Fog Sea, Corsica Island.
It was said that this island, discovered just over a hundred years ago, had been named personally by Roselle, who also founded a city on it.
Now, located at the border of the Fog Sea and the Berserk Sea, Corsica Island had become a vital hub between the northern and southern continents, with a permanent population exceeding two hundred thousand.
In disguise, Admiral of Stars Cattleya landed at Corsica from a private dock with Jane and navigated through the bustling streets before entering a museum.
"Captain, what are we doing here?" Jane couldn't help but ask.
"We're attending Lady D's Beyonder gathering," Cattleya replied in a low voice, leading Jane through a hidden door in the museum's washroom to a subterranean auction hall.
Many Beyonders had already gathered there, and their arrival did not attract much attention.
After settling into a quiet corner, Jane remarked with some awe, "This is the first time I've seen someone host a Beyonder gathering inside a museum… If anything happens, wouldn't all those artifacts be destroyed?"
Cattleya curved her lips into a smile and said, "A few months ago, when Lady D first started hosting regular gatherings here, quite a commotion did break out…"
"And what happened?" Jane asked curiously.
"In the end, Lady D not only used the incident to establish her authority, but also restored the museum to its original state in an instant!" Cattleya still found it incredible, even after having witnessed the scene herself.
She knew of a few abilities with similar effects, but none could be achieved at a mid- or low-level Sequence.
.....
Intis, the small city of Bernie.
This city sat on a plateau, backed by Mount Karar, and located at the upper reaches of the Lane River.
In the Intis language, the words "Karar" and "Bernie" together meant "Thunderbird."
Legend had it that decades ago, a three-eyed giant bird appeared on that mountain. It could stir violent winds and command thunder, and so the mountain folk revered and worshiped it. A temple was even built in its honor, though it was later torn down by priests of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun.
At first, Fors, who had come to this town on tour with the circus, treated it all as just a story. Even if such a Beyonder creature had once existed, she assumed it had long since been eliminated by the Church.
Until a few nights ago, she dreamed of a ruin. In the dream, that Thunderbird and several official Beyonders had stumbled into the ruins during a battle and became trapped inside…
The dream was so vivid that Fors was certain it wasn't just her imagination. Her intuition told her the Thunderbird and those Beyonders were truly still in the ruins!
She had a premonition that over the next few days, she would keep having the same dream, each time clearer than the last, until she too would be pulled into the ruin while asleep.
However, with Mister Fool as her backing and Ebner as her ally, Fors wasn't particularly worried. She was only puzzled as to why she, of all people, would have such dreams. So she posed as someone interested in the town's history and asked many of the local elders for information…
It was worth mentioning that the Roselle diary page she submitted at the last Tarot Gathering was collected during this investigation.
"Bernie City… During the Gustav Dynasty, it was the fief of a nobleman named Benjamin...
"Benjamin… I remember Mr. Tren mentioned that name before he died… It seems the box in the First Bank was left to me by that gentleman through Mr. Tren..."
As Fors pondered this, she organized her gathered materials and then picked up her fountain pen to write a letter to Ebner.
She was sure he would be interested in this matter.
.....
Bayam, inside a luxurious hotel suite.
Thinking of the matter Mr. Tower had entrusted to him above the gray fog, Klein first wrote a letter to Pale Admiral Maria, asking for an update on the pursuit of Miss Abby.
Then, after contemplating for a while, he took out the origami crane from his wallet, carefully unfolded it, and wrote with a pencil:
"May I ask who the fifth survivor of the experiment eleven years ago was?"
After putting the pencil down, Klein followed the crease lines to restore the crane, feeling quite pleased with how much his folding skills had improved.
.....
That night, after reviewing the prayers of his believers, Klein returned to the real world and enjoyed a thoroughly relaxing hot bath in the washroom.
This allowed him to fall asleep quickly once he crawled into bed—until he suddenly sensed a force invading his dream.
However, having experienced similar situations many times, Klein remained calm. Without hurry, he stepped into a desolate, barren plain and arrived in front of the tall, pitch-black spire. Then, with practiced ease, he passed through the door and walls, reaching the inner depths of the tower.
Just like the last time he came, scattered Tarot cards lay around the central raised platform. They seemed to be revealing something, but as a Seer, Klein could only interpret the signs as chaotic and contradictory.
On the raised platform, the text had already changed. Silvery words formed three short sentences.
The first read:
"I'm just an unborn child."
Klein's expression froze. It was as if he could hear a baby crying out: Please, stop making things difficult for me. I really don't want to know about those terrifying things you're asking about...
The second sentence was equally concise:
"You should ask the mirror."
The third sentence said:
"This is the God of Luck's matter. Don't dig too deeply."
So this is a warning from the Snake of Fate, Will Auceptin, based on something he foresaw? But as always, his words are vague and unclear... It really gives off that 'mystic fortune teller' vibe—wait, no, I can't say that. That would be insulting myself too... Klein committed the message to memory, exited the dream, and then considered the clues Will had revealed:
Clearly it's Mr. Tower who's most actively investigating this matter, yet Will says it's the God of Luck's business...
Could it be that the God of Luck is also Liu Bo?
Hmm... the relationship between the God of Luck and the Queen of Calamity does seem rather ambiguous, which is kind of in line with Liu Bo's reputation as a "pretty boy favored by goddesses"...
But the Calamity Seal told Roselle that his earliest incarnation was the Vampire Duke Rhine, which obviously doesn't match...
Did the Calamity Seal deceive Roselle?
Did the God of Luck have plans even Roselle wasn't allowed to know?
As his thoughts raced, Klein remembered that Will had also mentioned Arrodes. He decided to leave the telegraph machine up above the gray fog to "marinate" for a bit longer before summoning it and asking the questions that had been bothering him.
.....
Intis, Trier.
That night, Ebner quietly entered his lady housekeeper's bedroom, preparing to investigate the true source of the "misfortune" surrounding her.
He was stuck again.
(End of chapter)
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