Chapter 167: Defiling Card

Lei Kedun lingered for a while in an exhibition hall called "Warm‑hearted Luosai'er", and compared with the various inventions and household items outside, some of the small games and toys here attracted his attention more.

"What are you seeing through these toys?"

A mature female voice sounded beside him.

Lei Kedun turned his head in surprise, only then noticing that

Beiernadai had appeared in this exhibition hall at an unknown time.

She wore a girlish yellow cake‑length dress, a somewhat old‑fashioned black soft hat, and a fine netted veil that draped down, covering her face.

Beiernadai's act of covering her face was not surprising; after all, she is Luosai'er's eldest daughter, and this is the main venue of the Steam Church, where she could be easily recognized.

He gave a slight nod toward the Beiernadai who had come to his side, indicating:

"I'm trying to recall whether this counts as a distant memory."

Then, feigning casualness, he said:

Bernadette's eyes deepened; when Rex thought she was about to get angry, she again restrained all her emotions, turned her head to look at those building block toys isolated by the transparent glass cover, and spoke in a flat tone.

Beiernadai's eyes darkened; when Lei Kedun thought she was about to get angry, she restrained all emotion, turned to the block toys separated by a transparent glass case, and said evenly:

"No! My memories of the past aren't at the point where I need these things to recall them."

Lei Kedun stood there for a while, but Beiernadai showed no intention of continuing to speak.

"Madam, if there's nothing else, I'll go check the other exhibition halls."

Lei Kedun gave a slight salute to Beiernadai, but she neither turned back nor spoke, so he turned and headed to the next hall.

Not long after, Ke Lai En, who had followed the crowd here, also noticed Beiernadai standing quietly before the display case holding the toys.

However, seeing her absorbed, Ke Lai En had no intention of approaching to disturb her.

Lei Kedun lingered in the restored Luosai'er study, where some books and manuscripts lay on the central desk.

Lei Kedun stood there quietly; the Defiling Card was right before his eyes, and he had already seen the illustration of Luosai'er in imperial attire tucked inside the manuscript.

He lingered here for a considerable time without finding a suitable chance to take the bookmark; the place was crowded, and many extraordinary beings were on guard.

More crucially, Beiernadai was also present, making it hard for Lei Kedun to be sure he could stealthily take the bookmark without her noticing.

Klein had already followed the crowd to this exhibition hall; he saw Rex standing in front of the desk, curiously stepped forward and greeted him.

Ke Lai En, having followed the crowd into this hall, saw Lei Kedun standing by the desk and, out of curiosity, stepped forward to greet him.

"The Luosai'er manuscript, and a tiny bookmark."

Lei Kedun turned his head toward the approaching Ke Lai En, made a brief remark, unsure whether Ke Lai En could catch on.

Ke Lai En skeptically examined the bookmark and found nothing unusual.

Uneasy, Ke Lai En covertly activated his spiritual sight, yet still detected no irregularities.

"Why did you single out that bookmark?" Ke Lai En asked, turning his head.

But he found that Lei Kedun had already walked away.

Unable to get an answer, Ke Lai En continued to peruse the exhibition hall; while scanning the surrounding books, he noticed many of them had bookmarks.

Ke Lai En suddenly thought of something:

Luosai'er had once disguised a Defiling Card as a bookmark, slipping it into a certain book!

"Could it be the one in that manuscript just now? No, how did A Er know? Did he also see Emperor Luosai'er's diary page?"

Ke Lai En's mind filled with doubts, and he re‑examined all the books on the desk.

Finally, his gaze fixed on the manuscript Lei Kedun had been staring at earlier:

"Most likely it's one of the bookmarks in these manuscripts!"

In the subsequent halls, Ke Lai En had no interest in touring; he kept pondering how to verify whether that bookmark was indeed the Defiling Card, and, if so, how to obtain it.

After touring the entire exhibition hall, Lei Kedun prepared to leave the Kingdom Museum, wait outside for Ke Lai En, and find a restaurant to solve his afternoon meal.

As he reached the Kingdom Museum's main entrance, he saw a security guard with neatly slicked‑back hair wearing a monocle.

Lei Kedun almost reflexively threw a burst of radiant fire, which would have scorched and purified the guard.

He restrained himself because he recognized the monocle as a sealing artifact, not the unique one A Meng wears.

The monocle‑wearing guard sensed Lei Kedun's stare and his earlier intense reaction, fixed his gaze on Lei Kedun, and hurried over:

"Hello, may I help you with anything?"

