Chapter 479: Hermit Card

Ke Lai En suddenly paused; he felt that at this moment something strange within his body seemed to shatter, then quickly crumbled and dispersed, and countless illusory stars appeared in his vision, their brilliance faintly attracting each other.

The Faceless Demon Elixir was completely digested at that moment.

He took a deep breath, Ke Lai En gently closed his eyes, carefully sensed his own change—his spirituality increased a bit, and the magical abilities of the Faceless were further strengthened.

Why did the Faceless's demon pill suddenly digest? After opening his eyes, Ke Lai En's gaze fell on Lei Ke Dun across from him, and a sudden insight flashed in his mind.

A Er recognized my identity as Ge Er Man·Si Pa Luo; as a Sequence‑3 Prophecy Master, the feedback from him directly allowed me to finish digesting the last bit of the Faceless's demon pill!

I originally intended to spend some time on the Star‑Above General's ship "Future" to deeply role‑play and thus digest the final bit of the Faceless's demon pill, but I didn't expect it to be completed so suddenly today.

After a brief inner sigh, Ke Lai En curled the corner of his mouth and, in a rather good mood, answered the previous question:

"Luo Le was once a subordinate of the Deep Sea Admiral; after the Deep Sea Admiral vanished, he went independent, recruited many of the former admiral's fleet, and seems to intend becoming the next pirate general."

"If possible, I wouldn't mind gaining a trait, but I'm more curious about the disappearance of the Deep Sea Admiral."

"Pirate rumors say he was trapped under the sea while exploring an ancient underwater ruin; other rumors claim he died, betrayed by his subordinates; yet others say the Storm Church secretly captured him."

Lei Ke Dun slightly lowered his gaze and squinted, masking the fleeting deep‑blue glimmer in his eyes; that instant, Ke Lai En's impression of him changed. Completely digested the Faceless's demon pill?

A thought flashed in his mind for a moment; he chuckled lightly and said:

"If you wish to hunt that 'Bone‑breaker' Luo Le, I can give you a simple prophecy to point out a suitable time."

"As for the missing 'Deep Sea Admiral', he and his 'Niuins' have become one of the many treasures of this vast ocean."

Ke Lai En's gaze turned deep as he looked at Lei Ke Dun, did not continue the topic, and instead said:

"What are your plans this afternoon? I intend to find an inn to rest and wait for the Star‑Above General and her 'Future' to arrive tonight."

Lei Ke Dun lazily leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the street outside the window, and replied softly:

"I am waiting for an opportunity."

"Opportunity?" Ke Lai En mused, and seeing Lei Ke Dun had no intention to explain, he rose and left the restaurant.

After watching Ke Lai En depart, Lei Ke Dun sat for a while longer, then summoned a waiter to settle the bill and left.

How will the Hermit Card appear? If I board the Future tonight, it has probably already shown up in Nass by now.

While pondering, he reached a street near the harbor, where a local gang clashed with a group of suspected pirates, both sides drawing weapons and firing with bang‑bang sounds.

Indeed, the Fusak Empire's colony is rugged; such open fighting between local gangs and pirates is unheard of around the Rosside Archipelago.

Lei Ke Dun curiously watched the clash from the side, sighing inwardly.

At that moment, he saw two towering figures clearly of giant lineage pull several cans from their pockets, swiftly snap open the lids, and toss them into the middle of the road.

An indescribable fishy stench instantly spread across the street; pedestrians watching from afar and the fighting pirates and gang members alike covered their mouths and noses and fled.

"Herring cans? Who on earth would eat such food comparable to a biochemical weapon!"

The thought just surfaced, and Lei Ke Dun's body instantly became transparent, turning into specks of brilliant starlight that surged away from the street.

On a reef‑strewn beach behind Nass, countless brilliant stars surged from the void, rapidly converging on a rock and re‑forming Lei Ke Dun's figure.

The salty sea breeze that entered his mouth and nose gave Lei Ke Dun a sudden shock of spirit. Those herring cans must be specialized biochemical weapons; I held my breath at once and still felt a wave of nausea.

"Great Unrecognized God! You are the essence of knowledge, the source of mystery, the brilliance of civilization."

"Your faithful servant prays to you;

praying that you open the gates of the realm;

praying that you accept his offering."

Some intermittent layered prayers suddenly echoed in Lei Ke Dun's ears, repeating over and over, from vague to clear.

Lei Ke Dun scanned his surroundings, confirming no one else was present, then reached forward, took an illusory hat from the void, and placed it on his head.

His figure vanished along with all traces.

After concealing himself, Lei Ke Dun immediately communicated with the sage trait within him through meditation, thereby

the next instant, he felt his will soaring infinitely, transcending reality and the spirit realm, gazing down upon the whole world; everything within his sight turned into tangled, profound information, as if the world's essence were a pile of data.

"Is this the origin of the Mos Ascetic Order's doctrine that all things are numbers?"

