163 LOTM

Putting down the Classical Metallurgist potion formula, Klein cast his gaze towards the two tubes of blood Little Sun had sacrificed.

Then, he beckoned for a ceramic jar wrapped in layers of paper figurines.

This was the Beyonder blood from different pathways that he had previously gathered. It had been placed above the gray fog and sealed with the Paper Angel in order to slowly integrate it into this mysterious space's aura, removing the connection between the blood and the individual. This was to prevent any accidents from happening to the provider when the door of the symbols was opened.

To him, it was fine if he suffered backlash. After all, there was at least one more chance of him reviving. If it would affect those who trusted him and gave their blood, he would rather not do it.

After peeling off the paper figurines at the mouth of the jar and pouring the two tubes of blood into it, he conjured a glass stick and reached in to stir it. @@novelbin@@

Right on the heels of that, he used Paper Angel and sealed it again.

I'm just short of Prisoner, Devil, and Demoness... After I complete the ritual, I'll personally pay Miss Sharron a visit. It's better to make a request in person regarding such matters. It's too rude to do it by writing letters... Only Miss Magician is a little special. Clearly, she would prefer it if I wrote a letter rather than meet Gehrman Sparrow in person. Heh, she actually used the excuse that the ink had frozen due to the low temperatures to delay her writing. Heh, are her magic tricks just for show? Thankfully, my potion has already digested, so there's no need for me to push her anymore... Klein mumbled inwardly as he threw the ceramic jar covered in paper figurine back into the junk pile.

After leaving the world above the gray fog, he didn't immediately prepare to advance to Scholar of Yore. Instead, he took out a pen and paper and drew the symbol that was a mixture of concealment and mystery prying.

This was something he had planned to do before he consumed the potion—to ask Arrodes about Sefirah Castle.

As the symbol took form, the light in the originally badly-lit room became darker, as if clouds were drifting past, blocking out the sun.

After more than ten seconds, the full-body mirror with cracks suddenly rippled with aqueous light and silver words quickly appeared:

"Exalted Great Master, your devoted, loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, is here to answer your summoning.

"I-I am still the servant that you trust the most, the closest and most favorite, right?"

This question... I seem to be able to read the panic and anxiety of this magic mirror... Does it feel a sense of danger? After some thought, he nodded in amusement.

"Yes."

Actually, that has never been the case... I'm just comforting you... After answering, he silently added in his heart.

The surface of the mirror lit up and the silver words were dyed golden.

They squirmed and formed a new sentence:

"Great Master, do you have any questions for me?"

"Yes." Klein secretly tensed up. "What do you know about Sefirah Castle?"

Arrodes fell silent for a few seconds before the pale golden words changed:

"I don't know much about this. I've only heard some rumors. In the early days of the Second Epoch, the ancient gods believed that the original Creator left some things behind. That might be a 'kingdom' formed from a certain part of 'His' body or something created by 'Him.' And Sefirah Castle is one of them.

"This was the name that the King of Demonic Wolves, Flegrea, gave. 'He' calls the Hounds of Fulgrim as Sefirah Castle Keepers. However, 'He' failed to enter Sefirah Castle even to 'His' death. Therefore, many powerful creatures suspect that Sefirah Castle doesn't actually exist, but is just an abstract concept."

It had something to do with the original Creator? After pondering for a while, he said, "One of them... How many other entities like Sefirah Castle are there?"

"Eight. There are detailed records on the second Blasphemy Slate. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it." On the surface of the mirror, lines of words appeared one after another. However, the pale gold color faded away, becoming silver once again. "The ancient gods suspect that the source of the underground corruption comes from a place similar to Sefirah Castle. They call it the Chaos Sea. Also, there are rumors that deep in the spirit world city, Calderón City, there are clues to the River of Eternal Darkness. This comes from the ancient god, Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace. As for the others, I've heard of some names, but it's not a complete list. There's Tenebrous World, Knowledge Moor, as well as the Brood Hive that's related to the moon."

There are a total of eight. Chaos Sea, River of Eternal Darkness, Knowledge Moor, Tenebrous World, and Brood Hive... Brood Hive is related to the moon; it sounds very dangerous... I wonder if it has anything to do with the Mother Tree of Desire... Klein silently repeated the key information in Arrodes's response. He had a nagging feeling that he should be able to grasp something, but he didn't gain much from it. He even lacked the ability to piece together the clues.

When he saw that Arrodes had only heard rumors and didn't have any actual understanding of them, he organized his thoughts and said with a smile, "From the looks of it, you might come from the Chaos Sea."

"That's not important. What's important is that I'm your loyal, lowly, and obedient servant." Arrodes said the entire sentence at once.

Obedient, this use of words... Klein silently lampooned before asking, "What are the origins of Dark Angel Sasrir?"

On the surface of the mirror, silver words formed one after another:

"I similarly can't see it, but at that time, there was a myth that said that, when the ancient sun god was born, 'He' was light and darkness combined. After all, 'He' calls himself the Creator, so 'He' must be well-rounded and not lacking anything.

"Later, 'He' separated the darkness in his body and used it to create the first angel with one of his ribs, Dark Angel Sasrir."

This... rib... I can totally imagine it. Back then, it was the ancient sun god who personally fabricated and spread this myth... Amon's brother, your wife has become the Dark Angel! Klein was first alarmed before many strange ideas arose in his mind.

As his thoughts settled, he began to analyze the truth behind this myth.

With such a myth spreading, it will cause the believers to believe that Dark Angel Sasrir is the dark side of the ancient sun god. They would worship "Him" in the same way as the Lord. No one objected or forbade this myth. As for Dark Angel, "He" was ultimately the deputy of the divine kingdom, god's left hand. So this implies that this was very likely true...

What happened afterward can be summarized as the dark side of the ancient sun god colluding with foreign enemies, bewitching the Kings of Angels and assassinating the main body?

This can explain why Ouroboros and Medici joined Rose Redemption. "They" were only following the orders of the "Lord"...

From this angle, isn't the position of Dark Angel Sasrir, in the ancient sun god's divine kingdom, equivalent to The World of the Tarot Club? Hmm...

Thankfully, The World is a fake person. He doesn't have his own spirituality and thoughts...

As he thought about it, he suddenly felt drenched with sweat. He was glad that he was a Seer and not some other pathway.

Based on his previous reasoning, he quickly guessed the reason why Dark Angel was sleeping in the Giant King's Court.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fall of the ancient sun god...

Therefore, the brother of Amon, the Dragon of Wisdom, and the True Creator wish to confirm the state of Dark Angel Sasrir...

However, there are many other problems... In the twenty-two Beyonder pathways, which pathway is this King of Angels, the left hand of God?

The Marauder has Amon, Apprentice has Mr. Door, Spectator, Reader, Bard, Sailor, Secrets Suppliant, Warrior, Sleepless, Planter, Savant, Monster, Hunter, and Arbiter are obviously impossible... Corpse Collector is also impossible due to the existence of Death in the Fourth Epoch. It's impossible for there to be a King of Angels to exist at the same time—unless the Dark Angel had already fallen to Sequence 2... By the same logic, the Seer and Lawyer pathways can be eliminated for now. It can then be confirmed that the Dark Angel is no longer a King of Angels...

Mystery Pryer, Moon, and Devil are all certain possibilities. I cannot eliminate the possibility that the Hidden Sage, Primordial Moon, and the Dark Side of the Universe are the Dark Angel's "alt"... Yes, there might still be the Mother Tree of Desire hidden within...

It's also possible with Prisoner. There's no clear evidence that this pathway has produced a true deity. Back then, the Chained God might not even be a King of Angels.

After some thought, he said to Arrodes, "It's your turn to ask."

On the cracked full-body mirror's surface, silver words twisted together and formed a new sentence:

"Great Master, may I guess what you want to ask next?"

"..." Klein nodded slightly and answered, "Sure."

"You wish to ask about Sasrir's current state. My answer is, I don't know, as I can't see." Behind the silver words was a smiley face with a simple drawing.

"Not bad," Klein praised. "That's all for today. I will summon you again in the near future at any time."

