In the quiet hotel room, the dimly lit radio receiver instantly returned to normal, and the surrounding light was no longer gloomy.
Klein busied himself preparing the ritual, offering it as a sacrifice upon the Gray Fog, before he could even contemplate the answer he had just obtained.
Based on the clues provided by " Magic Mirror " Arrodes, and combined with the answers from Mr. Azik and " Snake of Fate " Will Auceptin, Klein has a preliminary plan for the next stage.
That was not just because he wanted to take a short break before returning to Backlund, but because he considered this metropolis his main location for a long time, hoping to steal the Antigonus Family Notebook from the Saint Samuel Cathedral of the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
If all else fails, try switching to a similar Beyonder Pathway. If that doesn't work either, you'll have to take the last resort: head to the main peak of the Hornacis Mountain Range.
"Hmm... I certainly can't openly use the identity of Sherlock Moriarty when I return to Backlund, unless I want to lure out Ince Zangwill. However, when contacting acquaintances or using the resources of the Church of Steam, I can transform back into the appearance of Sherlock Moriarty."
"In short, I'll have to use a new identity again, and I need to be completely different from Gehrman Sparrow. Hmm, this time I won't go directly back to Pritz Harbor, but will take a detour through Desi Bay, making sure no one can trace my origins." Klein's mind raced, and he quickly came up with a clear plan.
After initially determining the direction, he intended to extract blood and use his spirit body to explore " The Groselle's Travels " above the Gray Fog, but considering that he had Tarot Club in the afternoon, he lay back down on the bed to rest and relax.
The " Future " cruised smoothly through the undulating waves. " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya stood by the window, gazing at the vast, boundless landscape. From the foredeck, Nina's exasperated voice could be heard intermittently as she berated Frank Lee for creating a bunch of rapidly multiplying, fish-loving beef-flavored mushrooms.
Cattleya sighed silently and raised her hand to push up the heavy glasses perched on her nose.
Suddenly, she was struck by Spirit Intuition and looked down at her desk, where she noticed several yellowed sheets of paper that had appeared there sometime during the day.
"The Emperor's diary... She finally sent a messenger..." Cattleya turned around happily and picked up the few papers that seemed to be an initial test.
By three o'clock in the afternoon, having forcibly memorized those symbols, she saw a surging, illusory Red Light engulf her like a tidal wave.
Beneath the towering dome supported by stone pillars, the " The Hermit " Cattleya saw similar Red Light rise up, transforming into blurry figures.
She didn't look closely, but noticed that the familiar glasses had naturally appeared on her nose, seemingly a perfect replica of her surroundings.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Miss " Justice " gracefully rise and greet the person at the head of the bronze table in a light and cheerful tone:
Good afternoon, Mr. The Fool.
Audrey has indeed been in a good mood lately. After returning to the family castle, she successfully helped her mother, Lady Caitlyn, resolve some psychological issues stemming from her actual age and physical condition, as a dutiful daughter. She received very positive feedback, which led her to summarize more rules for Acting a " Psychiatrist ".
The most important benefit is helping others solve their emotional problems, which she suspects is why the Potion is called " Psychiatrist " instead of "Psychologist".
"Miss Justice " is very happy... Klein seemed to be infected by her joy, nodding with a smile as a response.
During this process, he noticed that Mr. The Hanged Man seemed preoccupied, as if he was still hesitating and struggling, and had not yet made up his mind.
Hmm, this means Mr. The Hanged Man can afford the recipe and main ingredients for the Ocean Songster Potion, but at a great cost. I thought he would apply for installment payments... The Fool Klein looked away without any sign of anything amiss and glanced around.
After Miss Justice finished her greetings, the Hermit, Cattleya, looked at the head of the bronze table and said:
"Dear ' The Fool ' sir, I have obtained three pages of Roselle's Diary."
Here it comes... I wonder if the three pages of the diary specially selected by the " Mystery Queen " will contain valuable information, such as the whereabouts of the " Card of Blasphemy " corresponding to the " Seer's " path. This could provide me with another possibility... Klein was quite expectant, but outwardly remained calm and natural as he spoke:
"Very well, you can make a request now."
"Yes, Mr. ' The Fool '," Cattleya replied impeccably, then requested to visualize the contents of the diary.
Seeing her performance and recalling her appearance in her dream, Klein felt quite gratified, much like a homeroom teacher successfully making a student well-behaved and sensible.
"This is the first time ' The Hermit ' has provided the Emperor Roselle's Diary. Given her level of skill and ability, she shouldn't have been unable to collect it before... Hmm, in the past she was mostly observing. After being punished by Mr. ' The Fool ' last time, has she truly integrated into our Tarot Club? Justice." Audrey made a certain judgment based on " The Hermit " Cattleya's performance last week.