The thought just surfaced, and Lei Ke Dun felt a deep‑blue brilliant star explode before his eyes, engulfing everything around.

The light lasted only a moment before contracting, revealing a dark, profound scene.

In the vision, Yi Sang, clad in a black wizard's robe, knelt reverently on the ground; before him three candles flickered with dim amber flames, and on the floor a eye drawn with herbal powder was surrounded by twelve stars, its pupil a layered intricate gear and an inverted triangle.

The instant he saw that mysterious symbol on the ground, Lei Ke Dun felt an occult connection to himself, as if it could, to some degree, represent him.

Before Lei Ke Dun could see more, the scene suddenly shattered with a boom, turning into a vague, barely visible luminescence.

These lights quickly converged, solidifying before Lei Ke Dun into a playing card; its front depicted Luo Sai Er with snow‑white hair and beard, wearing a tattered robe, a pair of brand‑new red shoes, a staff in his left hand and a lantern in his right.

In the card's upper left corner, ancient Fusak script read: Sequence 0: Hermit.

The instant the Hermit Card appeared before him, Lei Ke Dun instinctively reached to touch it; with that thought, a sudden intense sinking sensation seized him, and everything around, including his own consciousness, blurred.

When he came to his senses, Lei Ke Dun realized his consciousness had returned to his body, and he automatically looked down at his right hand.

A card was clenched tightly in his hand, its illustration exactly the aged Luo Sai Er in rags, holding a lantern and a staff.

"So easily it came into my hand?"

Lei Ke Dun whispered in disbelief, having thought that this Profane Card might arrive coincidentally and easily, but never expected it to appear in such a strange way in his hand.

It was previously with Yi Sang? No wonder then… It was because of this Profane Card that the Hidden Sage noticed him and secretly developed him into a follower of the Knowledge Wilderness.

Ethan's sudden sacrifice of this card must have also received instruction from the Hidden Sage; the responding ritual was also performed by the Hidden Sage. The voice I just heard and the vision I saw were likely information the Hidden Sage attached when giving me the Hermit Card.

Mr. Huang had just told me that the Hermit Card would come to me at the right time; the Hidden Sage delivered it today. Are their relations really that close? I even wonder whether the third Knowledge Emperor's trait lies within the Knowledge Church.

"Huh~" he exhaled, suppressing the swirling thoughts in his mind; Lei Ke Dun rubbed the Hermit Card twice with his right hand, generating specks of brilliant starlight that quickly covered its peculiarity.

Having done all that, he turned and stepped forward; with the motion, his body instantly became transparent, turning into a statue composed of countless stars, which then shattered, the sparkling starlight rushing into the depths of the spirit realm.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

At dusk, the War God Church rang a melodious, ethereal bell from Dawn Church in Nass; the great clock tower struck exactly eight o'clock.

The resonant bell echoed throughout the city, reaching the docks in the harbor district.

A huge sailboat happened to slowly enter the dock at that moment; under the scarlet moonlight, the giant emblem on its sail was clearly visible.

That was an eye surrounded by ten equally sized white stars, without eyelashes, cold and indifferent.

Future!

The Star Upper General has arrived!

The pirates and sailors responsible for guarding ships nearby simultaneously let out cries of astonishment, and all the docks in the harbor instantly filled with restless emotion.

As the Future approached, the Frasak military's shore-defense cannons set up here all mobilized, aiming at that huge sailboat that had made no attempt at concealment.

As the Future drew near, the atmosphere of the entire harbor grew tense, like a taut string.

On the Future, the black cat Pas, wearing an ill-fitting pirate tricorne, lay on the rail and curiously gazed toward the dock area, said:

His, do you know who we are picking up onto the ship?

I don't know.

Beside the black cat Pas, the thin and tall His Dor, whose cheek skin was nearly translucent, shook his head slightly; his nose bridge jutted out awkwardly, giving him a sickly feel.

Someone suddenly slapped down hard on the black cat Pas's tricorne, directly covering half of its face.

Pas shook its head twice, put the tricorne back on, and said angrily:

"Mmm, His! I told you not to touch my hat; I finally managed to get it settled."

Pale-faced His looked at Pas in puzzlement, reached out to tidy its tricorne a bit, and explained:

I didn't touch you.

Pas gave His a doubtful glance, saw that his expression was quite serious, and Pas nodded somewhat uncertainly, saying:

That's right; only Nina and Aotuoluofu would do such a boring thing.

While speaking, it again turned its gaze to the restless, tense pirates and sailors on the dock, seeing their anxious looks, it once again felt relieved in its heart about the correct decision to stay on the Future.

It watched the dock draw nearer and nearer, and the sailors and pirates seemed to grow shorter and shorter!

Pas looked down in surprise, discovering it didn't know when it had already floated up into midair; it flailed its four paws anxiously in the air, unable to grasp direction or force, just like drowning.

(End of chapter)