Inside the bathroom in 15 Minsk Street.
Klein took out a paper figurine from a concealed pocket, shook it, and transformed it into a body double.
He made the body double sit on the toilet with a newspaper in hand as a way to deceive others. Then, he hid himself in the shadows, took four steps counterclockwise, and went above the gray fog.
These series of actions were even more magical than magic!
Inside the majestic ancient palace, Klein sat at the very end of the long bronze table, conjuring Jason Beria's handkerchief in front of him.
It was only a projection, but it could also be used for divination as long as the handkerchief didn't leave his body in the real world. The earliest instance was back when he used the projection of the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem in Tingen City as a divination object. At that time, he still didn't know how to summon himself, and he was unable to bring items with spirituality above the gray fog.
Of course, there was still a big difference between using a projection and using the actual object for divination; therefore, Klein often tried his best to use the actual object. But right now, with him being protected by official Beyonders, it wasn't that convenient to carry out a ritual.
If anyone were to find him lighting candles in the day while on the toilet, he would be in deep trouble.
If I can really manage to obtain Jason Beria's location via divination, I can always take the risk by summoning myself and bringing the handkerchief up here if the revelation isn't clear enough... With a mumble, Klein produced a goatskin and a fountain pen. He wrote the divination sentence: "Jason Beria's current location."
Normally speaking, relying on a handkerchief that the target used only during a certain ritual made it impossible to divine the whereabouts of the target since the connection wasn't strong enough, and there was too much interference. For example, it was very easy to end up provoking the Abyss Grand Duke which the ritual was directed at.
But for Klein, interferences could be eliminated. The so-called Abyss Grand Duke was at most a High-Sequence Devil, and not the incarnation of the Dark Side of the Universe. Above the fog, the mysterious space had already handled deities like the Eternal Blazing Sun and the True Creator. Even a slightly weaker one was at the level of an angel, Mr. Door, and up to this point in time, he hadn't suffered any serious mishaps.
As for the problem of the connection not being strong enough, Klein, who could only be enhanced to a certain degree by the gray fog, was helpless as well. He could only give it a try and try his luck. Perhaps it would only be after he became a High-Sequence Beyonder Saint in this domain that he could have the corresponding confidence. ( Boxno vel. co m )
In theory, it's possible. After all, when holding a ritual, one's body, heart, and mind were unified the most. It was also the easiest to communicate with the outside world... Klein, who was now barely considered an expert in mysticism, muttered. He held the handkerchief and the goatskin with the divination statement written on it, and he leaned back into his chair.
He quickly entered a state of Cogitation and constantly chanted, "Jason Beria's current location."
After chanting it seven times, Klein fell into a deep sleep and entered the dream world.
Within the gray world, countless images flashed and intersected with each other in a rather dispersed manner.
Soon, the scene became clear and filled Klein's "vision," which made him feel as if he had entered a dream.
In the dream, the lights were dim and the desk was dark red. A figure was standing in front of the oriel window, looking out at the garden.
There was a glass shed in the garden, with roses blooming inside, bright red in the December cold.
The figure of a man was projected on the window. He was of medium height, with curly brown hair and cold brown eyes. He looked to be in his thirties.
This... Am I not divining Jason Beria's location? Who is this? He feels a little familiar... Klein was puzzled, he but didn't think further about it. He let his spirituality remain in a dispersed state, as if he were roaming some mysterious world.
Just as he raised the question, the man turned and walked to a corner of the room, where there were two large leather suitcases.
The man squatted down and opened one of the suitcases. Inside was a neat stack of bills, with gold bars placed on top of them.
The notes that were exposed were all in ten-pound denominations, while the gold bars shone with an enchanting luster.
The man pulled something out of a hidden pocket of his suitcase, shook it, and opened it.
It was a slightly pale piece of human skin!
A complete piece of human skin!
The man quickly stripped off his clothes and put on the human skin. In just ten seconds, he had become Jason Beria with tall cheekbones, blue eyes with a tint of gray, and neatly combed hair!
At this point, the scene suddenly shattered, and Klein opened his eyes.
It's no wonder that Jason was willing to take a risk. So it turns out that in the past ten years, he has always been wearing a human skin and has never shown his true face... As expected of a calm and crazy Devil... Klein couldn't help but sigh.
Jason had left his portrait in the house, and it didn't garner any suspicion from Isengard and the others, because his neighbors had seen him and knew what he looked like. Even without the portrait, with the powers of the Beyonders of the official organizations, it would've been easy to reconstruct his likeness, and the result would've been even better than a photograph; therefore, there was no reason for Jason not to have the drive to destroy something like it. This was something very logical.
Who would've thought that he would've left a hoax in somewhere that looked to be most natural! If searches are made according to the portrait, even if the Nighthawks have Sealed Artifact 1-42, it wouldn't be that easy to lock onto the target... Moreover, in both times, he had used his own abilities to conceal his face. Who would've thought that his face, which had been tightly covered and concealed, was actually fake! Klein realized how cunning Jason was.
He rubbed his temples and began to recall the scenes he saw in the dream divination.
A house with a glass greenhouse. That's a pretty obvious feature. There aren't many similar buildings in Backlund! But the question is, how do I report it? The moment I tell the Machinery Hivemind, Jason would definitely sense the danger and start to disguise himself and move away...
Directly find the Nighthawk with Sealed Artifact 1-42? What if I encounter someone familiar? I don't want to turn into ashes and be scattered into the Tussock River... Besides, I can't rush to report it. I just started gathering information, so how is it possible to receive any information from my various channels so quickly...
That fellow is really carrying a large sum of cash and jewelry, a whole suitcase worth of bills... The total value may exceed 50,000 pounds...
Thoughts raced through Klein's mind and it took him a moment to calm down. He decided to wait another two days, then use the appropriate means to inform the Nighthawks in charge of this matter with the revelation he received.
With the divination coming to an end, he returned to the real world, removed his double, and sat on the toilet himself.
...
In the afternoon, Klein threw a coin when he was about to leave.
The revelation he received was that it wasn't beneficial for him to head out.
"There will be danger if I head out?" Klein didn't hesitate to return to his living room and sit down.
After about twenty minutes, he heard the doorbell ring and saw that it was Isengard Stanton who had come to visit him.
"Mr. Stanton, any progress?" Klein asked rather delightfully.
Isengard pointed to the back of the hall.
"Let's talk inside."
"Alright." Klein made way by stepping aside.
After sitting on two sofas which faced each other, Isengard held his hunter's hat and took a deep breath.
"The Desire Apostle has appeared again."
Seeing Klein maintaining his silence, he nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The families of two detectives refused protection, believing that they wouldn't be implicated, so they remained outside. Today, at lunchtime, they were found dead in their respective offices. One was so horrified that he died from fright. The other was too excited that he expanded the last of his energy.
"They were too stubborn, as expected of believers of the Tyrant, But as a result, the Mandated Punishers have formally involved themselves. It's said that the few Churches and the military's High-Sequence Beyonders have cast their gaze over, and they've placed the matter of the Desire Apostle as one of the most important events in recent times."
"Are you hoping that I wouldn't reveal your identity as a believer of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?" Klein asked, seemingly enlightened.
"It's easy to talk between detectives." Isengard smiled and nodded.
"No problem." Klein made the promise first, then said, "I have some information channels that are convenient to expose. If I get valuable information from them later, I hope you can help me inform the Nighthawks and keep it confidential."
As for why it's the Nighthawks instead of the Machinery Hivemind, he believed that he didn't need to be too clear about it. With the intelligence of a great detective like Stanton, he could easily figure it out.
Isengard first agreed to Klein's request, then said in puzzlement, "By telling me, it's the same as letting Jason notice it ahead of time."
"Let's hope we can think of ways of avoiding that... Also, please help me think about other possibilities. That ring of yours should be able to mimic several Beyonder powers," Klein calmly replied.
"Alright." Isengard didn't say anything further.
He pondered for a few seconds and took out his pipe to take a whiff.
"The Desire Apostle's actions today have verified one of my guesses. Heh heh, it's also the question you thought of previously."
"His main purpose isn't revenge?" Klein understood what Isengard was implying.
Isengard leaned forward and solemnly said, "Since Jason has already been through the Coldblooded stage, it means that he's definitely coldblooded. It's impossible that he would go this far for that Devil.
