Chapter 743 Honorable Name?
Seeing the cross-dressing emperor posing coquettishly again, Angel couldn't help laughing.
Be serious. Klein wouldn't know he was a time traveler and would think he was one of the legendary figures in history... Angel tried to convince himself, suppressing his smile and looking at Klein, who was also laughing. Only then did he realize that he was also amused by the design that Russell had drawn to deliberately cater to the meaning and approach of the "Card of Blasphemy".
"Hey, wasn't this 'Witch' card sacrificed to Mr. Fool for safekeeping? Why is it in your hand?"
She quickly found a topic to break the awkward atmosphere.
"This is related to our plan to explore Calderon City," Klein said, having Enzo bring another chair and sitting next to Angel. "It's a city hidden deep within the spirit world. We don't have Mr. Azik's ability to stay in the spirit world for long periods of time. Even if we 'travel', we can only briefly travel through the mysterious and strange spirit world. Therefore, I plan to use these playing cards made by Emperor Roselle to assist us."
"You mean... like the 'Black Emperor'?"
Angel immediately thought of the "Black Emperor" spirit that Klein occasionally transformed into when he was "Sherlock Moriarty". Not only did it give him certain characteristics of a resentful spirit, allowing him to pass through obstacles, possess enemies, and avoid most ordinary damage, but he also gained additional abilities such as "Scream", which improved his own status and prevented divination and prophecy.
At that time, I wanted to ask, why was Klein able to repeatedly borrow the "Black Emperor" card from Mr. Fool? Did he make a great contribution in the process of obtaining this "blasphemous card"?
This question popped up in Angel's mind at this moment, but the next second Klein took the initiative to give an explanation.
"Yes, it's the 'Black Emperor'. I obtained it through some trickery and sacrificed it to Mr. Fool for safekeeping, so I can use it at any time... But this time, I plan to use a different one."
As he spoke, he also took out a similar small metal box, removed the spiritual wall, and took out a "Blasphemy Card" that Angel was somewhat familiar with. It depicted Emperor Roselle wearing a triple crown, with his hands raised high, summoning lightning, strong winds, and waves, but it did not reveal any other special features.
That was the "Tyrant" card, obtained by Angel, Klein, and "The Hanged Man" Alger during an exploration of an unnamed island, and then sacrificed to Mr. Fool.
"Why the Tyrant? The Black Emperor is very powerful and handsome..." Angel muttered, and suddenly thought of something. "The Tyrant belongs to the Storm Path. Will it be discovered by the High-Sequence Beyonders of the Storm Church in the southern continent? They can fly very fast. Even if they can't compare to Travel, they can still get here quickly..."
"After being sealed by the spiritual wall, it won't happen in a short period of time. However, if you stay in the real world for too long, you might naturally run into a high-ranking member of the Mandated Punisher due to the aggregation effect of your Beyonder characteristics, and then be captured and interrogated."
Klein had made the necessary preparations when he made the plan, so he answered without hesitation.
That's good. I'm worried that if I go out with the "Witch" card, I'll run into some Saint. If it's a Sequence 3, I can barely handle it. For a Sequence 2, I can only hope for the special "resurrection"... Angel muttered, holding the Blasphemy Card upright in front of him, looking at Roselle in women's clothing, and continued to ask:
"So you're going to teach me how to use it?"
Phew, we've finally reached the most crucial step... Klein breathed a sigh of relief, pondered for a moment, and then spoke slowly, as if he had just arrived at sea and was teaching Angel about the history of the Fourth Epoch.
"First, you need to use the methods of 'artificial sleepwalking' and 'secret ceremony'..."
Unlike the average Mid-Sequence Beyonder, Klein, as the mysterious "Fool," had been studying the peculiarities of the Gray Mist since Sequence 9, pondering how to harness his own power to aid himself. Consequently, he was highly adept at various rituals related to "bestowal" and "sacrifice." He had even developed numerous special rituals to leverage powers far higher than his own Sequence, drawing on information from within the Nighthawks, Emperor Roselle's diary, and esoteric texts like the Book of Secrets.
And unlike himself placing the "Card of Blasphemy" directly above the gray fog, in the real world, to use this card of extremely high status and special power, Angel must first "pray to himself".
"...It's very simple. When I create advanced spells, I pray to myself and borrow the power of my 'specialness'... This is what Will Auceptin, the 'Snake of Fate', taught me."
Hearing this, Angel interrupted Klein's increasingly effective teaching and took out a "disaster" talisman that he had just added yesterday.
"Then, let's move on to the next step." Klein then realized that a certain stereotype he had built into him had led him to underestimate Angel. Feeling remorseful, he quickly passed over the topic. "This is also different from crafting a talisman. After all, a talisman only needs to transmit power, while containing the 'Blasphemy Card' requires the coordination of the spirit and body."
