Lilith opened her mouth. "Edward kno—"
Before she could finish, her snout was gently pinched shut, interrupting her spell. Edward sighed and said, "Fine. I do know the person who took the Black Emperor card, but it really isn't in my possession."
"Mm," Bernadette nodded nonchalantly, as if it hardly mattered. "I still have the Wheel of Fortune card, but I'm not carrying it with me."
The Fate pathway, in the original works, belonged to the domain of Mystery. While little was known about it, its early Sequence abilities largely revolved around bestowing good fortune upon oneself—and misfortune upon others. In the later stages, one could generate infinite loops within a localised area or even reset a location's state and events in real time.
Yet, according to Snake of Mercury Will Auceptin, even "He" couldn't achieve endless good luck. It was a particularly bizarre pathway—many who walked it met their ends precisely because the backlash from misused luck eventually devoured them.
So if Edward ever had the chance to absorb the powers of this card, it would be best to consult Little Snake first—lest he end up digging his own grave unknowingly.
"You don't have the Hermit card either, do you?"
"No," Bernadette shook her head. "When Father first crafted the Cards of Blasphemy, I saw the Hermit card. But after…Father was assassinated, all of the Cards were scattered. I believe the Hermit card eventually ended up in the hands of the Moses Ascetic Order."
"Then do you know the whereabouts of any other Cards of Blasphemy?"
"I don't. I never went out of my way to search for them. Besides, the Cards have anti-divination and anti-prophecy effects. Even the major Churches have discovered next to nothing after all these years."
That made sense.
At that moment, Edward checked the remaining duration on the [Bookworm] effect. By tonight, the powers of the Black Emperor and Red Priest cards would both expire.
Klein, please hurry and respond already…
I really, really need you to "recharge my magic."
——
Unfortunately, Edward was disappointed once again.
He had clearly seen Klein's figure within the Fool's seat at the Giant's Palace, and even got booted offline by him. That should have meant Klein was alright—so why hadn't he replied?
Could it really be that seeing him on the throne made Klein wary…and now he wanted to expel Edward from the Tarot Club?
No way. Based on what Edward knew of Klein's personality—and their relationship—if there was a problem, Klein would confront him face-to-face.
Snuggled in Edward's arms, Lilith twisted her furry body and asked, "Edward, are you…worried about something?"
Edward looked down at her. "How can you tell?"
"Because Miss Lilith can hear your heartbeat."
She leapt out of his arms and onto his shoulder. "So, what are you worried about?"
Bernadette glanced over when she heard that. "Let's rest for a bit. You can continue teaching me Rosellean."
A few minutes later, the group was once again seated inside their bright, cosy tent.
With a cup of hot coffee and some bread in hand, Edward resumed his lessons in Mandarin.
After eating and drinking her fill, Lilith grew drowsy and soon fell asleep curled up with her tail in her paws.
"You see," Edward explained, "Rosellean differs greatly from Loenese and Intisian. The latter two are phonetic languages, while Rosellean is logographic—it conveys meaning through symbols. That might sound abstract, so let me show you an example."
"Here—these two characters should be familiar by now."
He wrote the characters for "sun" (日) and "moon" (月) on a small blackboard. These two characters appeared in almost every entry of Roselle's diary. In truth, Bernadette had long guessed that they were related to dates and time, even before Edward explicitly taught them.
"This one means 'sun,' and this one means 'moon.' What you see now are the modern forms, evolved through thousands of years of linguistic development. But originally, they looked more like this."
Edward drew the pictographic versions of both characters.
"See? Just looking at them gives you a pretty good idea of their meanings, right?"
Bernadette nodded slightly. "Compared to Loenese or Intisian, this writing system is indeed more intuitive and expressive."
"But here's the issue. Precisely because Rosellean doesn't belong to the same family as any known languages, it's a bit harder for you all to pick up."
He paused, then added, "Well…maybe."
In Lord of the Mysteries, there were quite a few pathways that came with natural scholarly or linguistic talents. The Mystery Pryer pathway was one of them. For Bernadette, learning Chinese might not be any more difficult than picking up any other language.
Edward resumed his teaching.
——
Two hours later, Bernadette suddenly asked, "Have you noticed any progress in digesting your potion?"
Edward blinked. That was an abrupt question.
"No…well, yes, but only a small amount."
"How does it compare to the last time you taught me?"
"I guess there's a bit more this time…but not by much."
She said calmly, "Amon…might really have been sealed into the Box of the Great Old Ones."
"Why do you say that…?"
Edward was about to ask when he realised: Right. If Amon were hiding nearby, or had secretly parasitised him in some form, then just now during the Mandarin lesson, Amon would've been an unwilling "student" as well.
If that were the case, Edward's potion digestion should have accelerated significantly—after all, they were talking about a King of Angels.
"You had me teach you Rosellean just to test for that?"
"It was a spontaneous idea."
Bernadette's lips curled slightly. Without Amon looming over them, she seemed much more relaxed.
"We've been heading west for nearly half a day now," she said. "Other than those mutated creatures, there's been nothing. Outside of the City of Silver and Moon City, I wonder if there's any other human life left in the Forsaken Land."
"From what I know, there isn't."
