Chapter 746: The Lamp God's Cooperation

"The one responsible for bearing children must be the person it has enchanted, regardless of gender; this doll is no ordinary evil thing."

Ke Lai En shivered inexplicably, recalling an incident on the Rossade Archipelago where a person influenced by the Desire Mother Tree kept shouting that they wanted to have a child with him.

"I don't know whether the things mixed within this doll come from the Desire Mother Tree or the Primeval Moon, but they all love making others bear children."

Muttering to himself, Ke Lai En saw an illusory deep crimson star light up; before he could react, streams of golden liquid surged from the star, coalescing into a golden silhouette full of chaos and distortion.

How can one or two of them bypass the gray mist and appear right before me? Though this isn't the true Source Fortress, it's still a place bathed in the Fortress's radiance—how disrespectful.

Ke Lai En muttered a curse under his breath while wielding the power of the Source Fortress to try to repel the golden silhouette.

The golden figure behaved as if it didn't exist, showing no sign of being repelled; instead it regarded Ke Lai En with amused curiosity, and after a while it finally spoke:

"You truly are not Mysterious Secret."

The golden figure's words made Ke Lai En pause; expressionless, he leaned back in the high-backed chair and sneered, "You're very confident."

The golden figure crossed its arms over its chest, its voice low, "I was unsure before, but now I can be certain."

Damn, the thought of being deceived flashed through Ke Lai En's mind and vanished. He began to consider the opponent's origins—few beings can infiltrate this gray mist above—and recalled the former Lord of the Mysteries. Could it be that unlucky Lamp God? Staring at the chaotic, distorted golden figure before him, Ke Lai En grew more convinced of his speculation. This sense of chaos and distortion resembles Luosier's, stemming from a twist of the rules.

Calming his scattered thoughts, Ke Lai En looked at the Lamp God before him and relaxed considerably. A Lamp God still under seal cannot threaten him above the gray mist; its appearance here is more likely because Leik Dun or Luosier tossed it up, or perhaps it came seeking cooperation with him.

Having figured this out, Ke Lai En's mindset eased; he tapped the edge of the table twice with his fingers and asked with a smile:

"What kind of cooperation are you seeking?"

The golden figure shook its head, its tone unchanged, and said:

"No, it's not me; it's you who should specify what cooperation you seek. Give me satisfactory payment, and I will grant your wish."

"Your ability to grant wishes must rely on the Miracle Master trait that sealed you. Even if you retain your former stature, the seal limits the wishes you can fulfill, and moreover, you and I lack the necessary foundation of trust."

Ke Lai En shook his head; he was not swayed by the Lamp God's proposal.

The Lamp God seemed unsurprised by Ke Lai En's attitude and continued to persuade:

"I want that damned liar to never survive again, and the emergence of a new Lord of the Mysteries is the best way to prevent his resurrection. On that point, I won't deceive you, nor do I need to; this is the basis for our cooperation."

"Moreover, I can help you swiftly complete the ritual to become a Mysterious Secret Attendant. With the Error already manifest, becoming the Fool as soon as possible is your only way to break the deadlock."

"Or are you willing to surrender everything to that vile Error and continue bearing the corresponding fate?"

Ke Lai En smiled and shook his head, "I have many allies; you are neither unique nor the best choice."

"Oh? It seems you intend to reject my cooperation."

As the words fell, the Lamp God's figure began to retract.

Ke Lai En paid no mind to the Lamp God's movement, continuing at an unhurried pace:

"Not necessarily; you can first state your conditions, and if they suit me, I might consider them."

As his words ended, the Lamp God indeed halted, gazing deeply at Ke Lai En still in the high-backed chair, then said, "I have only one request: return me to the starry sky. I will take only what belongs to me; the remaining traits will be yours, and I will also grant you an extra wish."

"One wish for your freedom—does that seem a bit too easy? Moreover, if I recall correctly, your current holder should be Beiernadai; if I make a wish of yours, what will happen to her?"

Ke Lai En neither accepted nor declined, continuing the conversation with the Lamp God, extracting information while pondering how to persuade the Lamp God to aid him.

The Lamp God said in a less than pleasant tone, "Don't be too greedy, youngster; one wish is enough to change your current predicament."

Ke Lai En ignored the Lamp God's tone and retorted, "Heh, so the wish I make will also be recorded on Beiernadai, right?"

Daring to scheme against Beiernadai, some daughter‑slave would ensure you never escape the Lamp God in this life.

