Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 312 "Star Lord" and "Dawn"

"Mr. X?"

Upon hearing this, the "Hermit" Cattleya rested her chin on her right hand and pondered for a moment before raising her head again:
“I’ve heard of him. If I remember correctly, he’s a ‘Traveler’ at Sequence 5 of the ‘Apprentice’ pathway… What grudge do you have against him?”

As a "Star General", Cattleya already knew one or two messengers of the "Aurora Society".

In fact, after learning of Roger's title "Dark Star Saint," Cattleya asked "Ms. D" about him with some doubt, but the reply she received was a chilling "I have no comment."

At the time, Cattleya was very curious about what Ms. D was afraid of, and now Roger had issued a kill order against another divine messenger, Mr. X, which made Cattleya even more curious.

"Yes."

Roger nodded, referring to the "Wheel of Fortune," and then continued:
“He has a deep-seated hatred for the Abraham family and was one of the family’s traitors… As a member of the Abraham family, I also have a duty to eliminate him and reclaim the extraordinary ‘traveler’ attribute he stole.”

At this moment, Roger changed his previous practice of not mentioning the name of the Abraham family. Instead, he spoke frankly and even took the initiative to mention that he was a member of the Abraham family.

The main reason for this is that after the war between the Kingdom of Rune and the Empire of Fusak, Roger's true identity has been discovered by many important figures in the church, including some high-ranking deacons of the "Punishers" and "Night Watchers".

Furthermore, the "mysterious queen" Bernadette already knew her identity. As long as the members of the "Tarot Club" were determined to find out, she would definitely not be able to keep it a secret, especially Alger, who was about to be promoted to "Ocean Singer".

After all, a person's disguise is something that can never be exposed by others—this is Roger's secret to maintaining an air of mystery.

On the other hand, although Roger is still an unofficial Extraordinary, his position is somewhere between an official Extraordinary and an unofficial Extraordinary. At the very least, he has established connections with the higher-ups of both the Church of the Goddess of Night and the Church of the Lord of Storms.

If Roger used to have to consider protecting the Abraham family, now he doesn't need to worry too much. If anyone really wanted to harm Sam and the others, he probably wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the "Punishers" and the "Night Watchers" could probably wipe them out.

In conclusion, there is no longer any need to conceal it, and openly revealing one's identity as a member of the Abraham family will be beneficial for the subsequent series of actions.

"Are you a member of the Abrahamic family?"

Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man spoke at the same time, both asking questions with great surprise.

This was clearly beyond their expectations, and at this moment, the members of the "Tarot Club" finally understood why Mr. Fool said that Roger knew Mr. Door very well, and they finally understood why this saint knew so much about the history of the Fourth Age and related secrets.

After all, as a saint from the family of Abraham, it would be strange if he didn't know these things.

The only unresolved question is why Mr. Wheel of Fortune did not choose the "apprentice" path.

As for Miss "Magician", she suddenly understood many things, including but not limited to why Mr. "Wheel of Fortune", who was the protector of the Abraham family, knew so much about the "door" pathways, including why he had the means to travel to the stars.

After all, judging from the style of the Abraham family she was familiar with, although the family was weak, it was very proud. They were aware of their status as descendants of an angel family and would almost never give up their family's core secrets or even high-level sealed artifacts as a price to obtain the protection of a powerful person.

"Yes."

Roger nodded in agreement.

“Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune’, I have a question, but I’m not sure if I should ask it.”

Alger, the "Hanged Man," spoke aloud as his thoughts raced.

"Please ask, there's no need to stand on ceremony."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," already knew what Alger wanted to ask, but still returned the courtesy.

"If I'm not mistaken... one of your public identities should still be that of a saint of the Aurora Society."

"But Louis Wayne, who is also the Mr. X you mentioned, should be a divine messenger based on his code name, and based on his rank, he should be your subordinate."

“Even if you have some grudge against him, you could have issued a warrant for his arrest within the Aurora Society… but you didn’t. I’m curious why?”

Good heavens... "Down with the political commissar" is really a double entendre.

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," raised an eyebrow. He had to admit that Alger's questioning was very sophisticated.

He appeared to be asking about Louis Wayne, but in reality, he was trying to find out more about the current situation within the Aurora Society.

The reason for asking this question is that Alger noticed some obvious anomalies in Mr. Wheel of Fortune's statements during several meetings.

During the previous gathering, "The Sun" Derrick mentioned the release of "Shepherd" Lovia, an elder of the six-member council of "Silver City," but "The Wheel of Fortune" remained very calm at the time, even intentionally or unintentionally suggesting that the "True Creator's" stance might be changing.

