At that instant, the first thought that surfaced in Klein's mind was: As expected, Zaratul has a ploy!
Right on the heels of that, he was thankful that he had obtained the correct door-opening symbol from the Antigonus family's notebook ahead of time. With this newfound confidence, he didn't panic and become at a loss.
Zaratul returned the quill and ink bottle to the past, and he lifted his head. Scanning "Gehrman Sparrow" and Panatiya, he said with a sigh, "All the conditions are in place. You can now open the door."
Upon saying that, he fixed his gaze on "Gehrman Sparrow" and chuckled.
"Don't forget to take my urn with you."
Just as he said that, his entire body suddenly crumbled into countless points of light and scattered into the surroundings, fusing into the void. It was as though he had long rotted and turned to dust.
Left in the spot where he was sitting, there was a tin urn. Its surface had ancient patterns that didn't look anything special.
Klein made "Gehrman Sparrow" take two steps forward, bend down, and pick up the tin urn. He found it heavy, nothing like something that was fake.
He used the hand holding the goatskin to open the lid and saw that it was filled with grayish-white powder and particles. It didn't have a lustrous glow.
It really is just ordinary ashes? Then who helped cremate Zaratul? He cremated himself? After "Gehrman Sparrow" closed the lid, he casually used this goatskin-wielding hand to take out a piece of flesh from a pocket and swallowed it.
Panatiya noticed this action as she squinted her eyes at him as though she was asking what he was doing.
Klein stuffed the fish into the marionette's mouth as he deliberately adjusted his breathing and said, "I'm a little nervous.
"I'm not sure if this door-opening symbol works."
Panatiya had already confirmed that he was eating ordinary fish meat. Although it looked somewhat disgusting, the half-crazy her had lacked the patience to make a further distinction. She moved her gaze away and looked at the urn and smiled.
"If it's useless, we can share it.
"I'll have one scoop a day, and it will last a very long time."
This Demoness's mental state is really abnormal... Klein silently sighed. Passing by the Eraser angel statue suspected to be the Mother of the Sky, "Gehrman Sparrow" came in front of the wall.
Then, he turned his body to the side and pointed to the inset and said to Panatiya, "Place that obsidian rock inside."
Panatiya smiled gorgeously as she said with dull eyes, "Let me see the door-opening symbol first."
There's no need to be so wary of me. If I really wanted to harm you, I can immediately give up my marionette, and you wouldn't have the time to escape this cathedral. You'll definitely be hung up. When the time comes, I'll saunter in, pick up the obsidian rock, and open the door to leave... However, the symbol given by Zaratul is really problematic. It's best I find a person to bear the brunt of it... Klein's mind whirred as he made "Gehrman Sparrow" lift his palm and pat his abdomen while opening his mouth.
A blob of indistinct flesh and blood surged out, piling up ahead and turning into the beautiful feminine Mr. A.
Upon seeing this scene, "Gehrman Sparrow" flicked the goatskin and unrolled it.
The special symbol was with the Bizarro Sorcerer potion formula as they were reflected in the eyes of Panatiya and Mr. A.
Panatiya's eyes darted about before she smiled coquettishly and said, "Open the door. You leave first."
She had confirmed that "Gehrman Sparrow" was still helping her control her Spirit Body Threads, so there was plenty of time for her to wait.
As she spoke, she threw the ugly puppet stained with blood and tied up hair at him.
She's also afraid of an accident... As Klein got "Gehrman Sparrow" to catch the puppet, he watched the Demoness of Despair take a few steps forward and insert the obsidian rock into the recess.
The two fused together perfectly, not leaving any protrusions.
The wall rapidly emitted light and gradually turned transparent. It could be seen that the outside was paved in stone slabs. There were walls with holes and clouds floating in midair.
As Panatiya took a step to the side, "Gehrman Sparrow" held the puppet, goatskin, and urn in his left hand and reached out his right palm. He then used his finger as a pen and drew the vertical line made up of several secret symbols on the transparent wall.
During this process, Klein was in a dilemma. He wasn't sure if he should draw Zaratul's symbol or the Antigonus family's one.
Although he believed that Zaratul was problematic and had a scheme, he felt that he had belittled this powerful figure after calming down. If Zaratul's sole purpose was to harm him and everyone else with him, there was no need for him to mention the opening of the door. All he needed to do was wait patiently to achieve his goals.
Furthermore, with the gray fog's aura completely severed and screened from Klein by the foggy town, he couldn't figure out why Zaratul would target him.
Therefore, his final judgment was that Zaratul's goal was to coax someone into opening the door to allow "Him" to obtain something or escape something. As for whether there was danger after the door opening, that wasn't within "His" considerations. If scattering the ashes was genuine and rather important, it was likely to be relatively safe after heading out. In short, danger was at every turn.