"Yes, Great Master. Your loyal servant, Arrodes, is constantly preparing to serve you!" On the surface of the mirror, the simple smile on his face turned into a waving cat's paw.

When the mirror returned to normal, Klein took out a pen and paper and wrote down what he had just learned.

This was one of the documents he had prepared for the Scholar of Yore ritual.

In the past few days, he had written a lot of documents on ancient history.

Following that, with the information and two marionettes, he "Teleported" to the Southern Continent.

He didn't dare to advance in Backlund. If anything were to happen to him, Amon and Zaratul would definitely be able to detect it and come straight for him!

-x-X-x-

On a barren island in the Berserk Sea.

This place wasn't far from the Southern Continent, but it didn't belong there geographically. The reason why Klein had chosen this island as a place for himself to advance to Scholar of Yore was, firstly, because he wanted to avoid Amon and Zaratul to the best of his ability. He also didn't want to enter the region where the Mother Tree of Desire had a wide range of influence. Secondly, because the Berserk Sea was enveloped by the power left behind by Death, this was, in a way, a part of the Evernight Goddess's kingdom. If the ritual were to create a huge commotion, it was possible for some effective screening.

Furthermore, this place is very desolate. There aren't many creatures here, so there's no need to worry about any accidents affecting the innocent... Klein surveyed the area and began to set up a ritual. He brought the corresponding materials back from above the gray fog to the real world.

Following that, he flipped through the thick ancient history documents and pulled out some records that he couldn't be certain of. Those that couldn't be confirmed with divination were also removed.

Pa!

With a shake of his hand, the scarlet flames rose and devoured the stack of paper.

The supplementary ingredients needed for the Scholar of Yore potion were a large amount of real ancient historical records. Therefore, he didn't want to take the risk of using things he couldn't be sure of. He would rather have fewer of them.

After making his selection, he poured the Hound of Fulgrim's blood into a huge cauldron and placed the few White Frost Crystals that he had weighed beforehand into it.

The moment the two supplementary ingredients came into contact with each other, a thin mist immediately rose up. It enveloped the container and was about half the height of a person and an arm wide.

With a glance, Klein followed his spiritual intuition and temporarily gave up on adding the last supplementary material. He first got his marionette, Enuni, to grab the Demonic Wolf of Fog's transformed heart and threw the item that seemed condensed from white mist into the cauldron.

As white frost condensed across Enuni's arm, the mist that emanated from the vessel became extremely dense. It began to contract and expand, as though it was alive, like a slowly-beating heart.

Without any hesitation, Klein controlled his marionette, Enuni, to pick up the pair of eyes from the Hounds of Fulgrim. He stuffed the two dark red flame-like objects into the seemingly corporeal mist.

The mist's color quickly darkened, making it impossible for him to see the huge cauldron at its core.

He didn't panic. Instead, he calmly got his other marionette to throw page after page of the ancient historical records into the blob of thick, dark mist.

The thick mist slowly collapsed. After "digesting" the historical records, it finally fell back into the cauldron, like water vapor, turning into something that coexisted as both a liquid and a gas. Its color was dark red, almost the size of a baby's head.

Upon seeing this scene, Klein removed the spirit pendulum from his left wrist and used divination to determine if the potion was successfully concocted.

He received a revelation that it was rather dangerous, but one that he could barely withstand.

And this meant that the potion was successfully concocted.

Even if it were strictly concocted according to the formula, a Sequence 3 potion is equivalent to poison. If I can withstand it, I'll advance. Otherwise, I'll go crazy, lose control, or even die... After staring at the topaz pendant spinning rapidly in a counterclockwise direction for a few seconds, he pulled up the silver chain and wrapped it around his left wrist.

He cast his gaze at the potion floating in the cauldron as thoughts flashed across his mind:

A Bizarro Sorcerer's acting not only has the key terms of "fear," "horror," "directing," and "inexplicable," there's also some level of mystery, unknown, complicated, and unpredictable aspects of fate. The two aspects combine to form a complete Bizarro Sorcerer... This is a behavioral style, while the other is the attributes...

And to me, my origins are such a mystery that I haven't even figured out the truth. I've experienced so many complicated matters that I've already stopped a true god from descending, scared a King of Angels. Even my fate is so unpredictable that a Snake of Mercury is unable to discern. Therefore, I've already acted in advance and naturally digested that portion of the potion. There's no need to summarize the principles...

This truly reflects the single word "bizarro"...

Yes, the ritual requirements for Scholar of Yore requires me to be completely separated from reality for at least 300 years. Only after I become history and no longer belong to the present era do I consume the potion. My life while I was sealed within a cocoon and hung above the gray fog is more than enough. But after becoming Klein, I've experienced too many things in the past year. I've already left a mark in the present era. Would it affect the effects of the ritual?

It should be... Fortunately, it hasn't even been two years. The mark won't be too deep and can barely be accepted. After all, it's impossible for me to hang myself up for 300 years again before I consume the potion... There's another decade or so until the apocalypse!

Furthermore, the ancient history I grasp is definitely far superior to any Bizarro Sorcerer. It can be considered as me effectively acting ahead of time. I can definitely avoid many dangers...

As his thoughts raced, Klein took a deep breath and stopped thinking about it.

Wearing a silk top hat and a double-breasted coat, his skin suddenly turned transparent as maggots that contained three-dimensional symbols crawled out.

The transparent maggots were itching to move, as if they were going to crawl into the dense mist in the cauldron, leaving behind only empty clothes and hats.

Klein managed to barely control his state as he calmly extended his right hand and picked up the potion that was wrapped in mist.

The potion didn't seem to have any weight as it floated in front of his face.

Klein opened his mouth and took a deep breath.

The potion instantly transformed and extended into Klein's mouth, making him feel like he was devouring a dark red glow.

The transparent maggots swarmed back into his body, tearing down the parts of the potion and swallowing them.

As his Mythical Creature form was special—both a full body and also separated into many small parts—Klein could only consume the potion in such a manner.

Of course, if he could control his incomplete Mythical Creature form, it would be much simpler. @@novelbin@@

Without a sound, he felt a cold feeling spread through every Worm of Spirit, with a searing pain.

A familiar, boundless grayish-white fog appeared in front of him. It enveloped the entire world, revealing some of his past experiences.

This included the terrifying legends he created, his conversation with the Red Angel evil spirit; the treatment of the demigod, Lucca, with the help of Miss Justice; hunting Hvin Rambis; dealing with Amon's avatars; revenge on Ince Zangwill; exploring Calderón City; infiltrating Saint Samuel Cathedral; dominating the seas; stopping the True Creator's descent; saving Tingen; and various other details of his daily life.

They made conflicts with different people and things, becoming extremely complicated as they merged into a sea. As he "flew" through it, he was unable to find a clear and accurate sense of self. He felt like he was about to be lost in this area. The cold, burning pain constantly drove him forward, so as to expel the influence on him. This made it difficult to return to the real world.

With great difficulty, Klein managed to control this feeling. As he gradually lost consciousness and his body slowly descended, he tried his best to find something that could confirm his identity.

Finally, he saw the deep depths of the gray fog. At the end of the sea was a shattered spot of light. With a thought, he followed his intuition and flew over in a manner that seemed to travel the cosmos.

There was a figure hanging from the blurry door of light in the spot of light. He was stored in a transparent cocoon as he swayed gently. He looked like the original Zhou Mingrui. This had nothing to do with his surroundings. He was alone and easily grasped.

I couldn't see this before when I used the Yesterday Once More charm, but I can actually do so now... In other words, during the advancement process, I can indirectly influence the Sefirah Castle above the gray fog? Wait, my ability to think has been restored... Klein's consciousness instantly cleared up as he finally understood the essence of the ritual.

By eliminating the interference, he could provide a clear definition of himself to become a Scholar of Yore. This prevented him from getting lost!

Following a similar spot of light, Klein began to fly deeper into the grayish-white fog. Along the way, he discovered that the surrounding fog was scattered with fragments of light. They had colonial phases, times when Roselle ruled, the Battle of the Violated Oath, the White Rose War, the Twenty Year War... These were all bits of history that Klein knew of the Fifth Epoch.

As he passed through them, he naturally split his consciousness and completed an invisible connection, making his definition of his own identity even clearer.

