"Mm... uh..."
Klein rubbed his head and slowly pushed himself upright in the high-backed chair, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.
Did that final roar come from the Mother Tree of Desire, the entity worshipped by the Rose School of Thought?
It was merely a backlash triggered by my divination, yet it felt even more terrifying than the reactions I provoked when I previously spied on orthodox deities and evil gods like the Eternal Blazing Sun and the True Creator.
Could the Mother Tree of Desire be stronger than the Seven Deities?
Fortunately, I'm already a Sequence 5 Marionettist. Otherwise, that blow might have shattered me into pieces and scattered me across the entire palace.
Once the throbbing pain in his head subsided, he let out a long breath and left the space above the gray fog.
He had no idea how long the Mother Tree of Desire's roar had knocked him unconscious, but judging by his spirituality expenditure, at least five or six minutes had passed.
In a secluded alley near the docks of Pritz Harbor, several members of a local gang armed with long knives and firearms surrounded Anderson from both ends. The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
With his back against the wall, Anderson glanced left and right, then said with a smile:
"Excellent. You're surrounded by me." He continued, "Now, will you hand over everything valuable on you, or put up a futile struggle and make me take it myself?"
The gang leader tilted his head dismissively and sneered.
"Heh... so you're an idiot."
"I don't care whether you're really stupid or just pretending. If you dare lay a hand on our Blackfish Gang, you'd better be ready to pay the price."
Thump!
Before the gang leader could finish, he was sent flying backward.