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Seeing that the "Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem" on the ground hadn't changed much, and the feeling of warmth and purity still assimilated its surroundings, Klein breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously looked at the sarcophagus in the deepest part of the basement.
Based on Leonard's previous conjectures and the Captain's analysis, Klein believed that the reason for the appearance of the ancient castle's Wraith was precisely because the sarcophagus had been opened, but he didn't understand why only the head had been taken.
His gaze flickered, but feeling his body on the verge of exhaustion, Klein still gave up the idea of divining now and closed his eyes to meditate and restore his spirituality.
Not long after, hearing footsteps, he suddenly opened his eyes, subconsciously touched the "Flaring Sun Charm," and then looked at Leonard, who was standing on the basement steps observing him, and said, "Where's the Captain? Is it your turn to guard Sealed Artifact '3-0782'?"
Leonard's expression at this moment was rather intriguing. After surveying his surroundings, he nodded slightly and responded with a smile, "We've already cleaned this ancient castle once. It's too late, the Captain said we'll stay here overnight."
"However, you don't seem to be in too good a state?"
Feeling a little guilty under Leonard's gaze, knowing that the other party also harbored secrets, Klein merely rubbed his temples and stood up with a smile, saying, "Perhaps I'm nearing my limit. After all, I'm just a Sequence 9. I'll go up and find the Captain first then."
Before he finished speaking, Klein took off the "Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem" and frankly handed it to Leonard.
After watching him leave the basement, Leonard reined in his flippant demeanor and began to scrutinize Sealed Artifact "3-0782" with focus and seriousness, even infusing his spirituality into it. However, his expression gradually became bewildered, revealing obvious confusion, and he finally couldn't help but whisper, "Old man?"
Receiving no response, Leonard had to suppress the matter for now. He walked over to the opened sarcophagus and stared at the headless white bones inside. A hoarse voice suddenly echoed in his ears, "Stay away from this sarcophagus. Do not have any more contact with it, and do not continue to investigate."
Startled by Pallez's serious tone, Leonard, who was merely curious as to why the Wraith's main body had its head removed, immediately moved away from the sarcophagus and quietly asked in his mind, "Why? This skeleton no longer possesses Beyonder characteristics. Could it be that the person who took the skull is still watching here?"
Pallez snorted and replied testily, "I don't want the power I've painstakingly accumulated to be used to save you in the end. You just need to know that what's inside isn't something you can meddle with. For some things, if your strength isn't enough, the more you know, the faster you'll die."
Rendered speechless by the old man, Leonard remained silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Old man, do you know why that person only took the head?"
This time, Pallez didn't pretend to be dead. He chuckled and said, "The Death Pathway, starting from Sequence 5 Gatekeeper, can sense the entrance to the Underworld, command the undead within, and form a unique small 'Underworld' with the body as a prison."
"The Underworld within the body also has a pair of double doors as a symbol, and the core of the Underworld is in the center of the forehead, representing the position of Death."
Leonard was stunned for a moment before realizing that the "Death" Pathway the old man was referring to was the one controlled by the Church, starting with Corpse Collector.
The so-called core of the Underworld being in the center of the forehead, the Death Pathway... Pondering these words, Leonard roughly guessed why only the skull had been taken.
At the same time, he also noticed other meanings in the old man's words, starting from Sequence 5 and not just Sequence 5. He now understood the meaning of the old man's previous statement that the Wraith itself had been severely injured, which was why it was easily eliminated by the Sealed Artifact.
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East Tucker County Capital, Osel, St. Francis Cathedral, Church of the Evernight Goddess East Tucker County Diocese Headquarters.
Looking at the majestic cathedral that seemed to be woven from the night sky and built with black stones, Aaron nodded slightly towards Archbishop Matthew Adams, who stood at the cathedral entrance, dressed in the Church of the Evernight Goddess's missionary robes, with white hair meticulously groomed, and a kind and serene face.
He had already received a response from the Sanguine via Louise. The current core figure of the Sanguine, Duchess Liliana "Purple Moon," seemed to have anticipated Kamia's anomaly and wasn't overly worried, but she did ask Aaron for some assistance.
