Rhine Karendia? Wasn't that the identity of Liu Bo when he was a vampire duke?
Since this evil spirit recognized him, it must have lived during the early period of the Fourth Epoch… Could "Mr. Tower" have been right, and this spirit is really one of Sauron, Einhorn, or Medici? But then, what did it mean by "not quite accurate"?
Klein maintained a neutral expression, though his mind stirred. After some consideration, he took the initiative to ask:
"Do you mean the 'Silver-Eyed Count' of the Solomon Empire?"
He had always paid close attention to fellow transmigrators, as they might hold clues about how to return "home."
"Your understanding of the Fourth Epoch exceeds my expectations. Rhine did indeed hold the title of 'Silver-Eyed Observer'..." The evil spirit paused for a moment, his face showing a trace of confusion before continuing,
"But… 'Silver-Eyed Count'? That he defected to Solomon doesn't surprise me, but to think Solomon only gave him the title of 'Count'?"
Hearing this exchange, Ebner swallowed the reply he had been about to offer, thinking instead:
Klein seems to know more about that vampire duke than I do. I wasn't even aware he had the title 'Silver-Eyed Count'… Did he read that in one of the Roselle Diaries?
Right, Roselle did find the "Star Map" ruins built by Rhine for Solomon during his travels in Loen. He would've looked into the builder's identity and likely wrote about it in his diary… Not to mention, Roselle'sa companion with the "Calamity Seal" was also a transmigrator—he might've provided some hints and synergy.
Plus, I remember Cullen telling me that Emlyn had been asking how to redeem the second half of Feast of Blood. That was likely something Klein asked him to do.
"I only know the 'Silver-Eyed Count' title was one he requested himself," Klein replied, while thinking, That was probably Liu Bo playing out some in-joke I don't understand. According to that page of diary, even the name "Rhine" was something he borrowed from a novel.
"That does sound like him…" The evil spirit nodded, then swept his gaze over Klein's face and chuckled. "Since you know him, do you know what happened to him? Did he join any faction?"
"As far as I know, the vampire duke fell before the War of the Four Emperors ended…" Klein answered carefully.
"He actually died?" The evil spirit was momentarily stunned, then frowned deeply as his aura shifted. He asked in a low voice, "How did he die?"
Klein didn't answer immediately. That question involved deities—definitely not something he would reveal for free.
The evil spirit knew too much already. Better to take this chance and extract more information from him.
Seeing this, Ebner immediately guessed what Klein was thinking and couldn't help but inwardly admire: As expected of Mr. Fool.
The evil spirit noticed Klein's silence and quickly caught on, then asked again, "Just say what you want… But you must tell me everything you know about Rhine."
"I want the potion formula for Sequence 4 of the Seer pathway… or tell me where I might obtain it. Either works," Klein replied without hesitation, quoting a high price.
"Sequence 4 of the Seer pathway? 'Bizarro Sorcerer'? Then you'll have to ask Zaratul or Antigonus… if they're even still around…"
"Of course, Kotar would work too—but only if you can find him. He's been missing since the Cataclysm."
The evil spirit shot him a glance and continued, "I only know the ritual for becoming a Bizarro Sorcerer. I can tell you that, so you can prepare ahead of time… Though I don't think you'll succeed in completing it."
"That's already a high price. Don't be too greedy."
So the Sequence 4 of my pathway is called "Bizarro Sorcerer"… sounds like a villain.
Hmm, from the names Seer, Clown, Magician, Faceless, and Marionettist, the common theme seems to be deception, trickery, mischief, the bizarre… Maybe the core concept is just "Eerie" or "Weird"?
Yes, I remember Mr. Tower once grouped Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder under the label of "Weird."
"Weird"… that word might hold deeper meaning.
As thoughts raced through his mind, Klein nodded and agreed.
He hadn't been holding out much hope to begin with—just learning the name Bizarro Sorcerer and the details of the ritual was already enough for him.
Seeing him agree, the evil spirit didn't go back on his word. Smirking slightly, he looked at Klein and said,"The ritual for Bizarro Sorcerer requires this: 'Using only your own power and scheming, direct a grand theatrical performance in front of a large audience—during which, you must murder a demigod or a similarly powerful supernatural being. Then, during the climax of the play, consume the potion.'"The more effort you personally put into it, the better the ritual's effect."
"I doubt you have what it takes to pull that off, so give up while you can."
Murdering a demigod… as expected, it's insanely difficult… Klein thought regretfully. Too bad I can't access the space above the gray fog right now—I can't verify whether it's true or not…He hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively, "How do I know this ritual isn't fake?"
The evil spirit sneered, "Do I need to lie to you? Besides, I don't know if your intel about Rhine is real either."
Klein had no retort for that. After some internal deliberation, he chose his words carefully and shared what he had learned about Rhine Karendia from the Roselle Diaries.
Of course, he deliberately omitted the part about him being "Liu Bo."
"He was actually killed by a descent of the Eternal Blazing Sun?" the evil spirit frowned after hearing this. After a moment's hesitation, he asked,"Did you hear if he left anything behind?"
Left something behind?Did this evil spirit entrust something important to that vampire duke before dying—and now wants it back, even going so far as to offer part of a demigod-level formula just to find him? Too bad, that duke's long gone…
As for the item in question—maybe the second half of Feast of Blood contains its whereabouts…
Both Klein and Ebner had similar thoughts at the same time, and with tacit understanding, they shook their heads at the evil spirit, hiding the truth.
The evil spirit looked a bit disappointed, but quickly adjusted his expression and murmured to himself:"At the very least, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun might be a lead…"
Then he paused, looked over at the three of them, and let out a low chuckle:"Alright, I know you're curious, but my time is up. Once you help me lift the seal, I'll tell you all about the history I lived through."
With that, the eyes of Baron Raft Pound suddenly lost focus.
His body twitched a few times, then collapsed limply to the ground.
Sharon silently watched this unfold, then suddenly stepped forward.
Whoosh!A sharp gust of wind swept by, stirring up dirt and stones from the ground. They flew into the tunnel, sealing the entrance.
With the aftermath handled, the three of them wordlessly left Williams Street. Under the shroud of darkness, they circled around to another part of town.
Once they arrived at a "safehouse" Ebner had prepared in advance, the three of them each recited the honorific name of Mr. Fool and were transported above the gray fog.
The doll-like Miss "Temperance" stared unblinkingly at Ebner, then turned toward Klein. Her voice was faint and ethereal as she asked:"Will you help it break the seal?"
"No." Ebner and Klein answered in unison. The latter even followed up with a question of his own:"Miss Temperance, what about you?"
Sharon shook her head as well, expressing her refusal—even if the other party offered the formula for Marionettist.
Klein let out a quiet sigh of relief, then looked toward Ebner:"Mr. Tower, it seems like you've already guessed the identity of that evil spirit?"
He didn't ask why Ebner hadn't purified the spirit. If he were capable of it, Klein believed Mr. Tower wouldn't have hesitated.
"You can call him Sauron Einhorn Medici."
(End of chapter)