1104 - 1111

Chapter 1104 Contradiction

The world above the gray fog had been restored to its state of silence, as though the gathering that had just ended was an illusion.

Klein bent his finger and lightly knocked on the edge of the long, mottled table. He made the pages of the Roselle diary which Cattleya had just given appear once again.

Amidst an indescribable stillness, Klein cast his gaze towards the first paragraph of the first page with a solemn expression.

"27th September, I saw Miss Ithaca once again. I had a nerve-wracking and thrilling but sufficiently wonderful experience with her. As expected, I prefer women of this age. I'm not just reminiscing about my youth, but rather that I haven't changed after so many years. Heh heh, I'm really dedicated."

…I read your diary with such seriousness, and you're giving me this? The corners of Klein's mouth twitched as he lampooned at the emperor who he had only seen a portrait of.

He immediately gathered his thoughts and shifted his gaze.

In a lounge at the basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral.

After Leonard Mitchell opened his eyes, he deliberated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Old man, the Secret Order's Zaratul seems to be in Backlund."

In his mind, the slightly-aged voice quickly sounded:

"Indeed…"

Upon hearing this, Leonard immediately asked, "Old Man, are you familiar with that Zaratul? Didn't you say that the Zoroast family and the Zaratul family are both important nobles of the Solomon Empire?"

From his point of view, as ex-colleagues and former comrades in arms, how could Old Man not be familiar with Zaratul?

Pallez Zoroast scoffed.

"I'm familiar with the Zaratul who died in the War of the Four Emperors. The one alive who's now should be 'His' descendant. I might or might not have seen him before.

"Sigh, the Zaratul back then had already obtained clues regarding the second Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic from the True Creator. 'He' was waiting for the War of the Four Emperors to end before searching for it. If he succeeded, 'He' would be considered a King of Angels. Unfortunately, in the War of the Four Emperors, 'He' directly encountered the existence from the Antigonus family who could be known as 'The Half-Fool,' and Bethel Abraham was also involved. 'He' could appear anywhere, anytime. If 'He' hadn't been quickly banished and sealed by Evernight and Storm, I might not have survived to the end of the War of the Four Emperors either."

The Half-Fool… Leonard's eyelids twitched when he heard this title as he thought of the entity above the gray fog for some baffling reason.

He then forced himself to control himself and directed his thoughts to something else:

Even from the description of a bystander, Mr. Door was clearly one of the top existences among the Kings of Angels. It required two true deities to join forces to banish and seal "Him." Uh, there's a high chance that "He" was especially good at escaping, making it very difficult to kill. And back then, the battle situation was tense, so it was imperative to eliminate an enemy that posed a threat as soon as possible…

Heh heh, Old Man is reminiscing about the past, so he's feeling a little uneasy. He actually said so much in one breath…

Amidst his thoughts, Leonard suddenly said, "I was left in Backlund because they wish to use you to attract Amon here?"

The wistful feelings in Pallez Zoroast's tone vanished as he clicked "His" tongue.

"Who made this guess? I don't think it's you.

"However, it's not bad that you know how to use your own resources to probe for the truth."

This is something I've been very familiar with ever since I joined the Nighthawks! Leonard replied inwardly but didn't say a word.

Pallez Zoroast continued, "I guessed that too.

"To be honest, your ex-colleague's relationship with Evernight really confuses me. If it wasn't for how familiar the concealment forces that appeared that day was, I wouldn't have dared to make such a guess.

"Heh heh, with Zaratul and I in Backlund, Amon will arrive soon too. It truly is a perfect triangle of balance."

What do you mean… The concealment forces used to deal with Amon came from the Evernight domain, not Mr. Fool? Does this point that there is a certain level of cooperation between Mr. Fool and the Goddess, or is it that the faith of those higher-up in the Church actually to Mr. Fool? Leonard suddenly felt a strong sense of confusion and puzzlement regarding his position in the grand scheme of things.

Seeing that Pallez was also quite confused, he converged his thoughts and didn't ask any questions regarding this. He frowned and said, "Two Sequence 1 angels and a King of Angels. Will this bring about a devastating disaster to Backlund?"

He remembered that Amon was a terrifying existence that could kill countless people silently, and could even live happily as "His" victim.

Using this as a reference, Zaratul, who was of a neighboring pathway, definitely possessed similarly terrifying powers.

If "He" and Amon were to clash, half of Backlund or the entirety of Backlund could become the Capital of Death or the Capital of Bizarreness!

Pallez Zoroast laughed and said, "Balance also means that everyone will be very restrained. Besides, it's very likely that Amon won't let 'His' true body enter Backlund. At most, 'He' will send a large number of avatars over. After all, the impossibility of a divine descent by Evemight doesn't mean that Storm or Steam can't."

"What do you mean?" Leonard acutely grasped the key point in Old Man's words.

Pallez Zoroast's tone suddenly became more relaxed.

"Regardless of whether it's because of the war or for other reasons, Evemight is likely unable to interfere with the matters on the ground at the moment. Otherwise, why would 'She' need to lure Amon over to form a balance? 'She' directly set up a trap, and who knows, 'She' might be able to capture Zaratul or scare the cowardly Seer away."

"…Did something happen to the Goddess?" Leonard suddenly turned nervous.

The slightly-aged voice replied, "It might not be a bad thing, and it might be a good thing."

Without waiting for Leonard to ask further, Pallez Zoroast sighed again.

"Amon was attracted to Backlund by me. What about Zaratul? What about me?"

"I think Zaratul is also here because of you, and you're in Backlund because of me…" Leonard pondered as he replied. "Heh, why do you think you're in Backlund?" Pallez immediately scoffed.

Leonard immediately replied, "This is the arrangement of the Church. It can't be the effect of the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics, right?"

"That's not necessarily true." Pallez's tone turned a little stem. "Most of the time, the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence will not directly show in places where you can sense it. Most of the time, it will influence fate. Just like when you board a train, you'll suddenly feel that the scenery along the way is beautiful and will get off the train in advance, resulting in you entering the small city. This might be because there are Beyonders or mystical items of neighboring pathways around you."

"In other words, there are other things in Backlund that attracts you and Zaratul here, and through you, my fate is affected, causing me to be arranged by the Church to stay in Backlund most of the time?" Leonard asked in enlightenment, hoping to gain confirmation.

Pallez Zoroast slowly sighed and said, "That possibility can't be ruled out."

Above the gray fog, Klein soon flipped to a diary page of value.

"21st November. As I had made too many preparations in the early stages, I obtained that chaotic and terrifying Grade

0 Sealed Artifact even faster than I imagined.

"And then, after a difficult battle, and with some help, I finally restored it to a pure Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic.

"In a few more days, the ritual will be completed. I should be able to advance to Sequence 1 Knowledge Emperor of the Mystery Pryer pathway."

"26th November. Sunny and breezy.

"The ritual was very successful. I digested it thoroughly, and my anchors were even more stable. There weren't many difficulties during the entire process.

"I'm already a Sequence 1 angel, a Knowledge Emperor. Bernadette no longer has to worry about the influence of the Hidden Sage. She can abide by the words 'do as you wish, but do no harm,' and continue on this path!

"At the same time, the level of an angel at Sequence 1 means that I can greatly resist the notice and corruption from the cosmos. I can head to the crimson moon and see what's happening there.

"Regardless of whether Mr. Door is lying or not, everything points to the fact that the crimson moon is the key to the problem. If I wish to become a true deity, I have to figure out the reason.

"I'll make preparations for another three more days before attempting to land on the moon!

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind! Haha, don't quote me on that."

Upon seeing this, Klein recalled the hysterical diary page of Roselle. He began to suspect that it was written after the emperor's "landing on the moon."

Putting down the remaining, unread diary pages, Klein began to use dream divination to recall the content he had read over the past year. He wanted to use the comparison to find clues to Roselle's abnormal mental state.

Not long after, he saw a few lines of text in his dream. It was the last diary entry that was theoretically written by Roselle:

"I'm unable to give any actual suggestions because I myself can't see the true faces of the seven deities or those evil gods. This might be partially related to the second Blasphemy Slate that the ancient organization hides. Unfortunately,

1 only have a rough idea of the hidden parts, and I'm unable to verify them."

In this diary, the Emperor had even solemnly warned his "friends" to be careful of the moon.

The dream suddenly shattered, and Klein snapped awake. There was an obvious look of fear in his eyes.

He clearly remembered that, a long time ago, Roselle had confirmed that there was a hidden portion in the second Blasphemy slate.

"19th July. The night of the Blood Moon.

"Mr. Door's answer allowed me to confirm one thing: In that ancient secret organization, the second Blasphemy Slate I saw wasn't complete!"

This… The emperor forgot? No, how could he have forgotten such an important matter? He only appeared a little extreme, and he didn't have much of a problem. Why did this happen… Klein couldn't help but mutter to himself silently, having an inexplicable and terrifying feeling.

The last diary entry, or rather, the Emperor Roselle who wrote that sentence seemed to be another person.

Chapter 1105 The Key Diary Entry

Above the grayish-white that wasn't perturbed at all, Klein silently sat at the end of the long, mottled table, like a stone statue that had existed for hundreds of thousands of years.

