Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Is it the Blue-Eyes White Dragon I know? Is 'Tower' really a Transmigrator? Is it Liu Bo? Or is it just a coincidence?
As Klein maintained his expression with his Clown ability, his mind was filled with shock and suspicion. Edwina, who had also jumped onto the dragon's back, asked curiously, "Is this a marionette made from a Demigod-level Mind Dragon? Also, the style of the card containing it seems different from the ones you make."
Hearing the question, Ebner first glanced at the seemingly calm Klein, then, while controlling the Bone Dragon to perform "dream traversal," he smiled and answered Edwina's question:
"Her true form is the previous generation's 'Greed' lady of the Psychological Alchemists, and she was a 'Dream Weaver' in her lifetime... Furthermore, this card was actually made by Emperor Roselle and obtained by me through a stroke of luck."
At the same time, he felt relieved internally, So Mr. Fool's abnormality at the Tarot Club was because he suspected my origin... Was it that 'Formal Journal' that made him suspicious? After all, a show like 'Taste of Backlund' was indeed a bit too ahead of its time... In fact, at this point, there's no harm in revealing it... it's just not the right time.
Ebner's deliberate mention of "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" earlier was also a test for Klein, and the result of the test confirmed his thoughts.
Don't think that just because you have the abilities of 'Clown' and 'Faceless' that prevent 'mind-reading,' I don't know what you're thinking... After all, being completely unfazed in itself indicates that you already had an expectation, otherwise you wouldn't show no reaction at all.
However, upon hearing Ebner and Edwina's conversation, Klein became uncertain again, Could it be Old Huang's fault?
Compared to the two schemers, Edwina's thoughts were much simpler. She was focused on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon beneath her feet, "learning" about dream-related abilities.
Soon, the three appeared in Frunziar's dream.
This was a prosperous city with many wooden structures, and the pedestrians coming and going were almost all Loenese. In the distance, there was the iconic large clock.
It was Backlund from over a hundred years ago.
Frunziar, with black hair and blue eyes, stood outside a house, not daring to approach it, until a woman in a worn dress emerged. He then excitedly rushed forward, opening his arms, trying to embrace her.
Then, he tightly hugged the woman.
And the woman, recognizing the newcomer, also embraced him back, sobbing uncontrollably.
Frunziar's movements were a bit stiff, as if he couldn't believe he actually touched his mother... One had to know, in countless similar dreams before, he would just pass right through her...
"Mama... Mama..." he called out repeatedly in surprise, and the woman likewise responded, calling back to him.
Riding the bone dragon, hidden in the shadows, Ebner saw this scene and, recalling the unfulfilled embrace in the original novel, thought with some relief, Whether it was Roselle or that 'Seal of Calamity,' at least they did well in this matter...
That notebook indeed carried Frunziar's family's longing for him!
At the same time, Ebner felt a bit strange. Logically, he had been transmigrated for over half a year, yet he had barely thought about home. Instead, the ties to this world had gradually increased.
Am I naturally emotionally detached? Or is it because in my previous life, I also only returned home once a year, and had already gotten used to it?
But recalling it, I do miss it quite a lot... yet I don't often reminisce...
Thinking of this, he glanced at Klein and found that his face indeed showed a mix of relief and melancholy... This must be homesickness that even the 'Clown' ability can't hide!
The one most affected is indeed Klein... The "Homesick Group"... Ebner sighed.
At this moment, Edwina, the Vice Admiral Iceberg, asked thoughtfully, "Do those who were normally drawn into the travelogue still have a chance to leave?"
Before Ebner could answer, Klein replied, "It's probably too late... Too much time has passed. If they leave, they will immediately age, die, or even weather away."
He had just considered this question, but combining it with various novels and films he had seen in his previous life, plus the mystical knowledge he had acquired in this life, he finally reached the pessimistic conclusion above.
"I have the same judgment... Unless there's a 'miracle'!" Ebner interjected, hinting at something.
"'Miracle'?" Klein immediately became thoughtful and recalled the line he saw in Roselle's diary: "To die and be resurrected is a miracle!"
