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Aaron, somewhat unable to bear the mirror's enthusiasm, spoke coldly:
"I want to know if Symeem Island is safe now? Are there any hidden risks?"
The mirror surface rippled with swaying light, revealing a deep blue ocean, with ancient and dim ruins at the bottom of the water.
A massive pillar, inscribed with strange patterns and symbols, extended from the center, supporting the ruins.
A passage of text appeared beside it in due course:
"This is the hiding place of Kalvetua, who presumptuously proclaimed himself a god, a hidden place where reality and the Spirit World intertwine."
As if sensing a gaze, an angry, frantic shriek suddenly rang out, and the surging image instantly shattered.
The pale golden characters reassembled, with a hint of flattery:
"Your Great Duke, currently the only potential danger to you on Symeem Island is that sea serpent; the Church of the Lord of Storms's Beyonder has long since departed."
"Do you, do you have any other questions?"
Aaron shook his head lightly and, without waiting for Arrodes's farewell, directly activated the teleportation to Symeem Island.
In the primeval forest, a hidden aura, Aaron, who had quietly appeared, took out the key he had snatched from the Moses Ascetic Order before, activated his spirituality, and walked like a ghost through the silent dense forest.
After walking for a while in the extremely dim dark forest, Aaron also discovered a secret base of the resistance, with the strongest individual being only a Sequence 7.
Aaron did not stop until he reached the depths of the dense forest, where he felt the distortion of order. Following that distorted sensation, he actively released the suppression of the key in his hand.
The crystal-clear, gem-like key slowly disintegrated, and starlight intertwined with crimson moonlight to form an illusory, hazy Door inscribed with numerous mystical symbols.
Having witnessed the Sanguine Marquis's actions, Aaron instantly recognized it as the "Door of Summoning."
Could it be that the "Pillar of Stars and Moon" analyzed the blood of a Moon Pathway mythical creature when he advanced to a demigod?
Aaron's pupils constricted as he suddenly realized something. Without any hesitation, the faint glow of the "Ring of Mysteries" appeared, and the Unshadowed Spear emerged, heading towards the "Door of Summoning."
A pale arm covered in starlight extended from the doorway. The Unshadowed Spear immediately dimmed and disintegrated before even getting close.
All of this flowed smoothly, not being easily defeated like last time, as if it had already foreseen everything.
"What a clever feint, the real trump card was here all along..." Thoughts surged, but Aaron's actions did not stop. The "Necklace of Secrets" glowed brightly.
The space concealed by Kalvetua had long been broken, and a temple suddenly appeared in the forest, with the space rippling and folding inward like a mirror image.
He was about to use "Spatial Concealment" to segment and hide the temple's space. Without knowing the location of the specific "Door," even the "Pillar of Stars and Moon" would need at least a few minutes to break through the space and enter.
Even if he was inadvertently tricked by the Moses Ascetic Order, Aaron did not lose his head. He wasn't here to fight this High Summoner; his goal for this trip was only one—the "Book of Calamity."
At the same time, a gray-blue Door of Exile with seven brass keyholes appeared in front of the "Door of Summoning." Behind the Door seemed to be a place of extreme corruption and defilement, which was the Abyss coordinate previously provided by Cavendish Lancer.
A miniature Crimson Moon suddenly rose, and a beautiful lady in a Warlock's robe fully stepped out of the Door.
Brilliant starlight mixed with moonlight enveloped the entire space. The starlight instantly condensed, creating a giant amber, and the collapsing space also solidified.
An indescribable song, as if from heaven, simultaneously rang out. Aaron, who was about to counterattack, couldn't help but show a hint of intoxication on his face, and his movements involuntarily paused.
A dense, dark golden mist immediately appeared before Aaron's eyes, accompanied by piercing pleas and whispers, dispelling the soul-stirring song.
Aaron, instantly regaining clarity, felt an indescribable sense of danger. No longer thinking of concealing his Sequence and strength, he directly connected with the Nation of Disorder to empower his decree, and spoke with authority:
"Mystical Reenactment is forbidden here!"
An invisible wave instantly spread outwards from Aaron's center. The solidified amber and the echoing song dissipated, and a blood-colored light, with insufficient residual power, struck Aaron.
