Even when Emlyn White left the Odora family's underground region, he still found things surreal. He couldn't believe that he could so easily be rewarded with 7,000 pounds.
The acceptance draft was light and weightless in his hand, but he felt the absurdity of reality.
The Hanged Man's method was really effective... Instead of exposing me and punishing me, Lord Nibbs gave me a generous reward. And this was done solely to feign ignorance while encouraging me to make attempts so that he can observe in secret... Are the thoughts of the Sanguine that complicated as well... Emlyn sighed, his mind feeling adrift.
Quickly, he stopped his thoughts from wandering and turned his attention back to the reward of 7,000 pounds.
With this, I can buy that baron's remains from The Hanged Man and concoct it into a potion...
I'll soon become a baron—Sanguine Baron, Lord Emlyn White!
Emlyn's eyes lit up as his footsteps turned significantly brisk.
Within the Sanguine, if one wasn't bestowed the corresponding ritual by the elders, they would remain stuck at the same level they were at during birth. It was almost impossible to rely on time to advance.
Unless one was extremely lucky, having an ancestor of the family that was nearing the end of their lifespan such that they had no choice but to bestow their powers to a descendant through a ritual, most of Emlyn's Sanguine peers would remain stuck in the concept of "adulthood." There might not be any chance of them obtaining an "aristocratic title" for decades.
Emlyn's father and mother had lived for years, but they had yet to become barons up this very day. They couldn't even see any hope of becoming one!
As Emlyn walked out the door, he couldn't help but glance at the nearby Cosmi Odora.
This elderly Sanguine who has been active in the Roselle era has only been a baron up to this day... And I am about to reach this rank as well! One day, I will become a Sanguine Marquis like Lord Nibbs! No, a duke, or even a prince! Only by doing so will I be able to shoulder the responsibility of being the Sanguine's messiah... Yes, the baron's remains is only about four thousand pounds; I'll have a lot of money left. I can even buy a few more dolls and give them some new clothes... Emlyn unconsciously straightened his back and began to walk more and more proudly.
...
In the Berg household in the City of Silver.
Derrick lit some candles and prepared for the sacrificial ritual.
The lightning frequency alternated several times before he finally found an opportunity.
He was very sure that the Chief wasn't be able to keep an eye on him at this moment, because he had left the City of Silver with the little boy, Jack, who had recovered somewhat, and a group of explorers, in search for the so-called route that led from the coast to the destroyed city.
It didn't take long for Derrick to set up everything and say Mr. Fool's honorific name in a reverent, low voice.
He very skillfully and methodically sacrificed the Spirit Eater's stomach pouch needed by Miss Magician, and the Beyonder ingredients designated by Mr. Hanged Man, to the ruler above the gray fog.
There were many cracks on the City of Silver's solid city walls, but they were filled to the brim with black hard soil. Strands of dense weeds grew on them, swaying in the wind like human hair.
All of a sudden, all of them stood up as if they wanted to capture something, but they turned limp without any strength left in them.
...
Early morning, at the Cathedral of Waves.
Alger Wilson, who had come to collect the bounty, heard an important piece of news from the diocese bishop, Chogo.
Leticia Dolera of the Moses Ascetic Order had disguised herself as an archaeologist and entered the depths of the jungle on Symeem Island. It was unknown what she did that inflicted grievous injuries to Sea God Kalvetua, who had been in hiding for years, pushing it to the verge of collapse. As a result, it was frantically searching for an opportunity to survive.
Rumor has it that this evil spirit which calls itself "Sea God" had been discovered by two powerful cardinals of the military a long time ago. After it was defeated by them through the use of a Sealed Artifact, it could only barely escape and hide... This situation has persisted for more than a hundred years. Without any intrinsic changes, why would it suddenly collapse and be unable to maintain its existence?Alger frowned slightly, wondering what the difference was.
A situation deliberately created by the Moses Ascetic Order?
But why didn't they do so in the past hundred years?
To complement one of their other plans?
Between speculation and doubt, Alger suddenly became aware of an important factor.
The biggest and most fundamental difference between the last hundred years and now was that The World had come to Bayam!
Mr. Fool's adorer had come to the Rorsted Archipelago!
Does his appearance anywhere indicate that something big is about to happen or is brewing? Previously, it was the Great Smog of Backlund, and there was the abnormality in Bansy Harbor. Now, there's the dying struggle of Sea God Kalvetua and the unknown plot of the Moses Ascetic Order... No, to be precise, wherever a major problem is brewing or about to happen, Mr. Fool's adorers will be there! They accept Mr. Fool's arrangements and pursue the activities of those secret organizations, the evil gods, and angels! As soon as his train of thought changed, Alger was suddenly enlightened, feeling as though he had grasped the truth.
It's not that things happen wherever The World is, but that The World and the other adorers will appear when something is about to happen!
What good does this bring to Mr. Fool? Is it a plot solely to destroy the enemy's schemes, or does it help "Him" lift his seal and release more power? Alger held back his doubts and decided to seize the opportunity to submit some intel from before.