That also meant that Zaratul's door-opening symbol was real, and the probability that it didn't carry any danger was 50%.
And on the other hand, the Antigonus family's notebook wasn't necessarily "kind-hearted." The scene that Klein had seen from the divinations he did above the gray fog, and the information he obtained from Zaratul, and the fact that Zaratul had lost control and gone mad, he could basically determine that the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range's Antigonus family's treasure might very well be an enticing trap. Then, whether there was any latent risks in the complex picture provided by the notebook, that was something that needed consideration.
On the one hand it's a tiger, and on the other hand it's a wolf. It's the ultimate choice of the lesser evil... Also, the Antigonus family's symbol is for entering the treasure trove. It doesn't mean that it can be used to leave... As Klein contemplated, he didn't stop drawing while he quickly approached the part which was different.
At this moment, he stole a glance at Panatiya and discovered that her eyes had a glint in them as she wore a smile. It felt like she had the urge to try.
She... If she's normal, as a senior Instigator, she should be able to control her expressions... Besides, she just saw the door-opening symbol as well... Klein's heart stirred as he let the marionette draw the symbol provided by Zaratul.
Soon, the complicated vertical eye was drawn.
Pure light enveloped the area as they traversed the patterns and finally gathered together.
Amidst a spectacular blast of light, an illusory, double door filled with secrecy appeared on the wall. Due to the push from "Gehrman Sparrow," it slowly opened.
Behind the door was the ancient stone tiles and hole-ridden walls they had previously seen. Everything was very silent and there were zero abnormalities.
At this moment, Panatiya's figure suddenly shattered, turning into mirror fragments.
At the same time, the lady in a pure white robe appeared in front of "Gehrman Sparrow" and passed through the door.
And in her hand, there was an additional ugly puppet stained with blood, its neck coiled with a strand of hair.
As for the one in "Gehrman Sparrow"‘s hand, it had degenerated into a piece of glass.
In terms of magical illusions, a Demoness of Despair was several times superior to Klein.
After Panatiya passed through the door first, she half-turned around and faced "Gehrman Sparrow," revealing a crazy and teasing smile. Black flames soared from her palm as she ignited the puppet.
At that moment, it was as though she was saying, "Despair! Plunge into the deepest pit of despair just as hope arrives!"
Only then did Klein realize that the curse couldn't be diverted or weathered by Paper Figurine Substitutes!
Panatiya immediately turned around, preparing to depart from the foggy town and the ancient cathedral, afraid that an accident would happen.
At that moment, her eyes suddenly froze.
Her body crumbled, transforming into one mirror after another. However, she wasn't able to put a distance further than ten meters between her and the door.
In just a second or two, Panatiya let out a sharp cry as invisible threads and thick, black hair curled around her, binding her within. Her exterior was covered in black flames as she froze into layers of ice.
Suddenly, all of this disintegrated. Demoness of Despair Panatiya's eyes effused clear, deep despair and regret.
Her expression rapidly turned stiff as her neck seemed to be held up by an invisible hand. Her entire body rose into the air and hung there, her eyes rolling back bit by bit, but her looks remained immaculate.
On the side of the door, "Gehrman Sparrow"‘s body had been enveloped in black flames and began melting like wax. As for Mr. A who had planned on flying through the door, he began retching, vomiting one fresh mushroom after another. His body began to sprout mushrooms as if a drizzle had just passed.
Before "Gehrman Sparrow" lost his vision, the scene behind the door pulled close, presenting an empty foyer.
No, it wasn't empty. Hanging in midair were even more corpses. They were of all ages and sexes. Some were dressed exquisitely, others gorgeously, ancient, or casually.
These corpses were like the ones hanging in the cathedral. They all floated up as they came and went as though they were acting in a grand musical, accurately reflecting a musical of the daily lives and details a town should have!
Klein saw that, behind these hanged corpses, there was a transparent and slimy tentacle. It was covered in complex patterns with secrecy hidden within. It was as though it could drive anyone crazy.
Countless tentacles extended deep into the foyer, and there sat an ancient, huge stone chair. Its surface was inlaid with dull gold and gems.
This... Klein tensed up as he didn't hesitate to close his eyes and cut his connection with the marionette!
In his mind, the scene that he had seen from his previous divination surfaced.
Seated on the huge chair were countless translucent maggots that clustered together. They squirmed slowly as they grew freely, extending out nearly invisible tentacles.
And the final scene that was embedded in the marionette's vision was at the bottom of the ancient chair. A tarot card sat there silently.
Its surface was also that of Roselle. The emperor was wearing a gorgeous head accessory and colorful clothes. It held a stick with luggage hanging from it as though he was on a long trip.
He had a visionary look, and beside him was a puppy. At the corner were shiny words: "Sequence 0: The Fool!"