Aaron walked into a prayer room deep within the cathedral, faced the Dark Sacred Emblem, closed his eyes, and allowed his spirituality to flow into the Evernight Mark on his wrist. In the tranquil and quiet atmosphere, he focused on silently reciting the Goddess's honorific name in ancient Hermes: "Evernight Goddess, higher than the Cosmos, older than eternity, You are the Lady of Crimson, Mother Concealment, Empress of Misfortune and Terror, Mistress of Repose and Silence…"
After finishing the honorific name, he switched to normal Loenese and respectfully said, "One of my subordinates has arrived at the Forsaken Land of the Gods and found the Sanguine Holy City, 'Kamia.' In the negotiations to ally with the Sanguine, they hope to retrieve the fragment of the Godhood located within 'Kamia.'
"The commotion from entering the Forsaken Land of the Gods earlier should have already alerted the True Creator, and I believe that 'Blasphemer' Amon is also in the Forsaken Land of the Gods now."
"Therefore, I hope that during the operation, I can receive the blessing of Your divine power remaining in the Forsaken Land of the Gods to conceal the fluctuations of retrieving the Godhood fragment, allowing my subordinate time to escape."
Regardless of whether retrieving the Godhood fragment was Lilith's intention or the Sanguine's own consideration, the Evernight Goddess was unlikely to refuse, as it was only providing temporary stealth assistance.
If it weren't for the extremely high level involved, which even Angels couldn't conceal, Aaron would have directly bestowed the "Arianna's Evernight Emblem" upon Cavendish long ago.
After repeating it a few times, Aaron began to pray earnestly. Time passed second by second, and the cathedral grew increasingly dark and quiet.
During the prayer, Aaron, with his eyes closed, gradually settled into a state of peace and tranquility, as if entering a semi-dreamlike state.
After an unknown period, an endless Darkness seemed to appear "before his eyes," with clusters of Night Scented Grass and Deep Slumber Flowers at his feet.
It was so quiet here that even breathing seemed to disturb the sleeping ones around.
Aaron was certain this was a dream, but a dream sometimes didn't necessarily mean it was false.
A fleeting, hazy sensation enveloped him, and a clear, cold voice echoed in his ears: "Send the Antigonus family notebook from Tingen to Backlund for preservation…"
Before Aaron could respond, everything before his eyes blurred. The Night Scented Grass and Deep Slumber Flowers at his feet flew up one after another, scattering across the Darkness.
Aaron immediately opened his eyes and saw the dim prayer room again, as well as the pure light shining through the holes in the wall, like stars embedded in a velvet-like night sky.
Unlike before, a gem, sparkling like myriad stars, now rested in his palm.
Without needing to divine, Aaron knew that this gem was likely the key to obtaining secret protection in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Watching the gem in his hand disappear into the Evernight Mark, Aaron frowned slightly. The difficulty of escorting the Antigonus family notebook back to Backlund was clearly not commensurate with the price of the Evernight Goddess providing secret protection in the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Perhaps Lilith had already paid the price, or perhaps the Evernight Goddess herself could obtain remuneration from this matter...
As Aaron pondered, the door to the prayer room was pushed open. Archbishop Matthew Adams drew a crimson moon on his chest and handed over a telegram.
Aaron, whose thoughts were interrupted, returned a crimson moon, took the telegram, and unfolded it. It was a telegram forwarded from the Holy Cathedral, containing only one sentence: "Tingen City Nighthawks team member Klein Moretti has submitted a special application, requesting advancement to Sequence 8 Clown…"
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Tingen City, Zouteland Street Shooting Club.
Klein pushed open the door and entered the reception hall. He did not go directly to the shooting range belonging to the Nighthawks, but instead found a seat in the hall and waited patiently, hands clasped around his black cane.
Without the protection of the gray fog, directly facing the negative effects of the "Flaring Sun Charm" made from divine blood was somewhat beyond Klein's expectation. Fortunately, the Seer potion had already been fully digested, and he only experienced intermittent symptoms of praising the Sun.
Two days had passed since the ancient castle Wraith was dealt with. He had submitted a special application yesterday morning. Considering that the Captain had said that the Holy Cathedral would send someone to investigate soon, Klein temporarily put aside his plan to contact Mr. Azik.
All suspicious houses in Red Chimney, obtained from Henry Private Detective Agency, had been investigated, and as expected, there were no findings. Klein was only here today to meet Daxter, his Psychology Alchemists informant.
After waiting for a while, nearing 2 o'clock, Klein saw the rather refined Daxter walk into the "Shooting Club" lobby.
