"Haha, how can someone tell at a glance if another person is a foreigner? How do you distinguish that?" Roy forcefully composed himself and pretended to be discussing the yellow paper's contents with his companions.
He used the hidden meaning in his words to console Phil and Pasha so that they didn't need to panic. After all, other than Biles, who was a native, the remaining three were also citizens of Loen. They didn't have any Southern Continent blood in them. Nothing about their facial features stood out.
"But, but this is a supernatural incident..." Pasha stammered.
This couldn't be judged by common sense!
Roy's heart froze as he looked at the citizens who were slowly approaching in a deadpan manner. He quickly shouted in a low voice:
"Run!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and ran towards the nearest street entrance. Pasha and Phil followed closely behind.
As a local, Biles tacitly held the rear, covering the surface of his skin with illusory fish scales.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A few citizens raised their dual-barreled hunting guns and fired.
Roy, Phil, and Pasha were Beyonders who were relatively good at fighting. While running, they would occasionally change directions or roll forward, successfully dodging the attacks.
Following that, under Pasha's guidance, they passed through the streets and escaped their pursuers before hiding in an empty dark corner.
"What should we do?" Phil, who had lost a hand, panted as he asked, "From the contents of the notice, we probably won't be able to leave this city."
"We need to figure out the rules and find a way around them." Although Roy was also very flustered, he still forced himself to calm down and think, lest the morale of the entire squad crumbled.
Pasha looked at the wary Biles and asked, "Has such a notice ever appeared in the past?"
Biles nodded.
"Yes, although I rarely had the chance to go to the municipal square, I've been assembled there back when I was recruited into the army. I've seen that noticeboard."
"There shouldn't be any problems with the noticeboard. Perhaps those two pieces of paper are the key. The laws written on them contain mystic intent," Pasha said.
Roy immediately expressed his agreement.
"That's right.
"Besides, I suspect that the laws have to be made public before they are put into effect. If we can find an opportunity to rip off those two pieces of paper, the corresponding restrictions might disappear."
After hearing Roy's words, Pasha, Phil, and Biles fell silent.
After a few seconds, Phil's facial muscles twitched as he said, "Let's give it a try! If we continue to be trapped in the city, even if we aren't caught by those citizens, we might be punished for various reasons."
Although they were all Beyonders, their Sequences weren't high. It wasn't a problem dealing with a few ordinary people, but facing the enmity of an entire city was extremely dangerous.
Roy, Biles, and Pasha were more or less people who had been on the battlefield before. They knew that hesitation was the worst action to take in such situations, so they agreed to Phil's suggestion.
Under the guidance of the rather experienced Hunter, Pasha, the group of four made a detour and returned to the municipal square from another street.
At this moment, the residents who were surrounding the notice were no longer there. It was as if they were searching the entire city for foreigners.
When they saw the noticeboard that stood silently in the middle of two gas lamps, Roy and company carefully approached it, ready to escape at any moment.
After approaching the target, Roy suddenly thought of a question. He hurriedly lowered his voice and asked, "Is destroying the notice considered an illegal act?"
"In theory, yes..." Pasha was taken aback.
They then cast their gaze at the noticeboard and scanned through the list of crimes stipulated by the third law.
"...
"8. Destroying public property.
"..."
"It really exists." Biles blurted out.
Phil, whose face had turned pale due to the blood loss, turned paler. After some thought, he said, "What kind of punishment does destroying public property entail?"
This wasn't a very serious crime, and the corresponding punishment should be relative lenient.
If that was the case, Phil decided to take the risk to tear the notice and end this horrifying, bizarre event.
"First-timers get whipped." Just as Roy, Pasha, and Biles were pondering over the answer, a voice sounded from behind them.
The four turned around in shock and saw a young man in a black robe and a tall hat. He looked ordinary.
The man continued, "A repeated offense is to have one's hand lopped off.
"I'm not sure what happens after that."
"How do you know that?" Fully alert, Roy frowned as he gripped his concealed dagger.
The young man smiled and said, "I've tried. It's useless. The notice gets restored very quickly."
"So, you've been whipped?" Pasha asked in enlightenment.
"Yes." The young man nodded with a relaxed expression. "However, because I also committed fraud, I was later punished with having my hand lopped off."
"Fraud?" Biles asked, puzzled.
The young man chuckled and replied, "To put it simply, I didn't personally destroy the notice. Instead, I created a dummy to do it. The one who was whipped was also the dummy."
As he spoke, he raised his right arm.
Like Phil, his wrist was cut neatly. His stump was ghastly-white and red, as though he was still bleeding.
Suddenly, the stump's flesh squirmed and twisted, as transparent worms crawled out. They intertwined with each other and formed a new hand.
During this process, Roy and the others didn't feel the slightest bit of fear. This was because the moment they saw those worms which had details they couldn't discern, their thoughts were thrown in a mess. Random thoughts ran through their minds as they found it difficult to control their emotions.
After the palm was "covered" with skin and became normal, the Beyonders recovered. They retreated a few steps in shock, surprise, and fear.
The scene just now had exceeded their understanding!
"By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm a wandering magician." The person who had committed a fraud and a case of destruction of public property was none other than Klein.
He swept a glance at the four Beyonders and said with a smile, "My best magic trick is to grant someone's wishes. Do you have a wish you would like granted?"
Upon hearing this question, Roy's spirits rose as he asked with hope, "Can you take us away from Belltaine?"
"Of course, I'll do my best to do this, but not now." Klein gave his promise.
Then, he looked at the handless Phil.
"He just said his wish. What's yours?"
"...Let my hand recover," Phil probed.
"Alright." Klein cast his gaze at Biles. "Take out his hand."
After hesitating for a moment, Biles took out the wooden box as per the mysterious man's instructions and returned the hand inside to Phil.
"Come here," Klein said with a smile.
Phil mustered his courage and walked over with his severed hand.
"Remove the bandages," Klein continued to instruct. "Place the severed arm in its original spot. Let me remind you, don't have it reversed. Otherwise, you'll have to chop it off again and repeat the process."
Seeing how confident the other party was, Phil felt a little more confident. He quickly pulled off the bandage that had been stuck to his wound with a twisted expression as he hissed.
After placing his severed hand at the stump, Klein took out a piece of white paper and approached.
Then, he reached out to wipe the wound.
Silently, the piece of paper split into two while Phil felt the pain disappear.
He quickly looked down and saw that his left wrist was perfectly intact. He couldn't even tell that he had been hurt before.
Phil subconsciously moved his fingers and realized that he didn't lose any of his motor skills at all.
"Your wish has been granted." Klein took two steps back and smiled.
"Thank you..." Phil replied in a daze.
Klein looked at the other two Beyonders.
"What's your wish?"
Upon seeing that Phil's wish had really been fulfilled, Biles immediately stepped forward and said, "I want to know where my family is."
Klein flicked his left arm and took out a silver mirror with ancient patterns. He lowered his head and said with a smile, "What is the answer to that question?"
The surface of the mirror shimmered with aqueous light as silver words appeared one after another.
"Belltaine Glorin Cemetery..."
Upon seeing this, Biles, who had his neck craned, felt his heart sink as he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of sorrow and disappointment.
In the next second, new silver words appeared from the aqueous light.
"...'s grave keeper's hut."
...This means that... Biles felt his sorrow turn to happiness as he sincerely said, "Thank you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly thought of two questions.
How many people could live in the graveyard? How many grave keepers could there be?
His family members definitely numbered more than two or three!
Biles's expression turned oscillated between gloom and joy before he fell silent.
As a result, he didn't see the question posed by the silver mirror.
"Great Master, did I answer kindly enough?"
"Yes." Klein nodded indiscernibly as he cast his gaze at the remaining lady.
Pasha thought for two seconds and said, "My wish is for you to protect us until we leave Belltaine alive."
She realized that Roy's wish was problematic because they might not necessarily leave Belltaine alive.
"Smart." Klein praised with a smile. "Your wish will be granted."
"Then what price do we have to pay? I'm referring to the payment for watching your magic." Pasha hurriedly asked.
"Your wishes are the price," Klein replied briefly before asking thoughtfully, "If you know certain things are fake, but if you are willing to subjectively use them, it shouldn't be considered fraud, right?"
When Roy and company heard this, they were puzzled. After pondering for a moment, they shook their heads and said, "Definitely not."
"This is actually a game between two parties."
"A voluntary action that has a clear understanding of the actions is definitely not a scam."
"There's no doubt about it."
After hearing their answers, Klein smiled.
"Very good. This is what the average person will think."
As he spoke, he grabbed a few times with his right hand, dragging out a woman in a simple robe with black long hair.
It was the Historical Void projection of the Evernight cloister's matron, Arianna.
Klein looked around and saw nothing unusual. He smiled at the projection and said, "Madam, what exactly happened?"
Arianna's eyes darted about slightly, turning deep and quiet instantly. It made one feel a sense of serenity from the bottom of their hearts.
"She" calmly spoke:
"The chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat, Larrion, escaped. I'm tracking 'Him.'"
Arianna paused and said, "After I came to Belltaine, I received new information.
