Chapter 628: Pure Light Brotherhood

Klein organized his words a bit, then replied:

"I need some information on spirit‑world creatures, preferably those with decent intelligence and relatively friendly toward humans."

"No problem." Er Moruya, who was possessing the paper figure, gave a slight nod and replied, then added, "Your Highness, do you need physical books, or will you receive the information directly through a secret‑contract ritual? If it's the latter, it's best to do it in batches; information from the spirit world always carries some contamination, and if too much is received, the contamination will accumulate beyond your body's tolerance limit."

After a moment of thought, Klein asked again, "If I want to pass this information to the Hidden Sage, what do you suggest I do?"

"Hong Guang" Er Moruya hesitated briefly, then said, "If it's that one, I would advise doing nothing; to some extent, that is equivalent to the knowledge itself, as He already possesses the vast majority of information in this world, naturally including that concerning the spirit world and its creatures."

"May I ask boldly, Your Highness, what you intend to achieve through the Hidden Sage, or what goal you have? I might have other ways to help you."

"The Hidden Sage" can, to some extent, be equated with knowledge itself; such a He only holds the vast majority of information in this world, so can 'omniscience' truly be omniscient? Reining in his wandering thoughts, Klein exhaled lightly and looked at the paper figure cloaked in a deep‑red robe, saying:

"I intend to use the Hidden Sage to disseminate knowledge of spirit‑world creatures, leveraging human‑spirit interaction to covertly spread influence and prepare some anchors for myself in advance."

Affixed to the paper figure, "Hong Guang" Er Moruya shifted posture and said cheerfully, "Your Highness, you might have a better option."

Without waiting for Klein to follow up, he continued:

"You should have heard of the Pure Light Brotherhood; it was founded by me and several other Pure Lights, together with many spirit‑world creatures, as a secret organization dedicated to teaching humans knowledge."

"Your Highness, if you don't mind, the rest of us can spread your name within the Pure Light Brotherhood."

"However, few humans truly join the Pure Light Brotherhood; most members are relatively friendly spirit‑world beings who love pursuing knowledge. As soon as they sense your aura, I think they'll gladly become your followers."

The Pure Light Brotherhood—I had actually forgotten about this organization, huh. I can only say their presence is so low that, aside from the spirit‑world Seven Lights, I've never interacted with any of its members; it's understandable that I didn't think of them at the time.

The fact that most members are spirit‑world creatures fits my needs perfectly; it keeps things more secret, especially now that another Rank‑One Charatu is watching the Fool.

After a moment of thought, Klein lightly nodded and replied, "Fine."

He paused, then added, "Just spread the Fool's name; belief is their freedom. I don't currently need any anchors; I'm only preparing in advance."

Moreover, I also have the 'Sea God' alias, with a devoted following of Sea God believers. Although the Sea God's image differs greatly from mine, that faith can still be used, albeit loosely.

As thoughts drifted, Klein bowed slightly toward "Hong Guang" Er Moruya and said, "Thank you for your help; I have no further questions."

"Very well, Your Highness. If any issue arises, feel free to call on me; as long as you're within the spirit world's coverage, I can respond promptly or even descend."

"Hong Guang" Er Moruya, after controlling the paper figure and bowing slightly, abruptly ended the ceremony, his consciousness returning to the depths of the spirit world.

The paper figure's bright red robe faded slowly, then collapsed as if unsupported, reverting to an ordinary paper figure.

Watching the paper figure and the room return to normal, Klein gently rolled his fingers, adjusting the power of an air projectile so that it would just extinguish the candle.

He then opened the window, letting sunlight stream in and dispel the chill the ceremony had brought.

Having finished, Klein let out a long sigh, sank into a nearby recliner, and mused, "The Seven Lights' attitude is always so good that I can't get used to it. Although last time 'Ju Guang' Hillaryong explained things thoroughly, have they invested too much in me, trusting me excessively?"

Luosi De Archipelago, the once‑prosperous 'Generous City' of Baiyam, had become considerably desolate.

Two plump rats pulled a pumpkin carriage out of the spirit world, eventually stopping outside a house near the harbor that was lit by a gas wall lamp.

Leikton and Rosael, who wore a dark‑red coat threaded with rust‑gold, stepped out of the carriage one after another, their silhouettes swallowed by the corner shadows.

After concealing his figure, Leikton finally asked, "What brings you here?"

