Although it was strange why the "Tower" would appear in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, considering his special condition, Klein didn't rashly pull him above the gray fog to ask.
Even though the "Fool" persona had most likely already been seen through, it was still only a possibility. He didn't want to do anything that might arouse even more suspicion.
Besides, doing that might not help Mr. Tower at all—it might even place him in greater danger.
And if he wanted to know what he had been doing, he could simply ask in the small gathering after next Monday's Tarot Meeting…
The most urgent matter right now was rescuing the "Sun" from that dangerous place.
Thinking this, Klein extended his spirituality, but felt the crimson star seemed as though it was stuck in a swamp, making his attempt to pull extremely strenuous.
What terrifying existence has he gotten involved with this time? Klein's thoughts turned as he rippled the gray fog and this mysterious space, sending the power downward.
After his promotion to Sequence 5, without relying on a Sealed Card or corresponding rituals, he could already leverage the power above the gray fog to a small degree!
Silently and effortlessly, Klein completed the pull. Derrick the Sun's figure immediately appeared on his high-backed chair.
...
Meanwhile, in the real Afternoon Town, the "Demon Hunter" cautiously entered the cellar of a house, with Hayne and Joshua following close behind.
In the dim candlelight, the figure of Derrick Berg rapidly sketched itself into existence as if drawn on paper.
...
Inside the "strange Afternoon Town" house, Ebner sensed a familiar aura of gray fog. Right after, he saw Derrick the Sun gradually erased from before his eyes.
Seeing this familiar scene, a flash of realization struck him. He pondered,
"If the original plot hasn't changed, that should have been Mr. Fool helping Derrick return to the real Afternoon Town.
"So, what I'm in now is the strange Afternoon Town—or rather, the Afternoon Town within 'Nightmare' and 'Secrecy'!
"This environment is like the foggy town in the Nation of the Evernight, or that Kabas town I once stumbled into during Professor Michelle's dream in East Chester County. They should all be within the domain of 'Darkness' and 'Nightmare'…
"No wonder the gem on my chest can gather such strong 'concealment' and 'darkness' power… According to the original story, Afternoon Town's darkness was where the 'Kings' plotted—it was the Goddess's home ground!
"Though the Rose of Redemption's assassination scheme must have been tacitly allowed by the Creator… at least on the surface it had to be hidden, or His awakened God-consciousness would definitely have stopped it.
"Combining that with what I observed during teleportation, plus the clues on the altar, I can deduce reasonably.
"The transmission channel built by the God of Luck, from Bayam to Afternoon Town outside the Giant's Court, should have relied on the connection between two Sea of Chaos entrances. So even under the True Creator's blockade, it could still function…
"Yes, inside the Nightmare of Afternoon Town, there must have also been a Sea of Chaos entrance, but it too was moved away by someone.
"Hmm, if the Sea of Chaos's 'black viscous mass' was still here, this passage would be hard to use—unless one had a Blasphemy Slate to control it.
"But now, with the Sea of Chaos moved, only residual pollution connects the entrances… and this remnant power let the God of Luck construct the teleportation gate.
"Furthermore, judging by the murals in the ruins, this passageway was likely built as far back as the Twin Era, or even earlier. That's why the God of Luck often, as depicted, teleported from the elf-ruled seas to this Giant's 'Mythic Gate,' gazing upon the Giant's Court.
"As for why He—or rather, I—gazed at the giant palaces, I have no idea…
"Heh, given the Queen of Calamities' attitude toward me… could it be that I really acted like a scoundrel back then, not only having unclear ties with the Elf Queen, but also secretly meeting the Giant Queen?
"If the Giant Queen Omybella had already been quietly replaced by Lilith, then it makes sense—after all, I had deep ties with her across several lifetimes… that 'fate' beginning here would be natural.
"But if not… then the knives above my head are only increasing!
"Forget it, better not dwell on these headaches—let's continue deducing…
"By the Third Epoch, when the Dark Angel organized the Rose of Redemption here, this secret channel most likely became the route for the Goddess and Lilith to come and go from Afternoon Town.
"After all, neither the Goddess nor Lilith were the Creator's direct line, so being cautious was natural.
"And since this town's Nightmare remained in a 'concealed' state, no one discovered how they arrived or departed.
"Even the awakened God-consciousness of the Creator couldn't discover it, let alone others.
"That's why this teleportation channel survived to the present.
