Chapter 111: The Method

Chapter 111: The Method

The method for separating the mental corruption of one who had lost control from a Beyonder characteristic… The Hermit Cattleya glanced at The World and guessed that he was likely holding one or two Beyonder characteristics left behind by those who had lost control. Moreover, one of them was very likely related either to The World’s own advancement, or to the advancement of someone closely connected to him.

This was not hard to deduce. If the Beyonder characteristic were not to be used as the main ingredient of a potion, then whether it contained residual mental corruption from someone who had lost control would not be a key issue. At most, any mystical item made from it would have extremely severe negative effects, equivalent to a Sealed Artifact. Yet even that was not necessarily impossible to use.

Having adjusted his emotions, Klein controlled The World and responded in a hoarse voice, “Write it down and pass it to me.”

At this point, Klein had originally wanted to encourage Little Sun with a few words, praising him as someone who honored his promises. But after considering that The World’s image was gloomy and reserved, the kind of person who would not speak more than necessary without an additional purpose, he hesitated for a moment.

No, there is an additional purpose… If Little Sun maintains his principles as a person, many things will be much easier in the future. To put it simply, he will be easier to fleece… Of course, that also means enduring the harm brought by his straightforward honesty… In Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and the others’ eyes, The World is an experienced and shrewd Beyonder. He should notice similar issues… As his thoughts rapidly shifted, Klein made The World release a low chuckle.

“You are truly someone who keeps his promises. Your character is worthy of praise.”

The Hanged Man raised an eyebrow and took the initiative to say to The Sun Derrick, “I am also very interested in knowledge of this sort. What can I use to exchange for it?”

His plan was simple: if the price was not high, he would complete the transaction. If it exceeded what he expected, he would give it up. In any case, he did not currently need it.

Derrick, who had just been praised, was still immersed in joy. Hearing this, he thought for two seconds and said with extraordinary sincerity, “Mr. Hanged Man, there is no need. You always gave me advice before and helped me face difficulties. Treat this as my thanks.”

…If The World had been a real person and happened to be drinking water, he definitely would have sprayed everything from his mouth at that moment. Thankfully, he was not drinking water, and he was not a real person. As for The Fool Klein, he had to exhaust his Clown abilities before barely suppressing the changes in his facial expression.

“…” The Hanged Man was briefly at a loss for words. The Sun’s answer had completely exceeded his expectations.

He had spent so many years drifting at sea and experienced many things. His worldview had long ago shifted from black-and-white to predominantly gray. Yet at this moment, for no clear reason, he felt a trace of shame.

“Your character is truly worthy of praise.” Alger swiftly returned to normal and praised Little Sun.

Do not copy my words! Could you not change the phrasing a little… The World swept a glance at The Hanged Man, while The Fool sighed inwardly that seasoned old foxes were all the same.

Stupid donkey! No, worse than a donkey—a stupid sheep! The Moon Emlyn silently slandered The Sun.

Ever since that morning, he had been filled with anticipation for this Tarot Gathering, because he had already successfully advanced to Baron and wanted to find an opportunity to show off in a natural way.

They may not be able to tell, aside from Mr. Fool… The Hanged Man should be able to guess… I need to do something later and let them know I am already a noble Baron… Emlyn listened from the side while thinking.

Justice Audrey was neither jealous nor angry at Little Sun’s words, because she knew very well that the person responsible for guiding him each time was mainly Mr. Hanged Man. The rest of them merely offered suggestions from time to time.

Good people naturally receive good returns… I hope Mr. Hanged Man becomes a little kinder from now on… She happily looked toward the opposite side. For the moment, she had no impulse to spend money or pay a price to obtain the method for separating mental corruption from Beyonder characteristics.

The Sun Derrick quickly turned back and obtained Mr. Fool’s approval. Soon, he materialized two pieces of yellow-brown parchment.

Klein controlled The World to take one and impatiently swept over it:

“There are two methods. The first is to use an item capable of stealing another person’s Beyonder powers to steal away the residual mental corruption from one who has lost control. Then, before the theft loses effect, mix the Beyonder characteristic into a potion. In this way, the mental corruption will not return, but will dissipate directly.

“The second is to set up a ritual and pray to one of our City of Silver’s two powerful mystical items. Using its response, the Beyonder characteristic will be shattered, causing the mental corruption to evaporate. Afterward, the Beyonder characteristic will slowly gather back together on its own.

“I can only obtain the corresponding ritual procedure. I cannot acquire an accurate description of that item. Only the elders of the six-member council have the right to understand and preside over similar rituals.

“The ritual procedure is…”

Mm… Thoughts crowded Klein’s mind, almost making him forget to control the puppet World.

