Chapter 210: Graveyard

At night, after returning to his rented house, Lei Kedun lay on the bedroom bed and entered sleep quickly through meditation.

In the deep dream, Lei Kedun suddenly woke up.

It was still the Twilight Sanctuary, still the same Sasilier, but Lei Kedun noticed that the shadow beneath it had thinned considerably.

It seemed that during this time its digestion of part of the True Creator's will had a noticeable effect.

"Do you want to see me?" Sasilier asked without much subtlety, speaking directly.

Lei Kedun gave a slight nod, his tone tinged with doubt, and said:

"The True Creator issued a divine decree to the Aurora Society, directing them to search in Beckrand for the Fool's followers and believers."

"Do you and it share information?"

Sasilier replied in an even tone:

"In my current state, contacting it would only cause me to be tainted by its madness."

Lei Kedun gave a gentle nod and then raised another topic:

"Does the Godforsaken Land retain any high-level attributes of the Perfecter Path?"

Sasilier was silent for a while, seeming lost in recollection, and after some time spoke again:

"Mystical demons of the Saint tier do exist, but I cannot confirm the master attributes of the Angel rank; perhaps they exist as wondrous artifacts somewhere."

"The True Creator is constantly in a state of madness and does not have the energy to attend to these matters."

"I understand. Then, how many city‑states in the Godforsaken Land still have survivors?"

He gave a slight nod, confirming the existence of Mystical Demons in the Godforsaken Land, and Lei Kedun felt the conversation shifted to another matter.

"Including the gathering places around me, there are only seven city‑states in total."

Sasilier's voice inevitably carried a tone of helplessness and melancholy:

"Among them, four city‑states lie outside my protection: Silver City, Moon City, Valentin, and Beidan City."

"These cities each retain sufficient attributes and powerful wondrous artifacts for their own reasons, allowing them to endure in darkness for millennia; however, that is roughly their limit."

"Valentin, Beidan City," Lei Kedun whispered softly, noting these cities had not appeared in the original work.

A Meng and Ke Lai En also mentioned in their Godforsaken Land conversation that the remaining survivor city‑states number no more than ten; A Meng would have no reason to deceive about this.

If the chance arises, it is still worthwhile to make a trip to the Godforsaken Land!

"Are you gathering attributes of the Perfecter Path in order to find a chance to strip away your Sage attributes and jump path?"

Sasilier spoke up, interrupting Lei Kedun's inner contemplation.

Lei Kedun shook his head and said:

"I have no such plan. If I switch to the Perfecter's path, wouldn't I be delivering a head to that Perfecter?"

"I merely wish to cultivate some professionals to advance the industrial revolution that Roselle never completed!"

"The progress of civilization will make steam even more powerful."

Sasilier said something in a warning tone.

Before Lei Kedun could explain, he offered a new deal:

"If you help me reclaim the authority of the Sun and the Storm, I can share the corresponding authority with you to advance the industrial revolution."

"Do not be surprised; at that time I was merely mad, but the necessary memories and judgment remained."

"Roselle's greatest obstacle to driving the industrial revolution is the original energy barrier left behind; while it protects us, it also limits Earth's outward development."

"Advancing civilization is what a Knowledge Demon must do; a God possessing omniscience, omnipotence, and the Creator's authority is a better partner than the Lord of the Mysteries."

Just by relying on those memories of the True Creation, he analyzed Roselle's industrial revolution so thoroughly.

This individual, whether in insight, strategy, or scheming, is quite formidable; even Adam's demeanor hinted at a shameful excitement.

Lei Kedun frowned, conflicted; from his perspective, the other's proposal was highly tempting.

Unfortunately, A Meng's existence is the biggest obstacle to cooperation.

"The time is long; you may wait until the situation clarifies before giving an answer."

Sasilier said calmly, as if.

The next morning, Lei Kedun just rose from bed; the conversation with Sasilier from last night's dream was vividly replaying in his mind.

"Huh— these are still far beyond me; I'll think about them after I become a Saint, perhaps even an Angel."

He let out a long sigh, then sprang out of the covers and dressed quickly.

After a quick wash, he went straight down to the dining hall, rubbed his fingers by the fireplace, and by friction of his spirit conjured a scarlet flame to ignite the hearth.

As the hearth flame burned, the house's temperature began to rise gradually.

"Later I'll find Ke Lai En, have him take me to the inventor Lei Pa De, and I must also hurry to gather the universalist's potion ingredients."

Sitting at the table, Lei Kedun contemplated what he planned to do today.

