Chapter 145: A Request for Cooperation

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Five
A Request for Cooperation

Certain pathways can be mutually substituted after Sequence 5? That is not the same as what the Nighthawks say internally!

Isn’t it supposed to be impossible to change once one has chosen a pathway? Isn’t straying onto the wrong path said to grant bizarre, strange abilities, but inevitably make one half-mad and unable to advance ever again?

There are actually exceptions hidden within this!

Klein’s pupils contracted slightly as he read the diary.

He did not doubt that Emperor Roselle would fabricate such a matter, because the surprise between the lines was so genuine. Yet he did not believe that the information Roselle had obtained was necessarily absolutely correct. The other party could have been deceived or might have misunderstood.

This needs verification… Record it first…

Klein reminded himself inwardly and began thinking deeply about the matter.

If Roselle’s description is correct, then the waters inside the Sequence pathways are very deep indeed… There are many secrets hidden there…

The complete pathway the Nighthawks possess is Sleepless, and the relatively complete one is Corpse Collector, which can at least reach Sequence 4. It turns out those two can substitute for each other after Sequence 5… The other formula chains are extremely incomplete, some containing only the starting Sequence…

Similarly, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery’s complete pathway is Savant, while the relatively complete one is Mystery Pryer. They too can substitute for each other at higher levels…

Interesting… I wonder which pathway my Seer Sequence can substitute with? Apprentice and Marauder, which the Emperor mentioned together back then?

Mm. The Seer pathway may very well be a path where the first five Sequences each provide one ability, then unify at Sequence 4. In that case, at this step, it probably cannot be replaced by some other potion…

Klein withdrew his thoughts and returned his attention to the diary.

At this moment, he discovered that although the two pages looked as though they connected, their contents did not actually flow together. They belonged to records from two different periods. That was an error made by later people when copying them down.

“April 9th. The Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Church of the Lord of Storms, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom have terrible relationships. They are hostile to one another. Meanwhile, the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Church of the God of Combat of the Feysac Empire are like fire and water. These are matters that can be exploited and are worth thinking about.”

“April 13th. I attended that ancient organization’s gathering. I never expected that they too were members of this organization. Truly terrifying.”

“So the second Blasphemy Slate is in this organization’s hands. This is the first time I have ever seen that legendary divine object!”

“As expected, it hides unimaginable secrets. Heh-heh. Perhaps one day, I will create a Blasphemy Slate of my own. No, a set of them. Each one must contain an ultimate secret!”

Damn it, Emperor, at least say what that ancient organization is called! You are making this very hard for me!

Perhaps—perhaps Roselle did not write down that organization’s name for some purpose, or did not dare to do so, even in Chinese…

Klein felt both unbearably curious and deeply puzzled.

However, from this diary page, he finally confirmed that Emperor Roselle had seen the second Blasphemy Slate, and later imitated it to create a deck of cards—cards in which every card corresponded to a pathway of divinity.

Mm. Perhaps they correspond to the ultimate secrets of the pathways of divinity… I wonder who currently holds those twenty-two cards… That ancient organization actually controls the second Blasphemy Slate…

Klein’s thoughts moved rapidly as many possibilities occurred to him.

But he quickly restrained his various ideas, moved his gaze away from the diary, and looked at the Hanged Man, Justice, and the Sun. Smiling, he said, “You actually do not need to wait for me.”

“It is our honor,” the Hanged Man, Alger, answered humbly, his earlier displeasure long since restrained.

Audrey thought for a moment and smiled faintly.

“Mr. Fool, the method you previously described for selecting administrative officials through public examinations has already gained the approval of the King and the Prime Minister. It will soon pass through the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It is expected to formally enter implementation at the beginning of next year.”

“Looks as though the King and Prime Minister still possess brains,” Alger habitually mocked.

Mm. By the beginning of next year, with Benson’s intelligence, diligence, and hard work, he should be able to reach a passing standard in both grammar and accounting… But once both Houses pass the plan, every newspaper will surely publicize it widely. I wonder how long Benson’s first-mover advantage can last… The sooner the examination happens, the better…

Sigh. In such a short time, there is no way Benson can surpass elite university graduates. But he does not need to surpass them. They would not compete for the same positions anyway. Those fellows probably have their eyes fixed on posts like Cabinet secretary or Treasury secretary…

The Fool, Klein, who only smiled and nodded without speaking, was inwardly worrying on his elder brother’s behalf.

Seeing that the Fool seemed to nod in approval, Audrey straightened her back even further. Then she turned with a smile.

“Mr. Hanged Man, regarding the matter you asked me to confirm previously, I have obtained an answer. The King has been persuaded by the Prime Minister. In the short term, he will not retaliate against the Feysac Empire along East Balam’s coast. I believe you should pay the extra compensation you previously promised.”