"Sherlock, look. Up until now, all of the official Beyonders in Backlund have been mobilized, and even the High-Sequence Beyonders have shifted their attention to this matter. At this point, if Jason wants to deal with someone else—the true target—wouldn't it be much easier?"
Klein thought over it for a moment and replied heavily, "That makes sense!"
...
After a short exchange, Isengard went on to find Kaslana. After Klein tossed the coin, he went out as planned, heading for the Quelaag Club.
Neither of them had yet revealed their suspicions to the official Beyonders, fearing that it would end up directing harm at Jason, making him detect it and abandon his series of actions.
As soon as he entered the Quelaag Club, Klein met the surgeon, Aaron in the lobby.
"Long time no see," he smiled and greeted him.
"I've been really busy recently," Aaron replied in a friendly manner, but he maintained his cold expression out of habit. "Besides, my wife recently got pregnant, and I'm going to be a father again."
"Congratulations. When did this happen?" Klein asked casually.
Aaron thought for a while and said, "It was just confirmed. She should be pregnant for more than a month."
"More than a month?" Klein was startled, and then he looked into his eyes.
-x-X-x-
"Yes, a month or so ago." Aaron nudged his gold-rimmed glasses and gave him a positive answer.
A month or so ago? Isn't that when you were being troubled by Will Auceptin-related nightmares? Klein was surprised and puzzled, but he didn't let his emotions show.
In the blink of an eye, he thought of the two divinations he had made.
Will Auceptin was in a dark room with the sound of running water outside.
Was that symbolizing amniotic fluid or blood? Klein's heart chilled as he suddenly understood something.
When he looked at Dr. Aaron again, he wore a rather complicated look in his eyes.
He suspected that his wife was carrying Will Auceptin, a Snake of Mercury!
In the symbolism of mysticism, the Snake of Fate's head and tail are connected, with it devouring its own tail. It implies the cycle of destiny in a hidden manner... In order to avoid his enemy, Will Auceptin took the initiative to secretly initiate a new cycle in advance? Klein guessed based on what he knew.
Dr. Aaron didn't notice the abnormality he was trying hard to hide. He smiled and said, "He'll definitely be a cute guy. When he's born, I'll hold a party to celebrate his arrival. Sherlock, don't refuse my invitation when the time comes."
"Perhaps it's a she," Klein replied with a smile.
Frankly speaking, he was curious to see what kind of state the newly born Snake of Mercury was in.
However, he was also a little afraid and worried. After all, the Snake of Mercury was a Sequence 1 of the Monster pathway related to fate, and it also involved the fight for the position of being a deity. No one could be sure whether the future would be smooth sailing, with peace and bliss.
For Dr. Aaron, I don't know if it was fortune or misfortune... Whether Will Auceptin is kind is one matter, but whether or not the other Snake of Mercury would discover him is another matter... And Will Auceptin hasn't done anything as of now. Informing the Nighthawks now would seem a little cruel. I've always understood wild Beyonders... It's best to just quietly watch from the sidelines and not get involved, or perhaps taking advantage of the situation is the best choice... Maybe I made a mistake in my interpretation and am overthinking things? Perhaps Will Auceptin isn't a Snake of Mercury at all! Perhaps the child Mrs. Aaron is carrying is very normal! Many thoughts flashed through Klein's mind.
"She? That's even better." Aaron said in anticipation.
After some thought, Klein asked another question, "Have you had any nightmares lately?"
"Occasionally, but they were all normal nightmares. There are no longer any nightmares of Will Auceptin anymore. Sherlock, thank you for your guidance," Aaron said earnestly. @@novelbin@@
No, no, no, that makes it abnormal. As a keyboard warrior, my limited general knowledge of psychology tells me that occasionally dreaming of Will Auceptin would be the natural thing to do. It's a standard response from overstimulation. Since Will had caused you so much trouble and left such a deep impression on you, it would definitely be reflected in your dreams. Therefore, the correct outcome would be to occasionally dream about Will Auceptin, but the dream wouldn't be too clear, to the point of only knowing that something like that had happened without remembering the details... Klein was pretty sure.
At that moment, he heard a rustling sound.
He subconsciously looked outside the hall, only to see the darkness in the air being dispersed by a strong wind, and the thin light-yellow fog was swept away as a result.
The leafless branches swayed back and forth, and the strong gust of wind left a clear trail towards the southeast.
A few seconds later, everything returned to normal.
"It's hard to see such strong winds in Backlund during winter. At least, I don't remember anything like it before." Aaron sighed as he looked out the window.
That's not an ordinary wind... What happened? Klein suppressed his curiosity and made an excuse to go to the bathroom to perform a simple divination, but he failed to obtain any effective revelations.
He temporarily put this matter to the back of his mind and prepared to head to the underground shooting range to practice his shooting.
At that moment, a waiter wearing a red vest came through the warm hall and respectfully said, "Mr. Moriarty, your friend is here for you."
"Who?" Klein asked in surprise.
"Mr. Ikanser Bernard," the red-vested attendant answered.
The deacon who's often forced to "perm his hair"... Why is he suddenly looking for me? Have there been any new discoveries?
Klein immediately walked to the reception hall of the club.
Ikanser pressed down the hat which had been pushed up by his fluffy hair, walked over, and said with a lowered voice, "The Mandated Punishers have found Jason Patrick Beria."
"How was he found?" Klein asked, half surprised, half curious.
According to his divination, Jason Beria had always been wearing human skin. His true appearance and aura weren't what they had assumed they were. It was almost impossible for him to be found so easily!
Ikanser surveyed the area and said, "I'm not sure. I just received the news."
He pointed to a small white bird standing on the tree outside the door.
The bird was leisurely cleaning its feathers with its beak.
Before Klein could ask further, Ikanser gave a general account of what had happened.
"The Mandated Punishers found clues and confirmed Jason's location. However, the Devil discovered the danger in advance and managed to kill two Mandated Punishers and fled before they managed to close in on him. This infuriated the higher-ups of the Church of the Lord of Storms. As such, Spellsinger of God, Ace Snake, is currently personally in pursuit. You likely saw a gust of wind just now. It was caused by him. He's the Archbishop of the Church of the Lord of Storms's Backlund diocese, and he's also one of the Cardinals of the Church of the Lord of Storms.
It sounds normal, but it also feels weird... According to my theory with Mr. Isengard, this can be also understood as a way for Jason, the Desire Apostle, to draw away High-Sequence Beyonders... Klein asked after some deliberation, "Are you sure that the person discovered is Jason Beria?"
Ikanser's expression instantly turned heavy as he replied with an odd tone, "I'll give it a try," he replied in a strange tone.
He motioned to Klein to follow him out and into a large carriage parked at the side of the street. There were two members of the Machinery Hivemind inside.
Ikanser took a deep breath and took out the strange-patterned silver mirror from a special pocket in his clothes.
After doing the necessary steps, he gloomily said, "Honorable Arrodes, my question is: 'Where is Jason Patrick Beria's current location.'"
The surrounding light suddenly warped, as if they were lights after a rain. A scene rapidly surfaced on the silver mirror.
It was a riverboat with a sail raised. Jason Beria, with his high cheekbones, blue eyes with a gray tint, and neatly combed hair, pressed down his cap, propped up the collar of his coat, and hurried into the cabin.
"He's really trying to escape Backlund! Spellsinger of God seems to be heading towards the dock area..." a female Machinery Hivemind member said in realization.
That's way too easy for him to be exposed, right? Klein was filled with doubt.
Ikanser wasn't concerned with any of this; all his attention was placed on the silver mirror's surface.
This time, there was only the choice of answering. Answering it wrongly or lying meant suffering a terrifying penalty.
Soon, words in blood-red appeared on the mirror:
"If the man you like is covered with lumps; has his skin shed, reducing him only to flesh and blood; or has become a monster, but it is still able to communicate with him, will you still like him?"
What a shameful question... Wait, a man? Klein almost turned his head to look at Ikanser.
Ikanser slowly breathed out and said, "I will, but I will kill him with my own hands."
"Very honest." A new combination of words appeared on the surface of the silver mirror.
... This question and answer game is simply a public hearing... Klein really wanted to cover his face.
He looked at the other two Machinery Hivemind members and saw no abnormalities from them, or perhaps, it should be said that they were pretending to not have any abnormal expressions. He hesitantly said, "I keep feeling that all of this has been too easy. Perhaps that's not the real Jason Beria?"
"But Jason Beria was directed at him." Ikanser was planning to put away the silver mirror.
