Chapter 168: Unlucky Anderson

Chapter 168: Unlucky Anderson

After recognizing the figure leading the procession in the mural, Klein’s first instinct was to suspect that this was part of his own dream.

However, he quickly rejected that idea, because unlucky Anderson was not anyone he knew, nor anyone he had ever met and retained an impression of. In all likelihood, the man did not belong to an extension of his dream.

And Anderson had clearly said that he had become unlucky because he had seen that mural. He was strongly connected to it. Therefore, this should be part of his dream!

Concentrating, Klein examined the mural carefully and soon discovered several differences between this mural and the one Little Sun had seen inside the abandoned temple of the True Creator.

The background here was an ocean burning with golden flames, while the previous mural had shown a barren, deathly plain.

The destination here was the depths of the sea. The destination in the previous mural had been a distant mountain, with a gigantic cross and a hanged figure at its summit.

Here, beneath the feet of the Angel of Fate, Ouroboros, lay black mud and fish thrust headfirst into it. In the previous mural, there had been a winding, looping river.

They aren’t the same mural. They’re closer to records of different stages on a pilgrimage… Klein nodded in speculation.

A scene had already surfaced in his mind:

A long time ago, during a certain period of the Fourth Epoch, the Tail Devourer, Ouroboros, led a pious procession of pilgrims, or perhaps the remnants of the True Creator’s believers, fleeing from many powerful enemies and traveling by ship through one sea after another until they arrived in this region.

For some reason, “He” abandoned the ships and, with either the True Creator’s help or His own power, directly parted the sea, leading the faithful through this place and into the Forsaken Land of the Gods, preserving the flames of organizations like Rose Redemption and the Aurora Order.

In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, they crossed barren plains and built temples one after another along the path of their “pilgrimage”—the very kind later discovered by Little Sun and his team.

Judging from how Will Auceptin, the Mercury Snake of the School of Life, was forced to restart the cycle and reverse into an embryo, the Tail Devourer should still be alive… Does that mean He ultimately led those “pilgrims” to their destination—the holy sanctuary of the True Creator? Does that mean the True Creator’s sanctuary lies somewhere inside the Forsaken Land of the Gods? Thinking to this point, Klein suddenly felt an indescribable emotion rise within him.

If this guess of mine is correct, then it means that no matter how the City of Silver tries to save itself, no matter how it passes on its flame from generation to generation, once the True Creator fully awakens—or rather, recovers His normal state—they will inevitably head toward destruction!

When you live close to the divine kingdom, the sanctuary, of an evil god, whether you exist or not no longer has anything to do with your own efforts.

It was like foam rising from the surge of seawater. When that wave passed, the foam would vanish.

Human communities, human civilization—beneath the gaze of an evil god, they were that fragile.

“No, I can’t be this pessimistic. What I just thought was only speculation. Perhaps the one who forced Will Auceptin, the chairman of the School of Life, into reincarnation wasn’t Ouroboros. Perhaps the True Creator won’t recover or awaken so easily, and He may currently be suffering under the seals of the Seven Gods…

“So the City of Silver still has a chance. Before the evil god breaks free of His restraints, they can open a path between the Forsaken Land of the Gods and the outside world, then move out! This is probably the reason the Chief of the City of Silver released the Shepherd elder. They must use every scrap of power available to them…” Klein forcefully pulled back his thoughts.

Immediately afterward, a measure of worry arose in him. He feared that by coming here, he might already have fallen into a “cycle of fate” created by the Tail Devourer.

At that moment, his instinct was to take four steps counterclockwise, go above the gray fog, and forcibly retrieve any memories that might have been erased. In the end, however, he restrained that impulse, deciding to observe a little first.

From the perspective of interpreting symbolic signs, there is no looping river here. There is only black mud with fish thrust into it headfirst. That represents not a cycle of fate, but the entanglement of misfortune!

That matches Anderson’s words!

“As an Angel King, Ouroboros definitely wouldn’t have only one move, ‘Cycle of Fate.’ Different temples and different murals displaying different abilities is completely logical… Besides, this is inside a dream!

“And even if I truly did nothing and got caught in a cycle, repeatedly reliving the stretch from my conversation with Admiral of Stars to my decision to observe first, once next Monday arrives, the problem would be solved. At that time, the Tarot Gathering would definitely fail to convene as scheduled, and Miss Justice and the others would surely pray in confusion. Through that, I’d be able to recover my memories…” Klein immediately gained confidence. The panic and tension in his heart either vanished or were buried deep within him.

He looked ahead and discovered that the hall stretched very far, with no end visible at a glance. The light entering through the door only illuminated the area near the entrance, while the rest remained dim. The deeper one looked, the darker it became. Faintly, he could see wooden doors lining both sides, though he had no idea where they led.

Looking at that deep, dark scene, Klein’s desire to continue exploring immediately dropped to its lowest point.

“Even here, I’ve encountered a mural left behind by an Angel King. Who knows what will happen if I go deeper or enter other rooms…”

Fear of the unknown was an extremely ancient emotion. And knowing that something was likely dangerous without knowing what the source of the danger was—that was the unknown that brought the strongest fear. Klein examined himself for several seconds and stopped walking forward.