"According to our intelligence, Larrion took away a Sealed Artifact when 'He' escaped. "
-x-X-x-
0-02... Klein inwardly repeated the serial number, feeling that the problem might be more troublesome than he had expected.
Although it couldn't be said that 0-02 was definitely more terrifying than 0-05 since the true essence of the Magic Wishing Lamp was that of a sealed Outer Deity, an entity far stronger than the present true deities, "He" could definitely destroy this world or even this solar system if not for the restrictions of the outer shell. However, the smaller the number meant that 0-02 was likely more dangerous and more difficult to seal than 0-05 in most cases.
At the end of the Fourth Epoch, the seven Churches had serialized the batch of Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts to two-digit numbers. Being only second to 0-01, it's totally possible to imagine how terrifying 0-02 is... However, the God of Combat didn't seem to make use of this Sealed Artifact in the battle of gods... Was it not suitable for direct combat, or was it too dangerous? It didn't distinguish between friend and foe? Thoughts ran through Klein's mind.
His expression gradually turned serious.
"Ma'am, what do you know about 0-02?"
Arianna slowly shook her head and said, "When the various Churches inform each other of the Grade 0 and Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts, they only mention the serial numbers."
That's right. The information regarding a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is strictly confidential internally to a Church. As part of the brass, they usually have to be in charge of a particular Grade 0 Sealed Artifact before they can come into contact with any related information. Furthermore, there's a high chance that the corresponding memories will be erased after everything is over... This is, on the one hand, to prevent important information from leaking, and on the other hand, there's the fact that just knowing about Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in most cases can result in danger, or cause the seal to be ineffective... Klein asked in thought, "Didn't the Church already take over the Church of the God of Combat?"
That way, they could have obtained all the files on 0-02.
Arianna looked at the nearby Roy and company and said, "Larrion destroyed all files regarding the Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts before escaping."
Impressive... Such an abnormally cautious fellow is really annoying... Klein thought and said, "What comments does the Goddess have of 0-02?"
From his point of view, the Evernight Goddess and the God of Combat were existences from the same period. Furthermore, "She" was in control of the Concealment authority. The Goddess had a high chance of understanding the situation that the latter grasped.
In addition, it was impossible for the Sealed Artifacts at the level of 0-02 not to leave any traces in history. They might have created many disasters, so they were no stranger to high-level figures of that era.
Arianna seemed to have recalled the situation from a long time ago. She stated without any pause:
"In the past revelation, the Goddess called 0-02 'the Book of Rules.'"
Book of Rules... That's even more terrifying... Klein's eyes narrowed as he made plenty of connections.
In his past life, he was a gaming enthusiast who played a broad genre of games despite not being too obsessed. He wasn't unfamiliar with the term "Book of Rules" at all.
At this moment, Arianna added, "The fact that you happened to be in Belltaine City might reveal some of the characteristics of 0-02."
Yes, it's quite normal for Ma'am Arianna to encounter such an anomaly while tracking the chief shepherd, Larrion, to Belltaine, but for me to also be here, it's too much of a coincidence... In mysticism, excessive coincidences often mean that there's something wrong...
Is someone setting me up, or is it the effect of the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence? Based on the present situation, the set up doesn't seem targeted., and how I'm already the owner of Sefirah Castle, I can more or less sense something abnormal... If it's the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence, eliminating the exiled Mr. Door and the Antigonus ancestor who is sealed in the foggy town, the only ones that can influence me to this extent are Zaratul and Amon...
However, I've always been deliberately avoiding Zaratul. Amon's true body should be under the True Creator's pursuit. If it's just an avatar, it's impossible for it to produce such a powerful convergence effect... Yes, there's another possibility. The law of convergence between sefirot... 0-02 attracted Sefirah Castle, causing me to coincidentally come to Belltaine today?
If that's the case, even if 0-02 isn't a sefirah, it's definitely related to one... Klein, who had already suspected something, suddenly thought of a lot. He had a vague grasp of 0-02.
He thought for a moment and said, "From the development of the situation, the rules are gradually becoming stricter. That piece of yellow paper is evidence. Does this mean that the extent of 0-02's coming to life or the degree of reawakening is becoming deeper?"
Arianna nodded serenely and said, "That's right. We have to find it before something happens, and also try to seal it.
"That's why it's best we split up and expand the search radius, saving as much time as possible."
Klein had no objections to this. After some thought, he said, "Ma'am, you've told me so much. Isn't this considered leaking secrets?"
"No." Arianna gave a rather clear answer. "Leaking secrets refers to informing the outside world of the anomaly in Belltaine via any way."
This has cut off any physical connection between us and the outside world... That's fine. At least, there's no need to worry about any problems with our usual conversations. In short, it's fine if we don't curse... Klein silently heaved a sigh of relief and asked, "The Nighthawks and Mandated Punishers here will abide by the rules on the notice?"
"Yes." Arianna gave an affirmative answer before her figure faded away and disappeared.
After watching the matron of the Evernight cloister leave, Klein quickly sorted out the information he had just obtained and gained some understanding of the possible developments that were to come.
Combat wasn't the main point. The crux of the problem was whether he could find 0-02 in time and think of a way to seal it.
During this process, what they would face as foreigners would become more and more complicated. They would find it increasingly difficult to abide by the rules and the citizens that were controlled.
With this in mind, Klein cast his gaze to Roy and company not far away. He asked with a smile, "What are your thoughts on what you just heard?"
Roy exchanged looks with Pasha and said, "We don't know what a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is, but we can guess that 0-02 is a very terrifying item. It can set the rules and even change reality to a certain extent. Furthermore, this anomaly seems to change as time passes.
"Also, the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat should be a very powerful Beyonder."
Klein gently clapped his hands and smiled.
"That's about it. If we don't work hard and hope to avoid danger by hiding, then there will be more and more things that we need to take note of. If we aren't careful, we might commit a crime. Heh heh, perhaps in the end, we will be executed on the spot because we stepped out the door with our left foot first."
His words left Pasha, Biles, and the others in a panic.
It was indeed funny to hear the possible developments, but on second thought, they could sense the extreme horror hidden within!
A few seconds later, Pasha said with a solemn expression, "Furthermore, the citizens can use any means to deal with us, but we are unable to fight back. This is because killing and voluntarily causing harm are very serious crimes..."
"We can try to deceive their senses, but we can't use it too many times," Klein said casually. "What we need to do now is to quickly summarize the rules that 0-02 follows. That way, we can find it and seal it before it comes to life or awakens to gain true intelligence. What are your thoughts?"
Marauder Phil thought for a moment and probed, "It doesn't seem capable of attacking us directly. It can only punish us when we violate the rules and commit crimes."
Klein snapped his fingers and said, "That's right. I can summarize this law for now: 0-02 cannot punish those who do not commit crimes."
Biles blurted out, "But it can make the citizens arrest foreigners. Foreigners aren't considered criminals."
"This does contradict the previous law from before," Klein replied with a smile. "However, in history, many cities have come up with laws that include discrimination and the expulsion of foreigners in the different stages of their development. Did you decipher any deeper laws from this matter?"
The four Beyonders frowned one after another, unsure what the powerful magician opposite them was trying to express.
After a brief silence, Pasha, who thought of the question he had asked—asking whether a particular action was considered fraud—hesitated and said, "The rules issued by 0-02 must match the public's understanding and be acknowledged to a certain extent?"
"That's a good idea," Klein praised. "This is a guess thanks to the law regarding the arrest of foreigners. It has been verified from your previous feedback, so we can temporarily list it as its second law. This can help us determine which actions are crimes and which aren't."
Seeing Pasha receive the praise of the powerful "magician" twice, Roy hurriedly added, "It will constantly increase the number of laws, reaching a certain level of complexity, thereby limiting us. No matter what we do, we will be punished. Yes, on the basis of arresting foreigners, clauses such as the trespassing of private property and the prohibition of defecation or urination in public will make life harder for us with the passage of time."
Just as Klein nodded in agreement, his spiritual perception was triggered.
He instinctively raised his head and looked at the noticeboard. He realized that a goatskin parchment had appeared on it at some point in time.
"Curfew Order..."
"This..." Pasha and the others also noticed this change and their eyes widened.
It was already late at night. If they stayed outside for some time, they would violate the curfew and suffer some punishment. Then, the punishment would worsen each time until they were sentenced to death.
"Let's go. We haven't got much time." Klein pressed down his tall hat and said with a smile, "Our target is most likely a book. It might still be with the chief shepherd, or it might've already been hidden somewhere. My intuition tells me that it might be the latter. This is because, to anyone, that item is too dangerous, and it will only become more dangerous. Of course, the premise is that the chief shepherd hasn't gone crazy—only using 0-02 to create a chance to escape pursuit.
"By the way, I forgot to tell you that the chief shepherd is a Grounded Angel."
Angel... Roy, Pasha, and the others, who had just begun to move, froze.
