A "Yesterday's Reenactment" charm, plus 5,000 gold coins? And it can even be paid in installments?
Miss Messenger really is fashionable… Did she learn that from "Liu Bo"?
Klein opened his mouth slightly, taking a long moment before asking again, "Can they be Loen gold coins?"
Miss Sharon didn't move at all when she heard that. Her pale-gold hair, blue eyes, and bloodless complexion didn't shift in the slightest—like a real doll.
However, after about half a minute, the "doll" finally spoke:
"Teacher said, yes."
That means if I really want to hire Mr. Tower, my debt will reach thirty-five thousand pounds! And that's not even counting the material costs of the 'Yesterday's Reenactment' charm… Hopefully, after accepting the commission, Mr. Tower can waive some of these smaller fees…
Hmm… Mr. Tower still has my Sequence 5 "Desire Apostle" characteristic and a Sequence 6 "Dawn Paladin" characteristic. With his craftsmanship, once he turns them into items and sells them, I could easily net at least twenty thousand pounds…
As for the remaining ten-thousand-pound gap… my "Universal Poison Vial" could fetch several thousand pounds, and for the rest—I'll need to find the "Lucky Pirate" for help.
While making his mental calculations, Klein adjusted his fake gray sideburns and reached out to draw the curtains.
Sharon looked at him curiously, not understanding what he intended to do.
"I'm summoning a servant to ask some questions," Klein explained simply. Without avoiding her, he directly brought up the radio transceiver—already removed from above the gray fog and stripped of most of its scent—to the third-floor room belonging to Sharon.
The "servant" he referred to, of course, was Arrodes.
Earlier, he had already contacted the "Snake of Fate" via a paper crane and learned that while his trip to the Feysac naval port at Sonia Island carried certain dangers, his life would not be in immediate peril.
Now, Klein wanted Arrodes to tell him exactly what those dangers were.
Under Sharon's calm gaze, he waited barely ten seconds before the room turned gloomy and dark. The telegraph began clicking with rhythmic taps.
Klein stepped closer and saw a piece of illusory white paper emerging from the machine. On it, in Loen script, were the words:
"Great Master, please look to your right!"
To my right? Klein turned his head, half amused, half confused.
There, where "Tower" had crafted a shining mirror, the surface had turned pitch-black, as if someone had smeared it with ink.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, that mirror—which could change one's appearance—suddenly lit up again. A shower of ethereal fireworks bloomed within it, bursting and fading in dazzling splendor.
At the center of the mirror appeared a line of golden Loen words:
"Welcome back, my Great Master!"
At that moment, though Arrodes made no sound, Klein couldn't help but feel it was screaming at the top of its lungs.
As the fireworks died down, the golden words twisted and reformed into new text:
"Great Master, your humble and faithful servant Arrodes asks: Is there anything I may do for you?"
Klein, long accustomed to its antics, replied smoothly:
"Answer my questions."
The golden words reshaped again:
"Thank you for your response. You may begin asking."
Klein, already prepared, asked:
"Where exactly is the Feysac military keeping the Obnis sea monster?"
The golden letters froze for a few seconds before fading. The mirror's background blurred, then sharpened—revealing a new scene.
It was a huge, pitch-black cavern atop an undersea volcano. Massive tentacles—thicker than the serpents of the Southern Continent's jungles—floated gently in the water.
As the image zoomed in, Klein saw that the enormous cavern, several times larger than St. Samuel's Cathedral, had two levels. The upper level was where those tentacles drifted—but deep below, in the lower chamber, was another Obnis sea monster, bound tightly by orange-glowing ritual chains.
Presiding over the ritual was a towering giant more than three meters tall, clad in full armor.
The Feysac military actually controls two Obnis sea monsters… That means the one above is bait! They're ready for the "Church of the Lord of Storms" to kill it—a deliberate sacrifice!
Using one pawn to wipe out the Storm Church's privateers and an elite squad? What a calculation!
And placing the sea monster inside an undersea volcanic cave—that's to make it easier for the "Trident" to locate! Then they'll stage a "valiant execution" of the monster by the elite Punishers…
As these thoughts raced through his mind, a warm, smiling voice came from the giant in the image:
"This is the choice of the era."
With those words, the scene warped and shattered into disturbed waves, then vanished completely.
The choice of the era… That giant must belong to that unmentionable organization! Is he from the Church of the God of Combat, or a Feysac "Warrior" pathway Beyonder? That orange light—its level is extremely high… It feels similar to the lights of the Giant King's Court…
I'll show this image to Mr. Tower later—he's well-traveled, he should recognize it.
