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Inside the magnificent palace, Aaron's figure appeared. The gigantic figure, originally seated on the throne shrouded in dark gold mist, instantly disintegrated, turning into wisps of light that merged into Aaron's glabella.
Sitting in the position belonging to the "Lord of Order," Aaron examined the "Justiciar" card in his hand. Guided by his thoughts, the miniature, illusory "Book" kept flipping backward until the very last page.
Looking at the ritual of becoming a god, composed of golden characters, Aaron pondered for a moment. He summoned the "Divination Pendant" from the pile of miscellaneous items, intending to use divination to confirm the authenticity of the "Justiciar" god-ascension ritual.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Roselle, but before he created the "Blasphemy Card," he had already been influenced by Mr. Door and had gone to the Moon, suffering corruption and erosion from the Mother Goddess of Depravity, and having his corresponding memories distorted.
Because of this, it was entirely possible for Roselle in his final stages to embed some traps in crucial places within the "Blasphemy Card."
Although the problems might only lie with the "Mother" card and the "Moon" card, Roselle also mentioned the "Magic Wishing Lamp" in the diary entry where he created the "Justiciar" card, which made Aaron treat it cautiously.
After receiving the revelation that there were no issues, Aaron thoughtfully closed the "Justiciar" card, simultaneously holding the "Black Emperor" card in his hand.
Looking at these two Blasphemy Cards, Aaron suddenly became curious about what materials Roselle had used to create them and how he achieved the divine-level anti-divination and anti-prophecy.
Even if the Knowledge Emperor could draw power from knowledge and bestow substantial power upon abstract knowledge, he couldn't achieve this. Roselle at that time clearly couldn't seek help from other gods either.
"This guy wouldn't have made a wish to the Genie, would he…."
After a moment of thought, Aaron tentatively absorbed both the "Justiciar" card and the "Black Emperor" card into his body simultaneously.
His state immediately changed. Black and gold patterns intertwined on his body, and a complex, magnificent, yet majestic armor emerged. The nine-layered crown of the same color emitted a distorted sense of coexistence of chaos and order.
The entire palace gently shook, as if to submit at the feet of this indescribable deity, and outside the palace, the illusory "Moon City" significantly accelerated its rate of exhaling dark gold mist.
"My authority has slightly increased, allowing me to mobilize more power from the Nation of Disorder, gain higher control over the rules within the Domain of Judgment, and reduce my spiritual burden…."
Aaron carefully savored the changes brought about by his various abilities. This Blasphemy Card did not bring about a substantial improvement, but it was within expectations. After all, he had already truly controlled the Nation of Disorder, and a qualitative improvement might only occur when he advanced to Angel.
Placing the two Blasphemy Cards face down on the throne, Aaron took out an oil painting from the pile of miscellaneous items. It depicted a series of highly abstract, incomprehensible patterns. Just looking at them for a while could make one dizzy, nauseous, and mentally weak.
This was a Grade "1" Sealed Artifact belonging to the Abraham family, called the "Devil Oil Painting."
In the Fourth Epoch, in the era when Mr. Door had not yet been exiled and many members of the Abraham family had advanced to Sequence 4 Secrets Sorcerer, the Abrahams created this "Oil Painting" to seal demigod-level creatures for assistance in advancement.
However, after being attacked by the Aurora Order and losing many records, the current Abraham family is no longer entirely clear how many terrifying creatures are still sealed within the "Devil Oil Painting," only certain that there are still some, and more than one.
Aaron's own Chaos Hunter potion digestion also required more battles, and only creatures that had gained divinity were required to leave traces in the Domain of Judgment and provide potion feedback.
Such existences were considered absolute high-level figures for the various forces on the Northern and Southern Continents. Aaron, who was not entirely clear how far Adam's world war layout had progressed, did not want to provoke the sensitive nerves of all parties at this critical juncture.
At least not by showing himself. His rapid advancement to demigod had already attracted a lot of attention. Once the information of his advancement to Chaos Hunter was exposed, the flashpoint of the war might very well start from the East Tucker family.
In such a situation, to quickly complete the digestion of the potion, he could not follow the rules. The terrifying creatures sealed in the "Devil Oil Painting" were very suitable for him.
