Chapter 222: Each on Their Own

"Sure." Ke Lai En lightly nodded, then, curious, asked another question:

"Why do you address me as master?"

The surface of the mirror rippled with a wash of waterlight, and rows of silver words appeared:

"Great master, the moment I saw you, I understood that you are the master I must follow, just as if it were the purpose of my birth!"

"Are you satisfied with this answer, master? May I still call you master?"

The monotonous silver words in the mirror oddly conveyed a sense of nervousness and flattery.

Ke Lai En frowned and pondered for a long while; he couldn't understand why the Steam Church's magic mirror would adopt such an attitude toward him, seeming to humbly flatter him.

With the intention of first stabilizing this mysterious mirror, Ke Lai En lightly nodded and replied:

"Alright."

"Very well, master! No problem, master! ^ω^"

A layer of waterlight on the mirror's surface flickered quickly, revealing new characters, followed by a happy emoticon.

This is still a mirror that's ahead of the trend!

Ke Lai En let out a silent sigh, then saw new words appear on the mirror before him:

"My dear master, the Steam Church asked me today for some information about the Desire Apostle; would you like to know? o°ω°o"

"I do." Ke Lai En lightly nodded, answering honestly.

Waterlight rippled again on the mirror's surface, unveiling scene after scene.

There was a scene of Yi Kang Se asking who ordered the Desire Apostle to assassinate Duke Ni Gen, and A Luo De Si's reply; also a scene of him asking who killed the Desire Apostle, and another Mechanical Heart member inquiring about the collaborators of the Desire Apostle.

Finally, the image on the mirror froze in darkness with a vague silhouette, then rows of silvery‑white words rose one after another:

"Dear master, you must beware of the fellow who killed the Desire Apostle by your side then; he has an ambiguous connection with the True Creator worshipped by the Aurora Society."

"He carries something terribly frightening, preventing me even from peering at him; moreover, he is protected by a highly ranked secret safeguard!"

"He"

The words on the mirror's surface paused, the unfinished characters faded one by one, then reformed into a new sentence:

"Master, the Steam Church is summoning me; I must depart now."

"Farewell, my great, supreme master; your faithful servant stands ready for your summons!"

Finally, there was a little waving emoticon.

One or two seconds later, all the writing on the mirror vanished, reflecting Ke Lai En's silhouette again.

So that's it? It feels a bit rushed—was it trying to say something earlier but got cut off?

Ke Lai En frowned, thought for a moment, then turned and left the washroom.

Deep within the spirit realm, inside a magnificent library.

Having finished processing the Arcane Mentor's magic elixir, Lei Ke Dun prepared to ask Mr. Huang for the prophetic trait the Mentor had previously promised.

Sitting upright in a high‑backed chair, Mr. Huang's eyes flashed with a fleeting glimmer, then he murmured softly:

"This mirror truly dares to say anything; it possesses omniscient authority but lacks the personhood level to support it, and it still doesn't know restraint."

"Hmm," Lei Ke Dun thought of that flattering mirror, and said pensively:

"Magic mirror A Luo De Si? Is its omniscient authority formidable?"

Mr. Huang's gaze grew distant for a moment, then he said meaningfully:

"If it had sufficient personhood support, it could be roughly equivalent to an omniscient being."

"Sufficient personhood... above the gray mist? A sycophant that licks to the end should have it all!"

"Don't harbor any expectations of it; even omniscients cannot discern its true origin, only that it is linked to the Sea of Chaos, most likely a contingency the God once used to guard against the revival of the Celestial Sovereign."

Mr. Huang warned Lei Ke Dun in a solemn tone.

Embarrassed for a moment, Lei Ke Dun quickly reined in his thoughts and asked curiously:

"If one possesses the Manipulator's virtual persona ability, can one achieve multiple casting?"

This is the ability Lei Ke Dun, who relies on casting as his primary combat method, most desires; after all, casting is not as convenient as the magic elixir's innate extraordinary ability, requiring a certain, non‑streamlined casting process.

This is also why Lei Ke Dun prefers to use the Astrologer's extraordinary ability in battle rather than that of the Arcane Mentor.

Even the techniques he devised himself only speed up casting somewhat through proficiency, never reaching the convenience of his own extraordinary ability.

Mr. Huang gave a slight nod, then shook his head gently and said:

"If you become a Sage or an Archangel, you can acquire this ability with ease."