"My reputation on the Luosi De Archipelago isn't great. If the Storm Church spots us later, are you planning to share the divine punishment with me?"

"We're not heading to any church here; those barbarians won't notice you unless you expose yourself voluntarily."

Rosael waved dismissively, paused for two seconds, then said, "Belnade told me there are Xia Er's descendants here; I wanted to take a look."

"He is my first child, inheriting only a small portion of my traits, yet he had to choose the path of the 'Universalist'."

"As a father, I owe him something; my emotional investment and concern for him are far less than Belnade's and Bonova's—who made him not as cute as a younger sibling?"

"However, he resembles me, well, except in talent, and he idolizes me. Though he lacks talent, he strives to become an excellent 'craftsman'; I can see that's not his true interest. If given a choice, he'd rather be a 'warrior', which would more conveniently make him a qualified playboy."

Rosael's voice gradually deepened until it was completely drowned out by the surrounding wind.

He inhaled slowly, exhaled at length, steadied his emotions, then tilted his head and said, "Let's go meet him. Oh, and conceal my appearance to some degree."

Leikton nodded lightly, snapped his fingers, and employed the mysterious magic 'Cinderella' to partially veil Rosael's appearance, then followed Rosael to the main gate.

After standing at the gate for a while, Rosael finally raised his hand and knocked on the door.

A 'dong‑dong‑dong' echoed in the quiet night; after a while, footsteps sounded from inside, followed by the creak of the main door opening.

The one who opened the door was a lean, slightly sun‑tanned middle‑aged man; one hand rested on the doorframe, the other on the inner handle, his posture refusing entry, and he spoke with a hint of caution and doubt:

"Who are you?"

Leikton calmly surveyed the figure half‑concealed in the doorway's shadow, a deep hue flashing in his eyes, then chuckled lightly and said:

"In some ways he does resemble you—a man of excessive indulgence. If it weren't for the physical augmentations from being an Archaeologist, he'd have already collapsed on some woman's bed long ago."

Inside, the man's already darkened skin turned even deeper; he cast a resentful glance at Leikton behind Rosael, opened his mouth to speak, but Rosael cut him off before he could finish.

"Are you called Xia Erfu?"

"That's right." The dark‑skinned man looked at Rosael with puzzlement, not understanding why he was asked, but his mouth reacted before his brain and answered Rosael's question truthfully.

"Extraordinary one."

Sensing his own oddity, Xia Erfu instantly recovered, instinctively trying to step back, but his body oddly moved forward a step, half a foot crossing the doorway, fully exposing himself to the scarlet moonlight.

Rosael calmly examined Xia Erfu, sighing lightly amid his nervous, surprised, wary gaze, and softened his tone, asking, "Who is your father? And why did you flee the Steam Church?"

Xia Erfu intended to refuse, but his body betrayed his will, spilling his information without reservation: "Rog Gustav, I dislike the Steam Church's atmosphere. I yearn for freedom, enjoy sleeping with different charming ladies each day, rather than staying in the church under their surveillance, living like a gear unable to decide its own self."

Rosael sighed, his voice becoming calm, and said with a hint of helplessness:

"But at least it's stable, isn't it? Under the Steam Church's protection, you can live a normal life without many worries, unlike now, being targeted by followers of the Primal Moon and suffering contamination yourself."

"Why contamination? Perhaps it's a blessing, maybe not?"

Xia Erfu's expression twisted as his head involuntarily stared at the red moon in the sky, his posture reverent as if to worship, yet his body defied his will, remaining stuck, making his face increasingly contorted.

"How did you encounter the followers of the Primal Moon?"

Leikton ignored Xia Erfu's increasingly grotesque expression and, curious, asked his question. Without the 'werewolf' trait, could he still mingle with the Primal Moon's followers—was this Gustav's destiny? Leikton cast a strange glance at Rosael beside him, suspecting the intertwining fate stemmed from Rosael's occult connection with the Primal Moon.

Rosael, disregarding Leikton's gaze, relied on his own authority to pressure Xia Erfu, twisting his will so he could not refuse to answer:

"At an Extraordinary gathering on Orawei Island, I purchased an artificial vampire trait, intending to forge a wondrous item that can enhance physical qualities while producing occult elixirs, to remedy the bodily weakness caused by prolonged indulgence."

(End of Chapter)