Chapter 242: Angel in the Mural

I do happen to know something.

Lei Kedun spoke calmly, and when he saw everyone's gaze drawn to him, he leaned forward slightly, his tone unusually serious, and said:

The Luen royal family, the Aurora Society, and the Witch Sect have formed an alliance; each has its own scheme, but the specifics are still unknown for now.

Royal family? Cooperating with the Aurora Society and the Witch Sect. Why?

Ao Daili whispered in disbelief; whether it's the Aurora Society or the Witch Sect, both are recognized cults, and she couldn't understand why the royal family would cooperate with them.

Getting three unrelated parties to cooperate indicates that their individual schemes share common interests or needs.

The Hanged Man A'erjie gave a seasoned analysis.

Mr. Hanged Man's words reminded Klein, and the figure shrouded in gray mist also fell into contemplation:

The Aurora Society seeks to summon the True Creator's descent; what about the Witch Sect? To spread calamity, to facilitate a role? Perhaps there's some reason, but it's certainly not the main one. Moreover, what is the royal family plotting? What benefit do they gain by plunging Beikeland into chaos?

Wait, Prince Aidesake and his companion, a suspected witch lover, that witch wanted to see me but was thwarted by a series of coincidences created by 0-08, and Prince Aidesake is still bitter about Talim's death.

Now that's interesting; the prince and his witch seem more like hostages placed together to win each other's trust.

Adhering to the principle of speaking less rather than speaking wrongly, Klein manipulated the miniature world and began to direct and act it out:

The world lifted its head, sincerely gazing at the figure within the gray mist at the head of the mottled long table:

"Esteemed Mr. Fool, as a devotee in Beikeland, you must have noticed something as well, right?"

Then, under the crowd's curious, worried, expectant, or tense gazes, he spoke calmly and casually:

"Aidesake Augustus, and his lover."

Hmm. Prince Aidesake has a lover? No wonder he hasn't been pestering me for a long time; could it be a witch from the Witch Sect? I was relieved before, but now it seems problematic.

Ao Daili, who is familiar with Prince Aidesake, recalled some detailed incidents, and suddenly felt her shoulders grow heavy.

Although she harbored no goodwill toward the prince, even some disgust, it was merely her personal feeling.

Thinking that he was entangled with the Witch Sect and the Aurora Society, potentially bringing disaster to all of Beikeland, Ao Daili felt a mix of emotions.

Ao Gusi Du is a royal surname, his lover belongs to the Witch Sect. Could it be a tumultuous romance between a prince and a witch, hindered by both sides, and to pursue love they joined the Aurora Society, ultimately causing a widespread disaster?

The magician Folsi, driven by his writer's instinct, began to craft in his mind a moving love story for Prince Aidesake and his lover.

"Ladies and gentlemen, see you next week."

The Fool, seated at the head, calmly announced the end of today's Tarot gathering; deep crimson lights rose, and the figures of the crowd vanished one after another above the gray mist.

In the Godforsaken Land, within a camp where a bonfire burned.

Derik closed his eyes, calmly recalling the events of the Tarot gathering, confirming he hadn't forgotten the memory of that recurring experience.

He took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and Derik slowly opened his eyes, carefully examining the flames and comrades that matched his memory perfectly.

"Depart after 50 lightning strikes."

As in Derik's memory, Chief Colin spoke at this moment.

The development unfolded exactly as Derik had remembered several times before.

Beikeland, Mingsike Jie, Joewood District.

Having just finished this week's Tarot gathering, Lei Kedun slowly rose from his seat, turned his head to glance at the perpetually misty, gloomy sky outside, and murmured:

"The disaster is about to begin."

A gray pigeon fluttered in from outside, landing on the windowsill; its flesh writhed, tearing a tooth‑lined fissure in its chest that opened and closed repeatedly, emitting a hoarse sound from the rubbing meat:

"Your Excellency, the Divine Envoy, tomorrow afternoon we will commence the ritual to summon my lord's descent."

As the voice fell, the misshapen gray pigeon instantly exploded, spraying flesh that spread around, forming a map.

You wouldn't even qualify as a cult with this flesh‑controlling ability, Lei Kedun thought to himself.

