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"I came! I conquered!..."
Aaron clicked his tongue. As expected of a man who named himself "Caesar," he silently recited the activation incantation and closed the diary in his hand.
Although he was curious where Roselle had obtained the "Magic Wishing Lamp," unfortunately, there was no corresponding record in the diary.
"The 'Justiciar' card is hidden in a city named 'Caesar'...."
Aaron recalled the clues recorded in the diary, first searching through the famous cities within Intis. Suddenly, a thought struck him:
"Roselle's greatest contribution after becoming emperor was actually discovering a safe sea route to the Southern Continent, ushering in the colonial era."
"Caesar... Caesar Port in the Intis colonial zone of the Southern Continent!"
With this thought, Aaron became even more convinced of his idea, pondering as he looked at the rows of neat bookshelves:
"Sid Watson is in Caesar Port. That place is currently controlled by the Eternal Blazing Sun Church, and it's also infiltrated by the Numinous Episcopate and the Rose School of Thought. I remember Sharron also mentioned that there seems to be an Oravi Island stronghold there."
"I wonder if there will be other surprises once the 'Black Emperor' card and the 'Justiciar' card are collected."
Putting the diary back on the bookshelf, Aaron clicked his tongue with a hint of regret:
"From now on, I won't have to make up my own diary entries for Mr. Fool. These many romantic diaries will be enough for him to read for a long time."
"It's a pity there's no clue for the 'Demoness' card, otherwise I'd really like to see what Roselle looks like in women's clothing..."
....
In the already crumbling "Peach Blossom Spring," pure white feathers emerged and reformed into Bernadette's figure. Her azure eyes looked at the gradually calming "Magic Wishing Lamp."
Specks of starlight overflowed from her body, repairing the scarred space. Bernadette, who had manifested an incomplete mythical creature form, soothed the "Pale Death." A familiar seductive voice came from beside her ear:
"If you truly want to save Roselle, you'd best stay away from that fellow who calls himself the 'Lord of Order'."
A hint of surprise flashed in Bernadette's eyes. She did not respond, but continued to soothe the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact in her hand. However, the Genie's seductive voice did not stop.
"Do you think I'm exaggerating? Do you think I'm trying to trick you?"
"I can tell you, Roselle had already achieved Black Emperor before his demise. Heh heh, as long as no new Black Emperor is born, he has hope of returning to the divine throne."
"If that 'Lord of Order' recovers his strength first, Roselle will never be able to return."
"Bernadette, don't you want Roselle to return?"
"You don't need to do anything. You just need to place me at the border area between the Hornacis Mountain Range and the Midseashire on the Northern Continent. As a reward, I can clear the number of wishes you've made before."
"You can wish to advance to Sequence 2. I promise I can take you to find Roselle...."
Bernadette's hands paused slightly, and a faint light rippled in her azure eyes. Then, she remembered the warnings her father had given her when he handed her this strange Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, and Aaron's admonitions in the library.
Ignoring the layers of seductive voices, she pursed her lips, took out the "Wheel of Fortune" card and the "Hermit" card, and used the two Blasphemy Cards and the "Pale Death" to re-seal and isolate the "Magic Wishing Lamp."
"What is hidden in the border area between the Hornacis Mountain Range and the Midseashire on the Northern Continent? The Genie actually wants to go there?"
The voice in her ear gradually became inaudible. A strange look flashed in Bernadette's azure eyes, but just as she was about to use the Clairvoyant's ability to make a divination, her spirituality warned her frantically, as if she would suffer a terrifying backlash.
Sensibly abandoning the idea, Bernadette frowned slightly. She knew that during the Fourth Epoch, the Solomon Empire and the Tudor Dynasty coexisted on the Northern Continent for a period, and their dividing line was the current Hornacis Mountain Range and the Feynapotter Plateau.
The location the Genie mentioned was actually the border where the dividing line met the Midseashire, which should now be in Sivellaus County of Loen, a vast, uninhabited mountain range.
Taking a deep breath, Bernadette kept this matter in mind. As for what the Genie said about Roselle, she had a clearer understanding.
Strength was the foundation of everything. She needed to advance to Sage as soon as possible and understand the secrets that only angels could know. Compared to the Genie, who liked to twist wishes, that mysterious existence who could interpret Roselle's diary was more trustworthy.
