Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 102 The Unknown Secret

"It's broken!"

"It's okay, it's okay, it won't break."

Grimace, Green got up, carefully brushed aside the broken glass, and pulled the yellowed old photograph out from the back of the frame.

This is a family photo.

In the photo, a young couple sits in the middle; the man is handsome and tall, dressed in a well-fitting suit, with a gentle smile.

The woman was beautiful and gentle, nestled beside her husband, holding a baby in her arms.

Standing behind them was a young Grin Morris, about eleven or twelve years old, with a slightly reserved expression but bright eyes.

Everyone wore happy smiles; the background seemed to be a garden with bright sunshine.

"Here you go." He handed the photo to Sula.

Sula carefully took it, examined it closely, and her big eyes immediately lit up: "Daddy is so handsome! Mommy is so beautiful! Brother, you were so thin back then!"

Her fingers gently traced the faces of everyone in the photo, and finally she pressed the photo tightly against her chest, as if holding the most precious thing.

"I'm going to keep this photo! I'm not giving it to anyone!"

Seeing Sura's expression, Green breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say "okay" when his gaze inadvertently swept over the back of the photo.

...There seem to be words?

"Sura, there seems to be writing on the back of the photo. Let me see what it says."

"Oh?" Sula curiously flipped the photo over.

Sure enough, on the back of the yellowed photographic paper, there were neat and beautiful lines of Byronwiss script.

However, when he saw the contents of the words, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart skipped a beat, as if he had been struck by an invisible hammer.

It wasn't the expected date or blessing, but a complete, rigorous, and formally formatted... respectful name!

Fools who do not belong to this era

The mysterious ruler above the gray fog

The king of yellow and black who holds the key to good fortune.

These three lines of text seemed to possess some kind of magic, instantly capturing Green's entire attention.

His brain buzzed, and countless thoughts rushed in.

Fool!

Why? Why is the name "Fool" written on the back of the original owner's parents' photo?!

Who wrote it? The mother? Or the father?

Were they once members of the Church of Fools?

But didn't Clarice say that the Church of Fools had already declined?

Green's breathing quickened slightly; he felt a chill run down his back, yet he was also incredibly excited.

Anaïs's grandfather's manuscript only recorded the first part, and the Night's Watch didn't seem to have a complete name either. Unexpectedly, three parts of the name were found in the body's original family.

"Brother? What's wrong?"

Seeing Green suddenly freeze and his expression shift, Sula tugged at his sleeve worriedly. "What's written on this? Is it a poem your parents wrote?"

Green snapped back to reality, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

He couldn't frighten Sula, nor could he let anyone know the secret behind the photograph.

Green forced a smile, trying to make his voice sound natural: "It's nothing, Sura. It's probably...maybe some poem or proverb that Mom copied down a while ago. It looks quite old."

He gently took the photo back from Sula's hand, pretending to examine it carefully. "The handwriting is a bit blurry, let me study it. Don't leave this photo around for now, I'll keep it for you, okay? I promise I'll restore it, put it in a new frame, and then give it back to you."

Although Sura was a little reluctant, seeing Green's serious expression, she finally nodded: "Okay...then you have to fix it quickly!"

"Yes, definitely," Green said as he pushed Sura out the door. "I'm too tired from work and need to rest. You take good care of Auntie and then go to bed early."

Before Sula could respond, the door was closed.

"Why--"

Green no longer cared whether Sura was happy or not; the unexpected discovery on the back of the photograph was more important than anything else.

He walked quickly to the desk, pulled out a chair, sat down, and carefully placed the yellowed photograph on the table.

Three lines of Byron Wisemane text kept assaulting Green's rational mind.

"A fool who doesn't belong to this era..."

He read the first sentence in a low voice, his voice hoarse.

These words were like a key, instantly unlocking the secret deep within his heart.

Isn't he himself also "out of this era"?

That distant homeland, filled with steel jungles and information deluge, is separated from this world of steam and mystery by an insurmountable chasm of time and space.

Come back home.

The thought had never been so clear, so burning within him.

All his previous struggles, attempts to survive, and searches for strength seemed to be shrouded in a barrier, because subconsciously he always felt like a "stranger".

But what if... what if this 'Fool' could truly travel through time, what if his power could reach beyond time...

Green slowly took out the dark silver brooch and placed it next to the photograph.

The eyes on the brooch are staring blankly, as if gazing into the distance.

[...Until its effects are clearly established, it is best not to use its power. Furthermore, minimize direct contact and spiritual resonance with it.]

[...An item directly related to a dormant deity may itself be a huge mystery, or... part of a 'summoning ritual' that we cannot understand.]

Clarice's words of advice came to mind.

Danger. Unknown. May lead to disaster.

Green's finger hovered above the brooch, hesitating.

Clarice reminded him today to be cautious and to maintain awe and distance from the unknown and mysterious.

but,

Anaïs also recognized the brooch symbol as one of the symbols of "The Fool," and the photograph showed the complete name of "The Fool," which even the Night's Watch archives might not have.

Is it just a coincidence that these two events occurred on the same day?

The probability is extremely low.

Therefore, there should be some kind of intrinsic connection between the brooch and the honorific name, and they may even both point to a secret, a secret about the "Fool," about his parents, and perhaps... also about his own "abnormality."

But Clarice's warning was reasonable; no one knew what the consequences would be if they directly came into contact with items and names associated with a dormant deity.

But what about the returns?

If the Fool can actually respond, even by conveying just a sliver of information, it could unravel the mystery of his time travel and even help him find his way home.

The potential gains were so great that he was willing to take considerable risks.

The key is how to keep the risks within an acceptable range...

Green recalled Brooch's performance at Fairfax Manor.

It was triggered by his strong will to survive and some kind of "resonance" at the most critical moment, which attracted the intervention of what appeared to be the power of the "Fool," resulting in the elimination of the evil and the saving of them.

This at least indicates that the power associated with the brooch is not evil or chaotic, and to some extent 'responds' to the strong will of the holder. This is a positive sign.

His gaze fell once again on his parents' smiling faces in the photo.

His parents...did they record this honorific name out of faith, or for some other purpose?

Have they made similar communication attempts?

How is the result?

He had no way of knowing any of these things.

But one thing is certain: they left a clue, and that clue is now in his hands. This in itself might be a silent guidance, or... a test.

"We can't act rashly, but we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater either," Green muttered to himself, his thoughts gradually becoming clearer.

"Perhaps... I need to try establishing a more formal and secure communication channel?"

He recalled the swearing-in ceremony at the Night's Watch outhouse that afternoon.

"A ceremony?" he asked himself, staring at the brooch.

The Church of the Goddess of Night constructs a stable ritual space pointing towards the goddess through specific symbols, objects, prayers, and procedures, which can convey faith and may also provide feedback or protection to a certain extent.

This demonstrates that rituals are an effective communication framework.

"Would it be feasible to design a simple, tentative ritual for the 'Fool'?"

The complete three-part honorific name should be the core focus of the ceremony.

The Fool's Brooch, as the core symbol, should be able to replace the Holy Symbol, and may even be more effective.

A clean place for prayer...

He closed his eyes, recalling the layout of the Night's Watch's prayer room.

Then there is the medium of prayer and communication.

A candle symbolizes the illumination of will. Pure water... should symbolize the pathway.

Spiritual materials can be guided by one's own spirituality.

Protection. This is also the biggest problem.

He lacked the knowledge and items specifically designed to protect against interference or ritual backlash.

"At present, it seems that we can only rely on the directional nature of the ritual itself, the honorific name and the symbol... to accurately locate the coordinates."