章節 294: Issuing Commissions
The "Hanged Man" Alger also had his eyes on this task, but after seeing that "Tower" was interested in attempting it, he gave up the idea.
In his mind, "Tower" was a powerhouse comparable to, or perhaps even surpassing, a pirate admiral. Since he had expressed interest, it meant the matter was practically in the bag and didn't require Alger's interference.
Nearby, "Sun" Derrick remained detached from the discussion; for him, terms like Intis, ambassador, or Becklund were all unintelligible…
Out of trust for "Tower," Klein also relaxed for the moment and shifted his gaze to the diary in his hand, first picking up the six pages presented by the "Hanged Man."
The first two pages were consecutive, obviously copied from the original front and back.
After carefully reading these two pages, Klein couldn't help but think to himself, "So much information…"
Through the content, he learned the name of a Sequence 1 potion for the first time, rather than relying solely on inference about terms like "Fool," "Black Emperor," "Blood Emperor," and "Night Monarch."
Just as the Emperor had mentioned, the titles like "Mercury Snake" and "Fate Snake" indeed inspired awe!
"And this is also the first time I've learned of a Sequence 2 potion corresponding to the 'Seer' Pathway… 'Miracle Maker' is a pretty decent name, rich in meaning and quite dignified. Of course, compared to 'Prophet' on the Fate Pathway, it feels a bit lesser…"
"Fate is merely a part of the 'Seer' Pathway? Not even its main component… I must remember this, always examining myself against it to avoid veering toward fate too much, which could lead to a failed act… If I compare Zarathul's statements with other information, they seem consistent… The 'Monster' Pathway is indeed the true Pathway of Fate… So 'Prophet' is Sequence 2—I suppose I already knew one Sequence 2 after all…"
While his eyes remained on the page, Klein pondered his Sequence's progression.
Due to the experiences of digesting the "Seer" and "Clown" potions, and from his transformation from observing fate with caution to a slight foreknowledge of it—albeit still feeling helpless before it—Klein had gradually equated the core of his Extraordinary Pathway with a deeper understanding of fate. Without this diary, he might very well have used this assumption to interpret and perform future Sequences.
As for the question of whether Zarathu was lying, Klein was currently sure of one thing: the "Monster" Pathway was absolutely a Fate Sequence. This matched both the descriptions he had seen in Night Watcher's internal documents and what he had long heard of as "Prophet."
Since there existed a Fate Sequence, the "Seer" Pathway likely wouldn't overlap with it, which would create a certain redundancy, conflicting with the distinct traits each Sequence Pathway displayed.
Thus, Klein leaned toward believing Zarathu's words, leaning toward Fate being only a part of the "Seer" Pathway, and not even its core component.
These two pages of the diary were invaluable to me at this stage… "Alchemist" and "Mystic Scholar" seem to be high Sequences in the "Generalist" Pathway. From Roselle's tone, they definitely don't belong to Sequence 2 or 1, meaning one is likely Sequence 4 and the other Sequence 3… It's currently unclear which is which… Klein gathered his thoughts, turned the diary pages, and continued reading.
As for why the Life School only worshipped the Moon and didn't revere the Goddess of the Night, who symbolized the Crimson Moon, he couldn't delve into it due to limited information.
The third page detailed Roselle's journey in creating a practical steam engine. It showed his oscillation between fear of being suppressed and dread of having his invention seized by powerful figures—his paranoia of being persecuted permeated every line.
Who would've thought that Emperor Roselle, self-proclaimed star of his era, would have such apprehensions and anxieties… Klein's mouth twitched as he flipped to the fourth page.
This page mainly described how, after his wife Matilda became pregnant, the Emperor keenly sensed a decrease in his own Extraordinary characteristics. By consulting Archbishop Van Helsing, he learned that Sequences 7 and below don't pass on Extraordinary characteristics to offspring, though this wasn't absolute. Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 would naturally inherit a portion, albeit small, that wouldn't impact the parent's strength significantly. The child, however, would be born with some extraordinary abilities close to Sequence 9, though at the cost of having their Pathway predetermined.
At higher Sequences, inheriting Extraordinary characteristics could be controlled: one could choose to pass on none, some, or even all.
After reading this entry, two phrases came to Klein's mind: "The Law of Extraordinary Characteristic Indestructibility" and "The Law of Conservation of Extraordinary Characteristics."
The fifth page featured Roselle's musings on plagiarizing The Count of Monte Cristo...
…Oh, Emperor, is there anything you haven't done?
