Chapter 43 : End of the journey (2)

<p>At the same time, Klein wanted to mold The World into a saint of the Church of The Fool, an angel beside the divine throne, so that this image could also greatly share an image with the believers and obtain his own anchors.<br/><br/>To put it simply, Klein planned on having a believer contribute two sets of anchors. After all, to him, be it The Fool or The World, all of them were just an identity of his. Furthermore, the image created by anchors wouldn't be uniform. They were different and wouldn't affect him.<br/><br/>At the level of The Fool, the Church would spread the name of the deity, The Fool's Sacred Emblem, and all kinds of religious teachings without any concrete images. As for The World, he had quite a number of identities, such as Gehrman Sparrow, Dwayne Dantès, and Merlin Hermes. It wouldn't fixate on a single image.<br/><br/>« The reward is the convenience you have enjoyed in the past, the responses you received, and the corresponding help given to your future prayers. » The Fool Klein said without a change in tone.<br/><br/>« After I begin my slumber, I can still respond to my prayers in a certain way, but not every time. If there's something very important that needs help, pray a few more times. »<br/><br/>He could tell from Antigonus's state of eternal slumber, that dreams could be projected outside. As long as the correct method was used, a sleeping deity could make use of the dream to a certain extent to respond to prayers.<br/><br/>Regarding this situation, the members of the Tarot Club weren't stumped by it at all.<br/>On the one hand, most of them were either openly or secretly spreading the faith of The Fool. On the other hand, it was very common to pray to deities without receiving a response. Mr. Fool's responses from before were considered extremely rare. They had almost never heard of anything like this happening elsewhere.<br/><br/>To be able to receive a response through repeated prayers on important matters was better than most of the clergymen of the orthodox Churches !<br/><br/>« Yes, Mr. Fool. »<br/><br/>The Tarot Club members didn't hesitate at all as they accepted the long-term commission.<br/><br/>Among them, Leonard was the one that answered from the bottom of his heart. He was most eager and impatient.<br/><br/>To him, spreading the faith and biblical canon of Mr. Fool was to awaken Klein.<br/>This made him instantly find the motivation to do something else other than his usual work.<br/><br/>At this moment, The Fool Klein nodded slightly and cast his gaze at Cattleya.<br/><br/>« The previous commission—to gather all the information regarding the Hidden Sage suddenly coming to life—is still effective.<br/>If you wish to take the risk, then go further and investigate the present state of the Hidden Sage.<br/>This will be very dangerous. You can reject it, and the reward is a wish. »<br/><br/>Cattleya thought for a moment and said :<br/><br/>« Honorable Mr. Fool, is this related to awakening you ? Is it related to surviving the apocalypse ? »<br/><br/>« Perhaps, perhaps not. I can't give you a definite answer right now. I just see some visions. » This time, Klein didn't deliberately create a high-level persona of The Fool, because he was already The Fool.<br/><br/>« Also, watch over all your subordinates that are Beyonders of the Earth and Moon pathway. »<br/><br/>Cattleya fell silent for a moment before slowly saying :<br/><br/>« I'll accept this commission. »<br/><br/>The Fool Klein cast his gaze to the other side and said to Derrick :<br/><br/>« Your mission is to protect the New City of Silver and New Moon City and protect the Rorsted Archipelago. The more believers I have and the safer they are, the higher the chances of me waking up.<br/>On this foundation, think about how to expand the Church and spread the faith.<br/>Your payment is to become my Blessed. »<br/><br/>Derrick took a deep breath and said in a firm tone :<br/><br/>« Yes, Mr. Fool ! »<br/><br/>Klein nodded and looked at Fors.<br/><br/>« You need to protect the Abraham family well to prevent them from suffering the temptation of the cosmos.<br/>Also, gather more information regarding the Fourth Epoch and figure out Mr. Door's condition at that time. Uncover some of the latent problems of the Abraham family. »<br/><br/>« That's something I wish to do. »<br/><br/>Fors hesitated for a moment, but she still expressed that she would do such things even if she wasn't given the commission.<br/><br/>The Fool Klein didn't give his approval or disapproval. Instead, he said :<br/><br/>« If you're willing, you can write down biographies and stories of The World's different identities using different aliases.