Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 116 The Lord Doesn't Care!

Thursday morning, December 18th.

In the house at 117 Burningham Road, Hillston.

The three people who were having breakfast heard the doorbell ring.

Ding ding ding!

The bell, pulled by a rope, swayed continuously, its sound echoing throughout the spacious but relatively empty living room.

"stop!"

At the dining table, Fors, who was biting into bread, mumbled a call.

Hugh, on the same side, rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. She put down the bread she had just picked up and walked towards the entrance.

Before the bell rang again, Hugh turned the handle and opened the door.

Outside the door stood a tall, thin man with a cold expression, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He appeared healthy, but his complexion was rather poor, and his right leg looked swollen, as if it were in a cast. He was also using a cane for support.

"Hello sir, who are you looking for?"

Hugh asked very politely.

Dr. Allen looked down at the sound and saw the petite woman. Hesitantly, he asked, "I'm looking for Fors, but I don't know if she still lives here..."

"Fors, they're looking for you."

Xiu opened the door and shouted loudly into the restaurant.

"Waaaaah~ Here it comes!"

Fors gave a slurred reply, as if he were trying to swallow something.

"Please come in."

Hugh invited him very politely.

"Thanks."

Dr. Allen thanked him softly, then, leaning on his cane, went to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Hugh didn't help him up because she could tell at a glance that Dr. Allen was the kind of person who cared a lot about his image and wouldn't want to be seen as a disabled person.

So she just watched from the side until he sat down on the sofa, then politely asked:

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Black tea bar."

Dr. Allen thought for a moment and replied.

"OK."

Xiu nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Fors arrived in the living room and immediately recognized the visitor, somewhat surprised.

"Dr. Allen?"

"Fors..."

Dr. Allen turned around, as if he wanted to say something.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Fors noticed Dr. Allen's gaze, and subconsciously reached out to wipe it. Seeing the cream on her fingertips, she blushed and turned away to take out a handkerchief to wipe it clean.

It's incredibly rude of you to forget to wipe your mouth before coming out to meet people.

"..."

Dr. Allen chose to remain silent. He knew that Ember and Fors were a couple and it was normal for them to live together. But he didn't expect that there was another girl in Fors's house, and that their relationship seemed quite close, even doing those kinds of things without any hesitation.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Dr. Allen immediately decided to pretend he hadn't seen it. After all, it was someone else's private life, and he had no right to interfere.

Are young people these days really this wild? They're already doing this so early in the morning...

"Dr. Allen, what brings you here?"

Fors, wiping the cream off her lips, sat down on the sofa to the side and asked.

That's right.

Dr. Allen hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Do you remember Will Unsetin?"

Fors' expression turned somewhat strange, and he nodded slightly.

"Remember."

To be honest...

Dr. Allen patted his right leg and sighed, "I've been having a lot of bad luck lately since that surgery. A few days ago I fell down the stairs and suffered a pretty serious fracture in my right leg, so I have to put it in a cast to immobilize it."

Fors looked somewhat surprised, while Dr. Allen continued, "This isn't the first time, nor the only time. A surgical error, a steam train accident during a trip, a burglary at home, and then falling down the stairs at the hospital..."

"The only thing to be thankful for is that none of the surgical errors were serious and no one died. But even so, I won't be able to work for at least a month."

"I suspect I'm under some kind of curse."

Dr. Allen gave a wry smile and gestured, saying, "Of course, I know this might sound absurd, but I can't find any other reasonable explanation. I've tried praying at church, donating, and attending Mass, but nothing has worked."

"Just the day before yesterday, I spoke with a private investigator who helped me pinpoint Will Uncrestin as the suspect, because that's when my bad luck started."

"So we visited Will Unsett's home yesterday morning, only to find that they had moved out of Backlund more than a month ago."

"After I got home yesterday, I thought the matter was over. But last night, I had a nightmare. I dreamed about Will Onsett."

Allen's expression grew increasingly bitter, and even a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

He had just visited Will Onsett yesterday, and that very night he had a nightmare. He simply couldn't believe there was no connection. No wonder he looked so unwell; recent events had completely exceeded his comprehension.

