In a sheltered harbor along the safe shipping lanes of the Berserk Sea, Jane couldn't help but smile as she received Ebner's gift, clearly overjoyed.
She smoothed her dark golden hair—now long enough to tie into a ponytail—and activated the charm accompanying the letter with her spirituality.
Instantly, she was drawn into a dream.
Fireworks bloomed across a magnificent landscape in the dream, accompanied by beautiful music.
Following this path of fireworks and scenery, Jane slowly entered a castle where Ebner personally smeared cake across her face...
The dream ended there.
Holding the charm, Jane shook her head with a mix of amusement and exasperation. She understood Ebner's intention—had the dream been too perfect, the contrast upon waking might have left her feeling desolate.
This cake-smearing conclusion, however, allowed her to enjoy the beauty while softening the transition between dream and reality.
Now she only wondered when she could return the favor and actually smear cake on him.
"Ebner's birthday is in May..."
Meanwhile, in the captain's quarters of the Future.
After witnessing this scene, "Queen of Stars" Cattleya pursed her lips and murmured, "My birthday is only two weeks away... I wonder if she'll put similar thought into a gift for me..."
...
Above the gray fog, after testing the newly acquired "Sea God Scepter" and establishing the "Ten Commandments" for the former Sea God believers in the Rorsted Archipelago, a mentally fatigued Klein returned to the real world. He summoned himself again to bring items like the "Sun Brooch" and "Burial Blade" back to his hotel room.
By now, the clouds had cleared, and the tranquil crimson moonlight bathed the still-sleeping "City of Generosity," Bayam.
Klein lay on the bed and quickly fell asleep with the aid of "meditation."
After an indeterminate time, his drowsy mind suddenly sharpened. Drawing on past experience, he immediately knew someone had entered his dream.
After a brief hesitation, Klein sat on the chair in his hotel room and turned toward the door, where knocking sounds were coming from.
"Come in."
As he spoke, the "Hero Detective" with slightly curly brown hair and gold-rimmed glasses entered, arm-in-arm with an enchantingly beautiful woman.
Even in dreams, he doesn't forget to bring a female companion... Isn't Mr. Tower afraid of getting "burned"?
Suppressing his internal complaints, Klein responded with the sluggishness appropriate for dreaming:
"Good... morning... Detective Bryan..."
Seeing this, Ebner shook his head with a smile. "Mr. World, no need to pretend. I know you're awake."
He can tell even that? Klein paused for a few seconds, confirming Ebner wasn't bluffing, then replied in a manner befitting Gerhman's persona: "How can I be sure you're the real Detective Bryan?"
Ebner directly "manifested" the "Fallen Morning Star" necklace in his hand, waved it, then made it disappear before asking, "So, your answer?"
"I agree to join your and the 'Vice Admiral Iceberg's' expedition." Klein nodded directly—after all, Gerhman was a man of action over words.
"Excellent. After waking, come straight out from the hotel—I'll meet you." Ebner then produced a letter and handed it over. "This is from Edwina to Danitz. Please deliver it."
"I was planning to leave him a note anyway." Klein accepted it without asking how the letter would physically leave the dream, trusting Ebner had his methods.
"Then until later, Mr. World." With a bow, Ebner and the alluring maid vanished simultaneously.
Back in the waking world, Klein examined the letter in his hand, gaining new appreciation for "The Tower's" capabilities: Not just formidable in direct combat, but equally adept in these esoteric domains...
After penning a brief note, Klein entered the parlor, shook the snoring Danitz awake, and pressed both the letter from the "Vice Admiral Iceberg" and his own note into the man's hand before heading downstairs.
As he tightened his coat against the chilly wind, Klein spotted the maid from his dream approaching and gesturing for him to follow.
Maintaining his composure, Klein flipped a coin before trailing the maid to a carriage without a driver waiting at a nearby alley.
Sure enough, "The Tower" awaited inside.
Why does this feel like a spy rendezvous? Klein grumbled internally as Ebner smiled and announced, "Mr. Gerhman Sparrow, we depart now."
Having experienced "spirit world traversal" before and roughly guessing their destination, Klein immediately grasped the other side. In the next instant, they vanished from the carriage.
Meanwhile, in the hotel room, a groggy Danitz who had just woken up stared blankly at the note in his hand and muttered:
"Gehrman's gone out? Won't be back for days?
"Wait... what? He's going on an expedition with the captain?"
Now fully awake, Danitz initially doubted Gehrman's message—until he read the accompanying letter from "Vice Admiral Iceberg." His face went slack.
"It's really the captain's handwriting...
"She says she might return with a companion... Does she mean Gehrman?
"Damn it! I need to warn her—that Gehrman's a lunatic who might just be after her bounty!
"But he apparently handled 'Ailment Maiden'... What if the captain also...
"No, can't think like that. The captain's not that shallow—she'd never fancy some uncultured brute."
As he agonized, dawn broke fully. A knock at the hotel door startled him from his thoughts.
Cautiously opening it, Danitz received an unexpected item—a gala invitation from the Governor's mansion.
Addressed to Gehrman Sparrow.
...
Beneath the ancestral Surrey residence in Tosk.
After two transfers via "Teleportation Altars," Ebner and Klein finally reached their destination—where "Vice Admiral Iceberg" Edwina awaited.
Following brief introductions, Ebner cut straight to business:
"The 'Ritual Chamber' established by Roselle lies beneath this manor's gardens. I located it using a 'Druid's' subterranean traversal abilities.
"For secrecy, I didn't excavate a passage—relying solely on short-range 'teleportation' for access.
"After we enter Groselle's Travels, I'll leave 'Chesi' to guard the chamber against sabotage.
"Her personality has been overwritten. Even without the 'devil' from the 'Magic Mirror' controlling her, she won't betray us—reasonably trustworthy."
Klein frowned instinctively at this manipulation, but upon learning she was a wicked "Apostle of Desire," his objections faded.
When I become a "Marionettist," I'll be doing similar things... The realization made Ebner's methods seem less objectionable.
After outlining potential dangers within Groselle's Travels, Ebner led them deeper via teleportation to the "Ritual Chamber."
The cavern measured barely twenty square meters, lined with ritual implements. At its center stood an altar with three recessed slots—clearly designed for specific mystical tomes.
As they placed Groselle's Travels, The Book of Astrology, and The Book of Fortune Stealing into the slots, the surrounding candles ignited spontaneously. Their flames converged above Groselle's Travels, forming a luminous door etched with arcane symbols.
Yet the door remained sealed—three critical connections missing from its sigils.
Spaces reserved for "Blasphemy Cards."
"This ritual feels altered... The Book of Astrology and The Book of Fortune Stealing seem forcibly incorporated," Edwina observed, her pale blue eyes narrowing.
Klein nodded. "The incomplete sigils too... Original entry might've been simpler..."
As an expert on summoning gates, he left the thought unspoken.
Because this was originally set up by the "Disaster Seal," later modified by Roselle... Ebner silently added. Without explanation, he placed his "Door Card" into a gap.
Following suit, Klein and Edwina inserted their "Black Emperor Card" and "Error Card."
Instantly, the trio passed through the now-complete portal—materializing before a slumbering dragon exceeding ten meters in length, its crystalline scales glimmering atop a treasure hoard.
"'King of the North' Ulyssan?"
(End of Chapter)