722 - 729

Chapter 722: An Unpeaceful Night

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As Silver Coin Viper Oder wasn't a pirate, there were all kinds of rumors about him, most of which could hardly be verified. Klein retracted his gaze from the staircase and walked to the bar counter. He found a seat at the counter and tapped it.

"A cup of Zarhar."

This was a locally produced malt beer. It was a lot cheaper than Southville beer that needed to be shipped over from the Northern Continent.

"3 pence." The bartender recovered from his silent state as he picked up an overturned cup.

The crowd in the bar began to break out into whispers as they were illuminated by the gas wall lamps. All of them were discussing the reason for Silver Coin Viper Oder's purchase of ten tickets.

"He's definitely being pursued by someone. Ten tickets among three ships… It's clearly to prevent his pursuers from knowing which ship they boarded!" A gang member with his sleeves rolled-up, revealing his tattoo, shared his view based on his experience from evading capture twice.

An adventurer drinking Lanti Proof scoffed.

"You don't understand Oder. If his plan was that simple, he wouldn't have the title 'Silver Coin Viper.'

"I dare bet that he won't be on any of those liners from those ten tickets!

"The only thing I can confirm is that they're heading to Pritz Harbor."

Another adventurer shook his head when he heard that.

"Perhaps the news of him heading to Pritz Harbor is fake as well."

The gang member from before was taken aback by what he heard. Refusing to be one-upped, he said, "According to your descriptions, Oder has likely thought of what you figured out. That's precisely why he's heading to Pritz Harbor and will be on one of the three ships!"

The two adventurers were about to retort him, but they decided that there was quite a nonzero chance of that happening after some careful thought. Momentarily, none of them said a word.

This made the gang member extremely happy as he downed the rest of his liquor.

Klein was holding a cup of Zarhar as he sipped it while listening to the conversation. He was waiting for the fake identification and tickets he needed.

There's another 45 minutes. I hope nothing happens. Don't make the bar into a mess… He silently prayed as he drew the crimson moon inwardly.

The light-yellow beer slowly dropped in volume while Klein would look at the wall clock from time to time, or at the entrance, hoping that time would pass faster.

Half an hour later, the door to the bar was suddenly opened with a loud thud as the evening wind gushed in.

No way… The corners of Klein's lips twitched as he held back his urge to smile wryly. He turned his body to look at the sound.

Standing by the door were five people. Their leader had black hair and brown eyes, with recessed facial features and cut facial contours. He looked Loenese and looked to be in his early forties.

His expression was cold and he exuded a natural air of dominance. It made everyone in the bar quieten down without realizing it.

And the three men and the woman behind him were in trench coats. They didn't hide the fact that they were holding revolvers, and that they would instantly aim and shoot if there was any slight sign of abnormalities.

I don't know them. They aren't on any wanted list or have any bounties on them… Klein mumbled to himself as he maintained his state as a spectator.

The five intruders suddenly scattered as they came before different customers, bent their backs slightly, and looked at them before asking, "Where is Silver Coin Viper Oder?"

The customers were hesitant to give an answer when they saw the black muzzle pointed at them, along with the handle made of ivory and ebony which exuded a strange sense of beauty under the lights.

"T-they went to the second floor!" The customers who had been asked nearly pointed to the staircase in unison.

Someone is really pursuing Oder. This is an act against Queen Mystic, or has Silver Coin Viper done something himself? Or could it be because of the mysterious hooded man beside him who was eating sweets? Klein drank another mouthful of beer as he saw the intruders send four people up to the second floor. One was left behind to continue questioning the customers.

Soon, the latter grasped the situation of Oder's request to purchase tickets from Deniel. Immediately, the person walked straight to the thin and dark-skinned black marketer, and he asked in a heavy voice, "Tell me honestly. Where is Oder heading with those tickets?"

Deniel didn't put on a front just because of his social connections. He forced a smile and said, "He didn't make it clear. He requested for ten tickets that are to be distributed across three different ships. The departure date is set for tomorrow with the destination being Pritz Harbor."

"For real?" The questioner was a seemingly radical man in his twenties.

Deniel softly replied, "You can ask anyone here. All of them heard it."

"Dogsh*t!" The man shoved Deniel angrily as he turned to walk towards the other customers.

Deniel staggered backward and was about to fall and hit his head onto the side of a tiny circular table when he suddenly felt an additional force on his shoulder. Instantly, he regained his balance.

He subconsciously looked over and saw that it was the customer who had just requested to purchase a fake identity and scalped tickets.

"Thank you, those bunch of military hyenas!" Deniel first thanked him before softly saying through clenched teeth.

The person who had helped him was Klein. He didn't wish for anything to happen to this "ticket scalper;" after all, he had paid a deposit of 5 pounds.

Of course, helping the innocent was also a habit of his.

Military hyenas? In Bayam, this description often refers to people from MI9… What did Silver Coin Viper Oder do? Klein silently asked himself as he eliminated the possibility that someone was targeting Queen Mystic.

To the Loen military, it was meaningless.

As he was thinking, the MI9 members who had headed up to the second floor rushed down. As they ran, they said to their partner, "He has long fled through the window!"

The group of people came and left in a rush. Soon, the bar resumed its usual din, but the still gently wobbling main door proved that it wasn't as calm earlier.

Klein's wait for his fake identification documents and scalped ticket paid off. He didn't need to worry about any possible interruptions.

After paying the remaining 15 pounds, he left the Seaweed Bar, and he returned to the ordinary inn he stayed at.

John Yode… This name is way too simple, isn't it? Before I return to Backlund, I need to make a more realistic identification document. Klein flipped through the series of identification documents before throwing them inside his suitcase.

He took a bath and relaxed, prepared to leave Bayam tomorrow, and begin the last stage of his sea "travels."

At this moment, he heard knocking at the door.

Who is it? Klein hurriedly took off his bathrobe, wore his clothes and pants, and walked to the door.

Outside were a few policemen in black. One of them looked Loenese, while the rest were either mixed-bloods or pure natives.

"What's the matter?" Klein asked, puzzled.

"Please show us some identification," a mixed-blood said politely since the gentleman in front of him was apparently a Loenese.

Thankfully, I just made one. Otherwise, I'll be spending the night at the police station, or I'd have to flee on the spot, change my looks, and redo everything… Klein mumbled as he returned to his room, and took out the identification documents.

The Loen police officer casually flipped through it as he said, "Mr. Yode, are you living alone?"

"Yes, everyone in the inn can vouch for me," Klein replied frankly.

The Loenese police officer revealed a smile and said, "Have you seen this person before?"

As he spoke, a constable beside him unfolded a portrait. On it was an elder who was abnormally thin with white messy hair. Apart from that, nothing stood out.

"No." Klein shook his head.

"He likes to eat sweets," the Loenese police officer added.

"Sweets…" Klein suddenly recalled the mysterious hooded man behind Silver Coin Viper Oder. He had been eating plenty of coffee-colored sweets in a short period of time.

After a short deliberation, Klein said without hiding anything, "Perhaps. Back when I was in the Seaweed Bar, I saw a man who loved eating sweets and was following Silver Coin Viper Oder."

The Loenese officer didn't hide his disappointment. After a simple word of thanks, he ended the questioning.

Only after he knocked on the other guest rooms did Klein close the wooden door, and return to the reclining chair.

Oder's matter has not only attracted MI9, but it has also gotten the governor-general's office to send manpower to do a city-wide search. This is quite something… he muttered and decided to head above the gray fog to browse through the prayer points of light around the Sea God Scepter. He could gain more information from the prayers of the believers in Bayam. He didn't wish to end up embroiled in a massive maelstrom for giving the wrong response.

After entering the bathroom, he went above the gray fog where he summoned the white bone scepter from the junk pile. Swirling around it were countless points of light.

As he browsed through each point of light, he determined that the questioning wasn't on a small scale. The target was Oder and the mysterious man, but he couldn't figure anything else out.

After some thought, he cast his gaze on a point of light that had been specially marked out by godhood.

It belonged to a mixed-blood policeman named Boulaya. He claimed to have swallowed humiliation by changing his faith to the Lord of Storms for the Sea God so as to climb up the police ranks.

He was already a superintendent!

Then, Klein cast the Sea God's will into the corresponding point of light.

Boulaya, who was in the police station, assigning work to his subordinates suddenly broke out into a cold sweat. He hurriedly found an excuse to enter the washroom as he silently prayed.

"Blessed of the sea and spirit world, the great Kalvetua, your pious believer has something to report to you.

"The person we are specially searching for tonight is a very thin elder. His hair is completely white, but he has luxuriant hair. It's just very messy. He's very afraid of the cold, and he wears thick clothing even in Bayam. He loves to eat sweets, as though he's a steam engine himself and sweets are high-quality coal. The higher-ups have informed us to find him, but not harm him."

Klein ignored Boulaya and reined his thoughts back as he tapped the side of the long table.

Compared to the portrait, such a description gives me a sense of familiarity.

It's like I've heard of it somewhere in the past…

To a Seer, a sense of familiarity meant a clue. Hence, Klein wrote a divination statement and began questioning his spirituality.

As he chanted the statement, he leaned back into the chair. He fell asleep with the aid of Cogitation.

