Volume 7 The Inverted Hanged Man Chapter 19 Nobody’s Going Anywhere
Although there weren’t many prayers in the Storm Chapel at night, Klein chose to appear on the cloister leading to the garden to avoid conflict.
”It’s amazing ……,” Pasha muttered as she looked at the fixed surrounding scene.
Roy forcibly collected his inner feelings and glanced at each side, saying:
”If that Great Patriarch had come to the church to escape the curfew order, he would have been in a similar place.”
”An angel has too many ways to hide from the common man, if he were not worried about racking up charges.” Klein said casually, “I’ll send you to another church later, try to stay where there are glass windows and mirrors, and as soon as you spot a suspected Forsak outsider, look for an opportunity to draw a symbol ……”
Before he could say anything, his head suddenly swiveled to look at the door leading from the large prayer hall to the garden.
A figure over two meters six walked slowly out, wearing robes with white trim on a black background, his muscles bulging the loose clothing.
This was an old man with florid stubble and a square cap, his eyes were light blue, his wrinkles were sparse, and he had his own kind of air of looking down on everything.
The Archpriest of the Church of the God of War, Larrion …… did not need to do identification, Klein s spiritual intuition told him that the opposite side was an angel, the target of his coming to the church.
Larion swept him a glance and spoke with a slight surprise:
”It’s not Arianna …….”
K whirled around to collect the expression on his face and said rather indifferently:
”It seems to be k’s helper.
”You can tell k that I have reached an agreement with ‘0-02’, which has been activated to a certain extent, to give up the seal on it in exchange for permission to leave, and that you will remain here, enduring the changes in the rules and the increasingly strict laws and regulations until you die completely… …”
The archprelate didn’t seem at all worried that Klein would stop himself, for as K spoke, his body was aging rapidly, the surface of his skin soon covered with wrinkles, old age spots, and oozing with putrid fluid.
In the work of just a few blinks, Larion aged to the point where he seemed on the verge of evaporating.
Then, k literally turned completely into putrid liquid and vaporized completely.
This impactful image made Biles and the others feel fear from the bottom of their hearts, a feeling that they were on the verge of mental disorientation and an imminent emotional collapse.
It was just as frightening and terrifying as the countless tiny worms crawling out of that “magician” sir’s wrist wound to form a new palm!
”Strange ability, related to ‘Dusk’?” Klein didn’t stop Larion at all, but just nodded his head as if he was thinking.
Within Beltane’s corresponding spirit world, Larion’s figure was outlined and returned to normal.
Immediately afterward, k penetrated the invisible barrier as if he could drive the spirit world creatures, and broke away from the heavy restrictions of Beldan City.
However, just as Larrion began to “travel”, his eyes suddenly darkened, and he saw a dark, seamless piece of “cloth”.
It was like a wall, blocking Larrion’s progress!
Larrion cautiously stopped traveling and looked up to the infinite heights where the Seven Pure Lights were located, but all he could see was an illusory “curtain” dropping down from there, enveloping the part of the Spiritual Realm that corresponded to Beltane, and isolating it from the rest of the world.
At the same time, Larrion’s intuition from the “Demon Hunter” told him that the barrier formed by the “curtain” was very strong and difficult to break through, and that he would have to spend a lot of time and energy before he could do it.
For the Archpriest, what was happening now had a peculiarly comic feel to it, which made him feel an uncontrollable surge of anger:
It was as if k had finally found the key to the secret room after a great deal of trouble, and when he had the opportunity to open the door and leave before anyone else, he was startled to find an additional lock, quite a sturdy one, at the door of the room!
Lacking a bit of truth, it is an image from the orifice of history …… This is fraud! No, it’s outside the city of Beldan, out of the jurisdiction of the rules …… This historical projection should have existed here a long time ago, wait no more than two more minutes, and it will not be able to sustain itself and dissipate on its own …… Larrion quickly regained his composure, letting the anchor and the maddening tendencies once again form an equilibrium.
……
In the corridor of the Storm Chapel, Roy and the others, who had finally come to their senses, turned to look at Mr. Wizard, who was not much less than an angel.
Pasha hesitated for a moment, and said with trepidation:
”K, K seems to have escaped.”
In that case, there was no way to get information about the location of “0-02”, and if they really had to rely on a carpet search, they would definitely be out of time.
Moreover, none of the people present knew what that horrible seal looked like, the book-like description was too broad.
”We can only think of other ways.” Klein responded with the corners of his mouth turned up, “What do you guys suggest?”
He was waiting for Larrion to return and negotiate with himself, but he realized that the Archprelate preferred to wait in the Spirit World for the disappearance of the historical projection of the “Curtain”, while he himself was able to enter the Spirit World, but he was unable to break through the strange barrier that was created by the “0-02” substitution rule. The barrier.
While speaking, Klein was seriously thinking of other ways, while letting a small number of “Spirit Worms” take control of his body, and conversing with the extraordinary people next to him, trying to find inspiration from their discussions.
”We should take the initiative to create a ‘paradox’ similar to the one on Byers and put ourselves in a relatively safe state, only then can we start our search.” Phil reintroduced the idea that had sprung up earlier.
Pasha shook her head:
”But if we use that ‘contradiction’ to do something, ‘0-02’ will surely add new rules to address the problem accordingly.”
