Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 308 News of the Decisive Battle

After leaving the tavern, Roger did not rush to White Stone Valley. Instead, he found a dark, deserted area, summoned the "Rat of Dela Hoya," and sent a letter to Klein, informing him of what might happen near the Twilight Temple and reminding him to take a detour through White Stone Valley to enter Saint Milon.

After doing all this, Roger once again used "gravity" to fly up and head towards White Stone Valley.

White Stone Valley is about 200 kilometers away from Indo Port. It would take an average person more than ten days to walk there, and even a professional hiker would need about a week. Considering that there are many mountainous areas in between, the actual time required would only be longer, not shorter.

In this situation, the ability to fly becomes a huge advantage.

Although Roger himself didn't fly very fast, this was partly to avoid accidentally colliding with certain restrictive magic, and partly to keep a low profile.

He would land in the mountains to rest for a while after flying about 30 kilometers, but even so, Roger arrived at White Rock Valley in less than four hours.

White Stone Valley, as its name suggests, is a canyon area entirely formed by white stone mountains.

Because San Mirón is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the White Stone Valley is the only flat road leading to Port Indo, it has always been regarded by the Fusaks as a natural pass to defend against attacks from Port Indo and protect the capital San Mirón.

Not only were city defense facilities built here, but there were also two fortresses. In addition to their military uses, these fortresses also served to check on travelers and caravans.

After spotting the fortresses in the distance, Roger didn't rush over. Instead, he sat quietly on a hilltop and waited until a transport vehicle bearing the markings of the Fussack army drove up from afar before he descended the hill.

When he was far away, Roger took out his "parasite glove" and "parasitized" a leading man who appeared to be Lieutenant Fussack.

The male officer shook his head slightly, as if he had heard the sound of a mosquito flying by.

But the feeling of unease quickly disappeared, and he composed himself and continued walking forward.

"Stop! Routine inspection!"

The convoy was stopped at the entrance to the fortress.

"what for?"

A soldier carrying a notebook and armed with a gun ran over.

He glanced at the Fussack Army insignia on the transport convoy and saluted the lieutenant.

"Delivering supplies to the capital."

Through the pupils of the lieutenant Fussack, whom he had parasitized, Roger looked at the person blocking his way and listened to the lieutenant's reply.

However, he paused slightly when he looked at the soldier conducting the routine check.

Because this person's facial features look somewhat familiar.

Roger thought hard for a moment and then suddenly remembered.

He had seen this man when he broke into Governor Bayam’s mansion to rescue Roy King!

The soldier was one of those guarding the plaza outside the two-story building where Roy King was being held. He offered almost no resistance to Roger and his men's attack and was easily defeated by Angel Wintermill, the "Crimson Scholar."

If Roger hadn't possessed an amazing memory, he probably wouldn't have remembered the other person at all by now.

Because the soldier's appearance was more like that of a northerner from Rune, and not much different from that of a Fusak, and because he was speaking fluent Fusak, it was impossible to tell that he was a Rune.

"Is she a double agent, or have Luna's people infiltrated this area?"

Just as Roger was wondering what was going on, the soldier in front of him had already finished the inspection and shouted to the guards behind him in Fussak that they should be allowed to pass.

The wagons carrying the goods started moving again, and Roger safely passed through the fortress.

"Isn't everything going a little too smoothly?"

Although it was understandable, Roger still had a strange feeling.

As the carriage passed through the fortress in a grand procession, he followed the gaze of the lieutenant he was inhabiting, who was looking around, and suddenly saw another young man.

The man was wearing a Fussack uniform and was following at the back of the column, keeping a very low profile.

However, Roger sensed a discord in his destiny, which finally made him unable to resist. After the carriage passed through the White Stone Valley Fortress, he used his demigod-level "hermit" ability to disappear into the darkness and began to observe the young man from a distance.

At this point, Roger finally understood where that strange feeling he had felt earlier came from.

This is Jordan Phillips!

Luna had previously promised that if Jordan could pass the third round of anti-torture training, she would give him a chance to train behind enemy lines.

It's been more than half a month since Luna last said that. In wartime, that's not a short time. In addition, the country's need for intelligence is very strong during wartime, so it's not too surprising that Philip is here.

There were two things that truly surprised Roger.

First, the training period was indeed very short. It would be one thing if it were Mikael Zeke or even Aria Chamberlain, but the fact that Jordan Phillips, who was the weakest in terms of personality, was able to pass the training was a huge surprise to Roger.

Although, according to Luna, Jordan only needed to pass three out of five training sessions to pass, which was a much lower standard than that of Mikael and the other two, Roger was still surprised that he was able to complete the training.

