A boy?
The moment Derrick mentioned that, everyone familiar with him showed a look of surprise and curiosity.
After all, this was the Forsaken Land of the Gods—the corrupted temple of the True Creator. How could a boy appear there of all places?
Derrick continued earnestly, "Yes. After delving deeper into the half-collapsed temple, we cleared out the monsters along the way under the Chief's lead and finally reached its deepest point. But this time…we didn't encounter the same situation as before."
Alger frowned slightly. "Didn't you say you got lost again?"
"This time was different from before," Derrick quickly explained. "Last time, our entire exploration team was trapped in the lowest level of the temple and couldn't find a way out. But this time, after we'd cleansed and cleared the temple, we couldn't find a way forward."
Klein, controlling The World, asked evenly, "Forward? Where exactly were you trying to go?"
"The Giant King's Court," Derrick answered solemnly. "For all these years, we've been exploring outward, venturing ever deeper into the Forsaken Land in hopes of finding the dwelling place of our Lord—the Giant King's Court."
"And why do you wish to reach that place?" Klein asked.
"The Chief told us that there might be a path there—a path that leads out of the Forsaken Land."
At those words, Bernadette's expression shifted slightly. Scenes from her own experience in the Forsaken Land flickered in her mind.
"There is a passage to the outside world within the Giant King's Court," she said calmly.
Derrick's eyes widened in excitement. "You—You know this, Lady Strength? Did you see records about it somewhere?"
Bernadette shook her head lightly. "Didn't Mr. Tower tell you? When I accompanied him into the Forsaken Land, our goal was to return to the outside world through the Giant King's Court. But in the end, with Mr. Fool's help, we used a sacrificial ritual to return directly to Backlund instead."
Mr. Fool, sensing the right moment, spoke in his deep, tranquil tone, "That is indeed true."
Everyone immediately understood.
Derrick leaned forward eagerly. "Then—then you really went to the Giant King's Court?"
"No." Bernadette shook her head again. "Before leaving, we only reached a place called Afternoon Town. Mr. Tower said that was the final gateway leading to the Giant King's Court."
Derrick froze in place for a moment. "Then…that boy was telling the truth."
Fors, who was practically glowing with gossip energy, leaned forward excitedly. She looked like she was about to pull out a notebook to record every word. "Mr. Sun! What about the boy? What did he say that turned out to be true?"
Derrick nodded, his tone becoming serious. "The boy told us that if we wanted to reach the Giant King's Court, we first needed to find Afternoon Town. But the Chief hasn't fully trusted him yet."
He hesitated before continuing, "His appearance was far too strange. He looked only six or seven years old, yet he managed to cross areas crawling with monsters and find us completely unharmed."
"Moreover, he seemed to already know that we were looking for the Giant King's Court. He understood far too much. The Chief pretended to believe him, but secretly told Joshua and me to keep a close watch on him."
Audrey tilted her head thoughtfully. "Could it be some trick of the True Creator?"
"I don't know," Derrick said, shaking his head gravely.
Bernadette pondered for a few seconds before asking, "Did the child give you his name?"
"He said his name was Steph."
Everyone glanced at each other in confusion—none of them had ever heard of that name before.
"Apologies," Bernadette said at last, shaking her head slightly. "I've never heard of him either. But I think Miss Justice's suspicion could be right. You must be careful. If anything seems off, contact Mr. Fool immediately."
Klein: "…"
Easier said than done. It's not like I can actually help if something happens down there!
Still, seeing Derrick's hopeful gaze directed toward him, Klein could only give a slow, dignified nod. "Alright."
Then, through The World, he shifted the topic. "Everyone—about that commission I mentioned last time. Has anyone found any leads?"
At once, the entire room fell silent.
After a brief pause, Emlyn hesitantly raised his hand. "Um, Mr. World, last time was my first meeting here, so I didn't quite catch it clearly…What exactly is the reward for finding that woman?"
Klein spoke immediately, his tone firm and solemn, "If anyone has any clues about her—or even helps me find her—I'm willing to pay any price."
He knew saying that outright was as good as exposing all his cards, but when it came to another transmigrator, Klein couldn't afford to be cautious anymore.
"Any price?"
Emlyn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He knew it was probably an exaggeration, but still—something worth at least ten or twenty thousand pounds, surely? Maybe when his Ancestor contacted him again, he could offer a prayer on this matter. If Ancestor Lilith took it seriously, she could probably find the person in minutes!
Audrey seized the pause to ask gently, "Mr. World, how long will it take before you return to Backlund?"
"Ten days at the very least."
"How about…I come to find you, then?"
Klein was taken aback. "That urgent?"
Audrey nodded seriously. "Yes. It's important."
Klein felt the urge to ask, If it's so urgent, why not just ask Mr. Fool to block the others and tell me privately right now?
Then realisation struck him.
Wait—could it be that whatever Audrey wants to tell me…can't be known by the Fool?