"I was thinking of going to see that detective from yesterday and having him analyze it for me. But also yesterday, I seemed to see Ash visiting Will Unsett's house. So I was wondering if any of you had the same experience as me?"

Allen's expression was incredibly sincere, even carrying a hint of hope and pleading.

He hoped because he wanted to find someone who could empathize with him, and he pleaded because he hoped to get answers from Fors.

Fors remained silent for a long time, feeling her mind was in turmoil, and whispered, "I... I've had nightmares before too."

"Nightmare? What kind of nightmare?"

Dr. Allen suddenly became much more alert and hurriedly asked further questions.

But after saying that, he realized his words were somewhat impolite and quickly explained, "Sorry, I wasn't gloating, I just... just..."

He stood there with his mouth agape, unsure how to explain.

"I understand, Dr. Allen."

Fors offered a word of comfort, then hurriedly added, "Wait a moment, I'll go get Ash."

"ember."

"I heard you."

Ember appeared behind Fors at some point, staring intently at Dr. Allen opposite him, and asked,

"Dr. Allen, could you describe your dream?"

Dr. Allen tried to recall, and said...

"I can't remember some of the details and the process, but what I remember most vividly is a towering, dark spire with a giant, silvery-white snake coiled on it. It was slowly writhing, looking at me with its cold, merciless red eyes."

"I don't know why, but I went into that spire, sometimes going up and sometimes down the stairs, passing through wall after wall, and through locked doors. Finally, I found the boy named Willon Catherine in a dark corner. He hopped a few steps on one leg and curled up against the wall, with the tarot cards scattered around him."

"When he saw it was me, he was both scared and happy, and he shouted, 'Dr. Allen!' That was pretty much the whole dream, and then I woke up."

"Did Will Uncatherine say anything else?"

Yu Jin listened attentively, pondered for a moment, and then asked a question.

"have!"

Dr. Allen frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly blurted out, "He said, 'Dr. Allen, a snake wants to eat me!'"

"Then, the giant silver snake hung upside down from the ceiling, its head facing me. Its mouth was huge, but it had no teeth or tongue, and it was completely blood red."

As Dr. Allen spoke, a lingering sense of terror remained on his face.

It's clear that last night's nightmare left a deep scar on him.

Ember looked down at Fors beside him.

Fors nodded subtly, a hint of worry in his eyes.

She had thought she was the only one having nightmares, but now it seems that Dr. Allen, who also participated in the surgery, had nightmares as well.

The only question is why she started having nightmares in early September.

And Dr. Allen had a nightmare just yesterday?

Fors frowned and pondered for a long time, but couldn't figure out the key point.

If Dr. Allen's nightmares stemmed from a visit, what about himself? He had never visited Will Uncrestin!

And, bad luck and all that...

Fors's expression was somewhat subtle. She had been staying at home all along and hadn't really noticed anything. But thinking about it carefully, it seemed like she had indeed been a bit unlucky for a while, but they were all minor things, so she hadn't taken them to heart.

After all, compared to Dr. Allen, who broke his leg, these experiences were clearly insignificant. However, another question still lingered in Fors's mind: what was the catalyst that gave them nightmares?

As an Extraordinary being, Fors' understanding of the Extraordinary world far surpasses that of Dr. Allen. Therefore, she knew very well that her nightmares couldn't have been without cause; there must have been some kind of catalyst involved.

But she couldn't quite recall what the catalyst was for the moment...

"Dr. Allen."

After a moment's hesitation, Yu Jin asked, "What's your private investigator friend's name?"

Dr. Allen immediately replied, "Sherlock, Sherlock Moriarty."

Ember looked slightly surprised and pressed for an answer, "Where does he live?"

15 Minsk Street.

Dr. Allen replied, then asked with some doubt, "Do you know each other? Sherlock also told me he might know you, but he wasn't sure if it's the same person. And..."

Allen hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Ash Black he knows seems to be a nobleman from Wintershire."

