A clean-shaven man in an archbishop's black robe with red patterns listened to the Nighthawks team's report, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He was Saint Anthony Stevenson, Archbishop of the Church of Evernight's Backlund Diocese.
His expression showed neither pleasure nor anger. He merely nodded calmly. "All right, I understand. Thank you for your efforts."
Just then, accompanied by a gale and flashes of lightning, Ace Snake, the Church of Storms' cardinal and "Spellsinger of God," made a dramatic entrance. He wore a black soft cap and black robes embroidered with storm symbols. His silver eyes were exceptionally stern. "Have you found any trace of that 'Blasphemer'?"
"The facts have proven that what this so-called 'Blasphemer' said was clearly true. It was just the way he reported it... that might have been rather inappropriate." The speaker was an old man in white priestly robes and a cleric's soft cap-Horamick Haydn, Archbishop of the Church of Steam and Machinery. Wearing a gentle smile, he said warmly, "We should encourage such acts of resistance against evil gods, rather than force these people into their ranks."
Ace Snake snorted. "For all we know, that fellow orchestrated the evil god's descent himself. His so-called report was merely a provocation!"
Anthony Stevenson, who had remained silent until now, said, "Our immediate priority is to determine whether the child of the evil god that descended is alive or dead. If it is dead, how did it die, and where is its corpse? If it is alive, a terrible crisis could erupt in Backlund at any moment."
Horamick Haydn thought for a moment before asking:
"Were there no traces left at the scene?"
"None. That strange fire seemed capable of burning everything. If the Nighthawks hadn't arrived in time, this entire area might have been reduced to ashes."
On a street several hundred meters from the ruined docks, even the personnel of the Three Great Churches couldn't dampen the crowd's enthusiasm for the spectacle. People whispered to one another, exchanging speculation:
"They say it was another gas explosion."
"Yes, there have been several lately."
"Why is it always a gas explosion whenever something happens?"
Among the crowd, a bewitchingly handsome man wearing a silk soft cap that concealed part of his face stared toward the docks with madness written all over his features. He could barely contain his joy. This is... this is my Lord's presence! He... he has already successfully descended! I must find him as soon as possible, whatever the cost!
With the Three Great Churches' attention drawn to the explosion in the dock district, peace returned to Empress Borough. That evening, Edward paid Audrey a visit.
"What? The vessel for an evil god's child targeted you?"
"What? The child of the evil god descended right in front of you?"
"What? You managed to survive an encounter with an evil god?"
Audrey's three shocked questions gave Edward a sense of déjà vu. He leaned back wearily on the sofa. "That's about the size of it. The problem now is that a bunch of crazed cultists might come after me. I may have to leave Backlund."
Audrey genuinely couldn't understand it. She had lived peacefully in Backlund for seventeen years, yet the moment Edward arrived, he encountered one outrageous incident after another. Was his luck good or bad?
"If you leave Backlund, where will you go?"
Edward put his hands behind his head and thought for a moment. "Perhaps going out to sea would be a good choice? As far as I know, the Aurora Order's influence at sea seems relatively weak."
"But wouldn't there be even more dangers at sea? All those pirates, large and small, are enough to give even the government a headache," Audrey objected.
"Hmm, judging by my fight with Megose earlier, my actual combat strength should be at the mid-sequence level. If I land a precise hit, I can even kill some mid-sequence Beyonders instantly. I should be able to keep myself reasonably safe, even at sea."
If he couldn't land a hit, however, that was another story. With his current spirituality, he could probably only cast dark magic like the Killing Curse or Fiendfyre five or six times.
"The Tarot Club meets tomorrow. You could ask Mr. Hanged Man then... or Mr. Fool?"
"All right."
He would be able to return to Harry Potter's world the day after tomorrow, so he still had more than ten days to consider it.
Speaking of Mr. Fool, the crisis involving Megose could probably be declared over ahead of time. That meant he had repaid the favor of saving his life, right? More precisely, he had thrown in the captain's life as well.
That thought filled him with satisfaction. Captain Dunn's death-and Daly's-had surely been a source of regret for most readers of the original story. Preventing that tragedy gave him a great sense of accomplishment, even though he had been utterly bewildered throughout the entire process.
Oh, he had nearly forgotten. There was Old Neil, too.
"Unfortunately, all I can do is pass along an advance warning that he's about to lose control. Beyond that, there's nothing I can do."
Edward handed Audrey a sheet of paper. "This is my messenger. I probably won't have a fixed address from now on, so if anything comes up, you can have it deliver a message." He then explained how to summon the messenger.
Audrey looked regretful. "Oh, what a shame. Susie rather enjoys helping me deliver messages to you."
She's after my dried chicken!
Monday, three in the afternoon.
As crimson light surged out of the void, Edward once again arrived in the magnificent, mist-shrouded hall. Audrey's cheerful voice immediately reached his ears:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Sun. Have you obtained the Telepathist formula?"
After a brief silence, Derrick came to his senses and immediately replied:
"I have obtained the Telepathist formula."
Audrey sounded even more delighted. "Wonderful. Mr. Fool, could I trouble you to help Mr. Sun materialize the formula?"
Klein leaned leisurely against his chair and said evenly, "First, recall the formula in your mind. Then pick up the pen beside you and give yourself a strong desire to express it."
Soon, Audrey received a sheet of parchment bearing the Telepathist formula. However, she immediately frowned slightly, because the ingredients listed were all things she didn't recognize.