At the same time, she also noticed that Mr. The Hanged Man wasn't quite right today. He seemed to be expecting something, yet also reluctant to let go of something, which piqued her curiosity.
Klein didn't have to wait long before the three pages of the diary materialized and came into his hands.
The members, including " The Sun " Derrick, instinctively quieted down so as not to disturb Mr. " The Fool's " reading.
"February 9th is Bonova's birthday. He is now a healthy, strong, honest, and kind young man. He is so devout that he is highly regarded by the church."
Everyone congratulated me, saying that Bonova would surely become Blessed, Holy Spirit, praising his faith as so pure and so flawless.
"I should be happy, but I feel an overwhelming sadness. I wish my children could be more humane, more emotional, and more themselves, rather than believers in gods."
"However, almost everyone genuinely felt that Bonova was in a good state. Matilda felt that way, Charles felt that way, and my nobles and ministers felt that way too. Only Bernadette shared the same feeling as me. She told me privately that she believed people should be more self-centered, as long as they don't hurt anyone."
Thinking of Zaratul's words at Bonova's birth, and the growing premonitions I had after entering the realm of Demigod, my heart grew heavier. Lovely Angel, haha, truly a lovely Angel.
Is this all the defenses you have against me?
Is this how you try to control me?
"No, you probably can't understand the pride in my heart. In my eyes, what are gods? I can take their place!"
On February 11th, another attempt to Zaratul failed.
"Ever since he got his hands on the Antigonus Notebook, the leader of this Secret Order has been appearing less and less frequently. I wonder what he's secretly plotting; he certainly won't tell me."
"On February 12th, a magical item was made for Bernadette that suited her perfectly."
"This will allow her to effectively avoid the ' Hidden Sage's' nagging, as long as she doesn't actively pray or seek responses. Hmm, this thing also seems to help the Saint enter the Ruins of the Gods' Battle at the easternmost part of the Sonia Sea, unaffected by the ' True Creator's' ramblings. There's a high probability that the secret of the ' Forsaken Land of the Gods ' is hidden there."
"Ha, I just casually made a little gift for my daughter, and it had such a powerful effect! Bernadette, your old man is indeed the world's best ' Artisan '!"
The most outstanding " Artisan "—does this mean that when the Emperor wrote this page of his diary, he had already reached Sequence 2 of the " Reader " path and become an Angel? With the existence of the " God of Steam and Machinery," this rank is something a " Artisan " can achieve... No wonder the " Mystery Queen " could freely enter and leave the Ruins of the Gods' Battle; it turns out she received a gift from the Emperor. Indeed, a child with a parent is like a treasure... Klein felt a surge of emotion.
Furthermore, he also discerned Emperor Roselle's repression and resentment between the lines of the first diary entry, and using his reading comprehension skills honed in his previous life, he gleaned some information hidden beneath the surface:
After becoming Angel, the Emperor seemed to be controlled and guarded against by the Church of Steam. The " God of Steam and Machinery " had a certain influence on his youngest son Bonova, making him the most devout believer, the kind who could enter the " Land of Perfection " and become Angel in the future.
This did not make Emperor Roselle yield or hesitate; on the contrary, it aroused his will to resist.
"The Emperor later became an enemy of the world precisely because of this struggle?" Klein nodded to himself.
At the same time, he noticed Zaratul's situation and suspected that this " Miracle Invoker " had only started to attempt to reach the Sequence 1 rank after obtaining the Antigonus Family Notebook. He had planned a lot for this purpose, but things went wrong during his advancement, and he turned into Monster. Of course, just as " Magic Mirror " Arrodes said, perhaps Zaratul had not lost control, but was just hiding something and plotting something.
After a quick glance, Klein turned the page and looked at the next section, which was not continuous and belonged to new content:
"On October 5th, several followers of the ' The Moon Primordial ' were captured by the Men in Black Organization I established, and were unable to complete the corresponding sacrificial ritual."
"Some of the things they've shown intrigue me; the power they've gained seems to truly originate directly from the Crimson Moon."
"Unfortunately, a large amount of data shows that this red moon is indeed an asteroid, and it really is orbiting our planet. So how does it combine physics and mystery?"
"With my current abilities, it's not impossible for me to go to the Red Moon, it'll just be quite troublesome and difficult, but it doesn't seem necessary."
On October 7th, I finally made up my mind.
"I will try to switch to the similar ' Mystery Pryer ' pathway; only in this way can I become Sequence 1."
"I've always suspected that the ' Hidden Sage ' was originally a Conceptualization Uniqueness, which later developed sentience and fully awakened due to some accident. Therefore, the Sequence 1 position of this path is most likely still empty!"
P. S.: I'll update first and then revise later. Please vote with monthly tickets and recommendations on Monday!