The surreal feeling faded, and Klein saw the strange candle in his hand again, its black wick and pale flame.
The ground, the broken chairs, and the severed candles that had just been shattered by the Dawn Paladin were restored to their pre-battle state, with no trace of damage.
Bishop Utravsky, who had been standing opposite, had somehow moved to a chair in the first row, hunched over, head down, and hands tightly covering his temples.
Tick-tock!
Tick-tock!
Sweat streamed down his face, soaking the ground at his feet and leaving a large, damp patch.
Feeling that the strange candle had been extinguished by Klein, Utravsky shuddered and raised his head under the other's gaze.
His slightly cloudy eyes were filled with tears, and his wrinkled face bore the marks of crying.
But his eyes were filled with gratitude, joy, and clarity.
If this " Giant " bishop had previously appeared tall and heavy, now he was only physically heavy, no longer possessing spiritual heaviness.
At that moment, Klein felt as if he were seeing a newborn baby.
Those tears are proof of rebirth.
Father Utravsky's lips curled up slightly, and he smiled kindly:
You're much more capable than I expected.
"No, it's just because I had enough prior knowledge and made the necessary preparations. In the past, you not only didn't know what your opponent was good at, but you were also weakened considerably. If I were to fight you like this in the real world, I would be thinking about how to escape," Klein replied frankly.
A prepared " Magician " and an unprepared " Magician " are completely different concepts... He silently added to himself.
Bishop Utravsky didn't dwell on the issue, and said with an air of ease:
Thank you, my friend.
"As agreed, I will give you the ' Apothecary's' formula, along with another magical item."
As he spoke, he took out an object that resembled a combination of a needle, a tube, and a container from the pocket of his brown priest's robe.
"You have two choices, this is one of them. When I received it, I didn't know its name, and I never thought of naming it afterward. You can use it to draw a tube of your own blood, and then, at a crucial moment, transfuse it back in. In this way, your fatigue will disappear, your illness and injuries will be alleviated, and your strength, speed, balance, and other qualities will be temporarily but greatly enhanced," Bishop Utravsky said, pointing to the item in his hand.
"Then, what about its limitations and potential risks?" Klein asked rationally in return.
Father Utravsky glanced at the needle and tubing with their mysterious patterns and explained in detail:
"After that tube of blood is drawn, you will be weak for a full twelve hours. During these twelve hours, reinfusion will have no effect. Of course, the specific time limit is not so precise and will vary depending on individual constitution and condition. In addition, it is best not to use it frequently, no more than once a week. Otherwise, the reinfused blood will not only bring strength but also make you temporarily lose your mind. And very close intervals between blood draws will make weakness your characteristic."
"Besides these, it has another problem: once you carry it with you for more than half an hour, you'll become a bit neurotic."
Fortunately, Bishop Utravsky didn't have his blood drawn beforehand; otherwise, he could have used that to his advantage in the past, and my chances of winning would have been very, very low... This was the first thought that flashed through Klein's mind.
Immediately, he frowned slightly, quite worried about the negative effects of that magical item.
Whether it's a brief loss of reason, twelve hours of weakness, or becoming somewhat neurotic, these are all seemingly minor hidden dangers. However, Klein, who has seen those who have lost control and heard the ravings of evil gods, believes that the mental state of Beyonder is very important. If it is in a slump for a long time or frequently exhibits abnormalities, it is quite easy for it to lead to loss of control. Even if the Beyonder has mastered the Acting Method, the same applies!
"What's the second option?" Klein asked after a two-second pause.
Bishop Utravsky took out an antique-looking brass key from another pocket and smiled:
"It's called the ' Master Key.' It can help you open all locks without any mystical power, as well as a small number of locks with supernatural effects. And in places without locks or doors, it can still open a passage that doesn't belong to reality, hehe, provided there are no extraordinary powers limiting it and the obstacles aren't too thick."
"Its Spirituality is completely concealed; when not in use, it is difficult for Beyonder to discern any difference between it and an ordinary key."
Father Utravsky stood up again, leaving Klein with no choice but to look up at him.
The " Giant " bishop strode to the wall on one side of the church hall and pressed the " Master Key " against the brickwork.
With a gentle twist, he felt as if he had entered water, creating ripples that spread through the wall and out into the outside.
Immediately afterwards, Bishop Utravsky returned to the church hall in the same manner, returning to Klein's sight.
"Have you decided which magical item you'd like to choose?" the tall priest asked, bowing his head.
"Hmm, what are the potential risks of the ' Master Key '?" Klein asked cautiously.
Bishop Utravsky smiled gently:
"Those who carry it sometimes get lost."
According to others, he probably got lost randomly.
