Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 295 The Clash of Shadows and Blazing White
"Then, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' what do you think I should do?"

Although "Sun" Derrick did not understand the hidden meaning in "Wheel of Fortune" Roger's words, he still sought the advice of this saint.

Throughout the entire "Tarot Meeting," Mr. Wheel of Fortune was the person Derrick the Sun trusted most, besides Mr. Fool and Mr. Hanged Man... No, it should be said that his feelings for this saint who provided music for the Silver City were not simply trust, but gratitude, awe, and deep admiration.

"No need to rush, just keep things as usual."

Roger shook his head, then smiled and said, "The Wheel of Fortune."
“I don’t rule out going to the ‘Forsaken Land’ soon, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

"what???"

This left not only "The Sun" Derrick, but everyone in the "Tarot Club" in shock and silence.

"What? You don't welcome me?"

Roger looked at "The Sun" Derrick with a smile and asked.

"No no no..."

"The Sun" Derrick shook his head frantically, then shouted:
"welcome!"

"I welcome Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'!!"

"The residents of Silver City welcome Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'!!!"

Whether it was a misperception or not, "The Fool" Klein could detect a slight sob in Derrick's voice.

"Looks like this guy really idolizes Roger..."

He sighed in his heart.

This is normal. Although Klein is not a resident of the “Forsaken Land”, he has heard “Sun” Derrick talk about the plight of the Silver City’s inhabitants over the past year and feels great sympathy for them for being trapped in that boundless darkness for thousands of years.

On the other hand, he was also surprised by another layer of meaning in Roger's words.

Before "The Fool" Klein could even ask a question while controlling the "world," the "Hermit" lady asked in a tone already brimming with surprise:
"Do you have a way to enter the Forsaken Land?"

The existence of the “Forsaken Land” was something Cattleya had often heard her mother, Bernadette, mention since she was very young. It was a continent that had been lost since the beginning of the Fourth Epoch, and legend had it that it was a place hated and abandoned by the gods.

Later, Gadriya also read about the “Forsaken Land” in some ancient books, but she always regarded it as an ancient legend until she joined the “Tarot Club” and met Mr. “Sun” who claimed to be from the “Forsaken Land”.

Judging from Derrick's clothing, language, and various details, he indeed comes from the "forsaken land."

This greatly enriched Cattleya's knowledge as an extraordinary individual with the "Sightseeer" pathway, but it also confirmed a long-held suspicion of hers:
That is, although the "Forsaken Land" truly exists, it is isolated from the outside world by some mysterious force!

From the conversations among the veteran members of the "Tarot Society," Gadria could reasonably guess that the members of the "Aurora Society" had a way to enter the Forsaken Land, but that was likely due to the power of the "True Creator." As for how the legendary Amon entered, she had no idea.

However, both of them possess power beyond the Sequence 1 level, so it's not surprising that they were able to enter the "Forsaken Land".

How did Roger, a Sequence 4 Saint, manage to gain access to the "Forsaken Land"?
This aroused Cattleya's great curiosity, and she immediately asked the question.

"Have."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," smiled slightly:

“I plan to go to the ‘Forsaken Land’ after the war between Rune and the Fusak Empire ends… ‘Hermit’ lady, would you like to join me?”

"Huh? Me???"

The woman, who was "the hermit," couldn't hold back for a moment and blurted it out.

"Yes."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," smiled slightly:

“I have a way to bring people into the ‘Forsaken Land,’ though not too many, but I do have a way.”

"My requirement is that those who accompany me must be at least Sequence 5 level and be in a relatively neutral state, unaffected by other forces outside the Tarot Club."

This has almost excluded more than half of the members of the "Tarot Club".

Miss Justice joined the "Psychological Alchemy Society," and although she wasn't greatly influenced by it, she still became deeply involved in it.

On the other hand, even if she wanted to go, Roger would not agree, because the "Psychological Alchemy Society" and the "King of Black Seat," one of the "Four Kings," were deeply involved, and it would be quite risky to take her there rashly.

