Chapter 232: The Deal with Parles

After finishing today's Tarot meeting, seeing that Ke Lai En had not yet brought over the trait of the Human Skin Phantom, Lei Ke Dun took out the trait of the Desire Apostle and resumed studying the ability to manipulate emotions and desires.

Lost in his own research, after an unknown amount of time, a thudding knock sounded for a while, then quickly faded.

"You're a bit late."

He leaned against the chair and sighed softly.

Not long after, the door to his study was pushed open from outside, and Ke Lai En entered holding a small iron box.

"This is the trait of the Human Skin Phantom."

"And a hair. I recall you are also skilled at divination; could you divine the true cause of death of Ta Li Mu·Du Meng Te for me?"

Ke Lai En spoke with an unusually heavy tone.

Lei Ke Dun raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways, noticing the perfectly hidden hair clinging to the surface of the iron box, and said with a hint of doubt:

"You should be better at divination than I am."

Hoo— Ke Lai En let out a long sigh, his voice low as he said:

"I've already divined, but I wanted to compare multiple different divinations. I have some guesses about the things that interfere with divination, but I'm not certain yet."

"I only recently saw Ta Li Mu at Ke La Ge Club; he was perfectly normal, his body healthy, with no signs of sudden illness."

"Hmm." After a gentle nod, Lei Ke Dun took the small iron box and the hair that Ke Lai En handed over.

Holding the hair horizontally in his palm, he closed his eyes and whispered:

"Ta Li Mu·Du Meng Te's true cause of death"

"Ta Li Mu·Du Meng Te's true cause of death"

He repeated it three times, then entered meditation.

In the revelatory dream brought by the divination, he saw the Ke La Ge Club he had visited before, and saw Ta Li Mu·Du Meng Te clutching his heart, his face twisted as he collapsed.

Upon close inspection, a faint black aura was seen swirling around his heart.

After a short while, Lei Ke Dun reopened his eyes and said in a solemn tone:

"Curse?"

"You could divine it?" Ke Lai En hurriedly asked.

Lei Ke Dun shook his head lightly and said:

"I only glimpsed something unusual; his death was abnormal, but it has been concealed by a person or an object."

"I understand," Ke Lai En said, not too surprised by the answer.

He frowned, nodded, and then took his leave.

Watching Ke Lai En depart, Lei Ke Dun rose from his chair, went to the adjacent room, and picked up the picture frame wrapped in a black, viscous, liquid‑like curtain.

"It's time to go find Grandpa for a transaction; there's so much time A Meng collected in here, it can't be wasted."

Mid‑sentence, Lei Ke Dun raised his hand and made a light knocking motion in the air, causing a ripple of waterlight to surge.

In the void ahead, Lei Ke Dun opened a "door" leading to an unknown region of the spirit realm.

As the "door" took shape, he stepped through, and his figure suddenly vanished from the room.

North District, inside a standalone house.

Amidst layers of rippling waterlight, an invisible door opened, and Lei Ke Dun emerged holding a picture frame wrapped in a black, viscous, liquid‑like curtain.

A purple glow spread across his eyes as he scanned the room, finding no living creature or any sign of parasitism.

Of course, unlike A Meng, who has a single‑eye obsession, I didn't notice anything abnormal about ordinary parasites.

Muttering to himself, Lei Ke Dun casually slumped onto the sofa, waiting for Lun Na De to return.

Before coming, he had already divined the suitable time to visit, so as not to run into Lun Na De's colleagues.

After about two or three minutes, footsteps approached the door, then paused, as if noticing a stranger had entered his home.

But it quickly returned to normal; the main door creaked open, and the strikingly handsome Lun Na De, with black hair and green eyes, pushed his way in.

He shut the door behind him, took a few steps forward, and said with a slightly displeased tone:

"You just barge into a night watchman's home like that? I'm also a night watchman of the church; aren't you afraid I'll report you to the church and lock you behind the Chanis Gate?"

Lei Ke Dun raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice matter‑of‑fact as he said:

"Behind the Chanis Gate there are many sealing objects and documents; what you mentioned does intrigue me."

"So many demon‑drug formulas and sealing objects, enough to get rich overnight."

"You could just try it," Lun Na De said provocatively.

Lei Ke Dun waved his hand and did not continue the topic:

"I'm here today to find Grandpa."

While speaking, he handed over the portrait of A Meng he was holding and said:

"Do you need me to remove the seal on it?"

"Inside is something from a thief's path? Remove it then; in front of me, nothing from that path can cause trouble."