<br/>The reward for above is that when you have a chance of becoming a Planeswalker and have to head to the cosmos, you will receive my blessings. »<br/><br/>Although Klein knew that he could use a dream to give a response to a certain extent in his sleep, he wasn't sure if he was the one who had the upper hand or the Lord of Mysteries. Therefore, he wished to use verbal contracts of providing a reward after the completion of a mission on more important matters. When the time came, even if he was at a disadvantage, he would be able to make use of this sort of invisible promise to give an ingenious response.<br/><br/>"Planeswalker ?" Fors was taken aback.<br/><br/>To be frank, she had never considered this problem before. What she was worried about was the digestion of the Secrets Sorcerer potion and the Wanderer ritual.<br/>Soon, she composed herself and said :<br/><br/>« Yes, Mr. Fool. »<br/><br/>Klein then cast his gaze at Emlyn.<br/><br/>« The besiegement of the Rose School of Thought involves preparations for the apocalypse. It's rather dangerous. Even if an angel is participating in it, you have to pay attention to your own safety.<br/>Your commission is to try your best to gather blessings, auras, and items given by the Primordial Moon to 'Her' believers in the Rose School of Thought. These might be more dangerous than a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact. »<br/><br/>While Emlyn was slightly surprised and puzzled, Klein continued :<br/><br/>« Apart from participating in the besieging of the Rose School of Thought's mission, I hope that you can form a pharmaceutical company and perform research on how to mass-produce the medicine with magical effects. »<br/><br/>« If it's mass-produced, there's no way the products can be equipped with a magical effect. » Emlyn replied instinctively.<br/><br/>The Fool Klein nodded.<br/><br/>« Seek out a compromise.<br/>Your main goal is to spread my name through this pharmaceutical company.<br/>The reward will also be a wish. »<br/><br/>Emlyn mumbled inwardly before replying seriously.<br/><br/>« Yes, Mr. Fool. »<br/><br/>Klein looked to the other side and said to Xio :<br/><br/>« The apocalypse is approaching. Be it the Red Priest or the Demoness pathways, they will become active. Your mission is to rely on the official factions to investigate the whereabouts of the three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics and the Uniqueness of the Red Priest pathway. If there's a chance, find a clue to confirm the Primordial Demoness's present condition. It's very dangerous. »<br/><br/>Klein didn't mention the payment, because he had already paid for it.<br/><br/>Xio had her wish fulfilled by holding a ritual and becoming a Sequence 4 Imperative Mage.<br/><br/>Without any hesitation, she immediately replied :<br/><br/>« Yes, Mr. Fool. »<br/><br/>The Fool Klein had planned on looking to the other side. After some consideration, he added :<br/><br/>« Be careful of Bansy. »<br/><br/>Without waiting for the Tarot Club members to start making connections, Klein said to Leonard :<br/><br/>« Your mission is similar to The Moon's. During the besiegement of the Rose School of Thought, gather blessings, auras, and items from the Mother Tree of Desire from their members. It's equally dangerous. »<br/><br/>Seeing that Leonard was about to nod, The Fool Klein maintained his tone and continued :<br/><br/>« You don't have to do too much in promoting my name. You can even choose not to do it. »<br/><br/>As one of the twenty-two high-ranking members of the Church of Evernight, as one of the few high-ranking deacons of the Nighthawks, it was very easy for something to happen if Leonard spread the faith of The Fool in private. He would be misunderstood by his colleagues and cause unnecessary conflicts.<br/><br/>Miraculously, to Klein, The Moon Emlyn's actions didn't seem to be misunderstood in the same way. To the people and Sanguine around him, anything he did wasn't too strange.<br/><br/>"That's right…" Leonard had already recovered from his previous eagerness and realized the cruelty of reality.<br/><br/>However, he still wanted to do something. At this moment, The Fool Klein added :<br/><br/>« You can share the stories of The World with songs and poetry. »<br/><br/>"Songs and poetry…" Leonard instinctively frowned. He didn't immediately respond to Mr. Fool.<br/><br/>Klein then said :<br/><br/>« Other than that, try your best to raise your own level to prepare for the apocalypse.<br/>The reward for all the missions is a wish. »<br/><br/>Leonard fell silent for two seconds before he slowly exhaled.