Melvin

Next, it was time to leave Backlund for Tingen. Hopefully, Jack and the others had already found the information he wanted... And this place—after Sergi's disappearance, the Eternal Life Society would surely come to investigate. The cash stored in the basement was no longer safe either... Sigh, he could only deposit it in a bank. He hated banks... Aster sighed, burned all the clothes Sergi had left behind with spiritual flames, and performed Anti-Divination once more.

As Aster dealt with the traces left after the murder, he considered the information he had just obtained:

"First, the Eternal Life Society... Given that its leader is a Spirit Guide, it was most likely a subordinate organization of the Numinous Episcopate. I have to avoid dealing with them whenever possible. Those on the Death Pathway suppress those below them far too strongly. Against a Spirit Guide or Gatekeeper, I might still be able to hold my own with Beyonder items. But if I encountered a Saint, I would probably lose even the thought of fleeing... I don't know who Rajaks's mentor is, but they are most likely a Demigod as well. If I want to negotiate with them, or even come into conflict with them, I need Anti-Divination at the Demigod level. After all, the Undying can travel through the Spirit World..."

"There was clearly something wrong with Sergi's divination of me. He failed to divine how dangerous I was... That isn't normal. I deliberately returned to Backlund with the contracted undead because I wanted them to scare off any divinations or prying eyes along the way... Could someone have performed Anti-Divination on me?" Aster was not particularly concerned about this. There were only a few possibilities: "someone secretly performed Anti-Divination on me," "the player's uniqueness," "Sergi's poor divination skills," or "I have an Anti-Divination item on me." Other than the first possibility, the latter three would not directly harm him. And as for the first possibility...

Aster turned the Mysterious Ring on his finger, completely untroubled by it.

Anyone capable of performing Anti-Divination on him without him noticing had to be a high-Sequence powerhouse. If such a person wanted to scheme against him, Aster had no ability to resist anyway. Since that was the case, why think so much about it? It would only create needless worry.

Aster had always been good at simplifying complicated problems.

After sorting the possibilities into "no need to panic" and "panicking won't help," Aster put the matter aside and continued analyzing the final issue.

Taking off the pendant he had always worn around his neck, Aster held its fine silver chain and carefully examined it.

This was not equipment that had appeared in the game, but an heirloom Aster Crawley's father had left him.

Before his death, the old man had never even mentioned that it was a Beyonder item. Thus, Aster had yet to obtain its complete status panel. Most of its abilities and negative effects were conclusions he had gradually reached through divination and experimentation.

It could serve as a medium for divination, increasing the accuracy of divinations performed with it;

It could temporarily project Aster's spirit-body perception outward, changing his perspective into a third-person view looking down from above, as though he were gazing down upon the living;

It possessed a relatively high level of authority. This was also one reason Aster had dared to use that incantation to summon Alidibus: while wearing this pendant, almost no undead would attack him voluntarily unless Aster provoked them first. This was equally effective against certain Spirit World creatures that looked powerful and difficult to deal with... This level of authority could also enhance necromantic spells.

As for its negative effects, Aster could only vaguely divine part of them. They seemed to be two sides of the same coin as its second ability: every use made his spirit body more active, drawing it closer to the Spirit World while causing it to reject his flesh. The power to look down upon his surroundings from a third-person perspective came from this. If he used it too many times within a short period, his body would completely expel his spirit body. The result would be his body gradually dying, leaving him only able to transform into a Spirit World creature.

Even brief use would leave behind the aftereffects of an overactive mind, making him reckless and impulsive... Aster returned the broom in his hand to the compartment, then threw the dust and rubbish on the ground into the garbage pile at the street corner.

Putting away the large umbrella still dripping with rainwater, Aster looked at the steadily worsening rain outside the window and shook his head in frustration.

In this weather, it would be difficult to hail a rented carriage. Fortunately, there was a bank nearby. He would deposit some money first...

Although time was tight and he would have trouble catching the train, he could not keep staying here... Aster quickly returned to the basement connected to the hidden door and began packing the cash into a suitcase.

He did not know how much importance the Eternal Life Society placed on Sergi, nor did he know when those monitoring his house would change shifts. But since Sergi knew of the Spirit Guide Sequence and understood abilities related to Spirit Guides, Aster could only assume the worst—for example, that Sergi was actually one of Rajaks's direct subordinates, and that if he was missing for too long, people from the Eternal Life Society would come investigate.

