Chapter 232: A New Diary

Chapter 232: A New Diary

Inside the quiet inn room, the dark, gloomy radio transceiver instantly returned to normal, and the surrounding light was no longer eerie.

Klein busied himself preparing a ritual and sacrificed it above the gray fog. Only then did he have the mood to think over the answers he had just obtained.

Based on the clues Magic Mirror Arrodes had provided, and combining them with Mr. Azik’s and the Snake of Fate Will Auceptin’s answers, Klein initially formed a plan for his next stage.

It was not merely that he wished to return to Backlund for a short rest. Instead, he would treat that metropolis as his main base of activity for a long period, seeing whether he could steal the Antigonus family’s notebook from Saint Samuel Cathedral of the Church of Evernight.

If he confirmed that there was no way to do that, then he would attempt to switch to a neighboring Beyonder pathway. If that still failed, he would have no choice but to take the final path: heading to the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range.

“Mm… Returning to Backlund definitely means I can’t openly use the identity of Sherlock Moriarty—unless I want to fish out Ince Zangwill or a certain royal faction hidden in the shadows. However, when contacting acquaintances or borrowing the Church of Steam’s resources, I can transform back into Sherlock Moriarty.

“In short, I’ll need to use a new identity again. And it must be thoroughly distinguished from Gehrman Sparrow. Uh, this time I won’t return directly to Pritz Harbor. I’ll make a detour through Desi Bay and make sure no one can trace where I came from.”

Klein’s thoughts moved quickly, and he soon developed a clear line of thinking.

After roughly settling the direction, he had originally intended to draw some blood and explore Travels of Groselle above the gray fog in spirit-body form. However, considering that the Tarot Gathering would be held in the afternoon, he lay back in bed, using rest as relaxation.

…

The Future sailed steadily over the rolling waves. Admiral of Stars Cattleya stood beside the window, gazing at the open scenery that stretched so far it seemed endless. From the front deck, Nina’s furious voice occasionally came. She was cursing Frank Lee for creating a pile of beef-flavored mushrooms that reproduced extremely quickly and loved eating fish.

Cattleya silently sighed and raised a hand to push up the heavy glasses on her nose.

Just then, her spiritual intuition was touched. She lowered her head and looked toward her desk, only to see that at some unknown time, several yellowed sheets of paper had appeared there.

“The Emperor’s diary… She finally sent a messenger over…” Cattleya turned around in delight and picked up the few sheets, which seemed more like an initial probe than a large delivery.

By three o’clock that afternoon, having forcibly memorized those symbols, she saw illusory crimson light drown her like a tide.

Beneath the towering dome supported by stone pillars, The Hermit Cattleya saw similar crimson lights rise one after another, forming blurry figures.

She did not study them closely. Instead, she discovered that the familiar glasses had naturally appeared on the bridge of her nose, as though perfectly replicating her external state.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw Miss Justice elegantly rise and greet the seat of honor at the bronze long table in a light and cheerful voice.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~”

Audrey had indeed been in a good mood recently. After returning to the family castle, she had used the posture of an obedient daughter to successfully help her mother, Lady Caitlyn, resolve several psychological issues caused by age and physical condition. The results had been very good, allowing Audrey to summarize more principles for acting as a Psychiatrist.

The most important among them was helping others resolve problems of the heart. She suspected this was why the potion’s name was Psychiatrist rather than Psychologist.

Miss Justice is in quite a good mood… Klein seemed to be infected by it. Smiling, he nodded in response.

During this process, he discovered that Mr. Hanged Man looked heavily preoccupied, as if he was still hesitating and struggling, unable to make up his mind.

Huh. Does this mean Mr. Hanged Man can afford the Ocean Songster potion formula and main ingredient, but only at a great cost? I had thought he would apply to pay in installments… The Fool Klein showed no abnormality and withdrew his gaze, looking around once.

After Miss Justice’s greeting ended, The Hermit Cattleya looked toward the seat of honor at the bronze long table.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, I have collected three pages of Roselle’s diary.”

Here it comes… I wonder whether the three diary pages specially chosen by the Queen of Mysteries will contain extremely valuable information—for instance, the whereabouts of the Card of Blasphemy corresponding to the Seer pathway. That would provide me another possibility… Klein felt rather expectant inwardly, but his outward appearance remained calm and natural as he said, “Very good. You may think of a request.”

“Yes, Mr. Fool.” Cattleya’s attitude was impeccable as she replied, then requested to conjure the contents of the diary.

Seeing her current behavior and recalling how she looked in the dream, Klein actually felt rather gratified, like a homeroom teacher who had successfully made a student become obedient and sensible.