"No," Lei Kedun shook his head slightly, then shifted the conversation with a joking tone:

"Do university professors still have to take a side job here as security staff? Or, are you actually a fan of Emperor Luosai'er?"

The well‑mannered guard, looking like a university professor, examined Lei Kedun carefully, and after confirming nothing was amiss, replied with a smile:

"No, to be precise, being a university professor is my side job, but I am indeed a fan of Emperor Luosai'er."

Lei Kedun raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting the other to actually be a university professor, but thinking that the guard was an extraordinary of the Steam Church disguised as security, it wasn't that strange.

Lei Kedun's face showed a proper smile, and he exclaimed:

This security personnel, disguised as an extraordinary being of the Steam Church, nodded slightly, said a few words, and then returned to their post.

The Steam Church extraordinary‑disguised guard gave a slight nod, said something, then returned to his post.

Lei Kedun did not linger and briskly left the Kingdom Museum.

Although he knew the guard wasn't an avatar of A Meng, seeing someone with a monocle still made him uneasy, and Lei Kedun kept thinking of smashing the monocle off.

After waiting outside the Kingdom Museum for about twenty minutes, Ke Lai En finally emerged.

Lei Kedun glanced at him, and when Ke Lai En reached his side, he turned and walked toward the other side of the street.

After walking a short distance and the crowd thinned, Lei Kedun raised an eyebrow, giving a sly look, and said to Ke Lai En:

Klein's face darkened; he suspected the other party was mocking his poor kidneys, but he couldn't openly state the reason for going to the restroom, so he forced himself to grunt.

Ke Lai En's face darkened; he suspected Lei Kedun was mocking his kidney, but he couldn't explain why he'd gone to the restroom, so he forced a hesitant hum.

Then he quickly changed the subject: "What's the problem with the bookmark in the manuscript?"

"A luxurious bookmark!"

Rekton spoke in an uncertain tone; anyway, seeing Klein's appearance, he had already gone to confirm with Miss Justice, so there was no need for him to tell Klein himself.

"Luxurious?"

Klein was stunned for a moment; that bookmark, no matter how you look at it, has nothing to do with luxury.

But then he immediately thought: if that bookmark were really the Blasphemy Slate, using it as a bookmark would indeed be quite luxurious.

After pondering for a moment, Klein continued to ask:

"Why don't you secretly take it? With your ability, you should be able to do that."

"What do you mean 'with my ability'? I'm not a thief's pathway, and besides, Bernadette is right there; if I took the bookmark, would she snatch it away from me?"

Rekton raised his eyebrows and rebutted Klein's words.

"Would Bernadette do such a thing?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

In the West District they found a decent-looking high-end restaurant; Rekton treated them, bringing the poor Klein to enjoy another big meal.

Sitting by the window on the third floor, after eating and drinking to his fill, Klein leaned back in his chair and said:

"Are you preparing to go get that bookmark tonight?"

"I'm not preparing to take it." Rekton shook his head; in Klein's astonished gaze, he smacked his lips and said:

"You aren't planning to steal that bookmark out? Go for it! I'll wait outside for you."

Klein gave Rekton a sideways glance and said:

"You're just watching the show outside, aren't you!"

"You'll be very grateful that I'm watching the show beside you."

Rekton said something ambiguously.

Klein imitated Rekton's action, raising his eyebrows, then said:

"It's a pity; I also have no intention of stealing that bookmark. I'm just a measly Sequence Seven; you're overestimating me."

"Hmm." Rekton gave a noncommittal nod, not exposing him.

After getting up to settle the bill, the two returned to Mingsike Jie; Rekton returned to his rented lodgings and immersed himself in the study of secret arts.

Klein, meanwhile, waited for Miss Justice's news while preparing to steal that bookmark from the museum later.

In the evening, Klein's ears were filled with Miss Justice's prayer.

Quickly arriving Above the Grey Fog, he responded to Miss Justice's prayer; after receiving from her the abnormal reaction of the bookmark tucked in Roselle's manuscript, Klein became completely certain that the bookmark was the Blasphemy Slate.

"Miss Justice's efficiency is truly high! I only gave her the task at noon, and by evening she had already finished verification."

Klein sighed, then left the space Above the Grey Fog.

He took out all the magical items, charms, and scrolls he could use, beginning to prepare for tonight's operation.

Roselle's commemorative exhibition is time-limited; he must complete the operation within these two days. Moreover, Al should also have discovered the issue with that bookmark, and Klein wants to get his hands on that Blasphemy Slate before Al does.

(End of chapter)