Mystery: When the Lost Homelanders Meet the Lost Homeland Call

Then the Fool set the time for the ceremony, and the group discussed information about the kingdom and other secrets. Mr. "World" then issued a commission to purchase information about the Antigonus family.

Klein had his reasons. He had nothing to offer in exchange for a little gold, and Justice and the Hanged Man didn't have much information either. As for the White Tower, he had a way to deal with that.

As long as you get the White Tower to reveal its knowledge, and then offer something in exchange for the world that isn't worth it, you can get it for free.

Of course, if he could, Klein wouldn't really want to take advantage of others; it would hurt his conscience.

Conscience: Is this your reason for giving me painkillers?

Audrey and Alger, one unwilling and the other hesitant to sell the information "White Tower" shared for free, then "White Tower" casually suggested a deal:

"I want the characteristics of an ancient scholar; of course, I'll make up the difference with other things you need."

Klein said it was expected; what the White Tower wanted was clearly beyond his capabilities.

"The World" shook its head.

Back to the casual conversation, White Tower shared some of his experiences in the ruins of the Gods War:

"During this time, I was exploring a place that originated at the end of the Tertiary period, which I suspect is the key to the transition between eras."

"That place is at the eastern end of the Sunia Sea, which I call the 'Remains of the Divine War,' where a great deal of divine power remains, and all sorts of strange phenomena have occurred."

Remnants of the God War!

Klein's fingers tapped the table unconsciously. The change of eras, the war of gods, could it be the war in which the gods ended the era of cataclysm?

Alger's face was numb; he had many imaginings about the Fool and the layers of the White Tower.

But when White Tower shared his exploration of the ruins of the God War as part of his daily life, his heart almost stopped.

The White Tower is truly magnificent... No, it, no, it probably doesn't care about this information at all; these things are just everyday occurrences in its eyes... Last time, it recounted the history of exploring the Hornach Mountains.

He was incredibly grateful for his luck; he was able to speak before a god and communicate with an angel!

Alger was now absolutely certain that the Fool was God, and that Mr. White Tower was an angel!

Audrey covered her mouth in surprise. There are wars between gods?

The Third Age seems to involve gods fighting monsters, but can monsters be called gods?

"It's a very special place," Bai Ta said calmly, as if describing a painting he had casually flipped through.

"If it weren't for some extraordinary means, demigods wouldn't be able to get involved, but it's extremely dangerous for low- to mid-level extraordinary beings to be in it. They could be killed at any time by the remaining divine power, or something even more terrible than death."

Audrey shrank back, then belatedly realized that the White Tower meant he was a demigod!

"It's either noon or midnight there, there's no middle ground. The waves crash against some strangely shaped ruins, some of which are buildings, some... I once thought I was seeing a complete city, but when I got closer I realized it was just a projection of a city."

Audrey leaned forward slightly, her emerald eyes filled with focus, and asked instinctively, "A projection of the city?"

"Yes." The White Tower nodded slightly. "It's right on the sea. The streets, houses, churches, and squares are all clearly visible, but when I tried to trace its origins through divination, it pointed to the Second Age. It was a city that actually existed, but it was later 'erased' by some force. However, a projection of it exists here."

"That projection should have disappeared long ago, but it remained due to some 'wrong' forces."

Alger held his breath slightly. The Second Age… an era when angels walked the earth, giants ruled the mountains, and dragons soared through the skies. The projection of a “erased” city—this description alone was enough to make any mystic's heart race.

"What's in those ruins?" Audrey pressed.

  

"Many. For example, this." After receiving permission from the Fool, the White Tower extended his right hand, his five fingers spread, and a cloud of gray mist condensed in his palm, gradually revealing an image—a nine-story tower, with warm brass light shining through the windows, rows of towering bookshelves, and gilded lettering that shimmered slightly under the light.

"The books inside this tower are all alive."

"...Alive?" Audrey's eyes widened even more.

"They will jump down from the shelf on their own, turn the pages, and project the words into the air, transforming them into extraordinary power."

