17-2

114 Deception

After hearing this, Sharf paused and looked at Alice.

Alice was thinking about the meaning of the eye contact between Cattleya and Alger. She vaguely guessed that Cattleya was going to use Sharf as bait. After thinking for a while, she said,

"Aren't you going to take him away? Then when the World reaches Sequence 4, I will give him to the World, okay?"

Give it to the "world"...?

Alger and Cattleya looked at Sharf and felt that this was not a good word.

Sharf showed hope on his face. He certainly knew the possible consequences of believing in evil gods. In his opinion, if he could not seek the protection of the angels on earth, it would be safer and more suitable for him to stay with the believers of the "Original Moon".

Of course, if there was a real angel on earth standing in front of him, he would not give up hope.

Cattleya didn't want to cause any trouble, so she nodded calmly and said to Sharf,

"However, I hope to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with you, so I need a few drops of your blood, which can help me find you at any time."

really!

Alice's eyes lit up. She realized that Sharf was indeed a bait, and warned Cattleya,

"I want my gift to be alive."

Cattleya nodded calmly, and after looking at Alice, Sharf said "OK" with a bitter look on his face, then picked up the paper cutter beside him.

The matter came to an end after Cattleya asked for Sharf's last name. Then, Alger and Cattleya discussed what had just happened. Alice was bored and asked what she really cared about:

"Do you still have that mushroom?"

After a pause of a few seconds, Cattleya replied:

"Frank got a new inspiration and abandoned this experiment. The mushrooms he just used were the last few. Frank will never be able to produce this kind of mushroom again."

Alice's eyes showed obvious disappointment, but after a moment, she thought of something else and asked curiously:

"New inspiration? What is it like? Is there any result?"

It turns out that the mushroom came from Frank... Alger's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he found the information of this person from the bounty order.

In the Church of Storms' bounty order, "Toxin Expert" Frank Lee was only a Sequence 6 biologist, but Alger remembered the Beyonder properties of the "Druid" that Cattleya had bought not long ago, and realized that this was exactly what was prepared for Frank Lee.

This was not good news, because the bounty also mentioned how Frank Lee became a pirate. When Alger first heard about this, he was also shocked.

Although he had never been on the Future, judging from Cattleya's strange expression every time she mentioned related matters, Alger believed that Frank Lee was indeed worthy of the title of "Toxin Expert".

However, was he also the one who completed Miss Destiny's commission...

Alger thought of Alice's previous request regarding Silver City's food, and his expression became slightly silent.

…I hope Miss Fate showed the food to The World and Mr. Fool before sending it over.

Alger glanced at Cattleya without changing his expression. She paused for a few seconds before saying:

"I don't know much about the progress of his experiment. Perhaps you can write to him and ask him."

Alice nodded to show that she understood.

After saying this, she no longer cared about Cattleya and Alger, but thought about whether she should go to sleep or eat something.

Klein's voice appeared at this time. After hearing that he had received news about Calderon City and needed someone to explore with him, Alice thought about it, went home and lay on the bed, and then went to the gray fog to find Klein.

Alice, who had already listened to the statement, asked Klein for detailed information about Calderon City after meeting him.

Klein told Alice the information he had gathered truthfully. Alice listened to it thoroughly and then asked Klein,

"Is the doom spell I gave you still on you?"

"Yes," Klein replied, "there are still six."

Alice nodded thoughtfully, then said to Klein,

"I can provide you with a new spell - the one you've seen, 'Restart'.

"Besides that, I can give you some good luck before you go. As for the rest...

"Hmm... do you know why Red Light can't enter Calderon City?"

Klein was slightly stunned and blurted out, "Why?"

Alice shook her head and said:

"I don't know, but I don't think I can get in there."

This is Alice's intuition.

Perhaps he had experienced this intuition before, so he did not question it. Instead, he frowned and asked thoughtfully:

"Are there any restrictions on high-ranking beings there?"

Alice shook her head and said:

"I don't know. After all, I've never been there, nor have I had the leisure to wander around the spirit world... although I do think I can wander around there.

"But there is one person who might know something about this."

Klein's heart moved, and he asked directly, "Who?"

Alice glanced at him and gave a name: "Your messenger, Renette Tinicole."

Klein was stunned for only a moment before he realized that this was indeed possible. Renette Tinicole had lived in the spiritual world for many years and should have some knowledge of the city of Calderon. If the entry of high-level beings was restricted there, He would undoubtedly be the most likely person to know about it.