"In fact, it might have been because the God of Luck got caught up in the War of Betrayal and suffered irreparable injuries that He had to use the channel to escape back to His palace, eventually perishing on His throne.
"But the problem with this deduction is… why would the 'me' who was a transmigrator have meddled in the Rose of Redemption's affairs without precautions against the coming God War? That behavior is completely like someone who didn't know the plot…
"And there's another strange point… the mural I first saw in the Trial Temple of the God of Luck and the Queen of Calamities working together to expel excess characteristics…
"'I' was also depicted there as knowing nothing about Beyonder pathways!"
With this multi-threaded thinking, culminating in a summary deduction, Ebner not only reconstructed many scenes, but also formed some ideas on how to return—such as finding where the abandoned Sea of Chaos entrance lay in Nightmare Afternoon Town.
Of course, before that, he had to explore the town, to discover whether anything here could benefit him.
Thinking so, Ebner didn't linger. With the protection of the Goddess's dark power, he quickly left the cellar, exited the house, and stepped into the streets of Afternoon Town.
The first thing that met his eyes were candle flames flickering in many windows, dim and swaying yet long unextinguished, as though this long-dead town still held life.
But Ebner knew it was only an illusion. Through the Pure White Eye, he clearly saw all kinds of monsters lurking in the darkness, ready to strike at any prey that strayed in.
Yet thanks to the Goddess's protection, Ebner, who stood in a deeper layer of Darkness and Nightmare, wasn't worried. Like with Derrick earlier, they couldn't see him at all.
The gem's protection is just like the church in Kabas Nightmare Town. As long as no sound is made, the monsters in this layer of darkness simply don't perceive those inside the 'church'!
Unless I fall deeper into Nightmare together with them, they won't see me.
After observing thoughtfully, Ebner was about to head for the upper district of Afternoon Town. But as soon as he looked up, he saw something unbelievable:
The fallen Floating City, within this dream, was still whole—still hovering in mid-air!
And within it, points of fire glimmered, faint signs of activity.
It was flying so low that its upper platform nearly connected to the staircase leading upward from Afternoon Town…
Didn't it crash? I remember even the Book of Gears was picked up from the ruins by that boy Jack…
Narrowing his eyes at this incredible sight, Ebner quickly strode toward the staircase to the upper town, unsealing the Book of Gears from his card as he went.
The instant the Book of Gears left its spiritual seal, all the lights in the Floating City of this Nightmare suddenly blazed to life, as if welcoming the return of a most honored guest.
...
Elsewhere, Klein didn't linger above the gray fog, quickly returning to the washroom and packing away his ritual items.
Hopefully the Little Sun won't run into more trouble, and Mr. Tower won't either. Otherwise, me going in and out of the washroom this often won't look good. Those who know the truth understand it's for secrecy, but those who don't might think Gehrman Sparrow has prostate problems—this ruins my persona!
Hmm, Nina's look just now was already strange. She even said I could go see Frank, claiming his medicines were usually unreliable, but sometimes worked…
If she hadn't done many bad things, I'd have turned her in for the bounty already!
Calm down, calm down, think of something else… Though I've fully digested the Faceless potion, Rosago the Puppet Master advanced one sequence at a time, so his residual characteristic must contain a Faceless portion… Using that characteristic as the main ingredient means I've essentially consumed an extra Faceless, a Magician, a Clown, a Seer… maybe even more…
Sigh, I'll just have to keep following the rules I summarized earlier, to digest the excess components. Klein conjured clear water, washed his face, then stepped out of the washroom.
Just as he wondered if it was dinnertime and reached for his gold-cased pocket watch to check, his vision suddenly went dark—he could barely see his hand in front of him.
Night already… the intervals are so irregular… If I were fighting a monster and suddenly darkness fell, what would I do? Monsters are living beings too—they should need to sleep. Otherwise, they'd likely vanish into the night… Heh, both sides fighting, then suddenly lying down to nap, and continuing after waking… That's basically an unspeakable story below the neck, isn't it? What am I thinking? At least this isn't the Hall of Honesty… Relaxed after his successful promotion, Klein muttered two complaints, then quickly went to bed.
With meditation, he soon fell asleep and entered a dream.
Within the dream, he had just become lucid when he suddenly saw the Floating City above the Giant's Court burst into dazzling light, as though the Sun had descended into it.
(End of Chapter)