Chapter 27: Asking on Someone’s Behalf

Chapter 27: Asking on Someone’s Behalf

On the barren plain covered in deep ravines, the Amons stood in different places. They opened their mouths and recited in Jotun:

“Blessed of the spirit world and Sefirah Castle;

“Mystery stemming from ancient times;

“Witness of long history;

“Protector of magic and theatrical performances in Backlund;

“Great Gehrman Sparrow…”

Their voices overlapped layer upon layer, burrowing into the void, as though extending all the way to infinity.

After a dozen or so seconds, the Amons adjusted their crystal monocles in different motions and chuckled softly.

“He changed it quite quickly.”

If Gehrman Sparrow were still automatically responding to this honorific name, They could use it to confirm his location, actively create an “error,” and appear directly beside the target.

…

In the deep darkness that was occasionally lit by lightning, Klein wore a silk top hat and a wool coat, carrying a lantern as he walked north at an unhurried pace along a relatively flat route.

“There are prayers… Amon is using Gehrman Sparrow’s honorific name… That means some Amons are not very far from me… But there are no parasites of Him inside the City of Silver… Is He in nearby patrol teams, or inside some creature I haven’t thought of?” As he walked, Klein suddenly tilted his head and listened carefully for several seconds.

Regarding this matter, he felt rather fortunate that he had been cautious enough. Above the gray fog, he had already changed the portion of the honorific name that he had tacitly allowed to receive automatic responses, altering “Protector of magic and theatrical performances in Backlund” into “Protector of all impoverished children in Backlund”—a title derived from the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation he had established.

Mm… Amon is a Cryptologist. He could very likely “interpret” this honorific name from Dawn Dantès’s various records… No, I shouldn’t have automatic responses at all… Klein looked at the dim yellow light spreading from the lantern and swiftly made a further decision.

He allowed every Worm of Spirit to only listen to prayers without actively responding, unless permission had already been granted by his main consciousness.

In this way, frequent prayers would seriously affect his life, but the problem was not significant, because aside from Amon maliciously harassing him, no one would pray to Gehrman Sparrow. He had never even spread his own honorific name.

After settling this matter, Klein turned his thoughts to Amon’s many terrifying aspects, and suddenly felt a certain degree of doubt toward what he was about to do next.

His original plan was to move away from the City of Silver and head toward the Nois ruins in the north, investigating their concrete situation and seeing whether he could obtain the main ingredient needed for the Miracle Invoker potion. But once he linked that ancient ruin with Amon, the problem became obvious:

Klein was now certain that the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence also existed at high levels among neighboring pathways. Since Amon had wandered the Forsaken Land of the Gods for more than a thousand years and had been near the City of Silver, how could He possibly not have been drawn to the northern ruins of Nois?

The power within Nois City, something even the City of Silver’s Chief did not dare enter, must have already reached the angel level. Amon would not ignore it… He may not dare directly consume such a high-level Beyonder characteristic from a neighboring pathway, but that would not prevent Him from setting a trap with it… Even if He did not do so before, He must be heading there now… Of course, it is not impossible that Amon never discovered it. When the City of Silver’s Chief first went there, the Nois ruins were not this dangerous. Perhaps that angel-level power arrived at Nois afterward… It itself is constantly migrating to avoid Amon? As thoughts surged, Klein became rather afraid to go to that ancient city in the northwest.

He decided to first see whether there were other ways to obtain the main ingredient for the Miracle Invoker potion, then consider whether to observe the outer perimeter of the Nois ruins and collect some intelligence.

With this in mind, Klein, dressed in the black wool coat and half top hat, carried his lantern toward the ruined remains of a high tower he had seen earlier with the help of lightning.

On the way, outside the dim yellow glow and within the dangerous darkness, monsters lined up one by one, silently following him.

They were already Klein’s marionettes.

Compared to them, saints of the Seer pathway were more bizarre, stranger, and far more terrifying.

As they walked, one monster, shaped overall like a fish yet possessing hands and feet, suddenly opened its mouth and recited in Jotun:

“O Eternal Blazing Sun;

“You are the Inextinguishable Light;

“You are the Embodiment of Order…”

No sooner had it finished reciting the three-line honorific name than the monster convulsed and collapsed, losing its life.

A deity’s honorific name often had more than three lines, but when reciting it, one needed only select three. For example, the Eternal Blazing Sun’s full honorific name was “The Eternal Blazing Sun, Inextinguishable Light, Embodiment of Order, God of Contracts, Guardian of Commerce,” while Klein had just used the first three lines.

In this manner, Klein prayed in succession to the Lord of Storms, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, and the Evernight Goddess, hoping to receive a certain response.

Yet a full quarter of an hour passed, and not the slightest change occurred around him.

