Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 97: Herrscher Klein's First Arrival in Paradise
"This is it." Serris picked up the cassette. "Very tasteful."

"Is this one much better than the other?" Klein was puzzled.

"No, I simply like this plot more." Serris told Klein.

"Oh, by the way," Serris added, "I have a few more things to add."

Klein, who was about to stand up, sat down again: "You go."

"Like I said before, this cartridge cannot be reloaded. You gain the ability to revive infinitely, but if the other characters die, they're truly dead."

"This has been blessed by the Star God of Joy. The people inside are all self-aware. Even though they are simulated, they truly exist. If they die, even a re-simulation won't be the same person. It's like a clone."

"And after you finish the story on this cartridge, I will integrate it into the larger world of the simulated universe. In other words, the characters who survived will live again in a new world, which is the Pinocchio you saw before."

Serris is patching like crazy.

It doesn't matter, it won't increase the workload anyway.

Klein nodded. "So you're asking me to try not to give up on any of the characters in this story. Perhaps I'll make some decisions that could lead to the death of some characters, right?"

"That's right. When you have the opportunity to make a choice, remember not to regret it." Serris nodded, acknowledging Klein's words.

"Oh, I see. Then it seems we can't just play mindlessly anymore." Klein pondered.

"Of course not. Since the plot is very long, starting today, I'll be participating in the simulated universe once a day to finish the plot as soon as possible. Is that acceptable?"

"Well, once a day, won't I get too much sleep?"

"No, after entering the simulated universe, your brain and body will still be in a resting state. You don't have to worry about sleep problems at all." Serris gave a thumbs up.

Klein noticed the time issue: "You just said the plot will be long. How long is it?"

"Maybe a month."

"So long?" Klein was a little surprised.

"Don't worry. The time in dreams is out of sync with the outside world. It's about 9 to 1. So it's actually just over two weeks. If it goes fast, it might just be over a week." Ceris reassured Klein.

"This... still feels so long. After all, I actually have to go through a month."

"This is the price of growth. It takes over two weeks to digest a Sequence Nine potion. If you were to sell this kind of opportunity outside, do you know how much you could get for it? I'm telling you, there's plenty of people willing to buy it for even ten thousand gold pounds."

Klein thought about it and felt that it made sense: "So, I made a profit."

Just like that, Klein, having earned 10,000 gold pounds, happily returned home.

…………

When Klein returned home, it was already late. Benson and Melissa had already gone to bed.

He found that the house had become very clean, and then he remembered that today was the day for the family to interview the maid.

"It looks like Benson and Melissa have already finished the interview." Klein reached out and touched the coffee table. There wasn't a speck of dust. "It seems the maid's skills aren't too bad at least."

Klein decided to quickly shower and go to bed since he had a brand new simulated universe to experience tonight. This sleep would be equivalent to earning thousands of pounds.

Lying on the bed, Klein quickly fell asleep using meditation techniques.

…………

Consciousness gradually sinks.

Klein felt that this simulated universe was very different from the previous ones. In the previous simulations, he could reach his destination in a blink of an eye, but this time, he kept falling.

He began to feel a little dizzy. It felt like the whole world was shaking and spinning before his eyes, which made him feel uncomfortable and wanted to vomit.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the feeling of falling stopped and the surroundings stopped spinning.

Klein sat down on the ground and rubbed his head for a long time.

After finally shaking off the dizziness, Klein shook his head and opened his eyes again. Before him lay a rather strange building. Rubble spiraled up along the structure, interlacing to form a grid resembling a birdcage.

Klein pulled a monocle from thin air and placed it on his left eye. The relic, accompanied by the flames, replaced his original clothing.

A curtain of light appeared before my eyes.

[Welcome to the paradise of the afterlife. Since you are a weakling, you will be given a boost.]
[Here, let's eat something to fill our stomachs first.]
Klein reached out, and something landed in his hand. It was icy cold.

He looked down and raised his eyebrows unconsciously.

This is a kind of popsicle from his hometown before he traveled through time. It is very classic and is called Shattered Ice.

After opening the front end, Klein ignited the phlogiston flame in his hand, melting the broken ice. Then, Klein tilted his head back and drank the melted popsicle in one gulp.

[Congratulations on using Paradise Ice Crusher to obtain all the blessings of destiny.]
"So generous?" The package of crushed ice disappeared from Klein's hand.

[That’s not all.]
A brass-colored crystal slowly descended from the air and floated in front of Klein.

"What is this?" Klein reached out and tapped the brass crystal.

The crystal transformed into a stream of light and merged into Klein's body.

Arrogance, jealousy, indifference, hatred, greed, despair, and resignation. Countless negative emotions and countless human malice rose from Klein's heart.

