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

Chapter 280 Help

Above the gray mist, Klein sat at the head of the long bronze table, with a notebook in front of him. The notebook had a cover made of cardboard and was completely dyed black, exuding an ancient and distant aura.

Klein was extremely familiar with this notebook!

"The Antigonus Family Notes"

Klein murmured softly, his gaze somewhat complicated.

It all started with this notebook.

Klein Moretti died because of this notebook, which is why he was able to be resurrected in Klein Moretti's body. And it was through this connection with the notebook that he was able to join the Night Watchers, become an Extraordinary, and a diviner.

This notebook itself is also part of Ince Zangwell's conspiracy.

Everything started with this notebook. The moment he stepped into the extraordinary world, his inextricable bond with this notebook was already destined.

Klein took a deep breath and resolutely opened the notebook:

"Let me see where your limits are!"

He knew that the Antigonus family notes contained potion recipes for the 'Diviner' pathway, but he didn't know the highest sequence recorded in them.

If he only goes up to Sequence 5, then this notebook is meaningless to him.

Fortunately, according to the divination results, the potion recipes recorded in this notebook are at least up to Sequence 4.

Klein now only hopes that it can record potion recipes of Sequence 3 or even higher, so that he will no longer have to worry about potion recipes.

Sequence 4: The Deceptive.

"Main materials: the main eye of a wicked monster, the true soul of a spirit raider."

"Auxiliary materials: 200 ml of blood from a sorcerer, 30 g of dust from a spirit raider, 10 g of bark from a red birch, a section of a golden grapevine, and a homemade rubber mask the size of a finger."

"Ascension Ceremony: Primarily relying on one's own strength and planning, in front of a large audience, a grand drama is staged to murder a demigod or an equivalent supernatural being, and then, at the end of the drama, a magic potion is consumed."

With almost no obstacles, Klein successfully obtained the Sequence 4 potion recipe.

But at the same time, other things also flooded his mind!

Klein felt his head swelling, as if it were about to burst; everything he saw was blurred with countless double images, and he heard faint whispers from some unknown source:

"Honakis...Fregora...Honakis...Fregora...Honakis...Fregora..."

The gray sky and earth parted, and he saw a towering, majestic mountain peak reaching into the clouds.

At the summit of the mountain, there was a dilapidated palace, its walls overgrown with weeds and moss, and riddled with obvious holes.

Inside the palace hall, at the head of the table stands a huge chair carved from stone, inlaid with dull gold and jewels, much of it mottled and damaged.

This doesn't look like a seat prepared for humans. Countless transparent maggots are huddled together, densely intertwined, slowly wriggling, and constantly growing.

And the murmurs echoed around that chair.

The sound seemed to pierce through the vast expanse of time and history, ethereal, fleeting, and endlessly echoing.

"Honakis...Fregora...Treasure...Fool..."

Klein felt a sharp pain in his forehead, and his heart was quickly filled with an urge to vent and destroy.

Although he is now a faceless man, his self-control is far beyond what he used to be. However, the negative emotions brought about by these delirious ramblings are also far more intense than before!

"A treasure trove!"

Klein gritted his teeth and uttered two words. At that moment, he felt like Gollum holding the One Ring, greedy and ugly.

And all of these were the emotions that the notes instilled in him!

Snapped!

Klein forced himself to close the notebook despite feeling unwell.

He realized almost instantly that the notebook had lost its value; the potion recipes recorded in it only went up to Sequence 4, and looking at them again would not do him any good.

The subsequent potion recipes are all hidden in the "treasure" recorded in the notebook. To obtain potion recipes of Sequence 3 or higher, one must search for that so-called treasure.

To obtain the treasure, one must travel to the main peak of the Hornachis Mountains and visit the "Night Kingdom" located at the top!

"Your destiny lies on the summit of the Hornach Mountains."

Klein once again recalled Bernadette's prophetic words.

Previously, he had some doubts about this so-called language, but now he is completely certain—

The Antigonus family's notes only go up to Sequence 4, and given the current state of decline of the Secret Order, they most likely do not have Sequence 4 potion recipes.

This is not surprising; all factions share the same attitude towards high-sequence potion recipes.

That means they only provide the finished potion, while keeping the potion formula a complete secret.