"Then it should be me."

Yu Jin nodded slightly and replied, "He and I are indeed friends."

Upon hearing this, Allen tensed up and became somewhat restrained.

Although he belonged to the very top tier of the middle class and possessed some wealth, he was certainly no match for the nobility; the difference between them was like heaven and earth!

If Ember really is a nobleman, this would actually make him feel uncomfortable.

"I remember now! Please wait a moment!"

Fors suddenly exclaimed and ran upstairs back to her room. A little while later, she ran downstairs again, holding a beautifully handmade origami crane in her hand.

"It's this!"

Fors affirmed, "After my surgery, I took care of Will Onsett for a while. He gave me a thousand origami cranes, saying they would bring me good luck."

Fors said, but couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

She hadn't even remembered such an important clue before!

But you can't blame her for that.

It's just an ordinary origami crane, which has been used as a symbol of "blessing" since its invention by Emperor Roselle. It's very common for friends and even lovers to give each other origami cranes, so who would suspect anything wrong with an origami crane under normal circumstances?

"this……"

Dr. Allen's eyes widened in horror. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out his leather wallet and took out a neatly folded origami crane.

Moreover, it's easy to see that the origami crane in his hand is almost identical to Fors's. Without a doubt, these two origami cranes were made by the same person!

Ember asked, "Did Will Onsetin give this to you too?"

"Um."

Dr. Allen nodded and said, "Now that the Wiloncetin family has moved away, I remembered that before he was discharged, he gave me this, saying, 'Doctor, this will bring you good luck.'"

"I didn't pay attention to it at the time and just threw it in my office drawer. I only got it back last night after I parted ways with Mr. Sherlock and put it in my wallet. As a result, I had that nightmare last night."

After a moment of hesitation, Ember slowly spoke, "Dr. Allen, I suggest you seek help from that detective. As you can see, I did visit Will Onsett yesterday, but I have no clue whatsoever, otherwise I wouldn't have waited until yesterday to go see him."

"So I'm sorry, I can't help you, because I can't even help Fors."

"No, it's okay."

Allen fell silent, then shook his head and said, "I should have known this sooner, but you're right, I was already planning to seek help from Mr. Sherlock."

Dr. Allen stood up, leaning on his cane, and said politely, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your breakfast."

Fors opened her mouth, but no sound came out. In the end, she just watched Dr. Allen leave.

"Ash, aren't we going to do something?"

After Dr. Allen left the house, Fors couldn't help but ask.

Ember shook his head and countered, "Of course we're going to do something, but are you planning to tell him you're an extraordinary being?"

"Hmm~"

Fors was silenced by Ember's words. Was this something that could be said?

It seems like it's something I can't say.

Hugh asked with some curiosity, "What about his detective friend? Do you know him?"

I guess so.

Yu Jin nodded slightly and said slowly, "If I'm not mistaken, we should all know each other."

Although he only had fragmented memories left, he still remembered the iconic name "Sherlock Moriarty".

If it wasn't that "Emperor Roselle" who copied "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and published it in this world, then it could most likely have been that "Fool" Zhou Mingrui.

Of course, "Sherlock Moriarty" is definitely not "The Fool" himself; it is probably a name he gave to his followers out of his own wicked sense of humor.

As for who this benefactor was, Yu Jin had a guess in his mind—

It is very likely that he is the "Celestial Favorite" Klein Moretti.

After all, he had once told me that he was a detective.

"Huh?"

Fors and Hugh paused for a moment, exchanged a glance instinctively, and then said in unison, "Mr. 'World'?"

There are only a few people in the Tarot Club, and they make up half of them.

Mr. Fool is impossible, Mr. Hanged Man is at sea, and the sun is in the "Silver City".

The only one who could possibly be in Backlund is Mr. World.

"Oh, right, Ember."

After breakfast, Hugh suddenly remembered something and reminded him, "There's an extraordinary gathering in Queens today, organized by Mr. A. Do you want to go?"

"Mr. A?"

Yu Jin was slightly surprised; he had completely forgotten about it if he hadn't been told.