....
Looking at Bernadette who walked out of the mirror, Aaron chuckled and asked pointedly:
"I thought you would take out the 'Magic Wishing Lamp' and confront me face to face, but that Genie must have said many blasphemous things about my Lord, right?"
Bernadette glanced at the bookshelf, which had returned to its original state, pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, simply replying:
"He wants me to throw him in the extended area of the Hornacis Mountain Range in Sivellaus County."
Aaron was stunned, but his brows subtly furrowed. There was no surprise from gaining additional information. Bernadette's distrust of the Genie was almost identical to Roselle's, and the Genie himself was aware of this.
To say it so openly, it was probably not meant for Bernadette, but rather to use her to convey this information to the "Lord of Order."
Aaron, who knew the Genie's true nature, inexplicably recalled the Tamara family, secretly believing in Uncertain Mist, hidden in the shadows. He felt that it was likely a cake with poison, delicious but potentially fatally dangerous.
He secretly noted down this place name in his mind. After all, if the Genie had the confidence to trick the "Lord of Order," that place, though dangerous, also implied opportunity.
Looking at Aaron, who was deep in thought, Bernadette pursed her lips slightly and spoke softly:
"When we traded that Mystical Item that could temporarily restore the holder to their peak, you said you could help me advance to Sage. Can you tell me now when the opportunity for advancement will be?"
Although a Clairvoyant could peek into the secrets of fate to a limited extent, when it came to their own advancement, the prophecies given were very vague and could not be used to deduce useful information.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Aaron produced a pure black ring radiating a calm and peaceful aura in his hand and handed it to the somewhat surprised Bernadette.
"At the end of this year, in Backlund, a disaster involving high-level powers will occur there. This is a token that can connect you to Archbishop Anthony of the Church of Evernight's Backlund Diocese."
"After all, it's Backlund. With the tacit approval of the Church of Evernight, this will facilitate the completion of your advancement ritual."
-----------------
Cherwood Borough, Minsk Street, Number 15.
The dim evening sun shone into the room. Klein gasped for a few breaths before he had the strength to turn over and stand up. Only after activating his Spirit Vision and confirming that the Zmanger gang's "Executioner," Meursault, was dead, did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Looking at the messy living room and his damaged overcoat, Klein's mouth twitched, and he felt a pang of heartache for his wallet.
"My previous weapons were all left in the 'Traveler's Badge.' If I had a pistol, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state."
"After I report to the police, if there's still time after the questioning, I'll go to the Bravehearts Bar. Arrodes shouldn't lie to me; there will be what I want there."
"It's just a pity about my clothes and furniture. It would be great if I could get reimbursement from the captain..."
Sighing softly, Klein glanced at the setting sun outside the window, his expression solemn as he walked to Meursault's corpse. He planned to try a spiritual medium session while the other party's spirit had not yet dissipated, to see who had instructed him.
After setting up a simple altar and allowing the quiet and peaceful incense to diffuse, creating a semi-dreamlike state, Klein prayed to himself, to "The Fool who does not belong to this era."
Then, he entered above the gray fog and responded with more than two-thirds of his spirituality.
"When I advance to Sequence 7, similar prayers should also be able to slightly leverage the power of the mysterious space above the gray fog, just like summoning and sacrificial rituals..."
Looking around, Klein made a rough judgment and quickly returned to the real world.
He passed through the Cosmos-like world and the chaotic, noisy thought storms, entering Meursault's mental plane, where he saw the illusory figure of the other party floating in mid-air.
....
"How did this matter even involve the Ambassador of the Intis Republic stationed in Backlund? Why do I feel like my luck has gotten so bad since I came to Backlund?"
The result of the spiritual medium session left Klein somewhat speechless. Even knowing where the Zmanger gang's hidden stash was didn't improve his expression.
"The Intis Ambassador's side certainly doesn't lack Beyonders. I need to be extra careful during this period..."
Thinking this, Klein ended the ritual, removed the Wall of Spirituality, and looked at Meursault's corpse. Specks of spiritual light gathered at the wound, forming a deep red, jelly-like object.
....
Backlund Bridge area, Iron Gate Street, "Bravehearts Bar."