As Mr. Wheel of Fortune has previously stated, he has his own faction within the Aurora Society, and there is a split between two factions within the Aurora Society. Combined with the previous point, this likely indicates that Mr. Fool's separatist faction within the Aurora Society currently holds an absolute advantage.

However, it seems that Mr. Wheel of Fortune can only rely on very limited internal power within the Aurora Society, which is clearly inconsistent with Alger's previous speculation.

Furthermore, the "He Xing School" mentioned by Miss "Magician" was also an organization supported by Mr. "Wheel of Fate." Alger couldn't help but wonder if this was a force that the Saint had privately cultivated, independent of the "Aurora Society," in order to make up for the lack of power of his own direct forces.

So while Alger appeared to be asking about the internal affairs of the Aurora Society, he was actually trying to find out about the power struggle between Mr. Fool and the True Creator. Alger wanted to learn about the current state of Mr. Fool's power recovery and the true nature of his power struggle with the True Creator by understanding some clues.

"In that case..."

Roger thought to himself, "The Wheel of Fortune," and smiled slightly.

"This has to do with the internal organizational structure of the Aurora Club."

"As you may know, the Aurora Society once had 5 Saints and 23 Divine Messengers... but the situation has changed. The Aurora Society now has 4 Saints, including myself, and 22 Divine Messengers—one Divine Messenger was basically dead, and then another Divine Messenger was added."

Roger was referring to the time after Mr. A was banished by the "secret" authority of the Church of the Night angels, and Roger promoted Mr. P to be a messenger of God.

“Currently, one saint is preoccupied with his own problems, while the other two saints are barely communicating with me. Although they receive almost no help from the ‘True Creator,’ they still have quite a few divine messengers obeying their orders. This is why I don’t want to resolve the matter of Louis Wayne within the ‘Aurora Society.’”

He answered calmly and unhurriedly.

"You just said... the Aurora Society once had 23 divine messengers, but one died and another was replaced, so shouldn't there still be 23... Could it be?"

As Miss Justice was speaking, she suddenly realized something.

"Yes, one of the divine messengers was myself in the past."

"The Wheel of Fortune," Roger said with a smile.

"I understand."

Alger the Hanged Man felt a pang of regret, inwardly marveling at the caution of Mr. Wheel of Fortune.

He didn't glean any special information from Roger's answer. The only valuable piece of information was that the "True Creator" seemed to be in a state of silence, unable to offer any help to the other saints, but he already knew some of this information beforehand.

He then nodded:
"I'll keep an eye out for you."

The rest of the people expressed similar sentiments, including even the shrewd "Hermit" lady—she didn't even ask about the payment, because she wasn't sure if Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" knew about her relationship with the "Mysterious Queen." Considering that her mother was about to team up with him to explore the easternmost part of the Sunia Sea, she decided to wait until she had concrete information about Louis Wayne before negotiating with Mr. "Wheel of Fortune."

But at this moment, Emlyn, the "Moon," weakly raised his hand:

"Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' if any of us help you find... Mr. X's whereabouts, what reward will we receive?"

Roger thought for a moment, then looked up and said:

"If any of you can provide a valid clue to Louis Wayne's whereabouts, I will give you a reward of 1000 gold pounds. If you capture him alive, I will give you a Sequence 5 sealed artifact as a reward. How about it?"

"What kind of sealed artifact is it?"

After hearing Roger's words, Mr. World asked in a hoarse voice with great interest.

"It corresponds to the 'Guardian' of Sequence 5 of the 'Warrior' pathway. This sealed artifact can enhance the holder's physical attack power, fighting skills, and lethality against various monsters. It also has the ability to see through illusions below Sequence 4 level, and can provide defense for oneself and a companion in an area... The defensive strength is so high that almost no attack can break through it under the power of Sequence 4. It is a divine artifact to protect the lives of oneself and teammates."

"As for side effects, if it is used for more than 15 minutes, large-scale random necrosis of cells throughout the body will occur. This process is uncontrollable, but it can be repaired and resisted by extraordinary means."

"As long as it's not cell necrosis in vital areas, I believe you all have ways to deal with its side effects."

Roger was referring to the heart, brain, and other locations that could quickly cause death; other than that, the problem was relatively easy to solve.

This seal, formed from the "Guardian" extraordinary ability, was made by Roger a few days ago when he had nothing better to do, using the extraordinary ability extracted from "Twilight Admiral" Bratov. It has to be said that his "craftsmanship" has improved a lot compared to before. The extraordinary items he makes have fewer side effects, and the abilities he can exert when using the seal are more comprehensive.

