Chapter 4: Mr. Door’s Description

Chapter Four
Mr. Door’s Description

Mr. Door… That naming style is rather like mine…

I wonder what the true name of this pitiful fellow trapped deep within the storm, lost in the darkness, might be. I wonder what Sequence he corresponds to. Or perhaps, as Emperor Roselle suspected, he really is one of the evil gods or demons…

Half silently criticizing and half mocking himself, Klein laughed inwardly. He was just as interested in certain histories of the Fourth Epoch.

“I know that the most famous event of the Fourth Epoch was the War of the Four Emperors, but when it comes to specific details and major figures, my understanding is limited to what has been passed down by the various Churches, such as the Black Emperor of the Solomon Empire.

“Only today did that so-called Mr. Door resolve my doubts and allow me to know who the other three among the Four Emperors were: the half-mad Blood Emperor of the Tudor Dynasty, the Night Emperor of the Trunsoest Empire, and that Nether Emperor of the Southern Continent—commonly known as Death.

“According to Mr. Door’s description, in that war which changed the entire world situation, the Black Emperor, Blood Emperor, and Night Emperor fell one after another, while the Nether Emperor seized the greatest benefit.

“On this point, Mr. Door meaningfully added that after more than a hundred years of digestion, Death went mad, yet also became stronger. He then joined forces with the Primordial Demoness and brought a Pale Disaster upon the Northern Continent. Of course, this was not something he saw with his own eyes or experienced personally, but something he heard each month when he drew close to the real world.

“Death went mad, yet also became stronger!

“Can deities go mad too?

“That truly is a terrifying sentence.

“Still, it also confirms one of my guesses: before the Fifth Epoch, those deities frequently descended into the real world, directly interfering with the situation on the Northern and Southern Continents. They may even have entered the field personally, just as Death did.

“I asked Mr. Door whether he had participated in the War of the Four Emperors. If so, what role did he play? And what stance did the seven gods maintain in that war? What effect did they have?

“Mr. Door did not answer my question. He merely said playfully that the top-level powerhouses of the Fourth Epoch were far more numerous than I imagined.

“In addition, he mentioned two laws. The first is the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility. The second is the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics within Neighboring Sequences. These matched certain matters I learned from that most secretive and most ancient organization, as well as certain phenomena I have observed. Heh. They can lead to many interesting conclusions, allowing explanations for many things to appear in a different form—a form that makes people feel fear and trembling. For instance, within the same pathway, if there are more high-Sequence Beyonders, then the number of low-Sequence Beyonders will decrease, and vice versa.

“…The total number of Beyonder characteristics was fixed from the source. They will not increase, nor will they decrease. Does this mean that there truly exists a Lord who created everything, an omniscient and omnipotent God from whom all things originate?”

This was the longest Roselle diary entry Klein had read. It occupied an entire two pages. One could imagine that originally it had been written on the front and back of a single sheet, but after repeated copying, it had become two separate pages.

“There is so much information…”

Klein sighed silently.

As a history student who had graduated normally, he had always believed that the Solomon Empire, Tudor Dynasty, and Trunsoest Empire had been successors replacing one another, with certain restorations in between. Who would have known that Mr. Door’s description of the War of the Four Emperors clearly revealed one thing: the three great dynasties had once existed at the same time.

“If this is true, it will overturn most of the current historical research on the Fourth Epoch.”

Klein suddenly thought of the original owner, who had been filled with interest in archaeology and exploring the history of the Fourth Epoch.

Today, I have helped him fulfill one of his wishes…

I do not know whether Death had already become a true deity during the War of the Four Emperors. It is hard to judge from Mr. Door’s description. I can only first assume that at this time, the Nether Emperor used the benefits he seized from the War of the Four Emperors to break through his limits and become a deity, but because of it, he also went mad…

That a deity could also go mad is truly horrifying. Just imagining the details makes one tremble from the heart. No wonder even the knowledgeable Emperor Roselle used the word terrifying to describe the matter…

Could so-called evil gods be orthodox deities who have gone mad?

Then, could one day come when only evil gods remain in the entire world…?

Hiss. Does that imply an irreversible apocalypse?

Klein used a smile to conceal his gradually grave emotions. He felt that the future he had just imagined was filled with gray and dark tones.

At the same time, he raised his evaluation of the Black Emperor, Blood Emperor, and Night Emperor, believing that they were top-level powerhouses close to the divine.

“Perhaps they were Sequence 1, beings at the summit of a single pathway. According to that logic, for the Black Emperor to have lived several centuries, even a thousand years, would not be too unacceptable. This also explains one of the original owner’s previous doubts. From the content recorded by the Antigonus family, he had deduced a conclusion that contradicted his mentor’s view: that Black Emperor was actually a shared title for every emperor of the Solomon Empire… Perhaps the Black Emperor was always that Black Emperor… Of course, other possibilities cannot be ruled out, such as two or three replacements. Or perhaps Sequence 1 of that pathway is called Black Emperor?”

