Part 1. The Joker Chapter 139 – Researching “3-0782”
The crimson dissipated before his eyes, and Derek Berg saw his bedroom again, saw the pristine crystal ball.
It clicked!
The crystal ball shattered from the inside out, either into a sheet of illusory light that flew into the surrounding void, or crackled and fell to the ground, dotted with crystals.
Derek stared at the scene in stunned silence, noticing in the reflection of the bronze mirror beside him that his face was mottled with blood, noticing that the back of his right palm had a crimson glow swirling inward, congealing into a circle radiating with rooted lines.
The strange symbol twirled into the back of his hand and disappeared completely.
Derek was stunned for the time it took a dozen lightning bolts to light up the sky, and finally snapped out of his dreamlike daze.
He looked at the crystal ball fragment on the ground, and then looked at the back of his right hand, his gaze gradually becoming deeper and deeper.
Walking out of the bedroom and back into the living room, Derek opened the front door and looked up into the patch of sky above the Silver City.
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, casting a silver glow over everything, and then, in a roll of thunder, the world returned to darkness, a darkness without a single ray of light, a darkness so deep and heavy that it could make people despair.
Derek’s hands were clenched into fists, the joy was invisible in his eyes, the sadness and pain still lingered.
But he was no longer bewildered.
……
Whew, got another member, no, developed another member …… Klein laughed and shook his head, laughing at the current strength of the Tarot Society:
As the leader of the “Fool”, but only serial 9, just finished digesting the “Diviner” magic potion!
But the Silver City, which the Sun said had no hope, had at least three high-ranking Sequence 4 powerhouses!
”One more padding, then I can explain the situation to the captain and make a special request, once I become a ‘Joker’, I’m at least no longer just an auxiliary.” Without stopping, Klein extended his aura and wrapped it around himself, plummeting downward.
Penetrating the gray mist and breaking through the ravings, he returned to the room and disarmed the wall of spirituality.
Then Klein grabbed the key and pulled the door out, checking first on the two rooms Dunn had booked to make sure the captain and Fry hadn’t returned yet, then walking to the first floor and thrusting the key at the owner.
The owner glanced at the wall clock on the side and gave him a thumbs up:
”Good job!”
Hey, what do you think I’m doing with a “clock room”? Klein opened his mouth to explain, but finally decided to let the other man continue to misunderstand.
He reassured himself with a sense of resignation:
Well, that way he won’t get tongue-tied in front of the captain about me getting another room!
After going out for another posturing round, Klein did a quick divination and based on the results returned to the inn and headed straight to the second floor, where he expectedly saw Dunn and Frye exchanging information about the investigation they had just conducted in one of the rooms.
”It can be confirmed that the disgruntled spirits have only appeared in the last two or three months.” Dunn glanced at Klein who opened the door and gave his conclusion with a nod.
Klein immediately concurred:
”My investigation also confirms this ……”
He picked up the highlights of his previous questioning and described it again, ending with, “Heh, a townsman named Rascal Gray also claimed to own the portrait of the first Baron Ramrod in his house, saying that it was an antique oil painting from over a thousand years ago.”
”You didn’t pay for it, did you?” Dunn’s gray eyes twinkled, baffled for a moment, and he asked directly in return.
Captain, do you think I’m such an easily fooled fool? Klein laughed dryly:
”No, not really, although I’m only a history student, I’ve also listened to some archaeology classes and possess some experience in this area, I can initially identify the authenticity of the painting, heh, the person on that painting looks a lot like my history instructor, Mr. Aztec.”
He told the most crucial thing in a casual unconcerned manner.
Dunn really didn’t pay attention to that and rubbed the corner of his brow, “Towns like this with ancient ruins are always filled with all sorts of antiques, and I just met townspeople selling Baron Ramrod’s silver wine cups.”
”Someone sold me the crest of the Ramde family, saying that it was dug out from an ancient castle.” Frye echoed.
Crane subconsciously asked, “You didn’t buy it, did you?”
Fry looked at him, he looked at Fry, and the subject was never continued by either side.
”The next task is for you or Fry, who has recovered, to take the seal ‘3-0782’ and go to an unoccupied area outside of town, or half the inn is going to be turned into idiots who only know how to ‘praise the sun,’ You first, or Fry?” Dunn’s gray eyes looked darkly at Krynn as he said.
”Me.” Klein raised his hand slightly and smiled, “It’s not too late, I can get a good night’s sleep when I get back, it’s a two hour rotation, right?”
”Yes, Fry, you go over there with Klein and confirm the handover.” Dunn looked sideways at Fry, the “body collector” – halfway through the separate investigations, he’d already found the opportunity to hand over the seal, “3-0782”, to Fry, who would otherwise have been cleansed of his mind and body long ago. began to praise the sun, while Frye could only support himself for another three hours at the moment due to insufficient recovery time.
”Okay.” Fry took the “Mutated Sun Emblem” from the inside of his thin black trench coat and handed it to Klein.
