"My Lord, do you find this honorific acceptable?"
Upon hearing Klein's inquiry, Hermes, after pretending to ponder for a moment, immediately spoke:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
"The Fool who does not belong to this era?"
This is a description of my identity. With only a rudimentary understanding of mysticism, Klein could only start interpreting it from the literal meaning.
"The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog."
This should also be a description of my identity. The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog—it does have that kind of atmosphere...
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck… uh… are we sure this isn't just a near translation of 'Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth'? Why does it refer to me?
Could it be because I am His successor? Anyway, He is already dead, so using it shouldn't be a problem."
After confirming that this honorific could refer to him, Klein was about to ask Hermes about the angelic family he had reincarnated into when his head suddenly throbbed with pain.
At the same time, he felt his mind begin to disperse, as if he would faint and collapse in this Grey Fog space at any moment.
Seeing Klein's reaction, Hermes quickly said:
"My Lord, with your current spirituality, you cannot remain here for too long. You need to leave and recover your spirituality."
"Alright, that's it for today."
Hearing Hermes' words, Klein, whose head was throbbing, nodded and immediately exited this Grey Fog-covered space.
In the Real World
Klein's vision darkened momentarily before he saw the dazzling sunlight again.
At this moment, he was still in his apartment, still standing in the center of the room.
As the pain in his head gradually subsided, Klein, whose legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, walked to the desk, picked up the pocket watch on it, and began checking how much time had passed.
"Good, the time flow is 1:1."
Seeing that time had not passed longer than expected, Klein finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Setting down the pocket watch, he could no longer endure the lingering headache. He sat down in the chair, lowered his head, and began massaging his temples with his left thumb and middle finger.
After a long time, he suddenly sighed and muttered in Chinese:
"I wonder when Hermes will finally offer me those pages of Roselle's notes.
Just a member of an angelic family, yet he knows so much about mysticism… hmm, this must be related to the fact that he himself is an angel.
To go home, and to uncover the truth behind traveling between worlds, I must become a Beyonder!
Now that I have the Fool's honorific, perhaps the Seer pathway is a good choice. That Grey Fog space is a legacy of Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth, and He was the highest-ranked entity on this pathway.
If I can become a Seer, being above that Grey Fog might bring unexpected changes..."
"I must start learning about mysticism. I'm just a graduate—where do I even find such valuable resources? Hermes might have some, but I can't rely on him completely."
Regarding Hermes, who called him "Master" and was an activated Beyonder characteristic, Klein had no intention of making him do anything.
One reason was that he still didn't understand this world well enough. His knowledge of Beyonders and mysticism was too shallow. Even if he wanted Hermes to do something, he wouldn't know what to ask.
The second reason was the Seven Gods Hermes mentioned. If he let Hermes act, it would be fine if nothing went wrong, but if something did, and those so-called gods noticed him, it would be a disaster.
He didn't know exactly how strong angels were, but he was certain they were not as powerful as true gods. If those beings caught wind of him, he might be completely eradicated.
As an internet folklore enthusiast, he deeply understood the principle that a secret not kept is a disaster waiting to happen. No matter how flawless a plan seemed, there would always be traces of its existence. The best approach was to do nothing at all.
Unless he faced a life-or-death crisis or a matter of extreme importance, he would not let Hermes take action.
This was his greatest trump card right now!
Fortunately, besides Hermes, this so-called "Gathering" could also provide him with assistance.
Thinking of this, Klein immediately felt more confident and began planning his next steps.
Next week, I might be able to eavesdrop on the formula for the 'Spectator' potion...
That "Gathering" was truly amazing—people from different parts of the world could bridge thousands of miles to converse face-to-face and exchange resources.
Hmm… that sounds strangely familiar…
Klein froze for a few seconds before suddenly chuckling. He pressed his hand against his temple and murmured to himself mockingly:
"What is this? A social networking site? QQ chat?"
Above the Grey Fog
Sitting alone in the Fool's seat, Ael crossed his legs and began sensing the influence of the surrounding Grey Fog.
"Here, I am equivalent to a Sequence 1 Angel of the Door pathway. I can even use abilities from the Seer and Thief pathways..."
After a long time, he sighed, his gaze penetrating the depths of the Grey Fog, focusing on a glowing door emanating an unusual aura:
"Source Fortress… I really want to devour it. If I can gain an initial grasp of this essence, in this space, I would be a King of Angels.
Unfortunately, this is not my fate—it belongs to the 'Matryoshka.' Compared to him, I have something even better as a substitute..."
As an Angel of the Door pathway, standing above the Grey Fog, Ael didn't need to exert much effort to erase Klein's authority here.
Yet, he restrained himself from succumbing to the powerful attraction between Beyonder characteristics.
"If it were just an Uniqueness, it'd be fine. But if I truly tried to control Source Fortress, without enough anchors, I wouldn't be able to resist or avoid the corruption of the Pillar.
Besides, I already possess the essence of the Mirror World. If I try to assimilate Source Fortress as well, the outcome might be disastrous.
The Old Trickster's stuff is always trouble—best to stay far away. Unless absolutely necessary, I shouldn't come here again. The pull between Beyonder characteristics is too strong. If I come a few more times, I might not be able to resist…
Hmm, I should return to the Southern Continent. The time for that third-rate playwright to make his appearance is still far off. Weakening the Rose School of Thought first would be more beneficial.
Perfect timing to offer those Yellow Peach Diary pages to the Matryoshka.
Hehe, according to Kalaman's intelligence, it turns out Intis really sent two Angels.
With such a grand event, how could I not fan the flames?"
In the Southern Continent
At the edge of the ancient forest near the Pass River Valley, one of the demigods of the Rose School of Thought, the "Demon" Duranka, was frantically fleeing into the forest, demonic wings flapping behind him.
Behind him, the sound of thunder and lightning rumbled ominously.
With each powerful beat of the enormous demonic wings behind him, black-red blood continuously dripped from Duranka's body as he soared through the air.
As the blood rained down upon the forest below, the grass and trees withered instantly wherever it landed, leaving behind a path of decay and death.
"Damn it! Why is that damned Storm Church guy still chasing me?! I was just passing through—I didn't even do anything!"
As a demigod demon skilled in manipulating emotions, even Duranka was on the verge of breaking down at this moment. The searing pain from the burns inflicted by lightning and magma nearly drove him insane.
As a high-ranking member of the Rose School of Thought—the most powerful faction in the Southern Continent—Duranka hadn't suffered injuries in years. The high-ranking members of Loen, Intis, and the Spiritual Religion Order had always exercised restraint.
Yet within the past ten days, Loen and Intis had seemingly gone mad, launching large-scale purges against the forces and members that the Rose School of Thought had nurtured.
To address this crisis, the great deity Siah had ordered all high-ranking members stationed across the Southern Continent to return and discuss countermeasures.
But to his misfortune, while passing through a Loen Kingdom colony, Duranka was suddenly ambushed by a Catastrophe Archbishop of the Storm Church, along with a group of Punishers.
Relying on his own strength and a sealed artifact, he had managed to kill several members of the Punishers and escape, albeit at the cost of severe injuries.
What enraged him the most, however, was that the Catastrophe Archbishop seemed to have lost his mind—pursuing him relentlessly through storm and lightning, refusing to give up…