15 Minsk Street, in the damp and cold kitchen.
Klein found a newly bought large iron pot, filled it with water, and carefully scrubbed it several times.
Then he threw a few matches in and snapped his fingers.
Crimson flames rose up, and under his Manipulation, they quickly burned away the remaining water droplets without damaging the surface of the iron pot.
This time, the Potion recipe didn't contain pure water, so Klein was more careful than the previous two times, trying not to add any extra ingredients to avoid causing any major problems.
Although he could Divination whether the Potion would be successfully concocted or not, and it wouldn't endanger his life, the result would be that the Potion would be ruined. Extracting its Beyonder Characteristic would be extremely difficult, just like removing mental pollution from someone who has lost control. It would require corresponding skills, methods, or rituals, and Klein couldn't gather a second batch of materials in a short time.
Having finished preparations, Klein glanced at the neatly arranged boxes, took a breath, and reviewed the Potion recipe one last time:
" Faceless: Main ingredients: Mutated pituitary gland from the Thousand-faced Hunter's brain, properties of the Human-skinned Shadow; Auxiliary ingredients: 80 ml of Thousand-faced Hunter's blood, 5 drops of Black Datura juice, 10 g of Dragon Tooth Grass powder, 3 strands of Deep-sea Naga hair."
He first picked up the cardboard box from the Vampire Emlyn White, opened it, and took out a glass bottle containing 100 milliliters of the Blood of the Thousand-faced Hunter.
Klein glanced at the markings, unscrewed the lid, and steadily poured the viscous liquid, whose color changed constantly with the light, into the iron pot.
Because it was an auxiliary material, he didn't pursue high precision and didn't use chemical experimental instruments for separation and titration.
The blood of the Thousand-faced Hunter, like thin honey, slowly filled the bottom of the iron pot. When Klein felt it was about right, he stopped tilting the pot and let the liquid flow back.
There were still about 20 milliliters left. His Spirituality intuition was quite accurate... Klein turned his gaze away from the scale on the glass bottle and solemnly tightened the cap—these 20 milliliters of the Thousand-faced Hunter's blood could be used to create magical items, extraordinary weapons, and extraordinary scrolls, or to outline symbolic symbols in certain Ritualistic Magic, so they were still very precious.
After placing the glass bottle back into the cardboard box stuffed with cotton, Klein added the black datura juice and dragon tooth grass powder in sequence, and saw the liquid in the iron pot bubbling and bubbling.
Without pausing, he picked up three dark blue hairs resembling small snakes with his black-gloved right hand and placed them steadily on the surface of the liquid.
Sizzle!
A thin mist rose from the iron pot, turning the liquid a deep blue color.
It has such a strange effect even before the main ingredient has been added... No wonder it's Sequence 6 Potion... Klein reached out and grabbed the silver-white and gray-tin box that the Vampire Emlyn White had given him.
With a snap, Klein opened the box, revealing an object inside that resembled a peeled walnut.
Instead of directly touching the mutated pituitary gland in the Thousand-faced Hunter's brain, he placed the tin box over the iron pot and tilted it over.
A yellowish-brown object with brain-like bumps and depressions fell and collided with the dark blue liquid.
At that moment, without a splash of water, the pituitary gland, which had been constantly changing shape, melted silently.
The gray and yellowish-brown colors quickly blended with the deep blue, and the bubbling bubbles suddenly became larger and more numerous.
At this point, Klein was a little nervous, but he still managed to control himself well. He picked up the last box and poured the huge, diamond-like Human-skinned Shadow inside into the iron pot.
Suddenly, all the water vapor dissipated, and even the light from the gas wall lamps seemed to be attracted and swallowed up, dimming considerably.
Once everything returned to normal, Klein was able to see clearly what the final Potion looked like.
It is entirely blackish-green, and every now and then a bubble the size of an eye slowly rises out, as if it has a life of its own, and it burps every few seconds.
When the bubbles reach the surface, they immediately burst, reflecting light and displaying various colors in the process.
These colors together outline different faces, with features seemingly randomly combined.
Klein lifted the iron pot with one hand and poured the liquid inside into a pre-prepared glass bottle. Due to the properties of the Potion, not a single drop remained.
After confirming through Divination that the level of harm was acceptable, meaning the Potion was successfully concocted, Klein took the bottle of " Faceless " and steadily returned to the second floor, entering the bedroom where the curtains were already drawn.
He locked the bedroom door, sat on the edge of the bed, and used Cogitation to calm his slightly agitated and anxious mood.
After sitting upright for more than ten seconds, Klein unscrewed the bottle cap, raised his right hand, and suddenly poured all the Potion inside into his mouth.
A slightly tingling sensation lingered in his mouth and esophagus, eventually fermenting into a numbness that made him lose all feeling.
Klein's spirit seemed to have been detached from his body, watching as his mouth, nose, ears, eyes, and entire face melted away, as if he were an observer!