Klein took it with considerable curiosity and interest, only to find that the metal of the emblem was warm to the touch, as if there was hot water flowing inside.
The warm and genial light seemed like ripples, spreading outward layer by layer, bringing with it the flavor of purity, and at the same time, Klein only felt that the dark golden holy emblem with the sun symbol was constantly washing away his spirituality, removing impurities and leaving behind purity.
Sure enough, seals have a very pitiful side, the slightest inattention will be dead, or more tragic than dead …… He muttered darkly, and put the seal “3-0782” on the inside of his clothes.
After confirming the status of his revolver, talisman, and cane, he and Frye paired up, walked out of the room, left the inn, and headed straight for the outside of Ramrod’s town.
Beside the sparse and cold woods, the two circled around to make sure there were no living souls within a few dozen meters of them.
”If anyone comes near, drive him away.” Fry reminded icily and grimly, “I’ll take over in two hours.”
”No problem.” Klein replied with a smile.
Watching Fry walk into town, he found the half-height stone he’d just looked at, plucked a nearby leaf, and wiped the surface.
Then, he touched the top of the stone with his finger and observed the finger for a few moments in the scarlet moonlight.
Confirming that there was no mistake, Klein lifted up his thin black trench coat and sat down on his butt.
Don’t stand if you can sit! he added silently in his mind.
After a few minutes of calm, he looked out over the dimly lit, silent, and frighteningly deep grove, and couldn’t help but stand up and pull different metal vials out of one of the concealed pockets on the inside of his clothing, sprinkling a circle of powdered herbs and essential oils puree around the stone.
Immediately afterward, Klein chanted an incantation in Hermetic, and with the help of the materials, spewed spirituality to seal the area he was in.
The purpose of this simple ritual of his was twofold; one, not to rely on the soothsayer’s premonition of danger, in case any dead bodies or ghosts sneaked up on him, and two, two, to repel mosquitoes ……
A hundred times more effective than floral water! Satisfied, Klein resumed his seat.
After a few minutes of boredom, he removed the seal “3-0782” with curiosity and scrutinized the “Mutated Sun Emblem”.
I wonder if I can divine its origin and special source …… Suddenly, Klein flashed an interesting idea, so he took out the paper and water-absorbing fountain pen he had with him, and wrote down a divination statement:
”The source of the Mutant Sun Holy Emblem in my hand.”
–As a qualified and true diviner, Klein had long been fully prepared for divining anytime, anywhere.
Silently reciting the divination statement seven times, he closed his eyes and entered a meditative state, using this as a springboard to begin his own dream.
In the dream world, he saw only a pure light, other than that, there was nothing else to be gained.
”Well, the church must have gotten another soothsayer to try this before, and the lack of a source on the information means that no valid results were obtained, just like I just did ……” Klein sighed, and turned to think, “I wonder if eliminating the interference, what would be the result?”
The idea just surfaced and immediately took over his brain, sending his curiosity through the roof.
After hesitating for ten minutes or so, seeing that the night was serene, that no one was about, and that he was in the seclusion of the grove, where he would not be seen by those who passed by, he stood up, and, retrogressing four paces within the wall of spirituality, entered once more above the gray mist.
Inside the majestic palace, Klein sat at the top of the ancient table, letting the tawny parchment, the black round-bellied pen, and the “Mutated Sun Emblem” materialize in front of him.
”It feels quite real ……” He picked up the seal “3-0782” and weighed it, only to find that the shape and touch were the same as in the outside world.
Relying directly on my feelings to materialize? Klein muttered and rewrote his previous divination statement:
”The source of the Mutant Sun Holy Emblem in my hand.”
After seven silent readings, he took the parchment and seal “3-0782”, leaned back, and entered the dream world.
In the gray, illusory world, Klein saw a drop of golden, warm, bright liquid.
It floated above an altar, and in front of it stood a man in white classical robes.
The man had only his back, and lost all breath of life as he slowly collapsed to the altar.
At this time, the Sun Holy Emblem he held touched the drop of golden liquid, and the latter quickly penetrated.
When Klein saw this, his dreams faded fast and he awoke.
”So it’s because of the fusion of that drop of golden liquid that this Holy Emblem has been able to remain effective and unable to be controlled, well, at least decades have passed between its discovery and now, and the ability to purify has never declined……. I wonder what exactly that drop of golden liquid is… . some sort of high-grade extraordinary material?” Klein played with the seal “3-0782” that materialized in his hand and fell into deep contemplation.
After a few minutes of consideration, he tried to reverse the “Mutant Sun Emblem” to separate the “Golden Liquid” based on what he felt in the dream.
As soon as he thought of it, it appeared, and Klein was shocked and stunned as he looked at the no longer so warm and pure emblem in front of him, and at the drop of golden liquid floating quietly, he had a higher evaluation of the mysterious space above the gray mist:
It was enough to be called magical, even if it was only an illusory item that had been separated and materialized!
”The source of this drop of golden liquid.” He wrote down a new divination statement with considerable excitement.