Chapter 1241: Genie

The light emitted by the lamp's core was extremely viscous, like water

that had been infused with quite a bit of sugar. It spewed out, forming

a distorted and blurry golden figure.

This figure instantly occupied the crimson star representing The Hermit,

cutting off his ability to sense Cattleya.

Sitting at the end of the long bronze table, Klein's eyes widened as a

thought subconsciously flashed across his mind:

As expected of a Sealed Artifact labeled 0-05!

Although the serial number of Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts was usually based

on the order of the time the orthodox Churches obtained or understood

them, it had to be known that this set of rules was officially

established after the seven Churches truly ruled over the world, which

was the late Fourth Epoch and early Fifth Epoch.

Back then, most Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts had already appeared, and they

had been learned of or obtained by the orthodox Churches!

This resulted in a situation where the ones with smaller serial numbers

being Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts that were more powerful, terrifying, and

unimaginable. Then, the rest were labeled based on the order of

appearance.

In addition, although it wasn't wrong to say that an item was more

powerful the more ancient it was, for an item from the First Epoch that

the ancient gods were unable to affect, it definitely meant that even

deities didn't fully comprehend their secrets.

This way, the smaller the number was, the more terrifying the Grade 0

Sealed Artifact was.

Of course, based on this rule, the Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts with higher

serial numbers weren't necessarily worse than the first ten. Perhaps it

was simply because they were discovered or obtained by the Church at a

later date. Without any numbers left for them, they could only be

serialized.

Just as a thought flashed through his mind, the golden figure's gaze

pierced through the crimson star representing The Hermit and towards the

ancient palace above the gray fog.

Following that, "His" voice echoed in an unusually magnificent manner:

"Long time no see."

*Long time no see? Long time no see! He... He knows the former owner of

Sefirah Castle, The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings?

No, it should be "Him," a Genie who claims to be eternal... "He" can

actually use Ma'am Hermit's prayer to directly talk to me...* A

thought flashed through Klein's mind as he tensed up.

Based on his experience over the recent years, as well as his ability as

a Clown, his body suddenly relaxed and he leisurely leaned back into his

chair.

Following that, Klein replied, "Heh."

He didn't give an affirmative answer, nor did he deny that he was a

fake. He only showed a look of contempt and wore a supercilious look.

The blurry golden figure harrumphed.

"You've actually been weakened so much. It's no wonder that I haven't

heard of your honorific name in the past few millennia."

*Honorific name... Weak... "He" really knows the former owner of Sefirah

Castle... Is that an existence who was active during the First

Epoch?* Amidst his thoughts, Klein smiled and said, "What you

see might not be the truth."

"Haha." The twisted and blurry golden figure laughed and said, "You're

still your usual self, always trying to scam others, but the condition

of Sefirah Castle cannot fool me. Under normal circumstances, there's no

way for me to pass through the outer layers of protection to communicate

with you."

"How do you know that I didn't do it on purpose?" Klein asked in a

relaxed manner.

"There's no point in lying to me," the distorted, blurry golden Genie

immediately replied.

*...Why do I feel like the victim of fraud is saying that I'm penniless,

to the point of having sold my kidney... Back then, what did the

previous owner of Sefirah Castle---the one suspected to be The Celestial

Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings---do to the Genie... Hmm, part

of the characteristics of this Magic Wishing Lamp is that of a Miracle

Invoker...* Using his lampooning to relieve the pressure in his

heart, Klein smiled.

"It's not up to you to decide whether there's any point."

The blurry golden figure trembled slightly.

"From the state of Sefirah Castle, you seem to have a need for a Miracle

Invoker Beyonder characteristic."

"He" did not harp on the topic and instead pointed out the situation

"He" had observed.

*...This fellow can actually see through this matter... "His" level is

really very high... "He" is able to separate the Miracle Invoker

Beyonder characteristic from the Magic Wishing Lamp?* Klein's

eyes narrowed as he nearly lost his composure.

He immediately controlled his actions and expression and replied with a

smile, "If you think so."

The blurry and distorted golden figure once again made "His" magnificent

voice echo above the gray fog.

"We can make a deal.

"You will remove my seal and give me freedom. I will leave the Miracle

Invoker Beyonder characteristic to you and only take away the portion

that belongs to me.

"As for a witness, let's use our sefirot. Although both you and I have

means to resist the backlash and reduce the damage caused by breaching

the contract, it won't be without a price. We both need to consider the

consequences.

"I promise I won't stay here any longer than necessary."

*Sealed... Sefirot... The terrifying nature of the Magic Wishing Lamp is

a seal of an existence that's at least at the true deity level?*

With a thought, Klein quickly analyzed the viability of the matter.

