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"The Carousel of Fate, the loopholes in the rules…"
Aaron muttered, tapping his finger lightly on the back of the chair. This sentence clearly indicated the authority of a High-Sequence Marauder Pathway.
Does this prophecy mean that the "Lost City of Newins" is affected by the corresponding authority, or does it mean that my advancement ritual still needs Pallez's help?
All rituals below Sequence 0 are designed to counteract the side effects of the potion, meaning the ritual must provide enough anchors to maintain self-cognition, or effectively weaken the side effects of the potion.
Just like the ritual for advancement to a Silver Knight, the remains of each powerful creature essentially serve as "anchors" to provide stable divinity for the promoter, neutralizing and eliminating the madness contained in the potion.
The main ingredient for a Chaos Hunter can be directly replaced by the corresponding Beyonder characteristic, and the two supplementary ingredients, "Crystalline Root of the Manic Illusion Tree" and "Heart of the Order Fiend," are already stocked in the family treasury.
The only restriction is the advancement ritual, and the Chaos Hunter ritual preserved by Walner requires dispelling a chaos involving high-level power, hunting the source of the chaos, and thereby communicating with the underlying rules of the chaotic area, replacing the original chaos with one's own order.
The ritual does not require solo completion, so for an Imperative Mage with a background, dispelling chaos and hunting its source is not the most difficult part to complete. Instead, replacing chaos with one's own order is the most challenging and easiest step to lose control.
"Lost City of Newins…"
Muttering the name, Aaron tapped his finger lightly on the back of the chair, falling into silence.
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In the hazy dream world, fragments that were sometimes continuous and sometimes disjointed drifted by. Klein suddenly woke up, realizing he was dreaming.
There's a power invading my dream…. Klein maintained his hazy state from before, casually surveying his surroundings.
Just then, a somewhat familiar ancient silver mirror suddenly appeared before Klein, and golden characters one by one directly expressed joy:
"Your loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, is honored to once again follow in your footsteps, always ready to serve you."
This… Looking at the familiar font, Klein instantly recalled this mirror. Having experienced the "Misfortune Cloth Puppet" incident after Chanis Gate, Klein knew that such living Sealed Artifacts were extremely dangerous.
Before he could confirm whether this magic mirror truly wanted to pledge allegiance to him or had other motives, Klein decided to observe cautiously first.
Receiving no response, the characters on the silver mirror immediately turned pale, giving Klein a sense of panic:
"The last incident was because your question exceeded my limits, and my prying suffered a backlash. I beg your forgiveness."
"Also, may I respectfully call you Master, great existence above the Spirit World?"
This is too eager, too shameless, isn't it… I always feel there's something wrong. Does "great existence above the Spirit World" refer to that mysterious gray fog space?
Thoughts raced through his mind. Fearing that this mirror might make some drastic move, Klein pondered for a moment before saying:
"You may use any address."
"Yes, Master!" The characters turned golden again, and Arrodes used an exclamation mark, "My questions are finished. You can now ask me a question."
Klein pondered for a moment, recalling Mr. Azik, who had previously warned him about an anomaly in his fate, and cautiously asked:
"I want to know the hidden identity of Azik Eggers, a history lecturer at Khoy University."
Ripples spread across the mirror's surface. After a long while, the surrounding hazy dreamscape instantly changed:
A scene of a small town with many buildings still retaining pre-steam era characteristics appeared. Just as Klein was somewhat surprised that Arrodes could influence his dream, the perspective rapidly zoomed in, passing through the town streets, through weeds and bushes, until a dilapidated, collapsed ancient castle appeared.
Characteristics of ancient architecture from the late Fourth Epoch and early Fifth Epoch…. Looking at the ancient castle in the image, the pseudo-historian Klein instinctively made a judgment, somewhat perplexed as to why Arrodes would present this scene.
The scene did not stop there. Sweeping past the collapsed stone pillars and moss-covered hall of the ancient castle, Klein saw a slightly blurry tall figure.
He wore black full-body armor, held a broadsword that would be difficult for a normal person to wield, and two clumps of flame-like red light penetrated the gaps in his visor.
This is a Wraith, and a very powerful Wraith!
