"Wait a moment."
Silas said to Klein, then turned his head toward the head of the long table.
What was he up to?
Klein felt a flicker of curiosity, and then he heard Silas address that patch of empty space, saying, "Mr. Fool, there's something I'd like you to take a look at. I hope you'll allow me to manifest it."
Ah, he wants to talk to me, no, to the Fool...
Klein hurriedly switched identities, and his voice emerged from behind the thick Grey Fog. "You may."
Shff.
Silas had no idea Klein had swapped personas.
With the Fool's permission granted, he manifested the object he'd been picturing in his mind: something resembling a staff head, covered in an assortment of symbols, with the mark formed by the combination of the "Pupil-less Eye" and the "Distorted Line" occupying the most crucial position.
That item that let its user borrow strength from their own past self!
"Mr. Fool, does the mysterious power within this item come from you?"
Silas asked carefully.
The item's effect had proven stronger than anyone could have imagined, capable of restoring the triple-fused Red Spirit to its former state and beating Suah to the brink of death.
Silas naturally hoped to replicate it through ritual again, to keep as a trump card of his own. But before that, he needed to first confirm whether the owner of this power was willing to lend it out.
Ah, this...
Behind the Grey Fog, Klein hesitated for a moment.
His spiritual sense was at work, and he instinctively perceived that the power connected to this item did indeed originate from his own pathway.
It was only that his Sequence was currently too low; he had no way to wield it just yet.
"Yes."
Hearing the deep voice from behind the Grey Fog, Silas felt Mr. Fool had just handed him good news.
"Then, Mr. Fool, might I use a ritual to pray to you, to borrow that strength from you and craft another such item?"
He asked eagerly, unable to contain himself.
You son of a... how am I supposed to answer that!
Klein's head throbbed at once.
He had only just reached Sequence 5.
He was still a long way off from possessing power of that magnitude. And yet, as the Fool, if he couldn't demonstrate corresponding power, it would make him seem lacking in stature... What was he supposed to do?
"Heh heh..."
In the end, Klein gave a soft chuckle first, buying himself a little time to think. Then his mind raced, and finally, maintaining an air of mystery, he said quietly, "The time is not yet right..."
He fended off the question with vague, enigmatic words, neither claiming he couldn't do it nor that he could. Exactly what it meant, he'd let Silas puzzle out slowly on his own.
"I understand. Thank you very much for your answer."
Silas said, sounding a little disappointed.
Mr. Fool didn't agree. Why? Was it because I haven't been devout enough lately, unlike the others who offered up Roselle's diary? No, that can't be it, a god wouldn't fuss over details like that. Perhaps there's some hidden matter I don't know about, something he can't tell me for now...
Judging by how he looks, I suppose I've managed to fob him off, haven't I?
Klein thought to himself.
Above the Grey Fog, the two transmigrators from the same hometown each played out an entire drama within their own minds.
"How have you been lately?"
Klein, afraid Silas would keep asking the Fool questions that would be difficult to answer, spoke up first to draw his attention elsewhere. "From what [Hanged Man] implied, you've already become the new king of the seas?"
In truth, thanks to the vision [Hanged Man] had provided during his prayers, Klein had seen the entire situation play out in full at the time.
But to keep up appearances, he had to act as though he knew nothing here too.
"Mm, with a bit of outside help."
Silas pointed at the manifested "staff head" on the table. "What about you, did your promotion succeed?"
"It succeeded."
Klein replied.
He had just returned from the Ruins of the Battle of Gods, having become a Sequence 5 Marionettist.
With "Creeping Hunger," he could theoretically suppress those pirate generals a notch further now. "The information you gave me was useful. It let me avoid quite a few dangers out in those waters... Oh, right."
Speaking of the Ruins of the Battle of Gods reminded Klein of something.
He turned to look at Silas with a serious expression.
"Have you noticed that the magnificent palace in that dream bears some resemblance to the Court of the Giants recorded in the City of Silver's archives?"
Silas couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
That palace in the dream...
The one across from that cliff, the place Medici had once gazed at so intently.
Its architecture had been immense in scale, clearly not built for people of ordinary size. And most crucially, the entire palace had been bathed in an eternal dusk...
Silas recalled that on the Blasphemous Card he'd recently obtained, the pinnacle of the Warrior pathway was the Sequence 0 "Dusk Giant." If there truly was a Court of the Giants, the imagery of the two matched perfectly!
"What you're saying does seem possible..."
He said, his voice heavy with thought.
Only, why would a phantom image of the Court of the Giants appear within the Ruins of the Battle of Gods's collective dream?
In Silas's mind, he laid out the relevant clues one by one:
First, the Court of the Giants lay within the "Forsaken Land of the Gods."
Second, the Ruins of the Battle of Gods's collective dream contained what seemed to be a presence of the Court of the Giants.
Third, the Aurora Order kept returning to the Ruins of the Battle of Gods again and again, intent on reaching the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" on the other side, to head toward the true Creator's sanctuary...
Could it be that the Court of the Giants was where the path into the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" lay, or perhaps even a crucial link in that path?
At this thought, Silas shook his head.
No, that guess was too much of a leap. The clues still weren't enough.
"I heard from [Sun] that the City of Silver has already begun their exploration, hasn't it?
Once they finish clearing out Afternoon Town, they'll advance step by step toward the real Court of the Giants. We can confirm it with him then."
He said.
"Fair enough."
Klein had no objection. After all, it was only a guess of his, and for now there was nothing urgent tied to it.
The two fell silent for a moment.
"What are your plans going forward?"
Klein asked.
"I'm heading back to Loen."
Silas said, firelight dancing in his eyes. "I've already advanced to Sequence 4, the same as that Ince Zangwill. It's time to go find him, and settle the score with the Aurora Order."
"I'm planning to head back too."
Klein said. "My lead for continuing to advance is in Backlund, and besides... if you're going after Ince, you'd better bring me along."
"Where are you right now? Do you want me to give you a ride?"
Silas now had the Black King, letting him travel through the spirit realm at will. Picking up Klein along the way would be no trouble at all.
"No need."
Klein said. "I'm planning to sail back. It'll give me a chance to get familiar with my abilities after the promotion along the way, and work out how to play the part."
"Take care of yourself, then. Get in touch if anything comes up."
Silas said.
After that, the two chatted idly a while longer, and once they felt there was nothing more to say, they rose and bowed toward the head of the long table. "Mr. Fool, our business here is concluded."
With that, red light surged forth like a tide, engulfing both their bodies.
Soon, silence returned to the Grey Fog once more.