After bringing the unremarkable, light-colored wooden cane back to the real world from the Gray Fog, Klein immediately began the ritual.
He lit the candles, burned the corresponding essential oils and herbal powders, stepped back two paces, and skillfully murmured the goddess's name, concluding with:
"I offer this staff, brimming with life force, to you, hoping to receive your favor."
He didn't directly mention the Demonic Wolf of Fog's fibrous heart and the Frost Crystal, thus making it equivalent to an exchange of equal value rather than offering items in exchange for a gift.
While other aspects of the ceremony don't need to be too detailed, Klein believes that this fundamental issue of attitude still needs attention.
As Klein finished speaking, two of the three candle flames suddenly expanded and intertwined, forming a mysterious, illusory door.
The gate slowly opened, bringing with it a strong, invisible wind.
They rolled up the " Staff of Life," letting it slip through the crack of the illusory gate and disappear into a scene resembling an endless Starry Sky.
Immediately afterwards, a flash of light appeared, and the two objects pierced through the barrier, landing on the altar without making a sound.
They are two things: one is a strange heart formed by wisps of white mist, and the other is frost crystals that exude a chilling aura.
Klein was overjoyed and quickly bowed his head to thank the goddess for her gift.
When he raised his head again, the dark and mysterious door had already closed and was fading away rapidly, and the altar area had completely returned to normal.
Phew, it really worked... Klein breathed a sigh of relief, took two steps forward, and put away the Demonic Wolf of Fog's fibrous heart and the white frost crystal.
At this moment, as he relaxed, some thoughts that he absolutely could not utter aloud flashed through his mind:
"If I had known it would go this smoothly, I wouldn't necessarily have needed to use the ' Staff of Life '..."
"With all that junk I have, maybe it'll be enough..."
"Perhaps even if I offer nothing, the goddess will still grant it; the current situation suggests that She herself supports me becoming an ' Scholar of Yore '..."
"Of course, this would be too much of a gift, and we don't know what price we'll have to pay in the future. It would be more reassuring to exchange it for the ' Staff of Life '..."
"Hmm, it seems that the goddess will still favor me until I reach the Sequence 2 and obtain the Angel rank. After that, it's hard to predict what will happen..."
With that thought in mind, Klein collected his thoughts, ended the ceremony, and tidied up the altar.
Then, he began to plan how to deal with the " Hound of Fulgrim," the so-called " Sefirah Castle Keeper."
Magician doesn't perform without preparation.
Bridge South Borough, Rose Street.
Leonard changed into a black and white checkered police uniform, wore Red Gloves, and led his team members and real police officers to the only church of the Church of the Earth Mother in Backlund.
The epaulettes he wore corresponded to those of a senior inspector, but in reality, given his Sequence and status as the leader of the " Red Gloves " squad, he should have been equivalent to a superintendent, or even a chief superintendent. However, officers at that level would not typically be assigned to such missions, and wearing the appropriate epaulettes to the Harvest Church would easily arouse suspicion among the public.
As Leonard passed through the gate, he glanced around and found the place empty except for two figures: one was Bishop Feysac, sitting in the front row, praying intently, as tall as a small mountain; the other was a handsome man in priest's robes, with black hair and red eyes, cleaning the ground.
Emlyn White... Leonard nodded to himself and walked down the corridor to Bishop Utravsky's side.
He then coughed lightly twice, causing the Half-Giant bishop to open his eyes and look over.
"I am a senior inspector from the Backlund Police Department," Leonard said, showing his badge. "I need you to come back and assist with an investigation."
Father Utravsky slowly stood up, looking down at him but asking in a calm tone:
"What is it?"
"Residents nearby have reported that you're behaving suspiciously; you might be a spy for Feysac or Feynapotter," Leonard said, uttering a pre-prepared excuse.
At the same time, he was prepared to forcibly pull Bishop Utravsky into the Dream Divination, and if the other party resisted, he would try to control this Blessed in a very short time.
With the " Red Gloves " squad's configuration, as long as they don't directly encounter a true Demigod, they are quite confident of defeating even Blessed wielding a sacred relic.
Furthermore, Leonard applied for a Level 1 Sealed Artifact before setting off, which is why he delayed his actions until today.
Father Utravsky was silent for two seconds, then turned his head to look at Emlyn White, who was standing beside the candlestick.