-x-X-x-
In the present era of this world, belief in a deity was common. The difference was which deity they believed in. Therefore, even if Roy, Pasha, and company didn't understand the meaning of angels in mysticism, they had more or less heard of legends about angels from the priests, bishops, and seniors around them. They knew that they were the servants of deities, and were powerful creatures that were qualified to be addressed as "Him" or "Her." Every action of theirs could create miracles. They were definitely not something ordinary people could compare with.
In the hearts of these four Beyonders, angels were of a whole different level, holy spirits of another world. Under normal circumstances, "They" lived in the divine kingdoms and wouldn't descend into the real world. "They" could be treated as true legends without considering the meaning "They" had in reality. Just like the battles they had experienced in the past, although they would occasionally encounter Beyonders today who struck terror in their hearts, like today, them being angels was the last thing on their mind.
The two weren't on the same level!
But today, a wandering and mysterious "magician" had informed them that the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat was an angel who walked the land.
Phil and the others believed in the mysterious gentleman, who had shown all kinds of amazing feats, from the bottom of their hearts. Firstly, he had granted their wishes and was friendly enough. Secondly, they didn't believe that they were qualified enough to be deceived in such matters. To them, the chief shepherd was an angel or an abnormally powerful Beyonder. In essence, there was no difference between the two.
The reality of this world far exceeds our imaginations... The words that Pasha often said flashed through her mind.
Roy made further connections.
He remembered that the lady, whom Mr. Magician had invited from thin air, mention that she was pursuing the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat. Furthermore, she seemed to be qualified to see the Evernight Goddess's revelation.
The only person who can track an angel is probably another angel... With Mr. Magician's performance in front of that lady, his level can't be that much lower... Roy hurriedly retracted his gaze from Klein's back and didn't dare to look at him directly.
He looked left and right and realized that Phil had come to a similar guess as well. A complicated feeling emerged from his pale face, one that was a result of his blood loss.
Biles held his breath and only spoke after a few seconds.
"No wonder there's such an inexplicable change in Belltaine..."
"It's not the time to feel poignant about this. Let's hurry up and leave. The curfew is about to take effect," Klein reminded with a smile without any signs of nervousness.
Pasha quickly looked at the noticeboard and imprinted the contents into a brand in her mind.
"...From eight at night to eight in the morning. Free movement and assembling in the streets are forbidden..."
"Where should we go?" she blurted out.
Under the double restrictions of the curfew and the no trespassing clause, it appeared as though they could only await punishment.
Klein smiled and said, "Only movement and assembly in the streets are forbidden."
As he spoke, he pointed at a nearby manhole which led to the sewers.
Biles's eyes lit up.
"Yes, it didn't say that we can't pass through the sewers!
"When curfews were in place previously, the tramps hid in the sewers or abandoned buildings."
Roy and the others didn't hesitate any longer. They immediately went forward and used the advantage of their strength to push open the manhole cover and climbed into the sewers.
In the pitch-black darkness, a dim yellow light lit up as a lantern appeared in Klein's hand.
As they followed the mystical "magician," Phil said thoughtfully, "We can head to a hotel next.
"Biles is a local. He won't be attacked, so he can get a room. Then, we can climb through the window and enter from the outside. As we have gotten permission from the owner, we wouldn't be considered as trespassing on private property.
"In that case, we can stay until dawn and wait for the curfew to end."
"It's a very interesting idea, but our goal isn't to survive until dawn," Klein replied with a smile as he walked ahead of them with the lantern in hand.
Roy nodded and said, "If we don't do anything and stay in the hotel, the rules will increase one by one, becoming so detailed that guests aren't allowed to stay in hotel rooms."
"Actually, the most interesting thing about that proposal isn't the finding of loopholes to the restrictions, but that it reminded me of something." Klein turned his body slightly and looked at Biles. "As a local from Belltaine, he actually didn't attempt to capture us foreigners."
In other words, he wasn't affected by the yellow paper's orders.
This... Pasha and the others all turned warily to look at Biles, clearly showing suspicion on their faces.
Their encounter earlier had made them certain that the citizens of Belltaine City had lost their minds in the foreigner-arresting affair.
"I don't know why either..." Biles also murmured in confusion.
"Are you still a Belltaine citizen?" Klein asked casually as he slowly walked in the damp and smelly sewer.
Biles followed behind him and answered with some certainty, "Of course."
Klein thought and asked, "On the one hand, you are a citizen of Belltaine. On the other hand, you are a standard foreigner. Two of your attributes overlap, causing a contradiction. Under that order, you will neither be attacked, nor will you have your rationality affected."
"If we can create such a 'contradiction,' does it mean we will be able to escape the limitations of the rules?" Phil asked spiritedly.
Pasha shook her head.
"But such a 'contradiction' is very hard to create. At least I can't think of any possibility right now..."
She suddenly paused and hesitated before saying, "The most important thing is that we're far away from the noticeboard. We don't know what other laws will follow. We have no way of avoiding them."
When that happened, they wouldn't dare to do anything!
Klein smiled and said, "Don't worry. This mirror can help us see the new content on the noticeboard."
He casually displayed the magic mirror that had slipped into his left palm.
Pasha heaved a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "Isn't this a crime of peeping?"
On the surface of the silver mirror, words that resembled dripping blood appeared:
"The way I look at the noticeboard is like looking at the sun in the day. There's no need to peep."
Klein retracted his magic mirror and added with a smile, "Besides, this is just an item. How can it commit a crime?"
That really makes sense... Biles and Phil couldn't help but nod.
After Roy figured it out, he exhaled and asked, "Next, the most important thing is to find that item, but we don't have any clues. As a book, it can be anywhere. We can only carpet search the entire city, but we clearly lack the time to do that."
"Indeed, we don't know where 0-02 is. We don't even have any clues, but there's an existence that knows the answer very clearly," Klein replied leisurely as he heard the footsteps echoing in the sewers.
Pasha's heart stirred.
"You mean that chief shepherd?"
Klein smiled and nodded.
"0-02 is either in 'His' hands, or it has been hidden by 'Him' somewhere. And a 'book' is clearly unable to move on its own. This isn't something that the current rules can help it achieve."
"But how do we find that chief shepherd?" Biles blurted out.
Perhaps it was because the magical Mr. Magician was by his side, he wasn't that afraid of searching for the Grounded Angel.
Klein calmly held the lantern and said, "As long as 0-02 doesn't provide the chief shepherd immunity, 'He' too would have to abide by the laws on the notice.
"'He' was originally from Feysac, so 'He' is undoubtedly not a citizen of Belltaine. 'He' is unable to enjoy the treatment of the locals. Similarly, although 'He' is an angel from elsewhere and not a foreigner in the narrow sense of the word—he isn't human, 'He' too will be pursued by the citizens. This can be confirmed."
"In short, that chief shepherd has to abide by the curfew and not trespass private residences. He can't hide in a public area that isn't open to the public at night. At the same time, as a fugitive, 'He' likely doesn't have companions who have dual traits like Biles. Tell me, where do you think 'He' will be?"
Roy's eyes darted around as he gave several answers:
"Sewers, cemetery, cathedral before midnight, abandoned buildings..."
"You can't enter the cemetery at night. The abandoned buildings are owned by someone or some group by virtue of its property rights," Pasha reminded.
"Yes. Once the sewers are restricted, we will head to the cathedral to search for the chief shepherd or wait for "Him," Klein said in a relaxed tone as though he was deciding on a trivial matter.
Roy, Phil, and the others were stunned. They hadn't expected that they would be able to lock onto their target so easily.
It just took a few words of discussion to expose an angel's whereabouts!
"However, there are quite a few cathedrals in Belltaine. We have to act in concert to save time. Also, the cathedral might be able to forcefully resist the punishment by relying on 'His' level as an angel and his powers." With that said, Klein lowered his head and said to the magic mirror in his hand, "Arodes, monitor the entire city and pay attention to any anomalies."
After giving his instructions to the mirror, Klein once again dragged Ma'am Arianna out of the fog of history and asked "Her" to be in charge of the cathedrals of the Church of Evernight.
After doing so, he turned around and said to Roy, Pasha, and company, "If we still can't find the chief shepherd after all that is done, it means that 'He' has either left Belltaine, leaving 0-02 behind to attack the enemy, or he has already gained control of 0-02 to a certain extent. In short, we can proceed by means of elimination for now."
Roy and company nodded in unison as they continued following Klein in the sewers.
After a few minutes, the ancient silver mirror reflected a scene:
On the signboard, there was another piece of paper with new rules:
"...Because of municipal maintenance works, no living being is allowed to enter the sewers from now on."
"Content is being added at an increasing rate..." Klein frowned indiscernibly as he muttered to himself before taking out a human-skinned glove.
Immediately after, he gestured for Pasha and the others to hold hands.
Then, he grabbed one of them by the shoulder and led them out of the sewers to "Teleport" to the nearest Storm cathedral.
During this process, the four Beyonders first saw the rats and cockroaches in the sewers twitching as they died one after another. Following that, they were attracted by the strange and abstract spirit world, as though they had suffered some sort of catharsis at the mental level.
-x-X-x-
Although there weren't many supplicants in the Storm cathedral in the evening, Klein chose to appear on a corridor that led to the garden so as to avoid conflict.
