Above the gray fog, an ancient temple-like building stood silently.
Klein, who had sensed something amiss due to a series of coincidences, entered this mysterious space after lunch in an attempt to confirm a theory he had.
He picked up the fountain pen that he conjured, paused for two seconds, and wrote:
"I've been embroiled in a series of coincidences created by Sealed Artifact 0-08."
Putting down the dark red fountain pen, Klein held the silver chain in his left hand and began his divination.
In the end, he opened his eyes and looked at the spirit pendulum that was just inches away from him.
The topaz pendulum was motionless and didn't spin.
This meant that the divination had failed!
Perhaps it's because the conditions aren't sufficient to make the divination impossible, or it could be that 0-08 has resisted … Both situations will produce similar results … Klein switched to different statements and pointed to different targets, but all the divination failed.
He tapped the edge of the long mottled table with his fingers, hesitating over whether he should go to Red Rose Manor the day after tomorrow.
If there really isn't 0-08 or a similar power to arrange these things, then my sudden escape will definitely arouse Prince Edessak's suspicion. No, my escape might not succeed. Prince Edessak's men live next door … Of course, it's still very simple for me to find an opportunity to escape when I'm out as a Faceless, but is there a need to go to this extent?
I'll just pay a visit to Prince Edessak tomorrow afternoon and hand in the mission normally. That way, I'll be able to "leave" Baekeland without attracting attention. And as a prince, he probably won't force an unaffiliated Beyonder like me to complete something that's too difficult …
If there's really a Sealed Artifact or demigod like 0-08 that's influencing the recent events, then from what I've encountered, I should only be a supporting character who has mistakenly entered the stage and hasn't received enough attention. Under such circumstances, escaping is equivalent to telling the other party that I've sensed your existence! There's a huge problem with me!
This way, relying on the powers of a Faceless might not be able to escape the "gaze" that has locked onto me …
The best way is to calmly go to Red Rose Manor and use the most normal procedure to exit the stage. I'll make a dignified curtain call and fade away from the "gaze" of an unknown source …
After combining the two factors, Klein finally decided to pretend that he hadn't discovered anything, hand in the mission according to his plan, and "leave" Baekeland.
…
The campsite was burning with flames, and there were always people on duty.
Derrick Berg leaned against a stone pillar and slept to recover his strength.
At this moment, he dreamt of a boundless greyish-white fog. He dreamt of an ancient chair at the highest point in the center, as well as an indifferent figure sitting on the chair, overlooking everything.
Mr. Fool … Derrick shouted the name inwardly.
Then, he heard the voice of The Fool.
Get ready for the party.
Yes, Mr. Fool. Derrick answered silently, silently counting his heartbeats.
His eyes never opened, as if everything that had just happened was just a prelude to a dream.
There's still a long time before we set off. It's enough for me to participate in the Tarot Gathering … he thought, feeling rather fortunate.
He originally thought that he would be absent from this gathering since he had joined the exploration team.
After a thousand heartbeats, Derrick waited for a while before he felt that he had entered the quiet and peaceful temple.
As soon as he opened his eyes, scenes after scenes flashed through his mind. It was as if an external force had instantly poured all the lost memories back into his head.
Those scenes were: collapsed city walls; buildings that intertwined white and blue; the temple of the Fallen Creator, which was similar in style to the City of Silver; murals that detailed the scene of the apocalypse and how the Fallen Creator resisted the six evil gods and protected the remaining humans; the beautiful and dangerous "mushroom"; and the abnormally strange, light-blond boy, Jack, who came from an unknown place.
This scene repeated over and over again for a total of five times, but each time, there were some differences in the details.
The first time, outside the temple of the Fallen Creator, all the animal hide lanterns were extinguished, nearly causing a tragedy. The second time, someone couldn't control himself and nearly swallowed the "mushroom." Thankfully, Chief Colin stopped him in time. The third time, the little boy, Jacdo, recounted a story. It was that he and his father were searching for the Creator's holy residence in the boundless ocean, but they ended up encountering a huge storm. The fourth time, Joshua was severely injured by the little boy, Jack, who had mutated without any warning. The fifth time, the temple completely collapsed, blocking the exit to the underground area.
And every time, it ended with Demon Hunter Colin killing the little boy, Jack. It began with them resting in the camp and preparing to enter the ruined city. The cycle repeated from beginning to end.
We've already explored the temple five times … We've been living in this experience, and there's no way to truly end it! The more Derrick understood his sudden additional memories, the more horrified he felt, and the more his hair stood on end.
