Back in the real world, Alger patiently awaited the task that Mr. The Fool had mentioned.
On this day, dressed in papal robes and wearing a silver-black mask, he was discussing internal matters of the Church of the Sea God with the divine messenger Danitz when he suddenly saw a bishop enter.
"Your Holiness, the Church of Storms has sent messengers with two gifts to congratulate you on assuming the role of God's Mandated Punisher." The bishop said respectfully, holding a white tin box.
Danitz, who had been secretly relieved that the Bayam telegraph line had malfunctioned, was surprised to hear this and blurted out:
"Where is the messenger?"
"He left the gift and left," the bishop at the door replied with considerable helplessness.
Although members of the Church of Storms often have moments of irritability and impulsiveness, such behavior is quite rare.
Alger nodded slightly and said:
"It's enough that they're not hostile towards us and have sent envoys with gifts."
Having said that, he raised his right hand and gently grabbed it, causing the white tin box in the bishop's hand to be swept up by the wind and fly over.
After catching the small box, Alger's movements suddenly slowed down, as if he felt its heavy weight.
He slowly opened the container and saw a book bound in brown parchment inside.
On the surface of the book, a line of words was written in Elvish:
" The Book of Calamity."
" The Book of Calamity "... After seeing this line of words, Alger felt a sense of disorientation, as if he were dreaming.
But soon he realized it was true, and he understood what the " The Fool " meant by the task.
Alger sighed silently and looked at the bishop at the door, saying:
What is the second gift?
"It's a ghost ship called ' Blue Avenger,' already docked in the harbor," the bishop replied without any sign of anything amiss.
" The Blue Avenger "... Upon hearing this name, Danitz instinctively turned his gaze to Pope Alger beside him.
He remembered clearly that this was the ship the other party used when they were pirates.
This means that the Church of Storms knows that the Pope of the Church of the Sea God is their former cardinal!
Was this a congratulation or a challenge? Danitz's heart tightened, and he realized he was quite familiar with another gift:
That was the extremely sinister " Book of Calamity " that he had seen when he followed Gehrman Sparrow.
"Write a letter back to the Church of Storms for me, thanking them for their gift," Alger calmly instructed, having regained his composure.
After the bishop left the room, he turned to Danitz and said:
"Divine messenger, I have received a divine message from Mr. ' The Fool.' I am about to embark on a mission and may not return for several years."
"An oracle?" Danitz blurted out in astonishment.
At that moment, only one thought echoed in his mind:
How come I didn't know?
Alger nodded:
"Mr. The Fool is about to enter a deep sleep."
"However, this does not prevent your prayers from being answered."
"..." Danitz was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
Alger continued:
" Gehrman Sparrow also fell into slumber."
"After I leave, the affairs of the church will be handed over to Derrick Berg of New City of Silver. You need to cooperate with him to write the fact that the Sea God is ' The Fool ' from the divine scriptures so that all believers can accept it."
"Our faith is the key to Mr. The Fool's awakening. You are His messenger and should set an example in this regard."
"Of course, He may give you a new oracle at any time, or assign you other tasks."
Danitz felt a little dizzy and confused, but he still understood the seriousness of the matter.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded emphatically:
"Good."
After explaining the matter, Alger stood up, took the Book of Calamity, and returned to his room.
He looked at himself in the mirror, chuckled, and slowly removed the triple crown from his head and the silver-black mask from his face.
A few days later, at the port of Bayam, the docks were bustling with people.
Alger raised his head, looked at " The Sun " Derrick, who was much taller than him, and said with a smile:
"You've done a great job lately; the Church of the Sea God is functioning very smoothly."
Derrick instinctively reached up to scratch the back of his head again, but ultimately refrained, saying with a touch of melancholy and reluctance:
"Oh, Your Majesty Wilson, when will you be able to return?"
Alger shook his head and said:
"Everything ahead is still unknown; no one can say for sure."
Before Derrick Berg could respond, he turned and said:
"You are mature and stable enough; I have nothing more to tell you."
At this point, Alger paused for a moment, then continued:
"If the Rorsted Archipelago are struck by an insurmountable disaster, do not sacrifice yourself to protect them."
"Huh?" Derrick was stunned.
This is Mr. The Fool's most important place of faith, his new home in City of Silver. How can we just abandon it like this?
Alger had anticipated Derrick's reaction and explained with a serious expression:
"For Mr. ' The Fool,' the most important thing is the believers here, not these islands; for City of Silver, the most important thing is the people, not the city."
"As long as we can protect Mr. The Fool's followers, protect the people of City of Silver, and relocate them in time, even if we lose Bayam, lose New City of Silver, and lose the Rorsted Archipelago, we can always rebuild a new city and a new home elsewhere."
"Remember, don't sacrifice substance for form."
Derrick was deeply moved and immediately grasped the crux of the problem.
He responded sincerely:
"I understand, thank you, Your Majesty Wilson. I will protect Mr. ' The Fool's ' followers and the people here."
Alger said nothing more, turned around, and walked towards the " Blue Avenger " docked at the pier.
This ghost ship is still an outdated three-masted sailing ship, unchanged from before.
Alger looked at it, then at the crew members on deck, and suddenly felt something. He looked down at himself.
