Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 361 The Promotion Ceremony of Destiny Sequence Zero

“I thought you were going to take away Pales, the parasite inside Leonard’s body,” Serres asked Adam with a smile.

Adam's answer surprised Serres.

"How could that be? That's an angel from your church."

"You're actually joking?" Serris couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Have you truly gained humanity, or is this still just a facade?"

Adam did not answer.

“Never mind, it’s not important.” Serres looked at the imagined Levihard.

"How was it? How did it feel?" Serres asked Adam. "You came into contact with the Chaos Sea from Angelweid's memories."

“I have already encountered the real Chaos Sea, but memories cannot affect me,” Adam said gently.

"Really? Then what brings you here?" Serris crossed his arms.

“I’d like to ask about the promotion ceremony.” Adam looked like a humble and eager student, though this was just a facade.

“There’s nothing I can do to help you with that,” Serres replied. “You have to walk your own path as an angel. You should gain some understanding as you explore and fulfill your destiny.”

“Hmm.” Adam nodded. “But that’s exactly what I don’t understand.”

"The [Annual Ring Carver] of Sequence One needs to witness and recreate the complete history of a glorious civilization from its birth to its destruction. This is not difficult. I can seek His help after the birth of that mysterious lord. It should not take more than ten years."

"But the insight I gained from digging into Sequence Zero was: 'To have an audience with the true [memory].' I wonder if there are other ways to complete the ascension?"

“Of course there is,” Serres said matter-of-factly. “As long as you go far enough on your path of destiny and reach a level close to that of a Commander, you can bypass this ritual directly.”

"The ceremony itself is taking a shortcut. Apart from that, one can only rely on one's own hard power."

After thinking for a moment, Adam nodded: "I understand."

"Then, is there any way to find that being?"

He had barely seen many from the Old Days; to ask Him to actively seek out a great being whose status might even surpass that of the "original" was indeed asking too much of this young man who was only a few thousand years old.

He's still just a child. He's less than two thousand years old since his birth in the Second Age. In some long-lived species, he might even be celebrating Children's Day.

“Yes,” Serres generously pointed out a clear path, “As long as you go far enough on the path of [Memory] and reach a level close to that of an Envoy, then perhaps you can directly attract the attention of the Star God, who knows?”

"..." Adam remained silent for a moment, but showed no sign of disappointment. "I understand."

"Oh, there's no need to be too disappointed," Serres comforted her. "So many people in the entire universe want to see the Star God."

"But what I actually saw? A hand... um..."

He hesitated for a moment, and then his fingers suddenly began to split, growing out a dense array of fingers: "You can count them on one hand."

He glanced down.

"Hmm... on a cosmic scale, it seems like quite a lot. You're really a complete novice."

“Of course,” Adam readily admitted without any resistance.

Serres smacked his lips in boredom: "You have no competitive spirit at all, that's really no fun at all."

"It seems I need to really instill humanity in you."

…………

Meanwhile, in Backlund, late at night...

Leonard wandered through this gray world, using the extraordinary abilities of Nightmare to leap between dreamscapes. This was his mission; tonight was his patrol, a routine inspection by the Church of the Night.

"The old man is acting strangely today. He's been quiet ever since he entered that world." Leonard had just passed through a dream of a doctor named "Allen," and as he walked, he pondered Pales's unusual behavior.

"But... haha, Klein actually has that side to him."

"He's even been chased and bitten by a dog before. Hmm, I'll go see the captain tomorrow during the day."

But suddenly, his spirit was touched. He took a few steps forward and subconsciously looked back. He saw that inside the house with the garden, hazy orbs of light representing dreams were intertwined and filled the entire space without any problems.

"This house..."

"Is it just my imagination? I feel like something's changed about me..." Leonard murmured, then turned and flew toward Pinster Street.

It's past 2 PM, and today's routine checks are almost done.

Below him, the fog was thick, and the gas streetlights were dim and pale.

Suddenly, Leonard stopped flying and turned his gaze to a building below.

Inside the house, five or six hazy orbs of light floated silently, looking no different from the other buildings around it.

However, in Leonard's inspiration, there seemed to be a dark mass in the room that could absorb all the light.

Moreover, he discovered that he didn't recognize this neighborhood or this street!
He felt a pang of fear, wondering if he had seen something he shouldn't have. He quickly looked away, preparing to leave the area and head back to where his body was.

But just then, a voice rang out from inside the seemingly ordinary building: "Since you're here, why don't you come in, sit down, and have a cup of tea?"

The voice wasn't unpleasant; in fact, it could be described as pleasant. Beneath the surface lay undisguised madness and malice.

The sound alone made Leonard feel an overwhelming sense of threat.

Aurora Borealis? A demigod!

All the thoughts flashed through Leonard's mind in an instant, and he subconsciously imagined a pistol appearing in his hand in this dream world. At the same time, he pushed off with his feet, trying to get away.

In his imagination, the row houses and garden villas behind him grew larger one after another, and the doors and windows turned into mouths, biting at him.

The nearby black gas lampposts grew rapidly upwards, turning the surrounding area into a steel jungle, seemingly blocking Leonard's way.

Leonard reacted immediately.

He turned around and raised his gun.

Bang bang bang!
Three bullets were fired, then immediately split in mid-air, turning into a net of bullets that spread towards the interceptors behind them.

He aimed his crosshairs at the house, gradually focusing his gaze.

But then, he suddenly felt a chill, as if an invisible hand had grabbed his body.

"Damn it." Leonard struggled against the chilling feeling and raised his right hand.

Just as he was about to abandon his shame and transform into a "magical girl" after a long time.

The familiar house, the familiar windows, and the familiar lights all came into view.

Leonard held his breath and plummeted downwards, falling into his dream.

That was close; it seems my integrity has been preserved.

(End of this chapter)