In the dimly lit world, a huge red moon hung silently above the houses, and everything in the garden seemed to be asleep.
The despair faded from the eyes of the incomplete, grayish-white Dragon, and it folded its wings, which were covered by a membrane, becoming as docile as a domesticated hunting dog.
Herabergen Rambis, a member of the Psychology Alchemists Council and Demigod of the " Spectator " pathway, lost his life and became Klein's Marionette!
Klein didn't bother to admire the view and immediately switched places with the " Winner " Enuni next to the gray-white Dragon, appearing there as Gehrman Sparrow.
Then, he Manipulation the new Marionette to cure the " Mental Plague " he had contracted.
A gentle, cool breeze blew by, crossing the Sea of Collective Subconscious and seeping into Klein's island of consciousness. He felt as if something foul, rotten, fragmented, and contradictory within his Mental Body was being gathered together bit by bit and surgically peeled away.
Klein's face Distortion pain, his teeth bared, as he once again felt the extreme agony of his soul being torn apart.
Fortunately, he had gotten used to this feeling from making the " Spirit Control Bullet " and " Yesterday Once More " talismans, so he didn't cover his head and roll around on the ground.
After the highly contagious mental "virus" and the infected consciousness separated, the cool breeze took on a warmer feel, making one want to take a nap. This relaxed Klein's injured spirit, as if he were soaking in a bathtub, nourishing both his body and mind, and he began to grow and recover rapidly.
Once he recovered from his mental illness, the gentle breeze suddenly became fierce, sweeping outwards and clearing away all the "viruses" remaining in the air.
After doing all this, Klein made the gray-white Dragon quickly shrink its body, suppress its divinity, and revert to human form.
However, since Herabergen Rambis's clothes had been torn to shreds, the gray-white scales on his body had not yet disappeared.
A few seconds later, Arianna, the leader of the Church of Evernight Ascetic, dressed in a simple robe, with a bark belt and long black hair, emerged from the huge red moon, stepped into the void, and arrived diagonally above Herabergen Rambis.
The Angel extended his right hand and with a gentle grasp, caused Herabergen Rambis's somewhat blurred soul to leave his body and Levitation away from above his head.
"Why are you helping George III?" Arianna asked rather directly.
Herabergen Rambis's bewildered expression suddenly turned serious:
"This is the choice of the times, the inevitability of Fate. We are merely following the trend and providing some guidance to steer the times in the right direction."
The standard answer from the " Hermits of Fate "... It seems that even the Demigod of the Psychology Alchemists don't know Adam's true purpose... Even most of the official members of the " Hermits of Fate " probably don't know... Klein thought to himself, feeling no psychological burden, relying on his position in the Concealment world.
Arianna showed no surprise and pressed on:
What will be the next major trend of our time?
Herabergen Rambis's gaze was unfocused, but his expression was quite solemn as he replied:
"A war, a war that swept the whole world."
"Isn't peace... good?" Klein frowned slightly and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He was well aware of the trauma a world war would inflict on humanity.
He only hoped that his investigation and that of the Church of Evernight could quickly grasp the key points and successfully prevent the outbreak of war that the " Hermits of Fate " were trying their best to promote.
Arianna paused for a second, then asked:
What is the secret of George III?
Herabergen Rambis smiled slightly.
"Every king is bound by Three Great Contracts, and can only reach Sequence 5 at most. But with our help, he has bypassed these obstacles and already possesses a higher rank. He is just waiting for the tide of the times to come so that he can smoothly ascend to the position that rightfully belongs to him."
The Three Great Contracts... What are these? Hmm, the clause that the king is only up to Sequence 5 is understandable. After all, given the premise that the mysterious should remain hidden from the world, it's best for the king to be replaced normally. If they live to be eighty or ninety, the people can understand. But if they're over one hundred and twenty or thirty and still alive and kicking, it will inevitably cause speculation and panic... George III is cooperating with the Psychology Alchemists and the Demoness Sect just to live longer? Normally, this is only a restriction on the king and wouldn't affect other members of the Augustus Family. There should be Angel on Earth within their ranks; there's no reason for them to support George III... A number of questions suddenly flooded Klein's mind.
" George III is not Demigod yet; he has only attained a higher status through some means and is playing the Acting ahead of time?" Arianna asked, speaking at a measured pace.
This is a crucial issue for the Church of Evernight. If George III was indeed Demigod, they could directly contact the Church of the Storm and the Church of Steam to arrest him, since the king's very existence was proof of it.
Herabergen Rambis's soul nodded and said:
"Yes."
"What exactly is the method?" Arianna continued to ask.
Herabergen Rambis slowly shook his head and said:
"I don't know. Our chairman is in charge of this matter. I only remember him mentioning once that he wanted to make George III more talented."