He wore a linen shirt, a brown jacket, and wide-legged trousers in the local style, with a specially made leather belt around his waist, from which a short knife and a short staff made of white bone were inserted.
Alger's lips curled slightly upwards, and with a single step, he rose into the air and landed on the deck of the " Blue Avenger ".
He then turned to look at the boundless blue sea, raised his right hand, and said in a deep voice:
"Sail away!"
Inside the Hall family's luxurious villa in Backlund, Queens Borough.
Audrey sat on the comfortable sofa, watching her father, Earl Hall, and her brothers, Hibbert and Alfred, discuss the recent situation and development trends of the kingdom, and watching her mother, Lady Caitlyn, constantly summoning the butlers and deacons to make final preparations for the upcoming ball.
She didn't speak, but watched quietly with a faint smile, observing this rather common scene in daily life.
After an unknown amount of time, Earl Hall looked over with a smile:
What is our little princess thinking?
Audrey pursed her lips and responded with a slight smile:
"You guess."
"I bet you're thinking about which dress to wear to the ball today, and what hairstyle and makeup to go with it," Hibbert said casually, speaking on behalf of his father.
Audrey smiled and said:
"You answered correctly, but there's no reward."
She then slowly rose and said to her parents and two brothers:
"I'm going upstairs to change into my dress."
Earl Hall smiled and nodded:
"No need to rush, everyone agrees you're worth the wait."
Audrey bit her lip lightly, maintaining her smile, and walked step by step toward the door.
As she was about to leave the room, she paused and looked back.
Her parents and her two brothers continued what they had just been doing, either discussing or making arrangements.
Audrey eyes seemed to freeze, and she slowly withdrew her gaze.
She left the room, went upstairs, and returned to her bedroom.
Susie, the golden retriever, was already waiting there.
Audrey took a barely perceptible breath, raised her right hand, and used her index finger to trace shimmering lines in the air.
These are like dreams from the deepest depths of one's heart.
A few seconds later, the shimmering light Distortion and transformed into a blonde, blue-eyed, exceptionally beautiful girl— Audrey Hall.
Unlike Audrey, this girl still retained a touch of naivety and a romantic air.
"Good evening, Miss ' Justice '~" the girl greeted in a light and cheerful tone.
Audrey smiled slightly and responded to the other person:
Good evening, Miss Audrey.
After that impromptu Tarot Gathering, she finally made up her mind to advance to the level of " Dreamweaver," preparing to carve out an identity to accompany her family while staying away from them to prevent them from being affected by the various dangerous things she had brought upon them.
She stared at herself for two seconds, then turned to the large golden retriever beside her and said:
" Susie, are you sure you want to come with me?"
"Yes, we're friends forever," Susie, the golden retriever, replied earnestly.
" Justice " Audrey said no more, and created a " Virtual Persona " that entered Susie's Mental Body, which had been unleashed by her own restrictions.
Then, she raised her hand again, outlining another Susie in mid-air.
As soon as Susie took shape, she opened her mouth and barked.
Audrey then looked away and gazed at her other self.
After a moment of silence, although she knew that their thoughts and feelings were aligned, she still couldn't help but say to the blonde girl in front of her:
"From now on, I'm counting on you."
"Remember to be affectionate with your father more often and tell him not to be so busy. He's not young anymore and needs to take care of his health. Many things can be left to Hibbert and Alfred, and to the butlers."
"Also, gently guide your mother and tell her that she doesn't need to care too much about other people's opinions and doesn't need to be perfect in social situations, as that would be exhausting."
"Yes, don't forget Hibbert. Make him laugh often, so he won't be so gloomy and won't always overcomplicate things. Alfred won't threaten his position."
" Alfred, Alfred, he needs a good wife to make him not want to take any more risks..."
"Hmm, why are you crying? We're all grown up now, we can't act like little girls anymore."
Audrey lowered her eyelids slightly and smiled at herself, who was now shedding tears.
"I know, I know." After saying that, Audrey pursed her lips and nodded heavily with a sorrowful expression.
" Justice " Audrey withdrew her gaze, picked up the cloak lying beside her, and draped it over her shoulders.
Then, she led her golden retriever, Susie, out of the bedroom and into the hallway.
The lights in the hall below had come on, and the guests of the ball were arriving one after another. Earl Hall, Lady Caitlyn, Hibbert, and Alfred had left their previous rooms and walked to the door.
Audrey stood behind the railing and watched quietly for a long time.
Then, she lifted her skirt slightly and, from a great distance, solemnly and slowly bowed to her parents and brothers.
She held that position for two seconds, then straightened up, raised her hand, and pulled up the hood of her dark blue cloak to cover her face.
To her side, behind her, the lights were bright and the noise was deafening; in front of her, Sea of Collective Subconscious, composed of many dim lights, emerged.
"Let's go," Audrey said to Susie in a slightly hoarse voice.
After saying that, she stepped into that dark and illusory ocean.
Audrey rushed out of the bedroom, her voice trembling with tears:
You must come back!
Audrey didn't turn around; she simply raised her right hand and waved it to indicate that she understood.
Her figure, draped in a blue cloak, gradually faded into the distance, disappearing without a trace in the swaying, silent darkness.