Above the grayish-white that wasn't perturbed at all, Klein silently sat at the end of the long, mottled table, like a stone statue that had existed for hundreds of thousands of years.
Regarding the discovery he had just now, he felt a deep sense of fear from the bottom of his heart. He felt a chill rush out from the back of his head, spreading across his entire body, bringing with it obvious yet real shudders.
It was as if he had witnessed a familiar friend become a stranger in a very short span of time. His actions were abnormal, as though he had been replaced by someone else.
Of course, there was a clearer and more direct analogy in this aspect: It would be Leonard Mitchell coming to visit and discuss the matter regarding Pallez Zoroast as a monocle is suddenly taken out and then put on.
Could it be that the emperor was unknowingly corrupted after his ascension to the crimson moon, and he didn't notice it at all? He usually didn't show any abnormalities. Only through reminiscing about his past through his diary entries, analyzing his inner voice, and talking to himself would certain premonitions surface in his mind? Or could it be that this was a form of hypnosis by Adam? But Roselle was at least a Sequence 1 when that happened... Klein couldn't help but lower his head to inspect himself. He imagined how another version of himself existed in his body without realizing it. He wasn't sure if this entity could be called a "human."
This truly is an extreme sense of horror... Klein slowly took a deep breath and forced himself to focus his attention on the diary pages of Emperor Roselle.
Soon, he discovered something worth reading:
"28th July. I attended that ancient secret organization's gathering once again.
"From the discussions among the members, I sensed a problem:
"Is it because I advanced too quickly that I'm relatively inexperienced? There are many things that I have never heard of before?
"Just like how they mentioned about the corruption from the cosmos and underground. This is the first time I know of their existence!
"Heh heh, I wonder how many of them are ‘He's1 or ‘She's.' Apart from a minority of the members, most of them don't like others knowing their levels.
"While others are communicating with each other, I asked Old Mister Hermes with a whisper, hoping to understand more about the corruption that stems from the cosmos and underground.
Hermes told me that this isn't something I can come into contact with at my current level. Just learning about it alone will cause me to be corrupted!
"It's actually that scary? What could it be? I'm even more intrigued.
"That old mister later told me that the corruption that originates from underground can be ignored because it will fade with time. A long time ago, in the era when the ancient gods were active, powerful creatures had attempted to resolve this problem completely. In the end, it made things worse and caused tremendous losses. Later, they gave up on the idea of directly exerting influence, and they switched focus to sealing and guarding it.
"From that day forth, although accidents happened occasionally, it was stable overall. Today, even if there are no seals or guards, as long as no one comes close and tries to go deeper, there won't be any incidents of corruption.
"What a surprising situation. It appears it doesn't require the protagonist of this era to resolve this problem.
"Old Mister Hermes mentioned the cosmos again and said that the situation there is more complicated, interesting, and more dangerous than I imagined. ‘He' said that even a Sequence 2 angel doesn't have much knowledge of the cosmos. ‘They' only have a general understanding of it. ‘They' aren't aware that, apart from the dangers, there are too many other things. If it wasn't for the fact that ‘He' once knew an existence that was good at wandering the cosmos and learned plenty of matters from that person, he wouldn't be able to tell me all of that.
"I was very curious, but I didn't hold much hope when I asked about the existence who was adept at wandering the cosmos.
"Old Mister Hermes didn't hide the truth. He said that it was Mr. Door, Bethel Abraham.
"Mr. Door... I pretended not to know anything and asked about that person's level in a very casual tone.
"Hermes didn't answer directly. ‘He' only said that in the Fourth Epoch, even angels and demigods would address ‘Him' by ‘His' name in private. ‘Those' who could make everyone address ‘Them' by their titles are in a small minority—of which, Mr. Door was one of ‘Them'—aside from Evernight, Storm, Earth, and the other deities.
"Is that so... Mr. Door's level really isn't low."
The corruption that stems from underground will naturally fade with time? Arrodes, said that the gray fog gives it a feeling that resembles that of an object from underground... It hopes that I can explore the underground world after I return to my throne of divinity. As for Lucca Brewster, he's certain that the higher the Sequence, the greater the danger the underground world will bring... Klein tapped the edge of the long, mottled table with his fingers. He was increasingly puzzled about what was happening underground.
Fortunately, Hermes's description, the state of the abandoned castle, and the attitude of the Evemight Goddess seemed to indicate that the corruption that stems from underground would naturally dissipate. Leaving it alone was the best solution.
Phew, then I shall temporarily put aside my worries regarding the underground world... Hermes's words and the bronze door deep in the City of Miracles corroborate with each other. The Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt had really tried to resolve the problem of the underground world, but ended up with fear and trauma... From the looks of it, the greatest possibility for the coming of the apocalypse is probably from the cosmos, and my current Sequence doesn't qualify me to know of it... Amidst his thoughts, Klein sighed as he continued flipping through the diary pages in his hand.