In the gray and dark world, Klein found himself back in Backlund, back in 15 Minsk Street which he previously rented.

In front of him was the red-eyed Ian. This teenage boy looked up and said, "Turani von Helmosuin, the greatest scientist after Emperor Roselle, a mathematician, a mechanist, and the father of the second generation difference engine."

Suddenly, Klein woke up and knew who MI9 was looking for!

They were finding the great scientist who caused many deaths between the Loen military and the Intis spy organization solely because of a third-generation difference engine!

They were finding the science freak who had mysteriously disappeared for years!

It's no wonder Admiral of Blood's intelligence officer, Old Quinn, had a modified radio transceiver that surpassed those in Backlund! Klein was instantly enlightened.

Chapter 723: Another Good Deed Today

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After a moment of his mind going adrift, Klein rubbed his temples and slowly composed himself. He discovered that the matter had little to do with him.

He wasn't motivated to participate in the matter. He was apathetic to whether the Loen military found Turani von Helmosuin, because he lacked a sense of belonging to the Loen Kingdom. What he had done in the past was solely to ensure a stable society and that its citizens wouldn't suffer any accidental damage. If possible, he didn't mind instigating a revolution to allow the poor to lead better lives.

I never expected myself to become more of an internationalist after coming to this world… He gave a self-deprecating laugh as he prepared to return to the real world and have some sleep. Under the cloak of darkness, he would allow the tempest outside to freely unleash its might.

At this moment, his attention was caught by the biggest item in the junk pile through the corner of his eyes—the radio transceiver.

Speaking of which, what is the faction controlling Turani von Helmosuin? It's nothing much if it's people from Queen Mystic Bernadette's side. She's a strong believer of "do as you wish, but do no harm," so she wouldn't do anything overboard.

It wouldn't be good if it's the Rose School of Thought represented by Admiral of Blood. Ignoring the temperance faction that's being suppressed, as believers of the Chained God or Mother Tree of Desire, their level of vileness can't be lower than the Aurora Order. Letting them grasp the most advanced technology available might bring about a disaster… Klein stopped his actions of wrapping his body with his spirituality. He gently tapped the edge of the mottled table.

He soon had an idea, which was to bring the radio transceiver back to the real world, adjust it to the correct frequency to see if he could receive the telegrams from Admiral of Blood's crew. Then, he could use the codebook he had to decipher the communications.

There will be a huge sweep of the city tonight. The matter must be at a rather important and intricate point. If the ones controlling Helmosuin are them, there's a possibility of the appearance of crucial telegram exchanges… In a situation in which the governor-general's office, the Loen military, and the Church of Storms haven't placed importance or even accepted this technology, this is the safest method. Therefore, Admiral of Blood and company have a nonzero chance that they wouldn't change the frequency and codes after Old Quinn's death… Anyway, I'll just give it a try. After some deliberation, Klein didn't delay as he returned to the real world and busily prepared a bestowment ritual.

After bringing the radio transceiver into his room, he didn't immediately use it. Instead, he used a ritual dagger and created a wall of spirituality to seal the room.

He was doing it to air out the gray fog's "smell!"

To him, there was actually no need to go through so much trouble to confirm the faction that controlled Helmosuin. He could've used the gray fog's aura to contact Arrodes and receive the answer. But the problem was that he had posed his questions recently, and the "smell" that frequently appeared might incur the notice of evil gods like the True Creator or the Primordial Demoness. It was extremely dangerous.

Therefore, Klein decided to play safe by relying on himself.

After about eight minutes, when the "airing" was almost complete, he dispelled the wall of spirituality and controlled the radio transceiver to begin his surveillance.

After an unknown period of time, the corresponding frequency received a transmission!

Klein held back the joy in his heart as he seriously made notes. Then, he flipped through the codebook which he had replicated using divination, and he began the necessary deciphering process.

Soon, he wrote a line on a note: "32 Black Pepper Avenue. 7 a.m. tomorrow."

Indeed, the people in control of Helmosuin are Admiral of Blood and company. There might be powerhouses from the Rose School of Thought involved… Klein immediately made a judgment.

This wasn't confirmed based on the content of the telegram, but a simple inference from the existence of the telegram itself.

If Admiral of Blood and company were uninvolved, it was unlikely for them to send and receive telegrams involving Bayam's streets!

The meaning of this telegram is to gather by 32 Black Pepper Street tomorrow before 7 a.m.? Does it mean that Helmosuin and Silver Coin Viper Oder are hiding there, and they're reporting to Admiral of Blood of their location and giving a corresponding time? Klein thought for a moment and immediately returned above the gray fog. With the intel he had just received, he wrote the divination statement: "Turani von Helmosuin's present location."

With the paper in hand, he leaned back into the chair and chanted the statement in a raving-like manner as he entered a dream with Cogitation.

In the gray, hazy world, he saw an underground hall with countless gas wall lamps.

Inside the hall was a massive, complicated machine. It was constructed from copper cylinders, operating levers, take-up levers, and countless gears. It took up nearly two-thirds of the space.

A thin elder with grizzled, disheveled hair wore a thick coat as he paced in front of the machine. From time to time, he would pop a sweet into his mouth and munch on it noisily.

"No, it shouldn't be called a difference engine. It's an adorable fellow who can analyze questions and calculate the answer based on a set of procedures. Yes, its name should be a calculator!" The elder kept muttering to himself as Klein's vision was pulled upwards and out the underground hall, arriving at the building above.

It was a three-storey villa with a garden and lawn. Outside was its address, and it reads: "32 Black Pepper Avenue"!

He really is here… Klein opened his eyes as he silently exhaled.

Then, he was stumped about what to do next.

A scientist like him is useless to me. Instead, it's the root of many problems. I can't just keep him above the gray fog. Therefore, there's no need for me to personally get involved and take him away… Hmm, hand over the news to the Loen military or the Church of Storms? This will effectively prevent the Rose School of Thought from obtaining any benefits, but there's a faction in the military that is likely related to the true culprit behind the Great Smog of Backlund. It's not a good thing to have Helmosuin fall into their hands… The Church of Storms is well known for being rash. A conflict might end up with the scientist meeting the deity he believes in… After some careful deliberation, he gradually had a bold idea.

It was to make the news public. He would make the existence and location of Turani von Helmosuin known to the Loen Kingdom military and the Churches. This could effectively ensure that the scientist's capabilities would be employed by the Loen Kingdom itself, and not any one faction!

The key is balance… Klein smiled as he muttered. He then beckoned with his hand for the Sea God Scepter.

For the former him, he had to carefully "distribute fliers" across the city to make a matter public and known to all, but now, he had an even simpler and effective method!

He selected a believer who happened to be praying, and then pulled his view back as the surrounding area spanning five kilometers entered his vision.

Then, with the Sea God Scepter, he wielded control of the wind!

Once the wind calmed down, Klein's will sank into the scene as he changed his voice, saying with a low roar, "Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!"

Whoosh!

In Bayam, the howl of the wind turned intense as it swept in every direction, bringing with it the deep and loud voice.

"Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!

"Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!"

…

This voice soon spread across Bayam like a broadcast to the entire city.

Silver Coin Viper Oder was donning a cloak, pretending to be Helmosuin. He hid himself in a crowded building in the slums, occasionally appearing to mislead MI9 and the governor-general's office's police officers.

Suddenly, a gale swept past as the voice sounded in his ears.

"Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!"

… What? As the voice resounded, Oder fell into a dazed shock. Without noticing it, he fell from the top of the roof and nearly injured himself badly.

Behind the Cathedral of Waves, and in a small nearby building of the governor-general's office, Jahn Kottman and Robert Davis heard the voice in the wind.

The first reaction they had was to look up at the sky before casting their eyes towards the borough where Black Pepper Avenue was.

After the broadcast and being in a good mood, Klein threw the Sea God Scepter back into the junk pile and returned to the real world.

He wasn't in a rush to bring the radio transceiver back above the gray fog. Instead, he left it there as he continued monitoring the transmissions.

This way, even if there are powerhouses from the Rose School of Thought hidden in Bayam, they wouldn't dare appear. Heh heh, and regardless who takes action, they'll have no choice but to "hand" it over to the country! Unfortunately, I don't have the habit of writing a diary like the emperor. Otherwise, I could write something like: I did another good deed today! Klein silently sighed, took off his coat, got into bed, and slept. He didn't care what was going to happen next, as it had nothing to do with him.

After sleeping for an unknown period of time, he suddenly woke up and sat up. Then, there was knocking on his door.

Who could it be? To knock in the middle of the night… I'm currently John Yode… Klein wore Creeping Hunger and took out Death Knell from under his pillow before coming to the door.

The visitor's looks quickly surfaced in his mind. It was a thin elder with grizzled, disheveled hair. He was wearing a coat stuffed with cotton and a tweed overcoat. He was popping a coffee-colored sweet into his mouth.

Turani von Helmosuin!

Holy f*ck! Why is he here looking for me? I'm just the ordinary John Yode! Also, how did he escape the tracking of a demigod? Klein's first reaction was to tell the man that he had gotten the wrong person, but he held back and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Helmosuin smiled weakly and said, "I noticed you when we were in the Seaweed Bar; however, I didn't have a chance to talk to you.

