"Announcing the return of the Abraham family."
"Major powers sending people to recruit."
"A liaison officer?"
After privately discussing for a few moments, the few Astrologers understood Ebner's intent. They were also quite excited, because this meant that from now on, the Abraham family would no longer need to hide in the shadows, but could instead appear openly before the world.
Dorian, Vilrod, and the others all turned to look at a companion named Martha. She appeared to be in her forties or fifties, with ordinary looks but a very capable air, clearly the image of a strong, decisive woman.
And this was indeed the case. She was currently the manager of several of the family's important industries. When it came to dealing with people, she was the most skilled.
Martha herself also knew that among the group, only she and Dorian were truly suitable for the position of "liaison officer." However, Dorian's Fisheries Association mostly dealt with grassroots civilians; he might lack the necessary understanding of high society. As such, she really was the most appropriate choice.
Still, she did not answer immediately. After some consideration, she cautiously asked:
"Forebear, which faction are You inclined to join?
"And additionally, what is the bottom line of the conditions we can accept?"
Ebner had already thought this through. Smiling, he replied:
"At the very least, a hereditary duke's title, or governance over a territory.
"As for my inclination… Intis, Feynapotter, and Lenburg, Masin, and Segar take priority.
"Best if it's Masin or Segar directly at the royal level.
"Mm, Intis currently has no angel families, so the conditions they offer will likely be relatively good… but its political situation is unstable, and as a republic it has no noble titles, making it the lowest priority among the preferred nations."
Martha carefully wrote this down. After hesitating for a moment, she still probed:
"Should we not consider Loen?"
Nearly all of the Abraham family members present were Loenese, and naturally felt the deepest attachment to that country.
Loen is certainly good, but that's my home base… developing two identities in the same place would be somewhat wasteful…
Ebner muttered inwardly.
On the surface, however, he merely said meaningfully:
"The Evernight Goddess Church and the Storm Church are both orthodox churches of Loen."
Martha, Dorian, and the others immediately understood and did not ask further.
The reality was obvious: the Ancestor had been exiled jointly by the Evernight Goddess and the Lord of Storm. Those two gods would inevitably be unfriendly toward the Abraham family.
…
Friday, 160 Berkland Street.
Standing on the balcony, Klein looked out at the street scene through the gap in the curtains, unable to suppress the rising tension in his heart.
If nothing unexpected occurred, he would soon begin the operation to steal the Antigonus family notebook.
After using the help of the Mystic Queen Bernadette to make his own marionette appear eroded, and through frequent church visits, prayers, sermons, and donations to ascertain the rotation patterns of the internal guards, only one final preparatory step remained.
That was how to quietly, unnoticed, replace that internal guard.
However, he had already prepared a detailed plan for this. If no major accidents occurred, it should not be a problem…
Huu…
After a few minutes, Klein slowly exhaled, then walked backward four steps and entered the world above the gray fog.
Sitting down at the seat belonging to the Fool, he pondered for nearly a minute before materializing pen and paper and writing the divination statement:
"This theft of the Antigonus family notebook is dangerous."
After placing down the dark red, round-bellied steel pen, Klein removed the pendulum from inside his left wrist cuff. Holding the silver chain in his left hand, he let the yellow crystal pendant hover just above the paper, nearly touching it.
He entered meditation, closed his eyes, and silently recited the divination statement. After seven repetitions, he slowly opened his eyes and saw the pendulum rotating clockwise, with ordinary amplitude and average speed.
There is danger, but it falls within the normal range…
Klein quickly interpreted the result.
Looking at the yellow crystal pendant as it gradually came to a stop, he spoke in his native tongue in a low voice:
"The arrow is already on the bowstring; it must be released."
Before the words even finished, Klein wrapped himself in spirituality, simulated a falling sensation, and returned to the real world.
This time, the items he planned to carry with him were only three: Creeping Hunger, Endless Traveler's Book, and Azik's Copper Whistle. Their shared characteristic was their small size—even the largest, Endless Traveler's Book, was only slightly bigger than a cigarette case, making it convenient to carry.
As for everything else, it would most likely fail to pass through Chanis Gate and could easily trigger anomalies in the sealing core. Klein therefore threw them all, along with his cash, into the world above the gray fog, fully prepared to flee far away immediately should anything go wrong.
As for Sharron, he had also asked Miss Messenger to keep watch over her, ready to take her into the Spirit World to escape at any time…
Thinking of Sharron, Klein drew the curtains shut and walked back into the bedroom, only to see Miss Sharron lying on the same bed as "Dawn."
Mm, this "Dawn" was an illusion created by Miss Messenger using her abilities, a disguise to mislead others.
But the scene still looked awkward and made him feel somewhat uncomfortable…
Klein quickly reined in his thoughts and said to the two ladies:
"I'm counting on you."
A trace of worry appeared in Sharron's eyes as she asked:
"Do you need help?"
Klein shook his head and smiled gently.
"There isn't much danger. Don't worry."
With that, he transformed into the cold-faced, crazed adventurer Gehrman Sparrow. After bidding farewell, he opened Endless Traveler's Book, and his figure quickly faded.
Only after he had left did Sharron press her lips together. After a long while, she finally asked the Miss Messenger beside her:
"Teacher… what is the relationship between Mr Fool and him?"
Reinette Tinekerr merely smiled slightly, without answering the question.
After all, her current "Dawn" form was only an illusion. If she wanted to speak, she would have to take out all four of her heads, which was far too troublesome.
…
Relying on thorough preparations, Klein successfully replaced the internal guard and infiltrated past Chanis Gate of Saint Samuel Cathedral, arriving beside the Antigonus family notebook.
Yet just as he was about to have the marionette "Senior" retrieve the notebook, he was horrified to discover that he had been erased by the suddenly appearing sealed artifact "0-17"!
I wonder if this kind of death still has a chance at resurrection…
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Klein was shocked to discover that he had already been pulled into a small town shrouded in mist.
Next, he subdued a starving Rose Bishop who had mistaken him for food, and from the man's mouth learned the "bizarre" rules governing the town.
This sounds somewhat like the Evernight Kingdom that Mr Tower once mentioned… Could I have been transported here as well?
Is this the Goddess's trial?
As his thoughts churned, Klein did not hesitate. After killing the Rose Bishop, he entered the central church of the town and ultimately discovered a figure beneath the statue of the Mother of the Sky—a figure not hanging in midair, but sitting diagonally behind the statue.
It was an elderly man in a black robe, wearing a hood, head lowered, eyes closed. The white beard around his mouth and face was long and dense, as though it had not been trimmed for years or even decades, making it impossible to discern his original appearance.
Yet in Klein's eyes, this bearded old man was even more bizarre than the "cured meats" hanging inside the church, because he recognized who the other party was.
"Zaratul?!" Klein blurted out.
Ebner, who was controlling this "historical image" of Zaratul that had been completely polluted by the Unknown, let out a chuckle and said:
"Judging by your reaction, it seems you know me?"
(End of chapter)