Just as these thoughts flickered through Klein's mind, Sharon suddenly spoke beside him:
"Teacher says that is the 'Twilight' Authority of the God of Combat. It can solidify time.
"Other than the God of Combat's descending vessel, only His attendants—'Glory-bearers' who share in His radiance—are permitted to use that Authority."
An attendant of the God of Combat? Klein's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected even one of the God of Combat's attendants to have joined the "Twilight Hermit Order." Is this sanctioned by the God of Combat, or is this giant a double agent from the Church?
After a moment's thought, Klein asked Sharon, "What Sequence is a 'Glory-bearer'?"
"Teacher said it's Sequence 2 of the 'Warrior' pathway." Sharon's pale, melodious voice carried that familiar nonhuman detachment.
Sequence 2… So there really is an angel involved. Klein's heart sank, though his face didn't change. He turned back to Arrodes and said:
"My second question—what forces must I face if I want to seize the sea monster from the Feysac side?"
Golden Loen words surfaced one after another on the mirror:
"Feysac's First Fleet of the Sonia Sea, commanded by Feysac Admiral, 'Iron-Blooded Knight' Yegor Einhorn."
Below the words, rippling light formed an image: a mixed fleet of three airships, five hybrid-powered first-class battleships, ten second-class battleships, and five auxiliary and supply ships anchored near the undersea volcano.
A burly man over two meters tall with a thick mustache stood on the deck of the flagship Nippos.
There was no need to say it—Klein immediately knew this was the "Iron-Blooded Knight" Yegor, a Sequence 4 powerhouse.
Then, new golden letters flowed across the mirror:
"'Vice Admiral Dusk's' pirate fleet. Feysac admiral, father of Vice Admiral Dusk, member of the Twilight Hermit Order, 'Monster Hunter' Peter Ivan."
The following image showed a ragtag fleet of ships, where Vice Admiral Dusk—Bratov Ivan—stood respectfully behind a burly, armored middle-aged man.
Another demigod… Klein swallowed hard, only for Arrodes to reveal two more: the Sonia Island garrison commander, "War Bishop" Belyak Einhorn, and the Church of the God of Combat's Archbishop stationed at Sonia, "Silver Knight" Ivan Sharick.
Two Sequence 3s, two Sequence 4s—and on top of that, the angel-level "Glory-bearer."
Klein drew a deep breath, thinking the list complete—only for the mirror to depict a beautiful woman in a pale yellow gauze dress.
She was tall, golden-haired, blue-eyed, with a floral crown and a scepter in hand. Though her gown was translucent, it revealed nothing—her appearance carried a distinctly classical, almost Greco-Roman elegance.
Hmm… Liu Bo's not really into Demonesses, so this must be Lao Huang's idea.
Klein confirmed her identity as a Demoness when Arrodes thoughtfully added subtitles:
"Holy Maiden of Yellow, member of the Twilight Hermit Order, Sequence 2 'Demoness of Catastrophe' Natalia, supervisor of the 'Sea Monster Pact.'"
A Demoness of Catastrophe… another angel!
But 'supervisor of the Sea Monster Pact'? So she's not from the Feysac side, but an overseer sent by that unmentionable organization? Monitoring both Feysac's and the Church's internal agents to ensure the pact is upheld?
Does she know Feysac still has a second sea monster hidden away?
While Klein pondered this, Arrodes reached the end of its report, revealing the identity of the "Glory-bearer" who had bound the sea monster:
"'Glory-bearer' Boris Vasika, Chief Inquisitor of the Church of the God of Combat's Tribunal, one of the last pureblood giants, member of the Twilight Hermit Order."
—Every instance of "Twilight Hermit Order" had been blacked out by Arrodes, but Klein could easily fill in the blanks.
The Church of the God of Combat has a Tribunal? I've never heard of such an organization…
And Boris Vasika is a pureblood giant—he shouldn't be able to betray the God of Combat, right? After all, the deity is likely the Giant King's own descendant…
So is this man an undercover agent sent to Adam? Or a liaison between them?
Klein nodded thoughtfully and said, "Your turn to ask."
Immediately, the mirror erupted with an excited burst of golden words:
"Great Master, may I ask—do you prefer ladies dressed like this?"
Below the text, the mirror showed an image of Sharon in her Gothic court dress, wearing a matching small soft hat.
(End of this chapter)