"Who's this?"
Roselle had noticed Klein and Lil' Amon, and seeing how close they seemed to Alaric, his curiosity was piqued. He asked with interest.
"This is Lil' Amon. If you're familiar with the Error pathway, you probably know who they are. As for this one…" Alaric paused, his gaze settling on Klein with a smile. "Sherlock Moriarty, my student's student. You can probably guess where he's from."
"Amon? Whoa, for real? The Amon I know isn't this innocent." Roselle said, his eyes landing on Lil' Amon. Looking at the small, childlike figure, he couldn't help but suspect Alaric was pulling his leg.
"Amon wanted to experience an ordinary human life, so they sent a Avatar to me, with their memories and intellect sealed. For now, you can treat this Lil' Amon like an actual child." Alaric explained with a smile.
"Hahahaha! An ordinary human life? Is Amon just bored or what?" Roselle asked, puzzled. His gaze shifted to Alaric, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "This wasn't your idea, was it?"
Though they hadn't known each other long, Roselle was well aware of Alaric's mischievous streak, which naturally led to some speculation.
"I only made a suggestion. Amon chose to pursue humanity on their own." Alaric replied, still smiling.
Hearing this, Roselle was certain... Amon had been cornered by Lucifer into sacrificing a Avatar to protect their true self. For a brief moment, he felt a pang of pity.
Poor Lil' Amon!
But the pity lasted less than a second. Roselle's attention quickly shifted to Klein, his enthusiasm evident. "Sherlock Moriarty? That's a solid name, right up there with my Caesar."
After sizing up Klein's alias, Roselle grinned and extended a hand. "Roselle Gustav. You've probably heard the name."
He paused, then suddenly switched to a different language, speaking fluently. "Mind sharing your real name? I'll go first: I'm Huang Tao. If you've read my diaries, you'd know that name."
Klein blinked, momentarily thrown by the familiar language. Then he chuckled and responded in kind. "My name's Zhou Mingrui, though after transmigration, I go by Klein Moretti. Right now, I'm using the identity of Sherlock Moriarty."
"Whoa, a master of aliases! You're on track to collect a few more, following the classic playbook." Roselle teased, raising an eyebrow.
In an instant, the two transmigrators, strangers in a strange land, felt a sense of camaraderie.
Roselle seemed to remember something, glancing at Klein with a hint of hesitation before asking, "Your Sequence isn't too high yet, is it?"
Though the mysterious world's Sequences weren't as straightforward as some cultivation systems where higher ranks could easily discern the lower ones, Roselle, as a Sequence 1 Knowledge Emperor, could roughly gauge the person before him.
"I just advanced to Sequence 7 not long ago." Klein replied honestly. There was no point hiding his strength from a fellow transmigrator who was at least an angel.
"How long have you been here?" Roselle asked, unfazed.
"Less than four months." Klein answered, still open.
"Whoa, I was about to say your progress is a bit slow, but now I see I misjudged you. Sequence 7 in just over three months? That's faster than I was back in the day." Roselle said, marveling at Klein's speed. He gave Klein a few appraising looks before adding, "But it's a bit late, such a pity."
As a Knowledge Emperor, Roselle could see the uniqueness in Klein. He wasn't surprised, but the looming deadline of the apocalypse, just over a decade away, made him shake his head.
Klein, understanding Roselle's implication, touched his nose and chose not to comment.
"You transmigrate too early, and what good did it do? You still picked the wrong pathway." Alaric chimed in, breaking his silent observation.
"I didn't know… ugh! But honestly, it's probably a good thing I didn't take the right path. Otherwise, that thing might've ended up in… their hands." Roselle retorted instinctively, then shuddered as a realization hit him.
Mindful of Klein's mid-Sequence status, Roselle carefully avoided mentioning anything related to Outer Deities or Great Old Ones.
He turned to Alaric. "No wonder you're pulling for Mr. Door. Without him, this would've been tricky."
While there was another candidate for Lord of Mysteries besides Mr. Door... Amon... Roselle knew enough about the God of Deceit to steer clear. Though he hadn't dealt with Amon much, having been around figures like Zaratul and Mr. Door, he was well aware of Amon's reputation.
"You're off the mark there. Even without Mr. Door, Klein would've become the Lord of Mysteries." Alaric said, glancing at Roselle with a smile. "In the original fate, three years from now, he'd be the Fool in full, and within half a day, Quasi-Lord of Mysteries."
Roselle's expression froze. He stared at Alaric, then at Klein, before finally saying, "Bruh, I thought I was the ultimate chosen one, but you're on another level. Where'd you get that kind of cheat code?" The last part was clearly a jest.
Klein gave a helpless smile, thinking for a moment before replying, "Maybe it was a gift from the gods?"
"Hahahaha! I like your sense of humor." Roselle said, laughing as he clapped Klein on the shoulder. Then, realizing something, he looked at Klein again. "Wait, you know?"
"He knows." Alaric said calmly. "I've told him everything about his fate, except for the knowledge that carries corruption."
Klein nodded, looking at Alaric with undisguised gratitude. "Mr. Lucifer gave me the chance to choose my own destiny."
Roselle wasn't slow. He pieced it together quickly, looking at Klein with a sigh. "Sounds like you've had it rough, Klein. Ugh, we're both victims of fate's whims. Sometimes I wonder if transmigration was a blessing or a curse. Of course, as someone who's still here, that sounds a bit self-indulgent."
Roselle gave a self-deprecating smile, tinged with a hint of bitterness.
Klein stayed silent, letting out a quiet sigh of his own.
***
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