She then asked the question she'd been holding back since the barrier of grey-white mist, "What's on the other side of that barrier?"
"Well, I—uh—"
Bernadette cut him off coolly. "I'm willing to pay for that knowledge—if you're willing to trade."
"…"
Edward coughed lightly. "I only heard my deity mention it in passing. That barrier is supposedly a seal of some kind. As for what's sealed behind it…I don't know."
"A seal?"
Bernadette's interest was clearly piqued. "If I asked you who created the seal, would you know?"
"That, I do." Edward nodded. "It was personally sealed by the deity I believe in."
One was the former Lord of Mysteries.
The other, the future Lord of Mysteries.
Add them up—five-finger math—and you still get the same person.
Bernadette's eyes rippled like smoke across a wave. "According to Moon City's High Priest, even the Ancient Sun God couldn't break that barrier. Are you sure your deity was the one who sealed it?"
"Absolutely."
"No wonder," she muttered. "The Forsaken Land is a place even the Seven Gods can't interfere with, yet "He" can. With that level of strength, it all makes sense."
She frowned slightly. "But why have I never heard any rumours about such a powerful being before?"
Edward, without missing a beat, continued hyping Klein up. "Because "He" predates the First Epoch. He fell into slumber long ago and has only recently begun to awaken."
"He's gradually regaining "His" strength, reclaiming the authorities that should have been "His" from the beginning." Edward paused and added gravely, "Surely you're aware of the impending apocalypse?"
Bernadette nodded.
"Mister Fool is the only one who can truly stop the end times from arriving."
She fell silent, her gaze lowered in deep thought. Then suddenly, her piercing gaze locked onto Edward. "Then…would such a mighty and great being know where my father is?"
"Uh…"
Bernie, that's a hell of a leap in logic.
"Well…that, I'm not sure of. But perhaps you'll have the opportunity to ask "Him" yourself."
After a moment of thought, she said, "Once we leave the Forsaken Land, I'll send someone I trust…to become a believer of Mister Fool."
Edward couldn't help but be surprised.
Is the Lady Hermit making her move already?
But with Klein's current Sequence—and spiritual capacity—could he even handle a Sequence 5 joining the Tarot Club?
But then again, hadn't he just finished bragging about Klein's divine prowess?
Forget it. Mister Fool will surely find a way.
Edward stood up. "Alright. Time for us to get moving."
"Do you have a destination in mind?" she asked. "Or are we just going to keep wandering aimlessly?"
That wouldn't be a bad idea, actually—it fit his "Wanderer" act. But after some thought, he said, "I plan to head toward the Giant King's Court."
She instantly understood his reasoning. "You're worried Amon—or one of his other avatars—might come after us, so you want to use the True Creator's presence to deter "Him"."
"Exactly."
"And you're not afraid the True Creator might kill you on the spot?"
"I'm preparing for the worst," Edward said. "At least that way, we have one more option."
Tomorrow was Monday. If even the Tarot Club didn't convene as usual, Edward would have to accept the worst-case scenario: face Sasrir head-on.
Because honestly, fighting the True Creator might offer a better chance at survival than being toyed with to death by Amon.
He scooped Lilith into his arms. The little one mumbled something without opening her eyes and shifted into a more comfortable position before drifting back to sleep.
They packed up the tent and set out once more.
They walked through the pitch-black land, guided only by the occasional flashes of lightning across the sky. Only in those moments of brilliance could they barely glimpse the grim reality hidden beneath the darkness.
Side by side, they travelled silently. At first, they exchanged a few idle words. But soon, both tacitly fell into a long silence.
Mutated beasts, twisted flora, cracked earth—everywhere reeked of death. After less than two days of exploration and role-playing, Edward was already itching to get away from this cursed land.
He couldn't help but think of the people who had survived here in the City of Silver and Moon City for thousands of years. It was a kind of despair that defied language.
——
About an hour later…
Nestled in Edward's arms, Lilith stirred and poked her little head out like a worm. She stared blankly ahead and said, "Edward, I think there's something…up ahead."
Edward scratched her head with a smile. "What could it be? We've already seen just about everything this place has to offer."
Still, despite his words, he immediately raised his guard.
After all, who could guarantee that a demigod—or even an angel-level monstrosity—wouldn't suddenly leap out of the darkness?
RUMBLE.
A deafening peal of thunder echoed through the sky as a bolt of lightning split the heavens. In the distance, a massive shadow loomed into view.
Both Edward and Bernadette froze.
Another flash—brighter this time—illuminated the blackened land, revealing the true scene before them.
The ground ahead was riddled with ravines and craters. And in the midst of them stood a colossal figure: a cyclopean giant, easily several dozen meters tall, with rotting flesh and pus oozing from deep wounds. His eye was sunken and vacant—long devoid of life.
Yet he still wandered aimlessly, his body exuding a sickly grey-yellow gas that congealed into drifting clouds, forming a dense fog over the wasteland.
Bernadette immediately cast The Emperor's New Clothes over the three of them.
"That is…"
Edward's memory clicked.
That was the son of the Giant King Aurmir, punished for offending the Ancient Sun God—cursed to wander this land for eternity.
Which could only mean…
Up ahead, they were nearing the birthplace of the Ancient Sun God—
Chernobyl.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.