Klein didn't hide anything.
He explained everything carefully.
"Two days ago, Captain and I used a sealed artifact designated 3-0782. It's a mutated Sun Emblem. Within fifteen meters, it continuously purifies corpses and wandering spirits. Anything undead collapses in under a minute."
"That sounds useful," George said.
"It is. But the side effect is horrifying," Klein continued. "It also purifies living souls. Ordinary people exposed for an hour become mindless husks that do nothing but chant praises to the sun. Supernaturals can last around six hours before losing themselves."
George frowned slightly.
Klein went on.
"I tried divining it out of curiosity. Something interfered, so I brought the emblem into the gray fog to isolate the disturbance."
"That's when I saw how it was formed. At its core… was a single drop of golden liquid."
George's gaze sharpened.
"I divined the source of that liquid," Klein said quietly. "For a moment, I saw an actual sun. Not a star. A presence. I nearly burned to death on the spot. The gray fog blocked most of it, thankfully."
"After that, I suddenly gained knowledge. Formulas for the Sun path from early stages up through the fourth. And a method for crafting something called a Solar Flame Talisman."
Klein swallowed.
"I suspect that drop was divine blood."
"And the sun I saw…"
"The Eternal Blazing Sun."
George leaned back.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"That's fascinating."
If divine entities could be indirectly probed through objects like that, then the gray fog wasn't just a shelter.
It was a key.
With Klein's limited resilience, probing gods was suicidal.
But George was different.
Even without the fog absorbing most of the backlash, his soul could withstand far more than Klein's.
Which meant…
Divine knowledge was no longer unreachable.
"Do you still have the artifact?" George asked.
"No. After the mission, Captain reclaimed it for containment."
George shared his idea.
Klein's eyes lit up instantly.
"I might be able to ask Mr. Azik for help."
Azik was a history teacher at Klein's school.
Also, very likely a high-level supernatural who had lost his memories.
If Azik could engineer a controlled ghost incident, Klein could suggest deploying 3-0782 again.
And while doing so, he could attempt another controlled divination.
Possibly even craft a Solar Flame Talisman for himself.
"No rush," George said. "We can plan it properly."
He had his own thoughts about helping Azik later, once he refined certain memory-related techniques.
"By the way," George added, reaching into his pocket.
He produced a pacifier and handed it over.
Klein stared.
"…A pacifier?"
It was black, faintly warm, with subtle flame patterns pulsing across its surface.
George smiled.
"I made it."
"When you hold it in your mouth, you can breathe Solar Flame."
"It's extremely effective against undead, spirits, and anything tied to death. It also burns the soul of living targets."
"Even a sixth-rank supernatural would suffer badly from one hit."
Klein's jaw slackened.
"There's more," George continued.
"If you ever face something stronger than that, keep it in your mouth and say my name. I'll feel it."
"And I can teleport directly to you through the flame mark."
George was leaving for Backlund soon.
Klein, frankly, was fragile.
George preferred not to leave him completely naked in a world full of monsters.
With this, Klein could handle anything below mid-tier on his own.
Anything above that would be rare.
And if it happened…
George would step in.
Klein held the pacifier like it was sacred.
"Amazing…"
Then, cautiously, he asked:
"What's the downside?"
"None," George said casually. "As long as you still have energy, you can keep using it."
Klein froze.
No backlash.
No madness.
No hidden curse.
That alone made it priceless.
Most artifacts in this world were ticking bombs.
This one wasn't.
The only drawback was dignity.
And Klein had long since learned that pride was cheaper than coffins.
"I won't waste this," Klein said seriously.
George nodded.
He would eventually craft something even better.
This was just temporary.
George left the gray fog and returned home to continue his research.
Klein remained behind, gripping the pacifier.
A quiet resolve settled in his chest.
"I can't keep relying on him forever," Klein murmured.
"My potion is fully digested."
"It's time to report to Captain… and push for advancement."
...
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