Having explored the area without finding anything else, Klein returned to the ancient palace supported by the stone pillar.
He sat at the head of the long bronze table, half-closing his eyes, examining the comparison between his own Spirituality growth and the number of members he could bring in.
"Including those I haven't taken on yet, I can probably bring in four more new members, but I don't have a target yet..." Klein shook his head and muttered to himself, then returned to the real world to prepare for a delicious dinner.
Cut the potatoes, blanch the beef, add the onions, stir-fry for a while, sprinkle in sugar, peppercorns and other seasonings, then Klein pours the prepared hot water into the stew pot, covers it, and turns down the heat.
I have to say, the " Magician's " ability to Flame Manipulation is a real helper in the kitchen... Since I got it, my cooking skills have improved significantly... If there were no out-of-control situations, no Monster, no searches, no evil gods, and everyone devoted themselves to using abilities in such a harmless way, the world would be peaceful and wonderful... Klein sighed, leaving the kitchen and entering the living room.
The gas lamp cast a soft glow, and Klein, who had been flipping through a magazine waiting for the right moment to add the potato and carrot chunks and a pinch of salt, found himself involuntarily contemplating how to Acting the " Faceless."
"I just woke up this morning, and after my Spirituality had completely stabilized, I discovered that although the ' Faceless ' Potion in my body showed no signs of being digested, it had developed a certain degree of resonance with me. This is a phenomenon that never occurred after I took the ' Seer ', ' Clown ', and ' Magician ' potions..."
Thinking of this, Klein looked up at the convex window. Because it was already dark outside, it had become like a mirror, faithfully reflecting the image of Sherlock Moriarty.
Klein nodded thoughtfully:
"Perhaps it's because I've been Acting of Klein Moretti all along... well... in a sense, Sherlock Moriarty is just Klein in disguise, not the real person."
"Although I have received many fragments of memories and gained some of my original emotions, in essence, I am still a visitor from another world, Zhou Mingrui, the keyboard warrior from Earth."
"So much has happened in these past five months; sometimes, I even feel like I am Klein Moretti."
In the silence, a series of thoughts flashed through Klein's mind, giving him many insights.
However, I was still Zhou Mingrui in Klein Moretti's skin... I never gave up the idea of going back... He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the figure reflected in the convex window had changed:
He was a young man with dark brown eyes and short black hair. His features were unremarkable, and he looked rather refined, but he had obvious eye bags and signs of double chin.
This is Zhou Mingrui from Earth.
Long time no see... Klein sighed inwardly, raised his hands, and rubbed his face.
When he lowered his arms, he had transformed back into Sherlock Moriarty.
After this period of contemplation and adjustment, he inexplicably felt that the barriers between Spirituality and Potion had lessened and that they were slowly merging.
"No wonder Rosago's Marionettist, or perhaps his teacher, said that you can impersonate anyone, but you can only be yourself... This must be the core principle of the ' Faceless ' Acting Method. Once you forget this, it's easy to lose yourself in the constant changes and eventually become Monster." Klein recalled the gains he had made from his previous Spirit Channeling and suddenly understood.
He crossed his right leg, leaned back, and quickly made arrangements for the coming period:
"Through exploration and summarization, specific rules for Acting the ' Faceless ' were established..."
"Within the Beyonder circles of Backlund, at the Tarot Club, gather intelligence related to mermaids to prepare for the ritual at sea..."
"Obtain the ' The Sun High Priest ' Potion recipe directly or indirectly, help the little ' The Sun ' advance to Sequence 7, and qualify him to obtain the method to remove the mental pollution of those who have lost control within Beyonder Characteristic."
"But we can't rely entirely on the little ' The Sun '; we also need to try collecting things ourselves."
As his mood gradually calmed down, Klein snapped his fingers, turning the fire in the kitchen stove down a little, and the aroma of beef began to fill the air.
Just then, he heard the doorbell ring.
The visitor was Lawyer Jurgen.
Even though it was drizzling and the ground was wet, Jurgen was still dressed impeccably, even wearing a stiff collar.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Klein was already quite familiar with the other person, so he skipped the pleasantries and asked directly.
Jurgen folded his black umbrella, patted the few water droplets off his double-breasted long dress, and said:
" Sherlock, I'm leaving Backlund next Monday to go on vacation south with my grandmother. The warm climate and clean air there will suit her perfectly."
"That's a very good thing." Klein made the deduction first, and asked with a smile, "You mean you want me to temporarily adopt Brody?"
Jurgen seriously:
"My grandma couldn't bear to be separated from Brody and insisted on taking him with her. I asked around, and as long as he's in a cage and we buy a full-price ticket, he can ride the Steam train, but we have to keep the cage clean so it doesn't pollute the air."