Regarding the discovery he had just now, he felt a deep sense of fear from the bottom of his heart. He felt a chill rush out from the back of his head, spreading across his entire body, bringing with it obvious yet real shudders.

It was as if he had witnessed a familiar friend become a stranger in a very short span of time. His actions were abnormal, as though he had been replaced by someone else.

Of course, there was a clearer and more direct analogy in this aspect: It would be Leonard Mitchell coming to visit and discuss the matter regarding Pallez Zoroast as a monocle is suddenly taken out and then put on.

Could it be that the emperor was unknowingly corrupted after his ascension to the crimson moon, and he didn't notice it at all? He usually didn't show any abnormalities. Only through reminiscing about his past through his diary entries, analyzing his inner voice, and talking to himself would certain premonitions surface in his mind? Or could it be that this was a form of hypnosis by Adam? But Roselle was at least a Sequence 1 when that happened… Klein couldn't help but lower his head to inspect himself. He imagined how another version of himself existed in his body without realizing it. He wasn't sure if this entity could be called a "human."

This truly is an extreme sense of horror… Klein slowly took a deep breath and forced himself to focus his attention on the diary pages of Emperor Roselle.

Soon, he discovered something worth reading:

"28th July. I attended that ancient secret organization's gathering once again.

"From the discussions among the members, I sensed a problem:

"Is it because I advanced too quickly that I'm relatively inexperienced? There are many things that I have never heard of before?

"Just like how they mentioned about the corruption from the cosmos and underground. This is the first time I know of their existence!

"Heh heh, I wonder how many of them are 'He's1 or 'She's.' Apart from a minority of the members, most of them don't like others knowing their levels. .

"While others are communicating with each other, I asked Old Mister Hermes with a whisper, hoping to understand more about the corruption that stems from the cosmos and underground.

Hermes told me that this isn't something I can come into contact with at my current level. Just learning about it alone will cause me to be corrupted!

"It's actually that scary? What could it be? I'm even more intrigued.

"That old mister later told me that the corruption that originates from underground can be ignored because it will fade with time. A long time ago, in the era when the ancient gods were active, powerful creatures had attempted to resolve this problem completely. In the end, it made things worse and caused tremendous losses. Later, they gave up on the idea of directly exerting influence, and they switched focus to sealing and guarding it.

"From that day forth, although accidents happened occasionally, it was stable overall. Today, even if there are no seals or guards, as long as no one comes close and tries to go deeper, there won't be any incidents of corruption.

"What a surprising situation. It appears it doesn't require the protagonist of this era to resolve this problem.

"Old Mister Hermes mentioned the cosmos again and said that the situation there is more complicated, interesting, and more dangerous than I imagined. 'He' said that even a Sequence 2 angel doesn't have much knowledge of the cosmos. 'They' only have a general understanding of it. 'They' aren't aware that, apart from the dangers, there are too many other things. If it wasn't for the fact that 'He' once knew an existence that was good at wandering the cosmos and learned plenty of matters from that person, he wouldn't be able to tell me all of that.

"I was very curious, but I didn't hold much hope when I asked about the existence who was adept at wandering the cosmos.

"Old Mister Hermes didn't hide the truth. He said that it was Mr. Door, Bethel Abraham.

"Mr. Door… I pretended not to know anything and asked about that person's level in a very casual tone.

"Hermes didn't answer directly. 'He' only said that in the Fourth Epoch, even angels and demigods would address 'Him' by 'His' name in private. 'Those' who could make everyone address 'Them' by their titles are in a small minority—of which, Mr. Door was one of 'Them'—aside from Evernight, Storm, Earth, and the other deities.

"Is that so… Mr. Door's level really isn't low."

The corruption that stems from underground will naturally fade with time? Arrodes, said that the gray fog gives it a feeling that resembles that of an object from underground… It hopes that I can explore the underground world after I return to my throne of divinity. As for Lucca Brewster, he's certain that the higher the Sequence, the greater the danger the underground world will bring… Klein tapped the edge of the long, mottled table with his fingers. He was increasingly puzzled about what was happening underground.

Fortunately, Hermes's description, the state of the abandoned castle, and the attitude of the Evemight Goddess seemed to indicate that the corruption that stems from underground would naturally dissipate. Leaving it alone was the best solution.

Phew, then I shall temporarily put aside my worries regarding the underground world… Hermes's words and the bronze door deep in the City of Miracles corroborate with each other. The Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt had really tried to resolve the problem of the underground world, but ended up with fear and trauma… From the looks of it, the greatest possibility for the coming of the apocalypse is probably from the cosmos, and my current Sequence doesn't qualify me to know of it… Amidst his thoughts, Klein sighed as he continued flipping through the diary pages in his hand.

After reading a few pages, his eyes suddenly lit up and locked onto one of the pages.

"31st December. The end of a year is the most suitable time to make a resolution and start a new story.

"I've already thought of where the eight secret mausoleums should be built. I'm just clueless about the last one.

"This has to be more covert than the eight previous ones, or else it will be meaningless.

"After a long thought, I thought of a place: The nameless island where Grimm was buried.

"Of course, the Abyss is also an option. However, I can't find a living Devil in the area that I can enter, so I can't force them to become my citizens and help me build a mausoleum. Ordinary humans can't survive there, and even powerful Beyonders will find it difficult to resist the corrosive properties of the Abyss itself.

"Regardless, the environment on that nameless island seems like a pretty good choice.

"Heh, the Princes of Abolition in the Fourth Epoch's understanding of citizens is too limited. The rule of an Emperor is not only limited to humans and humanoid creatures; all living things should be my subjects!

"And there are many extraordinary creatures on that nameless island with no intelligence. They have long worshiped and followed me. I can totally drive them into building a secret mausoleum.

"When I wrote this, I suddenly recalled that experience. Because I dreamed of Grimm, I brought Edwards, Benjamin, and the others back to this nameless island and discovered that those extraordinary creatures lived together in harmony. They were gathered together and holding a ritual, and amongst them was the deceased Grimm.

"I was indeed shocked back then. I felt a fear that I hadn't felt in a long time, and everything appeared extremely bizarre.

That time, William and Poli died. Only Edwards and Benjamin survived. If I hadn't already become powerful and controlled a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, everyone would've perished along with them.

The power of those Beyonder creatures that affected that nameless island actually came from the cosmos, and those who were corrupted would return to the source after dying.

Thankfully, the power from the cosmos could only project a small portion of it into the real world. I finally solved the problem and made that nameless island my secret base.

"Now, it's time to use it!"

After reading the diary, Klein didn't feel exhilarated that he had correctly guessed where Emperor Roselle's final mausoleum was. Instead, he frowned slightly.

This was, on the one hand, because the corruption caused by the cosmos had truly appeared "in front of him." On the other hand, the nameless island wasn't that secretive. Other than the emperor, there were also the two survivors, Edwards and Benjamin. It didn't meet Roselle's requirements of complete secrecy.

Before this, did Edwards and Benjamin pass away normally, resulting in them being unable to divulge any secrets, or was it that, after Roselle successfully built the mausoleum, he made these two subordinates stay on the island forever, resolving the problem of spirit channeling? Of course, if Roselle had the corresponding Sealed Artifacts or Beyonder powers, he could also make them completely lose the corresponding memories… After a moment of silence, Klein flipped through the diary pages again in search of the coordinates to the nameless island.

However, he didn't see the corresponding content when he reached the last page. Instead, there was a diary entry that vaguely revealed some of Roselle's thoughts in his later years.

"27th December. I've been feeling uneasy recently because I have no confidence in what will happen next.

"I no longer yearn for help. I'm very satisfied if they can remain neutral.

"I have put myself in the most dangerous situation. This is an act of me taking initiative, but it is also a choice due to a lack of options.

"Sometimes, I'm very confused. How did I end up like this?

"Was I too extreme, or was this the only thing I could do?

"No, at this point in time, I can't be confused anymore. Apart from affecting my mindset and making the already slim chances even slimmer, it's meaningless.

"Now that I've reached this point, I can only continue on. If I succeed, it will naturally be sunshine and rainbows.

"Heh heh, all my hopes are placed on one sentence:

"Life is possible by being in death's embrace!"

From the looks of it, the emperor really chose the method of making use of one's revival after death to escape the madness and corruption… This is simply crazy. It's like he's playing a game of Russian roulette with all six chambers filled, hoping that one of the rounds misfire… People who don't like going to the extremes, or those who are good at coming up with all kinds of strange ideas, wouldn't consider the viability of this method… Perhaps it's because the enemy can't guess it that this might give the emperor a sliver of a chance of living… Klein leaned back into his chair as he silently sat in the ancient palace for a while.

After he slowly recovered his scattered thoughts, he considered how to find the nameless island.

I remember that the person who visited the nameless island, Benjamin, seems to be from the Abraham family. This be asked via Miss Magician… Yes, I'll be meeting her soon. There's no need to specially get The Fool to pass the message…

I'll get Queen Mystic to ask the descendants of Edwards, William, and Poli. That will be more suitable…

With this in mind, he surveyed the area and sighed before disappearing above the gray fog.