In the Pale Era, during the War of the Four Emperors, the Trunsoest Empire, the Tudor Dynasty, the United Empire, Solomon's first and second Empire, the fall of Red Angel, the Blood Emperor's apotheosis, the Black Emperor's return, and other historical fragments continued to surface as Klein kept rushing forward. They appeared in different spots in the endless gray fog, like the stars in the night sky, they illuminated the path to return.

In such a manner, Klein felt that he was becoming more and more lucid. Every Worm of Spirit's coldness and burning sensation became milder.

He could've turned around a long time ago and returned to the real world. However, he didn't stop and continued flying forward.

Scenes of the fatal attack of the Rose Redemption; the three great angels, White, Storm, Wisdom sharing in the body of the ancient sun god; and the plotting in the Giant King's Court with the Church of Evernight, Earth, and Combat hiding as secret organizations flashed across the grayish-white fog. The more he proceeded forward, the more relaxed he felt. He felt like he was about to fly up from running down a runway.

At some point in time, a group of terrifying canine-like creatures with dark red eye sockets appeared beside him. They ran around the indiscernible bottom of the gray fog as they followed him by his side as if they were accompanying and guarding him.

Among them, two of them only had one eye.

Klein looked around and smiled. He didn't stop and continued proceeding deeper into the gray fog.

The history of the Dual Era and the Early Era of Fire swept past him from behind, pointing out the path that led forward. Finally, Klein stopped in front of a lonely fragment of light. Inside was a withered forest and a normal-sized tomb.

He went forward and saw that the grayish-white fog was silently enveloping everything. It was unknown where the other fragments of light were floating.

Feeling his spirituality depleting, Klein didn't continue the search. He connected his consciousness to his origin, and he suddenly plummeted.

As the gray fog rapidly faded away, Klein felt his body and saw the cauldron in front of him.

He didn't care about his current state, and he subconsciously looked up into the sky.

He directly saw the gray fog and the ancient majestic palace above the gray fog.

The mysterious space was trembling slightly.

...

In Backlund, a postman who was riding a bicycle stopped. He turned his head slightly and adjusted the monocle on his right eye.

He then muttered to himself, "Sefirah Castle..."

After a few seconds of hesitation, the thin-faced young man curled his lips and laughed. His expression was filled with anticipation.

In a rental apartment at East Borough of the same city, figures hanging in the air swayed gently. At the same time, they simultaneously made a sound:

"Sefirah Castle..."

In the basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard Mitchell, who was assigning missions to his team, suddenly heard an elderly voice in his mind:

"Sefirah Castle..."

-x-X-x-

In the highlands, on an altar with eyes, arms, heads, and organs embedded in it.

Dark red blood-red light surged out like a tidal wave, distorting into the shape of a deformed tree.

Amidst a buzzing sound, the human bones, candles, silver plates, and gold boxes trembled, as though they could slice through one's Spirit Body.

The surrounding supplicants instinctively bowed their heads and prostrated.

Then, they simultaneously came to a realization:

"The Berserk Sea, reef island..."

When he saw the ancient palace above the gray fog and sensed the slight tremble of the mysterious space, Klein felt that he had a deeper connection with the so-called "Sefirah Castle," one that was hard to accurately grasp.

At this moment, he truly felt that place would gradually belong to him.

In just a few seconds, all the abnormalities disappeared. Without any delay, Klein got the two marionettes to put away the items that were still of value, and destroy the rest. He took out a paper figurine and shook it.

With a smacking sound, the paper figurine ignited with a scarlet flame as dense illusory wings appeared behind his back.

When he saw this, Klein was stunned. He never expected that the simple Paper Figurine Substitutes would have hints of Angel's Embrace.

He then grabbed Qonas and Enuni, using "Teleport" to vanish from the island formed by reefs.

After using several islands in the Sonia Sea as waypoints, he took a huge detour before finally returning to his residence in Backlund's East Borough.

During this process, he repeatedly used Paper Figurine Substitutes, which had undergone several qualitative changes, to disrupt divination, prophecy powers, tracking, and observation.

Phew, I didn't expect it to really trigger the changes in Sefirah Castle, resulting in an unconcealable phenomenon... Fortunately, I was sufficiently careful and cautious. I wasn't careless. If I had advanced in Backlund or the surrounding areas, I'm certain that Amon and Zaratul would've already "seen" me... Klein heaved a sigh of relief as he hurriedly took four steps counterclockwise and went above the gray fog to do a divination.

After confirming that he was in a safe situation, he didn't stay for long. He immediately returned to the real world, and with the help of Cogitation, he began to restrain his diverging spirituality.

After doing this, he took off his clothes, threw himself into bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

Normally, a Bizarro Sorcerer wouldn't be as exhausted as he was after successfully advancing to Scholar of Yore. He would definitely have energy left to check his physical condition. However, while traveling through history, he relied on his mark to travel a very far distance. He relied on his own mastery of ancient secrets, that far exceeded his current level, to reach the establishment of the Giant King's CourUn the early of the Second Epoch or the end of the Epoch.

This was equivalent to digesting the potion.

After a few hours of deep sleep, Klein woke up as he slowly opened his eyes.

He sat up, pulled a pillow to prop him up from behind, and rubbed his temples.

After ten minutes of regulating himself, he was completely awake and began to inspect himself.

Indeed, I've digested most of the potion right after I consumed it. At least eighty percent... This is roughly what I expected... but I wonder how much more ancient history I'll have to obtain before I can digest it completely...

From the looks of it, the acting of a Scholar of Yore has two main directions: One is a scholar from ancient times, and the other is a scholar who studies ancient history. Both of them are required. The first is relatively easy because the ritual itself contains the key point of making one a person from ancient times. Once the advancement is successful, one can naturally act as a scholar from ancient times.

The second point is extremely difficult. It would be alright in normal society, but in this world with true gods, devils, and evil existences, just gathering ancient information is a very risky matter. If I endeavor to gather the truth of history, I might die a horrible death at any moment without any reason. The more I understand, the greater the danger...

The reason why I know so much is mostly thanks to the arrangements of a few existences, as well as the complicated fate that Sefirah Castle brings me. This makes me encounter all sorts of things. Of course, even so, I've already died once despite being a true deity's Blessed; what's more, other Scholars of Yore?

Changing the spot of Miracle Invoker and Scholar of Yore will make acting relatively simple. Unfortunately, there's no such thing...

In addition, the previous two meanings have an inclination towards ancient times. I have to pay attention to the word "scholar." What must I figure out from history before I can be considered a "scholar"?

Next, there are a few directions towards my digestion. First, I need to figure out Dark Angel Sasrir's current state and truly replicate the actual process of the Cataclysm. Second, I need to spend some effort to connect the history of the Fourth Epoch together, and not just be fine with having them in disconnected segments. Third, I need to go deep into the details from a macroscopic view. For example, the rise and fall of the Antigonus family...

After confirming that prior acting was effective, and considering his future path ahead of time, Klein combined the mysticism knowledge he had gained from his advancement and his observation of his godhood's divinity, and he had a trial run of his powers to slowly figure out the powers of a Scholar of Yore.

Worms of Spirit can be split into six hundred pieces. The godhood patterns have also changed to a certain degree; it's even more complicated, and it can showcase concepts of strength, strangeness, and supematuralness...

The changes in my godhood patterns firstly originate from the newly obtained characteristic, and secondly, it comes from the mysticism knowledge contained within the potion. This is both a result of the Beyonder characteristic and also something obtained from a higher level... After becoming a true High-Sequence Beyonder, is it possible to directly change the knowledge at a higher dimension to affect Beyonders at other Sequences?

Deciphering a potion formula from the godhood patterns seems like an actual example...

Also, at the level of Sequence 3, the changes in godhood patterns have a personal effect. This is closely related to prayer and responses. As a Scholar of Yore, the corresponding honorific names will be different in nature. This is because of different personalities, experiences, and traits.

Yes, I can allow different Worms of Spirit to instinctively listen to prayers and respond to them when it's a relatively uncomplicated matter. It doesn't affect my other actions... The specially marked ones and more complicated matters will be handed over to my actual body...

