It seemed that my action last night—directly bringing the "Trojan Horse of Destiny" Beyonder characteristic into the space above the gray fog—had indeed given Klein quite a strong shock…
That made sense. After all, the space above the gray fog was the greatest "capital" he relied on to survive ever since he "transmigrated" into this world… This was only possible because it was Little Klein; if it were some more extreme transmigrator, they'd probably have killed to silence me within minutes.
After sighing inwardly, Ebner gave a slight nod and said without much concealment, "Alvin is now my avatar… or rather, another me.
"And a 'Miracle Invoker,' by relying on the connection between the 'Fool' and 'Sefirah Castle' that Mr. 'Fool' 'shared' with me, doesn't find it difficult to enter this place."
Huh? "Tower" was still emphasizing Mr. "Fool"… Was he deliberately avoiding exposing me? Klein's heart stirred as he tentatively asked, "Aren't you afraid that Mr. 'Fool' will blame you?"
Ebner shot him a half-smiling glance and curled his lips as he asked in return, "Would Mr. 'Fool' blame me?"
As expected… This guy already knew that I was actually the "Fool," otherwise how could he be this arrogant? The real question now was—when did he find out?
Recalling all the operations he had carried out in the identity of the "Fool" in the past, which likely looked like a monkey show in the other party's eyes, Klein felt his scalp go numb…
No wonder he's always been so 'pleased' during the Tarot Club meetings… If it were me in his position, I'd probably be even more amused than him!
As this thought flashed through his mind, Klein realized something even more terrifying… that was, "Tower's" "pleasure" seemed to have started from the very first Tarot Club meeting…
In other words, could it be that he knew the truth behind the "Fool" right from the start?
As thoughts raced, Klein activated his "Clown" ability, barely keeping his expression from collapsing.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to say, "Mr. 'Fool' is very tolerant, so naturally He wouldn't blame you… But He wants to know whether you deliberately drew His attention back then, and what purpose you had in joining the Tarot Club."
Klein had actually asked this question once before. It was just that the other party hadn't answered it directly at the time, instead diverting the topic by talking about things like "vessels" and "Sefirah Castle." After that, Klein had unconsciously filled in the gaps himself, allowing the matter to be glossed over.
Pretty clever, still stubbornly propping up the 'Fool' act even now. It's probably your spiritual intuition that made you instinctively choose to persist, right?
That was true. Once the fact that "World" was the "Fool" got exposed, not to mention whether it would affect the future ritual of becoming a god, at the very least, the effect of prematurely acting as an "Attendant of Mysteries" would be greatly diminished.
As for me… I won't take the initiative to tear off your mask. After all, a situation where "you know that I know your true identity, yet you still have to pretend that you don't know that I know" is far more entertaining to watch…
No, I mean, such a situation is far more beneficial for maintaining your "humanity."
Ebner smiled, still not answering Klein's question head-on, and instead said pointedly, "The moment you became Klein, you were discovered by the Goddess. And on the second day after you became Klein, the Earth Mother also noticed the peculiarity on you."
So you're saying that you, you goddess pretty-boy, really knew from the very beginning that I was the "Fool"? Klein nearly covered his face, desperately recalling just how many stupid things he had done in front of the other party… only to realize that he couldn't count them at all!
"As for my purpose… don't worry, I have no intention of seizing 'Sefirah Castle'… If I truly wanted to, I would have succeeded long ago, back when I was still Alvin, with the Goddess's support.
"But my 'cheat' and 'Sefirah Castle' are incompatible. Forcing a 'fusion' would lead to the destruction of the world." Ebner added at this point.
The symbolism of the "Unknown" ultimately also originated from the "Original." If it fused with a "Pillar," it would inevitably awaken the "Original."
What's more, the "Unknown" didn't seem to have much advantage over a Pillar. If the Celestial Worthy awakened ahead of time, it was still uncertain who would devour whom.
"Destruction of the world?" Klein's attention was instantly drawn to this. He weighed his words and asked, "What exactly is the reason?"
"I can't tell you the more detailed situation for now. That's not knowledge you're able to understand at your current level," Ebner shook his head and said.
"I understand…" Klein nodded, then returned to the previous topic and continued asking, "Then what about Alvin becoming an angel under the 'Fool'?"
"That was Mr. 'Fool's' decision. You don't need to concern yourself with it… Of course, if necessary, you can request 'me' to take action. 'I' will decide whether to agree or not based on how much remuneration you're willing to offer." Ebner looked at Klein and said solemnly.