Klein took note of this and was about to listen to Alice's farewell when Alice opened her mouth and said:

"Do you know how far Frank Lee's experiment has progressed?"

Klein was stunned for a moment, then replied calmly:

"I'm not sure. All I know is the mushroom from last time. What happened?"

"I'm just asking," Alice shook her head. "By the way, the captain and Ms. Daly's wedding is coming up soon. What are your plans then...?"

When Klein mentioned this, his expression was slightly heavy. He was silent for a moment before he smiled and said,

"I think there is a way to make the captain know who I am as soon as he sees me. You know, I can't show up with a dead face like you."

Alice nodded, accepting the fact, and then asked, "What is the solution?"

Klein said frankly, "I can be your male companion."

Alice stroked her chin, looked Klein up and down, and said thoughtfully,

"Why not a female companion?

"You can turn into Hatsune Miku..."

"Are you sick?" Klein cursed.

Alice spread her hands and replied,

"No, I'm doing this for your own good.

"Think about it, if you were my male companion, you would definitely want to get my opinion on what you look like, right?

"If that's the case, it will make me feel like I've found a cosplay commission myself...

"If I attend a banquet and the man next to me is a cosplayer I paid for, I would feel very pathetic."

Klein opened and closed his mouth several times before he asked sincerely:

"Won't Hatsune Miku make you feel like you're looking for a cosplay commission?"

Alice shook her head and replied,

"No.

"If you dress up as Hatsune Miku, I will think that is your personal hobby and I will only respect the blessing."

Klein stared at Alice in amazement. After a long moment, he raised his hand to close his chin, gave Alice a thumbs-up, and praised her:

"You are amazing."

Alice smiled modestly, and then suggested:

"However, this request does sound a bit too difficult for you, and it is not good for your image. If you are not willing, I have another suggestion."

"What?" Klein suddenly had a bad feeling and asked cautiously.

Alice shook her head and said:

"Besides me, standing next to someone else might help the captain recognize your identity. I mean, you can be Leonard's female companion.

"I don't think Leonard would make such an excessive request of you. You can decide your own appearance, personality and character... although the last two may not be useful.

"Besides, I guess he must miss you very much and really wants to attend the captain's wedding with you..."

"Wait a moment," Klein interrupted her hastily. "Why do I feel like you're trying to bring us together when I hear you talking?"

Alice lowered her head to check her words. After thinking for two seconds, she raised her head and asked Klein:

"Do you prefer Leonard or Amon?"

Klein looked at her with a blank look. Seeing his expression, Alice shook her head and said,

"Don't you think that your behavior of faking your death and then disappearing and then being with someone else is like that of a scumbag who gets bored with the old and loves the new..."

Klein asked her expressionlessly, "Who am I with?"

Alice was silent for two seconds and changed the subject: "Have you decided what identity you will appear in?"

Klein looked at her expressionlessly. Alice quickly lowered her head guiltily and said carefully:

"I really didn't think in that direction this time…

"Uh, that's not right..."

Alice paused for a moment. She suddenly remembered the prophet's special "prophecy". She looked at Klein with a strange expression and murmured in a low voice:

"No way..."

"What?" Klein asked, frowning.

Alice's expression suddenly became serious. She looked at Klein solemnly and asked him,

"What do you think of that book? I mean, the book about the two of you being together..."

Alice stared at Klein cautiously. Klein wanted to refute her, but he realized something was wrong from her emotions and asked her hesitantly,

"...What do you want to say?"

Alice exhaled and expressed her concerns:

"I'm worried...

"That's a 'prophecy'."

Klein was stunned.

This was not an impossible guess, especially since the one sitting in front of him was not just an ordinary "prophet" - she was already the true God chosen by fate.

Although this sounded like a joke most of the time, there were times, like now, when Klein would think of it and then become worried about the prophecy Alice had spoken.

Alice pursed her lips and said nothing. She had never told Klein the truth about the "prophet", but she knew that she couldn't let Klein believe this "prophecy".

Tell him about the power of "prophecy"? No, no...

Similar thoughts were stopped as soon as they came to mind. Alice didn't want to tell anyone about this from the bottom of her heart. She couldn't tell the reason, but since she had this feeling, Alice decided not to say it.

She raised her eyes to look at Klein and said solemnly,

"In mysticism, divination and prophecy are viewed differently.

"Divination is the process of obtaining revelations from fate and then interpreting them. It may not be accurate. You can believe in it, but you cannot blindly believe in it, let alone rely on it.

"But the prophecy is different…

"Prophecy is the result of truly peeking into fate. It will definitely come true, but..."

