Chapter 740: Negotiation

In a hidden manor somewhere belonging to the Abraham family, Lao Lun Si, after receiving Foersi's reply, immediately summoned the council of elders.

He recounted everything Foersi described in the letter, waited a moment, then asked:

"What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Wei Er Du Jia Xi Ya, wearing gold‑rimmed glasses, spoke first: "Exchanging two zero‑level seal items for the ancestors' return is worthwhile."

"What if the other party takes the seal items but does not fulfill the promise?"

Duo Li An Ge Lei, seated opposite him, sounded somewhat hesitant.

Wei Er Du Jia Xi Ya lifted his gold‑rimmed glasses from his nose bridge and, with a self‑deprecating smile, said:

"Do we even have the right to bargain with a great being? We can only hope for the other's mercy."

Lao Lun Si rubbed his forehead, sighed, and said, "Vote."

Soon, the Abrahams participating in the council expressed their stance by vote: all in favor, none opposed.

"If it weren't for this result, I really don't know why you were hesitating," the youngest Wei Er Du Jia Xi Ya said with a sigh, shaking his head.

Above the gray mist, within an ancient palace that seemed eternal, Ke Lai En watched deep‑red stars rise in the surrounding mist, while the prayers of the Abrahams echoed in his ears.

Their words were unanimous, speaking their wishes to the "Fool."

"Less than a day has passed since yesterday's Tarot gathering; the Abrahams are remarkably united and consistent in reviving their ancestors."

Softly sighing, Ke Lai En raised his hand and pulled a historical projection of Lei Ke Dun from a temporal fissure, depicting him just as he became the "Knowledge Emperor."

Upon appearing, the projection's gaze was momentarily blank, then quickly became vivid and lively.

His eyes lingered briefly on the concentric deep‑red ripples around him, then he looked at Ke Lai En and said:

"Ready?"

Ke Lai En nodded lightly, "Let's try."

As he spoke, he caused the fist‑sized crystal sphere, with constantly drifting starlight, to fly into his hand.

Holding the crystal sphere, he closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, reached into the void before him and tugged hard—nothing happened.

Ke Lai En lowered his gaze, reached out again without any emotional change—still nothing happened.

After dozens of attempts, he could not pull Mr. Men's historical projection from the temporal fissure.

Feeling a bit discouraged, Ke Lai En sank back into the high‑backed chair and said helplessly:

"I'm beginning to understand the difficulties of those 'ancient scholars'; this ability to summon historical projections really depends on luck, especially when dealing with angelic projections."

He sighed, reached out again without hope, and his hand suddenly felt weight, gaining traction.

Finally successful, he gasped as a figure resembling the vampire duke of folklore was pulled from the fissure.

Mr. Men appeared as a stern‑looking middle‑aged man, his hair a void‑black with a few white strands, and his azure eyes looked blank and lifeless.

Ke Lai En looked at Lei Ke Dun beside him and said with a smile, "It's done."

Lei Ke Dun nodded, reached out and seized the crystal sphere from Ke Lai En's hand.

In silent motion, the once‑azure crystal sphere shattered, turning into countless streams of pure information that merged into the historical projection.

As the extraordinary traits that already belonged to Mr. Men were absorbed by the projection, supplemented by residual ascension imprints, the once‑blank gaze gained a hint of vitality—still insufficient to reach self‑awakening.

Seeing the result, Ke Lai En gave a slight nod, exhaled, and said:

"I was still worried that the lingering spiritual imprint in the traits might be contaminated by the 'Primordial Moon'."

Lei Ke Dun nodded and replied, "Let's go to the Spirit Realm; here I cannot employ abilities that involve uniqueness."

"Alright." Ke Lai En responded calmly; the "Mysterious Secret Attendant" trait‑evolved "Curtain" spontaneously flew onto him, becoming a black cloak.

The gray mist at his feet surged instantly, layers of vivid, intense color blocks floated around, and silently the surroundings shifted to somewhere in the Spirit Realm.

At the highest point of the Spirit Realm, seven pure lights that seemed eternally stationed there suddenly streamed rapidly, drawing nearer until they completely enveloped the area, cutting off all informational exchange.

Lei Ke Dun nodded toward the direction of the Seven Lights, then looked at Mr. Men's historical projection, his eyes constantly shedding radiance that coalesced into one complex, illusory symbol after another.