Instead, he turned to Anderson, who was chopping at the log with an axe, and asked, “Why did you come here?”

Anderson raised his head, glanced at him, and gave a derisive laugh.

“I’m a treasure hunter.

“Why do you think I came here?”

Treasure hunter… Klein casually asked, “There’s treasure here?”

Anderson continued lowering his head, crafting his so-called dugout canoe. His voice suddenly grew deep.

“This sea is full of treasure.

“As long as you can get it successfully and leave alive.”

That’s true… The problem is, if you’re not a demigod, this place is dangerous. If you are a demigod, this place is even more dangerous… Klein glanced toward the depths of the hall.

“Do you know what’s in there?”

Anderson followed his gaze and glanced in that direction.

“No.

“At least one-third of my companions formed teams and explored deeper in that direction. None of them ever returned.”

“Do you mean in the real world, or in the dream?” Klein asked with meticulous precision.

Bang!

After the axe came down, Anderson smiled.

“The real world, of course.

“In the dream, another third of my companions explored forward. They also never returned.”

…Klein drew in a breath and, after some thought, asked, “What happened to their bodies in the real world?”

“They mutated into monsters and killed quite a few companions.” Anderson pulled the axe free and chopped downward with force.

Clang!

In the crisp sound, two fragments broke from the axe. Because the crack had appeared toward the rear, the fragments shot straight into him.

Fresh blood immediately poured from Anderson’s right chest and abdomen like gushing springs.

He pressed his left hand over one wound, lifted his head, looked at Klein, and smiled bitterly.

“I told you. Ever since I saw that mural, misfortune has been hanging over me.

“Fortunately, this doesn’t count as too unlucky. At least it didn’t ruin my plain, handsome face.”

…How do those two adjectives fit together? Klein watched Anderson quickly remove the fragments, treat his wounds, and drink a potion. He discovered that the man’s emotions were steady and his technique skilled, as though he had long since grown accustomed to such things.

With one hand in his pocket, playing with the coin inside, Klein asked after some deliberation, “When your companions began exploring, did you and the remaining group stay behind to study the mural?”

Anderson froze for a moment. He fastened the potion skin back to his belt, wiped his mouth, and said, “No.

“I belonged to the third that went forward to explore.”

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth slowly widened, revealing a warm smile.

This… Klein’s pupils shrank. He bent his back slightly and immediately raised his left palm.

Just then, blinding sunlight flooded everything. First, all turned brilliant white; then everything faded, becoming faint before vanishing entirely.

Klein naturally opened his eyes and discovered that the world outside had returned to its noon state.

He took out his gold-cased pocket watch and snapped it open.

“Only half an hour has passed. That night was rather short…

“That unlucky Anderson clearly looked very normal, but I never imagined he would be so frightening!”

After getting out of bed, Klein suddenly remembered something: the Snake of Fate, Will Auceptin, had not yet “replied.”

Because everyone’s dreams had been pulled into that world and were not connected to the spirit world, could He not locate me? Or did He detect the aura of the Tail Devourer, Ouroboros, and dare not approach? Or is there something wrong with this sea itself? As thoughts turned in his mind, Klein decided to verify the matter.

As for how to verify it, the method was simple: during “noon,” sleep again.

However, he did not rush to do so, because he did not know whether there was a taboo against sleeping during the day here.

Putting on his flat cap, Klein walked to the captain’s cabin and knocked on the door with bent fingers.

After three knocks, he withdrew his hand and waited patiently.

Before long, Admiral of Stars Cattleya opened the door.

The confusion she had shown in the dream was no longer visible on her face, and she had again put on her thick glasses.

“Can one sleep during the day?” Klein asked directly.

Cattleya nodded.

“Yes.”

After answering, she hesitated briefly and said, “In the dream just now, you seemed very proactive?”

Considering the dangers hidden in this sea, and that he might be forced to reveal something later, Klein decided to lay a little groundwork in advance.

Looking at Cattleya, he gave a polite smile.

“Yes.

“It is my Lord’s gift.”

My Lord… Behind her thick glasses, Cattleya’s gaze clearly flickered.

Her brows furrowed in rare fashion, then quickly smoothed out. She asked nothing further.

Klein thought for a moment and added, “Be careful of Heath Doyle.”

Cattleya clearly understood what he meant and directly replied, “No need to worry. He has a Sealed Artifact whose negative effect makes him able to hear only sounds from very close sources.”

A clever use of a negative effect… Klein said no more. He removed his hat, bowed, turned away, and returned to his room.

He lay down again and once more used meditation to fall asleep.

In the dream world, he woke clearly and saw a familiar pitch-black plain and a dark spire.

Phew. Good. I can make contact… Klein breathed a sigh of relief. He walked all the way into the tower and, in the usual place, saw scattered tarot cards and new writing:

“There are many dangers there, but the most dangerous thing is the dream after night falls.

“This doesn’t mean that staying awake will make you disappear. It means you must remember one thing:

“Do not explore that dream!

“Absolutely do not explore that dream!

“Since there isn’t enough space here, I won’t explain the reason. Fine, I’m joking. The reason is that the place contains certain dreams left behind by certain gods.”