In Klein's worried eyes, Alice suddenly smiled:

"Maybe we can decide how to make it happen."

"What do you mean?" Klein looked at Alice in confusion.

Alice tilted her head, lowered her eyes and said:

"When I first got the extraordinary characteristic of 'Winner', Charlie King foresaw his own death, but he did not choose the death path arranged by fate, but shot himself.

"What do you think? If he is resurrected later, will fate approve of his death this time?"

Klein was stunned for a moment, then he remembered what Alice had said about her needing a "mother". He looked at Alice in shock, and Alice spread her hands and said:

"Besides that, I think we should have other options...

"For example, if what he foresaw was not his own death, but the image of his own death...

"Can he realize this scene on his own initiative? I mean, fake his death."

Klein's breathing quickened. Alice's guess reminded him of the "magician" acting method, which was a sequence of deceiving fate through performance.

No, it wouldn't be cheating then, but maybe later...

Klein's heart moved slightly. He looked at Alice and opened his mouth to speak, but Alice made a "hush" gesture and told him:

"Although I'm not sure if fate can hear what you say here - I doubt it, but it's better for you not to say it."

Klein nodded happily, and then said thoughtfully:

"That is to say, although the prophecy will definitely come true, the way it comes true may be very... unique?"

Alice nodded and said:

"I think so.

"It's like the prophet in that story who can predict his own death date, and then commit suicide when the time comes..."

Klein twitched his lips and politely ordered them to leave:

"Go back. I'll ask who can go to Calderon City with me.

"By the way, the reward..."

"Ice cream." Ellie raised her hand without hesitation.

Klein rolled his eyes at her as he had expected. Then, in the spirit of not taking advantage of others, he suggested:

"Can you help me seal the 'Sea Scepter'?"

Alice agreed to his request.

After learning that Klein was planning to conduct a reconnaissance in the outskirts of Calderon City tomorrow, Alice gave up her plan to sleep and completed what she had promised first, then said:

"Okay, that's it... Remember to buy me ice cream when you come back." (End of this chapter)

115 Calderon City

In the dim room, the dark blue-covered book silently opened, and silver, luminous fonts emerged:

"You have been discovered again."

This is "Cassandra". At this moment, it has taken Selwyn to escape from two cities. This is the third city. Unfortunately, although Selwyn's experience in spreading news is getting richer and richer, they were discovered faster.

Even though he was not very sober and his thinking ability was seriously reduced, Selwyn still vaguely sensed that something was wrong. He frowned and asked:

"Why so fast?"

Cassandra replied calmly,

"Don't be nervous. This is a good thing."

"A good thing?" Selwyn asked sharply, "If being discovered is a good thing, why don't I just stay and be captured?"

The silver words on the paper went out, and after a moment, new words appeared again:

"When I say good things, I don't mean being discovered, but attracting attention.

"Do you remember the codeword I asked you to leave behind?"

Selwyn was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Of course I remember... You said that if someone recognized the code, they would come to me and help me..."

After pausing for two seconds, her dazed gaze solidified again and she asked in a deep voice:

"You mean that if this matter is taken seriously, it will help..."

She was considering her words. After a moment of silence, Cassandra saw that she was unable to organize her words, and then continued:

"Yes.

"It will be beneficial for you to attract the attention of the official Beyonders.

"Of course, the premise is that you cannot be caught before the person who helps you arrives.

"However, with me here, you don't need to worry about being caught for now - you will definitely meet the destined person, and He will lead us out of our current predicament."

Selwyn looked at the words on the page, frowned and thought for a moment, then asked again:

"Actually, I've always wanted to ask you...

"The text you left behind seems to be a respectable name.

"Does it belong to someone? For example, the person you want to contact? If I read out that honorific name, will I get a response?"

"No," Cassandra replied mercilessly.

"?" Selwyn was stunned for a moment, his eyes were surprised.

As if noticing her confusion, the words floated and gave a new explanation:

"Because 'Cassandra' doesn't exist."

"'Cassandra'?" Selwyn frowned. "That's you, isn't it?"

On the page, silver words swayed in this sentence, forming a new sentence:

"I call myself 'Cassandra', just because the 'Cassandra' in that story was cursed like us, and died like us according to her own prophecy.

"But the person I'm looking for is not 'Cassandra'."

Selwyn's eyes were hazy, and he seemed to understand what was said. "Cassandra" seemed to have no interest in dealing with it anymore, and immediately arranged a new line of text:

"If you don't leave now, it may be too late."

