Mystery: Big Alarm Clock Ghroth Path

Chapter 332 Mr. "Owl"

"Light from the stars?"

For everyone in "New Fog City," whether priests or ordinary citizens, these words were both unfamiliar and incredibly appealing.

Like "Silver City", in "New Fog City", or even in the past "Fog City", records about the starry sky, light and so on only exist in legends from thousands of years ago.

And the full name of the "Creator" they worship, the name used by believers in prayer, is precisely:
"O Creator, you are all-knowing and all-powerful."

"You are the source of all greatness, you are the beginning and the end."
"You are the God of Gods, you are the ruler of the vast star realm!"

Although the astral plane and the starry sky are not the same, for all the people of "New Fog City", they have never seen any scene related to the word "star" since birth.

If it weren't for their unwavering faith in the "First Creator" due to their own environment and the cultural heritage deliberately created by the "Angel of Fate," Ullolius, some people would probably have already begun to doubt: Does the astral plane and the starry sky truly exist? Is it possible that the almost boundless darkness above the "Forsaken Land," filled only with the crackling of lightning, is the true face of the world?

However, the arrival of Roger and his group confirmed the existence of the starry sky. Now he was about to show everyone the workings of the starry sky in a real sense. This was of great significance to everyone in "New Fog City". So much so that Alexis couldn't help but appear again in the city's church. The three faces looked with great interest at Roger Abraham, who was fiddling with "Divine Revelation Planet".

As Roger released his grip, the "Divine Revelation Planet" floated in mid-air, its internal code disks beginning to emit bright starlight, and the exquisitely crafted planets began to slowly rotate.

Roger pointed to the brightest sphere in the very center of the code disk and said:

"This is the sun."

"sun……"

All the priests of "New Fog City" stared in a daze. Although the sun was just a model, the orange-yellow light it emitted because of the "astrologer's" extraordinary ability reminded them of many documents about the sun in the sky in ancient times.

"This is the moon, this is Jupiter..."

Roger began explaining to all the priests of "New Fog City" one celestial body at a time. At this moment, what he had previously described as merely theories, formulas, and things on paper began to come alive through the medium of "divine revelation of planets." Immediately, some of the more astute and mathematically sound priests of "New Fog City" calculated the current time.

第五纪1350年4月14日，下午2点12分。

Everything became real, and time and calendar truly came to life.

Although they haven't actually seen the stars and the sun yet, the demonstration of "divine revelation of planets" is enough for them to glimpse the intricacies of these phenomena.

The entire "New Fog City" priesthood became fervent. Attracted by their prayers, shouts, and praises, the "Mystic Prayer" who were responsible for fighting and guarding, as well as many ordinary people from the city, also came and gathered in a great wave at the church entrance.

At first, the onlookers didn't understand what was happening, but with Roger's and Jack Burton's explanations, many of them finally understood what was going on.

Many people began to kneel down and pray, praising the "Lord of the Stars" and His retinue. Even many older people who had experienced the destruction and displacement of "Fog City" shed tears, constantly reciting words of gratitude.

Amidst the emotional resonance and strong value identification of an entire human city-state, Roger felt a very noticeable digestion of his "Living Star Chart" potion.

"As expected... this line of thinking is correct."

These developments made Roger feel the rewards and immense value of what he had been doing all this time. Whether it was the digestion of the "Living Star Chart" potion itself or the knowledge and inspiration he gained from "New Fog City," he felt a great sense of positive feedback.

And from this, he summarized a rule for playing the "Living Star Chart" potion:
Only when recognized by life and civilization can a true "living astrological chart" be created.

Roger pondered the profound meaning contained in this rule of conduct repeatedly, and he keenly perceived that the core symbol of the "living astrolabe" seemed to be related to the reshaping of order.

"That's understandable. After all, one of the most famous abilities of the 'Judgment Star' Gherros is to 'restore celestial bodies to their correct orbits,' and the orbits of celestial bodies are related to the foundation of civilization and the fate of living beings... So, this description itself seems to be hinting at the restoration or reconstruction of the rules?"

Roger's mind raced. He felt as if he had grasped some key, but the information was somewhat incomplete.

After thinking hard for a while, Roger let out a long breath and thought to himself:

"It seems that we need to summarize the corresponding role-playing rules at a higher level to make things clearer... Let's take it slow."

Besides the "Judgment Star" pathway in the core authority of Sequence 0, Roger was also very interested in one other thing.

