"The World's" Commission

"That extraordinary weapon is called the 'Golden Serpent Sword.' I came up with the name on a whim after seeing its appearance once it was completed… Hmm, should I also create a matching 'Golden Serpent Treasure' to complement it?"

"I just realized today is still March 15th… Haha, I forged a 'fake' on 3/15… Sometimes, the world works in such mysterious ways."

"Unfortunately, the only person who would understand these jokes is no longer around… He's definitely hiding from me. Otherwise, there's no way I wouldn't be able to find him…"

Golden Serpent Sword? Emperor, you really know how to play around… But the person who could understand the Emperor's jokes must be Liu Bo, right? Had he already left Roselle's side by this point? Hmm, for the Emperor to grant a noble title, it must have been after he became Caesar. According to the intelligence provided by Mr. Tower, the 'Calamity Seal' did indeed go missing around this time…

Did Liu Bo have a falling out with the Emperor? Or did he reincarnate again? Or… did he simply feel that staying around Roselle was no longer safe?

Klein's mind swirled with these thoughts for about a minute before he continued reading the diary.

"March 16th: After a night of contemplation, I've decided to seal the 'Black Throne' along with a few other interesting treasures. I'll use the 'Golden Serpent Sword' as the 'key' to unlock it!"

"Haha, knowing Cullen's personality, if he knew I specifically forged a sword as a reward for him, he might grow suspicious and seal it away himself… And wouldn't that ruin all the fun?"

"So, I sealed most of the sword's abilities using the authority of an Angel. Even a demigod-level vampire wouldn't be able to see through its true nature. Then, I told Cullen it was just a defective weapon I made in my youth… This way, he's more likely to pass it down to his descendants for use."

"Cullen refused to board the 'Black Throne' and follow me into the depths of the Misty Sea. So, I'll hide the ship and treasure there. Let's see if one of his descendants will wield the sword and come looking for the treasure I left behind."

"Sigh, come to think of it, Cullen and I used to be so close. How did we grow so distant?"

Isn't it obvious? Once you became the Supreme Ruler, the Grand Chancellor, the Emperor, and eventually Caesar, your mindset must have shifted. You couldn't tolerate disobedience from others anymore… And besides, you're plotting against his descendants!

But perhaps the Emperor was also trying to find Liu Bo through this method. Based on earlier diary entries, Viscount Cullen was very likely a descendant of Liu Bo when he was the vampire duke Rhein Culleneldia.

Klein sighed softly, calming his emotions before making the diary pages vanish from his hand.

"You may proceed," he said with a soft chuckle from his seat at the head of the long bronze table.

Immediately after speaking, he manipulated "The World" to raise his hand. "Mr. Fool, I would like to request a private conversation with Mr. Tower."

"Granted." Mr. Fool nodded slightly before glancing towards Mr. Tower and adding, "But you'll need his consent."

Ebner paused for a moment, recalling the original story and contemplating what Klein might want from him. He quickly formed a few guesses in his mind. After a brief hesitation, he nodded. "I have no objections."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Fool tapped the edge of the ancient bronze table, and the perceptions of the other members were immediately blocked.

"The World" spoke in his deep, gravelly voice, "Mr. Tower, one of Mr. Fool's Blessed wishes to commission you for a task… The reward will be the 'Judge' Beyonder characteristic."

"One of his Blessed"…? Isn't that just you?

But the 'Judge' characteristic is incredibly valuable—at least worth four to five thousand pounds, if not more. And it's essentially priceless in rarity. What could be so important for Klein to offer this as payment?

After a brief internal quip, Ebner cautiously asked, "A 'Blessed'? Are you referring to The Hero Bandit Black Emperor? Mr. World, are you also one of Mr. Fool's Blessed?"

Klein wasn't surprised by Ebner's deduction. After all, the two had met The Hero Bandit Black Emperor not long ago, and offering such a precious reward naturally led to associations.

"Yes, it's that lord," The World confirmed, but he neither admitted nor denied his own status as a Blessed.

"What does he want me to do?" Ebner frowned slightly as he asked again. For Klein to offer such a high price, the task must be exceptionally dangerous. It's probably related to Angels, Sealed Artifacts of Grade 0, or even True Gods or Outer Deities.

Then again, whenever Klein tries to make money, he inevitably runs into these sorts of things…

"The lord wants you to ask 'Iron Man' two questions:

"First, who exactly is behind Witch Lena's schemes?

"Second, how much does he know about the Sealed Artifact '0-08'?"

Iron Man? Last time The Hero Bandit Black Emperor asked me, he seemed quite interested in Dunn's new identity… But why is he focusing on Lena now? That witch's background seems incredibly convoluted. Many powerful entities seem to have used her as a pawn at some point… At least, I'm certain the Psychological Alchemy Council has.

Still, asking Iron Man is the right approach. Even if Dunn doesn't know, the 'Lady Sloth' who follows him will likely have answers.

As for Sealed Artifact '0-08'… The more Klein knows about it while still in Backlund, the more dangerous it becomes for him.

"I'm currently in the Southern Continent, so I won't be able to meet with Iron Man anytime soon…" Ebner began to refuse tactfully, but The World cut him off with a laugh.

"The lord isn't in any rush. As long as you can provide answers within three months, the commission will be considered complete."

Three months? That's quite generous… If that's the case, I can accept it. After hunting the Finks Lion, I had already planned to meet with Dunn and Lady Sloth anyway. After all, I might need her help for my Sequence 5 advancement ritual.

"Additionally," The World continued, "the 'Judge' characteristic can be given to you in advance. If you fail to complete the task in three months, you'll need to return an item or gold of equivalent value."

The terms are quite lenient… In that case, there's no reason not to accept it. Besides, I can always ask Xio if she needs this characteristic. If she doesn't, I'll just craft it into an artifact.

With his thoughts settled, Ebner smiled. "In that case, I'll accept this commission."

Once the two reached an agreement, the private exchange ended.

When the perceptions of the other members were restored, they were naturally curious about what had been discussed. However, they were wise enough not to pry.

At that moment, Alger, "The Hanged Man," casually turned his head towards Derrick, "The Sun," and asked, "Did you learn anything from your former team captain?"

Derrick answered honestly, "He was actually an avatar of Amon… He's dead."

(End of Chapter)