While both "The Hanged Man" and "The Moon" had the opportunity to advance to Sequence 5, one belonged to the Church of the Lord of Storms and the other served the Church of the Earth Mother and was a vampire, so they did not meet Roger's requirements.

As for "The Magician" Fors, although she is a student of the Abraham family and does not belong to any organization outside of the "Tarot Club", she is currently only at the Sequence 7 level, and it is not very realistic for her to advance to Sequence 5 before Roger sets off.

Although the "Hermit" was a member of the "Morse Ascetic," considering her relationship with Bernadette, she was not actually deeply influenced by the "Morse Ascetic."

Of course, the "Hidden Sage" may be a potential threat, but considering that He is not a god in the true sense, but merely a product of the unique activation of the "Hidden Sage" path, the actual influence He can exert is very limited.

So after going back and forth, only Mr. "World" and Ms. "Hermit" seem reliable.

“By the way, the ‘Hermit’ lady just mentioned that she was deep in the Gargas Islands… Combining what Bandit said, it’s reasonable to conclude that Klein should have successfully advanced to ‘Master of Mystic Puppet’.”

Roger quickly made a decision in his mind.

However, considering that Klein has not yet become a "Trickster", the benefits of going to the "Forsaken Land" are relatively low, and his friend is probably worried about exposing his identity, so he is unlikely to go with him.

Roger had originally intended to recruit Bernadette, and now "Admiral" Cattleya was undoubtedly an excellent intermediary.

After this gathering, there is a high probability that Huang Jiajia will tell her mother about it directly. Considering that the "Mysterious Queen" was originally interested in the "Forsaken Land," it is possible that she will come directly to the "Star Lord" to talk to Roger in person.

"I'll think about it."

The "Hermit" Gadriya didn't even have time to think about how Roger knew that her strength was at the Sequence 5 level; she was simply filled with utter shock.

It is worth noting that over the long years, the "mysterious queen" had also tried to find the "forsaken land," but had always come up empty-handed.

This "Dark Star Saint," who hasn't been famous for very long, has surprisingly found the entrance to the "Forsaken Land" so quickly.

Could it be that he has found a way to communicate with the "true creator"... or is it related to what he previously said about the "true creator" undergoing a transformation?

For a moment, the "secret seeker" felt as if her brain was about to explode. She struggled to regain her composure and nodded.
"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' I cannot agree to your request right now."

"But I must say, your invitation is indeed very tempting, and I will consider it carefully."

It means I need to go back and ask my mom...

Roger chuckled inwardly to himself, but outwardly replied calmly and politely:

"Of course, I'll wait for your message."

“Okay. By the way, Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ you mentioned earlier that you were in the Sunia Strait… Are you heading to the Inter-Sea?”

The "Hermit" Cattleya nodded slightly and then asked another question that concerned her.

"No, I can't get into the sea."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head: "I'm going to Port Laus to take care of some business there."

"I see."

"The Hermit" Cattleya nodded and didn't ask any further questions, because Roger's answer was very reasonable. After all, with the presence of the Fusak Empire's garrison in the Minsk Strait, crossing it was almost impossible.

But in fact, Roger really intended to do so—he just couldn't tell the "Hermit" lady this news.

It wasn't that he didn't trust the "Hermit" lady, but rather that there were too many people in the "Tarot Club," and the more people there were, the harder it became to keep something a secret—Roger didn't want to be ambushed and bombarded with weaponized fire by multiple "Iron Knights" at speeds almost comparable to hypersonic missiles as soon as he entered the Minsk Strait.

That wouldn't be fun.

Afterwards, following up on the discussion among the "Tarot Club" members about the "blasphemer" Amon, Gadriya asked a few more questions and finally confirmed that the Amon they were talking about was the "Son of the Creator" Amon that she knew.

