Chapter 76: "Unenlightened by Flame, Insufficient to Paint the World"

Leaving the Samuel household, Klein walked into 15 Minsk Street next door.

After sending off the maid from the Samuel family, Klein couldn't help but show a bitter expression.

He was in dire need of money—desperately so!

The Sacrifice Ring borrowed from Ashes had been used, and he had to find a way to repay it. Even though Ashes might not care about the debt, Klein had to repay it to maintain the credibility of the 'Fool.' Such a life-saving ring was worth at least ten thousand pounds, if not more. But where could he find such a sum? Even his rent was borrowed money, and he barely scraped together the fare to Backlund. (TL/N: LMAO the beggar god thinks 10 Thousand is enough to buy an Extra Life)

Currently, Klein was at his most financially strapped. He had to repay Ashes and find a way to purchase the Sequence 7 potion formula.

"Do I have to turn to Ashes again?" Klein suddenly wore a mask of agony.

Ashes could undoubtedly obtain the Sequence 7 potion formula for the Seer pathway. However, the formula alone cost at least 800 pounds. Let alone how he would gather such a large sum, he still had debts to pay. If he had money and didn't repay but instead sought to buy the potion formula from Ashes, what would Ashes think? Even if Ashes didn't mind, Klein still valued his own dignity!

So, if he wanted to buy the formula from Ashes, he needed at least 11,000 pounds.

"Money is truly a wonderful thing," Klein said, covering his face. His deepest desire at the moment was money. Unfortunately, all the quick ways to make money were written in the penal code. Besides, he hadn't come to Backlund to work a regular job. He needed a fast, high-freedom job with minimal barriers and restrictions.

Two options lay before him: ghostwriting and private investigation. He leaned towards becoming a private detective. Although ghostwriting could be a side job and make money faster, Ashes was already a notorious ghostwriter—a fact not hard to discover. Last month, the famous author Fors suddenly took on an apprentice and wrote "Blizzard Heights," which was nearly identical to "And Then There Were None," except the setting was a snowstorm villa instead of a isolated island. This proved that Ashes, even with gaps in his memory from being burned, hadn't forgotten everything.

If Klein became a ghostwriter, he'd undoubtedly clash with Ashes, risking exposure as a transmigrator. Currently, only 'Klein the Fool's Follower' was exposed, not 'Klein the Transmigrator' or 'Klein the Fool.' Exposing his identity as a transmigrator might lead to associations with the 'Fool' through 'Chinese,' indirectly revealing his identity. Although this was unlikely, even a tiny chance was worth avoiding.

"Why is it so hard?" Klein sighed. Ghostwriting was off the table. But to avoid exposure, he still needed to meet Ashes as the Fool's follower—after all, that identity was already exposed.

"Painting World?" In the confessional of St. Samuel's Church, Ashes looked up at the elderly man before him, his eyes scrutinizing.

"Yes," Archbishop Anthony replied with his usual gentle and kindly smile. "Some paintings contain what we call 'Painting Worlds,' bizarre worlds within them. The 'Rodland Continent' you described has no record in ancient texts, suggesting it might be one of these Painting Worlds."

"I thought you might be interested in this information," Anthony continued. "The Church of the EverNight goddess owns such a Painting World, located in Tranquility Church. I once entered it, but, unfortunately, there was no Rodland. However, I didn't explore it thoroughly. You might want to investigate it yourself. As a follower of the Fool, your request to enter will surely be granted."

"The Church of the Earth Mother, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, and the God of Steam and Machinery each hold one Painting World, according to the Church of the EverNight's knowledge. Whether the other three major churches have any is unknown. Other secret organizations also possess Painting Worlds, such as the Aurora Order and the Dawn of Elements. Our intelligence indicates they brought their Painting Worlds to Backlund, though their exact locations are unclear. You might want to investigate if interested. The Church of the Night will inform you of any developments in this regard."

"I'm very interested," Ashes said after a moment of silence. "So, I hope you can provide all the detailed information on Painting Worlds."

"Of course," Anthony nodded with a smile.

Ashes turned and left without another word. Painting Worlds were created by the Great Lady. Though tied to paintings, they were real worlds. Even the Great Lady couldn't have created so many Painting Worlds—she didn't have enough 'pigment.' But this world had at least five Painting Worlds, implying at least five pigments.

Where did these pigments come from? Ashes didn't know, but he knew Painting Worlds contained what he sought. Perhaps he could reunite with some friends from the past there. He wouldn't go to Tranquility Church or enter the Painting Worlds of the other major churches.

Thus, the Painting Worlds held by the two hidden organizations in Backlund became crucial clues.

"Unenlightened by flame, insufficient to paint the world." "Those tempted by fire shall not paint the world."

(End of Chapter)

60 Power stones = extra chapter