On a Steam train speeding towards City of Constant, Awwa County.
Klein, dressed as a wandering Magician, looked across a narrow table displaying items at the young man and his parents opposite him and said:
"I have two kinds of magic tricks. One is to grant your Wishes, and the other is to answer your questions with a mirror. Of course, the first magic trick requires payment, and the second one requires you to answer the question posed by the mirror. Which performance would you like to see?"
The young man, with black hair and brown eyes, appeared to be well-educated. He glanced at his parents sitting beside him and said with a smile:
"My Wishes is too difficult, so I won't trouble you."
"Comparatively speaking, I'm more curious about mirrors that can answer questions."
Klein sighed and shook his head, then flipped his left hand to reveal a silver mirror that could be tucked into his sleeve, with a black gem on each side.
"It seems to be an antique," the young man opposite him remarked with interest, then said, "My question is, what is the purpose of my trip to City of Constant?"
Klein wore the kind of smile often seen on street Magician, reached out his right hand to stroke the surface of the mirror, and whispered quite seriously:
" Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror on the wall, what is the answer to this question?"
After repeating this three times, he released his right hand, revealing the surface of the mirror to the three passengers opposite him.
Several silver words have appeared on it:
"Go get married."
"... Amazing." The young man and his parents exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of disbelief.
After boarding the train, they never mentioned anything related to the wedding, nor did they display any items that could suggest it.
This was the first time they had ever seen a magic trick that didn't rely on props or fake Spectator.
"Alright, now it's the mirror's turn to ask a question." Klein smiled and placed his right hand over the surface of the mirror.
"Okay," the young man replied, looking quite curious.
"Now, let's see what questions the Magic Mirror will ask." Klein, as if performing a formal magic show, slightly exaggeratedly released his right hand.
The silver words on the mirror's surface have changed, stretching into a complete sentence:
"You'd prefer your bride to be a woman over forty, right?"
The young man's expression froze, then turned deathly pale, and finally flushed completely red.
"How could that be!" he immediately retorted, glancing sideways at his parents and complaining hastily, "What a strange question!"
"... It was just kidding." Klein smiled apologetically, quickly pressing his right hand against the mirror surface, as if he hadn't known this would happen beforehand.
Then, he released his right hand again.
Sure enough, the text on the mirror surface changed again:
How old are you?
"25 years old..." the young man answered cautiously, seemingly afraid of falling into a trap.
He sensed that the way his parents and the other passengers looked at him had changed.
"Alright, that concludes this magic trick performance." Klein smiled and put away the mirror. "You can try another magic trick."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Steam train sounded its whistle, a sign that it was about to arrive at the station.
"Excuse me, I should get off now." Klein took out his gold-cased pocket watch, turned it on, and glanced at it.
He quickly picked up his luggage, followed the crowd of passengers, left the Steam train, and arrived at the platform where the gas streetlights were not yet lit.
This is Beldan, a city in the Awwa County, a city that rose to prominence because of coal mining and declined because of coal mining.
For Klein, the greatest significance of this place is that it was a crucial node in the route of Feysac's invasion during the previous world war.
--Feysac had three routes of invasion: one was to attack the Amanda Mountain Range on the border in an attempt to break through the land defenses there; another was to start from Sonia Island, attack the coastal ports and attempt a landing; and the third was to start from the Sonia Sea and invade Backlund along the main railway.
Due to the presence of the Church of Storms and the power of the ironclad ships in conjunction with the high-ranking " Arbiter," the navies of Feysac and Feynapotter were unable to achieve their intended results or even gain control of the sea. Meanwhile, in the Amanda Mountain Range battlefield, the headquarters of the Church of Evernight held off wave after wave of attacks and remained standing until the end of the war, preventing places like Winter County and East Chester County from being directly ravaged by the war.
Of the three routes, the only one that succeeded was the Sonia Sea Force. They combined land and sea attacks to capture City of Constant, the second largest city in Loen and the capital of Awwa County. They then advanced southeast to meet up with the Intis in the Backlund region.
Klein Acting a wandering Magician, partly to accumulate Wishes, perform miracles, digest Potion, and enhance his strength, and partly to retrace the path of war, to truly witness the trauma inflicted by previous wars with his own eyes, ears, and heart.
Knowing the secrets of the Starry Sky and the earth, he could understand the " Evernight Goddess's" scheme and accept it to some extent, but that did not mean he would be indifferent to those sacrifices.
