Chapter 34: “Record”

Chapter 34: “Record”

“We currently do not have a Star Worm… He wants me to keep an eye out for those seeking to purchase a Star Worm, and asks what else that person needs…” Forsi silently breathed a sigh of relief as she read her teacher’s letter.

Yet when she thought of the coming operation to hunt the Saint of Secrets Botis, she grew nervous again. After all, this was a half-god existence. One or two years ago, he had already been a Sequence 4 saint, and by now he might even have reached Sequence 3.

“Although Madam Hermit will lead the operation, as the bait, I still need to worry about my own safety… Besides, behind the Aurora Order, there is Rose of Redemption. There are angels. There are Kings of Angels…” Forsi did not regret agreeing to Gehrman Sparrow’s request. This was something she herself wished to do. It was merely that the risk was too high, so she could hardly avoid feeling flustered and uneasy.

This made her involuntarily imagine another possibility:

“If Mr. World could participate, and if he led the operation, I definitely would not be this nervous or worried.”

This was not because Forsi did not believe in Madam Hermit’s strength and experience. Rather, The World Gehrman Sparrow’s achievements were right there for all to see. He had hunted more than one demigod, and as soon as one imagined him executing a similar mission, one would feel reassured.

Sitting beside the fireplace, Xio glanced at her friend and asked, “Is the hunt about to begin?”

“Mm.” Forsi nodded solemnly, then said, “But not that soon. Everyone needs time to prepare.”

Hunting a demigod was not like going fox hunting in the countryside during autumn—gather equipment, summon a few friends, and set out. It required an absolutely rigorous, absolutely meticulous plan. Forsi believed Madam Hermit would need to personally come to Backlund, or the other predetermined battlefield, and reside there for some time, clarifying the concrete situation before she could formulate a sufficiently effective plan.

Meanwhile, Miss Justice was still accelerating the digestion of her Dreamwalker potion. That might still take one or two months, perhaps even longer.

For Forsi, she could afford to wait, because she also wanted to finish digesting the Scribe potion before the formal operation, then arrange the ritual and become a Traveler.

The only thing she could not be certain of was whether The World Gehrman Sparrow would urge them.

I’ll work hard to persuade him. No, I’ll let Miss Justice persuade him. That’s an Audience’s strength… Forsi had only just muttered a few words when she saw Xio turn her body, seeming somewhat hesitant.

“The MI9 liaison officer suggested today that I officially join them. He said that, with a new king taking the throne, many matters from the past no longer need to be worried about. People like him and me now have an opportunity to be valued.”

Forsi listened attentively, then deliberated and said, “Wasn’t there an investigation launched against us?

“They should be able to discover that some force exists behind you.”

Xio nodded.

“They believe that, after that incident, I was abandoned. Also, they suspect that force belongs to the Church—the Church of Evernight.”

Xio herself believed in the Evernight Goddess, so mentioning “the Church” naturally referred to the Church of Evernight. But considering that her friend was a believer of the God of Steam and Machinery, she added clarification to avoid ambiguity.

“Heh heh. That was the disguise Mr. World had us create.” Forsi relaxed and brushed her hair aside with a smile.

Then she made herself appear serious and mature.

“Xio, this is an opportunity for you. Acting as a Judge clearly requires official support. If you rely purely on yourself to act as a judge in Backlund’s underground world, your strength and level still are not enough, and you also lack sufficient help.

“If you truly can serve for a few months in the Magistrates’ Court, circuit court, or criminal court, your potion should be thoroughly digested. Ah, right, I heard that MI9 has an internal ‘Extraordinary Affairs Tribunal’ specifically for Beyonder cases. If you become a judge there, perhaps you can attempt the Disciplinary Paladin level by February or March next year.”

Seeing that Xio was clearly moved, Forsi hurriedly added, “Once you establish enough merit, you might even be able to restore your father’s reputation to a certain extent. In any case, George III is already dead. As long as the matter is not directed toward his name and reputation, Govington II may not stop it.”

Govington was the eldest son of George III. He had already succeeded as Loen’s king and put on the Balam Crown.

Xio remained silent for quite a while. At last, she slowly nodded.

“I’ll try.”

“Mm. Once things are stable, you can bring your mother and brother to Backlund. Although the situation is tense right now and food prices are soaring, you’ll definitely have a quota inside MI9. You can support them!” The more Forsi spoke, the more she felt joining MI9 was a good thing.

After persuading Xio, Forsi entered her own bedroom and prayed to Mr. Fool, asking Him to relay her words to Mr. World.

Then Forsi extracted the important points from her teacher’s reply, explained her own thoughts, and expressed the hope that Gehrman Sparrow would be patient.

She had just ended the prayer and was about to leave the room when her vision suddenly blurred. She saw a crimson tide surge out of the void, instantly drowning her.

Forsi then discovered that she had arrived inside the ancient palace and was sitting in her usual high-backed chair. However, at the very top of the bronze long table, there was no majestic figure shrouded in grayish-white fog.

