0-02… Klein inwardly repeated the serial number, feeling that the problem might be more troublesome than he had expected.
Although it couldn’t be said that 0-02 was definitely more terrifying than 0-05 since the true essence of the Magic Wishing Lamp was that of a sealed Outer Deity, an entity far stronger than the present true deities, “He” could definitely destroy this world or even this solar system if not for the restrictions of the outer shell. However, the smaller the number meant that 0-02 was likely more dangerous and more difficult to seal than 0-05 in most cases.
At the end of the Fourth Epoch, the seven Churches had serialized the batch of Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts to two-digit numbers. Being only second to 0-01, it’s totally possible to imagine how terrifying 0-02 is… However, the God of Combat didn’t seem to make use of this Sealed Artifact in the battle of gods… Was it not suitable for direct combat, or was it too dangerous? It didn’t distinguish between friend and foe? Thoughts ran through Klein’s mind.
His expression gradually turned serious.
“Ma’am, what do you know about 0-02?”
Arianna slowly shook her head and said, “When the various Churches inform each other of the Grade 0 and Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts, they only mention the serial numbers.”
That’s right. The information regarding a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is strictly confidential internally to a Church. As part of the brass, they usually have to be in charge of a particular Grade 0 Sealed Artifact before they can come into contact with any related information. Furthermore, there’s a high chance that the corresponding memories will be erased after everything is over… This is, on the one hand, to prevent important information from leaking, and on the other hand, there’s the fact that just knowing about Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in most cases can result in danger, or cause the seal to be ineffective… Klein asked in thought, “Didn’t the Church already take over the Church of the God of Combat?”
That way, they could have obtained all the files on 0-02.
Arianna looked at the nearby Roy and company and said, “Larrion destroyed all files regarding the Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts before escaping.”
Impressive… Such an abnormally cautious fellow is really annoying… Klein thought and said, “What comments does the Goddess have of 0-02?”
From his point of view, the Evernight Goddess and the God of Combat were existences from the same period. Furthermore, “She” was in control of the Concealment authority. The Goddess had a high chance of understanding the situation that the latter grasped.
In addition, it was impossible for the Sealed Artifacts at the level of 0-02 not to leave any traces in history. They might have created many disasters, so they were no stranger to high-level figures of that era.
Arianna seemed to have recalled the situation from a long time ago. She stated without any pause:
“In the past revelation, the Goddess called 0-02 ‘the Book of Rules.’”
Book of Rules… That’s even more terrifying… Klein’s eyes narrowed as he made plenty of connections.
In his past life, he was a gaming enthusiast who played a broad genre of games despite not being too obsessed. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the term “Book of Rules” at all.
At this moment, Arianna added, “The fact that you happened to be in Belltaine City might reveal some of the characteristics of 0-02.”
Yes, it’s quite normal for Ma’am Arianna to encounter such an anomaly while tracking the chief shepherd, Larrion, to Belltaine, but for me to also be here, it’s too much of a coincidence… In mysticism, excessive coincidences often mean that there’s something wrong…
Is someone setting me up, or is it the effect of the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence? Based on the present situation, the set up doesn’t seem targeted., and how I’m already the owner of Sefirah Castle, I can more or less sense something abnormal… If it’s the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence, eliminating the exiled Mr. Door and the Antigonus ancestor who is sealed in the foggy town, the only ones that can influence me to this extent are Zaratul and Amon…
However, I’ve always been deliberately avoiding Zaratul. Amon’s true body should be under the True Creator’s pursuit. If it’s just an avatar, it’s impossible for it to produce such a powerful convergence effect… Yes, there’s another possibility. The law of convergence between sefirot… 0-02 attracted Sefirah Castle, causing me to coincidentally come to Belltaine today?
If that’s the case, even if 0-02 isn’t a sefirah, it’s definitely related to one… Klein, who had already suspected something, suddenly thought of a lot. He had a vague grasp of 0-02.
He thought for a moment and said, “From the development of the situation, the rules are gradually becoming stricter. That piece of yellow paper is evidence. Does this mean that the extent of 0-02’s coming to life or the degree of reawakening is becoming deeper?”
Arianna nodded serenely and said, “That’s right. We have to find it before something happens, and also try to seal it.
“That’s why it’s best we split up and expand the search radius, saving as much time as possible.”
Klein had no objections to this. After some thought, he said, “Ma’am, you’ve told me so much. Isn’t this considered leaking secrets?”
“No.” Arianna gave a rather clear answer. “Leaking secrets refers to informing the outside world of the anomaly in Belltaine via any way.”
