Mystery: When the Lost Homelanders Meet the Lost Homeland Call

Holy crap!

Cat's inner scream.jpg

Klein felt as if his heart had been squeezed out of his chest, and he froze completely, remaining stunned for a long while before finally uttering a sound:

"what?"

He panicked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, or like a lolicon who had been connected to an electric grid.

If he hadn't frozen completely, Klein had no doubt that he would have fallen straight to the ground.

This was a huge shock.

"Well, I've dealt with the Church of Storms, and the Seven Gods should tacitly approve," Lynn tilted his head, with an overly natural and frank manner. "I can't do everything, can I?"

Klein's heart was pounding, his temples were throbbing, and his brain was burning.

Oh no, no, that's not right.

Where did I go wrong?

How did Lynn know about the Tarot Club?

If the truth of the fool were revealed here, then the life of the extraordinary would be over...

Since that's the case, let's just cover it up with words.

He tried to take a deep breath, but the air he inhaled got stuck in his throat, like swallowing a piece of burning coal, and his voice became stiff: "...Are you kidding or serious?"

"I'm serious." Seeing Klein's embarrassed look, Lynn managed to keep a straight face before seriously putting on her acting skills.

He scratched his head, then said with a "sudden realization," "I forgot to tell you, I recently received some information that the Sequence Zero of the Diviner's Path is called 'The Fool,' which is knowledge that a senior of mine obtained while investigating the history of the Antigonus family."

"As it stands, the 'fool' does not truly exist yet; you can become the fool."

The huge weight in Klein's heart suddenly lifted.

Yes, that's right.

Klein didn't even ponder the coincidence of fate any further—how he just happened to think of calling himself the Fool—completely immersed in the joy of his disguise being exposed.

His legs buckled, and he almost couldn't stand. He quickly grabbed a railing for support. His palms rested on the rough wood, and the sensation from his fingertips brought him back to reality a little.

Lynn asked with feigned concern, "What's wrong, Klein? Are you alright?"

Klein looked up at the crimson sunset, then down at the afterglow on the ground, and let out a long sigh:

"Please don't scare me like that next time."

He gave Lynn a deep look, displaying a deep fear of the extraordinary world:

  

"As you said, the Extraordinary System is not a good path. During the courses I've taken recently, I've also learned about the risks of being an Extraordinary individual."

"The Fool sounds incredibly sophisticated, doesn't he? I thought you were going to push me up to be some kind of evil god leader—I'd probably lose control on the spot."

After saying that, he mentally gave himself a score. Hmm, the tone was on point, the expression was on point, and he conveyed the necessary fear and resistance.

"Hmm...yes, it's a bit too early to tell you this now." Lynn shrugged, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his words had nearly ripped Klein's soul out of his body in those few seconds.

"However, I have already taken the first step in my anti-divine anchor, so you can still be optimistic."

"To be honest, I can't be optimistic." Klein had truly recovered by now. He continued the conversation, his tone carrying a hint of half-joking sarcasm, "Judging from how you fish every day, it doesn't seem like you're making any progress."

Lynn immediately slapped her free hand against her chest: "You can't say that! We've already progressed to creating folder two!"

"That means I didn't move, right?" Klein didn't expect that a simple basic attack would trigger his ultimate skill. He sighed inwardly.

"Part One of the folders is on track now, take a look around."

Klein looked around. The evening breeze blew from the sea, carrying a salty, fishy smell. In the distance, the clock tower on the dock rang out the six o'clock chime. The chime was deep and long, like a stone thrown into the water, rippling outwards in the twilight.

The workers carrying tools, preparing to finish work; the women carrying baskets, walking out of the mutual aid station; the children squatting on the dock drawing grids with chalk—their footsteps, voices, and laughter drifted in the sea breeze, mingling together in a noisy yet real cacophony.

Klein didn't recognize any of the faces, but each face had something he had rarely seen on the faces of the lower classes since he came into this world—a simple peace of mind knowing that he would have enough to eat tomorrow.

"Faith collection?" he said softly.

"Yes."