She also shared some information she knew about the "imaginary angel" Adam, secrets that only senior members of the "Morse Ascetic Order" possessed, leaving the other "Tarot Club" members speechless.

In return, "Justice" Audrey and the others shared some information about the Angel King with the "Hermit," which was also a secret that the "Hermit" did not know. So overall, it was a pleasant deal.

Finally, as Mr. Fool announced the end of the day's gathering, all the members of the Tarot Club rose again, bowed respectfully to the ruler of the Source Castle, and then transformed into countless stars.

As Mr. Wheel of Fortune once again transformed into John West, the leader of the Star Fleet, Roger did not rush to leave. Instead, he completed the deal he had made with Ms. Hermit regarding the canopy of the Nightmare Jellyfish by praying to the Source Castle. Only then did he finally look at Bandit.

The cat was currently flipping through its own nautical log. Roger had previously hired a Sequence 9 "Sailor" named DeSantis Morris from Zeus's ranks to write it down. This guy had previously been in contact with the animal companions of the "Beastmasters," so he didn't show much surprise that Bandit, a cat, could talk.

"You know what, keeping a nautical log is a really interesting thing."

Seeing that Roger had "returned," Bandit meowed at him.

"Whatever you like, I'm too lazy to keep a logbook anyway."

Roger knew without even looking that Bandit's logbook was not only detailed but also redundant.

Because of the kitten's limited vision, Bandit was often able to notice things such as what kind of insects had appeared on the "Star Lord," what kind of fish were in the sea, and what kind of seabirds were around, and these things were recorded in the ship's log.

So, both Bandit and Roger were happy, but DeSantis was tortured and writing all day long became the norm. This guy wrote more than 10000 words of notes almost every day, making him the top-tier workhorse of the "Star Lord".

"We should be able to reach the northern foothills of the Minnminsk Mountains tonight."

Bandit was clearly a little nervous. While instinctively kneading its paws on Roger's captain's table, it asked:
"What if we're attacked by demigods as soon as we enter that place?"

"It's very possible."

Roger nodded, and then said:

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not kidding... They must have noticed that I intervened last night to stop the aftermath of the fight between those two demigods. Right now we're in a 'secret' state to counter divination, but once we actually enter their visible range, they might attack us."

"What should I do?"

Bandit became even more nervous and pressed for an answer.

"Nothing to do."

Roger shrugged and laughed:
"Let them fight. If they're so capable, they can kill me. If they can't, we'll just run away."

Just as the man and the cat were chatting, Roger suddenly saw through the porthole of the captain's cabin of the "Star Lord" that several shadows in the sky outside were reflecting the setting sun and emitting an extremely bright silvery white light.

Then those silvery-white shadows began to throw out many things that looked like granules from below, and soon a rumbling sound came from afar.

"That direction... should be Port Rolls, right?"

Roger quickly determined the direction from which the explosion came, and then said:

"It seems the Fussac Empire launched a retaliatory bombing..."

Should we intervene?

Bandit asked nervously when he heard it was a bombing.

"Need not."

Roger shook his head:

"We cannot help the Ruen military handle everything. Fighting and defending the country are the duty of soldiers, and besides, we ourselves are also in a hurry."

"Fortunately, Port Laus has a much smaller population and industrial base compared to Port Constance and Port Pritz, so the local government has probably already organized people to take shelter in air-raid shelters... so there shouldn't be any major problems."

"If you're talking about infrastructure or anything like that, someone will come and repair it after the war."

"Oh."

Bandit nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite:

"I always thought you were fighting the Fussac Empire for the sake of your country."

"Hi."

Roger shook his head: "This is essentially for profit... or even for the common people, which is more accurate than saying it's for the country, since the war itself was their doing."

Fundamentally, Roger is a time traveler. The current level of technology, cultural advancement, and social openness of the Kingdom of Rune is completely incomparable to the world of his previous life.

Even though he has the original owner's memories, it's simply a case of "no comparison, no harm."

