The "messenger's" air of superiority stunned Klein for a full five seconds before he came to his senses, bent down, and picked up the paper.
"Even if Mr. Azik is unable to use most of his extraordinary abilities due to amnesia, sending this messenger alone should be enough to deal with Sequence 7 or even Sequence 6 Beyonder, right?" He imagined his own astonished and envious expression. Instead of unfolding the letter, he put it in his pocket, along with items like the " Sleeping Charm ".
The carriage continued its journey and arrived at Daffodil Street. As Klein stepped out of the carriage, he subconsciously glanced at the coachman, Cesar, only to see him with a smile on his face, his gaze calm and relaxed, completely unaware of what had happened earlier.
Klein used his Spirit Vision to take another look, gave a barely perceptible nod, and returned to his front door.
He glanced at the second-floor balcony and the water pipes, hesitated for a few seconds, and decided to maintain his composure and not attempt to climb. As for the clothes stained with blood, he would take them to Blackthorn Security Company tomorrow, where the police would handle them and have them taken care of by a specific laundry worker. This way, he could avoid frightening the maid Bella and his sister Melissa.
Before jumping out of the second-floor window, Klein had secretly unlocked the front door. Now, taking advantage of the quiet of the night, he took out his key and opened the door with almost no noise, nimbly slipping inside.
After closing and locking the door, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief, tiptoed back upstairs.
Stopping in front of the locked bedroom, Klein calmly took out a tarot card, inserted it into the crack of the door, and with a light flick, easily dismantled the lock he had created in a special way.
Immediately afterwards, he pushed open the door, locked it, took off his clothes, and completely relaxed.
"Like doing something wrong..." Klein chuckled and shook his head, calmly taking out his revolver and tucking it under his pillow.
After finishing the final tasks, he lit the gas lamp, took out the letter paper, sat down at his desk, and began to read carefully:
"I'm sorry for the late reply. I've been busy retracing my steps and meeting up with former teachers and classmates, chatting until very late."
"After reading your letter, I finally understand why I've experienced what happened these past two days. First, the police came and searched every room at my hotel, and then someone else quietly made a round of the place at night. Yes, I'm talking about someone with extraordinary abilities."
"... So it was that ' Admiral Hurricane ' Qilangos frequently appears in the newspapers, who infiltrated Backlund and caused quite a bit of bloodshed. I remember he was wanted not only by our Kingdom of Loen, but also by the Feynapotter Empire, the Republic of Intis, and the Kingdom of Feynapotter..."
So, how much is the bounty? This thought popped into Klein's head instinctively.
He didn't get an answer because Azik changed the subject:
"The ' Shepherd ' ability you described feels very familiar to me, as if I've seen or encountered it somewhere before, but I just can't remember where. It must be an experience from some point in my life. The inability to recall it makes me feel terrible and distressed."
Hmm, Mr. Azik seems to have some interest in " Shepherd," which could be a good starting point for getting his help. Hmm, it's a bit of a coincidence... no, it's not a coincidence, it's inevitable!
Based on the deduction, Azik lived for over a thousand years and was likely High-Sequence powerhouse. Therefore, in his earliest life, and in his previous lives, he must have witnessed many extraordinary abilities of various Sequence, and the more unique ones left a deep impression... In other words, not only would the " Shepherd " evoke a similar sense of familiarity, but professions like " Unshadowed," " Demon Hunter," and " Guardian " should also evoke this feeling...
It's easy to imagine that if a magical item corresponds to a certain Sequence of abilities, Mr. Azik would find it familiar and become interested...
Klein was initially puzzled, but then it dawned on him, and he felt much more certain.
His gaze shifted downwards, and he continued reading:
"I recall some of the sacrificial rituals you inquired about a long time ago. Perhaps because they left a very deep impression, in one of my lives, or rather, in my earliest life, I was a priest."
"I must warn you beforehand that you must be extremely careful when using sacrificial rituals, and you cannot entrust your safety to the conscience of evil spirits or some Hidden Existence; they do not possess such things."
"Furthermore, you must possess a strong ability to discern, because evil Devil will create seemingly harmless identities for themselves. My advice is not to offer sacrifices to entities that you are unclear or uncertain about, otherwise your soul will also become a sacrifice."
In layman's terms, evil Devil wear disguises, posing as trustworthy individuals... Just like in the online world, behind a seemingly cute girl's account might be a burly man... Even if you meet in person and confirm their appearance, you still have to be careful, because they might be a cross-dresser... Klein didn't ignore Mr. Azik's warning just because it was a sacrifice to him, and nodded in agreement.
