North Borough, Alka Street.
Capote Reed sat lost in thought in an armchair in the living room, with a fireplace burning charcoal to his side.
As a senior teacher at the public school, he earned more than £4 a week, which was enough for him to live quite well as a single man. However, the clothes he wore at home were patched in many places, and the teacups on his table were very simple.
Without removing his wig, Caupsty's most striking features are his high cheekbones and a slight pigeon chest, a deformity in which the sternum protrudes forward.
A book of poems written in Ancient Feysac lay open on his lap, but he hadn't turned a single page in a long time.
Caupsty stared blankly, unfocused, when suddenly he heard a soft chuckle beside him:
"I'm puzzled. Why didn't you run away? You stayed at home. Aren't you afraid the police will come to your door?"
The voice was deep and hoarse, like that of a boy going through puberty.
Caupsty shuddered and nearly jumped off his armchair.
He suddenly turned his head and saw that a figure had been sitting on the sofa a few steps away!
The figure was wearing a summer linen shirt and light trousers, and the face was blurred, making it difficult to see clearly.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Caupsty the armrest tightly and asked repeatedly.
Klein, having used his illusion abilities, leaned back, clasped his hands, and leisurely said:
"Last night, or rather, early this morning, I rescued you all."
"You saved us?" Caupsty relaxed slightly, seeing that the other party didn't seem to have much malice. "You, you're the one in the woods? You dealt with the corpse we awakened?"
As he spoke, he shifted somewhat awkwardly, displaying obvious fear.
He was able to sneak in while I was awake and completely unaware; I certainly couldn't resist... A similar thought flashed through Caupsty's mind.
"You're lucky I happened to be passing by, otherwise there would be a field of corpses, torn to pieces," Klein chuckled. "Back to our earlier question, I'm curious, how did you dare stay in your house? Do you know what crime you've committed?"
Based on Caupsty's behavior before and after the " Resurrection Ritual," he confirmed that Copsty was a complete novice and could not possibly possess the skill to conceal his true emotions. Therefore, he planned to find out the truth through questioning and " Spirit Vision," and at most verify it with Divination at the end.
"I know that illegally purchasing corpses and robbing graves are crimes that could land me in prison for more than ten years, and, moreover, I'll definitely face punishment from the church as well." Caupsty looked to be under 30, took a breath and smiled bitterly. "However, as long as I don't cause too much trouble, those kids and their parents won't report me, because they've done the same thing. Even if they get a reduced sentence for good behavior or by turning themselves in, they'll still end up in jail for a while."
"Ha." Caupsty chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Some kids have already told their parents who I am, and they've got gangsters to warn me to resign within a week and stay away from the school. I agreed."
Klein nodded slightly:
"A change of environment is a good thing, but of course, don't do similar things again. Inciting ignorant children to commit crimes is an extremely heinous act."
"No, never again. I didn't really expect it to be so dangerous. I just thought of teaching them and leading them to find the secret of immortality because they shared the same hobby as me. As for digging up graves, many Doctor did it a long time ago," Caupsty sighed, still quite shaken.
His emotional state matched his current mood... He didn't sound like a member of the Spirituality Religion... Klein thought for a moment and asked directly:
Where did you learn ' Spirit Dance '?
" Spirit Dance? Ah, I call it the Death Dance." Caupsty was taken aback at first, then realized, "An old gentleman taught me this."
"An old gentleman?" Klein pressed.
Caupsty was momentarily dazed as she recalled:
"He was a homeless man who collapsed at my doorstep due to a serious illness."
"I didn't know he was sick at the time. I thought he had just fainted, so I helped him home, gave him a hot towel, and applied some medicated oil."
"After he regained consciousness, he asked me not to take him to a hospital or clinic, and mentioned that death is not the end."
"Having experienced the deaths of my parents and several relatives, I'm very interested in similar things. So, I started talking to him and discovered that he had extensive knowledge and an admirable philosophy in this area. He seemed quite pleased with my curiosity and even performed the miracle of killing a mosquito and then waking it up."
This beginning... I've read at least ten similar ones in my past life. They all involve a kind-hearted person taking in a dying old man and then having a miraculous adventure... Klein's lips twitched slightly as he said:
"So, you left him at home?"
Caupsty nodded solemnly:
"Yes, if there were more time, I would even like to become his student."
"During those few days, he taught me the Death Dance and taught me a lot of knowledge. Unfortunately, the time was too short. Just as I was getting into the zone, he died, leaving behind only a bronze whistle."