Secondly, both the suspected member of MI9 who appeared at the fortress earlier and Jordan Phillips who is now coming in with the convoy illustrate one point.

That is, in recent times, Luna's intelligence system has infiltrated the Fusak army so thoroughly that even White Stone Valley, which is very close to Saint Milon, could not escape its clutches.

"Oh right... Makarich mentioned earlier that the Fifth Corps of the Fussack Army was transferred to San Milon and merged with the Third Corps."

Roger seemed to realize something. He quickly glanced at the small print below the Fussack Army insignia on the convoy and found that it read "Third Branch of the Imperial Army".

In this way, everything makes sense.

After Luna orchestrated the luring and killing of Vladimir Kassienov, the head of the VfSak Army's Fifth Corps, her next move was likely to order her remaining intelligence agents to desperately infiltrate the Fifth Corps and even the Saint Milon Brigade.

When the Fifth Army was transferred to Saint Milon to assist in the defense, it was as if Rune had an inside agent within the capital of the Fusak Empire.

"Tsk, tsk."

Roger couldn't help but marvel at Luna's abilities and the efficiency of her subordinates.

Historically, when a country's army is full of spies, that country is not far from defeat.

He had been wondering how Klein and Bandit would sneak in when he first saw the White Stone Valley Fortress, but now it seemed that the problem wasn't so big.

After all, that guy is now a seasoned "Faceless Man," with several sealed artifacts and a Sequence 4 Mystic Doll. Passing a level with loopholes in its defenses shouldn't be difficult for him.

After the Fifth Army's transport trucks left, Roger glanced at the east, where a sliver of dawn was breaking, and once again used his "gravity" ability to take flight and begin chasing the fading stars in the west.

Around eight o'clock in the morning, Roger finally arrived at San Mirón.

Similar to the situation in White Stone Valley, there was also a checkpoint here. However, because there were far more people entering Saint Milon than in White Stone Valley, Roger simply changed into a typical Fussac face and blended into the city without any obstacles.

As Roger had predicted, while Saint Milon was not as large or prosperous as Backlund, it was still one of the largest cities in the Northern Continent, possessing its own unique geographical and hydrological conditions and a cluster of distinctive buildings.

At this moment, at least one-third of the buildings in Saint Milon have been reduced to ruins. This is clearly a large-scale destruction caused by Rune's airships or demigod-level combat power from the air or using long-range means. This also shows that the war between the two sides has truly entered a state of white-hot intensity.

Although the people of San Mirón were still living normal lives, their faces showed a degree of panic and fear, especially some of the younger children, who would instinctively shudder when they heard the army's bugle call, as if they thought the air raid siren was sounding again.

Meanwhile, Roger was strolling between the intact city and the ruins, looking at the scene, and sighed slightly.

Although the war between the Kingdom of Rune and Fusak was inevitable, given that it involved the schemes of the gods, the ordinary people of both Rune and Fusak were in a similar situation in terms of experiencing pain and fear during this war.

Soon, the air raid sirens sounded again, and many people, as if by reflex and with numb expressions, began to hide in air raid shelters or underground passages to avoid the bombing by the Rune airships.

As for Roger, he walked calmly through the streets of San Mirón, feeling the heat and shockwaves from the bombs exploding not far from him, but none of them hit Roger's location, nor did any stray bullets strike him.

After the air raid subsided, Roger took a deep breath and quickly crossed two street corners, joining the crowd that had returned to the ground after the air raid siren was lifted.

Roger soon spotted a hotel that was still open for business and immediately knocked on the door.

"Bang bang bang!"

After Roger knocked on the door three or four times, an elderly man wearing glasses finally came and opened it.

"what's up?"

The old man adjusted his glasses and looked at Roger with a puzzled expression.

"Stay at the hotel."

Roger spoke in fluent Fussack.

As a demigod-level "singer," he was able to mimic any language and all the pronunciations he had ever heard without any difficulty, and at this moment, the accent he was speaking was mimicking Makarich's.

"A hotel?"

The old man glanced at the sky outside:

"That's really a rare thing."

"I came to St. Milon to visit relatives because of many people, but I haven't found my relatives yet, so I need to find a place to stay first."

Seeing this, Roger offered another explanation.

"come in."

The old man sighed and stepped aside to let Roger in.

"Let me make this clear: if you stay at a hotel now, there won't be anyone to cook for you."

Roger smiled upon hearing the old man's words:

"It doesn't matter."

If he really had a craving for food, he could go back to the "Star Lord" or even Backlund anytime; there was no need for him to eat here.

"Room 201, here's your key. Room fee is payable daily. If you're not staying, let me know half a day in advance."

