Suspicious Seeds

Sharon stared at the two names on the newspaper for a few seconds. Seeing that they didn't ring any bells, she tugged on Klein, who seemed lost in thought, and handed the newspaper to him.

Klein had already snapped out of his daze. He glanced at the task written on the newspaper and, relying on his "Clown" abilities, managed to hide any outward signs of shock.

"Stop Ince Zangwill's plot... save Captain Dunn... Could this 'dream' have originated from me?"

This thought flashed through his mind as he lowered his gaze to the newspaper's dateline. The bold text read:

"August 29th, 1349."

This date was deeply ingrained in Klein's memory—it was the day Old Neil succumbed to madness and died!

I wonder what time it is now... Is there still a chance to save Old Neil? Just as Klein was pondering this, the doors of the Blackthorn Security Company swung open from within, and out stepped an elderly man with white hair, clad in a classic black robe.

That figure was so familiar that Klein had to turn his head away after just one glance, afraid that even his "Clown" abilities couldn't conceal his emotional turmoil.

Because that elderly man was none other than Old Neil, Klein's mentor in mysticism and "reimbursement studies."

"Did you discover something?" Sharon, noticing Klein's change in mood, asked concisely.

"Nothing... just that I know who Ince Zangwill and Dunn Smith are." Klein forced himself to calm down. He had initially been puzzled as to why Old Neil, who should have been on leave that day, was at the company. However, he quickly realized that although this "dream" likely "replicated" Tingen City, the "Wraith" Linster must have entered long ago, significantly altering certain details.

For now, Klein had no intention of directly approaching the people inside the company. After all, the enemy's identity and intentions were unclear. It was possible that Linster had already possessed one of the Nighthawks. Walking into his line of sight could very well be walking into a trap.

With this in mind, Klein led Sharon to a secluded spot by the roadside. After organizing his thoughts, he quietly explained the events that had occurred in Tingen to her.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the street, Old Neil glanced at a man and a woman whispering under a tree. He paid them no mind and headed straight for the public carriage station.

Sharon listened in silence. Once Klein finished recounting, she calmly said,

"There's no way this includes a real 'Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.'

"And the scene of the True Creator's offspring being born? That's equally impossible to recreate."

Klein immediately understood her point. He thought to himself: She's right. Judging from the scenarios in the earlier levels, these trial scenes for mid- to low-sequence Beyonders rarely touch upon higher-level matters. Even if such things appear, they're usually facades or "props."

The True Creator's offspring, then, is likely replaced with some vague "evil god's offspring." While still potentially of demigod-level strength, it wouldn't be the real thing.

Similarly, the so-called "0-08" is probably just a "tool" created by the Dream Labyrinth Tower to manipulate this dream. Its influence likely doesn't extend beyond the dream. Anyone not fully integrated into the dream's framework—like Sharon and myself—would be largely immune to its effects.

However, this also means that seeking help from the Church might be pointless, as the Church figures in this scenario are likely just background "props" as well...

Having pieced this together, Klein deliberated for a moment before cautiously saying,

"The worst-case scenario is that Linster has possessed either Ince Zangwill or... Dunn Smith.

"If it's the former, his plot might change—it might no longer involve stealing Saint Selina's ashes.

"If it's the latter, things would be far worse. While protecting Dunn, we'd also have to guard against him. Worse yet, if he decides to go down with the ship, he could deliberately get himself killed, causing us to fail the mission and remain trapped in this scene until our real bodies perish."

Sharon shook her head slightly. "Unlikely... this tower is fair."

Klein thought for a moment, nodding in agreement with Sharon. After all, in the scenario he had described, they'd be completely cornered with no agency of their own, entirely at the mercy of the enemy's whims. That wouldn't align with the Dream Labyrinth Tower's consistent presentation as a "trial."

"If Linster hasn't immediately attacked Dunn since we arrived, there must be a reason," Sharon continued, her doll-like voice breaking the silence. "From what I know of Linster, if he had the chance to possess someone, he would undoubtedly choose the strongest figure in the scenario."

It was rare to hear Sharon speak at such length. Surprised, Klein quickly pondered the implications of her statement.

"You're saying that Linster didn't immediately attack Dunn because he couldn't?

"Couldn't... because the strongest entity in this scenario is... the evil god's offspring? And since it hasn't been born yet, he's stuck?"

Realizing the implication, Klein's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "That's it, isn't it?"

Sharon nodded faintly to confirm her guess. Then, in her calm, ethereal tone, she added,

"There's interference. I can't confirm it."

Sharon and I both have little intuition or spiritual reaction to this matter... It must be interference from the Dream Labyrinth Tower. Fine, I'll go to the bathroom later and use the gray fog to divine the truth.