In just two or three seconds, his face and head turned into white wax as if scorched by fire, and his body showed similar abnormalities, with his bones and skin appearing to be dissolved by his blood.
No, this situation cannot be allowed to continue! Klein knew that if he didn't control it properly, it could spiral out of control at any moment.
As an "observer," he tried to bring his thoughts back to his body, to visualize the image of layers of light spheres stacked on top of each other, and to maintain a Cogitation state.
After a brief but repeated attempts, he finally felt his body again, and tried his best to control every tiny part of it, in order to stand firm on the last line of defense.
Melting and dissolving came again and again. Klein didn't know how long he endured it, but finally it ended, and he regained the feeling of his body being his own.
At that moment, he knew he had finally crossed that threshold, entered Sequence 6, and become the " Faceless "!
Klein wasn't sweating, but he was extremely tired. He struggled to his feet and walked to the full-length mirror, trying to observe his current appearance.
Under the glow of the gas fireplace, he suddenly took two steps back, his footsteps making a clattering sound on the ground.
The scene reflected in the mirror was utterly terrifying!
Klein saw that his face and exposed skin were covered with dense, pale-colored fleshy growths. This would make any normal creature go numb and instinctively resist just by looking at it; the more timid might even lose their minds.
Having mastered the Acting Method and thoroughly digested the " Magician's " Potion, even advancing to Sequence 6 was incredibly difficult for me. I was only two or three steps away from losing control. I wonder how much risk those Beyonder, who have accumulated experience over time and are barely qualified to consume the Potion, would be facing. Their probability of failure is certainly not low... No wonder Sequence 7 is quite common within major churches, serving as relatively junior captains and bishops, while the number of Sequence 6 individuals begins to decline sharply... Klein closed his eyes and stepped back into the chair.
He used Cogitation to restrain his overflowing Spirituality and recover from his exhaustion.
About ten minutes later, all the disgusting granulations on his body disappeared and merged back into his flesh.
Klein sighed, walked back to the full-length mirror, and examined himself with a beard.
Suddenly, the whiskers began to wriggle, and the flesh and skin underwent strange changes, like a half-melted block of wax.
In just a second or two, Klein returned to his former appearance: black hair, brown eyes, ordinary features, clean face, deep facial contours, and a slightly thin build.
He gazed silently at his past self, then reached out his right hand and pressed it against his face.
With a gentle touch, Klein's face changed again. He had a high nose bridge, extremely thin lips, and a handsome face with a touch of delicacy. His eyes and brows held an undisguised pride. He was none other than the Vampire Emlyn White.
"A bit short..." he chuckled self-deprecatingly.
At that moment, his bones and ligaments cracked, and he suddenly grew taller, becoming indistinguishable from Emlyn White in appearance.
I discovered that I could accurately recall the appearance and temperament of everyone I knew, and grasp their unique scent... Klein's pores moved, his body changed accordingly, and his scent changed accordingly.
He looked into the full-length mirror again, letting his hairline recede slowly and his eyes turn a deep gray.
Without a sound, Dunn Smith seemed to come back to life, staring at the teammate who kept reporting abnormalities.
Klein slowly exhaled and returned to his original form, but the corners of his mouth were still turned up.
He thought for a moment, took a few steps back, glanced at the " Ladies' Aesthetics " magazine he had bought to look at fashionable women, and memorized the appearance of the theatrical actress on the cover.
Then he returned to the full-length mirror and wiped his face with his right hand.
When he looked in the mirror again, he saw a young woman with shoulder-length black hair, delicate eyebrows and eyes, and exquisite features.
It really works... Klein looked down at his chest and found that there was no bulge there.
He struggled to control his body, moving fat and some flesh, barely managing to create a pair of A cups.
However, he was completely powerless regarding the difference in his lower body.
In other words, it's just a superficial change, not a substantial one... Also, I can currently only grow taller or shorter by 10 centimeters; anything beyond that is difficult... Furthermore, there are limits to how big or small the head can be; I simply can't simulate the Half-Giant head of Father Utravsky... Also, I can only instantly observe the target's appearance and temperament, but I can't know anything about them. When encountering a " Spectator " like "Miss Justice," it's easy to be exposed... Heh, in the " Clown " stage, the " Clown " controlled the " Spectator," but in the " Faceless " stage, he's somewhat controlled by the " Spectator "—interesting...
With that thought, Klein stopped changing and reverted to the form of Sherlock Moriarty.
His Divination, combat, and Magician's extraordinary abilities have all improved, but the exact extent of the improvement can only be confirmed through practice. He'll make time to visit the Cragg Club tomorrow... Klein gave one last look before going downstairs to clean up the mess.
After finishing up, he quickly washed up and crawled into bed.
Lying there, gazing at the crimson Moonlight streaming through the window, he gradually felt more at ease and peaceful, his confidence returning.
A few minutes passed, and Klein slowly closed his eyes, smiling as he said to himself:
Goodnight, Faceless.
PS: This is Sequence 6! Please vote with monthly tickets!