"I want to seek help from a mysterious being I believe in. Wait here for a moment," Edward said, and then Apparated a few dozen meters away.
He pulled out the picture frame and infused it with spirituality, entering the independent space within. Inside, he conjured a chair and sat down, placing his hands together in a prayer to Mr. Fool:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck..."
———
[Spirit World]
Inside a gothic floating castle, Klein lay on a stone bed, pierced through the chest.
Beside him sat Reinette Tinekerr, holding her four beautiful heads in one hand, their crimson eyes all fixed on Klein's corpse.
Compared to when he had first fallen, the terrifying wound in Klein's chest had partially healed—but full recovery would still take time.
His face was pale, his body stiff, and not a trace of life remained.
And yet, if one had to describe him, perhaps the most fitting phrase would be—
"Lifelike."
At this moment, Klein's soul was trapped within his dead, broken body—lost in a void of chaos, completely disconnected from the outside world.
Then, a mosquito-like whisper of a prayer reached him from afar:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."
Klein's consciousness stirred.
Someone is praying to me?
That voice…Edward?
Wait—didn't I die again?
How can I still hear someone's prayer?
...And why did I say "again"…?
Wait a second. Don't tell me—I'm not really dead?
Klein struggled desperately to open his eyes, wanting to respond to Edward's prayer.
But just as a sliver of awareness returned, a tide of darkness surged in from all directions, dragging him back into the void and chaos.
On the outside, the only reaction from his body was a faint twitch of his eyelid…before falling still once more.
The four heads of Reinette Tinekerr tilted slightly, speaking in turn:
"This time…he really…might be…dead."
"But why…do I sense…a trace…of resurrection…in him?"
She stood up.
"He'll have to…survive on his own…first."
———
[Forsaken Land of the Gods]
Edward's prayer seemed to vanish without a ripple—no response came.
He frowned.
No way…didn't Klein just survive a major crisis? How could something have gone wrong again so quickly?
Maybe he's just busy…
After all, even the Fool has His own affairs. He can't possibly respond at any given moment.
Thinking this, Edward cancelled the [World Within the Painting] and Apparated back to Bernadette and the others.
The moment he landed, Lilith eagerly leapt into his arms, pointing her tiny paw at Bernadette and exclaiming, "Edward! She just tried to trick me!"
Bernadette: "…"
Edward blinked.
"Trick you into what?"
"She tried to coax me into telling her who you were praying to!"
Lilith lifted her chin and huffed proudly, "But Miss Lilith isn't dumb! I didn't fall for it—I didn't tell her anything!"
Bernadette's expression grew complicated.
After multiple interactions, she'd assumed Lilith was just a pampered, somewhat ditzy little cat spoiled by Edward.
Now she realized that while Lilith was indeed simple, she was far from stupid.
Since the secret had been exposed, Bernadette only replied flatly, "Be careful of evil gods."
Edward chuckled, "Thanks for the concern—but the one I believe in isn't some evil god."
He paused, sighing, "Besides, are there really any 'evil gods' in this world worse than the True Creator?"
Bernadette gave a slight nod.
Her curiosity about Edward's ability to communicate with a deity—especially one potentially heretical—only grew deeper.
"So…did you find a way out?" she asked.
"Unfortunately, no. There was no response."
Edward looked out toward the distance, at the shadows creeping at the edge of the horizon.
He debated whether to stay and wait or to explore more of the Forsaken Land.
He found himself leaning toward the latter.
Because he'd just realised—the Forsaken Land of the Gods was perfect for embodying the role of the Wandering Mentor.
To walk this land was to wander.
To spread knowledge and information of the outside world to the tens of thousands in the City of Silver and Moon City—that was the essence of a mentor's duty.
To leave behind traces after each journey—that was true fulfilment of the role.
"You want to explore the Forsaken Land of the Gods?" he asked, leaving the choice to Bernadette.
As a Mystery Pryer, she made her decision without hesitation.
"Of course."
"Alright, let's go."
Edward casually picked up a few stones, transformed them into lanterns, and used the Levitation Charm to make them float around them.
He explained, "There are all kinds of terrifying creatures lurking in the dark here. We absolutely cannot let ourselves fall into darkness."
The two of them stepped into the gloom.
In the Forsaken Land, conventional roads were almost nonexistent.
All around stretched vast, barren wastelands.
Black was the dominant colour of everything.
Scattered across the wasteland were occasional patches of vegetation—twisted, grotesque plants.
