A deepening misunderstanding

Alicia and the old man in the tuxedo exchanged a glance, and she smiled gently:

"Of course, I'm already married. You're the only Percival left, and everything your brother left behind belongs to you."

"Including Uncle Evan, who will do everything in his power to help you restore your family's glory."

The elderly man in the tuxedo spoke sternly:

"This will be my sole mission for the rest of my life."

Little Percival nodded in agreement, but his mind was already on the portrait, and he didn't hear what the two people were saying at all.

This painting is definitely a treasure... I'll study it carefully when I have a chance to be alone tonight... His eyes flickered slightly as he silently calculated in his mind.

Olavi, a rescue hospital with ties to the Church of the Evernight Goddess.

Even patients should have manners... Is it so hard to do this... Also, please throw used toilet paper in the trash can... Klein, using the pseudonym Sinbad Warrent, wore a large, new type of Face Mask that he had specially asked a Vampire to get from Backlund, and kept complaining to himself while expressionlessly cleaning the Filth in the Washroom.

Suddenly, he heard a faint, ethereal voice pleading in his ear, which sounded like a woman.

Yesterday's Tarot Club, today's prayer—another Sacrifice of Beyonder Characteristic to Miss "The Magician"? Klein's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly sped up his cleaning. A few minutes later, he took off his full-on "volunteer suit," carefully washed his hands several times at the tap outside, and turned to walk out.

"Phew!"

Beside the flower bed not far from the Washroom, Klein took a deep breath, a look of enjoyment on his face, and let it linger in his lungs for a good ten seconds before forcefully exhaling.

In that instant, he felt that the air outside was incredibly fresh.

After composing himself for a moment, Klein looked around, found an empty volunteer rest room, locked the door, and walked four steps backward to the Above the Gray Fog.

He gazed at the Crimson Star that kept expanding and contracting, and murmured in confusion:

"Miss Magician"?

"Aside from what the ' Hermit ' lady mentioned yesterday, she hasn't accepted any other requests from members, so why would she be praying at this time?"

"Heh, could it be that they've already found the blood of Mythical Creature?"

With a wry smile and a touch of curiosity, Klein channeled his Spirituality toward the Crimson Star that belonged to the "Magician."

Immediately, an image appeared before his eyes, and the other person's voice rang in his ears:

"Respected Mr. Fool, please convey this message." Five seconds later, Klein sat expressionlessly at the head of the Bronze Long Table, his eyes filled with deep bewilderment, and fell into a long silence.

In less than a day... my "Blessed" has already obtained the Mythical Creature blood that Lady "Hermit" needed. Isn't that incredibly efficient?!

It seems I really need to consider having the "World" dummy commission him to help find the Formula for the next Sequence after Advancement "Marionettist"?

Also, what exactly are Mythical Creature? What's wrong with you guys? You're talking in such a vague and ambiguous way, can't you just explain it clearly?

I must write to Mr. Azik tonight to ask him about this!

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, he transmitted the image of the "Magician's " prayer to the Crimson Star belonging to the "Hermit," before returning to the Real World.

Whew... I'll rest for a while before going out... Thinking this, Klein lay down on the simple wooden bed, when suddenly his ears twitched, and he heard a conversation outside the window:

"The Old Gentleman I had been taking care of couldn't be saved. He fainted in the middle of last night and wasn't discovered until the nurses checked on him at dawn."

"What's going on? Doesn't the hospital require family members to stay in the ward at night to take care of the patient? Didn't they notice the patient had fainted?"

"Take care of him? His wife, son, and daughter have all passed away long ago; he is the last one. I hope his family can be reunited in the Goddess's kingdom."

"Alas, may the Goddess protect them."

In the volunteer lounge, Klein's heart stirred as he listened. He silently prayed for the old man while simultaneously drawing Crimson Moon clockwise on his chest. Although he had found a good opportunity to digest the "Faceless" Potion, for some reason, he couldn't feel happy at all.

"Future", Captain's Room.

"Admiral of Stars" Cattleya was talking with Sailor Chief Nina when she suddenly saw patches of deep red before her eyes, and a scene flashed through her mind.

That's a picture of the "Magician" praying to the "Fool":

"Dear Mr. Fool, please convey this message to Ms. Hermit:"

"The blood of the Mythical Creature she requested has been obtained and is ready for trade at any time, provided she can pay an equivalent price."

The words fell, and the video ended.

Cattleya's deep black and purple eyes betrayed her shock, and her red lips parted slightly, clearly terrified.

She glanced instinctively at the clock in the captain's cabin and saw that the time was frozen at two o'clock in the afternoon.

Less than 24 hours have passed since I posted the request at the Tarot Club yesterday... and now the "Magician" tells me that his friend has already collected the blood of the Mythical Creature... How could a Mid-Sequence Beyonder accomplish such a difficult request with such Horror efficiency?

Cattleya's thoughts wandered aimlessly until they were interrupted by the Sailor Chief Nina's worried calls:

"Captain? Captain? Captain!" Seeing the captain finally come to his senses, the stunning Nina asked with concern:

"What's wrong? Are you alright? Do you want to rest for a while? I'll report back to you later."

Cattleya thought for a moment, then nodded gently and said:

"Good."

Nina assumed the captain's "old problem" had relapsed, so without giving it much thought, she thoughtfully poured him a glass of water, then turned and left the captain's cabin, closing the door behind her.

In a room where only one person remained.

Cattleya looked thoughtful, pressed her red lips tightly together, and racked her brains to find something of equal value:

"He can be paid for with the Beyonder Characteristic he requires."

"But most of the contributions I've accumulated over the years have been exchanged for the Main Ingredient for Advancement Sequence 4, and the remaining contributions have only paid for a portion of that at most."

As for the other parts

She parted her red lips slightly and murmured the same words repeatedly, but couldn't finish them. After a few minutes of looking discouraged, she reached out and picked up a piece of paper.

As night deepened, in the Bedroom Manor the Red Swan Castle, Little Percival, with his clear blue eyes, succumbed to drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep, clutching a portrait of his "ancestor."

Under the dim light, a transparent insect composed of twelve rings emerged from the scroll and crawled into his mouth, arching its way through.

Swish!

Little Percival suddenly opened his eyes, looked around in terror, and when he found that there was no one else in the room, his body trembled involuntarily.

Just then, he suddenly heard an old voice:

Are you looking for me?