In the Sonia Mid-Sea, east of Oravi Island, a passenger ship sailed from the safe shipping lane in the direction of the Rorsted Archipelago amidst the rolling waves. Rows of cannons were installed on both sides of the passenger ship.
In front of one of the glass windows on the left side of the passenger ship, Klein, maintaining the image of Gehrman Sparrow, stood quietly by the window, silently gazing at the turbulent sea outside.
"A little further ahead, and we'll be in the waters controlled by the Feysac Empire. I guess this counts as finally going abroad," Klein murmured with a sigh.
He then reached out and pulled down the roll-up curtain, turning to walk towards the simply furnished single bed on the other side.
As soon as he lay down on the bed, his spiritual perception was suddenly triggered, and he turned his head to look in the direction of the window.
Dots of brilliant blue light flickered and poured into the cabin through the gaps in the curtain, converging into tangible starlight in mid-air, quickly reforming Leyton's figure.
After his figure solidified, Leyton stepped forward and greeted, "Good evening, Mr. Great Adventurer~"
Klein sat up from the bed with a hint of helplessness, watching Leyton, who had already settled comfortably into a nearby armchair. His mouth twitched slightly as he said, "Why are you here? I'm not really a great adventurer yet. But you, not only is the Church of the Lord of Storms offering a bounty on you, but the Loen and Intis authorities have also increased their bounties, and the rewards are not low."
"I'm also going to the Sea of Ruins. I originally planned to wait for you on the Future, but I remembered you hadn't asked Arrodes about my question yet, so I had to change my mind temporarily and come find you here first," Leyton said leisurely, leaning back in the armchair.
Klein was slightly stunned. Since the other party had not been in a hurry to ask for the result, he had completely forgotten about it. After recalling the matter, he coughed twice awkwardly before saying, "Uh, do we need to find Arrodes now? That radio transceiver has been on the Gray Fog for a while, which should be enough for it to pinpoint its location for a period of time."
"Good thing I'm still maintaining Gehrman Sparrow's persona, otherwise this awkward scene would really make my toes curl."
"Yes, do I need to step away?" Leyton nodded lightly and pondered for a moment.
"No need," Klein shook his head gently.
He then got out of bed with swift movements, rummaged for the materials needed for the ritual of bestowal, quickly set up a ritual, and immediately began to pray to The Fool.
Then, in a manner of responding to himself, he cast the radio transceiver through the door formed by the bestowal ritual.
As soon as the radio transceiver was placed on the table, Klein hadn't even had time to clean up the remnants of the ritual in the room when a somewhat ethereal and illusory tapping sound echoed in his ears.
A somewhat illusory piece of white paper was spat out, bearing silver Loen words: "My esteemed, great, supreme Master, I have felt your summons. May I ask, have I arrived in time?"
Klein controlled his expression with his Faceless ability and nodded gently in response: "...In time."
Tap, tap, tap, another piece of illusory white paper was spat out, with a smiling emoji following the silver Loen words: "Alright, my esteemed Master, according to the principle of equivalent exchange, you may ask me one question."
Klein looked back at Leyton, who was still half-reclining in the armchair. Seeing the other party nod slightly, he turned back to the radio transceiver in front of him and said, "I want to know where the Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic of the Mystery Pryer pathway, the Knowledge Emperor, is located?"
Tap, tap, tap—
The illusory white paper on the radio transceiver kept emerging, some words appearing stiff and rigid, as if Arrodes had directly copied and pasted the answers from the Spirit World:
"Esteemed Master, there are only three Beyonder characteristics for each Pathway's Sequence 1. The three Beyonder characteristics of the Knowledge Emperor are located in the Moses Ascetic Order, the Trier diocese of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, and one is currently missing."
"The Knowledge Emperor characteristic at the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery headquarters comes from Roselle's legacy. It is a Sealed Artifact, numbered 0-45, also known as the knowledge throne. Its appearance is a bizarre and magnificent throne made of gold."
"Any creature that sits on it will gain endless knowledge, master information about all things in this world, and possess a certain degree of ability to modify them, becoming an almost Omnipotent and Omniscient existence."
"Experiment 1: The vast knowledge will directly burst the brains of any creature without divinity; Experiment 2: Ordinary Saints will lose the ability to think under the influx of complex knowledge. Saints of Pathways that excel in wisdom, such as Seer, Reader, Savant, and Spectator, can temporarily retain a certain degree of rationality; Experiment 3: It will make people cold and indifferent, gradually losing their humanity and rationality, becoming a part of knowledge; Experiment 4: It is ominous (erased)."
"Sealing Method: Place it in a magnificent palace, cooperate with Sealed Artifact 1-113 to continuously record and scramble the knowledge it disseminates; there must be intelligent creatures constantly moving around it twenty-four hours a day, they must be good-looking, there must be females, and every two hours it needs to be praised comprehensively (Note: Any pregnant creature cannot approach it, nor can there be overly intimate sexual acts near it)."
"Warning: 0-55 carries a Concealment and terrifying corruption. Any creature that has come into contact with it may become unlike their original self. This change is difficult to detect and identify."
"Confidentiality Level: Pope, First Research Group, only God's messengers can use it to a limited extent…"
"I have very little information on the Knowledge Emperor characteristic of the Moses Ascetic Order, only some records left by Roselle: It was most likely accommodated by the existence worshipped by the Moses Ascetic Order."
