Klein tried opening the envelope—and to his surprise, it came apart with ease.Inside was a sheet of paper covered in familiar simplified Chinese characters.
Klein had half-expected that already; after all, the diaries the "Devil" provided at the Tarot Club were always written in Chinese.
"My name is Sairuis. By the time you read this, I will already be dead."
"I'm currently trying to revive myself by watching ads, but I'm not sure how long it'll take."
"I don't know who you are, but you must be the chosen one.I have foreseen that, two hundred years from now, the world will fall into turmoil—doomsday will approach.Outside, demons and monsters will circle like wolves; inside, the Celestial Worthy and the God gaze hungrily from above.Truly, this will be an age of crisis, a moment between life and extinction."
Klein's eyes stopped on the two characters for "Celestial Worthy."
"Only by believing in the Supreme, the Most Benevolent, the Most Powerful, and the Most Virtuous 'Lord of Free and Joyous Heaven' can this world be guided out of the sea of suffering.
To that end, I have founded an organization called The Masked Fool, with the mission of saving all living beings."
"I have passed down my name. Every leader of the organization bears the same name: Sairuis. I have foreseen that you will be the key to this world's survival. Therefore, I sincerely invite you to join the Masked Fool."
Klein flipped the paper over. On the back, another line was written:
"In short, Chosen One—you wouldn't want to see your friends and family perish in the apocalypse, would you?"
Klein's mouth twitched open, but no words came out. He lowered the letter and looked at Sairuis—who was gazing back innocently.
It was then that Klein realized—he didn't even know this man's name.
"My name's Sairuis Bruce," the other said naturally. "But you can just call me Sairuis."
Klein glanced back down at the letter, at the line: "Every leader bears the name Sairuis."
"…All right, Mr. Sairuis," Klein said slowly. "I think I understand what you're here for. However, regarding this matter, I'll need to give it some thought."
He intended this as a polite refusal.
But as he spoke, he noticed Sairuis had lowered his head and was fiddling with something beneath the table.
Klein tilted his head slightly to see—and immediately froze.
In Sairuis's hands was an object he knew all too well.
A smartphone.
Sairuis was casually typing on it, seemingly replying to someone's message. When he heard Klein's hesitant response, he stood up swiftly and turned as if to leave.
"Very well, then—"
"Wait a second!" Klein blurted out, hand outstretched like a melodramatic noble.
Sairuis turned back, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "Is there something else, Mr. Klein?"
"Ahem," Klein coughed delicately, trying to hide his eagerness. "I just wanted to ask… that thing in your hand—what… what is it exactly?"
A phone! That was a phone! Klein's heart was pounding.
He recalled the novels he had read in his past life—the ones where people from two worlds crossed over and traded goods for profit.
If this was truly such a two-way transmigration situation… could he perhaps—
"Oh, this?" Sairuis said casually. "It's called a mobile phone. The very first Sairuis brought it here.You should know by now, right? Every leader of the Masked Fool carries the name Sairuis."
[Tch. Shameless.]
"Yes…" Klein forced a smile, gesturing for him to sit again. "We can still talk about this a bit more, can't we?"
"Of course." Sairuis grinned and sat back down.
-------------------------------------------------------
For the past two days, Stelle had been feeling something strange—her Flame Lance seemed restless, almost eager for battle.
To her, that could only mean one thing:
The main storyline was about to begin.
"I must go on an expedition!" she declared with radiant conviction. Her will shone like the stars themselves—nothing could stand in her way.
After all, she was a Trailblazer—the freest woman in the universe!
"Birds don't break their shells to spend their lives in cages. Even if they can't yet fly, the sky will always be their home."
Stelle felt dazzlingly brilliant as she said that—almost as if wings were sprouting from the back of her head.
"…But that's still not a valid reason for you to go around destroying public property," sighed the inspector sitting across from her, rubbing his temples. Perhaps this girl didn't belong in a police station—perhaps she belonged in a mental hospital instead.
"But they respawn every day…" Stelle protested in earnest.
"That's because I replace them every morning at six!" roared the security officer beside the inspector, slamming his palm on the desk.
Stelle's eyes widened. "Wait—they don't regenerate on their own?"
The inspector waved a hand to calm his furious colleague and sighed, "All right, all right. Just pay the fine, and you can go."
A few minutes later, she stepped out of the station. It was only a small fine—nothing she cared about. Still, she resolved not to cause any more trouble. She couldn't keep smashing up random boxes, signposts, and cans lying around the streets.
It was odd, though—before, destroying such objects never yielded anything. But starting a few weeks ago, she'd occasionally get credits and synthesis materials from them.Completely baffling.
She decided it was about time to visit Old Neil and push the questline forward.
Neil had told her he worked at the Blackthorn Security Company on Zotlan Street—she'd been there before.
Following her memory, Stelle soon arrived at the Blackthorn Security office.
She pushed open the door—and the first thing she saw was a little girl sleeping face-down on the desk.
(End of chapter)