Chapter 630: Claiming Compensation

"Disguising as me is fine too," Leonard paused, then nodded in agreement.

Ke Lai En used to be a night watchman, and he's familiar enough with me; him disguising as me to complete those tasks would pose no problem at all, and since I operate alone, no one would notice any discrepancy in my extraordinary abilities.

"You can write a letter to Ke Lai En first, then make the necessary preparations; I'll come find you at noon."

As the words fell, Lei Ke Dun's body instantly dematerialized, breaking into streams of data that surged outward from the room.

Leonard glanced toward Lei Ke Dun's departure, let out a long sigh, sat directly on a nearby sofa, and whispered, "Old man, is there something wrong with his identity?"

"Under normal circumstances, even a low‑rank extraordinary being's direct assimilation of traits is no different from suicide, let alone he is already an angel."

"A bit smarter," Pa Lie Si said insincerely, then sighed, "He could be the personified embodiment of the 'Hidden Sage,' or perhaps the projected consciousness from the Western Continent, but whichever it is, it's not something an old, frail man like me can refuse."

"Western Continent? Where is that? The God‑Abandoned Land?"

Leonard's keen ears caught the phrase 'Western Continent'; he furrowed his brow slightly, recalling only the God‑Abandoned Land where the 'Sun' sat during the Tarot gathering.

Pa Lie Si's hoarse voice echoed in Leonard's ear, "No, to think of the God‑Abandoned Land so quickly—have you recently encountered anyone from there?"

"Why people and not objects from that place?" Leonard asked instinctively.

Pa Lie Si let out a chuckle, his tone tinged with mockery, and said:

"You're not a 'diviner'; a lifeless object in your hands can't speak, and you can't extract much information from it."

Leonard retorted, "When I become a 'Spirit Shaman,' my divination abilities will improve, and I can also seek out and command natural spirits with such powers."

Pa Lie Si smiled, "But you're not yet."

Leonard said no more, leaned forward, pulled a banknote from the tea table, and began writing a letter to Ke Lai En, hoping the other could impersonate him for a few days.

By the Ta Suo Ke River, Lei Ke Dun's figure silently materialized; as soon as he appeared, several emerald pea vines draped down from mid‑air, cascading over the surrounding area like a waterfall.

The teal vines intertwined, quickly forming a forest that rose layer upon layer, its canopy invisible.

Beiernadai's silhouette swiftly emerged on a swing woven from the teal vines; she leaned against the vines, with a golden‑jug lamp placed at her side.

Beiernadai gazed into the distance, her voice calm as she narrated:

"I've located those tombs used for the Black Emperor's rituals; they require specific incantations or seals as keys to enter, and I haven't gone inside."

"However, I noticed others also probing the royal secrets nearby; they conceal themselves well, I couldn't identify them, they're adept at hiding, most likely members of the Black Night Church, and they should have found the clues I left."

"By the way, I also spotted A Meng's trace in the dock district; that must be him, wearing a single crystal‑ground eyepiece. My 'Eye of Peeking Secrets' sees no abnormality, which is precisely the biggest anomaly."

"A Meng," Lei Ke Dun murmured, then chuckled, "'Black Night' will keep an eye on him; no need to worry too much."

He paused, then continued, "I plan to go to Te Li Er with Pa Lie Si; later I'll need you to help hold off Bo Nuo Wa for a while."

Beiernadai lightly nodded, "Sure."

As she spoke, she handed the golden‑jug lamp at her side to Lei Ke Dun.

"Thanks, I should go find Cha La Tu to request a wish."

After receiving the wishing lamp, he gave a gentle nod, and Lei Ke Dun's body instantly dematerialized, breaking into massive strands of knowledge that formed a pure information‑stream entity, piercing the teal‑vine forest and surging into the spirit realm.

Relying on the connection from the prior contract and the exchanged information in the spirit realm, Lei Ke Dun pinpointed Cha La Tu's approximate location.

"You've arrived in Bei Ke Lan De so quickly; this metropolis is truly bustling."

He whispered a sigh; maintaining his information‑entity form, Lei Ke Dun followed his intuition toward the Xi Er Si Dun Qu area.

In Xi Er Si Dun Qu, near the King's Avenue of the western district, inside a three‑story red house, Cha La Tu, cloaked in a hooded black robe that concealed him completely, sat opposite a middle‑aged man in formal attire, a long coat, exaggeratedly long shoes, his fashion out of step with the times. After a moment of silent eye contact, Cha La Tu suddenly chuckled, "Your Highness Prince Su Ni Ya, what have you decided, or rather, what has the Augustus family decided?"