Chapter 1106 Making Contac

Returning to the real world, Klein immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote a short letter:

"Investigate the nameless island which led to the deaths of Grimm, William, and Poli. This can be done through the descendants of Edwards, Benjamin Abraham, and the descendants of the three deceased."

This was a letter to Queen Mystic Bernadette, so Klein didn't write the reason. He believed that she would understand what this meant.

After folding the letter, Klein casually found a candle and began the summoning ritual.

After completing the setup, he placed the letter on the altar, took two steps back, and recited in ancient Hermes:

"I!

"I summon in my name:

"An invisible creature that roams the upper realms, a strange spiritual body that is friendly to humans, a messenger that belongs solely to Bernadette Gustav."

The moment he said that, Klein's spiritual perception was triggered. He instinctively activated his Spirit Vision with a mere thought.

However, he didn't see anything.

Then, he discovered that the letter placed on the altar had disappeared.

Queen Mystic's messenger is very special… Next time, I'll switch to using my Spirit Body Threads vision… Klein was stunned for a second before he sighed inwardly.

In the evening, under the illumination of the street lamps that lit up one after another, a carriage drove to the intersection of the Backlund Bridge area and East Borough and stopped by the side of the streets.

Wearing a long dress and a dark cloak, Fors paid the fare of three soli before alighting from the rental carriage. She walked slowly along the shadows of the street, preparing to make a large detour to escape from her imaginary stalker.

At the end of the previous Tarot Gathering, she had swiftly overcome her laziness, packed up, and went out to visit her former teachers, classmates, and colleagues.

As for the reason, there was no need for a special reason. It was very normal to care about friends and acquaintances after an air raid.

And the reason why it wasn't last week was because, in the eyes of the ordinary citizens, the situation in Backlund was especially tense. There could be a new round of attacks at any moment, so everyone naturally tried their best not to leave the house.

During the visit, Fors had originally planned on diverting the topic onto the strange tales at the hospital, but to her surprise, there was no need for her to do so at all. Her former teachers, classmates, and colleagues would usually chat about such matters on their own accord after some idle chatter, making one convinced that such illusions happened at every hospital.

No, Fors knew that it wasn't an illusion, so she inexplicably felt horrified, suspecting that she would have nightmares at night.

I don't have to make any major changes at all. As long as the patients' miraculous recoveries are changed to them having their physical wounds healed, only to have them go bonkers, it would make for an excellent horror story. Furthermore, it happens in a city that everyone is familiar with and also in the hospital that people often come into contact with in the city but exudes a terrifying atmosphere. It will result in perfect immersion. I can almost foresee another best-selling novel about to be bom. I just don't know if I can write this genre well…

Uh, the only problem is that this story will lack sufficient emotion… A female patient passionately kissing a face that's covered in mushrooms and weeds? Isn't that way too outlandish… Fors walked as she thought, entering a creative state of mind.

At this moment, her vision blurred. She saw a figure walk out from the shadows in front of her where the gas lamps couldn't illuminate.

The figure wore a black trench coat and a half top hat. He had a deep-set face with cold facial features. Apart from his gold-rimmed glasses, he looked identical to the crazy adventurer of the Five Seas, Gehrman Sparrow.

Although Fors knew that Mr. World wouldn't hunt her and was here to fulfill the contract, she couldn't help but tense up. It was as though she had met her strictest teacher from back in her school days.

"Uh, good evening." Her footsteps slowed down, but she still continued moving forward and greeted him.

Klein nodded without a word. He turned around and walked into a secluded alley to the side. The gas lamps inside were already damaged so it was dark.

Despite the dark environment, Fors similarly didn't say a word. She lowered her head slightly and followed behind Gehrman Sparrow at an adequate pace.

When they reached the depths of the alley, Klein looked around and said in a deep voice, "Help me ask your teacher if he knows of this person—Benjamin Abraham. If he knows him, I want all his information and all the text and pictures he left behind."

"Uh… Okay, okay." Fors was nervously waiting for Mr. World to "Teleport" her somewhere else, but she never expected him to mention something else for no reason. She nearly failed to react.

She didn't ask why and quickly nodded in agreement, as though she couldn't wait to do it.

Then, she took a deep breath and continued waiting for Gehrman Sparrow to approach her. He grabbed her shoulder and began "Teleporting."

But after a few seconds, nothing happened.

Fors looked up in shock, only to see Mr. World still standing in front of her, looking at her.

She then heard him say in a deep voice, "Write it now."

Write it now… Fors didn't ask why as she subconsciously said, "I didn't bring any paper, a pen, envelope, or stamp with me."

Before she could finish her sentence, the four items were thrown at her.

Fors caught the items and took a few steps out. Using the gas lamps at the end of the alley which opened up to the roads and the hard wall, she quickly wrote the letter to her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham.

With both hands in his pockets, Klein waited patiently without any signs of impatience.

In fact, he had long been lurking around Miss Magician without showing himself.

According to the address Fors provided, he had been secretly monitoring her from the moment she left home in the afternoon. His monitoring was done by getting his marionettes to pray to Sea God Kalvetua from time to time while his actual body stayed above the gray fog, using the prayer light dots to observe the situation around the Magician.

With the help of his "true vision," Klein was currently certain that Zaratul hadn't targeted Miss Magician; thus, it was safe to make contact with her.

After knowing that Miss Magician had met Zaratul's marionette, how could he be at ease and be daring enough to meet her and take her "Traveling"?

Now, he was certain that Zaratul had been attracted by the Abraham family's Sealed Artifact or Saint of Secrets Botis. As for a mere Sequence 6 like The Magician, she wasn't worthy of notice. Hence, she wasn't exposed.

A few minutes later, Fors finished writing. She used a sticky herbal powder she carried with her to seal the envelope and pasted the stamp.

"Do I throw it into the mailbox now?" Fors glanced at the cover of the letter with her teacher's address and real name and asked hesitantly.

She felt that she had to do it herself. She couldn't hand it over to The World, or it might bring danger to her teacher.

Of course, if Gehrman Sparrow insisted, Fors felt that there was nothing she could do. Even if she tore the letter apart, there was still a possibility of her being hypnotized or having her spirit channeled.

Klein nodded indiscernibly.

"Return after you're finished posting it."

Phew… Fors let out a long sigh of relief. Turning around, she ran towards the street and found the mailbox.

After finishing all of this, she returned to the dark alley. Without waiting for Gehrman Sparrow to speak, she handed over the fountain pen and the remaining two stamps. She very quickly said, "One was enough."

Klein gave Miss Magician a look before he took the stamp and pen and calmly said, "This means that your teacher's residence is less than 100 kilometers from Backlund."

Fors's expression froze.

What's the big deal? I also know that your teacher lives in Pritz Harbor, and there's a high chance that he hasn't moved away yet… As for why I gave you three stamp tickets, of course it was intentional… Klein muttered to himself before taking a few steps forward to stand in front of Miss Magician.

He then reached out his left hand that was wearing a transparent glove and grabbed the lady's shoulder.

Fors subconsciously lowered her head again.

The surrounding colors immediately became saturated and layered while countless, indescribable figures flashed. When the things and colors she saw returned to normal, Fors instinctively raised her head to thank him.

However, Gehrman Sparrow had already disappeared!

Fors sized up her surroundings in a daze and realized that she was standing in an empty corner. In front of her was a door, and a din and the smell of alcohol were emitted from beyond the door.

Fors pulled at her cloak and walked out the door with a hint of fear, only to see many men dressed as pirates.

They had scimitars and guns, either hanging or lodged by their waist. While drinking hard liquor, they discussed the strengths of the fleets of Feysac and Loen in high spirits. Quite a number of beautifully dressed women were amongst them, like dancing butterflies.

She was wearing a long, dark-colored cloak in a Backlund style. Her brown hair was long and slightly curled. She had a rather mature temperament, but her expression of fear made it seem like Fors was a lamb that had barged into a wolf pack. It was so disharmonious and eye-catching, and it quickly attracted the attention of many.

She felt a little familiar with what those people had said to her. It was as if they were part of a language branch she had learned, but she couldn't understand them immediately.

Where am I, what am I doing, who are they… As Fors was at a loss, a plump man squeezed over and said in broken Loenese, "10 soli, one night!"

Fors had been involved in many of the Beyonder circles over the years. Although she didn't know where she was, she knew very well what kind of situation she was in. The light in her eyes flickered strangely before they converged into one point.

An indescribable aura emanated from her body, making the people around her subconsciously avoid her gaze.

This was the authority of a Judge, a qualitative change in the ability of an Arbiter.

Berserk Sea, Theros Island.

Danitz hid in the shadows, watching the intelligence peddler, Bartz, in a serious manner.

Chapter 1107 Relax

As a Hunter who had Shadow Cloak, Danitz's hiding and monitoring abilities were always pretty good. Back then, he had even helped Gehrman Sparrow lay an ambush for Steel Maveti. At this moment, he didn't show any traces of himself, but he felt a little bored. He was eager for Anderson to switch with him as soon as possible.

