The deep red before his eyes dissipated, Derrick Berg saw his bedroom again, and the pure crystal ball.
Snap!
The crystal ball shattered from the inside out, some turning into illusory rays of light that flew into the surrounding void, while others crashed to the ground with a crackling sound, each drop sparkling.
Derrick stared blankly and silently at the scene. In the reflection of the bronze mirror beside him, he saw the mottled bloodstains on his face and noticed a deep red light swirling inward on the back of his right palm, condensing into a circle radiating lines.
The strange symbol instantly disappeared into the back of his hand.
Derrick was stunned for the time it took for a dozen lightning bolts to illuminate the sky before finally snapping out of his dreamlike daze.
He glanced at the shards of the crystal ball on the ground, then at the back of his right hand, his gaze gradually becoming deep.
Stepping out of the bedroom and back into the living room, Derrick opened the front door and looked up at the sky above the City of Silver.
A bolt of lightning flashed, bathing everything in silver light. Then, with a rumble of thunder, the world was plunged into darkness—a darkness devoid of any light, a deep and oppressive darkness that instilled despair.
Derrick's hands clenched into fists, his eyes devoid of joy, still tinged with sadness and pain.
But he was no longer lost.
Phew, another member has been recruited, no, another member has been developed... Klein chuckled and shook his head, mocking the current strength of the Tarot Club:
The leader, " The Fool," is only at Sequence 9, having just finished digesting the " Seer's " Potion!
The City of Silver " The Sun " described as offering no hope whatsoever, possesses at least three high-ranking experts at Sequence 4!
"After one more setup, I can explain the situation to the captain and make a special request. Once I become ' The Clown,' I'll at least no longer be just a support." Klein didn't linger; he extended his Spirituality, enveloping himself, and plummeted downwards.
Piercing through the Gray Fog and the murmurs, he returned to his room and dispelled the Wall of Spirituality.
Then, Klein picked up the key, opened the door, and went to check the two rooms Dunn had booked. After confirming that the captain and Frye had not yet returned, he went downstairs and handed the key to the owner.
The boss glanced at the wall clock on the side and gave him a thumbs up:
"Well done!"
"Hey, what do you think I'm doing renting a room by the hour?" Klein opened his mouth to explain, but ultimately decided to let the other party continue to misunderstand.
He felt quite wronged and consoled himself:
Well, that way he won't gossip and mention to the captain that I booked a separate room!
After going out for a casual stroll, Klein performed a quick Divination and returned to the hotel based on the results. He went straight to the second floor and, as expected, saw Dunn and Frye discussing their investigation in one of the rooms.
"It can be confirmed that the Wraith only appeared in the last two or three months." Dunn glanced at Klein, who had just Door Opening, and nodded, giving his conclusion.
Klein immediately chimed in:
My investigation also confirmed this...
He summarized the key points of the previous questions, and concluded by saying, "Ha, there's a townsman named Rogue Gray who claims to own a portrait of the first Baron Lamud, saying it's an antique oil painting from over a thousand years ago."
"You didn't actually buy it, did you?" Dunn's gray eyes flickered, and after a moment of surprise, he asked directly.
"Captain, do you think I'm such a fool who's easily fooled?" Klein chuckled dryly.
"No, no, although I'm just a history student, I've taken some archaeology classes and have some experience in this area. I can make a basic distinction between real and fake. Ah, the person in that painting looks a lot like my history teacher, Mr. Azik."
He casually mentioned the most crucial point.
Dunn, as expected, hadn't paid attention to this. He rubbed his temples and said, "Towns with ancient ruins like these are always full of all sorts of antiques. I just ran into some townspeople selling Baron Lamud's silver goblets."
"Someone tried to sell me the Ramde family crest, saying it was dug up from an old castle," Frye chimed in.
Klein instinctively asked, "You didn't buy it, did you?"
Frye looked at him, and he looked at Frye; neither of them continued the conversation.
"The next task is for either you, who have recovered, or Frye, to take the Sealed Artifact '3-0782' to a deserted place outside town. Otherwise, most of the people in the inn will become idiots who only know how to 'praise the Sun.' You first, or Frye?" Dunn asked, his grey eyes fixed on Klein.
"Me," Klein raised his hand slightly and smiled, "It's not too late now. I can get a good night's sleep. It's a two-hour shift, right?"
"Yes, Frye, you and Klein go together and confirm the handover location." Dunn turned to look at Frye, the " Corpse Collector," who was investigating separately. He had already found an opportunity to give the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" to Frye, otherwise he would have already been Purification and started praising the Sun. Frye, due to insufficient recovery time, could only hold on for another three hours.
"Okay." Frye took the " Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun " from the inside of his black trench coat and handed it to Klein.
Klein took it with great curiosity and interest, feeling the warm, smooth metallic texture of the badge, as if hot water was flowing inside.