Emlyn's slightly complicated expression froze for a moment. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Father Utravsky withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly, saying:
"Good."
... So cooperative? I thought I was going to have an extremely fierce battle, and I would have to be very careful to avoid casualties... Leonard paused for a moment, then smiled and said:
Thank you for your cooperation.
If a battle were to actually occur that harms the Blessed of Earth Mother, Leonard suspected that the already tense situation would change drastically.
Through the ancient history he learned in " The Groselle's Travels," the various Concealment he discovered at the Tarot Club, and the corresponding explanations from the Old Man Pallez, he understood that the current relationship between the Church of the Earth Mother and the Church of Evernight was like dried wood, ready to ignite with just a spark. He knew that history books would record today's events in this way:
The spark that ignited the shift from local to full-scale war!
Leonard Mitchell ignited the religious powder keg!
Phew... Seeing that Father Utravsky did not resist and accepted "confinement protection," Emlyn White secretly breathed a sigh of relief, very satisfied with his performance at the Tarot Club.
At this moment, Cindy, a member of the Red Gloves team, glanced at Emlyn, who lacked masculinity and possessed a soft Moonlight quality, and lowered her voice to say:
"Team leader, uh, boss, there's also a priest. Should we take him with us? Hmm, and while we're at it, close the Harvest Church for a while, just in case anything goes wrong."
"..." Emlyn.
"..." Leonard.
After several seconds of deliberation, Leonard finally spoke:
"If the espionage case involves Feynapotter, he is also a strong suspect. Please ask him to come back with us to assist in the investigation."
Emlyn stood there, unsure how to react.
Inside a two-bedroom rental apartment in the East Borough.
Fors rubbed her dark circles, drank the last sip of bitter coffee, and suddenly stood up to change her clothes.
"Done writing?" Hugh, who was having breakfast, asked, startled.
It's only been a day and a half!
Fors shook his head, took a deep breath, and said:
"No.
"However, I've already written the first part, and I can give it to the newspaper editor to take a look. If it's going to be a serialized story, there's no need to finish writing it all now."
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"That's indeed a good method; it can effectively reduce your stress."
Fors's expression Distortion slightly, and he closed his eyes, saying:
"I hope so..."
In another rented room a few streets away, after a period of busy work and making contingency plans and preparations, Klein put on " Creeping Hunger," his body quickly becoming transparent as he entered the Spirit World.
Looking up at the seven beams of pure light of different colors covering the sky, Klein released the arms of the two Marionette, took out a box, and removed the " Wall of Spirituality " on its surface, allowing the aura of the Demonic Wolf of Fog's heart to emanate from within.
Then, he pulled the Marionette Enuni, Enuni in Marionette pulled the Marionette Qonas, and the three of them became one, rapidly Teleportation into the depths of the Spirit World.
Along the way, all sorts of bizarre and strange Spirit World creatures passed by them, like an oil painting depicting Hell.
After an unknown amount of time, Klein's sense of danger suddenly kicked in, and a scene flashed through his mind:
Amidst the rich interplay of red, black, white, and blue colors, a slender figure abruptly emerged.
It resembles a hunting dog, covered in short, jet-black fur, with two burning, dark red flames in its eye sockets, and its mouth extending all the way to the back of its head. Although it exists as a physical entity, it gives people a sense of unrealism and unreality.
Hound of Fulgrim!
Klein immediately turned around and faced that direction.
He released the two Marionette at the same time, letting them wander off to different places.
A moment later, the Hound of Fulgrim appeared.
This Monster, which wasn't too deformed but was absolutely terrifying, turned its two dark red flames and looked at Klein.
Then, its form became increasingly ethereal, vanishing in an instant, seemingly merely a projection from history.
"... It just ran away like that?" Klein muttered to himself in astonishment, while becoming even more vigilant in anticipation of a possible surprise attack.
A dozen seconds later, two figures simultaneously appeared in the same spot, both covered in black fur, with fire burning in their eye sockets and mouths that stretched to the back of their heads— these Hound of Fulgrim.
However, only a dark red flame remained in the eye sockets of these two Monster, while the remaining flame was in their claws.
Before Klein could react, the two Hound of Fulgrim lay down in the void of the Spirit World and wagged their tails.
It wagged its tail.
"..." Klein's mouth was half open, wondering if he was dreaming.
P. S.: This is a slightly shorter version than the previous one, but it will be normal tomorrow.