After reading a few pages, his eyes suddenly lit up and locked onto one of the pages.
"31st December. The end of a year is the most suitable time to make a resolution and start a new story.
"I've already thought of where the eight secret mausoleums should be built. I'm just clueless about the last one.
"This has to be more covert than the eight previous ones, or else it will be meaningless.
"After a long thought, I thought of a place: The nameless island where Grimm was buried.
"Of course, the Abyss is also an option. However, I can't find a living Devil in the area that I can enter, so I can't force them to become my citizens and help me build a mausoleum. Ordinary humans can't survive there, and even powerful Beyonders will find it difficult to resist the corrosive properties of the Abyss itself.
"Regardless, the environment on that nameless island seems like a pretty good choice.
"Heh, the Princes of Abolition in the Fourth Epoch's understanding of citizens is too limited. The rule of an Emperor is not only limited to humans and humanoid creatures; all living things should be my subjects!
"And there are many extraordinary creatures on that nameless island with no intelligence. They have long worshiped and followed me. I can totally drive them into building a secret mausoleum.
"When I wrote this, I suddenly recalled that experience. Because I dreamed of Grimm, I brought Edwards, Benjamin, and the others back to this nameless island and discovered that those extraordinary creatures lived together in harmony. They were gathered together and holding a ritual, and amongst them was the deceased Grimm.
"I was indeed shocked back then. I felt a fear that I hadn't felt in a long time, and everything appeared extremely bizarre.
That time, William and Poli died. Only Edwards and Benjamin survived. If I hadn't already become powerful and controlled a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, everyone would've perished along with them.
The power of those Beyonder creatures that affected that nameless island actually came from the cosmos, and those who were corrupted would return to the source after dying.
Thankfully, the power from the cosmos could only project a small portion of it into the real world. I finally solved the problem and made that nameless island my secret base.
"Now, it's time to use it!"
After reading the diary, Klein didn't feel exhilarated that he had correctly guessed where Emperor Roselle's final mausoleum was. Instead, he frowned slightly.
This was, on the one hand, because the corruption caused by the cosmos had truly appeared "in front of him." On the other hand, the nameless island wasn't that secretive. Other than the emperor, there were also the two survivors, Edwards and Benjamin. It didn't meet Roselle's requirements of complete secrecy.
Before this, did Edwards and Benjamin pass away normally, resulting in them being unable to divulge any secrets, or was it that, after Roselle successfully built the mausoleum, he made these two subordinates stay on the island forever, resolving the problem of spirit channeling? Of course, if Roselle had the corresponding Sealed Artifacts or Beyonder powers, he could also make them completely lose the corresponding memories... After a moment of silence, Klein flipped through the diary pages again in search of the coordinates to the nameless island.
However, he didn't see the corresponding content when he reached the last page. Instead, there was a diary entry that vaguely revealed some of Roselle's thoughts in his later years.
"27th December. I've been feeling uneasy recently because I have no confidence in what will happen next.
"I no longer yearn for help. I'm very satisfied if they can remain neutral.
"I have put myself in the most dangerous situation. This is an act of me taking initiative, but it is also a choice due to a lack of options.
"Sometimes, I'm very confused. How did I end up like this?
"Was I too extreme, or was this the only thing I could do?
"No, at this point in time, I can't be confused anymore. Apart from affecting my mindset and making the already slim chances even slimmer, it's meaningless.
"Now that I've reached this point, I can only continue on. If I succeed, it will naturally be sunshine and rainbows.
"Heh heh, all my hopes are placed on one sentence:
"Life is possible by being in death's embrace!"
From the looks of it, the emperor really chose the method of making use of one's revival after death to escape the madness and corruption... This is simply crazy. It's like he's playing a game of Russian roulette with all six chambers filled, hoping that one of the rounds misfire... People who don't like going to the extremes, or those who are good at coming up with all kinds of strange ideas, wouldn't consider the viability of this method... Perhaps it's because the enemy can't guess it that this might give the emperor a sliver of a chance of living... Klein leaned back into his chair as he silently sat in the ancient palace for a while.
After he slowly recovered his scattered thoughts, he considered how to find the nameless island.
I remember that the person who visited the nameless island, Benjamin, seems to be from the Abraham family. This be asked via Miss Magician... Yes, I'll be meeting her soon. There's no need to specially get The Fool to pass the message...
I'll get Queen Mystic to ask the descendants of Edwards, William, and Poli. That will be more suitable...
With this in mind, he surveyed the area and sighed before disappearing above the gray fog.