The warm and gentle light spread outwards like ripples, layer by layer, bringing a sense of purity. At the same time, Klein felt that the dark gold holy emblem with the Sun symbol was constantly cleansing his Spirituality, removing impurities and leaving behind purity.
Sure enough, Sealed Artifact always have a terrible side; if you're not careful, someone can die, or suffer something even worse than death... He muttered to himself as he put the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" inside his clothes.
After confirming the condition of the revolver, the talisman, and the cane, he and Frye left the room, departed the inn, and headed straight for the outskirts of Ramde Town.
Beside the sparse and deserted woods, the two circled around to make sure there were no living people within dozens of meters.
"If anyone gets close, chase them away," Frye said coldly and somberly. "I'll take over for you in two hours."
"No problem," Klein replied with a smile.
Watching Frye walk into the town, he found the half-height rock he had just spotted, picked some leaves from the nearby tree, and wiped its surface clean.
Then, he touched the top of the stone with his finger and examined his fingertip in the crimson Moonlight.
Having confirmed it was correct, Klein lifted his black trench coat and plopped down on it.
"If you can sit, don't stand!" he silently added to himself.
After a few minutes of calm, he looked at the dark, quiet, deep, and eerie grove of trees, and couldn't help but stand up. He took out different small metal bottles from the hidden pockets inside his clothes and sprinkled herbal powder and essential oil hydrosol around the rocks.
Immediately afterwards, Klein recited a spell in Hermes, using the materials to unleash Spirituality and seal the area where he was located.
His simple ritual served two purposes: first, to avoid relying on Seer's premonition of danger and to protect himself from attacks by corpses and ghosts; and second, to repel mosquitoes...
"It's a hundred times more effective than floral water!" Klein sat down again, satisfied.
After sitting there bored for a few minutes, he curiously removed the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" and examined the " Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun " closely.
He wondered if he could Divination its origins and unique source... Suddenly, an interesting idea flashed through Klein, so he took out the paper and fountain pen he always carried and wrote down the Divination statement:
"The origin of the Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun in my possession."
As a qualified and genuine Seer, Klein had long been prepared to perform Divination anytime, anywhere.
He silently recited the Divination phrase seven times, then closed his eyes and entered a Cogitation state, using this as a springboard to begin his own dream.
In his dream, he only saw a pure light, and nothing else.
"Hmm, the church must have tried other Seer before, but since there's no source in the records, it means they didn't get any effective results, just like what happened to me just now..." Klein sighed, then thought, "I wonder what the results would be if we eliminated the interference?"
The moment the idea popped into his head, it immediately took hold of his mind, satisfying his curiosity.
After hesitating for more than ten minutes, seeing that the night was quiet, there was no one around, and he was in a secluded spot in the grove where he would not be seen by passersby, he stood up, took four steps backward within the Wall of Spirituality, and entered the Gray Fog once more.
In the majestic palace, Klein sat at the head of the ancient long table, where before him materialized a piece of yellowish-brown parchment, a black, round-bellied fountain pen, and the " Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun."
"It feels pretty real..." He picked up the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" and weighed it in his hand, finding that its shape and texture were the same as those in the outside world.
"Directly relying on my feelings to manifest?" Klein muttered to himself, then rewrote the previous Divination statement:
"The origin of the Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun in my possession."
After reciting it seven times, he took the parchment and the Sealed Artifact "3-0782," leaned back, and entered the dream.
In the hazy, illusory world, Klein saw a drop of golden, warm, and luminous liquid.
It Levitation above the altar, with a man in a white classical robe standing in front of it.
The man's back was the only visible part of him; he had lost all sign of life. He slowly fell, collapsing towards the altar.
At that moment, the Sun Holy Emblem he was holding touched the drop of golden liquid, which quickly seeped into it.
Upon seeing this, Klein's dream quickly faded, and he awoke.
"So it's because of the fusion with that drop of golden liquid that this holy emblem has remained effective and uncontrollable. Hmm, at least it's been decades since it was discovered, and its Purification ability has never diminished... I wonder what that drop of golden liquid is... some kind of high-grade extraordinary material?" Klein played with the materialized Sealed Artifact "3-0782" in his hand, lost in deep thought.
After considering for a few minutes, he tried to reverse the flow of the materialized " Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun " to separate out the "golden liquid," based on his feelings in the dream.
The image had already appeared before his eyes. Klein stared in shock and astonishment at the badge before him, no longer so warm and pure, and at the drop of golden liquid Levitation silently. He gained a higher appreciation for the mysterious space above the Gray Fog.
This is truly amazing, even if it's just a illusory object that has been separated and manifested!
"The source of this drop of golden liquid," he wrote down the new Divination statement with considerable excitement.
P. S.: Fourth update, please vote with monthly tickets! There will be extra updates tomorrow, three more: the first at 12:02:03 AM, the second at 12:30 PM, and the third at 7:00 PM. Please vote with monthly tickets!