Chapter 5: Free Common Knowledge

Chapter Five
Free Common Knowledge

“June 3rd. After discussing it with Edwards and the others, I gave up on the idea of reaching a tacit understanding with the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. That might very well expose my true intention and allow the Sauron family, along with the old nobles who support them, to notice in advance and make targeted arrangements. If that happened, things would become extremely difficult and dangerous.

“What a pity. Green died in the Misty Sea. He was the smartest among us.

“Let chaos come. Let chaos come! Only when things become thoroughly chaotic will I have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters. Only when the Sauron family can no longer clean up the situation will the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun be forced to hold their noses and acknowledge me.

“Perhaps I should give those rebels a little help, but how do I do it secretly? How do I make sure others cannot detect it?

“June 4th. Zaratul of the Secret Order came to visit me in secret. It was extremely sudden.”

…

Where is the rest?

Klein had just grown curious about why Zaratul, leader of the Secret Order, had gone to find Roselle on the eve of rebellion and coup, only to discover that the next two pages of the diary were entirely unrelated.

This made an irrepressible feeling of frustration rise inside him.

Although these three diary entries did not contain many specific details and were merely the plain narration of the person involved, Klein could still feel the rising storm behind the famous Intis incident of 1173—more than a hundred years ago.

The results were clearly recorded in history textbooks: Roselle, as a colonel, suppressed the rebellion, used the opportunity to launch a coup, changed the Intis Kingdom into a republic, and made himself Consul.

Over the next nineteen years, he reformed the legal code, encouraged inventions, protected the Industrial Revolution, greatly strengthened national power, and waged campaigns north and south, bringing Lenburg, Masin, Segar, and other countries under protection while forcing the Feysac Empire, the Loen Kingdom, and the Feynapotter Kingdom, the three great powers of the Northern Continent, to bow their heads one after another.

Near the twentieth year of his tenure as Consul, at the end of 1192, Roselle transformed the republic into an empire and declared himself Caesar.

Less than six years later, he fell at the White Maple Palace, bringing to an end the most legendary period of the Fifth Epoch thus far.

Recalling the materials he had read, Klein increasingly felt that Roselle’s death was certainly not as simple as it appeared on the surface, just as this famous incident must have involved Beyonder struggles and a rebalancing of supernatural forces behind the scenes. It could not be the same as the description in textbooks.

“Green, one of Roselle’s so-called Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, really did die in the Misty Sea… In one of the previous diary entries, Roselle recorded that something was wrong with that ‘Horseman.’ This seems to have some connection to the island they discovered—the one where many supernatural creatures lived… It was not only an adventure, but danger too…”

Klein thought of an earlier entry and sighed inwardly as he turned to the fifth diary page.

The contents of this page had little value. They were respectively Roselle’s comments after drinking 1128 Aurmir red wine, the disillusionment he felt after meeting the woman he had admired in his youth only to discover that her figure had changed and her beauty had aged, and a fallen self-summary of a period during which he had become addicted to card games.

The sixth page was similar, recording comparable ordinary matters. But the final entry suddenly made Klein’s eyes light up.

“April 8th. I must send people to investigate the Secret Order and obtain more information. I cannot repeat my previous passivity. I cannot be led around by Zaratul again.”

So did you find anything, Comrade Roselle?

Klein could not find the follow-up content and could only force himself to calm down and wait for the next gathering, when The Hanged Man would submit another six pages.

He knew that investigation materials from more than a hundred years ago were very unlikely to help him find present clues related to the Secret Order. After all, such a long time had passed. Aside from certain special cases, many high-Sequence powerhouses might already have died of old age, let alone mid- and low-level members. Still, Klein believed that such materials could help him gain inspiration and understand the public identities and activity patterns the Secret Order customarily used.

Setting down the six diary pages, Klein lightly tapped the edge of the bronze long table with his right index finger. His gaze slowly moved from Miss Justice to The Hanged Man, then to The Sun.

Right. In the diary just now, Emperor Roselle used one phrase: “the Lord who created everything, the omniscient and omnipotent God.” That is very close to the City of Silver’s habits. Where did he hear it? From that most ancient, most secret organization that secretly manipulates the world situation? Was that organization born before the Forsaken Land of the Gods came into being?

Mm…

Suddenly, Klein had a new idea. He laughed in a low, calm voice.

“Roselle mentioned certain buried histories in his diary. He also mentioned some simple common knowledge. The latter reminded me that I seem not to have told you.”

Audrey instantly froze, then half turned her body and looked in delight toward the head of the ancient long table.

Mr. Fool is voluntarily mentioning the contents of Roselle’s diary? What could be recorded on it?

She was both excited and thrilled, completely forgetting that she was a Spectator.

Compared with her, The Hanged Man Alger was much steadier. Yet the way he unconsciously straightened his back still mercilessly betrayed him.

Only The Sun Derrick, although he had always believed that the things Mr. Fool cared about must contain many mysteries, did not know Emperor Roselle and did not know what that name represented on the Northern Continent. Therefore, he was merely unable to hide his curiosity, without showing any especially abnormal reaction.

