The omnipotent and omniscient God... The Lord that created everything... Klein leaned back and maintained a profound posture while he ruminated over the words that the youth from the City of Silver had said.
He was no stranger to a "Lord that created everything." The Creator mentioned in the The Book of Storms, The Revelation of Evernight, and other urban myths referred to the Creator with similar titles. It was also the way various secret organizations like the Aurora Order described the True Creator.
But this was the first time Klein was hearing of an "omnipotent and omniscient God" in this world. Be it the Evernight Goddess, Lord of Storms, and the God of Steam and Machinery, none of them claimed to be omniscient or omnipotent.
If the City of Silver was really in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, then the Forsaken Land of the Gods would truly belong to this world. The "omnipotent and omniscient God" might be the title of the Creator that was used by the living in ancient times...Klein looked towards the young man opposite him in thought. He looked at the emotional colors of pain and sorrow.
When Derrick felt The Fool's gaze, he lowered his head involuntarily.
He recalled the legends that his parents had told him. He said slowly and sadly, "When the sun disappeared from the sky, when the clouds were ripped and torn apart, when lightning and thunder became our rulers, and the monsters lurking in the dark suddenly emerged, ones so terrifying beyond one's imagination, they destroyed one city after another in the Kingdom of Silver. Humanity's Dark Ages had arrived.
"The remaining experts in the City of Silver then relied on their united power and two magical items before they finally warded off the attack of the Things of the Dark. They gradually eradicated the monsters within a one day journey of the city, and they established a city-state that protected the last light of human civilization."
A standard textbook description... Klein couldn't help but comment in his head.
The young man's description made him feel that the City of Silver was in a different world than the Northern Continent.
Maybe this is the unique characteristic of the Forsaken Land of the Gods?
He thought, without revealing his emotions.
Derrick calmed his breathing and continued, "During the first few decades, plants couldn't grow. The City of Silver had a severe lack of food, and we could only hunt dark creatures or mutated animals to relieve our hunger. The population dropped drastically. Fortunately, we found Black-Faced Grass. It could survive under such circumstances, and it became our only reliable and stable food source.
"It was said to be the final intervention that the magnificent God left for us. It allowed one generation after another to live on in the City of Silver. It persisted in the Dark Ages for 2582 years.
"The passage of time was recorded by a long line of Chiefs. For the rest of the people in the City of Silver, we call periods of frequent lightning ‘day,' and when the lightning subsides, we call it ‘night.' It's a rather confusing system, and it makes exact dates difficult to pinpoint."
Such a magical place... Klein was glad that he hadn't talked about "tomorrow," but instead vaguely mentioned the following two days.
Derrick briefly talked about the few memorable incidents in the City of Silver's history and said, "When the population returned to a certain level, the number of Beyonders increased. The six-member council started forming elite troops to explore the dark. We have now explored all of the original territory and nearby cities. We are advancing towards the darker and more terrifying depths of the dark. At the border, we found cities with strange architectural style, but they were destroyed at some point. We suspect that they were sanctuaries built by other remaining humans. Unfortunately, they still lost to the Things of the Dark in the end."
The Things of the Dark that he mentions should be a reference to monsters that hide in the dark, ones that are beyond imagination. Klein nodded indiscernibly.
"... The Kingdom of Silver was once ruled by the Giant King. Hence, the Beyonder chain that we are in control of is the Giant pathway, also known as the Divine Blood Warrior sequence pathway... When we killed certain monsters and explored those destroyed cities, we obtained potion formulas of other Sequences. However, the Sequence pathways are incomplete," Derrick said, moving on to explain the current situation in the City of Silver.
Upon hearing that, Klein's mind jolted. Although he didn't change his posture much, he was obviously paying more attention.
I love knowing more about Sequence potions! The Giant King... The City of Silver and the Northern Continent share the same history? The Second Epoch's history... Hmm, killing a monster causes it to drop a formula? Is this a game? No, there's another possibility. Those monsters were once human, Beyonders... Klein suddenly felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.
Derrick saw that the Fool didn't reply. He clenched his teeth, pondered, and said, "The names of the Giant Sequence pathway are Sequence 9 the Beyonder Warrior, Sequence 8 Gladiator, Sequence 7 Weapons Master, Sequence 6 Dawn Paladin, Sequence 5 Guardian, and Sequence 4 Demon Hunter. Only the elders in the six-member council know the names of the higher Sequences."
Sequence 4 Demon Hunter... This is the name of a High-Sequence potion formula? This is the first time I've heard something like this! Klein felt delighted at the fact that he finally learned one of the names of the higher Sequences. However, he suspected that it was a name from ancient times, which would be different from the current version in the Northern Continent, just like the Windstorm Priest and the Seafarer.