So, where did the uniqueness I need to advance to Rank 0 go?
Currently, within the seal of the "Original Core" central platform, Roger can only find three Sequence 1 extraordinary traits, one Sequence 2 extraordinary trait, and one Sequence 3 "Black Prophet" extraordinary trait, but the unique trait is nowhere to be found.

Roger made three main possible assumptions about the whereabouts of this unique item.

First, the uniqueness of the "Star of Judgment" pathway is sealed inside the "Primal Core".

This conjecture seems very plausible on the surface, because the stone platform at the center of the "Primal Core," where Gherros's eyes should have been, is now locked up by the "Key of the Gate" and is in a closed state. It cannot be ruled out that the uniqueness of the "Star of Judgment" pathway is hidden inside.

However, this is not entirely plausible. Logically speaking, the full opening of Geherus's eyes should symbolize the birth of the "Judgment Star," but if Roger did not become Sequence 0, the "Judgment Star" could not truly be born.

Therefore, from the perspective of the timeline of development, the reliability of this possibility is still debatable.

The second possibility is that Geherus has no visible uniqueness at all, or that His uniqueness is deeply bound to the "Primal Core," and the two may even be the same thing.

This guess is also quite reasonable.

After all, according to the legend of Gherus, this thing is an orphan sphere without parents, ostracized and wandering alone in interstellar space, causing changes in the orbits of stars everywhere, and using its strange "celestial voice" to awaken one Great Old One after another, overthrowing one civilization after another.

"Loneliness" is a synonym for "uniqueness," so as long as Roger can truly master and contain the "Primal Core," the achievement of Sequence 0 of the Gherus pathway and its transcendental Sequence 0 might occur simultaneously.

The third guess gave Roger a headache: the uniqueness of the "Judgment Star" pathway had been lost somewhere else, possibly not even on Earth.

After all, Roger didn't know why Gherros was dismembered in the first place, but if those three great beings intended to never let Gherros be revived, then perhaps His uniqueness would have been sealed away on another planet far from Earth.

Given Geherus's inherent anti-divination and anti-prophecy traits, it's highly unlikely that Roger could find His uniqueness.

After all, the starry sky is so vast and the universe is so boundless. Even if Roger became the King of Angels with 3+0, it would be almost impossible for him to find the uniqueness of Gherros, which was deliberately hidden by the great beings, in this boundless universe.

This matter troubled Roger more and more, and in the end he shook his head and decided to put it aside for the time being.

"Where there's a will, there's a way; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will straighten itself. Instead of worrying about the uncertainty of the future, it's better to enjoy the present."

Roger looked at the joyful and celebrating people of "New Fog City," and after a while, he gradually relaxed as well.

"Gentlemen, I have a proposal."

At that moment, Jack Burton, the second-in-command of "New Fog City," who had been speaking softly to Alexis, suddenly raised his head and spoke loudly:
"Today is a sacred and great day. 'New Fog City' has regained its time and calendar. Therefore, I propose that from now on, April 14th of each year can be designated as a festival for 'New Fog City,' with the whole city celebrating for three days and holding worship services for the family of my Lord during this period. What do you all think?"

The idea immediately received support from the "Readers" clergy of "New Fog City," while the "Mystic" extraordinarys guarding the church and the onlookers cheered and praised Jack Burton's proposal.

"very good."

Jack Burton seemed to have anticipated this outcome; he nodded in satisfaction, then spoke up again in a loud voice:
"Then, I would like to invite His Excellency Roger, the Divine Messenger of my Lord, the Dark Star Saint, to name this anniversary!"

"Ah I?"

Roger was slightly taken aback. He quickly glanced at Alexis, only to see that the elder's three faces were all smiling at him, each with a different expression.

The little girl's eyes sparkled with anticipation, the middle-aged woman wore a relieved auntie smile, and the elder's face was full of encouragement.

This made Roger realize that this was Alexis's idea, so he stopped worrying about it and looked back at everyone who was watching him.

"So……"

Roger considered for a moment, then spoke loudly:
"Today is the day that 'New Fog City' has rediscovered the star calendar under the guidance of God, and revived star research that had been stagnant for thousands of years."

"To celebrate this great day, I propose that every April 14th be called 'Star Return Day,' signifying that the stars have returned to their rightful places."

"What do you think?"

"The Star Return Festival..."

All the priests, including Jack Burton, repeated the name to themselves several times, and they all felt in their hearts that the three words were very fitting.

“I think it’s excellent, Mr. Roger.”

Jack Burton spoke first, and then all the New Fog City priests expressed the same view.

