the emotional moment, Ebner decided to act according to his original plan, no longer expecting the gods to show mercy. After all, even Lilith—the one he valued most—had expressed a refusal, and even if other deities saw through George III's tricks, they wouldn't care much.
His plan was simple: he had been residing in the East Borough lately, waiting for the Demoness of Despair to appear so he could intervene and stop her from spreading a mysterious "plague" in the field of occultism.
He couldn't stop the course of time, but he could mitigate man-made disasters!
As for why he remained in the East Borough? Due to the various "butterfly effects," he could no longer guarantee that Panatia would act on December 28th as in the original account… It might happen a few days early or a few days later.
He could only wait patiently.
Once his plan was set, Ebner thought a while and then requested Lilith's help: "I'd like to ask you for a favor…"
"What favor?" Lilith asked with a smile.
"I want you to help me prepare a false identity… During my time lying low in the East Borough, I'd like to try playing the role of a 'Mysticism Magister.'" Ebner did not specify any particular details about the identity, merely stating his need; he believed that with the Earth Mother Church's power in Loen, it shouldn't be too difficult.
After all, in the original tale, even a secret organization like the "Dawn of the Elements" could provide Klein with a false identity.
Lilith glanced at him with a wry smile, shook her head, and said, "You can just pray directly to 'Knowledge'… 'Learning' and 'Imitating' to create a forgery is His forte."
If I use that reason to approach the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, won't I incur divine punishment? Isn't this the worst scandal He's ever faced?
Ebner was momentarily speechless, but he understood that directly asking Lilith for this favor was indeed improper, hence her teasing tone…
It was all her fault—her casual tone, expressions, and posture always made me forget that she is, in essence, a deity…
After silently defending himself, Ebner then heard Lilith say, "I was just joking earlier… I'll have Closfia handle it through the 'Psychological Alchemy Society'… Even if you cause trouble with that identity, the blame will fall on the 'Psychological Alchemy Society.'"
This rich humanity of Lilith made him wonder if it was all an act… Hearing her words, Ebner sighed inwardly again.
After expressing his sincere thanks to Lilith, Ebner took his leave and ascended the stairs out of the basement.
Soon after returning to the prayer hall, he witnessed a classic scene from the original narrative:
Bearded Detective Sherlock Moriarty and the bloodline youth Emlyn White exchanged a suitcase and cash as if in a mob deal. After the transaction, Emlyn quickly moved to stand beside Father Utravsky and began verifying the bills.
Seeing this scene, Ebner's lips twitched as he recalled the moment when he and Karen had traded over the "Elder Tree's Heart"…
In contrast, he found his and Karen's actions to have been perfectly normal.
At that moment, having confirmed the condition of both items, Klein noticed Ebner coming up the stairs.
"Mr. 'Tower'…"
From the inscription In Praise of the Humble Room, Klein had already deduced that this unfamiliar face belonged to Mr. Tower—the very one who had just slain the "Desire Apostle"! The Mr. Tower who wielded demigod means!
—He had learned this through the description given by the Machinery Hivemind and from questioning the soul of the Desire Apostle.
Yet, he didn't intend for his current detective identity to mingle too much with Mr. Tower, to avoid revealing any weaknesses. So, in keeping with the plan, he snapped his fingers, igniting a match he had set aside in his pocket. The sudden blaze of red flames engulfed him.
When the flames subsided, he had disappeared.
Ebner, who had a rough idea of Klein's thoughts, gave a subtle smirk. But soon, his smile deepened as he received a "passive" prophecy, or rather a premonition:
The day when he would expose that person's "disguise" was not far off!
And the catalyst… turned out to be Edwina?!
Ebner pinched his chin and mused:
A simple deduction suggests that Edwina will soon locate the so-called "Key of the Northern King" from the descendant of soldier Longzel's family and, in a safe manner, invite me into "Grossel's Travels."
Hmm… To be on the safe side, I'll probably report to Mr. Fool… And if Klein has already become "Gehrman" by then, he might indeed come in person…
Of course, it might also be that I proactively invite "The World."
So, perhaps the opportunity to unmask the disguise will occur in the "Hall of Honesty"?
Sigh… Luckily, I anticipated this beforehand; I should develop a mysticism technique to consolidate thoughts… Otherwise, it might result in both sides exposing themselves…
…
Monday Morning
In front of house number 30 on Black Palm Street in the East Borough, a refined young man, though dressed rather shabbily, shook hands with his landlord and withdrew a 1-pound note from his thin wallet to pay the rent.
That was a month's rent.
"Mr. Ivins, I heard you've taken a teaching post at the free school? You truly are a gentleman of high morals." The landlord, as was his habit, offered flattery, but the rent remained non-negotiable.
The free school was established by the three major churches or certain charitable organizations as a night school, holding classes from 8 to 10 p.m. completely free of charge, even providing writing materials and some paper at no cost—primarily to combat illiteracy, with some religious instruction thrown in at most.
However, due to the meager salary, the school lacked teachers.