Klein, who had previously helped Sir Vedel resolve a Wraith incident, easily came to this conclusion. Even through the dream scene, he seemed to feel that chilling sensation.
The scene did not linger on this Wraith but solidified on the pile of items in the collapsed area deep in the hall. Among them was a tattered, slightly decayed oil painting. The image fluctuated, and Arrodes thoughtfully restored the oil painting to its original appearance.
It was a man wearing a white curly wig, with soft features, bronze skin, and an indescribable sense of vicissitude hidden in his eyes.
This…. Klein's eyes widened suddenly. He subconsciously looked at the man's right earlobe in the painting, where there was an inconspicuous black mole, which was exactly in the same position as Instructor Azik's mole!
A line of pale golden text now appeared in the lower right corner of the image:
"Great Master, this is Lamud Town, the castle built by the first Baron Lamud, and this is his portrait."
No way… Mr. Azik is the so-called first Baron Lamud? This is a figure from fourteen or fifteen hundred years ago….
Klein stared at the oil painting, his mind in a state of confusion, as if he had suddenly discovered that everyone around him had turned into Monsters, or that the entire world was just a dream of a God.
If this mirror wasn't lying to him, then the greatest possibility was that Mr. Azik, due to a Sequence potion or other factors, had been granted a long life, at the cost of losing his memory!
Thoughts surged. Klein knew that this town was located northwest of Tingen. A field exploration might reveal more, and this might also be an opportunity to reasonably exploit the "Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem."
The image gradually blurred. Arrodes formed a question with single words:
"Great Master, what did you eat for dinner yesterday?"
This question has depth…. Klein calmly replied:
"Stewed lamb with tender peas."
"Perfect answer!" Arrodes almost applauded.
Ignoring the mirror's flattery, Klein thought for a moment. Just like in the gray fog space, he materialized the symbol that the "Antigonus Family Notebook" had been transmitting to him, then asked:
"Tell me everything you know about this symbol."
The scene changed. Klein saw a majestic mountain peak piercing through white clouds, a magnificent and ancient palace, a huge stone-carved throne at the top, inlaid with dull gems and gold, and a bizarre vertical pupil composed of countless mysterious symbols.
Silently, the scene shattered. Arrodes added from the side:
"Great Master, that symbol is the key to unlocking the treasure left by the Antigonus family."
"Also, the main peak of the Hornacis mountain range is very dangerous, and that notebook holds ill will towards you. It is not suitable to be your servant, is it?"
Nodding thoughtfully, verifying a certain idea in his mind, Klein glanced at the fellow, gave an affirmative answer, then pondered for a moment and continued to ask:
"I want to know where Admi Sol from the original Evil Dragon Bar is now?"
The scene gradually cleared. Klein saw the young man, who was called a "Monster," now respectfully standing before an elder wearing a black short coat and leaning on a sturdy cane.
"He is currently in Enmat Harbor." Before Klein could speak, Arrodes quickly added:
"The aura is about to dissipate, your loyal and humble servant Arrodes must leave. Finally, I praise you again, my great Master, the Ruler above the Spirit World!"
As Arrodes departed, Klein directly left the dream. Looking at the morning Sun outside the window, he pondered the answers he had received from Arrodes and decided to go report to the Captain today.
After resolving the Wraith incident at the ancient castle in Lamud Town, he should be able to submit a special application for advancement to a Clown based on his accumulated merits.
-----------------
Enmat Harbor, inside a certain port hotel.
"Fate Councilor" Richard looked at the young man before him, nodded in satisfaction, and then added:
"I know you can see things that Beyonders of other Pathways cannot, even if they possess higher Spirit Vision."
"This is a special ability possessed by the 'Fate' Pathway, and it is also a manifestation of your alignment with fate."
"Our Life School of Thought has always developed secretly through the form of master-disciple inheritance. Now that the School of Thought has suffered heavy losses, it urgently needs fresh blood."
"As your teacher, I will provide you with the Sequence 8 'Robot' and Sequence 7 'Lucky One' potions. The path forward will require you to explore and comprehend fate on your own."
The madness in his eyes had long disappeared. Admi Sol nodded excitedly and asked curiously:
"Teacher, after we leave Tingen, where do we go next?"
