"Alright, let's end today's gathering here."
Seeing that the two had chosen their codenames, Klein—who was eager to meet Hermes—immediately issued a dismissal order.
"As you wish," Alger bowed his head in salute.
"As you wish," Audrey mimicked "The Hanged Man."
She still had many questions and thoughts, completely unwilling to end the meeting.
Klein glanced at them and smiled.
"Let's look forward to our next gathering."
The "stars" brightened once more, and the deep red radiance retracted like water. Just as Audrey and Alger heard "The Fool"'s words, their figures became more blurred and illusory.
In less than a second, their "projections" shattered, and silence returned above the gray fog.
"Hu..."
Letting out a breath, Klein quickly refocused and began chanting Hermes' name.
"Hermes, Hermes..."
—
In the real world, in the Moretti family's study, Air was sitting cross-legged in Klein's chair, leisurely munching on sunflower seeds.
Suddenly, a call rang in his ears. He sensed that he had established a connection with something.
"Finally here..."
He chuckled softly. His body turned illusory and vanished, heading toward the source of the connection—toward that vast gray mist covering the entire spirit world, toward the Source Fortress...
—
"Why isn't he here yet? Did I summon him incorrectly?
"Do I need a ritual or a Honorific Name? But yesterday, Hermes didn't say I needed these..."
At the head of the ancient long table, Klein had been waiting anxiously for nearly a minute.
He didn't know the time flow ratio between this gray fog space and the real world. If Hermes still didn't appear, he would have to leave soon.
After all, his real-world body was still an unknown variable.
Just as he was about to exit, a deep red light suddenly flared, transforming into dazzling, seven-colored starlight.
The brilliant radiance intensified, and from it emerged a figure. As this figure stepped into the space, the entire gray fog seemed to boil—as if he were the true master of this realm.
"My lord, welcome back to your sacred throne."
With eight pairs of pure white wings on his back, dressed in a linen robe, Hermes placed his right hand over his chest and bowed respectfully toward the figure at the head of the table.
Upon seeing that the arrival was indeed Hermes, Klein, shrouded in mist, broke into a smile. A sense of familiarity welled up within him.
After all, aside from Roselle, Hermes was the only one who had accompanied him in this transmigration—uh, that is, the extraordinary characteristic had.
At the thought of Roselle, Klein quickly asked:
"How much do you know about Roselle Gustav?
"Was he truly betrayed in his later years and assassinated in White Maple Palace?"
Hearing Klein's question, the disguised Air responded without changing his expression:
"My lord, you seem to misunderstand something. I actually did not awaken much earlier than you. I do not know these details."
Klein frowned and asked:
"Then how do you know so much about mysticism?"
"My lord, that is because, like you, I have also absorbed the memories of my body's original owner.
"My body's original owner came from an angelic family with a lineage spanning thousands of years.
"Their knowledge of mysticism rivals that of the major churches.
"Additionally, since I am an activated extraordinary characteristic, I naturally contain certain mystical knowledge and secrets."
"So, aside from the memories you absorbed and the knowledge that came with your characteristic, you actually know nothing about this world?"
Klein felt a headache coming on. After some thought, he asked:
"Then based on the Roselle in your memories, how likely is it that he was a transmigrator?"
"Uh... My lord, it's not just a possibility—he was a transmigrator, just like you.
"You may not know this, but he left behind a notebook written in a special script.
"If my memory is correct, that script is Chinese..."
After hesitating for a moment, Hermes revealed the truth.
"I knew it! He was definitely a transmigrator! And he was even a fellow countryman...
"A notebook in Chinese—this is something I must try to collect!"
Klein muttered to himself, then smiled and asked:
"Do you have any of those notes? If you do, I'd like to take a look."
Hearing Klein's inquiry, Hermes nodded and responded:
"I have some, but not many. The family preserved only six pages in my possession."
"Only six pages? Well, it's not much, but it's enough for now."
Klein nodded, beginning to anticipate what Roselle's notes contained.
"What would a senior transmigrator leave behind?
"By the time of his fall, he was already Caesar—such a figure's notes must contain knowledge of high sequences!"
Suppressing his excitement, Klein suddenly realized an important problem: How was he supposed to retrieve these pages?
Would he have Hermes deliver them to his home?
That might alarm his sister and brother!
With that in mind, he looked at Hermes and asked:
"How can I obtain those six pages?
"I mean, in a sufficiently secretive manner."
"My lord, if you are willing, I can offer them to this space through a sacrificial ritual.
"But to do so, we need a proper directive description—a Honorific Name."
"A Honorific Name? Like the Goddess of the Night or the Lord of Storms? But those are for deities. I am not a god—I'm not even an extraordinary yet..."
Klein shook his head helplessly.
"My lord, as the successor of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth of Heaven and Earth for Blessings, you can use a Honorific Name in this gray fog space."
"But I don't know how to create one!"
"Damn, I forgot that Matryoshka (套娃) doesn't understand this yet."
After giving Klein an unreadable look, Air thought for a moment and said:
"My lord, this is not difficult. I can help you design a Honorific Name.
"What name would you like to use as the final directive of the ritual?"
"The Fool."
Without hesitation, Klein chose the identity he had just fabricated.
"The Fool?"
"Is there a problem with it?"
Seeing Hermes' surprised reaction, Klein didn't understand why his made-up identity would be an issue.
"My lord, 'The Fool' is the name of the Sequence 0 potion in the Seer Pathway.
"And this pathway's former apex holder was the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth of Heaven and Earth for Blessings..."
"Damn..."
Hearing Hermes' explanation, Klein felt goosebumps rise all over his body. A sudden, inexplicable sense of fear surged in his heart.
"Is this too much of a coincidence?
"Could the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth still be lingering?
"Am I being influenced by him into choosing 'The Fool'?
"No, I need to confirm this..."
Suppressing his fear, Klein calmly asked:
"Hermes, do you know how the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth died?
"And how did we transmigrate to this world?
"Why was Roselle here before me?"
"My lord, I regret that I cannot reveal the truth of transmigration. You must seek that knowledge on your own.
"As for the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth, I can tell you that he perished in a great battle."
"Dead. Good, dead is good."
Though he couldn't uncover the truth behind transmigration, confirming the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth's demise relieved much of Klein's anxiety.
Now, he could focus on establishing his Honorific Name.