The Serenity Cathedral under the night sky was exceptionally beautiful, perfectly complementing the red moon hanging high in the sky, coldly illuminating the earth.
Leonard went into his private room, took off his two Red Gloves, and threw them onto the wooden table.
With a somber expression, he sat down in front of the patterned glass window, his back to the outside, bathing in the Moonlight.
After a silence of about ten seconds, he suddenly spoke very softly, almost through gritted teeth:
"So you're a ' Parasite '!"
Leonard's voice echoed faintly in his own ears, suppressing obvious anger, tension, confusion, and fear.
In an instant, a slightly aged voice rang in his mind:
"You could say that."
"What exactly do you want to do? To Parasitism my body and drain my life force? Or to wait until I become powerful and then devour my Beyonder Characteristic, like cultivating a humanoid Potion?" Leonard's voice was low, but his speech was fast.
The slightly aged voice in his mind chuckled:
"I am your serendipitous encounter, haven't you always thought so? You believe yourself to be unique, one of the protagonists of this great era..."
Actually, you're not as arrogant or haughty as you usually appear. You've always been wary of me. Hey, after I taught you the ' Acting Method,' you didn't really put your heart into exploring it. You just tried it superficially and it took you a long time to digest it. And you deliberately hid it, not pursuing the ' Nightmare ' Potion.
Only after encountering the offspring of the ' True Creator ' and being devastated did you finally agree to advance to Sequence 7, regretting it so much that you almost hallucinated.
Leonard, think about it carefully. Do you think I wouldn't know about the Church of the Evernight Goddess? When I was dealing with them, this so-called Chanis wasn't even born yet.
How could I be unaware that the Church of the Evernight Goddess has some understanding of ' Parasite ', and how could I not imagine that ' Red Gloves ' possesses certain Concealment to guard against the infiltration of High-Sequence Beyonder?
Did I stop you from joining the ' Red Gloves '?
Leonard's expression shifted briefly before he finally fell silent, saying nothing.
The voice in his head chuckled again:
Do you feel Aging than your actual age? No, I think. I can live for at least another 100 years, so I'm not in a hurry to take over the host's life.
As for your Beyonder Characteristic, humph, we're not even in a similar, interchangeable pathway. If I were to Devouring it, it would be like drinking poison; I'd become half-mad, increasing the probability of losing control. Do you think I would do that?
' Evernight ' belongs to the same category as ' Giant ' and ' Death,' while the Beyonder Pathway I'm on aims for ' Apprentice,' for ' Seer.'
Leonard gazed at his shadow cast by the crimson Moonlight, pondered for a moment, and then asked again:
What exactly do you want to do? What is your purpose?
The slightly aged voice in his mind sighed:
Didn't I already tell you?
I suffered severe trauma and need a host to slowly recover, and I also have to evade a terrible enemy... The Nighthawks, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, are a good choice."
Leonard raised his head, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, and said in a deep voice:
Will you be discovered by the archbishop, high-ranking deacons, or certain Sealed Artifact?
The slightly aged voice answered leisurely:
"If ' Parasite ' were so easy to detect, the high deacon named Cesimir wouldn't have just given a reminder today without taking you for an examination."
Of course, traces of the ' Parasite ' are also present. The Church of the Evernight Goddess has a way to confirm this, but it is quite complicated and troublesome, and will cause certain losses and bring considerable danger. It may even affect their goddess. Therefore, you don't need to worry about this until you become a senior deacon, are qualified to participate in the church's top-level meetings, and come into contact with certain Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
By then, I should have recovered and embarked on my own journey.
Leonard listened with a serious expression, and after a while, he said:
"You have a terrible enemy? Who is he?"
The slightly aged voice chuckled and said:
"I don't know his first name, but I know his last name..."
"What is it?" Leonard pressed.
The slightly aged voice suddenly became deep:
" Amon."
Bridge South Borough, No. 46 River Bend Avenue.
The hosts, who were enjoying their dinner, heard the doorbell ringing.
The only maid came to the door and, looking through the peephole above the lock, saw a policeman in a black and white checkered uniform outside.
She opened the door and asked somewhat timidly:
"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
This policeman was none other than Klein in disguise. In an attempt to put on a show, he was verifying Vampire Emlyn White's companions—the guys living at 48 River Bend Avenue, the ones who commissioned Stuart's mission—were law-abiding Monster.
"Hmm, a law-abiding Monster! Although it sounds a bit off, a bit ridiculous, it's the reaction of my true thoughts..." Klein emphasized to himself.
The police uniform he was wearing wasn't a custom-made fake; it was just ordinary clothing with Illusion effect added.
Magician should do what Magician is supposed to do!