After a pause, the middle‑aged man known as Prince Su Ni Ya wore a solemn, imposing expression and asked gravely:

"Why do you wish to help us, and what do you hope to gain?"

"I've already said, this is a revelation of fate; I don't know what I'll obtain, but it's an opportunity, and if I seize it, it will surely be what I need."

Cha La Tu's face retained his usual gentle smile, yet with a hint of mystery.

Prince Su Ni Ya stared at Cha La Tu, whose half his head was hidden in his hood, and said in a heavy, authoritative tone, "Your 'diviners' speak so evasively; it's hard for us to fully trust you."

Cha La Tu sighed, his tone rather helpless, "This is a revelation of fate; before the outcome manifests, I cannot know more information myself."

"As an angel who wields some destiny authority, though not as the 'Mercury Serpent' of the 'Fate' path, my involvement still grants you good luck and raises the odds of success, doesn't it?"

A faint glimmer flickered in Prince Su Ni Ya's deep‑blue eyes before quickly dimming, and he said evenly,

"Your 'miracle' cannot yet affect a true god."

Cha La Tu, unchanged in expression, smiled, "A 'miracle' can also manifest indirectly, starting from the minutiae, applying force bit by bit to lever larger power."

"At certain critical moments, perhaps it's precisely this insignificant force that shifts the situation."

Prince Su Ni Ya's imposing deep‑blue gaze met Cha La Tu's for a while; he could read no emotion or will in those dark, light‑less eyes, and the leader of the Secret Cult, recovered from madness, seemed even harder to discern.

He inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, rose from the sofa, extended his right hand forward, and said gravely, "I don't understand your 'miracle,' but if you wish to join this grand ceremony, the Augustus family will not refuse, provided the opportunity you speak of doesn't affect our plans. We welcome any friend, and you will receive the friendship of Augustus."

"Then, a pleasant cooperation!"

Cha La Tu also rose from the sofa and clasped hands with Prince Su Ni Ya.

A few minutes later, only Cha La Tu remained in the room, reclining on a dark‑red single sofa, holding a steaming cup of hot tea.

Masses of tangled pure information streams surged from every corner of the room, converging on the sofa to Cha La Tu's left, reconstituting Lei Ke Dun's figure.

He glanced at the sofa where Prince Su Ni Ya had just sat, a deep hue flashing in his eyes; then he turned his head toward Cha La Tu, smiling lightly, and said:

"I didn't expect the Secret Cult leader to have so many friends in Bei Ke Lan De. Unfortunately, I got lost in the spirit realm earlier, otherwise I could have met you, my friend."

"What a pity; next time, if the chance arises, I'll introduce him to you."

Cha La Tu responded in a calm tone, a trace of regret flickering in his eyes.

Truly frustrating, repeatedly 'altering' the spirit realm's coordinates forced me to run around Bei Ke Lan De many times. Lei Ke Dun squinted; now he feels an urge to dunk Cha La Tu in the Ta Suo Ke River a few times. Since becoming an angel, even A Meng hasn't teased him like this.

Cha La Tu seemed oblivious to the malice in Lei Ke Dun's eyes, his tone still calm, "I haven't yet accumulated the 'wish' you need; it hasn't reached the level of a 'miracle' yet."

"The 'miracle' of translocation and grafting positions should pose little difficulty for you; you can first hand over these two 'miracles' to me."

As he spoke, Lei Ke Dun gazed calmly at Cha La Tu; a suitable delay isn't a breach of contract—though it changes nothing, it can be disgusting. He couldn't be sure whether Cha La Tu would do so; having undergone the 'Mysterious Secret Servant' ritual, becoming schizophrenic isn't that strange.

After a brief silence, Cha La Tu smiled, reached under his black robe and produced two gray‑white talismans etched with twisted lines and a half‑eyeless eye, handed them casually to Lei Ke Dun, and said, "The talismans last only three months; their specific effects should be evident to your eyes. To activate them, infuse a certain amount of spirit and utter your wish in language that can lever natural forces."

Lei Ke Dun's gaze swept over the two gray‑white talismans, gave a slight nod, and slipped them into his bosom.

Afterwards he looked again at the sofa where Prince Suniya had just sat, a deep blue‑near‑purple radiance shimmering in his eyes, tracing out one mysterious symbol after another.

Gradually, specks of pale blue starlight appeared on the sofa, swiftly wandering and intertwining, outlining a somewhat blurry figure.

(End of chapter)