After two seconds of silence, Helmosuin shifted his gaze to Klein, and with a slight smile, he said, "Your Highness, I should take my leave. The lifespan of this body has reached its end."
"Mhm." Klein maintained Gehrman Sparrow's expressionless face, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
Turning halfway, Helmosuin suddenly turned his body back, looking at Klein and saying, "In the 'Yellow Light's' prophecy, the Great Ruler above the Spirit World is one of the variables of the apocalypse, and my encountering you now, as the apocalypse approaches, makes me even more convinced of your identity."
"Although I cannot be certain if you are truly the Great Ruler above the Spirit World, the unique qualities about you are already enough for me to come and express my goodwill and make a certain investment."
"To some extent, we Seven Lights of the Spirit World are the embodiment of Spirit World information, naturally subordinate to the Great Ruler above the Spirit World. Your Highness, you can completely trust us."
"Cough Cough"
Klein was silent for a second, then said, "Thank you for your reminder, Hillarion."
Helmosuin nodded slightly, not responding further, and walked with heavy steps towards the staircase on one side of the hallway.
Only after his figure disappeared from sight did Klein close the door, turning his head to glance at the Prophet Clone who had already sat back at the small round table. He thoughtfully said, "Ever since Admiral Emlyn's incident last time, I've been careful and wary of that 'Mother Tree'. At that time, I even used the opportunity of acting to change identities and hide for a period. But 'Orange Light' Hillarion specifically came to remind me to be careful of the 'Mother Tree'. I always feel that things won't be that simple."
"He was previously controlled by the Rose School of Thought, and the Rose School of Thought is a force that believes in that 'Mother Tree'. Did he learn something?"
The Prophet Clone leaned back in the wooden chair, his right hand half-gripping a ceramic coffee cup, his index finger gently tapping the rim of the cup, saying, "Most likely, just as Helmosuin said, I can completely obtain the manuscript of the second-generation differential engine from him after he returns to the Spirit World. 'Yellow Light' Venithan doesn't need me to come to him to obtain it now."
Klein's expression suddenly became solemn. For Yellow Light Venithan to call Al's avatar over indicates that he is certain that I cannot safely get through this attack with my own abilities.
After two seconds of silence, he suddenly thought of something and curiously turned his head to look at the Prophet Clone, asking, "Aren't you a 'Prophet'? What can you predict?"
The Prophet Clone shrugged and said, "The 'Mutant' Pathway also has anti-divination and anti-prophecy abilities. With that level of interference, I can't discover anything."
"I had already made a prediction before coming. I could feel danger, but I couldn't see any more information."
"But my appearance in Bayam is inherently dangerous. Given the Church of the Lord of Storms' volatile nature, once they notice me, they certainly won't hold back with divine punishment."
After a pause, as if he had seen what Klein was thinking, he said, "It's probably too late for you to escape now. The journey will only be more dangerous, and Spirit World travel also has the possibility of being interfered with. It's better to stay here. The Church of the Lord of Storms has strengthened its forces stationed in Bayam, and if necessary, we can drag them in as well."
You're really skilled at this. Klein's mouth twitched slightly. After a pause, he asked with some curiosity, "By the way, why do you like to scheme against the Church of the Lord of Storms so much?"
"On the sea, the Church of the Lord of Storms is the most dominant, and also, Beyonders of the Storm Pathway are very easily provoked." The Prophet Clone spread his hands with an expression that said there was nothing he could do.
"You're right." Klein murmured in agreement, noncommittally.
Then he walked with heavy steps to the desk leaning against the wall, picked up the fountain pen on the table, and began to write the letter he was preparing to send to Azik.
He briefly described his encounter with Orange Light Hillarion, and finally emphasized the other party's warning to be careful of the "Mother Tree" and his own suspicions.
After putting down the fountain pen, he took out Azik's copper whistle from his pocket, brought it to his mouth, and blew it, while tearing the letter paper from the notebook.
On the floor of the hotel room, white bones gushed out like a fountain, assembling in mid-air to form a tall White Bone Messenger.
Klein folded the freshly torn letter paper and handed it to the messenger. The White Bone Messenger quickly disintegrated upon receiving the letter, transforming into a pile of bones that darted into the Spirit World.
"Why does it look like it's running away?" Klein looked at the Prophet Clone, who was sitting idly by, with some confusion.
"Perhaps my gaze just now was too unrestrained, scaring this Mr. Messenger." The Prophet Clone said faintly, looking at the place where the White Bone Messenger disappeared.
Klein nodded, saying nothing more. He was busy taking out his adventurer's harmonica, which he used to summon Miss Messenger, and blew it.
Silently, Reinette Tinekerr, with golden hair and red eyes, carrying four heads, appeared in the room.
The Prophet Clone and the four heads with eight eyes held by Miss Messenger stared at each other for a moment, then the Prophet Clone somewhat unnaturally shifted his gaze.
Reinette Tinekerr looked around, finally turning to Klein, and spoke segment by segment:
"No..."
"Letter."
Klein forced a smile, and at the same time took out a gold coin from his pocket and handed it over, saying, "I'm not sending a letter this time. I have something I want to discuss with you. This is the summoning fee."
One of the heads held by Reinette Tinekerr suddenly lunged forward and bit the gold coin. The two heads that hadn't been able to speak before then said, "What..." "Matter..."