The Secret Order may still have a few tricksters, but they certainly don't have the potion recipes corresponding to "tricks," let alone potion recipes of higher rank.

There are only two people who could possibly possess the formulas for higher-order potions—

The transparent worm located on the Throne of the Night, the main peak of the Hornach Mountains.

And Zarathustra, the leader of the secret order.

But Zarathustra has gone mad due to loss of control, and his state is probably similar to that of the transparent worm.

Many members of the Secret Order were killed by the mad Zarathustra; seeking him out is tantamount to courting death.

Similarly, going to the main peak of the Hornach Mountains would be suicidal; that transparent worm doesn't seem like a friendly entity.

Let's take it one step at a time.

Klein rubbed his temples; thinking about it all was pointless.

It's more practical to just honestly advance to Sequence 4 first.

However...

Klein's eyes flickered slightly, and he wrote the corresponding words below the potion recipe.

Then, he summoned a pendulum from the pile of clutter, held it in his left hand, and began to divine.

Not long after, Klein opened his eyes and saw the citrine pendant spinning clockwise.

This means that the "Trickster" potion recipe he has is correct!

Whew… Klein breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there are no problems.

The Antigonus family's notes made him uneasy; although everything seemed normal, he always felt there was something fishy going on.

For example, that so-called treasure is definitely a huge scam!

Klein thought for a moment, took out his pocket watch and glanced at it; there were still ten minutes left until three in the afternoon.

-

Somewhere in the Sunia Sea, the "Future" sailed on the turbulent waters. Cattleya stood by the window, gazing at the vast, seemingly endless landscape. From the foredeck, Nina's exasperated voice occasionally drifted over; she was furiously berating Frank Lee for creating a bunch of rapidly multiplying, fish-loving beef-flavored mushrooms.

Today is another Tarot reading day, and last week's conversation with the "Mysterious Queen" Bernadette left Cattleya with mixed feelings—a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

Suddenly, she was struck by inspiration and looked down at her desk, where she saw several yellowed sheets of paper that had appeared there at some point.

"The Emperor's diary... She finally sent a messenger..."

Caldelia turned around with delight and picked up the few sheets of paper that seemed more like an initial trial.

By 3 p.m., having forcibly memorized those symbols, she saw a surging, illusory crimson light engulf her like a tidal wave.

Beneath the towering dome supported by stone pillars, the 'Hermit' Cattleya saw similar crimson lights rise up, transforming into blurry figures.

She didn't look closely, but noticed that the familiar glasses had naturally appeared on the bridge of her nose, seemingly a perfect replica of the external environment.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Miss Justice gracefully rise and greet the person at the head of the bronze table in a light and cheerful tone:

Good afternoon, Mr. Fool.

Klein seemed to be infected by the smile and nodded in response.

After Miss Justice finished her greetings, "The Hermit" Cattleya looked at the head of the bronze table and said:

"Dear Mr. 'Fool,' I have collected five pages of Russell's diary."

"They're here..." Klein's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm and composed as he spoke:

"Very good, you can think of a request now."

"Yes, Mr. Fool."

Cattleya responded flawlessly, then requested that the contents of her diary be made visible.

Seeing her performance and recalling her appearance in her dream, Klein felt quite gratified, just like a homeroom teacher successfully making a student obedient and sensible.

Klein didn't have to wait long before the three pages of the diary materialized and came into his hands.

"February 9th is Bonova's birthday. He is now a healthy, strong, honest, and kind young man. He is so devout that he is highly regarded by the church."

"..."

"...A lovely angel, hehe, she really is a lovely angel."

Is this how you guard against me?

"Is this how you try to control me?"

"No, you probably can't understand the pride in my heart. In my eyes, what are gods? I can take their place!"

"If my Emperor brother can be the Om Messiah, why can't I be the Lord of Steam?"

"..."

Looking at the diary submitted by the "Hermit," Klein thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

He had long wondered why Rosell the Great's diary hadn't become a record of the demigods.

This could not possibly be because Rosell failed to become a demigod.

At that time, he was already the consul of the Republic of Indis, and later forcibly transformed the republic into an empire, making himself emperor. To accomplish all this, absolute overwhelming power was essential.

At that time, Emperor Roselle was at least an angel.

Why is there no diary entry about this part?