"Heh heh, my life is at its end, so I recently recalled many things.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. You can call me Orange Light Hilarion.

Orange Light Hilarion? Klein was taken aback before he asked in puzzlement, "Is there something?"

Helmosuin chuckled.

"I'm here to warn you. Be careful of the Mother Tree of Desire!"

He paused for a moment before saying, "Alright, I need to leave, and I'm about to die before returning to the spirit world.

"Do you have any enemies here?"

"Why do you ask?" Klein asked, confused.

Helmosuin coughed and said, "I can silently die at their doorstep. That way, you would have your revenge."

Chapter 724: The True Meaning Behind the Warning

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Upon hearing Helmosuin's reply, Klein couldn't help but twitch the corner of his lips. He nearly froze on the spot.

My enemies aren't in Bayam… Even if you were to die at Sea King's doorstep, it wouldn't be of much use… He slowly drew a breath and didn't continue the topic. Instead, he asked, "Helmosuin, no—Mr. Hilarion, how did you notice me?"

You even came here before your death to specially warn me!

This was also the puzzlement he had towards Arrodes and Reinette Tinekerr. He just never had a chance to ask them.

With the door in between them, Helmosuin fell silent for two seconds. Then, he said with a smile in his tone, "There are some tiny unique traits about you. In high-level creatures of the spirit world, it's no secret. It's noticeable as long as they make contact with you in close proximity. After all, the gray fog that represents the great ruler of the spirit world is above our heads. Deities with certain unique authorities or Beyonders who represent fate can also discover this point to a certain extent. Of course, the premise is that close contact has to be made."

Gray fog… Although Orange Light's explanation and Arrodes's compliments are nearly identical, he is the first person I've met that directly pointed out the gray fog to me to my face! Therefore, the mysterious space is the divine kingdom above the spirit world left behind by the great ruler? Which Sequence 0 pathway is this? The deities who can discover that I'm augmented by the gray fog include the Mother Tree of Desire, so "She" was able to target me? Klein's thoughts bubbled like boiling water as all sorts of questions popped in his head.

Just as he was about to speak, Helmosuin had continued, "In Yellow Light's prophecy, the great ruler above the spirit world is one of the variables of the apocalypse. However, I cannot be sure that you are equivalent to 'Him.' There are too many possibilities for you that allow that unique trait; for example, you being 'His' Blessed, 'His' child, or 'His' chosen oracle, but none of this stops me from expressing my friendship.

"Ahem. You know about Backlund's stock exchange, right? You're like a railway company that just got listed. You seem to have a bright future ahead. Some people will naturally think well of you and purchase a certain number of shares, but there will be no lack of people who are greedy. They wish to use other means to seize this company or obtain the controlling rights. I'm part of the former, while Mother Tree of Desire and even more powerful spirit world creatures are part of the latter.

Is that so… If it wasn't because the transmigrator, Emperor Roselle, who existed before me, had some level of interaction with the gray fog, and if I hadn't divined my origins in that mysterious space and received clear scenes of Earth, allowing me to recall even more of my memories, I would've suspected if I was the reincarnation of the great ruler above the spirit world… Taking everything into account from this experience, Emperor Roselle and I are more like the chosen oracles… The great ruler above the gray fog is equivalent to the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth? Klein couldn't help but generate all kinds of conjectures as his mind was in a mess like a cat playing a ball of yarn.

He calmed his emotions and said, "Is there any way to hide this unique trait?"

"Become a demigod." Helmosuin suddenly coughed after answering. "Do you mind if I die at your doorstep?"

"… Yes." Klein didn't wish to draw the attention of Sea King Jahn Kottman, Naval Admiral Robert Davis, and other demigods.

Helmosuin munched at his sweet and said, "Then, I'll have to leave immediately, or else there wouldn't be time.

"After you become a demigod and have the powers to probe deep into the spirit world, we might have a chance of meeting."

Klein was silent for two seconds before saying, "Thank you for your warning, Mr. Hilarion."

Helmosuin didn't reply as he lumbered to the staircase.

As he listened to the footsteps down the stairs, Klein focused. Suddenly, he had a certain theory about why Emperor Roselle had failed to enter despite discovering the existence of the gray fog.

He restored that silver plate which resulted in his transmigration far after he became a Beyonder. As for me, I was already an ordinary person when I attempted the luck enhancement ritual again… Also, Emperor Roselle chose the Savant pathway, while I took the Seer pathway. The mysterious space above the gray fog clearly provides great aid in divination.

Therefore, the prerequisites for entering the space above the gray fog is to be an ordinary person or be a Beyonder of the Seer pathway, as well as knowing of the corresponding incantation, rituals, and symbols? The emperor's experiments were too late, and he had chosen the wrong pathway, so he naturally had no means of entering it.

With how the Seer, Apprentice, and Marauder pathways are considered neighboring pathways, perhaps the former two would work too. Could this be the deeper reason why the emperor made the poignant point in his diary that he should've chosen one of these three pathways? Apart from not having any Sequence 0 for these three pathways, preventing any influence from the peak, it's also the key to entering the gray fog?

As his thoughts churned, Klein placed this matter, which he couldn't obtain any confirmation of, at the back of his mind. He began considering Orange Light Hilarion's warning.

Be careful of the Mother Tree of Desire!

Due to the incident as Admiral Amyrius, Klein was rather wary against the Mother Tree of Desire. He had no choice but to change his identity and use the need for him to act, so as to hide for two months. Subsequently, he wasn't too willing to provoke Admiral of Blood and other members of the Rose School of Thought, afraid that he would fall into a trap.

Towards the extreme danger lurking around, a normal human's first thought was to resolve the matter. It was likewise the same for Klein. However, the problem was that he had no solutions.

The Mother Tree of Desire was suspected to be a Sequence 0 true god located in the astral world. Even if Klein jumped up, there was no way he could hit "Her" or defeat "Her." And the faction, the Rose School of Thought, that "She" controlled was an organization with quite a long history. It likely had angels presiding over it and had Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts. Otherwise, it was very difficult for them to survive to this day with the Churches and all the secret organizations at odds with it. Therefore, even if Klein had plans of getting the help of Mr. Azik or other powerful figures, there was no way he could uproot the Rose School of Thought. It was even possible that they would encounter danger.

Due to these reasons, Klein could only hide and hope that he could successfully advance to Sequence 4 and become a demigod.

I've always been careful against the Mother Tree of Desire. Mr. Orange Light Hilarion didn't know that I once fell for the evil god's trap at Oravi Island?

Or did he specially come over to warn me that "She" would be doing something major soon?

Hmm… He was previously under Admiral of Blood's control, and Admiral of Blood is a member of the Rose School of Thought. He might very well know of something!

Klein was instantly alarmed. He didn't just blindly believe that a Faceless transformation was enough to fool the Mother Tree of Desire's attention!

According to Orange Light Hilarion's explanation, "She" would be able to discover certain unique traits when in close proximity with me. This is something the Faceless Beyonder powers are unable to mask! "She" hasn't done anything in a while. Could it be that "She" is attempting to use this sensation to bestow something to "Her" believers through some ritual or item, and that "She" is about to succeed soon? Klein slowly frowned as he felt that it was certainly a possibility.

This made him more eager to return to Backlund. In that huge city, even angels had to behave themselves, just like a particular Snake of Fate. The believers of the Mother Tree of Desire and the powerhouses of the Rose School of Thought were unable to act as they wished. All they could do was wait for an opportunity!

Phew… Klein exhaled and headed above the gray fog. He divined if his life would be in danger soon.

This time, he received a negative answer—his life wouldn't be in danger.

However, Klein didn't relax as a result. He recalled that the Mother Tree of Desire's divination interference could penetrate the gray fog's shielding to a certain extent.

And very long ago, his spirituality had prevented him from divining the Werewolf Beyonder characteristic above the gray fog. This was because it might very well involve the Chained God, and the Chained God was suspected to be another manifestation of the Mother Tree of Desire.

Either there's really nothing going on and that I'm overthinking matters, or the danger is already very close. That's why the Mother Tree of Desire took action to interfere… To be safe, I need to make preparations. Even if it's proven to be a false alarm, it's still better than being captured by the Rose School of Thought and taken away by the Mother Tree of Desire to perform some unspeakable matters! Klein immediately returned to the real world and took out a pen and paper before quickly writing a letter. He started with, "Dear Mr. Azik."

Considering how the Underworld was inside the spirit world, that the demigods of the Death pathway were considered high-ranking spirit world creatures in a certain way, and that Mr. Azik might be able to see his unique trait after he recovered his memory, Klein was rather honest. He directly wrote about the entire conversation between Orange Light Hilarion's manifestation, Helmosuin the scientist. The only thing he left out was about the gray fog and the parts about the great existence above the gray fog.

Finally, he mentioned something.

"Does Mr. Hilarion's warning imply that I'll suffer mortal danger from the Rose School of Thought?"

After he folded the letter and blew the copper whistle to summon the messenger, Klein still didn't find it safe enough. He hurriedly took out the adventurer's harmonica and blew into it.