At this moment, Alexis stepped forward, wearing a long black dress, and gently took Roger's hand, raising it high.

"I hereby declare that from now on, April 14th of each year shall be the 'Return to the Stars Festival' of 'New Fog City'."

“On this day, the entire city, except for the necessary defense forces, rests for three days, and the city's churches hold prayer and blessing ceremonies that last all day.”

Children and teenagers under the age of 16 and elderly people over the age of 45 in the city will receive special holiday supplies quotas, and members of the garrison troops will receive the same rewards and double the food quotas.

"This decree shall take effect from today!"

All of this was something Alexis had already considered; she was simply announcing the corresponding decisions at this point.

Upon hearing these words, the crowd in "New Fog City" erupted in cheers. Then, under Jack Burton's arrangement, children, elders, and changing guards from every household began to line up at the church entrance to receive holiday supplies.

Each child received a small bag of jam cookies and a small piece of chocolate as a reward, while the older children received two cigarettes, and each guard received a small bottle of beer.

Since there are no people over 60 years old in "New Fog City" except for those extraordinary individuals, there is no need to consider the special needs of those in their seventies and eighties, which makes things much simpler.

Although the rewards weren't particularly generous, for a city-state like "New Fog City," where resources were so scarce that it was almost impossible to find anything of value, these items were a huge surprise, completely exceeding their expectations and plunging the entire city into a joyous atmosphere.

Roger even heard some children start planning how long it would take to finish that small piece of chocolate. Some of the more thrifty ones had even thought of cutting the chocolate into a dozen pieces with a knife, wrapping each piece separately to prevent it from spoiling, and only taking out a small piece to taste each time they wanted to eat chocolate.

This made Roger feel a little sad. In Backlund, even children from ordinary families could receive a lot of candy and chocolate during major holidays.

However, before the joint exploration team set off, Roger and Bernadette prepared only necessities and strategic supplies. They didn't bring much tobacco, alcohol, or sweets, leaving most of them for Linsaria and her special combat team.

After all, they hadn't anticipated that they would find the human survivor city-state so quickly, so considering the total number of people in "New Fog City" who needed special supplies distributed, the average amount per person was ultimately not much.

"...It's okay, this is just the first time. 'New Fog City' will get better and better in the future."

Leomaster seemed to have read Roger's mind. He patted Roger on the shoulder and whispered something.

"Correct."

Roger nodded:

“I am confident in this regard… After all, well, Emperor Roselle said that those who survive great calamities will surely have good fortune to follow.”

“‘New Fog City’ is just like that. It will definitely get better and better, and eventually it will return to the sunlight and witness and experience everything they have lost over the past thousand years.”

……

As the celebrations in New Fog City continued into the second day, Roger took some time to return alone with Bendit to the room Jack had arranged for him, and then once again pulled out the Traveler's Dice.

To be honest, after Amon temporarily altered the landing point of his teleportation last time, Roger had developed a bit of a phobia of the "Traveler's Dice". After thinking it over repeatedly and making sure that he hadn't done anything that might offend Amon in the past few days, he picked up Bandit and threw the "Traveler's Dice".

A blue light flashed, and Roger and Bendit returned to their studio at 15 Minsk Street.

After a quick check of the house to make sure nothing was missing, the man and his cat went out onto the streets of Minsk.

"Meow, the air in Backlund smells so sweet, and the sunshine is so nice."

Having spent so much time in the "Forsaken Land" and the damp, cold "New Fog City," Bandit had been feeling quite depressed. Now, finally being able to return to the bustling midday streets of Backlund brought the cat a rare sense of relaxation and comfort.

Thanks to the enactment of the air pollution control law, the air quality in Backlund has improved significantly, and it is currently springtime, a rare period of consecutive sunny months in Backlund.

Therefore, describing Backlund as having "sweet air" and "bright sunshine" is quite fitting.

"Yes, Backlund is really nice."

Roger nodded in agreement. He led Bendit through two blocks and then flagged down a horse-drawn carriage at the intersection.

"Oh, sir, it's you." The middle-aged coachman was quite excited to see Roger, even ignoring the tabby cat Bandit on his shoulder.
May the goddess bless you. How are you?

"you are?"

Roger was a little confused; for a moment, he couldn't recall who the middle-aged man in front of him was.

“It was me. I took you to Minston Street last time, and you even gave me a tip.”

"That was before the 'Great Smog of Backlund'... I never thought I'd see you again, but it's normal that you don't remember me, after all, I'm just a nobody."

