Although there weren't many worshippers at the Storm Church at night, Klein chose to appear on the cloister leading to the garden to avoid conflict.
"This is amazing..." Pasha murmured to herself, looking at the fixed scene around her.
Roy forcibly suppressed his inner emotions, glanced left and right, and said:
"If the Patriarch were to come to the church to avoid the curfew, he would probably be in a similar place."
"If it weren't for the fear of accumulating sins, an Angel would have far too many ways to deceive ordinary people," Klein said casually. "I'll send you to another church later. Try to stay in places with glass windows and mirrors. If you spot any outsiders who resemble Feysac, find an opportunity to draw a symbol..."
Before he finished speaking, his head suddenly turned and he looked toward the door leading from the Great Prayer Hall to the garden.
A figure over 2.6 meters tall slowly walked out. He was wearing a long robe with a black background and white trim, and his muscles made the loose clothes bulge.
This was an elderly man with a gray stubble, wearing a square hat, with light blue eyes and few wrinkles, exuding an air of looking down on everything.
Patriarch Larion of the Church of the God of Combat... Without needing to identify him, Klein's Spirituality intuition told him that the person opposite him was Angel, the one he had come to the church for.
Larion glanced at him, and said with a hint of surprise:
"Not Arianna..."
He immediately composed himself and said rather indifferently:
"It seems to be His helper."
"You can tell Him that I have reached an agreement with '0-02', which has been activated to a certain extent, in exchange for relinquishing its seal and being allowed to leave. You will remain here, enduring the changing rules and increasingly stringent Edict until your complete demise..."
The Patriarch seemed not at all worried that Klein would stop him, because as He spoke, His body aged rapidly, His skin soon became covered with wrinkles, age spots, and putrid fluids.
In the blink of an eye, Larion Aging to the point where he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
Then, He truly turned into a completely rotten liquid and evaporated completely.
The impactful visuals instilled a genuine sense of fear in Byers and the others, giving them a feeling of being on the verge of mental breakdown and emotional collapse.
This is just as horrifying and terrifying as the story of that " The Magician " whose wrist wound sprouted countless tiny insects that formed a new hand!
"A strange ability, related to ' Twilight '?" Klein didn't try to stop Larion at all, but simply nodded as if he were thinking.
Within the Spirit World corresponding to Beldan, Larion's figure was outlined and returned to normal.
Immediately afterwards, as if He could command Spirit World beings, He pierced through the invisible barrier and broke free from the many restrictions of Beldan City.
Just as Larion began to "travel," his vision suddenly went dark, and he saw a dark, seamless "cloth."
This was like a wall, blocking Larion's path forward!
Larion cautiously stopped traversing and looked up at the infinite height where the Seven Lights were located, but he could only see an illusory " Curtain " hanging down from there, enveloping the part of the Spirit World corresponding to Beldan and isolating it into an independent world.
At the same time, Larion's " Demon Hunter " intuition told him that the barrier formed by the " Curtain " was extremely strong and difficult to break through, and that it would take a lot of time and effort to accomplish it.
For the Patriarch, the current situation possessed a peculiar absurdity, which stirred an uncontrollable rage within him:
It's like He finally found the key to the secret room after going through countless hardships, and when He had the chance to open the Door Opening and leave before everyone else, He was surprised to find that there was an extra lock on the door of the secret room, a very sturdy lock!
Lacking any semblance of authenticity, it's an image emerging from the Historical Void... This is fraud! No, it's outside of Beldan City, outside the realm of rules... This Historical Projection should have existed here long ago; in no more than two minutes, it will be unable to sustain itself and will dissipate on its own... Larion quickly regained his composure, allowing the anchor and the tendency towards madness to find their balance once again.
In the corridor of Storm Church, Roy and the others, who had finally recovered, turned to look at the " The Magician " whose status was not much lower than that of Angel.
Pasha hesitated for a moment, then said with considerable fear:
"He... he seems to have run away."
In this way, we won't be able to obtain information about the location of "0-02," and if we rely on a thorough search, there certainly won't be enough time.
Moreover, none of those present knew what that terrifying Sealed Artifact actually looked like; the description in the book was far too vague.
"We'll have to think of another way," Klein replied with a smirk. "What suggestions do you have?"
He had been waiting for Larion to return and negotiate with him, but he discovered that the Patriarch preferred to wait in the Spirit World for the " Curtain " Historical Projection to disappear. Although he himself could enter that Spirit World, he could not break through the strange barrier created by the "0-02" substitution rule.
While speaking, Klein was seriously considering other solutions, and at the same time, he had a small number of " Worm of Spirit " take control of his body and talk to the Beyonder next to him, trying to find Spirit Intuition from their discussion.
"We should deliberately create a 'contradiction' similar to that of Byers to put ourselves in a relatively safe state. Only in this way can we begin the search," Phil reiterated his earlier idea.
