After her prayers went unanswered, Bernadette took the " Wishing Lamp " and went to the window of the captain's cabin, gazing at the deep blue sea.
She was not impatient, nor did she try to use her "prophetic" abilities; she patiently waited for things to unfold.
Several minutes later, a grayish-white mist suddenly appeared in front of her.
Then, the mist turned golden, as if coated with a layer of viscous syrup.
Bernadette immediately looked down at the " Wishing Lamp " in her hand, and saw that the wick at the spout of the pot had started to burn on its own.
Above the Gray Fog, inside the ancient palace, beside the " The Fool's " chair, the "prayer light" that had swelled to the size of a human head was instantly taken over by a Distortion and blurry pale golden figure.
The figure's gaze pierced through the "prayer lights," through the gray mist, and looked at the "worm vortex" that was trying to destroy everything around it.
His voice immediately echoed within the " Sefirah Castle," majestic and magnificent:
"It's gone out of control?"
The " Deng Shen's" tone was clearly sarcastic, and he didn't care whether the crazed " Worm of Spirit " could understand him.
Just then, above the now-fallen " The Fool's " chair, a strange Door of Light composed of countless orbs of light appeared.
It appeared and disappeared intermittently, casting a radiant glow and outlining a complex symbol in mid-air.
This symbol originally existed behind the " The Fool's " chair, consisting of half an " Pupil-less Eye " and half a " Line of Distortion ".
As the symbol took shape, the strange light faded until it completely merged into the space.
The next second, Klein's voice came from the symbol representing " The Fool ":
" Deng Shen, I want to make a deal with you."
The blurry, Distortion, pale gold figure suddenly burst into laughter:
"Haha, I told you, you would eventually say yes."
After laughing for a few seconds, the " Deng Shen " calmed down and said:
"I was just thinking, how could someone who has become the new master of ' Sefirah Castle ' so easily lose control?"
"This is my preparation for the worst-case scenario." The voice inside the " The Fool " symbol was not at all anxious.
The Deng Shen chuckled twice and said:
Aren't you afraid I'll suddenly raise the price?
Klein responded calmly and deliberately:
"For me, this is just one part of the preparation, but for you, it may be the only opportunity for many years to come."
The Deng Shen's pale golden figure swayed as if blown by the wind, and then his majestic voice rang out:
"My conditions are the same as last time. As long as you can break the seal and release me, I will return to the Starry Sky with my share, leave the rest to you, and grant you three Wishes."
"Of course, given the current situation, it seems you need me to advance your payment."
Klein's voice came again from within the " The Fool " symbol:
"My promise is to send this ' Wishing Lamp ' into the Starry Sky before the end of the year 1368. As for how you get out of this predicament afterward, that's your own business. My request is simple: just two Wishes."
"This is the deal I'm talking about. Whether you accept it or not is up to you."
1368 was the year the " The Original Barrier " disappeared, a year widely recognized by Prophet as the " Apocalypse of the world."
The blurry, Distortion, pale gold figure remained silent for several seconds before speaking:
"If the seal isn't broken, the number of Wishes I can fulfill is very limited. Once it exceeds a certain level, it will be fulfilled in a very Distortion way."
Within the radiant symbol of the " The Fool," Klein's voice emanated steadily:
"You can grant me those two Wishes now."
The Deng Shen fell silent once more, remaining silent for a long time.
Bayam, in that primeval forest.
Driven to madness by both internal and external factors, Verdue wasted no time. Following the instructions of the " God of War," he modified the altar, inscribing it with the correct symbols, magical markings, and strange patterns.
He was initially worried that the three Demigod- level Monster might suddenly wake up, but when the ritual was ready, the sacrifices remained unconscious and unable to put up any resistance.
After placing the writhing mass of flesh, the deformed starbird, and the white raven with black eye circles in their correct positions, Verdue looked at the only candle on the altar and lit it.
Then, he took a few steps back and solemnly recited in the Jotun:
"The Great Door of All Doors ";
" The Guide of the Endless Cosmos;"
" The Key to All Mystical Worlds."
"I beg for your response, I beg you to come into this world..."
Before he finished speaking, three loud bangs came from inside the altar.
The three Demigod -level Monster corresponding to " Bizarro Sorcerer," " Secrets Sorcerer," and " Parasite " seemed to be gripped by an Invisible Hand. With only a slight struggle, they exploded, turning into clumps of flesh and blood that flickered with different colored light spots.
These flesh and blood seemed to possess their own life force, and under the guidance of some indescribable power, they gathered in mid-air, outlining one evil and filthy symbol after another.
Countless symbols combined to slowly form a gate that looked as if flesh and blood were still writhing, a gate over five meters high.
The gate stood on the altar, its interior shrouded in darkness, its destination unknown.
The candle representing "The Door" suddenly flared up, illuminating the entire " Door of Flesh and Blood " and the darkness.