So, instead of saying he has a deep sense of identity as a "Ruen person," it's more accurate to say he's more willing to protect ordinary people.

Like Roselle and Klein Moretti, he also had a sense of nostalgia, but unlike them, Roger, who knew the truth, did not fantasize about going back to the past.

After all, fantasizing about the possibility that something doesn't exist only makes people weak and hesitant.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Bendit ran over, jumped up, and turned the doorknob, only to see Philip walk in and bow to Roger.
"Captain, we are about to reach the Minsk Strait. The lookout just reported that there seem to be a lot of warships gathering there, as if they are preparing for something."

"Meow, Roger, could they be wary of you?"

Bandit looked at Roger with a half-smile. After all, Roger's ability to block the aftershocks of the attack between demigods last night was too terrifying, and it was normal for the Fusak people to feel fear.

"Probably not."

Roger shook his head:

"The combat power below demigod level and above demigod level are two different concepts. In this regard, it is not very meaningful to simply increase the quantity of conventional weapons and troops."

"Even if the target demigod is wiped out, the Fusak people will definitely lose a lot of warships, personnel and weapons, so the best way to deal with a demigod is to send another demigod."

"So from my personal perspective, this could be a military confrontation... However, considering that the high-ranking members of the Storm Church are already stationed on Sunia Island, this confrontation could be quite intense. The Rune Fleet will likely try to force open a support route from the east coast to the inter-sea area with their support."

"Meow, Roger, so I feel like they're using you as a bargaining chip."

Bandit jumped onto the table and rubbed against Roger's sleeve.

"You're quite smart."

Roger laughed upon hearing this.
"That's right, after all, our 'Star Fleet' was originally going to enter the Minsk Strait... and that won't change."

"Although we are a pirate fleet, we have demigod-level combat power. Moreover, our stance on the side of Rune was already made public after we annihilated 'Twilight Admiral'. Therefore, the Rune Navy definitely wants to use our cover to completely open up and block the Minsk port."

"In this way, the southeastern coastal area will be completely safe, and the Fusaks will have no choice but to deploy airships and warships in the inter-sea area for a decisive battle... But that would be more advantageous for us."

"After all, as the leading industrial power in the Northern Continent, we have everything that Fussac has. If they bomb us, we can bomb them back. In this situation of protracted war, it's only a matter of time before the internal conflicts of the Fussac Empire erupt."

Roger smiled as he finished speaking:

"War is a lever of resources and economy. If the safest outlet to the sea is blocked, the economy inside the Fussac Empire will collapse over time."

"Captain, is it possible that Intis will provide them with support?"

Philip paused:

“After all, I heard you say before that it seems that members of the Church of the Eternal Sun were involved in the battle.”

"Initially, the situation you described will indeed occur."

Roger nodded, without denying it:
"But don't forget that the Republic of Intis and the Empire of Fusak are in very similar situations when it comes to maritime security. Although their coastlines are not as long as those of the Kingdom of Rune, they are not short either."

"However, none of them had a safe sea route directly to the Sunya Sea, the richest of the five seas... The only route was through the Interseas."

"The Sea of ​​Interstellar is a shared outlet to the sea for the three kingdoms, but for the Kingdom of Rune, it is not the only passage to the Sea of ​​Sunia."

“We have Port of Louth, Port of Enmat, Port of Pridsey, Connaught and Deesey Bay in Southwell County, all of which are excellent ice-free ports. Even the Kingdom of Fenneport, which is equally rich, cannot compare with us in this regard.”

"But if Fursac and Intis take control of the Intersea, they can bombard and bombard Constance and Westville for years to come, and they will also have a safe outlet to the Sunia Sea, which is something the Runes absolutely cannot tolerate."

Philip nodded in agreement.

Before Philip retired, he participated in the Battle of East Bayron between the Rune and the Fusacs. The Rune suffered heavy losses in that battle, and the humiliation was etched into the hearts of every naval officer and soldier.

