Chapter 7: Prophecy

Chapter 7: Prophecy

Klein naturally withdrew his gaze. Holding his gold-inlaid cane, he followed close behind Haggis into the general’s residence.

There was not the slightest Southern Continent flavor in the building’s style. It did not restrict lighting to make the interior appear gloomy, nor did it boldly use a small number of human bones as decoration to give people a strong visual impact. Instead, it seemed more like a transplanted mansion from the Northern Continent, with an Intisian color that could not be erased:

Every pillar was wrapped in gold leaf in segmented bands. The murals on the walls used fervent colors, surrounded by golden sculptures. A spiraling, ornate staircase descended from high above, connecting all four floors and landing in the center of the hall, directly facing the entrance in impressive fashion.

It had to be said that nations led by the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun were truly at the forefront of the world when it came to the art of gold. It did not feel nouveau riche at all… Klein’s gaze swept over the stair railings and the palm-sized golden angel statues flying diagonally from the middle sections of the pillars. He resisted the impulse to reach out and touch them.

After glancing at the guards standing on either side, he casually found a topic and said to Haggis,

“Colonel Alfred Hall seems to have built accomplishments in West Balam as well?”

Haggis nodded from the heart, speaking in that Loen noble accent.

“He is a resolute and brave man. He once led a special operations team of just over thirty people in a surprise attack against an Intisian force of a thousand, completely routing them. I heard that he has also achieved repeated merits in East Balam. He is only in his twenties and has already become a colonel.”

That sounds impressive… Miss Justice’s brother may already be a Beyonder, and not of a low Sequence either… Mm, in great noble families, each generation should have some members take the Beyonder path… Heh. Once this Mr. Alfred has gone through hardship and tribulation, finally achieved his goal, become a higher-sequence Beyonder, obtained the rank of brigadier general or major general, and returned to Backlund, perhaps he will tragically discover that he cannot even beat his own sister’s dog… Having taken his medication before leaving, Klein used inward sarcasm to adjust his mental state.

He did not ask more about Alfred. Instead, he changed to a puzzled tone.

“I’ve noticed that West Balam and East Balam also have certain differences in custom. Here, many houses have some human bone decorations, while East Balam does not.

“I’ve come here quite a few times. I had this question long ago, but I never felt comfortable asking.”

Haggis stopped and pointed toward the ostentatious staircase opposite them.

“Mr. Dantès, please wait a few minutes. The General will come down soon.”

Only after explaining the important matter did he chuckle.

“The custom of using human bones is actually not common. Only territories directly under the royal family during the Balam Empire period preserve this habit. To us, the death of a loved one does not mean our time with them has ended completely. Before burial, we take a bone from their corpse and place it at home as decoration, to show that the deceased and the living remain together.

“The exact bone to choose is decided through a ritual by the priest presiding over the funeral. The best and most symbolic is the skull.

“Some families even make skulls into wine cups and only use them to entertain their most honored guests.

“Mr. Dantès, if this transaction succeeds, I would like to invite you to my home and express my respect by filling my grandfather’s skull with Phinis wine for you.”

…Klein’s expression nearly stiffened. He felt that, in this regard, he truly had no way to do as the locals did.

He laughed twice and was just about to give Haggis a perfunctory response when he saw a figure slowly descend the staircase with golden railings.

The figure wore no hat. He was dressed in a neat black military formal uniform, its buttons shining gold, its ribbon red as blood.

His skin was light brown, and his facial contours were soft. His features gave the impression that they had not properly opened, tightly crowded together in the center of his face, making his face appear larger than normal.

Having obtained information through multiple channels, Klein recognized him at a glance as Mesanyes, the true ruler of Northern State in West Balam, who called himself a general.

On the surface, he wavered among Loen, Intis, Feysac, Feynapotter, and several resistance factions, maintaining balance. In secret, however, he had already gained the support of the royal faction of the Numinous Episcopate.

At the same time, Klein suspected that this native general had also established a stable connection with the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

As for Mesanyes’s own strength, both Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina and Star Admiral Cattleya had marked him as Sequence 5 in their files, but neither mentioned which pathway he belonged to. Most of the abilities this native general displayed were related to spirits, yet he carried a mystical item of the Death pathway.

“Good afternoon, Your Excellency General.” Klein removed his hat, pressed a hand to his chest, and bowed.

At that moment, he once again felt gazes from somewhere unknown watching him. They were the flashes of light passing over the golden angel statues, the sunlight reflected by colored glass, and the gleam mirrored from smooth marble.

“Hello, Mr. Dantès,” Mesanyes replied in Dutan.

Having already mastered Dutan through a marionette, Klein could naturally understand. Yet the longer he stayed on the Southern Continent, in East and West Balam, the more he felt that Dutan and ancient Feysac bore a certain resemblance.

