Chapter 60: The Second Blasphemy Slate

Chapter Sixty
The Second Blasphemy Slate

“No problem.”

Klein did his best to keep his voice deep and unchanged.

He rested his left elbow against the armrest of the high-backed chair, using his fingers to support his slightly tilted forehead with no great force, assuming the posture of someone calmly listening.

Alger considered his wording for a moment before saying, “Antigonus is an ancient family. Their history can even be traced back to the Cataclysm Epoch before the Fourth Epoch. They are connected to the second Blasphemy Slate.”

The second Blasphemy Slate? There is actually a second Blasphemy Slate? How many of them are there? Klein’s pupils shrank slightly. He almost changed his posture.

According to what the Hanged Man and Justice had said before, the Blasphemy Slate recorded the twenty-two pathways of the divine!

Something so important has two pieces, perhaps even more?

Twenty-two pathways of the divine… Sequence pathways… Wait. Can these two terms be considered equivalent? Does every complete Sequence pathway lead to a god’s throne?

In that instant, the description “second Blasphemy Slate” sent thought after thought exploding through Klein’s mind. If not for the dense gray-white fog concealing him, he believed his emotional reaction would almost certainly have been discovered by Miss Justice.

As for the term Cataclysm Epoch, as a professional historian, he was not unfamiliar with it. It was another name for the Third Epoch.

After reviewing his knowledge during this period, Klein even knew that the Third Epoch was divided into two ages: the Age of Glory and the Age of Cataclysm.

“The second Blasphemy Slate?” Audrey did not hide her confusion.

Her emotions had not yet settled, and she had not completely returned to her Spectator state.

Good question!

Klein inwardly applauded Miss Justice.

This was not a question convenient for the Fool to ask.

Alger glanced at the Fool. Seeing that the other party’s posture had not changed and that He did not speak to stop him, Alger thought for a moment and said, “The first Blasphemy Slate appeared in the Dark Epoch—the Second Epoch, when we humans struggled for survival under the protection of the gods. The second Blasphemy Slate appeared at the end of the Third Epoch. You could even say that its appearance marked the end of the Age of Cataclysm.

“The information regarding the two Blasphemy Slates is strictly confidential within the seven great Churches. I know only a little. I know only that they both involve the pathways of the divine. As for how they differ from each other, I am not clear.”

“Which Blasphemy Slate did Emperor Roselle see? The first, or the second?” Audrey asked curiously.

Hearing this, Klein recalled the Hanged Man’s description of potion names during the first gathering. Alger had said that the names of Sequence potions all came from the Blasphemy Slate.

Likewise, the Captain had mentioned that the formation and perfection of the potion system depended on the appearance of the Blasphemy Slate… This indirectly proves that the pathways of the divine are Sequence pathways!

Klein silently answered his own earlier question.

At that moment, the Hanged Man, Alger, spoke simply and directly.

“The second.”

Audrey’s gaze stilled, and she returned to the state of a Spectator. She asked no further questions, merely focused on observing the Hanged Man.

Being watched in this manner made Alger rather uncomfortable. Enduring the feeling in his heart, he continued in a slow, low voice.

“During the Solomon Empire of the Fourth Epoch, the Antigonus family was indeed a distinguished noble family, but they left behind no particularly memorable deeds. It was only when they supported the establishment of the Tudor Empire that they truly stepped into the center of the Northern Continent’s stage.

“At that time, ancient names such as Antigonus, Amon, Abraham, Jacob, and others shone brightly in the kingdoms of humanity. But after the War of the Four Emperors, the Tudor Empire’s Blood Emperor fell. They fell from their peak as well and were hunted by the seven gods as they are known today.

“I do not know the exact process. I know only that the Antigonus family was ultimately destroyed at the hands of the Church of the Evernight Goddess. Mr. Fool, if you wish to know more, I am afraid you can only obtain it from the Church of the Evernight Goddess, or else make contact with those ancient secret organizations. You know which ones I mean.”

I do not know…

Klein nodded with bitterness in his heart.

“The Secret Order counts as one. The Moses Ascetic Order, which the Captain and Old Neil mentioned, counts as one. I do not know whether the Psychology Alchemists count…”

As he silently took inventory, Alger provided the final piece of information.

“I likewise do not know which Sequence pathway the Antigonus family controlled. It is simply that in descriptions related to them, two adjectives appear repeatedly: bizarre, and terrifying.”

Bizarre and terrifying… Thinking of that notebook, and of what happened to the original owner and his classmates, and to Ray Bieber’s mother, those are indeed rather fitting…

The fingers of Klein’s other hand lightly tapped the edge of the long table several times in succession.

Only then did he speak in a slow, low voice.

“Very good. I am satisfied with this payment.”

The reason he repeatedly tapped the long table with his fingers was to reinforce this movement, making Justice and the Hanged Man believe he had a habit of tapping things. In this way, he could conceal the activation and deactivation of spirit vision.

“It is my honor,” Alger replied, without smoothly bringing up any other matter.