When will such a life end? Vice Admiral Ailment, hurry up and appear. No, no, not now. It's better to wait until Anderson arrives… Danitz did some introspection and rationally ended his "prayer."

He was worried that a pirate admiral at Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy would discover that he was hiding in the dark, and he lacked the courage and confidence to deal with her.

Of course, if he wore the boxing glove, everything wouldn't be a problem.

As long as he made the decision fast enough, fear and apprehension wouldn't be able to catch up to him!

"You seem very troubled?" Suddenly, a voice rang beside Danitz's ear.

Danitz jumped out of the shadows in shock as an orange flame quickly formed in his hand.

At the same time, he cast his gaze to the source of the voice. He saw Anderson hiding in the woods. There were green vines stuck to his head that seemed to meld him with the environment.

"…Dogsh*t!" It was unknown if Danitz was cursing Anderson or himself. After venting his anger, he asked, "When did you come?"

Two minutes ago," Anderson replied with a smile. "You hid well. I didn't manage to find you immediately, so I followed your hiding habits and casually asked you a question."

Danitz was momentarily unsure if he should be proud or angry. He asked with mixed feelings, "If I had remained calm just now, would you have failed to discover me?"

"In theory," Anderson said with a smile, completely unfazed. "But as an experienced Hunter, there can't be only one way."

Just as Danitz was about to ask what other solutions there were, he suddenly saw Bartz extinguish the candle and prepare to sleep.

Minutes later, the figure of intelligence peddler, Bartz, appeared by the window in the darkness. With a nimble leap, he landed into the shadows outside the house.

That was where Danitz had been hiding. Having re-entered the shadows, he was almost stepped on by his target.

Bartz walked towards the sea under the cover of the shadows.

…Dogsh*t! Only then did Danitz appear, giving Bartz the middle finger.

Anderson also left the woods. As he pulled out the branches from his head, he smiled at Danitz.

"I think we'll hit the jackpot tonight."

Danitz glanced at the strongest hunter in the Fog Sea and nodded vigorously.

"I hope it's Vice Admiral Ailment."

He used the shadows that were everywhere at night and immediately took the lead in following the intelligence peddler, along with Anderson. They maintained a perfectly adequate distance.

"Not too stupid…" Anderson observed for a moment before chuckling.

Danitz scoffed inwardly but didn't respond.

He knew very well that this wasn't an occasion where they could afford to mock and provoke each other!

Fifteen minutes later, Bartz arrived at the beach and stood there, staring at the dark blue sea under the crimson moonlight.

He didn't wait too long. In the darkness of the sea, a huge outline appeared, gradually forming a black ship with a white flag fluttering in the air.

On the flag, two ghostly-blue flames "burned" within a pitch-black skull.

The Black Death!

Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy's flagship, Black Death!

Danitz instantly became excited. If not for his shadow form, his pupils definitely would've dilated in a bid to draw in more light to see every detail of the ship.

He subconsciously moved a distance forward, hoping to confirm if Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy was on the ship.

As the gigantic sailboat approached, the two people in the shadows could see sailors busy on the deck.

Is there a dock for docking here? Or will they just give Bartz a dinghy and get him to row himself over? Just as these thoughts flashed through Danitz's mind, he heard Anderson say with a suppressed voice, "Leave."

Ah? Danitz's greatest strength was that he was good at following the instructions of an authoritative figure. Be it in front of Edwina Edwards or Gehrman Sparrow, he would follow the instructions to a tee, apart from grumbling at most. At that moment, although his face was filled with puzzlement, with the intention to retort and persist in his own plans, he still used the shadows to silently leave the beach.

When they could no longer see the Black Death and could only hear the vague crashing of the waves did Danitz leave the shadows and appear in the forest. He hurriedly asked, "Aren't we going to confirm if Vice Admiral Ailment is aboard?"

Anderson sized up Danitz and chuckled.

"Never underestimate a Beyonder who's very famous at sea but has lived to this day. Every pirate admiral is a target you must be careful against. You must never be careless."

Danitz subconsciously replied, "Admiral of Blood Senor, Admiral Hell Ludwell…"

They were all pirates who were easily killed by a particular crazy adventurer.

Anderson was momentarily at a loss for words to rebut Danitz with. After a few seconds, he said, "So, isn't Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy worth paying more attention to considering how she survived Gehrman Sparrow's attack?^^

After careful thought, Danitz inexplicably felt that Anderson's words made sense. Just as he was about to speak, his throat suddenly felt itchy as he coughed.

After coughing a few times, his throat began to swell in pain, and he could taste metal.

"Look, I told you to be careful." Anderson clenched his fists and held them to his mouth. He coughed lightly, but it wasn't as serious as Danitz's. "Tracy must've spread all kinds of ailments around the ship. Once anyone approaches it, they'll quickly be infected with it and be exposed. Heh, with this wide of a range, it means that she has completely digested the Sequence 5 potion and has a chance of advancing to Sequence 4."

"Why couldn't it be that she has already advanced to Sequence 4?" As he was far from the source of the infection, Danitz quickly recovered and instinctively retorted.

"If that were the case, you are either on the Black Death, or you have a victim of the Black Death disease and are on your deathbed." Anderson half-turned his body and cast his gaze towards the obstructed beach. "Tracy must've used some sort of trick. It's unlikely for her to only be able to maintain the target area of the ailments to be at the front and not the other three directions. Instead, she used the wind to spread the ailments to affect the people on the shore."

With that said, Anderson clapped his hands and smiled again.

"Isn't our encounter proof that Vice Admiral Ailment is on the ship? You can inform Gehrman Sparrow."

Danitz didn't hesitate any further. He immediately set up a ritual and summoned the messenger. Using the excuse of guarding the area to prevent any accidents, Anderson walked out of the forest.

It was three in the morning in Backlund's East Borough. Apart from the moonlight and starlight, it was pitch black.

Wearing cotton pajamas and a sleeping cap with a protective hairnet, Klein sat on the bed and received the letter from Reinette Tinekerr without asking anything.

Opening the letter, he calmly got out of bed, took out a pen from his pocket, and wrote on the back of the letter: "Return to the port city and await further instructions."

After watching Miss Messenger leave, he calmly changed into his shirt, put on his vest, tied his bow tie, and put on his black trench coat.

Then, he took four steps counterclockwise and went above the gray fog. Using the topaz spirit pendulum to divine the danger level of this operation, he received almost no revelations.

Without any hesitation, he returned to the real world and stood in front of the mirror. He picked up his half top hat and wore it above his head.

On the bunk bed in the room outside, Qonas and Enuni opened their eyes.

In an empty room on the Black Death, a figure quickly outlined itself. He had black hair and brown eyes with cold and hard facial features. He was none other than Gehrman Sparrow.

Under the dim crimson moonlight, Klein swept his gaze and casually found a chair to sit down as he admired the sea vista outside.

In the captain's cabin one level away, Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy, who was dressed in a white blouse and beige pants, watched Bartz leave the room in disgust. She pulled at her collar out of reflex, and her expression turned livid.

She had just learned that Blazing Danitz and the Strongest Hunter Anderson had been staying in Theros Island recently with unknown motives.

They're all related to Gehrman Sparrow… Is that fellow looking for me? Tracy narrowed her eyes as she walked towards the window without any hesitation. She was prepared to instruct the sailors on the deck to steer the ship away from these waters.

At this moment, her thoughts suddenly turned sluggish. It was as if she had sunken into a state where she knew she was in a dream but was unable to extricate from it no matter how hard she struggled.

Not good… Black flames abruptly emerged from the surface of Tracy's body, attempting to burn away any external influences.

However, while the flames were initially able to "flow" smoothly, they later began to turn intermittent as they kept falling to the ground like withered petals.

A strong sense of despair surged within Tracy as her thoughts turned increasingly slower.

Desperate, she quickly condensed a layer of crystalline ice around her body, retracting the invisible threads towards her and wrapped herself in layers.

At that moment, the door to the captain's cabin creaked open. Wearing a silk top hat and black trench coat, Gehrman Sparrow walked in.

Then, he politely closed the door.

With a light cracking sound, the entire captain's cabin instantly became extremely quiet. The sound of crashing waves was no longer present, as though they had been separated from the real world.

As for the invisible spider webs that entangled Tracy, they seemed to misunderstand the order that was given as they tightly bound Vice Admiral Ailment up, preventing her from moving or using her Beyonder powers.

Distortion!

As her thoughts returned to normal, her brain no longer felt frozen.

"W-what do you want to do?" She couldn't hide her fear as she watched Gehrman Sparrow slowly approach.

What she couldn't understand was why the other party would give up on the attempt to make a marionette even though she had clearly lost her ability to resist.

The reason why Klein did so was because he was worried that Vice Admiral Ailment and the Demoness of White were related by blood. This way, Tracy's death would cause the demigod who was good at hexes to sense something and take measures ahead of time.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Klein stopped in front of the Demoness.

Chapter 1108 Messed Up Family

Gehrman Sparrow's silence made Tracy's heart sink, as though she had fallen into an ice cavern.

When he saw despair surface on Vice Admiral Ailment's face, Klein took out a piece of paper from his pocket. With a flick of his wrist, he made it fly forward like a poker card.

