The Raging Sea, a barren and uninhabited island.
This place is not far from the Southern Continent, but geographically it does not belong there. Klein chose this island as the place for his advancement to " Scholar of Yore " for two reasons: first, to avoid Amon and Zaratul as much as possible, and not to enter the area where the " Mother Tree " has a wide influence; second, because the Raging Sea is shrouded in the power left by the " Death," which is practically the kingdom of the " Evernight Goddess," so if the ritual were to cause any big commotion, it could be effectively concealed.
Moreover, this place is very desolate, with few living creatures, so there's no need to worry about innocent people being affected by any accidents... Klein looked around and began setting up the ritual, bringing the necessary materials back to the real world from above the Gray Fog.
He then began to peruse thick volumes of ancient historical materials, extracting the records he was unsure of, and from which even " Divination " could not determine their authenticity.
Snap!
With a flick of his wrist, crimson flames erupted, engulfing the stack of papers.
The " Scholar of Yore " Potion requires a large amount of authentic ancient historical Record as auxiliary materials, so Klein didn't want to risk using those he couldn't be sure of and preferred to use fewer of them.
After making his selection, he first poured the blood of the Hound of Fulgrim into the large cauldron, and then added a few pre-weighed white frost crystals.
As soon as the two auxiliary materials came into contact, a thin mist immediately rose up, enveloping the vessel to a height of half a person and an arm's width.
Klein glanced at it, and following his Spirituality intuition, temporarily abandoned adding the last auxiliary material. He first had the Marionette Enuni grab the fluffy heart of the Demonic Wolf of Fog and throw the white mist-like substance into the cauldron.
As white frost condensed on Enuni's arm, the mist emanating from the vessel became extremely dense, and it began to contract and expand, as if it had gained its own life force, with its heart slowly beating.
Without hesitation, Klein Manipulation the Marionette Enuni to pick up the pair of eyes of the Hound of Fulgrim and stuffed the two dark red, flame-like objects into the almost tangible fog.
The fog darkened rapidly, and Klein could no longer see the large cauldron at its core.
He remained calm and composed, instructing another Marionette to toss page after page of authentic ancient historical documents into the thick, dark fog.
The dense fog gradually collapsed inward, and after "digesting" those historical Record, it finally fell back into the cauldron like water vapor, turning into a dark red, liquid-gas hybrid, about the size of an infant's head.
Seeing this, Klein untied the pendulum from his left sleeve and used Divination to confirm whether the Potion had been successfully concocted.
This time, he received a revelation about the object, which was quite dangerous, but barely bearable.
This means the Potion has been successfully prepared.
Even if prepared strictly according to the recipe, Sequence 3 Potion is essentially poison. If you can withstand it, you will advance in rank; if you can't, you will go mad, lose control, or even die suddenly... Klein stared at the rapidly spinning citrine pendant for a few seconds, then pulled up the silver chain and wrapped it around his left wrist again.
His gaze immediately fell on the Potion Levitation in the cauldron, and a series of thoughts flashed through his mind:
"Besides keywords like 'thriller,' 'horror,' 'director,' and 'incomprehensible abilities,' the Acting of Bizarro Sorcerer ' should also include elements of mystery, the unknown, complexity, and an unpredictable Fate. Only by combining these two aspects can a complete ' Bizarro Sorcerer ' be portrayed... one is the behavioral style, and the other is the inherent attribute..."
"As for me, my origins are so mysterious that I haven't even figured out the truth myself, my experiences are so complex that I've already prevented the descent of a true god and frightened the Angel King, and my Fate is so unpredictable that even the ' Mercury Snake ' can't quite understand it. So, it's like I've already Acting in advance, and naturally digested that part of the Potion without needing to summarize any rules..."
"This truly embodies the word 'weird'..."
"Well, the ' Scholar of Yore ' ritual requires being completely detached from reality for at least 300 years, after one has become history and no longer belongs to the current era, to take the Potion. My life, sealed in a cocoon and suspended above the Gray Fog, is more than enough to satisfy that need. But since becoming Klein, I've experienced too much in the past year or so, leaving my mark on the present. Will that affect the effectiveness of the ritual?"
"It should be... Fortunately, it's been less than two years, so the mark won't be too deep. It's barely acceptable. After all, I can't hang myself up for another 300 years before taking the Potion... The Apocalypse in a little over ten years!"
"Moreover, my knowledge of ancient history far surpasses that of any ' Bizarro Sorcerer,' which means I've done a very effective Acting in advance, and will definitely help me avoid a lot of danger..."
As his thoughts raced, Klein took a deep breath and stopped thinking about it.
Wearing a silk top hat and a double-breasted wool coat, his skin suddenly became transparent, and worms containing three-dimensional, layered symbols emerged from it.
The transparent worms seemed to be wriggling, as if trying to crawl into the concentrated mist inside the cauldron, leaving only the empty clothes and hats behind.
Barely managing to maintain his composure, Klein calmly extended his right hand and picked up the Potion shrouded in mist.
The Potion seemed weightless, floating lightly to his face.
Klein opened his mouth and inhaled sharply.
The Potion instantly deformed, stretching as it was swallowed into Klein's mouth, making him feel as if he were Devouring a dark red glow.
The transparent worms swarmed back into the body, each tearing off a piece of the Potion and swallowing it.
