Above the boundless gray-white mist, in a magnificent and ancient palace.
Klein didn't rush to Divination. Instead, he responded to the " The Hanged Man " Alger's sacrificial ritual and brought the staff made with the Beyonder Characteristic of the " Ocean Songster " to his front.
" The Words of the Sea... This name... it evokes a strange sense of nostalgia. Let's just call it that... It's basically a completely weakened version of the ' Sea God Scepter,' lacking Demigod- level abilities like ' Lightning Storm ' and 'Tsunami'... but it has quite a few negative effects..." Klein rubbed the dark staff head inlaid with silver-white metal as he savored the description of the " The Hanged Man."
Perhaps due to the natural suppression of the mysterious space above the Gray Fog, this extraordinary staff did not exhibit any signs of life, lying there quietly, just like an ordinary piece of wood.
Klein nodded slightly and muttered to himself:
"The fact that it's alive is indeed quite troublesome for magical items, but from another perspective, it also means that it can communicate and interact. Even the ' Die of Probability,' which was such a nasty thing back then, became obedient after being educated, didn't it?"
"Moreover, it can be given to the servants normally. Hmm, ' Winner ' Enzo is a good candidate. Although he no longer has passive luck, he has been accumulating luck to prepare for crucial moments. Releasing a little bit won't make any difference. In this way, whether he gets tripped, falls, or is whipped, he can dodge very smoothly and without attracting attention."
"Thinking about it carefully, this kind of prank with the cane isn't entirely useless. If I encounter another ' Marionettist,' Spirit World Plunderer, or Trickmaster, and lose the initiative, becoming initially controlled and my thoughts and actions become sluggish, it would be difficult to break free on my own. At that moment, being suddenly struck by the uncontrolled cane or tripped up would allow me to successfully escape the predicament, wouldn't it?"
"Ah, the negative effects of magical items can be a great help if used well..."
"Of course, in normal combat, similar pranks can also bring unnecessary danger. How to weigh the risks and how to avoid them needs to be explored through repeated use."
As for the negative effect of the holder being more susceptible to lightning strikes during thunderstorms, Klein didn't care. First, unless in special areas, thunderstorms are rare and most of the time there's no need to worry. Second, as a " Seer," it's standard practice to Divination the day's weather before going out. Finally, if a thunderstorm is unavoidable, Klein can hand the staff to the Marionette Enzo, so that even if lightning does strike the " Winner," it will be diverted by a nearby lightning rod.
"I just hope I'm not that lightning rod..." Klein chuckled self-deprecatingly, considering the most troubling of all the negative effects:
Amazing vocals every 6 hours!
This doesn't distinguish between friend and foe, and its effect is random; it's practically an area-of-effect (AoE) killer! (Note 1)
After some thought, Klein decided to communicate with the " Words of the Sea " cane to lower its singing frequency, or to give a reminder before it started singing.
"I had lunch early today, and judging by the time, ' Creeping Hunger ' should be howling by now..." Klein thoughtfully removed the human skin glove from his left hand and tossed it into the empty space in front of the pile of clutter.
Immediately afterwards, he picked up the dark cane inlaid with silver-white metal and threw it over as well. Then, he mobilized a small amount of power from the mysterious space above the Gray Fog to create a barrier that could isolate all sound and images, allowing " Creeping Hunger " and " Words of the Sea " to be alone.
Having done all this, Klein gently stroked his palm, conjuring paper and pen, and wrote down a Divination statement:
"It's dangerous for me to conduct reconnaissance of the outer areas of Calderón City today."
After setting down the dark red, round-bellied fountain pen, Klein took the pendulum from his sleeve, held it in his left hand, and held it down on the paper, just short of touching it.
After silently reciting the Divination phrases seven times, he opened his eyes and saw the yellow crystal pendant standing still, without moving.
This means the Divination failed.
"The specifics of Calderón City are a secret to the entire Spirit World, and Divination lacks sufficient prior information... Moreover, it was once the kingdom of an ancient god, and there are remnants of mutated resurrection arrangements there, which will also interfere with Divination..." Klein put away his pendulum, pondering carefully, "We can only choose to believe the ' Red Light ' theory. The outer area of Calderon is not too dangerous... Besides, I still have my Marionette. I can have them go up first to confirm whether the Gray Fog can be shielded inside. If it can, we'll give up; if not, I'll go in myself."
Klein made a quick decision, no longer hesitating, and waved his hand to remove the barrier he had created earlier.
Then he saw " Creeping Hunger " had retreated to the edge of the pile of debris, propping itself up with three fingers, while its thumb and little finger pressed back on Groselle's Travels, looking weak and about to collapse.
At the same time, a mouth split open in the palm of its hand, revealing two rows of illusory, white teeth, panting continuously.
On the other side of the barrier, a dark black cane inlaid with silver-white metal lay on the ground, bobbing occasionally, with slightly blue transparent bubbles constantly bubbling from its tip.
"Good, it's quiet now..." Klein murmured with satisfaction upon seeing this scene.