With a whoosh, the slip of paper cut through a tiny portion of the invisible spider webs like a piece of metal. It tore open the translucent ice crystal and lacerated Tracy's left arm, causing blood to splatter.

The surface of the paper was quickly dyed with a bright red tinge before it boomeranged back from the trapped Demoness into Klein's palm.

Tracy originally imagined that the piece of paper would come at her throat, but she never expected it to only target her arm. She was momentarily stunned. Only when Gehrman Sparrow folded the piece of paper and placed it into an iron cigar case did she suddenly realize something. She asked, "Your true target is Katarina?"

Klein placed the iron cigar case back into his pocket without answering her. He calmly asked, "You are her descendant?"

Upon hearing this, Tracy, who was still trapped by the ice crystal and spider silk, suddenly let out a low laugh.

"I'm not just a descendant. I'm her child."

Child…Daughter…As Klein rejoiced over his caution in not recklessly killing her, causing Demoness of White Katarina to sense something, he subconsciously analyzed whether Katarina was the mother or father of the Ailment Maiden.

If Katarina was also formerly a male, it's possible that she's Tracy's father, but the problem is that she was already a Sequence 4 demigod during the Pale Disaster that was at the end of the Fourth Epoch. And for the Assassin pathway, a man will change into a woman at Sequence 7 Witch…

In other words, if Katarina is Tracy's father, Tracy needs to be at least l,300 years old. However, it's impossible for a Sequence 5 Beyonder to live for so long. Even most Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 saints aren't capable of that!

There's only one answer, and that is that Tracy was borne by Katarina. Also, it happened in the past few decades… An advanced maternal age of more than a thousand years… Klein nodded slightly and confirmed without any change in expression.

"She's your mom?"

Tracy's expression suddenly turned odd.

"No, my mother."

Just as he was about to ask what was the difference between that and mother since it was essentially a more formal and eloquent manner of speech. Tracy sneered and said, "My mom is another person. She used to be my father."

…You Demonesses have messed up families… But that isn't the reason why you spread catastrophes to the world… Klein used his Clown powers to control his facial muscles as he continued looking at Ailment Maiden, his face impassive.

Tracy, who was already in a dire situation, was now beginning to abandon herself to despair. Without waiting for Gehrman Sparrow's response, she sighed and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Maybe it was all a mistake since I was born.

"Abnormal parents, abnormal family relationship, abnormal sect members. They sculpted me and harmed me. At the age of 8,1 found out that my father, who I had always admired as a role model, had suddenly become a woman. He was becoming like a dainty flower by the day, becoming more and more adept at using his charms. Later on, he even found a male friend and gave birth to my younger brother. Can you imagine that kind of feeling?

"After I ran away from home and came to the sea, I finally found a normal sense of self-recognition and a social identity after many years of hard work. I finally understood what I really wanted. Then, a potion bottle turned me into a woman. Heh, a woman…"

After listening quietly, Klein said without changing his tone, "Your instigation skills are pretty good."

Tracy turned agape, but in the end, she only sighed and smiled with a complicated expression. "I admit that I was trying to win your sympathy. Everyone wants to live. Isn't that right? However, I didn't lie. That was my life experience."

She stopped exaggerating her pain and sadness and paused.

"Before you kill me, I would like to ask you a question. It's a question that won't put you in a difficult spot."

"What is it?" Klein looked at the Demoness and asked.

Tracy hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Before you came to assassinate me the previous time, did Helene know about this?"

Klein was silent for a moment before he said, "She didn't know what would happen."

Tracy's face suddenly glowed.

"Really?"

Before Gehrman Sparrow could respond, she revealed an extremely complicated expression.

"Before I die, can I ask you for another favor? If you can see her again, tell her that I feel very guilty about what happened in the past, but I don't regret it."

At this point, Tracy tried to shake her head, but failed thanks to the restriction provided by the crystalline ice and invisible spider webs.

She could only laugh at herself.

"Forget it, there's no need to tell her. Let's leave it at that.

"You can do what you were here for."

With that, Tracy closed her eyes.

After a few seconds, she didn't feel the pain she expected. Instead, she heard Gehrman Sparrow say in a deep voice, "Say this: No one is to disturb me."

Tracy was surprised as she felt perplexed, and it showed on her face.

However, since she was already facing death, such a small matter wasn't worth nitpicking about. She opened her mouth and said, "No one is to disturb me."

As soon as she said the statement, the same voice echoed on the Black Death, greatly amplified.

The pirates didn't have any doubts about this. It was as if they were following a specific pattern. They instinctively avoided the captain's cabin and continued their work.

Since the captain said not to disturb her, they naturally wouldn't seek her out!

At the same time, Tracy saw Gehrman Sparrow take off his top hat and press it to his chest. He bowed slightly at her, as though he was bidding her farewell.

Then, she felt as though she was isolated from the entire world. There was silence. Even the crazy adventurer was gone.

She had obtained the environment of "not being disturbed" just as she wanted.

The "Magnify" and "Distortion" powers of the Lawyer pathway!

The layer of ice on Tracy's body began to melt, but the invisible spider webs continued to bind her firmly, preventing her from doing anything. She couldn't even change her center of gravity.

Hence, she could only stand there like a lifelike wax statue.

He didn't kill me… Tracy looked ahead blankly, momentarily in disbelief.

She didn't believe that Gehrman Sparrow hadn't taken action because he pitied her. This crazy adventurer had killed many pirates, and there had never been a situation where he showed mercy. As for Tracy, although she believed that she wasn't the typical Demoness and didn't live up to her status as a Demoness, how could she not have done anything bad as a pirate? She was experienced in both the slave trade and in plundering ships.

Similarly, Tracy didn't believe that Gehrman Sparrow was moved by her beauty and her experiences, and had ended up coveting her, because his cold gaze was like he was looking at a dead person.

There must be other factors… A thought flashed through her mind as she made connections with matters she might be involved in. She quickly came to a conclusion. It's likely because of my blood relationship with Mother. As for Demonesses, they're all good at hexes. Once I die, Mother will immediately notice it. When she discovers that there's a problem here, she will make preparations ahead of time, preventing Gehrman Sparrow from finding his target during his subsequent actions. That's why he allowed me to live but made it impossible for me to contact anyone else… From the looks of it, regardless of the outcome of his operation targeted at Mother, he will return to kill me… And if I want to continue living, I have to succeed in saving myself before that happens.

In Tracy's heart, she didn't have much of a relationship with her mother, Katarina. This Demoness of Unaging had lived for a long time, and most of the time, she had maintained her youthful state of mind by dating young men. She was passionate about the occasional children that she had whenever she found it novel to have one. At other times, she was mostly indifferent.

However, as she grew older, Katarina's evaluation of Tracy was that she resembled her past self more and more.

Hence, she was doted on her and provided more help.

However, Tracy didn't want such attention. It only served to make her lose her original gender, putting her into a painful situation that she couldn't shake off.

Phew… Although I hate her and blame her, I still unknowingly rely on her, hoping that she can respect my opinion more… I h-hope that she can escape Gehrman Sparrow's pursuit… Tracy once again began to struggle in an attempt to escape her bound state.

On the one hand, she was trying to save herself. On the other hand, she wanted to inform her mother to be careful of Gehrman Sparrow as soon as possible!

Of course, Tracy found it questionable that Gehrman Sparrow, who had likely advanced to Sequence 4 recently, would be able to harm her mother. She was, after all, someone who had survived since the Fourth Epoch, and was a Demoness with the title of "Unaging." However, she didn't only pin this belief on hope alone. This was because Gehrman Sparrow had helpers, such as the Death Consul who even her mother feared!

Plop!

Tracy finally collapsed on the ground and tried to roll towards the desk. But no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to roll her body.

The person she was fighting against was none other than herself, she who had been "Distorted" and "Magnified"!

Above the gray fog, Klein had already taken his seat in the high-back chair of The Fool. He placed the paper stained with Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy's blood on the surface of the long, mottled table.

Following that, he conjured a pen and paper and wrote a divination statement:

"Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy's mother, Katarina's current location."

Putting down the pen, he held the two pieces of paper and leaned back into his chair. He closed his eyes and repeated the words he had written.

After repeating it seven times, he entered a dream. He saw a tall and towering gothic bell tower appear in the gray world.

Around the bell tower, the white-robed Katarina stood in the shadows of a few houses. She observed the surroundings with a heavy expression, as though she was searching for something. As for the crimson moon hanging high in the sky, its position was identical to what he had seen before entering the gray fog.

This meant that Demoness of White Katarina was still in Backlund. She was in West Borough, in search of a particular target.

Chapter 1109 Patience

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After ending the divination and returning to the real world, Klein walked to the room outside the rental flat. There, he pondered for nearly a minute while looking at the crimson moon in the night sky.

Perhaps, there's still another chance for digesting the potion… he muttered silently as he ultimately rummaged for something. He took the two marionettes and disappeared into the shadows.

In Backlund, he no longer dared to use Flaming Jump, afraid that it might catch Zaratul's notice. After all, it was impossible for him to always have an opportunity to ignite Will Auceptin's paper crane to protect himself. This was a sign of disrespect towards the Snake of Fate, and it was easy for Dr. Aaron's family to be targeted if he kept visiting them.