Madam Hermit is providing Emperor Roselle’s diary for the first time. Given the level and capability she has displayed, she shouldn’t have been unable to collect it before… Mm, in the past, she was more focused on observing. After being punished by Mr. Fool last time, she has truly integrated into our Tarot Club? Justice Audrey made a certain judgment based on The Hermit Cattleya’s behavior the previous week.

At the same time, she also noticed that Mr. Hanged Man’s state was not quite right today. He seemed to be looking forward to something while also reluctant to part with something, making her rather curious.

Klein did not wait long before the three diary pages finished manifesting and arrived in his hands.

The Sun Derrick and the other members instinctively fell quiet, not disturbing Mr. Fool’s reading.

“February 9th. Today is Bonova’s birthday. He has already become a healthy, sturdy, honest, and kind young man. He is so devout, and he has received the Church’s attention.

“Everyone is congratulating me, saying that Bonova will surely become a Blessed, become a Holy Spirit, praising his faith as so pure and flawless.

“I should be very happy. But in my heart, there is an uncontrollable sorrow. I hope my child can be more human, can have more feelings, can be more himself, rather than merely a believer of a deity.

“Yet almost everyone sincerely believes that Bonova’s current state is very good. Matilda does. Charles does. My nobles and my ministers do as well. Only Bernadette feels the same as I do. In private, she told me that she believes people should possess more of themselves, as long as they do not harm anyone.

“Thinking of Zaratul’s words when Bonova was born, and of the increasing number of premonitions I have had after stepping into the demigod level, my mood grows even heavier. A cute angel. Heh, truly a cute angel.

“Is this your safeguard against me?

“Is this your method of trying to control me?

“No. You probably cannot understand the pride inside my heart. In my view, so what if you are a god? I can replace you!”

“February 11th. Again, I failed to contact Zaratul.

“Ever since I obtained that Antigonus notebook, this Secret Order leader has appeared less and less often. I don’t know what He is secretly planning. In any case, He certainly won’t tell me.”

“February 12th. I made Bernadette a mystical item very suitable for her.

“It can effectively help her avoid the Hidden Sage’s rambling, so long as she does not actively pray or actively request a response. Mm, this thing also seems able to help Saints enter the ruins of the battle of gods at the easternmost part of the Sonia Sea without being affected by the True Creator’s ravings. That place most likely hides the secret of the Forsaken Land of the Gods.

“Ha! I merely made a small gift for my daughter casually, and it already has such powerful effects. Bernadette, your old man really is the most outstanding Artisan in the world!”

The most outstanding Artisan. Does that mean the Emperor had already reached Sequence 2 of the Savant pathway and become an angel when he wrote this diary page? With the God of Steam and Machinery already existing, that level is the peak an Artisan can reach… No wonder the Queen of Mysteries can freely enter and leave the ruins of the battle of gods. So she has a gift from the Emperor. Indeed, a child with a parent is like a treasure… Klein sighed inwardly.

In addition, he also read Roselle’s repression and resentment between the lines of the first diary entry, and using the reading-comprehension ability he had trained in his previous life, he teased out certain information hidden beneath the content:

After becoming an angel, the Emperor seemed to have suffered the Church of Steam’s restraint and precautions. The God of Steam and Machinery had exerted a certain influence on his youngest son, Bonova, turning him into an extremely devout believer, one who could in the future enter the Perfected Land and become an angel.

And this did not make Emperor Roselle yield or grow cautious. Instead, it stirred his will to resist.

“The Emperor later becoming an enemy of the world originated precisely from this resistance?” Klein nodded inwardly.

At the same time, he noticed the matter of Zaratul. He suspected that this Miracle Invoker had only begun attempting to reach Sequence 1 after obtaining the Antigonus family’s notebook, making many plans for that purpose. In the end, something had gone wrong during the advancement, turning Him into a monster. Of course, just as Magic Mirror Arrodes had said, perhaps Zaratul had not lost control and was merely hiding something or plotting something.

After rapidly skimming through the page, Klein flipped to the next one. It was not continuous; it belonged to new content.

“October 5th. Several believers of the Primordial Moon were captured by the Men in Black organization I established, failing to complete their corresponding sacrificial ritual.

“Some of the things they displayed make me very curious. The power they obtain seems to truly come directly from the crimson moon.

“Unfortunately, a large amount of data shows that this red moon really is a satellite, really orbiting our planet. Then how exactly does it combine the physical and the mystical?

“With my current ability, it isn’t impossible for me to reach the red moon. At most, it would be somewhat troublesome and difficult. But there seems to be no need.”

“October 7th. I have finally made up my mind.

“I will attempt to switch to the neighboring Mystery Pryer pathway. Only that way can I become Sequence 1.

“I have always suspected that the Hidden Sage was originally the conceptualized Uniqueness, which later, because of some accident, gained intelligence and completely awakened. Therefore, the Sequence 1 position of this pathway is very likely still empty!”