nownovels Chapter 187 Gray Mist Express, Little Sun Joins the Club
Chapter 187 Gray Mist Express, Little Sun Joins the Club
Chapter 187 Gray Mist Express, Little Sun Joins the Club
Looking at all the content that has been deciphered in Lord of Mysteries, now is probably the time when Adam least wants to cause trouble and is most cautious.
008 is currently still in the Kingdom of Rune, and the Goddess of Night is keeping a close eye on him. The two sides are constantly tug-of-war and testing each other. If the God of Storms accidentally discovers 008's whereabouts, it could very well lead to a complete disaster.
Of course, Evan also believed that Adam should have a way to counter the Goddess of Night; otherwise, it would be too arrogant for an angel king to be locked in a protracted tug-of-war with a true god, especially one with hidden authority. (I've always thought that the Goddess of Night is a more powerful character than Adam, as evidenced by the fact that 008 has always been on her side.)
Furthermore, according to Evan's knowledge, Adam resides in the "Spectator" pathway, the "Storm God" in the Sailor pathway, the Eternal Sun in the "Lightbringer" pathway, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom in the "Reader" pathway.
The "Mystic" pathway, where the true Creator resides, is complementary at higher sequences and is the absolute enemy of the extraordinary path.
Now, these paths all possess true gods, and these true gods now place their hopes for increasing their power on Adam and 008.
The factions probably all know that 008 was stolen by Ince Zangwill, and they're probably all gearing up to actively search for 008 and Adam.
If 008's location were exposed now, Evan wouldn't even rule out the possibility of a divine war breaking out, even though true gods haven't appeared for over a thousand years since the end of the Fourth Age.
After all, Adam was absolutely opposed to these true gods, and they also had personal grudges.
The period before Adam gets 008 will be the best window of opportunity for Evan to do his thing, and Evan must seize this opportunity.
Of course, everything is just speculation right now. Maybe that Trinity Angel is an experience pack left by Adam to train the Red Priest, so he would be happy for Evan to have his eye on it. But Evan doesn't dare to gamble and must be fully prepared.
Upon returning to Backlund, Evan parted ways with Miss Sharon. After arriving at his apartment in the Joewood district, Evan eagerly informed Mr. Fool of the news that he had collected all the spinal fluid from the Evil-Striped Black Panther, and asked him to convey to Klein whether they should proceed with the transaction. He also cautiously inquired whether Mr. Patient could facilitate the deal between them.
In fact, Evan could have asked Miss Sharon to deliver the materials to Tingen through the same channels as last time on his way back, but he was tired of this kind of communication and transaction that couldn't be done online and offline at the same time. He wanted to take this opportunity to remind Klein to hurry up and develop the "delivery" function.
Sure enough, Klein, who had just returned home, fell into deep thought after hearing Evan's prayers and advice upon entering the gray fog.
He himself felt that having "The Fool" frequently relay messages between Evan and himself was incredibly low-class and lowered "The Fool's" prestige. Moreover, since his promotion to "The Clown," he had been hoping to develop new functions for the Gray Mist.
Evan's words were also an inspiration to him.
Without hesitation, Klein is no longer the clueless newbie he once was. Coupled with the pressure from the mastermind behind Tingen, he has been frantically studying occult knowledge whenever he has free time, and actively seeking advice from Mr. Schumer, the "secret seeker" who came to Tingen from the Sanctuary. He has become a veritable expert in occultism.
Klein skillfully retrieved various materials he had hidden from different corners of his room, prepared everything according to procedure, sprinkled essential oils and hydrosols symbolizing good luck, and prayed and summoned himself in the tranquil and leisurely fragrance.
Not long after, Klein summoned himself and, through various experiments, successfully discovered a way to bring real-world objects into the gray fog. Then, in the guise of the Fool, he passed on the method of sacrifice to Evan.
While waiting in the apartment, Evan received the communication from "The Fool" and exclaimed that Mr. Fool was really efficient. Then he quickly used the materials he had prepared in advance to set up the sacrificial ceremony.
"A fool who does not belong to this era!"
You are the mysterious ruler of the gray fog!
You are the king of yellow and black, who holds the key to good fortune!
Your faithful servant begs for your gaze.
Please accept his offering.
We implore you to open the gates of your kingdom.
Ancient incantations echoed within the spiritual wall created by Aiven, stirring up fierce winds and bringing about a shockwave of natural forces.
The wind grew stronger, but gradually it subsided, eventually transforming into two colors: silver-white and pitch black.