"How magical..." Pasha muttered to herself as she looked at the settling surroundings.
Roy suppressed his emotions and looked around.
"If that chief shepherd comes to the cathedral to tide over the curfew, he could be somewhere like this."
"If one isn't worried about accumulating the number of crimes they commit, an angel has too many ways to fool the average person," Klein said casually. "I'll send you to the other cathedrals later. Try to stay in places with glass windows and mirrors. Once you discover any outsiders that might be from Feysac, find an opportunity to draw a symbol..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his head suddenly turned as he looked at the door leading to the garden in the prayer hall.
A figure over 2.6 meters tall slowly walked out. He was wearing a long black robe with white edges, one completely filled with his bulging muscles.
This was an old, white-bearded man wearing a square hat. His eyes were pale blue, and he had few wrinkles. He had an aura of superciliousness.
The chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat, Larrion... Without needing to identify the figure, Klein's spiritual intuition told him that the person opposite him was an angel, the reason for coming to the cathedral.
Larrion glanced at him and said in surprise, "It's not Arianna..."
"He" immediately restrained "His" expression and said rather indifferently, "Appears to be 'Her' helper.
"You can tell 'Her' that I've reached an agreement with 0-02, which has come alive to a certain degree. I'll give up sealing it in exchange for permission to leave. And y'all will stay here, enduring the changes in the rules and the increasingly stricter laws until y'all are completely dead..."
The chief shepherd didn't seem to be worried that Klein would stop "Him" at all. This was because when "He" spoke, "His" body was rapidly aging. The surface of "His" skin quickly became covered in wrinkles, with aging spots appearing on it, dripping with a rotting liquid.
In just a few blinks of an eye, Larrion looked as though he was about to evaporate into thin air from his aging.
Then, "He" turned into a pool of rotten liquid that completely evaporated.
The impact of this scene sent shivers down Biles and company's spines. They felt as if their minds were about to go haywire and that their emotions were about to collapse.
This was just like the countless tiny worms that had crawled out from the wound on Mr. Magician's wrist when he reformed his hand. It was just as terrifying and harrowing!
A strange ability; it has something to do with Twilight? Klein didn't have any intention of stopping Larrion. He only nodded in thought.
In the spirit world corresponding to Belltaine, Larrion's figure appeared and returned to normal.
Right on the heels of that, as though "He" could control spirit world creatures, he passed through an invisible barrier and escaped the many restrictions of Belltaine City.
But just as Larrion was about to begin "tearing" through space, everything suddenly darkened and "He" saw a seamless patch of dark "cloth."
It was like a wall that blocked Larrion's path!
Larrion cautiously stopped his actions, looked up at the infinitely high area where the Seven Pure Lights were. However, "He" could only see an illusory "curtain" hanging down from it, enveloping the spirit world of the area corresponding to Belltaine, isolating it and creating an independent world.
At the same time, Larrion's intuition as a Demon Hunter had told "Him" that the barrier formed by the "curtain" was extremely strong and difficult to break through. "He" needed to spend a lot of time and effort to do so.
To this chief shepherd, what was happening had a strange comical feeling, making him unable to contain his rising anger.
This was akin to "Him" finally finding the key to a secret chamber after countless hardships. Just when "He" had the chance to open the door and leave before others could, "He" was surprised to find that there was an additional lock on the chamber's door—a rather sturdy lock!
It lacks a sense of realism. It's a projection from the Historical Void... It's fraud! No, it's outside of Belltaine City, out of the law's jurisdiction... This historical projection should've existed here a long time ago. It can't last more than two minutes, so it will dissipate on its own... Larrion quickly regained his composure, allowing his anchors and inclination towards madness to once again form a balance.
...
In the corridor of the Storm cathedral, Roy and company finally recovered. They turned their heads to look at Mr. Magician, who was in no way inferior to the angel from before.
Pasha hesitated for a moment before saying fearfully, "'He'... 'He' seems to have escaped."
This way, they wouldn't be able to obtain any information about 0-02's location. Relying on a carpet search would be too late.
Furthermore, no one present knew what the terrifying Sealed Artifact looked like. Describing it as a book made it too wide a scope.
"I can only think of other solutions," Klein replied with a smile. "Do you have any suggestions?"
He had been waiting for Larrion to return and negotiate with him, but he realized that the chief shepherd would rather wait in the spirit world for the "curtain" historical projection to disappear. And although he could enter the spirit world as well, he was unable to break through the strange barrier created after 0-02's law-changing.
As he spoke, Klein seriously considered other solutions and made a few Worms of Spirit control his body. He spoke to the Beyonders beside him in an attempt to find inspiration through their discussion.
"We should take the initiative to create a 'contradiction' that's similar to what happened to Biles so that we'll be in a relatively safe state. Only by doing so will we be able to begin our search." Phil brought up the idea that he had previously had.
Pasha shook her head.
"But if we use this kind of 'contradiction' to do something, 0-02 will definitely add new rules to resolve the corresponding problems."
"But this can still buy us some time," Phil emphasized.
"That is something that can be done," Roy agreed, and added, "but our focus should be on finding 0-02. Perhaps we can create some 'contradiction' that will make it expose its location?"
As for what kind of "contradiction" could achieve such an effect or how to create it, he hadn't come up with an idea.
In the event of a contradiction... New rules will be added to resolve it... Klein wore a smile as he listened silently. Sparks flew as his thoughts crashed in his mind.
At that moment, aqueous light appeared on the surface of the magic mirror in his hand as silver words appeared:
"Pasha, do you want to know what the new content on the noticeboard is?"
The mirror directly asked me... Why did it ask me directly? Pasha was taken aback for a moment before she hurriedly nodded and answered, "Yes."
The aqueous light in the silver mirror quickly returned and presented a scene of the noticeboard.
There were two new rules:
"...In compliance with the curfew order, the various cathedrals will shut down early..."
"...All hotels shall only accommodate guests who have registered their identities..."
Phil panicked.
"...Where do we go now?"
He had no idea how he, Roy, and Pasha could escape the punishment.
Roy and Pasha exchanged looks as various thoughts surged through their minds, but none of them were viable.
At this moment, Klein, who had been maintaining his silence, smiled and cast his gaze at Biles.
"Where's your house in Belltaine?"
"A rental apartment on 18 Maple Street, but that apartment has already collapsed from the blast of an artillery shell," Biles answered, slightly perplexed.
Klein smiled and said, "You can make a wish to return your house to its original state. I'll grant it."
"...Can that be done?" Although the magical "magician" had healed Phil's severed hand with unbelievable powers, Biles still felt that it would be much more difficult to restore a collapsed house to its original state. After all, Dr. Weber, the military doctor who Roy mentioned, was capable of doing that.
"Of course." Klein smiled and reminded him. "Make haste."
At that moment, the supplicants in the cathedral were leaving one after another.
Biles didn't dare to delay any further as he immediately said, "I wish that my house will return to its original state."
"Alright." Klein raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. "Your wish has come true."
Uh? While Roy and company were in a daze, Klein activated Teleport once again and brought them to 18 Maple Street. He stopped outside a two-bedroom room.
Biles stared blankly at the familiar wooden door in front of him. Subconsciously, he reached out his right hand and pushed it open.
The cupboard, gas stove, bunk bed, wooden table covered in oil, and the messy old newspapers strewn everywhere were reflected in his eyes as his eyes immediately moistened.
Before the war broke out, he often saw his mother busying herself around the coal stove when he came back from the mines. His father and brother either made use of the time to do some repairs or help to handle the spoiled parts of the fruit and vegetables. They did some of the work that could be taken home. His young niece learned the alphabet from old newspapers under the guidance of her mother while she put together matchstick boxes.
Although such a life was tough and didn't have any ability to avoid risks, it was still a wonderful memory for Biles. It was many times better than the dark mine paths, heavy ores, and the whipping from the supervisors.
But now, even this tiny bit of beauty was completely destroyed.
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Phil stood at the door, not daring to trespass on the private property.
After snapping back to his senses, Biles hurriedly said, "Please come on in."
After entering the unoccupied house, Klein pulled a chair that could break at any moment and sat down. He then fell silent.
Roy, Pasha, and the others did not dare to disturb the gentleman as they waited quietly by his side.
After twenty to thirty seconds, Klein suddenly looked around and said with a smile, "I have an idea that requires verification. Who wants to work with me on this?"
"I'll do it," Roy replied without hesitation.
Klein smiled and replied, "Afterward, don't truthfully answer the questions. I'm looking for the loopholes hidden in 0-02's rules."
Roy nodded and said, "That wouldn't be an issue."
Klein immediately took out the magic mirror and said to Roy, "Ask it a question.
Roy thought for a moment and said, "Where can I find my next potion?"
A scene appeared on the surface of the silver mirror. It was the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat, Larrion, who was pacing around the spirit world!
"..." Roy's expression instantly stiffened. Then, he heard Mr. Magician say, "It's your turn to answer its question. Remember, don't give it the correct answer."
Roy hurriedly reined in his thoughts and looked back at the mirror. He saw that the mirror had already transformed into Mr. Magician himself and a few more lines of blood-like text appeared:
"Who did you give your first time to?"
