On the same day's evening.
Selina had finished dinner and as usual, gave Falacy a heated, fresh meal.
"Eat well." she whispered. Upon seeing the cat gorge, she stood up and threw herself onto the mattress.
She stretched her arms, taking in the comfort and softness before turning gray. A lot of things stirred her mind and it made her take out the seed charm from her drawer.
Klein's words reverberated in her head; "I'll let you name them..."
"Blood-Curdling Charm." murmured Selina, clutching a nameless horror in her heart.
In the illumination of the gas lamps, the seed reflects an jade luster. Upon turning it around, multiple symbols that are even foreign for her can be seen.
"Is that doors?" asked Selina herself. "This one seems to be an ancient Hermes. Mutation."
Following her train of thoughts. She recalled the Hermes mantra for activation: Release...
After what felt like hours of vacant stares. Selina finally hid it back to her vial.
"Captain might intrude again, so it's best not to write anything. But... what if I began to forget? Captain, you're already a transmitter, why do you have to be the influencer too?" Selina rolled once in her bed.
"Sigh." after consideration. She sat up and walked to the usual chair and table.
"Then I'll just have to be super cryptic."
...
Selina woke up to see the familiar pasture and unending horizon. At the same time, it was also when voices coming from the vine overlapped in her ears.
"Piolo?"
This time, she used her own spirituality, she can grasp it now, even more than before. However, it didn't gave any changes.
Perhaps it's the rituals... Selina noted and looked at Piolo's visage. He wore a night gown, stripped white and navy blue.
"You're grace, I have two of Roselle's diary pages." Piolo made a splendid gesture of lowering his hand and placing his right arm to his abdomen.
Selina's chest palpitated with joy. How delightful! Mhm, just as what I expected from the followers of the Child of God!
"But... With all due respect Honorable Mrs. White. How can I relay them to you?" Piolo said with caution.
At that moment, the wind stirred to accommodate a majestic and sublime voice. "You may picture the notes in your mind."
In my mind... Piolo repeated and all of a sudden, that same words through his voice resonated in the world.
His breathing paused and eyes peeled open.
"Yes! Yes! I'll picture them!" Piolo can't help but excitedly recall the notes he had seen.
Of course, as per Yesir's constant probing, he had memorized them by pattern. Believing that it would bore no fruit. He now couldn't have been more grateful.
He held back his urge to think of his reward. Simply focusing on forming every bit of words pasted on the paper in his room.
From Selina's hand, a dirt tablet etched with Mandarin letters began to mold. Two of them appeared.
To which in Piolo's suspicions, is indeed the contents copy of the diary pages he collected.
Can Mrs. White read this?
Well of course "She" can! I can ask for the contents are, as my reward!
The treasures and mystical secrets of Roselle!
Selina could still hear Piolo's thoughts through the vibration. Sigh...
With resignation, she figured it will be better to pay attention onto what matters. She laid her eyes onto the dirt tablet and reads,
"18th May. Exquisite."
"..." Selina was profoundly puzzled.
This was her first time, thus she may even mistake a few words, but as what was written, is undeniably "refined" and "delicately fashioned" placed together.
Selina almost pinched her glabella in front of Piolo. What is happening?
"I wasn't aware Lady Marcusis has that culinary expertise. Almost comparable to Matilda! I had almost considered taking her in as our twenty-sixth maid to prepare Bernadette and Bornova meals while we're gone."
Just how many maids do you have? Sigh I was too quick to judge... Selina felt penitent over her rashness. My deepest apologies...
So our Senior had two children. Bernadette and Bornova, I wonder how are they doing now after their father's death? They must be high-sequence beyonders now!
As Selina was in dismay of her own thoughts, she wrestled and moved on.
"If only she wasn't Duke Marhjon's wife."
I take that back... but the remark was deserved.
"20th May. I did it! I made a fully automize, with water dispenser, and non-contact flushing handle, golden toilet bowl!
"After being glued to the rationalizations and internal logics of steams and engines for some time. It's good to unwind here and there. This is my original invention, quite proud of it. I wonder what those powder wig monkeys would say."
This time, Selina was growing more and more unsure of allowing Piolo to remain here. Thus, she set the dirt tablets aside and initiate a dismissal.
"What do you wish as your reward?"
Piolo immediately wanted to say "power", but Mrs. White's secret follower had explicitly informed him and Yesir that bestowments are temporarily off-limits.
This stems to the quality of the White Maiden's recovering authorities.
"I wish insights on Roselle Gustav's diaries." he spoke reverently and also with conviction.
You want this? Are you sure? Selina was in disbelief. She instantly thought of a way to bypass this.
"Very well." then, the world stirred to add, "This, details his daily life. The other, talks about the continents other than the South and North."
She had to incorporate what she knows to dressed up the whole notes adequately.
"It is an attempt of voyaging the deep waters. Failed, and thus will redo it."
Piolo stammered and his lips quivered, "Other continents... Thank you, I am grateful for the reward Mrs. White."
After that, Selina severed her connections with him. Refocusing her attention on the diary pages.
"12th June. To think I had to attend Palor Ceizer's ball. I had to be a good father you know? Bernadette had just turned twelve. Such an age is considered unstable for the many. What would her impressions of her old man is if he was always gone?
"15th June. I completed the digestion of Sequence 6 Artisan. I have become a true Artisan! Now I will pursue the next Sequence, Astronomer! The Church of God of Craftsmanship should have the necessary formula and materials. I have no regrets. My ascension is smooth and fast!"
