Chapter 247: The Cyclical Exploration

Chapter 247: The Cyclical Exploration

Above the gray fog, the ancient temple-like structure stood in quiet stillness.

Having noticed certain abnormalities from a string of consecutive coincidences, Klein entered this mysterious space after lunch, attempting to confirm a particular guess in his heart.

He picked up the materialized round-bellied fountain pen, paused for two seconds, and wrote:

“I have once again become involved in a series of coincidences created by Sealed Artifact 0-08.”

Putting down the dark-red fountain pen, Klein held the silver chain in his left hand and began the divination step by step.

At the end, he opened his eyes and looked at the pendulum close before him.

The citrine pendant remained motionless, without the slightest rotation.

That meant the divination had failed!

It could be that the conditions are insufficient, making it impossible to divine. Or it could be that 0-08 has countered it… Both situations would produce a similar result… Klein changed to different statements, directing them toward different targets, but every divination ultimately failed.

His fingers lightly tapped the edge of the mottled long table as he hesitated over whether he should visit Red Rose Manor tomorrow or the day after.

If there really isn’t 0-08 or a similar power arranging these matters, then my sudden escape will definitely arouse Prince Edessak’s suspicion. No—escape may not even succeed. Prince Edessak’s people live next door… Of course, now that I’m a Faceless, finding an opportunity to flee while I’m outside is still very simple. But is there any need to take things that far?

Tomorrow or the afternoon after, I can honestly visit Prince Edessak, hand over the mission through the normal process, and “leave” Backlund without drawing attention. As a prince, he shouldn’t expect a wild Beyonder like me to complete something too difficult…

If there really is a Sealed Artifact or demigod similar to 0-08 influencing recent events, then judging from what I have encountered, I should only be a supporting actor who accidentally wandered onto the stage. I haven’t yet received enough attention. Under such circumstances, fleeing is equivalent to telling the other party: I have noticed “your” existence! I am very suspicious!

In that case, relying on the abilities of a Faceless may not necessarily let me shake off the “gaze” locked onto me…

The best method is still to go to Red Rose Manor openly, withdraw from the stage through the most normal procedure, make a dignified curtain call, and fade out from that “line of sight” of unknown origin…

After combining both factors, Klein ultimately decided to pretend that he had discovered nothing and follow the predetermined plan: relinquish the mission and “leave” Backlund.

…

Inside the open-air camp where flames burned and guards remained constantly on duty.

Derrick Berg leaned against a stone pillar and slept to recover his strength.

At that moment, he dreamed of boundless grayish-white fog. He dreamed of an ancient chair standing at the very center and highest point, and of the indifferent figure seated upon it, looking down upon everything.

“Mr. Fool…” Derrick recited that name in his heart as if in prayer.

Immediately afterward, he heard a voice from the Fool:

“Prepare for the gathering.”

Yes, Mr. Fool. Derrick silently responded and began counting his heartbeats.

His eyes never opened, as though everything that had just happened was only an interlude within his dream.

There is still a long time before we set out. It should be enough to finish the Tarot Gathering… he thought with some relief.

He had originally believed that, after entering the exploration team, he would have to miss this gathering.

After one thousand heartbeats, Derrick waited a short while longer before sensing that he had entered that silent, peaceful temple.

The moment he opened his eyes, scene after scene suddenly flashed through his mind, as if an external force had instantly poured all the memories he had lost back into his head.

Those scenes included collapsed city walls; buildings in white and blue; a temple of the Fallen Creator similar in style to those of the City of Silver; murals detailing the arrival of the apocalypse and the Fallen Creator resisting six great evil gods, protecting the surviving humans; beautiful yet dangerous “mushrooms”; and a pale-yellow-haired boy named Jack, who had come from unknown origins and seemed extraordinarily strange.

These scenes repeated again and again, five times in total. But each time, there were minor differences in the details.

The first time, outside the temple of the Fallen Creator, every beast-hide lantern went out, nearly producing a disaster. The second time, someone failed to control themselves and nearly swallowed the “mushrooms,” only to be stopped in time by Chief Colin. The third time, the little boy Jack described one additional segment: he and his father had been searching for the Creator’s sanctuary across a boundless ocean, only to encounter a colossal storm. The fourth time, Joshua was gravely injured by little Jack after the boy suddenly mutated without warning. The fifth time, the temple completely collapsed, blocking the exit from the underground region.

And every time, it ended with Demon Hunter Colin killing little Jack. Every time, it began with them resting at the campsite and preparing to enter the ruined city. The beginning and end connected, repeating in an endless cycle.

We have explored the temple five times already… We have been living inside this experience all along, unable to truly end it! The more Derrick understood the memories that had suddenly appeared inside him, the more terrified he became, and the more his hair stood on end.