For a moment, Klein's expression twisted slightly. He felt as if he were being grabbed by countless hands, entangled by invisible threads. Then, Klein saw a face appear before him, painted in heavy ink, weeping.

Eyes filled with tears are like a deep whirlpool, absorbing all negative emotions in an instant.

Mourning Actor Potion: What level? Using abilities similar to mine?

Klein gasped for breath and finally broke free from that state.

"What was that just now?" Klein was still a little shocked.

The knowledge about the Herrscher suddenly appeared in his mind. The so-called Herrscher is a manifestation of Honkai, a humanoid creature that holds some kind of authority.

What he just absorbed was the Herrscher Core from the Herrscher of Domination.

Master the authority called "Domination".

Now, having absorbed the Herrscher's core, he can be called a Herrscher of Domination.

However, the Ruler of Herrschers is also known as the Herrscher of a Thousand, as his Herrscher core is divided into over a thousand parts. The individual combat power is only one thousandth of that of a normal Herrscher.

Some are even so weak that they can't even beat ordinary people.

"What an abstract ability." Klein raised his hand, and golden threads intertwined in his fingers.

He suddenly felt the Herrscher core within him undergo some sort of change, turning a grayish purple. Simultaneously, the silk thread in his hand also turned a light purple.

A mirror appeared in front of Klein. Klein looked into the mirror and was slightly surprised by his current appearance.

His hair had grown very long, almost reaching his waist. His eyes had also turned purple, with spiderweb-like patterns reflected in his pupils. Light golden lines ran across his skin, connecting his joints.

A faint gray mist floated around him, much like the gray mist in the mysterious space above him. Several small purple and gold spheres floated around him.

"Wow, so handsome." Klein sighed. "As expected of me."

[Then, let's start your own romantic story.]
The subtitles faded away.

Just as Klein was thinking about what to do next, a voice sounded in his ears without warning.

"Hello, hello, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," Klein replied, then asked, "Who are you?"

"Well, I'll tell you later. Anyway, how are you feeling now? Are you feeling unwell?" The voice sounded lively and pleasant. Klein guessed that the owner of the voice was around 18 years old, most likely no older than 20.

"It's okay, nothing's wrong." Although he didn't know who the voice came from, Klein answered truthfully.

After so long, his body no longer felt any discomfort.

"Hey, that's good." The voice came again, "Many people feel dizzy and want to vomit when they first come here, and those with less strength will even fall down. But it seems that you are able to accept it quite well now."

Klein smiled awkwardly and didn't reply.

The voice continued, "Oh, right. This is where the Paradise of the Past connects to the outside world, and it's also where newcomers are welcomed. Well, how should I put it? Every newcomer's first visit is greeted by a different person. Generally speaking, you'll meet the person you're most compatible with. Hehe, it seems like you and I are quite connected after all."

The voice stopped briefly, as if the owner of the voice was observing Klein.

"Hey, brother, you... you are not a Herrscher, are you?" The voice suddenly became a little frightened and panicked.

Klein then remembered that in the information he had just learned, the Herrscher seemed to be a being whose mission was to destroy civilization.

"I have no ill intentions." Klein quickly explained and lifted his Herrscher status.

The voice continued, clearly relieved. "That's true. After all, there's no way a Herrscher with malicious intent would come here."

"Well, let's continue guiding you. Next, you need to make an attempt. Of course, it's just an attempt. Even if you fail, there's no penalty. So if you can't accept it, just shout "Quit" immediately. We'll pull you out. Don't force yourself to do it out of fear of embarrassment."

"Also, you should enter the Herrscher state, otherwise... you seem a little weak now." The tone of the voice became a little embarrassed, as if a little abashed.

Klein didn't object. After all, he didn't know the strength of the voice's owner. As the purple and golden light flashed, he once again entered the Herrscher state.

"Ready, let's start."

"You haven't told me what I need to do yet?" Klein reminded.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This is my first time guiding a newcomer. It's never been my turn to welcome newcomers before. After all, none of the people who came before were as...peaceful as you." The voice became a little flustered.

Actually, you could just call me a loser. Klein silently complained in his heart. After all, he had already been described that way once before.

"To put it simply, all you have to do is defeat the enemy that appears in front of you. Of course, if you can't defeat them, just call for a stop. In short, it's very simple." The voice introduced the rules.

"It's really simple." Klein nodded.

As Klein nodded, the surroundings changed, and he appeared on an empty platform. The sky was dark pink, and the floor was a light pink-purple. The wreckage of some buildings floated around him.

"First of all, I should give you my blessing. Well, it seems that my blessing is tied to the amount of money, so..."

[You will temporarily gain the "Empty Dream" mark. Your spirituality will increase as the amount of gold you possess increases.]
Klein: Thank you. I'm offended.

"Okay, let's get started then."

(End of this chapter)