After repeated collisions and fusions, the two winds of different colors were thrown into the candle flame symbolizing the "Fool," which then expanded into a phantom door of normal size.
Evan saw the illusory gate formed by wind and light open, behind which lay deep darkness, countless indescribable, almost invisible shadows, beams of clear light containing vast knowledge, a thick gray fog above them, and a huge palace overlooking the real world.
Even though Evan had some prior warning, seeing the full extent of the gray fog again still filled him with the same immense fear as before, and his whole body began to tremble.
Fortunately, Evan has now advanced to Sequence 7 and has begun to take control of the "City of Calamity," which is closely related to him. He is no longer as helpless as he was when he first entered the gray fog, unable to move his entire body.
He hurriedly handed the glass bottle containing the spinal fluid of the evil-patterned black panther to the illusory gate, feeling a suction force.
The glass bottle in his hand disappeared, and in its place appeared a stack of banknotes.
Then the illusory gate disappeared, the fierce wind stopped, and the candlelight returned to its original state. Evan stood in front of the coffee table, his face gloomy, his fists clenched, veins bulging, staring at the candlelight for a long time without saying a word.
Klein sat in his seat on the gray mist, admiring the materials laid out on the bronze tabletop.
The spinal fluid of the Evil-Striped Black Panther appears to be a transparent liquid, but upon closer inspection, its clarity is revealed to be layered, becoming increasingly transparent towards the bottom, segment by segment, perfectly divided, fully satisfying the desires of those with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
There was no need for any special testing; Klein was 100% certain that this was the advancement material he needed, as the impulse from his own magical potion had already confirmed its authenticity.
After examining the materials in his hand for a while, Klein then placed them behind his chair for safekeeping; there was no safer "vault" than the gray fog.
The only materials needed for advancing to Sequence 7 "Magician" are the real roots and sap of the Mist Treant, which are very rare and it's unknown when they will be found.
Given Klein's age, he shouldn't be in such a hurry, but today when he went to see Mr. Azik, he learned that Mr. Azik, unable to find any clues about the mastermind behind the scenes, decided to temporarily leave Tingen and wait for the mastermind to emerge. At the same time, he gave Klein a whistle that could summon messengers for communication.
Mr. Azik's ideas and plans made a lot of sense, but they made Klein, who had just found a powerful backer and enjoyed a few days of comfort, feel a little nervous.
However, the thought of the talisman in his pocket calmed Klein down.
With Mr. Azik's cooperation these past few days, Klein has finally figured out why Evan values the sealed artifact 3-0782 behind the Charis Gate so much.
It turns out that the seemingly ordinary and inconspicuous badge actually contained a drop of blood from the "Eternal Sun".
In the past two days, with Mr. Azik's help, Klein has been constantly urging Captain 3-0782 to go out and exorcise the ghost.
He frantically used the wool of the "Eternal Sun" to create five high-level talismans for the solar domain.
Klein had initially considered keeping the badge for himself because he found it so useful, but he gave up the idea when he heard that someone from the Holy See would be coming to Tingen in a few days and was worried about being investigated.
The reason the Sanctuary sent people was quite simple: after Klein and Leonard worked together for some time, and with the hints from Lady Daly, they finally spread the method of acting to all the Night Watchers. Now, every Night Watcher in Tingen has a bright future.
At the same time, the large-scale military control in Tingen led to massive riots and many suicides, which provided a great opportunity for the Night Watch members to play their roles.
So whether it was Captain Dunn, Cohen, or Luo Yao, they all digested the potion very well, especially "Corpse Keeper" Frye, who had buried too many corpses during this period.
This also made Klein understand why the church's higher-ups didn't publish the method of acting, because some sequence potion names had strong evil connotations, such as: Nightmare and Criminal.
If the law is publicly demonstrated, it will encourage some unscrupulous people to deliberately create chaos and disrupt the stable order. Whether it is Tingen's mastermind or the big liar Lanius, they all operate on this logic.
Just a few days ago, after fully digesting the potion, Frye solemnly made a special request to Dunn Smith for a general promotion.
Frye was already a senior Night Watcher with enough merit to qualify for a promotion, so Captain Dunn granted his request and sent a telegram to the Sanctuary, while also formally reporting that the Tingen squad knew everything about the role-playing method.
One can imagine how shocking this news was for the Holy Church; they would certainly send high-ranking officials to investigate.
"I hope Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man will have good news at tomorrow's Tarot meeting. After all, I've fully digested my Joker Potion, and I can advance as soon as the people from the Sanctuary leave."
After learning that the people from the Holy See were preparing to come to Tingen, Klein actually intended to report them, but Leonard firmly disagreed.