Sitting on the other side of the long bronze table, Audrey originally wanted to greet Mr. Fool and the others happily and briskly as usual, but when she swept her gaze, she immediately noticed that Little Sun's mood wasn't right.
She immediately asked, "Mr. Sun, what happened? The exploration of the true, uh, Fallen Creator's temple didn't go smoothly? "
Derrick seemed to have grasped hope as he hurriedly described what had happened.
Finally, he said, "After that little boy was eliminated by His Excellency, all of us closed our eyes and woke up in the camp outside the city. We were prepared to begin a new exploration, and we no longer had any memories of the past.
"This process was repeated five times, with only slight differences in the details.
"If it wasn't for Mr. Fool's reminder, I wouldn't even know that I've been living a repetitive life all this while."
He naturally believed that the additional memories he had after coming above the gray fog stemmed from Mr. Fool's reminder. Hence, he stood up and solemnly bowed to the blurry figure sitting at the end of the long bronze table.
I had to listen to your description before I understood what had happened … The Fool Klein was still in a daze from the beginning until now.
He maintained his original posture and nodded slightly in response.
Without understanding the cause of the problem, a superior can't easily express his stance or speak rashly … Klein secretly reviewed the knowledge he had gained from being a keyboard warrior in his previous life.
Seeing that Mr. Fool was like a deep, unperturbed well, Sun felt a lot more at ease. He felt that the matter would eventually be resolved.
He turned to look at The Hanged Man, The World, Justice, and The Magician, and asked sincerely, "What's wrong with you?
He sincerely asked, "Do you know the root of the problem? How should it be resolved? "
The enthusiastic Audrey instinctively wanted to answer, but she realized that she had no clue. She couldn't even make a guess.
Magicians Fors was in a similar state as her.
Klein had a wealth of knowledge that originated from Earth. He had read many novels that were stuck on the same day. He originally wanted to control The World to give him an idea to give everyone inspiration, but after careful thought, he chose to keep a low profile and decided to observe first.
After listening to The Sun's description, Alger fell silent for a while. At that moment, he deliberated and said, "That's right.
At that moment, he deliberated and said, "I can only think of two possibilities. First, you encountered a nightmare or hallucinatory ability that exceeds the level of a demigod. After you regain your memories with Mr. Fool's help, you should be able to immediately sense that something is amiss the moment you return to the real World. That way, the problem can be easily resolved.
"Second, you were forced or initiated to enter a special space or state at a particular node. There, time maintains a certain degree of flow, but it is also fixed within a certain range. The cycle repeats and continues in a balanced manner, which is also a relative stillness.
"Under such circumstances, there aren't many ways to end the cycle. Either an external force forcefully breaks the balance, or you find the key point that distorts time."
An external force to break that balance? Upon hearing this, Audrey, Magicians Fors, and Sun subconsciously glanced at the calm Mr. Fool at the end of the long bronze table.
No, I can't always seek help from Mr. Fool … "He" didn't directly ask for my help. It's likely because "He" wants to test my ability to handle such matters … Derrick came to a realization as he thought for a moment.
"Mr. The Hanging Man, let's assume that it's the latter. What do you think is the key to connecting the time distortion?"
Without waiting for The Hanging Man to answer, Audrey guessed with interest.
"That little boy Jack?
"When facing him, can't we just kill him?"
"The Hanging Man" Alger nodded.
"That's possible."
He deliberated for a moment and said hesitantly,
"'The Sun's' description of Jack and his father reminded me of something."
He turned to look at Miss Justice.
"Didn't I mention that I once pursued a Listener from the Aurora Order at sea? His goal at sea was to find the True Creator's holy residence."
Audrey carefully recalled and said with uncertainty, "That seems to be the case.
"That seems to be the case."
The Hanging Man Alger immediately said in a deep voice, "That Listener also brought his child with him.
"That Listener also brought his child with him. His age is very close to the Jack described by The Sun."
"Are you saying that Jack came to the vicinity of the City of Silver from your World?" Sun asked in surprise.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he felt an inexplicable sense of joy.
This was because this meant that the area where the City of Silver was located hadn't been completely sealed off. There was still a chance to connect to the normal World where The Hanging Man and Justice were!
"I can only say that it's a possibility." The Hanging Man couldn't give a definite answer.
He thought for a moment and suggested,
"You can find an opportunity to mention the Sonia Sea in front of Jack. The Rouen Kingdom and the port city might have a different reaction. Of course, try to avoid your City of Silver's Chief.
"Also, the key point might not be Little Boy Jack. We still have to consider other possibilities. Tell us the specific situation, such as the details of the mural. Maybe we can find something useful."
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