Roger then said:
"Therefore, we must take the Intersea. As long as we can control that sea area, the only outlet for Fussac and Intis will be the dangerous Misty Sea."

"Intis is in a better position compared to the others. Although the territory of the Fusak Empire is vast, they have to cross the Antal Mountains to reach the Misty Sea, which is extremely difficult unless they dig tunnels."

"So at that time, Intis will definitely try to expand their own influence on the Misty Coast and will no longer have the time or energy to help Fusak."

"It can be said that Rune's ultimate strategic goal is to drive Fussac and Intis to the Misty Sea and share the profits of the Sunia Sea with the Kingdom of Feneport... Of course, Rune must take at least 70% for himself."

"In this way, the Fusak Empire will become a de facto landlocked country for a considerable period of time, and Rune will recover all the losses caused by the theft of gold and the war, making him invincible in the Northern Continent for at least twenty years!"

Philip was stunned by this analysis. He had originally thought that Rune's war was a purely retaliatory act, but he never expected that there would be so many intricacies involved.

Of course, Roger didn't mention one more thing: if the battle in the Sea County is won, the Angel and the God of War of the Einhorn family will be forced to their deaths.

Considering Lilith, the progenitor of vampires, who has taken Omibella's identity to a whole new level, the God of War will have virtually no chance of winning.

As long as the Church of the God of War is controlled by the Goddess, Fusak will completely lose its national destiny, Intis will become isolated and helpless, and the crises that have plagued Rune in the north and west for many years will be resolved.

By then, Roger could safely use the Kingdom of Fenneport as a safe springboard to travel to the Misty Sea, explore the information about the angel's remains left on Koske Island through the "Red Priest" pathway, and retrieve the Sequence 4 sealed artifact that Christopher Iman had previously taken!
“I understand, Captain, you are truly visionary.”

Philip now understood why Roger dared to brave the heavy defenses of the Fussac Empire in the Minsk Strait and force his way through the interstellar waters.

Because Rune needs Roger as a bargaining chip, and Roger can in turn use Rune's army as cover to achieve his own goals!

The demigod of the Church of the Lord of Storms on Sonia Island might also play a role in restraining the "Star Fleet" from a distance, preventing the demigod who could use fire from attacking it... But more likely, he will retaliate in kind after the demigod of the Church of the God of War makes his move.

"So tell the brothers to prepare for battle. Tonight, at least one more demigod will come to besiege me. At that time, those mid-to-low-sequence extraordinary beings will be yours to deal with."

"Especially Linssaya's combat squad, they should play a very important role."

"Yes, Captain."

Upon hearing Roger's prediction and instructions, Philip immediately saluted and left the captain's cabin of the "Star Lord" to mobilize and arrange the battle plan for the night.

……

As night fell, Roger once again stepped onto the deck.

Just as he had expected, warships began converging on the "Star Fleet" from all directions, sailing towards the Minsk Strait at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from him.

This caused panic among many crew members, but because Philip had communicated with Roger beforehand and knew that these should all be ships belonging to the Loen people, the first mate was able to calm his men down in time.

With the "Star Fleet" sandwiched between these vast and powerful ships, having just crossed the Minnesota Strait, Roger, standing on the deck, saw lights flickering in a distant naval port, where many ships appeared to be docked.

That place is located on the north shore of the Minsk Strait, one of the bases of the Vsak Empire's "Inter-Naval Fleet"!

Suddenly, it was dawn.

That was neither the real sun nor moonlight, but the light produced by the explosion of countless gunpowder.

Although these lights were not very bright, they quickly merged together and densely illuminated the entire night sky.

The Fusaks fired the first shot!

Just as the barrage of cannonballs was about to hit the Rune fleet, a strange force field fluctuation suddenly emanated from the lead "ironclad ship".

The next moment, a beam of light flashed above the "Star Fleet"!