Looking at the rising morning Sun outside the window, Richard calmly replied:
"First, we go to Oravi Island. Your senior disciple, Roy King, is currently there. After that, we will travel the world and will not return to Loen for a long time."
"Speaking of which, you've also met Roy King's disciple, Darkwill. Your nephew did not choose the 'Fate' Pathway, and his preferences are a bit peculiar."
Darkwill? That fat Apothecary who sold aphrodisiacs at the herb store? Admi Sol's expression was somewhat strange as certain images flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but make some unfavorable guesses about his senior disciple whom he had never met.
-----------------
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, lightning occasionally streaked across the sky, bringing a momentary light to the earth, illuminating the Darkness not far away.
It was a huge concave pit, scattered with cursed dead trees and distorted thorns, as if shrouded by an even deeper Darkness, making it impossible to see the interior.
Cavendish's feet lay the corpses of many Monsters that had grown pale skull heads, prominent blood-vessel eyes, and fanged tongues, exuding an extreme sense of evil and madness.
These Monsters were far beyond those around Moon City. When Cavendish, at Sequence 3, summoned their Spirit Body threads from the fog of history, he would be subjected to invisible pollution.
After extracting the Beyonder characteristics contained within these Monsters, Cavendish looked at the huge pit shrouded in deep Darkness before him, took a step forward, and simultaneously silently chanted the True Creator's honorific name in his heart.
The intelligence provided by the Sanguine was already two epochs old. In an environment like the Forsaken Land of the Gods, such a long period of time, it was normal for anomalies to occur.
The dangers of the Forsaken Land of the Gods also included the True Creator and Amon. There was only one chance to retrieve the fragments of the Divine Kingdom contained in the holy city "Kamia" before these existences descended.
To ensure the plan's smooth execution, Cavendish had to proactively conduct an exploration to determine the current state of "Kamia."
Passing through the dead trees and thorns, holding the bat token made by the three Sanguine Dukes, Cavendish successfully passed through the barrier and saw a scene completely different from the outside world.
Dense Yin power, accompanied by bright moonlight, poured down, illuminating the magnificent ruined city. An atmosphere of extreme evil and madness permeated the air.
The buildings in the city floated in the air without obvious support, intricate and complex, as if their direction and length had been altered by some force. The bright moonlight passed through these floating buildings, and the shadows cast on the city walls seemed to have come alive, dancing in the moonlight.
Having never seen the Moon outside the Crimson Moon, Cavendish, in a perilous situation with his spiritual intuition wildly warning him, had no time for curiosity.
At this moment, an indescribable roar echoed in his ears, seemingly originating from deep within the city. His mind suddenly went blank for a moment, and his Spirit Body quickly turned gray and white. Cavendish felt his body and soul's compatibility decreasing little by little, his body gradually becoming a prison for his spirit.
Not good… The thought flashed somewhat sluggishly through his mind. The Spirit Body Threads within Cavendish frantically resisted the pollution, while he retreated, wanting to leave this place.
Taking a step, he did not return to the familiar Darkness. Cavendish stiffly turned his head and found himself already in the distorted and intertwined buildings.
The space here carried a strange distortion, as if it was independent of this world. Even his spiritual intuition failed to warn him, which could only mean that this was an influence brought by some authority of a higher Beyonder.
Not far away, a huge corpse, over ten meters long, lay on the ground. Its appearance could vaguely be identified as a Demonic Wolf, a species that had become extinct outside the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Grotesque, slimy tentacles indicated that this Demonic Wolf seemed to have died from losing control, and it was at most at the demigod level, yet its corpse was strangely well-preserved in this distorted space.
Before the questions in his mind could even arise, slimy tentacles covered with evil patterns instantly spread out from Cavendish's body. A Sequence 3 Saint thus comically lost control, transforming into a wriggling puddle of Spirit Body Threads.
An invisible, chilling wind blew past. The Spirit Body Threads with slimy tentacles on the ground and the fallen bat token simultaneously dissipated into points of light. These were only historical void images summoned by Cavendish.
At the edge of the pit shrouded in Darkness, Cavendish, having emerged from the fog of history, knelt on the ground, his heart pounding violently. The sense of death brought by irreversible loss of control constantly lingered in his mind, something even the fog of history could not block.
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