Klein thought for a few seconds and said after organizing his words, "No, what I truly mean is that we have to abandon any ingrained judgments. What we are looking for is that Desire Apostle, not Jason Beria. The two might not necessarily be the same.
"This is a point that I have to mention as a detective."
...
On King's Avenue, a luxurious carriage left the kingdom's parliament.
The carpeted carriage was furnished with a bed, a sofa, a table, and other furniture, like a mobile room.
Duke Pallas Negan, who was dressed in a dark blue admiral's uniform, was drinking a polished crystal glass of red wine that resembled crimson blood.
As he sampled the wine, he said thoughtfully, "Invite Earl Hall to be my guest tomorrow. I would like to discuss with him about increasing the remuneration of the factory workers and improving their working hours, as well as amending the Poor Law. These are bills he has been pushing hard for recently. He should be very interested. Heh, why would the Church of the Evernight Goddess suddenly be concerned over such matters?
"When sending the invitation, you can first inform Earl Hall about the topics I wish to discuss. The property restrictions for the elections are necessary and cannot be lowered. Otherwise, those who are in control of a large number of workers will take up more seats. Also, suppress the recent attack on the invalid voting districts..."
The secretary at the side quickly scribbled down Duke Negan's orders.
After he was done, Duke Negan sighed and said, "The reason I'm doing this is also for the sake of the nobles. However, there are more and more useless fellows among us, and there's even quite a number of them who owe money to the tycoons."
At that moment, the carriage didn't turn towards Empress Borough but went straight ahead.
As the greatest property-owning noble apart from the king, Duke Negan had many mistresses, but in the relatively conservative Loen Kingdom, this was something which would leave him vulnerable to his political enemies. Therefore, even as a noble duke, he still had to sneak around when he went to his mistress's place, but this seemed to only give him more pleasure.
Today, he was planning to go to his most beloved mistress of the past two to three years, a young girl who had just turned twenty.
Duke Negan took out a bottle of medicine made of mummy powder and drank it. He couldn't help but touch the accessory hanging from his neck. It was a dark blue thumb-sized conch.
It was a mystical item that the Church of the Lord of Storms had specially provided after his last assassination attempt by Qilangos. As long as Duke Negan blew on it, the Holy Wind Cathedral's Spellsinger of God, Ace Snake would hear it and lock onto his position.
In order to protect himself, Duke Negan even moved the residences of his mistresses to areas near the Holy Wind Cathedral.
The carriage slowly moved until it reached an extremely luxurious building. At a glance, there was a glass greenhouse filled with bright red roses.
-x-X-x-
Inside the carriage outside the Quelaag Club.
"The Desire Apostle might not necessarily be Jason Beria? You believe that we might've been misled?" Ikanser didn't scoff, show contempt, or think lightly of what Klein had said. Instead, he began to seriously discuss the problem with him.
Not a bad deacon... However, it could also be due to him frequently using the magic mirror name Arrodes. No matter how bad his temper is, it would eventually be worn out... Klein praised silently and nodded sincerely.
"This is my personal opinion, derived from a cautious standpoint.
"It's very easy to prove it again. Ask the magic mirror of the Desire Apostle's location, and not of Jason Beria's location."
Ikanser pressed down his hat and said, "Makes sense."
His expression turned serious once again, and his gaze landed on the magic mirror in his palm.
"Deacon Ikanser, if you were to ask for any clues here, the Devil will definitely be able to detect it," Klein reminded them.
"That's right." Ikanser turned his head to the other two members and said, "Continue protecting Mr. Moriarty in secret. Even if the Desire Apostle attacks, the three of you should be able to last for some time. Besides, there's military personnel nearby."
"Yes, Deacon!" the two Machinery Hivemind members answered without hesitation.
Ikanser left at once, heading for where the Nighthawks were, which was around Isengard Stanton.
With the Spellsinger of God stirred, and the Sealed Artifact of the Church of Goddess Church out in force... if the Desire Apostle were to really do anything, it would definitely be this afternoon... Let's hope that there's enough time and that the magic mirror will give him the correct answer... But this way, I won't have a chance to get involved, and I won't be able to personally see the Devil that has harmed all of us die, and I won't have access to his suitcase full of money, gold bars, gold coins, and jewelry... Klein looked at the Ikanser's departing back and sighed in disappointment.
However, his mood soon recovered.
That's good too. At the very least I won't have to take any risks and be able to safely get out of this predicament.
Furthermore, the Machinery Hivemind definitely won't treat me unfairly. If I were to succeed, my opinions and suggestions definitely would've played an important role. Furthermore, I'm a believer of the God of Steam and Machinery, so it's likely I'll receive some of the spoils... Considering the premise of 50,000 pounds, it shouldn't be too small...
Klein couldn't help but feel a bit regretful as he thought of this.
But he wouldn't risk himself by getting involved.
A Magician never performs unprepared!
It happened too quickly and hastily, without giving me any time to plan at all...Klein nodded at the two Machinery Hivemind members, got out of the carriage, and returned to the Quelaag Club, where he had no trouble getting the attendant to allocate him a break room.
...
Hillston Borough. In Isengard Stanton's living room.
Leonard Mitchell combed some of his slightly unruly black hair. In accordance with Captain Soest's instructions and the help of the other Nighthawks, he barely managed to put on the silver armor, which was stained with large amounts of blood.
He pulled down his visor and hid his green eyes in the darkness. Then he extended his left hand, which was covered by a silver metal gauntlet, and held the magic mirror Ikanser handed him.
Within the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, the code name of the silver mirror was 2-111.
"It's only a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact?" Soest asked, slightly surprised.
Ikanser nodded.
"Yes, it's not that dangerous."
As he said that, he suddenly sounded like he was gritting his teeth.
"That is to say that it's other aspects have reached the standards of a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact?" Soest asked in thought.
Ikanser warily glanced at him.
"Only in certain aspects."
He refused to divulge any more information.
At this moment, Leonard used his right hand to gently stroke the surface of the silver mirror. The living room suddenly became quiet.
After repeating it three times, he said in a deep voice, "Honorable Arrodes, my question is: 'Where is the current location of the Desire Apostle who assaulted Isengard Stanton?'"
The entire house turned dark as though a dark cloud had passed by.
The surface of the silver mirror glowed with an aqueous light, and a blurry image quickly formed—it was a luxurious villa with a large garden in front of the window.
In the center of the garden, there was a glass greenhouse, with bright red roses blooming inside.
Above the glass greenhouse, the pale sun could still be seen behind the thin fog.
"It's in Backlund!" Isengard Stanton immediately derived the location of the scene based on the angle of the view and the position of the sun in the sky.
"This is completely different from the answer when we asked about Jason Beria! We've been tricked!" Ikanser said in a deep voice.
Soul Assurer Soest exhaled and said, "How crafty. @@novelbin@@
"Then, who's the Jason Beria that Spellsinger of God is chasing?
"Sigh, there's no time for discussion. We need to narrow down the general location of the presented scene. Then, we'll immediately take action. I suspect that the Desire Apostle is planning to cause a huge incident!"
At this point, the silver mirror known as Arrodes had dissipated the scene, replacing it with words.
It required Leonard Mitchell to answer a question, and if he lied or refused to answer, he would be severely punished.
For some baffling reason, Leonard felt a little nervous. He put away his usual frivolous attitude and quietly waited for the question.
A few seconds later, he saw the blood-red words change, taking shape one by one.
"On your body, is there something attached..."
Halfway through the question, Leonard's pupils rapidly contracted. His back tensed up, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
If it wasn't for him being concealed by the blood-stained silver armor, the others would've already noticed his abnormality.
Right at this moment, his left palm inexplicably trembled.
The silver magic mirror suddenly trembled, and the scarlet words were strangely tainted with a tint of green. If one didn't keep staring at the mirror with rapt attention, it would be difficult for others to discover that the color of the mirror had slightly changed.
The words continued warping, changing the question to: "On your body, is there a scar which you cannot tell others?"
"Yes, that scar resides in my memory," Leonard answered stably, but his body inside the blood-stained silver armor felt a sense of exhaustion from suddenly relaxing a high tension.
This mirror is too dangerous... It actually noticed it! Thankfully, Old Man has recovered a bit after such a long time... he thought; his lips were dry.
Soest took out his pocket watch, pressed it open to take a look, and said to Leonard, who was inside the blood-stained silver armor.