It was an illusory silver longsword stained with mottled blood. Even though it was greatly weakened by the influence of the decree, it still caused Aaron's blood to surge.
"You want to be flashy..." Aaron cursed under his breath, maintaining the decree while a large amount of spirituality poured into the "Ring of Mysteries," summoning the historical projection of Cavendish Lancer.
"Cavendish Lancer's" hollow eyes suddenly became spiritual. His main body, far away in the Abyss, entered the historical fog, imbuing this projection with consciousness. With a slight raise of his hand, two more illusory figures appeared.
The "Pillar of Stars and Moon," who was still surprised why a Sequence 4's decree could nullify his Beyonder ability after being counterattacked by the broken Mystical Reenactment, looked at this nested operation and, feeling the aura emanating from those illusory figures, a hint of solemnity flashed in his star-like eyes.
Leaving the battlefield to "Cavendish Lancer" was not only to deal with the "Pillar of Stars and Moon" but also to prepare for Kalvetua, who could appear at any time.
However, while nesting was momentarily satisfying, it was a spiritual crematorium. As a demigod, Aaron could still hold on for a short time and would not suffer spiritual exhaustion.
He quickly took out a charm engraved with lightning and waves from his Pregnant. It was a sensing charm made by the Elven High Priestess using the blood of the elf Siatas.
Following the sensation, Aaron instantly locked onto the blurred statue in the deepest part of the temple. Without any hesitation, he slapped a hidden charm onto the statue and threw it into the Door of Exile.
The Door behind this time was naturally not the Abyss, but Aaron's most familiar place, the ancestral tower, Former Duke Varna's home ground.
With the disappearance of the statue, numerous symbolic patterns and magical markings instantly appeared on the temple's surface, and the sound of crashing waves faintly echoed from within.
The intertwining mystical symbols rippled with illusory, overlapping light, as if creating an boundless, bottomless azure ocean.
Within that ocean, a massive, bluish-green figure stood like a Tower, supporting everything.
Suddenly, a gasp overwhelmed everything, like a colossal creature struggling to suppress its hunger.
Hoo, hoo, hoo...
The enormous gasping sounds became increasingly obvious, increasingly clear.
Behind the illusory world formed by the rippling light, a hideous giant mouth, like a blood-stained basin, appeared, and an angry roar echoed through the forest.
"I hate unexpected changes..." Aaron muttered irritably. For some reason, he always had a bad premonition and was about to give this sea serpent a profound memory.
However, he found that the mystical symbols, rippling with ocean waves, suddenly dimmed, and the angry roar turned into a slightly panicked whimper, like a mouse encountering a cat.
Well, or more accurately, like a sea snake encountering a sea eagle. That gushing sense of dread made Aaron's heart sink instantly.
-----------------
Tingen, Daffodil Street, No. 2.
After performing rituals for his three Tarot Club members and experiencing the negative effects of the "Moonlight Ring," Klein endured the stinging pain of spiritual exhaustion in his mind and entered the dream world.
Fragments, sometimes continuous and sometimes fragmented, floated past. Amidst layers of whispers, Klein suddenly awoke, realizing he was dreaming.
"A power has invaded my dream..."
Having experienced his captain's dream inquiry and Miss Daly's spiritualism before, Klein maintained his previous hazy state and inadvertently surveyed his surroundings.
All colors distinctly overlapped, and a gray, illusory mist faintly permeated the air.
Indescribable, even transparent, seemingly non-existent things surged, and at an infinitely high place, there were clear, bright lights of different colors.
Klein was quite familiar with this scene. When he took the potion and advanced to a Seer, he had seen a similar scene. Later, by consulting ancient texts, he learned that this was indeed the mysterious Spirit World.
An ancient patterned silver mirror suddenly appeared before Klein's eyes, startling him. Before he could react, the mirror's surface rippled, and golden Loen characters appeared one by one:
"My Most High, Most Great, Most Supreme Master, your humble, loyal, and pitiful servant Arrodes has finally awaited your arrival!"
"Huh..." Klein, somewhat unable to accept this burst of enthusiasm, imperceptibly shrank back, while feeling utterly bewildered.
A talking mirror? "Talking" seemed not quite accurate. This illogical scene reminded him of the records he had read in the Nighthawks' internal archives about "Sealed Artifacts with living characteristics."