”But at least this buys us more time.” Phil emphasized.
”That could really go a long way.” Roy agreed, adding, “But our focus should be on finding ‘0-02’, maybe we can create some ‘paradoxes’ that will make it reveal its position? ”
As for what kind of “contradiction” can achieve such an effect, and how to create, he currently has no idea.
Self-contradictory situations …… add new rules to solve …… Klein held a smile, quietly listening, one idea after another within his mind fiercely colliding, bursting with sparks.
At this moment, the surface of the “magic mirror” in his hand flooded with watery light, and a silver word emerged:
”Pasha, do you want to know what the new addition to the bulletin board is?”
This mirror asked me directly …… Why did it ask me directly? Pasha was stunned for a moment, and busily nodded her head in reply:
”Think.”
The watery light within the silver mirror undulated and quickly restored the current state of that bulletin board.
Obviously, two new rules had been added there:
”…… All major churches are closed early in conjunction with the curfew ……”
”…… All hotels will only accept guests with registered identification ……”
Phil panicked at once:
”…… Where do we go now?”
He could no longer think of how else he, Roy and Pasha could escape punishment.
Roy and Pasha looked at each other, and all sorts of thoughts sprang up within their minds, but none of them worked.
At that moment, Klein, who had been quiet before, smiled and turned his gaze to Byers:
”Which part of Beldan is your home in?”
”In a rented house at 18 Red Maple Street, but, that apartment had already collapsed in the artillery strike.” Byers replied with slight confusion.
Klein laughed and said:
”You can make a wish to me to return your own residence to intact.”
”…… Is that okay?” Although the magical “wizard” across the street had healed Phil’s broken hand with unbelievable ability, Biles still felt that making the collapsed house whole was more difficult than that, after all, Roy’s military doctor, Webb, could do it too.
”Of course.” Klein reminded with a smile, “Get a grip.”
At this moment, the prayers in the church were leaving one after another.
Byers didn’t dare to delay any longer and immediately spoke:
”I want my home to be restored to its original appearance.”
”Good.” Klein raised his right hand and snapped his fingers, “Your wish is granted.”
Uh? As Roy and the others froze, Klein turned on the “teleportation” once again, taking them to 18 Red Maple Street and stopping outside a two-bedroom room.
Biles looked blankly at the familiar wooden door in front of him, and subconsciously reached out his right hand to push it open.
The cupboards, the coal stove, the high and low beds, the oil-stained wooden table, and the old newspapers placed in a messy manner all came into Byers’ eyes, making his eyes instantly become moist.
Before the outbreak of the war, when he returned here from the mines, he could always see his mother busy at the coal stove, his father and brother either grasping at straws to do some repairs, or helping with the broken parts of fruits and vegetables, taking on a certain amount of work that could be taken home to be done, and his young niece cognizing the shapes of the words from the scrap newspapers under the tutelage of her matchbox-gluing mother.
It was a life of hardship and no protection against risk, but it was still one of Byers’ fondest memories, better than the dimly lit tunnels of the mines, the heavy ore, and the whips of the overseers.
But now, even such an unusually small bit of goodness was all completely destroyed.
”Won’t you invite us in?” Phil stood in the doorway, not daring to trespass.
Byers came back to his senses at once and spoke in a panic:
”Come in, come in.”
After entering the uninhabited house, Klein pulled a chair that could break down at any time and sat down, falling into silence.
Roy and Pasha and the others didn’t dare to disturb this gentleman and waited quietly beside him.
After twenty or thirty seconds, Klein suddenly looked around the room and said with a smile:
”I have an idea that needs to be verified, which one of you will cooperate with me?”
”Me.” Roy responded without hesitation.
Klein said with a smile:
”Wait, don’t answer the question truthfully, I’m looking for loopholes lurking in the rules that ‘0-02’ has already enacted.”
Roy nodded and said:
”No problem.”
Klein whirled around and took out the “Magic Mirror” and said to Roy:
”You ask it a question.”
Roy thought for a moment and said:
”Where can I go to find my next magic potion?”
On the surface of the silver mirror, a scene presented itself, and it was Archpriest Larrion of the Church of the God of War, who was wandering and waiting in the spirit world!
…… Roy’s expression instantly became stiff, and then he heard that Mr. “Wizard” say:
”It’s your turn to answer its question, and remember, don’t say the right answer.”
Roy hastily collected his thoughts, and looked at the mirror again, only to see that the scene in the mirror had changed into Mr. Wizard himself, and there were a few more lines of text written in blood:
”Who did you give your first time to?”
Roy instantly recalled the past, his face flushed red, and then answered as Mr. Wizard instructed:
”Not sure.”
”Liar!” The blood-colored text on the surface of the silver mirror instantly coalesced into a word that made people feel terrified.
Snap!
A not-so-strong lightning bolt emerged out of thin air and struck Roy’s body.
Roy convulsed and screamed miserably, his body surface was more than a little charred and black, and his hair stood on end, but there was no real danger to his life.
Byers, Pasha, and Phil were stunned, wondering what the hell was going on.
At that moment, Klein looked around the room and said with the corners of his mouth turning up a little:
”You see, the mirror wasn’t punished for intentionally injuring someone.
”This holds a real opportunity.”