“I wonder which figure in Fourth Epoch history Mr. Door was… Roselle did not describe in detail his mistaken experiment and accidental coincidence, so even if I wanted to speak with Mr. Door, I have no way to do so.

“The Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility and the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics within Neighboring Sequence Pathways are similar to the Captain’s feelings. Perhaps the terminology he used was passed down from Emperor Roselle.

“Based on the two laws Mr. Door described, one can indeed deduce many interesting possibilities. For example, with so many sacred relics and so many high-Sequence powerhouses, the seven great Churches should not have many low-Sequence Beyonders. Yet that contradicts reality. The only reasonable explanation is additional bestowal from the deities.

“For example, did the destruction of the Nation of Evernight occur precisely because of characteristic conservation—the crime of possessing a treasure? Or rather, did their existence severely weaken the power of the Evernight pathway and threaten the Goddess’s position?

“For example, theoretically, certain Sealed Artifacts can also be used as the main ingredients of potions, or may even be equivalent to potions themselves. Of course, the premise is that the hidden dangers and madness within them are removed beforehand.

“…

“No wonder certain excavated documents call the Fourth Epoch the Epoch of the Gods. It turns out that in that epoch, there were many records of deities descending.

“Then what caused Them to stop descending? Why have even oracles nearly been cut off?

“If ritual magic did not still receive responses, I fear many Beyonders would begin doubting whether deities truly exist…”

In a single stretch, Klein thought of many things. He felt he had stepped one layer deeper into the field of mysticism and the Beyonder world.

He quickly flipped through the next four diary pages and found that they were no longer related to Mr. Door. Disappointment immediately welled up within him.

His Clown abilities allowed him to hide his emotions quite well, and with the gray fog acting as a barrier, even Miss Justice, who was secretly observing him, noticed nothing strange.

Restraining his scattered thoughts, Klein read the third diary page.

“September 10th. I endured for a long time, but in the end, I still cannot help complaining a few lines.

“Was my brain filled with water when I chose the Savant pathway?

“Of course, it truly does allow me to make full use of my greatest advantage and gain the Church’s attention. But the problem is, several early Sequences lack combat-oriented Beyonder abilities. I can only make do with mystical items. I rely far too much on external things.

“For instance, Sequence 9 Savant grants only extraordinary memory, learning, and practical ability. Sequence 8 Archaeologist grants a stronger body and relevant ancient knowledge, barely allowing one to use some ritual magic. Sequence 7 Appraiser grants the ability to rapidly identify mystical items and avoid hidden dangers as much as possible while using them. Sequence 6 Artisan can create mechanical wonders and relatively weak Beyonder items, but apart from that, only ritual magic improves. No wonder its modern name is Mechanical Expert.

“By comparison, Sequence 7 Wizard and Sequence 6 Scrolls Professor of the Mystery Pryer pathway are both tempting enough. If only the Church controlled the complete Sequence, and if the Hidden Sage did not exist.

“Still, I finally received a bit of good news. After my next advancement, I will obtain combat-oriented Beyonder abilities that belong to myself. Sequence 5: Astrologer!

“Its modern name frightens me somewhat. It is actually called Astronomer…

“Am I going to end up becoming an all-capable mad scientist?

“Heavens have mercy. My college entrance exam score only barely reached second-tier university level!”

It had to be said: Emperor Roselle possessed a strange talent for humor. Even Klein, whose mood had been low recently, could not help twitching the corner of his mouth. He wanted to light a candle for this predecessor.

Study hard and improve every day truly is an eternal truth…

After silently lampooning, he remembered the characteristics of the mainstream Beyonders of the Church of Steam and Machinery:

They lacked combat-oriented Beyonder abilities themselves, but were skilled at crafting and using items.

Turning past the third page, which contained only one entry, Klein continued reading.

“June 2nd. The Kingdom has repeatedly created chaos and provoked battles, yet it has been unable to completely defeat the Feysac Empire, the Loen Kingdom, and the Feynapotter Kingdom. It has had no choice but to shoulder expensive debts, and the economy has fallen to the brink of collapse.

“From what I have observed, the public, merchants, and soldiers are all extremely dissatisfied. The riots lack only a single spark. This is my opportunity.

“But I must be sufficiently cautious. The Sauron family has witnessed the history of the Fourth Epoch. It is an ancient family, and it may very well hide high-Sequence powerhouses. I need to obtain the Church’s support and reach a certain tacit understanding with the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun.

“I cannot directly take the lead. I must first let the rebels destroy order, then end everything as a protector. Consul Roselle Gustav—I like that title.”