Although utterly bewildered, based on his self-cultivation as an actor, Klein instantly switched to the "The Fool's" state of looking down on everything, profound and unfathomable. He nodded gently and said:
"Not bad."
The mist in front of him immediately churned, as if sensing Klein's peculiarity. The golden words on the mirror surface wriggled and changed, re-forming:
"This is my honor. May I, may I address you as Master? Great existence above the Spirit World?"
This is too obsequious, too shameless... I always feel like there's something wrong...
Looking at the words "Great existence above the Spirit World," Klein's heart skipped a beat. He knew that the mysterious space above the gray fog was connected to the Spirit World.
At least when he summoned himself, he could see a place resembling the Spirit World through the Door...
"This mirror named Arrodes sensed the aura of the gray fog? That's why it recognized me as its Master? What kind of situation is this..."
Klein, having somewhat sorted out his thoughts, sighed. He suddenly felt a sense of carefree abandon, like someone with many debts. He pondered and said:
"You can use any title."
"Yes, Master!" Arrodes used an exclamation mark:
"I cannot return to your side yet and can only have a brief exchange with you, but your loyal servant can still answer three of your questions."
Can it answer questions? Klein's mind instantly recalled some hackneyed fairy tales from his previous life, and his expression became slightly strange.
After a moment of thought, he still gave up on asking about the whereabouts of the "Antigonus Family's Notebook." This question would directly expose his thoughts and intentions.
Moreover, Sealed Artifact 2-049, "Antigonus Family's Puppet," would arrive in Tingen at the latest next week.
After some consideration, Klein spoke in a deep voice:
"Then tell me about your current situation."
After all, not every great existence could be Omnipotent and Omniscient. Asking this way expressed the Master's concern for his servant and subtly learned the background of this mirror called Arrodes, successfully avoiding the awkwardness of directly asking the magic mirror's identity and lowering his own status.
The mirror surface rippled, and large passages of text appeared. Klein filtered out the wailing tone and the cloying titles, summarizing it simply:
"Arrodes is a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact of the God of Church of the God of Steam and Machinery's Backlund diocese, currently numbered 2-111."
"Hmm, and it really hopes its great Master can rescue it from the clutches of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery..."
Where did this traitorous mirror come from? Is it trying to extort me or kill me? Klein felt his expression must be quite something right now.
As if sensing the strange atmosphere, the large golden text disappeared and transformed into another sentence:
"Great Master, you need not worry about Arrodes. Feeling your return, I have gained the courage to persevere!"
"I'm not worried about you, I'm worried about myself..." Klein silently complained, looking at the suddenly pale text, which inexplicably gave him a feeling of peeking around.
An emoji he had seen in his previous life immediately popped into his mind: a cute alpaca, poking its head forward.
"Uh, Great Master, I must follow certain rules. You must answer one of my questions in exchange."
You want me to answer your questions too? Klein, much calmer now, raised an eyebrow, waiting for Arrodes to ask, planning to decide whether to acknowledge this servant based on the situation.
"What did you have for dinner today?"
"This question has substance..." Klein calmly replied:
"Steak."
"Perfect answer!" Arrodes almost applauded. Without waiting for Klein to speak, new text appeared:
"Great Master, you may ask your second question!"
Klein pondered for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and said:
"I want to know information about Aaron Weil."
As a Blessed of the Evernight Goddess, he showed no reaction to his disguised existence, or perhaps he had certain plans that Klein was unaware of.
All sorts of doubts surged in his mind, so Klein deliberately did not elaborate too much, not specifying what kind of information he wanted.
On one hand, he wanted to test the magic mirror's ability. If it could even explore and answer information about a High-Sequence Beyonder, then accepting this servant wouldn't be out of the question.
On the other hand, he hoped Arrodes could give him some surprises, perhaps revealing some additional secrets.
The golden characters disappeared one by one, and Arrodes fell into a brief silence. Just as Klein thought the magic mirror's ability was nothing special.
As if having made some kind of decision, the calm mirror surface finally began to ripple, as if trying to present a scene.
Klein's heart stirred, and he was carefully examining the mirror surface when he heard a crisp sound. Before he could react, the entire dream space collapsed.
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