Kaspars looked at the young man who came to the bar with a smile, pushed the prepared "Sonia Blood Wine" towards him, and joked with a laugh:
"Your Excellency, Viscount Glaint, long time no see."
Glancing at the smug Kaspars, Glaint ruffled his wig somewhat dejectedly. After downing the Sonia Blood Wine, he muttered softly:
"Is my disguise so bad? You recognized me at a glance."
"But speaking of which, with your current status, why do you still like being a bartender? Is this your hobby?"
Kaspars smiled and poured another glass of Sonia Blood Wine, then lowered his voice:
"Tonight there will be a gathering of Elder Wisdom Eye. Same old place."
A hint of surprise flashed in Glaint's eyes, and he then lowered his voice in response:
"Didn't they say that because Duke Negan was assassinated, there would be official Beyonder investigations, so the gathering would be suspended for two weeks? How did it end so quickly?"
Pouring himself a glass, Kaspars curled his lips in disdain:
"Those incompetent Loen officials just go through the motions with their investigations. In the end, they just push the blame onto the Numinous Episcopate and those Lunatics from the Aurora Order. Lunatics never care if they're slandered anyway."
"With a scapegoat, the investigation naturally ends. But then again, many people have probably accumulated a lot of good things during this time. Maybe there's something you want."
As the two were talking, the wind chimes at the door jingled, and a young gentleman wearing a black top hat and gold-rimmed glasses walked in. Glaint felt a faint spiritual fluctuation and turned to look curiously.
Having just left the police station and bought a new set of clothes at a tailor shop that was still open, Klein felt the gaze and looked in that direction:
"Hmm, a very young Beyonder, but his disguise is mediocre."
After a quick mental assessment, Klein had no intention of striking up a conversation. He walked to the bar, looked at the man dressed as a bartender, used his body to block most of the view, took out the Beyonder characteristic from Meursault, and deliberately lowered his voice:
"Cough, cough, I'd like to find a buyer for this thing..."
After reporting to the police, Klein had sacrificed this Beyonder characteristic along with other items that might arouse police suspicion to above the gray fog. After deciding to try his luck at the Bravehearts Bar, he retrieved this Beyonder characteristic back to the real world in the tailor shop's washroom.
Feeling the bloody aura hidden within the spiritual fluctuation, Kaspars re-examined the gentleman with gold-rimmed glasses, then naturally poured a glass of wine and said with a smile:
"Sir, you must be new to Backlund, right?"
Seeing Klein nod in affirmation, the smile on Kaspars's face became even more pronounced:
"Then, sir, you've really come at a good time tonight. There's a sufficiently safe and private gathering, and perhaps you can find a buyer there."
Tonight? Klein was surprised, but his face showed no unusual expression. He simply nodded silently, then quickly added:
"Alright, but I also need a firearm and bullets."
"Also, I want you to help me find someone. The commission fee is 10 pounds."
As he spoke, Klein took out a painting from his storage. The painting depicted a young man with black hair and red eyes, slightly effeminate and very arrogant. This was the strange man who had broken into his house that night and given him a potion, drawn by Klein using dream divination.
Politely waiting for the two to finish their conversation, and watching Klein being led by a waiter to the back of the bar, Glaint then spoke softly:
"Tsk tsk tsk, even outsiders are starting to attend your gatherings. I have a feeling tonight will be lively."
Taking out a black iron mask, identical to Klein's, from under the counter and handing it to Glaint, Kaspars responded with a smile:
"This is thanks to Duke Aaron's patronage. Also, the person you asked me to look out for, who might possess the subsequent Apothecary Pathway formula, seems to have come tonight. Judging by his build, it should be him."
A hint of surprise flashed in Glaint's eyes. While putting the mask on his face, he muttered softly:
"Last time, I wanted to buy the formula from him for a full 500 pounds, but that guy not only wanted money but also insisted I become his apprentice. How could I, a dignified Viscount, tolerate that?"
"But this time, I've found clues for the material that guy wants. I'd like to see if he's still so stubborn this time."
Apothecary? Viscount? 500 pounds!
Klein, who had just reached the corner, barely heard these words thanks to the enhanced hearing granted by Clown, and he touched his wallet with a hint of envy.
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