In fact, Roger's price was very reasonable; exchanging a Sequence 5 sealed artifact for a Sequence 5 Extraordinary was perfectly fair.

"But I must remind you that Louis Wayne is a very difficult 'traveler' to catch. Unless you have the means to exert strong control over him, it is best not to alert him and contact me as soon as possible."

Finally, he added.

"Ok."

Mr. World nodded. He planned to take advantage of Roger's recent voyage to inquire about Louis Wayne's whereabouts and see if he could offer his friend some assistance.

After all, Louis Wayne was not only Roger's enemy, but also Sam's enemy. One was his friend, and the other was his disciple. Helping them get revenge was one of the things Klein wanted to do most.

"thank you all."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," said earnestly, then looked at Derrick Berg, the "Sun":

"Mr. 'Sun', have you been promoted to 'Notary'? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not at the moment, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'."

Upon hearing Roger's question, Derrick immediately sat up straight:

"Now that the main ingredients for the potion are complete, there are still some auxiliary materials that are not available around Silver City. I asked Lady 'Hermit' to help me find them at the last gathering."

“I’ve found it. I didn’t have time to tell you before, but I will give it to you through Mr. ‘Fool’ after this gathering.”

The Hermit, Cattleya, spoke up at the opportune moment.

"That's good."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded, and then said:
"What is the current attitude of the six-person council towards you? Has Elder Lovia shown any unusual behavior?"

"Elder Lovia is not acting strangely... On the contrary, I think she is much more normal than before."

"The Sun" Derrick paused, then continued:
"In contrast, because Elder Lovia's condition has improved, I'm not sure how to explain to the chiefs that I obtained the 'Notary' potion formula."

"My original explanation was that I obtained the potion recipe while sweeping away monsters, but I was afraid that His Excellency would not believe me."

“After all, according to what Mr. Hanged Man said before, I am seen as a force to check Elder Lovia. But now that Elder Lovia has recovered, I don’t know what to do.”

"Don't worry about that."

"The Wheel of Fortune," Roger laughed, then looked at Alger, signaling him to say a few more words to that silly boy Derrick.

"..."

Alger, the "Hanged Man," was somewhat speechless. He asked:
"Are you sure that your Elder Lovia has truly improved, or is she just temporarily hiding her abnormality?"

"No."

"The Sun," Derrick paused for a moment, then answered instinctively.

"Then your chief can't either."

Mr. Hanged Man laughed:
"After all, although the 'True Creator' is an evil god, He is still a deity. What a deity can do is not something that a Sequence 4 or even Sequence 3 demigod can arbitrarily fathom."

"Furthermore, Silver City's knowledge of the True Creator is still very limited, so your strategic value remains... You can rest assured about that."

"As long as that elder's problem is not truly resolved, you will be safe. As long as you do not openly betray 'Silver City,' there will be no major problems."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Mr. 'The Hanged Man' and Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'." Although Derrick was still very naive, he was no longer as innocent as when he first joined the Tarot Club.

On the contrary, under the joint tutelage of Roger and Alger, his thought process has become much more flexible than before. Although he still gets stuck on things from time to time, his comprehension ability is much stronger than before.

"You are welcome."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," shook his head:
"Next, there's something I might need your help with."

"What is it? Please tell me."

"The Sun" Derrick leaned forward, adopting a solemn posture.

“'Fool', I request to speak with 'Sun' alone.”

At this moment, Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," suddenly looked up at Mr. Fool, who sat at the head of the bronze table, and made a request.

Mr. Fool nodded and pulled up the soundproof barrier.

After confirming that no one else could hear his conversation with Derrick, Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," continued:
"As I said before, I will explore the 'Forsaken Land'... Of course, I won't be alone. I will bring some subordinates and companions, but there won't be too many people, so you can rest assured."

“I roughly know the exact location of the ‘Forsaken Land,’ but I still need your help to get in.”

Roger crossed his arms:

"I need you to find a way to organize a large-scale music performance before I arrive at the 'Forsaken Land,' with as many audience members as possible."

"I will give you a list of the songs you need to perform and a general timeframe later, so you can prepare in advance."

"Believe me, there won't be too many pieces, and the musicians of 'Silver City' are fully capable of playing them."

"As for how to make this performance happen, you can use your brain, but I believe it's not a difficult thing for you right now."

"But please remember, this matter I'm asking you to do must be kept secret. Don't tell any third party except me and Mr. 'Fool'."

Roger's last words, "The Wheel of Fortune," were a way of protecting himself.

