Chapter 92: Baffling Human Behavior

Chapter 92: Baffling Human Behavior

…The primitive island the Emperor accidentally discovered… The creatures on the island worship an unknown power originating from the starry sky… Below the level of angels, one will be polluted by the starry sky merely by learning about it… Avoid making wishes to the Genie as much as possible, and do not bring it to that primitive island… Admiral of Stars Cattleya finally received Mr. Fool’s feedback. While she breathed out in relief, she grew even more worried about the Queen’s exploratory voyage.

She turned her head and glanced at the Wishing Lamp, which showed no reaction. Hurriedly, she put it away. Then she spread out a sheet of writing paper, picked up her fountain pen, and described the information she had just obtained in her own words, striving to draw the Queen of Mysteries Bernadette’s utmost attention.

…

Backlund, inside a shabby apartment.

A bearded man sat in a chair, his hands cuffed behind his back.

Xio, who had already relied on her strength to become part of MI9’s middle ranks, stood before the man with two subordinates, holding a triangular bayonet. In a deep voice, she said, “We already have sufficient witnesses and evidence proving that you were one of the main organizers of this march. If you want your punishment reduced, answer my questions honestly.”

Before Xio had even spoken, the bearded man had already felt an extremely powerful pressure. Once she finished, even his mind trembled, as if bolts of electricity were gathering inside him, hiding stinging pain and paralysis that might erupt at any moment.

The bearded man endured the fear and weakness in his heart and said, “No one instructed me. I was only doing what I longed to do.

“Do you people still not understand? All of Backlund has become a powder keg. Even a tiny spark might blow up the entire city. And there are countless sparks like me who can no longer endure and are willing to take risks!

“Those damned nobles and merchants have hoarded so much grain, while people in East Borough have already starved to death!

“You can deal with me however you want. I never believed those people’s promises. The only reason I agreed to end the march earlier was that everyone received a fair amount of food.”

Xio was just about to ask something else when she suddenly tilted her head, listening to a sound in the distance.

A rumbling noise came from some unknown place, low, hoarse, and rolling layer upon layer.

Have the Feysac, Intis, or Feynapotter armies broken through the blockade and begun attacking Backlund’s defensive line? Xio’s expression instantly turned grave.

…

In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, after Klein returned to the real world, he immediately tried reaching out to see if he could take the Wishing Lamp from the fog of history.

He soon confirmed that the sealed artifact numbered 0-05 could not be summoned.

As expected, it involves a Uniqueness, or perhaps a sefirah? In any case, the Genie truly is a sealed high-level existence whose status is at least that of a King of Angels… Completely impossible to use… Klein exhaled and returned his attention to hunting the Dark Demonic Wolf Kotar.

During this period, he had already made many preparations and had also repeatedly refined the entire plan above the gray fog.

However, Klein did not rush to carry it out. He spent quite a lot more time inspecting for loopholes and patching up the parts that were not yet perfect.

Two or three days later, in the deep darkness of the silent, barren wilderness, Klein, who had interfered with divination in advance, wore a silk half top hat and a long black trench coat. Carrying a lantern that released dim yellow light, he extended his right hand with a solemn expression and grabbed at the air.

At that moment, a bolt of lightning crossed the sky, illuminating the entire world.

Klein dragged out a figure: another version of himself, holding the illusory Staff of the Stars and a lantern.

Immediately afterward, his true body entered the fog of history, sprinting to the era before the First Epoch and hiding amid the layered corpses of old cities.

His image from the gaps of history suddenly came alive. In its mind appeared one of the terrains he had surveyed during this period. Using the Staff of the Stars’ power, it transferred directly there.

This location was very far from where his true body was. Even if something went wrong with the projection, no one would be able to lock onto the exact place where his true body would return to reality.

After looking around and taking in scenes such as a dried riverbed and boulders standing like monsters deep in the darkness, Klein stopped maintaining the historical projection of the Staff of the Stars. He shook his right hand, making it quickly fade and vanish.

Once that was done, Klein walked to the boulder, set down the lantern, and recited an honorific name in a low voice in Jotun:

“The Dark Lord who coexists with history;

“The embodiment of countless miracles;

“The God who rules over wishes…”

This was the Dark Demonic Wolf’s honorific name Klein had obtained from the Evernight Goddess. Although that mythical creature might no longer use it, and might have already altered it to some extent, in mysticism, it unquestionably still pointed toward Him.

…

Deep within a stretch of rolling mountains, inside an ancient castle.

Giants, elves, humans, and vampires respectively served as gardeners, chefs, male servants, maidservants, and guards. Their expressions differed from one another, and when they met, they even spoke softly for a few sentences, appearing lively and possessed of spirituality.

Yet once they returned to their own rooms, they immediately became dull. Their eyes no longer moved, and their bodies floated upward, hanging from the ceiling.

Deep inside the castle, in a hall that only lightning outside the window could illuminate, an enormous figure lay quietly within the darkness.