A Scholar of Yore can use a Worm of Spirit to act as a god, but what about other Sequence 3 Beyonders from other pathways? It's impossible for them to respond while sleeping, right...

Heh heh, I'll think of my honorific name as a Scholar of Yore later. I'll first study the specific abilities.

Uh... A Scholar of Yore's main ability is to obtain help from history. This is split into two parts. One is to borrow strength from my past self.

This is rather embarrassing for me. It's currently useless because the past me is definitely weaker than the present me. Yes, when I was hanging above the door of light above the gray fog, I was just an ordinary person... Compared to those who were important figures in the past but are now weak due to all kinds of reasons, this is a godly skill. One can be a baby crying for ice cream while engaging in a Sequence 1 battle. It would be impossible to find any weaknesses... The only problem is that it's not long-lasting...

Of course, as more time passes after I become a Scholar of Yore, this will begin to show its effects. I can often borrow strength from my past Scholar of Yore self so that I wouldn't have any moment of weakness. Even if I were to suffer serious injuries... To a certain extent, this is something that's self-perpetuating, preventing myself from ever being in a nadir until my spirituality is completely drained.

Yes, before my spirituality is drained, I can always borrow energy from my past self. There's no limit to the number of times. As for my current spirituality, even without the process of recovering, I can borrow power nearly ten times a day, maintaining it for five minutes each time.

The second part is to summon images from the Historical Void. It can be humans or objects. The more detailed and the better the understanding I have of the corresponding piece of history and matters, the higher the chance of success is and the longer it will last. @@novelbin@@

Similarly, the lower the target's level is, relative to me, the higher the chance of success and the longer it can be maintained.

In addition, increasing my affinity with the target will increase the chances of success and the time it can be maintained.

These are the three conditions to succeed. Furthermore, when summoning someone of a higher level than myself, or an item, even if I barely succeed, the final projection will only have a portion of the strength and quality of the original. It can't be one who's at full strength. Also, I can only maintain three images summoned from the Historical Void at any point in time, including those summoned by my marionettes...

Currently, even if it's the most ordinary item or something that was once mine, I can maintain its availability for a maximum of fifteen minutes.

The fact that the target has a close relationship with me is worth rumination. In essence, borrowing power from one's own body is also a form of summoning. It's just that one's relationship with oneself is extremely close, so there's no possibility of failure. It's an extreme example.

In other words, if I were to summon the important figures from the Historical Void, it would be best to establish a friendly relationship with "Them" and maintain it for a long time. Yes, if I were to summon Mr. Azik's projection, the chances of success will definitely be higher than projecting other angels...

How is this a Beyonder power? This is obviously studies related to EQ, Relationships, and Interpersonal Communication!

As he sighed with emotion, Klein sincerely felt that the core powers of a Scholar of Yore were godly. After all, those that involved history and time were most likely extremely magical.

However, in order to put it to use to its fullest potential, one had to have sufficient intelligence, and also make the necessary preparations.

This was an unchanging requirement of the Seer pathway.

Yes, when summoning images from the Historical Void, there's no way to communicate with them. That is to say that a Scholar of Yore can't interfere with history and change the past. From the angle of acting, this can be summarized as "witnessing fate, affecting the present, and the inability to reverse the past..."

Apart from the ability to transfer a certain part of ailments, wounds, curses, attacks, prophecies, and observations to Paper Figurine Substitutes, there's another power. It can transfer a certain part to the target. Before one discovers that it's fake, things can continue proceeding as per normal. Heh heh, if anyone loses their heart while their brain remains active, I can give them a paper heart for a short period of time. He will be able to obtain strength from history to beat and circulate blood...

The time it takes to attain initial control of Spirit Body Threads has shortened to two seconds, and completely transforming into a marionette takes ten seconds. The maximum range for the two is 500 meters... By controlling a marionette, the limit to swapping positions is five kilometers...

Flame Jump is also five kilometers... I can freely control the might of Air Cannon, and at its maximum might, it's equivalent to a coastal defensive cannon...

A creature that can transform into a physical form whose characteristics have a difference that does not exceed a certain level. Some of the organs created can be used, while others are only decorations...

Phew, this is a Scholar of Yore who has digested most of the potion... After examining himself, Klein slowly stood up.

He planned on entering the world above the gray fog to check on the changes in Sefirah Castle.

-x-X-x-

Above the endless grayish-white fog, Klein's figure appeared in the ancient palace.

He only looked around briefly, and he realized that there were a few changes.

The most obvious point was that the state of the mysterious space and its layout had been fully projected into his Spirit Body. Even at a great distance, he could still see the grayish-white clouds and that strange door of light.

Apart from the palace that I conjured and the door of light that originally existed, there's nothing here. It's empty, boundless, and full of power of a high level... As he murmured, he sat down, raised his right hand, and gently lifted it up.

In the blink of an eye, the entire gray fog boiled. The mysterious space it carried quaked as beams of slightly dark light emitted.

When the light gathered together, it condensed into a translucent angel with illusory wings on its back, as per Klein's will. It had the same level and power as an angel. It was majestic and sacred, with an oppressive aura.

There's no need to add the Black Emperor card, the Tyrant card, or the Red Priest card. There's no need to use the Sea God Scepter either. With my power alone, I can stir most of the powers of this mysterious space to its fullest potential, allowing The Fool's angel to become a true Sequence 2 angel. Of course, this angel is unable to respond to prayers or be maintained for too long. It only exists in the "embrace" form and within a few attacks, having some powers in the domain of miracles...

Indeed, being able to revive is a gift from Sefirah Castle. As for how many more times I can be resurrected, I can't come to a conclusion now. If I can obtain a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact and use its level to observe it, I should be able to see it more clearly... I'll just treat it as one more time. It's not a bad thing to err while being cautious. This reminds me to be careful and cautious... This is the way for Beyonders of the Seer pathway to survive...

Unfortunately, this "miracle" can only be used for myself for now...

Yes, at most, in order to truly possess and control this mysterious space, I have to become an angel or even a Sequence 1 angel at least. It lives up to its name as Sefirah Castle. As for that strange door of light, its requirements are even higher. It's impossible to tell if there are any hidden dangers at the moment...

What's the meaning of the existence of Sefirah Castle? "Baiting" transmigrators to revive the original Creator? With a flick of his right hand, the holy and powerful angel dissipated in midair.

The entire Sefirah Castle calmed down.

Following that, Klein stood up and took a step towards the grayish-white cloud in midair. He stood in front of the strange door of light formed from countless spherical lights.

The door of light was tainted with some bluish-black color. Each spherical light's essence was a transparent and translucent worm that formed into a ball.

As he stared at the transparent "cocoons" hanging by the black threads, Klein extended his right hand and slowly reached out to the door of light in an attempt to touch it.

One inch, two inches, three inches. His hand finally touched the edge of the door of light, but it passed right through as if it was just an illusion.

However, compared to his previous attempt, the illusory door of light was clearly a little stickier, as though it was about to turn corporeal.

This is an item that represents the essence of Sefirah Castle? After pondering for a few seconds, he turned and returned to the ancient palace.

Without any delay, he left the world above the gray fog and began experimenting with the various powers he had just acquired.

I have to first get an honorific name... The prayer response range for a Sequence 3 Beyonder is a region. This range is different depending on the authority that one wields. Clearly, a Sea King's range is a relatively far-reaching type... Therefore, this honorific name of mine also has its limits. The protector of all the poor children in Backlund? It feels odd...

Yes, other people might have a limitation, but it's not necessarily the case for me. I can use the spirit world and the Blessed of Sefirah Castle as a replacement. I should be the only one who is Blessed in both regions. It's unique enough. This way, as long as someone is in the same city or district as me, they can use this honorific name to pray to me.

There's nothing I can do if we're not in the same area. I can't possibly do the same as throwing the Sea God Scepter above the gray fog, splitting a few Worms of Spirit to the world above the gray fog, and using Sefirah Castle's level to respond throughout the entire world... Although I can't confirm the relationship between the Dark Angel and the ancient sun god, this is enough to remind me to be careful with my avatars and marionettes. Also, it's not as simple as splitting a few worms. A large number of Worms of Spirit have to be left in Sefirah Castle to achieve the desired effect. I'm currently unable to do that...

