Chapter 1204: Harvest

Above the Gray Fog, within the ancient palace.

Several crimson beams of starlight shot upward, forming a few silhouettes.

"The Star" Leonard glanced over casually, but his gaze suddenly froze, fixing on the silver-black "jewelry box" sitting on the mottled long table.

If he remembered correctly, this should be the "0"-level sealed artefact, the "Box of the Old Days," that "The World" Klein Moretti had specifically emphasized during their previous private gathering.

"Mystic Saint" Bootis had truly been in possession of this "0"-level sealed artefact? And had actually brought it out to use? Lady "Hermit" and Miss "Justice" had ultimately succeeded? Leonard's pupils dilated slightly as he could barely believe his eyes.

As a proper, official Beyonder and a captain of the Church of Darkness's "Red Gloves," he had a clear understanding of "0"-level sealed artefacts. He knew these things could casually destroy an entire city, cause sudden death with no possibility of resistance, and that when facing them, not only should you avoid contact—you should try not to even learn about them.

Leonard had originally assumed that after genuinely encountering a "0"-level sealed artefact, Lady "Hermit" and Miss "Justice" would follow the contingency plan and withdraw from the battlefield, then find another way to rescue Miss "Magician." Yet somehow, they had actually succeeded—and even brought back the "Box of the Old Days," that "0"-level sealed artefact!

Lady "Hermit's" "Mysterious Reappearance" was powerful to this degree? The "Banquet of Betrayal" she spoke of could truly make sealed artefacts turn against their masters? Or perhaps "Mr. Fool" had provided some degree of help? As Leonard silently muttered to himself, he glanced at "The World" Klein Moretti at the far end of the bronze long table and found his former colleague to be quite calm.

Klein looked around the group and said with a hoarse laugh:

"Congratulations, everyone. This hunt was a great success."

"All the spoils are here."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, condensing a wealth of occult knowledge into a ball of pale white luminescence, along with a few legendary tales originating from the East—such as "Peach Blossom Spring" and the "Lankagu Chess Game"—wanting Lady "Hermit" to test whether they belonged to the supernatural and whether they had real origins.

"My lady, this is your reward." "The World" Klein sent the ball of pale white luminescence flying toward "The Hermit" Cattleya, then pointed at the items arranged on the table—the "Box of the Old Days," the Mystic Beyonder characteristic, the "Traveller's Tassels," Bootis's eyeball, nine Star Bugs, and a large quantity of gems and materials—and said, "Additionally, you have priority in selecting items."

After the half-god-level battle of hunting down "Mystic Saint" Bootis, "The Hermit" Cattleya had truly gained the temperament and confidence of a saint. She first accepted the ball of pale white luminescence, closed her eyes, and began to digest the occult knowledge contained within.

"During the Second Epoch, the Ancient Gods believed that the original Creator had left behind certain things—perhaps 'kingdoms' that had evolved from parts of His body, or perhaps things He had forged…"

"These things are the Sefirot—there are nine in total: the 'Sea of Chaos,' the 'Source Castle,' the 'River of Eternal Darkness,' the 'Knowledge Desert,' the 'Shadow World,' the 'Nest,' the 'Nation of Dislocation,' the 'City of Calamities,' and the 'Key of Light'…"

"The Ancient Sun God came from a place called Chernobyl…"

"The Sequence 0 of the 'Thief' Pathway is called 'Error'…"

"Emperor Roselle's fairy tales might have originated from real events that once happened…"

"......"

As these fragments of occult knowledge echoed through her mind, "The Hermit" Cattleya couldn't help but open her eyes and look toward "The World" Gehrman Sparrow.

There was so much in here that shocked her, overturned her understanding, and opened the doors to an entirely new world!

"I could never figure out Mr. Fool's origins before, but now I can vaguely grasp something…" The thought flashed through Cattleya's mind, and a certain guess began to form.

She immediately restrained herself, unwilling to think too deeply—and afraid to do so.

She feared that she would arrive at a horrifying answer, one that could push her close to losing control:

This place was one of the nine Source Qualities. Mr. Fool's goal was to collect all the Source Qualities, and attempt to restore…

Raising her right hand, she pushed the heavy glasses perched on the bridge of her nose further up. The Hermit, Cattleya, forced herself to shift her attention back to those little "stories," deciding that upon returning to the real world and fully digesting the potion, she would then attempt to create magic based on them, using "Mythical Recreations" to draw power.

Of course, she also believed that not every attempt would succeed, and was certain that some of those stories were purely fictitious. After all, this was an added gift from Mr. The World—there was no guarantee of effectiveness. Besides, among the many fairy tales and ancient legends Emperor Roselle had once told the "Mystic Queen," only a very small portion had actually been able to evolve into magic.

After taking a few seconds to steady herself, Cattleya directed her gaze toward the center of the mottled long table, preparing to select her spoils.

Undoubtedly, the most eye-catching item was the "Box of the Old Ones" marked with the number "0-61." That silver-black "jewelry box," inlaid with numerous gemstones, completely overshadowed the radiance of the other items.

Cattleya was not entirely unfamiliar with Grade 0 sealed artefacts, as the "Mystic Queen," Bernadette, possessed several. It was precisely because of this that the "Dawn of Elements" founded by the Queen could stand against the ancient organization, the Secret Order, which had been born as early as the early Fourth Epoch.

—The gap in rank between an Angel and a Saint could not be bridged by powerful, fantastical fairy-tale magic.

To become a true big shot, one had to either advance to Sequence 2 or possess a Grade 0 sealed artefact. Cattleya did desire the "Box of the Old Ones," but thinking of the hints Mr. The World, Gehrman Sparrow, had received from Mr. the Fool, of its terrifying negative effects, its extremely dangerous third layer, and the fact that most of its Beyonder powers were uncontrollable, she was struck by another wave of fear.

Although she possessed "Temporary Luck," she currently lacked the ability to seal the "Box of the Old Ones."

After a fierce internal struggle, the Hermit, Cattleya, pointed at the dream-like crystal and said:

"I want the 'Mysticologist's' Beyonder characteristic."

If she could find a suitable, high-sequence "Artisan," this could be transformed into a rather good sealed artefact whose negative effects were barely tolerable. The "Mystic Queen," Bernadette, had the resources for this, though success was not guaranteed.

Even if the final product only possessed "Teleportation," it would be more than enough. But obviously, a "Mysticologist" would know more than just "Teleportation"… even if the negative effects were unbearable, she could ask the Queen to crush it, attempt the process multiple times, or sell it to Miss the Magician… mm, she had said her teacher would prepare materials for her… Cattleya then nodded to Mr. The World, Gehrman Sparrow, confirming her previous choice.

Choose the "Mysticologist's" Beyonder characteristic? Hearing the Hermit's answer, a scene inexplicably surfaced in Klein's mind: