The light emitted by the lamp's core was extremely viscous, like water that had been infused with quite a bit of sugar. It spewed out, forming a distorted and blurry golden figure.
This figure instantly occupied the crimson star representing The Hermit, cutting off his ability to sense Cattleya.
Sitting at the end of the long bronze table, Klein's eyes widened as a thought subconsciously flashed across his mind:
As expected of a Sealed Artifact labeled 0-05!
Although the serial number of Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts was usually based on the order of the time the orthodox Churches obtained or understood them, it had to be known that this set of rules was officially established after the seven Churches truly ruled over the world, which was the late Fourth Epoch and early Fifth Epoch.
Back then, most Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts had already appeared, and they had been learned of or obtained by the orthodox Churches!
This resulted in a situation where the ones with smaller serial numbers being Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts that were more powerful, terrifying, and unimaginable. Then, the rest were labeled based on the order of appearance.
In addition, although it wasn't wrong to say that an item was more powerful the more ancient it was, for an item from the First Epoch that the ancient gods were unable to affect, it definitely meant that even deities didn't fully comprehend their secrets.
This way, the smaller the number was, the more terrifying the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact was.
Of course, based on this rule, the Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts with higher serial numbers weren't necessarily worse than the first ten. Perhaps it was simply because they were discovered or obtained by the Church at a later date. Without any numbers left for them, they could only be serialized.
Just as a thought flashed through his mind, the golden figure's gaze pierced through the crimson star representing The Hermit and towards the ancient palace above the gray fog.
Following that, "His" voice echoed in an unusually magnificent manner:
"Long time no see."
Long time no see? Long time no see! He... He knows the former owner of Sefirah Castle, The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings? No, it should be "Him," a Genie who claims to be eternal... "He" can actually use Ma'am Hermit's prayer to directly talk to me... A thought flashed through Klein's mind as he tensed up.
Based on his experience over the recent years, as well as his ability as a Clown, his body suddenly relaxed and he leisurely leaned back into his chair.
Following that, Klein replied, "Heh."
He didn't give an affirmative answer, nor did he deny that he was a fake. He only showed a look of contempt and wore a supercilious look.
The blurry golden figure harrumphed.
"You've actually been weakened so much. It's no wonder that I haven't heard of your honorific name in the past few millennia."
Honorific name... Weak... "He" really knows the former owner of Sefirah Castle... Is that an existence who was active during the First Epoch? Amidst his thoughts, Klein smiled and said, "What you see might not be the truth."
"Haha." The twisted and blurry golden figure laughed and said, "You're still your usual self, always trying to scam others, but the condition of Sefirah Castle cannot fool me. Under normal circumstances, there's no way for me to pass through the outer layers of protection to communicate with you."
"How do you know that I didn't do it on purpose?" Klein asked in a relaxed manner.
"There's no point in lying to me," the distorted, blurry golden Genie immediately replied.
...Why do I feel like the victim of fraud is saying that I'm penniless, to the point of having sold my kidney... Back then, what did the previous owner of Sefirah Castle—the one suspected to be The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings—do to the Genie... Hmm, part of the characteristics of this Magic Wishing Lamp is that of a Miracle Invoker... Using his lampooning to relieve the pressure in his heart, Klein smiled.
"It's not up to you to decide whether there's any point."
The blurry golden figure trembled slightly.
"From the state of Sefirah Castle, you seem to have a need for a Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic."
"He" did not harp on the topic and instead pointed out the situation "He" had observed.
...This fellow can actually see through this matter... "His" level is really very high... "He" is able to separate the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic from the Magic Wishing Lamp? Klein's eyes narrowed as he nearly lost his composure.
He immediately controlled his actions and expression and replied with a smile, "If you think so."
The blurry and distorted golden figure once again made "His" magnificent voice echo above the gray fog.
"We can make a deal.
"You will remove my seal and give me freedom. I will leave the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic to you and only take away the portion that belongs to me.
"As for a witness, let's use our sefirot. Although both you and I have means to resist the backlash and reduce the damage caused by breaching the contract, it won't be without a price. We both need to consider the consequences.
"I promise I won't stay here any longer than necessary."
Sealed... Sefirot... The terrifying nature of the Magic Wishing Lamp is a seal of an existence that's at least at the true deity level? With a thought, Klein quickly analyzed the viability of the matter.
Soon, he made a decision. He was not to be bewitched!