Silently, Reinette Tinekerr appeared before him. Each of the four heads with blonde hair and red eyes rotated and said, "There's no…" "Letter…"

"I have something to discuss with you." Klein forced a big smile. He handed over the gold coin he received from Anderson and said, "This is the fee for the summoning."

One of the heads Reinette Tinekerr held bit onto the gold coin. The two other heads that didn't get the chance to speak asked, "What is…" It…"

"I might face a certain degree of danger soon. I wonder if it's possible to summon you for help." Klein tried his best to make his eyes look sincere.

The eight eyes on Reinette Tinekerr's four head darted around as they said, "Yes…" "Pay…" "Ten Thousand…" "Gold coins…"

… Ten thousand gold coins. That's 10,000 pounds! Klein turned agape as he said with a wry smile, "I don't have that much money."

Reinette Tinekerr's four heads spoke one after another.

"You…" "Can…" "Pay by…" "Installments…"

Installments… Klein was surprised that his messenger kept with the times. After two seconds of shock, he said, "Alright."

Reinette Tinekerr didn't say anything else as her four heads nodded simultaneously before disappearing in front of Klein and returning to the spirit world.

Chapter 725: Morning

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Upon seeing the messenger disappear, Klein thought of the demigods he could contact on short notice, but he realized that there weren't any. All he could do was turn his attention onto what he should do next.

The city-wide broadcast must've made Sea King Jahn Kottman not only find Helmosuin, but he would also do his best to search for Sea God and the traces of his believers. It's easy to be detected if I leave in the middle of the night, so I can only choose to stay here until daybreak…

I can't take that ship tomorrow. If I encounter an attack midway, I might affect everyone on the ship. Furthermore, it's not discreet enough.

Hmm… I can summon an undersea creature and leave by riding it. I can rest and switch rides on the deserted islands and reefs we encounter along the way until I arrive at the next port… Since Orange Light said that the unique trait can only be detected at close distances, it still won't exceed the size of a city, even if the Mother Tree of Desire tries to expand her perception range to find me via a ritual or her believers. It might even be limited to the size of a particular street. This is also why I encountered a trap when I arrived in Oravi.

As long as I leave Bayam, I should be able to escape from their gaze…

While Klein's thoughts gradually turned clear, he suddenly heard a signal from the radio transceiver!

He hurriedly went over and quickly jotted it down. Then, with the codebook, he transcribed the corresponding words into a single sentence.

Before long, the telegram's content appeared on paper in jet black.

"I see you."

I see you… When Klein read those words, he felt a chill run through his heart.

…

Bayam, in an ordinary residence not far from the governor-general's office.

In a spacious basement, there were candles silently burning, scattering their dim glow around the surroundings.

Silver Coin Viper Oder had already taken off his hooded robe. He looked at the middle-aged man opposite him as he trembled. He said with a quivering voice, "Lord Senor, I don't know know how Helmosuin's real hiding place was known by others as well."

Senor wore an old triangular hat. His eye sockets were recessed, and his face was shockingly pale. He looked more like an evil spirit than a human. He raised his hand to stroke the two black mustaches above his lips as his light brown eyes coldly swept across Oder's face. In response, the well-known adventurer couldn't help but lower his head.

After observing him for a few seconds, Admiral of Blood, in his white trousers and red coat, said with a deep voice, "Less than three minutes after that telegram was sent, it was spread across the entire city. And the message spread was part of the telegram.

"I suspect that another faction has begun paying notice to radio transmissions, and they had obtained our codebook from Old Quinn."

"Yes, yes. It has to be the case!" Oder hurriedly echoed, hoping that Admiral of Blood wouldn't pin the loss of Helmosuin as him being inept.

He knew very well that this pirate admiral was cruel to subordinates who made mistakes!

Senor swept his gaze at Oder and sneered.

"Regardless, you failed.

"If not for you and your mistress giving me plenty of joy, I would've gotten you to dig out your intestines!

"Send a telegram. Tell that listener who might or might not exist that I can see him. Let him spend the night in horror and unease. This is the only thing you need to do now."

Upon hearing that, Oder immediately heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced at Admiral of Blood in trepidation and the bloody altar behind him before reverently replying, "Yes, Lord Senor!"

He felt that he would've become part of the sacrificial items just moments ago.

After Oder retreated out of the basement, Senor turned his head to look at the altar covered with human heads, organs, limbs, and blood. He said in a manner even more reverent than how Oder treated him, "Lord Shanks, has the ritual succeeded?"

"Yes. All that's left is to wait for God to respond." A cold, unfeeling voice sounded from the drooping curtains around the altar.

Then, the curtains seemed to possess life as they rolled up on both sides, smoothly forming a knot before landing in the middle of the altar.

A somewhat translucent figure appeared by the side of the altar at some point in time. His skin was slightly brown, and his wrinkles formed deep crevices. His white, thinned hair was like leaves in autumn, as though they had lived for many, many years.

He humbly fixated his gaze at the candlelight with his brown eyes.

Senor didn't dare say a word as he stood beside Lord Shanks, awaiting for any changes to happen to the altar.

Suddenly, the candle's flame was dyed with all kinds of colors. Each color seemed to correspond to the different desires of an observer.

The heads, organs, limbs, and blood on the altar moved by themselves as they stacked up together, forming the state of a melted candle.

Before long, they formed a Tree of Flesh and Blood that wasn't too tall. Its surface was uneven, resembling the shell of a walnut.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

The interior of the Tree of Flesh and Blood seemed to have a heart beating forcefully with strength.

When Senor was about to succumb to the din, the Tree of Flesh and Blood instantly withered, rotting into slosh and collapsing.

There was a tiny, flesh-colored, moist, sticky ball left behind.

Soon, the tiny ball grew four limbs and a head, turning into a palm-sized humanoid creature.

Its face didn't have any eyes, nose, or ears, other than a pinhole-like mouth.

In its mouth, grayish-white fog spewed out before converging back in. It repeated several times without stopping.

The elder named Shanks devoutly and passionately chanted the name "Mother Tree of Desire," and reached out to grab the strange tiny figure.

Silently, all the candlelights were extinguished, but to a Wraith who had night vision, this didn't affect them from seeing things.

Senor observed Shanks and heard this important person say in a deep voice, "We've prepared for a long time for this ritual, and god's grace can help us sense the existence of the target through a wider range.

"Next, we can use the glasses made by the Life School of Thought to accurately locate him!"

As he spoke, Shanks took out a monocle from his inner pocket. It didn't look any different from a normal monocle, but it coruscated with a pearly white luster in the darkness.

"Lord Shanks, what should we do next?" Senor asked respectfully.

The wrinkled Shanks thought for a few seconds and said, "Seek out the target after daybreak.

"If he has powerful helpers, we will monitor him and prevent him from leaving our detection range. Then, patiently await Lord Suah's arrival.

"If he doesn't have any guardians and is weak himself, then we shall take action directly."

After hearing the word "Suah", the corners of Senor's forehead twitched as though just the mere mention of this important figure's left him apprehensive.

He slowly took a deep breath and said, "Yes, Lord Shanks!"

After answering, Senor instinctively touched the necklace by his chest.

The necklace seemed to be made of pure silver, and the pendant looked like an ancient coin.

…

Klein, who didn't get much sleep for the rest of the night due to the fright from receiving the telegram, immediately sacrificed his suitcase, wallet, and most of his cash to the mysterious space above the gray fog at daybreak.

After clearing up his tracks, he went to the front desk to check out. He rode a carriage to the borders of Bayam, left the city, and climbed the mountain as though he was heading for a cemetery prepared for locals.

Midway through his journey, he suddenly took a detour into the woods and planned on walking straight to the cliffs where a massive undersea creature was waiting underneath for him!

The birds chirped and the insects buzzed in the woods as critters would occasionally scuttle by. Klein walked through the humic material-covered grounds at high-speed.

Along the way, he saw mushrooms growing after the rain, torn cloth, and rubbish which the Bayam residences had left behind after a picnic. Everything seemed so serene alongside the fresh morning air.

A leaf fluttered down as Klein didn't stop and easily dodged it.

At that moment, the leaf's speed sped up and did a surprising bend, clinging to him in between his lips and nose.

It was like an adult's palm that clasped his mouth and nose tightly, making it impossible for him to breathe.

Sou! Sou! Sou!

The surrounding trees had their branches fall off as they shot at Klein like sharp arrows.

And the rubbish left from the picnic received a life of their own. They formed an airtight net as they came looming over!

Chapter 726: Preparations Are Very Important

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Suddenly, Klein had a familiar feeling. It felt like every tree, every leaf, every rock, every blade of grass wanted him dead.

Upon seeing the rubbish comprising of fragments and paper lunge at him in a strange web, his body suddenly collapsed into a paper figurine.

Sou! Sou! Sou!

The arrow-like branches impaled the paper figurines and landed into the distance. As for the strange net, it immediately enveloped everything within into a ball as it gently squirmed.

Klein's body appeared to the side about eight meters away. He knew that the attack he was worried about had finally descended upon him.

He didn't make any observations or show any hesitation. Raising his right palm, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the adventurer's harmonica.

The situation he had encountered had made him realize that the attacker was likely a demigod from the Rose School of Thought. It was an enemy he was currently unable to defend against!