Although these two languages undoubtedly belonged to different systems, making Dutan truly difficult for him to learn, certain details were always astonishingly similar, as though they had a common source.

The only thing Klein could be certain of was that the source would not be Giant.

Pretending to have noticed nothing, he chatted naturally with Mesanyes until the other party took the initiative to mention the arms transaction.

“How much stock do you have in total?”

Klein smiled.

“Enough to equip three to four thousand people. In addition, there are several cannons.”

Mesanyes fell silent briefly.

“Name your price.”

After a moment of consideration, Klein said,

“If you want me to deliver the goods to Northern State, the price is 50,000 pounds. If you send a team to go with me to retrieve the goods and handle the subsequent transport and security yourself, it will only be 40,000 pounds.”

Mesanyes thought about it.

“The latter.

“You take the deposit and bring my people along. After they see the goods and load them onto the carriages, they’ll pay the rest.”

He paused, then added,

“However, I do not have that many Loen pounds.”

Insufficient foreign exchange reserves, huh… Klein looked around and smiled without much concern.

“You can pay me directly in gold coins, or even gold bars and gold bricks.”

Mesanyes was rather decisive. Without rambling, he nodded.

“Deal. Tomorrow, I’ll have Haggis bring people and money to find you.”

Not bad. I like doing business with people who don’t haggle… Klein first breathed out in relief, then immediately suspected that perhaps he had quoted too low a price.

After he left the general’s residence, Mesanyes suddenly raised his head and looked toward the top of the staircase.

“Your Excellency Luca, is this the person you were waiting for?”

On the level above the ornate staircase, a figure slowly emerged.

It was an old man wearing a plain white robe embroidered with brass-colored threads. His hair was already completely white, yet neatly combed. His grayish-green eyes were so deep that their bottom could not be seen.

He answered unhurriedly,

“I cannot be certain. Although my prophecy told me that, here and within these two days, I would encounter someone who can resolve my future predicament, that gentleman just now was far too ordinary. Other than being a Beyonder, there was nothing worth describing.

“Of course, I cannot see his deeper truth. Perhaps there is an existence behind him who is at least no weaker than I am.”

At this point, he slowly descended. After a few seconds, he said,

“I will attempt to use dreams and see whether I can discover more.”

“Do you need me to prepare a special room for you?” Mesanyes asked respectfully.

Luca shook his head.

“The sitting room beside us will do. Mm… the best time will be four hours from now. Before then, do not disturb me.”

He then entered that room, sat down, leaned back against the sofa, relaxed his body, closed his eyes, and fell silent.

Only when the sky gradually darkened did the old gentleman truly fall asleep.

In his dream, he found himself standing inside the hall of the general’s residence, standing on the first step of the ornate staircase. Beside him were Mesanyes, Haggis, and numerous guards.

Across from him stood the middle-aged gentleman named Dwayne Dantès. His lips suddenly curled upward, revealing an exaggerated smile.

Flames rose one after another, and playing cards fell from above.

Luca’s grayish-green eyes abruptly deepened, and Dwayne Dantès’s body immediately sank into a strange darkness that had emerged from nowhere.

The old gentleman in the plain white robe spread his arms, revealing a vortex of ghostly light in his chest and abdomen.

The vortex abruptly expanded, swallowing Dwayne Dantès.

Before Luca could confirm the situation, he suddenly sensed something. He turned his head to the side and saw Mesanyes’s face wriggle and his body stretch, instantly transforming into another Dwayne Dantès.

Almost at the same time, Haggis and every guard present grew Dwayne Dantès’s face one after another. Together, they turned their gazes toward Luca!

Luca jolted awake. Under Mesanyes’s gaze—who had entered at some point—he stood dazed for two seconds before speaking in a low voice:

“I must personally meet that gentleman from before. I must meet the demigod behind him.”

Before his words had even faded, he subconsciously turned his head and looked out the window.

At this moment, the streetlamps had already been lit. The sky was pitch-black, and the crimson moon had strangely taken on a bloody color.

Another blood moon!

…

Thank goodness for Mr. Fool… There have been far too many blood moons this year, haven’t there? It’s only been a little over two months since the last one… I wasn’t prepared at all! Fors, who had turned over and sat up, wiped cold sweat from her forehead and muttered soundlessly to herself.

She had already arrived at the small town at the edge of Delaire Forest and checked into an inn, sharing a room with Xio. They planned to conduct a preliminary exploration of the abandoned ancient castle early the next morning. Who would have thought that, just as she was preparing to rest, she would encounter a blood moon?

At that moment, she seemed to remember something. Her body stiffened as she turned her head to the side.

Xio, who had claimed she wanted to sleep early, had awakened at some unknown point and was lying there with open eyes, looking at her.