Freya and her younger sister Daisy had been attending that school for a long time. Even though Aetris had recommended better schools for them, they never accepted his kindness.
"You flatter me... If possible, you can just call me 'Professor', sir. I prefer that title," the young man said with a cheerful smile.
"Alright then, 'Professor', sir." The landlord gave him a strange look but ultimately obliged—after all, it didn't cost anything to call someone that.
Once the landlord left and the door was shut, the young man—Ebner—placed a hand to his forehead and couldn't help but complain inwardly:
Closfia... no, maybe Lilith. Just what kind of ridiculous persona did she design for me?
A down-on-his-luck musician who dreams of becoming a 'professor'? Someone who, after repeatedly hitting walls in Backlund, had no choice but to come teach at a free school set up by the Church on the edge of the East Borough?
And he has an inexplicable obsession with being called 'Professor'?
Why give me a persona like this?
As doubts filled his mind, Ebner recalled what Lilith had told him when she handed over his identification documents:
"This identity was inspired by a story Rhine once told me... In that story, the 'Professor' was a renowned musician favored by the Silver Moon."
...
Capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, the City of Generosity, Bayam.
Alger, having disembarked from the Blue Avenger, changed into a robe embroidered with storm patterns and headed straight for the Church of the Lord of Storms.
As soon as he entered the Grand Prayer Hall, he performed the Church's ritual greeting to the bishop and respectfully said, "The Storm be with you!"
"The Storm be with you!" the bishop responded with the same gesture.
Before Alger could speak, the bishop took out a telegram and said gravely:
"You came at the right time. There's something you need to know...
"Duke Negan has been assassinated. The Cardinal Council has ordered all Mandated Punishers and clerics to be alert to any events involving Tarot rituals, organizations that worship the Fool, as well as intelligence related to rogue figures like the 'Black Emperor', 'Iron Man', and 'Doctor Strange'.
"In addition, intelligence on the Secret Order must also be gathered."
"Tarot rituals? Secret Order?" Alger was shocked inside but maintained an expression of confusion on the surface.
He couldn't quite understand why Duke Negan's death would be linked to the Tarot Club—or to Mr. Fool.
And what did this have to do with the Secret Order?
The bishop nodded solemnly and explained:
"The one who assassinated Duke Negan was a Sequence 5 demon and Baron Larry. The latter vanished without a trace, but the former was killed by a Saint during his escape. He left behind a 'Tower' card... This is similar to what happened to Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos when his assassination attempt failed—although that time no Tarot card was left."
"Also, it's suspected that Larry may have received backing from Intis. And during the Black Emperor's operation against the Aurora Order, individuals suspected of being from the Secret Order were involved...
"So, the Cardinal Council believes that the organization worshipping the Fool might be connected to the Secret Order!"
The Tower... took out the Desire Apostle? He's become a demigod? So his three-week leave was to perform an advancement ritual...
Hmm, if it really was him, then he was probably acting on behalf of either the World or Mr. Fool... Could this have been part of a test to become Blessed?
Also, Mr. Fool must be more focused on the truth hidden behind the assassination—the real mastermind!
Could it be the Secret Order? I remember Mr. Fool attached great importance to that group, even issued a mission for its intel...
Heh, the Cardinal Council might've guessed one thing right—Mr. Fool probably does have some connection to the Secret Order... but not a close one. They might even be enemies.
A flood of thoughts raced through Alger's mind. As he lowered his eyes to read the telegram, he saw that the Church had formed a joint investigation team made up of Mandated Punishers, Machinery Hivemind, and Nighthawks to look into the assassination of Duke Negan. Each member was an elite from their respective organization.
As his eyes scanned the names—Stuart, Daly, Ikonsa—Alger hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should apply to join the team to stay updated on the investigation's progress...
But in the end, he decided to stick to his original plan and develop quietly.
...
In a rowhouse at 15 Minsk Street, Backlund, Klein finally gathered all the materials needed for Sequence 6 "Faceless Man" after receiving the "Human-Skinned Shadow's characteristic" from Sharon. He successfully advanced.
While experimenting with his new powers, he morphed into a woman's face and even shaped a pair of "A-cup" breasts on his chest. Then someone suddenly knocked on the door.
The shock nearly caused him to activate Flame Leap. Fortunately, he calmed himself in time, reverted to his bearded Sherlock look, and opened the door.
Standing outside was an elderly man dressed like a butler, there to invite Sherlock to meet an important figure.
That figure was, of course, Prince Edessak, who had sought Klein's help to investigate the whereabouts of Talim.
"Talim? According to what Mr. Tower described, he might be... 'reading by candlelight with a red-sleeved beauty' right now... Hmm, something like that. I wonder if Roselle ever copied that phrase..."
...
Aboard the Golden Dream, the now inexplicably-turned-pirate Talim was miserably scribbling ancient Hermetic words with pen and paper.
Beside him, Danitz was eating grilled fish while pointing out Talim's mistakes.
He really was enjoying the "red-sleeved beauty and scented candles" life...
(End of Chapter)