The one who had been pursuing Sharron back then gave him a similar feeling!

At this moment, the paper figurines in his pocket suddenly flew out as they plastered over his face, one after another, layer after layer!

At the same time, Klein's sleeves automatically tightened as they bound both his arms, preventing his palms from reaching down.

His Taraba shirt and brown jacket were tightening like a bear giving him a hug!

In seconds, he was bound on the spot by his clothes, trousers, and shoes. His face was covered with paper figurines, as his ribs were on the brink of fracturing. He found it abnormally difficult to breathe.

Klein was mentally prepared and was equipped with rich combat experience, so he didn't panic. His right thumb and middle finger, which weren't affected, touched each other as he snapped his fingers.

At his ham, scarlet flames immediately soared up, burning the tightly-bound trousers clean before spreading upwards and downwards.

Seizing this opportunity, Klein bent his knees and jumped up with great difficulty, like a cannonball that weakly fell to the ground moments after being launched, as he lunged to his right.

In midair, he snapped his fingers again. This time, the sleeve by the right arm joint was ignited!

As for the spot where he was originally standing, the green weeds suddenly withered as the blackened ground suddenly turned white as if it had been weathered by the elements.

This attack was silent and deadly, without any forewarning. Klein knew that his enemy was powerful and that staying in the same spot would likely result in him suffering an attack he couldn't resist; therefore, he first removed the influence on his legs. If he hadn't done so, he would've already been heavily injured and lose his ability to do combat. He might've even perished.

With a smacking sound, two spots around Klein's sleeves ignited. His right palm finally had the freedom to move as he reached into his pocket and grabbed the adventurer's harmonica.

Plop!

He fell to the ground, rolling as he immediately stopped himself with his right hand to bounce up. His left palm which wore a human-skinned glove snapped its fingers.

This time, his target was the paper figurines that were plastered over his face to prevent him from breathing.

Pa!

The paper figurines burned up as the scarlet tongues of fire burned Klein's hair.

At that moment, a scene suddenly flashed in his mind.

An icicle had formed and was speeding right for his head like a thin gloomy-green arrow!

Due to its speed, it was translucent itself, making it usually impossible to discover it!

But even though Klein's danger premonition was triggered, it was a little too late. This was because his clothes were still affecting his mobility. It was too late for him to dodge the attack.

A thought flashed through his mind as he barely bent his back, his upper torso was bent backward, and he moved quite significantly to his right.

Oof!

The thin, cold ice arrow struck his left chest, instantly shattering the brown jacket and white round-collar shirt which were located there as they scattered into the air.

However, this lethal ice arrow didn't continue heading forward. This was because in its way was a book with a dark brown cover.

The book appeared ordinary, and it was bound into a book with commonly seen yellowish-brown goatskin, but it didn't shatter like the two pieces of clothing. There wasn't even a hole pricked open.

Groselle's Travels!

This was an item that even the Sea God Scepter's Lightning Storm imbued with some powers of the mysterious space had failed to damage!

Last night, the telegram of "I see you" gave Klein such a fright that he undoubtedly reinforced his protective countermeasures. He prepared every method he could think of!

Apart from hiding the book at his vital spot, his other pocket had the iron cigar case which stored the influence of the corrupted True Creator. Once things went bad, he would dispel the wall of spirituality, throw out the item, and see if it would draw the attention of the True Creator. He hoped that "He" would send his powerful subordinates to make the situation more chaotic.

He knew that even evil gods like the True Creator hated the Mother Tree of Desire!

After withstanding the ice arrow, Klein fell to the ground while somersaulting to the side. He then brought the adventurer's harmonica to his lips and blew hard into it.

At that moment, his face was turning a little black due to the burning of the paper figurines, but due to Flame Controlling, he wasn't injured.

Then, he felt that the clothes on his left arm, waist, thighs, neck, and legs were restored to normal, giving him newfound freedom.

At the moment he blew the harmonica, he quickly activated his Spirit Vision. He saw Miss Messenger walk out of the void with four blonde, red-eyed heads in hand. They automatically turned and stared at the same spot.

One of the heads grunted as it opened its mouth and began drawing in air.

A cold wind hummed as a figure was forcibly pulled out from a green tree a hundred meters away from Klein.

This figure failed to maintain his difficult-to-detect state as he rapidly turned half transparent and half corporeal.

He was the wrinkled elder with white, thin hair. His facial features had the traits of the people of the Southern Continent. Just as his brown eyes reflected Reinette Tinekerr, his brows pricked up. Then, he didn't hesitate to open his mouth as though he was about to deliver an extreme curse that he had been preparing for a long time.

At this moment, another one of the heads which Reinette Tinekerr was holding had opened its mouth as well, as though it was making a silent screech.

With that, nothing happened inside the forest.

When Shanks saw this, he hurriedly turned his head to look at Klein who had yet to react in time when a figure with white, thin hair and exaggerated wrinkles appeared in his eyes!

His mind instantly turned cold. Although his thoughts weren't impeded, he had lost control over his body. All he could do was watch the white-haired elder vanish as he turned to face Miss Messenger.

The two heads which Reinette Tinekerr carried suddenly flew out and appeared before Klein. One of them opened its mouth as it drew in air, while the other's red eyes turned dark as its teeth turned long and sharp, phasing between an incorporeal and corporeal state.

Klein saw the translucent elder with white, thin hair being forcefully pulled out from his body before Miss Messenger's head with the long teeth that bit at his shoulder, tearing out an object that appeared both like a Spirit Body and a physical body.

Shanks frowned without screaming. Its figure abruptly vanished as it leaped to a spot with a glass fragment a hundred meters away.

Following that, he seemed to be pursued by formless hands and enemies. He kept phasing into shallow puddles of water, the eyes of animals, the dew on plants, etc. Finally, he was able to catch a breather, and still, Klein was feeling a little stiff and cold from the inside out.

Phew… Shanks entered the spirit world and walked out again. In his hand was a moist, sticky, palm-sized doll.

This figure's face only had a hole as it was inhaling and exhaling a grayish-white fog which Klein found familiar.

Shanks didn't hesitate as he stuffed the doll into his mouth.

Upon seeing this, Reinette Tinekerr's other two heads left her palm, and like before, flew towards Shanks at a fast speed, arriving nearly instantly.

However, Shanks had already begun transforming.

His body turned black as his skin scrunched up and water began seeping out. His hair, brows, and other parts began withering and dropping. Following that, his limbs grew long and thin.

In just a second, Shanks seemed to be assimilated by the doll, becoming a huge, black, moist infant with long four limbs and swollen shriveled skin!

His eyes, nose, mouth, and ears moved from their original locations to the middle of his face as though they were gathering together to form a brand new organ.

His skin, limbs, and newly formed organ brought an indescribable sense of mystery and wickedness. Just a single look had made his body which had just recovered from the coldness feel extremely itchy. Red spots protruded from his skin as a result of the clumps of fine granules.

His eyes undoubtedly suffered a piercing pain. He instinctively closed them tight as tears were forced out.

By the time he calmed himself with Cogitation and opened his eyes again, he realized that Miss Messenger and the Rose School of Thought's demigod had vanished.

However, Klein's spiritual intuition told him that they were nearby. They were in an intense battle shuttling between the real world and the spirit world. Be it the dropping of the leaves, the shaking of the weeds, the crawling of the worms, and the fleeing of the wild beasts, all of them represented each and every clash.

As his mind whirred, Klein took out Death Knell and tapped his left thumb on the first segment of his index finger twice.

Countless illusory thin threads appeared in his eyes, making him see objects that usually couldn't be seen with his normal vision or Spirit Vision.

Two blobs were flying around him, and the dense black bundles of threads that entangled with each other were Reinette Tinekerr and the Rose School of Thought's demigod!

Apart from these, Klein also discovered that a blob of illusory black threads was rapidly approaching him. It would stop from time to time, so as to avoid the intense battle between the two demigods.

There's another enemy? An enemy who was hiding in the distance awaiting the results, but hasn't decided to participate in the battle? Anyways, anyone who's stealthily approaching in such a situation must be an enemy! Klein's eyes moved slightly as he cocked the Death Knell and lowered it naturally to put it into a state for Lethal attack.

Then, he pretended as though he hadn't detected the bundle of illusory black threads, stuffed his left palm into his pocket, and grabbed a gold coin. He made it tumble between his fingers as though he was in a divination state.

He was doing this to disrupt the approacher's spiritual intuition for danger!

After losing his paper figurines, this was the only method he had.

After patiently waiting for two seconds, when the other party was within shooting range, Klein's eyes turned solemn as he suddenly raised his right hand, aimed, and pulled the trigger!

Chapter 727: Lucky One

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Thud!

The black revolver with the slightly long barrel recoiled backward as a pale golden beam shot out, heading straight for the spot where the target was about to arrive at.

However, the illusory black threads suddenly stopped as though they were observing something.

From his condition, it didn't appear like he had sensed the arrival of danger, but he had his attention attracted by something else.

A grayish-white rabbit leaped out the thick grass and fled far away as the tree standing in front of the blob of illusory black threads collapsed due to the gunshot.

At the height of a human, a gigantic and irregular hole and a raging pure fire appeared at the tree's trunk, directly splitting it from the middle!