“Praying to Sequence 0 true gods in the Forsaken Land of the Gods is ineffective? Unless the target is the True Creator, or an existence that controls things like Sefirah Castle or the Chaos Sea?

“That’s not right. When that clergyman in Afternoon Town spoke the Goddess’s true name, he was Concealed. When he spoke of the fourth King of Angels, he self-immolated because it involved a deity… Perhaps it is because many divine powers remain in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, not only Concealment and Depravity. Different gods’ true names have special mysticism significance and can pry open the corresponding powers?

“That would explain why the City of Silver has always taught the true names Badheil and Herabergen, yet never established contact with the God of Combat or the God of Knowledge and Wisdom… Prayers in the Forsaken Land of the Gods cannot be heard by true gods, or perhaps they can be heard but cannot be answered… This also shows that the areas around the City of Silver do not contain residual power from the God of Combat or the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Otherwise, abnormalities would definitely have occurred…

“Mm, it is also possible that abnormalities did occur, only to be removed by those two Grade 0—er, god-level sealed artifacts of the City of Silver…

“In that case, if I directly recite the Goddess’s true name, would the surrounding darkness and Concealment boil over? If such power can be controlled, then I would have another effective card when being tracked by Amon… The probability is not high. Directly speaking a god’s true name is a form of blasphemy, and will bring an attack from the corresponding power, just like that clergyman in Afternoon Town…” Starting from the phenomena and logic, Klein formed a certain conjecture about his current situation. He felt eager to try reciting the true names of the gods he knew one by one to see what effect they would have.

In the end, he restrained himself and did not make any blind attempts.

“I should first go above the gray fog and perform divination. Otherwise, who knows whether it might produce an accident I can’t withstand… Mm, divination involving deities may not necessarily provide a clear revelation…” After muttering inwardly for a while, Klein mocked his earlier impulse. “My previous idea was basically equivalent to: I haven’t courted death for two days, so today I really need to do it properly!”

At that point, he had arrived at the collapsed high tower. He sat beside a wall that had only a small section left and reached into the gaps of history, pulling out a paper crane and igniting it.

He wanted to try whether, with a medium present, he could contact the Snake of Fate Will Auceptin Ceres and ask where else he might obtain the main ingredient for the Miracle Invoker potion.

Bathed in the light of the lantern, which had now been summoned for the third time, Klein entered sleep. But he dreamed of nothing.

“As expected, it doesn’t work…” After waking, Klein shook his head and “leaped” into a historical fragment.

Then he took four steps counterclockwise in reverse and arrived above the gray fog.

Seated in the position belonging to The Fool, Klein beckoned and brought over a small paper box from the pile of miscellaneous items. It contained a stack of paper cranes.

All of them had been folded by a certain baby.

At the same time, The World Gehrman Sparrow was manifested. Amid the grayish-white fog, he prayed to Mr. Fool, asking Him to relay his request to Miss Justice and saying this would accumulate merit toward exchanging for the Manipulator potion formula.

Of course, Klein had already revealed that the potion needed to be consumed amid a huge emotional resonance.

…

Backlund, Queens Borough, inside Earl Hall’s luxurious villa.

Audrey once again returned to her bedroom and arranged a bestowment ritual, obtaining a paper crane.

She then picked up a sharpened pencil and wrote on the paper crane:

“Dawn Dantès asks to meet with you.”

After completing the preliminary preparations, Audrey followed Mr. World’s instructions and placed the paper crane beneath her pillow. She reclined and entered sleep.

Very soon, she saw a pitch-black, barren plain. As a Dreamwalker who had given herself a self-suggestion in advance, she maintained clarity and, carrying intense curiosity, walked toward the black spire at the center of the plain.

Just as she arrived at her destination, Audrey’s spirituality suddenly stirred. She lifted her head and looked toward the top of the spire.

At some unknown point, a giant silver-white serpent had coiled there.

This serpent had no scales, and its body was covered in symbols and patterns. They formed one wheel after another, linked to each other and marked with different symbols.

At that moment, the giant serpent watched Audrey with blood-red, icy eyes. It spoke in a deep voice:

“What does Dawn Dantès want?”

So this is the angel of the Fate pathway who gave Madam Hermit a drop of blood? Audrey controlled her thoughts, calmly met the serpent’s gaze, and said truthfully, “He asked me to consult you on where the main ingredient for the Miracle Invoker potion can be obtained.”

The silver-white serpent suddenly fell silent. Only after several seconds did it say, “Different pathways have different numbers of Sequence 2 slots. When Attendant of Mysteries is full, there can only be six Miracle Invokers.”

Miracle Invoker is the name of a Sequence 2 potion… Mr. World is going to become an angel? Or is he preparing it for his companion? No, if it were for a companion, he could let that person ask directly… Audrey was first startled, then grew increasingly expectant of the mysterious giant serpent’s answer.