A faint light shone through the narrow stained-glass window high up, making the dimness inside Morse Cathedral more visible.
Klein sat quietly on the first chair on the left side of the aisle, his knees resting on his top hat and his legs on his cane, gazing at the altar ahead.
There were no statues there, only a huge Sacred Emblem of Darkness, its deep black background adorned with dazzling embellishments, surrounding exactly half of the Crimson Moon.
On the wall behind the emblem, holes were opened one after another, allowing sunlight to shine in and condense into pure, miniature bright spots. These spots connected with the almost Evernight surrounding environment, transforming into the sublime Starry Sky.
Whether it's the Evernight Goddess, the Eternal Blazing Sun, or the Lord of Storms, none of the orthodox deities have left behind a concrete image; what is worshipped and venerated are only their symbols... This seems to be another manifestation of "not being able to look directly at the gods"... Klein let his thoughts wander, not in a hurry to create the " Solar Flare Charm " while guarding the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" alone.
He believed that this kind of thing required caution, patience, and waiting. In the first ten minutes or so, Leonard and Kenley might come in at any time to remind him of certain precautions.
In the extremely quiet atmosphere, time flew by. Klein suddenly came back to his senses, took out his silver pocket watch with a vine pattern, snapped it open, and glanced at it.
Twenty minutes had passed... He muttered silently, placed his top silk hat and black cane with silver trim aside, and rose to walk to a relatively secluded corner near the altar.
He was initially facing the side of the altar, but upon seeing the enormous Sacred Emblem of Darkness and the sacred image that seemed like a projection of the night sky, he inexplicably felt guilty and uneasy, so he turned around and faced away from the altar.
Immediately afterwards, Klein removed the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" from the inside of his black tuxedo and bent down to place the dark gold, antique badge on the ground.
After glancing at the abstract " The Sun " symbol, Klein took out a small piece of candle infused with sandalwood and placed it directly beneath the Sealed Artifact "3-0782".
This is the dualistic ritual method he "learned" from the " Eternal Blazing Sun ": using objects closely related to the deity to directly symbolize Him, and using candles to represent himself.
Taking a breath to calm his slightly tense emotions, Klein took out the items needed for the ceremony one by one, including a carving knife, two thin gold pieces, " The Sun " essential oil extracted from a mixture of black- the Sun, Golden-edged The Sun Flower, and white-edged the Sun, kaffir lime powder, and rosemary powder.
Having done all this, Klein skillfully guided the flow of Spirituality with the ritual silver dagger, circling the simple "altar" to create an invisible, sealed wall.
He crouched down, placed the silver dagger, and extended his right hand, lighting the candle that symbolized himself in a Spirituality intimate way.
In the flickering, dim light, Klein picked up the " The Sun " essential oil and dripped a drop into the candle flame.
Suddenly, a hazy mist spread out, carrying a hint of sunlight.
After burning the powdered citron and rosemary, Klein, holding the carving knife and gold leaf, stood up, took a step back, and chanted in Ancient Hermes:
"The blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun."
"You are the undying light, the embodiment of order, the God of Contracts, and the Guardian of commerce."
Undying Light, Incarnation of Order, God of Contracts, Guardian of Commerce —these are all part of the title " Eternal Blazing Sun." Without the prefix "Blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun," the ritual would require a divine response to continue. In that case, Klein suspected that the " Eternal Blazing Sun " would recognize him as the one who dared to look directly at Him without respect. Leonard and Kenley would then only find a pile of black ashes when they entered.
Moreover, the ritual had to be performed in the Ancient Hermes, a sacrificial language directly derived from nature. Only its unprotected yet highly effective nature could allow the incantation to bypass the " Eternal Blazing Sun " and point to the " Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun."
Meanwhile, because he was Stealing the power of the gods, Klein couldn't Divination whether things would go smoothly beforehand. He believed that would force him to confront the gods again, so he could only recite the subsequent incantation with a heavy heart:
I pray to you;
I pray that you will grant me strength;
"Grant me the power to complete the Solar Flare Charm."
"O blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun, please transfer your power to my talisman..."
"Golden Hand Citron, herb of the Sun realm, please transfer your power to my talisman..."
As the incantation neared its end, Klein suddenly felt something light up in front of him.
The dark gold, ancient badge shone with an intense light, like the Sun descending upon the earth.
Klein was suddenly engulfed in extreme heat; his hair rapidly heated up, as if it were about to burst into flames.
His feet seemed to be bare, treading on the yellow sand after the midday sun, while his face and body were repeatedly washed and polished by the fierce winds blowing from all directions.
In that instant, he felt he had to do something, to guide and release that burning power, otherwise he would become a human candle.
Almost without thinking, Klein raised his hands, and with his thoughts burning like hot porridge, relying on the coordination of his Spirituality and the fierce wind, following the guidance of instinctive memory and ritual, he began to use a carving knife to draw symbolic symbols, corresponding spiritual numbers, magical symbols, and ancient incantations on both sides of the gold sheet.
Outside the church, Leonard stood in the shadows, avoiding the direct afternoon sun.
Suddenly, he noticed that the sunlight had intensified, just like during the hottest days of early July.
He squinted and looked up at the sky. The blue " Curtain " was cloudless and dust-free, so clear and serene that it inspired awe.
"Strange weather." Kenley, on the other side, also noticed the change in sunlight.
Leonard was about to respond with a low laugh when he suddenly tilted his head to the side.
His brow furrowed slightly as he scrutinized the church.
