The Golden Dream was outside the storm; scarlet moonlight pierced the thin clouds and spilled into the dark, windowless room without a single candle.
Danitz stood motionless beside the bed as if struck by Medusa's gaze or a petrification-type Beyonder power. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, his legs trembled almost imperceptibly yet unstoppably, and his mind was filled with nothing but the endless gray-white fog, the indistinct figure high above all things, and the deep, majestic voice: "Those who call my name shall keep it in their hearts."
"Th-this… it actually got a response… actually got a response!" Danitz's lips moved soundlessly as he felt his calves go weak.
It was the first time he'd ever had a prayer answered!
It scared him so much he nearly jumped out of his skin!
Although he'd known for a long time that Mr. Fool was an unknown existence, the object of worship for the secret organization behind Gehrman Sparrow, and that because he had recited the deity's honorific name, he had already formed a connection, so any disrespect or betrayal would immediately and inexplicably lead to death—all this was just knowledge taught by Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina. He had never actually experienced anything like it, nor had he ever imagined that an unknown existence would respond to him.
When the fog, the figure, and the voice suddenly appeared before his eyes and at his ears, he understood for the first time that a great existence could directly answer a believer's prayer.
Yes, Danitz had unknowingly changed "unknown existence" to "great existence" in his mind.
Once the initial shock subsided, he took deep breaths and tried to pace to shake off the remaining fear. But as soon as he took a step, he realized his legs were truly weak, and he could only collapse onto the edge of the bed and sit down.
"It's a real great existence, it's real…" Danitz muttered, clearly realizing he had gotten into serious trouble.
When he was in the world of books, merely reciting the honorific name had caused no anomalies, so he was only afraid of the consequences he knew. Now, he was facing the outlines of hidden danger that had finally emerged, along with unknown factors he could not fathom. How could he not be trapped in extreme fear?
After some time, Danitz exhaled and comforted himself in his mind:
"At least Gehrman Sparrow is not only alive but doing well."
With that thought, he forced a smile and said silently:
"Now I too am a member of a secret organization, a person protected by a great existence."
Thinking further, Danitz decided to say a prayer every morning after getting up. He believed no existence would dislike a sincere worshiper. Of course, he would remember the divine instruction: in daily practice, pray only in his heart.
…………
The next morning, having expended considerable energy, Klein woke up naturally.
He got up slowly, looking out the window at the clear blue sky, the damp ground, and the water stains on the houses. The world seemed to have been washed clean, extraordinarily fresh, but scattered leaves, broken branches, and all kinds of debris showed that the night had not been calm.
After washing, Klein, sporting a perfectly ordinary Loen face, ordered a glass of "Gulu tree sap" from the island of Simim and a relatively hearty portion of "Tyativa" to make up for last night's consumption.
Drinking a beverage that tasted like lemonade with milk, and eating delicious, fragrant meat with a subtle sweet-and-tangy fruit flavor, Klein picked up the newspapers supplied by the inn, starting with the Sōnya Morning Post and News, browsing page after page.
Toward the end of breakfast, he opened the last paper, the Marvellous Report, which was popular among adventurers, and spotted a striking article:
"Bloody Infighting in the Storm:
According to reliable sources, late last night on the One-eyed Skull, the pirate ship of 'Mad Captain' Connas Victor, a violent infighting broke out among the pirates. The Mad Captain was executed, the pirates slaughtered each other, and no one seems to have survived.
All this evil was concealed by the terrible storm; no one knew the truth until the One-eyed Skull drifted near the Simim docks."
Accompanying the article was a blurry photo, apparently taken covertly from the docks. In it, the One-eyed Skull was clearly recognizable: heavily damaged, scorched, with only one mast still intact, to the middle of which was nailed a figure in a tricorn hat.
"That's Connas Victor… he died like that?" Klein's pupils contracted. "Now it's almost certain there was a demigod on the ship. When he saw that the Mad Captain was already being targeted, or that the Sea King was hunting him and couldn't take Connas, he simply silenced him and destroyed all the evidence?"
Klein, who had planned to keep tracking the Mad Captain, felt a bit down. The clues were not entirely lost, but there were few left.
The only fact he had: that demigod was most likely on the Black Emperor pathway.
"Given the intensity of last night's storm, the One-eyed Skull was probably brought to the dock by Sea King Yann Kotman for investigation. I wonder if they found anything extra… Hmm, I can ask Mr. Hanged Man to inquire within the Church of Storms. No need to relay—this afternoon's Tarot Club meeting, the World can directly issue a commission." Klein quickly made a plan and finished the last of the gulu tree sap.
Then he returned to his room, intending to take out the radio transceiver that had been lying on the Gray Fog for a long time, to contact "Magic Mirror" Arrodes and see if it knew any other clues to the Faceless potion formula.
After leaving the waters east of Olavi, where he had been targeted by a demigod from the Aurora Order, Klein had become bold enough to use items with the aura of the Gray Fog. But he knew very well that he couldn't do it too often or keep it up too long, otherwise the True Creator might detect him.
For that reason, and because of his wariness of the Magic Mirror Arrodes, he planned to do what he could himself, ask others when needed, and only play the question-and-answer game as a last resort.