Chapter 36: Opportunity and Risk Coexist

Chapter 36: Opportunity and Risk Coexist

The Fool Klein gave a light “Mm,” neither denying The Hanged Man’s guess nor confirming that it was indeed the Queen of Calamity, Cohinem. After all, he could not exactly take out a gold coin in front of Alger and perform a divination on the spot.

The Hanged Man Alger waited several seconds. Seeing that Mr. Fool did not give a clear response, he hurriedly described the contents of his previous prayer in greater detail. He began with the woman suspected to be the Queen of Calamity Cohinem saying that he possessed some elven blood, and continued until he reached the promise of becoming a demigod, the Western Continent that might reappear, and the key to fulfilling the agreement.

After recounting everything from beginning to end, Alger closed his mouth and lowered his head. He did not dare directly ask for Mr. Fool’s opinion and instead obediently waited for this great existence to speak of His own accord.

Some elven blood… take something from the Book of Calamity to the Western Continent… the disappeared Western Continent may reappear… Western Continent… The Fool Klein quietly listened to the end. Then he closed his eyes briefly and said in an even voice, “This is very dangerous, but it is also your opportunity.”

He had already preliminarily grasped Sefirah Castle and could mobilize power at the level of a Sequence 2 angel. The Queen of Calamity Cohinem was also only at that level. Klein had fairly high confidence in opposing the various accidents the Elf Queen might bring.

That was precisely why he dared to say this was The Hanged Man’s opportunity.

Of course, the prerequisite for grasping the opportunity was that The Hanged Man could not be rash, could not advance recklessly, and had to remember at all times to ask for protection. Therefore, Klein deliberately emphasized “very dangerous,” making sure The Hanged Man remembered to pray to Mr. Fool before starting the corresponding action.

Such a brief sentence contained two layers of meaning, but Klein believed Mr. Hanged Man would definitely understand.

Alger was delighted. He actually imitated The Sun and responded rather sincerely, “Faith belongs only to Mr. Fool!”

Hearing those words, Klein felt a burst of discomfort and again remembered the pain of being swallowed by endless lightning. He could only smile and say nothing.

After considering it, The Hanged Man Alger took the initiative to ask, “Honorable Mr. Fool, what is the incantation or password needed to enter the Western Continent?”

I want to know that too… The Fool Klein sighed inwardly and said, “It is not yet time for you to know.”

“Yes, Mr. Fool.” The Hanged Man Alger asked no further. He respectfully bowed.

After returning to the real world, he immediately walked out of his tent, brought the sailors along, and, in the light of dawn, spent some time arriving at that elven ruin.

The scene here was exactly the same as what he had seen in the dream. Withered yellow vines covered decayed wooden buildings. In some places, inscriptions were exposed. The air felt rather frozen, as if no one had set foot here in a very long time.

After carefully looking around, Alger suddenly thought of a problem.

Once he truly relied on the Queen of Calamity to become a half-god, half-human existence, how was he supposed to face the Church?

Direct rebellion, to become the fifth—no, sixth king upon the Five Seas? But in that case, there would be no chance to touch the Book of Calamity, unless he designed some events forcing the Church to use that sealed artifact, which might or might not be listed as Grade 0. That would not only be extremely difficult, but he would also probably need to become a Sea King, or even a Calamity, before it became possible… Mm, I could ask The World for help… If I want to remain in the Church, I need to give them a reason they cannot refuse, a good enough reason… Alger’s brows furrowed slightly. He did not hide his solemnity.

To the sailors following him, this looked like unease over the ruin.

As his thoughts surged, Alger gradually formed some ideas:

“Many Church documents record powerful individuals who became demigods through unusual encounters… Two-thirds of them suffered corrosion from evil gods or demons and eventually lost their lives during purification… But one-third passed the test and became high-ranking deacons or cardinals…

“Now that full-scale war has broken out and Loen’s situation is tense, as long as no problem is found, the Church should not mind having an additional Sequence 4 demigod serve as cannon fodder… Afterward, I can slowly regain trust, step by step…

“The premise of all this is that the Queen of Calamity truly is not trying to corrupt me or leave some mark on my body…

“Considering that the Church has all kinds of sealed artifacts, I must ask Mr. Fool for protection beforehand… According to Miss Justice, the Angelic Embrace can effectively deceive mind- and dream-related examinations…”

Now that members of the Tarot Club had advanced to demigod one after another, or were about to do so, Alger truly did not wish to become the one at the bottom, just as he had been inside the Church in the past. He had done so many things precisely to stand above others. Naturally, he was willing to take some risk for that.

Having made his decision, Alger immediately led the sailors into the ruin, following the route from his dream step by step as they explored.

This time, he did not split his subordinates into separate teams. On one hand, he was worried an accident might occur. On the other, he wanted all of them to serve as his “witnesses.”

After fifteen minutes, Alger and his crew reached the giant tree where the soil showed signs of having been turned over.