<br/><br/>« Yes, Mr. Fool. »<br/><br/>Klein's gaze landed on Alger.<br/><br/>« You will know what your mission is in time to come. »<br/><br/>Klein had already foreseen the corresponding scene.<br/><br/>Without waiting for Alger to speak, he continued :<br/><br/>« You can bring the Sea God Scepter, but during this period of time, all the prayers of the Sea God believers will be transferred to The Sun, directly pointing at me. »<br/><br/>Although Alger still couldn't accurately guess what his mission was, he already had a vague premonition. After a moment of thought, he replied in an upright manner :<br/><br/>« Yes, Mr. Fool. »<br/><br/>Klein retracted his gaze and looked around before slowly saying :<br/><br/>« After this, on the first Monday afternoon of every month, you can still gather here, but there will be no convener.<br/>If you need to do a private, mini discussion, pray in advance and wait for a response. »<br/><br/>At this point, The Fool Klein closed his eyes and said : Let us end today's gathering here. »<br/><br/>The Tarot Club members couldn't help but feel a baffling sense of sorrow. Even the gods and angels felt sad. It was as though a grand ball was coming to an end.<br/><br/>They stood up at the same time and solemnly bowed towards the end of the long, mottled table.<br/><br/>« Your will is our will. »<br/><br/>(Klein, who discovered the truth about some members' identities at this gathering : Who would have thought that some gods and angels were in the Tarot Club…)<br/><br/>Klein waited until they finished speaking before he dispelled his control of them. He watched as the crimson starlight scattered and quickly fell.<br/><br/>Klein slowly leaned back into his chair and sighed.<br/><br/>On both sides of the long mottled table, the members appeared in the order they joined the Tarot Club.<br/><br/>But this time, they weren't real. They were only projections. They no longer appeared blurry, revealing their images from Klein's memory.<br/><br/>Soon after, more figures appeared. They either sat or stood, gathering beside the people they knew. In the flickering candlelight on the long table, they discussed different things, followed the music, and danced.<br/><br/>Klein silently watched the lively scene as his expression gradually softened.<br/><br/>After an unknown period of time, he stood up, passed through them, and walked into the depths of this space.<br/><br/>Behind him, the figures, the candlelight, and the music faded away and disappeared.<br/><br/>When he saw the strange door of light above the grayish-white cloud, Klein beckoned for the magic mirror, Arrodes.<br/><br/>After Klein arrived, he didn't immediately enter. He felt as though there was an extremely terrifying monster behind the door, waiting to devour him.<br/><br/>He raised his head and looked at the transparent cocoons hanging above the door of light. He looked at the "modern" humans with different skin colors inside the cocoons.<br/><br/>Closing his eyes to sense them, Klein raised his right hand and sent them out of Sefirah Castle.<br/><br/>After doing this, Klein lowered his head and looked at the magic mirror in his hand.<br/><br/>« Are you scared ? »<br/><br/>The aqueous light on the surface of the ancient silver mirror swirled and the pale words outlined themselves :<br/><br/>« No. »<br/><br/>In the next second, Arrodes raised his own question according to the rules :<br/><br/>« Great Master, are you afraid ? »<br/><br/>The corners of Klein's mouth twitched.<br/><br/>« Yes. »<br/><br/>With that said, he took a step forward with the magic mirror in hand and walked towards the bluish-black fog in the middle of the strange door of light, passing through it.<br/><br/>—————— I am the dividing line~<br/><br/>Xin Jian opened her eyes.<br/><br/>« Huh ? »<br/><br/>She was still inside of Sefirah Castle.<br/><br/>"What happened ?"<br/><br/>She sat up and looked around her.<br/><br/>There wasn't anyone.<br/><br/>As she stood up to sit down at the lower end of the long mottled table as usual, she remembered what happened before.<br/><br/>"Ah, right, I fought with Klein, he killed me and we reconciled (?)."<br/><br/>« … »<br/><br/>"Well, at least we straightened the misunderstandings between us."<br/><br/>At that moment, she noticed that there was a paper on her seat and took it.<br/><br/>It was a letter.<br/><br/>Xin Jian froze and looked around her.<br/><br/>It was still empty.<br/><br/>A thought came back to her.<br/><br/>"So, why didn't Mr. Fool intervene before Klein killed me (even though I can resurrect) ? »<br/><br/>Xin Jian suddenly felt an unexplainable fear.<br/><br/>She ignored the chills on her arms and opened the letter.