If we rule out the possibility that Emperor Roselle did not keep a diary, then the only remaining option is that someone hid the diary.

The person who hid these diaries has now been identified: Bernadette.

She collected these diaries, but couldn't understand the writing or the meaning behind them.

Furthermore, he also discerned Rosell's repression and resentment between the lines of the first two diary entries, and using his reading comprehension skills honed in his previous life, he gleaned some information hidden beneath the surface:

After becoming an angel, the Emperor seemed to be controlled and guarded against by the Steam Church. The "God of Steam and Machinery" exerted a certain influence on his youngest son, Bonova, making him the most devout believer, the kind who could enter the "Perfect Land" and become an angel in the future.

However, this did not make Emperor Roselle submit or hesitate; on the contrary, it aroused his rebellious spirit, and he wanted to take his place.

Therefore, the Emperor, who was already an angel of the 'Perfect One' pathway, chose to switch to the 'Hidden One' pathway. This was because he judged that the 'Hidden Sage' was a product of the unique activation of the 'Hidden One' pathway, meaning that sequence 0 of this pathway was still in a suspended state.

However, judging from the third diary entry, the emperor encountered an even greater upheaval—

The third page of the diary has no date and the spacing between the characters is very large.

Because it's the original, you can clearly see that the weight of the brushstrokes is extraordinary!

Klein's gaze swept across the yellowed paper, and the contents immediately flashed into his mind:

No! Impossible!

How could this happen!

"If my guess is correct, I was not the only one who had that experience back then!"

"No! No! How could this happen!"

"What I see tells me that everything will be destroyed, including everything I have created! No! I cannot accept this ending!"

"We must strive to save ourselves and stop placing our hopes on the Seven Gods!"

"Only by ascending to the throne of Sequence 0 can I, and those things I value, be preserved!"

"Should I try to pull Mr. 'Door' back to the real world? No! Although he claims to be only a Sequence 1, I believe he is definitely not an ordinary Sequence 1! He is very likely to bring me unexpected disaster!"

"Rakhad! Yes! Rakhad! I can still ask Rakhad for help!"

"No! We can't go to Rakad! He also comes from...outer heavens, and he's in cahoots with those things!"

"I can only rely on myself!"

The Chinese characters, much larger than the previous two pages, filled the yellowed paper in a sparse and messy manner. There wasn't much actual content, but it made Klein's head throb with pain.

"What exactly did the Emperor see that made him so emotional and so extreme?"

"No, the sense of turmoil and impulsiveness between the lines is a bit abnormal, not in line with the image of someone who has long held a high position, much less with the status of an angel. The Emperor at that time was likely already a 'Knowledge Emperor' of Sequence 1. What could make a Sequence 1 angel lose control like this?"

"Even in his final days, when the Emperor said, 'After I die, let the floods rage,' he was not this distraught or this agitated."

"Who influenced him? Or what corrupted or eroded him?"

"This pollution comes from 'outer heavens,' so he doesn't trust Mr. 'Door' or 'Raccard.'"

"Because one of them is outside the heavens, and the other comes from outside the heavens."

"But the Emperor still instinctively thought of them, which shows that before this, they were trustworthy in the Emperor's heart."

"At least during the time when the Great Emperor ruled Intis, they provided him with great assistance."

"Correspondingly, the fact that the Emperor didn't mention the Steam Church or Zarathustra indirectly proves that they are not trustworthy."

"But while Mr. 'Door' and 'Laccard' are credible, they both happen to be connected to 'outer space'."

"And based on this little bit of relationship alone, it was enough for the Emperor to give up asking these two beings he once trusted so much for help."

"That's why the Emperor was so desperate and hysterical!"

"What exactly is beyond the heavens? What did he see?"

Countless questions swirled in Klein's mind, but he ultimately forced himself to suppress them and looked at the fourth page of the diary—

Like the third page of the diary, the fourth page is also incredibly brief, without a date.

This time, however, the font is no longer as heavy as before:

"The god of knowledge and wisdom—I never imagined it would be Him!"

"He is willing to cooperate with me, or at least provide assistance to the best of his ability."

"That's perhaps the only thing to be thankful for, even though this kind of help seems like it's better than nothing."

"But anyway, it's better than nothing, right?"

(End of this chapter)