1209 Two Choices (1/2)
Inside the room, the crimson glow was like water that soaked every corner.
Dorian slowly lifted his head and looked at the full moon outside the oriel window. He didn't look away for a long time, as if he was admiring a beautiful scenery for the first time.
Phew… He let out a breath, stood up, and entered the bathroom. He turned on the tap, held up a mouthful of biting-cold water, and splashed it hard on his face.
After washing up, Dorian wiped his face with a towel and returned to the living room to sit on the sofa. He lowered his head and muttered piously, ”Praise be to Mr. Fool!”
After completing his prayer, he walked into the study, took out a pen and paper, and wrote to Fors:
”…
”Please tell Mr. Gehrman Sparrow that I have confirmed his promise. I hope he can find a better way to resolve the curse…
”I will gather the other members of my family to discuss if I should use one of the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in exchange for the Box of the Great Old Ones…
”Here, let me introduce the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts so that Mr. Gehrman Sparrow will have sufficient time to consider which one he wants.
”One of them is called 'Scroll of God.' It looks like an ordinary oil painting in a brass frame, but the content on it will change at random.
”When it shows different locations, the wielder can change the surroundings of the target, allowing the corresponding scene to descend.
”When it shows different figures, the wielder can allow those people to attack their targets with one target per figure.
”When it presents an abstract image that cannot be understood, different real effects will happen, and the only thing we know about the corresponding relationship is a very small portion;
”When it depicts doors, opening different 'doors' will move one to different places. There's no way to predict where the destination will be. It can be used to exile its target;
”When it shows the dark underground or deep cosmos, it will be extremely dangerous. It has to be sealed!
”If no one looks at it or takes in the marvel of the oil painting, then the person inside will come to life. They will reach out their hands from the oil painting, and slowly enter the real world. One must pay attention to this when sealing it!
”Once upon a time, when one of my family's branches were in charge of the Scroll of God, there was a mistake. No one appreciated it for a full minute. And at that moment, it presented an image of an angel revolving around a deity. Then, the deity came alive and walked out of the oil painting.
”That branch of my family was destroyed just like that. There were only a few members remaining who had lost their minds, while that deity had gone somewhere unknown, but the painting was left behind.
”We had been worried for quite some time, afraid that the deity would destroy the world. Fortunately, 'He' never appeared again. Perhaps 'He' had already been noticed by the seven deities and was dealt with.
”Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that this is a story made up by those who have lost their minds. However, for most of the members to have died overnight, with a small number going mad, that in itself implies enough.
”The other Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is called 'Staff of the Stars.' Its appearance is a black cane with embedded gems.
”While holding onto it, using corresponding scenes in your mind, one that truly exists and is still in existence, the staff will transport you directly to the destination, but you must be careful. The scene depicted must be absolutely correct. Every detail must be accurate. There cannot be any differences with the original. Otherwise, you will never know where your destination is;
”Similarly, while holding onto the Staff of the Stars, if some Beyonder powers or figures appear in your mind, this cane will reenact the corresponding powers and person. The latter will be a single attack. To achieve such an effect, one has to have sufficient understanding of the powers and figures. Otherwise, you have no idea what kind of anomaly will happen. Once, someone used the Staff of the Stars to release 'Lightning Storm,' but he ended up turning himself into a frog. Recovery was only possible once the method to remove the curse was found;
”The Staff of the Stars is sufficiently hard and can be used to attack. A person struck by it will randomly mutate or suffer strange effects. Previously, I used the Staff of the Stars to hit a Beyonder from the Aurora Order. The left side of his body was moved outside a door, and his right side remained where it was. His organs splattered out as a result;
”The Staff of the Stars will randomly move about. If it isn't properly sealed, it might disappear at some point in time and escape your control.
”When holding it, one's head has to be empty most of the time. This is because once an image appears, it can trigger the effects I described in the beginning;
”If there's no one holding onto it, all sorts of abnormalities will happen around the Staff of the Stars. It's hard to predict what will happen. It has to be sealed…
”Burn upon reading…”
After writing the letter, Dorian read it several times to make sure that there was no mistake before stuffing it into an envelope and pasting a stamp on it.
At that moment, in the ancient palace above the gray fog.
Through the prayer point of light, Klein had watched Dorian's entire process of writing the letter.
I seem to have forgotten to tell him that he can pass the corresponding information to Gehrman Sparrow through Mr. Fool… That's good too. I'll just treat this as a benefit of being a formal member of the Tarot Club. If every believer were to do this, I wouldn't be able to cope if I didn't leave any Worms of Spirit in Sefirah Castle… Yes, this can also effectively maintain Mr. Fool's prestige. It will ensure that the Abrahams won't dare to belittle Mr. Fool… Klein mumbled before turning his attention onto the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts.
He once again confirmed that Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts had severe negative effects and couldn't be used as common items.
Of course, their powers had extremely terrifying and potent effects. They were worthy of the grade ”0.”
In comparison, the Staff of the Stars is more suitable for me…