"There's still time, you'll be in charge of the rest of the operation!"
"Yes, Captain Soest." Leonard let out a secret sigh.
...
Dock area, Backlund Shipyard.
Patrick Jason Beria entered a cabin he had reserved in advance.
He looked out of the window and observed the sky filled with fog as he silently counted the time.
After a while, he quickly took off his hat and clothes. Then, with a tug of his hand, he pulled off the outer layer of human skin!
Under the human skin was a beautiful woman in her early thirties with a profound look in her eyes. She wasn't the man with brown hair and brown eyes whom Klein had seen during the dream divination!
The woman took out some clothes and put them on methodically, quickly becoming an absolutely charming woman.
Finally, she pulled out a fist-sized stone figurine from the bottom of a suitcase and wrapped it tightly with the peeled off skin before tying a dead knot.
Having done all this, the riverboat was already some distance away. She opened the window and threw Patrick Jason's skin along with the stone figurine into the river.
Plop!
The human skin that was tied to the heavy object quickly sank.
The woman clapped her hands and closed the window. Carrying the suitcase, she changed to a different cabin she had prepared.
Then, she sat down at the window of the new cabin, propped up her elbows, her face in her hands, and looked out leisurely.
After an unknown period of time, she saw a strong gust of wind blowing in the air, dispersing the thin fog.
The corners of her lips curled up into a brilliant smile.
...
In a luxurious villa not far from the Holy Wind Cathedral in Cherwood Borough.
The bloated, blue-eyed Pallas Negan bear hugged his approaching mistress, a beautiful young girl with a bit of innocence on her face.
There were two people following him. One of them was a middle-aged man wearing a black tailcoat. He had brown hair and blue eyes, but he didn't wear an expression. He was a Beyonder guard provided by the Church of the Lord of Storms, a Sequence 6 Wind-blessed.
The other person was Duke Negan's secretary.
He was a thin blond young man with delicate features, looking refined and reserved. His biggest flaw was his receding hairline which didn't match his age.
As for the other guards, or security personnel, they were spread out outside the house.
On the second floor, the Wind-blessed entered the bedroom before Duke Negan for a quick inspection. Meanwhile, Duke Negan's secretary was in charge of searching the surrounding rooms.
After confirming that there were no problems, they nodded at Duke Negan, indicating that he could continue.
"My roused up feelings have almost calmed down," Duke Negan said half-jokingly.
His mistress happily responded, "Then we can have a nice chat. I'd like to hear about your time at sea."
"I hope you'll eventually have the energy to do so." Duke Negan carried his mistress into the bedroom and closed the door behind him with his heel.
His secretary and the Wind-blessed entered the rooms on either side of him, not relaxing in the slightest.
In the attic of this house.
A man in a dark overcoat sat on an old chair, his eyes half closed. It was unknown what he was trying to sense, but he would occasionally smile and shake his head.
His brown hair was slightly curled, and his brown eyes were cold. It was the same person that Klein had seen in the dream divination! The difference was that there was one fewer suitcase by his feet.
"How vigorous, and what intense desire... This doesn't match my judgment of him. It looks like he took some medicine... That just works so well for me... Heh heh, how could they possibly imagine that Patrick Jason Beria is actually two people..." The man tilted his face up slightly as if he was intoxicated.
"It's almost time... Right now!"
His right hand suddenly clenched, as if he was tightly clutching someone's heart!
-x-X-x-
Beyond the window, the glass greenhouse reflected the pale light of the sun, and the bright roses stood out even in the thin fog.
In the bedroom, Duke Negan seemed to have recovered the feeling of following his father and elders around the vast lands when he was young, riding a horse, using a hound, and chasing a wild beast.
Finally, he climaxed and the surroundings seemed to become abnormally quiet.
At this moment, his mind suddenly buzzed once. He felt as if the pleasure and comfort he was feeling had suddenly exploded one after another. It continued exploding without end or limit, again and again.
Duke Negan's waist kept shaking, and his eyes were blank, his brain having lost its train of thought.
His heart began to beat violently in an unbearable manner, like a steam boiler whose pressure had gone beyond its limits. It could blow up at any time, and hot steam could gush out at any moment.
If it were an ordinary person or a Beyonder who wasn't physically strong, they would've suffered a heart attack, a massive cerebral hemorrhage, and die on the spot. But Duke Negan ultimately managed to ride through the attack. Only his eyes were unfocused, and saliva was flowing out the corner of his mouth before he weakly slumped onto his mistress.
The Wind-blessed and the duke's secretary, who were onguard on both sides of the room, simultaneously sensed the strange and mysterious smell of spirituality. The former's body was suddenly surrounded by a violent wind, sweeping him towards the wall, and with a clang, a large hole was blown through the wall as he stepped into the bedroom.
The secretary went straight to the source of the mystery—the attic of the house!
Along the way, he didn't evade or dodge, but the decorative vases and other objects in the corridor seemed to have found lives of their own and avoided him in ingenious ways.
As he ran up the stairs to the attic, the wooden floorboards seemed to rise, as if to give him a hand.
In just three or four seconds, the refined, handsome, blond young man entered the attic and saw a figure sitting on an old chair.
The figure was covered in a thick black liquid, just like the gathering of all the ugly desires and intense feelings in the depths of a human's heart. It was the greed of willing to sell and hang oneself by the ropes, the hunger that wouldn't even spare one's own kind, and a lust without limits.
This was a devil walking the earth!
The skinny secretary's expression didn't change, nor did he attack directly. Instead, he looked at the other party, reached behind him, and politely closed the door.
Bam!
The wooden door of the attic was closed.
The entire room suddenly felt like it had been completely sealed, as if one could never leave the room unless effort was put in to crack the seal.
At this moment, the concept of "closing the door and sealing the room" seemed to have been changed to "seal this place, isolate the outside from the inside!"
The Desire Apostle moved. His body expanded and grew a pair of huge bat wings that emitted light blue tongues of flames.
One by one, fireballs that exuded a strong sulfurous smell were formed, and they bombarded Duke Negan's blond secretary.
The secretary reached out with his white-gloved left hand and clenched it while half-turning his wrist.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fireballs stopped following the principle of straight or parabolic paths as they scattered in every direction in a sudden outburst of chaos, like the irregular movement of tiny particles suggested by a botanist 1 . Some of them hit the wall, some hit the ceiling, some fell beside the weak-looking secretary, and some fell backward, almost wounding the Desire Apostle himself.
The entire attic was a mess, with traces of destruction and char everywhere, and the house even shook a few times.
However, the mysterious power that was "sealed" in here, or the rules that had been tampered with, had yet been destroyed. The surrounding walls, the old wooden door, and the dusty roof appeared to be on the verge of collapsing, but it remained intact.
The Desire Apostle wasn't frustrated by the failure of his previous attempt, nor was he flustered that he couldn't control his enemy or catalyze him into a frenzy, due to his calmness and restrained desires. His coffee-brown eyes suddenly lit up like lava as he took the form of the blond secretary. He spat out a word in the Devil language, one filled with foulness and filth: "Die!"
Almost at the same time, the pupils under the secretary's golden-rimmed glasses constricted. He opened his left fist and aimed at the Desire Apostle with the palm of his hand.
Suddenly, his figure split into two. One was refined and skinny like his actual self. The other was a shadow covered by a black liquid of "desire." The two quickly alternated, overlapping with each other at times.
"Die!"
The words said in the Language of Foulness echoed in the attic as the secretary let out a low grunt and took two steps back.
Following that, the split silhouette dissipated, and large swaths of rusted red marks appeared on his face, as though he had turned into a man of iron that had been left in a humid area for years.
Cough! Cough! Cough! He coughed violently, spitting out blobs of rusted blood that had congealed into clumps.
The marks on his body began to slowly peel off.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
The Desire Apostle was also coughing, coughing out blood that had clumped and turned to rust. The viscous black liquid covering his entire body suddenly became much thinner.
The Language of Foulness seemed to have half of its effects transferred to him by Duke Negan's secretary!
...
In the bedroom.
The Wind-blessed helped Duke Negan up and kicked the beautiful mistress to the other side in case she was an accomplice of the assailant.
The reason why he didn't help the secretary was because he knew he had only one responsibility—to protect Duke Negan!
And in similar situations, one had to be wary of more than one enemy!
At this point, Duke Negan had somewhat recovered a little, he was rather strong, but his limbs still felt weak. His body felt empty and his mind was sluggish. He was completely unable to use his Beyonder powers.
