This is... did Mr. Tower get into trouble? Or did he fall into some place that could even isolate this mysterious space above the gray fog?
As countless thoughts flashed through Klein's mind, he materialized paper and pen and wrote down a divination statement. Then, with one hand gripping the crimson "star" and the other holding the parchment, he leaned back with his eyes closed.
"Still alive... but I can't see the specific situation...
"Must be trapped..."
After a moment, Klein opened his eyes, recalling the results of the divination, and muttered to himself.
This made him breathe a slight sigh of relief. After all, although Mr. Tower was very likely the Earth Mother's "God's Favored One" sent to "invest" in him, he had never done anything to harm him. On the contrary, he had provided a lot of help...
To Klein, Tower was a generous friend, a senior who willingly guided others on the path of Beyonder, and an important member of the Tarot Club under The Fool... Whether publicly or privately, Klein did not want anything to happen to him.
However... since Tower was the Earth Mother's favored one, it would be more appropriate for that true deity to save him.
After pondering for a moment, Klein combined the scene he saw in the crimson "star" representing Tower and "pinged" the newly joined Mr. Moon, instructing him to convey a message to Bishop Utravsky:
"The Moonlight Knight is lost in the mist."
—"Moonlight Knight" was the title Mr. Tower previously used. Bishop Utravsky would certainly know who it referred to... and the half-giant bishop was also a God's Favored One and could report directly to the deity.
Actually, with the relationship between Miss Judgment and Tower, it would definitely be more reliable to let her handle this matter than Emlyn... but since the situation on Tower's side is unclear, the earlier it gets reported, the more likely he is to be rescued...
Moreover, if I ask Miss Judgment to report to the Earth Mother, it would make me, The Fool, look too incompetent.
Though that's the truth...
After issuing the "Oracle" to Moon, Klein mocked himself a little and temporarily set the matter aside, turning to think about how to help Lina and Prince Edessak.
Although if Lina arranges the ritual, I could descend using the Hero Bandit "Black Emperor" identity... but that would be useless. At best, I could kill the Beyonder supervising the prince's "execution," but I wouldn't be able to take him out of Red Rose Manor...
After all, according to the divination results, there are quite a few Beyonders lying in wait there.
Although there aren't any high Sequence ones, so they don't pose much threat to me, or even to Lina... but Prince Edessak is just an ordinary person. A single bullet would be enough to kill him...
Furthermore, if I can't quickly get Prince Edessak out of the Loen royal family's sight and hide him, it would still be useless.
The best method would be to use a "teleportation" ability to instantly take him far away, then hide him, hold a ritual, and interfere with divination, prophecy, and other detection methods...
The latter parts aren't hard. I could even provide him with the blessing of the "Paper Angel"... and Lina seems quite adept at anti-divination techniques... but the teleportation issue... how do I solve it?
If only Mr. Azik weren't being monitored by the Church of the Evernight's powerhouses...
As Klein pondered, he lightly tapped the worn edge of the long bronze table with his finger. His gaze subconsciously swept past the symbols behind the high-back chairs on either side. When it passed over the one belonging to the "Magician," a layered image of countless overlapping doors, his heart suddenly stirred and he had an idea.
He organized his words in his mind, then had the "World" go online while extending his spirituality toward Fors' crimson "star."
.....
Inside a detached house in the Cherwood Borough, Fors stood by the window on the second floor, gazing worriedly at the distant mists, which had turned a dull yellow tinged with iron black, noticing they seemed to be slowly spreading in her direction.
Something's not right... According to the usual progression in stories, a scene like this always heralds a great disaster... And my spirituality seems to be warning me that the mist is unusual! Fors muttered to herself, frowning, having no heart for writing.
She didn't know what the mist signified but could sense its danger, feeling concerned for Xio, who was currently out on a mission, and for Ebner, who lived in the East Borough.
After all, the mist was coming from that direction.
Suddenly, she noticed the tree branches outside the window starting to sway, the glass trembling slightly, and then in an instant, a terrifying storm visible to the naked eye erupted, stirring up an unimaginable gale toward the east.
Soon, the accumulated mist was scattered. The thick yellow and iron black faded rapidly. Dry branches fell to the ground. Dust and dirt rose into the air, following the dispersing mist.
Rumbling sounds followed, then flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.
They quickly subsided, replaced by the pattering of rain cleansing the earth.
Fors stared blankly at the scene before her. Although she had never been out to sea, images of typhoons described in newspapers and literature immediately surfaced in her mind.