"Enter the 'artificial sleepwalking' state. After the spirit leaves your body, your body must continue the 'secret covenant ritual' and sacrifice the blasphemous card in your hand. This ritual must also be directed towards yourself. Furthermore, the 'secret covenant ritual' requires the use of a 'honourable name', which you need to design yourself and ensure it points to yourself, rather than some mysterious or even evil being."
"Honorable Name, isn't that something only Sequence 3 Saints can possess? And the response range is limited..."
Angel asked back in confusion.
She initially thought this was unique to gods, such as the goddess and Mr. Fool. It wasn't until she learned more information from the "Mysterious Queen" that she realized that this range could actually be extended to Sequence 3. But could a Sequence 4 who had just been promoted to a demigod and possessed a hint of divinity also have an honorific name?
"Heh, that's just reaching the level of being able to respond to others' prayers, not 'possessing' an Honored Name. Sequence 9s can design their own Honored Names if they so desire. However, even if they recite it themselves or pray to themselves, they won't receive the slightest response. Demigodhood, on the other hand, is the minimum requirement for gaining one's own power through a closed-loop ritual."
Klein explained, his tone unconsciously adopting the tone of the Fool explaining things during Tarot Club meetings. However, he immediately reacted, regained his composure, and added:
"Firstly, for a Sequence 4, a five-part honorific name is best. The last part should directly refer to the name. It can be a pseudonym, such as Erin Watson or Angelica, but I suggest Angelica Thatch. After all, she's the most famous. You can include many sea legends as a limiting paragraph to avoid referring to other people...
"But don't worry too much. After all, the secret covenant ceremony is quite special. Even if the honorific name is invalid, the probability of success is not low."
After explaining a few words, he saw that Angel was lost in thought, so he simply stopped disturbing her and prepared to return to his room to use the gray fog to contain the "Tyrant" first, so as to prevent Angel from discovering that he was not using this method at all.
But before he left, Angel looked up at him as if he had realized something and asked:
"What about you? What's your 'honorable name'... well, I'm just using it for reference."
As expected, he asked... Klein was glad that he had already found an excuse. He turned around and said without changing his expression:
"Because I'm not a demigod yet, I've borrowed Mr. Fool's power, but I've already thought of some of it, like 'The Great Gehrman Sparrow'..."
His teasing tone indeed earned him a cold look from Angel, and he was able to leave safely.
"Borrowing the power of Mr. Fool... His relationship with that being is truly strange. He's superior to us Tarot Club members, yet he doesn't seem like a true Favored One. Is it because of his 'specialness'..."
Looking at Klein's back, Angel muttered a few words, returned to the other bedroom, set up the spiritual wall, and prepared to experience this novel ritual and try to use the "Witch" card.
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Outside the city of Tetnik, in an ancient forest where few people go.
Bang—a tall body fell to the ground, its face buried in dead leaves and mud. No expression could be seen, but the rest of the exposed skin had already dried and turned black, like a mummy that had been left for many days.
His extraordinary characteristics gathered and precipitated at an incredible speed, quickly converging at his eyeballs.
A leather-shod foot reached out and kicked the corpse, causing it to turn half a circle. His muddy face was tilted upwards, and his left eye emitted a strange deep red.
The owner of the foot was none other than Ince Zangwill, who, wearing a double-breasted frock coat, remained spotless even as he stepped into the mud. Blood vessels bulged over his left blind eye, and he stared fiercely at the corpse beneath his feet. After a moment, he reached out for the eyeball, which was emitting a deep red glow, and dug it out. He raised his blood-dripping hand to his mouth and swallowed it whole.
He directly ate the eyeball that was combined with Beyonder characteristics!
The sound of wind in the forest rustled, blowing the notebook in his other hand, turning to the latest page:
"...Before launching a real operation, Ince Zangwill must satisfy Soren Einhorn Medici's desire and provide him with the extraordinary characteristics of the 'Hunter' path to restore his strength...
"...Once this evil spirit is satisfied, Ince Zangwill will travel to Gurain and reunite with the Pale Hand, allowing him to free himself from the evil spirit's possession. This is consistent with his current state, where he alternates between being lucid and possessed...
"But is that really the case?"
After consuming the raw food, the blood vessels on Ince Zangwill's face gradually disappeared, and his left eye regained its blindness, as if he had woken up from his stupor.
He looked at the blood on his hands with some fear, feeling that the extraordinary characteristics he had swallowed into his body had not been absorbed by him. His expression changed, he put the notebook into his dress, turned around and left the woods.
Behind him, the corpse of the "Reaper" was surrounded by ghosts and quickly turned into a pile of bones.
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"Honorable name... What honorable name should I use?"
After setting up the venue for "artificial sleepwalking" and "secret ceremony", Angel fell into deep thought while looking at the lit candles and smelling the aroma of essential oils that made people feel peaceful.
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