But that's not right... this is supposed to be a grand artifact! Roselle had gone to great lengths to create the Cards of Blasphemy… He froze, pressing a hand to his forehead as if struck by a headache or a sudden realization, murmuring, "No, the Cards of Blasphemy…"
Roselle snapped his head up, looking at Klein and Alaric with a grave expression. "There's something off about the Cards of Blasphemy. Don't try to collect them all. Other pathways might be fine, but you need to be especially careful with the Mother card."
Though Klein didn't know about the Outer Deities, he could roughly guess what Roselle meant. Never one to be defiant, he nodded at Roselle's warning. "Understood, Mr. Roselle."
Alaric, unsurprised, nodded as well. "I know. Don't worry, even if there's an issue, I'll handle it."
Hearing Alaric's words, Roselle paused, then let out a relieved sigh, smiling. "Right, I forgot... we're wary of it, but you're not…"
At that moment, Klein felt a tug on his clothes. Looking down, he saw Lil' Amon, and he smiled. "What's up, Lil' Amon? Something on your mind?"
"For you." Amon said, shoving something into Klein's hand.
"It's Sherlock's thing. I got it for you." Lil' Amon added, looking up at Klein with a serious expression, their face glowing with the pride of a cat who'd done a good deed. If Amon had a tail, it'd probably be sticking straight up.
"Is that so? Well, thank you... wait, what?" Klein started to thank them instinctively, then realized what Amon was talking about. He looked down at the bookmark in his hand, recognizing it as the Card of Blasphemy disguised as a bookmark. Glancing back at Amon, he wasn't sure whether to feel touched or marvel at their sheer efficiency... stealing it so quickly.
Regardless of his mixed feelings, Klein smiled and ruffled Amon's head, saying earnestly, "Thank you, Lil' Amon."
"Sherlock's happy, so I'm happy." Amon said, breaking into a delighted grin.
"Whoa!" Roselle, witnessing the scene, raised an eyebrow, clearly about to comment.
But before he could, Alaric cut him off. "Looks like they've noticed the bookmark's gone. Before the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery surrounds this place, shall we leave?"
The Church of the God of Steam and Machinery took Roselle-related matters very seriously. Within seconds of Amon's theft, someone had already noticed the anomaly, and members of the Machinery Hivemind, disguised as civilians, were closing in.
"Let's go, let's go! I'm not in the mood to deal with Steam's people right now!" Roselle nodded quickly. As a Knowledge Emperor, he wasn't afraid of these low-to-mid-Sequence official Beyonders, but if he caused a scene, what if the God of Steam and Machinery took notice? Roselle's feelings toward the deity were complicated, and he had no desire to cross paths with them now.
Bernadette, clearly uninterested in tangling with the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, nodded in agreement.
With both of them decided, Klein and Lil' Amon... the true culprits... had even less reason to stick around. At Sequence 7 and Sequence 5 respectively, they'd be easy targets for the Machinery Hivemind if they stayed.
Escaping on their own or calling the Church of the Evernight Goddess for a rescue would be far too awkward.
Alaric, unsurprised, glanced at the approaching Machinery Hivemind members with a smile. He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers with a sharp "pop."
In the next instant, Roselle, Klein, and the others vanished, whisked away by Alaric's Traveler abilities.
"Wait... "
The Machinery Hivemind members lunged forward, but they grasped only air.
"They're gone? A Traveler's ability?" one of the Machinery Hivemind members speculated, recalling their training.
"Possibly…" Another nodded, then froze. "Wait, do you remember what they looked like?"
"Of course... huh?" The first member paused, a confused look crossing their face. "I can't recall. Just… a lot of mathematical formulas."
…
"Don't worry, Klein. I'm a Knowledge Emperor, after all. I'm not as good as a Spectator, but I've got a few tricks. Those Machinery Hivemind folks won't remember what we look like." Roselle said, waving a hand to reassure Klein, who seemed concerned about being tracked down.
"That's a relief. Thank you, Mr. Roselle." Klein said, exhaling. With the Evernight Goddess backing him, he wasn't too worried about being investigated, but the whole thing would've been painfully embarrassing.
"So, this is your place? Pretty modest." Roselle said, openly surveying the villa's furnishings. Something seemed to stir a memory, and he added with a wistful tone, "Reminds me of when I first transmigrated. I was dirt poor, had to beg my parents for pocket money."
"You've got ten minutes." Alaric said, giving Roselle a flat look.
"What? Only ten minutes left? I haven't even had a proper father-daughter moment with Bernadette!" Roselle's mood shifted instantly, his focus on the villa forgotten. He looked at Bernadette, wanting to say something, but as the moment arrived, nothing felt quite right.
Alaric ignored him, casually brewing himself a cup of black tea and glancing toward the second floor.
In the second-floor study, his alias Jack was with Azik, both studying occult knowledge under Will's tutelage.
Yes, though Will had initially been Lil' Amon's tutor, the ancient Snake of Mercury... who loved to act young... had lived far too long. Unlike Azik, who frequently lost memories, or Medici, who'd been sealed underground for years and was out of touch with the world, Will's vast knowledge shone through. After Jack Had once asked Will a few curious questions, the serpent gradually became the occult teacher for the entire household.
Truly, having an elder in the family was like having a treasure.
"What's wrong, Teacher Will?" "Jack Jones." listening to Will recount a historical tale, noticed the serpent pause mid-lesson and looked at them curiously.
"How many people does Teacher know, exactly?" Will asked, their expression odd. They'd naturally sensed Roselle and the others downstairs, which was why they'd stopped teaching.
Jack blinked innocently. "Far too many to count."
***
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