Is there hope to help them if I become a 'Miracle Invoker'?
"'Miracle'?" Edwina was somewhat confused, but the question was too complex to explain, and neither of the two men intended to answer for now.
But just as all three of them uttered the word "miracle," Frunziar in the dream also murmured the word. Immediately, a passage appeared at the edge of his dream island, seemingly leading to a world full of "light."
Seeing this, the three exchanged glances, confirming their mutual decision: continue exploring.
Then, Ebner drove the Bone Dragon and flew into that passage.
The passage was sometimes straight, sometimes winding. After an unknown amount of time, the scenery before the three suddenly opened up.
What appeared before them was a "deep-sea chasm," with an island-sized city in its center.
The city's foundation was grayish-white, with magnificent stone pillars, tens to hundreds of meters tall, standing upon it. They either stood alone or jointly supported ancient and majestic palaces. The overall appearance was both peculiar and grand, unlike anything ordinary creatures could build.
Although Klein and Edwina did not recognize this city, a thought spontaneously arose in their minds:
"City of Miracles, Liveseyd..."
So, "miracle" referred to this? Klein felt a slight realization, but also vaguely felt something was amiss.
After all, this should be the arrangement of the Dragon of Imagination. What connection does it have with Roselle or the Seal of Calamity? What did they arrange here?
And although Ebner already knew that Groselle's Travels concealed the Dragon King's revival plan, he still shared similar doubts with Klein.
Liveseyd was a gigantic city imagined out of thin air by the ancient god, Angwilloud, the Dragon of Imagination. In every aspect, it could be called a miracle, even a divine miracle.
It was grander and more ancient than the "Giant King's Court," possessing otherworldly characteristics. Each stone pillar was nearly a hundred meters tall, like chairs for dragons to rest on, a city that left an unforgettable impression just by hearing about it.
It was dragged into the depths of the sea of collective unconsciousness because the Dragon of Imagination sealed the entrance to the Chaos Sea and a fragment of the Lord's will, which had awakened within it.
Just as he thought of this, Ebner suddenly noticed something amiss because he could now fully recall the meaning of "Chaos Sea."
This means that in this environment near the 'Chaos Sea,' the influence of the Outer Deities has been weakened to a degree where my current 'Pure White Eye' ability can protect me?
If that's the case for Outer Deities, then True Gods would probably also find it difficult to approach... This should be why the Goddess and the God of Knowledge guided Klein and me here, right? Because they find it difficult to interfere?
After all, the higher the Sequence, the more one is affected by the 'Chaos Sea.' Only I, with my cheat, and Klein, who carries the 'Sefirah Castle,' can accomplish this... just like the sleeping place of the Dark Angel in the original Giant King's Court.
However, what is Edwina's role? Is she merely the initiator of the event?
As various thoughts flashed through his mind, Ebner also educated Edwina and Klein on knowledge related to the Dragon King.
Of course, this was primarily for Edwina; Klein had already learned various common facts about "Ancient Gods" from the Sun.
"Exploring an ancient god's divine kingdom, is that really okay?" Edwina, after hearing the "science popularization," thought for a moment and suddenly felt that her preparations were insufficient. She softly asked Ebner.
"The active dangers should have been cleared by the 'Seal of Calamity' or Roselle. What we need to pay attention to, instead, are their arrangements." Under Ebner's Pure White Eye, apart from the majestic palace in the center, which was grayish-white and over two hundred meters tall, the rest of the area was safe.
And even that palace had one spot he couldn't see through.
"I didn't pre-sense any danger," Klein said, retrieving his coin.
Although Edwina felt this was somewhat reckless, her trust in her companions and her thirst for knowledge still outweighed her unease. She allowed Ebner to control the Bone Dragon to land on one of the central palace's pillars.
While the sensation was not as profound in the air, upon "gliding" to the ground, the three suddenly had "the true feeling of a mouse in Backlund," seeing every building as immensely vast.