"Let's go take a look."

Yu Jin thought for a moment and replied.

He had previously sought out Mr. A to paint the world.

Now that it has been determined that the world of paintings has no value, there is actually no need to go there.

But they are old friends after all, so it's not too much to go and visit them, is it?

Yes, and Klein too.

It's been a long time since we last met, so perhaps it's time to find some time to get together.

Hopefully, he has uncovered some useful clues in the past two months.

-

"Achoo!"

At 15 Minsk Street, Klein, who was fast asleep wrapped in a blanket, suddenly sneezed, making him question the meaning of life.

Am I really sick?

He's a Sequence 7 Extraordinary!

You've at least crossed the threshold into the contemporary middle sequence, haven't you? Are you really that prone to getting sick?

This unscientific!

No, this is not extraordinary at all!

If becoming an extraordinary person still means being plagued by colds, then one shouldn't be considered an extraordinary person...

Oh well, I'll still take it.

It's just a sneeze, no big deal!

Klein promptly backed down and, incidentally, consulted a fortune teller for himself.

Yes, very auspicious. Today is a good day to go out.

Klein nodded in satisfaction, then, feeling a surge of excitement, he rolled over.

"Winter is the perfect time to stay in bed! It's a pity I have to work hard to save money."

Klein grumbled as he got out of bed. He reached out and picked up the coat hanging on the hanger, then slowly put it on while still in bed.

He slept soundly last night, and even the church bells at the top of the hour in the early morning couldn't wake him.

Without him.

It's already October, and the Backlunds are already in winter.

Combined with the characteristic fog of Backlund, the cold air was truly unbearable.

Klein was in a good mood, so he specially prepared a soft-boiled egg with sugar for his breakfast, as well as strawberry jam for the white bread.

But just as he was leisurely enjoying his food, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Klein was somewhat surprised. As he walked to the door, before he even reached out, he naturally pictured the visitor outside as Dr. Alan Chris.

Good morning, Allen. You slept in very late last night.

Klein noticed that Allen looked rather unwell, so he quietly activated his spiritual vision and took a look.

Allen took off his hat and said with a wry smile, "Sherlock, I've come to ask for your help."

……

In the afternoon, in an unassuming house in Queens.

Hugh and Fors, like the other extraordinary individuals, casually found a place to sit and examined the entries written on the blackboard. Mr. A, wearing a hooded robe, remained quietly and alone on the sofa at the front, looking down at everyone.

Mr. A only glanced at Hugh and Fors' arrival, but didn't pay much attention to them.

He glanced at them again because these two had once given him ten thousand gold pounds. He didn't pay them any attention because he knew these two wild extraordinary individuals were just a front; they certainly couldn't come up with such a huge sum of ten thousand gold pounds. The real important person was the one behind them.

But Mr. A had no interest in finding out who was behind them.

When Mr. A saw a somewhat familiar figure enter the hall, he almost lost control of his expression and jumped up from the sofa, startling the extraordinary individuals around him, who thought someone had offended this powerful extraordinary individual.

But he said nothing, and walked expressionlessly toward the living room at the back. Yu Jin also noticed Mr. A's departure and followed him slowly, walking through the hall to a living room at the back.

"You did come, please have a seat."

Mr. A was sitting on the sofa in the living room when he saw Ember enter the living room. He suddenly chuckled and then pointed to the seat opposite him.

Ember was somewhat surprised by Mr. A's attitude, but when he thought that the Aurora Society was full of mentally unstable lunatics, this scene didn't seem so abnormal after all.

"Want a drink?"

Mr. A leisurely poured himself a glass of red wine and politely asked a question. But before Yu Jin could respond, he poured Yu Jin a glass of red wine as well. Then he picked up his own glass and gently swirled it.

"Not prepared to resist?"

Yu Jin looked at Mr. A, who was in an extremely relaxed manner, and asked with great interest.

What caused such a big change in his attitude?

"Is resistance even useful?"

Mr. A countered with a question, taking a sip of red wine from his glass, and said frankly, "Besides, I don't think we have any irreconcilable conflicts. We can talk things out first, can't we?"

