Chapter 314: Possible
*The Nation of the Evernight, at the peak of the Hornacis mountain
range, believed in the Ruler of the Evernight, the Mother of the Sky...
Is there some connection between that and the Evernight Demonic Wolf,
Flegrea? The illusory ravings I hear are actually "Hornacis...
Flegrea?"*
*What is the connection between the ancient god, Evernight Demonic Wolf
Flegrea and the Goddess? According to Roselle, Sequence 0 is equivalent
to a true god, and each sequence can only have one Sequence 0... The
Goddess had inherited the authority from the Evernight Demonic Wolf? He
wasn't the oldest deity, nor was he the eye of the Creator as he
claimed?*
*Yes, there's a circumstantial clue that doesn't count as proof. The
Life School of Thought worships the moon, the crimson moon that evolved
from the Creator's eye, but they don't believe in the Evernight
Goddess...*
Klein suddenly made several connections as he manipulated The World to
speak.
"Is there nothing else?"
"No. Matters regarding the King of Demonic Wolves, Flegrea, is also
considered a myth in the City of Silver." Derrick felt as though he had
not given any answers. He suggested out of embarrassment, "Mr. World,
you can change to another question."
*Change the question? Little Sun, you're too honest... Then I won't
stand on ceremony!* Klein made The World say hoarsely, "Your
honesty and trustworthiness leave a deep impression.
"I met a Beyonder before. He was able to freely switch between the body
and spirit, and they were also able to direct zombies. Do you know which
pathway this belongs to, and which Sequence it is?"
Although it was impossible for The Sun, who was located in the Forsaken
Land of God and the City of Silver, to form a connection with the
capital of the Loen Kingdom, Backlund, Klein was cautious enough to
change the pronoun referring to Miss Sharron from "she" to "he."
"By the way, he's not a High-Sequence Beyonder," The World added in a
deep voice.
Derrick recalled the education he had received seriously before saying,
"If he's not a High-Sequence Beyonder, then the Phoenix pathway can be
eliminated."
"The Phoenix pathway?" Klein deliberately made The World show a certain
level of surprise.
After attending so many gatherings, Derrick was very clear that there
was a discrepancy between the terms used by the City of Silver and Miss
Justice and company. Therefore, Derrick explained without finding it
strange, "It's the Beyonder pathway that governs death and partly
controls the spirit world.
"Its Sequence 9 is Corpse Collector."
*So it's the Death pathway... From the looks of it, Phoenix ancestor,
Gregrace, was Death during the ancient times...* Klein sat at
the end of the long bronze table in a composed manner. He controlled
World as he nodded.
"I understand. You can continue."
Derrick replied immediately, "I can only think of two possibilities. One
is a type of special Devil. Just like I previously said, the Devils that
evolve from different species can have their differences. There is a
type that can freely switch between body and spirit, but they're rather
rare. And they might not be able to direct zombies."
"Can they be humans?" The World asked.
"No, not that I know of any similar examples," Derrick said honestly.
"What about the second possibility?" Klein thought back to Miss
Sharron's usual performance in battle, and The World changed his sitting
position.
Derrick replied seriously, "Mutants."
"Mutants? Isn't that referring to monsters?" The World asked hoarsely.
Klein clearly remembered that Mr. Azik had mentioned that the term
"Mutant" was the general term for humans that were put under a curse.
Due to the different curses, Mutants transformed into different races.
They were usually the same as humans, but their hearts were always
filled with a suppressed, twisted desire in their hearts. Their desires
erupted when they came into contact with a certain scene or object,
turning into monsters. They would then succumb to their desires for
blood and bloodshed.
Every time they unleashed their desires, they would become slightly more
merciless and apathetic. Finally, they would lose all their positive
feelings that are expected of a human.
The most common Mutant was the Werewolf.
Derrick nodded frankly and said, "That's right. Mutants are the various
kinds of monsters that evolve from humans due to the negative effects of
certain Beyonder characteristics."
It's not a curse, but the negative impact of some Beyonder
characteristic? Sitting upright in the thick gray fog, Klein found this
to be different from what Mr. Azik had described.
*Is this the understanding of Mutants from before the Cataclysm? General
knowledge in the City of Silver is quite precious to the Beyonders of
the Northern and Southern continents...* Klein became
increasingly aware of the special nature of the Forsaken Land of God.
At this moment, Derrick continued, "The characteristics which Mutants
possess happen to form a Beyonder pathway. Therefore, ordinary people
can turn into Mutants by consuming potions as well."
"A Mutant pathway? Which pathway is this referring to? What is the name
of the corresponding Sequence 9?" Klein asked curiously through The
World.
Derrick ignored the first few questions, treating them as a necessary
supplement.
"In the City of Silver, the corresponding Sequence 9 is called Prisoner.
"The mind is the prisoner of the body, and the body is the prisoner of
the world. This refers to the madness that is restrained and the desire
that is oppressed."
