A Sequence 5 was, by any reasonable measure, an absolute powerhouse relative to everyone else present.
Though — what exactly did "treat us as Sequence 5" mean? Was it like Qilangos's situation, where a mystical artefact was responsible for bridging the gap?
Either way — it was enough.
The only real question now was whether working with the Lovers would end up exposing their real-world identities.
"Very well — I'll need to think through the plan more carefully first."
"Of course."
Bernadette read Alger's unspoken concern and said nothing further.
A few seconds of quiet settled over the towering palace above the Gray Fog. Audrey broke it herself: "I need one complete pituitary gland from a Rainbow Salamander."
The trading portion of the gathering opened naturally from there. Within a few minutes, she and Alger had struck a deal. When no one else seemed to have anything to add, Klein swept his gaze around the table and settled on the Sun.
"Is the City of Silver still worshipping a deity?"
Derrick answered with reverent conviction. "We still believe in the Lord who created all things — the all-knowing, all-powerful God."
Not one of the Seven Orthodox Gods?
Audrey was curious. If the official Churches ever found that out, the Sun and his entire City of Silver would surely be branded heretics.
Then again, she thought of herself — she'd sworn up and down to Madam Natasha that she was the most devout follower of the Evernight Goddess imaginable. And yet here she was, not only believing in the mysterious and great Mr. Fool, but now having attracted the notice of another entity entirely. If anyone found that out... they'd probably burn her at the stake.
Klein pressed with a deliberate light smile: "Even though He abandoned you?"
Abandoned? The Creator abandoned the City of Silver?
Alger felt a jolt, his mind immediately leaping to a particular term: "The Forsaken Land of the Gods!"
Bernadette arrived at the same thought — though what surprised her wasn't that the Sun came from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, but that this Mr. Fool could actually pull someone from there into His gathering. That was a capability even the Seven Gods apparently didn't possess.
Unlike Alger, who kept the realisation to himself, Bernadette asked directly: "Mr. Sun — are you from the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"
"???"
Derrick looked genuinely puzzled. "Forsaken Land of the Gods? I've never heard that term. I'm from the City of Silver."
He turned to Mr. Fool with mild uncertainty. "We were once ruled by the Giant King's Court and worshipped the Giant King Ormir. Later, we received the Lord's deliverance. We would never turn away from Him."
The exchange left Alger and Bernadette with rather different expressions, each lost in thought.
Klein spoke then, unhurried, confirming what both had suspected: "That's right. Mr. Sun does indeed come from the place you call the Forsaken Land of the Gods — but for him and the people of the City of Silver, that concept simply doesn't exist."
Without dwelling on the others' reactions, he moved on to ask the Sun several questions about a particular sacrificial ritual he was planning to try once back in reality.
Near the end of the gathering, Bernadette looked at Alger. "Mr. Hanged Man — once you've decided when to hunt Qilangos, you might ask Mr. Fool to pass the word along to me."
"Of course, Miss Lovers."
Klein tapped the table. "That's all for today."
He swept a hand and severed all connections. He sat quietly for a moment, regarding the boundless Gray Fog and the deep crimson stars that never changed — then wrapped his spirituality around himself and returned to reality.
Leaving behind the towering palace, the ancient long table, and the twenty-two high-backed chairs, silent and unchanged above the Gray Fog — and Vincent.
"...Why am I left here again?"
Vincent looked genuinely baffled. Being stranded in the Gray Fog served no practical purpose that he could see. Yes, he could sense something pulling at him from the depths of the light staircase — some presence hidden beyond those towering grey clouds — but he'd felt it before. Before Klein advanced to demigod, there was no way to reach that level. What exactly was he supposed to do, just stand here and stare?
He wandered around the space above the Gray Fog like a stray cat with nothing to do, found nothing new, then returned to reality.
"It's remarkable that Mr. Fool can pull someone from the Forsaken Land of the Gods into his gathering," Bernadette said. "Father once tried to find that hidden land too — after he gave up on reaching the Western Continent directly, he thought of approaching it from another angle: entering the Western Continent through the Forsaken Land of the Gods."
Vincent's brow furrowed. Wait — how did Roselle know you could reach the Western Continent via the Forsaken Land of the Gods? Is that in the original novel?
"What happened after?"
"He only said he believed the Forsaken Land was hidden somewhere east of the ruins of the Great God War, but he could find no way to enter. Eventually he brought the Wishing Lamp back instead."
"Ah?" Vincent asked, surprised. "The Wishing Lamp — your father brought it back from near the ruins of the Great God War?"
"I believe so."
"And he didn't leave it to you?"
Bernadette shook her head. "The last time I saw the Wishing Lamp was during our final argument before we went our separate ways. Father was holding it, seemingly unable to make up his mind whether or not to make a wish."
"By the time I heard of Father again, he'd already been assassinated at the White Maple Palace."
Her answer left Vincent unsettled. In the original, when exactly had Bernadette obtained the Wishing Lamp? The timeline didn't quite line up. Or had his own presence already caused her to miss it entirely?
If so... that was a bigger problem than expected. The Wishing Lamp had played a meaningful role in the original.
"Knock knock knock."
The front door was rapped by an unfamiliar hand. A voice outside called, "Excuse me — does a Mr. Charles live here?"
"?"
Both of them were mildly surprised. The "Charles" identity had only been used for a few days at the Prosecution Office, and since the resignation two days ago, that name had been retired. More to the point, no one should have known "Charles" lived here.
Bernadette passed a hand swiftly over her face and shifted into Charles's appearance. She was just about to open the door when Vincent cleared his throat. "One moment."
"What?"
"Look down."
She looked down. There was a very pronounced chest. She pressed her lips together, raised a hand, and laid it flat. The fullness flattened to nothing.
"Hmph."
Vincent was taken aback. "Was that directed at me?"
"Who else?"
"I was trying to help —"
"Heh heh."
"..."
Women were genuinely inexplicable.
She opened the door. A well-dressed man of middle age stood outside, light brown eyes giving nothing away. "Mr. Charles?"
"Yes. How did you find me here?"
"I engaged a private detective, who traced your whereabouts."
The man removed his hat and pressed it to his chest, delivering a bow of impeccable form. "I am a butler, come on behalf of my master to extend an invitation."
"An invitation to what?"
"It concerns Miss Ellie."
Bernadette's expression remained steady. She nodded. "Ellie? Do you know where she is? She requested leave a few days ago and hasn't returned to the Prosecution Office since — not a word."
"You'll understand everything once you meet my master."
Bernadette glanced at the elegant carriage parked across the street — specifically at the coat of arms displayed prominently on its side. The emblem of the Augustus family, the Loen royal house.
"Very well. Let's go."
She followed the butler into the carriage and rode toward Queen's Borough. After a journey of moderate length, the carriage arrived at a manor of sweeping, impressive grounds.
After several layers of security checks, Bernadette followed the old butler into the lavish villa at the centre of the estate and came face-to-face with its master — a young man with a round face and narrow eyes.
He set down his coffee cup and regarded Bernadette with severe seriousness. "Charles?"
"Yes."
On the way over, the butler had introduced his employer: Ellie's older brother — Prince Edessak.
"Your Highness Edessak — was there something you wished to speak with me about?"
"..."
Edessak stared in silence for several seconds. Then he brought his hand down on the tea table with a sharp crack.
"I know everything about you and Ophelia!"
To be continued…
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