There was a power invading his dream again… That mirror from the Church of Steam? Arrodes?
Because he had experienced something similar just last week—and even obtained intelligence on a blond young man colluding with a "Desire Apostle"—this time, Klein didn't pretend to be confused. He immediately shifted into the lofty, inscrutable demeanor of the Fool, and gave a slight nod."You may report what you know directly."
As soon as he spoke, faint glimmers flickered within the black gem-like "eyes" on either side of the ancient, illusory silver mirror. It seemed delighted. Then, white words appeared across its surface.
"Yes! Your loyal servant Arrodes reports to you!"
Before the final word had even disappeared, Klein found himself standing in a dimly lit room. Candles and spiritual materials filled the surroundings, and an altar was set at the center.
A woman dressed in a black robe—typical attire for a spirit medium—was chanting Arrodes' honorable name, seeking answers to a question.
Miss Daly? Klein immediately recognized her. After all, like the captain, she had been one of the first Beyonders he met upon transmigrating. The impression she left had been vivid.
Not to mention, she used to visit every night to tutor me in spirit communication for a time…
Looking at the scene before him, Klein recalled those memories and used his knowledge of mysticism to make an educated guess. She's using some sort of secret ritual or ceremonial magic to contact Arrodes, trying to seek an answer?
As the thought crossed his mind, Klein stepped toward the altar and looked at the parchment placed on top.
"Is Doctor Strange a subordinate of the Fool?"As expected… it involves me—and even includes Mr. Tower…Why is Miss Daly asking this? What is she trying to confirm?
Klein furrowed his brow but did not rush to ask Arrodes. Instead, he said with caution,"I know your rules. Now it's your turn to ask a question."
Based on his previous experience, Klein was confident Arrodes wouldn't go too far.
—As a side note, Arrodes' last question had simply been: What did you have for dinner?
Upon hearing his words, a new line of text appeared on the mirror.
"I already asked. And you already answered."
When? Klein blinked, momentarily stunned, before recalling what Arrodes had said upon appearing—Do you want to know who she is?—and how he had responded by saying, Just report directly.
That counts? Klein's mouth parted slightly. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. A sarcastic voice echoed in his mind. Why does it feel like this mirror isn't just a double agent in the Church of Steam, but is also turning into a full-blown simp?
Though… I won't lie—it does feel kind of nice. Especially when I compare it to poor Deacon Iconcel, who got tormented so miserably by the Church…
How did this mirror even end up with a personality like this? After mulling it over for two seconds, Klein asked his next question."Arrodes, why did Miss Daly ask about the relationship between Doctor Strange and the Fool?"
A new line appeared on the mirror.
"Would you like to see the visual?"
Another pre-question? This mirror named Arrodes really has no shame when it comes to sucking up… Klein silently complained, but outwardly maintained his lofty demeanor."Go ahead."
"Yes, great master!"
As the text disappeared, the surrounding scene didn't shift much, but the clock on the wall began to tick backward—reversing by several notches and going back to fifteen minutes earlier.
The parchment Daly had placed on the altar was also visibly different now.
"How did Dunn Smith come back to life?!"
Klein instinctively repeated the question in his mind, and his eyes suddenly widened.
The information contained in that one sentence shocked him so much that his hands began to tremble. If he weren't consciously maintaining the Fool's dignity before Arrodes, he might not have managed to control his expression even with his Clown powers.
The captain… came back to life? Miss Daly asked this to confirm that, like me, the captain was also resurrected?And it's related to Doctor Strange, so she followed up with the second question?Hmm… during my appearances in Backlund, I did use that thief-vigilante "Black Emperor" persona, which does resemble a superhero… It makes sense that the authorities are suspicious…
Klein suppressed the rising excitement in his heart, and just as he began to connect the dots, the scene shifted again—this time to Raphael Cemetery in Tingen City.
This must be the visual Arrodes showed Miss Daly in response… Mhm. She probably didn't get to experience this full-on immersive version—just a simplified image…
With that idle thought, Klein followed "Doctor Strange" as he unearthed Dunn's grave and carried the body to the same villa where the Nighthawks had once captured Triss.
There, he saw Doctor Strange place a black stone on Dunn's body.
"That's… the Stone of Life? I remember Old Neil tried refining one using his own blood to bring his wife back… but in the end, he lost control and turned into a monster…This one seems to be much higher grade…Wait… the captain actually woke up?!
Seeing that moment, joy nearly broke through Klein's Clown-induced calm. He almost cried out.
Because—
The captain is alive!!
Once the resurrection scene ended and returned to the small apartment, Klein finally came back to his senses. Daly, unable to answer Arrodes' next question, was about to suffer a punishment, and Klein quickly stopped the mirror from continuing its playback.
After all, Daly was suffering an extremely indecent nightmare. Just seeing the beginning made Klein feel it wasn't appropriate for him to continue watching.
