Above the gray fog, Klein, seated in the position of the "Fool," couldn't help but complain after testing the two Beyonder items sacrificed by "The Tower":
"Did naming myself Gehrman mean I was destined to receive a 'Burial Blade'?
"But the weapon's scythe form is undeniably terrifying—death upon contact... It's just that having only five minutes of total usage time feels way too short. It reminds me of those online games I used to play, where you'd get a free five-minute power boost, and after it expired, you'd have to spend premium currency to recharge...
"Could 'Mr. Tower' be following the same pattern? Forcing me to end battles quickly and only letting me activate the ultimate skill at a crucial moment!"
Of course, complaints were just that—complaints. In truth, he was quite satisfied with the weapon that could switch forms using different crystals. Whether as the "Funeral Blade" or as "Thunder," its power was impressive! With this weapon, combined with the "Creeping Hunger," Klein now felt confident enough to go up against even a pirate admiral.
"And Miss Magician's 'Flesh Trigger' is pretty good too... It's just that the design might not be very friendly to girls?
"Hmm... Given Mr. Tower's personality, maybe he was even hoping to scare Miss Magician into tears so he could console her afterward... or something?"
After maligning "The Tower's" possible intentions for a bit, Klein picked up the gear-covered book sacrificed by "The Sun," Derrick.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately suppressed his curiosity and refrained from divining its origin.
"This book can ignore the 'Serpent of Fate's' fate loops... If I end up seeing something like the True Creator or the Angel of Purity during the divination and damage the book, I wouldn't be able to afford the consequences..." Klein mocked himself softly, then let his spirituality extend outward and "clicked" open the crimson star representing Mr. Tower.
Ever since losing the "Fallen Morning Star," he'd become more cautious about items left in Mr. Tower's custody.
Of course, if an emergency arose, he wouldn't hesitate to use them.
.....
In Mr. Surry's workshop, after completing the ritual of "accepting a gift," Ebner watched as a book cast in brass and revealing gear structures passed through the "Summoning Gate" and landed on the altar.
He began by habitually praising Mr. Fool, then activated the "Pure White Eye" and carefully studied the gear-covered book that had reportedly stumped even the Chief of Silver City.
"The mechanical lock's structure is complex, but not unbreakable... The material of the book itself is rather special—although it looks like brass, it's fundamentally something else... I can't tell exactly what it is.
"But none of that is the real issue. The real trouble is the aura wrapped around the outside of the book... It seems to originate from the same source as the power behind the 'Pure White Eye,' yet it feels subtly different...
"It's precisely this aura that kept the gear book hidden all this time—until that little boy Jack found it and indirectly brought it to me.
"Is this the guidance of 'Fate'?"
After thinking for a while, Ebner didn't rashly tamper with the aura surrounding the gear book. After all, Lilith had been collecting items from transmigrators, most likely due to that very same aura.
"I'll start by swapping in the second half of Feast of Blood to see what's actually written there... And since Lilith only needs the aura, she might not even take the gear book itself."
With that thought, Ebner packed up his materials, restored the workshop to its original state, and slipped out of Mr. Surry's villa right under the eyes of the Machinery Hivemind.
.....
Southbridge District, Rose Street, Harvest Church.
Because it wasn't a rest day and it was right during work hours, Hazel, Emlyn, even Freya and Daisy had all gone to the theater to help out, so the prayer hall appeared very empty. Aside from the towering Bishop Utravsky, no one else was present.
As soon as Ebner, dressed in a black woolen coat, stepped inside, the half-giant priest smiled and walked up to greet him, saying, "Her Highness is already waiting for you. Come with me."
Why does that make me feel like a call girl arriving to provide a house call? Ebner couldn't help but complain inwardly, but on the surface, he followed the bishop obediently into the basement, where he once again saw the vessel for Lilith's descent.
The vampire duke, who carried Lilith's soul, first waved off Bishop Utravsky, then smiled at Ebner and said, "Bring the item over."
Ebner didn't dare to delay. He immediately took out the gear-covered book and handed it over.
As Lilith received the book, her pupils suddenly turned silver. What happened next shocked Ebner right before his eyes!
The originally bewitchingly beautiful male vampire transformed completely into a female form within just a few seconds.
That face could melt ice and snow and captivate the soul. That figure was perfectly proportioned—neither too tall nor too short, full but not excessive—as if it was nature's miracle crafted into human form.
Her "beauty" was beyond words. It defied any description, as if her mere existence was the very embodiment of the word "beautiful."
Ebner was dazed with just one glance, and only managed to snap out of it thanks to the automatic activation of his "Pure White Eye."
"This is... the 'Goddess of Beauty'?" Staring at the former duke who had now undergone a fundamental transformation into a queen, Ebner asked with some confusion, "Even a vessel can advance?"
"In fact, the ritual to ascend to the 'Goddess of Beauty' was completed many years ago. It's just that the timing hadn't been right..." Lilith gave a smile that dazed Ebner once again, before continuing, "An ordinary vessel certainly couldn't—but he was special..."
Special... so this duke's body really did belong to the transmigrator, Duke Rhine? Also, the 'Wanderer' in the Nation of the Evernight seems to have prepared the ritual needed to advance to Miracle Invoker too...
And those transmigrators' bodies really are strange—clearly dead, yet they don't release Beyonder characteristics, as if still alive in some form.
Duke Rhine Kalundia, the vampire, was like that. So was the 'Wanderer' Alvin Abraham. And that 'Death Consul' Vicente Miranda likely fits the same pattern...
Aside from the 'Goddess of Luck'—whose identity as a transmigrator is still uncertain—and the whereabouts of Felipe still being a mystery, only Daniel and the owner of the gear book might have truly died for real.
But Daniel was originally a fragment of the Chained God, the Left Hand of God... and I returned the polluted "1-025" to the Chained God through a 'sacrifice'...
Although the god's spirit took the opportunity to escape with the Uniqueness, His body should still be bound by the Mother Tree of Desire, right? Could that body also be considered one of the senior transmigrators' bodies?
As for the 'Calamity Seal'... I can't even imagine what it would mean for it to be considered 'dead'...
But seriously, what's with you gods? Do you all have a fetish for collecting transmigrators' bodies or something?
While admiring the beauty of the Goddess, Ebner half complained and half pondered in his heart.
(End of chapter)