Audrey and Alger exchanged a glance.
The Fool had assigned Mr. Strength a task without offering any reward.
Mr. Strength hadn’t reacted in the slightest.
Understanding dawned.
Perhaps Mr. Strength was not rely a mber.
Perhaps he was a true attendant of the Fool.
An angel reborn.
That would explain everything.
The terrifying strength.
The endless supply of rare materials.
The willingness to lend power and resources with little concern for repaynt.
Before anyone could dwell further on the idea, Rowan rcer spoke.
"If there’s nothing else, we’ll end here."
"Praise the Fool."
After giving Derrick a few final pieces of advice, Rowan closed the gathering.
One by one, the mbers’ spiritual forms faded.
Only Rowan, Klein, and Roselle remained.
Roselle broke the silence.
"The True Creator won’t let you move Silver City easily."
He understood Rowan’s plan.
Relocating Silver City would fulfill the ritual Rowan needed.
But the Forsaken Land was the True Creator’s territory.
And Lovia, the elder within Silver City, was almost certainly His believer.
If Rowan tried to move the city, the True Creator would notice.
And interfere.
Rowan waved a hand dismissively.
"I can handle Him."
Before advancing further, such a statent would have been reckless.
Now, it was practical.
As an Ancient Scholar, Rowan could summon powerful historical projections.
He didn’t need to fight personally.
One suitable manifestation would be enough.
Of course, the Forsaken Land held more than just the True Creator.
Evernight’s intelligence suggested Amon’s true body might also be there.
If Amon sensed Sefirah Castle and a Fool-pathway existence...
He would not stay quiet.
He might even bring Adam.
Rowan found the idea almost amusing.
If they showed up, he could deal with everything at once.
If they didn’t...
He could retrieve the final Miracle Attendant characteristic while he was there.
Klein listened in silence.
Rowan had already gone far beyond anything he could asure.
Bernadette spoke up.
"Silver City can be relocated to my territory first. Let them adapt slowly."
Rowan nodded.
Bernadette ruled islands of her own.
It was a sensible staging ground.
Derrick returned to his body in Silver City.
He didn’t pause.
He ran.
Straight toward the Elders’ Tower at the heart of the city.
"Derrick? What’s wrong?"
A guard recognized him.
Derrick shouted back.
"I found a way to save Silver City and lift the curse!"
The words echoed.
People froze.
One guard sprinted inside.
Minutes later, Derrick was escorted upward.
At the top waited Colin Iliad, Chief Elder of Silver City.
Grey-haired.
Scarred.
Eyes sharp as forged steel.
"You claim you’ve found a way to save us," Colin said.
"Explain."
Derrick steadied himself.
"The being we worshipped was the Ancient Sun God."
He relayed everything Rowan had told him.
The fall of that god.
The corruption of the Forsaken Land.
The truth behind the so-called Creator.
Colin’s face darkened.
"Where did you learn this?"
He had suspected for years.
So had generations of elders.
That was why they kept sending expeditions outward.
Hope had to exist sowhere.
Derrick t his gaze.
"I now follow a new god. The great Fool."
"He told the truth."
"And He’s willing to use His power to move Silver City out of this place."
"If we pledge ourselves to Him."
Colin’s jaw tightened.
He had never heard of such a deity.
And the offer sounded too easy.
Too clean.
Before he could speak again—
Light blossod.
A doorway opened beside Derrick.
A tall, handso young man stepped through.
The air itself bent around him.
"Praise the Fool."
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