Because neither "The Magician" Fors nor "The Hermit" Cattleya knew the true identity of Baleno Jones, especially Fors, who always went to Worston Gardens when he contacted Sam and the others, and never went to 15 Minsk Street. Alice, Sam, and Cecilia also consciously kept their relationship with Baleno Jones very separate from their own.

At times like these, Roger would feel an unprecedented empathy for "The Fool" Klein. The risk of social death increases dramatically when a person has multiple identities, a fact he now deeply understands.

Imagine that one day Mr. Fool's disguise is completely stripped away, and everyone in the "Tarot Club" will know that the wealthy businessman Dawn Dantes is a former Night Watcher who "made his fortune" by doing odd jobs and speculating in stocks, and that Dawn Dantes is also the famous sea adventurer Gehrman Sparrow. I wonder what they will think then.

That's not the worst part. Right now, the Tarot Club has a total of 9 people, two of whom are Klein's alternate identities, making the organization's cat content as high as 22%.

The "Fool" who sits high above the divine realm not only asks Miss "Justice" for cat food, but also personally "descends" to hitch a ride on Miss "Hermit's" boat, asks Mr. "The Hanged Man" to call the police, and even dresses up as a witch to cook for Mr. "Wheel of Fortune".

The scene is so jarring that Roger might not even know if Klein would dare to attend the "Tarot Meeting."

"Rest assured, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' I will do my best to complete it."

"The Sun" Derrick assured him confidently, though he didn't know why Roger had instructed him to do so, but he knew that Mr. "Wheel of Fortune" must have his reasons for saying so.

In fact, Roger did this to strengthen the mystical connection between Silver City and himself.

He had once checked the "Original Core of Heaven" and found that those who listened to his music did indeed show some less intense, even weaker, rust-colored spots in the spiritual sky, including the inhabitants of Silver City in the "Forsaken Land".

Compared to ordinary Northern Continent people and Rothschild Islands people, the rust-colored spots representing the residents of "Silver City" are significantly stronger, which seems to be due to their greater dependence on Roger's music.

Roger once estimated that if he used a demigod-level "leak" in a place close enough to the "Forsaken Land," he could amplify the mystical connection between the residents of the "Silver City" and himself many times over. Then, if he used "Fate's Endowment" to strengthen his consistency with the "True Creator" in the realm of "Degeneration," he should be able to break through that blockade and enter the "Forsaken Land" using "Philippian's Bell."

This can be said to be Roger's unique method of entering the "Forsaken Land".

The advantage of doing this is that it prevents the entrance to the "Forsaken Land" from being opened, releasing a large number of its inhabitants and causing this history to be prematurely revealed to the world in a mystical sense.

After the two finished communicating, Mr. Fool removed the soundproof barrier, and the hermit, Cattleya, who had been observing, spoke again:

"Um... Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune,' although I know this is offensive, if it's alright, could you please share more information about Mr. 'Door'?"

It's no wonder that Cattleya was so eager. She came to the "Tarot Meeting" with a mission. More than her own thirst for knowledge, she wanted to learn about the information related to the changes in Emperor Roselle in his later years. It was actually the "mysterious queen" Bernadette who wanted to know more.

"You can ask Miss 'Magician' about this."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," looked at Fors:
“Miss Magician, you can tell me about the ‘Full Moon Talk’.”

"Really?"

"real."

Roger, the "Wheel of Fortune," nodded in agreement with Fors's account.

With the consent of Mr. Wheel of Fortune, the current head of the Abraham family, Miss Magician was finally able to recount without any burden the whole story of what happened during her encounter with the "Full Moon Talk" and the consequences of being rescued and protected by Mr. Fool.

"You mean... you used a bracelet that allowed you to teleport, and then you became tainted by that kind of delirium?"

The "Hermit" lady asked in a deep voice.

'Yes. ’

"The Magician" Fors nodded.

“Actually, I know a bit about the Abraham family… They seem to have been troubled by something similar to the ‘full moon ramblings’ you experienced for a long time. I guess that’s why Mr. Wheel of Fortune didn’t choose the ‘apprentice’ path.”

"The Hermit" Cattleya thought for a moment and then tentatively spoke.

"may be."

Roger smiled. Strictly speaking, what Gadriya said wasn't entirely correct. He was indeed originally an Extraordinary via the "Apprentice" pathway, but because he was burdened with such a large iron ball as Gherros, he was forced to choose the "Conspicuous Pack" pathway, spitting out his "Apprentice" Extraordinary trait and feeding it to Bandit.

"But you are different from them."

Seeing that Roger didn't react in any particular way, the "Hermit" Cattleya continued her analysis:
“You are not of Abraham’s blood, and you haven’t heard the ‘Full Moon Talk’ since you became an ‘Apprentice’, right?”