"It's a good thing Rozanne isn't here, otherwise she'd complain about how the sun tanned her skin," Leonard said with a smile, turning his gaze away.
The intense sunlight lasted only a few minutes before gradually dimming, and everything returned to normal.
Inside the church, Klein's carving knife was making the final stroke.
As the magical symbol of "light" was completed, the Spirituality of the gold sheet on both sides suddenly became a unified whole, converging into the innermost part of the metal.
No, this is closer to divinity... Klein finally shook off the scalding heat and soberly examined the two " Solar Flare Charm " in his palm.
Their golden luster has faded, their patterns are ancient and complex, and a warm, moist feeling is slowly seeping into Klein's skin.
"Not bad, I finally have a pretty powerful trump card," Klein sighed silently.
The activation incantation he set for the " Solar Flare Charm " was the word for "light" in Ancient Hermes.
"I want light, and there is light..." he joked to himself, then put the " Solar Flare Charm " into another pocket, not placing it with the "Sleep and Tranquility" and "Dream" talismans, because that would affect the latter and reduce the duration of their effects.
"Hmm, the power of the ' Solar Flare Charm ' can be maintained for at least a year, or even longer." Klein collected his thoughts and looked at the " Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun " on the ground.
Seeing that its surface remained unchanged, and the feeling of warmth and purity still permeated the surroundings, Klein breathed a sigh of relief and quickly finished the ritual, dispelling the Wall of Spirituality.
Only then did he have the mind to check himself, discovering that his shirt was almost completely soaked, his face was covered in sweat, and the edges of his hair were slightly curled.
Thank goodness... Klein sighed with relief, packed his belongings, returned to his original seat, and fell asleep sitting down, only to be awakened by footsteps.
He suddenly opened his eyes and subconsciously touched the " Solar Flare Charm " to check if it was still there.
"You're not feeling too well?" Leonard asked as he entered the church.
Klein rubbed his temples, stood up, and laughed:
"Because we're nearing our limit."
He took out a silver pocket watch, opened it, glanced at it, and said, "Perfect timing, it's your turn to guard the Sealed Artifact '3-0782'."
Before he finished speaking, Klein took off the " Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun " and handed it to Leonard without hesitation.
After watching him leave the church, Leonard put away his nonchalant attitude and began to examine the Sealed Artifact "3-0782" with focused seriousness. His expression gradually became confused, revealing obvious bewilderment.
After completing their shifts, the three Nighthawks began their journey home.
Prior to this, they had instructed Priest Smeyer to keep a close eye on the town's situation and to immediately send a telegram to Saint Selena Cathedral should any further suspected ghostly occurrences occur.
At 7:20 p. m., they finally arrived at Zouteland Street and handed over the Sealed Artifact "3-0782".
After confirming that the captain had not noticed anything amiss, Klein left Blackthorn Security Company in a good mood and rushed home before eight o'clock.
He took out his key, opened the door, and suddenly saw a strange figure.
This was a young woman, clearly not yet twenty, wearing a worn-out gray-white dress, diligently wiping down the restaurant.
She had black hair and brown eyes, small eyes, a not-so-prominent nose, and very ordinary features.
Who? Klein was taken aback at first, then realized that this was probably a maid who had come to try out some housework.
At this moment, Benson lowered his newspaper, looked at his younger brother, and smiled as he spoke:
Companies that don't allow employees to leave work on time are always disliked.
"But the salary it provides can heal that wound," Klein replied with a smile.
Once Miss Justice's £300 arrives, I'll tell Benson and Melissa about the pay raise to £6 a week, so they don't have to worry too much about the family finances... Klein thought to himself as he leaned on his cane, took off his top hat, and walked into the living room, lowering his voice to say:
"Have you made your choice?"
He had used the information of the three maids who did odd jobs to Divination yesterday and concluded that they were all suitable, so he handed over the decision-making power to his brother and sister.
"Yes, Bella, her weekly wage is 5 Soli. She's very willing and capable of learning to cook. She hopes to become a home cook in the future, which would double her weekly wage. Her father is a worker at the Tingen City Steel Complex, and her mother is a laundry worker," Benson replied with a chuckle. "Of course, another reason Melissa and I made this decision is that the other two maids are believers in the Lord of Storms, while she is a follower of the goddess. I personally don't object to followers of the Lord of Storms, but Melissa doesn't quite like it."
Melissa's attitude wasn't one of dislike; a more accurate description would be pity for her misfortune and anger at her lack of ambition—yes, as Lu Xun said! Klein recalled his sister's behavior all along, a smile appearing on his face.
Benson didn't say anything more, put down the newspaper, stood up and said:
"Now that you're back, let's have dinner."
The next day, Klein entered Blackthorn Security Company in a very good mood.
"Good morning." Rozanne glanced around and said, " Old Neil is sick, how about we go visit him at noon?"
" Old Neil is sick?" Klein asked in surprise.
Could the diarrhea-stopping ritual have caused severe constipation?
Well, judging from his behavior after vaguely learning about the " Acting Method," it's possible he suddenly fell ill... As people get older, their mental state weakens, and their physical health often follows suit...
Rozanne nodded vigorously and said:
"Yes, he sent someone to ask the captain for leave."
Klein nodded slightly and said, "Then we'll go visit him at noon. Sigh, speaking of which, Old Neil is quite pitiful. His wife passed away early, and his children are busy in some city. After he fell ill, he could only lie at home alone and helpless."
He was recalling his first visit to Old Neil's house.
Hearing Klein's exclamation, Rozanne's eyes widened, and she asked in astonishment:
When did Old Neil get married?