In the dead of night, the banging of doors and windows startled Wendel awake. He cautiously got out of bed and looked around.
What exactly happened? Has Utopia been hit by a major Storm? Wendel, who hadn't slept well for days, finally drifted into a deep sleep, only to be forced to get up. His thoughts were still somewhat frozen, and he seemed quite bewildered.
He immediately realized that no strong wind was blowing in through the wide-open window, nor was any rain. It was as if he had opened it in his sleep to get some fresh air.
Wendel suddenly recalled the extraordinary events he had experienced and learned about through the files, and the fear of the unknown that had once dominated his mind.
He had no idea what would happen next, nor could he guess what he would encounter. A chill ran down his spine, and a shiver ran through him.
Just then, he heard a commotion outside the door, and all sorts of sounds entered his ears.
There were the sounds of running footsteps, the sounds of Judgement on certain actions, the sounds of reforming the current order, and the sounds of undisguised shouts:
An anomaly has appeared in the underground seal!
"Raise the alert level!"
"A part sealed underground?" What is sealed underground at the " Iris " Inn? Wendel was both surprised and confused, and couldn't help but walk to the door and look around.
He then saw his Military Intelligence Section 9 colleagues, whom he barely knew but vaguely recognized, and Xio Derecha, who was on duty that night.
Military Intelligence Section 9 found Utopia through me? We need to deal with the anomalies here? The Wendel's mind, and he instinctively frowned.
He noticed that the layout of the corridor outside was completely different from that of the " Iris " Hotel: there were not only gas wall lamps on both sides, but also antique lampstands; the floor was kept very shiny; the ceiling was over three meters high...
This... this isn't the " Iris " Hotel... Wendel suddenly turned around and looked at the room again.
He quickly recognized that this was his bedroom at Military Intelligence Section 9 headquarters; his suitcase sat quietly in the corner, showing no signs of being moved.
Wendel remembered clearly that he went to Utopia through the bathroom in his room. He wasn't very sure of himself beforehand, so he didn't bring any luggage, only the document from the Utopia Magistrates' Court.
He quickly ran to the window and looked outside.
What came into view was the garden and lawn that belonged to the headquarters of Military Intelligence Section 9.
Am I back in Backlund? Or did I never return to Utopia at all, and just fall asleep from exhaustion and have a dream? Wendel walked back to the bedside in a daze and sat down.
After a dozen seconds, he suddenly jumped up and picked up his coat from the ground.
Then he saw the Utopia court document lying quietly in the inside pocket of his coat; it should have been in the drawer.
Wendel fell silent, as if he had turned into a statue.
Travel Author Monica was also awakened by the sound of windows and doors slamming against the wall.
She sat up abruptly, pulled the blanket up, and covered her chest.
Still half asleep, her first thought was that a robber had broken into the hotel, so she prepared to scream and call the police.
But in the next ten or twenty seconds, Monica didn't hear any footsteps entering her room; instead, it seemed that more and more people were gathering in the hallway.
"What happened?"
"It doesn't look like Storm..."
Is someone playing a prank?
"That damn Clown! If I find out who it is, I'll kick his ass!"
The discussions were lively, interspersed with all sorts of curses.
Monica didn't think much of it at first, but following the conversations of the crowd outside, she began to seriously consider the cause of this strange event, intending to write it into her travelogue.
But as she listened, she gradually realized something was wrong:
The " Iris " Hotel in Utopia doesn't have that many guests!
She remembered very clearly that there were a maximum of five rooms occupied on her floor, including hers.
In that instant, Monica thought of all the ghost stories she had read and heard, and suddenly felt as if there were Wraith Specter outside her door.
She had stretched her feet out to the edge of the bed, preparing to go out, participate in the discussion, and gather more details to accumulate material for her future writing. At that moment, she abruptly pulled her feet back, curled up into a ball, and trembled.
Several seconds later, she heard a man say:
"I asked the hotel owner, and he said he didn't know what had happened either; perhaps there had been a brief Storm."
"Go back to your rooms and rest. Lock the doors and windows. yawn I have to get up early tomorrow to go to the Kingdom Museum."
The Kingdom Museum... Monica froze.
As a travel Author and Travel who had spent a long time in Utopia, she certainly knew that there was no Kingdom Museum here.
In the Kingdom of Loen, a museum bearing such a title must be located in Backlund.
The journey from Utopia to Backlund by Steam train takes many hours, and even if you get up early, you won't make it in time to reach the Kingdom Museum before it closes.
Monica, puzzled, slowly lifted the blanket and heard the sounds of doors and windows closing one after another.
She carefully got out of bed and walked towards the door.
During this process, she gradually made out the room illuminated by the Moonlight.
