Backlund time, 3 PM.
Leyton's vision was promptly engulfed by a crimson, tide-like glow, swiftly obscuring his sight.
After a brief daze, when he looked up again, he had already arrived inside the magnificent, ancient palace above the Gray Fog, with slightly blurred figures seated in their respective positions.
Leyton's gaze was fixed on The Sun Derrick, who was seated beside him. His expression seemed to be frozen on his face and grew increasingly worse until a hint of terror appeared.
At this moment, Derrick's mind was flooded with memories:
There were collapsed City walls, blue and white buildings, a temple belonging to the True Creator, and murals depicting the advent of the apocalypse, showing the True Creator resisting the Six Gods and protecting the surviving humans.
There were also beautiful yet dangerous "mushrooms," and the exceptionally bizarre yellow-haired boy, Jack.
He and the Chief had already experienced the same events five times, yet no one had noticed anything amiss.
The more Derrick recalled his extra memories, the more he felt a chilling sensation.
After Miss Justice cheerfully and pleasantly greeted Mr. Fool and everyone, Leyton turned to The Sun beside him and directly asked:
"It seems your City of Silver encountered something very unpleasant during the exploration of that temple?"
Justice Audrey, as a Spectator, also looked over immediately. When she had just greeted everyone, she had keenly sensed that Mr. Sun's emotions were very off.
Derrick took a deep breath, as if grasping a straw of hope, and completely recounted everything he had experienced.
Even the subtle differences in each exploration were narrated one by one.
Finally, he added:
"After that little boy was eliminated by the Chief, we all closed our eyes, and then we woke up again in the camp outside the City, starting a new exploration."
"This process repeated five times. If Mr. Fool hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't even know that I had been repeating the same life all this time!"
At the head of the bronze long table, Klein, shrouded in Gray Fog, was still a bit confused. He also didn't know what his classmate The Sun had encountered.
He could only maintain his original posture and nod slightly in response. In situations where the cause was unclear, a higher-ranking being should not speak rashly.
Gazing at Mr. Fool, his unperturbed state calmed him considerably.
He then looked at the other members and asked sincerely:
"Do you know the root cause of the problem? And how to solve it?"
Justice Audrey, who was the most warm-hearted, instinctively wanted to speak but found that she had no clue whatsoever, unable to even make a guess.
Magician Fors was in a similar state.
Leyton leaned back slightly, resting against the chair back, and said:
"The Snake of Fate's Fate cycle."
"What is the Snake of Fate? And what is a Fate cycle?"
The Sun Derrick eagerly pressed for answers.
"Fate cycle?" The gloomy world also asked under Klein's manipulation.
"What is the Snake of Fate? And what is a Fate cycle? It sounds so high-level." This was the shared thought of Justice Audrey and Magician Fors at the moment.
Hanged Man Alger frowned slightly in thought. His original guess was a Nightmare or illusion-type ability at the demigod level, or that they had fallen into some peculiar spatial state.
Snake of Fate? Is this the name of a high Sequence of the Fate pathway? Does Mr. Tower mean that The Sun and the others encountered a cycle related to Fate?
Leyton maintained his posture, appearing to be in thought, and after a brief pause, he slowly began to speak:
"The Snake of Fate is a Sequence 1 of the Fate pathway. Beyonders at this stage have already grasped a portion of the authority over Fate."
"They can initiate a Fate cycle, causing people to fall into a peculiar state where time maintains a certain flow but is fixed within a certain range, cycling repeatedly."
"You are exploring a temple belonging to the True Creator. He happens to have an Angel of Fate under him, Ouroboros!"
"You might have triggered some of His lingering powers or characteristics during your exploration."
"Then what should we do?"
The Sun Derrick hastily asked.
Phew~ Leyton sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness:
"A Fate cycle will have a node. You just need to find it and break it, and you will be able to escape from the endlessly cycling Fate."
"As for what the node is, I don't know without having personally explored it."
"This…" The Sun Derrick was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit disappointed. If they couldn't find that node, they would be trapped in the cycle indefinitely.
Hanged Man Alger recovered from his thoughts. He cleared his throat and mused:
"Regarding that node, I might have some guesses!"
"That little boy, Jack?"
Justice Audrey guessed with great interest.
