Backlund, East Borough.
Having just returned from the icy wilderness, Fors, bundled up in thick clothes, stared at the charcoal stove in front of him, as if he were back in that harsh environment, and couldn't help but shiver a few times, saying:
" George III is dead, so the past must be over. Maybe we can move away from here to the North Borough, to Hillston Borough."
"The houses there have fireplaces!"
Hugh, sitting in the chair opposite, also stared at the warm stove, and replied with a slightly bewildered expression:
"Wait another week or two."
"To be honest, I still can't believe that George III was killed in that bombing... I didn't even have time to do anything."
The bounty Hunter, now a " Judge," spoke with obvious disappointment, confusion, and bewilderment, as if he had suddenly lost his motivation in life.
Fors briefly forgot the pain caused by the cold and thoughtfully offered words of comfort:
"I think this was done not by Gehrman Sparrow, but by those people who used Shermane before. Only they are still investigating George III's secret plots. You have also made a certain contribution to George III's death, which is equivalent to indirectly completing revenge."
"Well... the surveillance and suppression of your family should stop now. You can try to start a new life. If you have the chance, you might even be able to appeal for your father through proper channels."
Upon hearing the latter part of the words, Hugh suddenly raised his head:
"Yes, the situation is getting more and more chaotic, and I'm very worried that they will be affected by the war."
" Fors, tell me, is Backlund safer, or is a small, ordinary town not near the border safer?"
Fors thought about it seriously for a few seconds, then calmly shook his head:
"Have no idea."
She then added:
"I plan to ask Mr. 'World'; he certainly has a more accurate grasp of the overall situation. Do you remember? He warned us in advance that there might be trouble around George III, and that we should try not to get close."
Additionally, Fors wanted to ask where the next stop on the " Travel " would be so she could make some preparations in advance.
"Yes!" Hugh nodded instinctively.
Fors flipped through the newspaper on his lap, finished the rest of his coffee, and then slowly rose, went into the inner room, and whispered a prayer to Mr. The Fool, asking him to pass on his questions to "the world," Gehrman Sparrow.
Near the Forsaken Land of the Gods, " Giant King's Court ".
No longer deeply " Parasitism," Klein followed Amon along the foot of the mountain, and in the frozen Twilight, circled around to the front of this mythical land.
Although Amon gave him a chance to escape by any means necessary, he was not in a hurry to do so. He knew very well that Amon now had at least the rank and strength of Sequence 2, and was a true Angel, not someone he could confront head-on. Moreover, the " Marauder " was known as Error, a loophole, and a bug, with strange and unpredictable abilities that were impossible to guard against. Klein believed that the self-rescue methods he could normally think of were basically unlikely to be effective.
All I can do is remain patient and wait for an opportunity to take advantage of... In the process, I need to keep trying to observe Amon's response... Hmm, there's another issue I need to be careful about: I can't trust Amon's words too much. He may not have lied about taking back the ' Worm of Time ' and ending my ' Parasitism ' state, but that might not be the whole truth. It's possible that he left another ' Worm of Time ' lurking inside me, ready to take over my body at a crucial moment... As Klein's thoughts were racing, he was about to have a "casual chat" with Amon and ask about the " Dark Angel " Sasrir when he saw the Twilight disappear in the distance, darkness descend, and flashes of lightning occasionally illuminated the sky.
They reached the border of the " Giant King's Court " and were about to leave this mythical kingdom.
Once inside this darkness, one would either vanish into thin air or be attacked by a terrifying Monster that suddenly appears... Klein's heart stirred, but he pretended not to understand anything and continued forward, walking from the orange-red Twilight into the deep darkness.
Just then, Amon, dressed in a black classical robe, wearing a pointed soft hat and a monocle, reached out and pulled back a lantern covered with a thin animal skin.
Inside the lantern, a candle made of some unknown type of oil emitted a dim yellow light and a slightly pungent smell.
"Here you go." Amon tossed the lantern to Klein.
... Klein caught the lantern and fell silent for a moment.
A few seconds later, he tentatively asked:
"Where did you get this?"
For a brief moment, Klein thought Amon could summon a projection from the Historical Void.
Amon pinched the monocle made of crystal and said with a smile:
"Stolen from that human camp over there, oh, that's the Afternoon Town camp in City of Silver."
Stolen... Klein's eyelids twitched slightly, but he didn't ask any more questions. He picked up the lantern and walked into the endless darkness.
The dim, yellow light, like an invisible defensive barrier, spread rapidly, creating a warm haven in the pitch-black night.
At this time, lightning streaked across the sky intermittently at long intervals, with almost no thunder, only occasionally breaking out.
According to the common sense that Klein learned from the little " The Sun," this night in the Forsaken Land of the Gods is the most dangerous time.