-- Klein didn't monitor 48 River Bend Avenue because he believed Emlyn White's companions had already moved away.
As Monster, as a non-human race, moving to a new place is the most basic thing to do when a companion has been missing for several days!
They had to be wary that Emlyn White might have been captured by an official, extraordinary organization like the Nighthawks or the Mandated Punishers, and they had to assume that he might confess at any time.
Therefore, what Klein needs to do is conduct a "questionnaire survey".
He maintained the Pride of a low-ranking policeman when facing ordinary citizens, not removing his hat, and slightly raising his chin as he said:
"I have something to ask your master."
The maid rushed inside and soon returned with a man in his thirties wearing a thick home shirt.
"Officer, what would you like to ask?" the man asked, sounding slightly tense.
Klein stood at the doorway, glanced inside, and said:
Do you know the guest in room 48?
"We know each other." The man paused for a moment before asking, "What happened between them?"
"They're involved in a case, and you must tell me everything you know honestly," Klein said sternly.
His face was also disguised and enhanced with a few Illusion effects in order to distinguish him from the great Detective Sherlock Moriarty.
The male homeowner suddenly realized:
"No wonder they moved away in such a hurry a little over a month ago... Most of the residents on River Bend Avenue and in the surrounding neighborhoods knew the White and their son, a handsome but somewhat eccentric young man."
Mr. White was an excellent Doctor, skilled in using various medications and bloodletting therapy.
"Bloodletting therapy?" Klein countered.
"Yes, although many newspapers and magazines consider it an ineffective ancient medical practice, those who have been treated by Mr. White have basically all recovered. However, Mr. White has also said that, apart from him, all other Doctor ' bloodletting practices are Deceit," the host commented.
Bloodletting is just a way for them to accumulate food, right? The only thing that really works is the medicine... This Vampire family treats people with bloodletting and collects "food" as payment. They only consider stealing blood from distant hospitals if there aren't many patients or if the blood is very unhealthy. Compared to their Monster status, they are actually quite law-abiding... Klein nodded in understanding.
The changes in the color of the emotions he observed through his Spirit Vision told him that the other person was not lying.
Seeing that the police officer did not refute him, the male homeowner continued:
"Mr. White and his wife are very kind and gentle people. Although they can't cure the truly seriously ill, they are quite good Doctor for us residents living nearby..."
Is their son Emlyn involved in the case? This young man is so quiet, seems to look down on us, always hiding at home, I wonder what he's doing... Officer, are you hot? It's so cold outside."
Perhaps it's just a simple case of being nocturnal... Klein wiped away his sweat and said:
"I walked around the neighborhood for a long time because of this case!"
Next, using a pre-designed questionnaire, he learned about the White and their son from all aspects.
He knocked on doors one by one, asking questions and gathering all the answers, concluding that the White family was indeed kind, amiable, and law-abiding.
This really doesn't sound like a description of Vampire... Klein looked up at the red moon piercing through the clouds, intending to make a final confirmation.
He dispelled the Illusion and began to perform Divination.
After confirming there was no danger, he went around to the side and climbed into the house at No. 48 River Bend Avenue.
While others, unaware of who had captured Emlyn White, were constantly worried about official Beyonder "visiting" him, Klein understood the situation perfectly and was not concerned about any traps.
Upon entering the second floor, he used the Moonlight to see that the rooms were in disarray, with many things left behind. From this, he could easily imagine how hastily the owners had left.
In his study, he even found some valuable books on herbal medicine, including many folk recipes popular in the countryside.
As he walked and looked around, Klein entered a bedroom, where a series of dark figures came into view.
He was startled, thinking he had been ambushed, and almost snapped his fingers to light the matches that were thrown outside.
Thankfully, no attack occurred.
Crimson Moonlight streamed through the window, filling the entire room, and Klein finally saw clearly what those dark figures were.
They lack any Spirituality radiance; they are merely Puppet, large or small!
The largest one was only slightly shorter than Klein; she was a young girl dressed in a gorgeous long dress, adorned with lace and ribbons on the cuffs and collar.
This Puppet is clearly closer to a wax figure; its features are lifelike, with blonde hair, red eyes, and a delicate, beautiful appearance.
The smallest one was only the size of a normal person's palm. It was a woman dressed in full silver armor, with a heroic and beautiful appearance.
As his gaze swept over the Puppet, Klein suddenly remembered something:
Under Roselle's influence, the development of Puppet art showed two trends: one was to make them cute and allow for changing clothes, and the other was to make them more realistic.
Klein looked around and couldn't help but click his tongue:
These Puppet aren't cheap!
"Is Emlyn some kind of Vampire obsessed with Puppet?"