Chapter 1098 — Contribution Accumulation

Upon hearing the words of the pools of black shadows, a figure suddenly appeared in Klein’s mind.

It was the elder in a white robe with inlaid brass lines. His hair was completely white and neatly combed. His pair of gray-green eyes left a deep impression on him.

He claimed to be a member of the Church of Knowledge and that he was in charge of matters in West Balam and had a close relationship with Maysanchez.

Back then, he had suddenly paid a visit to Dwayne Dantes, giving the excuse for his visit as him having predicted that he would be in a very troublesome situation in the future, and that someone he met during that time period would help him resolve the problem.

After some thought, he slowly said, “Lucca Brewster?”

“Yes, it’s me. You actually still remember me!” In the different parts of the illusory bookshelves, the pool of liquid-like shadows rushed to answer.

Their voices were no longer uniform. They were layered over each other, echoing endlessly. Even though he was separated by his marionette, Klein’s ears still rang, and he felt a sense of dizziness.

This isn’t a normal sound. It contains a certain inclination towards losing control or experiencing mental corruption... The illusory bookshelves themselves are just for show... Just as this thought flashed through Klein’s mind, he heard the black shadows curling and extending at the same time.

“Sorry, I was too agitated just now and couldn’t control myself.”

Hiding in the shadows outside the mansion, Klein controlled his marionette, Qonas Kilgor, and said, “What did you encounter? How did you end up like this?”

The black figures sighed and said, “The Adjudicator of the Feynapotter military, Bellacosta, and the Church of Earth Mother’s archbishop, Martina, jointly attacked this place, with their main target being me. I had no choice but to activate my Mythical Creature form and make them temporarily retreat. Seeing as you entered without noticing anything, you must’ve ‘Teleported’ here.

“You’re also a demigod. You should know that once you reveal your Mythical Creature form, it won’t be easy for you to return to normal. I was also affected by inclinations towards going insane, and I nearly lost control. Fortunately, I was once a Mysticism Magister and had mastered many strange but effective mystic arts. Hence, I sealed myself to a certain extent at the critical moment and ended up like this.

“Sigh, this can only last for some time. The madness is still eating at me. I’ve already contacted the See, and it wouldn’t be long before a helper comes. However, I don’t know if I can last that long.

“I was just thinking that this should be that very troublesome conundrum in the prophecy, and I was wondering if the person who could help me solve this problem would appear. I’m so happy that you’re here. This proves that my prediction and interpretation wasn’t wrong. This has improved my mental state...”

He really is a demigod who’s determined to see his predictions succeed... If I were to turn around and leave at this moment, would you just break down and lose control on the spot... After lampooning silently in his heart, Klein began thinking about the key information that was revealed by Lucca Brewster.

The Feynapotter military and the Church of Earth Mother had begun taking action!

He then got his marionette, Qonas Kilgor, to take out a gold coin and flick it before reaching out to catch it.

From what he knew, the clergymen of the seven Churches were focused on maintaining order and ensuring the safety of their believers, regardless of the situation. From this angle, it was impossible for Lucca Brewster to be a Devil or a Demon.

As for the impression that Vice Admiral Iceberg and Detective Isengard Stanton gave him, it made him feel that the Church of Knowledge wasn’t too bad. He felt that, other than their habitual discrimination against people with low intelligence and those who were not fond of studying, there was nothing wrong with their actions and style.

This is also the reason why they’re unable to develop and expand. They can only stay in a few small countries... Klein didn’t look at the result from flipping the gold coin. He mumbled a few words before saying, “How can I help you?”

The excited black shadows fell silent. A few seconds later, they said, “I don’t know either...”

Klein looked at them, and they looked back at him in silence. Instantly, there was a mutual silence.

Why don’t I suggest turning you into my marionette? Nearly ten seconds later, Klein lampooned inwardly.

His thoughts raced as he began to think of a way to resolve the Lucca Brewster’s problem of not being able to recover from his Mythical Creature form.

To be honest, his seriousness towards helping Lucca out wasn’t just because of his good impression of the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom, but also because of interests that could benefit him.

Firstly, there was the inkling of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom’s existence in the matter of Groselle’s Travels. At present, he was unable to determine the true god’s goal. He felt that showing some goodwill might lead to pleasant surprises. Secondly, if Roselle’s return really happened, the attitude of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom was rather important.

From the Red Angel evil spirit’s tone and manner of speech, Klein could make a preliminary judgment: Compared to the Fourth Epoch, the seven deities of the present era had a drastic change in attitude towards the appearance of a Black Emperor. Their reaction wasn’t as intense as before, and they were more inclined to tacitly approve of it, even if the person wasn’t their own candidate of choice.

Under such circumstances, if Emperor Roselle were to return, the only ones who would be against it would probably be the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery. After all, back when Roselle perished, “They” had been involved in the matter to some extent.

However, this objection wouldn’t be too strong either. As long as Roselle’s mental state was normal and he escaped the corruption and madness, there was a chance of being accepted. After all, the Black Emperor didn’t have the problem of switching with the Sun and Savant pathway, so there weren’t any direct conflicts of interest.

