Klein didn't hesitate, taking the charms from Alaric and borrowing a small boat from Cattleya. He rowed alone toward the mermaids.
Alaric watched as Klein approached, using the charms to keep the mermaids from fleeing. Klein then prepared the potion with pre-gathered materials and drank it amidst their haunting song.
After a brief wait, Alaric saw Klein open his eyes again, beginning to familiarize himself with the abilities of a Marionettist. Alaric knew then that Klein had successfully advanced to Sequence 5, becoming a true Marionettist.
"That's a lot faster than in the original story, but it's not a bad thing," Alaric mused to himself. Though he was fairly certain Bethel would become the Lord of Mysteries, if Klein could reach King of Angels, that wouldn't be a bad outcome either.
That way, Klein wouldn't face the full brunt of the Celestial Worthy's will... while a King of Angels still contends with it, it's far less intense than what a Lord of Mysteries would face. He'd also have enough power to protect himself. Plus, with a King of Angels like Klein as a fallback, if Bethel met some mishap, fell, or failed to ascend, Klein could step up.
Though Alaric privately hoped Klein wouldn't have to make such a sacrifice, he'd always respect his friend's choices. If that day came, he'd offer his blessings and see if he could suppress the Celestial Worthy's will.
Of course, if Bethel became the Lord of Mysteries, Alaric would still try to curb the Celestial Worthy's influence for him.
"But while suppressing a divine will like that works, it's not a long-term fix. Ultimately, it's up to their own humanity…" Alaric's thoughts drifted to the original story, where Klein, as the Lord of Mysteries, faced the Celestial Worthy in a dreamworld duel, suppressing its will. His eyes gleamed with consideration. "Dreams, huh? Maybe I could start there…"
Dreams weren't Alaric's forte, but having spent a long time with Yog-Sothoth, he wasn't entirely clueless.
Still, it wasn't his natural ability, so even with some knowledge, tackling it would require time for research and preparation.
As Alaric pondered a thousand ways to thwart the Celestial Worthy, Klein rowed back to the Future, pulled aboard by the crew.
"Congratulations, Gehrman," Cattleya said warmly. Though not yet part of the Tarot Club, her connection to her namesake made her less wary and more approachable toward Klein than in the original story.
Klein responded with humble, polite small talk, discussing their next destination with her before joining his companions. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Not too long," Alaric said with a grin, teasing, "How's it feel to be Sequence 5?"
"Not bad," Klein replied, smiling. Then, glancing at Alaric, he added, "Jack, you should hurry up and digest your Faceless potion. Mr. Lucifer said he's already prepared the Marionettist potion for you, just waiting for you to advance."
"Spare me, I'm no genius like you," Alaric said, feigning a pleading look.
Indeed, Alaric's Jack persona was already a Faceless. Through experimentation, he'd found that while his personas couldn't advance via potions, they could by altering others' perceptions of reality... convincing enough people that "Jack" was a Faceless. Once a critical mass believed it, the persona automatically advanced.
It was essentially the same as building a Faceless persona from scratch, but simpler.
Seeing Jack's familiar slacker attitude, Klein shook his head, helpless but unable to argue.
After all, with them... and Mr. Lucifer... around, Jack would be fine even as an ordinary human. There was no need to rush his advancement.
Lil' Amon chimed in, "Now that you're Sequence 5, Gehrman, where to next? Bansy Harbor? City of Generosity? Or are we off to adventure in Vice Admiral Iceberg's book?"
His expression was eager, clearly excited for what lay ahead.
"Our next stop is Bansy Harbor," Klein answered, clearly prepared. "According to Lady Cattleya, Vice Admiral Iceberg has been active there recently. We'll explore Bansy Harbor first, then meet her to trade for Groselle's Travels."
"Once we have the book, I'll contact old Mr. Pallez. When he arrives, we can explore its world."
"Bansy, huh…" Alaric said, rubbing his chin, looking forward to the trip.
For the foreseeable future, his main self would be busy establishing the Church of the Chaos, and his Lucifer persona would be researching Outer God powers. That left his Jack persona free to tag along with Klein, stirring up fun.
"That's the perk of having multiple personas. Even if two are working around the clock, one can still slack," Alaric thought smugly for a second before grumbling to himself, "But seriously, why do two of my three personas have to work like that? Is that fair?"
Alaric found it unfair, but he had no choice. Researching Outer Gods required his personal attention, and while Medici could handle most of the Church of the Chaos's affairs, some critical tasks still needed Alaric's oversight.
"Maybe those who make others work like that end up doing it themselves," Alaric quipped inwardly, but he didn't mind too much.
It was only temporary. Once his hands-on tasks were done, he'd be free to relax.
…
The Future sailed swiftly, and with Cattleya's full effort, it soon reached the vicinity of Bansy Harbor.
To avoid causing a stir, Cattleya didn't dock the Future directly at Bansy Harbor. Instead, she anchored near a secluded island and arranged a small boat to take Klein and the others to the port.
"I'll try contacting Vice Admiral Iceberg while you're gone," Cattleya said as they boarded the boat. "If she's nearby, she might be here when you return."
***
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