Soon, he made a decision. He was not to be bewitched!

There were two reasons for this. Firstly, he wasn't the real owner of

Sefirah Castle. There was a limit to what he could do and handle.

Secondly, he had received some mysticism education and had gleaned

experiences as a Nighthawk. He knew not to trade with unknown existences

or bear any hope in being lucky!

Having made up his mind, he calmed down and focused on how to gather

more information.

The Genie was suspected to originate from the darkest, most chaotic, and

most mysterious First Epoch, so "He" definitely knew a lot!

After some thought, the corners of Klein's mouth curled up.

"Do you think such conditions can move me?"

He planned to see how high the chips the Genie could offer, so as to pry

into certain of "His" secrets.

Upon hearing this, the flickering golden figure's eyes suddenly lit up

in a literal manner!

"His" gaze seemed to land directly on Klein as "His" magnificent voice

quaked the ancient palace like thunder:

"You are not 'Him'!"

You are not "Him"... At that moment, Klein was a little

stunned and also a little frightened. It was as if he was performing a

grand magic show only to have a member of the audience suddenly point

out his trick.

He didn't know what was wrong with his rhetorical question, nor did he

know what exactly was wrong. It was difficult for him to analyze the

pros and cons in a short period of time, and give a reaction that

matched the current situation.

*... Why did "He" suddenly realize that I'm not the former owner of

Sefirah Castle---the suspected "Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for

Blessings"... Isn't my rhetoric question very reasonable? Since we're

talking about a deal, bargaining should be allowed... The former owner

of Sefirah Castle that the Genie knew wasn't like that? Impossible, why

would a person who's good at deceit show "His" hand so readily? How can

there not be some level of negotiation and pressure? Sh\*t, too many

thoughts are running through my mind. Nearly ten seconds have passed...

I didn't immediately answer the Genie's accusation, so it's a form of

indirect admittance...* When it came to being exposed, Klein

didn't have much experience. He was momentarily unsure for a response.

Just as he raised his vigilance and was about to produce the Staff of

the Stars and activate Sefirah Castle's powers to resist the possible

attack from the Genie, the golden and blurry figure suddenly laughed.

"Haha. Hahaha. Hahaha."

This laughter seemed to stir his soul, causing Klein, who was inside

Sefirah Castle, to nearly show signs of losing control. It wasn't easy

for him to remain calm.

*There's no intention to attack, but the influence of natural

dissipation... What's the Genie laughing about? What's so

funny?* Klein frowned as he thought of one possibility after

another, but he felt that they didn't match reality.

After a few seconds, the Genie's laughter stopped and "He" happily

quipped, "Even for existences at our level, fate is still so miraculous.

"Regardless of who you are, the deal I proposed is still on the table.

As long as you remove the seal and release me, I will return to the

cosmos with the portion that belongs to me. As for the rest, I will

leave the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic to you. In addition, I

will grant you three wishes.

"How's that? Isn't that enough?"

Cosmos... When Klein heard that, his eyelids twitched as he

sharply sensed danger.

This was a warning from his spiritual intuition.

He had originally thought that he could pretend to agree and obtain more

information before using Sefirah Castle to go back on his promise, but

now he suddenly felt that he could not make the promise!

Hence, Klein decisively said, "Leave."

As he spoke, he cut off the connection between himself and the crimson

star representing The Hermit.

The blurry and distorted golden figure suddenly expanded and dissipated,

leaving only his voice echoing:

"You will eventually agree!"

Only when the world above the gray fog had its calm completely restored

did Klein slowly let out a breath and silently mutter to himself, *The

Genie is a powerful creature from the cosmos. Was it sealed within the

Magical Wishing Lamp in the First Epoch or earlier?*

*The person who sealed "Him" might be the previous owner of Sefirah

Castle, the existence suspected to be The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and

Earth for Blessings. This can be inferred from the ingredients used to

form the Magic Wishing Lamp's Beyonder characteristics...*

*So, that's how the Genie sensed that I wasn't the previous owner of

Sefirah Castle when "He" questioned me? But I did consider this point,

so my question wasn't logically unsound. Unless, back then, the former

owner of Sefirah Castle and the Genie had come to some sort of tacit

understanding or had some secret...*

*The bulk of the Genie's powers likely can't extend out of the seal, but

"He" can use the Beyonder characteristic that forms the seal... The

unique characteristic of "granting wishes" is likely from the Miracle

Invoker characteristic. Then, the Genie uses "His" level to magnify

it...*

Amidst his thoughts, Klein raised his head to look at the crimson star

representing The Hermit. He discovered that Cattleya didn't notice

anything unusual with the Magic Wishing Lamp.

Phew... Klein formed a stream of light that contained his

warnings and threw it into the crimson star.