Lin Huai still had countless doubts about Kaelan's claims. An incarnation above the Sequences, an Angel of the Criminal Pathway—it sounded like a fairy tale.
However, that awkward Chinese sentence and the blurry memory of a coastal city and a yellow-haired man flashing in his mind constantly reminded him that beneath all this absurdity lay an undeniable truth related to his past.
After weighing his options, Lin Huai knew he had no choice. He took a deep breath, looked at Kaelan, and finally asked the most crucial question:
"What is the method of rescue?"
Hearing this, a hint of joy finally appeared on Kaelan's tense face. She carefully took a worm out of a close-fitting Rune Talisman pouch.
The worm was about the length of a knuckle, its entire body a strange translucent state, as if composed of illusory spirituality. It had no eyes or mouthparts, looking like a piece of living, wriggling, murky crystal.
"Lord Pope told me," Kaelan explained respectfully, holding the translucent worm, "this Spirit Worm can borrow the 'Fool's' authority to 'Graft' any door here to another door at the ritual's location."
"The location of the ritual is in the Southern Continent, the City of Generosity, Bayam."
Bayam!
The name struck like a thunderclap in Lin Huai's mind again, instantly making him recall the "City of Sin" known in history for pirates, storms, and gold.
He was just about to agree and let Kaelan start the ritual when an old, weary, yet supremely majestic voice sounded above everyone's heads without warning.
"Take my two sons along."
As the voice fell, space rippled like water. The one-eyed God-King Odin, holding the Eternal Spear Gungnir, slowly emerged in mid-air, carrying a struggling Loki in his hand.
The old schemer who had been feigning sleep for five chapters finally stopped pretending!
Lin Huai complained inwardly but bowed impassively: "God-King."
"I'm afraid your request is inappropriate," Kaelan looked up, trying to argue. "This mission is extremely dangerous; the two Princes..."
"This is an order." Odin interrupted her, his single eye devoid of emotion. "This is also part of their trial. If they don't even have the courage to face threats from outside the Nine Realms, they will never learn how to become true kings."
His gaze swept across Thor and Loki, who had varying expressions, and finally rested on Lin Huai.
"I'm counting on you."
With Odin's forced intervention, there was no room for negotiation. Kaelan helplessly accepted the fact. Holding the Spirit Worm, she walked to a relatively intact door among the ruins of the bedchamber.
The worm seemed to sense the command and slowly crawled onto the door panel. Then, its entire body melted, turning into a puddle of invisible liquid that seeped into the wooden door.
Hum—
The entire door shook violently, and countless twisted, indescribable symbols surfaced on it before quickly fading away. The once ordinary wooden door now looked somewhat profound and eerie.
Kaelan took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Behind the door was no longer the magnificent palace of Asgard.
A salty sea breeze mixed with the cloying scent of rum wafted toward them. They found themselves standing at the entrance of a grand cathedral.
This cathedral dominated the coastal parish and was undoubtedly the most eye-catching building in the "City of Generosity," Bayam. Its style was completely different from the surrounding houses, filled with a unique charm that attracted a constant stream of believers to worship. The interior was high and solemn, with light casting down from stained glass windows, illuminating the dust floating in the air and creating a sacred stillness.
At the deepest part of the prayer hall, on a massive stone wall, a Holy Emblem composed of a pupil-less eye and twisted lines was depicted in dark red paint, silently looking down upon the pious or unruly souls below.
Church of the Fool!
Lin Huai's heart skipped a beat. With a mind full of thoughts, he was the first to step through the door. Thor, Loki, and the Demoness Kaelan followed closely behind.
Just as the group stood firm in the cathedral, a voice filled with deep resentment rang out from a nearby bench.
"Shit!"
A man with yellowish hair suddenly sat up from the bench. With a blade of grass in his mouth and a look of despair, he shouted:
"How can I be so unlucky! I knew I'd be the one stuck with this death-defying job again! Can't those big shots upstairs find someone else?!"
Seeing Lin Huai's group appear suddenly—especially Thor's tough-looking silver armor and Kaelan's overly beautiful face—the man's resentment deepened. He spat the grass onto the ground and waved his hand impatiently.
"Hey, hey! You guys are the helpers that masked guy called, right?" His gaze finally locked onto Lin Huai, whose temperament seemed the most normal. "Finally here. I thought I'd have to feed the mosquitoes in this hellhole all night."
Muttering complaints, he pulled a crumpled roll of parchment from his coat and tossed it over.
"This is the information about the ritual. Read it yourselves and don't bother me."
Lin Huai reached out to catch it; a faint salty, fishy smell came from the parchment. His gaze fell on the yellow-haired man, and while his heart was in turmoil, his face remained calm.
The unlucky guy mentioned by the Curly-Haired Baboons, "Mr. Gold Pound," Big Annie... It really was him!
This discovery was even more shocking to him than seeing Odin in Asgard. It meant that the World he was in and the World he once thought was just a story had produced a substantial intersection in a way he completely couldn't understand.
Lin Huai silently opened the parchment scroll. There were no complex diagrams or detailed intelligence on it, only a nursery rhyme written in Loenese:
Black-eyed Edward,
Please don't be angry anymore,
The fire has burned away the sin.
Black-clothed Edward,
Please don't be sad anymore,
The bad people have killed each other.
Black-haired Edward,
Please don't cry anymore,
The earth can no longer bear it.
Black-blooded Edward,
Please don't be in pain anymore,
The forest has already withered.
Black-winged Edward,
Please spare them,
The sky has already been obscured.
The content of this nursery rhyme was eerie; each stanza seemed to represent a stage, a process gradually leading toward destruction.
After reading it, Lin Huai looked at the man named Danitz with a mind full of confusion.
Danitz, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately shook his head frantically and waved his hands.
"Don't look at me! I have absolutely no desire to understand what those scribbles mean! My Captain told me that the less you know, the longer you live." He stepped back two steps with a look of disgust. "You should be like your... predecessor, right? A university graduate? Figure it out yourself; I don't understand it at all!"
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand, Mr. Ten Thousand Pounds. My senior told me that you have to follow me and go on an adventure together. Did he ever tell you that the less valuable you are, the safer you are?" Lin Huai suddenly let out a mischievous smile.