I can make the identity of The World align with Gehrman Sparrow, which will make him more realistic, and it can also be considered part of my role-playing as a Marionettist. Moreover, some members of the Tarot Club already know this identity, so there's no need to continue hiding it.
Thinking of this, Klein, shrouded in Gray Fog, subtly surveyed the others, then manipulated his alternate account, The World, to speak in a low, hoarse voice:
"That conflict stemmed from the Rose School of Thought's actions. They dispatched two Saints and one Angel for it. Unfortunately, only Suah, the 'Abomination,' managed to escape."
Moon Emlyn, still immersed in the fact that the Church of the Lord of Storms had taken the 'Shaman King' characteristic and not yet fully reacted, subconsciously asked, "Didn't the Church of the Lord of Storms only kill one 'Shaman King'?"
The World, under Klein's control, looked up at Leyton, then continued, "Another Saint from the 'Prisoner' pathway was killed by our people. If you need that characteristic, you can purchase it from Tower."
Justice Audrey slightly straightened her posture, adopting an attentive listening pose. "Our people" means that not only The World and Mr. Tower from the Tarot Club were present and took action, but also Mr. Fool's Dependents, or other forces belonging to Mr. Fool. I wonder who or what kind of forces they are; it's truly intriguing!
Hanged Man Alger's gaze swept back and forth between the gloomy and reserved The World and Leyton, who was casually leaning back in the high-backed chair, his thoughts churning uncontrollably:
As expected, The World is Gehrman Sparrow. Did the conflict that erupted in Bayam originate from the Mother Tree, whom the Rose School of Thought believes in, and Mr. Fool? The Church of the Lord of Storms was a third party that got caught up in it and took the opportunity to clear out the pirates and adventurers hidden in the city.
Hermit Cattleya thought of something and subconsciously wanted to look up at Mr. Fool at the head of the mottled long table, but quickly restrained herself:
Does Mr. Fool have a conflict with the Mother Tree, whom the Rose School of Thought believes in? I heard Justice and Hanged Man mention before that His Blessed disrupted some of the Aurora Order's and Demoness Sect's plans in Backlund. Both of these forces believe in evil gods. Does this indicate that Mr. Fool is intentionally suppressing forces belonging to evil gods?
Chariot Anderson leaned back leisurely in the high-backed chair, silently complaining to himself, "Gehrman Sparrow's life is truly exciting; he's either killing people or on his way to kill people."
After a brief silence, Hanged Man Alger changed the topic:
"Many pirates have recently visited Bansy Harbor and found that it has been completely destroyed. Even with full reconstruction efforts, it will take at least several years."
No one responded to Alger's words, and silence once again fell upon the scene. After two seconds, Leyton changed his posture, leaning forward slightly, and calmly spoke, "The Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death faction doesn't seem to have been entirely without gains these past years. Some time ago, my avatar encountered a monster that should be a byproduct of their experiments."
"It has no physical body; it's more like a mass of mist filling the surrounding space, mixed with white feathers stained with light yellow grease. It possesses strong corruption, and once touched, one will rush uncontrollably down the path of death. Even a 'Sea King' would find it difficult to resist this influence."
After this, everyone briefly exchanged some of their insights and shared some basic occult knowledge.
At the end of the gathering, everyone continued to teach Sun Derrick some ancient hermes words.
It wasn't until The Fool Klein, seated at the head of the mottled long table, declared the end of the gathering that everyone rose and bowed. Crimson light continuously surged in the grand, ancient hall, melting away their figures and then disappearing above the Gray Fog.
Leyton tilted his head and surveyed his surroundings, seeing that only he remained. He then settled back into the high-backed chair, his posture appearing even more casual and relaxed.
Klein raised his hand, causing The World at the very end to disappear, and then spoke, "Something has changed about you. My intuition warns me not to observe you with spiritual vision."
Leyton tilted his head and looked at Klein at the very top, chuckling, "You're not even a demigod yet, and you want to peek at an Angel?"
Klein was momentarily speechless. After two seconds, he continued, "This shouldn't be the main reason. I've also spied on Eternal Blazing Sun, Dragon of Imagination, and True Creator through divination here above the Gray Fog before."
"That instant of intuition just now, I even almost thought it was more dangerous to spy on you than on Them."
