Chapter 1283: Gradually Deepening

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.