He motioned to the Wind-blessed to remove the conch necklace from his neck and brought the item to his lips.
Duke Negan took a deep breath and blew into the small conch which was covered in strange patterns.
Splash!
The low and deep sound of the tide was heard as it rushed towards the Holy Wind Cathedral.
"With His Grace's speed, he should be able to arrive very soon!" The Wind-blessed first reassured him, and then with Duke Negan on his back, he went to the window and leaped down.
He wanted to meet up with the duke's guards outside; there were two or three Low-Sequence Beyonders among them.
Duke Negan gasped for breath and said, "Catch him, make sure to catch him alive, or with a Spirit Body...
"I want to know who it is!"
He had suffered an assassination attempt from Pirate Admiral Qilangos the last time, and now, it was an unknown Sequence 5 expert. Duke Negan was very aware that he hadn't developed any irredeemable grudges with anyone recently, as such, he was especially angry and resentful.
He wanted to find the mastermind and use all the resources at his disposal to tear the mastermind apart!
The premise of all this was that he could find clues from the assassin.
Seven or eight seconds later, most of the duke's guards surged forward, surrounding Pallas Negan and the Wind-blessed in the middle as they gathered in front of the garden.
"Wait here and be on guard against the enemy," the Wind-blessed gave the order.
Under normal circumstances, he had to protect the duke and evacuate from the assassination grounds as quickly as possible and rush to the safety of the Holy Wind Cathedral. However, he wasn't sure if there were any other enemies, and he was afraid of being ambushed en route. He was afraid of missing the reinforcements from Spellsinger of God, Ace Snake, and ending up being placed in a more perilous situation.
One second, two seconds, three seconds... Time kept flowing by as the house shook from time to time, and the battle inside seemed to have reached its climax.
"Why is the Archbishop not here yet?" the panting Duke Negan asked in a slightly panicked voice.
With the archbishop's flying speed, he should've arrived very quickly. However, there weren't any signs of the thin fog being scattered in the direction of the Holy Wind Cathedral.
On high alert, the Wind-blessed hesitantly said, "Perhaps, perhaps the Archbishop, the Archbishop..."
He eventually failed to mention the possibility that the Archbishop wasn't in the Holy Wind Cathedral.
At that moment, the beautiful mistress of Duke Negan came to the window of the bedroom on the second floor, her eyes filled with a lost and beautiful smile.
Then, she jumped down, deliberately hitting her head on the concrete floor.
Bam!
After producing a jarring sound, there were quite a few cracks on her beautiful head, and blood began to flow out.
She rolled a few times, weakly, until she was facing up.
Her eyes had lost all focus, and her frozen expression was one of madness and fear.
Seeing this scene, many members of the duke's guards couldn't help but feel horrified.
Even Duke Negan himself felt that his emotions were on the verge of collapse when Archbishop Snake didn't arrive.
"Let's go! Let's get out of here!" he weakly called out on instinct. @@novelbin@@
Just as the Wind-blessed was rejoicing over not being soft-hearted when kicking the mistress away—otherwise, the duke would've been killed on the spot—he heard a command filled with horror. His heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Inside the attic, the Desire Apostle, who was in the middle of a fierce battle, suddenly liquefied and turned into countless black shadows, jumping up and down on the ground.
After dodging the blond secretary's attack, he rematerialized in another direction.
Then, he looked at the enemy, raised his right arm, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth.
"No!" The blond secretary's eyes reddened.
All of a sudden, the Desire Apostle clenched his fist.
Outside the luxurious house, Duke Negan's horror erupted. It shot straight to his brain and into his veins, blanketing all his nerves.
He heard the sound of something shattering and felt a warm sensation at the back of his head.
At the same time, several members of the duke's guards became flustered and panicked. They all raised their custom revolvers or rifles in their hands and started shooting randomly towards the center.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Wind-blessed was the first to reach out and grab Duke Negan. He rolled to the ground, and a formless wind as sharp as knives appeared out of thin air, slicing through the throats of the guards.
Splat. Splat. The guards clutched at their throats, slowly falling to the ground in a pool of fresh blood. Duke Negan's body twitched a few times, but then it stopped moving.
He was robbed of his life by his own horror.
If he hadn't been a Sequence 6 Beyonder, then his horror might've even dismembered him.
Of course, if he hadn't become extremely weak, then he wouldn't have possessed such intense emotions. And even if he had these emotions, then he wouldn't have directly died as a result of this.
But there were no "ifs" in this world, Pallas Negan—the leader of the Conservative Party, the noble with the largest land apart from the king, the elder brother of the current Prime Minister, a Sequence 6 Beyonder, and a truly important figure— was dead.
The roses in the nearby glass greenhouse were still in full bloom.
In the attic, the blond secretary seemed to sense something and could no longer control his emotions.
As a result, his mind went blank, and he anxiously ran outside, automatically opening the door to the sealed room.
Two seconds later, he snapped to his senses and turned around again. However, the figure that was covered by the black liquid and the suitcase in the corner had disappeared.
...
The Desire Apostle quickly left the villa, evacuating from the scene based on a predetermined route.
It was at this moment that a thick sea of blood seemed to appear before his eyes.
-x-X-x-
The Desire Apostle, who had once worn Patrick Jason's skin, stopped in his tracks and looked around in bewilderment.
Only now did he vaguely realize that danger was approaching.
He was at the edge of a garden where the grass had withered due to winter and was revealing dark brown soil.
On the right side of the street, there weren't many pedestrians on the weekday afternoon. At this moment, there were only a few people passing by, but they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
Suddenly, a silver glint appeared in the eyes of the Desire Apostle, and a person decked out in full body armor emerged from the other side of the garden.
( Boxno vel. co m ) The armor was stained with congealed blood, diagonally from its left shoulder all the way down. It exuded a bewitching beauty and appeared to be extremely heavy. Every step it took slightly shook the ground.
Upon seeing this blood-stained silver armor, the Desire Apostle felt as if he couldn't breathe properly, as if he had met his most terrifying nemesis.
How are they here so quickly? They saw through my ruse so quickly? The Desire Apostle regained his calm and coldbloodedness, fully focused on sensing the emotions and desires of the Beyonder inside the blood-stained silver armor.
However, to his despair, the silver armor completely blocked his Beyonder powers.
It was as if he had touched a rock, a piece of cold armor which had no one in it!
The Desire Apostle had no choice but to raise his right hand, spreading out his giant bat wings and bringing with it some blue flames that rapidly condensed.
At that moment, a silver light flashed from his right palm, and his thumb fell to the ground. The wound was extremely clean.
Amidst swooshing sounds and a flash of silver light, the remaining nine fingers of the Desire Apostle were severed. The suitcase he was carrying also fell to the ground with a thud.
The Desire Apostle's pupils immediately contracted to a needle point, and he flapped the pair of huge bat wings on his back to escape in another direction.
The shadow under his feet shrank back without anyone realizing it, hiding in one spot.
The Desire Apostle had only taken two steps when countless silver lights burst out from his body like blooming fireworks.
The thick black liquid that covered his body splashed to the ground like raindrops. His forearm, arm, shoulders, ribs, neck, and other parts of his body broke off and smoothly slid downwards.
Splat. Splat. Splat. The pale, blood-stained intestines of the Desire Apostle splashed to the ground, along with his squirming stomach and his beating heart which had yet to cease.
The place where he stood was where the blood was the thickest. The further he went, the more splatted it looked, which when put together, they formed a beautiful flower of death.
A Sequence 5 expert, a Desire Apostle who had just completed an impossible assassination, was dismembered without any resistance.
This was a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact.
This was the Sealed Artifact that had caused over a hundred thousand people to lose their lives—Sealed Artifact 1-42!
Dressed in that terrifying-looking armor, Leonard Mitchell struggled to take two steps forward, sized up the dismembered body on the ground, and raised his voice.
"He's not completely dead yet!"
He paused for a moment and then added, "Different Devils have different characteristics. This Desire Apostle is a shadow-shifter. He's just abandoned his own body, only leaving a shadow behind."
While Soul Assurer Soest instructed a number of Nighthawks and members of the Machinery Hivemind to "keep ordinary people at bay," he surveyed the scene and listened to Leonard.
He took out his pocket watch and opened it. He asked with a serious expression, "There's only ten minutes left, is it enough? Don't force it!"