"Correct."

"The Magician" Fors nodded.

"That means that the reason you can hear the 'full moon murmur' phenomenon is not because of the extraordinary characteristics you inherited, but because there is something strange about the bracelet you are using... It is very likely something left behind by Mr. 'The Door'."

"If it's possible, could I trade that bracelet with you?"

"The Hermit," said Cattleya.

"Ah... this."

"The Magician" Fors looked up at Roger, who nodded, and then she said:
“I have already traded it to Mr. ‘Wheel of Fortune’.”

"Ah, okay."

The "hermit" lady, who had been somewhat enthusiastic, immediately deflated upon hearing this. She nodded and dropped the matter.

Huang Jiajia is quite impressive... she even thought of this level.

"The Wheel of Fortune," Roger thought to himself as he spoke:
“‘Hermit’ lady, you should be glad you didn’t get that thing…it’s terrible.”

"Is it scary?"

Everyone in the "Tarot Club," including "The Magician" Fors, was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

How terrifying must something be if even a saint finds it frightening?
"Yes, its terrifying power is directly proportional to the level of the holder's ability. On the other hand, if the holder's strength is below demigod level, they will not be able to master its true function."

Roger was not exaggerating. In fact, if an ordinary mid-level or even demigod-level extraordinary being obtained the bracelet left behind by Mr. "The Door", at most they would be corrupted by it and hear its murmurs. But Roger, who was able to master the reverse secret ritual of the "Key to the Door", knew that the bracelet was a clue to Mr. "The Door's" resurrection.

Roger suffered a lot just to follow the clues and piece together the puzzle.

Fighting in a bar is nothing compared to what he did. He not only confronted the extraordinary beings of the Steam Church and was banished to the spirit world, but he also traveled through the stars for more than ten days and witnessed the ecological destruction caused by the angel war.

The same applies to Koske Island, which Roger was going to later. It was suspected to contain the legacy of angels, so the level of danger must be quite high.

"Alright, please forgive me, Mr. 'Wheel of Fortune'."

"The Hermit" Cattleya took a deep breath and stopped dwelling on the topic.

Afterwards, the group exchanged some scattered rumors and observations, including important matters such as the complete destruction of Bansie Harbor and less important matters such as the chaotic security situation in Backlund after the war. Then, a somewhat tired "Fool" Klein announced the end of the gathering, watched everyone leave "Source Castle," and returned to reality.

"Phew, the 'Master of Puppet' potion will be fully digested in the next few days... I need to find an opportunity."

"I estimate that once I advance to the 'Trickster' level, I will be able to further grasp the secrets of the 'Source Castle'."

Leaning back in his high-backed chair, "The Fool" Klein took a deep breath, and then, like Roger and the others, fell from the gray fog back into reality.

……

into the night.

"Meow, Roger, when are we leaving?"

Bandit has returned to the Star Lord's cabin as agreed, using the Traveler's abilities.

According to the cat, it has basically traveled to all the large and medium-sized cities in Rune, and even disguised itself as a stray cat to beg for food and catch birds. These experiences have caused its "Traveler" potion to show significant digestion.

"It should be soon."

Roger glanced at the lights flickering in the northern fog of Dixi Bay. He had already ordered the "Star Fleet" to withdraw dozens of nautical miles to the south in advance to avoid any possible trouble.

Just then, Philip, the first mate of the Star Lord, suddenly knocked on the door of Captain Roger's cabin.

"what happened?"

Roger asked.

"Captain, two sailboats are rapidly approaching our port flank at approximately 8 o'clock. Should we issue a warning?"

"unnecessary."

Roger shook his head, opened the door to the captain's cabin, and led Bendit onto the deck.

Just as he expected, the approaching ship was the "Dawn," the flagship of the "Mysterious Queen" Bernadette's fleet, and another supply ship that Roger had seen before.

Bernadette clearly considered that the manpower needed for this trip to the "Forsaken Land" should be of high quality rather than large, which is why she streamlined the personnel and ships.

This was in line with Roger's plan. Once they arrived at the Gargas Islands, he also planned to have most of the "Star Fleet" dock there, with only the "Star Lord" leading a small number of ships into the "Gods' War Ruins".

Good evening, Your Excellency the King of the Galaxy.

As the two flagships drew near, the "mysterious queen" Bernadette stepped forward, came to the deck of the "Star Lord," and extended her hand to Roger.

Good evening, Your Excellency the Mysterious Queen.

Roger also reached out his right hand and gently squeezed Bernadette's fingertips, responding with a smile.

(End of this chapter)