Right, my mental state isn't too bad. I don't have a dissociative disorder, nor do I have the irresistible urge to become cold and terrifying. This means that the mark of a Scholar of Yore in history is his anchor... Also, the emperor's situation worsened only after he became an angel, causing him to have no choice but to rely on his believers as anchors to "anchor" him in place. I'm still one huge level away... I need to find out what else can be used as anchors, apart from believers, to ensure that nothing goes wrong... Amidst his thoughts, Klein picked up pen and paper.

He wrote the first line of his honorific name:

"The Blessed of the spirit world and Sefirah Castle."

After some thought, he began writing the second and third lines based on his rich experience and knowledge he got from his godhood patterns:

The Mystery stemming from ancient times;

The witness of an extended history."

Since a Sequence 3 Beyonder wasn't a true deity, he couldn't use a three-line description. After some thought, he added two more lines:

"Protector of magic and drama performers;

"The great Gehrman Sparrow."

In fact, non-true deities could also use three-line descriptions, but one of them had to rely on the level of a true god. For example, Klein could use "Blessed of the Evernight Goddess." Under such circumstances, it was essentially similar to a type of summoning incantation, not an honorific name for prayers, similar to that of messengers. And if the messenger was a spirit world creature, the restriction of being the Blessed of a particular true deity was unnecessary. Therefore, it was often unknown what would be summoned, making it rather dangerous.

After repeatedly deliberating for a while, Klein controlled his marionette, Enuni, and recited the honorific name in ancient Hermes.

A few seconds later, Klein raised his right hand and rubbed his temples with an odd expression.

He didn't "hear" the prayer. @@novelbin@@

What's wrong with this honorific name? Klein carefully deliberated over it a few times and gradually came up with an idea. I might not be the only Blessed of the spirit world and Sefirah Castle. The Hounds of Fulgrim also count... I have to add a limitation...

After some modifications, Enuni once again recited in ancient Hermes, "The Blessed of the spirit world and Sefirah Castle;

The Mystery stemming from ancient times;

"The witness of an extended history;

"Protector of Backlund magic and drama performers;

"The great Gehrman Sparrow."

"I pray for your blessings. I hope you can light up the darkness in front of me."

Just as Enuni's voice faded, Klein heard his prayer. Furthermore, it was only heard by a few Worms of Spirit. It didn't affect his actual body at all.

This is very different from the prayer coming from Sefirah Castle. It's very clear... With a thought, his Worm of Spirit gave a response based on the rules he had made ahead of time.

With a whoosh, a ball of fire appeared in front of Enuni. It floated in midair, illuminating the entire room.

Not bad... If I use Hermes to pray, I have to set up a ritual and draw symbols... As for essential oils and herbs, it doesn't matter if they're provided or not. Am I someone who will be pleased by these things? The symbols are formed from the scrolls representing history, the complete eye that represents witness, and the lines symbolizing change... For the time being, Klein had no intention of spreading his honorific name. After all, letting others know that Gehrman Sparrow had reached Sequence 3 would be a case of him losing a trump card. Furthermore, he had the alternate identity as Sea God and The Fool. There was no need for a new honorific name.

Pa!

With a snap of his fingers, he lit the paper with the honorific name of Gehrman Sparrow on the table.

A Scholar of Yore also has the means to create a fog to lower the temperature, but it's not a core power... Next, I have to try to summon a projection from the Historical Void. Who shall be my first volunteer? As he muttered silently to himself, Klein suddenly sighed.

He then half-closed his eyes and used his godhood to allow a portion of his spirit to enter the gray fog and roam amidst history.

Following the various locations that he had previously established, he instantly arrived in front of a spot made of light.

There was a spacious and bright room with two rows of floor-to-ceiling windows in the spot of light. In the room, a man wearing a dark red coat embroidered with golden lines was standing by the window, looking at the place where the sun had set.

He looked to be in his thirties, with long chestnut curly hair, blue eyes, high nose bridge, and thin lips. He had a neat mustache and looked rather good.

Roselle Gustav.

In a street in North Borough, a thin-faced young man with a wide forehead and a monocle was sitting in a coffee shop by the side of the road. He held a fountain pen and thought seriously.

He raised his other hand and pinched his monocle. Finally, he wrote down a sentence:

"The Blessed of the spirit world and Sefirah Castle..."

Then, the fountain pen stopped moving, as if he had not thought of what to write next.

In a rented two-bedroom apartment at East Borough, Klein took out his golden pocket watch and opened it.

He had already made an appointment with Miss Sharron and Marie to meet in an uninhabited house tonight.

After some thought, he raised his right hand and grabbed at the space in front of him.

A simple, ancient brass key appeared in his palm.

This was the Master Key that had once helped him defeat Wraith Steve and prevent the True Creator from descending. It allowed one to hear Mr. Door's ravings on the night of the full moon.

Now, by summoning it back from the Historical Void, it could be used for ten minutes.

Heh heh, to a Scholar of Yore, anything that they once possessed, regardless if they were eventually sold, returned, destroyed, or lost for all sorts of reasons, can never really be considered lost. They just exist alongside the Scholar of Yore in a different form of companionship... Looking at the Master Key in his hand, Klein sighed in satisfaction.

With this item, if he could grasp the corresponding ritual, he could directly speak to Mr. Door as well.

After putting away the Master Key, he put on his double-breasted frock coat and silk top hat, picked up his golden cane, and walked out of the room.

-x-X-x-

Backlund, East Borough, 7 Pinster Street-

After a busy day, Leonard finally had the chance to ask his questions:

"Old man, what is Sefirah Castle?"

The slightly-aged voice in his mind fell silent for a few seconds. He chuckled and said, "The place where you meet every Monday is most likely Sefirah Castle."

Leonard never expected to hear such an answer. His mind went blank for a moment. He was surprised, shocked, and confused, mixed together with the thoughts of it being impossible for to pop out of nowhere and the poignant feelings of how complicated things were.

After a while, he pressed in a low voice, "What kind of place is Sefirah Castle?"

As though sighing and laughing self-deprecatingly, Pallez Zoroast said, "Actually, I'm not too sure. I've only heard some rumors.

"It's different from the creation myth you know. Rumor has it that the original Creator left behind nine different entities. They were kingdoms, cities, rivers, oceans, and keys. Sefirah Castle was one of them.

"It might not actually be a castle, but something else. As for what its exact form is, you might know it better than me.

"The reason why I'm certain of its existence is because I sensed it when I became an angel, but I was unable to see it and establish a connection with it.

"My great-grandfather mentioned a theory that the nine entities might have something to do with the sefirot of the second Blasphemy slate. Unfortunately, because of various reasons, 'He' was unable to decipher the details related to the sefirot."

Leonard calmed down. Leaning back against the sofa, he asked thoughtfully, "Old Man, do you suspect that Mr. Fool is the embodiment of sefirot?"

Based on what he had seen and heard from the Tarot Club and Old Man's occasional lecture, he had a certain understanding of matters regarding the deities.

After a long silence, Pallez Zoroast replied, "Perhaps..."

Under the strict curfew at night, there were almost no pedestrians on the streets of Backlund. Occasionally, there would be carriages passing by, carrying people of status.

After arriving at the agreed-upon house, Klein wasn't in a hurry to enter. He half-closed his eyes, raised his right hand, and grabbed at something in front of him. He pulled out another Sherlock Moriarty wearing a black double-breasted frock coat and a silk half top hat while holding a gold-inlaid cane.

This was the image of him from the Historical Void when he left his residence earlier.

As Klein was right in front of him, this image appeared stiff, like a prop on-stage.

According to his previous experiments, Klein knew that this was the mysticism principle of "a unique shared consciousness in time." To put it simply, everyone was essentially unique. If one's true body remained sentient, the projection wouldn't remain sentient.

It was the same when summoning projections of the deceased from the Historical Void, a result Klein suspected to be attributed to his insufficient level. In short, his projections could only engage in more mechanical and instinctive battles. Something that was unknown to the Scholars of Yore had prevented them from giving a corresponding answer even if they experienced it for themselves.