Before long, the undead chef prepared breakfast: simple sandwiches, biscuits, and hot milk.

He quickly finished breakfast, walked to the house across the street, and knocked on the door.

Knock knock knock!

Ke Lai En opened the door promptly, a hint of surprise on his face.

"Good thing you knocked today," Ke Lai En said half‑jokingly, while stepping aside to make a passage.

"I still have the habit of knocking when I use the front door," Lei Kedun chuckled.

After Ke Lai En stepped aside, he saw Doctor Ai Lun in the living room.

Doctor Ai Lun also cast a curious glance his way; recognizing someone from the earlier Krag Club, he smiled and greeted.

After returning the smile, Lei Kedun withdrew his gaze and directly stated his purpose:

"I came to you about Lei Pa De; I wish to invest in his invention."

Ke Lai En gave a slight nod, gestured toward Doctor Ai Lun and said:

Sure, but you'll have to wait a moment; I still have another commission.

No problem, I don't lack that time; remember to come find me after you're done.

Leiketon waved his hand, and after speaking, turned and walked straight away.

Ke Lai En paused, raised a hand to try to retain him and also ask about Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting, but Leiketon had already walked a short distance away, so he had to give up.

Back in the living room, Doctor Ai Lun asked curiously:

"Sherlock, are you still involved in the investment? What project is it? Something that could attract a great detective like you and get you to invest?"

"A new type of personal transport," Ke Lai En replied with a smile.

"I'll go change clothes first, then we can set off."

After speaking, Ke Lai En went up to the second floor, found a thick coat to wear, and also performed a divination at Above the Gray Mist, concluding that the risk of this commission was almost nonexistent, finally putting his mind at ease.

A small, delicate paper doll fluttered in the cold wind, eventually drifting onto a moving carriage.

The moment the little paper doll landed, it seemed to come alive, clinging tightly to the carriage roof.

Inside the carriage, Ke Lai En looked up puzzled at the roof, saw nothing, and lowered his gaze again.

The carriage rode all the way to Beikeland West District, on the outskirts of Green Graveyard.

Ke Lai En and Doctor Ai Lun got off the carriage and began wandering around the nearby woods as if searching for something.

The tiny paper doll was blown by the wind, drifting among one tree after another.

"There! There!" Doctor Ai Lun suddenly stopped, pointing at a birch tree about ten meters ahead, its trunk stripped of a layer of bark.

Upon approaching, Doctor Ai Lun stared intently at the birch and said:

"It looks exactly like the one in my dream."

Ke Lai En smiled warily, "But there's no Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting here."

Doctor Ai Lun frowned for a moment, then suddenly pointed beside the tree roots and said:

"At that time, Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting was sitting right here, his hand pointing at the soil below!"

"You want to dig it up?" Ke Lai En, standing nearby, glanced down at the spot almost free of dry grass, then looked up at Doctor Ai Lun's serious, furrowed expression.

Doctor Ai Lun nodded:

"We've already found it; it's important to confirm what's there."

After a while, Doctor Ai Lun exchanged money for three iron shovels and the assistance of a gravekeeper.

The three began to dig; without going too deep, they uncovered something beneath the soil—a highly decayed child's corpse!

Clang! The iron shovel in Doctor Ai Lun's hand struck down; he pointed at the corpse's legs, muttered for a while, then in a thin voice said:

"Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting! He is Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting!"

Wei Er·Ang Sai Ting is dead? Moreover, it seems he has been dead for some time—this can't be a fake, can it?

Ke Lai En stared at the child's corpse underground, his mind racing with countless thoughts.

Ke Lai En quickly recovered, and said to the nearly stunned gravekeeper and Doctor Ai Lun:

"Call the police!"

Not long after, a sheriff arrived and took both Ke Lai En and Doctor Ai Lun to the nearby police station.

After everyone left, a tiny paper doll drifted down from a tree; after a brief distortion, the figure of Leiketon materialized.

The figure was merely an illusion; in essence it was still that little paper doll.

Leiketon looked at the child's corpse exposed in the freshly dug soil; the body was highly rotted, its skin and flesh seeming to melt, with many insects crawling in and out.

"They didn't even move the corpse; is it really okay to leave it so carelessly in front of me?"

Leiketon muttered a few words to himself.

Aside from the occasional breeze, there was no response.

After lingering a moment, Leiketon sensed someone approaching and turned and left directly.

Probably tomorrow, or even tonight, Wei Er will relocate the corpse.

(End of Chapter)