In the blink of an eye, Klein appeared at the back of the tall, gothic-styled bell tower in his dream. He hid in the shadows—one formed by the Bell of Order, a symbol of Backlund.

Immediately following that, he and his two marionettes split apart, each occupying different hidden spots.

After doing all of this, Klein quickly turned a rat into a marionette, allowing it to run to the edge of the range of his control. It opened its mouth and softly chanted an honorific name:

"The great God of War, the symbol of iron and blood, the ruler of chaos and strife. Demoness of White Katarina is in this area…"

Since Klein was fulfilling his agreement with the Red Angel evil spirit, he also hoped that this high-level creature would step into a trap that might possibly be for him. At the same time, he had some doubts about Sauron Einhorn Medici's true intentions. He had no intention of urgently getting help from the Church of Evernight or Queen Mystic. He planned on watching from the sidelines to confirm the situation, lest he implicated others into springing a trap.

Just as the prayer ended, the gray rat suddenly twitched and fell quietly beside the rubbish bin.

It had already lost its life and was no longer Klein's marionette.

This was a way to prevent himself from being marked by the Red Angel evil spirit.

As for him, after giving up on that rat marionette, he immediately left the area where the Bell of Order was located with Qonas and Enuni. He also made "the Winner" pray to Sea God Kalvetua a few kilometers away.

After the prayer, the two of them continued to retreat, widening their distance.

Then, Klein hid in a storage room in a particular house, took four steps counterclockwise, and went above the gray fog to sit at the position of The Fool.

He then beckoned for the Sea God Scepter. With the help of the prayer light of "the Winner," he expanded his scope and observed the target area.

At the same time, with his other hand, he held the piece of paper that was stained with Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy's blood.

With a medium like this, and a general scope, it didn't take long under his "true vision" before he found the hidden Demoness of White Katarina.

The black-haired, blue-eyed woman was dressed in a pure white robe. She looked like a weightless feather, and she was gently drifting across the streets and alleys. Even if the patrolling policemen looked in the right direction, they were unable to detect her presence.

If it wasn't for the gray fog's help, Klein could only use Spirit Body Threads to see through the invisibility to a certain extent.

Taking a deep breath, he patiently waited for the Red Angel evil spirit to appear. He also observed Katarina, wanting to know what she was looking for.

He suspected that the Demoness of White was targeting Trissy Cheek.

Seconds changed to minutes as the crimson moon gradually tilted to the side. Having wandered around the Bell of Order for a while without finding anything, Katarina revealed a slightly frustrated and disappointed expression. She looked as though she was about to leave that area at any time.

And the Red Angel evil spirit never appeared!

This… Sauron Einhom Medici was just lying to me. He really didn't have the Demoness of White as his goal? No, that's not necessarily the case. If that happened, then "His" condition would be meaningless… The Red Angel evil spirit has actually arrived at the scene, but has chosen not to immediately take action like me? "He" is waiting for the battle between Katarina and me and my companions to reach its most intense state before suddenly appearing to reap the greatest benefits… Klein's thoughts wandered as he came up with a guess:

He suspected that the Red Angel evil spirit was as cautious, careful, and staid as he was. "He" hoped to be the fisherman pulling in the net and not that net.

This is really troublesome… Next, it will depend on who's more patient… Klein muttered silently as he continued to observe the situation around the Bell of Order through the prayer light.

Tick. Tick. Tick. The second hand was beating at the same pace in the quiet night. Demoness of White Katarina's expression turned increasingly gloomy.

Suddenly, she cast her gaze on the glass window of a building.

The dim night was like a mirror reflecting the things in front of them.

Katarina's beautiful blue eyes sparkled slightly as the surface of the mirror instantly turned dark, as though there were countless objects and layers of space hidden within.

The glass window seemed to have become a passageway to an alternate world!

With a thought, together with the various Beyonder powers that Demoness Trissy had showcased, he suspected that Katarina was about to use the mirror world to leave this place and end her "hunt" tonight.

How can the Red Angel evil spirit still endure this? Klein tensed up as he instinctively wanted to put down the Sea God Scepter and return to the real world. He wanted to act against the Demoness of White and prevent her from leaving.

As this thought flashed through his mind, he ultimately didn't move.

He felt that he could still wait a little longer because even if Katarina left the surrounding area of the Bell of Order, he could still locate her again as long as she didn't discover that something had happened to her daughter. When the time came, he could first summon Arrodes to ask about the target's actual abilities and items. Then, he could either seek the help of Queen Mystic Bernadette or the Church of Evernight to borrow a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact. He could then make the scales of victory tip towards him before taking action.

I deliberately didn't hide my operation this time. If I were to borrow a Sealed Artifact and the archbishop assents to it, that means that the Goddess's true attitude towards George III is: "She" doesn't like the king becoming the Black Emperor, but "She" can only accept it silently. If someone is willing to disrupt the ritual, "She" is willing to provide some help… Klein calmed his slightly anxious feelings, allowing his observation to become more relaxed.

At that moment, Demoness of White Katarina's expression returned to normal. She floated to the glass window and entered without any corporeal form.

The layers of illusory worlds within the mirror converged as though they were constantly moving away.

At this moment, using his "true vision" to observe the area underneath, Klein seemed to hear a shrill female scream. This cry seemed to come from another world. It contained extreme fear and disbelief.

None of the residents in the surrounding area were jolted awake. No one heard anything.

That was Katarina's scream? What exactly happened to her… Klein's gaze froze as he thought of something:

The Red Angel evil spirit is also an evil spirit, and it's also capable of using Mirror Blink; thus, using this medium.

In other words, "He" is no stranger to the mirror world!

Could it be that Sauron Einhorn Medici had been hiding in the "mirror" all this time, waiting for the Demoness of White to throw herself into a trap? As his pupils dilated, the darkness and gloominess in the glass window disappeared.

The "mirror" had lost its unique characteristics and returned to its original state.

A few seconds later, the bottom of the glass window slowly bled, forming a liquid that slid down.

In the areas that the liquid passed, the surrounding grayish-white tint spread, covering its original pale yellow color. It was like a newly embedded stone.

Drip! Drip! Drip!

The drops of liquid landed on the ground, dyeing it bright red like blood, beautiful like flowers.

Upon seeing this scene, the muscles on Klein's face twitched slightly before he forced himself to use his Clown powers to control his expression.

This ending was really unexpected.

A powerful and senior Sequence 3 saint, one who had lived for more than a thousand years, was unable to put up any resistance in front of the Red Angel evil spirit's trap. There was only silence left.

As for Klein himself, even if he counted the two marionettes and the Sealed Artifacts he possessed, he was still a little weaker when compared to Katarina's strength. He needed to make up for this gap through prior preparations.

This also meant that, if he were to face the Red Angel evil spirit, he would probably not end up any better. He would similarly be powerless and puny, slowly sinking in the torrent that followed.

Is this what a former King of Angels is? Even though "His" strength has yet to recover to its peak state, it still leaves one in such despair… Seeing the blood seeping out from the glass window gradually lessen, he took a deep breath and returned to the real world.

Following that, he and Winner Enuni exchanged positions as he "Teleported" to the glass window.

When Bizarro Sorcerers switched positions, they could only choose two swapping their bodies or bodies and external objects. However, it was impossible to be too precise at his current level, so Klein wasn't able to leave behind whatever he wanted. He could only choose to leave everything or not leave anything behind.

Enuni, who wore Gehrman Sparrow's appearance, said to the glass window in a deep voice the moment he materialized in front of it, "I have already fulfilled my promise."

A figure suddenly appeared on the glass window.

He was wearing a long black robe with red stripes. He casually wore a hood, revealing a soft outline. His skin was brown, and he had a pale face. He was the Gatekeeper who had been possessed by Sauron Einhorn Medici.

"Well done," the young man walked down from the window and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Klein took out something from his pocket. The corners of his mouth curled up as he happily replied,

"You did well too."

As he spoke, he blew at the monocle in his hand and wore it on his left eye. Sauron Einhorn Medici's smile froze.

Chapter 1110 "Spirit" Channeling

For a moment, the cold night became abnormally scorching hot, as though invisible lava was surging within it.

However, everything quickly returned to normal.

The Red Angel evil spirit sized up Klein and smiled as if nothing had happened.

"I'll say it again. You have talent in being a Provoker.

"Back when Zaratul digested the Bizarro Sorcerer potion, even 'He' didn't dare to pretend to be Amon in front of me."

There wasn't a hint of anger in his tone. He didn't mention why Zaratul didn't dare to do so, but with his gaze sweeping across Klein, it was as if he had fallen deep inside a glacier, his body freezing in the process.

This was how his actual body felt. Even though he was separated by a marionette, the back of his neck and back still had goosebumps.

Without needing Sauron Einhorn Medici to say anything else, Klein understood the hidden meaning behind his words:

Anyone who dared to use such a method to scare "Him" would suffer the punishment of steel and blood on the spot!

