A cathedral... We came to the same judgment... Klein looked at the ruin ahead of him as he silently muttered to himself.
At that moment, the tiny amount of crimson moonlight that penetrated the mist had scattered onto the collapsed building. Compared to before, it was a lot richer in color, almost approaching the color of blood.
Klein maintained Gehrman Sparrow's trademark cold attitude as he said in an unperturbed manner, "Where did you previously explore?"
As he spoke, Klein glanced at the lantern in The Hanged Man's hand which remained unshattered despite all the ordeals. He subconsciously tensed up his muscles and skin when he saw the glow from the flame.
Although the flame was ultimately contained by thick glass and metal frame, it still left him a little afraid.
Alger didn't notice the minute changes in Gehrman Sparrow as he raised his dagger-wielding right hand and pointed at the grandest building amidst the ruin.
"There."
All that was left of the building was its main structure. It was impossible to know what it originally looked like. The only things that could only be determined were that it had thick walls with narrow windows, and the building's scale and its magnificence. Furthermore, it once had a spire and clock tower. It had a spartan facade and an ancient architecture.
"This is an architectural style from the early Fourth Epoch. There are records of these in the Church of Storms's canon. It's said that in that period, the various Churches used such styles to build their cathedrals in a widespread fashion." Alger had a deep impression on the ruin. Over the years, he had flipped through many books and had acquired quite a bit of the background. "Its greatest trait is the temple found above and the catacombs found below. Life and death were both unified here. However, I cannot confirm that the ancient cathedral's interior is as I described, as I've never ventured deep into it."
This might be an architectural style left behind from the Third Epoch... Klein made a guess as he walked straight to the opening of the ancient cathedral ruin's abnormally huge door. By keeping the lantern behind him, enjoying only the light emitted from it, he didn't need to suffer from his fear of fire.
The duo quickly moved up the grayish-white stairs that were ridiculously high, and they arrived at the door's opening. Inside, they saw remnants of stone columns and arches that extended upwards towards the center.
Klein wasn't in a rush to enter. He reached his left hand into his pocket and took out a gold coin as he allowed it to weave between his finger while seemingly muttering something.
Suddenly, he flipped the gold coin and opened his palm to await its descent while saying to The Hanged Man, "How did you determine that deep in this cathedral is something of value that is not less than that of the Cards of Blasphemy?"
After he said that, he looked at the gold coin that had fallen into his palm before putting it away.
Alger pointed inside and said, "I've said before that my strength was inferior to Qilangos, and I didn't go as deep as he did. I had no idea what he saw, other than the judgment that there was something extremely precious and important inside from his remarks. Furthermore, it was something that only a true Sequence 5 could obtain.
"However, the murals near the entrance and the marks on the ground might be able to explain something."
Klein nodded and walked through the dark door's opening that the crimson moonlight was unable to illuminate. The black trench coat he wore fluttered gently behind him as Alger held up a lantern and clenched his dagger while following behind.
Passing through the opening, Klein used the crimson moonlight that shone in from the opening at the dome to see the hall of considerable depth up ahead. A few of the ancient stone columns supporting it had already snapped.
At the end wasn't an altar, nor were there any staircases that led upwards. It was completely dark and difficult to tell the details. It appeared as though it led underground.
It isn't a temple above and a catacomb beneath... The temple is underground in the catacombs? It's impossible to determine that. We'll know only by venturing down... Klein subconsciously glanced around and discovered side doors along the two sides, but the regions they led to had already completely collapsed with no usable path.
The murals near the entrance and the marks on the ground... he recalled what The Hanged Man had just said, and he took two diagonal steps before releasing the invisible Wraith Senor. With his night vision, he began observing the remaining murals.
The mural's background was of a towering and magnificent mountain. At its peak was a gigantic cross that was covered in a lustrous glow.
In front of the cross were grand and abnormal figures that were clustered around. They were angels with two wings, four wings, or six wings.
This... Klein did a cursory glance and felt a strong sense of familiarity.
He had seen a similar mural before, back in Blasphemer Amon's mausoleum!
When he focused again, Klein quickly noticed the difference. There weren't the two infants that represented Amon and Adam, nor were there any twelve-winged angels. The grand figure in front of the cross held its arms to its chest as it held an ancient, spartan slate.
The slate was drawn in an extremely indistinct manner; yet, it felt both ancient and young, holy and sinister. It was in extreme contradiction.
Slate... Klein's pupils dilated slightly as a specific term flashed in his mind:
Blasphemy Slate!
This is likely that ancient sun god, the Lord that created everything which the City of Silver worships... Indeed, the Blasphemy Slate is closely related to "Him"... I wonder if this is the first Blasphemy Slate or the second... Klein roughly guessed at the cathedral's worshiped entity, and he also began to believe that the depths of the ruin hid items that were very valuable and important.
He withdrew Senor's gaze and allowed the marionette to turn to face the ground.
