"I'll get 1,000 pounds as long as I can find her! This is the first time I've ever encountered a commission like this!" On the street outside the Fragrant Leaf Bar, Danitz rubbed his hands together excitedly, punched a tall, black gas lamppost, and seemed eager to wander the city and find the red-haired woman named Elaine.
For him, £1,000 was no small sum; it was enough for him to add another property to his portfolio in Bayam, though not to the most upscale or valuable neighborhood.
The Elven Flying Carpet he had previously acquired was estimated to be worth only two or three thousand pounds, and that was the reward for fighting dangerous guys like "Iron" Maviti's and " Blood Brambles " Huntley, which was incomparable to the easy and simple task of finding people.
Klein, walking slightly ahead and to the side, carrying a newspaper-wrapped bundle of talismanic materials that had cost him a full 15 pounds, slowed his pace slightly, glanced at Danitz, and said expressionlessly:
"5500 pounds."
... Danitz's excitement froze on his face.
He then remembered an important question: in the eyes of other pirates and adventurers, he was just as "alluring" as Elaine the Red-Haired.
Others don't need to fight him; once they recognize his identity, they can report him directly to the military, church, or police and potentially receive a bounty of over 1,000 pounds, since he is already a major pirate worth 5,500 pounds.
His search for the red-haired Elaine was tantamount to a beautiful woman with a slender figure entering the " Red Theater " for entertainment.
"Dog... shit..." Danitz spat out the word with a ferocious expression, drawing out the sound for an extremely long time.
At the same time, he automatically and consciously raised his hand to pull down his baseball cap, making the brim even lower.
Having dampened Danitz's spirits, Klein resumed his normal walking pace and began pondering how to find Elaine the Red-Haired.
The lack of medium and necessary information made it difficult for him to use Divination methods, so he had to consider other approaches.
"Mobilize subordinates to conduct a city-wide search? That's something only the church, the military, and the police can do; even the local gangs would struggle... Wait, I think I could do that too..."
"I am now ' Sea God ' Kavithua, and my followers are all over Bayam and the Blue Mountain Island. If I make one broadcast—no, one oracle for all my followers—they can help me search for Elaine the Red... But wouldn't that seem too unbecoming? Doing something like that for 1000 pounds? Even gods have their pride..."
"If I were the real ' Sea God,' I wouldn't care about these things, but I'm Acting of Kavithua, and I have to try my best to maintain the dignity of the god."
"When Kavithua was on the verge of collapse and desperately needed to find Latiz and her followers, he didn't broadcast any oracle, but only gave orders to a group of believers in the middle and upper ranks... I can change its commandments as part of reshaping its image, but it can't appear too low-class... Well, that should also be the requirement for the real Acting."
Simply giving oracle to Kalat, Edmonton, and others would not be enough to quickly organize an investigation, and they would inevitably exaggerate the seriousness of the problem, making things bigger and harder to handle later.
"There's another way. Throw the radio receiver back onto the Gray Fog and try contacting the Magic Mirror Arrodes in a few days to inquire about the whereabouts of Elaine the Red. We need to be careful and prepare in advance. We should use Divination to confirm it. We can't receive any strange telegrams from the ' True Creator ' or the ' Primordial Demoness,' because even a single glance at them would probably drive us mad."
Klein quickly came up with an idea, boarded a horse-drawn carriage parked at the street corner, and Danitz, with his baseball cap down, followed closely behind.
Back at the " Azure Wind " hotel, Klein took off his hat and coat as he spoke to Danitz:
"If your captain appears to you in a dream, ask him about Elaine the Red-Haired."
"She probably doesn't know, otherwise I would recognize this redhead Elaine," Danitz chuckled. "I wonder who's looking for her, willing to pay 1000 pounds."
His thoughts drifted, conjuring up a love story comparable to those in the novels of Emperor Roselle.
Klein glanced at him and casually mentioned:
"I'll be listening in tonight."
"You're eavesdropping?" Danitz snapped back to reality, wondering if he had misheard.
"Yes." Klein nodded.
