Miao Miao bid Klein a friendly farewell. As she passed the mailbox of House No. 15, she thought to herself... What exactly do I need to do to win over this clever, cautious, and intelligent man? Hmm... I came here to reduce the negative impression, but it seems to have had the opposite effect.
Has Derrick still not entered the cell of that Amon parasite? she wondered, a trace of anxiety flickering in her mind.
Klein's expression seemed quite normal to me... Has something in the original plot changed?
By then, evening had already descended.
....
After the Tarot Club meeting concluded, 'The Sun' Derrick returned to the real world, finding himself once again in that dark, cramped cell.
He sat motionless for a few seconds, listening intently. Sensing nothing unusual, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Mr. Hanged Man had instructed him to gather more information from the former exploration team leader, but the words of Miss Lover echoed in his mind.
"Identity, Fate... Stolen." A cold shiver of fear washed over him.
The former team leader was the sole survivor. Could it be that Amon had stolen his identity, and that he was imprisoned in this tower precisely because the authorities sensed something abnormal? As he sat there, these thoughts swirled in his mind like a dark vortex.
Suddenly...
A strange, guttural groaning sound drifted in from the adjacent cell. Derrick recoiled, stumbling backward.
He tried to suppress the mounting dread in his heart. His only thought was: Has he lost control and turned into a monster? If he is still himself, he will surely respond.
To confirm this, he approached the cold metal wall and tapped on it with a curled finger.
Thump. Thump.
In that precise moment, a faint, ethereal voice drifted from the bed behind him:
"Are you looking for me...?"
.....
Klein sat at his desk, deep in thought. From Miao Miao's words, he had learned that she possessed none of the original owner's memories. Furthermore, she claimed she hadn't touched any mystical artifacts or performed any rituals. This fellow transmigrator admitted that she had no idea how she had ended up here, and many of her memories remained hazy and blurred.
A male voice? Was it Mr. 'Hanged Man' or little 'Sun'?
Klein gazed at the gloomy sky outside the window, then stood up and headed to the adjacent bathroom. After locking the door, he took four steps backward and ascended above the grey fog.
Inside that mysterious space, a majestic and ancient palace stood in silent grandeur, echoing with the layers of an ethereal male voice.
With a single glance, Klein confirmed that the prayer indeed came from the little 'Sun.' As he took his seat in 'The Fool's' chair, he extended his spirituality, reaching out his right hand to touch the corresponding crimson star.
Above the grey fog, within the ancient palace, Klein's gaze froze as he witnessed the scene of 'The Sun's' prayer.
Wrapped around 'The Sun's' blurred and illusory figure was a transparent, spectral form! It possessed limbs, yet it coiled around 'The Sun' like a python, its head extending just behind Derrick's own.
In the hazy image, the figure wore a classic black robe, a matching pointed soft hat, and a crystal monocle over its eye.
And 'The Sun' was entirely oblivious to it!
A monocle? Is this the same monocle Miss Lover warned me about? To steal identity, fate, and power... it truly is... Klein thought grimly. Can I assume that at this moment, this is a parasite within 'The Sun'? A High-Sequence title of the Marauder pathway must be 'Parasite'.
Could it be that this entity sensed the existence of the grey fog somehow and chose 'The Sun' as its prey? By 'residing' within 'The Sun's' spiritual body and waiting for the next Tarot gathering, it could silently infiltrate above the grey fog like a virus or a Trojan horse!
At that point, my control over this mysterious space might be snatched away... No, Amon is a 'Blasphemer' who dares to steal even the authority of the gods... To put it plainly, he might steal my entire being and turn me into one of his avatars...
Fortunately, little 'Sun' is relatively simple and naive, and he informed me of this situation immediately. Through the corresponding crimson star, and with the help of the power above the grey fog, I was able to discover his peculiar state... Klein let out a long sigh, trying to steady his nerves.
At this moment, he had to take action: either find a way to quickly expel Amon from 'The Sun's' body or temporarily banish 'The Sun' from the Tarot Gatherings.
Countless thoughts flickered through his mind. After a moment of reflection, looking around, Klein realized that only here—above this grey fog, within this mysterious space—did a possibility exist to solve the problem of Amon.
Taking the previous sacrifice and bestowal rituals as a reference... with this in mind, Klein turned his attention to the 'Book of Secrets.'
Its source lay in the esoteric grimoires of the ancient Magician King Karaman, which recorded many mystical rituals involving prayers to the Primordial Moon.
After a period of busy preparation, Klein initiated a new secret ritual, one whose effectiveness he was uncertain of.
He tested it cautiously several times, and once he was certain of its correctness, he extended his spirituality and replied to little 'Sun' in a low, resonant voice:
''I understand.''
''There is something you must do.''
"Attempt to hold the following ritual..."
....
Miao Miao returned home and sat by the window, lazily twirling a pencil with one hand while popping cookies into her mouth with her right.
Evening had already fallen. Has the first confrontation between Klein and Amon concluded? Miao Miao muttered to herself.
She stepped out of her bedroom and entered the kitchen, as it offered a better vantage point of Klein's bedroom. The gaslights lining the street and the lamps in Klein's room flickered with the same warm glow.
I need a telescope if I am to observe him more closely.
....
The mysterious realm high above the grey fog sank once more into a profound silence, as if it had remained mute for countless eons.
Through the crimson star, Klein re-examined little 'Sun' with intense focus. He observed that the twisted, grotesque shadow was no longer coiled tightly around him.
Finally letting out a sigh of relief, Klein projected a 'comparative vision' before Derrick through the crimson glow—clearly revealing the state of his being before and after Amon's presence.
Ensuring that Derrick could grasp the full horror of the situation with his own eyes, Klein then returned to the real world.