At this stage, Aster had no plans to come into direct conflict with the Eternal Life Society. His actions were still focused on the events in Tingen City.

So he followed his heart and fled the Crawley Family home directly with his luggage and funds.

Dismissing most of the undead he had summoned and retaining only a few spirit bodies for protection was also a helpless measure on Aster's part.

Not only because the Eternal Life Society also controlled the Death Pathway—if Rajaks came in person, the undead Aster had contracted would most likely lose their combat ability, even with the buff from [Phoenix's Gaze]—but also because there were Beyonders patrolling around the banks.

The number of official Beyonders was naturally not enough to assign one to every bank, but they could still patrol between several banks. Aster did not want them to run into him depositing money while covered in undead. That was no different from someone entering a bank with grenades hanging from their body, a gun in one hand and a machete in the other.

"Deposit into an anonymous account." Aster had an undead with only its head remaining nestled against his shoulder. Even if someone saw it, they would at most assume Aster was haunted by an evil spirit, rather than immediately identify him as a Beyonder.

The bank clerk completed Aster's paperwork and set a withdrawal password. Watching the long-haired man in a black trench coat walk away briskly, the clerk could not help shivering. "When did Backlund's rain become so cold... When that gentleman walked over, it felt like he was wrapped in a chill... I hope he doesn't fall ill because of it."

"Alidibus only drained three-quarters of my spirituality this time... That was cut awfully close." In the inn, Aster put away the ritual tools, slumped into a chair, and rubbed his temples.

He had just summoned his messenger, Alidibus, and sent Fors Wall a letter. He informed her that he had obtained a messenger in the mysticism field and that they could use this method to contact each other in the future. He also enclosed the summoning ritual procedure and the summoning incantation:

Traveler who proclaims death,

Undead without malice toward humanity,

Messenger belonging solely to Aster Crawley.

Aster had altered the second line of the summoning incantation so others could not figure out his messenger's incantation and use Alidibus against him.

Though he personally felt that would be of little use. Given the oppressive feeling Alidibus gave him... At his current stage, any enemies Aster was capable of making probably could not handle that high-ranking undead, which was most likely an Ancient Phoenix.

Leaning halfway against the table, Aster stretched. "I wonder whether Jack has gathered the information I wanted..."

Glancing at the dark clouds outside the window, Aster decided to take a few turns around the East Borough and knock out a few gangsters to complete a Spirit Medium's daily task.

"Captain, did you find out who hired Jack to follow Old Neil?"

Under the crimson moonlight, Klein looked at Dunn Smith, who had opened his eyes again, and could not help asking.

"Yes. This Mr. Jack is actually an outer member of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, and also a Sequence 8 Beyonder..." Dunn took a puff from his pipe and remarked, "His tracking skills are exceptional. If Leonard had not happened to go purchase supplies with Old Neil, Old Neil alone would most likely not have noticed him."

"So someone from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom hired him to investigate Old Neil?" Klein gripped his cane, already considering whether this counted as an international matter.

The Nighthawks generally turned a blind eye to members of the orthodox churches. Although the God of Knowledge and Wisdom had not obtained legal missionary rights in Loen, among the churches of the Loen Kingdom, only the Church of Storms was hostile toward them. It had nothing to do with the Church of Evernight.

"No." Dunn glanced at Klein, his expression somewhat strange. "The person who hired him to investigate Old Neil called himself Melvin. Jack believed that was an alias, but that was not important."

"The image Jack manifested in his dream felt somewhat familiar to me. I think it does to you as well."

"Melvin has waist-length black hair and a pair of silver eyes."

Klein immediately fell silent. His brows furrowed tightly as he clearly recalled something.

Dunn looked at his thinking teammate without asking any questions and continued, "Besides investigating Old Neil's address, Melvin also hired Jack to find a man named Lanevus."

"Lanevus..." Klein and Dunn walked toward the carriage as they searched their memories. "I have no impression of that name."

"Neither do I." Dunn put away his pipe. "We can set that aside for now... Jack mentioned that the way he contacts Melvin is by going to Swain, the owner of the Evil Dragon Bar. Tomorrow, I'll have Kenley and Old Neil go ask him directly."

"Mm, I hope he means Old Neil no harm." Klein nodded, then lamented inwardly, But why do I feel like he bears me ill will...?