The historical light and shadow paused at a certain moment in the past; the sunlight, the air, and even the puppets in the city all solidified, their colors appearing dim.
In front of Antigonus sat a woman on the grass. She had a beautiful face, but two beast legs, covered in short, coarse black fur, grew from her ribs and waist. Around her floated strands of black ribbons, like tentacles extending from her body.
She sat there very quietly, enveloped in the deep night, with little expression on her face, like a delicate puppet devoid of emotion.
Klein's gaze lingered on her; past memories flooded his mind. He had seen her, more than once, and had even summoned her—no, it should be her Historical Projection.
0-17, the vessel the Goddess used for her descent before!
It seemed Antigonus and her sister had a very good relationship, as at such a time, the first thing he thought of was to come and see her.
Antigonus did not turn back, speaking with an indescribable sense of Vicissitudes in his tone:
"You arrived quicker than I expected, Controller of the Sefirah Castle."
"You knew I would come into the historical fog to find you? Then why didn't you leave earlier? Even with the Uniqueness under your control, facing me, you still stand little chance of winning under the suppression of the Sefirah Castle."
Klein looked at Antigonus with a slight hint of confusion and asked.
For a moment, he suspected this historical light spot was a trap, but this was merely an unchangeable objective history. What kind of trap could there be?
Antigonus rose from the boulder and turned to look at Klein.
Only then did Klein finally get a clear look at this ancient god's young son who had survived since the second epoch:
His figure solidified and blurred intermittently, as if he were wearing a mysterious, classical black robe and a hood that obscured his face, enveloped in a faint, grayish-white mist.
Such changes appeared alternately, their frequency gradually slowing.
And whenever such a change occurred, slimy tentacles with strange patterns extended from beneath Antigonus.
After a while, his figure finally stabilized, revealing his true appearance:
His dark eyes held an indescribable sense of ancientness, yet his face looked quite young, with well-defined features. Tufts of coarse, black short hair, like wolf's fur, grew on his cheeks, and his long hair was half-white, half-hidden and half-visible, giving him a contradictory feeling of being both ancient and youthful, rational and mad.
Klein asked with some confusion, "Didn't you already escape madness? Why are you still like this?"
"I did escape madness, but that doesn't mean the problems with my body are completely solved. It's like a leaky bucket; being resurrected only refilled the bucket with water, but the cracks still remain, and the leaking continues."
"Moreover, there are almost no traces of me left in this era. No one remembers me, and without an anchor, it's very difficult for me to stabilize my mental state."
"And I have no chance to re-establish faith. Whether it's you, or Amon, or Amanesis and the True Creator, as long as I expose even a slight trace, you will find me by following the clues."
"I've gathered some information during this time and generally know what the situation is now. I don't think I still have a chance to compete with you for that position."
"Whether it's allies or my own state, I'm too far behind."
Antigonus's tone was neither agitated nor suppressed; instead, it carried a sense of freedom and ease, answering Klein's questions as if chatting with an old friend.
Klein listened calmly, without interrupting.
After a long while, Antigonus finally stopped his rambling words. All the transparent, slimy tentacles extending from beneath his robe retracted, and the faint mist surrounding him also vanished.
Only a black, classical long robe remained draped over him, and a strange, cold, illusory mask with blank features that he held in his hand.
His gaze lingered on the ethereal mask in his hand for a moment, then he suddenly sighed and threw it to Klein:
"This is my father's relic. You can take it directly. If you successfully accommodate it, I will give you the last portion of the Attendant of Mysteries Characteristics."
"Conversely, if you fail, I will silently replace you by relying on my connection with the Uniqueness, becoming the new master of the Sefirah Castle."
"This is a struggle belonging to The Fool; other existences can hardly intervene, nor can they offer you much help."
"How about it? Do you dare to gamble with me?"
Klein instinctively reached out and caught the mask. It felt cold to the touch and had no weight at all, as if it were not a physical object.
Antigonus's proposal was unexpected, yet not entirely surprising. After his conversation with the Evernight Goddess, he had a premonition that he would be able to find Antigonus very easily and persuade him without much effort.
After two seconds of silence, he chuckled:
"Heh, with the Sefirah Castle under my control, the greatest advantage is mine. Why would I risk gambling with you? Gambling is not a good habit."
