Chapter 90: Recite My Name

Chapter 90: Recite My Name

After some busy work, Klein opened the bedroom door he had locked behind him and looked into the sitting room. There, he saw Danitz lying in the armchair, snoring loudly.

Although he had long since heard the sound, Klein still could not help silently criticizing him:

“It is past three in the afternoon!

“Is this fellow completely letting himself go now that he no longer needs to listen to the wireless telegraph receiver?”

The thought had only just passed when his smile gradually appeared. He felt that this was precisely what he needed.

The prerequisite for him to remain lucid in a dream was that someone invaded his consciousness. When he dreamed normally, he was still muddled and confused. In other words, relying only on himself, he had no way to conduct the experiment. After all, he did not know “psychological suggestion.”

Therefore, his plan was to borrow an external power to enter someone else’s dream. That way, he could remain lucid like a Nightmare.

His original plan had been to take a walk outside and search for a suitable target. But now Danitz had arranged himself so perfectly that one could hardly resist the urge to kick him.

No, to test on him… Klein corrected his earlier thought inwardly.

He considered the matter and did not use a Dream Charm, because the ancient name of Sequence 7 Pyromaniac was Fire Mage, and Danitz’s spiritual intuition was not low. The moment the activation incantation capable of prying open the forces of nature was spoken softly, he would inevitably wake up.

As for whether he could make an effective dodge in time, that was another matter.

After deliberation, Klein took out another prepared item. It was a dark, deep, gem-like gelatinous object—the Beyonder characteristic left behind by a Nightmare.

It could be used in a preliminary way, just like the All-Black Eye left behind by Marionettist Rosago, though its effects were far inferior to what it could achieve after being made into a mystical item. For instance, this Nightmare Beyonder characteristic could not allow Klein to remain in the inn suite while traversing different dreams throughout the entire city, nor could it forcefully drag others into a dream. However, the most basic close-range invasion of someone else’s dream remained very simple.

Klein held the dark “gem” and extended his spirituality.

Before his eyes, illusory darkness swiftly spread, filling his entire vision. Everything that had originally existed here became enveloped within it, including Danitz in the armchair.

There was no longer a human figure there, only a hazy oval ball of light.

Klein immediately extended his spirituality toward it and touched it lightly.

Without any warning, all kinds of scenes surged chaotically around him, flashing rapidly, before finally settling upon a ship several dozen meters long. It possessed both a towering smokestack spewing mist and a huge spread canvas sail hanging from above. The deck had been wiped unusually bright, reflecting a color like gold coins beneath the sunlight.

Danitz stood beneath the barrel of the main cannon, arms crossed, leisurely supervising the sailors. From time to time, he shouted loudly, “Scrub that spot again!

“Dogshit, do you want to copy the ancient Feysac dictionary?”

This fellow is quite impressive aboard the Golden Dream… Klein ignored the dream’s owner and flew on his own toward the other end of the ship. Finding a concealed spot, he landed on the deck and prepared to test his inspiration.

What he intended to test was very simple: whether, while in a lucid state, reciting The Fool’s honorific name inside a dream would have any effect, and whether he himself would detect someone praying.

That way, if Miss Justice encountered danger within the sea of collective subconscious, she could use this method to seek help… Moving the muscles of his back, Klein’s expression gradually became serious. He spoke in a low voice:

“The Fool that does not belong to this era;

“The mysterious ruler above the gray fog;

“The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.”

…

As Hermes words emerged one after another, The Fool’s honorific name was soon completed. However, Klein did not hear the layered, illusory voices of prayer.

It does not work? Klein frowned in thought, analyzing whether it truly failed or whether some part of the method had a problem.

“Mm… Recitation in a dream is not actually spoken aloud. Relying only on Hermes is indeed insufficient… To reach the effect of prayer through silent recitation, one must use ancient Hermes or similar languages capable of prying open the forces of nature. This is the same state as when copying the password for my anonymous account…” Klein nodded slightly and cautiously began reciting his own honorific name in ancient Hermes.

He was not worried about an accident. He was worried that the forces of nature being pried open would wake Blazing Danitz.

The descriptions emerged one after another, swiftly completing the three-part structure. Suddenly, Klein heard layers of irritating, illusory prayers echo beside his ears.

Just then, Danitz’s dream began to shake, and the Golden Dream rapidly shattered apart.

Klein did not stay. He immediately left, returning to the bedroom before Danitz woke.

Seven or eight seconds later, Danitz sat up in a daze and muttered to himself with some lingering fear, “Why did I dream that lunatic Gehrman Sparrow was making trouble aboard the Golden Dream…

“That was truly terrifying!

“Dogshit! It must be because I usually worry too much about that sort of thing!”

