Chapter 1137: Rumors of an Ancient Age

Klein set down the Classical Alchemist potion formula and shifted his gaze to the two tubes of blood that Little Sun had offered.

Then, he reached out and summoned a ceramic jar wrapped in layers of paper figurines.

This was the blood of Beyonders from different pathways he had collected earlier, always kept above the Gray Fog, sealed with Paper Figurine Angels, to slowly merge into the mysterious space's aura, eliminating the connection between the blood and its donors, preventing accidents when drawing symbols and opening doors that might affect the providers.

For Klein, suffering backlash himself would be acceptable; after all, he still had at least one, possibly two, resurrection opportunities. But if it could affect those who trusted him and gave their blood, he would rather not do it.

He removed the paper figurines sealing the jar, poured in the two tubes of blood, and then manifested a glass rod, stirring it a few times.

Afterwards, he used Paper Figurine Angels to reseal it.

"Only the Prisoner, Devil, and Witch remain… After I complete the ritual, I will personally visit Miss Sharon. It's better to ask such a thing in person; requesting by letter is too impolite… Only Miss Magician is special; obviously, she would rather I write than see Gehrman Sparrow. Ha, she actually uses the excuse that the temperature is too low and the ink has frozen to delay her draft. Are all those tricks she knows fake? Fortunately, my potion has been digested, so I no longer need to press her…" Klein muttered inwardly as he tossed the paper-figurine-wrapped ceramic jar back into the pile of odds and ends.

After leaving the area above the Gray Fog, he didn't immediately prepare for his advancement to Ancient Scholar. Instead, he took out paper and pen and drew a complex symbol that blended concealment and spying.

This was something he had planned to do before consuming the potion—asking the Magic Mirror Arrodes about the Sefirah Castle.

As the symbolic shape took form, the room, which already had poor lighting, grew even darker, as if clouds had drifted by, just blotting out the sun.

After a dozen seconds, ripples of water suddenly appeared on the surface of the full-length mirror with cracks, and silver words quickly seeped out:

"Great, lofty, eternal master, your devout, faithful, humble servant Arrodes answers your call."

"Am I still your most trusted, closest, most beloved servant?"

This question… I seem to detect panic and anxiety in this Magic Mirror… Is it feeling insecure? Klein nodded with a hint of amusement and said:

"Yes."

Actually, it never has been… I'm just comforting you… After answering, Klein silently added two sentences in his mind.

On the mirror's surface, the shimmering light suddenly brightened considerably, and the silver words took on a golden tint.

They squirmed and formed new sentences:

"Great master, you have a question to test me?"

"Yes." Klein tensed his mind slightly. "What do you know about the Sefirah Castle?"

The Magic Mirror Arrodes was silent for a few seconds before the pale golden words changed:

"I have no knowledge of it, only heard some rumors: in the early Second Epoch, the ancient gods believed that the Original Creator had left behind some things. They might be 'kingdoms' evolved from parts of His body, or things He created, and the Sefirah Castle is one of them.

"This name was given by the King of the Magic Wolves, Flegrea. He called Fohgen's Dog the 'Guardian of the Sefirah Castle,' but until he fell, he never entered the Sefirah Castle, so many powerful beings suspected that the Sefirah Castle did not actually exist, being merely an abstract concept."

Related to the Original, the creator of the world? Klein pondered for a long while and said:

"One of… How many places or items similar to the Sefirah Castle are there?"

"Eight, which are specifically recorded on the second Blasphemy Slate. Unfortunately, I have not seen it." Lines of words appeared one after another on the mirror's surface, but they faded from pale gold back to silver. "The ancient gods suspected that the source of the underground corruption was from a place similar to the Sefirah Castle, calling it the Chaos Sea. Also, rumors say that deep within the spirit world city of Calderon, there are clues to the River of Eternal Darkness, which comes from the ancient Death, the Primordial Phoenix Grethea. As for others, I have only heard some names, and they are incomplete: the Shadow World, the Wilderness of Knowledge, and the Mother Nest related to the Moon."

"Eight altogether: the Chaos Sea, the River of Eternal Darkness, the Wilderness of Knowledge, the Shadow World, the Mother Nest… The Mother Nest is related to the Moon; it sounds very dangerous… I wonder if it's connected to the Desire Mother Tree…" Klein silently repeated the key information from Arrodes' answer, feeling he should grasp something, yet not gaining much. He still lacked the clues to connect the dots.

Seeing that Arrodes had only heard rumors and had no real knowledge, Klein organized his thoughts and casually joked:

"From what you say, you might come from the Chaos Sea."

"That's not important. What's important is that I am your faithful, humble, obedient servant now." The Magic Mirror Arrodes presented an entire paragraph at once.

"Obedient," that word… Klein grumbled inwardly and then asked:

"What is the origin of the Dark Angel Sasrir?"