Moreover, there were still many mad and distorted creatures remaining in the abandoned cities of the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Cavendish, who could be used as an Angel to some extent, could greatly supplement the consumption of the "Devil Oil Painting."
"Hmm, the creatures released from the 'Devil Oil Painting' are all demigod-level beings that are completely insane and act purely on instinct. Their true strength is not comparable to true demigods, but they are enough to help Bayer Baile complete the ritual for advancing to Silver Knight."
"He has already advanced to Demon Hunter for two years. With conscious acting, the potion should be almost digested. Unfortunately, he still lacks a Silver Knight Beyonder characteristic."
"Although the Giant King's Court has one, that would be walking into a trap. How about trading a Silver Knight Beyonder characteristic with the City of Silver? But with Little Sun's current Sequence level, he probably isn't qualified to find Colin Iliad."
Pinching his glabella with a slight headache, Aaron took the "Devil Oil Painting" and left the Nation of Disorder.
-----------------
Backlund, 15 Minsk Street.
The air quality in Cherwood Borough was far superior to the East Borough. The early morning Sun shone through the thin haze into the tidy living room, showing no trace of the previous struggle.
Klein, bathed in the warm sunlight, stood by the window and smiled as he greeted Mrs. Sammer, his landlady from next door, who was out for a walk:
"Good morning, Mrs. Sammer."
Starling-Sammer smiled and nodded, asking with concern:
"Mr. Moriarty, have you found a job? Do you need my help?"
Declining his landlady's kind offer, Klein raised the "Backlund Post" in his hand and replied:
"I've already found a job as a private investigator, and my advertisement is in here too."
Whether he wanted to or not, revenge and advancement were not things that could be accomplished in the short term. Therefore, he had to have a job that could generate income to avoid a financial crisis, especially since he was still burdened with a debt of up to 5,000 pounds.
However, the job could not tie him down or affect his actions and arrangements, which meant it needed sufficient freedom.
Therefore, being a private investigator was a profession that balanced earning money and taking action for him. This allowed him to come into contact with people from various industries, better integrate into Backlund's Beyonder circle, and build new connections.
As for Ince Zangwill's whereabouts, Klein would not actively seek him out for the time being, and might even try to avoid him slightly. However, if he accidentally discovered this enemy and did not expose himself, he wouldn't mind doing a good deed and anonymously sending a letter to the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
After making a deal with Maric at the "Bravehearts Bar" yesterday noon, Klein went to the headquarters of the "Backlund Post" in Cherwood Borough, spending 30 pounds to book a small advertisement for a month.
Thus, on the fold between the seventh and eighth pages of the "Backlund Post" that Klein held, which had just been delivered today, a small notice appeared:
"Sherlock Moriarty, a private investigator skilled in handling various matters, with reasonable fees and strict adherence to confidentiality, residing at 15 Minsk Street, Cherwood Borough."
The reason Klein did not choose major newspapers covering the entire Loen Kingdom, such as "Tussock Post" or "Backlund Daily," was because his business would temporarily be limited to the city of Backlund, and he also did not want his popularity to become too high.
Therefore, the "Backlund Post," which was quite popular locally and had inexpensive advertising, became his first choice.
Watching his landlady walk away, Klein drew the curtains and looked at the calendar on the table with a complex expression:
"It's been a week since the Tingen incident. Alas, I hope nothing goes wrong with the Tarot Club this afternoon."
"As for Lanevus…."
With darkened eyes, Klein stood up and picked up his cane, about to leave. At the moment he grasped the doorknob, his steps paused slightly.
After thinking for a moment, Klein learned from yesterday's lesson of going out. He took a gold coin from his pocket and performed a simple divination, but the result was that it was not suitable to go out today.
"Not suitable to go out? Is it because I'll encounter danger if I go out, or because business will come to me?"
"No, the newspaper was only published this morning. Even if there was a commission, it couldn't be this fast. Could something have happened with Backlund?"
Various thoughts arose in his mind. Klein put his cane back in place and held the gold coin, muttering softly:
"Backlund is dead."
Clink!
The gold coin tumbled and bounced, then fell into Klein's palm, heads up.
