Above the gray fog, Klein’s pupils instantly widened as he subconsciously looked down at the long mottled table in front of him.
There were four Cards of Blasphemy with different patterns on the back.
At that moment, he felt a little scared and relieved. He felt as though he had been wandering about on the edge of the abyss while blindfolded, but he never fell.
If he had done his best to gather all the Card of Blasphemy, or had obtained the Mother card, with the way how he liked to put the different cards in his body to obtain the corresponding levels and special characteristics, he might’ve already been corrupted by the Mother Goddess of Depravity, or be pregnant with something.
However, I’m not Roselle. Even if I have the Mother card, I probably wouldn’t have done so. Furthermore, in order to prevent the deities from finding it, Cards of Blasphemy are extremely difficult to gather. It’s almost impossible to gather all of them… From the looks of it, this is a casual arrangement made by the Mother Goddess of Depravity. If anyone were to unfortunately obtain the Mother card, they would become one of the latent dangers in this world… Klein retracted his gaze and continued using his stand-in Paper Figurine Substitutes to look at Roselle Gustav who was sitting on the black iron seat.
At that moment, Roselle raised his body slightly. His voice was sometimes low and sometimes high-pitched.
“Everything has godhood in them…
“The Oldest One is still alive, alive in everyone’s bodies!”
Klein frowned slightly. He didn’t know if the one speaking was Roselle or the crimson moon in his body.
Not only did he have a certain level of understanding regarding such secrets, he had also personally experienced it before. Thus, he wasn’t that horrified or panicked. He only recalled the teachings of the Aurora Order he had seen in the past:
They promoted the belief that the Creator was omnipresent and existed in every living being’s body. Therefore, all living beings had godhood. Once godhood reached a certain concentration, they could become an angel. And the current orthodox deities are nothing more than slightly stronger angels. To ordinary people, as long as one was able to grasp that the essence of life was a spiritual travel, and tempered one’s mind, strengthen one’s spirit, and find their own godhood, as well as fuse with more godhoods, one would be able to escape their mortal coils and become an angel.
Back then, I felt that a cult like the Aurora Order had a complete set of mysticism and religious canon, just like the orthodox Churches, but now, I can interpret the truth underlying these words… From a certain point of view, it’s true. The only problem is that after fusing with more godhoods, they might no longer be themselves… The True Creator actually placed the deepest secrets of this world into “His” teachings. Isn’t “He” afraid that a believer might suddenly have an epiphany and learn of the underground corruption, eventually becoming a vessel for the Oldest One’s revival? This Hanged Man really is a little crazy. “He” doesn’t have much rationality most of the time… Klein mumbled inwardly as he waited for Roselle to say more.
Two to three seconds later, Roselle, who had been in a cycle of slumber and the obtaining of new life, sat back on his iron-black throne. He panted and didn’t say a word.
Klein then controlled the paper figurine to say, “Which of the words that you have just said should be trusted, and which ones should I be wary of?”
Roselle chortled.
“Consider the answer yourself.”
“Heh, isn’t that how you Seers like to speak?”
He didn’t wait for Klein’s reply as he continued, “When I created the Pale Death mask, I sensed something: The Death of the Fourth Epoch might not have completely perished. ‘He’ might’ve left a hidden trump card for being revived. It might involve the River of Eternal Darkness. Heh heh, Death will definitely not die so easily…”
With that said, Roselle looked at Klein, who stood at the foot of the platform.
“Indeed, only by choosing the Seer, Apprentice, or Marauder pathway can a transmigrator enter Sefirah Castle. By the time I figured out this factor, it was already way too late.
“I don’t know if you want to become a Great Old One or not, nor do I know if this requires a ritual. I can only tell you that this is definitely more dangerous than becoming a deity—countless times more dangerous. Perhaps the existence who stored us and threw us back into the real world is waiting for you there.
“The only suggestion I can give you is to communicate with the Genie of the Magic Wishing Lamp before you make any attempts.”
Genie? Using the grudge between “Him” and the Celestial Worthy to obtain certain assistance? Klein nodded slightly and said, “Okay.”
After hearing his answer, Roselle sighed and said with a smile, “If you really can become a Great Old One, you can consider saving me. Only a Great Old One can resist a Great Old One.”
At this point, he fell silent for a moment before he slowed down his speech.
“If you can’t completely free me from the corruption of the Primordial Moon after becoming a Great Old One, then remember to wipe my existence off the face of the world. Destroy this mausoleum, support the creation of a new Black Emperor, and prevent me from ever being revived…”
The light inside the mausoleum seemed to dim a little. Klein fell silent for two seconds before saying, “I won’t forget that.”
