Chapter 105: A Tangled Mystery

Chapter 105: A Tangled Mystery

Could that evil spirit be Red Angel Medici, the King of Angels who once served that “Creator,” one of the founders of Redemption Rose? Klein immediately made that association and worked backward, searching for traces and clues.

“The previous holder of the Red Priest card was drawn by some degree of attraction to that underground palace and died beside the Tudor descendants.

“The evil spirit I saw in the dream could easily slaughter a powerful dragon while alive.

“It knows the Mutant pathway’s Sequence 4, Puppet, potion formula—perhaps even more than that.

“It knows a great deal about Redemption Rose.

“The orthodox Churches, which have existed in this world since after the Cataclysm, do not know that the former Binsy Town, now Bansy, is home to descendants of the Medici family, yet that evil spirit could give the corresponding hint.”

The probability that it evolved from Red Angel Medici after His death is very high… And a King of Angels was actually killed by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor. Does that mean the latter had already surpassed Sequence 1 and reached the level of a Sequence 0 true god—an existence that could not be directly looked upon?

That evil spirit once said that in the late Fourth Epoch, Solomon Empire’s Black Emperor, Tudor Empire’s Blood Emperor, and Trunsoest Empire’s Night Emperor were fighting over the position of Sequence 0 until Alista Tudor went mad… Does that mean that, starting from that time, the Blood Emperor was already a half-mad true god?

Right. Mr. Azik also mentioned in his letter that he had lost consciousness after being glanced at by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor. At that time, he had at least been a Sequence 4 demigod. For the Blood Emperor to possess such authority, the only explanation is that He had reached the level of a true god…

Mr. Azik also described the true Black Emperor’s return from resurrection in that letter, saying that He sat upon a huge throne and looked down upon the entire land… If the Black Emperor could resurrect and return, then He was most likely a Sequence 0 true god as well… If that is true, the War of the Four Emperors was far more high-end than I previously believed. It was not merely three Sequence 1s fighting over the position of Sequence 0… Klein connected many earlier and later matters, gaining an entirely new understanding of Fourth Epoch history.

But with that, many questions surfaced one after another.

“If that ancient evil spirit really is King of Angels Medici, then that underground palace very likely belonged to Blood Emperor Alista Tudor. In that case, why were there two thrones side by side? Why were there humanoid statues of the six orthodox gods?

“Why did the half-mad Blood Emperor kill Red Angel Medici? After becoming Sequence 0, which position did He occupy? First, Black Emperor can be ruled out… Could it have been Red Priest? Did He kill King of Angels Medici for the other party’s Beyonder characteristic?

“But Red Priest and Black Emperor do not seem like neighboring pathways that can be exchanged. I can almost confirm that the former pairs with the Demoness pathway. Hm… Captain once said that when one consumes a potion from another pathway, the first attempt will not necessarily kill them. Most likely, they go mad and obtain distorted, terrifying, bizarre powers. That fits the Blood Emperor’s half-mad nature!

“At the final step, because there was no longer any hope for the Black Emperor pathway or a neighboring pathway, He made the maddest choice, paying the price of partial insanity to switch to a completely unrelated pathway?

“But that has problems as well. Advancing to Red Priest required killing King of Angels Medici. Yet before advancing, Alista Tudor could not have accomplished that alone unless—unless—more Sequence 1s helped Him, or even a Sequence 0 true god…”

At that thought, one statue after another from the underground palace abruptly flashed through Klein’s mind:

The statue of the Evernight Goddess with the moon as Her pillow, the statue of the Earth Mother holding an infant, the statue of the Lord of Storms with lightning across His back, the handsome and vigorous Eternal Blazing Sun, the God of Combat seated high upon a throne, and the hooded God of Knowledge and Wisdom. From that dark room, cold gazes had fallen upon him.

At that moment, Klein actually felt a chill run through him.

But he clearly remembered that the six gods had supported the Trunsoest Empire, not the Tudor dynasty.

The more I learn about Fourth Epoch history, the more confusing and terrifying it becomes… Klein sighed inwardly.

“What are you thinking about?” Azik Eggers noticed his pause.

Klein casually pulled the topic elsewhere.

“I was only thinking that since Red Angel Medici had already fallen at the hands of Blood Emperor Alista Tudor in the Fourth Epoch, then who was the Weather God worshiped by Bansy Harbor over the past few centuries?

“And what was the source of the abnormalities they displayed…”

At this point, Klein abruptly stopped, because the matter of Bansy Harbor differed from what he had imagined.

He had originally believed Red Angel Medici was sleeping there. He had not expected that the other party had fallen long ago.

Since that was the case, the secrets hidden inside the Lime Restaurant and the telegraph office became even more impossible to guess, and the source even harder to infer. The more he thought about it, the more frightening it became.

“Could that evil spirit’s hint about Binsy Town have already anticipated this result, and could this itself be one step toward His escape from the seal? Should I tell Mr. Azik about this and hear his opinion?