Oh, Beyonder Warrior, Gladiator, Weapons Master... Sounds familiar... Oh right, the Sequence pathway that the Church of the God of Combat has in control is very similar to this! Sequence 9 Warrior, Sequence 8 Pugilist, Sequence 7 Weapons Master! Due to the limits of his security clearance, Klein only knew the titles of the first three sequences that the Church of the God of Combat had in control, but the similarity between the two pathways was still obvious.
Based on the core meaning, they are basically identical. The complete Sequence that the Church of the God of Combat mastered is the so-called Giant Sequence pathway... It is said that there was a God that emerged in the Third Epoch, which was the Cataclysm Epoch, to inherit the estate of the Giant King? Or could it be that He Himself was an ancient Giant? Klein analyzed and judged while he maintained his calm appearance.
Derrick continued to explain.
"After we pulled through the initial hardships, the City of Silver has been ruled by a six-member council ever since. The elder that enjoys the highest position in the council is called the Chief. The other five are equal in rank... The current six-member council is formed by three Demon Hunters, two Guardians with the greatest potential, and a Shepherd."
The City of Silver has three High-Sequence Beyonders! Demigod-like experts! These three alone could destroy the Tarot Club a hundred times over... Klein felt a little afraid. He had yet to attempt recruiting someone under the nose of a High-Sequence Beyonder.
However, since the young man was just a mere commoner, with him not even at Sequence 9, it was unlikely that he would gain the attention of the upper echelons for a long time. Thus, Klein relaxed again.
Is Shepherd from another Sequence pathway, perhaps from one of the incomplete pathways? Sounds reminiscent of the style of the Aurora Order. The member from the Aurora Order that wrote a letter to Mr. Z, what was his name again? He kept mentioning the "Lord's lamb"... Klein maintained his leisurely posture and asked casually, "Shepherd?"
"Yes, this is a Sequence pathway that we found from a city that the Things of the Dark destroyed. It only reached Sequence 5 Shepherd, but Elder Norwaya is very strong, very strange, and very scary. It is said that she once won against an evil spirit at the level of a High-Sequence Beyonder without getting injured. Therefore, when there was a vacancy in the six-member council, they made an exception for her," Derrick, feeling a little fear.
Klein thought, then smiled as he asked, "What's the Sequences before Shepherd? I find them familiar. As you know, a sequence's historical name and its current name is always different."
"In the City of Silver, the names of potions have never changed," Derrick refuted instinctively. He then lowered his head and said, "Sequence 9 Secrets Suppliant..."
Indeed! Klein was satisfied when his guesses were confirmed.
This is the name of Sequence 9 from the Aurora Order!
"Sequence 8 is Whispered, Sequence 7 Shadow Ascetic, Sequence 6 Rose Priest, Sequence 5 Shepherd," Derrick recounted what he knew.
Whispered, Listener, they are about the same... Heh, I know more than the information provided by the Tingen Nighthawks. In a good mood, Klein beckoned for Derrick to continue.
Derrick then roughly described the current situation of the City of Silver, and finally, he couldn't help but say, "I carry the curse of destiny. Whether a citizen of the City of Silver is a commoner or a Beyonder, we all turn into evil spirits after we die. The evil spirit of a Beyonder is just stranger, more terrifying, and far more difficult to deal with. In the past, there were many occasions when this curse nearly destroyed the City of Silver. The only way to prevent an evil spirit from rising is for a person to be killed by someone of their own bloodline."
"Such a cruel matter. I hope you can grow strong and find a method for the people in the City of Silver to shake off the curse." Klein, The Fool who was merely an empty shell, could only provide some free chicken soup for the soul.
"So, I want to be the Sun... When there was a Sun shining over the land, we had never encountered any curse," Derrick muttered softly with great difficulty and pain.
Klein nodded slightly and asked, "You will have the chance to. Remember, that I can pull you in here anytime in the next two days. Try to avoid being around other people."
"Alright," Derrick replied solemnly.
"Before that, I need you to confirm your code name." Klein smiled and pointed at the deck of tarot cards that appeared on the table.
Confident that Derrick had never come into contact with tarot cards, he gave a brief introduction. "Pick one of the cards as your code name. Anything besides The Fool, Justice, and The Hanged Man.
Derrick took two steps forward, flipped through the tarot cards, and said without hesitation, "Sun. I pick The Sun."
"Remember your choice, it will follow you for the rest of your life," Klein replied like a charlatan.
At the same time, he extended his hand and severed the connection in a restrained manner. Then, he watched as the crimson glow receded, and the young man opposite him turned incorporeal and dispersed bit by bit.