"Some words shoot at the reader like arrows, trying to force the knowledge they contain into the reader's consciousness."

The White Tower spoke calmly, as if reciting an ordinary travelogue: "I went inside, and the words struck me. Some resonated with my spirit, while others shattered in the process. The entire tower tried to bring me into its 'vision,' attempting to find my weaknesses and defeat me with a small force."

"How did you deal with it?" Alger asked, a concerned look on his face.

The white tower paused for a moment. "I made that tower realize my true nature."

Audrey tilted her head; this answer seemed to offer no explanation whatsoever.

"In short, I've now taken care of that tower." The White Tower put it more casually, "I've used its characteristics as research material for the virtual universe."

Klein sat at the head of the table, maintaining the composure befitting a fool, but his inner monologue was already racing. A living library? Words shooting at him like arrows? What the hell is this Lovecraftian story...? And the White Tower says, "Let the tower know my true nature," this tower is clearly no pushover; to turn it into rubble, the White Tower must be incredibly powerful...

Klein glanced furtively at the white tower. The flame, a deep purple starlight tinged with a ghostly green, burned motionless.

"Are there many similar phenomena in the ruins of the Gods' War?" Alger asked. His tone remained cautiously respectful as he weighed the exploration value and danger of the place. As a seafarer, any information that could affect the course of the sea was his lifeline.

"Many." The white tower withdrew its hand, and the gray mist dissipated. "I encountered a pool of water, in which lurks a large lizard capable of infiltrating the mind at the subconscious level; there's also a terrifying storm that actively pursues intruders and is amplified by provocation; and monsters lurking in the shadows..."

Audrey instinctively gripped the hem of her skirt.

"But that place also produces many interesting things." White Tower changed the subject, "You can obtain the main ingredients for magic potions, as well as many spiritual materials, from those monsters, or rather, extraordinary creatures."

"Will you continue exploring that ruin?" Audrey asked.

"Not for now." White Tower gently shook his head. "I have another destination on this trip, a place called 'The Forsaken Land.' There might be some more valuable discoveries there."

"The land forsaken by God?" Alger repeated the name, his brow furrowing slightly. "I've heard that term at sea."

"Yes, the church and some secretive organizations' leaders know this place exists, but they just can't find it." The White Tower turned to the Fool. "If Mr. Fool allows, I can share my discoveries in the Forsaken Land at a later gathering."

Klein maintained his inscrutable demeanor and nodded slightly: "Okay."

He was already ecstatic. The Forsaken Land! The Forbidden Zone! The White Tower was going to explore the edge of the world and then bring back intelligence to share with the Tarot Club—this was practically an intelligence source falling from the sky!

Although the White Tower didn't actually sell any "information" just now, and didn't mention any detailed routes or extraordinary species, the information they just gleaned from casual conversation was still very important.

Of course, the other members' casual conversations were also quite useful; I couldn't show favoritism. Klein's eyes darted around, but White Tower was different...

"Then why did Mr. White Tower go to the Forsaken Land?" Audrey pressed, but stopped mid-sentence, giving an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's alright." Bai Ta's voice was calm. "I was just curious about some things, and then I happened to get some information, so I set off."

"What a romantic feeling," Audrey couldn't help but exclaim. This kind of spontaneous journey to hidden historical sites, experiencing magical things, and acquiring hidden knowledge was exactly what she fantasized about extraordinary powers.

Moreover, Mr. White Tower is really amazing; he found the path that even the Church of the Seven Gods couldn't find!

Such a powerful individual is a member of our Tarot Club!

"Miss Justice, I need to remind you," White Tower said seriously, "exploring extraordinary knowledge is very dangerous. If you don't have enough strength, never try it."

"Okay, okay, thank you for reminding me, Mr. White Tower," Audrey quickly replied.

White Tower glanced at the time and then asked Lynn, "Is the 'server' status in the virtual universe normal?"

Lynn replied that everything was normal.