"Oh, it's you!"

Roger slapped his forehead: "Indeed, there is such a thing."

"I'm sorry, so much time has passed and a lot has happened in between, so I didn't remember for a moment."

"You're welcome."

The middle-aged coachman looked somewhat embarrassed and scratched his head:

"Indeed, so much has happened in between... Although it's only been less than half a year, a war has already been fought. Sometimes when I think about it, it really is unbelievable."

"How are you and your family?" Roger asked again.

"Thanks to you, everything is fine."

The coachman nodded, then suddenly realized that he had been so engrossed in chatting that he had forgotten to ask Roger where he was going, so he quickly inquired about it.

"East District, Landry Street."

Roger patted the coachman on the shoulder and stepped into the carriage.

Since the two knew each other, Roger chatted with the coachman the whole way.

From the coachman, Roger learned that although the lives of ordinary people in Backlund had not fully recovered after the war, the economic improvement brought about by the new colonial activities meant that everyone's income and the city's price levels were gradually returning to normal.

On the other hand, since the Minsk Strait is now almost entirely controlled by the Kingdom of Rune, control of several islands in the south and north of Sonia Island, which originally did not belong to Rune, has also been transferred to Rune's rule.

Because these islands produce some rare metal ores and cheap, delicious fruits, they are very popular in the industrial sector and among ordinary consumers in Rune. As a result, the major ports have been very prosperous during this period, and many dockworkers have made money in this boom.

This made the coachman quite envious. He said that because of a shoulder injury, he was not able to do the work of carrying and unloading goods. However, he planned to let his ambitious youngest son try it. If he could make money, that would be great. If he could not make money, he could at least temper his character.

"Yes, that's a good thing. Young people should experience more different things and do more work to broaden their horizons."

Roger lowered his head and thought for a moment. He felt this might be a good business opportunity, so he spoke again:

"Oh, right, I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

“My name is Peter Magnussen, you can just call me Peter.”

Peter Magnussen began.

“John West, you can just call me John.”

Roger nodded, stated his name, and then said:
“You can have your youngest son go to the dock area of ​​Pulitzer Bay and find Wiseman, the owner of the ‘Flame Dragon’ bar, and ask him to help your son find a job as a dockworker. Just say that John West introduced him.”

"Why is this so embarrassing?"

Peter was immediately embarrassed. He hadn't expected that Roger would give his son another chance just because he had said it casually.

"It's alright, just keep going. The docks are probably short-staffed lately, as long as your son can follow instructions."

Roger shook his head. It was a piece of cake for him. On the other hand, he planned to place some of his own people in the dock area to make it easier to observe the recent trade situation.

Although Wiseman has been working at the docks, he is getting old and can't continue doing it indefinitely; he will have to retire sooner or later.

In fact, old Wiseman had long had the opportunity to advance to Sequence 7 "Astrologer", but this guy was very laid-back and had no obsession with gaining more power. He just wanted to quietly do his own thing.

Before Roger left the Obsidian, he heard Captain Thor mention a promise he made with old Wiseman and Reeves in their youth: after retiring, the three of them would sail the seas in a small boat, retracing their youthful adventures, to commemorate their lives.

Considering the success of the "Flame Dragon" bar and the fact that Ethan Wiseman would eventually take over his father's business, Roger thought that if the trade business was viable, he could consider investing some money to start a dock trading company with Ethan outside of the "Flame Dragon" bar. However, to understand the ins and outs of this business, some people would need to go to the front lines to learn, gain information, and experience.

Half an hour later, Peter's car arrived at Landry Street. After Roger paid the fare, the two shook hands, and then he turned and walked toward 13 Landry Street.

The East End is not only a suburb of Backlund, but also a relatively poor and underdeveloped area. The houses here are generally very old wooden houses, some of which are even multi-story houses with more than three floors. They are collectively operated by housing rental companies and rented to migrant workers who have just arrived in Backlund or to the poor.

However, Backlund is a large, economically developed city, and while both are relatively poor areas, Landry Street is much better than Iron Cross Street in Tingen. However, the rent here is also much higher.

Number 13 Landry Street was also an ordinary wooden house. Roger, who was already wearing a leather owl mask, stood in front of the dark blue painted wooden door and knocked gently.

As for Bandit, he slipped away shortly after Peter Magnussen's carriage stopped, as Roger had instructed.

"Which one?"

A middle-aged woman's voice came from inside.