The old man tapped the daily room rate table on the back with his knuckles.

Roger nodded and paid the old man double the amount.

"Stay for two days?"

The old man nodded and was about to accept the payment when he saw Roger shake his head.

"Two rooms, and two more friends of mine are coming later."

Roger laughed, and then he asked:
"Does your hotel not mind pets?"

"A pet? I wouldn't mind, but you're the only one here..."

As the old man was speaking, he heard another knock on the door.

He glanced at the smiling Roger and hurriedly went to open the door.

Sure enough, standing outside the door was Klein Moretti, who had changed his appearance, with the tabby cat Bandit perched on his shoulder.

Behind the person and the cat stood the semi-mystical puppet Maggie Lopez, whose appearance and figure were extremely outstanding. At this moment, the woman's expression was much richer than before, which was clearly a manifestation of the increased control over puppets after Klein's "Puppet Master" potion was digested.

Seeing Roger standing there, Klein was slightly taken aback, while Bandit jumped off his shoulder without any surprise, came to Roger's side, and rubbed against his trouser leg.

"I've booked a room for you."

Roger didn't give Klein a chance to speak; he stepped forward and gave Klein a wink.

The shop owner finally realized what was happening. He pulled his gaze away from Maggie Lopez and quickly pulled out another key with "202" written on it from behind the counter, handing it to Klein.

Klein touched his half-high silk hat, bowed slightly, and then led Bendit and Maggie Lopez upstairs with Roger.

How did you know I was going to stay at this hotel?

After arriving on the second floor, Klein asked with some confusion.

"After all, I am a demigod with extraordinary power in the realm of 'fate,' so this is nothing to me."

Roger laughed, saying that he had given himself the destiny of "meeting Bandit soon" shortly before arriving at the hotel, since, judging by the time, it should be about that soon.

The reason it's Bandit, and not Klein, is because as the current lord of the "Source Castle," even if the latter is only Sequence 5, Roger can't easily "decide" the fate of those related to Klein.

Because in the mystical sense, Bandit is Roger's symbiotic life form, and Roger could greatly influence it. Considering that Klein always carries Bandit with him, it can be said that knowing Bandit's whereabouts is equivalent to knowing Klein's whereabouts in turn.

Although it was a roundabout way, Roger still achieved his goal.

With a click, Roger unlocked the door and let Klein and Bendit go into his room to talk first.

"Although there is no food or wine, a pot of water seems nice enough."

Roger glanced at a glass jug full of water on the small round table in front of the rather simple inn window, then poured himself and Klein a glass of water each.

Klein took a sip:
"Where did you go the other day? I had my messenger contact you once, but she said she couldn't find you."

The woman said, "You are still alive, but it's as if you're no longer in this world."

“If you hadn’t contacted me later through the ‘Rat of De La Hoya,’ I would have really thought something bad had happened to you.”

Shouldn't she be Him?
Roger knew that Klein, as Mr. "World", couldn't possibly be unaware of his trip to the stars. Now, he took the initiative to ask about it in person, firstly to put himself in the appropriate context as Klein Moretti, and secondly to further understand what Roger had encountered.

Roger remained silent for a moment after hearing this before speaking:
I went to the starry sky.

"The starry sky?" Sure enough, Klein's expression turned surprised.

"The sky...that starry sky? What are you going there for?"

"I went to fulfill the last wish of one of my ancestors, and afterwards I obtained an angel-level sealed artifact."

Roger carefully chose his words, making sure he didn't say anything he shouldn't, before continuing:
"It exists in the same series as 'John's Magic Book' and is on the same level as 'The Box of the Old Days'."

“They are all Sequence 2 seals of the ‘Apprentice’ pathway… because my ancestor took all three Sequence 1 extraordinary properties and uniqueness to some unknown place, which is the highest level of the existing ‘Gate’ pathway that we can find.”

"Sequence 1? Uniqueness?"

Klein immediately pressed on with the question:

"To be honest, I know a little about Sequence 1... that should be the sequence level corresponding to the extraordinary beings known as the Archangel level... but what is uniqueness for?"

To be honest, this question had been bothering Klein for far too long. He had seen the term in the diary of Emperor Roselle before, and he had also speculated that the "gray fog" was the only way to access the "diviner's" path.

In fact, he had seen the uniqueness before. Although Roger rescued Roy King, the members of the "School of Life" were worried that the Rune military would set a trap for Roy King, so they separated the uniqueness "probability dice" from the "monster" path and transported Roy King out of the Rosed Islands.

As luck would have it, Klein participated in this mission and thus came into contact with the "0" level sealed artifact.

