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"Leave Backlund?" Fors asked, surprised, looking at Leyton.
Leyton nodded slightly.
"Yes, I'll wander the seas for a while, collecting some Beyonder characteristics and gold pounds, then head to the Southern Continent."
"How will you collect Beyonder characteristics at sea? And gold pounds, are you planning to salvage shipwrecks?"
Emlyn seemed a bit slow to react, asking curiously.
Father Utravsky, who had once been a pirate at sea, quickly understood. He scrutinized Leyton with a deep gaze before speaking:
"Many pirates are active at sea. The official powers of various countries have bounties on them. Pirate admirals and those of King-level, although the bounties vary among official powers, all reach tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of pounds."
"Pirates of that level are not only powerful themselves, but they also have a powerful force supporting them from behind."
Leyton nodded slightly, understanding that Father Utravsky's last sentence was a warning to him.
"Running around outside, how can that be as interesting as staying at home with my dolls… No, how can that be as interesting as staying at home? Once I'm free of the psychological cue, I'm going to stay cooped up in my room for a week, no, a month!"
Emlyn pouted. As a homebody, he couldn't understand a life of constantly moving around.
Father Utravsky looked at Emlyn with an unchanging expression and said:
"Actually, you don't need to find a way. In a while, the psychological cue will naturally lift, and you can freely choose whether or not to come to the church."
"The psychological cue I left only makes you return to the church every day, hoping you can experience the preciousness of life and the joy of harvest in this process."
"So the psychological cue only made me return to the church?"
Emlyn's expression froze for a moment.
"Yes."
"Heh." Leyton, who had been silently watching the scene, couldn't help but laugh.
Emlyn looked over at the sound, his red eyes fixed on Leyton. His lips parted and closed, and he spoke, somewhat gritting his teeth:
"You knew all along?"
"I did!" Leyton nodded bluntly, adding at the end:
"If you had been careful enough, or firm enough in your attitude, you would have found out much earlier."
"…" He wanted to question Leyton why he hadn't told him earlier. He had almost been converted and become a devout follower of the Mother Goddess, but he opened his mouth and said nothing.
No, I can't! My faith belongs to the Moon, to the Ancestor!
Leyton turned to look at Fors, who was watching the drama with a somewhat stunned expression. He felt she was thinking about how to make Emlyn's story another character in her novel.
"Then I shall take my leave. May life be with you."
Leyton bypassed the still-struggling Emlyn and the gossiping Fors. He clasped his hands in front of him in the Church of the Earth Mother's etiquette, bowing to Father Utravsky before leaving directly.
Above the Gray Fog, inside the grand, ancient palace.
Leyton sat on his high-backed chair. He looked towards the head of the bronze long table, where Klein sat, uncovered by the Gray Fog.
The two exchanged glances, and Leyton was the first to break the silence:
"Heh, it still feels a bit unusual with just the two of us sitting here."
"Me too." Klein nodded lightly.
Then he reached out towards a pile of miscellaneous items obscured by dense Gray Fog. A peculiar crown, covered in rust and bloodstains, automatically flew into his hand.
After examining the Conqueror's Beyonder characteristic in his hand, Klein manipulated it to float in front of Leyton, then asked curiously:
"What is this? Its grade is very high, somewhat like a Sealed Artifact Grade 0."
"A Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic."
Leyton's eyes glowed with a faint blue luminescence. A Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic was something he only dared to study freely in a place like the Gray Fog.
"Warrior? Or Hunter?" Klein pressed, his guess based on the feeling the crown gave him.
"Hunter Pathway, Sequence 1: Conqueror."
"This was prepared by the True Creator for Medici. That unlucky fellow is now just a wraith and has been sent away by Adam."
"He doesn't need this Beyonder characteristic for now, so I'll leave it with you. It's safer here and won't be divined by the Demoness Sect. You can also use it if you need to; through this Gray Fog, you should be able to exploit it to some extent."
After briefly explaining the origin of the Beyonder characteristic, Leyton focused on his research. Above this Gray Fog, he unreservedly used this Beyonder characteristic to unleash various Beyonder abilities.
For a time, fire, lightning, and frost flew across this area above the Gray Fog, and the grand, ancient palace quickly became dilapidated.