Audrey looked at the Hanged Man, then at the Fool, and said with a shallow smile, “Then I will ask my second question. What are the subsequent potions after Spectator called? Where can I find clues to them?”

I want to ask something so direct too, but different choices mean bearing different difficulties…

Klein did not speak. He turned his gaze toward the Hanged Man.

Alger fell silent for several seconds before saying, “I will answer this question free of charge, because I was the one who guided you onto this pathway.

“The Sequence 8 after Spectator is called Telepathist. The old name for Sequence 7 is Psychoanalyst; nowadays, it is described as Psychiatrist. This is information I learned from a member of the Psychology Alchemists. I believe they should possess quite a few potion formulas for this pathway.”

Psychology Alchemists… The Spirit Medium Daly approves of some of their theories, while the Captain believes them evil and mad…

Klein listened thoughtfully.

“Do you know the current whereabouts of that Psychology Alchemist member?” Audrey asked, her eyes lighting up.

Both Telepathist and Psychiatrist suited her taste quite well.

Alger laughed—a rare sound from him.

“Yes. He is at the bottom of the sea near Sonia Island. I sank him there myself.”

“If you want to find the Psychology Alchemists, I can only apologize. That clue has ended.”

He was not worried Justice could determine his identity from the description just now, because he had done that matter alone.

“Sank…”

Audrey did not know what expression to make, or what words to use in response.

She inhaled and, suddenly unable to maintain her Spectator state, said with slight embarrassment, “Third question. If—I mean if—an ordinary animal drank a Sequence 9 potion, what would happen?”

What kind of question is that…

Klein’s fingers, the hand supporting his forehead, imperceptibly tapped his glabella twice.

Soon, from the changes in color, he could tell that Audrey’s emotions were somewhat panicked, somewhat nervous, somewhat ashamed.

Did she do something stupid like that? Klein thought with a trace of surprise, yet felt that it was not entirely strange.

After the previous two gatherings, he had already confirmed that Miss Justice possessed that sort of gene.

The Hanged Man, Alger, was visibly stunned as well. Only after quite a while did he answer.

“Ordinary animals do not possess human minds and cannot immediately learn meditation. Therefore, most likely, they would die on the spot or collapse into a monster. But if they endured it, they should become extraordinary creatures. If the potion can improve thinking ability, they may even become intelligent.”

“All right.”

Audrey silently exhaled. Her tone relaxed as she nodded.

“I have no further questions.”

Alger thought for a moment. He did not bring up the Aurora Order or the Listener, and likewise shook his head.

“I have none either.”

“I have one matter,” Klein said with a smile, posture unchanged. “It will require your cooperation.”

Since he had not yet deactivated spirit vision, he immediately discovered that the Hanged Man showed clear tension. Even the previously carefree Miss Justice now had additional fear and caution.

Before they could speak, Klein soothed them.

“Do not worry. It is a small matter. If successful, it will be quite helpful to you, so I will not pay extra compensation.”

“Please speak,” Audrey instinctively entered the Spectator state, yet no matter how she looked, she could not see through the dense gray fog shrouding the Fool.

“I shall follow your will,” Alger said in a steady, deep voice, calming himself.

Klein’s fingers moved lightly. Smiling, he said, “I mentioned before that I would conduct certain attempts so that you may ask for leave in advance, without needing to worry about being in an unsuitable place on Monday afternoon.”

“That is exactly what we hoped for,” Audrey said, her brows and eyes relaxing.

Alger considered for a moment.

“What do you need us to do?”

“In your free time, you may attempt a ritual magic. It does not have to be too formal. You only need an environment where you will not be disturbed… Place four new candles on the altar, one at each corner. It would be best if they carried the scent of sandalwood… At the upper-left candle, place a piece of white bread. At the upper-right candle, place a portion of Feynapotter noodles. At the lower-left, seafood rice. At the lower-right, a Desi pie… Use a silver knife to create a sealed spiritual environment…”

Klein described a ritual magic adapted from his own luck-changing ritual, while also teaching Miss Justice, free of charge, how to create a spiritual environment.

To tell the truth, because the target was himself, Klein believed the first part—the sacrificial portion meant to attract and please the corresponding existence—could be omitted entirely. Even so, he worked hard to make the process look proper. Of course, it did not conform to Old Neil’s principle of two for the deity and three including oneself.

“…Distill and extract an essential oil from a mixture of moon flowers, golden mint, deep-sleep flowers, bergamot, and rockrose. Drip one drop onto each candle…”

Audrey listened with great interest, taking careful notes. At the end, she asked, “And the incantation? Mr. Fool, what is the corresponding incantation?”

Alger also stopped the fountain pen in his hand and turned with her, looking toward the Fool.

Klein, shrouded in gray-white fog, lightly tapped the edge of the long table with his finger and answered in Hermes, his tone flat and without the slightest ripple:

“O Fool that does not belong to this era,
you are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog,
you are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck…”