"For example... well, you seem to be looking for something, and I might be able to help you."

Where is the world of painting?

Yu Jin didn't care about Mr. A's attitude and asked directly.

Mr. A gently swirled his wine glass and said leisurely, "If you're referring to the entrance to Noah's Ark, it's already destroyed. And if you're referring to the location of Noah's Ark, I don't know; only a few saints are qualified to know that."

"Noah's Ark?"

Ember repeated the word in a low voice, somewhat surprised.

The Painted World was originally a refuge built by the Protoss for themselves, with the aim of ensuring that the Protoss could still reside in the Painted World and continue their rule in the 'Age of the Deep' after the First Flame was extinguished.

Even later, due to the corrupting nature of the Painted World, the gods abandoned this refuge. However, thanks to the young lady's efforts, a new Painted World was completed. According to Patch, the Painted World successfully carried its survivors to this world, just like Noah's Ark, which survived the cataclysmic flood.

So theoretically, the world of painting can indeed be considered a "Noah's Ark." But what Ember is more curious about is why this word would come out of Mr. A's mouth?

There are at least six known paintings in the world of art—

The Church of the Night, the Church of the Earth Mother, the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, the Aurora Society, and the Dawn Elements—these six factions each possess a portion of the painted world.

In theory.

Of these six painted worlds, one should be the original painted world!

It was a beautiful work of art created by the hunter who killed the Dwarf King, devoured all the Dark Souls in the world, and turned his own blood into Dark Soul Blood, which was stained with Dark Souls.

The painted world created by the "Dark Souls Blood" is theoretically immune to decay, which is why it can carry the "survivors" from within it to this world.

Aside from the "original painted world," the remaining five painted worlds were all created in this world. The "pigments" needed to create these paintings were the enormous figure carrying a radiant cross in the huge picture that Ember had seen on that primitive island.

His blood was used to create five paintings.

Ember had seen the 'picture' on that primeval island and had also witnessed the 'divine descent' of the true creator. Therefore, he could easily recognize that the true creator was one of those devouring the corpse—

On the surface, one might mistakenly believe that each of the four 'ghouls' who devour the corpses possesses a painted world. For example, the true creator, as one of the four ghouls, would possess a painted world. However, although there are only four 'protagonists' in the paintings, there are also blurry figures hidden in the shadows.

Although they didn't devour the corpses, that didn't mean they wouldn't try to seize the painted world. And the Ember already had a guess as to why they would try to seize the painted world—

The world is about to face its end, an end that even the gods cannot save.

Although the specific reason and date are still unknown, this period is likely not long. Therefore, even gods need to use the "Painting World" as a refuge to protect themselves in the impending apocalypse.

But Ember had entered the painted world possessed by the 'True Creator' and witnessed its corruption firsthand. For the same reason, the other four painted worlds likely also suffer from varying degrees of corruption.

This also means that these painted worlds are destined never to become a true "Noah's Ark".

For the same reason, apart from the original painted world, the other painted worlds are meaningless to Ember. Therefore, he would not insist on entering the true creator's "Noah's Ark" again.

Aside from the world of painting, there is only one thing he cares about!

Ember slowly raised his head and asked, "Do you know the Black Emperor?"

"I know a little."

Mr. A seemed to have expected this, and said without hesitation, "Our Aurora Society has been cooperating with the Royal Family of Rune and the Witch Cult, and the ultimate goal of this cooperation is the 'Black Emperor'."

"However, both sides have reservations about the Aurora Society and clearly do not trust us. Therefore, the intelligence that the Aurora Society can obtain is very limited. We have always been only responsible for plundering people from East Bailang, and the transfer of these people is carried out by the Witch Cult."

"That's normal."

Yu Jin nodded silently, not surprised by this.

Even he wouldn't want to trust a bunch of lunatics; bringing them along was probably out of necessity. After all, a large-scale slave trade would inevitably alert major powers, and only through the 'Painting World' could they operate undetected.

