Mystery: My Encounters with the Celestial God

Chapter 138 The Fallen Authority is actually the Minotaur!

"Mr. Fool, may I ask your attendants for help? I will pay a price that will satisfy you!"

"I think you're making things difficult for me, Mr. Fool," Klein muttered to himself to ease the tension.

Then, this guy pretended to be nonchalant and smiled slightly:

"The premise is that my benefactor happens to be in Backlund."

"Alright." Alger the Hanged Man nodded, a mixture of disappointment and anticipation in his eyes.

"Mr. Hanged Man, what's so special about Zillingus's magical artifact?"

Justice Audrey pondered for a few seconds, then asked with considerable confidence about the contents of the commission.

This noblewoman discovered that she had a complex network of relationships in Backlund and possessed a remarkable ability to find people.

First, her father is a top-tier wealthy man among the nobility, possessing considerable connections and resources. She herself is also very popular among the younger generation. Therefore, she has a great deal of resources at her disposal in the upper echelons of society.

Secondly, her three extraordinary friends each have their own circles and different channels, so their ability to find people should not be underestimated.

"The only problem is, if I mention this to my dear 'occult teacher,' won't that attract my teacher's teacher's attention?"

"However, I have a feeling that 'Mr. Fate' is watching me all along. Could he have already recognized me?"

Audrey's emerald eyes flashed with complex thoughts. Under the cover of the gray fog, she inadvertently and somewhat guiltily glanced at the little gentleman opposite her.

Alger, the Hanged Man, didn't hesitate when faced with such a question; he answered without thinking:

"Zilingus's sealed artifact is extremely powerful. Its name is unknown, but those who do know it call it 'The Wriggling Hunger'!"

"The name comes entirely from its negative connotations. Every day, Zilingus feeds it with the flesh and soul of a living person; otherwise, it will take its master's place!"

"This is an important clue that can be used to find people." Justice Audrey frowned and pondered, then shared her thoughts.

She instinctively felt repulsion and disgust towards these evil objects that devoured the flesh and souls of living people.

"That's certainly true in that respect, but in Backlund, a metropolis with five million people, the disappearance of one or two homeless people goes unnoticed."

Alger Wilson nodded slightly, offering a reminder to the noble lady opposite him.

"Zilingus is a 'Wind-Centered One' who possesses extraordinary abilities related to water and wind. However, one day, people discovered that he could drive his targets 'mad,' enter other people's dreams, summon light to purify the dead, enhance himself with his singing, and transform into the appearance of different people, making him almost omnipotent."

Alger the Hanged Man described the scene in great detail, as if afraid of missing a single detail that could cause the search to fail.

"We suspect that these are all caused by a creeping hunger."

"Mr. Hanged Man, have no doubt, this is a part of the manifestation of corrupt power!"

Before Mr. Hanged Man could finish speaking, and before the Sun on his right could exclaim "Shepherd," the blond boy, upon hearing this description, suddenly remembered the real creator from a few days ago and blurted out the essence of "wriggling hunger."

"Corrupted power!?"

"Corrupted power!?"

"Corrupted power!?"

Holy crap, corrupt authority!?

At that moment, the members of the Tarot Club seemed to have turned into repeating machines. The four sophisticated words rang in their ears like thunder, causing the three members to look at the blond, golden-eyed Mr. Destiny.

Mr. Fool, who had exclaimed inwardly, followed closely behind, maintaining a smile on his face and a calm posture, and slightly turned his eyes to look at the little brat.

"Mr. Fate, what is the power of corruption!? Could it be that the sealed artifact of Qilingus still possesses, uh, power!?"

Audrey Hall was startled by Ron's words. Wasn't this supposed to be an investigation into the pirate general's commission? How could something like "authority," which was not something they should be familiar with, suddenly come up?

Corrupted authority!? Zilingus has this too!? No, just now Fate seemed to say that this was a manifestation of corrupted authority. How could he be so sure? Who exactly is he!?

Alger, the Hanged Man, gasped for breath as various thoughts raced through his mind, speculating about the identity of Mr. Fate and the secrets of his "brother" Zillingus.

"Fallen authority" doesn't seem like a good title, according to Elder Lovia of the six-person council.

Little Sun, who knows more information, is actually the most stable member of the Tarot Club.

Because the textbooks in Silver City mentioned the authority and abilities of the ancient gods, he, who was frequently exposed to this topic, wasn't too shocked by it; he simply felt in his heart that it wasn't a good title.

"That's right, this is part of the manifestation of corrupt authority."

The blond boy thoroughly enjoyed the way the Tarot Club members looked at him like he was a big shot, experiencing a kind of joy that only Mr. Fool could have.

Then he raised his little golden head, glanced at the Hanged Man, the Sun, the Fool, and finally fixed his gaze on the most beautiful Miss Justice.

"Miss Justice, there's no need to elaborate on the Fallen Authority. Every person, everything, and every rule has its own opposite, and the Fallen Authority can perfectly manipulate them, without even caring what the original owner was thinking. It's like the writhing hunger that controls and drives other extraordinary abilities."

"Every person, everything, every rule."

Audrey Hall froze on the spot. To her, Ron's explanation was still too abstract, making it impossible for her to imagine the scene the blond boy described.

"Heh, to put it simply, corrupted authority can make your extraordinary abilities 'betray' you, turning them into the abilities of the authority holder; it can also make you 'betray' yourself, ultimately strangling yourself!"

Seeing that Audrey still looked confused, Ron chuckled and gave an example to help the noblewoman understand his meaning.

"Strangled himself!?"

Miss Justice had long since withdrawn from the audience's mindset. She unconsciously took small breaths, seemingly imagining the terrifying scene in her mind.

"Mr. Fate, do you mean that the writhing hunger possesses a similar ability? Is it so powerful because it drives extraordinary beings from other paths?"

Although Alger the Hanged Man was surprised, his experience quickly made him understand Ron's meaning, and he used a reverse example to verify his own guess.

"That's right. The useless sealing artifact you mentioned is of a low level, so it can only forcibly drive the souls of other extraordinary individuals, far from being able to corrupt them and truly make them work for it."

(End of this chapter)