"The demon's identity has been temporarily clarified."
Iconser said weakly.
"The other question is, who was the Beyonder that killed him?"
From his tone, it seemed he still intended to question Arrodes.
"..."
The other members of the Machinery Hivemind team glanced at each other, then suddenly became busy.
They began investigating the scene, checking for traces, appearing both earnest and guilty.
None of them dared to look up and meet their captain's eyes.
"These guys..."
Iconser muttered helplessly and collapsed onto the table. "Guess I'll have to do it myself... but I need to rest for a bit first..."
"That's quite a peculiar mirror."
Klein couldn't help but comment.
"You can ask it questions too. We don't mind."
Iconser said tremblingly, his head buried in his arms as he slowly recovered.
His tone carried a hint of self-abandonment, like someone who had fallen into a mud pit inviting others nearby to join in the fun.
"Well then, shall I give it a try?"
Isengard said with great interest, holding his pipe.
He seemed quite confident in himself.
After all, Isengard called himself the "Eye of Wisdom." Perhaps he had mastered considerable mystical knowledge to dare call himself that.
"Be my guest... but its requirement is that when you use it, someone must be watching."
Iconser didn't care at all.
"Must let others witness yourself getting struck by lightning?
This mirror really has a twisted sense of humor... Sherlock, I'll trouble you to be the audience."
Isengard said to Klein, extending his right hand to stroke the mirror's surface three times.
The strange phenomenon appeared once again. The room seemed to fill with misty vapor, and the mirror's surface also took on a peculiar sheen.
"Honorable Arrodes, I wish to know, where does my hope of advancement lie?"
Isengard asked.
The light on the mirror's surface shifted, and finally, the image that appeared was of a prosperous city.
The buildings in this city mostly had blue domes, completely different from Backlund's pointed architectural style.
"Lenburg?"
Isengard said with surprise but not unexpectedly as he looked at the image in the mirror.
Lenburg, a small nation squeezed between the Kingdom of Loen and the Kingdom of Feysac, worshiped the God of Wisdom.
It seemed to match up with Isengard's title.
Klein's heart stirred slightly.
At the same time, the mirror quickly changed, forming bloody text like before:
"According to the principle of reciprocity, you will answer one of my questions."
"Please ask."
Isengard said with confidence.
The mirror changed rapidly, finally forming this question:
Are you madly infatuated with a woman far younger than you, simply because both her wisdom and appearance fascinate you?
The smile on Isengard's face froze.
Oh boy...
Klein felt incredibly awkward and could only lower his head, pretending not to see the description above.
He had originally thought this mirror would only ask questions about mystical knowledge.
Who knew its questions would be so tricky, specifically targeting people's weak points? Just like Isengard's situation right now.
Whether he answered or not, his current reaction already spoke volumes!
Isengard stared blankly at the line of text. Just when Klein thought he would choose not to answer, he smiled with a complex expression and spoke, "That's correct, but I'm more aware of social conventions and personal morality."
After saying these words, his shoulders sagged slightly.
"Answer correct."
Blood-red text appeared on the mirror's surface, letting him off the hook.
"..."
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat awkward. Klein didn't know what to say.
But Isengard took the initiative, saying with a smile, "Sherlock, would you allow me to go look at the bedroom on the second floor? Perhaps I can discover some new leads."
He wants to escape for a bit...
"Please, go ahead."
Klein nodded, watching Isengard leave.
Iconser was still sprawled on the table gasping for air, and the other Machinery Hivemind members were unwilling to come closer either, leaving only the mirror lying there quietly.
It really is kind of dangerous... can cause social death...
Klein thought to himself, using his finger to push it away, trying to distance himself from it.
However, just as his finger touched the edge of the silver mirror and felt the slightly cool metallic texture, the mirror suddenly trembled twice.
Immediately after, a line of white text rapidly appeared on its surface:
"Your faithful humble servant Arrodes at your service!"
The eagerness and flattery in those words practically overflowed through the mirror's surface.
Huh?
Klein couldn't help but feel bewildered.
He first stepped back from the table, then looked around discreetly. Only after confirming that no one else had noticed what just happened did he relax slightly.
Doesn't this mirror enjoy tormenting people? How come when it comes to me, it turns into a bootlicker?
Klein was both curious and confused.
However, he quickly connected these events to his own special nature.
His gray fog, his relationship with the spirit world...
In other words, this mirror might have sensed the gray fog aura on me?
Just as various speculations surged in Klein's mind, he suddenly saw an arm materialize from thin air and likewise touch the silver mirror.
No, it hadn't suddenly appeared. The owner of that hand had been at the scene all along.
It was just that he and everyone else at the scene had conveniently ignored him, as if he didn't exist.
Silas, who had been coldly observing from the sidelines the whole time, also extended his hand after Klein touched the mirror and placed it on its surface.
"Whoosh..."
Sure enough, he heard the sound of ocean tides within his body growing louder, vaguely seeming to seep through his fingers into the mirror's surface.
That vaporous energy seemed somewhat similar to the misty sheen the mirror had just displayed.
"Clang!"
The mirror violently shook once.
The words that had been flattering Klein quickly disappeared, and before long, a line of pale, trembling text appeared:
"Great Master, your insignificant ignorant servant failed to sense your presence.
Please forgive my incompetence!"
The words were filled with fear.
Hmm?
Silas frowned.
Why was this different from what it had just said to Klein?
When facing Klein, it was so flattering, but when facing me, it seems so terrified?
If he had to describe it, the feeling was like his own pet dog, beaming with joy from a neighbor's feeding and petting, then turning around to see its owner standing there with a cold face, holding a stick and staring at it.
That kind of guilty fear.
"Don't just toss it around."
Iconser lifted his head and said to Klein, "It's still a precious Sealed Artifact, after all."
Klein froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "Sorry."
He had naturally seen the scene just now and was equally shocked by the mirror's reaction.
He couldn't help but start speculating.
If he had earned this mirror's flattery because of his gray fog aura, then what was it about Silas that made the mirror so afraid of him?