“Mm. First, I will have Miss Magician in Backlund pay attention to that area and see if there are any abnormalities. If not, I will wait until I return to Backlund, contact Miss Sharron, ask for her opinion, and then inform Mr. Azik. After all, we explored that ruin together, and I should respect her thoughts. If there are abnormalities, then circumstances will leave me no choice…” Klein swiftly made his decision.

Hearing his question, Azik laughed.

“Do not think about such things anymore. They have certainly been buried by the Church of Storms. Forcefully probing the reason would instead bring enormous danger. Even after reaching the level of an angel, one might fall because of it.”

In the world of mysticism, curiosity is often a leading cause of death… Klein thought of one incident after another that he had experienced or heard of.

He changed the topic.

“Mr. Azik, I already have a messenger belonging exclusively to me.”

“Faster than I imagined,” Azik said with a smile.

Klein briefly described how he had modified the incantation, completed the summoning, and encountered several odd spirit-world creatures.

“When summoning spirit-world creatures without being from the corresponding profession, similar things do indeed occur. You need repeated attempts before you may obtain the result you want. But during repeated attempts, it is easy to encounter danger. Even if you add descriptions such as ‘friendly,’ that is not absolute safety. A spirit-world creature that has no malice toward you and does not wish to harm you does not mean its existence itself will not endanger you. Perhaps its innate aura alone could make you rot into bloodwater.” After hearing the examples of the “speedster,” the “weak presence,” and the “tough survivor,” Azik smiled and gave a few reminders. Finally, he asked, “How did you succeed in the end?”

Klein, slightly embarrassed, said, “I changed the last line to ‘the unique existence willing to become my messenger.’”

Azik froze for one second and looked at Klein somewhat strangely.

“…That description is far too broad. Normally, it should not succeed.”

“Perhaps I was exceptionally lucky at the time…” Klein cautiously described his messenger’s appearance, not even concealing the fact that she demanded gold coins.

Azik thought back carefully for a while and said, “I have no impression of this spirit-world creature. But since you have already signed a contract witnessed by the underworld, she should not endanger you. However, before you thoroughly understand her, try not to command her to do anything aside from delivering letters.”

“…Alright.” Klein originally wanted to say that aside from letter delivery, there was nothing for him to command her to do, but he suddenly remembered the scene of his battle with Mr. A.

The room fell briefly silent. Klein guided the topic back onto the right track.

“Mr. Azik, when do we set out for the Black Death?”

The longer they delayed, the more likely the traces he had left on the Black Death would be removed by routine cleaning.

“Now.” Azik stood and put on his top hat.

Klein dressed properly and was just about to find an excuse to go to the washroom and divine whether tonight’s operation was dangerous, but Azik grabbed his shoulder and directly brought him into the spirit world.

Amid layered blocks of color and almost formless figures, he heard Mr. Azik say, “Begin.”

So direct? No need to confirm the situation first? Perhaps this big shot has already used his own methods to weigh the danger level… Klein muttered silently, then picked up his cane and divined the location of the items he had left behind.

The cane flew up on its own, tumbling and leaping forward.

Azik brought Klein after it, passing through effortlessly.

Before long, the black hardwood cane stopped. Ahead lay dense blackness and overlapping shadows.

Through that abstract scene, Klein vaguely recognized that it might symbolize the Black Death.

At that moment, however, Azik’s figure stopped. His tone grew slightly grave as he said, “The spirits here tell me there is danger.”

Danger? Something that even Mr. Azik feels is dangerous? Has the Maiden of Sickness found help? A high-ranking member of the Demoness Sect? Klein’s brows abruptly furrowed.

He fully trusted the judgment of a big shot, because Sequence 7 of the Death pathway was Spirit Medium. After rising to the level of a demigod, it was quite normal to display such ability.

Azik half closed his eyes for two seconds, then opened them and said, “But the problem is not serious. Let us go in.”

The problem is not serious… For you, probably… The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched slightly, and he decided to change his appearance.

That way, even if they could not win and had to flee in embarrassing fashion, no one would be able to trace him afterward!

In an instant, Klein gained a distinctive broad jaw and cold dark-green eyes. Behind his head was a brown ancient-warrior bun.

He had disguised himself as Creeping Hunger’s previous owner, Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos!

Azik glanced at him, and the surrounding scene suddenly took on a feeling of falling sharply. All vivid colors rapidly faded.

In the blink of an eye, Klein discovered that he had returned to the captain’s cabin of the Maiden of Sickness, Tracy.

This valiant and gorgeous female pirate wore another white shirt. Her left shoulder was obviously bandaged, and her black hair was coiled up, no longer hanging down seductively.

Faced with the sudden “visitors,” she did not panic. She even revealed a smile.

At that moment, a soft female voice, whose position was impossible to distinguish, sounded from somewhere—left and right, ahead and behind all at once.

“It is you?”