Even though the royal family chose to cooperate with the Aurora Club, they still had some reservations.

According to Chunas, the slaves' final destination was "Relic No. 1," yet they hadn't placed the "exit from the world of painting" there. This was clearly to guard against the Aurora Society's madmen secretly sabotaging them.

However, this also left some traces of what could have been a clandestine operation. Although the Ruen royal family concealed it well, the truth would eventually be uncovered if the trail was followed.

What is the Black Emperor?

Yu Jin pressed for an answer.

"have no idea."

Mr. A spread his hands, a hint of helplessness on his handsome face. "My information is very limited. After all, the Aurora Society has only ever operated on the periphery of this plan, never getting access to the core details. However..."

Mr. A paused, then said seriously, "I suspect they're creating a god; the Black Emperor might be the pinnacle of some kind of path. And that path is either arbitrators or lawyers!"

Yu Jin gave Mr. A a deep look.

The information provided by Mr. A overlapped to some extent with the information he already possessed, which indirectly confirmed the accuracy of his information. Although Mr. A was a madman, at least for now, he could still provide some value.

Ember pressed, "What other information do you know?"

"The Kingdom of Rune is excavating ruins."

Mr. A thought for a moment and replied, "I don't know the exact location of these ruins, and the Kingdom of Rune must have arranged their locations in a way that contradicts divination and prophecy. But I suspect these ruins are remnants of the Fourth Epoch, and are very likely related to the 'Black Emperor.' Furthermore..."

Mr. A emphasized, "While the exact locations of these ruins are uncertain, there is certainly more than one. And I am certain that one of them is located just outside Backlund!"

Yu Jin's expression shifted slightly, and he immediately compared the ruins that Mr. A had guessed with the "Ruins No. 1" that Chunas had mentioned. Although there was no evidence, the possibility was very high.

"Can you find the location of the ruins?"

In response to Ember's question, Mr. A said helplessly, "It's difficult because these ruins are guarded by at least demigods or even angels, so even investigating their locations isn't easy. However, I can try."

Mr. A lowered his head, gazing at the rosy liquid swirling in his glass, his eyes flickering slightly.

The Dark Saint had instructed him to grant any request from Ember, and he had indeed done so. As for the impact of Ember learning this information on the Loen royal family and the Witch Cult, what does that have to do with the Aurora Society?

The Lord doesn't care!

Ember tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and asked thoughtfully, "What kind of reward do you need?"

"money."

Mr. A perked up and immediately said, "Lots of money! The more the better!"

"Ten thousand gold pounds."

Ember swept his hand across the table, and a stack of gold pounds quietly appeared on it. He slowly said, "This is an advance payment. I need you to provide me with more detailed information. Of course, the most important thing is the location of Ruins No. 1."

"no problem."

Mr. A readily agreed, "However, as you know, this is very difficult, so it may take a long time. And..."

Mr. A paused for a moment, then continued, "The intelligence network I previously built has been destroyed by you. I must rebuild it before I can gather intelligence for you. However, as long as I have enough gold pounds, this won't take too long."

"Um?"

Ember frowned. "I only killed a few people, didn't I?"

"really."

Mr. A looked at Ember with an extremely strange expression. "But the intelligence network was in the hands of these 'few people.' After their deaths, most of the Aurora Society members were exposed and eliminated by the major churches. As for the remaining members, due to the fragmentation of the intelligence network, I can't contact them for the time being."

Finally, Mr. A added, "But don't worry, the cooperation with the royal family continues. Even without the world of painting, they still need the Aurora Society's assistance, and it might even give me access to more crucial intelligence."

Yu Jin glanced at him, neither confirming nor denying his words.

The royal family may not necessarily need the Aurora Society's assistance; more likely, they fear retaliation from the Aurora Society if they were to abandon them. To avoid disrupting their plans, the royal family has no choice but to reluctantly allow the Aurora Society to continue its involvement.

Ember felt he needed to learn from the royal family's mistakes. Cooperating with the madman was fine, but to avoid further retaliation from the madman when ending the cooperation, it would be best to resolve these troubles once and for all.