....
Meanwhile, amidst an unknown and bottomless darkness, a sudden flash of lightning illuminated the surroundings for a fleeting second.
A mysterious figure stood there, clad in a classic black robe and a distinctive pointed hat. His curly black hair, piercing gaze, broad forehead, and thin face cut an eerie silhouette against the edge of the abyss.
He adjusted the crystal monocle over his eye with a finger. Then, turning his head to the left to gaze into the distant
unknown, he whispered softly:
'As expected...'
Pausing for a moment, a faint, crooked smile played across his lips. In an incredibly slow and grave tone, he uttered a single name in ancient Feysac:
'The Fool!'
He whispered again in a low, lingering tone:
''The Lover and The Hanged Man... Interesting."
Before the echoes of his voice could fade, he plunged into the yawning chasm ahead.
At that very instant, the lightning ceased, and a total, absolute darkness swallowed the world.
....
At 7.39 pm , Miao Miao first took out a pen and drew the design of the high-back chair belonging to 'The Fool' on a piece of paper. It featured the ' Pupil-less Eye' , a symbol of secrecy, and 'Contorted Lines,' a symbol of change.
Two sandalwood candles were placed on a low, round table, and Miao Miao lit them one by one with a matchstick. Taking out a small silver bottle, she uncorked it, immediately releasing a light, soothing fragrance that made her instinctively take a few deep breaths. She then completed the preliminary steps of the ritual by pouring a single drop of the liquid onto each candle.
On the table, she prepared a Spirit Eater's stomach pouch and 20 milliliters of Deep-Sea Marlin blood as offerings. Buying these two items from the Beyonder Store had cost her 200 pounds, leaving her with a balance of 1235 pounds, 6 soli, and 3 pence. However, she was selling these ingredients to Fors for 700 pounds.
If I had known the market price before buying these from the Beyonder Store, I would have negotiated for a lower price, she thought.
Hmm... I could open a secret shop to sell these Beyonder ingredient and formulas. I wonder how many years it would take for me to become a millionaire in this world? The thought flashed through her mind.
"Let's begin then..." Miao Miao sighed inwardly. Taking a deep breath, she knelt, folded her hands, and began to pray in Hermes, her voice adopting the persona of "Miss Lover":
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
"You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog;
"You are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.
"Your devoted servant prays for your attention;
"I pray for you to take his offerings;
"I pray for you to open the gates to your Kingdom."
After reciting the first three lines, a vortex-like airflow formed around Miao Miao, and her surroundings began to show signs of distorting into fragments of color.
As soon as Miao Miao finished the prayer, she suddenly heard a cracking sound from somewhere.
Just as expected... this historic moment should be recorded; I am actually offering something to 'The Fool' in reality.
She kept her head bowed, her long black hair veiling her face.
.....…....
At that moment, Klein was sipping tea and reading , a philosophy book , ready to head to the bathroom at any second. He remained highly vigilant regarding Amon's parasite; although little 'Sun' had been freed from it, the lingering threat was ever-present. Just then, he heard the ethereal murmurs of a prayer echoing from above the grey fog.
This... hmm, sounds like Miss Lover's voice...Klein noted internally. Taking four steps counter-clockwise, he ascended above the gray fog.
The instant he appeared on the high-back chair, a pale red sphere of light, encased in a transparent membrane, descended from the void. Its radiance rippled outward in concentric circles, gently nourishing Klein's spirituality.
Klein reached out to touch the outer layer of the light sphere.
Through a finger-wide crack, a blurred image was suddenly seared into Klein's mind: a young woman kneeling with her forehead pressed against the ground, her long black hair swaying incessantly in the spiritual flow, resembling dark serpents gliding through a midnight lake.
It was Miss Lover. On the altar before her lay an object wrapped in bandages and a black-and-red colour vial.
He swiftly transferred the offered Spirit Eater's stomach pouch and the 20 milliliters of Deep-Sea Marlin blood into the gray fog.
...
Beads of sweat appeared on Miao Miao's narrow forehead. She moved her high chin, performing a few quick facial exercises to relieve the tension.
Performing this ritual has drained a vast amount of my spirituality, she thought.
Besides, this body is much weaker than my body in the real world. Even though I have consumed a Beyonder potion, I still couldn't jump high enough during the fight, and I can't perform my martial arts properly.
Bai Niao... I cannot let anyone find out that I was an assassin in the real world and including this, I have transmigrated into different characters across various novels six times before.
Where does Bai Niao stay when she only appears in this novel world for brief moments? Does she return to the real world during those intervals? No... she mentioned that she is trapped here...
I need to enhance my sensing skills through meditation. In this case, I can utilize my Spiritual Intuition. Since my Sequence isn't that high yet, I must rely on these finer methods to perceive my surroundings.
.....
Fors lay lazily on the comfortable sofa in her living room, feeling as though the bones in her body had completely liquefied. Although she held a half-read magazine, her mind was fixated on that strange method Miss Lover had taught her.
She let out a long sigh, wondering how wise it had been to ask Xio for a loan of 270 pounds. Xio wasn't stingy, but looking into those disciplined, stern eyes to ask for money was no small feat of courage. Yet, for the sake of the Beyonder ingredients, it was a risk she had to take.
Just then, the news from Mr. Fool flashed through her mind. Mr. Fool had confirmed that Miss Lover had already submitted the ingredients to him. Fors felt a wave of relief, mingled with a touch of surprise. Miss Lover's efficiency was truly commendable!
Shifting to one side on the sofa, she muttered to herself, "The ingredients have arrived; now I'm just waiting for Xio's pounds. I'll withdraw the money from the bank tomorrow...Furthermore, I would also need to purchase the supplementary ingredients."