This confirmed one of Klein's guesses. Those fragments a Scholar of Yore could see in the historical fog was something he had learned in real life and had studied. Simply put, the fog needed a Scholar of Yore to light it up, bit by bit.

Of course, Klein also suspected that if the historical fragments of the same matter had been mostly lit up, the rest would very likely be presented naturally.

At least the corresponding ability won't be lost just because I don't understand it well enough. As long as there's a projection in the Historical Void, that state will be a complete snapshot... That's enough... Klein looked at the projection that could only act on instinct. His body suddenly vanished and entered the grayish-white fog.

Since Hounds of Fulgrim, who weren't full Scholars of Yore, could live in the Historical Void, there was no reason that a true Scholar of Yore couldn't. The only problem was that there was a time limit. In addition, if time dragged on, the marionettes in the real world would definitely die. However, this was only changing the form of companionship it had with a Scholar of Yore.

As Klein's body entered the grayish-white fog, his consciousness suddenly came alive in the projection.

He raised his hand and pressed down on his top hat. Wearing the face of Sherlock Moretti, he came outside of the house. Following their agreement, he took out the Master Key and placed it against the door, turning it gently.

His figure appeared in the room, and under the crimson moonlight, he quickly surveyed his surroundings.

The sofas, cupboards, high-back chairs, coffee tables, and other furniture were evidently old. They seemed to come from the previous century.

In the dark environment, in a gothic regal dress and a matching bonnet, Sharron suddenly appeared on a high-back chair.

"Good evening," this Puppet lady nodded slightly and greeted him.

If she hadn't spoken, she would be a classic and most exquisite doll.

At the same time, Marie, who was wearing a white shirt and black vest, also phased into existence on the sofa.

...Sir, it's already winter. Aren't you cold wearing just this? Ah right, you're "dead," one who isn't afraid of the cold... After lampooning inwardly, Klein took off his hat and bowed at the blonde, blue-eyed, pale-faced Sharron.

"Good evening, Miss Sharron."

He then turned around and said to Marie, "Good evening."

To this Wraith who was formerly a Zombie, the deepest impression Klein had of him was his card game with the zombies he controlled.

We should play cards when we have the time... He sighed silently.

The reason why he suddenly thought of playing cards was because he had previously analyzed the combat styles of Scholar of Yore, and he realized that if he were to encounter Zaratul, both sides would very likely end up playing a card game.

You throw a Consul Roselle card, I'll throw an Emperor Roselle card. You throw a Bernadette card, I'll throw a Benoit. If you throw The Half-Fool card, I'll match it with Amon...

I didn't expect that the battle between a Seer would one day become "playing cards." It's a realistic, abnormally harrowing "game of cards"... Sigh, but Zaratul is a Sequence 1 angel, and he wouldn't give me a chance to play cards. Besides, my success rate at summoning the important figures in the Historical Void is rather low... Klein retracted his gaze and took the initiative to say to Sharron, "I've recently needed to do something. It's rather difficult and dangerous. One of the steps is to collect Beyonder blood from the twenty-two different pathways. As for the Wraith pathway, the only person I can ask for help is you and Marie. You should be skilled at hexes, and you should have a way to remove the connection between your blood and yourself."

In fact, he could've attempted to summon Admiral of Blood Senor on the spot and mix his blood into the porcelain jar. However, he didn't know if it would be effective, nor could he divine it. After all, this involved a level that exceeded Sequence 1, and he lacked information. The only thing he could confirm was that drawing that symbol didn't bring him and the suppliers any danger.

Due to the fact that a Scholar of Yore had many means at their disposal, he had even tried to summon the former Witch Trissy. He easily subdued her and smeared her blood onto Groselle's Travels.

However, it was useless.

After some thought, Klein believed that a logical contradiction on the timeline had happened, preventing him from success. That blood was formerly provided by Trissy of the past. The person Groselle's Travels pulled in would undoubtedly be the former Trissy, so it was equivalent to changing history.

Since history couldn't be changed, the experiment failed.

After listening to Sherlock Moriarty's request quietly, Sharron said without any change in expression, "Okay.

"How much do you want?"

Miss Sharron's reaction is exactly as I imagined... Klein took out a glass tube.

"One tube would suffice."

Dressed in a gothic regal dress, Sharron raised her right hand slightly. The glass tube seemed to possess a life of its own as it left Klein's palm and flew over.

Right on the heels of that, the doll-like lady's right hand landed on her left wrist. Her nails suddenly grew long and became unusually sharp.

With just a light stroke, a wound opened up at her wrist. Blood seeped out, but it didn't drip down. Instead, it floated up and entered the glass tube.

By the time the tube was filled, Sharron's wound had healed instantly, leaving no scar behind. The stopper jumped into the tube and spun a few times to automatically seal the tube.

During this process, the pale-faced Sharron wore an impassive expression, as if she had suppressed all the feelings in her heart.

Looking at the tube of blood in her hand, Sharron reached out with her left hand and touched it, slowly sliding from top to bottom.

This was done to remove her connection to the blood.

After doing all of this, the blood tube leaped up and flew back into Klein's hands.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Sharron sat on a high-back chair and said calmly.

"Not for now. Thank you." Klein shook his head and snapped his fingers, igniting a scarlet flame in his palm.

The flame quickly rose and enveloped the glass tube.

By the time the redness dissipated, the blood was gone.

This was a new change in "Flaming Jump." It could transfer the items on him to his marionette or body.

Apart from this, all sorts of Beyonder powers from before had been enhanced and modified.

Having used his new powers skillfully, he looked at Sharron and asked casually, "How's the digestion of your Puppet potion?"

When he first met Miss Sharron, he felt that she was like a doll. He believed that, regardless of her nature, or it being a result of the temperance principle, it would've been a form of "prior acting." It would be of great help to the digestion of the Puppet potion.

"Not bad," Sharron replied calmly. "I should be able to digest everything in another one to two years."

One to two years... Indeed, no matter how fast it is, it's counted in years. But for me, it's been less than half a year...

This isn't something to be proud of. It was all arranged... Of course, if you count the time I was hung above the door of light, it's counted in millennia... Miracle Invoker... If I can escape this fate, I might be able to create a miracle... Klein sighed inwardly and gently nodded.

"What are your plans for the time being?"

Sharron said, "I hope to restore Teacher's body."

Marie, who was sitting on the sofa, added, "But didn't you say that the leader of the Secret Order, Zaratul, is in Backlund and is closely related to the Rose School of Thought?"

"Yes," Klein said with a smile. "Wait patiently. There will be a chance."

This was actually a form of consolation. Even though he had become a Scholar of Yore and had found many helpers, he had no intention of dealing with Zaratul at the moment. A Sequence 1 in full would definitely be unimaginably terrifying!

Furthermore, the more he exposed himself to the path of Seer, the more Klein could understand how terrifying and difficult it was to kill Zaratul.

After stopping George Ill's apotheosis, Klein planned on leaving Backlund and giving himself more time to grow.

-x-X-x-

Sonia Sea, Pasu Island, Chasm of Storm Cathedral.

This was the headquarters of the Church of the Lord of Storms, the holiest of holy temples, a place blessed by a god.

The murals that were painted in blue, silver, green, and golden colors seemed rough, but they had a sacred and majestic vibe to them. Coupled with the dome that stood at a height with an excess of a hundred meters, it made all who stood there feel how puny they were. It made one unable to resist bowing their head.

Alger Wilson had already undergone the ritual and had "truly" become a Sequence 5 Ocean Songster. At this moment, he had come here with the same batch of recently advanced Beyonders, awaiting the preaching of Pontiff Gaard II.

Indeed, it's really easy to lose control when consuming excess potions. I've already digested all the past potions, but I nearly succumbed this time... After I leave Pasu Island, I'll borrow the Unshadowed Crucifix from The Sun and purge the excess characteristic. This can both be exchanged for money, and it can also be used to secretly nurture some Beyonders who are loyal to me... Alger used the reflection of the blue stone tiles on the ground to see that his hair had darkened and thickened.

At this moment, the sound of a booming musical instrument exploded in the hearts of every Beyonder, spreading extreme fear.