"I found no records of the third Knowledge Emperor characteristic in the Spirit World. It may have never appeared, or it may have been deliberately Concealment. Roselle once speculated that this was also the reason why the existence worshipped by the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery would switch Pathways."
"Esteemed Master, are you satisfied with this answer?"
Klein continued to maintain Gehrman Sparrow's persona and nodded slightly in response: "Satisfied."
"Even the sealing method of Emperor Roselle's legacy is so unique, and it must be praised comprehensively by good-looking ladies. Isn't this a bit too outrageous? Even if it's a Sealed Artifact, it's just a chair! Even if a beauty stands in front of it, it can't do anything."
"The God of Steam and Machinery switched Pathways? Was He a Beyonder of the Mystery Pryer pathway before?"
"That's certainly possible. Lady Hermit's diary mentioned that the former Artisan God, now the God of Steam and Machinery, had a close relationship with the Moses Ascetic Order in His apotheosis."
After a brief thought, Klein turned to Leyton, who was leaning back in the armchair behind him, and asked, "What do you think?"
Leyton leaned against the back of the armchair, gently rubbing his chin with his right thumb, and said thoughtfully, "No records at all… It's unlikely to have never appeared, after all, enough time has passed from the First Epoch until now. Beyonder characteristics should have long since converged, either vitalizing or being consumed as a potion."
"It should have been Concealment. The ability to manipulate information allows it to easily erase the information it leaves behind. This is also a manifestation of the Mystery Pryer pathway's Concealment authority."
"Achieving a Concealment effect by modifying and hiding information? I thought authorities were always those very abstract things."
The topic of authority made Klein unable to resist asking curiously, even forgetting to maintain his Gehrman Sparrow persona.
Tap-tap sounds rang out continuously, and the illusory white paper on the radio transceiver on the small round table in the cabin emerged another section:
"Esteemed Master, I know the answer to this question. May I ask if you need me to help you recall?"
"Help me recall? The phrasing… it's a shame it's not a civil servant," Klein thought to himself expressionlessly, then nodded slightly, "Speak."
Tap-tap-tap typing sounds rang out continuously, and soon, new illusory white paper emerged:
"Alright, esteemed Master."
"Authority is exclusive to deities, closer to a concept, and the highest manifestation of divine power. Its very existence transcends the rules of the world and natural order."
"Authority itself is reasonable. The reason it is abstract is simply due to insufficient understanding of related knowledge and information."
"Just like the concept of 'death,' most people and Beyonders would consider it objectively existing but very difficult to deeply understand, but for Corpse Collector and Sleepless, it is more than that."
"In the potion Pathway, starting from Sequence 2, one will come into contact with authority. However, at the Angel level, They only grasp part of the Pathway's authority. Only upon reaching the Sequence 0 rank will one truly grasp all the authority encompassed by that Pathway."
"It's abstract because I don't understand enough? Why does this mirror sound so much like a Reader?"
Klein glanced suspiciously at the transceiver, which no longer produced new illusory white paper. He nodded slightly in response: "Well done."
"It is my honor, great and supreme Master."
"Great Master, I have a presumptuous question. May I ask it?"
Tap-tap sounds rang out continuously, and this time, the Loen words ended with a tearful, finger-poking emoji.
"It's evolving so fast, its emojis are almost becoming sticker packs…" Klein sighed inwardly. Although he wanted to say that if it felt presumptuous, then it shouldn't ask, considering the attitude displayed by this dog-licking mirror, no, magic mirror, he still nodded gently: "You may."
The tapping sounds seemed to become much livelier. Soon, another new piece of illusory white paper emerged:
"Great, benevolent Master, I wonder if I am worthy to follow in your footsteps and become your most loyal servant."
"…"
Klein was speechless for a moment. He relied on his Faceless ability to control his facial muscles to keep his mouth from twitching.
"Isn't this a bit too humble? It should be able to see some traces I left from Sefirah Castle, but just a few traces or auras made this 'magic mirror' Arrodes, comparable to a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact, kneel?"
Although speechless, Klein still maintained his current persona and gave an ambiguous answer: "Depends on your performance."
The tap-tap-tap sound rang out without the slightest hesitation. A new "white paper" emerged from the telegraph machine, with a stick figure making a swearing gesture at the very end:
"Thank you for your generosity, great Master. I will definitely follow in your footsteps and always stay by your side, becoming your most loyal servant."
"I think they both ignored me…" Leyton looked at the master and servant engrossed in their conversation, unsure whether he should speak up and prove that there was a third person present.
While Leyton was still hesitating whether to speak, the transceiver sounded again with tap-tap-tap, and a new section of illusory white paper emerged:
"Great Master, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery people have lifted the restrictions on my main body. They should have more questions to ask me."
Klein nodded gently: "You may leave first."
"Great Master, I wish you a pleasant journey and an early return to your supreme divine throne. Your loyal servant Arrodes bids farewell."
At the bottom of the words was a small figure waving with tears in its eyes.
The illusory white paper only lasted for a moment before suddenly disappearing. The light in the cabin suddenly brightened a little, and the radio transceiver lay quietly on the table, its eerie, cold sensation completely gone.