At the same time, he also became certain of one thing: even if he failed to prevent George III from becoming the " Black Emperor," a world war would still break out, but Loen would have the upper hand, and the " Evernight Goddess " and her allies would directly pressure the " God of Combat," forcing him step by step to seek the help of the " Earth Mother."
At that time, the number, intensity, and scale of the wars between gods will surpass those of the present.
For this reason, Klein wandered along the route of the Feysac invasion, station by station.
Emerging from the platform where traces of gunfire still lingered, he carried a worn-out suitcase containing a change of clothes, discerned his direction, and headed towards what might be a hotel.
At night, he will wander the streets and alleys of the city, performing Wishes magic tricks for people.
After walking a few steps, Klein was struck by Spirit Intuition and turned his gaze to the end of the street.
A woman walked by, dressed in a simple linen robe, with a bark belt, long black hair, and no shoes or socks.
Arianna!
Arianna, the leader of the Ascetic of the Church of Evernight, Angel on Earth!
How could He be in Beldan? Shouldn't He have already returned to the Evernight Abbey in the Serenity Cathedral by now? Or been sent to Saint Milom, the capital of Feysac, to oversee the receipt of the " God of Combat's Legacy"? An Angel walking on earth appearing in such a small city is definitely not simple... Klein was puzzled and frowned slightly.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to ask.
It wasn't that he wanted to meddle, but since we all lived in the same city, if something unexpected happened, no one could escape it.
But by this time, Arianna had already disappeared into the crowd, and as the " Servant of Concealment," she was impossible for Klein to track down. Similarly, the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes was also somewhat powerless when it came to matters of " Concealment."
Klein took a slow breath, turned around thoughtfully and went into the hotel, booked a room, and put his luggage away.
Then, still dressed as a wandering Magician, and carrying the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes, he followed the Spirituality intuition of a " Seer " and made his way to the city square of Beldan.
Near the city hall, there's a notice board with many notices posted on it.
Seeing that a lot of people were watching, and it seemed that a new official document had been issued, Klein moved closer and stood on the outer edge of the crowd, looking at the light-colored wooden sign.
In the center of the notice board, a slightly yellowed white sheet of paper covered the other notices, with the following written on it in black ink and Loen language script:
Ladies and gentlemen, I am your new consul.
"Now, I hereby promulgate three new Edict:"
"First, no living being may leave this place without my permission."
"Secondly, all beings are equal before the law; even Angel can be killed by ordinary people."
Article 3. Those who commit the following crimes will be severely punished, with a maximum penalty of death:
1. Murder;
2. Theft;
3. Recite the deity's name completely;
4. Worshiping evil gods;
5. Fraud;
6. Leaking secrets;
This announcement... Klein raised an eyebrow as he read it; he didn't need Spirituality intuition to sense that there was something wrong with its contents.
His mind instinctively shifted, and he tried to guide his spirit back to the " Sefirah Castle ".
However, an invisible force blocked his "departure," allowing him to only touch the grayish-white mist but not pass through it.
This... Klein narrowed his eyes slightly, took a few steps back, and distanced himself from the crowd.
In his view, this level of abnormality had reached a level almost divine.
He had previously been unable to return to " Sefirah Castle," but the main reason was that he didn't have enough time to reverse four steps and recite the incantation, or that he was interfered with and blocked by "himself."
There was only one instance where he was truly unable to escape the real world due to external forces:
That was inside the Foggy Town —a Concealment world, powerfully sealed, created by the " Evernight Goddess " herself.
Apart from this time, even the " Blasphemer " Amon did not do something similar. Of course, at that time, Amon's main purpose was to force Klein to activate the " Sefirah Castle " and then seize the opportunity to take advantage of the loopholes and replace him as the " Great Ruler Above the Spirit World ". Otherwise, this " Angel of Time " could have prevented Klein's return by Stealing his thoughts.
Who is this newly appointed "governor" of Beldan City...? Is this why Lady Arianna came to Beldan City? In a flash, Klein let the " Magic Mirror " slide from his wide sleeve into his left hand.
"What happened?" Klein asked in a low voice.
On the surface of the silver mirror, the water shimmered, revealing slightly whitish silver words:
"Several rules here have been replaced, and it is unknown who did it. Great master, you can try to find the ' Servant of Concealment ' Arianna and learn the truth from her."
Are you satisfied with my answer?
The rules have been changed... " Lawyer "? " Arbiter "? Or, is there a "bug"? Klein thoughtfully raised his head and looked around, noticing that the citizens in the square were somewhat puzzled, not quite understanding why the new proclamation mentioned Angel, or why leaving required application and permission.
The war is over!
P. S.: Requesting recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Monday!