Alger seemed to think silently for several seconds before saying, “Miss Justice, thank you for your answer. It means I no longer need to worry about certain matters. What additional compensation do you wish to receive? So long as it falls within a reasonable range, I will consider it.”

Audrey smiled as if she had already prepared her answer.

“Clues regarding the Psychology Alchemists, or clues regarding the main ingredients of the Telepathist potion. Of course, this can wait until the Sun provides me with the formula.”

“No problem,” Alger answered without hesitation.

On the same side as the Hanged Man but two seats away, the Sun, Derrick Berg, listened in complete confusion, utterly lost. He felt that he could understand almost every individual word, but once they were connected together, he had no idea what they meant.

What public examinations for selecting administrative officials, what King and Prime Minister, what House of Lords and House of Commons, what East Balam coast, what Feysac Empire, what Psychology Alchemists—he understood none of it.

Feysac… The word root is a variant of “giant.” Does it have some connection to the fallen Giant King’s Court?

Derrick looked at Justice, then at the Hanged Man, suddenly feeling that he might not even be in the same world as the two of them.

Could it be that somewhere in the cursed land, very far away from the City of Silver, there are not only other city-states, but even entire nations?

Derrick remained silent and quietly listened. He vaguely understood why the mysterious Fool had said that the so-called cash compensation from Justice might not necessarily reach him.

To bring people separated by such an immense distance together, ignoring the terrifying monsters deep within the darkness of the cursed land… Perhaps the Fool truly is a deity, an ancient deity…

Having completed all the matters she had anticipated, Audrey originally planned to serve as a quiet Spectator. But suddenly, she thought of another matter and hurriedly spoke.

“I have recently come into contact with certain Beyonder circles and learned of a powerful figure called Mr. A. Mr. Fool, Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun, do any of you know his background or true identity?”

I do not even know what you are talking about…

Derrick remained silent.

Mr. A? I only know Mr. Z… Such similar code names—could he also be from the Aurora Order?

Klein made the guess inwardly, but he did not speak.

He had to maintain his image and avoid answering matters he was not confident about as much as possible. If he truly faced such a situation, his description would have to be vague and unclear, like that of a charlatan prophet.

Alger glanced toward the Fool. Seeing that He remained calm without change, making His true thoughts impossible to guess, he chose his words and said, “The Aurora Order has always targeted the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Therefore, compared with other organizations, these three Churches understand the Aurora Order better. I know some information from them.”

No need to explain. I know you are a Storm person. Of course, you might also be a double agent… But why does the Aurora Order’s hatred just so happen to target the three oldest Churches?

Klein smiled silently and calmly watched the Hanged Man.

Alger knew that his Sequence pathway definitely could not be hidden from the Fool. He did not care too much and continued, “The Aurora Order has five Saints and twenty-two Oracles. These Oracles use letters as code names, calling themselves Mr. A, Mr. X, and so on. They are at least Sequence 7 Beyonders, with the strongest reaching Sequence 5. All are extremely skilled at hiding themselves… If one Oracle dies, another Oracle takes their place.

“I cannot be certain whether the Mr. A you mentioned is the Aurora Order’s Mr. A. I can only say there is a high chance. As for the Aurora Order’s circumstances, I already told you about them before.”

Audrey listened and nodded faintly, becoming even more wary of Mr. A.

Feeling somewhat pained, she said, “Thank you for your answer, Mr. Hanged Man. The additional compensation—you no longer need to pay it.”

“No. I hope to use the answer just now, along with more compensation, to ask you for a favor,” Alger said in a deep voice.

“What favor?” Audrey asked doubtfully.

Alger thought for several seconds before saying, “I received intelligence that the great pirate known as Vice Admiral Hurricane, Qilangos, has secretly come ashore and infiltrated Backlund. I do not know what he intends to do. I hope you can help me find his whereabouts. As for what comes afterward, you do not need to take any risks.”

“Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos? One of the seven pirate admirals?” Audrey’s eyes widened slightly. She nearly failed to maintain her Spectator state.

After becoming a Beyonder, what had she most wanted to do? Of course, to come into contact with figures who had previously existed only in noble legends!

“Yes. He is also a Sequence 6 Beyonder of the Sailor pathway: Wind-blessed. At the same time, he possesses a mystical item, which can also be called a Sealed Artifact. He is extremely cunning and cruel. Do not attempt to deal with him,” Alger introduced solemnly.

At this point, he abruptly turned his head and looked toward Klein.

“Mr. Fool, may I request that your blessed one provide help at a critical moment? I will pay a price you find interesting.”

My only blessed one is myself…

Klein used inward ridicule to ease his emotions, then smiled faintly.

“The premise is that my blessed one happens to be in Backlund.”

“All right.”

Somewhat disappointed yet somewhat expectant, Alger withdrew his gaze.