“The first method is indeed something I had not thought of before… The Sealed Artifact behind Tingen City’s Chanis Gate, the Vessel Thief, can steal a target’s Beyonder abilities. Treating mental corruption as one of them poses no logical problem…

“But the problem lies in the fact that the mental corruption inside the All-Black Eye is not from an ordinary Beyonder. It comes from the evil god, the True Creator. Whether a Beyonder who has mastered stealing abilities or a mystical item close in nature, it would be very difficult to withstand such mental corruption. The former would one hundred percent lose control on the spot, while the latter would be directly polluted…

“Theoretically, I could sacrifice a similar mystical item and have it take the pollution in place of the All-Black Eye. But the timing must be controlled with sufficient precision. There cannot be the slightest error. Otherwise, both will be corrupted.”

Klein rapidly analyzed the feasibility of the first method, while the second method was close to his earlier deduction and Edwina’s guess, differing only in certain details.

“The City of Silver’s two powerful mystical items are, at most, Grade 0. They are basically impossible to be relics of some true god or Sequence 0. Otherwise, they would not be in such a wretched state within the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Therefore, can it be considered that shattering a Beyonder characteristic does not necessarily require the power of the gods? The angel level may be enough. According to Little Sun, in the Second Epoch, angels were equal to subordinate gods and could barely be counted as deities…

“Mm… There is one thing that supports this point. Sea God Kalvetua only obtained part of Calamity Cohinem’s characteristic, while the remaining part was inside the Book of Calamity… There may even be a third part hidden somewhere, helping that angel-level High Elf remain dead yet not completely gone. In short, one can see that Cohinem’s Beyonder characteristic was split into at least two portions. That is essentially the same as shattering a Beyonder characteristic.

“By comparing the evidence, I can preliminarily conclude that as long as the ritual is appropriate, the response of an angel-level powerhouse can also shatter a Beyonder characteristic. Then the question becomes: where do I find an angel…

“Mr. Azik may have been one at his peak, but right now he clearly has not recovered yet and remains at the level of a saint. The Snake of Fate, Will Auceptin, is currently only a fetus and has not even been born.”

Klein did not think further. He decided to consider where to begin after the Tarot Gathering ended.

At that moment, The Hanged Man Alger had also quickly read through the material and gained a certain understanding of its content.

From it, he developed a guess:

“Having The World search on his own for the method to separate mental corruption from Beyonder characteristics should be Mr. Fool’s test for His Blessed.

“But does this also show that Mr. Fool’s power has currently only recovered to the level of a saint, not yet to the angelic rank? Otherwise, there would be no need for so much trouble. He could directly remove it.

“How long has it been? Barely over seven months, and Mr. Fool has already recovered to this extent… Yes, He can even replace Sea God Kalvetua in giving responses!

“In another year or two, He should initially break free from His seal and stand at the peak of the angelic rank, only one step away from His ultimate goal.”

Ignoring The Hanged Man’s reaction, The Hermit Cattleya glanced at The World and thought for a few seconds. Then she said with a soft laugh, “I do not know whether the methods there include one that I understand.

“I can offer the hint for free: the Sun pathway’s Unshadowed can directly purify mental corruption from Beyonder characteristics.”

Madam Hermit is much more proactive than last time… Has she adjusted her mindset? Does she have some goal? Or did she discover that everyone else is weak and feel there is no need to be so cautious… Klein was first surprised by Admiral of Stars Cattleya’s attitude, then delighted that he had obtained a third method, one belonging to the Sun pathway that the City of Silver lacked.

But I cannot find an Unshadowed to help me. I do have an incomplete Unshadowed potion formula, though… He controlled The World, considered his words, turned toward Cattleya, and laughed deeply.

“Thank you for your generosity, Madam Hermit.”

Then he quickly switched into salesman mode and said to The Sun Derrick, “Do you know of a book called Groselle’s Travels?”

The Sun Derrick thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head with sincerity.

“No.”

No… Klein almost failed to continue with what came next. Fortunately, he steadied himself in time and made The World continue as though speaking to himself.

“It is a mystical book originating from the dragon race. Many of its successive owners have disappeared.”

“Originating from the dragon race?” Justice Audrey sharply caught the key point and asked back with considerable interest.

“Yes. A Beyonder is currently planning to sell it. The price is 8,000 pounds,” The World said hoarsely.

He had not added anything to Edwina’s asking price, because he had not yet bargained. That was his profit margin. And even if Edwina held firm at 8,000 pounds, obtaining Groselle’s Travels to study for a while would make it worth Klein’s time cost.

Audrey pressed her lips lightly together. Her eyes turned halfway as she cautiously asked, “What is magical about it?”

“…That remains to be studied.” The World chose honesty.

“I will consider it,” Audrey said without hurrying to agree.

After all, 8,000 pounds was not a small sum even to her, especially since she had just reimbursed Lie. Her father, Earl Hall, would find it very difficult to accept her buying a book whose use was unknown. As for relying on herself, she would need to save for three or four months—and that was under the premise that she had already bought Susie the Psychiatrist Beyonder characteristic.

Therefore, she turned to ask The World about the Psychiatrist Beyonder characteristic.

…This week was mostly spent hunting Vice Admiral Ailment, and I still did not succeed. I also failed to find a replacement to shepherd… For a moment, Klein felt slightly embarrassed and felt The World’s gloomy, shrewd image had suffered damage.