Chapter 372: Successive Visits

Inside a hotel in the Bayam dock district, Klein opened his eyes, his body propped against the bed.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly stood up from the bed, his gaze sweeping around the room to confirm that no person or rabbit had entered just now, and only then let out a sigh of relief.

He had just taken a step toward the door when thick, emerald-green vines suddenly descended all around, layering and intertwining to rapidly form a forest.

An illusory light then appeared before him, seemingly composed of pure, vast and complex knowledge, gathering in midair and swiftly reconstructing Beiernadai's figure.

The sudden change made Klein's nerves snap taut, and only after seeing the familiar scene and silhouette did he relax.

He bowed to her and was just about to open his mouth to speak when Beiernadai's voice rang out faster than his:

"What did he do? Even that Primordial Witch personally descended with part of her consciousness here, and drew the Storm Lord's divine punishment."

"..." Klein opened his mouth, momentarily unsure how to answer—he wasn't very clear on the details of that earlier battle either.

After a moment of silence, he spoke thoughtfully:

"Earlier, in Backlund, he snatched a Conqueror characteristic from the Witch Cult—that seemed to be payment from a collaboration between the Loen royal family and the Witch Cult."

Beiernadai nodded gently and asked without concealing her puzzlement, "A Conqueror characteristic? He wasn't even Sequence 4 at the time?"

"It was likely Sasilier's help," Klein said, voicing his conjecture after some deliberation.

Beiernadai nodded noncommittally, skipping over the topic and saying instead, "He is very important to the Hidden Sage. When something happened to him, the Hidden Sage descended directly, though the Sage withdrew quickly under the dual pressure of the Storm Lord and the Primordial Witch."

"However, I suspect the Sage deliberately withdrew at the time."

As she spoke, she kept her gaze on Klein, seemingly observing his reaction.

Ma'am, you needn't probe like this—I don't know any more than you do, Klein sighed in his heart, but his expression revealed nothing.

Relying on the Faceless One's ability, he maintained the persona of Gehrman Sparrow in front of Beiernadai.

Wait, the way she's talking to me is as if we've long known each other... Klein looked at Beiernadai with a trace of puzzlement in his eyes.

She smiled faintly, seemingly unsurprised by Klein's reaction, and said in an even tone, "The identity of Gehrman Sparrow was arranged at a gathering in Backlund where Sharron entrusted me to handle it. Moreover, you have that rabbit following beside you."

"I see." Though this identity of his had been seen through, Klein still maintained his persona, responding in a flat, even tone.

Beiernadai glanced at Klein and continued her earlier words in a calm voice: "I happened to be in the Rorsted Sea recently and took notice of that battle."

"The Hidden Sage departed too decisively, as if someone had happened to send the Sage a message at that very moment, telling the Sage not to intervene in this matter."

Telling the Hidden Sage not to intervene... whoever could do this must be some true god or evil god... the most likely one is the God of Knowledge... one thought after another surfaced in Klein's mind, and he vaguely felt that the other party's scheming in this matter was not solely because of Angelweed.

That most wise dragon—who knew what the Sage was truly thinking—seemed as though everything was within the Sage's plan.

"You seem to have some guesses?"

Beiernadai's voice interrupted Klein's reverie. Relying on the Faceless One's ability, he controlled his expression well and shook his head slightly:

"No, just some speculation."

"Arles has been taken into the Mirror World. Do you have any good way to rescue him?" Beiernadai seemed to have no intention of pressing further, and she followed up on Klein's words:

"You can use that Conqueror characteristic to exchange with the Witch Cult—that is also what they most desire."

"If you don't wish to hand over that Conqueror characteristic, then you must rescue him before he is brought to the Witch Cult's headquarters. That window of time won't be long."

"As for the Mirror World—strictly speaking, it is not a true world. It is more like an aggregation of doors, connecting different mirrors and different mystical realms. If you get lost inside, you might directly emerge in the Abyss, or even the starry sky. You can approach it from that angle."

More like an aggregation of doors? The pathway corresponding to the Forsaken Land of Gods happens to include the Apprentice pathway—if approaching from this angle, could he directly connect that Mirror World to the Spirit World, or even directly to above the Gray Fog?

A rough idea surfaced in Klein's mind—though whether it could be done would only be known after trying it in that space above the Gray Fog. But a demigod might not be enough; he would wait for Mr. Azik to arrive and then ask for his opinion.

While pondering, Klein saw Beiernadai suddenly turn her head to the side, a deep blue nearly purple radiance still floating in her eyes, as if gazing at something.

After a brief hesitation, he heard her slightly pensive voice:

"Someone is approaching—an angel. The Sage's state seems less than ideal; there is a sense of something missing."

"The Sage has come to find you." Beiernadai withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Klein, stating this with great certainty.

Mr. Azik, he got here so fast! As this thought surfaced, Klein looked at Beiernadai before him and nodded gently, "It should be. I wrote a letter to seek someone's help."

Beiernadai nodded gently and said, "If you need help, you can come to me. That rabbit knows how to contact me."

As her words fell, the forest formed by the layered vines around them rapidly lost its color, transforming into a torrent of pure, vast and complex information that surged toward the distance.

Klein felt his vision blur, and when he came back to his senses, he was back in his room, standing in the same spot as before.

His intuition stirred suddenly, and he turned his head to his right, where a familiar silhouette was rapidly outlined—Mr. Azik, wearing a black formal suit and a silk top hat.

Klein's lips curved up slightly. Azik's appearance put him much more at ease.

"There was another presence here just now? I sensed some danger from the Sage. The Sage's gaze made me feel uncomfortable—as if under such a gaze, no secret could remain hidden."

Azik's gaze swept around the room before he turned his attention to Klein.

Klein nodded gently and said:

"It was the Mystic Queen. She has already advanced to Sequence 2. I tried seeking her help and consulted her on some questions."

Saying this, he recalled the Mystic Queen's words just now, and without concealing the scrutiny in his eyes, he studied Azik for a moment and said, "The Mystic Queen mentioned to me just now that she said you have a sense of something missing about you. I feel this shouldn't be just memory loss—there should be other aspects as well."

Azik nodded gently and said in a tone that was not too surprised:

"I have had guesses in this regard. Once your matters here are concluded, I will go find her and ask her about it."

"I can help you contact her. She likely won't be leaving the Rorsted Sea for now."

Klein nodded gently in response, then explained to Azik the general course of events and the current situation. (End of this chapter)