By the time Philip and the others came to their senses, most of the shells had disappeared, a very small number had exploded in mid-air, and only some shrapnel had landed on the deck of the ship below.

"That ironclad warship has a sealed artifact..."

Roger immediately narrowed his eyes and looked at the ship.

Although we don't know what kind of item it came from, its area-of-effect defense is certainly quite impressive.

"preparation!"

Just then, a high-pitched voice in Rune language resounded through the night sky.

"preparation!"

On all the warships, the roars of men resounded in unison.

"put!"

"put!"

In an instant, the deafening roar of intense artillery fire echoed throughout the Minsk Strait.

The Rune's counterattack reached the northern shore of the Minsk Strait in an instant!
Moreover, numerous flashes of lightning were appearing on the decks of the armored fleet.

These bolts of lightning quickly converged and then formed many arrows that crackled and buzzed as they blasted towards the location of the coastal defense guns.

Moreover, the winds surrounding the "Star Fleet" were mixed with the dense wailing of spirits, which rushed toward the shore after the lightning.

Just as the Fusaks were about to resist, many of them suddenly became dazed and then fell down in droves.

They were pulled into a dream!

Lightning and spirit creatures raged across the shore for a time, but this situation did not last long, because soon, blazing red-white flames, ice that almost froze the air, and dense "dawn rays" powerful enough to annihilate spirits appeared on the shore!
Watching the screams, hisses, and clashes of extraordinary abilities, Captain Roger of the Star Lord calmly stood on the deck with Bendit, sipping his Dipsy coffee while gazing at the dazzling, death-laden "fireworks" in the night sky.

However, it soon seemed that someone didn't want Roger to have it so easy.

Three bright spots radiating intense white light suddenly appeared in the sky above the "Eternal Night Plain," illuminating the polar darkness.

These bright spots did not stay still, but kept flying upwards, and soon reached the highest point in the sky.

"coming."

Roger took a deep breath and prepared himself for the three bright spots.

He knew that the other party's demigod had already decided to attack him!
Sure enough, when the three bright spots reached an extremely high position, the spearhead suddenly dropped, as if it was using the acceleration due to gravity to increase its kinetic energy!
In less than three seconds, the white light exceeded the speed of sound, and the speed continued to increase, instantly exceeding five times the speed of sound.

This has clearly moved beyond the realm of probing and is now a full-scale attack!

A massive sonic boom resounded over the Minsk Strait, striking the mountains on either side and instantly creating a web of extremely high-energy sound!

Many low-sequence extraordinary beings could not withstand the sound; even the aftershocks caused them to turn pale or bleed from the corners of their mouths.

As the curtain of "dawn light" and shadow reappeared above the "Star Fleet," the three white flames finally burst forth at extremely close range!
Those were spears burning with blazing white flames. Although they were temporarily blocked by Roger's double barrier, the impact force of more than five times the speed of sound was not so easy to neutralize.

Roger raised his hands, and "Fallen Shadow" stood beside him, wielding "Demon Slayer." A golden and black curtain shrouded the "Star Fleet," continuously grappling with the blazing white flame javelin whose penetrating power was now fully unleashed!

Gold, white, red, black.

Various lights and shadows flickered constantly, illuminating the dark sea.

This scene reminded Roger of the karaoke bar he had visited in his previous life.

Those colored lights seem to look like this, right?

Lost in thought, he suddenly exerted his strength and pushed the three flaming javelins out completely.

However, the three javelins did not fall into the sea; instead, they exploded one after another!
Some sparks landed on the nearby Ruen warships, immediately causing a fire. Fortunately, the "sailors" intervened in time and extinguished the flames.

However, Roger did not relax at all, because the three bursts of flame did not disappear. Amidst the dazzling light, they suddenly converged on the deck of the "Star Lord".

"when!"

The next second, Roger, who had been completely covered in black armor at some point, turned around.

The "Spirit and Flesh Blade" in his hand clashed with a two-handed greatsword burning with intense flames!
(End of this chapter)