More talented? Upon hearing this description, Klein immediately and keenly recalled certain contents of Roselle's Diary.
In the eyes of that emperor, so-called talent was simply making one's spirit and soul more like that of a high-ranking ancestor, thereby gaining recognition from corresponding Beyonder Characteristic or the spiritual imprint within the Sealed Artifact, and thus more easily overcoming the enormous negative effects brought about by consuming Potion and wielding Sealed Artifact.
This is not a perfect method; in fact, it carries significant risks, because the mental imprint can alter the soul of the consumer or the one who controls it, causing them to undergo certain mutations.
If anyone were to advance to Demigod through this method, they would most likely become a mental anomaly!
Was George III Hypnosis by someone to accept this method? No, if it were Hypnosis, the Angel or Sealed Artifact of the Augustus Family would definitely have noticed the problem... Klein became increasingly puzzled, waiting for the leader of the Ascetic Levitation in mid-air to ask another question.
Arianna clearly knew what "more talented" meant, and asked without any change in expression:
Who is your president?
Herabergen Rambis looked on with a reminiscing expression:
"He has many identities and many names, but as soon as I see him, I can be sure that he is the president of our Psychology Alchemists."
His current identities and names are:
" Barros Hopkins, one of the Four Kings of the Sea, known as the ' King of the Black Throne '; Bailey Delair, former president of Backlund Medical College and royal medical advisor; Eric Drake, who is now 'dead'; Eric Drake, a renowned hermit in the Central Sonia Sea..."
" King of the Black Throne "... Klein realized he had heard this title before, but he always ignored it, never paid attention to it, and rarely thought about it.
So this pirate king was actually an " Spectator "... He nodded in realization.
Arianna listened quietly, then asked:
What secrets did George III hide in the ruins of that " Blood Emperor "?
Herabergen Rambis's slightly dazed expression changed slightly as he said:
"Something of paramount importance that he wants to possess, which requires numerous sacrificial rituals."
"What is it?" Arianna asked without hesitation.
Herabergen Rambis paused for a moment and said:
"I... I don't remember..."
He suddenly raised his hand and covered his head, which resembled his soul, appearing to be in great pain.
But no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't remember the answer.
Was that memory "erased" by Adam or some Angel through the " Spectator " pathway? Klein stared intently, increasingly convinced that the secrets within the ruins might be more important than he had imagined.
Arianna was silent for a few seconds, then looked down at Klein and said:
"Is there anything you want to ask?"
Klein thought for a moment, then said directly to Herabergen Rambis:
What are the names of the High-Sequence Potion in the ' Spectator ' pathway?
Herabergen Rambis's soul, its torment eased, replied slowly:
" Sequence 4 ' Manipulator ', Sequence 3 ' Dreamweaver ', Sequence 2 ' Discernment Eye ', Sequence 1 ' Author '."
He didn't mention Sequence 0 " Visionary," which clearly means he didn't know it.
"What is the Potion recipe for ' The Manipulator '?" Klein asked, though he felt his question was somewhat mundane compared to Lady Arianna's.
Herabergen Rambis didn't hesitate, and said in a confused tone:
"The main material is either the complete brain of an elderly Mind Dragon, or the crystallized heart of Treant Elder, or the Beyonder Characteristic of a ' Manipulator '."
"The supporting materials are: 80 ml of blood from the Elder Mind Dragon, three golden leaves from the Treant Elder, and one drop of tears from each of seven different humans or humanoid beings caused by intense emotions..."
"The ritual involves the ingestion of Potion in a specific setting with at least ten thousand people present, amidst a profound emotional resonance among them."
In comparison, the Demigod ritual via the " Spectator " pathway isn't that difficult... Well, the " Spectator " can heal and analyze themselves, effectively counteracting the madness and loss of control tendencies brought on by the Potion, so the ritual can certainly be simplified... Klein nodded thoughtfully.
What is the Potion recipe for the ' Dreamweaver '?
"I don't know," Herabergen Rambis said, shaking his head.
Okay... Klein then asked Herabergen Rambis why he had come to see Audrey in person, and received the answer.
Then he said to Arianna:
"I'm fine now."
Herabergen Rambis couldn't answer the questions he had.
Arianna then gently pressed her right hand down, allowing Herabergen Rambis's soul to return to his body.
Then, the Angel glanced at Klein and said in a calm tone:
"Don't use him as Marionette."
"It's best not to use his Beyonder Characteristic to create items until his mental imprint is removed."
Of course, I don't want Adam to come knocking on my door... Klein nodded sincerely:
"I will remember that, thank you, Ms. Arianna."
P. S.: Bonus chapter for the player with the most monthly votes in September!