Chapter 91: The Genie

Chapter 91: The Genie

The light emitted by the lampwick was abnormally viscous, like flowing water mixed with a great deal of sugar. It surged upward and gathered into a twisted, blurry, pale-golden figure.

That figure instantly occupied the crimson star representing The Hermit, causing Klein to temporarily lose his sense of Admiral of Stars Cattleya.

Seated at the very head of the bronze long table, Klein’s eyes suddenly widened. A thought instinctively flashed through his mind:

As expected of the sealed artifact numbered 0-05!

Although the numbering of Grade 0 sealed artifacts was often based on the order in which they had been grasped or understood by the orthodox Churches, one had to remember that this naming system had only formally taken shape after the seven great Churches truly dominated the world—that is, from the end of the Fourth Epoch to the beginning of the Fifth Epoch.

At that time, most Grade 0 sealed artifacts had already appeared and had either been learned of or obtained by the orthodox Churches.

This created a particular situation: during the initial ordering, the more powerful, more terrifying, and more inconceivable Grade 0 sealed artifacts were placed toward the front. Then, within the same level, they were numbered according to when they had appeared.

In addition, although it was not true that the older an item was, the stronger it must be, anything that had survived from the First Epoch—a time even the ancient gods could not trace back to—inevitably contained secrets that even deities could not fully understand.

Because of this, to some extent, the earlier the number of a Grade 0 sealed artifact, the more frightening it was.

Of course, based on this rule, those Grade 0 sealed artifacts with numbers near the end were not necessarily inferior to the first ten. Perhaps they had simply been discovered late, or had entered the Churches’ hands late, when no earlier numbers were left empty for them, forcing them to be listed in normal order.

Just as that thought flashed through Klein’s mind, the golden figure’s gaze pierced through the crimson star representing The Hermit and turned toward the ancient palace above the gray fog.

Immediately afterward, “His” voice echoed out, exceptionally grand and majestic:

“Long time no see.”

Long time no see? Long time no see! He—He knows Sefirah Castle’s previous owner, that “Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun”? No, it should be He… that self-proclaimed eternal Genie… He can actually borrow Miss Hermit’s prayer to speak with me directly… Klein’s thoughts raced in an instant, and his mind abruptly tightened.

Relying on years of experience and the Clown’s abilities, his body suddenly relaxed. He leaned leisurely back against the chair.

Then Klein opened his mouth and gave a response.

“Heh.”

He did not answer in affirmation, nor did he defend himself by saying he was a fake. He merely displayed a disdainful, natural, lofty attitude.

The twisted, indistinct golden figure snorted.

“To think you have weakened to such a degree. No wonder I have not heard your honorific name spread for these past few millennia.”

Honorific name… weakened… He really does know Sefirah Castle’s previous owner… Was that an existence active during the First Epoch? As many thoughts emerged, Klein smiled and said, “What you see may not be the truth.”

“Haha.” The twisted, blurred golden figure laughed twice. “You still enjoy deceit as much as ever. But Sefirah Castle’s state cannot deceive me. Under normal circumstances, I would have no way to pierce through its outer protection and speak with you like this.”

“How do you know this is not something I deliberately displayed?” Klein asked in return, outwardly relaxed.

“There is no meaning in deceiving me,” the twisted, hazy golden Genie immediately responded.

…Why does this feel like a victim of fraud saying, “I have nothing left; I’ve even sold my kidney”? What exactly did Sefirah Castle’s previous owner, that existence suspected to be “Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun,” do to the Genie back then… Mm, part of the characteristic forming this Wishing Lamp belongs to a Miracle Invoker… Klein used silent lampooning to relieve the pressure in his heart. Then he smiled.

“Whether there is meaning is not for you to define.”

The Genie’s vague golden figure swayed slightly.

“Judging from Sefirah Castle’s current state, you seem to have need of a Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic.”

He no longer tangled with the previous topic. Instead, He directly pointed out what He had observed.

…This fellow can actually see even that… His status is truly high… Can He separate the Miracle Invoker characteristic within the Wishing Lamp on His own? Klein’s gaze condensed slightly, and he almost lost his composure.

He quickly controlled his movements and expression, replying with a smile, “If you believe so, then so be it.”

The distorted, hazy golden figure once again let that grand, lofty voice echo above the gray fog.

“We can make a transaction.

“Release my seal and return my freedom. I will leave the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic to you and take away only the part that belongs to me.

“As for witness, we shall use our own sefirot. Although both you and I possess ways to resist the backlash and reduce the damage caused by breaking the agreement, it will not be entirely without cost. One must consider the consequences.

“I guarantee I will not remain here.”

Seal… sefirah… The terrifying essence of the Wishing Lamp is that it seals an existence at least at the level of a true god? Klein’s heart stirred. He quickly analyzed the feasibility of the matter.