“It” was like a small mountain, covered entirely in dark short fur. Black pupils occupied at least three-quarters of its eyes, and a tuft of gray-white fur grew on its forehead. Its head resembled an enlarged, distorted wild wolf.

This was the God of Wishes, the Dark Demonic Wolf Kotar.

Suddenly, this demonic wolf, more exaggerated than ordinary giants, lifted His head. Every strand of dark short fur trembled, and all the servants inside the castle made similar movements at the same time.

Kotar’s eyes then shifted slightly. He turned His head a little, seeming to listen to something.

The next second, He opened His mouth and let out a soundless roar, summoning another version of Himself.

No sooner had this Dark Demonic Wolf appeared than Kotar’s true body leaped into the grayish-white fog, sprinting into a certain historical fragment from the Second Epoch.

This was a section of hidden history He controlled.

In the real world, the historical projection of the Dark Demonic Wolf made a wish in an obscure, difficult language. Then His figure flashed, and He transferred directly to a mountain peak near the northern city-state of Nois.

After making the corresponding preparations, this God of Wishes let one strand of dark fur fall, transform into an illusory Worm of Spirit, and expand into the corresponding prayer light.

Through that light, Kotar saw who exactly had prayed to Him.

It was a young man wearing a strange hat and strange clothing. He stood beside a glass lantern, reciting the God of Wishes’ honorific name in a low voice.

Mm… The Dark Demonic Wolf’s huge black pupils shifted. He saw that this young man’s body was covered in a layer of grayish-white fog, with certain indistinct things hidden within.

As a Sequence 2 angel of the Seer pathway, this mythical creature could clearly sense that the fog resembled the fog of history. He could also feel that the things inside the fog held a powerful attraction toward Him.

…Sefirah Castle? Kotar had heard a few things from the ancient god Flegrea, King of Demonic Wolves, and instantly formed a certain guess.

On that premise, one thought after another surfaced regarding what the young man intended to do:

“Use Sefirah Castle to attract me, make me attack him, then reverse-lock onto my location?

“This is bait?

“Indeed, he is only an image from the gaps of history. His true body is hidden in who knows which fragment. Any ambushers are hidden in who knows where…

“When Sefirah Castle clearly stirred before, I controlled myself and did not attempt to search the corresponding area or gather leftover clues. Why do they think I will take the bait this time?

“Are they simply trying, and if this fails, they will use another method? Or is there something else wrong hidden inside this prayer?

“Heh. I have lived for thousands of years and experienced so many things. What kind of situation have I not seen?

“The best way to handle this now is to ignore him, not pry either—just remember him.”

The Dark Demonic Wolf quickly made His decision. He planned to observe a little longer before extinguishing that prayer light.

Just then, He saw the young man open his mouth once again:

“The Eternal Blazing Sun;

“You are the undying light;

“You are the embodiment of order.”

…The Dark Demonic Wolf found himself somewhat unable to understand what this young man was trying to do.

In this abandoned land, praying to other true gods was ineffective!

The next second, Klein recited another divine honorific name:

“The Lord that created everything;

“The Lord who reigns behind the curtain of shadows;

“The degenerate nature of all living beings.”

The Dark Demonic Wolf’s pupils expanded slightly, bewildered by the behavior of that human within the prayer light.

Before He could form any speculation from this, Klein softly recited a third honorific name:

“The clock-hand that fiddles with time;

“The shadow that roams across fate;

“The embodiment of deceit and mischief…”

Amon… He is praying to Amon… The Dark Demonic Wolf no longer knew what the other party was trying to do. Instinctively sensing that something was wrong, He immediately prepared to erase the corresponding prayer light.

Suddenly, He saw the young man lift his head, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.

Then the young man took out a monocle made from ground crystal and placed it over his right eye.

With only a single prayer, Klein’s historical projection had become an avatar of the Blasphemer Amon!

Almost simultaneously, the Dark Demonic Wolf felt the other party’s gaze pass through the prayer light and look toward Him. Then it passed through Him and looked toward His true body inside the fog of history.

Without the slightest hesitation, He immediately extinguished that prayer light.

As His true body dissolved that gaze, He also stopped maintaining the historical projection.

Inside the fog of history, amid the layered corpses of old cities, Klein abruptly stood. A scene appeared inside his mind.

Several seconds before that scene had fully formed, he had already cut off the connection between his true body and that image from the gaps of history, to prevent Amon from using it to descend beside him.

The main purpose of the baffling actions Klein had taken earlier was to confuse the Dark Demonic Wolf, so that after He saw through the fact that the prayer did not come from the true body, He would continue observing and accumulate the amount of time He spent peering at Sefirah Castle.

His final prayer to Amon was to use the possible descent and possible influence of this God of Deceit to conceal the reverse pollution that Sefirah Castle inflicted upon the Dark Demonic Wolf!

If Amon had not responded and had merely watched from the sidelines, Klein himself had also prepared a monocle and could attempt to deceive the Dark Demonic Wolf once.