But Edward knew they weren't some strange species.
They were originally normal flora, warped and mutated by the lingering power of this land.
Beyond the reach of the lanterns, the darkness seemed alive—writhing silently, ready to swallow everything it touched.
Edward suddenly asked, "By the way—did you complete the ritual to advance during the Backlund disaster?"
Bernadette nodded, then shook her head.
"Halfway."
Edward blinked. "Halfway? A ritual can be half‑completed?"
"My intervention did help curb the spread of the disaster, but almost immediately someone interfered. By the time I fought that person off, the Church of the Storm had already cleared away the fog."
She frowned, uncertain. "By all rights, the ritual should have failed—yet I feel it's half complete. As for the other half…I can't grasp the situation yet."
Edward thought for a moment. Perhaps the Fog Catastrophe was only a preparatory act for George III's apotheosis; Bernadette's effort hadn't stopped the smog itself, but it had indirectly affected everything that followed.
Or maybe she still carried a knot of regret at not seeing Emperor Roselle with her own eyes.
"It really was the Demoness who started the fog?" he asked.
She nodded. "Just as you said earlier, a Demoness wanted to use it to digest her potion. I tried hunting her down, but failed. She must have had some special method—or a sealed artifact—that granted a very high‑level concealment. Unable to stop her, all I could do was limit the spread of the poison…Sadly—"
Edward fell silent a moment. "How many ordinary people do you think died?"
"Judging by how far it reached…at least several thousand."
…Sigh.
Long ago he had agonized over whether—and how—to interfere with the Fog Catastrophe. Yet when the day truly came, he was pulled into another mess entirely, with no chance to act.
Please let Bernadette's effort have saved as many lives as possible.
Lilith, her sapphire eyes glittering, peered into the darkness. "Edward, there are lots of scary things out there."
"Mm."
Edward thought a moment. "See if you can spot any rats."
"Rats?" Her ears twitched as she scanned around—then she drooped in disappointment. "No rats. And those…things…don't look tasty at all."
Edward flicked his wand, sending a streak of Fiendfyre roaring into the distance. The sudden flare of light drove back the dark, revealing a handful of grotesque extraordinary creatures.
They immediately wheeled and fled—only for the fire to surge forward, encasing them in an instant and reducing them to ash.
"Not especially strong," Bernadette observed.
"That's only because we haven't met the truly strong ones yet," Edward replied. "City of Silver has multiple Demigods, yet every exploration must be carried out with extreme caution—because no one knows what horrors lurk in the dark, or what contaminations they carry."
"You seem…unusually familiar with this land." She finally asked what had been on her mind. "Did the True Creator tell you?"
"No." Edward smiled. "Someone from the Forsaken Land shares my faith in that great being."
Bernadette's eyebrows rose. "There are humans here?"
"Of course. They worship the Ancient Sun God—have for thousands of years. But, true to the land's name, it's hardly fit for life.
"In City of Silver, they rely on a Goddess of Harvest's sealed item and survive on black‑faced grass—but the price is executing their own corrupted kin. Moon City folk can only eat mutated monsters, so the entire populace has become twisted and frightening."
She listened in silence, then asked, "Do you intend to meet this…companion?"
"Not sure yet."
Little Sun Derrick still hadn't told his Chief Elders everything; barging in now might make City of Silver wary. Besides, Edward didn't plan to stay long—once the Fool answered, he meant to test an offering and leave. And of course…one of Amon's avatars hid inside the City of Silver.
Man, woman, and cat pressed onward. Lightning occasionally forked across the pitch‑black sky; the people of this land measured time by such flashes. Edward, however, carried a pocket‑watch—
Two hours had passed since they set out.
Yet Klein still hadn't answered.
The mood turned heavy. Edward understood…Klein might truly be in trouble again. And this time—even Edward was half‑trapped; he could do nothing.
Worse: nearly all his Demigod abilities came from the two Cards of Blasphemy. If he couldn't contact Klein, once Silverfish's time expired, he would lose every Demigod power—left a mere Sequence 5 Traveler, barely stronger than a normal one.
"Your emotions seem unsettled," Bernadette said, breaking the silence. She gestured to a collapsed ruin up ahead. "Let's rest a bit. You can teach me Rosellean, remember?"
Edward started—then chuckled. Not long ago Bernadette had insisted on traveling together so he could tutor her in the emperor's language.
After all their detours, here they were fulfilling that promise—in the Forsaken Land of the Gods itself.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.