Very soon, he made a decision: he would not be tempted!

There were two reasons. First, he was not truly the previous owner of Sefirah Castle. What he could do was limited, and the accidents he could withstand were limited. Second, the mysticism education he had received as a Nighthawk, along with all his later experiences, had taught him: do not trade with unknown existences, and do not cling to any lucky mentality.

Once his mind was made up, Klein calmed considerably and shifted his focus to how he might extract more intelligence.

The Genie seemed to come from the darkest, most chaotic, and most mysterious First Epoch. He must know quite a lot!

After thinking for a moment, the corners of Klein’s lips lifted faintly.

“You think such terms are enough to move me?”

He intended to see what the highest bargaining chip the Genie could offer would be, thereby prying into some of His secrets.

Upon hearing those words, the golden figure that swayed like lamplight suddenly brightened—brightened in the truest sense of the word.

His gaze seemed to fall directly upon Klein. His grand voice shook the ancient palace like thunder:

“You are not Him!”

You are not Him… In that instant, Klein was somewhat dazed and somewhat frightened, as if, in the middle of a grand magic performance, a member of the audience had suddenly pointed out the exact trick.

He did not know what had been wrong with his earlier rhetorical question, nor did he know exactly where the problem lay. As a result, he found it difficult to analyze the pros and cons and give the reaction most suitable for the current situation within a short time.

…How did He suddenly discover that I’m not Sefirah Castle’s previous owner, that existence suspected to be “Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun”… Wasn’t my question a perfectly reasonable counter-question? Since we’re discussing a transaction, bargaining should be allowed… Was the previous owner of Sefirah Castle whom the Genie knew not like this? Impossible. How could an existence skilled in deceit directly lay out His own bargaining chips without negotiating or applying pressure? Damn it. I’m thinking too much. Almost ten seconds have passed… Not responding in time is equivalent to directly admitting the Genie’s accusation… Klein did not have much experience in being exposed and could not immediately think of the right words to say.

Just as he heightened his vigilance, preparing to take out the Staff of the Stars and mobilize the power of Sefirah Castle to resist any remote attack the Genie might launch, that golden, blurry figure suddenly began laughing.

“Hahaha. Hahaha. Hahaha.”

The laughter seemed to stir the soul. Even Klein, inside Sefirah Castle, almost showed signs of losing control, and only with great difficulty did he stabilize his state without leaving a trace.

No intent to attack, only naturally leaking influence… What is the Genie laughing at? What’s so funny? Klein frowned slightly. One possibility after another flashed through his mind, yet none seemed realistic.

After several seconds, the Genie’s laughter stopped. In a cheerful tone, He said, “Even for existences of our level, fate remains marvelous.

“No matter who you truly are, the transaction I proposed remains valid. As long as you can undo the seal and release me, I will take the portion belonging to me back to the starry sky. Everything else, including that Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic, will be left to you. In addition, I will grant you three wishes.

“How about that? That should be generous enough.”

Starry sky… Klein’s eyelid twitched as he keenly sensed a certain danger.

This was a warning from his spiritual intuition.

He had originally thought he might pretend to agree, extract more intelligence, and then rely on Sefirah Castle to renege. But now, he suddenly felt that he absolutely could not make a promise.

Thus, Klein made an immediate decision and said, “Leave.”

As he spoke, he cut off the connection between himself and the crimson star representing The Hermit.

The blurry, twisted golden figure abruptly expanded, then scattered. Only His voice faintly echoed:

“You will agree in the end!”

Once the space above the gray fog had completely regained its calm, Klein slowly exhaled and muttered soundlessly to himself, “The Genie is a powerful creature from the starry sky, sealed inside the lamp during the First Epoch or even earlier?

“The one who sealed Him was perhaps the previous owner of Sefirah Castle, that existence suspected to be ‘Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun.’ This can be inferred partly from the fact that the Wishing Lamp’s composition includes a Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic…

“So that’s why the Genie noticed I wasn’t Sefirah Castle’s previous owner when I asked that counter-question? But I did consider this point. From a logical perspective, there was nothing wrong with asking that—unless there had once been some tacit understanding or some secret between the Genie and Sefirah Castle’s previous owner regarding this matter…

“The Genie’s own power probably cannot leak out through the seal too much, but He can use the Beyonder characteristic forming part of the seal… The wish-granting trait most likely comes from the Miracle Invoker portion, and then the Genie uses His own status to amplify it…”

As thoughts rose and fell, Klein lifted his head and glanced at the crimson star representing The Hermit. He discovered that Admiral of Stars Cattleya had not noticed the Wishing Lamp’s earlier anomaly at all.

Whew… Klein gathered the reminder he wished to give into a stream of light and threw it into that crimson star.