As he moved forward, Klein first used his transformed " Faceless " ability, combined with " Creeping Hunger," to adjust the structure of his eyes to adapt to the special environment. Then, with the help of Spirit Intuition, he began to examine his surroundings.
He felt that in that lightless darkness, there were eyes watching him, and indescribable creatures, but whenever lightning flashed and illuminated those places, there was nothing there.
Klein wasn't worried at all about the serious backlash that would occur from constantly using " Creeping Hunger " without being able to feed in the current environment. In his view, there were only two possible outcomes: either " Creeping Hunger " would try to devour him but have its thoughts stolen by Amon, or " Creeping Hunger " would successfully devour the wearer, allowing him to be reborn and escape his current predicament. The latter was what Klein hoped for; the former would only result in " Creeping Hunger " being somewhat confused, with no real loss.
After traveling for a while, Klein saw the City of Silver Afternoon Town camp, which had been built using abandoned buildings.
Behind the walls formed by those massive boulders and stone pillars, a campfire burned quietly, illuminating most of the interior and making it distinctly different from the outside world.
Small groups of City of Silver exploration team members patrolled or kept watch under the light, preventing any unexpected incidents.
Among them, a " Dawn Paladin " who is nearly 2.3 meters tall stands on the rampart, gazing into the distance, wary of the Monster hidden in the darkness.
Suddenly, he saw a dim, yellowish light coming from the depths of the darkness.
This... The " Dawn Paladin "'s pupils dilated suddenly, and his heart pounded faster.
Aside from newborns and children who haven't yet received an education, everyone in City of Silver knows that on this land abandoned by the gods, no one but humans would use fire to create light in the dark. Even Monster skilled at manipulating Blazing lurk in a dark environment before launching an attack. As for other humans, all the city-states City of Silver has discovered so far have long been destroyed, becoming ruins with no survivors. The only outsider they've ever seen is that strange child, Jack.
At that very moment, a light appeared in the depths of darkness, a constantly moving light!
What this meant was something the " Dawn Paladin " standing atop the ramparts couldn't quite grasp, and he felt his body trembling slightly.
The dim, yellowish firelight slowly approached from afar, passing in front of the camp and heading out of the Afternoon Town. In the dim light, the " Dawn Paladin " saw two human figures walking in the darkness, their figures blurred by the light.
Carrying what appeared to be lanterns, they moved step by step away from the camp and disappeared into the endless darkness.
The " Dawn Paladin " atop the ramparts had been holding his breath for some time, until the dim yellow firelight completely disappeared.
Are there other humans? No, they might not be human! The " Dawn Paladin " narrowed his eyes, carefully turned around, and prepared to notify the " Council of Six " elder who was in charge of the camp.
Just then, he noticed that one of the lanterns hanging on the stone pillars was missing.
The " Dawn Paladin " froze instantly, cold sweat beading on his forehead and back.
As Klein moved further and further away from Afternoon Town, he endured the gazes of countless eyes from the depths of darkness, subtly using his abilities as an " Scholar of Yore " and his connection to the " Sefirah Castle " to sense the gray-white mist woven from history.
He succeeded.
This proves that the " Forsaken Land of the Gods " is not related to or separated from the " Sefirah Castle ".
The sanctuary, or even the kingdom of the " True Creator," lies on this very earth... If I were to activate the " Sefirah Castle " and create an anomaly, would it draw His attention and cause a conflict with Amon...? He is the true god. I don't expect to escape in the chaos, but I could seize the opportunity presented by His attack on Amon to commit suicide... With a thought, Klein was about to make the " Sefirah Castle " tremble slightly.
The next second, his thought vanished.
Amon, walking beside him, smiled slightly and said:
"' The Hanged Man ' has little interest in ' Sefirah Castle,' though of course, his rationality isn't always in his mind."
"Does ' The Hanged Man ' refer to Sequence 0 of the ' Shepherd ' pathway?" Klein himself didn't expect his impulsive act to actually succeed; he mainly wanted to test Amon's reaction and see how He would respond. At this moment, he wasn't feeling frustrated and asked the question without hiding his curiosity.
Amon nodded slightly and said:
"Yes, it symbolizes the Depravity self; of course, if you want to interpret it in a positive sense, it's about sacrifice and taking responsibility."
Klein thought for a moment, then tentatively said:
"I thought that was a nickname you gave me."
Just like Medici.
As far as Klein knew, the " True Creator " was born from the " Rose Redemption," which was likely related to the fall of the Ancient The Sun God. Therefore, he wanted to know what attitude Amon held towards this evil god, and whether it was the same as that of His brother.
Amon adjusted his monocle and chuckled:
I have always had great respect for the gods.
"It's really incongruous for Blasphemer to say that..." Klein reluctantly ended the conversation.