On the Trident, because he had just witnessed the Ice Snow Queen's marionette enter Groselle's Travels, Klein already knew something had definitely gone wrong inside the book. So, after greeting Sharon and Miss Messenger, he went to the washroom, then walked four steps in reverse and ascended above the gray fog, planning to make use of his connection with Mr. Tower to see whether the other party needed help.
But he had only just sat down in the Fool's seat when he saw the crimson star that represented the Tower rapidly expanding and contracting.
Ebner really does need help… Klein's heart stirred, and he immediately extended his spirituality over.
But right after that, his expression turned strange. Judging by the background of the scene within the crimson star, not only had Ebner already returned to the Trident, but even the thing he was petitioning the Fool for made Klein speechless.
"Milk? Where am I supposed to get him 'milk'? No, wait—what does he even want 'milk' for?"
Klein grumbled inwardly for a moment, and only after he listened to Ebner's subsequent explanation did he understand the other man's intention.
"So it's for a 'living' item, and that item was very dissatisfied with the milk Ebner forged using materials. Even the milk Ms. Daphne retrieved from history wasn't accepted… Hm, and if it isn't satisfied, it'll transform nearby lifeforms to produce milk for it to drink?
"This… Frank, a Biologist, even managed to make the Future produce milk, and now this 'scepter'—which according to Mr. Tower is essentially an angel of the Planter pathway?
"If it really 'acts up', I'm afraid the entire Trident, including myself and Sharon, won't be able to escape!"
The image of himself and Sharon endlessly spraying milk flashed across his mind, making Klein shudder. If not for the fact that the Tower could still temporarily suppress that chopstick-sized scepter, Klein would have wanted to take Sharon and flee immediately using the Book of Endless Transmissions.
"Right… Frank! Frank definitely has milk. He even cultivated hybrid bacteria that allow creatures to produce milk smoothly even outside their lactation period!"
At that thought, Klein manifested the dummy of the World at the fastest speed, created the "prayer" scene, and tossed it into the crimson star of the Hermit.
Right now, the only place where large amounts of milk could be obtained was the Future… Aside from that, even Miss Justice likely couldn't sneak out several buckets of milk in the middle of the night without arousing suspicion.
...
In the sea around the Rorsted Archipelago, aboard the slowly sailing Future.
Admiral of the Stars Cattleya had already gone to bed, but after receiving Mr. Fool's "communication," she immediately woke up. She placed the spectacles from her bedside table onto her nose before devoutly receiving the vision sent over.
"Milk?"
Cattleya subconsciously pushed her glasses up her nose. If not for how anxious the World appeared—and for specifying that Frank needed to offer up all the milk he had cultivated—she would have assumed that lunatic adventurer was teasing her…
After all, that book, The Story of Gehrman Sparrow and the Female Pirate General, had a similar scenario.
Pulling her mind away from those chaotic thoughts, and because the World needed it urgently, Cattleya didn't delay. She instructed the Invisible Servants to set up the offering ritual while opening the captain's cabin window and calling to the night-watching sailors:
"Have Frank come over."
...
On the Trident, Klein received the milk and immediately controlled the two marionettes—Admiral of Hell and Admiral of Blood—each to carry a bucket out of the washroom and deliver them to the captain's cabin.
Seeing that the milk had finally arrived, Ebner also couldn't help but exhale in relief and quickly placed the scepter into the bucket… After all, that little troublemaker, which carried the characteristics of the Desolate Matriarch, was truly difficult to appease.
This time, unlike its reaction toward the counterfeits Ebner had "synthesized" earlier, a wave of "satisfaction" came from the little scepter's spirituality.
Only then did Klein pretend not to know anything and ask, "What exactly happened?"
After all, the World had only followed the Fool's order and made the prayer. As for what the Tower had reported to Mr. Fool, he, "naturally," was unaware.
Ebner gave him a sideways glance, playing along without exposing the act, then sighed. "This scepter is a by-product of the battle just now… It's actually a special living being that was created. Because things were urgent at the time, I took a shortcut with its 'settings'—aside from its outer appearance, I simply gave it the 'template' of a human… That's why it insists on drinking milk…
"As for what exactly happened inside the book, this isn't a good place to discuss it."
So they would talk about it when they held a "small meeting"? Klein immediately understood the meaning hidden in Ebner's words and didn't continue asking.
In truth, it wasn't that Ebner wanted to keep things from Sharon, Reinette, or Daphne—they were all trustworthy allies. It was simply that the Trident really wasn't safe enough, especially with the presence of the three outsiders, Defoe, Dawn, and Dacy.
At that moment, Klein also noticed the three "cocoons" wrapped in flesh and couldn't help asking again, "Who are they?"
"Just three unfortunate souls." Ebner briefly explained the situation of those three official Beyonders who had once been trapped inside Roselle's dream mausoleum. He concluded, "After they left that imaginary world, although I had the little scepter use the refined Life Stones to preserve their lives, the massive loss of bodily elements was still enough to make them gradually approach death… So I used Violet's Perfect Restoration to replenish their missing 'flesh' and repair their damaged body tissues."
So that was it! Klein nodded in understanding, but suddenly recalled the protagonist party he and Ebner had seen asleep when they entered Groselle's Travels. He then asked:
"These three, who were trapped in the dream world for twenty years, were already in such danger. What about the others—the 'characters' who spent hundreds or even thousands of years inside the book?"
It wasn't that he was such a saint that he wanted to save everyone. It was just that Klein, who had once glimpsed Frunziar's dream, deeply empathized with the Loen soldier's obsession with going home, with returning to his loved ones.
Both were ordinary people who had suddenly entered an unfamiliar world. Both had struggled with all their might to find the way back home. The two had far too many similarities.
Ebner naturally understood Klein's thoughts, but the cruel truth wasn't something he could reveal yet. It would affect Klein's mental state and delay his advancement to demigod.
After all, although Mr. Fool's mental state was much better than in the original timeline, he still definitely wouldn't be able to withstand the impact of hope turning into despair.
"Don't worry. I've already made arrangements for Groselle's party. When the time comes, a 'miracle' will descend." That was all the reassurance Ebner could give.
Though Ebner himself had no idea how the "miracle" of Klein going home would be achieved…
Hopefully Miss Sharon can become his new place to belong…
Ebner sighed inwardly, and then he heard Klein shift the topic and finally ask the "real" question:
"Where are the two Obnis sea monsters?"
At those words, Ebner pulled two ten-centimeter-square ice blocks from his pocket. One had a "strawberry" embedded inside; the other had a "mango" frozen within, like two fruit-ice cubes…
No, these were just fruit-ice cubes, weren't they?!
Klein stared seriously at the ice blocks for a long while before looking up at Ebner, the meaning in his eyes unmistakable: Are you messing with me?
"They were frozen and then afflicted by a deformation curse, so they became like this…
"Tolzna feels their current forms are easy to carry and not likely to 'die'…
"Of course, if needed, the 'curse' can be lifted at any time."
The moment his words fell, the four golden-haired, red-eyed heads Miss Messenger carried all turned toward him at the same time, revealing four faces of "I've learned something new."
(End of this chapter)