This indicated affirmation!
Backlund is dead? Maric solved it so quickly? Klein's heart rejoiced, and his tense state suddenly relaxed.
Without Rosago's interference, he believed this result was correct!
This matter finally, finally ended… Klein took a breath, slowly exhaled, and understood the true meaning of the previous divination that it was not suitable to go out:
Backlund was dead, and he, as a suspect who had previously informed the police that the ambassador had problems, would definitely be investigated. Perhaps someone would call on him this morning.
Recalling the huge debt of 5,000 pounds he owed, Klein's recently upturned lips instantly stiffened. He subconsciously looked at the mirror in the washroom next to the living room, somewhat worried that Maric would walk out of it to demand payment from him.
"I need to make money quickly. With the 'All-Black Eye,' I can create a fake person in that gray fog space and openly trade with other members without worrying about lowering The Fool's authority."
Having made up his mind, Klein completely relaxed. After a moment of thought, he set up a Wall of Spirituality and drew the symbol that could summon Arrodes on the washroom mirror with spirit-rich blood.
Since the Backlund matter was coming to an end, he should do what he needed to do. He had never forgotten his true purpose in coming to Backlund:
To find Lanevus and use him as the starting point for his revenge….
Watching the rippling mirror reveal familiar and fawning words, Klein took out a drawing from his pocket depicting Lanevus's appearance and attire.
This was his appearance in Tingen, drawn by Klein with the aid of dream divination, with the words "Former name Lanevus" marked below.
Placing the portrait in front of the mirror, Klein maintained The Fool's dignity and spoke in a deep voice:
"Where is the person in this portrait now?"
He did not use Lanevus to refer to him, to avoid Arrodes giving an incorrect answer.
Ever since Arrodes actively contacted him in Backlund, Klein had given up the idea of searching for Lanevus through bounty missions.
After all, for a cunning and sly con artist, this could easily arouse their vigilance, and the Church of the Evernight Goddess, knowing of Lanevus's crimes in Tingen, might also use this to find Klein.
As the mirror rippled, a scene appeared. Klein saw ships laden with goods and many workers loading and unloading them.
Backlund had many such docks, most of which were located in the Docklands and named various "docks."
Is this the Docklands? This thought arose in Klein's mind, and he noticed the scene rapidly zooming in, stopping in front of a two-story building.
The name on the signboard was somewhat faded, but it was vaguely discernible: "East Balam Dock Company Dockworkers' Association."
Klein narrowed his eyes slightly, said nothing, and continued to stare at the mirror. The scene passed through the dilapidated staircase, revealing a shirtless man in the basement.
Deep red flesh intertwined in the skinless parts of his chest and abdomen, forming an inverted figure!
Suddenly, the scene presented in the mirror shattered like glass, and all the scenes collapsed.
"Uh, great Master, this guy has the True Creator's divinity on him, and he has grown for a long time. You haven't recovered your lost power yet. Arrodes begs you not to act personally, okay?"
East Balam Dock Company Dockworkers' Association…. Klein slowly nodded, repeating the name in his mind. He wasn't stupid; he wouldn't do something clearly suicidal.
"Alas, I am still too weak. Otherwise, I would choose to seek revenge with my own hands, but now I can only settle for second best. With his 'divinity,' I am definitely not his match."
"I can only report him to the official Beyonders, but I can't go to the Church of the Evernight Goddess. If they find out that I, a former Nighthawk who should have died, have resurrected, that would be real trouble."
"I can only let that guy live a little longer, Captain. I will definitely avenge you."
His clenched fist slowly relaxed, and Klein looked at the mirror again. The text had changed:
"Great Master, you have already answered my question. You can ask Arrodes another question!"
After a few seconds of silence, Klein carefully took out the "Wheel of Fortune" card from his pocket, placed it in front of the mirror, and asked contemplatively:
"What is the identity of the little boy who gave me this Tarot card yesterday?"
Although he inwardly confirmed that it should be a powerful figure from the Life School of Thought, the thought of a Sequence 5 dying inexplicably just from a gifted Tarot card made Klein quite uneasy. He was also curious why such a powerful figure had suddenly taken an interest in him.
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