Death Knell's might was equivalent to a small-caliber cannon, and its penetrating powers were even more potent!

The blob of dense, illusory black threads was clearly given a fright as it instinctively disappeared from where it was, appearing on the surface of a nearby puddle of water.

Inevitably, his figure was outlined—he had a pale face with deep recessed eye sockets and light brown eyes. He looked to be in his forties, had a double mustache above his lips, and wore an old triangular hat.

Klein was no stranger to the man, as his bounty notice often appeared before his eyes. Step by step, they were stacked into a clear image: Admiral of Blood Senor!

Just in Loen alone, his bounty was worth 42,000 pounds!

He had long infiltrated Bayam! Was it to take away Turani von Helmosuin? After this scientist passed away due to being discovered, he joined the Rose School of Thought's mission to target me? I seem to have an additional weakness, but before it's triggered, I've no way of knowing what it is… As his thoughts raced, Klein saw Senor's figure disappear once again.

However, the traces of Admiral of Blood's existence was rather obvious. The blob of illusory black threads of his was like a firefly in the darkness. It wasn't difficult to identify him at all.

The blob of illusory black threads circled around him with the aid of the morning dew, glass fragments, and water puddles that had frozen for some reason. Jumping again and again from one medium to the other, the gap between the two soon narrowed.

Klein didn't wait on the spot. Instead, he quickly moved but only slightly shifted his position so as to prevent the Rose School of Thought demigod, who was engaged in an intense battle, from attacking him in passing.

Senor's performance made him understand one thing: A Wraith's ability to possess someone to directly control their body requires them to enter a certain range. Previously, although the Rose School of Thought demigod was able to accomplish it at further distances, he hadn't done so, perhaps out of contempt or for fear of any accidents.

It could be confirmed that Senor was a Sequence 5 Wraith! Klein kept changing his location, and he awaited the opportunity when the distance between them was more suitable.

Just as Admiral of Blood's speed slowed down slightly, and he was about to possess his target from a distance, Klein's left glove suddenly turned deep black, as though it was formed layer by layer by pure particles.

Following that, he said a word filled with foulness, a word that came from the Devil language:

"Slow!"

Senor had sensed it and changed his position before Klein could even open his mouth. But everything within an eight-meter radius came to a halt. His evasive maneuver had failed to show any effects.

It was an area-of-effect attack!

Senor's figure suddenly became slow. He once again outlined his figure in the real world as Klein raised his iron-black revolver, cocked it, and placed his target in his sights.

With Death Knell, he saw that Senor's body was covered with all kinds of colors that indicated his weakness wasn't at his head, but slightly above his throat.

Without any hesitation or delay, Klein pulled the trigger.

Lethal attack!

At that moment, a blob of illusory black threads walked to Senor's side and pulled at him.

Admiral of Blood immediately moved diagonally as the golden bullet grazed past his neck, striking a boulder and shattering it.

A golden flame burst from Senor's neck as it jerked his head up and opened his mouth.

A sharp Shriek blasted out and entered Klein's ears, causing his mind to hum as his body came to a temporary halt.

Formless souls had flown to Senor's side at some point in time before mixing with cold winds. From the sky and from the ground, they surged towards the enemy.

In each of Klein's eyes, a pale-looking man with a red coat and triangular hat quickly appeared and took form.

Pa!

Klein snapped his fingers as his body was instantly enveloped by scarlet flames.

He disappeared from his location before the Wraith was able to possess him!

And under a tree that was less than ten meters away, weeds burst into flames as the flames grew bigger and they soared into the sky.

Klein nimbly leaped out from it and raised Death Knell again. He aimed towards the spot where he was originally standing still at, and he injected more than twice the normal amount of spirituality into the gun.

Slaughter!

Thud!

He pulled the trigger as a golden bullet split into countless shrapnel and, with a sacred flame, swept to the region the gun's mouth had aimed at. The formless specters and souls seemed to be swept away by a solar hurricane as they failed to resist and were ignited amidst screaming.

Senor knew that a counterattack was in place once his possession attempt didn't succeed. He immediately flashed into a nearby glass fragment in an attempt to evade the incoming shot, but the bullet hurricane brought about by Slaughter was a rather huge range that included that glass fragment!

Amidst a huge boom, golden flames struck the sides of the glass without hitting it. With only burn injuries, Senor leaped to another mirror surface and appeared on the surface of a rolling drop of dew a distance away. His body had a rotting wound thanks to the purification powers, but it wasn't anything serious.

There's no way he's that lucky, right? Indeed, Senor has a mystical item that makes himself lucky… There are only three Purifying Bullets left… Klein frowned as he agilely ran over as though he was in pursuit.

As he knew that he was facing members of the Rose School of Thought, he had changed all the Beyonder bullets in his revolver to Purifying Bullets that targeted Wraiths and Zombies. There were a total of six bullets, and now, he had already shot thrice!

In the first shot, Senor was saved by a rabbit that suddenly leaped out. In the second shot, he was yanked away by the Rose School of Thought's demigod who happened to come beside him. In the third short, he happened to be in the gap of the fragment amidst the Slaughter hurricane, preventing him from suffering too much damage. Klein found this level of luck completely unacceptable!

However, Klein didn't wallow in depression. Instead, he turned back into Gehrman Sparrow's appearance and build. This was for him to immediately throw a bunch of Sea God domain charms to create a certain commotion once things went south, so as to attract the attention of Sea King Jahn Kottman who was in Bayam City.

If this Sequence 3 demigod were to arrive, he would be facing a Rose School of Thought demigod, a hostile pirate admiral, and an adventurer with a mysterious background who had certain ties with the military. It was quite obvious who he would deal with first.

As for Miss Messenger, Klein believed that she could escape into the spirit world in a timely fashion and was free to choose whether to participate in the battle royale or leave.

The reason why Klein didn't escape in the middle of the night after receiving the telegram last night was because Sea King gave him a sense of security.

If he were to leave alone, he would definitely be noticed and captured by the Church of Storms. He would be interrogated, making the subsequent developments unpredictable.

If he were to stay in his room and await the person who "saw him" to attack, he had a chance of struggling until he reached the streets, allowing Sea King to notice it.

Faced with an evil operative who was at least a demigod and a Sequence 5 adventurer who was rumored to have ties with the military, there was no doubt that Jahn Kottman would first deal with the Rose School of Thought member. And as a Cardinal of the Church of Storms and a high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers, he could use various Sealed Artifacts of the diocese. He could last a moment, even if he faced an angel. At the same time, with the reinforcements from the military, there was a chance for Klein to escape to the sea during the chaos and leave via whale!

To his regret, the night remained peaceful after he received the telegram. And once daybreak happened, Sea King would find it difficult to monitor the entire city.

Pa!

Klein snapped his fingers again, igniting the surrounding trees. This appeared like blooming fireworks around him as they exuded an inexplicable sense of beauty.

The reason why he had chosen to pass through the forest to head for the cliff was because this was a place that was suitable for a Magician's performance!

His figure flashed through the flames as he circled around Senor, avoiding his approach and control. And from the previous experiences and lessons, Senor knew that his target had an area-of-effect attack and a damaging blow. He didn't dare stay too close to him, and he would pull away and create a gap once he missed an attack. Otherwise, he would use a Wraith's Shriek to affect his target or use his pale green fingers to aim at his target. Unfortunately, the latter could only extinguish flames and wither vegetation. There was no way to pinpoint Klein's location.

Seeing how the fireworks-like flames were the biggest barrier to his attacks, Senor stopped and let out the deafening Shriek which would also damage a Spirit Body.

Amidst the Shriek, the icy-blue halo beneath his feet rapidly expanded, covering the mud, randomly strewn weeds, and scattered rocks with a layer of ice.

The flames sizzled as they produced tiny amounts of mist before being extinguished by the frost.

Klein was influenced by the Wraith's Shriek, causing his Flaming Jump to be one step too slow. He ended up failing—his figure projected itself midway as his feet stumbled.

Then, he saw illusory skulls swirling with black gas rush at him, bringing with them the strong smell of death, as though an envoy from the Underworld had arrived!

At that instant, Klein didn't seem like he could dodge. However, a light blue fireball emanating the smell of sulfur suddenly condensed before him.

His glove remained black as it remained in its Devil state!

With a thumping sound, the fireball was extinguished as the illusory skulls shattered and scattered to the ground, creating spots that didn't have any life to them.

Right on the heels of that, Klein steadied his body and took out the iron cigar case from his pocket. He threw it at Admiral of Blood Senor as his glove turned noble and sinister at some point in time.

Baron of Corruption, Bribe!

Chapter 728: Triple Combo

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Senor obviously wasn't going to bet that the item thrown by his opponent didn't pose a threat. He immediately dodged far away, allowing the iron cigar case which was sealed by a wall of spirituality to fall to the ground.

Then, he opened his mouth once again and produced a Shriek.

A roar that seemed to come from the depths of his own Spirit Body made Klein experience excruciating pain in his head. Even though he often suffered from the ravings of existences like the True Creator and Mr. Door, and was rather resistant towards such attacks, it was impossible for him to not pause momentarily. He felt his nose burning as though a capillary had burst.