Pontiff Gaard II walked out with a scepter in hand, went up a dais, and faced the crowd. He said in a deep, rumbling voice, "Congratulations, everyone. You are one step closer to the Lord."

He was wearing a papal tiara with sapphires, emeralds, and other gems. He wore a dark blue robe that was nearly black. On top of it was silver and gold silk embroidered with symbols of lightning, storms, and oceans. His aura was deep and majestic, as though a tempest was about to strike.

This Grounded Angel, the spokesperson of the Lord of Storms, was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties. However, everyone knew that Gaard II had been helming the Council of Cardinals for nearly a century.

As a Blessed of the Gods, this level of longevity wasn't strange in the eyes of the believers. It was normal to not have anything to fear.

Upon hearing the pontiffs praise, Alger didn't have any thoughts. He clenched his right fist and struck his left breast, shouting, "Holy Lord of Storms!"

In the next fifteen minutes, they quietly listened to Gaard II's preachings.

After completing this process, Alger received his mission from a high-ranking deacon. He was to head to Sonia Island and lay an ambush in the surrounding waters, in search for opportunities to attack the port, or supply ships and Feysac merchant ships.

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

Just as Audrey put on her blue cloak in preparation to bring her golden retriever, Susie; her maidservant, Annie; and the others to the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation at Phelps Street, she saw her father, Earl Hall, enter through the main door.

"Father, good morning. Did you... not come home last night?" Audrey looked him up and down in puzzlement.

You could tell?" Earl Hall stroked his lovely mustache and asked with a smile.

Realizing that her father was in a good mood, Audrey turned her green eyes and said with a faint smile, "Your coat reeks of cigarettes. It implies that you haven't taken it off for some time. Not to mention that's an outdoor set of clothing."

Apart from this, there were many other details that could lead to the same conclusion, but Audrey deliberately didn't mention it.

As Earl Hall took off his coat and handed it to his valet, he chuckled and said, "Not bad at all. You're very observant. It looks like your work at the bursary foundation has greatly benefited you.

"I was at the Prime Minister's the entire night, waiting for news."

Having said that, Earl Hall sighed and said, "Winter County and Midseashire's front line has once again repelled the Feysacian attack. With the onset of the harsh winter, we can finally catch our breaths."

Audrey blinked, perfectly expressing her surprise.

Earl Hall immediately smiled.

"I understand your puzzlement. The newspaper only mentions what we want the people to know.

"The defense lines at the Amantha mountain range and the various cities along Midseashire's coast aren't as robust as you think. In the first round of the attacks, our fleet and soldiers suffered a tremendous loss. In order to not cause any panic, we announced that there were wins on both sides. We also made all the large shipyards and factories work like mad to contribute to the war machine.

"In this period of time, the two lines were almost breached several times. Many critical areas were lost and recovered. These repeated "see-saws" was apparently a human meat grinder.

"Luckily, we've finally lasted to this point. This winter will be the turning point of the war."

Actually, I know... The number of people who died, went missing, and the casualty numbers might be concealed, but it still presents quite a few problems... Besides, winter might not necessarily be a good thing. Feysac's Weather Warlocks are very good at using such situations... Audrey's heart sank as she hurriedly controlled her emotions and smiled.

"That's great. I hope we can quickly have peace restored."

Earl Hall was taken aback as he said, "His Majesty plans to give a speech to everyone in the kingdom on Saturday and tell them that we will prevail.

"When the time comes, the cities and villages will be gathered at their respective squares. The latest technology will be used to allow everyone to hear his speech."

The latest technology... Gather the entire kingdom in various squares to listen to the king's speech... Audrey suddenly thought of Mr. World's reminder and decided to inform him of this matter.

Organize a large number of people to listen to a speech... This must be the corresponding ritual, right? George III is about to hold the Black Emperor ritual? After receiving the latest news from Miss Justice, Klein returned to the real world with a solemn expression.

He paced back and forth in the rental apartment and didn't delay any further. He took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote:

"I've already gathered the Beyonder blood of twenty pathways. I'm just short of Assassin and Criminal.

"George III will be holding a speech for most of the kingdom's citizens this Saturday. You should know what this might mean.

"In addition, I need the ritual to communicate with Mr. Door."

After folding the letter and getting Reinette Tinekerr to send it out, Klein slowly exhaled as he couldn't help but think of all sorts of thoughts. @@novelbin@@

The Demoness's blood shouldn't be a problem. Trissy seems very determined to foil George Ill's scheme...

I can reveal something to Queen Mystic, that I'm able to enter the secret mausoleum... Although her main goal is to revive the emperor and she is unwilling to make an enemy out of George III, the emperor might not be able to return if George III succeeds...

I'm waiting for the Chief of the City of Silver to return to provide the Devil's blood... The hunting team that he led has set off for more than ten days. They should be returning soon... In theory, there's still time. There's no problem... If not, I'll use the two contingencies. First, I'll use the Blatherer's aura to replace the blood. Second, I'll summon the Devils that I've encountered in the past from the Historical Void and extract their blood...

In a room in the Backlund Bridge area that didn't look anything special.

The lustrous black-haired Trissy reached out and retrieved a letter from the mirror.

She opened it and her brows gradually frowned. It was especially endearing.

Is it finally happening...? Trissy's expression changed a few times. She seemed hesitant, resistant, afraid, and confused.

Finally, she smiled and muttered in a twisted voice, "I've killed so many people and caused so many tragedies. Even if I were to die this time, it wouldn't be a total loss..."

After a few seconds of silence, Trissy took out a glass test tube from her black dress's pocket.

It wasn't her blood, but another Demoness's. Her original name was Sherman, who had later called herself Shermane.

As a qualified, senior Demoness, Trissy had found an opportunity to take some of Shermane's blood while nurturing her. A necessary component for curses; it might not have been of use most of the time, but it could effectively prevent any accidents.

After Shermane's death, Trissy didn't abandon the tube of blood. This was because there were many occasions when Demonesses needed such materials, just like now.

City of Silver, in a particular residence.

As soon as the lightning frequency increased, Derrick got out of bed, lit the stove, and quickly grilled some mushroom bread.

This bread was even more exquisite and delicious than the original Black-Faced Grass. He loved it very much, and he looked forward to his three daily meals.

The only problem was that the yield of mushrooms that could make bread wasn't too high.

Due to the limited number of monster corpses, every resident was only limited to one claim a week, enough for four to five meals.

After thousands of years of hard work, the area around the City of Silver was relatively safe, with relatively few monsters.

Derrick heard that someone had deliberately placed himself in the darkness to hunt monsters for the nurturing of mushrooms, hoping to be bait.

Then, he was eaten.

Those mushrooms have made everyone feel optimistic." That_s not good." Derrick thought of the wistfulness before the Chief left and shook his head. He picked up a jar he obtained from another city ruin and poured out some white milk.

Frankly speaking, he didn't like milk, but it was described by Miss Justice as something that could help humans grow taller and stronger. This was enough to move him.

As a resident of the City of Silver, Derrick knew that, as he hadn't chosen the Giant pathway, the chances of him growing taller and bulkier in the future were low. However, he secretly hoped to reduce the gap between him and his friends. Milk gave him that opportunity.

Gulp. Gulp. With a serious expression, Derrick drank today's milk rations.

Just as he was about to get some mushroom bread, he suddenly sensed something and looked out the window.

A person grew out of the shadows outside the door and said from afar, "Derrick, the Chief wants me to give you this bottle of blood."

The Chief is back? Derrick suddenly stood up and said, "Alright, thank you."

The moment he finished speaking, he saw the shadow in the gap come alive, pushing out a small metal bottle.

Derrick knew very well that it contained the Devil blood that Mr. World wanted.

-x-X-x-

After removing the Paper Angel wrapping the ceramic jar, Klein poured the bottle of Devil's blood into it, and he stirred it with a glass stick he conjured for some time.

Phew, I've finally gathered everything. He looked for a few seconds and sighed.

This way, he still had enough time to prepare before George III's ceremony.

As for whether the Assassin and Devil blood had enough time to be rid of the connection with its original host, he wasn't concerned, as he had confirmed that the original owners of the two sets of blood were dead.