"For now, let's explore the area and see how this scenario differs from the real events in Tingen," Klein suggested after some thought.

And maybe I'll stop by Old Neil's house. If he's nearing his breaking point again, I hope I can save him here, even if only in this dream...

Sharon's sapphire-like eyes rested on him for a moment before she nodded lightly. "Alright."

....

Bayam, underground gathering venue of the Amyris Leaf Bar.

As the transactions progressed, various materials, items, and even information were bought and sold. Unlike other Beyonder gatherings where deals often fell through, this one saw most demands met, with only a few transactions failing to go through.

This was partially due to "Sea Serpent" Welf arranging for "plants" to facilitate trades, but the presence of a "notary" and "appraiser" was also invaluable.

Just as the atmosphere became increasingly lively, the man whom Ebner had been keeping an eye on suddenly stood up.

"Sir, are you looking to sell something or buy something?" Welf asked with a polite smile as the host.

The man grinned darkly and, in a sinister tone, said, "What I need... is your life!"

With those words, he extended his right hand, fingers clenched together in a strikingly dramatic pose, drawing everyone's gaze to his palm.

Unbeknownst to them, he was secretly activating his ability, attempting to germinate the seeds he had scattered earlier and command extraordinary plants to kill Weave while using the chaos to escape.

However, to his shock, several seconds passed, and none of the seeds sprouted. The surrounding people began to regard him with peculiar expressions as if they were watching a fool.

The man immediately realized that his plan had failed. His opponent must have been prepared and might have even set a trap for him.

A decisive individual, the man wasted no time throwing another seed. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive flower, as tall as a person, resembling the man-eating plants from a casual game Ebner remembered from his past life. The plant bared its sharp teeth and lunged at the attendees.

This flower was a trump card obtained from a rare encounter, but the man had no hesitation in using it to create chaos, giving himself a chance to flee the underground market.

However, just as he began to move, he suddenly let out an agonizing scream and collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in excruciating pain.

The enormous flower, seemingly losing its source of power, withered rapidly while in mid-attack, shrinking back into a seed and falling to the ground.

At that moment, Helene stepped forward, conjuring a flaming blade that pierced through the man's heart. His agonized screams ceased instantly.

Welf's men promptly dragged the corpse away, while Helene picked up the fallen seed and returned to Ebner's side.

This entire sequence of events unfolded in less than a minute. A seemingly formidable Beyonder had perished, leaving the adventurers, pirates, and gang leaders at the gathering in stunned silence.

Although they couldn't determine the exact strength of the dead man, the flower he summoned was undoubtedly of mid-sequence level! Yet such an extraordinary creature had been dealt with so swiftly...

Moreover, the woman who delivered the killing blow was no less formidable than the legendary "Strongman."

Who exactly was the "Sea Serpent" Welf working under? What level of backing did he have?

Under the gazes of awe, fear, and curiosity from the crowd, Ebner stood up slowly, removed the glasses from his nose, and began explaining the functions of this extraordinary item. As he reached the conclusion, he bent down, picked up a few of the scattered seeds near the "stage," and smiled as he summarized:

"In short, it was with the help of this item that I detected his setup in advance and rendered him powerless to resist.

"This demonstrates just how powerful this item is.

"Now, you can take it home for only four thousand pounds."

The shock of witnessing a powerful Beyonder's death still lingered in everyone's minds, and with Ebner deliberately emphasizing the glasses' role, bidding began as soon as he finished speaking.

"Four thousand one hundred!"

"Four thousand one hundred and fifty!"

"Four thousand two hundred..."

…

In the end, the "Irresistible Fear" was purchased by a woman wearing an iron mask for four thousand four hundred and fifty pounds.

Pleased with the high price fetched by his "creation," Ebner handed over the glasses to the woman and, pointing to the badge on his chest, smiled as he asked:

"Would you be interested in a matching 'Courage' badge? It provides continuous 'fear immunity' for three months."

The woman blinked in surprise before chuckling. "Appraiser, you're quite the businessman... but I'll take it. How much?"

"Thirty pounds. If you still need it after three months, feel free to return here, and I'll provide another." Ebner handed over the badge as he spoke.

The badge had been crafted by attaching a "fear immunity" effect to spiritual materials using his "Ring of Light" and solidifying it through a ritual. The production cost, excluding labor, was less than ten pounds.

After this deal concluded, Ebner returned to his seat and examined the seed Helene had retrieved from the flower.

Moments later, he murmured a surprised "Hmm?" as his brows furrowed.

Once the gathering ended, he immediately instructed Helene to summon "Sea Serpent" Welf and have him investigate the identity of the man she had killed. He also requested that all suspicious items found on the corpse be sent over.

(End of Chapter)