Ebner thought for a moment, then shifted his gaze to another item lying in front of the Wanderer. It was a somewhat worn piece of parchment, with no writing on it—only the numbers one to three, each followed by a simple symbol.
Where others might have been completely baffled, Ebner, with his Pure White Eye, easily unraveled the secret: those numbers, in a sense, were doors, each hiding a separate space. This must have stemmed from a Mysticism Magister's ability to conceal spaces.
In other words, the parchment itself was a large storage compartment, and the three numbers marked the doors to three different compartments. The only question was what keys corresponded to those doors.
Ebner reached out to pick up the parchment for a closer look, only to find he couldn't lift it—as if the sheet were rooted to the ground.
Or rather… this parchment is itself a 'door' conjured by illusion…
Looks like getting a space artifact for free isn't going to happen.
Ebner sighed, crouched down, and pressed his finger onto the number "1." Immediately, a stone stele appeared before his eyes, covered in dense inscriptions—though only the first line was visible: "Sequence 4: Bizarro Sorcerer."
Was this the Bizarro Sorcerer's potion recipe? Or compensation left by that senior transmigrator after outmaneuvering Zaratul, in case Klein failed to obtain the demigod formula? If so, then the key to this door was probably something Klein usually carried… but what could it be?
After pondering, Ebner decided that if the Abraham family Wanderer had left something for Klein, there must be a clue. He studied the simple symbol next to the number. The symbol after "1" looked like a whistle… could it refer to the Azik copper whistle?
Thinking that, Ebner took out the copper whistle Jian had given him, matching the Azik model, and placed it on the parchment. Only the mist around the stele lightened slightly—no other change. It had some effect, but since it wasn't the real key, the reaction was weak. Even a high-quality replica couldn't match the original.
Ebner wasn't disappointed; he wasn't particularly interested in the Bizarro Sorcerer's recipe anyway.
He put the copper whistle away and pressed his finger onto "2." Another stele appeared, its inscriptions mostly shrouded in mist—only the first line was clear: "The method to leave Fog Town." After the "2," a stone-shaped symbol was drawn.
By now, Ebner was certain the Wanderer had left the parchment as compensation for Klein; this knowledge should have been taught to the Fool by Zaratul. As for the stone symbol, it most likely meant the obsidian needed to escape… If he succeeded in leaving, the stone would probably drop nearby, making it easy for Klein to find… tsk, how considerate of this Wanderer toward Mr. Fool.
Ebner muttered to himself, then touched "3." Once more, a stele appeared. This time, the first line read: "Space Card." The rest of the text was completely clear before him.
This was a secret art, used to craft a card similar to the one Roselle had used to seal the Bone Dragon.
Ebner had long coveted this type of "space" equipment, so he felt a surge of joy. As he memorized the inscription, he instinctively glanced at the symbol next to the number on the parchment and found it was a simple line-drawn "eye."
The key to the third 'door' should be the Pure White Eye… It seems this Wanderer senior really did look after me…
While this thought flickered through his mind, Ebner searched the area around the Abraham family Wanderer's body once more. However, he found nothing else of note, except that the wall behind the statue caught his attention.
There, a series of short, ancient symbols were carved into the surface, but a portion in the middle was left blank, interrupting the sequence.
The blank area was about the size of two palms and clearly recessed inward, as if the stone bricks there had been removed.
Ebner immediately understood this was the spot where the missing obsidian should go—the "door" leading out of this secret world.
The missing obsidian is most likely in the hands of one of the surviving Beyonders in town...
But the town isn't exactly large, nor is it small. Most of those Beyonders, having consumed flesh contaminated by traits, are half-crazed, but they still have enough sense to avoid danger. If they deliberately hide, it'll be difficult for me to find them.
Even if I make myself into bait to lure them out... it might work once or twice, but after that, it'll become ineffective and finding the remaining ones will be even harder.
And I can't guarantee the obsidian will be in the hands of the first ones I attract.
Besides, Lady Despair Panatiya is hiding somewhere in the town too. I'm not completely safe… If the others gang up on me, I'll be the one running for my life…
So… what should I do?
Ebner pondered for a long time. He wasn't too keen on following Klein's original method of feigning cooperation with the enemy. After all, given his current combat abilities, even if he proposed "working together," others, Panatiya included, wouldn't trust him so easily.
Besides, I don't have any "historical projection" of food to feed those starving maniacs...
Hmm? Historical projection?
The moment the idea crossed his mind, Ebner's eyes lit up. He turned his gaze toward the Abraham family demigod sitting cross-legged behind the statue and slowly formed a plan.
Since he had already used the Pure White Eye to analyze earlier, Ebner knew that this Wanderer's physical state was very similar to the Bone Dragon's, just with slight differences. Temporary control shouldn't be an issue...
However, Ebner didn't act rashly. When Zaratul's ashes had entered the "Unknown Land" earlier, the feedback Ebner received had mentioned that the historical projection of the Miracle Invoker had been ensnared precisely because he had conceived the idea of turning the Wanderer into a secret puppet. Before he could succeed, he was corrupted by an unknown source.
(End of chapter)