A boundless, silvery-white halo.
Lorne slowly opened his eyes. This time, he had truly been dreaming.
"Silvery-white..." he murmured to himself.
"Premonition of Disaster showed no reaction; it doesn't seem like a forewarning of danger."
"What on earth does this mean..."
"The snake from my previous dream was also this color..."
"Silvery-white must hold some special significance for the 'Pathway' of fate..."
"Could it be... a response to the message I wrote on the thousand-paper crane? Has Will sent me a reply?"
Just as Lorne lowered his head in thought, his spiritual intuition was suddenly and sharply triggered! He instinctively looked to his side but found nothing. However, on the large desk in the office, a letter had appeared out of thin air.
A chill ran through Lorne's heart. He cautiously opened it, and his eyes fell upon line after line of messy yet familiar Chinese characters.
Roselle's Diary...
"Queen Mystic's messenger is truly unique. It seems intangible and formless..."
"Perhaps... I could write to her and ask some questions..." Although Lorne himself still harbored a considerable degree of wariness towards this 'Queen Mystic,' she was currently one of the few channels through which he could obtain high-level Beyonder knowledge.
"Consider it payment for translating this diary," he found an excuse for his idea. "I can also take the opportunity to ask if she knows any suitable artisans..."
In his personal space, several Beyonder characteristics obtained during his time at sea lay quietly. They were all mid-Sequence characteristics, and selling them directly would be far too conspicuous. After all, Backlund wasn't the chaotic, mixed-bag environment of the open sea; official surveillance was everywhere. Having them crafted into suitable Mystical Items would undoubtedly be the best choice.
After all, the 'Winner' Pathway lacked neither spirituality nor 'luck'...
He sometimes even thought that a Pathway like 'Monster,' with its ample spirituality and the ability to use 'luck' to avoid most negative effects, was practically tailor-made for using Mystical Items.
June 23rd.
I encountered that merchant again, the one who calls himself 'Square Q,' claiming he can sell anything for the right price.
I've previously bought quite a bit of information and Beyonder characteristics from him. The characteristics for Green and the others' promotions came from him, so I have some rapport with him.
Actually, I've been puzzled by his code name for a long time. Why a playing card? His explanation back then was that he didn't know either. He had simply inherited the code name from his predecessor and didn't know of any special meaning.
He also said a code name was just an address, that any would do.
I found his response rather speechless; it felt like he was brushing me off. As a high-ranking member of the organization, how could he not understand the meaning of his own code name?
But... could there really be another transmigrator? Please, no! One transmigrator is enough!
I tried to inquire with 'Square Q' about clues regarding the 'Ghost Empire.' To my surprise, he demanded two Sequence 3 Beyonder characteristics as payment right off the bat.
Damn it! That's daylight robbery!
He wasn't this greedy before! I get the feeling he wants me to back off.
They seem to have been avoiding me all along.
Back when I first seized control of the Intis government, I tried to make contact with them, but they never seemed very interested in me.
I've heard that their organization has some descendants of the Sauron Family. Could that be why they're giving me the cold shoulder?
Damn it! Am I, the ruler, less worthy than those losers? Just you wait, I'll make them see how formidable I am!
June 27th.
I saw Zaratul again. This guy is still putting on that mystical, cryptic act, always speaking in half-truths. It really makes me—
—
want to punch him to death.
But since it's a rare meeting, I took the chance to ask him for information about that Society.
But this seems... to have touched a nerve.
Damn, I forgot. Zaratul and those guys have a very bad relationship; they're in a state of conflict. His side often clashes with the Hermes Society.
Fortunately, Zaratul didn't make a big deal of it and even shared some intelligence with me.
He said the high-ranking members of that organization are basically a bunch of weirdos. The core leadership consists of 12 people, managing the entire organization in a 'council' style. Many of them once held incredibly prominent positions but, for various reasons, lost their original status and were forced to gather together.
Before the Fifth Epoch, this Society was quite active, its influence spread across the entire continent, and it had dealings with basically all major powers.
But by the middle to late Fourth Epoch, their influence sharply declined. On one hand, it was due to the suppression by the churches of the deities. On the other hand, they proactively contracted, even deliberately reducing their own influence to some extent.
This puzzles me. Did they want to go into hiding to avoid the churches' pressure? But that doesn't make sense. The Seven Deities aren't a monolithic bloc either; cooperation is possible without Pathway conflicts...
"...Looks like this isn't from Roselle's later years. These events happened not long after he seized power in Intis..." Lorne muttered, holding the diary.
"I thought this Society might be related to Roselle. After all, using playing cards as code names for high-ranking members seems like something he might do."
"Judging from the diary's information, this Society has a history of at least a thousand years... Could there really be another transmigrator lurking in the shadows?"
"However... it seems Emperor Roselle wasn't liked by everyone," Lorne's lips curled into a playful smile. "I wonder if he later managed to establish a cooperative relationship with this mysterious Society."
"The diaries 'Queen Mystic' gave me should all be relatively important. She probably knows some inside information... Does this mean Roselle actually did cooperate with them in his later years?"
Lorne set the diary down, digesting the information. He felt an inexplicable, indescribable sensation.
"Sigh..."
After a moment, he picked up his pen and wrote down the translation of this diary entry.
The next day, after informing Sharon that last night had been completely uneventful, Lorne planned to visit the rumored church of the Earth Mother.
Today, he had received several more reports of workers infected with influenza.
"To Rose Flower Street."
Hailing a rental carriage, Lorne gave the coachman the address he had inquired about.
—
As the carriage moved along smoothly, Lorne leaned back in his seat, thinking to himself, "When that Nighthawks member entered my dream yesterday, I specifically mentioned the employees falling ill. Now, going to the Earth Mother's church for help is perfectly logical and won't raise any suspicion."
After about ten minutes, he got off the carriage and arrived at Rose Flower Street. He barely needed to look around before spotting the somewhat narrow Harvest Church.
This golden-yellow church had a rather eye-catching spire. Its outer walls were engraved with the Sacred Emblem of Life—a simple sketch of an infant surrounded by symbols of wheat ears, flowers, and spring water—making it stand out distinctly among the surrounding, drab, gray buildings.
It looked full of vitality.
Hmm?
Just as Lorne was about to approach, his gaze was drawn to a figure at the church entrance.
It was a rather handsome young man with black hair, dressed in a proper suit. At the moment, however, he was pacing back and forth anxiously in front of the church door, his hands occasionally running through his hair and rubbing vigorously, as if struggling with whether or not to enter.
"Ah—!"
After letting out a cry that seemed both mournful and pitiful, he pushed open the church door and walked in, albeit reluctantly.
"A strange person... There's an abnormal spiritual reaction on him."
Observing from the shadows of a street corner, Lorne watched the scene with a subtle expression.
"It seems this church has its share of stories too."
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