Looking at the Red Angel evil spirit in front of him who had a converged aura but was giving off a feeling of an extremely high level of superiority, Klein couldn't help but inwardly mutter, If it wasn't for the fact that the Bizarro Sorcerer potion had been digested to a certain extent, I would've thought that your willpower was as strong as steel and that your strength has returned to the level of at least a Sequence 1. And now, I can basically confirm that, under your calm demeanor, you're hiding a strong fear towards Amon. This also means that your current level is at most at Sequence 2…

Besides, I was already mentally prepared to lose a marionette. In order to quickly digest the potion, I had to take the risk…

If Danitz was here and he was given the opportunity to shout out "coward" twice, he could probably quickly digest the Provoker potion even if he had drunk four or five bottles…

Without further agitating the Red Angel evil spirit, Klein smiled and took off the monocle.

"Back in the Solomon Empire, Zaratul should already be an angel. How would he still need to digest the Bizarro Sorcerer potion?"

"I'm talking about the young Zaratul," Sauron Einhorn Medici said casually.

This is consistent with the description from the grandpa in Leonard's body… Klein nodded indiscernibly and focused on the main topic at hand.

"You've already finished off the Demoness of White?"

"What do you think?" The Red Angel evil spirit laughed and said, "Also, one must be polite. Since Katarina calls herself the Saintess of White, then you shouldn't call her a Demoness anymore."

Polite… A Hunter emphasizing manners with me… At that instant, the corners of Klein's mouth twitched, expressing the ludicrousness of the matter, but he ultimately held back.

From the looks of it, "provoking" isn't limited to ridiculing and cursing others. Uh, Danitz, who only knows how to curse using one word, is a disgrace to Hunters… As he thought, Klein said, "I've already fulfilled my promise. I think you don't mind giving me a small reward."

"Reward?" the Red Angel evil spirit scoffed and asked.

Klein ignored "His" attitude and continued, "I wish to communicate with the Demoness of White. I want to ask her something."

"Just this request?" the Red Angel evil spirit asked in amusement.

Klein nodded.

"That's right."

"No problem." Sauron Einhorn Medici raised his right hand and grabbed at his glabella. From there, a blurry figure was pulled out. It was none other than Saintess of White Katarina, whose facial expression was filled with horror.

"Can we have a private conversation?" Seeing this, Klein looked around.

The Red Angel evil spirit immediately laughed and said, "Do you need a room where the two of you can be together?

Think about it with that brain of yours. Even if you want to hide the questions you would like to raise from me, I can still find out through Katarina's spirit. That is, of course, unless you don't plan on returning her to me? Or are you a little boy who needs things to follow a ritual?"

Klein made the marionette reply with a deadpan expression, "I have a way to make her forget my questions."

This was both the truth and a lie. The truth was that he could use Hvin Rambis's Manipulator's Beyonder characteristic to complete the job. However, it was relatively difficult, and the chance of failure was very high. Furthermore, the negative effects weren't minor. The reason why he lied was because he had no intention of doing so. This would expose many important matters. He only had one purpose in saying this: to make the Red Angel evil spirit suspect that the answers obtained weren't the truth and that there were key hidden parts beneath the surface. From that, "He" would ignore the value of the answers obtained on the surface. This worked wonders on people who were highly suspicious.

Of course, there was no hope of success. After all, the entity opposite him was the Red Angel who was master of "conspiracies."

"Not bad." After Sauron Einhorn Medici heard Klein's reply, "His" body suddenly vanished, projecting itself onto the glass window.

Klein glanced at the blood that had already coagulated on the gray stones, feeling somewhat wistful as he brought the somewhat muddle-headed Demoness of White Katarina far away from the glass and into a dark alley.

He then took out candles, essential oils, and herbal powders. He set up an altar and prayed to the Evernight Goddess, hoping that he could use ritualistic magic to complete the mediumship.

This was a skill he had mastered when he was still a Nighthawk.

As the ritual was completed, an immense and terrifying power descended from an indescribable height, causing the surroundings to become unusually quiet.

Klein's eyes instantly darkened, as it was like the dark night was compressed.

He then saw more things around Katarina's spirit—flickering light and blurry mind storms.

He easily passed through those obstacles and faced the Demoness of White's Body of Heart and Mind.

"Has the cooperation between the Demoness Sect and George III come to an end?" Without being careless, Klein began from a less sensitive question to observe Katarina's condition.

The dazed and confused look on Katarina's face faded a little as she nodded with a pure smile.

"Yes."

"Then why are you still in Backlund?" Klein asked further.

Katarina replied solemnly, "I'm in pursuit of Trissy. She took an important Sealed Artifact from us."

"What's the Sealed Artifact?" Klein suddenly recalled the sapphire ring that Demoness Trissy had once worn on her hand. It was intricately made.

Demoness of White Katarina said with a pious expression, "It has something to do with the awakening of Primordial. Apart from its high level at Grade 0, it doesn't have any special abilities."

Indeed, it has to do with the Primordial Demoness… You people even changed Trissy's name to Trissy Cheek… Klein didn't reveal that he knew the true name of the Primordial Demoness. Instead, he asked, "Do you know where the other eight mausoleums of George III are?"

Katarina frowned slightly and answered in a manner meant to garner sympathy, "They're separately located in the southwest suburbs of Backlund, Awwa County, East Chester County…"

This Demoness of White first gave a simple account of the locations of the eight mausoleums before introducing their specific locations and situations in detail.

"The eight mausoleums have already been repaired. They temporarily deactivated the teleportation tunnel. Even if they have the corresponding charms, there's no way to open them again. It's almost impossible to find them directly from the outside world…

"Other than Prince Grove, Duchess Georgina, the two angels of the royal family, and George III, no one else can enter…"

Well, some of those places were places where Qonas Kilgor often went hunting, so it matches my guess. This means that the Demoness of White isn't lying… I'll make a confirmation above the gray fog later…

If this is really the case, it would be quite troublesome… With the current situation, be it Prince Grove or Duchess Georgina, they would definitely be in the sights of the angels…

The biggest hurdle is entering the ruins. Once entry is gained, what follows won't be that dangerous. War has already broken out, and there's a need to fight against the Feysacians. Demigods are a limited resource, so there's no way George III can have every ruin be guarded by a saint, with the option of an angel to provide reinforcements… As Klein's thoughts raced, he first posed a question:

"The royal family has two angels?"

"In fact, that's not the case. It's very likely that George III is also one," Katarina replied honestly. "One of those two angels is the Founder of the Loen Kingdom, Protector William I who has survived since the Fourth Epoch. 'He' is a Sequence 1 Hand of Order of the Arbiter pathway, while the other is the former Duke of Southville, Dlink Augustus. 'He' is a Sequence 2 Balancer… As for how many Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts the royal family has, I'm not sure."

The Founder on the ten-pound note is still alive? I have the feeling that history has seeped into reality again… After some thought, he nodded and asked, "Why are you working with George III?"

"For a Conqueror Beyonder characteristic. It's already in our hands." Katarina's expression became a little excited. Conqueror was the name of the Red Priest pathway's Sequence 1 potion!

"Then, will it belong to the Primordial Demoness, or belong to the upper echelons of your sect?" Klein asked thoughtfully. "Who are the higher-ups of your sect?"

"It will be sacrificed to Primordial. However, we have to find the Sealed Artifact that Trissy took away first. Currently, it has been kept by the Saintess of Black… All the higher-ups of our sect have colors as their code names…" Katarina answered truthfully.

After understanding more details, Klein terminated the spirit channeling, cleaned up the altar, and allowed the Demoness of White's spirit to return to the glass window from before.

As for himself, his body suddenly turned transparent. With the help of "Teleportation," he disappeared from this region, rendezvousing with his actual body and his other marionette.

After watching Gehrman Sparrow leave, the gloominess and confusion on Katarina's face suddenly vanished as her expression became extremely astute.

She then entered the glass window which had turned dark again.

A few seconds later, Sauron Einhorn Medici and Demoness of White Katarina walked out of the "mirror" together. The latter's figure was clear and filled with flesh. She showed no signs of death!

"Are you saying that he was asking about the other eight secret mausoleums of George III? The power of the spirit channeling came from Evernight?" The Red Angel evil spirit stroked "His" chin and turned to ask Katarina.

The Demoness of White nodded slightly and said, "That's right."

"Heh." The Red Angel evil spirit immediately laughed. "So he doesn't want George III to become the Black Emperor." Katarina's eyes darted around as she revealed a smile.

"But it's impossible to succeed. No matter how fast he advances or how much help he receives, there's no way he can resist the combined forces of the royal family, the military, and that organization. No, if it's just the Augustus family, with his level and strength, he won't be able to do anything, unless Evernight personally descends."

Having said that, this Demoness of White asked in a seemingly casual manner, "I'm very puzzled. Why didn't you kill me directly after grasping the absolute advantage over me?"

The Red Angel evil spirit glanced at her as the corners of "His" mouth slowly curled up.

"Do you think you have the right to be my true target?"

Chapter 1111 "Poker Expert"

Upon hearing the Red Angel evil spirit's reply, Demoness of White Katarina's expression instantly froze, unable to contain her anger.