At that moment, around the mottled long table, there were only her and The World Gehrman Sparrow.

“…” Forsi’s nerves abruptly tightened. The thoughts in her mind instantly became active and began spinning rapidly. “‘Mr. World, what I meant just now was that if you have patience, that would be best. It will make things simpler. But even if you don’t, that is fine. We will begin the hunt as quickly as possible.”

Klein gave a low, hoarse laugh.

“No need to be nervous. I am not in a hurry.”

Now that the final objective had become an angel-level potion formula and a Grade 0 sealed artifact, he had sufficient patience for this matter.

Whew… Magician Forsi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then asked in confusion, “Then what did you summon me here for?”

Klein’s tone was without much fluctuation.

“Didn’t you want to digest the Scribe potion as quickly as possible?

“Besides ‘Recording’ the customs and local color of different places, I think you should also need to ‘Record’ all kinds of Beyonder powers. The higher the corresponding level, perhaps the better the digestion effect.”

Forsi’s eyes brightened as she listened.

“Yes!”

After blurting that out, she felt that there was something wrong with her attitude, so she hurriedly added, somewhat timidly, “Is this the advance payment you mentioned before?”

Klein nodded lightly.

“Begin. Prepare yourself. I borrowed a Grade 1 sealed artifact from Mr. Fool. It corresponds to saint level.”

For a Sequence 6 Scribe, the probability of successfully Recording angel-level Beyonder powers was extremely low—almost nonexistent. Therefore, Klein did not attempt to summon Miss Messenger, Mr. Azik, and the others from the gaps of history to demonstrate “skills.”

Forsi immediately sat up straight and nodded heavily.

“Mm.”

The next second, she saw The World Gehrman Sparrow raise a white bone scepter whose top was embedded with blue-green gemstones.

As light suddenly flared, bolts of lightning “leaped” out from the void. They tangled together, transforming into a forest of thunder that emitted an aura of destruction.

Forsi’s eyes were reflected entirely silver-white. Both body and mind were shaken.

After the Lightning Storm subsided, she froze for two seconds before speaking in a slightly timid voice.

“I failed…”

“Again,” Klein replied calmly.

Lightning Storm descended again and again inside the ancient palace above the gray fog. No one knew how long had passed before Forsi breathed out, leaned back against the chair, and said with irrepressible joy, “Success! I succeeded!”

She had finally “Recorded” one Lightning Storm.

It’s finally over… Forsi immediately relaxed. Then she heard The World Gehrman Sparrow speak emotionlessly:

“Good. The next Beyonder power.”

…The next one? Forsi saw the mad adventurer at the very bottom of the mottled long table extend his right hand, reach into the grayish-white fog, and take out a cross overgrown with thorns and covered in verdigris.

“‘Record’ the ability of this cross?” Forsi worked hard to make her expression appear normal.

After the Scribe potion had digested to a considerable degree, the number of divine powers she could Record had risen from one to two.

“No.” Klein glanced at Miss Magician. “‘Record’ my ability to summon the Unshadowed Crucifix.”

“…I failed,” Forsi whispered.

The reason for this failure was that she had not managed to “Record” it in time.

Klein stopped maintaining the Unshadowed Crucifix and reached once again into the fog of history, taking out an iron-black revolver.

“I didn’t succeed…” Forsi replied with a complicated expression.

Right now, she only wanted to return to the real world and properly digest what she had just gained, yet she still could not hear the bell of “class dismissal.”

After nearly thirty attempts, when Forsi’s head began to ache and her spirit began to dry up, she finally “Recorded” a single instance of Historical Projection Summoning.

At that moment, she felt as though her eyes were filled with tears. Yet she endured her exhaustion and did her best to display the attitude of a good “student.”

“This can summon people and objects from the gaps of history that have a certain connection to oneself?

“When the time comes, who, or what item, should I summon?”

Klein looked at Miss Magician and answered with faint coldness:

“Me.”

“…” Forsi squeezed out a smile. “Which period of you?”

“The last time we met.” Klein had long since thought through the answer.

That had been him before sabotaging George III’s ritual—the him who had specifically brought Miss Magician from the frozen world back to Backlund, the him who had already become an Ancient Scholar.

Forsi nodded solemnly and instinctively asked, “What if I fail? The probability should be very high if I summon someone above my own level…”

“Come ‘Record’ this power again tomorrow using Leymano’s Travels,” Klein said in an even voice.

Two times and I’ll succeed? This question instinctively emerged in Magician Forsi’s mind. But seeing how certain The World Gehrman Sparrow was, she did not dare ask.

She lifted her hand and gestured slightly.

“Then… can I go back now?”

Klein gave a soft “Mm,” allowing Miss Magician to leave Sefirah Castle with a delighted expression.

…

Sonia Island, inside the primitive forest.

Alger Wilson led several subordinates into an elven ruin that few people usually visited.