"The virtual persona of the Dreamer path can to some extent enable multiple casting, but it places a heavy burden on your spirit and mind, and also reduces the potency of the spells you release."

"Multiple casting does lower spell strength, after all, it's not an external brain."

Lei Ke Dun sighed softly.

"An external brain?" Mr. Huang murmured in puzzlement, then began to think seriously.

Lei Ke Dun stood quietly on the side, waiting for Mr. Huang to finish his contemplation.

He didn't wait long; Mr. Huang concluded his thoughts, speaking in a rather cheerful tone:

"Completing casting via an external entity is not impossible; it's like using a magical item, only the magical item is replaced with something else."

Mr. Huang's gaze fell on the statues at the library entrance, his eyes shining with pure white radiance.

Following Mr. Huang's line of sight, Lei Ke Dun saw that beside the few self‑made figurine statues at the doorway, a semi‑ethereal mirror image also appeared.

The mirror images looked rather rigid; the next moment, they shattered into specks of light that converged in midair, forming a pattern composed of twisted characters.

In an instant, the patterns appeared beside Lei Ke Dun, as if a force sought to imprint them onto his spirit.

After a tingling, prickly sensation, he saw several tattoos appear on his spirit.

"What is this?" Lei Ke Dun asked curiously, looking at Mr. Huang.

"It's a seal that stores spells, bearing the will of some of the statues you crafted; they possess an instinct to use extraordinary abilities, can accumulate spirit on their own, and when you need them, they activate to directly unleash the corresponding spells."

These marks are not permanent; each can be used only once.

Afterward, remember to write me a report on your experience and feedback from using them; I'll make some adjustments and then be able to disseminate this storage spell method to the Church.

Mr. Huang said in a flat tone, as if he had done something insignificant.

I understand.

Rex glanced at the few tattoos on his spiritual body, not expecting them to still be a test version.

The Seer trait you need—just go back and pray to me for it directly. If you later need the Insight trait as well, you'll have to offer something of equal value in exchange; preferably another Sequence trait that can be traded via the same route.

Rex nodded slightly; it wasn't surprising, as Saint-level traits are rare even among the Seven Churches.

Soon after, he felt his vision blur, the surroundings rapidly receding; when he came to, his consciousness had already returned to his physical body.

After moving his body a little, Rex rummaged for the needed materials and quickly set up a ritual to pray to Mr. Huang.

Soon a crystal-like, perfectly round object appeared before Rex; within the crystal, many wandering threads intertwined, forming a symbol resembling the All-Knowing Eye.

Holding the crystal in his hand, Rex felt something intangible appear in his eyes, erupting from everything around him, countless threads intertwining, together forming an endless, boundless river that had no visible beginning or end.

Is this some manifestation of the River of Fate?

He murmured softly, Rex took out the small iron box he had prepared earlier, placed the crystal inside, and sealed it with a Spiritual Wall.

Green Cemetery in the western suburbs.

Forsyth walked quietly beside a member of the Abraham family, the person Lawrence had introduced to her as her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham; she was accompanying him to sweep the grave of Mrs. Annelisa and her husband.

In the secluded, tranquil, and chilly environment, Forsyth and Dorian walked to where Lawrence was already waiting by the tombstone.

After a long silence, Lawrence finally sighed and said:

I should have died a while ago.

What happened afterward? Dorian could roughly guess why Lawrence would say that.

Lawrence fell silent for a moment, his voice tinged with helplessness and a hint of tragic grandeur, and said:

A stranger, an extraordinary being, saved me; he knows our ancestors well, he proposed to give some assistance to the Abraham family, but the payment would be made by the ancestors upon their return.

I can't tell whether his words are true or false, but since I'm going to die anyway, I figured I might as well gamble with my life; I won't let this matter involve the Abraham family.

After a slight sigh, his voice weakened, and he continued:

I didn't want you to come here; Becklund is not a safe place.

I contacted you to recommend Miss Forsyth; she is a kind, good-hearted woman who values affection, she has received Annelisa's approval, and now also mine; formerly, it was Annelisa who brought her into the extraordinary world.

I hope you can continue to be her teacher in mysticism, guiding her forward on the path of an apprentice.

The eyes that behold all living beings, the holy stigmata from the Primordial Land, the omniscient one who serves the Fool, the great Alrodess.

(End of Chapter)