Chapter 290: Effecting Change Indirectly
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
I remember that the simple mission given by Mr. Fool was for the sole purpose of examining two people for their candidacy of joining the gathering. The general idea was to find the person in the portrait, and that person was confirmed to be in Backlund… Alger Wilson tried to remember what had happened the last gathering, and he couldn’t understand what it had to do with the hotbed of an evil god’s descent.
Wasn’t it just the search for someone?
Furthermore, it was the kind of task which didn’t pose much of a threat…
Was there a deeper purpose behind Mr. Fool’s simple mission? Was this a silent contest between deities?
Many thoughts went through The Hanged Man’s mind instantly, and he almost couldn’t stop himself from asking Justice, tempted to pay in order to understand what exactly was going on.
However, as a veteran official Beyonder, a Seafarer who steered an ancient ghost ship, he was experienced and shrewd. He forcefully suppressed his impulse and planned to go through the internal channels of the Church of the Lord of Storms to find out about the recent events in Backlund.
As for Audrey, she instantly understood what Mr. Fool’s sigh meant. She immediately understood the entire situation regarding Lanevus.
So it turns out that the bit of godhood that Lanevus possessed was the basic foundation for the descent of the True Creator into the real world… The harsh situation in East Borough, the dock area, and the factory area, however, was a hotbed that provided “Him” rapid nurturing and strengthening… With a simple mission, Mr. Fool stopped the True Creator’s great conspiracy and saved the whole of Backlund! Audrey looked towards the end of the long bronze table, her eyes sparkling brightly. Unconsciously, she brimmed with admiration.
At this moment, the gloomy and reserved World let out a chuckled and said, “Yes, every time I see and hear about a large number of child laborers dying in their teens, and how most workers rarely live past thirty due to extreme exhaustion and the terrible environment, or how after barely surviving the previous tests and as a result of their old age and the loss of their jobs, they can only wander the streets and die of hunger and cold, I have no doubt about the existence of an evil god. These gods are on the ground, in East Borough, the dock area, and the factory area.
“Well, there’s even been a report that some factory workers have a hard time surviving five years.
“In the East Borough of Backlund, there’s a saying that among the people who live there, without exception, any person who’s a grandfather must be from the countryside.
“The meaning of this sentence is that people living there won’t have a third generation as they can’t have grandchildren.
“Poverty and hunger make their children very thin. Work that’s difficult to adapt to causes them to quickly wither away in Backlund, much less getting married and conceiving the next generation.”
This was the first time Audrey heard Mr. World speak so much. She was suddenly plunged into deep shock and confusion.
Why don’t I know anything about this… The newspapers and magazines I read only mention that the residents of East Borough are having a hard time… This is far worse than being laborious… Audrey’s eyes lost their focus for a moment. She felt as if her understanding of the kingdom and the world had been completely overturned.
Suddenly, she understood why Mr. Fool had uttered such a sigh, and why in such an age, such a Backlund, in such an East Borough, the dock area, and the factory district were the hotbeds of an evil god’s descent.
We can’t go on like this! Otherwise, Backlund will one day be destroyed because of this! Audrey felt a strong urge to go back and learn more, to remind her father, Count Hall. She wanted to use the powers of a Spectator and a Telepathist to secretly guide the governmental policies that would improve the lives of the pitiful people in East Borough, the docks area, and the factory district.
At the end of the long bronze table, Klein quietly observed Miss Justice’s reaction.
He had purposely lamented a while ago and used his smurf, The World, to give a detailed explanation. He wanted this noble, one who still had a semblance of purity to realize the seriousness of the problem and use her to push for change in the kingdom.
Before I become Faceless, I must clearly remember that I cannot be personally involved in such matters… He silently set such a boundary for himself.
“Thank you, Mr. Fool. Thank you for saving Backlund. Your sigh has made me understand the problem at its roots. Thank you, Mr. World. You have made me understand a great deal of the situation I didn’t know in the past.” Audrey held back her emotions and sincerely thanked the two gentlemen at the two ends of the table.
“Saved Backlund?” Alger was no stranger to the conditions of East Borough, the factory district, and the dock area. He was more surprised by the description Miss Justice had used.
Just how huge was this matter? he thought with an extremely puzzled frown.
The Sun, on the other hand, listened quite attentively, and although he couldn’t understand all of it, he still listened attentively, hoping to learn more about the regions where Mr. Hanged Man, Miss Justice, and Mr. World were located.
Klein only smiled in response to Miss Justice’s gratitude and didn’t do anything further. He then turned to look at The Hanged Man.
Alger immediately understood what he meant, and he quickly conjured the last page of the promised Roselle’s diary.