*Prisoner? This pathway is held by the Rose School of Thought. They're
famous for their bloody sacrifices, and worship of the so-called Chained
God... Miss Sharron doesn't look like such a cold-blooded,
indiscriminate person... Wait a minute, Maric was apparently being
pursued by some faction. Were he and Miss Sharron traitors of the Rose
School of Thought? Their betrayal was because they didn't want to turn
into crazy heretics?* Klein speculated as he made The World say,
"I'm very satisfied with your answer. Transaction complete."
Following that, a few members shared their experiences and news.
As for Klein, he ended the Tarot Gathering just before his spirituality
was exhausted.
When the area above the gray fog returned to its peaceful state, even
the fake World was gone. He then started to travel back and forth
between the real world and the mysterious space, bringing the Master Key
to the ancient palace.
*Although I deduced from Roselle's diary that there is a high
probability that there isn't a Sequence 0 for the Apprentice pathway, I
can't be rash. If there is a Sequence 1 or 2, they might be able to
counterattack effectively across space... And what if there really is a
Sequence 0? I shouldn't gamble with my life...* After Klein
recovered, he wrote a divination statement: "Its origin."
Next, he held the Master Key in his hand so as not to misdirect the
moniker "it."
Leaning back in his chair, Klein chanted the divination statement and
gradually fell asleep.
In the gray haze of the shattered world, he saw a bronze lamp rack with
many flickering candles.
Around the lamp rack was what seemed to be a secret room, devoid of any
external light. There were long tables, black iron pots, glass jars,
brown colored notebooks, and other items.
A young man wearing a classic black robe stood in front of the long
table, staring at the potion in his hand.
"Ancestors, I am about to embark on the path of extraordinariness. I
will definitely reproduce the illustrious glory of the Abraham family!"
he mumbled to himself and drank the potion.
The muscles on his face contorted in pain.
Suddenly, he cried out miserably and fell to the ground. He squirmed
continuously, strangling himself.
After a few seconds, he tore off his clothes, stripped off his skin, and
turned into a monster covered in blood.
Boom!
His flesh exploded, and each piece of flesh seemed to possess a life of
its own as they continued to crawl in every direction, leaving behind
signs of corrosion.
In the end, they were unable to leave the secret chamber and gradually
calmed down.
The specks of light gathered together and combined together with a
broken finger, forming an ancient and simple-looking brass-colored key.
At the same time, Klein saw a silver pocket watch inlaid with diamonds
among the tattered clothes.
After the dream ended, he opened his eyes and looked forward. He said
with a sigh, "Seriously, he said he wanted to restore the glory of the
Abraham family, but he failed at the first step... It's risky even at
Sequence 9..."
The Abraham family was a powerful aristocratic family of the Tudor
Dynasty during the Fourth Epoch. It was said that they held the Beyonder
pathway of Apprentice, but it was very likely that it was incomplete.
Klein recalled the scene he had just seen. He tapped his fingers on the
edge of the table and muttered to himself, "He spoke in the Loen
language. I can't tell where his accent is from.
"It was during the last ten years since it became popular to embed pure
diamonds into pocket watches.
"Perhaps I should visit the Harvest Church when I have the time and ask
Father Utravsky where he got his Master Key from... Perhaps I can find
some clues."
Just as Klein was about to leave the fog, the illusory star that
symbolized The Magician began to swell and contract. Fors was requesting
a sacrificial ritual.
Fors usually wouldn't have carried so much cash on her, but she had been
planning to attend a Beyonder gathering, so she had left 500 pounds to
see if she could buy what she wanted. Who knew that the corresponding
gathering had been canceled because of the circumstances. Now, she could
use it to pay for the Apothecary formula and the "acting method'---a
total of 430 pounds.
Seeing the screen of light appear and seeing the paper money disappear,
it took Fors a few seconds to react. She sincerely thanked Mr. Fool.
*I shall sell the Apothecary formula to Viscount Glaint for 300 pounds.
I can't be too greedy, or else this will ruin our long-term
partnership... As for Miss Audrey, I'll ignore her for the time being.
She has hopes of coming into contact with the Psychology Alchemists and
obtaining the corresponding formula directly. If there's really no hope
with that, I'll try purchasing it from the Tarot Gathering... Sigh... I
have to see if the "acting method" is effective. If it is, then I have
to consider how to pray to Mr. Fool. Oh... Xio is such a fool. She has
always been acting as an Arbiter and had unknowingly fulfilled the
requirements of the "acting method"...* Fors began thinking of
the future.
When he received the 430 pounds, Klein also received a prayer from Miss
Justice. She said that if Mr. Fool's Blessed no longer needed cash, she
could promise to exchange the 200 pounds for Roselle's diary entries to
make sure that Mr. Fool was satisfied.
*I'm satisfied. I'm only a few dozen pounds short of a thousand
pounds!* Klein declined Miss Justice's offer.
Then, he busily helped The Sun "awaken" his memories regarding the seven
gods.
After doing all this, Klein returned to the real world in exhaustion. He
drew the curtains open and started going through the dossier with the
information regarding the serial murders, searching for the animal that
might have existed.