Noticing Audrey's confusion, Klein considerately acted as a "Fool-brand translator," annotating the various old names used in the City of Silver with their modern equivalents.
"Thank you, Mr. Fool. You truly are very knowledgeable."
As expected of the protagonist of this era. He really does know everything, and he may well become the Chosen One who saves the world in the future!
At that thought, Audrey gazed at him with even greater admiration.
Uh...
Her gaze made Klein uncomfortable. He had only helped translate a few things. Did that really warrant such admiration? Wait, what was that pity hidden beneath her admiration supposed to mean?
"Unfortunately, even as the protagonist, Mr. Fool remains single right to the very end."
Chapter 30: Tell Me Exactly What You Mean by...
Audrey said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Fool. I didn't collect any new diary pages this week."
"Mm, that's all right."
"Since what I paid is nowhere near the value of the Telepathist formula, how about I give your Blessed another three hundred pounds?"
Klein was ecstatic inside, but his outward expression remained utterly calm:
"A reasonable transaction. Here is my Blessed's information."
Edward felt rather helpless. Audrey, Audrey, I already told you what was on those diary pages. Their contents were clearly worth more than the Telepathist formula!
But on second thought, without Audrey's willingness to pay so generously, Klein would probably have struggled to advance so quickly.
Klein turned to Derrick and asked calmly:
"Mr. Sun, what would you like as compensation?"
Derrick thought seriously for a moment before saying:
"There's nothing I urgently need at the moment... I should be able to finish digesting the Bard potion soon. Let the compensation accumulate for now. Mm, to prepare for the corresponding Sequence 8 formula, or the necessary ingredients."
Klein nodded, looked around the table, then smiled slightly. "You may converse freely now."
Edward immediately raised his hand and opened with a bombshell:
"Mr. Fool, the evil god known as the True Creator targeted me a few days ago. Although I was lucky enough to survive, the Aurora Order will very likely hunt me down next. Could you grant me your protection?"
Klein nearly failed to maintain Mr. Fool's aloof composure. He wanted nothing more than to grab Edward by the neck and demand:
Say that again, damn it! What do you mean, the True Creator targeted you? Explain to me exactly what you mean by the True Creator targeting you! And then explain exactly what you mean by asking whether I can protect you!
You want a Sequence 9 to protect you from an evil god? Does that sound reasonable to you?
The others present reacted differently. Audrey had already heard the whole story. Although Derrick didn't know who the True Creator was, the fact that he was called an evil god made the danger obvious.
As for Alger, he pondered it for a long while without figuring it out. How had a small fry who had only just advanced to Sequence 9 attracted an evil god's attention?
After a brief silence, Klein asked calmly, "Tell me the details."
Edward recounted what had happened the previous day, reproducing everything as faithfully as possible except for the conversation. He also changed the ending, saying that the child of the evil god had disappeared on its own after its power waned.
"If that really was the child of an evil god, contact at such close range should have corrupted you and made you lose control long before then!" Alger immediately challenged him.
Edward scratched his head. "Perhaps it was because I kept silently reciting Mr. Fool's honorific name at the time. Just like last time, Mr. Fool must have intervened in secret to resolve the crisis for me."
He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Mr. Fool! Your greatness dims the sun and moon and robs the stars of their light. I shall forever remain your most faithful believer."
Audrey wanted to press a hand to her forehead. Aren't you scared, making things up to such a great being without even blushing or missing a beat?
Derrick wore a serious expression. He didn't understand, but it sounded impressive.
Alger, meanwhile, drew in a sharp breath. Mr. Fool truly is a being on the same level as the gods!
"..."
I intervened to resolve it? How come I didn't know about that?
Klein was utterly bewildered, but he could only maintain his inscrutable air. "So you believe that although the child of the evil god disappeared, its followers-the Aurora Order-will very likely hunt you down?"
"Exactly!"
Edward nodded repeatedly, then turned to Alger. "Mr. Hanged Man, I'm currently wondering whether I should flee to sea. I've heard the Aurora Order's influence there is relatively weak. What would you advise?"
"I would sooner suggest that you seek help directly from a church. For you as you are now, the dangers at sea are even greater than those posed by the Aurora Order."
Of course, Alger left one thing unsaid. If you suddenly ask to take refuge with me, am I supposed to agree or refuse? I don't want a bunch of lunatics hunting me down.
Edward immediately declared with righteous conviction, even anger, "Since I have chosen to place my faith in Mr. Fool, how could I turn to a church for help? That would show a lack of trust in Mr. Fool and sully my faith!"
No! I want you to go straight to a church!
Mr. Fool had a terrible headache, but he couldn't voice his true thoughts. He could only reluctantly say, "I will contact my Blessed. If he is nearby, he may be able to help you."
That was a skillfully worded response. If his Blessed was nearby, he could help; if he was far away, there would be nothing he could do. It wasn't a matter of insufficient strength, but circumstances not permitting it.
Of course, he did genuinely want to help Edward. He was even considering whether to ask Mr. Azik for assistance.
Having finished "intimidating" Mr. Fool, it was time to demonstrate some value of his own. Edward spoke again:
"By the way, Mr. Fool, regarding the Card of Blasphemy I told you about last time... I made another discovery after consulting my family's ancient texts."
Mr. Fool's voice was level, betraying no emotion. "Oh?"
The Card of Blasphemy that recorded every formula of an entire pathway on a single card? Klein was extremely interested in it.
"Mr. Fool, I request a private conversation."
"Very well."
Before you continue