"I have been invited by Mr. Haywood to discuss the purchase of imported wines."

Roger recalled the introductory code Fors had given him and answered.

After a while, Roger heard the sound of boots hitting the ground.

With a click of the door lock, a middle-aged woman in white, over two meters tall and appearing incredibly robust and imposing, appeared before Roger.

The woman was wearing shoes that were close to size 13 and a fluffy white dress. She wasn't bad-looking and had a decent demeanor, but her excessively tall stature made Roger feel a strong sense of oppression.

Not only that, her skin was extremely white, and she seemed somewhat lifeless. If it weren't for the special makeup on her face, she might have been mistaken for a dead person.

He was somewhat dazed by the scene and couldn't understand what was going on for a moment.

"A half-giant? No... he just seems to be a very tall human?"

Roger used his "Secret Insight" vision to scan the woman, who then handed him a loose black cloak.

"basement."

Roger apologized for the inconvenience, then put on his cloak, leaving the hood off, and walked straight into the interior of 13 Landry Street.

The door to the basement was open, and Roger found the ladder without much trouble. He simply jumped down and landed on the ground.

Roger, his knees bent, held his wide-brimmed brown hat in his hand and looked up at the eight people who had arrived in the basement of 13 Landry Street.

These people were all wearing cloaks, some of them wearing masks, while those who did not wear masks had pulled their cloak hoods forward to cover their faces.

"Six men and two women... their strength is basically between Sequence 6 and Sequence 5."

After saying that, Roger quickly glanced at the man wearing a clown mask sitting on the black sofa in the center.

Of all the people present, this person gave him the most dangerous feeling; Roger clearly sensed a divine presence emanating from him.

However, because his clothes were very thick and the mask seemed to be a special sealing artifact, even Roger, who had the ability of "secret insight," could not see through his secrets at once.

"A demigod... a 'trickster' from the secret order... or an 'ancient scholar'?"

Roger nodded calmly to the group, then casually dragged over a black chair and sat down.

"New member, may I ask your name?"

At this moment, the person wearing the white mask spoke.

His voice wasn't old; on the contrary, it sounded young and gentle, with a tone somewhat like Kesma's, to the point that Roger was momentarily dazed.

"Just call me Mr. X."

Roger chuckled and said a name.

His words startled three of the eight people present, including the man wearing a white mask who appeared to be a demigod from the "Secret Order".

A moment of silence fell over the room. Roger found it somewhat amusing, and looking at the group of people present with interest, he asked:
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

“The name ‘Mr. X’ has already been taken…that member is not present today.”

The young man wearing the white mask paused for a moment before answering, his tone remaining calm.

"Then call me Mr. Owl."

Roger shrugged, adopting an indifferent attitude, and continued to ask:

"Is everyone at today's gathering here?"

"It looks like everyone's here."

The young man in the white mask nodded, and continued speaking softly:
"Given that a newcomer, Mr. 'Owl,' is attending this gathering, everyone can announce their code names again to facilitate future communication and exchange."

Having said that, he spoke first:
"My code name is Mr. 'White'."

Mr. Bai, along with the other seven participants at the gathering, also took turns using their code names.

These code names seem to follow no pattern and appear to be self-chosen.

"The first part of the gathering: the transaction."

Mr. Bai announced:

"Everyone can freely trade and buy and sell various resources and potion recipes. All traded items will be 'notarized' by me to ensure there are no problems before the transaction is completed."

'However, please note that for transactions exceeding 1000 gold pounds, I will charge an additional 5% appraisal fee, which will be shared equally by the buyer and seller. Please be aware of this.'

After Mr. Bai finished speaking, a man codenamed "Qunshan" spoke first.

His voice was both deep and resonant, sounding like a booming bell.
"I need the potion recipe for 'Dream Thief'. If anyone has it, please let me know."

"Ha... 'Dream Thief'."

Roger chuckled inwardly and replied:
“Mr. ‘Mountains’, it seems we are quite destined to meet.”

“I recently acquired a ‘Dream Thief’ potion recipe, which costs 6000 gold pounds.”

Roger blinked:

"Would you be interested?"

……

In the alley opposite 13 Landry Street, Klein Moretti, whose appearance had changed, slowly emerged with Maggie Lopez, who was dressed in a black robe and whose face was covered, and looked at the dark blue wooden door.

"I wonder if Miss 'Magician' and Miss 'Justice' have arrived yet?"

Klein thought for a moment, then took out a gold pound coin and flicked it into the air.

(End of this chapter)