Chapter 560: The Hanged Man Gets Fleeced
Above the fog, Klein took out the Black Emperor card that he had fused
with his Spirit Body and instantly reverted to his original form.
This is called a one-click gear swap... he mocked himself as
he recalled what had just happened.
He was almost certain that the "giant" wearing the sharp crown was King
of the Five Seas, Nast Solomon. The hundred-meter-long sailboat that
could sail through the spirit world was the ghost ship named Black
Emperor, which was built by the ancient Solomon Empire!
*I've always thought that a ghost ship simply means that it can sail on
its own and wouldn't sink, making it closer to a strange creature. I
never thought that the most powerful ghost ship would be able to turn
itself incorporeal and wander through the spirit world...*
*That makes it almost a demigod, right? As expected of the most famous
Black Emperor on the Five Seas. Yes... I can't eliminate the possibility
that it sacrificed a Traveler during its creation process...*
*For one of the most famous legendary treasures, the Specter Empire
which carries the final inheritance of the Trunsoest Empire, could it be
that the ship also comes equipped with this capability, making it
impossible to find?*
Klein's thoughts slowly drifted without immediately realizing the reason
why he had suddenly met King of the Five Seas, Nast.
This was very obvious: the law of Beyonder characteristics convergence!
Although the Black Emperor card didn't contain any Beyonder
characteristics, Roselle had added or carved something onto the card
when he made it. It allowed the wielder to use the Card of Blasphemy
after they advanced to a High-Sequence Beyonder, to subtly sense the
Beyonder ingredients that they needed.
There was no doubt that such a sensation was mutual. As one sensed the
other, the other would naturally sense them too. As for the wielder,
they would appear to approach a certain fate before they crossed that
step into becoming a demigod.
This was something Klein was deeply aware of. He ultimately suspected
that the existence of the gray fog had brought together certain
Beyonders or supernatural events to him.
*Traveling with the Black Emperor card in the spirit world makes it
easier for such situations to occur. This is because the real world
needs to abide by many rules. Even the fate from drawing lots needs to
abide by logic, developing bit by bit. It doesn't make sense for me to
use the Black Emperor card in Backlund, and for the King of the Five
Seas, Nast, to immediately appear in front of me with the ghost
ship...*
*Even if he sensed the attraction force, he would have to go through the
process of locating me, and through the process of traveling through the
spirit world, take hours or even days to arrive. If he didn't sense it,
he would only naturally think of sailing towards the Sonia Sea and head
closer to the borders of the Loen Kingdom. In that case, it might take
months before we bump into each other.*
*By being in the spirit world, things are simple; there is no concept of
distance or direction in there. Locations and distances are all
extremely chaotic. Perhaps the King of the Five Seas, Nast, might've
wished to go out on a spin in the spirit world, but he ended up seeing
me pass by the moment he entered. This doesn't need to abide by any
restrictions or limitations on geographical locations,* Klein
thought as he rapped the corner of the mottled table.
In addition to this, he was certain that the reason why he was thrown
uncontrollably towards the Black Emperor and at King of the Five Seas,
Nast, wasn't because of the law of convergence of Beyonder
characteristics. The effects of the law was only reflected in fate,
perception, and desire, nothing too exaggerated; otherwise, there
wouldn't be High-Sequence Beyonders---all of them would be involuntarily
drawn by the "Uniqueness" of their respective pathway.
Klein could sense that it was a type of Beyonder power that twisted and
strengthened his intent to move forward, resulting in him being unable
to stop.
*This is a very simple analysis. Even if I had thrown out the Black
Emperor card at the time, I wouldn't have been able to stop... This is a
Lawyer, which is a Beyonder power wielded by the Black Emperor
pathway?* Klein leaned back in his chair and decided not to use
the Black Emperor card any time soon.
This meant that he was unable to roam the spirit world in search of a
messenger.
If he hadn't brought the Black Emperor card and had used his main body
with the Sea God Scepter, he would appear in the spirit world, which was
filled with all kinds of revelations and information. He would
inevitably leave many clues and could be divined about at any time. In
terms of anti-divination and anti-prophecy, Azik's copper whistle
couldn't be compared to the Black Emperor card.
*If I were to really do that, I might meet ten people who know that I
obtained the Sea God Scepter, when buying a beer at the bar... Of
course, it was taken by Klein Moretti, so what has that got to do with
me, Gehrman Sparrow?* Klein shook his head in a self-deprecating
manner and decided to use the ritual method to get a messenger to
respond. He could find something more suitable later on.
After he covered the Black Emperor card, his figure disappeared from the
mysterious space above the gray fog.
Early morning, Bayam.
Alger prepared to take a carriage out of the city and take a detour to a
private harbor behind the cliff. That was where his Blue Avenger was
docked and waiting to set sail.
As a disguised pirate captain, he couldn't dock so openly at the main
port of the City of Generosity. That would be sufficient proof that he
had close ties with the authorities. It was the same with the other
pirates who had to consider their berth in advance before coming to
Bayam to sell their loot or gain enjoyment. They either went to a small
port in the surrounding waters, or to a private port controlled by
someone with a deep background or by the Resistance.