Lun Na De's mouth produced a hoarse voice that didn't match his age.

Lei Ke Dun smiled and said:

"Of course, a few days ago I looted a tomb A Meng left here."

As he spoke, Lei Ke Dun separated the Bone Staff from the frame; the black, viscous, liquid‑like shadow lost its support and scattered across the ground, merging into the surrounding shadows.

On the frame, with the shadow removed, A Meng's portrait was fully revealed.

Lei Ke Dun noticed Lun Na De's pupils contract imperceptibly.

Grandpa's mental fortitude is lacking; it's just a portrait.

"Hmph! Don't let too many thoughts surface before a high‑rank thief."

The hoarse voice murmured a warning.

Indeed, honest advice falls on deaf ears.

He muttered a phrase in Thus each line: English in his mind, then stopped his thoughts, thinking no more, and steered the topic back onto track:

"This picture frame contains the time A Meng collected, or rather life, lifespan? I suppose you need it."

"What do you want to get from me?" Pales said through Leonard's body.

"A help."

"But not now; within two years, I will need you to help me steal something, and this painting counts as a deposit."

Rekton calculated the time of the war's outbreak in his mind. Only when everyone's attention is drawn to the war can I slip easily into the Temple of the Eternal Blazing Sun and take that attribute of the Knowledge Emperor.

"I refuse! My condition isn't as good as you think."

"Which deity's temple do you intend to go to? The Night? Or the Lord of Storms? Or perhaps another?"

Pales cautiously rejected Rekton's terms, even speculating which deity's temple was his target.

Without offering an enticing chip, it seems impossible to sway this Time Worm; after pondering briefly, Rekton said calmly:

"The Temple of the Eternal Blazing Sun, however, such matters will of course wait until you recover your condition."

"Moreover, no matter the circumstances, you won't need to confront the dazzling Sun Knowledge God who would stop it."

"Your conflict with A Meng is inevitable, and the remaining time is short; there is a Rank‑One ally, which, whichever way you look at it, is more beneficial for you."

Parris fell silent, yet still controlled Leonard's body, which left the poet classmate with many questions to ask only able to watch quietly.

After a long silence in the living room, Pales's hoarse voice spoke again through Leonard's body:

"Offending a true god could still likely leave a trace for A Meng; a single Rank‑One ally is not enough."

Parris's reaction showed he was intrigued by the deal; Rekton squinted slightly, his voice tinged with a hint of seriousness and solemnity, saying:

"Add the protection of a great being!"

"Great being? Which great being?"

"The one that represents knowledge!" Rekton smiled, giving an ambiguous answer.

After receiving the reply, Pales fell silent, reached out and took the portrait of A Meng from Rekton's hand.

An ancient, mottled, massive wall clock's phantom silently appeared above Leonard's head.

The phantom was divided into twelve sections, each gray‑white or blue‑black, intermingled yet with clear boundaries, each bearing a different symbol.

An indescribable intangible torrent surged forth, as if traversing a long stretch of history.

The ancient, mottled hand suddenly rotated one notch counter‑clockwise, "Dong~" — ethereal, illusory, yet a lingering, long bell toll resonated in Rekton's mind.

He had a brief lapse of consciousness, as if time before him had become slightly disordered, but he quickly recovered.

The next moment, he saw the portrait of A Meng held by Leonard's body begin to decay rapidly, losing its color within a few breaths, turning into fragile fragments that scattered on the ground.

"Not bad; here not only is the time A Meng stole, but also some of the attributes left over from its creation of this portrait."

Pales's hoarse voice seemed more vigorous.

"It seems your condition has recovered considerably."

Rekton let out a soft sigh.

Leonard's gaze was vacant for a moment, then quickly cleared; he glanced at the scattered fragments, and with a slight curl of his mouth said:

"The old man fell into a deep sleep; he said he needed to properly digest today's harvest."

As he spoke, Leonard had already walked to the sofa, casually perched on it, and asked with a curious tone:

"Was that portrait just now A Meng?"

"What do you intend to steal from the Temple of the Eternal Blazing Sun? You still need the old man's help."

Rekton shrugged lightly and said:

"An attribute of the Knowledge Emperor. Stealing is something thieves excel at."

"In Trill, there may be extra danger for me; Pales's help is essential for me."

His voice paused briefly, as if recalling something, and a helpless smile tugged his mouth as he said:

"Pales must have anticipated the subsequent developments when I presented that picture frame; he doesn't reject the deal, merely bargains with me."

"What a lousy old man."

(End of Chapter)