As for the original grudge, it wasn’t too serious at the level of a deity. Of course, this was just a guess Klein made from his knowledge of ancient history and from the angle of mysticism. According to his understanding of the situation, other than the God of Craftsmanship, the other six deities had been enemies with each other back during Solomon’s first empire. “They” had left behind countless grudges, and had no choice but to rope in the Black Emperor back then to help “Them.” In the end, “They” still put these matters behind “Them” and formed an alliance that lasted to this day.

Even the deities of neighboring pathways could coexist peacefully to a certain extent. As long as Roselle could really be revived, then as someone who wasn’t completely dead, the feud between him and the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery could be resolved.

Of course, with his understanding of Roselle, it was only a matter of time before Roselle took revenge. As long as he wasn’t crazy and wasn’t forced into a corner and wasn’t extreme, he could still understand the situation clearly and know what to do and what it meant to wait for an opportunity.

Under such circumstances, Klein believed that the ones who were able to suppress the Eternal Blazing Sun and the God of Steam and Machinery when “They” expressed “Their” objections and also make “Them” tacitly agree to it were definitely the Lord of Storms and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, because “They” and the Eternal Blazing Sun were on Beyonder paths that could be interchanged.

I’m just afraid that the corruption that stems from the cosmos isn’t that easy to resolve. The revived Roselle may end up completely turning into an evil god, but such matters can only be done one step at a time. Only by understanding the situation can one grasp the crux of the matter and decide whether to press the “button” at the final moment... Humans can’t stop because of worries with low odds. If that’s the case, nothing can be done. Even drinking a mouthful of water might lead to the descent of an evil god...

Similarly, what are the reactions of the various parties towards Roselle’s return, and how intense would they be? This will require me to wait and make further observations before I can find the most acceptable solution for everyone... At the moment, causing damage during the ritual at the critical moment has the highest chance of success... As his thoughts raced, Klein looked at the pool of dark shadows and slowly said, “How long can you last?”

Lucca Brewster observed his condition and said, “Seven, seven minutes.’

I thought you were going to say “seven, six, five, four, three...” After lampooning, Klein said, “I’ll get you a Psychiatrist.”

As he spoke, he retreated a few hundred meters out of the shadows of Maysanchez’s residence. Then, he set up a ritual and sacrificed Creeping Hunger above the gray fog.

After doing all of this, he sat in The Fool’s chair, conjured Gehrman Sparrow’s figure, and made him do a simple and quick prayer.

At this moment, it was almost dawn. As for Audrey, who had been busy with charity work, she had yet to sleep.

Treat a demigod who has shown signs of losing control... I can accumulate more merit points as well... Audrey put down the fountain pen in her hand and put on a white cloak with golden patterns.

Just like the previous mission, she set up a ritual to receive Creeping Hunger and wore Lie, which was in the form of a silver mask. Under the protection of Angel’s Embrace, she “Teleported” to the Maysanchez mansion in West Balam according to the map provided by Gehrman Sparrow.

The difference this time was that, due to her facing a demigod, not only was she wearing a mask, she had also used Lie to adjust her figure, aura, and appearance under the mask.

Then, she saw “Mr. World” in the form of Dwayne Dantes.

“That demigod has broken down into pools of black liquid. Try not to communicate with his Body of Heart and Mind directly. This will infect you with his inclination to lose control. If you can’t treat him, I can lend you a Beyonder characteristic.” Klein specially warned Miss Justice.

Audrey didn’t say that she was very clear about this. She was very professional in this aspect and listened attentively. “Let me give it a try first.”

She tugged at the cloak covering her body and took a few steps forward, casting her gaze at the illusory bookshelves and the pools of black liquid.

“Thankfully, he hasn’t truly lost control.” After examining for a few seconds, Audrey said gently.

Accompanied by her calm and powerful words, an invisible wind of Placate began to blow.

The frequency at which the pools of black liquid curled up and stretched began to decrease as the sense of anxiety weakened.

Audrey used Placate a few more times. It was only when Lucca Brewster’s mental state was completely stabilized and he had the ability to cooperate did she get him to open up his mind and receive the treatment.

And she took the opportunity to open the door to the demigod’s Body of Heart and Mind. She split her use of Placate into multiple treatments during the process of purifying the corruption. She planted psychological cues, cuing Lucca Brewster into believing that everything was fine, allowing him to easily converge his Mythical Creature form and turn back into a human.

The reason for splitting up the process was because if Audrey was affected by the slightest bit of corruption and the negative effects, then she would immediately retreat and resolve her mental problems first.

Finally, she completed the treatment and cues before taking a few steps back.

“Your Excellency, you can remove your Mythical Creature form.”

The moment she finished speaking, the illusory bookshelves in the hall vanished. The pools of black liquid gathered together like life, taking on a human form.

The black colors quickly faded away, turning back into Lucca Brewster’s original form. He sighed and said with a smile, Thank you very much. When I saw a Sequence 5 Spectator come over, I thought that I would become the main ingredient for her switching to another pathway...”

This old man’s words are so direct... I don’t even know how to respond to his words... Klein turned his head to look at Justice Audrey. He realized that her eyes were closed tightly.

Uh... Klein opened his mouth to respond to Lucca Brewster.

“Don’t worry. What you need the most right now is a set of clothes.”