A faint pang of jealousy hit him.
Miss Justice, you too have secrets from "Mr. Fool" now, huh?
Unbelievable. Where did that girl go—the one who trusted the Fool completely, without a hint of doubt? Give her back to me!
Damn it…It's all Edward's fault!
Though he grumbled inwardly, Klein didn't let any of it show on his face. He didn't want to embarrass her.
"I'll try to return as soon as possible," he said evenly.
Just then, Bernadette spoke up, her calm voice cutting through the air. "It so happens that I'll be returning to Backlund again soon. We can go together, Mr. World."
Klein blinked in mild surprise, then quickly inclined his head. "Thank you, Lady Strength."
Turning to Audrey, he added, "Then, Miss Justice—if nothing unexpected happens, I should be back within three days."
"Unexpected?" Audrey echoed.
Klein, controlling The World, gave a low, self-mocking chuckle. "Unexpected as in…if I lose control after taking my potion."
"…"
A heavy silence fell over the table.
Even though everyone there understood the principles of the acting method, they all knew full well that no one was ever truly safe from losing control—especially the higher the Sequence, the greater the danger.
No one could guarantee that their next advancement wouldn't be their last.
"It's my turn! My turn!"
Breaking the silence, Priscilla suddenly raised her hand high. "Recently, I've been having all sorts of weird dreams."
"What kind of dreams? Don't tell me it's that King of Angel's evil spirit again?"
"I asked Medici," she said, pouting. "He said it's not."
Priscilla rested her chin in one hand, clearly troubled. "But…He seems to know something. He just won't tell me."
"Can you describe the dreams in detail?" asked Klein.
"Hmm…" She tilted her head, thinking. "They're very blurry. Sometimes, I'm in an ancient, eerie tomb, and there's something coiling around inside it—a creature I can't see clearly, but it's terrifying. Then, I find myself lying in a field of flowers, staring up at the sky—so many stars, just everywhere. Then suddenly, I'm wandering through a massive, ruined city…"
She sighed. "That's all I can remember."
Audrey frowned gently. "And apart from those images—did anything specific happen in the dream? Did you meet anyone? Hear anyone speak?"
Priscilla shook her head. "No."
"How often do you have these dreams?"
"Mm-hmm." She nodded repeatedly. "Almost every night."
"Have they had any physical or mental effects on you?"
"Tired," she groaned, sliding her chin off her hand and slumping face-first onto the bronze table. "Every time I wake up, I feel exhausted."
"I'll find time to come take a look in person," Audrey said softly.
Dreams were technically within the scope of the Spectator pathway, but this kind of dream—vague, collective, and deep—leaned closer to the realm of the Sleepless pathway. If necessary, Audrey thought, I could ask Captain Dunn for help.
"Okay~" Priscilla murmured sleepily, still sprawled on the table.
After a brief pause, Audrey raised her head again and asked cautiously, "Mr. Fool, how are Mr. Tower and the others now?"
Klein's eyes drifted toward the depths of the grey fog, where two brilliant crimson stars glimmered faintly.
"They are still safe," he said quietly.
———
When the Tarot Gathering concluded and Emlyn returned to the washroom aboard the Golden Dream, that all-too-familiar dizzy, floating sensation hit him like a wave.
His knees buckled, and he barely managed to grab the washroom's sturdy handrail—thank the thoughtful shipwright who had installed it; it was the only thing that gave him a sense of security every time nature called.
As soon as he steadied himself, a gentle tremor ran through the ship.
He immediately plopped back down onto the toilet seat.
Thud, thud, thud!
There came a knock at the door, followed by Danitz's voice: "Emlyn! You didn't drown in there, did you?"
"You're the one drowning! I was just—just constipated!"
Bracing himself with the handrail, Emlyn stood up again and asked through the door, "What happened just now? Why did the ship shake?"
"We docked," came Danitz's nonchalant reply.
Emlyn quickly swung the door open. "Where are we?"
"Waypoint Island."
Emlyn's eyes lit up. He rushed to the nearest porthole and peered outside—sure enough, a lively harbour filled with ships of all sizes stretched before him.
Waypoint Island was one of the key supply ports along the Berserk Sea—virtually every ship bound for the Southern Continent stopped there to restock.
Danitz strolled up beside him, smirking. "Well, look who's not seasick anymore."
Emlyn snorted. "The ship's not moving. What's there to be seasick about?"
To prove his point, he bounced twice in place, then strutted out of the washroom. "I'm going to take a walk on the island!"
Danitz immediately followed, slinging an arm around the vampire's shoulders. "I'll come too. I know a place on this island that's very entertaining—something you'll definitely like."
Emlyn's eyes brightened. "Oh? They have doll shops here too?"
"…"
Danitz froze, silently swearing to himself—
This time, I'm going to make sure this vampire understands once and for all: no doll, no matter how perfect, can ever compare to a real woman.
———
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