Roy instantly recalled the past as his face flushed red. Then, he answered according to Mr. Magician's instructions, "I'm not sure."
"A lie!" The blood-colored text on the silver mirror instantly condensed into the terrifying words.
Pa!
A bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck Roy.
Roy convulsed in pain as his body was charred black. His hair stood on end, but his life wasn't truly in danger.
Biles, Pasha, and Phil were all startled, unsure what had just happened.
At this moment, Klein looked around and smiled.
"Look, the mirror didn't get punished for voluntarily causing harm.
"A real opportunity lies in here."
-x-X-x-
A real opportunity... Pasha, Biles, and Phil were delighted to hear this. It was as if they had finally seen the light after searching for a long time in the dark night.
"What kind of opportunity?" Roy blurted out from his dazed state.
Klein wasn't in a rush. He smiled and said, "Did you guys not notice?
"There is no clear indication on the notice of who the enforcer is."
As a keyboard warrior in the past, Klein had always claimed to be a jack of all trades. Furthermore, he had interacted with many lawyers in his life and had an Earl of The Fallen marionette before. He had the basic foundation needed when it came to the law and rules.
That's right, the announcement only mentioned a new consul, and it's not clear who the enforcer is. We encountered an invisible justiciar previously... Pasha and the others revealed a thoughtful expression.
Upon seeing this, Klein reached out his hand and stroked the surface of the magic mirror as though he was combing an animal.
"Under normal circumstances, everyone has tacitly acknowledged that the police and the authorities responsible for dealing with supernatural cases enforced the law. This is confirmed through a series of legal documents or the corresponding public knowledge. But this time, the rules haven't reached such an airtight level.
"If we say that the rules are built on a blank slate composed of the original laws, directives, and rules, then we should've seen the police, the Nighthawks, or the Mandated Punishers when we committed crimes, but that's not the case.
"In other words, the corresponding enforcer is indeed vague."
Pasha, who was the most knowledgeable among the four Beyonders, thought for a moment before saying, "Perhaps, the law enforcer is an abstract concept. Or perhaps, it is tacitly equivalent to the new consul."
"The latter isn't clear either. It doesn't make it clear who the new consul is. This way, it can be anyone. The former isn't obliged to make it known..." Klein simply replied.
Phil frowned and said, "But we can't enforce the law like the citizens."
"The corresponding authority is determined by eliminating groups via labels," Klein explained with a smile. "Foreigners are targets of ostracization and pursuit, so they obviously lack the required law enforcement rights. As for the citizens, they only have it when dealing with foreigners. This is confirmed through the notice."
Without waiting for Roy and Biles to speak, Klein continued, "So, I just used the contradiction hidden in this matter to get Roy to test it. The result is exactly as I predicted.
"First of all, the magic mirror isn't a foreign living being, neither is it a local. It's just an item with a certain level of intelligence. It cannot be placed into any particular group. This way, in a situation where the law enforcer isn't clear, those who aren't part of the elimination process have the right to enforce the law.
"Secondly, it had punished a foreigner. Those notices imply that 'all who deal with foreigners are law enforcers.'
"Finally, the magic mirror itself has the rules of punishment. Before this rule is announced to be illegal, it has the right to punish others.
"Based on the three points above, I believe that 0-02 should be in a lot of conflict right now. Next, it will definitely issue a new law to clearly determine the main body of law enforcement, to mend the loopholes in this area. Once the main body of the law enforcement is revealed, it will contain a lot of information. It will help us lock onto the target.
"Heh heh, if 0-02 uses a method of adding prohibitions, it will definitely restrict itself, as it shares the same attributes as the mirror. This is definitely not its first choice."
At that moment, Roy, Pasha, and the others, who were listening to Klein's recount, suddenly had the feeling that he was a knowledgeable and highly intelligent person.
Could it be that Mr. Magician is a wise man who likes to travel among the commoners in legends? The four Beyonders each made similar but different guesses.
At this moment, the magic mirror in Klein's hand emitted a misty aqueous light.
Amidst the aqueous light, the silver mirror's surface showed the noticeboard.
Two more lines appeared on the bottom of the original piece of paper:
"All law enforcement must be carried out by the Trunsoest Brass Book or the group it authorizes.
"Any private rules can't surpass the official decree."
Trunsoest Brass Book... This is the full name of 0-02? The opportunity is here! Klein's expression turned serious as he entered Cogitation.
He had forced 0-02 to clarify the main law enforcement to obtain more information so as to further understand the situation of the terrifying Sealed Artifact.
And based on Klein's deduction, 0-02 was more or less related to a particular sefirah, just like how he was back when he had yet to become the owner of Sefirah Castle.
Therefore, furthering his understanding of it would inevitably result in reverse corruption, thereby establishing a certain connection.
To a certain extent, the sefirah was equivalent to a Great Old One, Outer Deity, or the Cosmos!
Back then, Klein had used such mysticism knowledge to lock onto the location of Dark Demonic Wolf Kotar. Now, he was using it in the opposite direction.
From his point of view, 0-02 was definitely more corrupted by a sefirah than him. After all, Sealed Artifacts were in a state of having lost control. This was why they needed to be sealed.
Under such circumstances, further understanding of 0-02 would result in corruption.
The reality proved Klein's hypothesis!
And it was also because of this danger that he didn't show the new content presented by Arrodes to the four Beyonders.
In Cogitation, Klein quickly sensed that he had an invisible connection with a certain spot. The indescribable corruption was surging over.
Ding!
At the same time he flicked out a gold coin, he used Sefirah Castle's aura to cut off the connection and isolate the corruption.
Immediately after, a clear image appeared in his mind.
Klein grabbed the gold coin with his left hand. After the glove suddenly turned transparent, he instantly vanished from the room and appeared in a hall filled with bookshelves.
On the side of the hall with floor-to-ceiling windows, there were many long rectangular tables. On one of them was a book bound by thin brass sheets.
I've found you! A smile appeared on Klein's face.
He made use of the brief connection to do a divination. Then, he relied on the attraction between sefirot, to make the "Teleportation" become abnormally precise!
The law of convergence between sefirot would allow Klein to accidentally enter the library and discover the brass book. However, it might've happened two days later, two weeks later, or even two years later. It wouldn't happen in time to stop anything. Furthermore, this was under the prerequisite that 0-02 didn't do any corresponding interference or avoidance measures.
Pa!
The clothes on Klein's back suddenly cracked as blood-red strokes appeared.
This was a punishment for trespassing into a public area.
Whipping!
Thankfully, this crime is very light... And I won't be punished for this crime for the next one or two minutes. The rules will give the trespasser time to withdraw... Klein immediately reached out and grabbed a few times in the void.
He didn't really pull out the figure of the ascetic leader, Arianna. This was because, to a noncommittal "person," a historical projection was a form of fraud. He only used this method to send his location information to the Servant of Concealment.
Due to the same reason, Klein dispersed the glove on his left hand.
During this process, the brass book started flipping and displayed the rules:
"When one's rationality drops to 20% of its original value, there would be signs of losing control...
"... Scholar of Yore has the ability to summon Historical Void projections. The success rate of summoning depends on the familiarity and friendliness of the target...
"...
"...The Trunsoest Brass Book is the most precious item. No living being is permitted to touch it. Those in violation are to be sentenced to death!
"...One is not allowed to change the condition of the Trunsoest Brass Book in any way. Those in violation are to be sentenced to death!
"..."
The rules made Klein's eyelids twitch. He felt his rationality constantly dropping.
This caused the Primordial One's mental brand in his body to become more active.
The first part of the rules is presented in grayish-black, as though it's in a state that can't be changed... This requires 0-02 to awaken further? If it awakens to the extent of changing the rules in front, it'll be very terrifying. It might even reduce the success rate of my summonings, causing Beyonders to show signs of losing control if their rationality falls a little... This, with this we've fixed the problem of this variant of a Seer being too strong? As expected of 0-02. It fully lives up to its serial number...
The text behind is presented in silver... Does this mean that the rules can be altered or enhanced?
I can't touch it. I can't change its state. That also means that I can't take it away, nor can I directly "Conceal" this Sealed Artifact... Perhaps I can use the Staff of the Stars or the Box of the Great Old Ones to directly move this library into the cosmos and let 0-02 face those Outer Deities... But if the Outer Deities were to grasp this Sealed Artifact, the problem might be greater than it is now... Klein hesitated for a moment and didn't risk summoning his Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
The next second, he heard a "smacking" sound.
The figure of Arianna's simple linen robe and tree bark belt was quickly outlined at his side. She was lashed by an invisible whip, leaving behind an obvious bloody mark.
"The first problem has been resolved. Now, we need to consider the second problem. That is how to seal this fellow," Klein said as he made haste.
It wouldn't be long before he would suffer a second punishment.
Arianna shook "Her" head.
"The corresponding information has been destroyed. We can only resolve it through trial and error."
That's a little dangerous... We don't know, but someone definitely knows... Klein's heart stirred as he made his Spirit Body leave his body and enter the spirit world.