"Judging by the weather and the surrounding vegetation in the cemetery scene just now, the time was probably around September or October… During that time, 'Doctor Strange' must still have been 'Mr. Tower'!Right, the first time 'Doctor Strange' appeared was in Tingen, when he caught a 'serial killer'. Back then, Mr. Tower even asked Mr. Hanged Man to find a craftsman to make that Beyonder characteristic into a flesh-eating jewel box…
He probably discovered that 'serial killer' by coincidence while he was in Tingen resurrecting the Captain… That lines up perfectly…
But the question is, why would Mr. Tower want to resurrect the Captain? And where did that 'Stone of Life' come from?And finally… does he know Klein? And if so, does he know that Klein has already been resurrected too?"
With that in mind, Klein seriously reviewed Mr. Tower's behavior throughout the previous Tarot Meetings.
After a moment, he gently shook his head. He felt Mr. Tower probably didn't know… but the existence behind him might.
"To be able to refine a 'Stone of Life' of that level… could it be the Earth Mother? Considering the connection between the 'Hero Detective' and the Church of Earth Mother… it's not impossible…
Plus, after I helped Bishop Utravsky eliminate his alternate personality, he said, 'All of this was the Mother's arrangement'...
At the time, I just saw it as consistent and self-contained logic from a devout believer…
But now… maybe not!"
Klein let out a bitter laugh, steadied his mind, and returned to thinking about the Captain:
"After being resurrected, where would the Captain have gone?
Hmm… if he truly is still the Captain, then even if he didn't return to the Church, he would definitely find a way to get revenge… for me, and for all our colleagues who were sacrificed due to Ince's plot…
And like me, the Captain wouldn't stand a chance against Ince, who's already half a god. So he definitely wouldn't go after him first… so, Lanevus?"
At that thought, Klein suddenly saw the light. He thought to himself, So the Captain is Iron Man!And the reason I obtained the Iron Man Biography in the 'Dream Maze Tower' must be because of this… No wonder!Also, Miss Judgement once mentioned that Iron Man's armor might be the work of a 'Classical Alchemist'… and when Sharon was exchanging knowledge with me, she said that 'Classical Alchemist' is actually the name of the Sequence 4 potion in the 'Planter' path, which is controlled by the Church of Earth Mother.
With that as proof… it's very likely the Captain was resurrected by Mr. Tower under the orders of the Church of Earth Mother.
So Mr. Tower is from the Church of Earth Mother… maybe even a Blessed of the Goddess! That would also explain why he knows so much high-level knowledge…
The Earth Mother might've taken notice of me as early as when Mr. Tower joined the Tarot Club…
Thankfully, She doesn't seem to bear any ill will… more precisely, everything She's had Mr. Tower do so far has been benevolent… Is She investing in me? She sees potential in my future?
Honestly, Klein felt immense pressure knowing that a deity was watching over him. But since it was already a fact, and the other party hadn't done anything repugnant—on the contrary, Mr. Tower, Bishop Utravsky, Emlyn, and even Miss Hazel, all people associated with the Church of Earth Mother, were already his friends—
Maybe it's not a bad thing… If I ever face real danger, maybe I could ask Her for help… She's invested so much already, surely She wouldn't just abandon me?
After comforting himself with that thought, Klein decided it'd be better to confirm all of this with Mr. Tower directly… though it wouldn't be appropriate for the Fool to ask in person…
After all, someone as powerful and mysterious as Mr. Fool should've known all about Mr. Tower from the beginning.
"Hmm, just as well—Miss Sharon wants to invite Mr. Tower to deal with that Baron Pound who's been excavating relics. I can use the opportunity to casually bring up 'Iron Man' and see how he reacts…
And before that… maybe I should ask Arrodes first."
As his thoughts turned swiftly, Klein looked back toward the silver mirror and carefully asked:
"Who created the 'Stone of Life' in that scene?"
The silver mirror stayed silent for a moment before it displayed an answer: "It was a goddess…"
The text was quickly erased and replaced with a new line:"Supreme and mighty master, your tiny, humble, and loyal servant Arrodes humbly requests that you stop pursuing this question. It is very dangerous.Also, great master, may I ask if I can respond to Miss Daly's question?"
A goddess? Only a few could be referred to that way… Klein's mind spun rapidly, but on the surface, he simply gave a slight nod. "You may. Also, go and reply to Daly first."
"Yes, great being above the spirit world." After these words appeared, the surrounding scene shattered completely.
Only after confirming that Arrodes' power had left his dream did Klein finally close his eyes and whisper to himself, "Captain… It's really so wonderful that you came back!I really couldn't bear to lose you!Whatever the Earth Mother's goal is… just for this alone, I'll do my best to repay it!"
…..
In a rented apartment in the East Borough, Daly finally received a definitive response just as she was about to give up hope.
Immediately afterward, the mirror she used for the ritual shattered on its own.
"Is this what Stewart mentioned before… that '2-111' no longer intends to respond to my rituals?
Could it be that my question touched on secrets close to the divine, so it rejected me?
But I still wanted to ask who exactly Miss 'Sloth' is…"
Daly showed a trace of regret as she spoke to herself thoughtfully.
(End of Chapter)