Watching the Celestial Worthy's figure slowly disappear before him, Nimrod remained seated. Only after waiting a while did he slowly rise, a host of thoughts surfacing in his mind:
I can't trust everything the Celestial Worthy said-but I can't just sit here and wait to die, either. Whatever happens, I need to escape this place.
Compared to the point in time when I transmigrated into the world of Lord of the Mysteries, the time of Circle of Inevitability is far more dangerous... Outer deities are constantly infiltrating this world. I could run into one of their blessed after taking just a few steps.
And there's also the Beyonder Law of Convergence. Hiss, I'm still closely connected to Sefirah Castle. Who knows what filthy things that might draw to me...
The thought made Nimrod's scalp prickle. Seated above Sefirah Castle, he sensed the information the surrounding gray fog fed back to him and prepared to try using Sefirah Castle's power to break out of his current predicament.
From what Nimrod remembered, at least five gods or related factions had their eyes on Cordu Village at this time: the Circle of Inevitability, April Fools' Day, Adam, the Tarot Club, and the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun.
Furthermore, the Mother Goddess of Depravity seemed to have had a hand in this affair as well.
The aura of Sefirah Castle on him would draw the attention of at least three of them. If he simply walked outside, he might encounter Salted Fish, who was already at the level of an Angel.
If it were only Fors, that would be fine. The problem was that the Fool presiding over the Tarot Club was not solely Klein Moretti anymore. Part of him belonged to the Celestial Worthy.
Who knew whether the Salted Fish he encountered would be influenced by the Celestial Worthy?
Soon, however, Nimrod found something useful in the information the surrounding gray fog fed back to him:
While I'm above Sefirah Castle, I can use my own level to force my way into other people's dreams? Is this a High Sequence extension of the Dream Stealer's ability?
In that case, perhaps I can try contacting the mystical trash can...
Muttering to himself inwardly, Nimrod manipulated the power of the gray fog, slowly reaching toward the dream at the center of Cordu Village.
Thud, thud, thud!
Cordu Village, Lumian's home.
Having just emerged from his dream, Lumian saw an owl he had previously encountered in the legend of the Warlock standing outside his window, silently watching him. His already frightened heart grew heavier.
Earlier, he had explored the Dream Ruins for the first time. During that very first exploration, however, he had seen that terrifying monster made up of gray fog, old-fashioned Warlock robes, and a Warlock's hat. It had immediately reminded him of the legend of the Warlock, a story long circulated in Cordu Village that he had been investigating recently.
And now, after he had encountered that monster seemingly bound to the Warlock by countless connections in his dream, the owl from the legend of the Warlock had appeared in the real world as well!
At that moment, Lumian felt even more frightened than he had in the dream, both because something from a legend had appeared in reality and because he feared dragging his sister Aurore into it.
-At this point, Lumian only vaguely knew that something unusual was happening around him. He had no idea what it actually was.
Fortunately, after facing off against the owl for a while and waiting for it to fly away from his window, Lumian managed to suppress his emotions. He decided to tell his sister Aurore everything he had encountered in both his dream and reality over breakfast.
At the table, which held runny-yolk fried eggs, iced pancakes, jam toast, and other foods that certainly counted as a lavish spread here, Lumian found an excuse to broach the subject. He told Aurore about everything he had encountered recently, holding nothing back.
"Oh, you!"
Once he had finished recounting these events, Aurore said to Lumian in exasperation:
"I told you long ago that pursuing Beyonder powers is dangerous. See? Now trouble's come knocking!"
"I'll help you investigate these things..."
Aurore gave Lumian a few instructions, then paused:
"And that figure you saw in your dream, the one made up of gray fog and old-fashioned Warlock robes... It rings a faint bell, but I'll need time to investigate and write to a few of my pen pals."
As she spoke, a hint of hesitation entered Aurore's eyes. She said to Lumian, who sat before her:
"I might have an idea already..."
The "pen pals" Aurore mentioned were members of the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society. Since this involved the secrets of transmigrators, however, she had not told her younger brother Lumian their true identities.
On the one hand, Aurore found it difficult to speak about her identity as a transmigrator. On the other, she did not want her younger brother getting involved in anything related to Beyonders.
-The members of the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society were all survivors of the old era whom Klein had released before becoming the Fool and confronting the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings. There were even demigods among them.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just then, a soft knocking came from the door. Lumian, whose nerves were already taut, tensed up at once. He abruptly rose and lowered his voice as he spoke to Aurore, who remained seated at the dining table:
"I'll go see who's knocking!"
Feeling that the words he had just blurted out sounded a little stiff, Lumian paused briefly before adding, "I'm worried it might, um, be trouble related to the legend of the Warlock..."
Hearing Lumian's words, Aurore gave a slight nod:
"Go ahead. Be careful. I'll keep an eye on you."
Her words carried the unspoken assurance that she had understood what Lumian was implying.
Lumian cautiously approached the door to look through an "observation hole" Aurore had made in it-although Aurore had named it with the strange combination of words "Kitty's Eye," Lumian thought it was really nothing more than a viewing hole.
Of course, given his fluency in Trier slang, Lumian Lee had predictably come up with a somewhat dirty-minded interpretation of Aurore's chosen name.
Lumian carefully brought his eye to the peephole, but in the next instant, he jerked his head back as though shocked by electricity. He quickly turned to Aurore and said:
"It's-it's that gray fog Warlock I saw in my dream yesterday!"
"He looks more human now!"
Hearing Lumian's words, Aurore swiftly rose. As she did, she took several different materials from inside her clothes, clearly ready to cast a spell.
But the next instant, Aurore's gaze abruptly froze. Two words in clearly enunciated Chinese sounded in her ears:
"Hello there."
"I noticed what seemed to be some... traces of Beyonder activity here. I originally only intended to come and take a look-I never expected to meet a compatriot."
Nimrod's sincere voice reached Aurore's ears as his figure appeared outside Lumian's window. He gazed at Aurore with friendly eyes.
At the same time, a trace of amusement appeared in his eyes. He took a monocle from inside his clothes, fitted it over his eye, and directed his gaze toward Lumian's chest.
If he remembered correctly, Amon, who had secretly slipped into the Fool's seal to steal some pineapple, seemed to be right here.
Before you continue