Chapter 334: Oracle

In the Spirit World, Rekton Soth's eyes went blank for an instant, and blurry, strange images surfaced in his mind.

It was a layered world of strange realms, most of them only the size of a single room or a castle, overlapping with one another to form a labyrinth.

A faint, drifting voice like a nursery rhyme echoed in his mind:

"The monsters are in your dreams;

The dragons are in your dreams;

That imagined great palace floating in midair is also in your dreams; there, you shall have everything, until you awaken!"

In just a moment, he regained his clarity, and an understanding arose in his mind: "That is the mind world of East Chester County."

A dream labyrinth, a dragon's nursery rhyme—even as a Prophet, I would not suddenly prophesy about things that have no connection to myself at all. Unless, this is an oracle from the very top of the Sequence!

Having me make contact with the ancient dragon Erehog—has the God of Knowledge discovered something? Or learned something from my memories? He wants Angelweed to return early, to keep Adam in check? As his thoughts raced, Rekton Soth had already changed his direction of wandering through the Spirit World.

East Chester County.

Atop a half-collapsed, abandoned ancient tower, Rekton Soth's figure was swiftly outlined.

He glanced casually around. There was still some unmelted snow nearby, and the abandoned tower beneath his feet had nothing left but blue-gray bricks and some long-rotted wood—the look of a place long devoid of human habitation.

"Erehog~"

"For the God of Knowledge's sake, let's meet!"

After waiting quietly for a moment, there was only the whimpering of the wind around him, with no response whatsoever.

It seems even the God of Knowledge's face doesn't work well—His reputation among dragons probably isn't very good. He let his thoughts wander casually; he was not particularly surprised by the lack of response.

In the distance came the sound of hoofbeats, rapidly approaching. Rekton Soth glanced casually in that direction.

He then flipped over and jumped down from the half-collapsed tower. Swirling wind wrapped around him, supporting his body as he landed gently.

He planned to leave here and wait until evening, then try to find the ancient dragon hidden in the mind world through dreams.

"Woof! Woof!"

Barks of surprise, curiosity, and wariness suddenly rang out. A large golden dog had just run up to this spot, its eyes showing a humanlike curiosity.

I've gotten so used to the Eye of Secrets that I'm still a bit unaccustomed—didn't even notice this large golden dog running over. He sighed inwardly, then revealed a warm smile and greeted her: "Good afternoon, Miss Susie."

"Oh, it's you. No wonder you looked a bit familiar. I thought someone was trying to commit suicide again, so I came running over fast."

Susie tilted her head, recognized Rekton, and stopped pretending to be an ordinary dog.

"You really are a kind dog."

Rekton Soth smiled and offered a compliment.

"Susie~ do you have—"

Audrey arrived on horseback. Before she could finish her words, she saw Rekton Soth standing together with Susie, and her voice abruptly stopped.

"Miss Audrey, slow down, it's very dangerous here!" Behind Audrey came the shouts and warnings of the servants tasked with protecting her.

Rekton Soth reflexively raised his hand, wanting to use Secret Reappearance and pull out an "Invisibility Hat," but his outstretched hand grasped at empty air.

"..." Speechless for a moment, Rekton withdrew his hand, and a pale blue glow began to swirl in his eyes.

Snap! He snapped his fingers, creating an illusion around him, blending himself seamlessly into the surrounding environment.

"He disappeared."

The large golden dog Susie murmured in shock.

"I didn't disappear, I just hid myself. You can still talk to me—I've put up a certain concealment. Ordinary people around us can neither see nor hear us."

Rekton Soth's voice rang out from where he had originally stood.

The large golden dog Susie circled that spot in disbelief several times, but no matter how she looked, she could not find the slightest trace.

"What an amazing ability!"

She exclaimed, then turned to look at Audrey, still mounted on her horse. Seeing that the other was clearly also astonished, after Audrey gave a gentle nod, she urged her horse closer.

Audrey raised her right hand slightly, covering her lips as if yawning, and lowered her voice: "Mr. Thrones, may I speak with you?"

"You may."

Rekton Soth's voice rang out beside the large golden dog Susie.

Audrey nodded slightly, then led Susie to explore around the abandoned tower according to their original plan.

After a brief silence, she stared at the empty air beside Susie and asked, full of curiosity: "Thrones, why are you here?"

"Um—if it involves secrecy, or it's inconvenient to answer, then never mind."

"Heh, nothing needs to be kept secret. I received an oracle and came here to find an ancient dragon."

Rekton Soth's voice rang out from the open ground behind Susie.

Audrey shifted her gaze over, unable to detect the slightest trace of anyone standing there. What an amazing ability—is this invisibility? Or illusion? Or perhaps it actually distorts our sight? After only a moment's thought, she turned her attention to the oracle Rekton Soth had mentioned. An oracle! This is an oracle! Whose oracle? Could it be from Mr. Fool? Whether or not it's from Mr. Fool, being able to receive an oracle itself indicates that he is someone very close to a god, very likely a Blessed of a great existence. Mr. Fool? Doesn't seem likely. Could it be that he is actually a Blessed of the God of Knowledge, representing a secret collaboration between the God of Knowledge and Mr. Fool? Loving to spread and share knowledge—that does indeed fit the style of the Church of Knowledge.

Thoughts continued to surge in Audrey's mind. She felt she seemed to have discovered some very hidden truths, and her thoughts began to make associations beyond her control:

Thinking this way, Mr. Moon, who greatly values vampire honor—does he also represent a secret collaboration between that vampire ancestor and Mr. Fool?

Rumor has it that the vampire ancestor occasionally responds to the prayers of vampires. Does this suggest that the vampire ancestor likely has not truly fallen, only that his condition may not be very good?

I represent the Ruén aristocracy, Mr. Hanged Man represents maritime forces, and he has deep connections with the Storm Church. Mr. Sun represents Silver City, represents the Forsaken Land. Fors also represents the Abraham family. Looking at it this way, every member Mr. Fool brought into the Tarot Club was selected with a certain purpose.

As her guesses deepened, the corners of Audrey's eyebrows curved upward. She felt she seemed to have discovered an incredible secret—one that even Mr. Hanged Man and the others had not yet discovered. Well, Mr. White Tower probably already knows.

(End of this chapter)