*Finally, there are no more missions. I can go out to sea again... I
need to first obtain a mystical item that can increase my strength and
also square my accounts. After that, I'll head to the primitive island
and hunt for the Blue Shadow Falcon, allowing me to advance to Sequence
6 as quickly as possible...* Alger was about to walk towards a
rental carriage when he unexpectedly saw a familiar figure.
The former pirate merchant, Ralph, walked out of the carriage with a
ruddy face and looked towards the governor-general's office that wasn't
far away. He seemed to be abnormally excited.
What happened to him? After a moment of puzzlement, Alger took
the initiative to go over and greet him.
From his point of view, Ralph was, in a sense, also one of his comrades.
They were all subordinates of Mr. Fool.
*However, one is a core member, while the other just remains on the
periphery...* Alger calmly confirmed their identities and
positions.
"What happened to deserve such joy?" Alger asked after chatting about
the weather.
Ralph laughed out loud and narrowed his eyes, saying, "If I were to say
that I received the blessings of God, would you believe me?"
I believe... Alger answered in his mind without hesitation.
Suppressing his curiosity, he asked, "What are you doing here?"
Ralph was about to answer when his eyes suddenly lit up.
He looked around, and after confirming that there was no one around him,
he said in a deep voice, "Didn't you say that you also believe in God?"
In order to befriend him, Alger had lied, saying that his faith lay with
Sea God, Kalvetua. In any case, this was common among pirates, so it
wouldn't arouse suspicion---at sea, the weather was usually more
frightening than any enemy, so most pirates, adventurers, ship crew, and
sailors had great respect for gods who controlled similar fields,
believing in them to a certain extent.
"Of course." This time, Alger's answer was firmer than ever.
This was because he knew that the "Sea God" that the other party
believed in was the embodiment of Mr. Fool.
Ralph nodded in satisfaction, revealed a smile, and whispered, "I
received a revelation yesterday. God sent me to help 'His' young lambs.
"I intend to establish a charitable fund for this purpose.
"This is the will of God. As 'His' believer, I think you would be happy
to provide some assistance."
He held out his right hand and waited for the donation.
Alger's expression stiffened, and he was momentarily unsure of how to
respond.
Although his present fortune was worth 3,245 pounds, he was preparing to
buy a mystical item, making his overall financial situation somewhat
tight.
Of course, he could still donate quite a bit if he skimped and saved.
If the "Sea God" was still Kalvetua, Alger, who claimed to be a
believer, wouldn't have hesitated to find an excuse. But now, he had to
seriously consider the deeper motives of Mr. Fool.
Noticing Alger's reaction, Ralph's eyes darted schemingly before he
said, "We want to help children who are suffering from unnecessary
discrimination because of their bloodline. They live a hard life, and it
is hard to see any hope for them. There are pure-blooded natives, as
well as mixed-bloods."
Alger was silent for a few seconds, then he pulled out a wad of cash.
"Here's 100 pounds."
Ralph took it and said with a smile, "Your kindness will definitely be
rewarded.
"God will protect you."
The door slanted over the entrance to the warehouse.
Klein prepared the summoning ritual for the spirit world creature and
was surrounded by the hallucinatory scent of herbs and essential oils.
He was afraid that there would be some kind of accident if he held it in
the inn, and although it might not be risky for him, it might end up
harming the other occupants; therefore, he went back to the abandoned
warehouse where he had gave a sacrifice to Kalvetua.
As for Danitz, having his bounty raised to 5,500 pounds, he was very
proactive in asking to stay in the suite and monitor the radio
transceiver.
*The procedure is to light the candle that symbolizes me, and to use a
verified incantation to summon the appropriate spirit world creature as
a messenger...* Daly Simone's three-lined description and the
various incantations provided by Mr. Azik went through Klein's mind.
When summoning a spirit world creature, the first sentence needed
descriptions such as "wanders about the unfounded" and "roaming in the
upper realm." Only by doing so could it accurately point to the spirit
world. The suffix would clearly indicate that the Spirit Body was being
summoned and that it was a creature that had a corporeal body. The
second and third lines were an accurate description of the creature, but
due to the restrictions of the format, one couldn't use too many words
to pinpoint a creature. Therefore, it was difficult to predict or divine
what would ultimately be summoned by the ritualist.
In this sort of situation, using an incantation previously used by
others implied a much lower risk.
Then, after signing a contract, the description of the third sentence:
"the messenger that belongs to whomever" or "Contract Companion of
whoever" could be made, allowing the three-lined description to
accurately summon the corresponding messenger.
*Yes, my messenger has to run very fast; otherwise, it might be killed
by some malicious creature in the spirit world, resulting in the loss of
important letters...* Klein's mind raced, and he came up with a
clear plan.
He took a step back and said in ancient Hermes, "I!
"I summon in my name:
"The spirit that wanders about the unfounded, the friendly creature that
can be subordinated, the creature whose speed surpasses imagination."
Whoosh!
There was the sound of wind, tainting the candles to a dark green and
turning the surroundings cold and creepy.
Klein saw a blurry figure rush out, too fast for him to see anything.
After that, he couldn't find the fellow ever again.