Chapter 230: Three Questions

Chapter 230: Three Questions

Tap, tap, tap. The radio transceiver spat out an illusory sheet of white paper. Written upon it in Loenese were the words:

“Great Master, your loyal and humble servant Arrodes has finally, finally caught up with your footsteps again!”

…There’s no need to be so excited… Mm. Magic Mirror Arrodes’s conversational skill is as professional as ever. It didn’t express any resentment about being unable to contact me for so long, nor did it ask why I haven’t looked for it all this time. Instead, it directly placed the blame on itself and considered that it had failed to keep up with my footsteps… It actually makes me feel a little guilty. Still, precautions that need to be taken must still be taken… For a moment, Klein did not know how to respond.

Arrodes did not wait. Using the radio transceiver, it made the illusory white paper tap out an expression that carefully poked its head out to look around.

“Great Master, ruler above the spirit world, your servant senses that you have come one step closer to returning to your holy seat. Is that so?”

This fellow is evolving so quickly. It has already progressed from using kaomoji to building the prototype of reaction images… In Arrodes’s understanding, am I a true god who is gradually reclaiming Himself? That is why, even though it clearly knows I am currently only Sequence 5, it doesn’t show the slightest contempt, but instead becomes even humbler? Klein understood that Magic Mirror was deliberately asking a question. He nodded calmly.

“Yes.”

“You have answered my question. As an exchange, as the rule that I must obey, you may ask me one question,” Arrodes replied with flying speed, adding a smiling face at the end.

Klein did not hesitate and asked directly, “Where can the Bizarro Sorcerer potion formula be obtained?”

The illusory white paper was immediately spat out for a long stretch. It was filled with countless complicated symbols, which then formed a mirror-like surface and presented a real scene.

It was a deep, gloomy hall without any natural light source. Inside was a gigantic, wriggling thing. It was so blurry that it looked like a pencil sketch erased by an eraser, making it impossible to see any concrete details.

However, Magic Mirror Arrodes thoughtfully attached a long paragraph of text beneath the scene:

“This is Zaratul. He lost control while advancing to Sequence 1, Servant of Mysteries, and became a monster. However, great Master, you must be careful. He is an extremely cunning fellow. Perhaps this entire appearance is something He has deliberately created.

“I cannot look directly at Him. It would harm me. Aside from Him, you will not be able to obtain the potion formula from any Secret Order demigod, because back then, Zaratul directly provided the High-Sequence potions. And there is almost no way to reverse-divine those from Beyonder characteristics.”

The answer is so detailed. It even let me learn additionally that Sequence 1 of the Seer pathway is Servant of Mysteries… Does that mean an angel who serves mysteries? It seems that the Secret Order path requires directly facing Zaratul to have any possibility of obtaining the potion formula, but I can’t even look directly at Him… No wonder the Snake of Fate, Will Auceptin, only said to find the mad Zaratul and didn’t mention the Secret Order… Klein was actually touched for a moment by Magic Mirror Arrodes’s attitude. If he had not felt that he currently lacked the status and strength to control this Sealed Artifact, he might have genuinely regarded the other party as his servant.

Amid the crisp tapping sounds, the illusory white paper extended again, displaying another scene:

It was a majestic mountain peak. Above it stood a ruined palace, and within that palace, the outline of a gigantic stone chair could be vaguely seen.

Klein was far too familiar with that image. Without needing Magic Mirror Arrodes’s annotation, he knew what it symbolized:

The Antigonus family’s treasure hidden at the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range!

The white paper continued to emerge, and the image changed. Like a movie, it began shifting perspectives.

The first things that entered Klein’s eyes were a tall Gothic clock tower and the gorgeous palace complex surrounding it.

The former represented the Clock of Order, while the latter represented Sodorak Palace. Both were landmarks of Backlund.

The perspective moved. Soon, a new building appeared on the white paper: a pure-black church with two symmetrical bell towers.

This church grew larger and larger within the scene, quickly displaying its interior and then freezing upon a certain underground location: a pair of iron-black double doors.

The doors were extraordinarily heavy and engraved with seven dark sacred emblems, like the guards of the Deep Dark Heaven.

“Chanis Gate… Saint Samuel Cathedral…” Klein recognized the familiar style of the gate and, based on the church’s architectural features, confirmed that this was Saint Samuel Cathedral, the Backlund diocese headquarters of the Church of Evernight!

The paper emerged again. The image changed. In deep darkness, upon an empty bookshelf made of white bones, an ancient notebook quietly rested. Its cover was made of hard paper, dyed black.

Klein recognized the notebook at a glance:

It was the Antigonus family’s notebook that had led to the death of the body’s original owner!

After going in circles, everything had returned to the starting point!

Klein silently watched for a while. Only after the image disappeared did he recover his own thoughts.