"Well, that's certainly made good progress," Klein nodded.

However, my problem remains unsolved.

His brain finally returned to normal functioning, and then he immediately thought of something: Lynn had other sources of information besides the original owner's memories!

"That's certainly how it should be. How could someone with a high sequence not have their own interpersonal relationships?"

Klein, the future master of inter-divine relationships and the strongest ancient scholar, thought to himself.

Moreover, this channel is no ordinary one; it's the name of a potion with a sequence zero!

"Let's go, I've found a place to set up a barbecue grill at the dock," Lynn patted him on the shoulder, pulling him back from his thoughts, "Let's eat and chat."

Klein quickened his pace to catch up, his leather shoes making a crisp sound on the stone slabs of the dock: "So how did you know that the Sequence Zero of the Diviner's Path is called 'The Fool'?"

They crossed a clearing piled with empty wooden crates, their feet stepping over a few scattered hemp ropes. Lynn's steps were casual, as if he were strolling in his own garden.

"Remember the Antigonus family?"

Klein nodded; he was still investigating the missing notebook.

“I now belong to an organization,” Lynn said, stopping in front of a metal grill that had already been set up. Several flat stones were placed under the grill, and next to it was an iron bucket full of charcoal, which he had obviously prepared in advance. “There is a senior member in the organization who recently went to the Hornach Mountains. He investigated the ruins of the Antigonus family and recently gave me some information.”

Klein's breath hitched for a moment. The word "He" was like a thumbtack, pinned to the center of his attention.

The White Tower was referring to the Hornach Mountains, which they had recently explored, and this was further linked to Lynn's similar abilities to the White Tower.

Could it be that the White Tower is Lynn's predecessor?

"...Was that senior an angel?"

Lynn nodded and began poking at the embers in the metal bucket:

"Yes, He shared the information with me. The Antigonus family possesses the Diviner's Path, and the sequence zero of the Diviner's Path should be 'The Fool'."

"The ancestor of the Antigonus family was referred to in the records of the gods as—"

He looked up, his gaze passing over the slightly distorted heat waves above the charcoal fire, and looked at Klein.

"Half a fool."

Klein felt his back was soaked with sweat again.

His random choice of the code name "The Fool" unexpectedly coincided with the existence of a real ancestor of the Antigonus family.

How would the White Pagoda view this coincidence?

Did the White Tower only choose to go to the Hornach Mountains after he pulled it into the gray fog?

He swallowed hard, suppressing those thoughts.

"In short, it's very difficult for me to move up," Lynn said, pulling a handful of skewers from his magical pocket and skillfully starting to skewer the meat. "I can only hope that you can move up."

"Is it hard to climb higher? Because the supernatural species have gone extinct?"

"No." Lynn placed a skewer of pork belly on the edge of the grill. "It involves the fundamental logic of the extraordinary world. Do you know why supernatural species went extinct?"

Klein sat down on the stone opposite the grill, the firelight illuminating his face and casting his features in a warm orange-red hue.

Are you ready to listen?

"Do I have a choice not to listen?" Klein replied with a wry smile. "We're already in the extraordinary world, so the more knowledge we have, the better."

"The Law of Conservation of Extraordinary Properties: Extraordinary properties are not destroyed, they are not diminished, they are merely transferred from one thing to another." Lynn raised a finger, flames dancing beside his face.

"Just like the law of conservation of energy, the amount of extraordinary properties neither increases nor decreases. In the church, this is called the law of conservation of properties, but I think conservation is closer to the essence."

Lynn snapped his fingers, and the flames obediently cooled to the right temperature, the embers crackling softly as sparks drifted and died out in the twilight.

Klein suddenly felt a chill. The fire seemed to have some kind of meaning, and its light was attracting something.

"Exceptional properties are the part of a potion that truly gives you power. That's why extraordinary beings leave behind the main ingredients of potions when they die, because their properties are transferred out."

Lynn stopped and looked at Klein, who readily continued:

"That's why extraordinary species become extinct. Because of the conservation of extraordinary characteristics, every time a person drinks a potion, the total amount of extraordinary characteristics of the entire species decreases by one."