On the other side of the long bronze table, Justice Audrey had originally intended to greet Mr. Fool and everyone else as pleasantly and lightly as usual. But when her gaze swept around, she immediately noticed that Little Sun’s mood was wrong and asked at once, “Mr. Sun, what happened? Was the exploration of the True—uh, the Fallen Creator’s temple not smooth?”

The Sun, Derrick, was like someone grasping at hope. He hurriedly described the general course of events. At the end, he said, “After the little boy was eliminated by His Excellency the Chief, we all closed our eyes briefly and then woke up in the camp outside the city, preparing to begin a new exploration, without any memory of the previous time.

“This process has repeated five times, differing only slightly in detail.

“If not for Mr. Fool’s reminder, I wouldn’t even know that I had been living through the same segment of life over and over.”

He naturally believed that the memories that had appeared after he came above the gray fog came from Mr. Fool’s reminder. He stood up and solemnly bowed toward the blurry figure seated at the head of the long bronze table.

I only understood what happened after listening to your description… The Fool, Klein, had been somewhat dazed from the moment Derrick began speaking.

He maintained his original posture and gave a faint nod as a response.

When one does not understand the cause of a problem, those in higher positions cannot casually express an opinion or speak recklessly… Klein secretly reviewed the knowledge he had encountered back when he had been a keyboard expert in his previous life.

Seeing that Mr. Fool was like a deep, ancient well without the slightest ripple, the Sun, Derrick, immediately became much more at ease. He felt that the matter would be resolved in the end.

He turned instead to look at the Hanged Man, the World, Justice, and Magician, asking sincerely, “Do any of you know the root of the problem? How can it be solved?”

Warmhearted Justice Audrey instinctively wanted to answer, but discovered that she had no clue at all. She could not even come up with a guess.

Magician Fors was in a similar state.

Klein possessed ample knowledge originating from Earth and had read quite a few novels about being trapped in the same day. He originally intended to manipulate the World into offering ideas, so that everyone could gain inspiration for their thinking. But after carefully considering it, he chose to remain low-key and decided to observe first.

After hearing the Sun’s description, the Hanged Man, Alger, stayed silent for quite a long while before speaking with deliberation.

“I can only think of two possibilities. First, you encountered nightmare or illusion-type powers surpassing the level of half-gods and half-humans. After finding your memories again through Mr. Fool’s help, once you return to the real world, you should immediately be able to detect something wrong. In that case, the problem would be very easy to resolve.

“Second, at some point, whether forced or voluntarily, you entered a particular space or state. Time there maintains a certain degree of flow, yet remains fixed within a certain range, repeating cyclically, preserving balance. In other words, it is relatively still.

“In this situation, there are not many ways to end the cycle. Either an external force breaks that balance by force, or you find the key point where time has been twisted and connected.”

An external force breaks that balance by force? Hearing this, Justice Audrey, Magician Fors, and the Sun Derrick all subconsciously glanced toward Mr. Fool, who sat calm and leisurely at the head of the long bronze table.

No. I cannot always ask Mr. Fool for help… Since He did not speak directly, He likely wishes to test my ability to handle such matters… Derrick had a flash of understanding. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Mr. Hanged Man, let us first assume it is the second possibility. What do you think could be the key point that twisted and connected the beginning and end of the time loop?”

Before the Hanged Man could answer, Justice Audrey guessed with considerable interest, “That little boy, Jack?

“When facing him, perhaps you cannot handle it by killing him?”

The Hanged Man, Alger, nodded.

“That possibility exists.”

He considered his words, then said hesitantly, “The Sun’s description of Jack and his father reminds me of something.”

He turned to look at Miss Justice.

“Did I not mention before that I once pursued a Listener of the Aurora Order at sea? His purpose in going to sea was to search for the sanctuary of the True Creator.”

Audrey carefully recalled, then said with uncertainty, “I think there was such a matter.”

The Hanged Man, Alger, immediately said in a deep voice, “That Listener was likewise accompanied by his child, whose age was very close to the Jack described by the Sun.”

“Are you saying that Jack came from your world to the area around the City of Silver?” the Sun, Derrick, asked in astonishment.

After a brief pause, a certain inexplicable joy rose in his heart.

Because this meant that the region where the City of Silver was located had not been completely sealed off. There was still a chance for it to connect with the normal world where the Hanged Man, Justice, and the others lived!

“I can only say that it is possible.” The Hanged Man could not give a definite answer.

After thinking for a moment, he suggested, “You can find an opportunity to mention the Sonia Sea, the Loen Kingdom, and port cities in front of little Jack. Perhaps there will be a different reaction. Of course, try to avoid doing so in front of your City of Silver’s Chief.

“Also, the key point may not necessarily be little Jack. Other possibilities must be considered. If you describe the specific situation—such as the detailed contents of the murals—perhaps we can discover something useful.”

At this point, Alger began looking forward to the intelligence he might obtain.