Sauron Einhorn Medici laughed and continued, "You must've become a demigod at the end of the Fourth Epoch. It's been more than a thousand years, but you haven't become an angel. Don't you feel inferior?

"As for that fellow just now, he had to rely on Azik Eggers to face you head-on in the beginning. He was as weak as a chick that had just hatched. But now, in less than a year, he has already advanced to Sequence 4 and obtained godhood. He has the ability to match your strength. Don't you have any thoughts about this? Didn't you think that the past thousand years were a waste? Even a dog might open the gates to angelhood after living for more than a thousand years.

"I know what you're thinking. You're very jealous, and on the other hand, you also have a twisted desire. You want to prove yourself by sleeping with him. You Demonesses are really laughable. On the one hand, you insist that you were originally men so as to prevent yourself from losing yourself, thus, resulting in you losing control. On the other hand, you have to showcase the charm of a woman and try your hand at extreme pleasure and intense love. But we Hunters have no such problem. Regardless of what gender we were in the beginning, all we need to do in the future is war, war, war!

"Primordial really is a twisted fellow. Letting a pure woman take the path of a Demoness would be so much better; however, generation after generation, you pass the damage down. And for what? Isn't the main goal merely to seek revenge on fate?"

Every word of the Red Angel evil spirit was like an arrow that stabbed into the heart of the Demoness of White. It made her beautiful and exquisite face twitch, and her smooth, raven-black, long hair seemed to grow thicker.

Sauron Einhorn Medici glanced at Katarina and immediately chortled.

"Don't tell me that you're losing control because of my provocation?

"What a nostalgic feeling."

The Red Angel evil spirit paused for a moment before saying:

You can leave now. If there's anything, then remember to recite my honorific name. Of course, I will come to you directly if I have to."

Demoness of White Katarina's expression returned to normal. She frowned slightly and asked in disbelief, "You're letting me leave, just like that?"

The Red Angel evil spirit chuckled.

"Why? Do you want to sleep with me? It's not impossible if the timing is right, but there's something very important that needs to be done right now.

"Don't worry. Since you've already recited my honorific name and given me a drop of your blood, you'll be under my watch, and you can be affected by me at any moment.

"Have you already forgotten the differences between an angel and a saint? Don't you know how powerful a real high- level figure is?

"Heh heh, unless you directly pray to Primordial and receive a response; otherwise, you'll never be able to free yourself from my gaze. Well, in normal circumstances, an angel can do such a thing, but that's only limited to the situation of you only chanting my honorific name. If you don't believe me, I'll let you seek the help of an angel."

Demoness of White Katarina listened with a gloomy expression before finally smiling.

"I'll keep your teachings in mind, Lord Medici."

Sauron Einhorn Medici's eyebrows twitched.

"You don't seem so compliant. I can even imagine how you were when you faced Gehrman Sparrow, but I don't care.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you. It's best if you immediately confirm the condition of your bloodline descendants. Don't you find it suspicious that Gehrman Sparrow managed to find you so easily?"

Katarina's face turned slightly pale, but then it grew serious. She slowly nodded and said, "I understand."

With that said, she immediately retreated and entered the glass window again. It was unknown where she was headed for in the illusory, stacked mirror world.

With the Demoness of White disappearing, a bloody gash suddenly appeared on the left side of the Red Angel evil spirit's left cheek and made a sound:

"What an excellent actress. She made it seem like she wasn't good at controlling her expression, showing her restlessness and lack of intelligence as though it was easy for her ulterior motives to be discovered."

"That's right. That way, there's a high chance that we would belittle her and let our guard down against her." The Red Angel evil spirit's right cheek also cracked open in a hideous manner.

"Tsk, Demonesses are indeed very cunning. However, I've never underestimated any prey." The Red Angel evil spirit used "His" normal mouth to say, "She wants to desensitize me and make me belittle her, but it's impossible."

The bloody gash on "His" left cheek opened and closed and replied, "Then why were you captured by Alista Tudor?"

"That's because of the two of you." The personality that belonged to Medici pouted and said, "It had nothing to do with belittlement and desensitization."

The blood-colored crack on his right snorted and said, "How does it feel like to become someone else's prey? The mighty God of War, the Red Angel beside the Creator?"

"Not bad." Medici's expression darkened a little, but "His" words seemed to contain some self-complacency.

The personality that belonged to Sauron said with the left cheek, "You really like to bluff in order to achieve your goals. Back then, Alista and company managed to see through your lies, which was why they managed to seize the opportunity.

"And just now, you were bluffing Katarina. You're only capable of releasing your aura, relying on traps and surprise attacks to bring about a certain amount of damage. There was no way you could quickly finish her off, but you pretended that you had returned to your Sequence 1 state, tricking her into reciting your honorific name and handing over her blood."

Medici pouted again and said, "A bluff is also a normal playstyle in poker. The effect is pretty good, isn't it?"

At this point, the Red Angel chuckled and said, "Furthermore, it's not just a bluff. What I'm most fond of is to mix in a truth or two every few bluffs, allowing me to wait for fellows who think they've seen through my disguise to step into a trap. It's just like the mistakes you two idiots made back then."

"But you were the first to die!" The two sides of the Red Angel evil spirit's face cracked at the same time.

Without any hesitation, Medici said, "That means I'm the strongest, worthy of having the most attention!"

With that said, the three personalities of the Red Angel evil spirit fell silent at the same time. After a few seconds, the blood-colored crack that represented Einhorn opened and closed.

"Gehrman Sparrow's connection with Evernight is tighter than I imagined. He should've noticed Katarina's true state just now."

Medici chuckled and said, "It's alright. This is something 'She' has tacitly allowed in the first place.

"Back when the Great Smog of Backlund happened, the ones who participated in the operation are all gone. Only that Demoness named Trissy is still alive. Isn't that enough to explain something?"

Sauron and Einhorn didn't speak further as they allowed the bloody crack on the cheeks to wriggle and heal.

The Red Angel evil spirit then reflected "Himself on the glass window and disappeared from the area around the Bell of Order.

Above the grayish-white fog, inside the ancient palace.

Looking at the spinning topaz pendant in his hand, Klein nodded indiscernibly.

He had already used spirit dowsing to confirm Katarina's answers, and he came up with a concrete conclusion.

Right on the heels of that, he began his dream divination based on what he knew of the eight secret mausoleums. He saw the corresponding areas and their blurry states.

This made him understand that entry was impossible via normal methods. Even the process of prying without interference had difficulties in locating the interior of the mausoleums.

This is very troublesome… Also, when I was channeling the Demoness of White girl's spirit, it was quite different from the time when I did it for Qonas Kilgor and Hvin Rambis. She had too many expressions, and her answer was more proactive… Is this something special about Demonesses, or is it due to other factors? With a thought, he beckoned with his hand to draw out a piece of paper that was stained with Vice Admiral Ailment's blood. He wrote down the corresponding sentence and made a dream divination to search for his target.

In the blurry world, Klein saw Tracy, who had escaped from her spider webs, looking out the window.

There was a dark and illusory storm around there, making it impossible for him to know where it was.

Tracy has escaped… She doesn't look sad. She only feels a certain amount of anger and confusion… Her relationship with the Demoness of White is so terrible? Or could it be… Just as he was feeling puzzled, he saw a black flame suddenly ignite and melt his dream away.

He opened his eyes and confirmed that he could no longer use the blood in his hand to divine the location of Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy. This meant that a demigod powerhouse had used a mysticism technique to sever the connection between the two.

Could it be that the Demoness of White Katarina isn't dead yet? This… Right, when the Red Angel evil spirit answered me, "He" was using rhetorical questions. He didn't admit it at all… I was channeling the spirit of a living person! Klein was instantly enlightened as he hurriedly made another divination. Finally, he confirmed that the Demoness of White really was still alive.

Indeed, the Red Angel evil spirit's true target isn't the Demoness of White… Also, combined with the feedback from the progress of my potion's digestion, is it right for me to say that the Red Angel evil spirit is weaker than I imagined? "He" hasn't even recovered to the level of Sequence 2, and he was unable to quickly finish off the Demoness of White. "He" could only rely on other means to subdue her? After pondering for a moment, Klein realized he couldn't come to a conclusion.

He quickly reined in his thoughts and stopped considering the problem. This was because he had already obtained the information he needed from Demoness of White Katarina.

Klein put down the piece of paper that was stained with Vice Admiral Ailment's blood and suddenly chuckled.

Severing the connection between the blood and the body, preventing powers of divination and prophecy from using it as a medium?

I wonder if it will work when rubbing it on the surface of Groselle's Travels?

After looking at the piece of paper for a few seconds, Klein temporarily gave up on the idea of testing it, because there was no need for it.

His focus quickly shifted to the other eight mausoleums of George III.

Ordinary lines of thought shouldn't work. The things that I can come up with are definitely things that the angels and saints under George III can figure out as well…

If it wasn't for the fact that the gods have already tacitly allowed this matter, exposing this matter by printing it on flyers might've been effective…

Hmm, teleportation nexus… the Tudor Ruins… This…

As he thought about it, a thought suddenly came to his mind. He had an idea.