Klein smiled as he turned to the sixth and final page:
"November 10, I secretly met with the great pirate Savigny Solomon at White Maple Palace…
"…I promised to help him advance to a higher Sequence…
"The potion names for the 'Black Emperor' Pathway are as strange as those on the Witch Pathway: Corruption, Chaos, Degeneration, Slaughter Sequence… However, to match the 'Black Emperor' theme, they took it upon themselves to add titles: Baron of Corruption, Mentor of Chaos, Count of Degeneration, Prince of Slaughter Sequence."
"To ensure Savigny's title has weight in the future, I've decided to secretly appoint him as a Court Count.
"Savigny has a son named Nast Solomon, and my intuition tells me he will one day rule the Five Seas."
Nast Solomon… the "King of the Five Seas" Nast? Nast, who claims to be descended from the Solomon Empire? So he was born during Roselle's era! Klein was astonished.
He quickly recalled the diary from Roselle's adventures in Ruen that he'd read earlier… he had speculated then that Roselle had likely found and taken the "Black Emperor" Pathway's treasure, advancing to become the "Black Emperor."
"So, Roselle's acceptance of Nast's father, the great pirate Savigny, might also have been a means to use Solomon's bloodline to retrieve the treasure?
"Could it be that all those wild things Roselle did in his later years were truly the result of half-losing his mind after advancing?"
With Miss Justice, now promoted to "Mind Reader," watching from below, Klein knew now was not the time to get lost in thought. He quelled his conjectures and picked up the diary Mr. Tower had submitted.
As expected, the first page recorded yet another of Roselle's romantic escapades, this time with a general's wife.
As a history major, Klein recalled that this particular general had been loyal to the Soren royalty and was at odds with Roselle for some time… In 1173, shortly before Roselle quelled a rebellion in the rank of colonel, this general had died inexplicably in an ambush by rebels.
Could it be that Roselle secretly plotted his death? And what role did the wife he had an affair with play in this?
Reflecting on some recent Backlund tabloids he'd read, Klein couldn't help but think: Why do the diary entries Mr. Tower collects always seem to feature scandalous events? Could it be that he's drawn to such material, attracting his own kind?
Seeing Klein linger over the diary entry he'd written, Ebner began to feel uneasy, wondering, Did he spot a flaw? He shouldn't have… even if it was a scandal, I combined it with historical facts in a realistic way.
On the other side, Klein returned to the present moment and read the final diary page.
This page was evidently pieced together from entries across multiple diaries, giving it a disorganized feel, but it generally provided Klein with an overview of the "Aberration" Pathway's characteristics.
"The mind is the body's prisoner, and the body is the world's prisoner?
"Usually indistinguishable from humans, but with repressed instincts, twisted desires always lurking, ready to emerge under specific stimuli, transforming them into monsters who satisfy their bloodlust and desire for violence?"
"One of these 'Aberrations' is a 'Werewolf'?"
Piecing together these fragmented bits of knowledge, Klein surmised that someone had meticulously gathered and assembled fragments containing the glyph for "Aberration" in an attempt to decipher the text through comparison… though such an approach was bound to fail.
Nodding thoughtfully under the cover of the gray fog, Klein made the diary vanish from his hand and addressed Justice and the others:
"You are now free to trade or converse."
No common knowledge from Mr. Fool today… Justice Audrey felt a little disappointed.
Ebner looked at the Hanged Man beside him and spoke first, "Mr. Hanged Man, do you know any 'craftsmen'?"
He had originally intended to ask Fanny's craftsman for help in making the magical item out of the "Serial Killer" characteristic. However, he reconsidered, thinking it might not be wise.
After all, it was unclear if Fanny's craftsman had any connection to the authorities, and having a "Hero Detective" acquire a Serial Killer characteristic so soon after the death of one in Tingen, given he'd indeed been in Tingen that night, might as well paint a bullseye on his back and invite association with Dr. Strange.
Selling it at a secret gathering was even less appealing to Ebner, as it might create another Serial Killer—something he'd rather avoid.
So after careful consideration, he decided to inquire in the Tarot Club.
Although in the original novel, the Hanged Man had built a relationship with a craftsman after helping Klein sell the "Werewolf" characteristic, he should already have been acquainted with the craftsman before that. After all, the text clearly stated, "they had worked together for years," although they might not have been as close at that time.
Is Tower asking me to introduce a 'craftsman'? Or to make an item?
The Hanged Man Alger quickly analyzed Ebner's intentions and then cautiously replied, "I do know one, but we're not that familiar… Are you looking to create a magical item?"
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