Later, when he met Adam, the being who was suspected to be the King of Angels told Klein that the so-called "gray fog" was called "Source Castle," which made Klein even more curious about the relationship between this thing and uniqueness.

In any case, if both items are unique, then the difference between "Source Castle" and "Probability Dice" is indeed too great. Whether in terms of function, size, or implied status, "Source Castle" seems to be a level above "Probability Dice".

Roger thought for about ten seconds after hearing this before saying:

"Uniqueness... This is a blasphemous topic, and in principle, it shouldn't be discussed here, but it's alright to talk about it now."

"Uniqueness can be understood as something that can only exist once in each path. By embracing uniqueness, one gains the qualification to transcend Sequence 1."

"Something that only the master of a pathway can possess?"

When Klein asked this question, the holy symbols of the Goddess of Night and the Lord of Storms, two true gods of Sequence 0, involuntarily came to mind.

"Yes."

Roger nodded: "That's why I said this is a blasphemous topic. I can't say more. Figure it out yourself."

This is a veiled reference to the existence of Sequence 0. Although Mr. Fool knew of Sequence 0's existence, Roger had to mention it to Klein in the current context.

"……interesting."

Klein thought for a moment, then said:

"Uniqueness... what kind of things are typically unique, how big are they, or what functions do they possess?"

Roger understood that Klein was trying to figure out what the "Source Castle" was from him, so he said:
"Uniqueness has no fixed form, but its outward appearance is influenced by its long-term owner."

"As for the size... it's generally not too big, but that's not always the case. Like I said, it's not always the case; I'm just talking about the general situation."

"In any case, the uniqueness of a path will give it corresponding abilities based on the symbol of that path, and it can be regarded as a '0' level seal."

Roger's words struck Klein as somewhat ambiguous. The "Source Castle" had once demonstrated the ability to bring him back to life, which corresponded to the abilities of the "Miracle Master." However, according to Emperor Roselle, the "Source Castle" seemed to be related to three paths simultaneously: "Diviner," "Apprentice," and "Thief." Furthermore, in terms of size, the "Source Castle" also seemed to differ significantly from the concept of uniqueness.

"OK, thanks."

Klein understood that it would take some time to truly understand this matter, so he stopped dwelling on it and instead asked:
"So... you completed an interstellar journey?"

"Correct."

Roger nodded: "Until you possess divinity, we should try to avoid discussing matters related to the stars, because such topics are too easily subject to subtle corruption and can lead to unpredictable consequences."

He then changed the subject:

"How have you all been these past few days? How's the potion digestion progressing?"

"The progress is encouraging."

Klein glanced at Maggie Lopez standing next to him:
"As you said, manipulating a demigod-level puppet will greatly accelerate the digestion of the potion. Bandit and I have been mixed in with the official army of Rune these past two days and participated in several battles. If you hadn't sent me the email, I estimate that I could have held on until the potion was completely digested."

"So why did you ask me to enter Saint Milon from the east?"

"for safety."

Roger sighed:

"The headquarters of the Church of the God of War is located to the west of Saint Milon, and a battle at the level of angels is likely to break out nearby."

"On the other hand, I also want to witness that scene, after all, a battle at the angel level is a rare sight..."

Just as the two were discussing, the elderly shop owner, who was reading a book with a magnifying glass on the first floor, heard a knock on his door again.

He opened the door with a puzzled look, only to see a beautiful young woman standing outside, dressed in Fussac-style women's clothing, tall, with blond hair and emerald green eyes.

The old man was stunned. He felt like he had seen a ghost today. His small, dilapidated shop, which was barely surviving in the war, had suddenly been visited by two beautiful ladies who were comparable to celebrities.

"Ma'am, are you checking in or looking for someone?"

he asked doubtfully.

"Find a friend."

The beautiful lady smiled and spoke in a very standard San Miguel accent of Fussac:
He lives here.

Although the tone was gentle, the words seemed to possess a kind of magic that made people want to follow.

The old man didn't ask any questions; he simply stepped aside to let the woman in.

Luna walked past the old man and headed straight for the second floor.

Upon arriving on the second floor, before Luna could even knock, the door to room 201 opened by itself.

"Do you even know that I've already arrived in Saint Milon?"

"Even if your profession is special, can't you at least give some basic respect to the privacy of overseas Ruen citizens?"

Roger opened the door and, barely suppressing his anger, spoke to Luna.

"I swear, I wasn't spying on you. My men just happened to see you on the street, so I came over to say hello."

Luna solemnly stretched out her right hand into the air, making a vow gesture.