"No problem! 1-42 has locked onto him. I can sense its excitement," Leonard said without hesitation.
Soest spread his red-gloved fingers and said to the other Nighthawks, "Bring hot water with you and follow Leonard closely. Once there are any problem, switch with him immediately and dig a 'bathtub' on the spot!
"Also, leave marks. The other team members and I will quickly catch up."
Tap. Tap. Tap. The blood-stained silver armor began running in pursuit. Despite looking heavy, it was incredulously fast.
Soest watched as the few Red Gloves left before turning to look at Ikanser.
"Deacon Bernard, take the rest of the Machinery Hivemind members to that house. Watch the duke's guards and anyone else that's alive at the scene."
"Watch?" Ikanser subconsciously returned with a question.
Soest nodded seriously and said, "How can the Desire Apostle be able to determine that the duke would be coming to this house today, to the point of precisely pinpointing the time, and then perfectly luring the Spellsinger of God away?"
Ikanser was instantly enlightened.
"Are you saying that a member of the Duke's guards or someone trusted by him is a partner of the Desire Apostle?"
Otherwise, there was no way that his timing could be that perfect!
The so-called "operation" wouldn't have any chance of success otherwise!
"It can only be said that this is the most probable cause. We cannot eliminate the assumption that the Desire Apostle has a powerful clairvoyant." Soest didn't continue as he led a second batch of Nighthawks and followed the marks to reinforce the teammates up ahead.
With a calm face, he led the rest of the Machinery Hivemind back to the house of the Duke's mistress.
He looked up at the pale sun behind the thin fog and knew that the situation in the whole of Backlund, and even the whole of the Loen Kingdom, or even the world would change because of what had happened today.
...
In the darkness of the sewers, a shadow was advancing rapidly in a particular direction while clinging to the bottom of the stone wall.
He wanted to take advantage of the fact that the blood-stained armor was tall and heavy, making it inconvenient for him to move around in certain narrow areas of the sewers; thus, allowing him to shake him off his tail!
Every time the shadow moved a certain distance forward, it would stop, frozen in place.
His pitch-black surface continued to swell and solidify as if it was trying to produce new flesh and blood, but due to a lack of materials, it failed miserably.
The Desire Apostle let out a painful gasp, feeling that he could lose control at any moment in this state.
After a short breather, he continued to run for his life, unable to afford the time to decrease the threat of the problem he faced. He was also afraid that the terrifying blood-stained silver armor would silently catch up with him.
...
At the Quelaag Club, Klein entered the lounge and took the newspapers to the toilet.
He was afraid that the Desire Apostle would flee in advance, leaving potential danger for himself, Isengard Stanton, Kaslana, and the innocent private detectives. Therefore, he planned on heading above the gray fog to perform another divination to confirm the Desire Apostle's present situation and, thus, adopt a targeted strategy. @@novelbin@@
After repeating the previous process of replacing himself with a paper figurine, he sat in the seat of The Fool, conjuring Jason Beria's handkerchief and trying to divine his current location.
In the dusky dream world, Klein saw the dark sewers. He saw a living shadow and how his body seemingly appeared to fill itself with flesh and blood, only to constantly fail, as well as tiny black dust that kept being shed from his body.
The scene climbed higher and arrived aboveground, revealing a towering cathedral.
Holy Wind Cathedral... Klein opened his closed eyes and understood the situation of the Desire Apostle.
He hasn't been caught yet, but he seems to be heavily injured. His condition is in terrible shape and it's filled with abnormalities!
His suitcase is gone too... It must've been dropped when he was injured... Klein thought for a moment. Using divination, he recalled the map of Backlund and made it appear before his eyes.
Similarly, he came up with a rough layout of Backlund's sewers.
Having previously made full use of the sewer system, he had always been gathering similar information such as this. The main focus was on East Borough, the Backlund Bridge area, and the area where he was located in, Cherwood Backlund. After some hard work, he had long completed the first stage of his plan of understanding the main layout of the sewer network. To have a more in-depth understanding of it would require an extremely long period of persistence. When the time came, Klein even thought of infiltrating Backlund's municipal hall and directly sneak a peek at the design prints.
According to the two maps and the scene seen in the dream divination, Klein noticed that the Desire Apostle, Beria, hadn't fled in the direction of the Tussock River. Instead, he had taken the opposite route to Hillston Borough, as if he wanted to pass through and enter the artificial lake in Empress Borough.
In other words, he's getting closer and closer to me... Klein's mind stirred as he suddenly had an idea.
Although I'm not sure which sewer he'll pass through, I can make a judgment via divination... He's heavily injured and in a very strange state. His interference in this aspect has turned extremely weak. At close distances, it's not like I can't find him. After all, I've seen what he really looks like, and I have a grasp of his aura... When it comes to finding people, I'm a professional... I have to do something; I can't let him escape just like that! There's still time! After confirming the degree of danger, Klein made up his mind and returned to the real world.
He took out the candle, quickly set up a ritual, summoned himself, and responded to himself.
Not long after, there was a figure in black armor, wearing a black crown, and a cloak of the same color in the bathroom. It was Klein in his Spirit Body state while carrying the Dark Emperor card.
He also "included" mystical items such as the Sun Brooch and Biological Poison Bottle, so as to ensure success.
Then, he disappeared into the air and left the Quelaag Club in another direction.
The current Klein could fly, so he was very fast, but he couldn't cause any wind, because he was a Spirit Body.
He "scraped" past a tree and took away a dead branch.
Having seen Jason Beria's actual appearance before, together with his own memory and the handkerchief as a medium, Klein, combined with the layout map and the dowsing rod divination, quickly determined the sewer areas that Jason had passed.
After entering the pitch-black and fetid area, Klein used his maximum speed to pass through a large number of narrow areas and entered a relatively spacious area.
The dark river flowed, and a mixed smell filled the air. He would occasionally change his direction and chase after Jason Beria.
...
The Desire Apostle nearly lost control again. He stopped and pressed himself against the damp walls and cold pipes, trying hard to rein in his bloodlust and his desire to kill.
Pant. Pant. The thin shadow started to move.
At this moment, he suddenly turned his head to look at the spot he had just passed.
The pitch-black armor and the black crown first entered his "eyes," outlining an extremely imposing figure.
Behind the figure, the weightless cloak lightly swayed as he moved forward.
...
"It's nearby!"
A body of heavy silver armor stained in blood went through the entrance and climbed down to the sewers.
-x-X-x-
The murky river in the sewers flowed beneath the unlit surroundings. If a normal person walked in here, then he would have to carry a lantern in order to see the necessary details of the situation clearly.
However, to Klein, who was in his Spirit Body state, this wasn't an obstacle. Everything around him had long been reflected in his "eyes."
Therefore, when the Desire Apostle discovered him, he also discovered the Desire Apostle.
He didn't speak, nor did he hesitate. He opened his mouth and let out a soundless screech.
This was an attack that directly damaged the soul!
The Desire Apostle suddenly stopped moving, as if someone had delivered a heavy blow to him.
Large patches of shadow-like black substances fell off his body, as though he was shaking off the snowflakes that had been tainted with the deepest desires.
In that instant, the Desire Apostle, who was already severely injured, almost fainted.
Without the support of his physical body, he was like a candlelight in the middle of a raging wind, swaying back and forth, on the verge of being extinguished at any moment.
His shadow suddenly dispersed, turning into a pitch-black liquid that flowed in all directions, making it impossible to know which shadow to pursue.
At that moment, a shadow suddenly jumped out from the darkness behind Klein, and it suddenly rushed forward!
The black liquid, that could no longer be considered sticky, was merely a tool used by the Desire Apostle to confuse and make it easier for him to launch a surprise attack!
Klein didn't seem to react at all, allowing the shadow to lunge onto him.
However, the Desire Apostle suddenly shivered, as if he had touched the coldest and chilliest object possible.
The shadow rapidly slowed down, as if it had been "frozen" stiff.
He knew that wraiths and shadows came with freezing effects, but he didn't expect that the fellow wearing the Dark Emperor's crown would have such an influence on a Spirit Body like him.
This was a case of being completely suppressed when it came to their lives' natural order!
Klein had expected such an outcome. He half turned his body, stretched out his right hand and placed it on the head of the stiff shadow.
Then, the dark golden Sun Brooch, which was concealed by the black armor, flashed with a faint light.