He clenched his right hand into a fist and pressed it against his left breast. He said with a look of hesitation, "Your Excellency, while pursuing the remnant forces of Steel, I heard a piece of intel."
"What is it?" Chogo had originally planned to send this bishop-ranked captain out into the sea to search for traces of the Resistance, but he was forcibly interrupted by him. For a moment, he felt irritated.
Alger "recalled" and said, "Someone mentioned Bansy Harbor in a conversation. They mentioned that an abnormality had happened there, but the descendants of the Medici family were well hidden and didn't end up being discovered."
Bansy Harbor, abnormality... Chogo took a step forward and pressed, "What else did they say?"
"Other than mentioning that there was a fallen bishop of the Church, nothing else. Your Excellency, is the Medici family a dark family of the Fourth Epoch?" Alger asked deliberately.
Chogo's expression sank.
"That's not something you should know.
"I'll report it to His Eminence Kottman at once."
Kottman was a Church of Storms Cardinal, the Archbishop of Rorsted Sea, a high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers, and the true ruler of the Beyonder world in the archipelago, Jahn Kottman.
Chogo thought for a moment before asking, "Who was the person who mentioned this? What does he look like?"
Alger was long prepared.
"I don't know them, and they never showed up again.
"I remember that the person mentioning Bansy Harbor and the Medici family was an ordinary-looking, young man with a thin face, a broad forehead, black eyes, and black hair. He wore a monocle.
"He seemed to notice that I was eavesdropping but he didn't show any anger. Instead, he smiled at me."
Alger had been describing Blasphemer Amon!
He wanted the cardinals to believe that the exposure of the secret regarding the Medici family and Bansy Harbor was the result of a struggle between the Kings of Angels.
This is really a suitable person to use as a reason... "He" wouldn't appear to defend himself, and even if "He" did, no one would believe it... And clearly, any divination regarding him would have zero results... If Beyonder means are used to confirm my information source, there will be strong signs of interference from Mr. Fool, and they won't be able to get an accurate answer. From the looks of it, this is equivalent to what Amon did... Alger thought with considerable relief.
Chogo nodded lightly.
"Find these people and trace the whereabouts of the Resistance."
"Yes, Your Excellency!" Alger answered with a look of piety and struck his right fist on his left breast.
...
Dark clouds covered the sky as the rain fell down in torrents, creating white fog in the process.
In the port of Bayam, the blue water rose slowly but firmly, and the freighters and liners rocked like leaves fluttering in midair.
The rain continued to fall, and the sea level gradually approached the dyke. The city was flooded with water in many places, and the environment was greatly suppressed.
One by one, the fanatical and numb locals, in their Taraba shirts and tattered jackets, came to the edge of the cliff or the dyke before jumping into the sea.
Their flesh and skin rapidly lost moisture as they fell, and they were already desiccated corpses by the time they fell into the sea.
A group of people were rioting as they hugged a Navy sailor who was walking out of a base. They angrily bit him to death with their teeth, reducing him to a mangled, bloody mess and caused chaos on the streets.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The dyke collapsed, and the rising seawater poured into Bayam City.
When Klein jolted awake, his mind was filled with the scene from his dream.
For a Seer, this was a very clear revelation!
Sea God Kalvetua has failed to find a way to survive and has completely given up, resulting in it going completely mad. It wanted to create a storm, stir up a tsunami, and drown the Rorsted Archipelago so that countless can join it in death? At the same time, its devotees are starting to do extreme acts... I've already informed the Church of Storms. They'll likely be able to stop it... No, even if I didn't inform them. They'll definitely be able to sense a problem with the appearance of such a situation. They would then make the necessary response... Klein rolled to his feet, wore his clothes, and walked out of his bedroom.
He saw Blazing Danitz standing by the window, looking out.
He saw the clouds hanging low as rain poured down, as though it was endless.
A sign has appeared? Klein walked over to Danitz, who was also looking out at the repressive weather. He could faintly hear the abnormal sound of the tide.
In the midst of silence, the sound of explosive thunder suddenly rang out in the air. The leaden-colored clouds quickly split apart, and the falling rain lost its source. In the direction of the docks, everything returned to normal.
The morning sun shone down from high up in the sky, bathing Bayam in holy light.
Danitz hissed and said to himself, "Jahn Kottman changed the weather..."
Jahn Kottman... The Church of Storms Cardinal and high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers? He suppressed Kalvetua's powers? Klein retracted his gaze while in thought.
Danitz heaved a sigh of relief.
"I was rather worried just now. Heh heh, afraid that the Sea God whose on the brink of a breakdown would create a disaster.
"But there's Jahn Kottman."
Seeing that Gehrman Sparrow was silent, he continued adding, "At sea, even the King of the Five Seas and Queen Mystic won't be his equal.
"Captain said he's a Sequence 3 demigod. The potion's name is...
"It's... Sea King!"