Through the invisible barrier created by 0-02, he said to the Church of the God of Combat's chief shepherd, Larrion, who was waiting for the curtain to disappear,
"Perhaps we can make a deal."
"You want the method to seal 0-02?" Larrion turned around and chuckled. "Do you think I'll agree?"
"Actually, I'm very puzzled. Why must you sacrifice yourself for the fallen God of Combat? By joining the Church of Evernight, you can still be an angel, and you can also receive blessings. You can also live for a very long time," Klein didn't directly respond as he said.
Larrion's expression darkened as he said, "A Mythical Creature without any pious faith wouldn't be able to understand me."
...As an evil god, isn't it normal for me to not be devout? Klein couldn't help but mutter inwardly.
This was his humanity.
-x-X-x-
Seeing that Klein was momentarily at a loss for words, the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat, Larrion, revealed a solemn expression.
"Furthermore, the fall of a deity is only temporary. 'He' will eventually return and awaken using my body."
"..." Klein frowned slightly when he heard that. He didn't know whether the angel was having mental problems and wasn't far from losing control because of his shaken anchors, or if "He" was too affected by the God of Combat. In a certain sense, "He" had become "His" backup.
Ignoring the Sequence 0 true deities, even Kings of Angels and a number of angels would often not completely die!
"You should know very well that the apocalypse will come in another ten or so years. I believe that the speed of the God of Combat's resurrection won't be fast enough." Klein attempted to awaken him with the cruel reality.
Larrion snorted.
"You will never be able to imagine the power of God."
"He" didn't give Klein the chance to continue his persuasion and revealed a smile.
"In short, I won't make a deal with you. Pray, pray to Evernight. Pray to the deity you believe in to seal 0-02 and save you!
"But all I need to do is wait another thirty to forty seconds before I can leave this place."
Klein looked up at the "curtain" hanging from infinitely high above and didn't say anything else. He made his Spirit Body return to the library where the Trunsoest Brass Book was.
"Do you have any ideas?" he asked without any delay.
Arianna shook her head slightly and asked, "What did Larrion say?"
"'He' told us to pray to the deities to seal 0-02..." As Klein spoke, he was suddenly stunned.
What Larrion said didn't seem to be problematic, but he had inadvertently revealed a very important piece of information.
He believed that deities could seal 0-02, no matter who "They" were!
Then, what does a deity rely on to seal it? By forcefully suppressing it with "Their" Sequence 0 status, or use a might that can destroy the world? Many questions appeared in Klein's mind.
At this moment, Trunsoest Brass Book flipped to a blank page, producing silver words one after another—the language it used was the one on the first Blasphemy Slate. It seemed to be the source of all the languages that were still in use.
In the blink of an eye, the silver words formed into new text:
"The Belltaine City Library is the place where the Trunsoest Brass Book is kept. It is a place that must be heavily protected. Living beings who intrude without the Trunsoest Brass Book's permission will be severely punished."
It's an elevation of the punishment. I might be sentenced to death next... Klein's pupils dilated as he quickly deduced the most likely development.
However, he didn't panic at all. Instead, he smiled and said with sincerity, "My wish is to shrink the size of the Belltaine City Library, so that the spot where Ma'am Arianna and I are is the boundary line."
As soon as he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers and granted his own wish.
As the snapping sound reverberated, the lawn that corresponded to the Belltaine City Library disappeared. The building shrunk and the walls retreated. Soon, only a tenth of its original size was left.
Klein and Arianna subconsciously "arrived" outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Through the open window, they stared at the Trunsoest Brass Book that remained on the rectangular table.
There was no change in the distance between them and the target. They were still very close, but they were no longer within the confines of being severely punished. However, due to their first violation of the curfew, they were once again whipped by an invisible law enforcer.
After accumulating the wishes of restoring buildings one after another, Klein could create quite a miracle in this aspect!
He didn't make another wish and continued thinking. He analyzed the hidden meaning behind the words of the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat.
No, it shouldn't have been forcefully suppressed using a deity's status and level. Otherwise, my spiritual intuition would've told me the answer long ago. That would've made me activate Sefirah Castle's aura and complete the seal...
From a mysticism point of view, this is understandable. This is because 0-02 is clearly related to a particular sefirah. It's difficult to suppress it by relying on the status and level of a Sequence 0...
By relying on the might of the deities "Themselves"? This might be possible, but there's a high chance that it's not the real method. This is because Larrion knows of a sealing method that can be completed without relying on the deities...
What's special about a Sequence 0 deity? And what methods can an angel use to achieve such a special sealing method?
The most special thing that I can think of at the moment is that a Sequence 0 deity contains a Uniqueness. This is something I can't summon from the Historical Void. It really has the characteristic of being "unique."
But how can an angel indirectly simulate a Uniqueness?
Countless thoughts collided in Klein's mind, producing large amounts of sparks, but he still couldn't figure out the key to the problem.
At this moment, the mercury-colored words on the Trunsoest Brass Book continued to seep out, forming new paragraphs that stipulated that Klein and Arianna were a group of people that needed punishment.
Arianna observed silently for a while before suddenly saying, "I'll try to 'Conceal' the soil beneath the table to make 0-02 fall to the core. Raise your level of alertness to prevent any accidents."
Conceal" the soil... Fall to the core... Klein's heart stirred. He felt that this was a rather good solution.
The Trunsoest Brass Book had only forbidden the touching and changing its condition at present. The environment wasn't equivalent to its condition. In addition, they were only forbidden from entering Belltaine City Library. It didn't mean that Klein and Arianna couldn't exert certain influences on it.
And when 0-02, which hadn't been banned from leaving, passed through the concealed "soil" and fell to the core, it would lose its influence on Belltaine City due to the distance, causing the laws it had set up to fail. That was the case unless it was awakened further or came to life, allowing a larger region to fall under its jurisdiction.
This way, Klein and Arianna no longer needed to be restricted by the rules. They could seek help from the Evernight Goddess!
However, when Arianna finally thought of a solution and was preparing to carry out the plan, a new law was completely formed:
"The Belltaine City Library the place where the Trunsoest Brass Book is stored. It is a place that must be strictly protected. No living thing or object is to deal any form of damage to it in any way."
Indeed, 0-02 has also noticed this loophole... This loophole... As Klein frowned slightly, he suddenly had an idea of what he had been thinking about.
The Uniqueness of a Sequence 0 deity was indeed unique, but "Their" sealing of 0-02 wasn't directly done by using the authority and power that came from it.
It was very likely that "They" could rely on this trait of a Uniqueness to lure 0-02 into setting up a series of contradictory rules, causing the Sealed Artifact to fall into a paradoxical cycle!
In this aspect, angels, saints, and even ordinary people could accomplish that by themselves. The key was to think of paradox and guide it into establishing it.
As for how to seal 0-02 after it entered a paradoxical cycle and was preparing to fix the loophole, Klein didn't have any clues at the moment, so he needed to make further observations.
How should I create a paradox... All the rules and regulations set up by 0-02 quickly flashed through Klein's mind.
In just a few seconds, he acutely grasped a point where he could create a paradoxical cycle. He quickly turned his head and said to Arianna, "Ma'am, let's not destroy the city library. We will directly 'Conceal' the other parts of the Belltaine, indirectly causing it to lose the necessary support. This place will then collapse on its own; thus, falling into the core."
Arianna didn't immediately do as he said. Instead, "She" turned "Her" head and gave Klein a deep look.
"This will cause the deaths of many civilians."
"We have to make a choice between the lesser of two evils," Klein said seriously.
Arianna didn't respond and fell silent. It was as though "She" was in an intense mental struggle or making the appropriate preparations.
At this moment, the two brass pages that had just written the two articles quickly created more new rules:
"Belltaine is the city where the Trunsoest Brass Book is located, a true Holy Land in all senses of the phrase. No living thing or object is to deal any form of damage to it in any way."
Upon seeing this text, Klein wasn't disappointed. Instead, he smiled.
With a snap, he snapped his fingers, causing scarlet flames to surge out of his pocket and quickly drown him.
In just two to three seconds, a stream of flames descended from the sky. Klein jumped out and carried a person.
That was one of the four Beyonders he had saved previously. He was the Belltaine local, Biles!
"Go in and quickly flip through the brass book," Klein said calmly as he pointed at the 0-02 on the rectangular table.
Biles didn't know exactly what had happened, but he believed that this magical "magician," who had fulfilled two of his wishes, had found a way out of the situation plaguing Belltaine. Thus, after taking a deep breath, he entered the city library through the miniaturized, open floor-to-ceiling windows.
During this process, he didn't receive any severe punishments. In fact, he wasn't even whipped!
Upon seeing this scene, Klein's smile widened.
0-02 had produced a paradox!
Due to Arrodes's existence, the Trunsoest Brass Book could only do a most comprehensive prohibition, preventing any living being or object from dealing any form of damage to it in any way."
As a city, Belltaine's definition didn't just include its terrain and buildings. It definitely included the residents here.
This way, if 0-02 punished a Belltaine citizen like Biles, any damage to him would go against the law it had just issued. If it didn't punish him, it would go against the laws that prohibited him from entering the city library. Hence, the Trunsoest Brass Book had entered a vicious cycle!