Apart from the slates being covered in cracks and some odd marks remaining, they were dark red in color, smaller than a human's forehead. They overlapped with one another at times as they extended all the way to the ends of the hall.
At that instant, a scene naturally appeared in Klein's mind.
Devout believers were prostrated on the ground as they proceeded forward, slamming their foreheads heavily onto the ground after covering a certain distance, leaving blood oozing out.
Noticing Gehrman Sparrow look around without any scrutiny, Alger probed, "The ancient sun god?"
At that moment, he felt the baffling sensation of a cold wind blowing from Gehrman Sparrow's side. He suspected that hidden around them were shadows or wraiths.
Recalling the strange restraints the mutated curly-haired baboon was under, Alger made a vague theory that he didn't voice out.
Upon hearing The Hanged Man's question, Klein had wanted to chuckle and reply, "you can also call ‘Him' the Lord that created everything, the omnipotent and omniscient God," but he felt that such a tone and choice of words was closer to that of The Fool and not Gehrman Sparrow. Hence, he held himself back and nodded slightly.
"It's not hard to tell."
Alger silently heaved a sigh of relief as he held a sense of anticipation for the item buried deep underneath the cathedral.
The two simultaneously decided to walk towards the end of the hall.
When they approached it, Klein finally saw the staircase that led downwards.
"An underground area?" he asked succinctly.
Alger shook his head.
"I can't be sure. I've never gone down.
"Although Qilangos had attempted to venture in, he returned in less than ten minutes with his aura becoming relatively weak."
Klein nodded thoughtfully and said in passing, "You seem to be very familiar with him."
If it were said by anyone else, Alger would've pretended to have not heard it or answer directly. But deep in his heart, The World Gehrman Sparrow was Mr. Fool's Blessed. His question could possibly represent the intentions of that existence, so he needed to view them seriously.
After deliberating for a few seconds, Alger said in a deep voice, "We were fellow-townsmen, and we were servants at the same cathedral.
"The priest there was an easily irritated person who enjoyed punishing the servants. Qilangos couldn't bear it and escaped secretly to become a pirate."
So there was such a past... Mr. Hanged Man is also a man with a story... Klein didn't probe deeper as he headed down the staircase in the extremely silent cathedral ruins.
Although his footsteps were extremely light, they still sounded obvious in such an environment as they echoed.
Soon, the two of them came to the end of the staircase and saw the opening of an arched door.
On both sides of the opening were two shadows that stood there silently in an immutable fashion.
Klein and Alger halted at the same time as they looked at the two shadows, only to discover that they were two stone statues.
They were both men with their surface being grayish-white. One of them wore full-body armor that resembled a barrel, and the other work a jacket that looked more contemporary. Their expressions were writhing in pain as their eyes protruded as though they were glaring at something.
Upon seeing this scene, Klein realized something as he recalled the encounter outside.
He and Alger had also shown signs of petrification, and it was thankful that they extricated themselves of the effects, or they might have really become statues!
This... Don't tell me they're humans who met with the same situation... If we had been petrified, would we be "moved" down here, standing guard at this door opening for centuries or even millennia? The source of that petrifying power isn't afraid of these ruins? Klein felt explicable horror as his scalp tingled.
He controlled his emotions and turned his head to look at The Hanged Man. He discovered that the pupils of the boorish man at sea had similarly dilated and was clutching the dagger tightly.
Mr. Hanged Man has come to the same conclusion without me needing to speak further... Klein pointed at the door opening and said, "There might be even more stone statues inside."
Alger nodded as he said worriedly and jokingly, "Let's hope we don't see ourselves."
If we're convinced that we have escaped the effects of petrification, only to see our statues in this underground area, that would be quite the horror story... Klein thought for two seconds and said to The Hanged Man, "Do you have night vision?"
His true meaning was that the light of the lantern was especially eye-catching in the dark catacombs and that it might easily cause unwanted developments. Therefore, it was best to extinguish the flame if he had night vision.
And he believed that Mr. Hanged Man was able to read in between the lines.
Alger replied frankly, "Yes."
As a Beyonder of the Sailor pathway who could dive, it was a given that he had night vision.
Klein glanced at him without a word, but his meaning was obvious.
Then why are you still using a lantern?
Alger seriously replied, "Firstly, it's to misdirect the enemy into instinctively believing that I don't have night vision because of my use of a lantern. When they destroy my lantern and try hard to create a dark environment, I'll give them a pleasant surprise."
How sinister... Klein was momentarily at a loss for words.
Alger continued, "Secondly, it's to avoid situations similar to the City of Silver. There might be extreme darkness lurking within complete darkness."
Makes sense... Klein didn't insist that Alger extinguish the lantern as he first stepped past the two stone statues. Under their pain-frozen gazes, he stepped into the entrance that led underground.
As he didn't know what the petrified statues represented, nor did he know if they were completely dead, Klein didn't attempt to shatter them to obtain their Beyonder characteristics and mystical items.