He said that if Klein had this idea, it would definitely be discovered by the mastermind, and might even provoke the mastermind to launch the plan ahead of schedule—...and went on and on about it.
In any case, Klein plans to consult Evan's opinion at tomorrow's tarot reading before making a final decision.
Just as Klein was about to leave the gray fog, he noticed a deep red star that had been quiet for a long time, now showing signs of slight contraction and expansion.
Klein thought for a moment, then extended his spiritual senses again, and sure enough, he saw the person dressed in animal skins, speaking the language of giants, kneeling before a pure crystal ball.
Klein listened intently and finally heard what the boy was saying.
"Great God, please turn your gaze back to this place you have abandoned."
Great God! Please free us, the people of darkness who have fallen into the abyss, from this terrible, fated curse.
I am willing to give my life to you, and please you with my blood!
"The abandoned land, the people of darkness—the great gods," Klein murmured these words, thinking of a place Mr. Hanged Man had mentioned:
"The land forsaken by God!"
Russell also mentioned this place in his diary and had sent people to search for it.
Klein had previously been reluctant to drag it into the gray fog because he himself was in danger and didn't know what the future held.
He didn't want to give the boy hope, but instead brought him despair.
However, after meeting Mr. Azik and witnessing his mysterious high-sequence power, Klein gained some confidence in dealing with the mastermind behind Tingen.
Furthermore, having become the 'Joker,' he was even more able to understand the emotions of the praying boy in front of him.
He didn't know what had happened, and his emotions were on the verge of collapse.
So Klein kept tapping his fingers on the bronze tabletop, weighing the pros and cons. In the end, he felt that he couldn't just watch the boy in front of him collapse without helping him. So he made a decision, reached out his right hand and touched the star that was shining with red light. The light began to flow like water.
Klein, having left the gray fog, looked at the list in his hand and was extremely glad that he had made the decision to bring "Little Sun" into the gray fog.
The "Singer" potion recipe, a mere Sequence 9 of the Solar Path, had yielded such a rich reward, so rich that Klein felt guilty.
In his hand was a list of monsters and materials from the area around Silver City, the Forsaken Lands, and Klein found the True Roots and Sap of the Mist Treants among them.
Although the land of God's forsaken environment is harsh, it has unexpectedly preserved many lost materials, which can definitely provide great help for the future ascension of Tarot Club members.
From then on, Miss Justice and Evan provided currency to the Tarot Club, while Mr. Hanged Man, with his many connections, and Little Sun, backed by Silver City, provided supplies, thus forming a positive cycle within the Tarot Club.
The current problem is what to offer in exchange for the true root of the Mist Treant from "Little Sun".
Klein's eyes lit up. He realized that even if Little Sun had a recipe, it would still need materials. The materials for "Lightbringer" were not on the list he had given, so it was very likely that these materials were not available near Silver City.
Considering the dark environment near Silver City, Klein felt that this conjecture was highly likely, and if so, he would definitely bring up the material trade again at the Tarot Meeting.
Since "Sun" doesn't have a general equivalent—the Golden List—he can act as an intermediary to conduct a three-way transaction.
Having made up his mind, Klein burned the list in his hand over the gas lamp flame and left the room.
Meanwhile, in Backlund, in the Hilton district, in a somewhat gloomy and dimly lit house, a middle-aged man with graying temples sat in a rocking chair, holding a dark pipe, his eyes gazing intently at the visitor.
"A half-hour consultation costs two pounds. If I were you, I certainly wouldn't waste a single second."
The person who finished speaking was none other than Isinger Stanton, the most famous detective in Backlund's detective circle.
Sitting on the sofa opposite him was a petite, cute-looking woman named Hugh Deercha, but with a serious expression. "I already checked before I came; your rate is one pound for half an hour. Why is it higher here?"
Hugh Deercha's voice was soft yet authoritative, and she stared intently at the person opposite her. If Eisinger Stanton couldn't give her a reasonable explanation, she would show this great detective what it meant to be punished for breaking the law.
How dare they disrupt the market and raise prices arbitrarily right in front of her!
Eisinger Stanton took a drag of his pipe, slowly exhaled, and then said:
"The price was just raised three days ago. If you don't want to pay that, you can choose another payment method."
"What payment method?"
Hugh Deercha asked cautiously, clearly indicating that she was willing to save money if possible. After all, after repaying the money she borrowed from Fors and being promoted to Sequence 8 'Sheriff', her pockets were practically empty, which was why she was eager to complete some missions.
"Show me what you've got!"
