After wrapping up the private exchange, Klein had "World" Gehrman Sparrow turn to "Hermit"
"Please relay to the 'Mystery Queen' that I'd like to meet her in the near future to discuss a few matters. The exact time and place are at her discretion."
"Mystery Queen"? So Lady "Hermit" represents the ruler over the Five Seas... "Star" Leonard was momentarily stunned before it clicked.
What matters? "Hermit" Cattleya frowned slightly, with mild wariness:
"I'll pass your message along, but I can't guarantee whether she'll agree."
"Mm." "World" Gehrman Sparrow gave a brief nod, signalling no problem.
At this moment, "Sun" Derrick finally found an opening and asked:
"Everyone..."
After glancing first at Mr. "Hanged Man" and then at Mr. "World", he continued:
"The ritual for my promotion to 'Light Priest' requires my whole body to be buried, in pure darkness, inside blocks of ice that don't normally melt. Mm, in the Silver City such ice isn't hard to obtain — but how do I create darkness that is both pure and safe?"
So that's what the 'Light Priest' promotion ritual is like; little "Sun" really is honest and unaffected... "Justice" Audrey, limited by her experience and knowledge, could offer no useful advice and could only turn her eyes towards the one she believed could solve it:
Mr. "World" Gehrman Sparrow.
At that very moment, "World" was raising a hand to massage his temple, while "Fool" Klein quickly ran through possible solutions in his head:
Ah, in the outside world, pure darkness is very easy to obtain; ice that doesn't melt under normal conditions is the headache — and in the Silver City it's the exact opposite... But the darkness there is too dangerous: step into it and you either vanish out of nowhere or are attacked by bizarre creatures...
I could ask Leonard for some talismans of the Night domain, draw upon the power of the mystic space Above the Grey Fog, and through little "Sun"'s prayer fashion a patch of artificial darkness for him — but the catch is that I can't confirm in advance whether it would carry the same kind of danger common to the Silver City. Divination doesn't solve this kind of problem: when it doesn't involve me directly, I can only judge whether a thing is dangerous and in which window to attempt it. In an environment like that, with so many factors mixed in, the sources of danger are too many...
Well, later I'll summon "Magic Mirror" Arrods and ask it...
— Klein had thought about little "Sun"'s promotion ritual before, but had never found an answer.
Seeing "World" silent, Leonard — who had been about to remark that "pure darkness is very easy to make" — quietly shut his mouth and chewed over "Sun"'s words again, catching a single word he had glossed over before:
Safe!
In the God-Forsaken Land, in the Silver City, darkness equals danger? "Star" Leonard had grasped the gist of the crux, but lacking enough knowledge, he couldn't offer an opinion.
At last, "Hanged Man" Alger spoke.
He glanced at "Sun" Derrick and said:
"I'll help you gather material and look for a method, but during the process you may need to cooperate to verify whether it works."
"No problem!" Derrick answered without hesitation.
He immediately added:
"There's no need for you to rush — I still have over a month before I can digest the 'Notary' potion."
"Hanged Man" Alger gave a slight nod, indicating he didn't need the reminder.
At this point, "Hermit" Cattleya weighed something in her mind, then looked at "Sun" Derrick and said:
"Perhaps you can look at this from a different angle. Your promotion ritual doesn't have to last very long, so it can be solved by extending the time you can safely survive in pure darkness.
"I recall you mentioned that, once you're in lightless dark, you face two dangers: the first is being attacked by bizarre creatures appearing out of nowhere, the second is mysteriously vanishing, as if evaporating.
"The former is easy enough to deal with — you can ask the High Priest for some sealed items, or simply have him stand guard. About the latter, I don't know enough; try consulting the High Priest about it."
..."Sun" Derrick thought it over carefully and suddenly felt that this really was a viable angle, and with no small chance of success.
He immediately replied with delight:
"Thank you, Lady 'Hermit'."
The exchange and study continued, and the gathering drew gradually towards its close. Seeing that they were essentially done, "Fool" Klein lightly tapped the edge of the table:
"That's all for today."
"Your will is our will!" "Justice" Audrey and the others rose together and bowed respectfully.
Once their figures faded Above the Grey Fog, Klein too left the place and returned to the real world.
He first took out his wallet, fished out the paper crane
"Something's up!"
After refolding the crane and tucking it under his pillow, Klein lay down on the large bed and finally began his nap in earnest.
In the haze of dream he again saw that vast, lightless plain and that towering, pointed spire.
Crossing the wasteland and passing one wooden door after another, Klein reached the familiar corner.
A black baby carriage rolled out of the dense shadow; Will Auceptin, swaddled in silvery silk and sucking his right thumb, accused with ill humour:
"You're getting more and more impolite!"