Klein hesitated for a moment, then his voice trembled slightly:

"Even extraordinary beings retain extraordinary characteristics upon death..."

"Yes, that's the essence of the creation myth. The extraordinary power of the entire world is built upon the foundation of devouring and digesting the corpses of the creator," Lynn said, flipping a few skewers of meat over. The grease dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling and sending up a small puff of white smoke.

"That's not all. The key issue is that there hasn't been any true assimilation yet, so the extraordinary characteristics ultimately remain unchanged."

Klein remained silent for a moment, the firelight flickering on his face.

"One radish per hole, this is too cruel," he said. "I can imagine what those extraordinary individuals would do to get promoted."

"The most crucial aspect of Extraordinary Guardianship lies in Sequence 1 and Sequence 0," Lynn said, handing Klein a skewer of grilled meat. "There are only three Sequence 1 properties in all pathways. One of the main ingredients of Sequence 0 potion is three Sequence 1 properties."

A low rumble of thunder echoed in the sky. Lynn glanced up to the south; the clouds hung low, edged with a ring of dark golden sunlight. His gaze flickered slightly, then quickly returned to its original direction.

Klein suddenly realized: "So there can only be one sequence zero. And with a sequence zero, it's impossible for a sequence one to appear through the same path. Sending a sequence two to attack a sequence zero is tantamount to suicide."

He took the skewer of meat: "So, Emperor Roselle regretted not choosing the paths of soothsayer, thief, or apprentice because the zeroth sequence of those three paths hadn't yet been born, and there was still a chance to become a god?"

"Yes." Lynn flipped a few more skewers of lamb, the fat on the skewers sizzling softly in the fire. "So, you've chosen a path with great potential."

Klein looked down at the steaming skewer of meat in his hand. As if by magic, Lynn pulled out several bottles of prepared sauce from his pocket—cumin, chili powder, and honey—and lined them up on the hot plate.

"That's probably the influence of Russell," Lynn said. "Barbecues are quite popular here."

Klein took a bite of the meat. The aroma of the fat and the smoky flavor of the charcoal spread across his tongue, and he thought to himself: at least this time his stomach really felt at home.

He finished chewing the meat, then looked up at Lynn across the firelight.

"Lynn," he said, his voice much more serious than before.

"Um?"

I have a question.

Lynn put the skewers of meat he was grilling back on the foil, patted the oil off his hands, and gestured for him to continue.

Klein leaned forward, the flames dancing between him and Lynn, casting long shadows that overlapped on the dock floor.

He looked up at Lynn intently, his brown eyes showing a rare seriousness:

"Lynn, I have a question to ask."

Lynn waved his hand casually: "Ask away, I'll answer to the best of my knowledge."

Klein leaned closer to Lynn: "Why are you helping me so diligently? If possible, I'd like to know your plan, and what role I play in it."

Klein didn't ask Lynn what he needed from him; whatever Lynn's purpose was, his help was genuine.

If it's just out of goodwill, Klein will definitely repay even the smallest kindness tenfold; if someone needs something from him, he will also do everything he can to help.

But there was a sense of arrangement in Lynn's behavior, especially in what he just said. Lynn's pursuit of becoming a true "fool" was not simply about becoming stronger and seeking rewards; he was creating a god, and it was all planned.

So Klein wanted to know what Lynn was doing.

Klein added, "If you don't want to explain, that's fine too. With your strength, you wouldn't need to treat me like this if you weren't acting out of goodwill."

That's the truth. At the Tarot meeting, Klein also learned about some high-sequence methods. Given Lynn's current unpredictable methods, he wouldn't need to put on such an act if he really wanted to use him.

Lynn gave him the sealing artifact, helped him digest the potion, taught him ritual magic, and even established an order in the dock area that was beneficial to ordinary people. Each of these things went beyond the scope of a "transaction".

The firelight illuminated Klein's face, but he didn't look away.

"I just want to know the answer. Whatever the answer, I can accept it."