“That makes sense. Back then, the people from the Aurora Order saw the Clown potion formula from this notebook. Since I received its acknowledgment, when I flip through it again, the contents displayed will certainly be completely different from before. It should contain the Bizarro Sorcerer potion formula; what it lacks will only be the materials or characteristics.

“So this notebook has always been sealed behind Chanis Gate at Saint Samuel Cathedral. To obtain it from such a place will not be any less difficult than finding Zaratul and directly facing Him… After I reported the Great Smog case, which had High-Sequence powerhouses involved, to the Backlund diocese of the Churches through Miss Justice, the matter was quickly suppressed. That is enough to show how powerful the Backlund diocese is. Whether demigods or Sealed Artifacts, they are certainly not lacking… Mm. No matter what, I should first return to Backlund and see if there is any opportunity. Comparatively speaking, I would much rather avoid going to the Hornacis mountain range…”

Reining in his thoughts, Klein looked toward the radio transceiver, which had become dark and gloomy, and asked, “Who was the demigod aboard Mad Captain Connors Victor’s ship last night?”

The tapping sounds jumped lightly. The previous illusory white paper disappeared, and a new sheet was spat out.

The content on the white paper was likewise a real scene.

Upon an exquisite brass lampstand, five candles of varying heights spread light and heat. A middle-aged man wearing a tricorne hat and black eyepatch stood before a cabinet holding wine, champagne, and distilled liquor, looking humbly at the person opposite him.

Opposite him stood a tall figure wrapped in a black cloak. The figure’s face was completely hidden beneath the hood.

This figure seemed not to possess a true head. There was only a cluster of deep, twisted darkness embedded atop the neck.

With the help of the portrait on the bounty notice, Klein recognized the one-eyed man as Mad Captain Connors. His greasy, disheveled hair hung down, just barely covering his neck.

The person opposite him should be that demigod, but he deliberately disguised himself and performed corresponding anti-divination. Arrodes being able to obtain an image to this degree is already rather impressive… Klein was not especially disappointed. Instead, he seriously memorized the figure’s build:

Over 1.85 meters, but below 1.9 meters… arms slightly long, almost reaching the knees when the hands hang down… broad shoulders, holding up the cloak… legs turned outward to a certain degree…

As an expert in disguise, Klein believed that after a person hid their appearance and carried out a certain degree of anti-divination, there was a high chance they would stop paying attention to disguising their body shape, especially when there was nothing particularly distinctive about it.

Therefore, this could provide certain clues. It might help Klein feel a sense of familiarity when he saw the target in the future!

“Very good. It is your turn to ask a question.” After memorizing the details, Klein stopped looking and waited with interest for Magic Mirror Arrodes’s question.

He was curious whether the other party could still break through his imagination this time.

The tapping sounds became somewhat slow, revealing a hint of hesitation. The illusory white paper was slowly spat out, little by little.

“Great Master, may I… may I say one sentence to you?”

“You may.” Klein answered the question with mild surprise, looking forward to what Arrodes would say.

The tapping suddenly sped up, carrying obvious enthusiasm.

Lines of words appeared one after another upon the illusory white paper:

“Great Master, happy birthday!

“This is a belated blessing. Your current body was born on March 4, 1327. I originally wanted to be the first to bless you at dawn that day, but I failed to keep up with your footsteps.”

…As expected, it really is a topic that broke through my imagination… I had even forgotten about my birthday… The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched slightly, and he did not know what to say.

He had received the original owner’s memory fragments and acquired part of his emotions, so he did know the birthday. But drifting alone outside, how could he remember such a thing?

Arrodes is actually the first one to wish me happy birthday… Benson and Melissa were probably mostly sad on that day… The interviews ended in February. I wonder whether Benson successfully became a government employee… Klein sighed with emotion for a while. His gaze toward the radio transceiver softened considerably.

After thinking, he calmly said, “The third question: your origin.”

The tapping stopped for two seconds, then immediately sounded again.

Sections of white paper emerged, and a new scene appeared upon them.

Holes in the ground gushed large amounts of viscous black liquid. They twisted and stretched outward, growing different numbers of arms and legs, then transforming into strange monsters that charged forward.

During this process, a point of light was sprayed out along with the black liquid. It landed upon a stone and swiftly merged with it, evolving into a silver mirror with ancient patterns and black gemstones embedded on both sides.

What strange scene is this… Was Arrodes born this way? What is that point of light, and where did it come from? It looks a little like a Beyonder characteristic… Klein began making a preliminary interpretation of the scene he saw.

The tapping sounds did not stop. Another line of words was spat out:

“Great Master, do you have any other questions?”

After calculating the time, Klein shook his head.

“No.”

“You have completed your answers, and I should now leave. Great Master, ruler above the spirit world, your humble and loyal servant Arrodes looks forward to serving you again, looks forward to always following your footsteps. Goodbye~”

The last thing to appear on the illusory white paper was a waving expression.