Roselle fell silent. After a few seconds, he laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Of course, before that, you should try to save me a few more times.”
Such a sense of humor didn’t make Klein smile. Instead, it made his heart sink even more, making him unable to speak.
Roselle didn’t continue the topic as he recalled.
“My wife passed away a long time ago. The mistresses I once had definitely had their own endings. Towards them, I feel very sorry. I’ve never truly loved them. I only coveted their looks and the pleasure they gave me…
“I don’t have any illegitimate children. Towards such matters, a Beyonder is quite aware of that. As for the time before I became a Beyonder, I believe those ladies definitely coveted my looks and body to enjoy such pleasures. They won’t leave any trouble for themselves…
“My eldest son, Ciel, should be dead for years. I don’t know how many descendants he left behind. My second son, Bornova, would definitely be an angel now if nothing unexpected happens. I have complicated feelings for him. On the one hand, I’m very detached, disappointed, and resentful, but on the other hand, I would occasionally secretly care about him. I remember how adorable he was when he was just born…
“You’ve already met my eldest daughter, Bernadette. Isn’t she beautiful? She was pretty from a young age, obedient, and smart. She knew how to be filial to her old father, protect her younger brother, and dote on her mother. Sometimes, she acted especially righteous and appeared a little silly. There were several times when I secretly cheated while playing chess or games with her, but she didn’t realize it. Such a temper made it difficult for her to accept what I did later. Of course, now, I can just push the blame onto the Primordial Moon. It’s all because of ‘Her’ corruption. I’m rather grateful for ‘Her’ on this point.
“I don’t know what right I have to make a request. After all, I’ve never helped you before, nor do I have much of a relationship with you. It’s just that we’re from the same era and same place—the ties as a fellow Earthling.”
Upon hearing that, Klein said in a deep voice, “Your diary gave me plenty of help. It allowed me to grasp a lot of high-level knowledge when I was weak, allowing me to avoid many dangers and know how to direct my efforts in a targeted manner.
“Also, those Cards of Blasphemy have shown their use at different stages.”
“Can you not mention the diary?” Roselle coughed lightly and said, “However, in the later stages, I was indeed consciously leaving a message to the next transmigrator. The only thing I couldn’t be sure of is which language you know.”
The Emperor slowly exhaled before saying, “My request is to help me look after Bernadette. When she needs help, provide her some help.
“Although she is about to become an important figure in the mysterious world, I still can’t feel at ease as a father.”
Without any hesitation, Klein got the paper figurine to answer directly.
“I’ll take care of her for you.”
“…Man, why does this sound a little awkward?” Roselle’s tone instantly turned odd. “By the way, I haven’t asked for your name. As for me, you should know very well that I’m Huang Tao.”
“Zhou Mingrui,” Klein answered frankly.
“Are you married? Do you have children? How old are you?” Roselle raised three questions in one go.
Emperor, why are you acting like a gossipy middle-aged woman from next door? Klein shook his head and gave a simple answer.
“No.”
Roselle immediately fell silent. After a moment, he said, “You and I are of the same generation. Bernadette should call you Uncle Zhou.
“Yes…”
As he spoke, Roselle’s tone suddenly became filled with pity.
“After coming to this era, I treated everything as a game in the beginning. I was having a great time playing, but I would occasionally recall my home, remembering the past where I cultivated most of my personality and hobbies.
“The longer I lived, the higher the frequency I felt this feeling. It’s like the fallen leaves will always want to return to the roots of a tree. However, at the very least, I have a daughter, a wife, and two sons. There are still many things in this world that I’m worried about, and some sense of belonging to a certain extent. As for you… I can feel your loneliness, the loneliness that comes from deep within your bones.”
Upon saying that, Roselle suddenly sighed.
“If only we were still living in that era. I’ll go to work punctually every day and work overtime from time to time. Whenever I’m free, I’ll visit my daughter’s extracurricular lessons, pick her up, bring her home stuff my wife constantly reminds me about. Every weekend, we’ll either head out for some fun or head to my parents’ place to accompany them…
“When one day I’m exhausted from life, I’ll use an excuse that you as my friend are treating me. As men, we can sit by the street and eat some skewers, drink some alcohol, brag, curse our superiors, reminisce about the days of our youth, and urge you to quickly find a girlfriend… When I wake up the next day, I’ll be able to have the zeal to continue facing life again…”
Klein listened quietly without interrupting the Emperor’s prattle.
Roselle’s voice gradually lowered as he smiled.
“Goodbye, my friend.
“I hope we can really meet again one day.”
His figure quickly turned illusory, as though he had disappeared from the world, leaving only a faint shadow hovering over the iron-black throne.
Roselle Gustav had returned to his eternal slumber.
