He was no stranger to a “Lord that created everything.” The Creator mentioned in the The Book of Storms, The Revelation of Evernight, and other urban myths referred to the Creator with similar titles. It was also the way various secret organizations like the Aurora Order described the True Creator.
But this was the first time Klein was hearing of an “omnipotent and omniscient God” in this world. Be it the Evernight Goddess, Lord of Storms, and the God of Steam and Machinery, none of them claimed to be omniscient or omnipotent.
When Derrick felt The Fool’s gaze, he lowered his head involuntarily.
He recalled the legends that his parents had told him. He said slowly and sadly, “When the sun disappeared from the sky, when the clouds were ripped and torn apart, when lightning and thunder became our rulers, and the monsters lurking in the dark suddenly emerged, ones so terrifying beyond one’s imagination, they destroyed one city after another in the Kingdom of Silver. Humanity’s Dark Ages had arrived.
“The remaining experts in the City of Silver then relied on their united power and two magical items before they finally warded off the attack of the Things of the Dark. They gradually eradicated the monsters within a one day journey of the city, and they established a city-state that protected the last light of human civilization.”
The young man’s description made him feel that the City of Silver was in a different world than the Northern Continent.
Derrick calmed his breathing and continued, “During the first few decades, plants couldn’t grow. The City of Silver had a severe lack of food, and we could only hunt dark creatures or mutated animals to relieve our hunger. The population dropped drastically. Fortunately, we found Black-Faced Grass. It could survive under such circumstances, and it became our only reliable and stable food source.
“It was said to be the final intervention that the magnificent God left for us. It allowed one generation after another to live on in the City of Silver. It persisted in the Dark Ages for 2582 years.
“The passage of time was recorded by a long line of Chiefs. For the rest of the people in the City of Silver, we call periods of frequent lightning ‘day,’ and when the lightning subsides, we call it ‘night.’ It’s a rather confusing system, and it makes exact dates difficult to pinpoint.”
Derrick briefly talked about the few memorable incidents in the City of Silver’s history and said, “When the population returned to a certain level, the number of Beyonders increased. The six-member council started forming elite troops to explore the dark. We have now explored all of the original territory and nearby cities. We are advancing towards the darker and more terrifying depths of the dark. At the border, we found cities with strange architectural style, but they were destroyed at some point. We suspect that they were sanctuaries built by other remaining humans. Unfortunately, they still lost to the Things of the Dark in the end.”
“… The Kingdom of Silver was once ruled by the Giant King. Hence, the Beyonder chain that we are in control of is the Giant pathway, also known as the Divine Blood Warrior sequence pathway… When we killed certain monsters and explored those destroyed cities, we obtained potion formulas of other Sequences. However, the Sequence pathways are incomplete,” Derrick said, moving on to explain the current situation in the City of Silver.
Upon hearing that, Klein’s mind jolted. Although he didn’t change his posture much, he was obviously paying more attention.
Derrick saw that the Fool didn’t reply. He clenched his teeth, pondered, and said, “The names of the Giant Sequence pathway are Sequence 9 the Beyonder Warrior, Sequence 8 Gladiator, Sequence 7 Weapons Master, Sequence 6 Dawn Paladin, Sequence 5 Guardian, and Sequence 4 Demon Hunter. Only the elders in the six-member council know the names of the higher Sequences.”
Derrick continued to explain.
“After we pulled through the initial hardships, the City of Silver has been ruled by a six-member council ever since. The elder that enjoys the highest position in the council is called the Chief. The other five are equal in rank… The current six-member council is formed by three Demon Hunters, two Guardians with the greatest potential, and a Shepherd.”
However, since the young man was just a mere commoner, with him not even at Sequence 9, it was unlikely that he would gain the attention of the upper echelons for a long time. Thus, Klein relaxed again.
“Yes, this is a Sequence pathway that we found from a city that the Things of the Dark destroyed. It only reached Sequence 5 Shepherd, but Elder Norwaya is very strong, very strange, and very scary. It is said that she once won against an evil spirit at the level of a High-Sequence Beyonder without getting injured. Therefore, when there was a vacancy in the six-member council, they made an exception for her,” Derrick, feeling a little fear.
Klein thought, then smiled as he asked, “What’s the Sequences before Shepherd? I find them familiar. As you know, a sequence’s historical name and its current name is always different.”
“In the City of Silver, the names of potions have never changed,” Derrick refuted instinctively. He then lowered his head and said, “Sequence 9 Secrets Suppliant…”
Indeed! Klein was satisfied when his guesses were confirmed.
This is the name of Sequence 9 from the Aurora Order!
“Sequence 8 is Whispered, Sequence 7 Shadow Ascetic, Sequence 6 Rose Priest, Sequence 5 Shepherd,” Derrick recounted what he knew.
Derrick then roughly described the current situation of the City of Silver, and finally, he couldn’t help but say, “I carry the curse of destiny. Whether a citizen of the City of Silver is a commoner or a Beyonder, we all turn into evil spirits after we die. The evil spirit of a Beyonder is just stranger, more terrifying, and far more difficult to deal with. In the past, there were many occasions when this curse nearly destroyed the City of Silver. The only way to prevent an evil spirit from rising is for a person to be killed by someone of their own bloodline.”
“Such a cruel matter. I hope you can grow strong and find a method for the people in the City of Silver to shake off the curse.” Klein, The Fool who was merely an empty shell, could only provide some free chicken soup for the soul.
“So, I want to be the Sun… When there was a Sun shining over the land, we had never encountered any curse,” Derrick muttered softly with great difficulty and pain.
Klein nodded slightly and asked, “You will have the chance to. Remember, that I can pull you in here anytime in the next two days. Try to avoid being around other people.”
“Alright,” Derrick replied solemnly.
“Before that, I need you to confirm your code name.” Klein smiled and pointed at the deck of tarot cards that appeared on the table.
Confident that Derrick had never come into contact with tarot cards, he gave a brief introduction. “Pick one of the cards as your code name. Anything besides The Fool, Justice, and The Hanged Man.
Derrick took two steps forward, flipped through the tarot cards, and said without hesitation, “Sun. I pick The Sun.”
“Remember your choice, it will follow you for the rest of your life,” Klein replied like a charlatan.
At the same time, he extended his hand and severed the connection in a restrained manner. Then, he watched as the crimson glow receded, and the young man opposite him turned incorporeal and dispersed bit by bit.