…

On Monday morning, after receiving Sharon's reply, Klein packed his belongings and prepared to explore the outskirts of Calderon City.

After much inquiry, he had determined that the outer area of ​​Calderon City posed no danger to him, and that the inner area was restricted to high-ranking beings, so the most that could enter were demigods.

So he invited Sharon to explore the city of Calderon together. After learning that Sharon would need another month or two to prepare, he decided to go and gather some intelligence on his own.

"With the luck given by Alice, my safety should be guaranteed... and if there is real danger, she should warn me," Klein counted his belongings, "and I still have seven high-level talismans on me... Ha, judging by the price of high-level talismans, maybe all my wealth combined cannot be worth as much as these talismans."

When he thought of this possibility, the corners of Klein's mouth twitched slightly. He took out the freshly made "Restart" talisman and put it away separately. He also sorted out the other things on his body. After making sure that he had not forgotten anything, he thought about setting off.

For safety reasons, Klein decided to use the Tyrant Card in spirit form to explore. This way, if he encountered danger, he could immediately end the summoning, which was another kind of protection.

After some preparation, Klein appeared above the gray fog and looked at a pile of "blasphemy cards". He paused for a moment and suddenly thought of something.

...Why don't I try the Wheel of Fortune card?

He had never thought of this possibility before. After all, it was Alice's thing, but when he happened to see it while rummaging through the sundries, Klein couldn't help but consider this possibility.

After all, Alice wouldn't refuse this level of borrowing if he needed it.

At most, I would just ask for a few more ice creams...

Klein's mind suddenly moved, and he quickly brought up the matter with Alice. After Alice raised the price and asked for five ice creams, he began to bargain with her. In the end, he successfully bought the temporary use rights of the "Wheel of Fortune" card with eight ice creams.

Why did she talk more and more? Because Alice didn't offer a lower price, she directly offered a higher price, as if to say, "If you have the ability, don't buy it."

Klein was forced to agree, fearing that Alice would go back on her word, so he stuffed the Wheel of Fortune card into his body. Then, like every time before, his aura began to change.

The aura of the "Wheel of Fortune" card was far less majestic than that of the "Tyrant" and "Black Emperor" cards. In other words, Klein felt that the aura was not even as strong as his own.

Silently, he put on a white hooded robe with the hood covering his head. He had no other clothes or decorations on his body, even the shoes on his feet disappeared.

this...

Klein was stunned for a moment. He remembered Alice's outfit. After two seconds of silence, he thought about what he should bring.

First, I must take the talisman Alice gave me... and then...

Klein looked at the "Poseidon's Scepter" and other items in the pile of miscellaneous items and frowned. He suddenly felt that he shouldn't bring too many things.

I'm just going to investigate the situation. If I really encounter danger, I can end the summoning and come back at any time. Bringing too many things is just a burden for me...

These spells should be enough. If that doesn't work, I can use a "Poseidon's Scepter" to protect myself...

This thought came into Klein's mind. He picked up the "Poseidon Scepter" and was about to step forward, but suddenly stopped.

...No, that's not right.

This is the influence of the "Wheel of Fortune" card!

Klein woke up instantly and withdrew from the state of acting on intuition, his eyes slightly startled.

Klein took out the "Wheel of Fortune" card for the moment and tried to feel the difference between his current state and his previous state.

I seemed to be relying more on my instincts than my reason, and I seemed to be very...

confidence?

Klein hesitated for a moment. Although he appeared to be unwilling to bring anything with him and just wanted to go directly, in fact, Klein still felt that this reckless and intuitive way of acting was actually a trust in fate.

The core idea is not that it does not rely on magical items, but that it only relies on fate.

But the results all seem to be correct...

After hesitating for two seconds, Klein took back the "Wheel of Fortune" card and decided that no matter what his intuition said, he must bring all his wealth with him.

This is not because he does not believe in intuition or fate, but Klein realized that he is not on the path of "fate" after all, and his spiritual intuition is probably different from theirs.

He didn't think that relying on fate was a good idea for a "fortune teller". In order not to rely on fate, Klein even planned in advance what he would do when the time came.

The journey to Calderon City was very smooth. The aura of the "Wheel of Fortune" seemed very special. After seeing him, the strange spiritual creatures along the way passed by him as if they hadn't seen him, and continued to do their own things as if he didn't exist.

Only occasionally would Klein want to take a detour for inexplicable reasons. Although he had reminded himself to stay rational before incorporating the "Wheel of Fortune" card, Klein still followed such intuition.

Fortunately, the result was good. He traveled smoothly through the spiritual world and finally reached his destination.

