The light emitted by the lamp wick was unusually viscous, like water mixed with a lot of sugar. It surged upwards and converged into a Distortion and blurry pale golden figure.
The figure instantly filled the deep red star representing the " The Hermit," causing Klein to temporarily lose his connection with " Admiral of Stars," Cattleya.
Klein, seated at the head of the long bronze table, suddenly widened his eyes, a thought flashing through his mind instinctively:
As expected of the Sealed Artifact numbered "0-05"!
Although the numbering of "0" level Sealed Artifact is often based on the chronological order in which they were acquired or understood by the Church of the True God, it should be noted that this naming rule was formally established after the seven major churches truly ruled the world, that is, from the end of the Fourth Age to the beginning of the Fifth Age.
At that time, most of the "0" level Sealed Artifact had already appeared and were known to or obtained by the Church of the True God!
This creates a situation where, during the initial sorting, the more powerful, terrifying, and incomprehensible "0" level Sealed Artifact are placed at the front, and then numbered in the same level according to the order of their appearance.
Furthermore, while there is no such thing as an older object being more powerful, objects that have survived from the first era, which even the ancient gods could not trace back to, must contain secrets that even the gods could not fully understand.
Therefore, it is true to some extent that the earlier the number, the more terrifying the "0" level Sealed Artifact is.
Of course, based on this rule, those numbered at the end of the "0" level Sealed Artifact are not necessarily worse than the first 10. Perhaps they were simply discovered later or received by the church later, and there were no spare numbers left for them, so they can only be arranged in the normal order.
Just as Klein had that thought, the golden figure's gaze pierced through the crimson star representing the " The Hermit " and landed on the ancient palace above the Gray Fog.
Immediately, his voice resonated with extraordinary grandeur:
"Haven't seen you for a long time."
Long time no see? Long time no see! He, he knows the former master of " Sefirah Castle ", that " Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings "? No, it should be Him, that self-proclaimed eternal " Deng Shen "... He can actually communicate with me directly through the prayer of the " The Hermit " lady... Klein's thoughts raced instantly, and his mind suddenly tensed.
Based on his experience over the years and relying on the " Clown's" abilities, he suddenly relaxed and leaned back in his chair.
Immediately afterwards, Klein opened his mouth and responded:
"Oh."
He did not give a definite answer, nor did he defend himself as a fraud; he simply displayed a contemptuous, natural, and condescending attitude.
The Distortion, blurry golden figure snorted.
"You've become so weak; no wonder I haven't heard of your name for thousands of years."
His name... weak... He really knew the former master of " Sefirah Castle "... was he a being active in the First Era? Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Klein smiled and said:
What you see may not be the truth.
"Haha." The Distortion, blurry golden figure chuckled twice. "You still love Deceit, but the state of ' Sefirah Castle ' can't fool me. Under normal circumstances, I can't penetrate the outer protection to talk to you like this."
"How do you know this wasn't something I was deliberately putting on?" Klein asked in a seemingly relaxed manner.
"There's no point in you Deceit me," the Distortion, blurry golden " Deng Shen " immediately retorted.
... It feels like a victim of fraud is saying, "I've lost everything, even sold my kidneys..." What exactly did the former owner of " Sefirah Castle," that being suspected to be " Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings," do to the " Deng Shen "...? Hmm, some of the characteristics that make up this " Wishing Lamp " belong to the " Miracle Invoker "... Klein relieved his inner pressure with a sarcastic remark, then laughed:
Whether something has meaning or not is not for you to define.
The golden, blurry figure of the " Deng Shen " swayed slightly.
"Judging from the current state of ' Sefirah Castle,' you seem to have a need for the ' Miracle Invoker ' Beyonder Characteristic."
He didn't dwell on the previous topic, but instead pointed directly to what he had observed.
... This guy actually saw through this... His status is really high... He can separate the Beyonder Characteristic " Miracle Invoker " characteristic from the " Wishing Lamp " on his own? Klein's eyes narrowed slightly, and he almost lost his composure.
He immediately controlled his movements and expression, and responded with a smile:
"If you think it is, then it is."
The blurry, Distortion golden figure once again caused the majestic, lofty voice to echo above the Gray Fog:
"We can make a deal."
"You released me from my seal, freeing me from my constraints. I leave you with the Beyonder Characteristic of the ' Miracle Invoker,' taking only my own portion with me."
"As for witnessing, we will use our own ' Sefirah '. Although you and I both have ways to resist the backlash and reduce the damage caused by breaking the contract, it will not be without cost, and we need to consider the consequences."
"I promise I won't stay here again."
Sealed... Sefirah... The terrifying essence of the " Wishing Lamp " is that it seals an existence at least at the level of a true god? Klein's heart stirred, and he quickly analyzed the feasibility of the matter.
