In the washroom of Member of Parliament Macht's residence.
Klein hesitated between relieving the pressure caused by too much punch or waiting another minute when Will Auceptin's customary "infant" form appeared in the mirror.
Time was short; Klein skipped pleasantries and went straight to the point, informing Him that the "buyer" who wanted His umbilical cord blood had brought an exchange.
Wrapped in silver silk, Will asked crisply:
"What are the options?"
Recalling his earlier meeting with Bernadette, Klein said:
"Two chips—choose one.
"First, a viewing of the Wheel of Fortune card.
"Second, a way to briefly regain some strength during Your weak phase."
Will Auceptin paused for a second, then chuckled:
"So it is Bernadette.
"My hunch was right—something worthwhile this time."
He sighed softly:
"Actually, I'd have liked a third option—like helping me get rid of that stupid snake."
"She?" Klein blinked, instantly catching the pronoun.
Will clicked His tongue and mocked, "Bernadette became a Sage several days ago… don't you read the papers?"
Do newspapers publish angel news? Which lunatic reporter would dare?
Klein grumbled inwardly, but after running through recent headlines—and recalling Mr Tower's request for "protection" on Tuesday—he mused, "The Trier earthquake?"
"So you're not totally ignorant… Without Bernadette and your friend Ebner, the casualties in Trier would've exceeded a hundred thousand. She prevented a calamity involving a high-level existence, so she advanced to Sequence 2."
Will sucked His fingers as He spoke.
Klein was stunned. "What exactly happened?"
"How would I know? I'm not an extraordinary of the Omniscient pathway… I only catch small ripples in Fate…
"For details, go ask Ebner," Will said matter-of-factly.
Klein steadied himself and returned to the topic. "Which do You want?"
Tilting His head, Will asked, "Which do you think I should pick?"
Klein answered at once—he had thought this through:
"Two."
Will clicked His tongue again.
"Do I look like a mythic creature who doesn't already have such methods?
"I've rebooted countless times. Obviously I'd prepare beforehand!"
Fair… Klein nodded.
"So, You want the Wheel of Fortune viewing instead? Or should they bring a different offer?"
Will raised two chubby fingers.
"I choose two."
"..."
Klein's face stiffened.
Will laughed. "One more method is one more trump card—is that wrong?"
"You and Ebner do share certain habits…" Klein muttered.
Of course—he was my student, Will mumbled, before waving His tiny arms.
"Once I'm born in early July, you can collect the umbilical cord blood!"
Then He stilled, and added with a meaningful tone:
"When you see Bernadette again, give her my congratulations.
"And tell her—she's welcome to join."
"Join?" Klein echoed, baffled. Had the Queen of Mystic, after becoming an angel, joined some hidden circle—and Will was a member?
Sucking His fingers, Will murmured:
"You don't need to know that much… unless you want to join too.
"But Bernadette might just be an accident. She often uses dangerous methods to pry into secrets.
"Probably why her fate shifted."
So that's where Miss Hermit gets her "peek at everything" habit… and old Huang too—otherwise he wouldn't have insisted on going to the moon…
Klein nodded thoughtfully, then asked:
"You said you wished Bernadette could help you deal with the Angel of Fate… but she's only Sequence 2. How could she possibly manage that?"
He didn't believe Will was joking—there was a deeper basis.
"She holds several Grade-0 Sealed Artifacts. If she risked everything, there's a chance. But the price would be worse than death."
Will clearly wanted to drop the matter.
"By the way, your Puppet lady has a problem."
"Puppet"… Sharon?
Klein tensed. "What happened?"
Will said brightly, "She was subtly contaminated by a certain existence—just a little."
Contaminated? Why didn't I notice?
Klein frowned. "How? When?"
Baby Will snickered.
"Ask yourself!
"I only know the source was erased the day before yesterday, so the contamination is minimal.
"As long as you two don't get too intimate, it won't spread to you."
The day before yesterday…
Klein remembered the primordial island—and the final sigh.
The succubus!
The only thing he'd lost was the succubus pastured in Creeping Hunger.
She was the vector?
Right—Orange Light Hilarion had warned him not to overlook the succubus Creeping Hunger had swallowed.
He had purified her repeatedly under the gray fog and confirmed she posed no danger…
But clearly, the Mother Tree of Desire had aimed this trap at Sharon, not him.
Knowing Klein and Miss Sharon were close, She tainted Sharon indirectly…
Then, someday in the future—if, if—they became truly intimate, that hidden hand might erupt and seize the authority of the space above the gray fog!
Also, the only time the succubus had appeared while Sharon was present was during the sea-monster scramble… That must've been when she was contaminated.
And after yesterday's sigh, the succubus was erased—
So the existence behind the primordial island might have helped him?
Klein felt guilt twist through him—deep guilt toward Miss Sharon—but he steadied his thoughts.
"How do I remove it?"
That was the urgent matter.
"Well… strictly speaking it's less contamination and more a mark placed on that puppet lady by the top existence of the Chained pathway, using a medium you know very well.
"Once you become a demigod and can draw more on the power of the Sefirah Castle, you'll naturally be able to protect her.
"You could go find Ebner now… but the consequences are unpredictable. Provoking the Unknown over something this small is not worth it—you now know what the Unknown is.
"You can also leave it alone. At worst she'll need to practice stricter abstinence…
"It's obvious she cares deeply for you—that's why she was chosen and used.
"But the source is gone; it won't worsen. With her long experience in abstinence, it's manageable.
"Just make sure you restrain yourself."
Abstinence…
No wonder Miss Sharon insists on separate bedrooms… Wait—according to Will… she has deep feelings for me? She likes me?!
Stunned and secretly delighted, Klein accidentally said his thought aloud.
Will gave him a contemptuous baby stare.
"A baby like me can see it clearly—must you pretend to be stupid?"
Baby? You're thousands of years old… Klein complained inwardly.
He inhaled, dismissed his wandering thoughts, regained his "Dwayne Dantès" composure, and said:
"Understood. I'll become a demigod as soon as possible."
He bowed.
"Thank You for the warning and the answers."
Will waved.
"The best thanks is leaving me alone so I can be born in peace!"
Then He added:
"And giving me that method doesn't count as 'bothering' me!"
The black pram rolled backward, about to retreat into the mirror's shadow.
Klein hurriedly said:
"The paper crane is almost falling apart. How should I contact You in emergencies?"
Will paused, then muttered:
"You expect me to fold cranes inside my mother's womb? Even if I could, how would you get them?
"If I want you, as long as you still live here, I can enter your dreams anytime.
"If you need something urgently, go to my father! Paper cranes take forever anyway.
"Now, as an unborn fetus, I need more sleep. We'll talk later."
Klein nodded helplessly.
"If that's everything…"
Will's fading form froze for two seconds.
"One more thing."
"What?" Klein braced himself.
Don't tell me someone else was contaminated!
Will said solemnly:
"Next time you visit my father—
"Bring me ice cream.
"I want the one from the Witch's Delight in North Borough."