"However, I accept your proposal. I am not Amon; I don't like playing cat and mouse games. As a Attendant of Mysteries, you should still have three resurrection chances. If we don't make a change, we could even be in a stalemate until the apocalypse arrives, which is not something I wish to see."
"At least in my opinion, both you and I are more suitable than Amon to become the Lord of the Mysteries."
Antigonus nodded expressionlessly and said:
"I will wait for you in the Nation of the Evernight. Out of courtesy, I should wish you success, but I am actually not very willing to see such a scene, so, let's leave it at that."
"I will not give you too much time. While you attempt to accommodate the Uniqueness, I will also try to turn you into a puppet."
As his words fell, Antigonus's figure gradually became transparent, disappearing from this historical light spot and leaving the historical fog.
Looking at the spot where Antigonus had left, Klein chuckled softly and looked beyond this historical light spot, saying:
"Heh, he seems to have deliberately waited for me here, don't you think?"
Outside the light spot, streaks of civilization's light bloomed from the mist, constantly intertwining and outlining Leyton's figure.
He lowered his head and met Klein's gaze, who was within history, calmly replying:
"Perhaps, perhaps not."
"But he made the most advantageous decision for himself, giving himself a chance to pursue the position of Lord of the Mysteries. Although it will most likely fail, it's better than a direct conflict and then being devoured by you or Amon."
"As long as he prepares in advance, he can continue to exist as a Miracle Invoker."
Within that illuminated historical light spot, Klein's figure quietly emerged. He looked at this history belonging to the third epoch and sighed:
"This is also most advantageous for me; no direct battle, no attracting the attention of Amon and the True Creator."
"Next, I need to consider accommodating the Uniqueness. Do you have any suggestions?"
Leyton pondered and replied:
"A simplified version of the advancement ritual can help accommodate the Uniqueness, or you can find a way to complete a full advancement ritual. After accommodating the Uniqueness, directly gather that last portion of the Attendant of Mysteries Characteristics to become the true Fool."
"Fooling time is very difficult. What has already happened cannot be changed, and the authority over time belongs to Amon. You can only find a way through history and fate."
Klein nodded. What he could think of was only the method Antigonus had once used. With the help of the Sefirah Castle, he could also steal fate, Characteristics, and identity.
After a moment of thought, he looked at Leyton and said:
"I plan to use Zaratul's identity. I still retain his spiritual imprint within that Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic. I can find a way to make him return, then replace him, becoming him."
Leyton remained silent until the silver light in his eyes disappeared, then he nodded and responded:
"This is not enough for an advancement ritual, but it is sufficient just to accommodate the Uniqueness."
Klein nodded, then changed the subject and said:
"I plan to go to Calderon city in the Spirit World Depths to get some water from the River of Eternal Darkness, so the Goddess can help me create a sufficiently solid dream."
"Mm."
Leyton nodded gently, his figure blurring and disintegrating into streaks of colorless "light," surging out of the historical fog.
Klein was slightly stunned, somewhat surprised by Leyton's reaction. He had expected him to give some hints or warnings.
"Just left like that? Does he think the tributary in Calderon city poses no great danger to me? Or does he trust that I can handle it myself?"
Muttering to himself, Klein shook his head, his figure rapidly blurring into transparency, detaching from this historical fog and returning to the palace above the Gray Fog, preparing to head to Calderon to obtain the water from the River of Eternal Darkness.
In the Star Realm, within an abstract, illusory kingdom embraced by countless branch-like colors.
Streaks of civilization's "light" separated from history and returned to Leyton's main body. He looked down at the milky-white dice in his hand and chuckled softly:
"This is the best development. Compared to the other gods and those few Lord of the Mysteries candidates, we are more eager than them for someone to succeed and then unseal the Western Continent."
The milky-white dice in his hand weakly shook twice, landing with a four facing up.
Dong Dong A somewhat illusory knocking sound suddenly echoed. As Leyton looked up, an illusory shadow appeared within this divine kingdom.
Looking at Roselle, who had suddenly appeared, he clenched his right hand holding the dice and casually said:
"Since you knocked, why didn't you wait for me to say 'come in'?"
"The knock was just a sign of my politeness. Since you didn't refuse, it means you agreed."
As he spoke, Roselle reached out and pulled at the air, and an ornate high-backed chair appeared directly beneath him.