After researching for a while, estimating that Klein's spiritual support was nearing its limit, the faint blue glow in Leyton's eyes dissipated, and he placed the strange crown on the bronze long table.
Klein waved his hand, and the dilapidated palace instantly returned to its original state.
Leyton turned to Klein, expressing his doubts about the Sage Beyonder characteristic on him. Finally, he asked very seriously:
"Do you think there's anything wrong with my state? Or do you have any theories?"
Leyton looked at Klein expectantly, wanting to know if Klein, with the blessing of Sefirah Castle's Beacon of Destiny, could offer any suggestions or insights.
"…" Klein was silent. He didn't know how to answer such a question. He hadn't even figured out his own problems yet.
After a moment of contemplation, Klein carefully chose his words and said:
"Hmm, perhaps, as you thought, that Sage Beyonder characteristic was originally yours, and now it's just re-integrating with you."
"Or, just like how I can freely use that Marionettist Beyonder characteristic of the Seer Pathway here, your special nature allows you to easily control the Beyonder characteristics of the Mystery Pryer pathway."
"Easily control the Beyonder characteristics of the Mystery Pryer pathway…" Leyton murmured softly. He felt the latter guess was more likely.
But wouldn't that mean I'm like the Hidden Sage, corrupted and controlled by the Knowledge Moor? Perhaps I should find an item from the Mystery Pryer pathway to test it.
After settling on an idea in his mind, he continued to ask:
"Then do you think I'm human?"
"Huh?" Klein was a bit stunned by the question. He felt his companion might need Miss Justice's treatment… No, Miss Justice was still a Telepathist now, and it would be some time before she became a Psychiatrist.
Although he inwardly grumbled about the other party, Klein still carefully chose his words and said:
"While I don't fully agree with some of your views, if you're asking about humanity, you undoubtedly possess it, and I think you've maintained it quite well."
Leyton nodded slightly, no longer dwelling on the topic, and instead said:
"I foresaw some future events. Your brother and sister are coming to Backlund… Do you want to see them?"
"When?"
Klein paused, then asked.
Leyton recalled briefly and said:
"Soon, January 3rd, on the Steam train."
Klein took a deep breath, leaned back against the chair, and seemed lost in thought. After a second or two, he pressed his lips together tightly and said:
"I understand. Thank you!"
After a period of silence, the two found they had nothing more to discuss, so Klein ended their two-person gathering.
Crimson light, like a tide, surged. Leyton's spirit was momentarily dazed. When he came to, he was already back in his study.
The next moment, he heard the sound of the downstairs door being knocked.
Leyton turned his head to look, a purple halo flashing in his eyes. His gaze penetrated through layers of obstruction, seeing Destiny knocking on the door.
Then he slightly raised his right hand, making a grasping motion in the air, then rotated his wrist and pulled back, like the gesture of opening a door.
A pale blue, wave-like light swept through, and a "Door" connecting to the downstairs entrance opened.
The next moment, Destiny walked through from the other side of the "Door." He had a faint smile on his face and seemed to be in a very good mood.
Destiny nodded slightly and chuckled:
"Fate tells me that this is a suitable time for a visit and a farewell. I shall set off to seek the whereabouts of the Soothsayer Beyonder characteristic."
Leyton nodded without surprise, asking curiously:
"Where is that Soothsayer Beyonder characteristic? In what form does it exist?"
"I only know the specific whereabouts of two Soothsayer Beyonder characteristics. One is with the Eternal Blazing Sun Church, numbered 0-24, called the Calamity Scroll. It is extremely dangerous and almost impossible to obtain."
"Another one drifts on the sea in the form of a ghost ship. Its appearances cannot be predicted, and very few people even know of its existence. It has a not-so-famous name, Fate's Casino, which is also my goal."
Destiny narrated as if recalling, his tone almost devoid of fluctuations, seemingly indifferent to the obstacles and difficulties he would encounter.
Fate's Casino, is this to see which side fate favors more? If lucky, one directly becomes a Soothsayer and leaves. If unlucky, the prize pool on the ship accumulates another wave.
"I must depart now."
"Although I didn't receive enlightenment from fate, I intuitively believe we will meet again, on the vast ocean."
Destiny spoke like a Soothsayer, then turned and left.
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