Before he finished speaking, Caupsty pulled out a finely crafted, yet not antique, bronze whistle:
"This is it."
"I also have one... probably an ancestor-level one..." Klein muttered, then asked thoughtfully:
"How long ago was this? What did he look like? Where did you bury him?"
"Six months ago, his most distinctive features were his graying hair and red patches on the side of his face. He asked me to bury him in the back garden," Caupsty, calculating the date.
Not Mr. Azik, but most likely a member of the Spirituality Religion, and probably of a high Sequence... Klein then asked:
"Besides ' Spirit Dance,' you've only learned that ' Resurrection Ritual '?"
"I've only learned half of that ritual. I can only gradually refine and improve it based on scattered knowledge and folk legends I've found," Caupsty answered very honestly.
To elaborate based on folklore? Oh, poor black cat, may the goddess protect you... Klein resisted the urge to draw Crimson Moon on his chest.
"Besides that?" he pressed.
"Hmm, and this bronze whistle, I think it's the key to communicating with the world beyond our senses." Caupsty raised his hand and blew it, sighing, "Every time I blow it, I feel the surroundings become cold, I feel someone watching me, I feel someone pulling at me..."
As he spoke, Klein, with his " Spirit Vision " activated, saw water-like patterns ripple across the ground, followed by a chilling aura that dimmed the fire and lamplight.
Immediately afterwards, a skull with three dead fish eyes emerged, surrounded by tangled black, arthropod-like tentacles.
A tentacle reached out, sometimes touching Caupsty's legs, sometimes tugging at his clothes, appearing quite impatient, but Caupsty didn't respond at all, seemingly unaware.
This is a messenger, isn't it? Bronze whistles are for summoning corresponding messengers... What do you mean by summoning it but not giving it a message? Klein was a little stunned.
At this moment, Caupsty looked at him excitedly:
"Can you feel it? It's gotten colder around here! The gaslights have dimmed too!"
"It's true, someone is watching me, pulling at me!"
The terrifying-looking messenger kept touching Caupsty, again and again, but ultimately received no letter and helplessly burrowed back into the "underground."
Klein watched with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, silently muttering to himself:
"I take back what I just said. He's not just a novice, he's a complete novice."
"He's not Beyonder at all!"
"I used to think he was a complete novice in the occult, but now it seems he hasn't even found the door yet..."
"The ' Corpse Collector ' of the ' Death ' pathway Sequence 9, can directly see ghosts and spirits..."
Considering Caupsty's actions in commanding the Living Corpse with the bronze whistle after the ritual, Klein was completely convinced that he was not lying and couldn't help but sigh silently.
Immediately, a question came to his mind:
"If I write a note to that messenger, where will it be delivered?"
"A genuine member of the Spirituality Religion? A senior member?"
Suppressing the thought, Klein nodded and said:
"It has indeed become chilly."
After responding, he quickly changed the subject. "Since that old man's death, have you noticed anything unusual?"
"Hmm... I didn't have this before, but in the last two weeks, I've occasionally felt like someone around me is a corpse, the kind you could wake up," Caupsty asked, half fearful and half confused. "Is this a hallucination?"
Consistent with Adol's statement, he wasn't lying... Klein glanced at Caupsty's aura and sincerely reminded him:
"I suggest that you go to church at least three times a week for the next two months to attend Mass and listen to prayers."
"If you don't want to do that, you can reserve a burial plot for yourself first."
"Okay..." Caupsty responded with slight disappointment.
He even thought it was a sign that he had made progress!
Klein considered for a moment, then said in a commanding tone:
"Take me to see that old man's body."
"Huh? Okay." Caupsty wanted to refuse, but instantly realized the reality.
He picked up his tools, led Klein out of the kitchen's back door, into the withered garden, and stopped in front of a crooked tree.
Klein stood to the side, watching Caupsty skillfully dug through the soil, gradually revealing the stone slab beneath.
After finishing the upper layer, Caupsty used tools to pry open the stone slab.
puff!
The stone slab rested on the soil that had just been dug out, and the faint crimson moonlight, piercing through the clouds, bathed the not-so-deep tomb.
Caupsty instinctively looked over, then suddenly screamed, stumbled back a few steps, and fell to the ground.
Inside the tomb, there were no rotting corpses or bones; instead, the bottom was littered with white feathers, the white feathers stained with a pale yellow hue!