Inside the bedroom, Klein had already taken four steps counterclockwise and entered the world above the gray fog. As expected, he saw a halo rippling beside The Fool’s high-backed chair. Inside it was himself, still within the dream.

It really works. Using ancient Hermes, Jotun, and similar languages to recite The Fool’s honorific name inside a dream can also receive a response! No wonder some people clearly do nothing, yet suddenly die in their sleep. Did they read some information in ordinary times, memorize some symbol, and then accidentally reproduce it in a dream? The dangers of this world truly are impossible to guard against… Klein closed the halo and considered whether to inform Miss Justice of the experiment’s result in another tone.

Not saying it in the gathering, then notifying her afterward, somewhat damages The Fool’s image… But Miss Justice is the kind of girl with strong curiosity. Although Mr. Hanged Man and Admiral of Stars warned her, and she herself has matured quite a bit, the possibility of taking risks still remains… Of course, if something really happened, it would all be her own responsibility and have nothing to do with me… Klein could not help recalling Miss Justice’s worship toward The Fool, her pleasant optimism and cheerfulness, and her contribution of single-handedly enlivening the entire organization within the Tarot Club.

In the end, he sighed and gave a self-mocking laugh.

“I still have to give her a hint and a warning.

“This is VIP customer treatment…”

Having made his decision, Klein no longer hesitated. He extended his spirituality and touched the crimson star representing Miss Justice.

…

East Chester County, inside a room in a large manor.

Audrey sat before her dressing table, legs neatly angled to one side, recalling the words of Mr. Hanged Man and Madam Hermit.

After the reminders from two experienced Beyonders, she suddenly understood something: the mid- and upper levels of the Psychology Alchemists might not be unaware that one could use self-suggestion to explore dreams, the subconscious iceberg, and the sea of collective subconscious.

They did not tell me, perhaps because this is too dangerous for Psychiatrists. Many people may have already died in exploration… But normally, they should still give a warning… Ah, right. In their eyes, I am still only a Sequence 8 Telepathist, and I do not possess the ability of psychological suggestion at all, so there is no need to remind me… Audrey finally thought through a question that had been troubling her.

She was just about to let Susie in and soothe the disappointment in her heart when dense gray fog suddenly surged before her eyes, instantly filling her vision.

At the center of that boundless grayish-white fog, a figure leaned back in a high-backed chair and said from a position of overlooking, “Do not rashly attempt it.”

Before Audrey could react to what had happened, that deep and majestic voice once again echoed beside her ears:

“If you encounter danger in a dream, you may recite my name.”

Recite Your name? Audrey’s eyes widened at once, and her heart was filled with joy.

“Yes, Mr. Fool.”

Seeing that Miss Justice had no doubts at all, and was instead very excited and thrilled, Klein secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He chuckled softly and said, “Use ancient Hermes.”

With that, his figure faded away, and the gray fog vanished at once.

Audrey froze for two seconds, then hurriedly pressed her lips together tightly, afraid she would lose composure.

Mr. Fool actually reminded me specifically! He even permits me to recite His name inside a dream! Audrey paced several steps in place in excitement, feeling that she was truly one of the deity’s favored.

Of course, she also remembered Mr. Fool’s warning and planned to learn more from the Psychology Alchemists and make sufficient preparations before trying again.

The corners of her mouth lifted bit by bit. She randomly drew several signs over her chest and muttered soundlessly, “May Mr. Fool bless me~”

…

Above the gray fog, Klein turned his thoughts to another matter:

The red-haired Elaine, with a reward of one thousand pounds, was actually connected to Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy!

Tracy had taken over Qilangos’s fleet and renamed the flagship the Black Death, while Qilangos had previously captured a wealthy merchant named Jimmy Necker… That wealthy merchant had obtained, even earlier, part of an ancient document related to Death, which came from a mausoleum of the Balam royal family… This intelligence came from the Nightmare inside Creeping Hunger and should be somewhat useful to Mr. Azik. I had originally planned to investigate it in passing… Klein now had another expectation toward finding the red-haired Elaine.

Originally, he had only planned to use the magic mirror Arrodes to find her. Now he intended to add a search by Sea God’s believers as well.

Previously, issuing an oracle for a mere thousand pounds really would have damaged his status. Now that a pirate admiral was involved, it could barely make people suspect that there was some hidden purpose… Klein materialized red-haired Elaine’s photograph and beckoned the Sea God Scepter over.

He did not issue a broadcast-style oracle. That might have created a burden he could not bear.

He selected high-ranking believers such as Kalat and Edmonton, and amid a background of towering sea waves, spoke in a deep voice:

“Find her, and protect her well.

“Beware of Tracy’s forces.”

Klein offered no explanation. He split this scene, along with the photograph of red-haired Elaine, into several copies and cast them into the corresponding points of light.