It seemed as if a faint glow composed of countless illusory things blossomed in Mr. Men's azure eyes, continuously evolving into a wasteland; information belonging to Mr. Men kept converging, autonomously completing itself.

As time passed, the lingering spiritual imprint from the extraordinary traits grew stronger, eventually awakening self‑awareness in the historical projection.

"…Who is summoning me?"

Above the gray mist, specks of gray‑white phosphorescence continuously emanated from Ke Lai En's body, coalescing in his hand into a black crystal‑carved eye.

This is a trait of the Diviner path, from Sequence Nine to Sequence Five, one of the many traits Ke Lai En has separated within his body.

He has not separated any demi‑god‑level traits; the divinity in those would inevitably affect Mr. Men's spiritual imprint,

the moment this eye formed, strands of surrounding gray mist poured in, filling and enveloping it, creating a pulsating, heart‑like mass; he casually tossed this gray‑white heart out, and under unseen force it smoothly merged into Mr. Men's historical projection.

In the depths of the Spirit Realm, within an area actively shielded by the Seven Lights.

Mr. Men digested the information directly infused into his mind, clarifying his current state and situation.

He gave Lei Ke Dun a complex look, then glanced upward, his gaze seeming to pierce the Seven Lights and see Ke Lai En above the gray mist.

After a while, he murmured, "Source Fortress—didn't expect it already has an owner, and it isn't any of A Meng or Antigonus."

He paused, then looked at Lei Ke Dun again, his expression solemn as he asked:

"Why rescue me? What price have the Abrahams paid?"

Before Lei Ke Dun could answer, a crudely cut paper figure pierced the gray mist, floated down from above the Spirit Realm, and upon approaching, rapidly expanded and reshaped into Ke Lai En's form.

Mr. Men's gaze was drawn to Ke Lai En; after staring for a while, he spoke with some puzzlement:

"Angel? To control Source Fortress—are you the successor left by the Lord of the Mysteries?"

Ke Lai En casually asked, "Why not Him himself?"

Mr. Men's expression grew slightly stern as he earnestly explained, "If you truly are that one, after mastering Source Fortress you could not remain at Sequence Two; even if most traits are already controlled by others, you could easily reconsolidate what I once contained and elevate your sequence to the level of Angel King."

"Moreover, your stature isn't even that of a true god, far from the ancient ones."

Ke Lai En nodded, dropped the topic, and asked, "Can you accommodate the 'Master of Secret Pairings' trait? I can help you foresee a miracle of death and rebirth."

Mr. Men did not answer directly, but retorted, "I am merely a historical projection; how do you intend to lead me into death rather than back into the temporal fissure?"

I will graft a death state onto you, while cheating the rules, so that you die in a short time as a normal living being, then rely on the foresight "Miracle" to achieve resurrection.

Of course, thereafter you cannot directly restore the status of a Gate Path Angel; you must first become a Miracle Master, pay the price for this resurrection, and then you can reclaim your former power, otherwise you will die the instant you regain the angelic identity.

As payment for resurrecting you, I need you to help me fight A Meng; the rest you must negotiate among yourselves.

Ke Lai En explained in detail his and Lei Ke Dun's plan, and at the end he put forward his own request, namely the price Mr. Men must pay.

"No problem, I don't mind becoming a Miracle Master; if I had the Miracle Master's ability back then, I wouldn't have been helpless against the contamination."

Mr. Men nodded heavily, agreed to Ke Lai En's terms, then turned his head toward Lei Ke Dun.

Lei Ke Dun, without much hesitation, stated the reward he had long prepared: "Work for me for a hundred years; the specifics can be bargained after you are resurrected."

"Fine." After a brief hesitation, Mr. Men still nodded in agreement to the condition.

Compared to helping Ke Lai En fight A Meng, the condition of working a hundred years is rather easy; for an angel, lifespan is no longer a concern.

After a round of negotiations, the three parties finally reached a consensus.

Then Ke Lai En ignited the paper figure he had discarded, his consciousness returned to the gray mist, and he transformed a piece of information into light and shadow, casting it into the illusory star that represents A Zi Ke.

A short while later, he received a response, pulling A Zi Ke up into this gray mist.

At the same time, Luo Sai Er, holding a brass book, silently appeared in the spirit realm, appearing beside Lei Ke Dun and Mr. Men.

Luo Sai Er looked at the Mr. Men before him, who manifested as a historical projection, and spoke with a tone that was both complex and exclamatory:

"We finally meet, Mr. Men."

(End of chapter)