The scene before his eyes was essentially no different from other places in the spirit world. Rich and bright blocks of color overlapped, a little mist permeated some places, and in each deep place, pairs of eyes moved away one after another.

The robe on his body shook slightly after he stopped, but Klein didn't care about it. After a brief analysis, he let "Winner" Enzo and "Admiral of Hell" Ludwell enter a group of shock waves that looked thin and normal.

Suddenly, the vision he gained with the help of the two secret dolls broadened, reflecting a magnificent city that could only appear in myths and legends.

This city is different from normal ones. It does not develop upwards, but extends in circles to the end of the deep underground pit. The overall feeling of an inverted mausoleum is given to people.

The buildings inside it have various styles, but they are all equally strange. Some of them are towering ancient stone pillars with huge single houses polished on the top. Some are long and square with doors on the roof and no windows. Some are built underground with a tombstone at the entrance. Some are built with bones and are messy and fragmented.

The closer to the end of the underground pit, the better preserved the buildings are, while the closer to the top, the more collapsed parts there are, filled with a sense of decay and desolation brought about by time.

Klein stopped the two marionettes and stood at the edge of the city, looking down at everything. However, he couldn't see what the building at the bottom looked like. It was shrouded in deep darkness, as if no light had shone in for thousands or tens of thousands of years.

After a brief inspection, the "winner" Enzo lowered his head and chanted in a low voice in ancient Hermetic language:

"The fool who does not belong to this era;

"The mysterious master above the gray fog;

"The Yellow and Black King who controls good luck..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Klein, who was outside Calderon City, heard illusory and overlapping voices of prayer, and he could tell that they came from a man with a deliberately hoarse voice.

"It was the prayer of the marionette just now..." Klein breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself inaudibly, "This means that Calderon City is not shielded from the gray fog, at least the outer area is not shielded from the gray fog... Hey, I actually wanted to just go in like this just now. This 'Wheel of Fortune' card is really something. Fortunately, I planned what I would do before I came here... Could it be that the 'machine' is designed to deal with this kind of situation? Well, I should go in first."

He said this, but he was not in a hurry at all. He turned to control "Admiral of Hell" Ludville, asking him to raise his left arm and open his palm.

An illusory light suddenly burst out, and then collapsed inward with one point as the center, forming a pair of bronze doors.

The gate is slightly blurry and extremely unreal, with its surface covered with countless mysterious patterns, giving people an indescribable feeling of silence and depth.

With a creaking sound, the mysterious bronze door moved backwards and a crack appeared.

Through this gap, Klein saw the deepest and darkest darkness.

In the darkness, whiteness surged, sometimes rolling up, sometimes falling, like a river flowing in the lightless night.

On both sides of it, huge and pale stone pillars were vaguely visible, which were very similar to those in the city of Calderon, but more exaggerated.

At this moment, pairs of transparent eyes and indescribable faces suddenly appeared, filling the gap in the illusory bronze door, eager to pass through.

Klein felt a slight sting in his eyes, and he quickly asked his secret puppet Ludwell to clench his left palm.

Bang!

The illusory door covered with mysterious patterns was pushed by an invisible force, closed suddenly, and disappeared from the sight of the "winner" Enzo.

"This mysterious gate that separates life and death and leads to the underworld seems to have changed its direction. Behind the gate is no longer the underworld, but the core area of ​​Calderon City, the deepest part of the underground pit?" Klein nodded thoughtfully.

As a result, many abilities of the undead realm will be rewritten and mutated in Calderon City.

With this understanding, Klein experimented with the abilities of the "Death God" path, the "Winner" Enzo, and the magical items he carried with him. The only thing he didn't experiment with was the talisman that was missing.

As the experiment came to an end, Klein had Enzo the Winner and Ludwell the Admiral of Hell walk down the pale stairs at the entrance, step by step, until they reached the outermost area of ​​Calderon City, where all the buildings had collapsed.

When they were almost two hundred meters away, they passed through a thin mist. He felt a little dizzy and the scene in front of him suddenly changed. He had entered the "City of the Dead" Calderon.

The hairs on his body stood up one by one. Klein felt his heartbeat begin to tremble, and it seemed as if a raging storm was rising in his spirit, which was particularly obvious in this silent city.

Klein knew what this meant. It was a warning from deep within his spiritual being. He stopped and frowned.

Is there anything unusual here?

In his thoughts, Klein hid in the shadows through "Creeping Hunger" and controlled "Winner" Enzo and "Admiral of Hell" to guard him. (End of this chapter)