The Desire Apostle sensed the danger and could perceive his imminent doom. He tried to resist but was temporarily powerless. @@novelbin@@
A ray of pure and holy light appeared out of nowhere and landed on the shadow's head, enveloping his body.
The surroundings were suddenly illuminated as the black shadow struggled with all its might but didn't stop evaporating. In just a blink of an eye, it had become abnormally thin, and its spirituality was filled with the radiance of the blazing sun and cries of indignation.
Klein didn't give him a chance to catch his breath, and he summoned another pure and bright Holy Light.
The feeling of daylight lasted for two seconds before the Desire Apostle fell to the ground, losing all signs of life.
His body remained in his shadow state, thin as though it had no density.
This Sequence 5 expert who had just assassinated a duke had died just like that. He didn't even have the time to pass on his last words.
At the same time, Klein saw that the deceased's spirit was on the verge of dissipating after suffering the blows.
The Beyonder characteristic will take a while to appear... Should I mimic Miss Sharron by possessing the shadow and speeding up the process... But I don't know how... Klein began considering what to do next.
Suddenly, he felt the ground tremble slightly.
Relying on his spiritual intuition, he looked back at the place where he had passed by before.
A tall, heavy silver armor was rushing over. Diagonally down from the left shoulder, it was stained with a large amount of solidified blood.
Sealed Artifact 1-42... Klein's heart tightened. Without any hesitation, he wrapped the spirit of the Desire Apostle within him and ended the summoning.
His original plan was that as long as the official Beyonders arrived, he would "return" immediately even if he didn't manage to finish off the Desire Apostle, handing over the rest to them.
The Red Glove in the blood-stained silver armor only saw a silhouette wearing a black crown and a similarly colored cloak before it disappeared without a trace.
He narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the spot where the man had just been, and found the Desire Apostle who had lost his life.
"Clearing clues and destroying evidence?" he said in a low voice.
Tap. Tap. Tap. The Red Gloves who were behind him arrived one after the other.
...
After returning above the gray fog, Klein wasn't in a hurry to channel the spirit. Instead, he directly left the mysterious space and returned to his body in the real world.
He skillfully packed up the ritual items like the candles, and soon, the last traces were removed.
After doing all of this, he once again created a double. He took four steps counterclockwise and arrived at the ancient palace above the gray fog.
Here he could communicate directly with a remnant spirit, as a real Spirit Medium could do, without having to pray to anyone or use the help of a ritual. He had confirmed that when he communicated with Nimblewright Master Rosago's spirit.
Considering that the spirit of the Desire Apostle had been purified and might dissipate at any moment, Klein prepared himself to ask the relatively more important information.
As for the potion formula for the Devil pathway, he planned to consider it only at the end. In any case, even if he obtained it, he didn't plan on selling it, lest he would nurture a few cold-blooded serial murderers.
Looking at the Desire Apostle with brown hair and brown, blank eyes, Klein emanated his spirituality and asked, "What were you plotting?"
The Desire Apostle's connection had been completely severed off from the outside world by the gray fog and could only reply in a muddled voice, "Assassinate Duke Negan."
Duke Negan... Him again? Who wants him dead so much? Klein was stunned as he asked, "Did it succeed?"
"Yes," the Desire Apostle answered calmly without giving any additional descriptions.
In this state, he only replied to whatever he was asked.
Poor Duke Negan, the Lord of Storms wasn't able to protect you... Klein gestured the sign of the crimson moon on his chest.
He didn't attempt to understand the details and directly asked, "Who instigated you to do so?"
Was it the organization that had commissioned Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos?Klein recalled the assassination attempt.
The Desire Apostle calmly said, "An organization, the most secret and ancient organization, most Beyonders don't know of its existence. Its members are said to have important figures in various fields, maybe the higher-ups of the various churches and militaries of different nations."
Sounds familiar... Could it be that secret organization which Emperor Roselle joined, the ancient organization that wields the second Blasphemy Slate? Klein's mind stirred as he asked, "What kind of reward did they promise you, that you would be willing to give up your identity of more than ten years?"
The Desire Apostle replied in a slightly changed voice, "A Card of Blasphemy, the Abyss card!"
A Card of Blasphemy? The Abyss card, one of Roselle's twenty-two Cards of Blasphemy! This most likely corresponded to the Devil pathway. It's no wonder that the Desire Apostle was willing to sacrifice everything that he had accumulated over the past ten years just for this... In it lies the hope for him to become a High-Sequence Beyonder!
The reward is much more valuable than the mission!
However, it's unlikely that Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos would be attracted by such a reward, unless... unless that organization has another Card of Blasphemy or some other item...
If it's really the mysterious organization which Roselle joined, finding a few Cards of Blasphemy is quite normal... Even if they don't, they still possess the Blasphemy Slate...
Klein was alarmed at first before asking in confusion, "Why do they want Duke Negan dead?"
The spirit of the Desire Apostle thinned significantly again, and he said in a hollow voice, "I don't know. All I did was consider taking the mission or not."
"Then, have you heard anything?" Klein pressed.
The Desire Apostle remained in the same unperturbed state.
"I have heard that their purpose is the resurrection or awakening of the Creator.
"They interfere with the progress of history, making it fit their needs, in order to achieve their goals at a certain point in time.
"If the trend of the times aren't as they expect, then they will try their best to reverse it.
"Other than that, they just quietly watch from the sidelines, apathetic. Perhaps they wouldn't act or entrust something even once every few decades or centuries..."
A secret organization in the true sense of the word... It's consistent with Roselle's description of the powerful faction that secretly manipulates the world... It also seems related to the original Creator... Seeing that the Spirit Body of the Desire Apostle was about to disappear, Klein quickly asked, "What is the name of that organization? How can they be contacted?"
The Desire Apostle looked ahead emotionlessly, his figure quickly disintegrating.
Before he disappeared completely, he answered the question, "They are called the...
"Twilight Hermit Order."
...
Inside the house with the glass greenhouse.
The thin secretary with the gold-rimmed glasses and white gloves sat with a sullen face and a look of deep grief.
"What's your name? What Sequence are you? Which Beyonder pathway are you from?" Deacon Ikanser asked solemnly.
The blond secretary replied slowly in a deep voice, "Lockhart Siakam, Sequence 5, as for which Beyonder pathway I'm from, you can apply for access to my records from MI9."
"Alright." Ikanser then asked, "Does the duke come here at a fixed time every week?"
"No, he doesn't like to work according to a schedule, especially after the assassination attempt by Qilangos. Before today, no one knew that he would be here today, and I only heard about it in the morning at parliament," Lockhart Siakam replied seriously.
Ikanser thought and asked, "If there's a spy amongst you, who do you think he is, and who do you suspect?"
Lockhart thought about it for a few seconds, then he shook his head.
Following that, Ikanser asked for details of the battle and got a rough idea of the process.
He saw that Lockhart was pale and badly hurt; hence, he politely rose to check on the rest of the duke's guards.
After watching the deacon of the Machinery Hivemind leave, Lockhart took a deep breath and trudged over to Duke Negan's corpse.
The great noble was no longer naked like before, but the remnants of terror still remained on his face.
After looking deeply at Duke Negan's corpse, Lockhart murmured sadly, "I'm sorry."
At this moment, with his back facing everyone, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.
He calmly added inwardly, "This is the choice of the times..."
-x-X-x-
West Borough, 9 Hope Street, the Prime Minister's residence.
Aguesid Negan stood behind a large table and looked at Earl Hall with a serious expression.
"Lord Hall, my secretary should've briefed you on what has happened. You're the first noble that I've thought of at this moment."
The important member of the Conservative Party, who was presently Prime Minister of the Cabinet, looked like he had aged considerably. His tall, thin figure leaned forward as if unable to bear the bad news, to the point of needing to prop himself up on the table with both hands.
But his eyes were still sharp and his attitude calm.
Earl Hall, who had a beautiful mustache, sighed and said, "I'm sorry to hear this piece of news. It has shocked me greatly. I was thinking of visiting His Grace in a few days to discuss the bill that we're all very concerned about, but who would've known that he would be attacked..."
Having lost the handsome appearance of his youth due to his deep smile lines and the fattening state of his body, he first expressed his condolences, grief, and empathy, then he restrained his emotions and said, "His Grace is already dead. Compared to crying and being angry, we need to be more careful and calm. Only by doing this can we handle the aftermath and prevent this heavy steam train of the Kingdom from derailing."