Monica almost screamed.
This isn't the guest room she slept in at all!
Both the layout and the arrangement are completely different!
The ghost stories she had just recalled flooded her mind again, making her legs go weak and almost causing her to lose her balance.
Just as Monica's teeth were chattering, making a "clattering" sound, she noticed a hotel business card on the table. It was for guests to carry so they wouldn't get lost when they went out. Even if they couldn't read, they could use it to ask for directions.
Monica instinctively moved closer and, using the Moonlight, clearly made out the words on the business card:
The Calpenza Hotel, 19 Morning Street, Backlund West Borough.
Backlund West Borough... Backlund... Monica's eyes widened suddenly, feeling a sense of temporal disorientation.
Inside a house with a fireplace in Backlund, Hillston Borough.
Fors heard the doors and windows slam open, but she didn't wake up immediately because she was trapped in a bizarre nightmare from which she couldn't escape.
She dreamt that her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham, was affected by the family's Sealed Artifact and died a bloody death before her eyes; she dreamt that she herself mutated out of control, transforming into countless curved, door-shaped starlight insects, involuntarily flying towards a Door of Flesh and Blood; she dreamt that the Apocalypse world arrived, a surging tide of blood engulfing the entire world, and that Hugh, Gehrman Sparrow, and others were not spared...
Finally, Fors broke free from the dream, sat up, and gasped for breath.
As a Demigod, and once Demigod " Astrologer," she knew what such a dream must mean, so she quickly composed herself and looked up ahead.
The glass in the bay window in the bedroom had been completely broken open at some point.
Something must have happened... and it has some connection to the Apocalypse, the Abraham Family, and the " Apprentice " path... Fors muttered to himself silently, then immediately got up, put on his cloak, and prepared to " Teleportation " to his teacher to check on his safety.
This change made her feel a greater sense of urgency regarding promotion to Sequence 3, and even Sequence 2.
After learning about the Apocalypse from Mr. The Fool and Gehrman Sparrow, Fors had been working hard, but the " Secrets Sorcerer " Potion couldn't be digested in a short time, and she was too embarrassed to ask her teacher for the " Wanderer's" recipe and materials without making any contribution.
Of course, she could have obtained it from Mr. "Door" if she wanted, but having been warned beforehand, how could she possibly be swayed?
With a flash, Fors disappeared from the room.
A few seconds later, she appeared at Dorian Gray Abraham's house and saw the teacher sitting there, clutching his heart, looking terrified.
"... Do you need any medicine?" Fors asked cautiously.
She had purchased some medicines from Mr. " The Moon " to treat age-related illnesses.
Dorian took a deep breath and shook his head, saying:
"Need not."
Fors immediately relaxed a little:
"Teacher, I dreamt that you encountered the negative effects of the Sealed Artifact. Um, the doors and windows around me also underwent unnecessary changes, so I came to take a look."
Dorian looked up at the open window and said with a solemn expression:
"Your dream is true. I almost died just now, but at the most crucial moment, the seal took effect again..."
At this point, he suddenly stood up and said to Fors:
"Quick! Take me somewhere else, I'm worried about the other family members!"
Without hesitation, Fors grabbed the teacher's arm and asked for the exact location.
Their figures quickly faded and became transparent, disappearing from sight.
After Spirit World Traversal, where layers of color overlapped and a light mist lingered, for several seconds, Fors and Dorian suddenly left their current environment and landed in what appeared to be a study.
Several people were standing here; they were all members of the Abraham Family who possessed different Sealed Artifact and could " Travel."
" Wallace? What are you doing here?" Dorian blurted out.
Wallace and the others shook their heads simultaneously, looking both bewildered and terrified.
The next second, countless dazzling starlight emerged from the void.
These starlight points quickly coalesced, transforming into various objects that fell to the ground.
Inside, there are miniature starlight gates, crystal balls formed by worms, translucent, oddly shaped keys, and quietly burning, brilliant Kindling...
For some reason, a series of terms spontaneously popped into the minds of Dorian, Wallace, and the others:
Sequence 3 " Wanderer " Beyonder Characteristic... Sequence 4 " Secrets Sorcerer " Beyonder Characteristic... Sequence 1 " Key of Stars " Beyonder Characteristic, Sequence 2 " Planeswalker " Beyonder Characteristic...
Moreover, these are not single copies; even the Sequence 1 " Key of Stars " Beyonder Characteristic comes in two copies! In addition, the " Planeswalker " has three copies, and the rest have even more.
Several key members of the Abraham Family and Fors opened their mouths slightly, unable to close them for a long time.
Once these Beyonder Characteristic had all fallen off, nothing else happened, and the area became completely quiet.