The entire island, moreover, would not be smaller than Japan's Honshu Island... To fully explore such a city, even with flight, would be a dream without several months.
As they descended from the pillar where the dragon rested, they directly entered the palace's great hall.
On either side of this hall were vibrant murals, extending forward and converging behind a half-broken giant pillar, so vast that it would take countless people to encircle it.
That giant pillar stood in the deepest part of the hall, directly in front. Without external support, its mere presence instilled a strong sense of awe, conveying the vicissitudes of time, like a petrified deity.
Almost instantly, a grayish-white figure was outlined on the giant pillar.
The figure was covered in scales from head to toe, each one like a solid stone slab. Its vaguely presented silhouette alone felt like an epic.
Hall of Honesty... Ebner, who was prepared, immediately activated the secret art he had developed to restrain his thoughts.
This secret art was created by combining "Mechanical Mind" with "Psychological Suggestion." Ebner named it "Anti-Social Death Art."
"'Dragon of Imagination,' Ankewelt!" At this moment, Klein's inner voice was the first to resonate, and he immediately looked around in astonishment.
Is this the 'King of Dragons'? It looks very powerful... Then what must the Giant King, who opposed Him in the Twin Epochs, have looked like? And what kind of epic scenes were their battles? Ebner seems to know, but he rarely tells me about these, and I don't have much valuable knowledge to exchange with him...
Wait, how did my thoughts get spoken aloud? What's the principle behind this? A high-level ability of the 'Spectator' pathway?
Edwina's inner thoughts echoed at an extremely fast pace within the vast hall, leaving her beautiful light blue eyes somewhat dazed.
Madam, you appear to be an iceberg, but you have so many questions in your mind! This contrast is quite interesting... I wonder what Miss Sharon would be thinking right now. I should have brought her too...
No, this hall is strange. I can't think wildly!
...Suppress thoughts, suppress thoughts, suppress thoughts...
Halfway through his thought, Klein saw the Tower glance at him playfully. He immediately tried to concentrate through meditation, preventing his mind from wandering.
"What does 'contrast cute' mean? Is it cute because of the contrast? And who is Sharon?" Edwina's face flushed slightly, but her own "thirst for knowledge" still betrayed her thoughts.
"Miss Sharon is my friend; as for 'contrast cute,' it's pretty much what you think," Klein said, listening to the thoughts in his mind while new doubts arose in his own mind: Why doesn't 'Tower' have an inner voice? Based on my previous observations at the gathering, he definitely has a lot of internal monologues, and might even be watching the fun at every gathering.
Indeed... Mr. Fool's abnormality last time was because he guessed this... But with Edwina here, we can't exactly lay out all our cards.
Ebner, while suppressing his thought fluctuations to avoid being caught by the hall, adjusted his "secret art" and let out some of his thoughts: "As a 'Mysticism Magister,' it's perfectly reasonable to have developed a secret art that can restrain thoughts in advance."
Is it reasonable? But I haven't developed one... I don't know much about the mind domain... However, under 'Mechanical Mind,' I can avoid those emotional thoughts, so it's somewhat useful. Edwina thought to herself, then activated "Mechanical Mind," and her inner voice gradually became "cold."
These two fellows... No, why am I using 'fellows'? Be polite, be polite... Klein took a deep breath, beginning to shift his attention to the murals around them, but a thought still uncontrollably popped into his mind: This place is perfect for playing 'truth or dare,' maybe it's even called the 'Hall of Honesty'...
"Truth or dare?" Edwina expressed her confusion.
This time, Ebner interjected before Klein, releasing some of his thoughts: "That's a game, one where people choose to say or do something."
You know? You actually know? Could you really be... No, I need to be careful, I can't think about things I shouldn't... Dacy pie! Sweet iced tea! Bayam roast meat! Witch's Broth Pasta! Klein didn't dare to continue thinking, lest he utter that name and harm others. He could only distract himself with food.
Is this truly the 'Mad Adventurer' Ebner mentioned when he introduced him? Edwina thought "coldly" to herself.
