Chapter 1034: Let There Be Light

Examining the bronze-green cross in his hand, Klein confirmed that it was at least a Grade 1 sealed artifact.

Besides its purification effects, this mystical item possessed Saint-level spells of the "Sun" domain such as "Sunfire". If its negative effects were applied well, they could solve many problems. For example, it could help those who had accidentally stumbled into the supernatural world and wished to escape madness return to being ordinary, or help those who had consumed an extra portion of a potion precipitate the corresponding Beyonder characteristic. However, this must be done with precise timing, or it would easily cause a direct drop in one's own Sequence level.

Of course, the bodies and souls that have undergone potion modification would frequently conflict with the essence of ordinary people. Beyonders who used the bronze-green cross to leave this "circle" would undoubtedly experience certain aftereffects, which varied according to the pathway, Sequence, and individual details.

This made Klein lament that this was the most useful and valuable negative effect he had ever seen.

For him, the only problem was that this bronze-green cross could not be carried long-term. Even handing it to a marionette was impossible, as it would cause the marionette's Beyonder characteristic to precipitate and its level to drop. Furthermore, once someone became a marionette, they could no longer consume potions to advance, because their spirit body was essentially already dead.

As for marionettes made from ordinary creatures, wearing the cross for a long time would cause them to "Praise the Sun" and break free from control.

It could only be placed Above the Gray Fog and taken out when needed... For a "Faceless", this didn't pose that big a problem. After all, a Faceless doesn't perform without preparation... He would later confirm whether it corresponded to "Light Arbiter". If it did, he could sell it to Little Sun once he had finished digesting the Light Seeker potion. He believed that the Chief of the City of Silver's Six-member Council wouldn't be stingy with offering an equivalent sealed artifact in exchange. The Sun pathway was clearly more suited to the Forsaken Land of the Gods than any other pathway... Klein thought in a relatively good mood as he placed the bronze-green cross back on the mottled long table.

He hadn't confirmed it immediately, intending to do it once he was back at 160 Böklund Street. When he did, he would also use "dream divination" to figure out the origin of this sealed artifact. Rose Manor was too close to the Underground Ruins. It was likely under the watch of the royal angel, or even Adam. If, during his attempt, he triggered some change that caused fluctuations in the Gray Fog, it was possible that his greatest secret would be discovered.

"This sealed artifact, even if it doesn't correspond to 'Light Arbiter', definitely belongs to the Sun pathway. At most, it's mixed with some other Beyonder characteristics. No, that would be repelled. The symbol of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun is a holy emblem made of gold, shaped like an abstract sun, and has nothing to do with a cross. Hmm, eliminating this possibility, the only things related to the 'Sun' domain that remain are the Creator of the City of Silver, the Ancient Sun God, the father of Adam and Amon, and a suspected transmigrator...

"If this sealed artifact was really provided by Adam, could this be His arrangement?

"When faced with the Witch Triss, who was clearly involved with an evil god, and her companions, it was very reasonable for Viscount Stratford to choose this cross, which excelled at purification. When deciding to eliminate Sherman, he didn't use direct attack methods because he wasn't sure if the other party was contaminated by an evil god. He was afraid of accidents, so he wasted time activating this sealed artifact. This was also very reasonable... Hmm, it really is very reasonable. I just don't know if there are traces of artificial arrangement...

"Thinking about it like this, my '0—08' phobia is acting up again... Right, Miss Magician and Miss Hierophant have privately discussed Adam before, touching upon the Forsaken Land of the Gods, the Giant King's Court, and the Angel Kings...

"If it really was Adam's doing, what was His purpose in giving this item to Miss Magician and Miss Hierophant?"

Klein's scalp tingled a little. He calmed his mind and decided to return to Böklund Street before trying to verify it.

He didn't delay and immediately returned to the real world.

As for the items on Qonas Kilgor, he had already obtained a preliminary understanding of the specific situation using only his own divination abilities, without relying on the enhancement of the Gray Fog.

Aside from the items taken by Arianna, the leader of the Nighthawks' ascetics, the "Concerto of Light and Shadow" and the badge for opening the Underground Ruins, Qonas Kilgor still had two mystical items.

One was the "Rivier's Despairing Scream" mentioned by the "Magic Mirror" Arrodes. It originated from a failed sacrifice and had two modes of use. The first was a normal shot, slightly less powerful than an air cannon. The second was a machine gun spray, capable of firing a large number of bullets within one or two seconds. Both methods came with a "Despairing Scream" that had some effect on Saint-level demigods, though not too great. Of course, not all demigods could withstand such an attack. For example, Klein himself did not have a sufficiently monstrous body or defense to face it directly.

The other was called "Lucky Clover." It looked very simple, just a four-leaf clover made into a talisman. Its ability was to allow the wearer to accumulate a certain probability of success for the next attempt after every failure. Its negative effect was to amplify the wearer's flaws in humanity.

Klein's comment on it was that it might as well be renamed "Mother of Success."

These two mystical items had no practical value for Klein, so he still kept them on his marionette, Qonas Kilgor.

This saint-level marionette was his biggest gain.

The "Lawyer's" sharp grasp and exploitation of loopholes in rules, their guidance and persuasion of targets; the "Barbarian's" strength and physique that could break rules; the "Briber's" "Bribery"; the "Corrupted Baron's" "Distortion"; the "Chaos Instructor's" "Chaos"; the "Fallen Count's" "Grant," "Amplification," and "Exploitation"—these were all very good abilities. If he hadn't obtained detailed intelligence in advance through the "Magic Mirror" Arrodes, prepared thoroughly, formulated a plan, and received assistance from a concealed angel, Klein wouldn't have had absolute confidence in subduing Qonas Kilgor, even with items like the "Fortune Stealer" on him.

In fact, compared to transforming him into a marionette, using "Creeping Hunger" to graze Qonas Kilgor would have been more covert and less likely to be discovered. But doing so would only leave three of the "Fallen Count's" Beyonder powers usable... Klein thought as he walked out of the bathroom and returned to the lawn where the bonfire dinner party was being held.

On the lawn, Councilman Macht stood before the grill, sweating as he presented his East-Bailang-style barbecue. Hazel stood a little further away, watching with bright eyes. Her usual aloofness was long gone, and there was even a smudge of soot on her face. Portland Moment held a glass of wine, smiling as he watched the "youngsters" busying themselves, occasionally picking up a skewer of grilled meat and tearing off a bite.

Seeing this scene, Klein's mood suddenly calmed.