When Klein met the gentleman's gaze, he noticed the anxiety hidden on his face, especially for a Spectator, which indicated that something had happened.
Silently watching Daxter enter the corresponding shooting range under the guidance of a waiter, Klein waited a few more minutes. After confirming that no one was following Daxter, he slowly stood up and quietly came to the shooting range Daxter had just entered, knocking on the door.
With a creak, the door opened a crack. Daxter first cautiously peeked out and looked left and right, then moved aside.
Klein immediately slipped inside and locked the door from within.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Daxter."
He said, taking out a 10-Soli note and handing it to the other party, "We don't make our peripheral members bear the meeting fees."
Because I can get reimbursed... he silently added.
Daxter observed Klein's subtle expressions and body language, then replied in a deep voice, "I feel that Hood Eugen has been a bit abnormal lately."
That Psychology Alchemists member suspected of being a Sequence 7 Psychiatrist? Klein raised an eyebrow, then professionally pressed, "What abnormal behavior has he shown?"
Daxter secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had found support, and said thoughtfully, "He, he seems, seems to have really gone mad…"
"Really gone mad?" Klein asked in astonishment.
Listening to Daxter's account, he pondered for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Before he became abnormal, who did he come into contact with?"
Having not obtained any useful clues, Klein nodded slightly, appearing as if it were a minor matter: "Don't be nervous. The Nighthawks will send someone to secretly protect you, but you must quickly find out who Hood Eugen came into contact with before, and also, you must be careful that he might be testing you."
"Okay." Daxter pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, regaining the calmness characteristic of a Spectator, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Klein, saying, "The method you mentioned last time was very effective. I haven't experienced auditory hallucinations recently. These are the potion formulas you wanted before: one for Spectator, and the other for Telepathist."
"The Spectator formula has been personally tested by me, but for the Telepathist potion formula, I'm not sure if it's correct. I hope you Nighthawks can keep your promise."
"Of course, you've done an excellent job." Klein praised him, folded the paper, and put it into the inner pocket of his tailcoat.
Promotions within the Church all required accumulating merit. Although Klein knew several potion formulas, none of them could be reasonably explained as to their origin.
"Counting these two formulas, once I pass the assessment later, I should be able to obtain the Clown potion directly without needing to accumulate more merit."
Feeling much happier, Klein bid farewell and left, taking a carriage back to Blackthorn Security Company. Hood Eugen was very likely a Sequence 7 Beyonder. If he was indeed confirmed to be out of control, the Captain would have to step in to eliminate him.
As Klein was returning by carriage, in the basement of Blackthorn Security Company, in front of Chanis Gate, Aaron smiled at the slightly balding Dunn and said, "You seem very surprised?"
Dunn inhaled the cool air from underground, adjusted his shirt collar, and responded in a low voice, "Yes, Mr. Kin, I thought it would be at least one to two weeks before the Holy Cathedral sent someone."
Aaron nodded noncommittally, looking at the Chanis Gate before him and adding, "Observing Klein is just a detour. This time, I will also take the Antigonus family notebook from behind Chanis Gate. It will be sent to St. Samuel Cathedral in Backlund to be sealed and suppressed by Archbishop Anthony."
Dunn, who had received the Holy Cathedral's telegram at noon, nodded silently and stepped forward to open the iron-black double doors inscribed with seven sacred emblems.
The Antigonus family notebook was sealed in the deepest part. Taking it out required activating the core of the seal, which would only exacerbate the erosion suffered by the elderly internal Gatekeepers.
Therefore, after receiving the telegram at noon, Dunn had them leave first, and he took their place guarding Chanis Gate.
Profound Darkness immediately surged, and Aaron felt as if invisible things were scraping against his skin in the Darkness, trying to cross the boundary between reality and illusion and merge into his Spirit Body, but they were quickly swallowed by the Evernight Mark.
This is what the internal Gatekeepers have to endure, the erosion brought by the core of the seal...
This thought flashed through his mind. Aaron looked at the black threads filling the entire space behind Chanis Gate, his expression indifferent as he stepped forward into the sealed area.
Chanis Gate automatically closed, and the outside sounds seemed to be completely isolated. Inside, it was as quiet as a realm of the dead. Dunn picked up the lantern from the corner and skillfully lit it.
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