He divined the origins of the Assassin blood to figure out if it belonged to Demoness Trissy. If it did, he considered leaving some and smearing it on the surface of Groselle's Travels after everything was over.

He was left in disappointment, but he wasn't surprised. He had long realized that Trissy was as cautious as he was.

The Demoness pathway also has the Instigator Sequence. It requires a high level of intelligence... Yes, the Instigator and Conspirer potions should have the effect of increasing one's intelligence. Otherwise, Danitz's future would be bleak... As he thought, he threw the ceramic jar into the junk pile.

He then returned to the real world and began to browse through the detailed ritual Trissy had provided.

This was a ritual that could help him speak to Mr. Door during the full moon.

"A total of nine gems... Isn't this too extravagant?" he casually muttered as he read it.

As a tycoon who had donated quite a bit of money, he still had nearly 30,000 pounds in liquid assets (14,000 pounds in cash, 15,000 pounds worth of gold bars, 35 pounds of gold coins, and some change). It wasn't that he couldn't afford gems, but it was too wasteful.

After thinking for more than ten seconds, he decided to try using the images in the Historical Void as stand-ins. After all, he had no intention of pleasing Mr. Door. Once the ritual ended and the gems disappeared, Mr. Door wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

If it doesn't work, I'll consider purchasing it at the jewelry store... Klein stood up and set up a ritual in the room outside the rental flat.

After finishing his other preparations, he stretched out his right hand and slowly and heavily grabbed at the thin air in front of him.

He pulled out an ancient brass key from the air.

This was the key tool to summon Mr. Door, the Master Key.

Right after that, Klein grabbed at the air in front of him solemnly again and pulled out an object from thin air.

The item emitted a tranquil glow that was in the shape of the full moon. Embedded around it were a row of scarlet gems. In the middle was a symbol representing the moon and many mysterious patterns.

Scarlet Lunar Corona!

It was the Scarlet Lunar Corona that currently belonged to Sharron!

It could create the effects of a full moon, allowing the person holding the Master Key to hear Mr. Door's ravings.

If he only wanted to hear what Mr. Door was shouting, this would've been sufficient. There was no need to hold any more rituals, but his goal was to speak to the King of Angels. Therefore, he had to follow the procedure.

After placing the Master Key and the Scarlet Lunar Corona on the altar, he recalled for a moment and reached out his right hand again, pulling out a handful from thin air.

This time, he took out a gorgeous necklace made studded with diamonds and jadeite.

Hmm... My experiences as Dwayne Dantès are rather useful after all. Otherwise, how could I have come into contact with so many female members of high society and dance with them, allowing me to see accessories of different styles and materials? And without such close proximity for observation, how could I easily summon the corresponding Historical Void images? This can last fifteen minutes. That's enough... Having met his simple goal, Klein sighed in satisfaction.

Then, he continued to extend his right hand, preparing to gather the nine gems he needed from the ladies and madams he knew in the past.

In a second, his hand stopped in mid-air and his expression turned odd.

I forgot that I can only maintain three Historical Void images... What should I do? Swap this necklace and find an accessory that has at least nine gems? Hmm, let me think about whether I've seen anything like that before. Yes, I can use dream divination to recall... This... Is dream divination meant for times like this? Seer and Scholar of Yore are quite compatible after all. Well, this is also an extreme form of magic... Amidst his thoughts, Klein was just about to find a chair and do the divination when he suddenly frowned.

He realized that something was amiss.

Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for him to forget that he could only summon three Historical Void images at the same time.

This is a subtle warning from my spirituality? Looking at the Master Key and the Scarlet Lunar Corona on the altar, he waved his right hand gently, causing them to vanish.

Then, he took four steps counterclockwise and recited the honorific name. He went above the gray fog and sat at the seat belonging to The Fool.

He conjured a pen and paper and carefully wrote:

"Speaking to Mr. Door now is dangerous."

This divination was clearly directed at Mr. Door, so Klein was bound to suffer a certain backlash effect. However, he had already obtained basic ownership over Sefirah Castle, allowing him to use the power of an angel, so he believed that he could withstand Mr. Door. After all, "He" was exiled and sealed.

He removed the spirit pendulum on his left wrist and held it with his left hand, allowing it to hang over the surface of the paper.

He closed his eyes and recited the divination statement seven times in a high-strung manner.

Without a sound, a shadow suddenly flashed across his mind. It seemed to completely screen his spiritual perception.

He hurriedly opened his eyes and saw that the topaz pendant had shattered into powder.

After my initial grasp of Sefirah Castle, some divinations are more concealed. It won't cause any accidents?

Yes, is it because my safety is involved in the matter that this has happened, or is it because the gap between me and Mr. Door has been narrowed to a certain extent? Of course, this is referring to the Mr. Door who is in a sealed state... Or perhaps, the effects of the two combined?

The present result shows that speaking to Mr. Door holds untenable danger... Why though? Klein frowned, unable to come up with any effective speculations or reasonable explanations.

After a while, he leaned back against the high-back chair and shook his head with a sigh. He gave up on his original plan.

I can only make more preparations in other areas... With his left hand pressed down, the topaz pendant instantly recovered. After all, it was only a projection above the gray fog.

Because of the changes in the divination earlier, Klein made some connections. Perhaps prying into the secrets of the twisted and translucent maggots on the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range might not be as dangerous as before.

That's highly likely to be a Sequence 1 angel of the Antigonus family. It might even be The Half Fool that Leonard mentioned to me... If my prying can hold on for a while longer, I can directly discern the formulas of the Sequence 2 Miracle Invoker or Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries. Hmm, there's only one chance. I don't know what sort of developments would happen when dealing with a crazy monster... I'll wait till I'm completely accustomed to the Scholar of Yore potion before making the attempt... Klein rubbed his temples before disappearing from above the gray fog.

After returning to the real world, he wasn't in a hurry to clean up the altar. Instead, he sat down and seriously considered what other abnormal preparations he could make.

The so-called normal ones were: meeting Queen Mystic once to discuss the details of the cooperation; give Will Auceptin, Reinette Tinekerr, Pallez Zoroast more gifts; pray to the Evernight Goddess and increase the chances of summoning the ascetic, Arianna's Historical Void image; familiarizing himself with the core powers of Scholar of Yore...

As for the abnormal ones, it was purely based on Klein's own imagination.

After some thought, Klein's expression turned solemn. He frowned slightly and reached out his right hand to grab the air.

This time, he didn't drag anything out.

Klein did it another ten times, but all of them met with failure. He had no choice but to accept a fact:

It was impossible to succeed purely by relying on himself!

He then took out his wallet and took out a paper crane. On the surface, he wrote with a pencil:

"Give me some luck. I'll bring you some ice-cream from the Srenzo Restaurant."

After folding the paper crane, he entered the room and lay down on the bed. He restored his spirituality by sleeping.

In his hazy dream, he saw thin, silver snakes forming a response:

"Five!"

"No problem." Klein smiled and made a promise.

At the next moment, he woke up.

He sat up and reached out his right hand again, grabbing a total of ten times.

He still met with complete failure!

I can't do it even if I'm lucky enough... It's too difficult... Klein subconsciously wanted to use his finger to rap the edge of the bed, but he instantly restrained himself. It was a habit of his above the gray fog, so it wasn't suitable for him to bring it to the real world.

After pacing back and forth for a long time, he seriously considered all kinds of connections. Finally, he left the bedroom and went to the altar outside which had yet been tidied up. He brought an item back to the real world.

It was an ancient book made of goatskin with a dark brown cover.

Groselle's Travels.

Picking up the book, he took a deep breath, half-closed his eyes as if sensing something.

Slowly, he reached out his right hand and grabbed very lightly.

Failure.

Another grab.

It was still a failure.

After five consecutive failures, Klein's actions became even slower, as though he was taking out a piece of charcoal from a glowing-red stove.

Suddenly, the muscles on his arm tightened and he carefully pulled back.

His right hand slowly retracted, slowly dragging out a rather dull, ancient-looking quill.

This came from Revival Square of the Southern Continent's West Balam's Northern State, right beside Ince Zangwill's corpse.

This was 0-08 before Amon's brother picked it up.