Pasha shook her head:
"But if we use this 'contradiction' to do something, '0-02' will definitely add new rules to solve the corresponding problems."
"But at least this will buy us more time," Phil emphasized.
"That's definitely something we can do," Roy agreed, adding, "But our focus should be on finding '0-02.' Maybe we can create some 'contradiction' that would reveal its location?"
As for what kind of "contradiction" could achieve such an effect, and how to create it, he currently has no idea.
A contradictory situation... so we'll add new rules to resolve it... Klein listened quietly with a smile, his mind racing with a series of thoughts colliding and sparking.
Just then, the surface of the " Magic Mirror " in his hand shimmered with water, and silver words appeared one after another:
" Pasha, do you want to know what new content has been added to the bulletin board?"
"This mirror is asking me directly... Why is it asking me directly?" Pasha paused for a moment, then quickly nodded and replied:
"Think."
The silver mirror shimmered with light, quickly revealing the current state of the notice board.
Clearly, two new rules have been added:
"... All cathedrals closed early in accordance with the curfew order..."
"... All hotels only accept guests who have registered their identity documents..."
Phil panicked immediately:
"Where are we going now?"
He couldn't think of any way he, Roy, and Pasha could escape punishment.
Roy and Pasha exchanged a glance, various thoughts swirling in their minds, but none of them worked.
At this moment, Klein, who had been silent until now, smiled and turned his gaze to Byers:
Where in Beldan do you live?
"In a rented room at No. 18 Red Maple Street, but that apartment building collapsed in the artillery fire," Byers replied, slightly puzzled.
Klein smiled and said:
"You can make a Wishes have your home restored to its original state."
"... Is this possible?" Although the amazing " The Magician " opposite him had healed Phil's severed hand with unbelievable abilities, Byers still felt that restoring the collapsed house to its original state was more difficult than that task, especially since the army doctor Webb, whom Roy had mentioned, could also do it.
"Of course," Klein said with a smile, adding, "Let's hurry."
At this time, the worshippers inside the church were gradually leaving.
Byers dared not delay any longer and immediately spoke:
"I want my home to be restored to its original state."
"Good." Klein raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. "Your Wishes has been granted."
Huh? While Roy and the others were still stunned, Klein activated " Teleportation " again, bringing them to No. 18 Red Maple Street and stopping outside a two-bedroom apartment.
Byers stared blankly at the familiar wooden door in front of him, then instinctively reached out his right hand and pushed it open.
The cabinets, coal stove, bunk beds, greasy wooden tables, and haphazardly placed old newspapers all came into Byers ' view, instantly making his eyes moist.
Before the war broke out, when he returned from the mine, he would always see his mother busy by the coal stove, his father and brother either doing some repairs or helping to deal with the spoiled parts of fruits and vegetables, taking on some work that could be done at home, and his young niece learning the shapes of words from waste newspapers under the guidance of her mother who made matchboxes.
Although such a life was difficult and offered no protection against risks, it remained a cherished memory for Byers, far better than the dark mine shafts, the heavy ore, and the overseer's whip.
But now, even this tiny, exquisite beauty has been completely destroyed.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Phil stood at the door, not daring to trespass on private property.
Byers snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said:
Please come in.
After entering the uninhabited house, Klein pulled up a chair that looked like it might break at any moment and sat down, falling into silence.
Roy, Pasha, and the others dared not disturb the gentleman and waited quietly to the side.
After twenty or thirty seconds, Klein suddenly looked around and said with a smile:
"I have an idea that needs to be tested. Who among you will cooperate with me?"
"Me," Roy replied without hesitation.
Klein said with a smile:
"Don't answer the questions truthfully later. I'm looking for loopholes hidden in the rules already issued by '0-02'."
Roy nodded and said:
"No problem."
Klein immediately took out the " Magic Mirror " and said to Roy:
Ask it a question.
Roy thought for a moment and said:
Where can I find my next Potion?
On the surface of the silver mirror, a scene unfolded: the High Patriarch Larion of the Church of the God of Combat, who was lingering and waiting in the Spirit World!
... Roy's expression instantly froze, then he heard the " The Magician " say:
"It's your turn to answer its question. Remember, don't give the correct answer."
Roy quickly gathered his thoughts and looked back at the mirror. The scene reflected there had transformed into the " The Magician " himself, with several lines of text appearing to be written in blood:
Who did you give your virginity to?
Roy instantly recalled the past, his face flushed red, and then answered as instructed by the " The Magician ":
I don't know.
"Lying!" The blood-red characters on the surface of the silver mirror instantly coalesced into a chilling word.
Snap!
A not-so-strong bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck Roy.
Roy convulsed and screamed in pain; his body was charred black and his hair stood on end, but he was not in any real danger of dying.
Byers, Pasha, and Phil were all startled, not knowing what had happened.
At this moment, Klein looked around and a slight smile crept onto his face.
"You see, the mirror wasn't punished for intentionally hurting someone."
"There is a real opportunity here."