There really was something wrong with that mist? Was that a Saint of the Church of the Storms intervening?
Just as Fors was wildly speculating, boundless gray fog flooded her vision—and then, the scene "The Fool" had sent her unfolded.
"'The World' wants to meet me? Did something happen? Could it be related to this strange fog?"
As these questions flashed through her mind, Fors hesitated briefly before ultimately agreeing to the meeting. After all, there was no danger above the gray fog.
The moment she gave her consent, a red light flashed, and she found herself seated at the ancient long table. Glancing around, she noticed "The World" already sitting at the lowest position.
Just as Fors was about to greet him, the somewhat sinister-looking gentleman spoke in a hoarse voice: "Given the urgency, Miss 'Magician,' I'll skip the pleasantries... I requested this meeting to ask for your help..."
"What is it?" Fors asked directly, sensing his seriousness.
"I need one of the stones from your bracelet.
"In exchange, I can repay the ten pages of Roselle's diaries you owe 'The Fool.'
"Additionally, I can try to help you find the 'Spirit Warlock' potion formula, though I can't guarantee success."
Klein laid out his terms. Ten pages of Roselle's diaries were equivalent to one "Angel's Blessing"—albeit a "monkey version"—but their value still exceeded a single "Teleportation."
As for promising to find the "Spirit Warlock" formula, that was an extra bargaining chip...
Although Fors had already written to her Abraham family teacher about the formula, she likely couldn't be certain of a positive reply. Offering her another potential source should make the deal more appealing.
Besides, this wasn't an empty promise. Since Ms. Dilly had already prayed to "The Fool," perhaps while providing information about Dunn's whereabouts, she could "exchange" the formula as well.
As "The World" calculated, Fors was inwardly shocked, feeling as if all her secrets had been exposed.
Her nerves tensed as she quickly reviewed where she might have slipped up:
*He wants one of the stones from my bracelet? How does he know I have this? I don't recall mentioning it in the Tarot Club...*
*Besides my teacher, Xio, Ebner, Jane, and "The Fool," no one else knows about this item...*
*Wait, isn't "The World" a Blessed One of "The Fool"? Did "The Fool" tell him?*
This realization eased her worries, and she began considering whether to accept "The World's" request:
*As a homebody who rarely ventures out, I hardly face any real danger... The bracelet still has two stones left, so giving one to "The World" won't leave me completely defenseless...*
*And Roselle's diaries are truly hard to find. Despite my efforts, I've only managed to locate one page... Xio hasn't found any at all...*
*Though "The Fool" hasn't pressed me, compared to Miss Audrey's "outstanding" contributions, I just look even more incompetent...*
*If this drags on, will "The Fool" grow disappointed? What if He withdraws His protection?*
*In that case, maybe I should agree to "The World's" offer and transfer the debt to him.*
Her thoughts raced, and Fors soon reached a decision—though she rejected his offer to find the "Spirit Warlock" formula, proposing an alternative instead:
"I'd like you to owe me a favor... to help me when I need it."
*For instance, if certain materials prove difficult to obtain in the future, he could act as my enforcer...*
*Miss "Magician" seems quite confident about obtaining the formula from the Abrahams...* Klein mused, then had "The World" respond: "As long as it's not excessively difficult or dangerous."
"Deal," Fors said with a smile.
After returning to reality and performing the necessary steps to offer one of her bracelet's stones to the gray fog, Klein—seated in "The Fool's" position—finally accepted Lena's "offering" and "bestowed" both the stone and its instructions to her.
Staring at the card in his hand depicting Roselle's "bandage-wrapped spider silk" outfit, Klein's jaw slowly dropped, utterly stunned that the Emperor could be so... *playful*.
More importantly, the look was somehow... *alluring*—
Klein shuddered at the thought and hastily averted his gaze.
After a moment of contemplation, he picked up the "Demoness Card" again, carefully avoiding Roselle's image, and uttered in ancient Feysac:
"Chic!"
As the word left his lips, the card—like the "Black Emperor Card" he'd obtained before—revealed the complete potion formulas from Sequence 9 to Sequence 0.
"Despair," "Unaging," "Catastrophe," "Apocalypse," "Demoness"... Klein skimmed the names of the high-sequence Demoness pathways before settling on the Sequence 0 ritual:
"Survive unscathed amidst an ongoing divine war, then amplify and spread its devastation to the foundations of reality, the spirit world, and the astral realm—shattering the barriers between these three layers until they collapse into primordial chaos (the Primordial)."
...
(End of Chapter)