Klein tried to make himself appear more sincere, saying, "I might encounter some danger from the Rose School of Thought recently. I hope I can summon you for help at that time, is that possible?"
Reinette Tinekerr's four heads simultaneously looked towards the Prophet Clone, who was leaning back in a wooden chair, their crimson eyes shifting as they said, "He is..." "A Demigod..." "Why..." "Look for me..."
"I'm still wanted by the Church of the Lord of Storms. If I openly clash with someone in the Rorsted Archipelago, the Storm's divine punishment could fall at any time."
Reinette Tinekerr's eight eyes in her four heads rolled in their sockets, as if accepting this explanation. Her four heads then spoke in turn:
"Can..."
"Pay..."
"Ten thousand..."
"Gold coins."
Ten thousand! That's ten thousand pounds!
Klein opened his mouth, feeling a bit of a toothache, and said, "I don't have that much money right now."
"You..."
"Can..."
"Pay in..."
"Installments."
Klein tilted his head slightly, looking at the Prophet Clone, who was still drinking coffee, with a hint of reproach in his eyes. Did Miss Messenger learn this from you?
The Prophet Clone shrugged, and before Klein could nod, he said, "The Rose School of Thought will have Saints, and even Angels, coming. We can also use this opportunity to help you hunt one or two Saints and retrieve parts of your body."
The four heads with eight eyes held by Reinette Tinekerr simultaneously stared at him with concentrated gazes. In their crimson eyes, suppressed desires flowed tangibly, and the aura around her suddenly became extremely oppressive.
This state lasted for less than two seconds before she reined in her aura. Her four heads then spoke in turn:
"Can..."
"If..."
"Successful..."
"No charge."
The Prophet Clone nodded lightly and said, "I've also called an Angel from the Moses Ascetic Order to help. There's a good chance of successfully ambushing and killing a Saint amidst the chaos."
Reinette Tinekerr said nothing more. Her four heads nodded simultaneously and disappeared from the hotel room.
After Miss Messenger left, Klein immediately pressed, "When did you notify the Moses Ascetic Order's Angel? And Miss Messenger's body?"
"Now." As the Prophet Clone spoke, he grasped at the void in front of him with his right hand, pulling out a pale yellow piece of paper from the Spirit World.
"Reinette Tinekerr was the leader of the Temperance faction of the Rose School of Thought. Later, due to Sears's birth, the Rose School of Thought erupted in civil war, and she also fell under the siege of Sears and other high-ranking members."
"However, she should have made some preparations beforehand and revived in a special state in the Spirit World."
"Her 'Ancient Bane' body was divided into many pieces, each sealed with the Saints of the Indulgence Faction of the Rose School of Thought."
As he spoke, he picked up a fountain pen from the desk and quickly wrote down a few Dutanese words, then folded the letter paper and casually tossed it into the Spirit World.
A tapping sound suddenly rang out, and a strip of white paper was suddenly ejected from the wireless telegraph machine Klein had placed aside.
He hurried over, recording and translating the content of the telegram using a cipher book.
The Prophet Clone shifted his gaze and looked over, relying on his memory to directly translate the content of that telegram signal in his mind:
"I see you."
"And they're still using general encryption. The Rose School of Thought people really have some brains, but not much."
As he sighed, his spiritual intuition produced some subtle premonitions. His eyes naturally deepened, lost focus, and became covered with a thick layer of silvery-white.
In this state, the world in his eyes became exceptionally chaotic and blurry, as if countless anomalies were piled up.
Among these anomalies, countless colors flowed, seemingly corresponding to the various desires in people's hearts, stacking and deforming layer upon layer.
Not long after, a distorted and bizarre tree appeared. The branches of its crown extended upwards endlessly, seemingly piercing into the illusory and ethereal Astral World, connecting with a certain place, a certain existence.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound of his heart beating violently echoed in his ears, stirring the emotions and desires deep within him.
The Prophet Clone only felt a sharp stinging pain in his eyes, as if needles were piercing them. His nose felt warm, and streams of crimson blood flowed from it.
The "Prophecy" state was passively interrupted. The Prophet Clone swayed, quickly reaching out to steady himself by gripping the tabletop.
He reached up and touched the blood flowing from his nostrils, grimacing as he said, "Saw something I shouldn't have. When did my 'Prophecy' ability become so strong?"
"What did you see? Is it related to the telegram just now?" Klein asked with concern, handing over a towel.
Taking the towel from Klein's hand, he wiped the blood from his face as he said, "I accidentally saw a projection of the 'Mother Tree'. This process was very brief, and I only saw a tiny projection. She shouldn't have noticed my prying."
"The Rose School of Thought people should already be searching the entire city for you. Thankfully, Helmosuin's death has mobilized the official forces here, so the Rose School of Thought's search can't be too reckless."
Klein's expression darkened. He couldn't help but suggest, "Should we leave Bayam now?"
The Prophet Clone slowly shook his head. He looked at the dark sky outside the window and calmly said, "I noticed some subtle changes when I passed through this Spirit World area earlier, carrying a hint of a curse. Clearly, the Rose School of Thought people had anticipated this possibility and made some preparations."
"I can leave through Spirit World travel, but taking you with me might not be possible. Let's wait for Mr. Azik to arrive."
☰