"..." Klein was instantly speechless, screaming inwardly, Mr. 'Fool's' decision? But how come I, the 'Fool' himself, don't know anything about this?!
After that, the two chatted idly for a while. It wasn't until the small gathering was about to end that Ebner remembered something and casually asked, "Oh right, I also promised the Abraham family to ask Mr. 'Fool' whether He could shelter their members on nights of the full moon… What do you think—would Mr. 'Fool' agree?"
Klein shot him a glance and replied naturally, "This matter needs to be submitted to Mr. 'Fool' for instructions. I can't give you an answer right now."
...
At 7:30 p.m., Hazel accompanied her father, Councilor Macht, and her mother, Lady Liana, to the Empress Borough and entered Count Hall's residence.
Because today was a birthday ball, she didn't meet Miss Audrey Hall directly. She merely listened quietly as her parents exchanged pleasantries with Count Hall, Lady Caitlin, Lord Hibbert Hall, and the others.
If not for Ebner also being invited, she would have felt that the villa's magnificent ballroom, its murals of great artistic value, and its elegant, exquisite sculptures were more worthy of attention.
Of course, the enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling was also a focal point of her attention—she always felt that it might suddenly fall down.
Smiling as she greeted one familiar and unfamiliar face after another, Hazel finally waited for the ball to begin and saw tonight's protagonist, Miss Audrey Hall, linking arms with the Count and Countess as she walked out from a second-floor room and came to the railing facing the dance floor.
Hazel's gaze swept over, about to habitually skip past the other party's face and examine the style of her gown and the matching of her accessories.
However, in the next moment, her gaze seemed to stick to Audrey, who had just turned eighteen, refusing to move away.
She only felt that the other party's emerald-like eyes, indescribably pure and beautiful face, and lustrous, gold-like long hair made even that one-of-a-kind evening gown and the various precious accessories lose their color.
For a moment, Hazel felt somewhat dazed and failed to hear what Count Hall was saying. It wasn't until the melodious music began to play and Audrey Hall danced the opening dance with her Count father that she came back to her senses.
Subconsciously, she searched the crowd for Ebner's figure and noticed that, unlike the other guests, he was not involuntarily drawn to Miss Audrey.
Phew… Hazel let out a breath for no apparent reason, and the faint sense of inferiority that had quietly arisen dissipated along with it.
But just at this moment, she suddenly discovered that Audrey, who had finished the opening dance, and Ebner walked into two adjacent lounges one after the other. Her brows immediately furrowed again.
...
Inside the lounge, looking at the suddenly arriving Mr. "Tower," Audrey smiled after greeting him and asked:
"Mr. 'Tower,' back when we were in Groselle's Travels, you once said that as long as I made a wish to you on my birthday, I could obtain a giant dragon as beautiful as the 'King of the North'… Does that promise still count?"
Hearing the question, Ebner replied with a smile, "If it weren't to fulfill that promise, I wouldn't have come…"
At this point, he paused before continuing, "Now, you may make your wish to me!"
Audrey was taken aback, but out of her trust in Mr. "Tower" and Mr. "Fool," she still nodded with little hesitation and said, "I wish to obtain a pet as beautiful as the 'King of the North,' Yurisian."
"Your wish has been fulfilled." Ebner nodded with a smile. Then, with a flip of his palm, he took out an "egg" about the size of an ordinary slice of toast, covered in mysterious patterns, and handed it to Audrey. "This is a 'Digital' Egg. As long as it receives careful care, it can hatch into the 'pet' you desire… However, it must go through the stages of infancy, growth, maturity, Perfect Form, and Ultimate Form before it can grow into a 'Frost Giant Dragon.'"
This thing was naturally a "new race" that Ebner had molded by borrowing Lilith's method of creating "Roses," using Beyonder characteristics. In essence, it was just a change in form of the "Demoness." Wanting it to "evolve" was very simple—just have Miss "Justice" buy characteristics to feed it.
This was not only to fulfill his promise, but also to accumulate wishes that turned illusory items into reality. To move the "Floating City" out of the "dream" of the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" required two "miracles"—one was "instantaneous transfer," and the other was "turning illusion into reality."
Although the main body of the "Floating City" could make use of the "creation" authority of the "All-Knowing Eye," borrowing a "Floating City" model that already existed in reality to "turn false into true"…
The residents inside the "Floating City" could not! Their continued existence required "miracles."
...
(End of Chapter)