There were two reasons for this. Firstly, he wasn't the real owner of Sefirah Castle. There was a limit to what he could do and handle. Secondly, he had received some mysticism education and had gleaned experiences as a Nighthawk. He knew not to trade with unknown existences or bear any hope in being lucky!
Having made up his mind, he calmed down and focused on how to gather more information.
The Genie was suspected to originate from the darkest, most chaotic, and most mysterious First Epoch, so "He" definitely knew a lot!
After some thought, the corners of Klein's mouth curled up.
"Do you think such conditions can move me?"
He planned to see how high the chips the Genie could offer, so as to pry into certain of "His" secrets.
Upon hearing this, the flickering golden figure's eyes suddenly lit up in a literal manner!
"His" gaze seemed to land directly on Klein as "His" magnificent voice quaked the ancient palace like thunder:
"You are not ‘Him'!"
You are not "Him"... At that moment, Klein was a little stunned and also a little frightened. It was as if he was performing a grand magic show only to have a member of the audience suddenly point out his trick.
He didn't know what was wrong with his rhetorical question, nor did he know what exactly was wrong. It was difficult for him to analyze the pros and cons in a short period of time, and give a reaction that matched the current situation.
... Why did "He" suddenly realize that I'm not the former owner of Sefirah Castle—the suspected "Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings"... Isn't my rhetoric question very reasonable? Since we're talking about a deal, bargaining should be allowed... The former owner of Sefirah Castle that the Genie knew wasn't like that? Impossible, why would a person who's good at deceit show "His" hand so readily? How can there not be some level of negotiation and pressure? Sh*t, too many thoughts are running through my mind. Nearly ten seconds have passed... I didn't immediately answer the Genie's accusation, so it's a form of indirect admittance... When it came to being exposed, Klein didn't have much experience. He was momentarily unsure for a response.
Just as he raised his vigilance and was about to produce the Staff of the Stars and activate Sefirah Castle's powers to resist the possible attack from the Genie, the golden and blurry figure suddenly laughed.
"Haha. Hahaha. Hahaha."
This laughter seemed to stir his soul, causing Klein, who was inside Sefirah Castle, to nearly show signs of losing control. It wasn't easy for him to remain calm.
There's no intention to attack, but the influence of natural dissipation... What's the Genie laughing about? What's so funny? Klein frowned as he thought of one possibility after another, but he felt that they didn't match reality.
After a few seconds, the Genie's laughter stopped and "He" happily quipped, "Even for existences at our level, fate is still so miraculous.
"Regardless of who you are, the deal I proposed is still on the table. As long as you remove the seal and release me, I will return to the cosmos with the portion that belongs to me. As for the rest, I will leave the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic to you. In addition, I will grant you three wishes.
"How's that? Isn't that enough?"
Cosmos... When Klein heard that, his eyelids twitched as he sharply sensed danger.
This was a warning from his spiritual intuition.
He had originally thought that he could pretend to agree and obtain more information before using Sefirah Castle to go back on his promise, but now he suddenly felt that he could not make the promise!
Hence, Klein decisively said, "Leave."
As he spoke, he cut off the connection between himself and the crimson star representing The Hermit.
The blurry and distorted golden figure suddenly expanded and dissipated, leaving only his voice echoing:
"You will eventually agree!"
Only when the world above the gray fog had its calm completely restored did Klein slowly let out a breath and silently mutter to himself, The Genie is a powerful creature from the cosmos. Was it sealed within the Magical Wishing Lamp in the First Epoch or earlier?
The person who sealed "Him" might be the previous owner of Sefirah Castle, the existence suspected to be The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings. This can be inferred from the ingredients used to form the Magic Wishing Lamp's Beyonder characteristics...
So, that's how the Genie sensed that I wasn't the previous owner of Sefirah Castle when "He" questioned me? But I did consider this point, so my question wasn't logically unsound. Unless, back then, the former owner of Sefirah Castle and the Genie had come to some sort of tacit understanding or had some secret...
The bulk of the Genie's powers likely can't extend out of the seal, but "He" can use the Beyonder characteristic that forms the seal... The unique characteristic of "granting wishes" is likely from the Miracle Invoker characteristic. Then, the Genie uses "His" level to magnify it...
Amidst his thoughts, Klein raised his head to look at the crimson star representing The Hermit. He discovered that Cattleya didn't notice anything unusual with the Magic Wishing Lamp.
Phew... Klein formed a stream of light that contained his warnings and threw it into the crimson star.