This has cut off any physical connection between us and the outside world… That’s fine. At least, there’s no need to worry about any problems with our usual conversations. In short, it’s fine if we don’t curse… Klein silently heaved a sigh of relief and asked, “The Nighthawks and Mandated Punishers here will abide by the rules on the notice?”
“Yes.” Arianna gave an affirmative answer before her figure faded away and disappeared.
After watching the matron of the Evernight cloister leave, Klein quickly sorted out the information he had just obtained and gained some understanding of the possible developments that were to come.
Combat wasn’t the main point. The crux of the problem was whether he could find 0-02 in time and think of a way to seal it.
During this process, what they would face as foreigners would become more and more complicated. They would find it increasingly difficult to abide by the rules and the citizens that were controlled.
With this in mind, Klein cast his gaze to Roy and company not far away. He asked with a smile, “What are your thoughts on what you just heard?”
Roy exchanged looks with Pasha and said, “We don’t know what a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is, but we can guess that 0-02 is a very terrifying item. It can set the rules and even change reality to a certain extent. Furthermore, this anomaly seems to change as time passes.
“Also, the chief shepherd of the Church of the God of Combat should be a very powerful Beyonder.”
Klein gently clapped his hands and smiled.
“That’s about it. If we don’t work hard and hope to avoid danger by hiding, then there will be more and more things that we need to take note of. If we aren’t careful, we might commit a crime. Heh heh, perhaps in the end, we will be executed on the spot because we stepped out the door with our left foot first.”
His words left Pasha, Biles, and the others in a panic.
It was indeed funny to hear the possible developments, but on second thought, they could sense the extreme horror hidden within!
A few seconds later, Pasha said with a solemn expression, “Furthermore, the citizens can use any means to deal with us, but we are unable to fight back. This is because killing and voluntarily causing harm are very serious crimes…”
“We can try to deceive their senses, but we can’t use it too many times,” Klein said casually. “What we need to do now is to quickly summarize the rules that 0-02 follows. That way, we can find it and seal it before it comes to life or awakens to gain true intelligence. What are your thoughts?”
Marauder Phil thought for a moment and probed, “It doesn’t seem capable of attacking us directly. It can only punish us when we violate the rules and commit crimes.”
Klein snapped his fingers and said, “That’s right. I can summarize this law for now: 0-02 cannot punish those who do not commit crimes.”
Biles blurted out, “But it can make the citizens arrest foreigners. Foreigners aren’t considered criminals.”
“This does contradict the previous law from before,” Klein replied with a smile. “However, in history, many cities have come up with laws that include discrimination and the expulsion of foreigners in the different stages of their development. Did you decipher any deeper laws from this matter?”
The four Beyonders frowned one after another, unsure what the powerful magician opposite them was trying to express.
After a brief silence, Pasha, who thought of the question he had asked—asking whether a particular action was considered fraud—hesitated and said, “The rules issued by 0-02 must match the public’s understanding and be acknowledged to a certain extent?”
“That’s a good idea,” Klein praised. “This is a guess thanks to the law regarding the arrest of foreigners. It has been verified from your previous feedback, so we can temporarily list it as its second law. This can help us determine which actions are crimes and which aren’t.”
Seeing Pasha receive the praise of the powerful “magician” twice, Roy hurriedly added, “It will constantly increase the number of laws, reaching a certain level of complexity, thereby limiting us. No matter what we do, we will be punished. Yes, on the basis of arresting foreigners, clauses such as the trespassing of private property and the prohibition of defecation or urination in public will make life harder for us with the passage of time.”
Just as Klein nodded in agreement, his spiritual perception was triggered.
He instinctively raised his head and looked at the noticeboard. He realized that a goatskin parchment had appeared on it at some point in time.
“Curfew Order…”
“This…” Pasha and the others also noticed this change and their eyes widened.
It was already late at night. If they stayed outside for some time, they would violate the curfew and suffer some punishment. Then, the punishment would worsen each time until they were sentenced to death.
“Let’s go. We haven’t got much time.” Klein pressed down his tall hat and said with a smile, “Our target is most likely a book. It might still be with the chief shepherd, or it might’ve already been hidden somewhere. My intuition tells me that it might be the latter. This is because, to anyone, that item is too dangerous, and it will only become more dangerous. Of course, the premise is that the chief shepherd hasn’t gone crazy—only using 0-02 to create a chance to escape pursuit.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you that the chief shepherd is a Grounded Angel.”
Angel… Roy, Pasha, and the others, who had just begun to move, froze.