Of course, Klein believed that such a paradox would quickly be corrected by appending additional clauses. He only hoped that Biles would be able to flip through the brass book and find clues to sealing it!
"Pay attention to the currently open page. Once an article is about to take shape, immediately come out," Klein instructed as he stared at Biles and 0-02.
-x-X-x-
Although Biles had witnessed Phil's severed hand, Weber's hanging, and Mr. Magician's palm fused from worms, and also had a certain understanding of the horrifying anomaly brought about by 0-02, his lacking level and experience made him unaware of the true horror behind this matter. He mostly explained it away as a horror tale coming to life.
Therefore, despite feeling afraid, he mustered up his courage and quickly approached the rectangular table under the watch of the magical Magician and Grounded Angel. Of course, him being from the Sailor pathway was partly responsible.
Within two or three steps, Biles had reached a spot where he could touch the brass book.
Without thinking, he reached out his right palm and grabbed the brass pages on 0-02 and quickly flipped them.
During this process, the back of Biles's hand held up the brass page, which hadn't completely been filled, to prevent it from being blocked, so as to allow him, Mr. Magician, and Ma'am Angel to observe the changes on it and react in advance.
Amidst the flipping sounds, this Sailor saw the line that touching the Trunsoest Brass Book would result in the death sentence. He was first alarmed before he was filled with a strong sense of puzzlement about his current state.
However, this didn't affect his action of flipping the pages forward. Klein's eyes reflected the different brass pages, and each page had different rules.
The projections of these brass pages didn't appear by making lines disappear and having new ones substitute them. Instead, they appeared side by side and gradually increased in number.
In the end, Klein's eyes reflected a different number of brass pages in them. They were neatly arranged, one line after another. It was as though he had split the 0-02 into a single page and placed it on a glass platform to bask in the sun.
This was a dream divination technique at the angel level, allowing Klein to reproduce the scenes he had just seen before his very eyes.
With the passage of time, the brass pages in his dark brown eyes began to spin and pinpoint one of them:
"...The Trunsoest Brass Book originates from a Justiciar Uniqueness that had been corrupted by the Nation of Disorder..."
It's exactly as I expected. Since the Trunsoest Brass Book can produce all the low-level rules, the corresponding content must contain a description of itself! This is determined by its essence. Unless it completely awakens or comes alive, and has the sufficient intelligence to know how to selectively hide it... Just as a thought of joy flashed through Klein's mind, he saw a new word in mercury color appear on the unfilled brass page.
This meant that 0-02 had finally diverted a portion of its power from its vicious cycle. It was preparing to add text as a supplementary explanation to fix the flaws.
"Leave!" Without any hesitation, Klein shouted.
Biles strictly obeyed the orders of a high-leveled figure, immediately withdrawing his right hand, turning around, and sprinting out the window.
"Make a move to attack me." Seeing that the Sailor with dual attributes had left the city library, Klein suddenly added.
Biles's heart was filled with puzzlement, but he still raised his right arm and pulled back his shoulder. He put on a stance that looked like he was about to throw a punch at Klein.
At this moment, a new article finally took shape:
"With regards to the rules above, the Trunsoest Brass Book and the group of people it permits have immunity while enforcing the law..."
However, even if this article was successfully published, Biles wouldn't suffer any punishment.
Clearly, the Trunsoest Brass Book wouldn't pursue problems that led to a vicious cycle or unclear definitions. It was just like how it didn't pile crimes on Arrodes after it mended the loopholes in the rules.
By the same logic, Biles, who had truly come into contact with 0-02, didn't suffer any contamination from a sefirah. Before the supplementary clauses were published, Biles was a part of the Belltaine. He couldn't be damaged in any sense, so he couldn't be corrupted. But with the additional clause, he wouldn't be "retroactively" punished for his previous actions.
In fact, after Biles left the city library, he had violated the curfew order as well, but Klein had already noticed a problem. It was that when the Belltaine citizens pursued foreigners while outside, they weren't restricted by the curfew. Therefore, he made Biles attack him in a manner to avoid the corresponding punishment.
Right on the heels of that, he seized the opportunity while 0-02 was fixing the loophole to quickly recall the detailed information regarding the Trunsoest Brass Book.
"...This book possesses a living characteristic, but most of the time, it's at a very low level...
"...The first half of the book displays almost all the underlying rules, while the second half is blank. It needs to be filled in autonomously...
"...Once there are no restrictions, it will naturally set up laws with certain biases for the surrounding areas and strictly enforce it. During this process, it will change and correct the rules based on the feedback.
"...As the law gradually becomes stricter, 'His' living characteristic will deepen... Once a law that can interfere with all aspects takes form, the Trunsoest Brass Book will completely come alive. It will possess true intelligence, and has the ability to modify the first half of the underlying rules to a certain extent... The exact extent that it can reach is as follows...
"...If there are contradictions in the laws that can't be corrected, or if the pages are all filled without being able to form a sufficiently airtight system of rules, the Trunsoest Brass Book will produce a new line at the boundary between the first and second half: 'All the following rules are ineffective.'
"...After this line takes form, the rules in the second half will disappear and the pages will return to a blank slate...
"...After the second half is completely blank, the clause 'All the following rules are ineffective' will be erased, and the Trunsoest Brass Book will repeat its previous actions until there is a set of laws that covers all aspects...
"...The rules that it creates have to be publicized or informed to the masses before having them take effect... When there's no clear rule for a particular action, whether it's against the common knowledge of the surrounding living beings...
"...Trunsoest Brass Book hates distorted and ugly rules. It hates having loopholes found..."
What a detailed description... There should be a method to seal 0-02 in all of this... Klein's thoughts raced as he attempted to find information that he could use from every line of text.
At this moment, the leader of the ascetics, Arianna, whispered, "Think of a way to fill the pages behind 0-02, without making it airtight enough."
That's right! In that case, the Trunsoest Brass Book will declare that all the following rules are ineffective. It'll redo it again. When that happens, its restrictions on the surroundings will temporarily vanish, allowing us to have the chance to touch it, take it away, or directly pray to a deity... But, how should we go about doing this? The Trunsoest Brass Book hates distorted and ugly rules. It hates having loopholes found... Klein's heart stirred as he had an idea.
Without any hesitation, he stretched out his arms, as if he was hugging the air.
In the next second, inside the building whose dimensions had shrunk to one-tenth of the original Belltaine City Library, a hall that was covered with deep-black stone slabs with all kinds of scuffing descended into the real world.
There were eight black stone pillars erected in the hall, and metal poles hung from the high dome. At the bottom were candlesticks carved into different creatures, 41 on the left and 40 on the right.
This was the Tudor-Trunsoest United Empire's Hall of Consuls that Klein had seen before. At that time, both consuls were still Sequence 1 Princes of Abolition of the Black Emperor pathway, so this place was filled with distortions. It didn't match the normal circumstances and didn't have any rules of aesthetics.
Apart from that, when Klein summoned this historical scene, he also used his domain's ability to add the details of the Fourth Epoch which he knew. It made the order that stemmed from the Black Emperor become more and more detailed, as though it was corporeal.
Pa!
His wrists were severed as they landed on the ground. Blood spurted out from the wound, just like an ordinary person.
This was the second time Klein had committed fraud!
The two palms and fresh blood that gushed to the ground quickly separated into transparent maggots and sticky, nearly shapeless liquid.
As the Worms of Spirit convulsed and died, Klein grimaced due to the pain as he made numerous worms crawl out from the stump to form new palms.
At the same time, he tried his best to maintain the scene he had created through multiple summonings, not letting it dissipate.
On the rectangular table, inside the book that had bound brass pages, many new lines of text appeared:
"...All buildings and structures have to follow the golden ratio and principles of symmetry...
"...Strange clothes are not permitted...
"...The following crimes have the death penalty...
"..."
The Trunsoest Brass Book flipped through the pages quickly as it targeted the laws that stemmed from a Black Emperor. The further it went, the faster the new text appeared. There were no more pauses that lasted nearly a minute.
Inside the hall, the candlesticks that fell from the ceiling broke and disappeared. Then, the other parts of the hall experienced various changes, wiping away the original details of the order one by one.
Finally, the hall could no longer be maintained. It collapsed and returned to the Historical Void.
At that moment, the Trunsoest Brass Book had already flipped to the last two pages. It was spread out there without any movement.
With the last page filled with text and no longer able to form a tight system of rules with what 0-02 had previously set, Klein silently exhaled and relaxed a little. He felt that his spirituality was almost depleted.
"Let's wait for an hour at Biles's house." He turned his head and said to Arianna.
If they stayed where they were, they would suffer increasingly severe punishments from breaking the curfew until they were sentenced to death.
As for monitoring the Trunsoest Brass Book, this mission that couldn't allow for mistakes was naturally handed over to Arrodes. Although this magic mirror couldn't directly look at 0-02, it could pay attention to the noticeboard and determine the disappearance progress of the laws on it.
-x-X-x-
After returning to Biles's house, Klein pulled a chair over and sat down without waiting for Roy and company to make inquiries. He made a rather pious wish:
"I wish for my spirituality to be restored."