However, with his resistance combined together with Bribe, the effects were reduced. It made his momentary pause only last for an instant, and this was something Senor had no idea of knowing.

Therefore, Klein pretended as though he hadn't recovered as he revealed his weak state, waiting for the enemy to fall into his trap.

In an ordinary battle, as a Wraith was able to jump through mirror-like mediums, making it impossible to determine that location ahead of time, it made it impossible to maintain a five-meter distance from his opponent, even if he created flames and repeatedly used it to achieve phasing. It caused his Spirit Body Threads controlling ability to be disrupted momentarily after there were any significant effects.

For this, he planned on taking a little risk. He made his opponent fall for a trap he planned, so as to quickly end the battle and escape to the cliff.

Seeing his target appear dazed due to the repeated Shrieks, Senor didn't hesitate to make his aura turn deep.

Admiral of Blood's contracted figure rapidly appeared in Klein's eyes in an abnormally clear manner.

This wasn't a reflection of the world, but two tiny figures seemingly coming to life in his eyes!

When the Wraith's possession was almost close to completion, Klein, with his tattered and charred clothes, unhurriedly extended his left palm as though he was gesturing "please" as a polite gentleman.

Creeping Hunger maintained its sinister and noble blackness as it forcefully distorted Admiral of Blood's target.

Due to the Freezing halo from before, there was frost and crystalline bodies everywhere around them. All of them were equivalent to a mirror surface!

On the thin ice, Senor with his triangular hat had appeared there, his expression was as though he was at a loss.

At that moment, Creeping Hunger switched to a deep black state as Klein said a word filled with foulness, a word that came from the Devil language:

Slow!

Just as he was about to use the mirror surfaces to phase away, Senor instantly froze. His figure involuntarily outlined itself as his body turned extremely rigid. His attempts had failed.

As there was no way to repeatedly use Slow, Klein made his left glove turn pale as it was tinged with a slightly dark green color.

Zombie!

The sealing caused by the frost on the ground had once again exacerbated as they rapidly spread to Senor's side as they began to spread from his toes to turn him into a completed ice sculpture.

With his knowledge that Wraith's had a very strong resistance to the cold, Klein didn't let his guard down or waste any time. He made Creeping Hunger transform as if it was gilded.

The illusory black threads in his eyes were hidden away as two blinding silver bolts of lightning shot out from the innermost depths of his eyes.

Interrogator's Psychic Piercing!

In his usual state, Senor's fusion of spirit and flesh typically wouldn't be significantly affected. He could even cause the attack to backfire on his opponent. However, having just recovered from Slow, he found himself sealed in ice. All he could do was resist the formless bolt that targeted his Spirit Body!

His mind felt as though a blade had penetrated it as it twisted. The pain spread through his body as he temporarily lost all reason.

By the time he regained his lucidity and prepared to make continuous leaps to open up a distance, the cold adventurer opposite him opened his mouth once again.

Slow!

Dogsh*t… Senor's actions turned sluggish and impeded once again. Then, without any surprises, he suffered from the two follow-up attacks of Ice Stun and Psychic Piercing.

When he barely escaped again, the black-haired, brown-eyed Gehrman Sparrow opened his mouth a third time with a deadpan expression.

Slow!

Senor was enraged as he reeled in despair before finding himself stuck in a perpetual cycle.

As for Klein, who had kept his opponent in place three times, was beginning to control his opponent's Spirit Body Threads.

In fact, the most effective solution for when his opponent was unable to escape was to take the opportunity to use Death Knell to deliver two or three Lethal Attacks. But his past failures had told him that his enemy had a mystical item that allowed him to be lucky. An overly direct and lethal shot might very well lead to an accident, resulting in some undesirable effects.

It was precisely because of this that he decided to gradually proceed in the proper order by controlling Admiral of Blood's Spirit Body Threads!

Time quickly passed. As Klein ran around Senor to dodge the possible attacks from the Rose School of Thought demigod, he controlled Senor's Spirit Body Threads, and he slowly reached the state of gaining initial control.

Three seconds! Two seconds! One second!

Senor's thoughts instantly turned sluggish as though every part of his body was rusting.

Klein no longer had the strength to use Creeping Hunger again. He continued deepening his control as he began walking at an adequate speed.

No… I… can't… let… this… continue… Thoughts slowly moved through Senor's mind as a translucent icicle condensed in front of him.

It was dyed with a gloomy green as though it was showing its respect to the surrounding forest.

As for Klein, who had witnessed his opponent's series of slow actions, he unhurriedly retracted his left hand and took out Groselle's Travels from his chest and braced himself.

Sou!

The icicle finally shot out, seemingly heading for Klein's chest, but it suddenly changed directions midway as it flew diagonally upwards!

This adjustment should've been a sudden lethal blow, but as Senor's thoughts had been slowed down significantly, the "order" received by the icicle had only happened when it was almost reaching Klein. This made the sudden change insufficient to catch Klein by surprise as he shifted Groselle's Travels and easily blocked the attack.

Senor's expression turned pale again. After a few seconds of thought, he slowly opened his mouth in an attempt to let out a Wraith's Shriek.

Having already prepared himself, Klein spoke first:

"Bang!"

An Air Bullet quickly shot out and struck Senor in the mouth, throwing his head backward as teeth fell. The Shriek was left stuck in his throat.

Seeing the control deepen and how Senor's resistance was crumbling bit by bit, to the point of losing his reason and launching a barrage of attacks like a lunatic, Klein suddenly felt some joy.

At that moment, a shrill, sharp infant's cry sounded and resounded in the woods.

Lumps protruded all over Klein's body as he dropped Groselle's Travels from his hand. His head felt as though it was being clasped tightly by an invisible hand, making him momentarily lose his senses of his surroundings, including the Spirit Body Threads. His control over Senor was removed as a result.

About a hundred meters away from them, the large-sized baby, which was black, swollen, and wrinkled, that appeared to have stormed out of the water had escaped its illusory state and returned to reality.

His limbs were long and thin, and there was only an irregular hole on his face. Circling the hole were gnarling teeth.

At that moment, Shank's body had an additional wound that was obvious and deep. It was a piercing wound that went through the black and swollen skin, causing putrid blackish-green liquid to gush out.

After this Rose School of Thought's demigod appeared, he stopped dodging or escaping. He began screaming like crazy, letting out infantile screams. It made Klein and Senor fall into a painful stupor. Even their bodies showed signs of losing control.

The four blonde, red-eyed heads were thrown into the void as they opened their mouths and let out a soundless Shriek, silencing the terrifying cries.

Reinette Tinekerr and Shanks had engaged in another round of combat, phasing between the spirit world and reality from time to time as they shuttled between leaves, weeds, insect eggs, ice crystals, and thorns.

Senor and Klein stood in their spots in a stupor. They tried their best to recover from the effects of the infantile cry.

In this aspect, Senor believed that, as a Wraith, he had an unsurpassable advantage. The corners of his lips subconsciously curled up a little.

He had already figured out what to do with his opponent later.

But at that moment, the eyes of the adventurer who was in tattered clothes while exuding a cold demeanor had turned lucid!

It had only been a second since the infantile cry had ended!

Klein, who was experienced in this, quickly recovered as he realized that Senor was still in a dazed and impeded state.

An opportunity! His mind stirred, but he didn't attempt a long-distance attack which allowed for plenty of accidents. Instead, he chose to control Senor's Spirit Body Threads which took more time. He tapped his right foot as his figure dashed towards his opponent like a panther.

His left glove was dark, and when it moved backward, it condensed in a manner that resembled a blade, forming a gigantic weapon formed from lava and flames.

Desire Apostle, Sword of Lava!

Bam!

Klein's body passed by Senor's left as the searing sword swept across his chest and got stuck in the middle.

The light-blue flames ignited Senor, but aside from suffering damage to his body, he didn't lose his life. However, the pain left him yelling incessantly.

After the two brushed by each other, Klein immediately abandoned the Sword of Lava. He took a step to his left and turned around, facing Admiral of Blood's back. He raised the iron-black Death Knell to his opponent's head.

He didn't use Lethal Attack, and he directly pulled the trigger!

With a bang, his body suddenly shook a little. This was because the spot he had stepped onto appeared to be a hole. Hence, Death Knell had slid downwards, and the golden bullet had hit the side of Senor's neck.

Blood tainted with a dark-green tinge spewed out. Admiral of Blood had lost nearly half his neck as he fell forward. He fainted, but he remained alive.

Klein was just about to add another shot when the sky suddenly darkened. An arm suddenly reached out!

The arm was ten meters long, and it had a black sticky surface with strange protrusions. They were either skulls, erected eyeballs, or barbed tongues. The moment it appeared, it made the entire forest shake.

All the leaves withered as all the insects stiffened to their deaths. All the beasts either fell paralyzed to the ground, or they began biting themselves wildly, leaving their bodies bleeding!

Klein's danger premonition reached its limit. He hurriedly closed his eyes, lunged forward, and did a roll. He grabbed Groselle's Travels and held it in front of his face!

Chapter 729: Chaos

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The entire forest was withering as though an entity that was bringing about destruction to everything was about to descend.

