Chapter 568: Message from the Night

Lei Kedun lowered his head and looked at the pad of his left middle finger; the original wound had vanished, and a strange transparent amber‑like crystal had appeared on his palm, within which a drop of deep red blood swirled with countless fine symbols.

He placed the transparent amber that sealed his blood into a pre‑prepared square ring box, then performed a ritual that summoned a Knowledge Rabbit wearing a gray‑blue vest; after giving it two gold coins, the Knowledge Rabbit took the square box and slipped back into the spirit realm, wandering toward the direction of the Future.

In the Central Sunia Sea, the Azure Avenger sailed quietly on the water, and A'erjie stood by the bulging window of the captain's cabin, gazing at the distant sea.

Through a series of earlier hints and guidance, I finally got the crew to propose heading to the north of Sunia Island themselves; then I only need the Blood Clan's anesthetic gas to buy me some time, and I can rush to the waters where Obris Sea Monster activity occurs to complete my ascension.

Going ahead with Shijie to explore that primeval island proved the right choice; although it raises my personal risk, the very trait of being an Ocean Singer is worth the adventure, not to mention the Tyrant Card!

When I become a Sequence Five Ocean Singer, I'll have caught up with the Second Tier strength of the Tarot Society.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sudden knocking interrupted A'erjie's thoughts; he turned his head toward the cabin door and said evenly:

"What is it?"

From outside the door came the voice of the ship's boatswain:

"Captain, we're nearing Sunia Island; should we find a private harbor to dock and take on supplies?"

"Sure," A'erjie replied calmly, then turned and walked toward the navigation chart spread on the desk.

At the border between the Mist Sea and the Furious Sea, the Future surged through the waves at breakneck speed, heading northeast into the Mist Sea.

Inside the captain's cabin, Jia Deliya was swiftly flipping through intelligence from the Moss Ascetic Order:

"The Moss Ascetic Order has shifted its focus to the Pas River Valley in the southern continent; even without the White Tower's mandate, I'll still travel between the north and south continents for internal missions,"

She sighed softly, her inspiration suddenly sparked; as she lifted her head, a semi‑transparent rabbit spirit wearing a gray‑blue vest darted out of the spirit realm and landed on the desk before her.

"Knowledge Rabbit?" Jia Deliya whispered in doubt.

Although the Seeker path has no sequence called 'Scholar', once one walks this path, erudition is inevitable; even without active study, knowledge will burrow into the mind on its own.

She recognized the spirit creature at a glance, but the little vest it wore left her momentarily puzzled.

The Knowledge Rabbit stared blankly at Jia Deliya, examined her from head to toe, then reached into its semi‑transparent body, produced a small square iron box, and placed it on the desk before her.

Then, in a rather childish voice, it said, "Your delivery, please sign for it."

Having done so, the Knowledge Rabbit darted back into the spirit realm at lightning speed, vanishing from Jia Deliya's sight in an instant.

Deep within the spirit realm, Lei Kedun, who had been moving swiftly as a torrent of information, suddenly halted and reconstituted his body from tangled pure knowledge.

His gaze, deep and penetrating, looked toward his front‑left; his eyes seemed able to pierce the barrier between spirit realm and reality, seeing the distant sea scene clearly.

He felt his own aura erupt, as someone had forged a deeper occult connection with him.

"She used my blood so quickly; it seems she had already prepared everything needed for ascension, lacking only a drop of mythic creature's blood."

He sighed softly, pinched the void with his hand, and severed the link between himself and Jia Deliya; otherwise the influence of the Hidden Sage and the Wilderness of Knowledge would cause her to lose herself and become a puppet during ascension.

Having done that, his body fragmented again into streams of tangled knowledge, surging forward like a torrent.

Soon, the Lei Kedun in a torrent of information left the spirit realm, appearing near the Beckland St. Samuel Church, where he reconstituted his body from tangled pure knowledge.

Lei Kedun stepped out of a shadow beneath a building; during this, his appearance, demeanor, and aura changed rapidly, finally settling on that of an ordinary scholar.

Without pausing, he immediately followed the scattered crowd into the St. Samuel Church.

Along the aisle, narrow high windows set with blue and red intricate patterns let in shafts of colored light—blue almost black, red like the moon—casting the surroundings in an unusually dim, tranquil hush, like a peaceful night.