As soon as he finished speaking, the " Words of the Sea " cane suddenly stood up, as if someone were holding it, and "jumped" up and down toward Klein, bypassing the " The Fool's " chair and hiding on the other side. " Creeping Hunger " used its five fingers as feet to chase after it with difficulty, and finally collapsed halfway through.
Klein stared silently, then suddenly let out a long sigh:
"After merging with Mr. A, ' Creeping Hunger,' you seem to have gained the characteristics of being alive, but your intelligence is just too low. You clearly Grazing ' Wind-blessed,' enabling Short-distance Flight, yet you still use your fingers as feet to chase after them..."
After saying that, he turned to look at the " Words of the Sea " cane hiding beside him:
"Aren't you Sequence 5 from the ' Sailor ' pathway? What kind of magical item is it if you can only hop on one leg?"
"Seriously, is this rudimentary survival trait only equivalent to that of an infant? No, some fetus is far more intelligent than you!"
After giving each of them a few words of advice, Klein sighed and chuckled to himself:
"I'm not some kind of Demon..."
Before he finished speaking, the gloves and cane, which had been making some noise, froze, not daring to make a sound.
Klein's words were abruptly cut off, and he could only reach out and pick up the " Words of the Sea " staff, and begin to communicate with the other party in a kind and sincere manner.
After friendly and frank discussions, the dark cane inlaid with silver-white metal indicated by rapidly shaking that it would try to sing less in the future. If it really couldn't hold back, it would inform its owner in advance, in ways including but not limited to a slight vibration or raising itself a few centimeters.
At the same time, it made a request by singing:
Never hold it with the hand that's wearing the " Creeping Hunger " mask!
Of course, if its owner insists on doing so, it will not object and will gladly accept it.
"Better than ' Creeping Hunger,' not so stubborn..." Klein beckoned and took " Creeping Hunger," placing it on his left palm.
After glancing at the " Door of Summoning " he had created through the ritual, Klein began to consider what items he should bring on his initial exploration of Calderón City.
Needless to say, two Marionette can be used as bait, to scout ahead, and even to test for traps. They allow the " Marionettist " to avoid too many dangerous operations, so they are essential to bring along.
With these included, Enzo's " Flower of Blood " ring and Ludwell's " Harris Rapier " were standard equipment and couldn't be forgotten. In addition, Klein also planned to have Enzo take the " Words of the Sea " staff.
As for himself, Klein planned to go in spirit form. If anything went wrong, he could immediately end the summoning and return to the Gray Fog. In that case, choosing the right "clothes" would be a matter of consideration.
" Azik Copper Whistle? No, this is related to the Death behind it, and Calderón City belongs to the Ancient Death... This has a considerable probability of causing a terrible mutation, allowing the danger in the core area to emerge on its own."
"' Black Emperor ' card, or ' Tyrant ' card? Hmm, this time it's an event in the Spirit World, and the two Marionette are basically dead, so there's no fear of having their blood extracted. Heh, Ludwell himself is half-undead and half-human, so he doesn't have much blood to speak of. Enzo's blood only has the value of making him look like a human in normal times, and that can be restored afterward through the ' Flower of Blood ' ring. In other words, I can take the ' Sea God Scepter ' to Calderon!"
"That place is deep in the Spirit World, far from the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago. There's no need to worry about being affected by the prayers of believers. The only problem is that I become irritable, easily angered, and prone to overthinking... This is a major taboo when exploring. However, it's easy to solve. Just give it to Enzo or Ludwell. Besides, the ' Tyrant ' card has a high status and can suppress the ' Sea God Scepter ' to a certain extent, making me less volatile."
"With the ' Tyrant ' card and the ' Sea God Scepter ' combination, I'm practically half Sequence 4. This is the most effective way to reduce risk. Even if I enter with Miss Sharron in the future, I can still use this combination to keep Miss Sharron in her Wraith, no, Evil Spirit state without any problem!"
"There's no need to worry too much about the corresponding Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence. If Calderon can shield the Gray Fog, I'll just take a look outside and then go back. No one can lock onto or catch up with me. After all, the Spirit World isn't the ' Sailor ' pathway's home ground. If Calderon can't shield the Gray Fog, and some High-Sequence powerhouses from the Church of Storms are attracted here, we can actually use them..." As his thoughts raced, Klein suddenly reached out and made the " Tyrant " card on the bronze table fly up and land in his palm.
Immediately afterwards, he incorporated this " Card of Blasphemy " into his soul.
Suddenly, an aura of extreme majesty and terror emanated from the location of the " The Fool," and a deep triple crown silently appeared on Klein's head, his clothes transforming into religious robes.
The latter is similar to the Pope's attire in the Saint Seiya anime he watched in his previous life, except that the color is dark blue, almost black.
A whooshing sound arose, and the papal robes suddenly unfurled. Klein then raised his right hand, hovering in mid-air, and caught the white bone scepter that flew towards him on its own.
At the top of the scepter, gems suddenly emitted dazzling light, some blue and some silver, swirling around the seated " Tyrant " like lightning.
The " Words of the Sea " cane fell to the ground with a snap, crawling down next to Klein, who was dressed as a pope and holding a scepter.
Note 1: Area of effect attack
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