<br/><br/>« … »<br/><br/>It was in Morse code.<br/><br/>Before this timeline, when Xin Jian had asked Mr. Fool to create a secret language, Mr. Fool had (cheated) just used Morse code.<br/><br/>Did he remember it…?<br/><br/>Xin Jian, who had a bad memory, anxiously tried to decipher the letters.<br/><br/>« Er, for one point, two points and three points, was it M, O and T…? Or was it the dashes ? What is the frequency of the letters…»<br/><br/>She tried to recall the techniques she had used to remember Morse code in the past until she was able to read it.<br/><br/>(The Thief's ability to decipher also helped a lot.)<br/><br/>[Dear Xin Jian,]<br/><br/>Xin Jian replaced the points and dashes and began to read.<br/><br/>[When you see this, I probably won't be there anymore.]<br/><br/>Xin Jian tried to not think about anything and continued to read.<br/><br/>[First of all, I would like to apologize.]<br/><br/>She tried to empty her head as much as she could.<br/><br/>[You have surely wondered why did I not save you when Klein killed you.<br/>After all, you've always been very smart, even though it did not look that way when you recklessly threw yourself into dangerous situations…]<br/><br/>(Like meeting unknown angels, provoking angels, pranking angels, provoking true gods, pranking true gods…)<br/><br/>« Mr. Fool, it's a bit late to pick up my sense of humor… » Xin Jian complained.<br/><br/>[These past three years were enjoyable. For once, I was finally able to rest and watching you made the days a lot more interesting.<br/>I could have continued living in this way, and you also told me to continue living…<br/>That's why, I'm sorry. I didn't keep my promise in this end.]<br/><br/>Xin Jian clenched the paper in her hands.<br/><br/>[The reason why I let him kill you was because I didn't want to be obstructed in my plan. I was sure that you would be against my decision.]<br/><br/>Xin Jian had a bad feeling.<br/><br/>[By the time you read this letter, I will have probably already fused with Klein. I did it to get rid of my memories and disappear.]<br/><br/>« … »<br/><br/>[I could have stayed with you, but I didn't. It has been too long, I really want to end this never-ending cycle.<br/>That is why I made that choice.<br/>Because I am a human, and humans are selfish Xin Jian.]<br/><br/>Xin Jian didn't cry.<br/><br/>[Now, there are two possibilities. By fusing with Klein, I will either become the influence in the characteristics that Klein will have to fight and I will let Klein take the advantage, or I will be able to help Klein fight the remnants of Tianzun's influence before disappearing.]<br/><br/>She understood that this was the last timeline.<br/><br/>There would be no more regressions, no more rounds, and no more Mr. Fool…<br/><br/>In truth, Mr. Fool was the one she had wanted to stay with the most.<br/><br/>[I'm sorry.]<br/><br/>He was her best friend, the person she liked the most in this world, without Mr. Fool, what should she do ?<br/><br/>[I knew how much you feared being alone, but I still left.]<br/><br/>She become accustomed to his presence.<br/><br/>[I hope you will be able to forget me by spending time with Amanises and the others.]<br/><br/>But Amanises and the others wouldn't remember all these centuries !<br/><br/>Now that Mr. Fool wasn't there, what could even count…?<br/><br/>[So please don't cry over me. I'll be happy if I die.]<br/><br/>Xin Jian didn't cry.<br/><br/>[Thank you for everything.]<br/><br/>She just lost her reason to live, but she wouldn't be able to die like him.<br/><br/>Her eyes became lifeless.<br/><br/>Now that she was alone, she didn't have any reason to have feelings. Being alone was so scary that she gave up everything.<br/><br/>She was too scared to accept a reality without Mr. Fool, so she just gave up everything.<br/><br/>At that moment, she really resembled the Nameless Angel.<br/><br/>Were immortals destined to feel despair ?<br/><br/>When her eyes fell on the last line of the letter, she froze.<br/><br/>[·· ·−·· ·· −·− · −·−− −−− ··− −−··−− −··− ·· −· ·−−− ·· ·− −· ·−·−·−]<br/><br/>She clenched her hands once again, crumpling the paper a bit more, then dropped it.<br/><br/>She smiled, and in a last sentence, she gave up everything.<br/><br/>« I like you too, Zhou Mingrui. »<br/><br/>「And the little immortal angel was left all alone. The person that she wanted to stay with the most had left.」<br/><br/>End of the story.<br/><br/>End of the world too.<br/><br/>(Then the author was murdered by Editor-nim.<br/>Author : Hey, Editor-nim, Klein will still wake up in 10 years, this is not really a sad end, it just depends on the point of view…)</p>