At the aisle's end lies the Great Prayer Hall, its décor dominated by somber black; around it burn amber candles like twinkling stars in the night, their soft glow not overly dim. Lei Kedun walked slowly to a front‑row seat, sat, and before the night emblem—black background speckled with brilliance, cradling half of the Crimson Moon—he clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and whispered a prayer.

Gradually, he felt the surroundings become unusually quiet; the footfalls and faint chatter that had been audible all vanished.

The scent of night‑herb drifted into his nostrils with a gentle evening breeze, and Lei Kedun promptly opened his eyes.

He glanced around casually; the area was an endless night‑herb garden, and overhead the tranquil night sky was dotted with only a few dim stars.

About five or six meters ahead of him, a vague, ethereal silhouette had appeared there without his noticing.

She wore layered black classical robes, the hem studded with specks of starlight like a midnight sky; her face seemed veiled in layers of sheer silk, giving a hazy impression, yet instinctively one perceived the visage as exceptionally beautiful.

Lei Kedun gave her a brief glance, then withdrew his gaze, placed his right hand on his chest, bowed, and said:

"Good afternoon, Ms. Amanisis."

Behind a veil of illusion, Lei Kedun sensed the Night Goddess offering him an expressionless smile; then a ethereal, unreal female voice echoed in his ear: "Good afternoon, Sir of the Wilderness of Knowledge."

"Your disguise is excellent; at first I truly thought you were also a remnant of the old days. Had you not appeared before me of your own accord, I still could not accurately determine your identity."

Lei Kedun chuckled lightly, replying, "It is a gift from Fate; aside from the Fate Ring and the Fate Weaver in the starry sky, nothing on Earth can easily see through or unveil this veil."

"So it seems those two Mercury Serpents' prolonged stalemate isn't as simple as it appears."

The Night Goddess sighed faintly, then continued:

"I'm still curious—why did you choose to disguise yourself as a remnant of the old days?"

Lei Kedun spread his hands and said, "Because it's simple for me, and likewise, it's the only sliver of humanity I possess."

"I understand," the Night Goddess nodded quietly, then asked, "What will you offer in exchange for the missing information about the Knowledge Emperor trait?"

"Information about the River of Eternal Darkness," Lei Kedun said calmly. He paused, then added, "There is no conflict between us; whoever becomes the Knowledge Fiend is the same to you, and I am the most likely to succeed, whichever I become."

"Very well," the Night Goddess nodded lightly, then began to recount the third piece of information about the Knowledge Emperor trait:

"It is with Oumibela."

"During the twin era when giants and dragons were dominant, the Dragon King's most sagacious from‑god—besides the Dragon of Wisdom, there was also a Knowledge Dragon. It fell in a clash between dragons and giants, and its trait condensed into an artifact called 'False Paradise,' overseen at the time by the Harvest Goddess Oumibela."

"The artifact's effect is unique; it creates an information realm between reality and illusion, where the Fallen Mother Goddess's influence on the 'Mother' and 'Moon' paths is reduced to a minimum."

"This is why the Earth Mother is closer to the outer deities than the Bound God and the Cosmic Darkside, yet suffers the least influence."

"It is a secret collaboration between me and the Earth Mother; I will provide all information about that artifact, including the 'secret' of the information world between reality and illusion, which can help her resist the Fallen Mother Goddess's influence."

After quietly listening to the Night Goddess's account, Lei Kedun let out a long sigh, bowed toward her, and said, "I understand, thank you for your answer."

It seems I can't obtain this trait from Lilith for now; unless I find a way to replace that seal, I can't stay behind myself. Using contamination to counter contamination is feasible, but she certainly won't consent.

After a brief inner sigh, Lei Kedun quickly steadied his emotions and began describing the situation of the River of Eternal Darkness to the Night Goddess.

The Night Goddess listened silently, offering no interjection; only after Lei Kedun finished did she speak with a slight sigh:

"Unlike the cursed elixir binding system, is this related to the spirit‑realm sorcerer system you and Herabogen developed?"

Lei Kedun clasped his hands and mused, "Essentially, they are similar; the spirit‑realm sorcerers relied on my own power and certain authorities of the Source Fortress to ultimately take shape."

Although stepping onto this system will inevitably draw us near, if undisturbed the situation will not be too serious—just some changes in character and habit.

(End of chapter)