Since the Aurora Society is also a cult, it's perfectly reasonable for him, as a Night Watchman of the Church of the Night, to purge it, right?

St. Samuel Church, North of Backlund.

Inside the church's main confessional, a woman sat in a chair at the front. She wore a simple robe, tied with a bark sash, and had long, flowing black hair. She was barefoot and unshoes.

She looked at the emblem of the crimson moon surrounded by stars, clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes in the peaceful and tranquil environment.

"Your Highness Ariana."

Anthony, dressed in a black robe with red accents, approached the woman and said softly, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Watch out for the moon."

Ariana did not look up or open her eyes, but whispered.

"this……"

Anthony was startled, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Beware of the moon? Why? You know, one of the goddess's titles is "Crimson Moon"! Princess Ariana is referring to the "Primordial Moon"? Then why not just say "Primordial Moon" and instead call it "the Moon"?

Ariana seemed completely oblivious to Anthony's expression and continued, "Bernarde may have been corrupted by the 'Moon.' Do not let her come into contact with His Excellency the Favored One."

"But don't touch her, and don't actively make enemies with her."

"I do not understand."

Anthony remained silent for a long time, then said in a deep voice, "I don't understand what you want to do. Besides, the goddess hasn't given me any divine pronouncements in a long time!"

Ariana opened her eyes, raised her dark gaze to Anthony, and slowly said...

"The goddess is currently at a critical juncture, and she cannot spare much energy. Assisting you, my lord, is the only thing you need to do."

"Then why not just direct His Excellency to the Church of Tranquility?"

Anthony countered with a question.

"..."

Ariana fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Do you know Snow White?"

Anthony was taken aback when Ariana suddenly changed the subject, and hesitated for a while before nodding.

"I know, it's a fairy tale created by Emperor Roselle."

"What did it say?"

Ariana then asked.

"..."

Anthony paused for a moment, then slowly said, "A long, long time ago, the queen of a country gave birth to a girl in winter. Her skin was as white as snow, her lips as red as blood, and her hair as black and smooth as silk. Therefore, she was named Snow White."

"The queen died shortly after giving birth to the princess, and the king remarried a beautiful, proud, cruel, and wicked woman. This stepmother queen, out of jealousy of Snow White's beauty, ordered a hunter to take Snow White into the forest and kill her."

"To confirm that Snow White was dead, the Queen ordered the hunter to bring back Snow White's lungs and liver as proof after the deed was done."

"But the hunter was moved by Snow White's kindness and innocence, and in the end let her go, asking a cook for the heart and liver of a wild boar to give to the queen."

After escaping, Snow White met the seven dwarfs and, with their help, settled down in the forest. But the queen discovered that Snow White was not dead, so she disguised herself as a peasant woman and tricked Snow White into eating a poisoned apple.

"When Snow White took a bite of the apple, she immediately fainted. When the seven dwarfs found her, they could only sadly place her in a crystal coffin."

As time passed, a prince from another country passed through this forest and discovered Snow White lying in a crystal coffin. The prince was captivated by Snow White's beauty and fell in love with her…

In the end, Snow White, who had eaten the poisoned apple, was rescued by the prince, and the prince and princess lived happily ever after, while the queen received her just punishment.

After Anthony finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Ariana, as if asking her for her thoughts on the story.

"This story originates from Russell's fairy tale, but it's said that Russell the Great also had a different version of the story, featuring a completely different Snow White. Have you heard of this story?"

After listening, Ariana did not express her opinion, but instead asked a question.

Anthony remained silent, only nodding slightly.

He had also read another version of the fairy tale, but it was clearly not suitable for children.

Ariana looked at Anthony, who had fallen completely silent, and simply said softly:

"Isn't it amazing that the same group of people have two completely different versions of their stories?"

"If Your Excellency wishes to go to the Church of Tranquility to explore the world depicted in the painting, nothing will stop you. If that were the case, the situation would be entirely different."

"But it seems that Your Excellency has never considered going to the Church of Tranquility, even though it is the easiest way for him to access the 'world of painting'."