Selina perked up. "Sequence 6 Artisan and Sequence 5 Astronomer? Hmm they sounded like they belong in the Church of God of Steam and Machineries which is the Church of God of Craftmanship before. But why does he mean by no regrets?"
"30th June. I have become an Astronomer. The inaudible ravings persisted, however my tenacity suppressed these effects! Truly as what those main characters would say 'believe in oneself'!
"In the matter of oddities. I don't see why everyone had not place importance over the polar regions. They developed no names for such! Thus, I took it upon myself to name them. Antarctica and Antarctic regions!"
"Look at you senior..." Selina now had the freedom to massage her temples wearily.
"6th July. This has been a rather fortuitous encounter. Something or someone is within another plane where tempestuous storm bleeds with darkness.
"That mysterious Mr. Zaratul told me a rather interesting story. According to him, near the end of the War of the Four Dynasties, an Angel serving the Tudor Dynasty disappeared under the gaze of Evernight and Storms."
"Tudor Dynasty. Wasn't that the Empire of the Blood Emperor? I had to see it through for myself. Seers are nothing but charlatans, I do not condemn myself to believing their words is the truth!"
"Is Klein going to be a charlatan too? Or perhaps he already is!" Selina chuckled at the tidbit that intrigues her.
Finalizing the entries. She sorted her mind and only paid attention to what's important.
"Mr. Zaratul. Is he Senior Roselle's mentor? Hmm, perhaps not. But he said he's a Seer, a high-level Seer, an Angel?
"Something or someone within another plane where tempestuous storm bleeds with darkness. A powerful Angel of the Tudor Empire, a Fourth Epoch being, how terrifying and mysterious. What could have happened that subjected them?
"Wait." Selina felt an epiphany. "In the dream within 3-0137. Those two princes should be Tudor and Trunsoest based on their crest and their thrones.
"Was there a betrayal? Hmm, no, in the entry it was likely due to the Black Emperor's corruption over... the pathway? Both of them are under the same pathway? And Trunsoest switched!?"
Selina's heart palpitated. "W-What could the pathway under the Black Emperor Solomon then? Is "He" a deity? Does this mean that at higher sequences, one can change pathways?"
Her mind stirred with the rush of dopamine. After minutes of unanswered questions, she could only sigh and reign in her thoughts.
"Putting those aside. I now have something to hand to Mr. Fool."
With that said, Selina didn't stayed for long. She woke herself up and slept again for a proper rest.
...
In a dark, gloomy house of Backlund, Hillston Borough.
A middle-aged man with graying hair sat silently on a rocking chair in front of an unlit fireplace with a dark colored pipe in his hand. He looked at the guest, Fors and Xio on the sofa.
In his palm was the contents of the folder for consultation.
"In summary, we can outline the possible radius of activity for the target. He should be living somewhere close to the Backlund Bridge area. Perhaps somewhere close to both banks of the Tussock River—the West Borough or the Cherwood Borough..."
...
"I can only deduce this from the materials that you have given me."
Even though they didn't understand all of it, his deductions seemed to make sense. Xio and Fors looked at each other and nodded. They took back their materials and stood up to leave.
Seeing his assistant send off the two ladies, Isengard took out a bronze item from his vest pocket. It was an open paperback book. In the middle of the book was a vertical eye.
Isengard rocked his chair, rubbing the item while softly muttering to himself, "Qilangos has infiltrated Backlund?"
...
In a particular basement of Pritz Harbor.
After waiting for the man to recover, Alger leaned back. He emulated the peaceful and calm tone of The Fool.
"Tell me the reason why Qilangos went to Backlund."
"H-he's there to complete a commission, but I'm not sure about the details." The pirate had completely lost the will to resist. He answered honestly, "All I know is that he might receive something that he wants. Qilangos once boasted in front of us. He said that if this mission was a success, he would be able to obtain something he's dreamed of getting for a long time. The Four Pirate Kings would then become the Five Pirate Kings."
An object he's been dreaming of obtaining? Alger knitted his brows and slipped into deep thought.
...
Carter Works, Tingen City Harbor.
Four Mandated Punisher officers that were clad in deep-blue robe, streaked with gilded lightnings, approached the building.
No protesters were in the area. Four police officers and one inspector had the building on standby, awaiting for any responses coming from the sent intelligences.
"Let's enter." said coldly by a man in gray bonnet.
Inside was a lobby, and proceeding into every room, are workers documentary offices, staff office, break room, and warehouse. However, each bore no fruit.
Walking back into the lobby, a man with messy dark hair belonging with the four Mandated Punishers, remarked to their captain, "Haven't we already dissect this company?"
"A team of Nighthawks found its involvement with the divine light in West Borough. They requested another clearance." replied Monor, the man with gray bonnet, seemingly knitting his eyebrows.
At that moment, another member walked out of the basement, entry beneath the staircase.
"Captain, there's nothing in the basement. Only a large painting of the administrator's office we saw last time."
Before, they neglected this, however since because of the insights that the Nighthawks had issued for them to take precautions of. This seemingly harmless painting invoked another air.
Paintings are a product of expressing imaginations!
Monor's face grew solemn. He did not spoke, only he followed his ally back to where they found the painting.
On a wall, about a medium sized horizontal and rectangular portrait depicts Carter's mundane office.
However, scrutinizing on the multiple painted portraits on the walls was him—dark hair, squarish face with stubbled chin wearing a magnificent top hat.
It was nothing out of the ordinary until—on another picture was the exact same painting of the office, only it had a tree statue of a woman with a strange stone center of an altar.
One more was viscerally haunting. It was an image of pure, unfiltered chaos of screaming faces, blended into a pitch swirls of dark and red.
A painting of bleeding people!