The casual conversation at the Tarot meeting drew to a close amidst Audrey's satisfied exclamations. However, just as she thought the gathering was about to end and was preparing to bow and take her leave to Mr. Fool, the eerie green figure sitting opposite her leaned forward slightly, and the gray mist on the bronze table reformed into a miniature sphere of flowing light and shadow.

"Everyone," White Tower's voice remained steady, but the content of his words made Audrey, who was about to take her leave, stop in her tracks, "I have a small progress report. The initial version of the virtual universe's sandbox is now available for experience."

Audrey's eyes lit up instantly, like two emeralds.

She recalled what the White Tower had said at the last gathering: a virtual world where extraordinary abilities could be safely tested, an environment that could accelerate potion digestion, a space with real feedback without real risks. She had thought it was a distant blueprint, something that would take at least months or even years to realize, but the White Tower had completed it so quickly.

"With Mr. Fool's permission," the White Tower turned to the figure shrouded in mist at the head of the bronze table, "I wish to open this sandbox here. All that's needed is Mr. Fool's permission for the sacrificial ritual and spatial access."

Klein's mind raced: What? So fast? Were you fighting and coding at the same time in God Wars Relics?

Although I heard about this last week, the White Tower is still able to make progress while exploring the ruins of the God War... What a workaholic!

He could only maintain an air of mystery, tapping lightly twice on the edge of the long table, his voice low and deep: "Okay."

"I have prepared the core of the sacrifice."

Bai Ta raised his right hand, and a fist-sized, eerie green cube slowly emerged in his palm. The cube's surface was seamless and without any patterns, appearing to be a mixture of some kind of metal and crystal. Under the light of the gray mist, it had a matte texture, giving it an extremely hard and stable feel.

"This is a core constructed with extremely sophisticated materials and technology, capable of supporting and operating a virtual, independent space with powerful computing capabilities. I have already built a closed spacetime on it, or rather, the prototype of a world. As long as there is a sufficient supply of spiritual energy, it can maintain its operation, support the astral projections of those who enter, and achieve interactive feedback comparable to reality."

"Would you like to take the test?"

In fact, this was the result of a lot of thinking, because time was so tight that Lynn used a lot of thinking, and many things he knew how to do but not why.

However, Lynn believed that the White Tower would be improved later.

White Pagoda: You're just adding to my workload again, aren't you?

Do you think replacing the thinking part is easy?

Fixing code isn't necessarily easier than completely rewriting it!

Klein listened silently, his mind racing. Core computing power, miniature worlds, astral projection, realistic interactive feedback—these words combined sounded exactly like a "superhuman VR device," the kind with multiplayer connectivity.

If his fellow countrymen on Earth knew this, he could almost hear shouts of "Brothers, get online!"

Audrey's curiosity was fully piqued. She leaned forward slightly from her seat, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "So... can we go in and try it now?"

Alger also unusually expressed his desire, his tone maintaining that cautious respect, but his words revealing genuine interest: "Mr. White Tower, if it's convenient, I would also like to experience it for myself."

Klein then manipulated Mr. World to speak in a hoarse voice: "I'm also willing to test."

After all, the previous conversation had already revealed the information, and he, who was somewhat lacking in spirituality, had no intention of asking again.

White Tower nodded and turned to Klein: "Then, please allow me to perform the sacrificial ritual."

Klein slightly raised his chin, gesturing approval, and then cut off the projection of the white tower.

Soon, the hazy door opened, and the eerie green cube was brought in.

As the cube was brought in, Klein sensed a great deal of spirituality, which dissipated into the gray mist and eventually replenished his body, making him feel as if he could sustain the gathering indefinitely.

Klein saw that the ceremony was over and pulled the projection of the white tower back.

"The sacrifice is complete." The White Tower withdrew its hand. "The core has established a stable connection with the gray fog space. Now, all you need to do is enter in your celestial forms. As for the specific access method... it's safest to let Mr. Fool control it."

Klein: ? ? ?

Why is it me again?