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Since Old Man Pallez had already stolen the pirates' fate and prepared for the upcoming rescue, the next step was naturally to enter the book in sequence.
However, considering safety, Lin Ruo did not choose to directly enter the book on the pirate ship. Instead, he used his travel ability to bring Klein and Leonard back to Backlund.
More precisely, they returned to Saint Samuel Cathedral.
After finding Archbishop Anthony and explaining the situation—without exposing Old Man Pallez, of course—and stating that all of this was the will of the Evernight Goddess, Lin Ruo successfully obtained a quiet empty room and even had Archbishop Anthony personally guard the door.
There was no other way. Groselle's Travels was, after all, the work of the Fictional Dragon. Lin Ruo was still somewhat wary of that former strongest Spectator. The original work could not fully represent reality, so while rescuing people was the goal, he still had to be prepared for contingencies.
Anyway, the Evernight Goddess was a staunch ally, and Groselle's Travels itself was not a secret that needed to be hidden. Lin Ruo was naturally happy to let the Church of the Evernight Goddess act as a backup in case of accidents.
"Oh, by the way, Leonard, take this." Just as the three of them were gathered around Groselle's Travels on the table, preparing to smear blood on it to enter the book, Lin Ruo suddenly thought of something, pulled out a folded note, and handed it to Leonard, saying:
"After entering the world within the book, remember to open this note and do as it says. It's a task exclusive to you."
When he said this, Lin Ruo's smile was natural, and he showed no sign of discomfort.
Klein, next to him, silently averted his eyes, feeling inexplicably guilty.
Klein, of course, knew what was written on the note—the The Fool's honorific name.
Although bringing Leonard into the Tarot Club was a decision made earlier, and he was almost certain that the Goddess was well aware of his identity as the The Fool, a Goddess's Chosen handing a small note with an evil God's honorific name to a Red Gloves loyal to the Goddess, in the basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral, and telling him to chant it…
There were simply too many plot holes. Klein didn't even know what to say.
He could only praise the Goddess's tolerance.
"A task exclusive to me?" Leonard was stunned, clearly a little surprised and a little pleased. He immediately nodded seriously and said, "I understand. I will complete the task."
"No need to be so serious…" Lin Ruo smiled and said, "Leonard, then according to the plan, you go into the world within the book first. A friendly reminder, the world within the book is not safe. If you regret it, it's still not too late to speak up now."
Letting Leonard enter the book first was naturally considering Old Man Pallez, who was with Leonard. As a crippled Sequence 1, Old Man Pallez still had some strength, no matter how down and out he was. With him there, Leonard would not be so easily in trouble even if he encountered an accident after entering the book.
Another reason was to have Leonard chant the The Fool's honorific name and test whether Groselle's Travels could isolate the Sefirah Castle.
Leonard smiled indifferently, muttering as he took a step forward, "What's there to regret? After all, we're saving the old man's descendant, so I definitely have to do my part."
Due to Lin Ruo's interference, Leonard, who had confirmed Pallez' harmlessness in advance, had clearly entered the mode of interaction he and Old Man Pallez had in the Late Stage of the original work: the external brain, like grandfather and grandson. In this situation, although Leonard was somewhat afraid of the upcoming adventure, he was still willing to take the risk.
Of course, the most important thing was that he wasn't the only one involved in this matter. With Lin Ruo, a Goddess's Chosen, leading the way, Klein, his friend, accompanying him, and Old Man Pallez tagging along, Leonard actually wasn't that worried.
So, after muttering, Leonard skillfully picked up the small knife nearby and cut his palm.
Blood instantly overflowed from his palm. Leonard quickly smeared the blood on the cover of Groselle's Travels. After applying it, after about a few seconds, Leonard suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold.
Snowflakes like goose feathers danced before Leonard's eyes, and the howling wind blew on his face, carrying a bit of snow spray.
Even though he had put on winter clothes in advance, Leonard still shivered from the cold at that moment.
"Hiss, so cold… Old man, is this the world within the book?" Leonard couldn't help but tighten his collar, looking around curiously while whispering, "Can you sense where your descendant is?"
He then paused, seemingly hearing an answer, "East?"
Leonard subconsciously glanced at the sky, seeing only more snowflakes. He couldn't help but ask, "Which way is east?"
It wasn't that Leonard was directionally challenged and couldn't distinguish directions. It was just that in such a vast snowy plain, without any reference points or tools, it would be difficult for anyone to distinguish east, west, north, and south.
After another few seconds, Leonard finally looked in a certain direction and said softly as he walked, "Isn't there no reference point? How would I know which way is east? Is it that I can't tell directions?…"
He had just walked a few steps when he suddenly stopped, remembering something and saying, "Oh, right, the task Your Excellency Blessed gave me."
Leonard quickly pulled out the note Lin Ruo had given him from his pocket. After carefully opening it, he saw written on it:
"Using hermes, preferably Ancient hermes, chant the following honorific name:
"The The Fool who does not belong to this era;
"The Mysterious ruler Above the Grey fog;
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.
"Note: The The Fool and the Goddess are allies in a hidden state. You will serve as a witness to the friendly relationship between the Goddess and the The Fool and join the secret organization established by the The Fool. Remember not to reveal this matter to irrelevant people.
"Another note: Klein is also in this secret organization. You can ask him if you have any questions.
"Another another note: Keep it up, Leonard, the two Protagonists of the era are none other than you!"
At the very bottom of the note, there was even a simple drawing of a person cheering.
Leonard: …
Leonard: ???
"O-Old man! Old man!"
Leonard, completely dumbfounded by the content of the note, almost instinctively called out to his external brain, "Is there something wrong with my eyes?"
Then he heard Pallez's aged voice by his ear:
"There's nothing wrong with your eyes. The note indeed says to chant the honorific name of a hidden existence, and from the honorific name, this might be a God-level hidden existence."
"But… the The Fool?"
Pallez's tone clearly carried a hint of hesitation.
"What, old man, do you know this The Fool?" Leonard naturally heard the hesitation in Pallez's tone and immediately asked curiously.
"I'm not sure… Perhaps an old friend of mine." Pallez said after a few seconds of silence. After speaking, he chuckled and added, "Rather than whether I know this The Fool, don't you think what you should be considering now is whether you want to chant this honorific name or not?"
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