Klein received it out of thin air and took a casual glance at it.
“14th January. I discovered a problem. If unconscious High-Sequence Beyonder objects are not sealed, they would unconsciously attract nearby Low-Sequence Beyonders from the same pathway, causing them to come into contact with each other. The higher the original Sequence, the more likely that this will happen.
“However, this situation doesn’t seem to be a constant. It seems to be intermittent.”
This diary entry immediately jolted Klein to attention because he had made similar guesses before.
After he came to Backlund, he soon found himself intertwined with the Secret Order, with a Beyonder of the Seer pathway, and thus, found himself in an extremely passive and extremely dangerous situation. However, he had also obtained the corresponding Sequences 7, 6, and 5 potion formulas as a result.
At the time, he had suspected that his transmigration involved secrets that gave him the power to resurrect, and that he would occasionally attract people and objects related to the Seer pathway, such as the Antigonus family’s notebook or members of the Secret Order.
After seeing this diary entry of Emperor Roselle, Klein suddenly had a new idea.
He used the corner of his eyes to scan the thick gray fog and the illusory dark red stars below him. He muttered to himself in silence.
Could it be that the one who created that attractive force wasn’t me, but this gray fog, the mysterious space above the gray fog?
This could also be considered as a secret behind my transmigration…
Without any further clues or information, Klein quickly gathered his thoughts and read the second diary entry.
“16th January, the taste of a Demoness still isn’t bad.”
… The corners of Klein’s mouth twitched, unsure of what expression he should show.
Emperor, I have underestimated you… There’s really nothing stopping you… Don’t you care about the other person’s previous gender? Don’t you care about her experience during the “Pleasure” phase?
Suppressing the urge to exhale, Klein looked at the last entry in the diary in his hands.
“20th January. I finished making the second Card of Blasphemy.
“Let me think, let me think, where should I hide it?
“Yes, I plan to disguise it as a bookmark and insert it into a very valuable book. If the person who obtains it isn’t someone fated, it would be hard to imagine that the most valuable thing in the book is actually that seemingly ordinary bookmark!
“Not bad, that’s a good idea!”
… Emperor, why can’t you explain more clearly? Which book did the “bookmark” go into? Before I read this, I was so happy thinking that I can follow the clues and obtain a Card of Blasphemy containing the profound secrets of the deities… Klein was disappointed and let his gaze linger on the last paragraph.
I hope that there will be more specific information in the future entries of the Emperor’s diary… He comforted himself with this sentence, leaned back, and said with a smile. “You can start your discussion freely now.”
At that moment, The Sun Derrick raised his hand, having learned it from Miss Justice, and said, “Mr. World, the Beyonder weapon you gave me far exceeds my expectations. I’ve already accumulated enough contribution points to trade for the ingredients to advance to Sequence 8. I’ll use the remaining contribution points to hire helpers to obtain a chance to obtain the true root and juice of the Mist Treant. I’ll be able to complete the deal soon.”
He explained in great detail, worried that his reputation of keeping his word would be suspected and destroyed.
Of course, he was telling the truth. Although the axe didn’t match some of his expectations for a Beyonder weapon, its power shocked him.
That axe can create a powerful lightning bolt in just two or three strikes, and with the temporary boost from my Bard’s powers, I can easily fight in close quarters with a Sequence 7 monster. If I were to encounter a monster that’s afraid of lightning, I could even easily finish it… I’m now a Light Suppliant with a certain level of magical spells. My strength has been raised qualitatively, and I can fight against even more powerful monsters… Derrick Berg felt that he had fallen in love with that Beyonder weapon.
In the City of Silver, its potency was one of the reasons to like it! The surrounding darkness and monsters in the depths of the darkness forced them to obey this rule for generations.
“Alright.” The gloomy World nodded under Klein’s control.
He then looked around and asked again, “Lady, Sirs, do you have any clues regarding the Dark Patterned Black Panther Spinal Fluid or Spring of the Elves Marrow Crystals?”
Audrey shook her head without hesitation. After musing for a few seconds, Alger suddenly said, “There will be a grand event held on the Sonia Sea soon. Ships from the four Pirate Kings and the six Pirate Admirals will be participating. Heh, I should call them the seven Pirate Admirals. Another person has joined the ranks.
“There’ll definitely be transactions of Beyonder ingredients at such an event. It’s very likely that the not-very-rare Dark Patterned Black Panther Spinal Fluid or Spring of the Elves Marrow Crystals will appear.
“I have the opportunity to participate in this event, but what can you offer in exchange?
“I’m sure you don’t have the potion formula for Wind-blessed and that it’ll be very difficult for you to find it in the future too.”