In fact, the smell in the third-class carriage was enough to overpower the stench of cat poop... Klein chuckled:
Brody must be really reluctant to go out, right?
"But I miss my grandmother even more," Jurgen replied.
He adjusted his hat and then said:
"I'm here to let you know that if you need bail or to handle any legal disputes during this period, you can contact my colleague. This is his business card. I've already spoken with him, and he won't be leaving Backlund this year."
"How professional! You even considered this issue..." However, I probably don't need it for now. I'm an informant for " Machinery Hivemind " now, and I generally won't get arrested... Klein smiled and thanked him, taking the business card and putting it in his pocket.
Jurgen had no intention of chatting or entering the room, and immediately raised his hand and said:
"I have to visit other clients, Sherlock. See you tomorrow, no, see you next year."
"Then I must say in advance, Happy New Year to your family!" Klein smiled and waved.
After watching Jurgen his Lawyer, Klein closed the door and returned to the living room.
At this moment, apart from the sizzling flames licking the bottom of the pot in the kitchen, there was no other sound in the room; it was so quiet that Klein could hear the distant movement of the carriage.
He slowly looked around and saw the coffee table, the contract, the cabinet, the pen, the porcelain cup, the dining table, the chairs, and the walls.
Withdrawing his gaze, Klein leaned back on the sofa, looking out at the Evernight and Evernight faint glow of the gas streetlights. In the deep chill and silence, he sighed.
"New Year..."
The lightning gradually subsided, and darkness became the dominant force on the earth.
After a journey that was neither too long nor too short, and with the Star battles, the exploration team from City of Silver finally arrived at their destination.
With the help of the limited light from the animal-hide lantern, Derrick Berg saw the almost completely collapsed city walls and the dilapidated streets, devoid of even a single weed.
On both sides of the street, most of the houses had collapsed, with only a few still barely standing, but their surfaces were all mottled and covered with the dust of time.
The coating, which was mainly white and blue, and the pointed building structure, which was different from City of Silver, had all turned gray, making it hard to imagine what they originally looked like.
However, Derrick was able to glimpse the city's past; it must have endured a long period of time, had a considerable number of residents, and developed its own civilization during the darkest of times.
The humans here consume Potion, repair buildings, defend the city walls, and in groups of five or six or more, explore outwards, hunt Monster, and search for the resources necessary for survival.
They will celebrate during brief periods of peace, worship the gods, yearn for a response, and give birth to the next generation so that hope can continue.
However, they eventually vanished into the darkness, losing all their voices, leaving only ruins.
These ruins are like a giant tomb, burying a civilization that struggled to survive but ultimately vanished.
" Demon Hunter " Colin looked around, his expression somewhat solemn, as if he could see the future of City of Silver.
He pointed ahead and said:
The rest of the area has been cleared.
"That temple is in the very center of the city."
The exploration team spread out slightly, but maintained sufficient order and did not let their guard down.
After passing through one ruin after another, seemingly destroyed long ago, and walking along streets so quiet it was almost maddening, Derrick finally came to see a wide, elevated platform entirely constructed by human hands.
On the high platform, there is a half-collapsed building that is remarkably similar to the temple in City of Silver, with stone pillars supporting the dome and arches forming the entrance.
Completely different in style from the other buildings here, it really is the " Fallen Creator " who later converted... Just as this thought flashed through Derrick's mind, all four lanterns in the group went out at the same time!
Suddenly, the entire exploration team was plunged into complete darkness. There was no lightning in the sky, no candlelight on the ground, and even the sound of breathing from the surrounding humans seemed to disappear.
Derrick's body tensed instantly, as if some Monster in the darkness was sticking out its tongue, tentatively licking his scalp, but his Spirit Intuition told him that nothing actually appeared.
At that moment, he heard a childish, helpless, fearful, and hoarse voice.
It was a child whispering:
"Help me... help me..."
Derrick was stunned for a moment, unsure how to react, but in an instant, tiny specks of shimmering dust appeared before his eyes.
The dust particles exploded one after another, igniting streaks of silvery-white light that illuminated the surrounding area.
Colin stared at Derrick and said in a low voice:
"What's on your mind?"
Derrick suddenly came to his senses, clasped his hands together in shame, and placed them in front of his mouth and nose, as if in prayer.
A series of bright rays of light immediately emanated from his body, silently dispelling the surrounding darkness.
The other team members quickly relit the candles.
Because the " Demon Hunter " reacted quickly, no team members went missing this time, nor were any new members added.
Colin turned his gaze from Derrick to the half-collapsed temple on the high platform and solemnly said:
"From now on, there can be no negligence; we must raise our vigilance to the highest level."