Lost? I'm Seer, I have Spirituality intuition... Klein muttered to himself, gradually making a decision.
After a few seconds, he spoke:
"I want the ' Master Key '."
He didn't want his mental state to deteriorate, accumulating the risk of spiraling out of control.
"What a pity, what I want most is still that strange candle... It's like the deepest part of my heart, the lowest level of my dreams, which is like my home turf..." he sighed inwardly.
"Very well." Bishop Utravsky handed the antique brass key to Klein in exchange for the strange candle wrapped in human skin.
As Klein examined the magical artifact, he pointed behind him and said:
" The Apothecary's prescription is in the room. I'll go get it. You wait here for a while."
Klein nodded in response, and as the figure of Bishop Utravsky disappeared into the hall, he took out a one-penny copper coin and Divination whether the other party had lied about the " Master Key ".
After receiving an affirmative answer, he walked to the wall in front of him where a row of candles were placed and pressed the old brass key against the hard barrier.
Infused with Spirituality, he turned the key, and Klein's vision suddenly blurred, then cleared.
At this moment, there were no longer burning candles, neat chairs, or straight walls in his sight, only withered grass and muddy ground with some garbage. To the side, a gas street lamp stood.
"It's really out." Klein smiled and nodded, turned around, and used the " Master Key " once again to successfully return to the church hall.
After waiting for another ten seconds or so, Utravsky came in with heavy steps, holding a roll of yellowish-brown parchment in his hand.
"You can seek verification. If there are any problems, I'm always at the Harvest Church. The Giant," the bishop said, handing the " Apothecary's" formula to Klein.
Main materials: horn of an adult Horned Pegasus, 3 grams of venom crystals from Crown Jellyfish... Klein glanced at it, then smiled and replied:
"I'll check if it's true or not."
For example, Divination above the Gray Fog... he added in his mind.
Bishop Utravsky nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to walk to the " Holy Emblem of Life " of Earth Mother.
He stretched out his arms and chanted in a low voice:
Thank you, the Source of Life!
Praise be to you, the Mother of All Things!
Klein put away the " Master Key " and the " Apothecary " recipe, and after Utravsky stopped, he said, half-jokingly:
"Could my arrival be an arrangement by the Earth Mother?"
"Otherwise, why would you thank Him?" Klein, a pseudo-believer of the Evernight Goddess, clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Yes, it was all arranged by the Mother Goddess. Otherwise, you wouldn't have heard about me asking for help, I wouldn't have come to Backlund, and I wouldn't have obtained that ' Nightmare Candle '," Bishop Utravsky said with a gentle smile, without a trace of anger.
A complete and self-consistent believer's logic, but... Klein suddenly felt unable to communicate with the other party, placed his hand on his chest, bowed, and said:
"Thank you for your generosity, I must take my leave now."
He straightened up, retreated quickly, and disappeared into the church hall and into Rose Street.
Ten minutes later, he saw the golden exterior of the Harvest Church again from another direction, and his lips twitched involuntarily.
"Will I be unable to get back without Divination?" he muttered to himself, stubbornly trying to overcome the feeling of being lost on his own.
But his hands were faster than his voice, and he had already broken off branches from the roadside trees, making them into makeshift divination sticks.
The " Dowsing Rod Method " can be used to find people, objects, and routes!
This time, Klein finally returned home safely and went above the Gray Fog to confirm the authenticity of the formula and the extent of the hidden dangers of the " Master Key ".
The next day, Sunday morning.
After waking up and having breakfast, Klein took out a pen and paper and wrote a letter to Isengard Stanton, asking him to contact the police department to find out the current situation of several suspects in the serial murder case four years ago, in which the target was a single prostitute with a child.
After folding the letter and putting it in the envelope, Klein affixed a one-penny black stamp, dressed, grabbed his hat and cane, and went out his front door to mail it at the mailbox at the end of the street.
Just then, he saw Starling Summer from next door coming out with her husband, Mr. Luke, dressed up in their finest attire.
A horse-drawn carriage was already parked in front of their door.
"Good morning, are you here for the banquet so early?" Klein asked, slightly surprised.
Luke chuckled:
"It wasn't so much attending a banquet, but more of a help-out."
Starling raised her chin slightly and added:
" Mary has successfully infiltrated the Kingdom Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Commission. There's a grand ball tonight, and we need to get there early to help."
Mary's wish has been fulfilled? Impressive... Klein remarked with a smile, and said:
"Please give my congratulations to Mrs. Mary, both of you."
Luke Summer nodded and said:
"You haven't read this morning's paper yet, have you? It already published the full list of members of the Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Commission."
"The chairman of the committee is Sir Desi Shaw, and the chief secretary is Mr. Hibbert Hall."