive a bestowment from the royal family. Just like how every general had to be conferred by the king or queen. Furthermore, what they obtained in the end was the concocted potion and the ritual.

To Xio, this meant that it was almost impossible for her to get the Sequence 4 potion formula for the Arbiter pathway.

Of course, no matter how tightly guarded the potion formulas was, there were bound to be loopholes. The military's demigods knew of the ritual, and from time to time, they would cooperate with the royal family to hunt powerful supernatural beings. They could roughly narrow down the candidates for the main ingredient to a small area, but this also meant that they could only confirm the formula through repeated experiments. At the same time, the military demigods were also unable to grasp the supplementary ingredients. If they wanted to rely only on the main ingredients to advance, they needed to seek out the benediction of fate.

And now, Xio had seen another possibility.

At this moment, Audrey had already summarized the neighboring pathways that Mr. World and Ma'am Hermit had mentioned before thoughtfully asking:

"Among Prisoner, Criminal, Hunter, Assassin, Savant, Mystery Pryer, and Monster, which ones are neighboring similar pathways?"

The World Gehrman Sparrow glanced at The Hermit and replied hoarsely, "Prisoner and Criminal, Hunter and Assassin, and Savant and Mystery Pryer are similar pathways that can be interchanged at high Sequences."

This was knowledge that could be confirmed by Klein. Among them, the interchangeability between Prisoner and Criminal was something mentioned by the Red Angel evil spirit to which Miss Sharron tacitly accepted. The interchangeability between Savant and Mystery Pryer had been personally demonstrated by Emperor Roselle. As for Hunter and Assassin, it was information that he had accumulated over time which could finally be confirmed.

''What about Monster? There's only this one left, Fors, who was listening, couldn't help but ask.

Seeing The World remain silent, Cattleya thought for a moment before saying, "It's difficult to be categorized as a neighbor of any other Beyonder pathway. Just like fate, it can only objectively exist alone.

"I can be sure of that. I can only say that the most fundamental order in our world's supernatural powers might be chaos and disharmony."

The reason why Cattleya was certain that the Monster pathway didn't have the means to be interchanged with other pathways was because her advancement ritual required her to analyze the Snake of Fate's blood.

I see… Audrey was slightly uncomfortable with this disharmonious situation, but she quickly adjusted her state of mind.

After the exchange was almost complete, all the members of the Tarot Club looked at The Sun Derrick.

The youth said without any hesitation, "We've already set off. We're currently less than a day away from Afternoon Town. When we arrive, we'll be resting for another day or two before we begin exploring the Giant King's Court."

The Sun's words made Alger, Cattleya, and company suddenly feel like myths were entering reality. Compared to places like the ruins of the battlefield of the gods, the Giant King's Court was a symbolic entity that appeared in various legends and in different secret documents.

What secret was it hiding? What was buried in it? The answer was about to be revealed!

Even though they had followed The World Gehrman Sparrow into the City of Miracles Liveseyd, which was on par with the Giant King's Court, The Star Leonard and Justice Audrey were also secretly excited and looking forward to hearing more. After all, the city that the Dragon King had "imagined" into existence had lost too much in the process of being transferred to Groselle's Travels. There were no traces of anything of value. Apart from the building itself, there was only the hall that expressed the extraordinariness of the ancient myths.

Furthermore, what was even more important was that Derrick had mentioned that the Kings of Angels had come to a secret plot in the Giant King's Court!

As for The Fool Klein, he was thinking of something else:

Should I get Little Sun to pray to The Fool before the exploration? Then, I'll use the crimson star and the Sea God Scepter to extend my vision to a certain distance so that I can watch a live broadcast…

Yes. In that case, if there are any accidents, I can still provide some help. The only problem is that this method of relying on the prayer points of light for "observation" cannot last too long.

This has nothing to do with my own spirituality. It's just that this connection will fade away with time and last forty- five minutes at most… Let Little Sun pray every once in a while? Uh, that's under the premise that it doesn't affect his battle or attract the attention of the people around him…

In that case, my spirituality can probably last for two hours. It's not on the same level as my Sequence 5. Heh heh, it's also because of my recent rapid digestion of the potion.

After pondering for a moment, Klein didn't speak. He controlled The World Gehrman Sparrow to hint to The Sun:

"Before exploring the Giant King's Court, you can pray to Mr. Fool and pray for good luck. In the process, you can also pray many times."

Mr. World really is a nice guy… After Derrick sincerely thanked him, he hurriedly turned his body towards the end of the long, mottled table.

Then, he saw Mr. Fool, who was enveloped by the grayish-white fog, nod slightly.