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*****
It was midnight, the very heart of the night.
George paused his research. His body began to shift and warp, transforming into the nondescript "Passerby A" persona he had previously used to resolve the Evil God incident in Tingen. With a soft flicker, he turned into a plume of flame and vanished from his workshop.
His objective tonight was to steal a specific bookmark hidden within the Kingdom Museum, a place guarded by the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. Naturally, he couldn't carry out such a task in his "Baby George" identity.
"Eye of Investigation!"
An illusory eye manifested high above the Kingdom Museum, granting George a comprehensive view of everything within its walls.
"The effect of this Sealed Artifact is actually quite similar to the Marauder's Map," he mused.
Inside the museum, besides the ordinary security guards, there were quite a few Beyonders from the "Machinery Hivemind." They were utilizing a Sealed Artifact constructed from building blocks; any living or non-living entity that entered the museum would appear as a tiny dot within a miniature model room.
However, for George, bypassing this was hardly a challenge.
"Sleep!"
A "Sleep" card materialized before George. It transformed into a playful, mischievous young lady who quickly circled the museum's interior. In an instant, every ordinary guard and Machinery Hivemind Beyonder felt their vision swim as they collapsed into a deep, heavy slumber.
Having incorporated the Sequence characteristics of the Darkness pathway, George had spent his day refining a "George-brand" version of the Sleep card with similar effects. Just like the card he had given to Lucian, this version combined the advantages of sleep-inducing magic from various worlds.
Consequently, its potency far surpassed the original Clow Card. Even the Beyonders of the Machinery Hivemind found it impossible to resist. This was largely due to the fact that the guards tonight were of average strength, with the highest among them being only a Sequence 6.
Had they been high-sequence Beyonders of Sequence 4 or above, the effect wouldn't have been so absolute. Once they realized what was happening, high-sequence Beyonders possessed their own methods to resist the encroachment of sleep and launch a counterattack.
Stepping openly into the Kingdom Museum, George ignored the snoring guards and went straight for his target. With a swift motion, he snatched the bookmark—which was disguised as a mundane object—into his hand. It was, in truth, a Card of Blasphemy.
But at that exact moment, the eerie, distorted cry of an infant suddenly echoed through the main hall.
Immediately after, a thin black crack tore open across the ceiling, revealing a bloodshot eyeball. More cracks began to spider-web across the surface, and countless eyes snapped open. They were packed densely together, staring down at George with a cold, ruthless indifference.
As those eyes focused their gaze upon him, the very air in the surroundings seemed to freeze, as if time and space itself had been congealed into solid ice.
"A high-sequence powerhouse of the Hermit pathway?"
George looked up at the face beginning to manifest on the ceiling, a hint of surprise flickering across his features. He had assumed the security alarm would be triggered by a high-sequence Beyonder from the Church of Steam and Machinery; he hadn't expected it to come from the Hermit pathway.
Having previously "harvested" resources from the Hidden Sage, George was intimately familiar with the Hermit pathway's characteristics and could not have mistaken them.
"Based on this aura, it should be a Sequence 3: Clairvoyant."
"Why did you only take this bookmark?"
A figure stepped out from the Spirit World, appearing directly in front of George. She spoke in a voice that was soft yet devoid of any emotional warmth.
George blinked as he looked at the young woman before him. She wore a lady's shirt with a lace floral collar, paired with a grey skirt that reached past her knees and long leather boots. Atop her head sat a soft hat draped with black gauze.
"Because this bookmark contains a Card of Blasphemy," George replied simply.
"How do you know there is a Card of Blasphemy inside this bookmark?"
A flash of astonishment crossed the girl's eyes, and her tone became noticeably more solemn.
"That is my secret. I don't see any reason to tell you," George retorted.
Instead of answering further, George pulled the bookmark into his own inner world. Using the fundamental laws of his world, he forcibly stripped away the layers of concealment. Once the disguise was shattered and the item restored to its true form, he brought it back out.
"So, it's the Black Emperor card."
His expression held a trace of disappointment. He had been hoping that the Card of Blasphemy he found this time would belong to the Seer sequence.
The card, now revealed in its original glory, depicted Emperor Roselle sitting upon a throne of glittering gemstones. Hidden within it were the complete potion formulas and relevant knowledge for the Black Emperor pathway, ranging from Sequence 9: Lawyer to Sequence 0: Black Emperor. Naturally, it also carried some of the unique power inherent to that pathway.
"I am willing to pay a corresponding price to trade for that secret."
Seeing George effortlessly erase the hidden power his father had left on the Black Emperor card, a look of profound gravity entered the girl's eyes.
She was none other than Bernadette Gustav, the eldest daughter of Roselle, the former Princess of the Intis Empire, and the founder of the Beyonder organization "Element Dawn."
She had always believed that her father hadn't truly died, and she had spent years searching for clues regarding his fate. She knew that among the bookmarks her father had left in the museum, one was a Card of Blasphemy, but even she didn't know which one. Because of this, she had placed special markers on every single bookmark.
If anyone touched them, she would immediately arrive to investigate. This mysterious man had bypassed everything and locked onto the disguised card instantly, which meant he possessed definitive information. She needed to know how he got that information and if it was related to her father.
Normally, if the intruder's strength was lacking, she would have simply taken it by force. However, seeing him casually wipe away the concealment left by her father—a power left behind when Roselle was a Sequence 1: Knowledge Emperor of the Hermit pathway—she knew this man's strength was likely not inferior to her own.
Even she, without knowing the specific method of dismissal, could not have forcibly broken that seal through sheer strength alone.
"You don't want the card, but you want to trade for the secret? Interesting."
George looked her up and down, noting that the girl's attire was quite peculiar. It bore the marks of modern civilization yet retained the distinct style of the current era. A thought struck him.
"You are Roselle's eldest daughter, Bernadette Gustav?"
"I am."
Bernadette did not deny it. Given the man's power, it was understandable that he could identify her.
George thought for a moment and then smiled. "Since you are Roselle's daughter, I can tell you for free. I know because I can read Roselle's diaries. He wrote about the creation of the Cards of Blasphemy in his journals."
As Roselle's daughter, she was bound to have a large collection of his diaries. By revealing that he could decipher them, George knew she would eventually bring them to him of her own accord.
"You can read my father's diaries!"
Bernadette's body stiffened, and a look of irrepressible joy and surprise washed over her face. If this man could truly understand her father's writings, she might finally learn what happened all those years ago and whether he was truly dead.
George reached out his hand, and every page of Roselle's diary stored within the museum flew into his grasp. Looking at the pages, he began to read aloud:
"May 8th: My diplomats are absolute fools. I truly want to shove their heads into a toilet and drown them!"
"June 20th: My most beloved angel, Bernadette, has chosen the Hermit pathway. As her father, I must safeguard her path and ensure her journey through the Beyonder world is smooth and successful."
"July 10th: Madam Judith actually brought her daughter along today. How thrilling."
"August 16th: A rematch after a whole year... the taste of a Demoness is truly excellent."
(End of Chapter)