At the same time, her gaze passed over Roger's side, and she winked at Klein Moretti, who was sitting inside looking at her with a puzzled expression, waved her hand, and mouthed "Hi".

Then she looked at Roger and said:

"I've come to tell you something important."

Roger's temples immediately bulged with veins:

"Can you come uninvited if it's something important?"

"I didn't notice, I didn't notice, sorry, it's an occupational hazard."

Luna rubbed her earlobe and said repeatedly:

"Normally we just break down the door, and if that doesn't work, we use explosives..."

Roger immediately looked at Luna with a sympathetic expression and interrupted her monologue in an annoyed tone:

"Stop giving me that nonsense. Next time, could you please use a messenger to contact me in advance?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Luna nodded vigorously.

"come in."

Roger eventually gave up on arguing with the intelligence chief, whose values ​​were so eccentric, and simply sighed before turning to let Luna in.

"Hello."

After Roger's lecture, Luna has clearly become much more restrained.

When she saw Klein, she nodded and greeted him as if she didn't know him. Then, she squatted down on the ground with a look of adoration and touched Bandit's forehead.

"Hello, ma'am."

Klein looked up at Roger:

"Don't you want to introduce me?"

No need for introductions.

Roger shook his head: "If you didn't know her identity, you would avoid a lot of trouble."

"Can't you say something nice about me? Are you that jealous of me?"

Luna rolled her eyes and looked up at Maggie Lopez:
"I have to say, Maggie Lopez doesn't look as good as she did when she was alive after she was turned into a puppet."

Was she not as beautiful as she was when she was alive?
Klein was momentarily speechless, not quite understanding what Luna meant.

"Well, I should say it doesn't quite look like a real person."

Luna thought for a moment, then said:
“Each puppet has its own character design. How to restore these character designs and bring them to life is something that ‘puppet masters’ need to think about.”

These words made Klein think, and after a moment, he finally spoke:

"Thank you, madam. What you just said was very enlightening."

"Just call me Luna."

Luna stood up and smiled.

"Sherlock."

Klein gave his pseudonym with a hint of confusion, but did not reveal his surname.

"By the way, I saw Jordan in White Stone Valley. Was he someone you placed in here to do intelligence work?"

At this moment, Roger asked:
“I really didn’t expect that Fussac had been infiltrated by you to this extent.”

"Yes, but what you said is not entirely accurate."

Luna shook her head:

"He was already in Fussack before he joined the Fifth Army."

"Oh?"

Roger raised an eyebrow:
"You don't mean you're training them in Fussack, do you?"

“Yes, Mikael Zeke and Aria Chamberlain are here too.”

Luna nodded:

"However, their training is not completely over yet; there will be more important things to arrange for them later."

"How did you do that? If I remember correctly, the situation on the front lines in Fussack wasn't as bad as it is now back then, was it?"

Roger pressed on, somewhat surprised.

“As I said last time, there are some unclean people in the Rune army, and Fusak is no exception.”

Luna smiled:
“You might think that Rune’s intelligence department and Fussack’s intelligence department are at odds with each other, but in fact, we have a lot of contact behind the scenes.”

As Emperor Russell once said, "Insects do not crawl into eggs without cracks, but human desires are the biggest crack in any system."

“Voss is bribing our people, and we are bribing theirs... The chaos in this industry is beyond your imagination. There are high-ranking officers on both sides acting as double agents, including Vladimir’s deputy, the former commander of the Fifth Army, through whom Jordan was placed.”

"This also makes some impossible things possible, such as forcibly assigning a file and identity to a person, etc."

"Of course, you're right. This is essentially a game of strategy. For some time now, Fusak has been at a clear disadvantage. Thanks to their intelligence agencies, the Fusak army's secrecy system has developed serious problems."

"The battlefield behind enemy lines is only a reflection of the main battlefield. If problems arise on the main battlefield, secrecy will become increasingly difficult. After all, there are far too many opportunists in the intelligence agencies who want to betray their masters for personal gain... This is the same for both sides."

Roger nodded upon hearing this:
"I see. By the way, what was the important thing you mentioned you wanted to tell me earlier?"

"The Fusak Empire and the Kingdom of Rune should soon be engaged in a decisive battle on Fusak's homeland."

Luna smiled and said:
“I thought you would be interested in this, so I’m telling you the time and the approximate location of the battlefield.”

"However, it should be noted that this is only a general estimate. The specific time and location may change, and you will need to make adjustments yourself."

Upon hearing this, Roger's spirits immediately lifted.

He had originally estimated that the decisive battle would take place in the next few days, but he would have had to find the exact location himself. However, he never expected that Luna would deliver the information directly to his door!
(End of this chapter)