With that said, he raised his right hand, snapped his fingers, and granted his own wish; thus, allowing his spirituality to return to its normal state.
Right on the heels of that, he extended his left palm, preparing to end the maintenance of the historical projection of the "curtain" before summoning a new one, so as to continue sealing off the spirit world area corresponding to Belltaine City. This prevented the Church of the God of Combat's chief shepherd, Larrion, from escaping.
"There's no need to do so. There's always a next time." At that moment, Arianna slowly shook "Her" head, indicating that Klein no longer needed to summon the "curtain" that originated from the Dark Demonic Wolf.
There was a limit to the power of "Wishes." A Miracle Invoker couldn't satisfy the same wish in a short period of time, which meant that, within the next one or two hours, Klein couldn't recover his spirituality by granting his own wishes.
Of course, to a qualified Seer-pathway angel, this limitation was something that could be avoided. For example, he could get Pasha, Roy, Biles, and Arianna to take turns to wish for Klein to regain his spirituality before granting their wishes as a Miracle Invoker.
However, the problem was that, even if he could recover his spirituality that many times, he wouldn't be able to maintain the "curtain" which was at the level of a Sequence 1 for more than an hour. Furthermore, he needed to wait an hour before 0-02 erased all the previous rules and rewrote them.
After some deliberation, Klein nodded slightly and replied with a smile, "Let's give it a try first. After all, we're rather free right now. I'll give up after my last spirituality recovery attempt. Yes, this will purely depend on the chief shepherd's luck. Perhaps 'He' might lose control because of anxiety, frustration, and nervousness?"
As he spoke, Klein dispelled the maintenance of the original "curtain," and his left hand moved forward immediately after that. He pulled out a new "curtain," allowing it to appear inside the spirit world that corresponded to Belltaine City.
In an area where saturated colors overlapped one another, Larrion, who was wearing a black robe with white edges and a square hat, felt the restriction disappear. Just as "He" was about to make "His" way out, he saw a new "curtain" descend, sealing him off again.
The smile on his face instantly froze.
Phew... A few seconds later, Larrion slowly exhaled and composed "Himself" mentally as he continued to wait.
In the next hour, the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat repeatedly experienced the despair and pain of having "His" hopes extinguished.
"He" attempted to find the pattern and attempt to figure out the time interval so as to grasp the fleeting opportunity. "He" wanted to rush out of the barrier the moment the old "curtain" disappeared and before the new "curtain" was produced.
However, "He" eventually discovered that the intervals didn't follow any pattern. The person stopping "Him" didn't restore the barrier only when his spirituality was about to be depleted. At times, the other party would recreate the barrier far ahead of time.
If it wasn't for the fact that Feysacian citizens weren't forced to change faiths from the God of Combat, and that the decree that Larrion was considered a traitor hadn't been widely spread, this Grounded Angel might've already lost control on the spot.
As time passed, Larrion once again sensed the collapse of the old "curtain."
However, this time, there was no new "curtain."
"He" has finally reached his limit... Larrion was delighted. Without any hesitation, "He" rushed out of the collapsing nascent divine kingdom.
In the next moment, "He" saw a woman holding four blonde, red-eyed heads, dressed in a complicated long dress, an unknown existence that was wrapped in bandages with yellowish-brown liquid covering the entire, and several strange but abnormally powerful spirit world creatures...
The "curtain" that Klein had summoned the previous times were Historical Void projections that had been tainted with Sefirah Castle's aura. It naturally attracted objects sensitive to it. He wouldn't even be surprised if Amon was among the group!
The smile on Larrion's face froze again.
...
Belltaine City, in Biles's rental apartment.
Klein suddenly raised his head and looked up into the sky. He muttered softly, "Impressive..."
Following that, he became silent again until the magic mirror emitted an aqueous light that reflected the noticeboard's current state.
The rules on the paper disappeared in reverse order of their appearance.
This meant that 0-02 was beginning to erase the rules that it had set up, and was preparing to redo everything.
Once the curfew order was abolished, the highly-focused Klein immediately pulled Ma'am Arianna and used Flaming Jump to appear outside the shrunken Belltaine City LIbrary.
As he looked over, he realized that, on the brass pages of 0-02, the speed at which the rules were being wiped clear had become very fast. In just a blink of an eye, the second half of the book was only left with the clause: "All the following rules are ineffective."
Following that, the clause disappeared as a new set of rules rapidly emerged without any gaps:
"The Trunsoest Brass Book is the most precious item. No living being is permitted to touch it..."
Before this clause was completed, Arianna's figure had already appeared beside the rectangular table. "Her" finger touched the brass page.
With a crack, the leader of the Church of Evernight's ascetic had "Her" neck suddenly constricted as though an invisible rope had hoisted "Her" up.
As an angel, "She" had actually suffered bone fractures and had difficulties breathing.
Death by hanging!
However, with Arianna's finger sliding over with some difficulty, the first clause that appeared was "erased" before it was fully displayed. It entered a "Concealed" state.
As for all the rules set by 0-02, it had to be publicized or announced before it could truly be effective!
With a whoosh, Arianna picked up the Trunsoest Brass Book and threw it to Klein, who was outside the window.
In the previous hour, Klein had already anticipated all the possible developments and had a discussion with Arianna. He was in no way nervous or flustered. While 0-02 was still in midair, he dragged another himself wearing a human-skinned glove out of the void.
Then, he grabbed the Trunsoest Brass Book and used his historical projection to "Teleport" away.
After his figure disappeared from his spot, Arianna landed on the ground with a loud thud, a deep mark left on "Her" neck.
In just a few seconds, Klein, who was holding 0-02, appeared at the top of the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range. He used his Spirit Vision at the level of an angel and saw the collapsed, dilapidated, and fogged palace.
Without any hesitation, Klein allowed his historical projection to take the Trunsoest Brass Book and "Blink" to the main door of the palace before pushing the door open.
What appeared before him was a hall with many corpses hanging from above. Every corpse was different. There were men and women, either dressed beautifully, simply, exquisitely, or casually.
Behind each of these hangers was a transparent and slippery tentacle with complicated patterns. They came from the depths of the hall—from that ancient stone chair.
On the huge stone chair, transparent and distorted maggots were formed into a ball. They grew wantonly and extended out strange tentacles.
This was The Half-Fool of the Antigonus family, who had lost control and gone mad!
Sensing the door open, and sensing Klein's historical projection approach, the cluster of maggots left the stone chair and fiercely flailed their slippery tentacles, causing them to surge towards the door as if they were being affected by an invisible suction force.
Similarly, at the bottom of the stone chair, the tarot card with Roselle's image, which was written with a stellar radiance, flew towards the door.
Just seeing this scene pushed Klein's historical projection towards experiencing a breakdown. Thankfully, he didn't possess any sentience and was remotely controlled by Klein. He didn't suffer the chaotic thoughts and the negative side effects of the mental mutation, nor did he stand motionless and helpless.
Before the historical projection dissipated, it threw the Trunsoest Brass Book at the terrifying cluster of maggots.
The transparent and slippery tentacles sensed danger and instinctively reacted by wrapping around Sealed Artifact 0-02.
Under such interference and the invisible strong winds, The Fool card had reached the door one step ahead of the strange tentacles.
Klein's historical projection had mostly collapsed. Seeing this, he mechanically extended his right hand, grabbed the Card of Blasphemy, and threw it behind him.
In the next instant, the slippery tentacles that were reassembled had reached out to the door, but they were blocked by the fog, unable to exit. All it could do was wildly pound at the barrier.
The open door slowly closed, blocking out this scene.
Klein, who was hiding somewhere on the mountain peak, frowned slightly. He felt a sense of joy and relief, as well as a strong sense of doubt.
In other words, I used 0-02 to exchange for The Fool's card? The Goddess doesn't need me to seek clues regarding the River of Eternal Darkness for the time being? Klein silently muttered to himself. He walked out of the hidden area and arrived not far from the ancient palace. He bent down and picked up the Card of Blasphemy.
On the surface of the card was Roselle Gustav, who was wearing colorful clothes and holding a stick and luggage. His eyes were filled with a longing for the future, and behind him was a puppy.
On the upper left corner of the card, the resplendent stellar radiance outlined a few words:
"Sequence 0: The Fool!"
...
Inside the ancient palace, the Trunsoest Brass Book fell to the ground and opened up to the first page of the second half of the book.
New rules began to form:
"...The Trunsoest Brass Book is the most precious item. No living being is permitted to touch it. Those in violation are to be sentenced to death!
"...One is not allowed to change the condition of the Trunsoest Brass Book in any way. Those in violation are to be sentenced to death!
Just as the two rules just appeared, and before it could "inform" the owner here, a line of words suddenly appeared between the two halves of the book:
"All the following rules are ineffective."
An hour later, the two rules were wiped out, and new rules were written. However, after just two lines, there was an additional clause in front of them—0-02 seemed to have reached a blank slate that happened when the entire book was filled up.
Again and again, the Trunsoest Brass Book fell into an endless cycle.