After emphasizing the precautions, Azik quickly began explaining the sacrificial rituals he knew:
"First, set up the altar. Whichever deity or Hidden Existence you wish to offer sacrifices to, carve the corresponding symbols and use herbs and minerals belonging to their domain. Of course, you can also prepare sacred oils, balms, incense, and other items beforehand."
Symbol? Klein paused, realizing that he, the " The Fool That Doesn't Belong to This Era," didn't even know what his own symbolic representation was...
His mind raced, and he quickly recalled the complex symbols behind the high-backed chair at the head of the bronze table, a complex symbol composed of " Pupil-less Eye " that partly symbolized Concealment and " Line of Distortion " that partly symbolized change.
"This should be my symbol, or more precisely, my symbol above the Gray Fog... The domain is quite simple: Concealment, change, good fortune... but I can't be sure, I can only try to figure it out... Hmm, even if the symbol is wrong, as long as the 'honorable name' is correct, the sacrifice target won't point to another existence, at most it will cause the ritual to fail, I can be sure of that..." Klein thoughtfully stroked the surface of the paper, having formed a plan in his mind.
His gaze returned to focus, turning to the following part:
"Secondly, you need to figure out whether the sacrifice to the corresponding being needs to be made at a specific time, and then proceed according to the normal ritual procedure until the name and prayer are recited."
"You must remember to use the language of Jotun, Dragonese, Elvish, or Ancient Hermes, through their direct connection with the forces of nature, to communicate with the corresponding beings. You can design the specific phrases yourself, but they must include those key words: 'pray,' 'gaze,' 'dedication,' 'kingdom,' 'gate,' 'open.'"
"Finally, you use Spirituality imbued materials, combined with the vibrations of natural forces caused by the incantation, to construct a preliminary passage connecting to the corresponding 'gateway to the realm.' If that being is interested, your sacrifice will be complete."
"This step is not necessary. If you can make the corresponding being very interested, then as soon as you finish reciting the incantation, it will open the 'gate of the kingdom' on its own and build a stable passage. However, this often means danger, because orthodox gods and relatively friendly Hidden Existence rarely do this. Only evil gods and Devil will respond directly for certain purposes."
Materials imbued with Spirituality aren't cheap... I wonder if simply chanting incantations could open a sacrificial passage like a " Door of Summoning," or mobilize some of the power of that mysterious space above the Gray Fog... Hmm, I'll try it first, and if it doesn't work, I'll buy materials with Spirituality from the underground market... I don't need extraordinary materials, right? A certain level of Spirituality will suffice, won't it? Klein thought of the 300 gold pounds in his anonymous account, and the dozen or so pounds of his savings that he had just accumulated.
Extraordinary materials and materials possessing a certain Spirituality are not entirely the same. For example, the remaining heart of Hood Eugen is an extraordinary material, while the black scales belong to materials possessing a certain Spirituality.
After reading Mr. Azik's letter, Klein rubbed his fingers together, igniting a Spirituality flame that burned the paper to ashes, which he then scattered into the trash can.
By this time, it was already late at night. He didn't rush to try it, but planned to make a plan first, finalize the precautions, and then put it into practice.
He had long been aware of his own problem: when there was a plan in place, he acted cautiously and rationally, but when faced with situations outside the plan, or when a sudden inspiration struck, he easily focused only on the positive aspects and ignored the negative possibilities.
To put it simply, he's prone to making fools of himself when he's impulsive... Klein reached up and covered his face.
The next day, Dunn Smith, who had already communicated with " The Mandated Punishers " and " The Machinery Hivemind," began assigning tasks. Klein also accepted the corresponding assignment: to investigate some people who had some connection with Lanarvus. However, according to his own opinion and the internal system of the Nighthawks, he was not required to be responsible for people he had known before.
Of course, his afternoon combat training continued, and Dunn did not use him as a primary investigator.
Inside a house with stables and a garden in Backlund, Hillston Borough.
With his distinctive wide chin and dark green eyes, Qilangos glanced at the unconscious man on the ground, stripped off his clothes, and put them on himself.
Then, he leisurely walked to the dressing mirror, watching the black glove on his left hand writhe as if digesting something, and seeing many Distortion lines emerging on its back.
A few seconds later, Qilangos saw his reflection in the mirror shrouded in a faint light, and his muscles, skin, and bones began to change strangely.
Before long, he transformed into the man on the ground, identical in height, appearance, and demeanor!
P. S.: It's Monday again! I'll be updating early tomorrow, but there won't be any extra chapters because I've been having some writer's block lately...