He quickly made a decision: he would not be swayed!
There are two reasons for this. First, he was not the true former owner of the " Sefirah Castle," so his abilities and tolerance for unexpected events were limited. Second, the mystical education he received in the " Nighthawks " team and his subsequent experiences taught him not to make deals with unknown entities and not to harbor any illusions.
With his mind made up, Klein calmed down considerably and focused on how to extract more information.
The " Deng Shen " is suspected to come from the darkest, most chaotic, and most mysterious First Age; there must be quite a bit of knowledge about it!
After thinking for a moment, Klein's lips curled slightly as he said:
Do you think these conditions will sway me?
He planned to see what the " Deng Shen " was willing to offer, hoping to uncover some of His secrets.
Upon hearing this, the golden figure, whose eyes swayed like lamplight, suddenly brightened—truly brightened!
His gaze seemed to fall directly on Klein, and his majestic voice shook the ancient palace like thunder:
You are not Him!
You are not Him... At that moment, Klein was a little stunned and a little frightened, like being in a grand magic show when the Spectator suddenly pointed out the specific technique.
He didn't know what was wrong with his rhetorical question, nor did he understand what the specific problem was, making it difficult for him to analyze the pros and cons in a short time and give the most appropriate response for the current situation.
... How did He immediately realize that I wasn't the former master of " Sefirah Castle," but rather the being suspected to be " Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings "... Wasn't my question a reasonable rhetorical question? If you're going to talk about a deal, you have to allow for bargaining... Wasn't the former master of " Sefirah Castle " that the " Deng Shen " knew like this? Impossible, how could a being skilled in Deceit directly offer up their own bargaining chips without even negotiating or applying pressure? Oh no, I'm overthinking it, almost ten seconds have passed... Not responding in time is tantamount to directly admitting to the " Deng Shen's" accusations... Klein doesn't have much experience with being exposed, and he couldn't think of what to say immediately.
Just as he raised his guard, preparing to draw the " Staff of the Stars " and mobilize the power of the " Sefirah Castle " to counter any possible remote attack from the " Deng Shen," the golden, blurry figure suddenly laughed:
Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha.
The laughter was like a disturbance to the soul, almost causing Klein inside the " Sefirah Castle " to lose control. He barely managed to stabilize himself without leaving a trace.
There was no intention to attack; it was merely the natural dissipation of influence... What was the " Deng Shen " laughing at? What was so funny? Klein frowned slightly, considering one possibility after another, but none of them seemed realistic.
After a few seconds, the " Deng Shen's" laughter stopped, and he said in a cheerful tone:
Even for beings at our level, Fate remains wondrous.
"No matter who you are, the deal I just proposed is valid. As long as you can break the seal and release me, I will return to the Starry Sky with my share, and the rest, including the Beyonder Characteristic of the ' Miracle Invoker,' will be yours. In addition, I will grant you three Wishes."
"How about that? Isn't that generous enough?"
The Starry Sky... Klein's eyelids twitched at the mention of it, keenly sensing some kind of danger.
This is a warning derived from Spirituality intuition.
He had originally planned to feign agreement to extract more information and then use " Sefirah Castle " to renege on his promise, but now he suddenly felt he couldn't make that commitment!
Therefore, Klein decisively said:
"Leave."
As he spoke, he severed his connection with the deep red star that represented the " The Hermit ".
The blurry, Distortion golden figure suddenly expanded, then vanished, leaving only a faint echo:
You'll eventually say yes!
Once the Gray Fog had completely cleared, Klein slowly exhaled and muttered to himself:
"The ' Deng Shen ' is a powerful being from the Starry Sky, sealed within a lamp in the First Age or even earlier?"
"The one who sealed Him may be the former master of ' Sefirah Castle,' possibly the being known as ' Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings,' which can be inferred from the Beyonder Characteristic of ' Miracle Invoker ' found in the materials used to make the ' Wishing Lamp '..."
"So, that's why the ' Deng Shen ' realized I wasn't the former master of the ' Sefirah Castle ' when I asked him that question? But I had considered that. Logically, there's nothing wrong with asking, unless the ' Deng Shen ' and the former master of the ' Sefirah Castle ' had some kind of tacit understanding or secret regarding this matter..."
"The ' Deng Shen's ' own power probably couldn't penetrate much of the seal, but it could utilize the Beyonder Characteristic that make up the seal... The 'wish' characteristic most likely comes from the ' Miracle Invoker ' aspect, and then the ' Deng Shen ' amplified it using its own status..."
Lost in thought, Klein looked up at the deep red star that represented the " The Hermit " and discovered that " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya was completely unaware of the strange movement that had just occurred in the " Wishing Lamp ".
Huff... Klein shaped the reminder he wanted to give into a stream of light and tossed it into the deep red star.