Just as the arm was about to fully extend, a thick bolt of silver lightning smote down from nowhere, illuminating the entire mountain. The sizzling sounds chained together as a cage only spoken in myths enclosed around the black sticky arm.

Dark clouds quickly converged together in the sky, forming brows and a mouth, as though a face was hidden within!

In Bayam City, the huge commotion was noticed by Sea King Jahn Kottman. He didn't hesitate to take action as he ordered the Mandated Punishers to activate the corresponding Sealed Artifacts.

Reinette Tinekerr's figure was forced out of the void, but her complicated black dress didn't seem crumpled at all.

She raised her left hand as two of the blonde, red-eyed heads flew back and landed on her severed neck. The remaining two continued engaging in combat with the black, swollen, and wrinkled infant.

When the cut at her neck began to wriggle, two corresponding cuts were connected. Her figure instantly burgeoned to the size of a gothic castle. Patterns, vines, and accessories appeared on the surface, interweaving into a mysterious, sinister sight that couldn't be looked at.

Klein closed his eyes tight as he placed Groselle's Travels in front of his face, injecting his spirituality into it, but he was unable to eliminate all the effects inflicted upon him. His body kept quivering as granules kept protruding from his body.

And only at this moment did he confirm that the side effect of using Death Knell was a fear of the dark.

For the next six hours, he wouldn't suffer any more weaknesses.

Thankfully, the weakness is just insurmountable, but it doesn't mean that I'm unable to resist for a short period of time… Klein desperately closed his eyes as tears kept rolling down his cheeks.

He didn't spend time considering the problems regarding this, because the situation had developed into one of extreme danger, but it was also very chaotic.

The one that descended seems to be stronger than Sea King. It's likely an angel, but "His" condition doesn't seem to be particularly good as well. "He" didn't directly appear, and he instead used the spirit world to attack…

Is it because "He" can't rush here in time and could only consider using this method? Thankfully, I received a warning from Orange Light; otherwise, the results would be unthinkable if this situation drags on! As Klein's thoughts flashed through his mind, his first reaction was to take the opportunity to flee and open up a safe distance.

However, he knew that hastily retreating without any preparations was equally dangerous.

If the Rose School of Thought's angel abandons the attack and retracts "His" arm, Sea King Jahn Kottman wouldn't have any motivation in embroiling himself in a pursuit effort. This is because he isn't facing a saint who he can consider retaining. This way, simply relying on Miss Messenger, Reinette Tinekerr, makes it difficult to stop this entity. I might be pursued again when the time comes! I have to add more trouble for "Him," making "Him" temporarily unable to leave. I'll take this opportunity to escape the waters where Blue Mountain Island is! As his thoughts churned, Klein followed his emergency plans, took out Groselle's Travels, stuffed Death Knell inside, and made a few rolls before arriving next to the iron cigar case.

He stabbed it with his finger, removing the wall of spirituality and opening the case, and he threw Tinder, which was corrupted by the True Creator, into the air, towards the source of the danger!

Right on the heels of that, Klein used Groselle's Travels to shield the top of his head, opened his eyes, and took out a whistle.

This wasn't Azik's copper whistle, but the Numinous Episcopate copper whistle which he had obtained from a mysticism enthusiast in Backlund. It originated from a resurrected Numinous Episcopate member.

Back then, Klein had made a divination about the copper whistle, and he received a revelation that sending a message would be extremely dangerous!

At that moment, he decided to allow "extreme danger" to meet "extreme danger," so as to create an even more chaotic situation that benefited him!

He quickly put the copper whistle to his mouth and blew into it. Then, he activated his Spirit Vision without daring to look up. A skull with three lifeless eyes emerged. Around it were black appendage-like tentacles.

Without any hesitation, Klein handed over a white feather left behind by the resurrected Numinous Episcopate member to the messenger.

He didn't wait for the messenger to disappear as he immediately bulged his muscles, swung his arm, and threw the copper whistle into the air where the source of danger was.

With that done, he put away the iron cigar case, did another roll, and bounced up as he rushed straight for the cliff. During this process, he kept his head down and kept changing location. He didn't dare to look at the scene happening above him, nor did he dare to stay any longer.

When he passed by the spot where Admiral of Blood Senor should've been lying unconscious, Klein's gaze suddenly froze. He was alarmed to find that he had vanished!

In that chaotic situation without any aid, this Wraith, who had suffered immense damage and was unable to maintain his Spirit Body state, had vanished!

Klein paused as he swept his gaze. He saw that ahead of him were a few drops of splattered dark red blood that coruscated with a dark-green tint. And this region was where Groselle's Travels had previously dropped!

No way… A few drops of Admiral of Blood's blood dropped onto the book's cover? This sucked him in? Klein frowned, as he didn't think it was a good thing.

He was afraid that the angel and saint that the Mother Tree of Desire had sent was able to gain the help of Admiral of Blood from within Groselle's Travels to pursue him!

However, it was impossible for him to abandon the book. Without it, Klein didn't believe that he was lucky enough to dodge all the stray blasts and unknown shrapnel which could fall from the sky at any moment.

… I'll resolve this latent risk by entering with my Spirit Body after I escape! As a few thoughts rose up in his mind, Klein dipped the tip of his foot down as he ran, lifting up the soil which had Senor's blood on it, reached out, and grabbed a handful.

This was used to locate Admiral of Blood later!

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Klein ran in a meandering manner, holding Groselle's Travels over his head, making adjustments from time to time based on his premonition for danger.

The book blocked the random bolts of lightning or the scattering rain of corroding rock, and it shielded him from a terrifying gaze that was cast over. With the book, Klein successfully tore out of the lifeless forest and came to the edge of a cliff.

At this moment, the surroundings turned dark. It wasn't the kind of darkness before a storm, nor was it a result of a moonless or starless night. It was a dead silence that emanated the smell of rot.

Ravings sounded out from varying distances and at varying pitches, as though something seemed to be slowly breathing in the air.

Klein, who was afraid of the dark, trembled. He didn't dare to look at what was happening above him. All he noticed was a few white feathers stained with yellowish oil spiraling down to the ground nearby when there was a flash of lightning.

His right foot took a stride forward as he jumped off the cliff and plummeted straight down. He fell out of the darkness and could see light.

Then, he dropped into a mouth that had been waiting for him for a long time.

The mouth didn't have any teeth as it immediately closed and sank to the bottom of the sea. According to the agreement they had made previously, it was to head for a reef beyond Blue Mountain Island as quickly as possible.

This was a gigantic undersea creature with sixteen fins on its back.

In the darkness, Klein instinctively wished to huddle into a ball and helplessly tremble, but he barely repressed his emotions and took out a Priest of Light Beyonder characteristic he had prepared to deal with Wraiths.

He had obtained it through the glove.

Pure light emanated from the translucent stone-like object as it drove away Klein's fear.

He was just about to contemplate if he should wait for the outcome, or if he should attempt something, when he suddenly felt the back of his palm become itchy.

He hurriedly looked down and saw his pores widen as they grew some fine white hair.

These fine hair rapidly grew and looked like feathers!

Klein immediately felt his entire body itch!

The fellow that was attracted by the copper whistle is really very dangerous! Klein was rather experienced. He immediately stood up and took four steps counterclockwise while chanting the incantation in the undersea creature's mouth.

His Spirit Body once again tore through the grayish-white which had endless ravings and roars as blackish-green gases drilled out of his body.

Returning to the palace that looked like a giant's residence, Klein observed his Spirit Body once again, and he discovered that it had returned to normal. There weren't any of the blackish-green gases, nor were there any white feathers.

Phew, it's effective… He exhaled and immediately returned to the real world.

With the illumination from the Priest of Light Beyonder characteristic, Klein saw that the white feathers on the back of his hands remained, but they had lost the ability to continue growing. There were more or less some signs in other parts of his body, but they weren't obvious.

Yes, I should be able to resolve the remaining problems once Mr. Azik arrives. Klein heaved a sigh of relief and drew the crimson moon on his chest. He prayed for the Goddess's blessing, and that Mr. Azik would arrive quickly.

At this moment, Reinette Tinekerr's figure appeared before him.

Miss Messenger had three heads growing on her head while she held one in her hand. Compared to before, she appeared more lively.

She reached out with her left palm and grabbed Klein's shoulder, and she directly brought him into the spirit world as they quickly traveled through it.

Amidst brightly stacked colors, Klein felt somewhat dizzy before he returned to reality and realized that he was on a reef.

Reinette Tinekerr's four heads swept the area and said, "Already…" "Safe…" "Remember…" "To pay…" "Next time…"

With that said, she vanished as though she had something more important to do.

You could do that… I should've just gotten Miss Messenger to bring me away using such a method… However, her present state doesn't seem to be that great either. This must be a state and method she seldom uses… As Klein reflected over the matter, he placed the Priest of Light Beyonder characteristic into his pocket, and he kept Groselle's Travels outside.

Just as he was about to size up his surroundings to figure out where he was, another arm reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

Klein jumped in fright as he hurriedly turned his head, only to discover that Mr. Azik had arrived.

Azik grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into the spirit world once again. They rapidly moved through the brightly stacked colors.

… Actually, I'm already safe… The corners of Klein's mouth twitched, but he didn't say those words.