Ebner, seeing the "contact" signal had been sent, dared not continue to "tease" Klein's thoughts, lest he get caught up himself. So, he guided the two to look at the surrounding murals.
Klein quickly inferred the "King of Dragons" might not be dead and even planned to use this to resurrect Himself, from the story of Giant Groselle depicted on the murals and the portrayal of the destined encounter between "0-08" and Groselle's Travels in reality.
However, Ebner noticed something different... because in his Pure White Eye, the last few paintings felt distinctly different from the earlier ones... almost as if they were added later...
"According to my guess, the King of Dragons has most likely already resurrected through another contingency... This place is probably a disguise made by Him later... or it could involve a transaction with Roselle or the 'Seal of Calamity.'"
While guessing inwardly, Ebner led Klein and Edwina to the back of the giant pillar that served as the "Dragon of Imagination"'s seat, arriving before a downward passage.
This was also the only place Ebner's Pure White Eye could not see through.
At this moment, within that passage, pure and soft light shone, revealing an open ancient bronze gate standing in the deepest part.
It's actually open? Roselle went down there? What about the Chaos Sea below? Ebner's heart trembled, nearly failing to maintain his "Anti-Social Death Art."
"No feeling of danger..." Klein said deeply, setting down his coin as he looked at the gate.
"Since we've come this far, I doubt we'll be allowed to retreat," Edwina said "coldly."
"Mm, I understand." Ebner nodded, then held the "historical projection" talisman given by the Goddess and "Lilith's Tear" in his hands, and walked in first.
Immediately after, the scene that greeted him left him dumbfounded.
Because he saw a giant, inverted tall tower whose base was almost as large as the island where the "City of Miracles" Liveseyd was located, but its top plunged deeply downward into the black surface of the sea of collective unconsciousness!
Dream Labyrinth Tower...
It was actually built here! Built in the reflection of Liveseyd!
So that's it... How could one seal the contamination of that entity with fragmented souls without a Sefirah?
This was a tower that Ebner knew intimately yet was also unfamiliar with.
Familiar, because he often entered it to earn points and exchange for talismans, though what he had seen before were only parts on the other side of that "black sea."
Unfamiliar, because it was his first time seeing the true appearance of the tower's base.
No wonder I've unconsciously avoided entering the fourth floor... The dream labyrinth beyond the fourth floor crosses those black seas... Could that thing be an offshoot of the 'Chaos Sea'? Similar to the gray fog of the 'Sefirah Castle'?
As he pondered, Ebner connected the previous clues and almost immediately discerned the purpose of part of Roselle's plan:
He wants to use a 'miracle' to resurrect this part of his soul, which he had cut off using 'secret arts'!
The mechanism of the Dream Labyrinth Tower, in essence, is to reward tower climbers with the knowledge they most need through tasks... This is actually indirectly helping others achieve their wishes... Heh, isn't the accumulation of wishes for the final 'miracle'?
As for the one providing the miracle... it's probably the mad Zaratul, right?
The 'Book of Fortune Stealing,' forcefully added into the ritual to enter this travelogue, was prepared for this!
He wants to steal Zaratul's 'resurrection' miracle and use it on himself! A Miracle Invoker's miracle might not be able to resurrect a complete Black Emperor, but a fragmented soul would be no problem!
As for the other book in the ritual, the 'Book of Astrology,' it's probably a lingering effect of his contamination by the 'Mother Goddess'...
Fanny's 'Lawyer' characteristic and Mr. Surry's 'Astronomer' characteristic probably both came from Roselle... Mr. Surry has also always carried that book...
And both Fanny's and Mr. Surry's Beyonder characteristics are currently in Tosk!
They could both serve as vessels for resurrection... I just don't know which one is part of Roselle's plan... or... both?
This resurrection might be very dangerous... So, is the Goddess's purpose for me to prevent it?
But how should I do it?
Just as Ebner thought of this, he saw an entrance suddenly open at the base of the giant tower. Then, an irresistible force pulled him, Klein, and Edwina into it!