He immediately memorized the map, then rubbed his fingers, creating a golden flame that purified all the blood‑stained debris around the windowsill.

He returned to his desk, tore a blank sheet from his notebook, picked up a round‑bodied steel pen, and simply wrote a line of words:

"The ritual is tomorrow..."

He then rummaged through the room for ritual materials, quickly setting up a summoning ceremony for a messenger:

"An intangible being that roams the Upper Realm, a friendly strange spirit to humanity, the messenger belonging solely to Beiernadai Gustav."

As the incantation finished, Lei Kedun, fully focused, vaguely sensed something entering his room, though the naked eye could not catch its form.

Lei Kedun shifted his gaze to where the letter lay; the torn piece from his notebook had vanished.

"So quick," he whispered, and then concluded the messenger‑summoning ritual.

He tidied the leftover ritual materials, returned to his chair beside the desk, and, to deal with the embodiment of the True Creator's descent, still had many details to discuss with Sasilier.

In the Godforsaken Land, Derik's exploration team once again reached the half‑ruined shrine.

This time, at the first sound of the little boy's cry for help, Derik employed his extraordinary ability, emitting pure, clear light that replaced the extinguished beast‑skin lantern's glow.

Chief Colin swiftly produced a deep‑blue metal vial and smeared the colorless viscous liquid inside onto his straight sword.

Immediately, he thrust his sword upward, releasing strands of silver, snake‑like light that fluttered in the air, rapidly spreading to envelop every member of the team.

It lasted four or five seconds before Chief Colin finally said in a low voice:

"From now on, there must be no negligence; raise vigilance to the highest level."

The familiar words steadied Derik's mind, and with full caution he followed the squad into the shrine's interior.

Inside the shrine, Derik pretended to inspect the surroundings while leaning against a mural, then suggested he check the other side himself.

Holding the beast‑skin lantern, Derik, guided by his impression, quickly located the corner bearing that strange word.

"Redemption Rose," he whispered, carefully scrutinizing the mural's details.

His gaze quickly fixed on a tall, slender man with silver hair flowing to his vest.

His features were gentle, his head bowed, eyes closed, and behind him layered luminous wings.

An angel! The legendary angel! Could this be the fated angel? Derik excitedly observed the surroundings of the angel.

Soon, he discovered a winding, shimmering river of light beneath the angel's feet.

The river kept winding, and finally it strangely looped back, forming a cycle.

Cycle! This formed a cycle! Derrick felt he had grasped some key.

He tightened his grip on the hurricane axe in his hand; after a slight hesitation, he raised the axe and, amid his teammates' astonished gazes, fiercely chopped at that river.

Anyway, even if he failed, he would only enter a new cycle, producing no consequences or effects.

A silvery-white bolt of lightning was drawn and fell onto the hurricane axe,.

With a bang!, Derrick's hurricane axe, wrapped in streaks of silvery-white electric light, struck the river in the mural, chopping the wall causing it to depress, stone chips flying.

This blow completely severed that looped river in the middle.

He hoped the cycle would be broken, and he and the other squad members would together escape this temple scene.

"What are you doing?"

Greeting him was Chief Colin's solemn inquiry, while the remaining squad members around him also watched him warily, as if any movement on his part would provoke them to attack.

Derrick froze for a moment; this was completely unlike the scene he had anticipated.

He somewhat awkwardly wanted to reach up and touch the back of his head, but then restrained the action, and spoke somewhat embarrassedly and awkwardly:

"Um I tried to break the cycle, but it seems I found the wrong node."

"Cycle?" Colin asked in a low voice, his straight sword still hanging downward, but he clearly gripped it more tightly.

"Yes, the cycle—we have already entered this temple for the sixth time."

"I received some hints, which allowed me to recall previous memories, realizing the problem might lie in the mural; thus, upon seeing that cyclical river on the mural, I thought that was the node trapping us in the cycle."

Derrick briefly summarized it once; although the other exploration team members didn't know what was going on, the chief would surely understand.

Colin's expression turned grave, his brows furrowed, as if he were recalling whether his memory truly had an issue, then he asked in a low voice:

"When did you receive the hint?"

"While resting at the camp outside the city."

(End of chapter)