Before he had time to examine the surroundings, his vision suddenly blurred, and he saw a magnificent palace made of coral.

Above the palace, layers of deep-blue seawater rippled outward. Within the palace, giant pillars stood tall, supporting an exaggerated dome. It was at once towering and majestic, yet gloomy and dim.

Alger looked left and right and discovered that the sailors who had been beside him were all gone. He immediately understood that he had likely been pulled into some illusion.

He silently inhaled, then slowly walked into the coral palace.

Inside were elves one after another. Some were roasting fish. Some were adding spices to animal blood that had solidified into blocks. Some were using two branches to grip food and send it to their mouths. Not one of them cared that a stranger had entered.

Alger immediately turned his gaze toward the nine-tiered staircase more than a hundred meters away.

Atop the staircase stood a coral throne inlaid with sapphires, emeralds, and lustrous pearls. The Elf Queen, the Queen of Calamity, sat there, looking down at Alger.

“Very good.” Cohinem nodded lightly and tossed out the delicate golden wine cup she had been playing with.

Soft yet resilient winds cheered as they held up the cup. They were like tiny elves, forming lines and carrying the corresponding item as they swiftly approached Alger.

Alger reached out to receive it, then lowered his head and looked inside. Within the golden wine cup was a pool of azure liquid, false, dreamlike, and not quite real.

“Drink it, then go to the waters near Simim Island in the Rorsted Archipelago and find this coral palace. Inside, there will be something you wish to obtain.”

“If I do not drink this cup of ‘wine,’ I will not be able to see that palace?” Alger asked thoughtfully.

Although he faced an angel, he could still converse with relative calm because he met a certain great existence every week and had long since grown used to such situations.

The Queen of Calamity Cohinem nodded.

“Correct.”

“Will this leave a mark on me?” Alger cautiously asked one more question.

“It will.” Cohinem’s voice was somewhat cold. “Therefore, before entering the coral palace and obtaining the corresponding item, you may not return to Pasu Island, and you may not meet the angels under Leodero.”

As if I could meet His Holiness the Pope just because I wanted to… Alger relaxed inwardly, then asked, “Once I obtain that item, will the effect of this cup of ‘wine’ vanish?”

The Elf Queen Cohinem answered without any change in expression, “No. You will need to directly consume that characteristic.

“At that time, this cup of ‘wine’ will transform into a seal, temporarily preventing that characteristic from corroding your body. Afterward, how you prepare the ritual, and how you explain it to the Church of Storms, will be your own affair.”

Let the characteristic belong to me first, then perform the ritual? In that case, perhaps there will be a better way to make the Church accept it… Alger thought for a while, then lifted the wine cup to his lips.

The ice-cold liquid slid down his throat and vanished in an instant. The entire coral palace shattered along with it, and the light of dawn, as well as the giant tree still carrying a few traces of green, returned to Alger’s vision.

No contract, no oath? Mm, drinking that cup of “wine” was equivalent to reaching the agreement… Alger withdrew his gaze and said to the sailors around him, who had noticed nothing, “There is nothing here. Let us explore deeper.”

…

Above the gray fog, inside the ancient palace.

Klein likewise withdrew his gaze from the crimson star representing The Hanged Man and nodded thoughtfully.

“That was Shatas and Mobet’s grave… So the golden wine cup can also be used in this way…

“It truly is the Elf Queen Cohinem… What exactly is her current state? Half inside the Book of Calamity, while the other half hides somewhere unknown, using the golden wine cup or her own characteristic to influence reality?

“Mr. Hanged Man has not suffered any corruption for the time being. We will see again once he goes to the Rorsted Archipelago.”

Because his main body could only remain in the gaps of history for a limited amount of time, Klein did not linger. He returned to the pitch-black wilderness and continued carrying the lantern that emitted dim yellow light, walking step by step toward a certain place.

As he walked, Klein turned his head and glanced toward the east, which Chernobyl symbolized. His footsteps involuntarily slowed.

“Once I have enough intelligence from the past hidden locations of the Dark Demonic Wolf, I will head east—keep heading east until I reach the boundary and confirm the situation. Only after that will I consider the matter of the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic… Amon should not expect me to suddenly pull away and go there… He must understand the Dark Demonic Wolf’s past quite well and is unlikely to conduct the same investigation as me… Mm, but He will definitely track me…” Klein slowly exhaled and quickened his pace again.

High in the sky, a bolt of lightning flashed past, illuminating the deathly silent wilderness where the weeds were deep black tinged with red. Rain began to fall, drop by drop.

Klein dragged a black umbrella out from the gaps of history. Holding the umbrella in one hand and the lantern in the other, he walked forward alone.

…

Nearly a week passed. The Future docked somewhere along Loen’s long coastline.

Admiral of Stars Cattleya held a stack of tarot cards in her hand and said to Boatswain Nina and the others, “I will be staying in Loen for a while. You need to keep an eye on Frank and stop him from conducting strange experiments.”