"Yes." Hanged Man Alger nodded slightly, and after a moment of consideration, he looked at Miss Justice and said:
"Did I mention that I once pursued a Listener from the Aurora Order at sea? His purpose for going out to sea was to find the True Creator's sanctuary."
Audrey recalled carefully for a moment and said uncertainly:
"It seems there was such a thing."
Hanged Man Alger then said in a deep voice:
"That Listener also brought his child, whose age is very close to the Jack described by The Sun."
"You mean, that Jack came from your world to the vicinity of the City of Silver?"
Derrick was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise.
After a brief moment of reflection, he felt a strange joy in his heart. This meant that the area where the City of Silver was located had not been completely sealed off, and they still had a chance to leave and enter the normal world where Mr. Hanged Man and the others were.
Hanged Man Alger also thought of this problem, and after a moment of contemplation, he suggested:
"You can find an opportunity to mention Sonia Sea, the Loen Kingdom, and port cities to that little boy, Jack. Perhaps there will be a different reaction."
"Also, the key point might not be on the little boy; you also need to consider other possibilities."
"Are there murals in that temple? Ouroboros has a hobby of painting; perhaps there will be clues."
Leyton interjected with a timely reminder.
"Why do you even know that?" This was the question in the minds of all Tarot Club members.
They even began to wonder if Leyton had some hidden connection with the Aurora Order.
Could it be that this Angel's hobby is well-known? Why don't I know… Magician Fors silently grumbled in her heart.
Hanged Man Alger silently watched Leyton for a second. He knew too many secrets, things even many high-Sequence powerhouses might not know. Could he be the Blessed of that Lenberg individual? But why would he join the Tarot Club? Is this a hidden connection between great existences?
Hanged Man Alger couldn't help but secretly glance at Mr. Fool, who was seated at the very top. The figure shrouded in Gray Fog remained calmly seated, as if detached from the world, yet quietly observing everything.
Justice Audrey keenly observed Mr. Hanged Man's subtle actions and simultaneously made similar guesses in her mind.
Are you and the one residing in you gossiping every day?
Klein, shrouded in Gray Fog, really wanted to retort, but considering Mr. Fool's image, he had to hold back.
"Yes."
The Sun Derrick quickly nodded, and then, after obtaining Mr. Fool's permission, he materialized the temple-like scenes he had witnessed:
It was a mural depicting the True Creator and the Six Gods resisting during the Great Cataclysm, protecting the surviving humans.
"Which Evil Gods are these?"
Alger looked at the octopus-headed Monster, wrapped in lightning, treading on black waves, with feathered wings on its back, and holding a trident, and he inexplicably made some connections in his heart.
This is the God you believe in...! Leyton raised his hand to cover his lips, completing the sentence in his mind.
Justice Audrey's gaze shifted from the image materialized by The Sun to Leyton. In her impression, Mr. Tower was the most knowledgeable among them:
"Mr. Tower, do you know who these Evil Gods on the mural are?"
Unexpectedly, Miss Justice would ask him first. Leyton pondered for a moment before slowly speaking:
"Steam only ascended to the Godhood at the end of the last Epoch, which is long after the so-called Great Cataclysm."
"Ah?" Audrey was stunned for a moment. Leyton's answer was not quite what she expected.
What does this have to do with the God of Steam and Machinery? When He was not yet a God, the other seven Gods, no, the Six Gods—the mural also happened to have six Evil Gods.
Her gaze returned to the mural materialized by The Sun, carefully observing the implied meaning of each image.
What does this have to do with the God of Steam and Machinery? As a believer of the God of Steam and Machinery, Fors vaguely recalled the church scriptures she had read, and there was no mention of the so-called Great Cataclysm.
As expected, Klein sighed inwardly and manipulated his alternate persona, speaking in a hoarse voice:
"I've seen similar statues."
After attracting everyone's attention, he paused and continued:
"During an adventure exploring a Fourth Epoch ruin."
After speaking, he then pretended to request Mr. Fool's permission and materialized the statues of the Six Gods and their corresponding holy emblems from the ruin containing the Red Angel Evil Spirit, one by one.
Performing in front of people who know my true identity is really embarrassing...! Klein silently lamented after completing his performance.