“Mr. Fool, what common knowledge did Emperor Roselle mention? I can pay compensation to exchange for this information,” Audrey could not help asking.

However, I request a private exchange!

She silently added in her heart.

Klein chuckled softly.

“That is unnecessary. These are simple pieces of common knowledge.

“Seeing this part of the diary, as the convener of the Tarot Club, I believe it is necessary for you all to know them. Of course, I am well aware that some among you have long since grasped them.”

He was mainly referring to The Sun. The City of Silver had two or three thousand years of history. It was impossible that they had not discovered the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility.

Furthermore, they existed in a relatively extreme environment. Although the surrounding regions did not lack monsters in the dark, at certain times, they might still not be able to obtain the corresponding materials they needed. For inheritance, for the continuation of the entire city, using the Beyonder characteristics condensed from predecessors’ remains to make potions was not especially unacceptable.

To them, perhaps it was even a sacred and honorable ritual.

Of course, judging from previous exchanges, Klein could tell that The Hanged Man also knew something.

What a pity. I cannot always have Miss Justice pay gold pounds and transfer them to my blessed one… My blessed one needs dignity too… I cannot destroy the powerful image Mr. Azik helped create… Mm, I can try again when I get the chance. After all, even the greatest existences have low-level subordinates to run errands, just like the Sleepless of the Evernight Goddess… No one has ever doubted that the Evernight Goddess is a true deity simply because low-level Nighthawks are weak…

Klein sighed soundlessly.

“Thank you so much! Mr. Fool, You truly are too generous!” Audrey replied joyfully.

She repented for three seconds over her earlier vulgar thought of purchasing information with money.

Klein stopped tapping the table and described in an indifferent tone:

“The first piece of common knowledge is the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility. Beyonder characteristics cannot be destroyed, nor can they be reduced. They merely transfer from one thing to another.”

I unconsciously used the Captain’s tone…

The corners of Klein’s mouth lifted instinctively.

Cannot be destroyed, cannot be reduced, merely transferred from one thing to another…

Audrey chewed over Mr. Fool’s description, feeling that this simple sentence contained far too much meaning.

Her emerald eyes, like gemstones, turned slightly. Seeing that neither The Hanged Man nor The Sun showed surprise or thoughtfulness, she immediately understood that those two Tarot Club members had long known of this law.

Only I did not know…

She felt slightly wronged, but very soon began praising Mr. Fool’s kindness.

At this point, Klein added, “Therefore, when Beyonders who lose control die, they leave behind items condensed from Beyonder characteristics. They may be potion main ingredients, or they may be mystical items that need to be sealed. The same is true after normal Beyonders die, except that those remains will be equivalent to the corresponding potion without supplementary ingredients. Of course, they themselves will also possess certain Beyonder abilities and can be used as half-finished mystical items.”

Those calm, plain sentences instantly echoed inside Audrey’s mind, layering over one another, continuously rising, until they finally became a tremendous thunderclap.

Audrey thought of eating people. She thought of a question she had once asked The Hanged Man: if the sources of materials were cut off, would a Sequence pathway be severed as well?

Now, she knew the answer. Yet she would rather not have heard it. It felt as though she had entered a nightmare.

How could it be so cruel? How could it be so dark?

Audrey had already seen certain unsavory matters involving the Beyonder world, but those had arisen from individual vulgarity and evil—people like Mr. A, or Qilangos. They had not affected her yearning and fondness for the mystical field and the supernatural world.

But this time, she discovered that the world filled with mystical charm was itself saturated with gray and black.

Wake up, Audrey. You cannot remain naive! Think of loss of control. The cruelty and darkness Mr. Fool described can be foreseen… Since you chose this path, you must bravely walk onward!

Audrey gave herself two lines of consolation, and her mood eased somewhat.

She saw that The Hanged Man and The Sun merely had certain habitual reactions, as though they were already very familiar with the contents just now.

Hmph! Mr. Hanged Man is so bad. He previously wanted to use this information to trade with me! Well… this information is indeed worth a generous reward. It is quite important. But that is only for us. In Mr. Fool’s eyes, it is merely simple common knowledge…

Audrey suddenly felt a little like laughing. Her mood began improving, and she slowly cast aside the various extreme examples she had imagined.

Klein was not surprised by the reactions of the three members. With no fluctuation in tone, he continued, “The second piece of common knowledge is the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics within Neighboring Sequences.”

Conservation of Beyonder characteristics…

The Hanged Man shifted his sitting posture slightly. He felt he had understood certain matters, yet still could not completely grasp what this law represented or contained.

Justice and The Sun felt similarly. They also could not intuitively understand the true meaning of that law.

“Why neighboring Sequences?” Alger could not help asking.

Klein smiled and answered, “What will you pay in exchange for the answer?”

One of his ideas earlier had been precisely this: common knowledge is free; explanations cost money. That fit his status, and it did not waste information.

Free things were the most expensive.