A prison jointly built by the Death Emperor and the Black Emperor? A prison... built on a hidden island—what could be locked up inside? Klein had similar doubts to Roselle's, but his focus was clearly on the goals of the Death Emperor and the Black Emperor. Hmm... it's likely something extremely dangerous; otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen such a remote island in the sea… Of course, there could also be reasons to keep it hidden from prying eyes. As Klein pondered aimlessly, he continued reading:
"May 14th. Using the main cannon of the Black Throne, I finally managed to break the seal on the entrance of the ruin, opening a small gap.
"A monster rushed out. Its appearance was bizarre, unlike any supernatural creature I've encountered before.
"Though its power wasn't strong, it was immune to almost all abilities except for physical attacks.
"It took me and Edwards a considerable effort to defeat it, but after its 'Beyonder traits' were extracted, I was unable to 'identify' which Sequence it belonged to.
"Is this because my prior knowledge isn't sufficient, or is this creature simply that unique?
"May 15th. After a night of contemplation, I decided to reseal the gate to the ruin.
"After all, even with only one monster escaping, we had a tough time dealing with it. Who knows how many more of these creatures might be imprisoned in this so-called 'prison'?
"I'll wait until I'm strong enough to handle whatever's inside before exploring further."
It seems that the "Abyss" trip made Roselle far more cautious—his personality has calmed down somewhat. He's no longer as reckless as before... That makes sense; though the Emperor was a bit childish and always thought of himself as the "main character," if he truly hadn't learned from his mistakes, he would never have achieved the things he later did.
But a monster that can only be harmed by physical attacks, while immune to other Beyonder abilities? What could that be? I remember seeing something similar in the sea battle "live stream" with Mr. Tower, where a demigod "Arbiter" used the ability "Mystical Weakening, Reality Enhancement" to achieve similar effects…
But that was a demigod ability. The creature Roselle recorded in his diary clearly didn't reach that level of power; after all, the Emperor was at most a middle-tier Sequence at that time.
Thoughts whirled through his mind. Klein set aside these three pages and picked up the two pages Mr. Tower had presented.
"December 2nd. I met Cullen's mother at Cullen's residence. She's a vampire countess, Sequence 4 of the 'Shaman King' Pathway.
"Her name is Helen, and she's an exceptionally beautiful lady…
"Damn it, why did the vampires send Cullen, this 'dying' wreck, to assist me, instead of sending his mother?
"What a pity... What a pity! Cullen is already my subordinate, my friend—I can't make a 'move' on his mother… After all, she's from Loen, and their customs aren't as liberal as Intis'."
Upon reading this, Klein secretly shook his head. He didn't know whether to praise the Emperor for having some boundaries, or to disdain him for wanting to try his luck with any type of beautiful woman…
Furthermore, it was obvious from his words that this guy still had unspoken intentions!
"December 3rd. Today, Cullen asked me for time off. When I inquired about the reason, I learned that Lady Helen had come to Trier to inform her son that she was remarrying…
"Cullen's stepfather will be a bishop of the Earth Mother Church, and a divine chosen one.
"I suddenly feel like a certain secret dream I've held in my heart has shattered…"
As expected... Klein sneered inwardly and picked up the second page Mr. Tower had submitted.
This page didn't contain anything of value—though the previous one hadn't had much either, at least it had told Klein that Cullen's mother was named Helen, and that the vampires, or the "Apothecary" Pathway, Sequence 4 was indeed called "Shaman King."
But on this page, aside from the Emperor's nearly embarrassing past, there was nothing worth Klein's attention. He merely glanced at it before letting it fade away.
Next, he picked up the diary submitted by "The Hanged Man." The first thing that met his eyes was Roselle's "high praise" for a certain witch…
Klein was speechless for a while. He flipped through it and found that all three pages were contents he had already read in a diary submitted before Mr. Tower.
Mr. Hanged Man, don't tell me you bought your diary from the same source as Mr. Tower? Klein complained inwardly but had no choice. As more diaries accumulated, the chances of getting duplicates would only increase.
Sighing silently under the concealment of the gray fog, "The Fool" acted as though he hadn't seen any eye-burning content and spoke calmly, "You may begin your transactions."
"Magician" Fors immediately turned to the same side and looked at "Justice" with anticipation. "I've received a reply. My teacher has a pair of Mirror Dragon's Eyes. The price is 1000 pounds."
Through her recent observations, Fors had confirmed that "Justice" was Audrey Hall, and the other party didn't seem to have intentions of keeping it hidden. She had even hinted during a recent private meeting that as long as the materials were available, she didn't mind overpaying.
But even so, Fors was still a bit nervous. Her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham, had a psychological limit of 800 pounds, which was already a big markup from the normal five or six hundred. And she had added another 200 pounds on top of that.
Though I submitted my manuscript at the last minute, the guaranteed royalties for the new book have finally arrived. My savings are up by another 300 pounds… But the funds needed for Sequence advancement are even more daunting… Not to mention, the main materials for Sequence 7 cost at least five to six hundred pounds each…
As she waited for a response, Fors used "reality" to soothe her "conscience."
"1000 pounds?" Audrey's face showed joy. She had been acquiring materials for the "Psychiatrist" potion for weeks now, and finally had a lead. She nodded excitedly. "Alright, it's a deal!"
As for the few hundred pounds of markup? That was less than the interest her industries earned at the bank over a few days.
She agreed? She really agreed… "Magician" Fors felt both thrilled and emotional. As expected of the generous Miss Audrey…
Seeing their deal concluded, "The Hanged Man" Alger adjusted his posture and said, "I'm selling a 'Witch' Beyonder characteristic for 1500 pounds. No bargaining."
It was loot he had acquired from a raid on a pirate under the Theosophy Order. Because it was difficult to sell through conventional channels—lest the Theosophy Order or even the Demoness Sect trace it back to him—he intended to sell it at the Tarot Club instead.
If no one wants it, I'll have to risk going to Shalff and getting it crafted into a Beyonder item… Ugh, the problem is that guy might not even keep it secret… "The Hanged Man" Alger thought while observing the others.
At that moment, Ebner raised his hand. "I'll take it."
Since killing the Desire Apostle, he had been pondering what kind of item he should make from its characteristic. Unfortunately, he hadn't come up with anything good…
But as soon as he heard "The Hanged Man" was selling a "Witch" characteristic, inspiration struck.
Why not make it into a 'Transformation Wand' and pair it with the one Mr. Gaston made for the 'King of the Five Seas' as a series?The Witch has black flames…The Desire Apostle has magma…How about making a 'Transformation Wand - Fire'?
(End of Chapter)