"And this is another version of the story, another choice of will. Even the goddess is powerless to change this now. That's why the goddess needs us to buy her more time, do you understand?"

"..."

Anthony remained silent; he now understood why Ariana had used such a subtle example.

Whatever is said will be known.

That belongs to the realm of the gods. Your affairs involve a game of power at the divine level.

The goddess has not yet personally cast her gaze upon Your Excellency, not because she does not value it, but precisely because she values ​​it exceptionally! That is why it has not alerted the other 'will'.

Anthony took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I will do what I have to do."

……

That night.

Klein secretly sneaked into Dr. Allen's house and swapped Dr. Allen's genuine Dream Edition origami crane with a defective one he had made. After doing all this, Klein returned home and immediately went to the Gray Fog.

Sitting in the silent, deserted palace, he picked up the origami crane, examined it carefully for a few seconds, and found nothing unusual. Then, Klein conjured paper and pen and wrote down the same divination statement as before:

"Will Unsett's current location."

He had actually performed a divination before, but the result showed that Will Onsetin's location overlapped with Dr. Allen's. This time, however, he used "dream divination," and was surprised to see images appear in that hazy, fragmented world:

It was a dark room. Wilon Setin, with his tiger-like head and dark eyes, leaned on the desk by the window, gazing at the scenery outside.

He held a stack of tarot cards in each hand, and next to him was a pile of building blocks. The blocks were arranged to form a snake with its ends connected.

The view outside the window was equally dark, with only the faint sound of rushing water.

The dream ended silently there. Klein opened his eyes, tapped the edge of the bronze table lightly with his fingers, and murmured to himself:

"The snake that our owns its tail... is it really the serpent of mercury? The serpent of mercury that represents fate..."

The Mercury Serpent, Sequence 1 of the Monster Path. If he wasn't mistaken, Will Unsettin was likely a Sequence 1 angel. It was just that for some reason, he had become entangled with Dr. Allen, an ordinary person.

Moreover, this is very likely related to Ember, since he personally witnessed Ember visiting Will Unsetin yesterday, although he doesn't yet know the specific connection between the two.

As if possessed, Klein was playing with the origami crane when he suddenly felt a strong urge.

"Should we bring it back to the real world to see?"

Klein hesitated for two seconds, feeling that this might be dangerous, after all, it was a Sequence 1 angel. But he was also very curious about what had happened. He might not have taken the risk if it was just Dr. Allen, but the fact that Ember was also involved made him somewhat eager to try.

Therefore, he made a decisive decision—

First, let's consult the oracle.

When in doubt, consult a divination master. There exists a being above the gray fog; even a Sequence 1 angel cannot interfere with his divination. If the divination fails or the result indicates danger, abandon it; if the danger is minor, give it a try!

"Bringing the origami cranes back to the real world would be dangerous."

Klein held the pendulum, closed his eyes, and silently recited the mantra seven times. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the citrine pendant. The citrine pendant was spinning counterclockwise, with a perfectly normal amplitude and speed.

In other words, there is no danger in bringing the origami cranes back to the real world.

After a moment's thought, Klein made his choice and returned to the real world with the origami cranes.

He placed the origami cranes in the bedside table, took a leisurely bath, and then crawled into bed.

After an unknown amount of time, Klein suddenly realized with a start that he was dreaming, dreaming of arranging origami cranes in the living room.

This, this familiar feeling... He habitually feigned confusion and turned his head to look at the doorway.

The door creaked open, and a figure that Klein found somewhat familiar walked in.

He looked to be in his thirties, wearing a black trench coat and red gloves, with a slightly high hairline and deep gray eyes.

Klein recognized him, and he recognized Klein; both of them showed expressions of astonishment.

"Klein?!"

Dunn Smith stared at Klein in shock, his face filled with disbelief.

Klein's expression froze on his face; he never imagined they would meet in such an awkward way.

PS: This is a masterpiece created in collaboration with a top-tier developer; it's definitely worth checking out!

(End of this chapter)