429 Various Parties (1/2)
The street lamps at night illuminated the wet ground, which was sent splashing by the occasional horse carriage that passed by.
Backlund was located in the middle of the kingdom, only dozens of kilometers from the Sonia Sea, and it rained frequently all year round. The highest temperature in July was only 28 degrees Celsius, and the lowest was around 2 degrees Celsius in winter. The weather seldom had a chance of dropping to zero or lower, but this didn't stop people from feeling the cold here. Even the northerners from Feysac, who were used to living in ice and snow, sometimes couldn't bear the humidity that penetrated through their clothing and flesh.
Klein stood behind the oriel window in a room which didn't have its fireplace lit. He looked at the tranquil scene outside and felt relaxed in his body, heart, and soul.
As long as he gathered the ingredients and concocted the potion, he could immediately advance to Sequence 6, becoming a Faceless.
The Magician potion has been completely digested… The Desire Apostle was personally finished off by me and he failed to escape… The Aurora Order's search of The Fool's believers is still going in circles… Apart from Mr. Azik being pursued by an unknown faction and the problem of the potion ingredients, I'm temporarily not troubled by anything… Klein leaned his body forward and took in a breath of air. He then looked at the fog that had condensed on the windows.
The reason why he had risked his life to intercept the Desire Apostle was because he was afraid that the other party would have other plans and, thus, smoothly escape from the pursuit of the official Beyonders. At that time, he might be remembered for his crucial advice and be avenged afterwards—as a Coldblooded, a Devil was unlikely to take the risk of avenging his comrades, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't choose to vent their anger on someone who nearly caused their death.
This operation was definitely necessary. Perhaps someone from the Twilight Hermit Order is somewhere receiving him. Once the Desire Apostle escapes, and with me not having any relevant information, perhaps I'll be prepared against a Sequence 5, believing that I would be pretty safe once I advance to Faceless, but the Desire Apostle might very well use the information provided by the Abyss card and the Twilight Hermit Order's help to advance to become a High-Sequence Beyonder! Such a development is quite scary if I think about it… One is required to inflict the finishing blow of justice… Klein reflected over what had happened this afternoon and summarized his experiences and lessons.
After enjoying the night scenery for a while, he returned to the sofa and sat down to think about his future plans.
With the reward provided by the Machinery Hivemind, I'll be able to afford the mutated pituitary gland and blood of a Thousand-faced Hunter. The Deep-sea Naga's hair simply requires me to have money. Such an ingredient should be relatively easy to find on the sea. I can get Mr. Hanged Man to help. The only problem is the Human-skinned Shadow characteristic…
And even if there is a clue, I don't have enough money…
With this in mind, Klein couldn't help but give a self-deprecating chuckle.
I'm not a person who particularly loves money, it's just a very average preference. When I was in Tingen, I always encouraged Melissa to spend and urged her and Benson to hire a maid. I felt that no matter what, I should try to not treat myself too badly, and every time I did a covert operation, I always placed safety first and made sure to be careful so that I wouldn't be affected mentally because of the allure of wealth.
However, in order to take revenge, I have to advance, and advancing requires me to buy expensive Beyonder ingredients. I can only accumulate every single penny and save whatever I can…
He suddenly hunched his shoulders and felt that the coldness of the living room made a Magician like him, who didn't have an excellent constitution, shudder.
Therefore, he decided to take a shower, crawl into bed, and read in bed.
There's only another three or four hours left before it's bedtime; there's no need to ignite the fireplace again… With a sigh, Klein got up and walked to the second floor.
…
Under the Steam Cathedral.
After Ikanser finished reading all the recorded statements, he picked up his coffee and took a sip.
After a few seconds of silence, he pulled out the ancient silver mirror called Arrodes.
Carlson took a glance at it and asked curiously, ”Deacon, if I ask the honorable Arrodes about an unsolved mathematical problem or a classical paradox, will it give me the correct answer?”
”Most of the time, it will directly reject you. If it thinks that you have ill intentions, it will even give you a lightning strike or make you suffer a curse that you would never want to face,” Ikanser said with a sigh. ”It's a living Sealed Artifact with extremely high intelligence, not a rigid, rule-abiding difference machine. When using it, it's best not to think about trying to find loopholes.”
Carlson looked around at his teammates and kindly suggested, ”Deacon, let me ask the question for you. I have nothing I need to hide.”
He straightened his back and assumed an open, honest posture.
Ikanser smiled bitterly and said, ”There's no need, I already know what I need to know. I'm no longer afraid of similar questions, and occasionally, the honorable Arrodes will ask very profound questions. With your body's condition, the subsequent penalty won't be easy to bear.”
With that said, he clenched his fists before spreading his fingers apart and gently stroked the surface of the mirror thrice.
In that subtle atmosphere, Ikanser asked in a deep voice, ”Honorable Arrodes, my question is: 'Who or what faction instigated the Desire Apostle to assassinate Duke Negan?'”
The silver mirror didn't show any changes for a while. Only after a long time did the surface produce an aqueous light, forming a scene that looked like an oil painting.
It was a plain where the sun was about to set. The vast field was covered in a faint golden afterglow.
”What does that mean?” Carlson and the other members of the Machinery Hivemind looked at each other, unable to understand. Even though one of them was a Beyonder who had advanced from Mystery Pryer and was no stranger at reading revelations.
”Twilight? The symbol of the end of life? A sect that believes in Death, or lunatics that believe in the apocalypse?” a Mystery Pryer said after some deliberation.
Carlson nodded in agreement.
”I think it's the latter.”
Ikanser ignored their discussion because Arrodes's question had already appeared.
”What color of underwear do you like best?”
Ikanser's face suddenly flushed red, and he felt as if smoke was rising from the top of his head.
With great difficulty, he spat out a word: ”Red.”
The room suddenly became unusually quiet, and Carlson and the others pretended to look towards a corner.
Ikanser sat down wearily and scratched his fluffy hair, ready to ask the second question.
Carlson couldn't bear it as he said, ”Deacon, let me try.”
”… Try not to reach the punishment phase.” Ikanser finally nodded in agreement.
Carlson confidently mimicked the deacon's actions, gently stroking the surface of the silver mirror three times while the other members gathered again.
”Honorable Arrodes, my question is 'Who are the accomplices of the Desire Apostle?'”
The aqueous light stirred as the scene changed. It first presented a woman's back, one with an outstanding figure.
Then, there was a person who was extremely blurry and could barely be identified as a man based on his attire.
”There is indeed another partner. This should be the person who sold the intelligence on Duke Negan! It's a pity that the other party has already dealt with it…” Carlson looked around and said.
He felt that he had no secrets and didn't need to care about the questions that followed.
This time, the choices that Arrodes offered was a question, a mission, or a penalty.
Without any hesitation, Carlson said, ”Question!”
Words that looked like dripping blood quickly outlined the surface of the silver mirror: ”Do you relieve yourself daily with your hand?”