In the darkness, there were countless spheres of faint starlight, which upon closer inspection resembled strange insects with contorted bodies.
The orbs of light rose rapidly and formed a gigantic arm, an arm that even the " Door of Flesh and Blood " would find it quite difficult to pass through.
The arm, clearly not human, pressed against the altar, forcefully pushing outwards, causing the entire " Door of Flesh and Blood," and even the entire forest and the entire island, to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
Verdue, then suddenly half of his vision blurred.
Snap!
Something fell off his face and into the grass.
Verdue instinctively looked down and saw an eyeball with bulging veins rolling there.
Snap, snap, snap—his nose, his ears, his remaining eye, along with the muscles in his body, fell off piece by piece, each one gleaming with a hint of starlight.
Thump!
His body collapsed, his flesh and blood completely disintegrating.
At this moment, the arm finally squeezed through the " Door of Flesh and Blood " and began to try to pull out the rest of the arm.
Rumble!
In the darkness behind the door, illuminated by the light, thick bolts of lightning formed Storm and fell, only to be swallowed up by a sudden surge of blood-red water.
Finally, a colossal figure composed entirely of "spheres of light" passed through the " Door of Flesh and Blood."
The next second, those "spheres of light" began to collapse and stack, seemingly undergoing a qualitative Reorganization, and dark rifts from the void appeared one after another in the surrounding forest.
These gaps swallowed up different parts of the trees, making them look bizarre.
At the same time, a hurricane of unknown origin blew out from the crevice, sweeping in all directions, causing the entire Blue Mountain Island, where Bayam was located, to shake as if it were about to sink.
Inside the Sea Waves Cathedral, Alger Wilson was troubled by the inability to monitor Verdue's " Teleportation " away, suddenly heard the sound of doors opening one after another.
Every door in this city, in different places and locations, opened by itself at this moment.
"This..." Alger turned his head and looked towards the forest outside the city, which seemed to be the source of the anomaly.
Clang!
The moment the door was opened, Derrick, who had already been awakened by the earthquake in New City of Silver, frowned.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In cities like Backlund, Trier, Saint Milom, everything that could be called a door was opened.
Above the Gray Fog, inside the half-collapsed ancient palace, the frenzied "worm vortex" instinctively attacked the pale gold figure and the " The Fool " symbol, but failed to succeed.
Nearly a minute passed, and the " Deng Shen " suddenly chuckled:
"You are indeed not Him, otherwise I would have Distortion your promise and caused the seal He placed to break on its own."
"Only the original owner's Distortion words can achieve this effect? You used this method last time to recognize that I am not the ' Lord of Mysteries '?" Klein's voice came from within the " The Fool " symbol.
The Deng Shen scoffed and said:
"I have at least ten ways to identify Him."
Before Klein could respond, the pale gold figure smiled and said:
"It seems you can't maintain this state for long. Alright, the deal is done. After I grant your two Wishes, you must send the ' Wishing Lamp ' into the Starry Sky before the end of the year 1368."
The Deng Shen's voice gradually became solemn and dignified, as if announcing a legal provision.
At this moment, it seemed that He had established some kind of rule based on this deal, so there was no need to worry that Klein would go back on his word in the future.
"If you fail to fulfill this promise, even if you become the ' Lord of Mysteries,' you will perish and be shattered," the Deng Shen warned, then asked, "State your two Wishes. Note that they should not involve high-level Beyonder Characteristic, nor should they exceed the current limits of my power; otherwise, the Wishes will be granted in Distortion way. These are established rules, and I cannot violate them now."
Within the " The Fool " symbol outlined by the radiant light, Klein's calm voice emanated:
"My first Wishes: to have Bernadette Gustav's two previous Wishes credited to me. That should be easy for you."
The " Deng Shen " immediately laughed:
"As expected, you're trying to use the rule that bad things happen when you make a third Wishes to fight your current predicament. Very well, this is based on my own status. I will grant your wish and make you die a painful death."
Klein's voice rang out again:
"My second Wishes: for my ' Utopia ' to be born in the corresponding region of the Spirit World. This does not involve advancement in the Sequence, nor is it related to higher-level Beyonder Characteristic; you can definitely do it."
The pale golden figure of the " Deng Shen " swayed slightly and said with a smile:
Your Wishes will be granted.
Inside the Corpse Cathedral.
Klein touched the bloodstained wooden cross on his chest, seemingly considering how to remove it.
During this process, he casually asked Adam:
"You didn't try to become a god in the Fourth Age because you didn't obtain '0-08'?"
"That's one factor, but more importantly, there were still many unresolved issues at that time." Adam gazed warmly at the massive cross ahead.
Klein turned his head and looked at the " Visionary " and said:
"For example, at that time, the ' Primordial ' remnant will was still very strong..."
Before he could finish speaking, a large amount of bright red blood suddenly flowed from Klein's head.
But the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
P. S.: Please vote for me!