Eisinger Stanton clearly saw Hugh Deercha's predicament, so he took the opportunity to ask Hugh to demonstrate his abilities through the "arbitrator" approach.
Last week, he used his most prized sealed artifact and the merits he had helped Evan build up during this period to exchange with MI9 for two main materials for the Reader Path Sequence 6 "Scholar", and successfully promoted to "Scholar".
"The 'scholar' is the sequence in which the reader's path truly undergoes a qualitative change; it is also a path with a very high upper limit and a very low lower limit."
The extent to which an extraordinary individual can exert their strength depends not only on their own accumulation of abilities before their ascension, but also on how many extraordinary abilities they can learn from other extraordinary individuals.
He is now like a beginner who has just started school, eager to learn various skills, and the higher the level of extraordinary abilities he learns, the better it will be for him to digest the potions.
This is why he raised his fees three days ago; it's not just because he was promoted and therefore his fees should be increased.
Furthermore, because he wanted to use this to make deals with all sorts of extraordinary individuals, the higher his fees were set, the greater the chance that the other party would accept the deal when he proposed that they demonstrate extraordinary abilities. This highlighted that the pricing power was actually in his hands.
If it weren't for the fear of setting the price too high and scaring away some people who aren't exceptionally wealthy, Essinger Stanton would have even considered setting the consultation fee at ten pounds per hour.
Upon hearing Isengard Stanton's words, Hugh Deercha's eyes turned dangerous, his body tensed, and he entered a fighting stance.
After becoming an official member of MI9, Hugh's stance was naturally opposed to that of the wild extraordinary individuals, regardless of what she thought in her heart.
"Don't be nervous, I mean you no harm. I know you're from MI9, but that's nothing, because it just so happens that I am too!"
Eisinger Stanton looked at the young girl's posture and chuckled. At the same time, a badge symbolizing MI9 appeared in his hand, representing the identity of an outer member of MI9.
In fact, Evan had once considered formally recruiting Isengard Stanton into MI9.
However, Isengard Stanton disliked bureaucratic practices and had no fondness for uncreative work. In addition, as a Sequence 6 Beyonder, he had no real reason to join such a group, so he rejected Evan's proposal.
They only requested a peripheral member status to prevent conflict with the tyrant's church.
Looking at the badge in Isengard Stanton's hand, Hugh Deercha lowered his guard and realized that the other party was also someone he could trust.
Although she didn't understand why the other party wanted her to demonstrate her abilities, Hugh Deercha was too lazy to delve into it as long as it saved her money.
After the agreement was reached, Hugh Deercha demonstrated his abilities to Isinger Stanton, and even thought it was a great deal to save five gold pounds just by showing off his abilities, so he showed them off a few more times.
Having gained a considerable understanding of the arbitrator's capabilities through observation and learning, Eisinger Stanton was in a good mood.
He gestured for Xiu to tell him what she wanted to consult him about.
Knowing that Isengard Stanton was an outsider for MI9, Hugh Deercha did not conceal his objective as he had previously planned. Instead, he directly stated his intention to find Zillingus and asked Isengard Stanton for help in analyzing the situation.
After taking the unmodified documents from Hugh Deercha, Eisinger Stanton glanced at them and chuckled to himself.
He also had a copy of this information, which was given to him by Evan, who hoped he would investigate it.
It was only because he had just been promoted a few days ago and had not learned any extraordinary abilities, and because Zilingus was too dangerous, that he did not take this mission to heart.
Unexpectedly, this matter came full circle back to him, but thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Hugh Deercha was also under Evan's command, so it wasn't strange that he would receive the same mission.
In fact, Isengard Stanton recognized Hugh Deercha as soon as she entered, because he had helped her with the cleaning work outside during the mission to monitor Zeril.
However, Eisinger Stanton was a man of discretion, which is why he didn't make it public.
He pretended to look at the documents in his hand for a while, not missing a single one, then tapped the armrest of his chair, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"Zilingus is a wind lover, with an obsessive love for the wind, so he would not choose to live in the heavily polluted East End."
His sealed artifact requires feeding a living person every day, and the most suitable target should be the large number of homeless people who are homeless and uncared for.
There must be a reason why the target came to Backlund. As a ruthless person, he would definitely have a way to escape. In addition, he is a seasoned "sailor", so the place where he lives must not be too far from the water.
In conclusion, we can actually outline the target's activity range. He lives not far from the Backlund Bridge area, and we can consider the West End and the Joewood area on both sides of the Tasok River.
"We don't have enough information right now; this is all we can analyze."