"This is also the reason why I came to you immediately. The other nobles will only call upon their gods, trembling in fear, and express how unacceptable this is. They will want the murderer to be severely punished and the mastermind found. From their point of view, even the Duke who was heavily protected could be assassinated, then what about them?" Prime Minister Aguesid said in a heavy voice. "It's a perfectly natural and understandable reaction, but it's not the reaction we need." ( B oxnovel.c om )
Earl Hall nodded and asked, "Who's the murderer? What was the motive?"
"A Devil who was disguised as a banker for more than a decade, a true Devil. By the way, your Varvat Bank just acquired his business," Aguesid said, his tone unchanged.
"Patrick Jason?" Earl Hall immediately remembered the man's name.
He was the one who approved the acquisition of the bank.
Without reprimanding him, Prime Minister Aguesid thoughtfully said, "He's a Sequence 5, but he suddenly sold his business, abandoning an identity which he had used for more than a decade, and took an extreme risk in order to assassinate my brother. From this, we can make a compelling guess that he was instigated by a person or some faction. Unfortunately, he was killed while escaping. Even his Spirit Body was taken away. According to reports from the Nighthawks, it was done by the Hero Bandit Dark Emperor.
"It involves an extremely secretive organization, and we aren't able to find out anything about it in a short period of time?" Earl Hall asked.
"Yes, that so-called Hero Bandit didn't leave any traces behind. We can only start with the people who had come into contact with Jason in the past few months. This will take a lot of time, and there may not be any results." Aguesid gave an affirmative answer.
Earl Hall took two steps forward and asked, "What's His Majesty's attitude regarding this?"
"Grief, but no specific thoughts," Aguesid replied.
Earl Hall frowned and said after some thought, "In that case, the important thing isn't about who's the mastermind behind the scenes, but what goal they wish to achieve through this matter. If they want war, or to restart the conflict in the colonies, then we need to tell the masses that the one instigating Patrick Jason was the Feysac Empire, and we would fabricate a detailed process and provide seemingly convincing evidence. In the past several centuries, this northern neighbor of ours has always played a similar role, and I think everyone is already used to it. I don't think there's any doubt that it's very, very, very normal for the barbarians to do this sort of thing."
"And the masses will be afraid of them." Prime Minister Aguesid curled the corners of his lips, without intending to smile. "But we're making a series of changes that will take at least half of next year for us to stabilize before we have the ability to wage war."
Earl Hall muttered to himself, "Then let's find a target that everyone will find acceptable. Hero Bandit Dark Emperor is too mysterious and likewise for the secret organization behind him. If it's made public just like that, it would definitely incur extreme panic. People are always afraid of the unknown."
"Yes, what about the Aurora Order? They assassinated that pervert from Intis a few months ago. It wouldn't surprise anyone if they do anything else."
"Their reputation is bad enough. Their situation has already been repeated by the papers numerous times, to the point of becoming a horror element or classic antagonist in many novels. Besides, it will effectively reduce the suspicions that others have on us. There will always be people that believe the previous assassination was us commissioning the Aurora Order.
"Also, while we're fighting against the illegal terrorist organization, let's clean up Backlund. There are too many dangerous people hidden here." Aguesid answered tersely in agreement.
"The Aurora Order isn't a bad target...
"We shall first use them as a target. When the next year comes and we're ready, then we'll publish the results of the investigation, making an accusation that the one instigating the Aurora Order was the Feysac Empire. I believe that no one will care to defend a terrorist organization and the northern barbarians."
Earl Hall was taken aback for a moment before saying, "This goes one step further than I thought."
Without another word, Aguesid stood up and said, "I'm going to meet His Majesty now."
Having said that, he looked at Earl Hall.
"You have to be careful of your safety too. We still haven't figured out the motives of the people who assassinated my brother. Humph, the Church of the Lord of Storms has already agreed to replace the archbishop of Backlund diocese. Snake is always late at crucial moments! The believers of the Storm are always irritable, irascible, stubborn, conceited, and easily maneuvered by others!"
"Don't be prejudiced. For example, Leumi is very intelligent." Earl Hall let out a low laugh, and then he tapped his chest four times. "Thank you, the Goddess will protect me."
...
The Twilight Hermit Order... sounds very imposing... Returning to the real world, Klein stood up and pressed the mechanical button for the toilet.
He walked out of the bathroom amidst the sound of running water and thought about the information he had just received from spirit channeling.
He suspected that Twilight Hermit Order was the ancient organization with the second Blasphemy Slate which Emperor Roselle had joined.
To choose to have someone assassinate Duke Negan for the sake of a so-called "historical process" sounds a little absurd, but it also seems to make sense... Their goal is to revive or awaken the original Creator? This is similar to the City of Silver's belief. Little Sun and company have never believed that the Creator is dead. They can only accept that "He" has abandoned that piece of land and has been trying to get a response from "Him"... Klein paced back and forth, letting his thoughts wander.
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard knocking on the door.
It wasn't an attendant or maid from the Quelaag Club, but the bespectacled Carlson, one of the Machinery Hivemind members whom Klein had seen before.
"How did you get in?" Klein asked deliberately.
When Carlson saw that he was indeed in the room, he relaxed a little. Seeing that no one was around, he smiled.
"As a Beyonder, we often have all sorts of methods."
He received news from Deacon Ikanser, learning of the Desire Apostle's death, and came to confirm my situation. As for my performance, it's rather successful. My "illusion of a living person" wasn't exposed, and I successfully pulled the wool over everyone's eyes... Klein's hearted stirred and said, "Your expression tells me that there's good news?"
"Yes, Patrick Jason Beria has been killed. You're safe and no longer need to be protected by us," Carlson said honestly.
Such feedback made Klein feel the potion inside his body to seemingly accelerate its digestion.
Surprised and delighted, he asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Carlson gave an affirmative answer.
"That's great!" Klein said happily.
Carlson looked at him and complimented him wholeheartedly, "Your detective instincts and logical thinking have given us a great deal of help. The deacon wrote that after this matter is over, a reward will be given to you in secret. Probably about 1,000 pounds."
1,000 pounds... Not bad, very generous! However, even if the bills in Jason's suitcase were of five- or one-pound denominations, and even if his jewelry isn't too expensive, it should still add up to about 50,000 pounds, right... Ma'am Mary of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council is probably worth that much if one counts her shares in the Coim Company.
Yes, Jason's accomplice in luring Spellsinger of God away had probably taken some of the money. The remaining amount is probably around twenty to thirty thousand pounds, but that's still nothing 1,000 pounds can compare with. What a pity... I can't think of it that way. Maybe Jason's accomplice took all the wealth ahead of time...Klein felt a wave of disappointment and joy.
And the reward from the Machinery Hivemind was even more proof of the success of his performance during this period of time. It made him feel like he was only one step away from completely digesting the potion.
"This is something I should do. After all, the person being threatened is me." Klein smiled.
He wasn't worried about retaliation from Jason's accomplice, because revenge was only a ruse. More importantly, he would be a Sequence 6 by then.
Carlson nudged his glasses and said thoughtfully, "Sherlock, you're also a believer of God. We hope to establish a good relationship with you. In the future, you can inform us of whatever you encounter and gather."
This is them developing me into an informant of the Machinery Hivemind... I have another channel for reimbursement... Klein drew a triangular-shaped Sacred Emblem on his chest.
"No problem."
...
No longer being protected by the Machinery Hivemind, Klein stayed at the Quelaag Club until dinner, then he slowly took a carriage back to 15 Minsk Street.
He opened the letterbox out of habit and saw a new letter with no postage stamp.
The letter was from Detective Isengard Stanton, who left it after an afternoon visit, had written: "... I heard from the Machinery Hivemind of the suggestion you offered. Your sharpness and caution is truly astounding. If you weren't already a Beyonder, then I would even believe that being a Reader is the pathway that suits you best.
"You truly are the best young man at deduction that I've ever met!"
...
Klein stood in the living room, reading Isengard's letter by the light of the gas lamp.
This time, there was nothing new to the performance. It was done step by step and conformed to the past performances. It didn't even have much of an effect... But there were enough people in the audience, and all of them were by my side, which allowed me to get feedback directly... Klein held onto the letter as he reflected over the matter.
He half closed his eyes and felt something inside his body rapidly disintegrating and dissipating. Numerous illusory stars around him seemed to appear, and he could only feel a very weak attraction from the resplendent stars.
On the last month of 1349, his Magician potion was finally digested.