After a one-second pause, he continued, "Not long ago, this Gray Fog experienced some unusual turbulence. Relying on a certain connection I have with this Gray Fog, I divined some images."
"In the images, I also saw Gray Fog similar to this place, but I can confirm that it wasn't here."
"Besides the Gray Fog, I also saw some hazy, constantly flickering starlight. Just a fleeting glimpse, and my mind was filled with a lot of chaotic and useless knowledge, forcing me to stop the divination."
After speaking, he looked at Leyton with some suspicion.
The latter shrugged, his tone calm:
"If your description is correct, then you most likely saw me."
Klein immediately pressed on, "Were you advancing at that time? Also, why would you cause the Gray Fog here to tremble?"
Leyton nodded gently:
"Yes. As for the Gray Fog here also experiencing a chain reaction, it should be because the Gray Fog there was originally left by the former owner of this place. The things inside impacting the seal and permeating power outwards caused a ripple effect in this space."
"Seal?" Klein keenly grasped the key point in Leyton's words.
Thoughts emerged one after another in his mind, and finally, he said with almost certainty, "The Knowledge Moor is sealed there, and that's why you would contact me, and Hidden Sage would choose to invest in me?"
After a two-second pause, he continued, "Some of the changes in you cannot be explained simply by advancing to an Angel. Just like what you told Ms. Hermit before, your blood had an exceptionally good effect as a ritual for her advancement to a demigod. Can I boldly guess that you are Hidden Sage, a certain avatar of His, just like Helmosuin was the identity used by Orange Light Hillarion when he was active in the real world?"
After speaking, Klein pursed his lips, staring intently at Leyton, his expression somewhat uneasy.
If my guess is correct, then his identity as a Transmigrator is problematic. Directly transmigrating into Hidden Sage is almost impossible. A common person's soul compared to Hidden Sage is like the vast ocean compared to a bowl of clear water. The moment it falls into the sea, it would have already been assimilated, becoming a part of Him.
If I think this way, there's another possibility: after being assimilated by Hidden Sage, he was used by the other party, and an identity was directly separated. In this state, he appears to be an independent and complete person, but in reality, that's why he advanced so smoothly on the Sequence pathway, and why Hidden Sage would care for him so exceptionally...
The more Klein thought, the more he felt his guess was correct, almost affirming his idea in his heart.
Leyton remained in his position, leaning against the high-backed chair, without moving. It wasn't until Klein's gaze gradually became complex and strange that he spoke, "Most of your guesses are correct, with only a few minor errors."
As expected. So, after he advanced to a "Sage," he recalled his identity?
As thoughts swirled, Klein continued to press, "Did you take over a Transmigrator's identity? What about the original Transmigrator?"
Leyton gently shook his head:
"It's not really taking over; it's just like a Faceless putting on a mask for himself."
"As for the template for this mask, he no longer exists. I merely exploited information that I had previously analyzed and recorded."
Klein was silent for a moment before continuing to ask, "Then what are you planning to do next?"
Leyton did not hide his next objective, stating directly, "To find Roselle. My contention with Steam requires allies."
"Compared to the long and secretive schemes like Night, I prefer to find the key point and quickly defeat the opponent."
Klein repeatedly tapped the edge of the table with his right hand, not pressing further.
After a brief silence, Leyton chuckled, "From a rational perspective, you don't need to worry about this issue, because from the very beginning, I was me."
"Aside from the seal on the Western Continent, there are no points of conflict between you and me."
As soon as he finished speaking, his body became transparent and illusory, with faint, dazzling starlight flickering within it.
During the conversation, he had already sensed his physical body in reality through his special divine status.
As the starlight flickered, the gray-white mist around him swirled and churned for a moment, forming a vortex about two meters in diameter that swallowed him from bottom to top.
When the Gray Fog settled down again, Klein sighed with a slightly complex expression:
"Heh, 'from a rational perspective'? That sounds utterly devoid of humanity."
"His changes before and after advancing are too great. Besides the loss of emotions and the weakening of humanity, there's also an indescribable feeling."
After sitting quietly in the chair for a moment, he suddenly stood up and meticulously scanned the entire Gray Fog with his spiritual vision, confirming that Leyton had not left any Concealment marks or anything of the sort here.
It seems I was overthinking. He isn't a Beyonder from the Seer, Apprentice, or Marauder pathways. This place doesn't hold much significance for him.