Because of his unique Mythical Creature Form, which is both a whole and divided into many small parts, Klein could only consume Potion in this way.
Of course, it would be much simpler if he could control an incomplete Mythical Creature.
Without a sound, Klein felt a chill spread through every " Worm of Spirit," accompanied by a burning pain.
Before his eyes appeared a familiar, boundless gray-white mist that enveloped the entire world, revealing some of Klein's past experiences below.
This includes his creation of terrifying legends, conversations with the Evil Spirit spirit " Red Angel," seeking treatment from "Miss Justice " to cure the Demigod Luca's out-of-control symptoms, hunting Herabergen Rambis, dealing with Amon's clone, taking revenge on Ince Zangwill, exploring Calderón City, infiltrating Saint Samuel Cathedral, roaming the seas, preventing the " True Creator's Arrival," saving Tingen, and various other details of his daily life.
They are entangled with different people and things, extremely complex, forming a vast ocean. Klein "flies" above them, unable to find a sufficiently accurate and clear self-positioning, feeling as if he is about to get lost in this area. The cold meaning and burning pain drive him forward to vent his emotions, making it difficult for him to return to the real world.
Klein barely managed to control the feeling, and as his consciousness gradually faded and his body slowly descended, he tried his best to find something to confirm his identity.
Finally, he saw a broken spot of light deep in the Gray Fog, at the end of the sea. On a whim, following his intuition, he flew over there as if soaring through the Starry Sky.
Within that spot of light was a figure suspended above a blurry Door of Light, contained within a transparent "cocoon," swaying gently. He resembled the original Zhou Mingrui, completely isolated from his surroundings, easily grasped.
I couldn't see it before using the " Yesterday Once More " spell, but now I can... Does that mean that during the advancement process, I can indirectly influence the " Sefirah Castle " above the Gray Fog? Wait, my thinking ability has returned... Klein's consciousness cleared up considerably, and he finally understood the essence of the ritual.
Eliminate distracting details to provide a clear and accurate positioning for yourself as an " Scholar of Yore " and prevent getting lost!
Following similar spots of light, Klein began to "fly" into the depths of the gray-white mist, to a place where he could not see the end. Along the way, he discovered that various fragments of light were scattered in the surrounding mist. Some were from the colonial period, some from the time of Roselle's rule, some from the War of Broken Oaths, the War of the White Rose, the Twenty Years' War... These were all Fifth Epoch histories that Klein knew.
As Klein passed through them, his consciousness naturally differentiated, completing an invisible connection and achieving a clearer location.
The Pale Age, the War of the Four Emperors, the Trunsoest Empire, the Tudor Dynasty, the United Empire, the First and Second Solomon Empires, the fall of the Red Angel, the ascension of the " Blood Emperor " to godhood, the return of the " Black Emperor " and other historical fragments emerge one after another in different places of the endless Gray Fog as Klein continues to trace back. They are like stars in the black night sky, illuminating the traveler's way home.
During this journey, Klein felt himself becoming more and more lucid, and the coldness and burning sensation of each " Worm of Spirit " became less and less intense.
He could have turned back to the real world long ago, but he didn't stop, flying freely forward.
The deadly attack of " Rose Redemption," the Great Angel Pure White, Storm, and Wisdom devouring the Ancient The Sun God, the conspiracy of the " Giant King's Court," and the hiding of the Evernight, Earth, and the Church of the God of Combat as Concealment organizations—these scenes Blink in the gray-white mist. The further Klein went, the more comfortable he felt, as if he were "running" and about to fly.
A group of terrifying canine-like creatures with dark red flames burning in their eye sockets and bodies covered in short, jet-black fur appeared around him at some unknown time. They ran wildly through the bottomless Gray Fog, following Klein on both sides, as if accompanying him, as if protecting him.
Two of them are One-Eyed.
Klein glanced around, smiled, and continued venturing deeper into the Gray Fog without stopping.
Parts of the Second Age's "Twin Age" and "Age of the First Flame" swept past him, pointing him on the path ahead. Finally, Klein stopped before a solitary fragment of light, inside which lay a withered and decaying forest and a normal-sized tomb.
He looked ahead and saw a dense, silent gray mist, with no sign of where fragments of light might Levitation.
Feeling Spirituality drained, Klein didn't search for anything; his consciousness, connected to the starting point, suddenly plummeted downwards.
As the Gray Fog rapidly dissipated, Klein felt his body and saw the large cauldron ahead.
He didn't have time to process his current situation; he subconsciously raised his head and looked up at the sky.
He saw directly the Gray Fog, and above Gray Fog, the ancient and majestic palace.
That mysterious space was trembling slightly.
Backlund, a postman on a bicycle stopped, tilted his head slightly, and adjusted his monocle on his right eye.
He then muttered to himself:
" Sefirah Castle..."
After a few seconds of stunned silence, the thin-faced young man curled the corners of his mouth into a smile, his expression full of anticipation.
In the East Borough of the same city, inside a rented room, figures suspended in mid-air swayed gently, simultaneously emitting sounds:
" Sefirah Castle..."
Beneath the walls of Saint Samuel Cathedral, as Leonard Mitchell, a slightly aged voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
" Sefirah Castle..."
P. S.: There's an extra chapter today.