"You can take your time to consider; when you've decided, come find me. For beings like us, time matters not."

The Lamp God did not answer Ke Lai En's question, uttered a casual remark, and then departed the gray mist atop the ever‑pulsating deep crimson star. At that moment, Ke Lai En finally had the energy to focus on the prayer within that illusory star, originating from Lady the Recluse's prayer concerning the plight of Utopia.

After pondering for two seconds, he extended his spirit and established contact with the Recluse Jia De Li Ya, speaking in a flat tone:

"This is a ritual."

Inside the captain's cabin of the 'Future' ship, Jia De Li Ya paced to the window, watching crew members on the deck still debating Utopia's delicious foods, her expression somewhat complicated.

As a learned saint hidden within the Church, her authority ranks just below a few angels; she can access most of the Church's collected and recorded archives, including cultural, customs, city, and faction data across the northern and southern continents and the Five Seas.

"In all the records I've examined, there is no city named Utopia, nor is there a corresponding region in the spirit realm; the city appears as if it materialized from nowhere, its surroundings filled with strangeness."

"Which ritual does Mr. Fool refer to? Perhaps the 'World' knows something; should we ask him?"

Muttering to herself, she noticed a jet‑black crow flying over the sea.

"Why are there crows over the sea?"

In a low whisper, the spirit intuition of the Prophet Master was suddenly triggered; she saw a disaster looming.

After two seconds of silence, her voice suddenly echoed in every corner of the ship:

"Prepare to set sail, away from these waters."

In the main hall of the ancient palace atop the peak of the Honachis Mountains.

Waves of information poured in from outside, and beside a crow with jet‑black feathers, a bright sheen, and a white ring around its right eye, the figure of Leik Dun reassembled.

He curiously glanced at the crow that had been staring at the sleeping figure in the hall, and in an even tone asked, "Are you planning to steal the Fool's uniqueness and a Mysterious Secret Attendant trait, so that the Fool who controls the Source Fortress can at most become the King of Angels?"

A Meng nodded, smiling calmly, "So, what do you think of this idea? If he cannot truly become the Fool, he has no right to contest me in the final struggle. Just delay a bit longer, and for the emergence of the Lord of the Mysteries, you will have to make concessions."

Leik Dun, expressionless, casually retorted, "Why do you think you can successfully steal the uniqueness and extraordinary trait here under the gaze of the Night?"

"Either save the trait or save the person; you must choose one," A Meng spread his hands, speaking very calmly.

As he spoke, pure starlight flowed from his black eyes, outlining layer upon layer of an illusory gate.

In that instant, every door‑related thing and concept worldwide was shut.

Amidst a series of bangs, all the palace's doors and windows slammed shut, separating interior from exterior as if a seal had been applied from within.

Simultaneously, on the seat at the palace's highest point, the Antigonus whose slick tentacles were protruding from beneath its garments fell unusually silent, as if every spirit‑worm on its body had sunk into the deepest dream, and each tentacle quieted.

In the hall, one Antigonus after another emerged from the air, each extending a right hand toward the Antigonus ahead, palms empty as if pulling something.

Leik Dun did not block A Meng; without the support of a star‑realm entity, he could not possibly stop A Meng.

Turning sideways to gaze at the palace's main gate, he formed one complex illusory sigil after another within his eyes, causing pure starlight to silently bloom around him, streaming toward the gate.

An A Meng suddenly appeared ahead, reaching out to seize the starlight forged by Leik Dun; as the single lens on its face flashed a white gleam, the surrounding floating starlight vanished instantly.

In an inn in the Utopia Dock Area, Darell, still immersed in joy, suddenly woke from a nightmare, startled and delighted; he dreamed that he had actually become pregnant, and even given birth to a sinister baby with sharp horns and membranous wings.

He sat dazed on the bed, gasping heavily; the dream had felt all too real.

After he came to, he suddenly felt an empty hollowness in his heart, an inexplicable sorrow, as if he had lost the most important thing in his life.

His mind short‑circuited for a second, then he snapped back, tumbled off the bed, grabbed the leather handbag lying on the table, and found that the exquisite doll that had been inside was gone.

"Missing, missing."

"Who stole her? Who!"

Darell clutched his head in pain and sat on the floor, phantom sobs and moans echoing in his mind, his heart throbbing with sharp pains, as if he could already see the doll being taken by someone else.

(End of Chapter)