"Gehrman Sparrow saw I was too tired? This guy may be a bit crazy, but he's actually a decent person at heart. Back in Bansy Harbor, he actually decided to risk his life to save people for some reasons that weren't really reasons..." Danitz thought to himself.
Holding the radio receiver and related items, Klein entered the bedroom, locked the door, and used a sacrificial ritual to throw them into the Gray Fog.
After doing all this, he didn't rush to leave the magnificent palace. He waved his hand and made the " Sea God Scepter " fly out from the pile of clutter. He then browsed the different prayers made by different people, accumulating experience from the diverse perspectives of each individual.
During this process, he would respond from time to time, just like a child who still finds great novelty in a toy.
Just as Klein was finishing his browsing, a halo of light that kept rippling appeared next to the " The Fool's" chair.
Someone is praying to me, praying to " The Fool " rather than " Sea God "... Klein raised an eyebrow, his Spirituality spreading as he surveyed the scene contained within the aura.
In a room in Enmat Port with the curtains drawn.
Dressed in a long, classic black robe, Ed Sheeran suppressed his inner impulses and said to the sweet and youthful girl Denise before him:
"The gifts of the gods reside within us, but to receive them, we need the guidance of a mentor."
"Your soul is pure and beloved by the gods. I will personally guide you. No matter what happens during this process, you must believe in me and obey me."
Before we begin, is there anything you'd like to ask?
Ed Sheeran is a conman whose specialty is setting up cults to swindle money and sex, and then fleeing before the police notice.
This time, he came from Backlund, disguised as Blessed the " The Fool " that many gang members in the capital region were looking for, and initially developed a group of believers among the target population.
He falsely claimed that " The Fool " was the incarnation of " The Lord of Storms " and would descend at the Apocalypse to save believers. This was a secret that could not be widely publicized and could only be spread in secret, otherwise it would attract the attention of other churches and other deities. Only those who were chosen could believe in " The Fool " in advance and be among the first to be saved.
To make himself more convincing, he spent a considerable amount of money while in Backlund buying papers inscribed with the honorific title " The Fool ".
His assessment of the content on the paper was:
"It looks so real."
Denise asked, with a mixture of fear and anticipation:
" My Blessed, why do we receive no response when we chant the name of the divine? Aren't we chosen to receive divine grace?"
I'll give you "divine grace" right away... Ed Sheeran took a breath, suppressing the alluring images in his mind:
"There are two reasons. First, you haven't yet discovered the divine gifts hidden within you. I will help you complete that later."
Secondly, you are not devout enough. Don't try to explain; I can see into your heart.
"Once you have accomplished all of this, you will be able to utter the true names of the gods and receive a response, just as I have."
Under Denise's gaze, which was both admiring and curious, Ed Sheeran picked up the pen on the table next to him and scribbled down a line of words.
That was Hermes used in rituals.
To ensure the success of his scam, Ed Sheeran acquired considerable religious knowledge and even audited history and archaeology courses at universities.
He gripped the paper and, in front of Denise, proudly read aloud the Hermes he had just written:
" The Fool That Doesn't Belong to This Era,"
" The Mysterious Ruler Above the Gray Fog "
" The King of Yellow and Black, who holds the key to good fortune."
Immediately afterwards, Ed Sheeran half-closed his eyes, opened his arms, and murmured as if in a dream:
"I felt the blessings of the gods."
At that moment, a bolt of silver lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck Ed Sheeran on the head.
With a hiss, tiny electric snakes crackled across his body, and he collapsed to the ground as if "blessed by the gods," his skin quickly turning black and his muscles twitching violently.
A few seconds later, he stopped all movement, including breathing, to Denise's exclamation, "Lord Ed Sheeran is indeed Blessed of the gods!"
Denise finally realized something was wrong, carefully stepped forward, lifted her skirt, squatted down, and placed her finger on Ed Sheeran's nose.
He, he's dead... He's dead! Denise recoiled abruptly, falling to the ground in horror.
Terrified, she burst into tears and stumbled out of the room, heading straight for the nearby police station.
Above the Gray Fog, Klein retracted the " Sea God Scepter ".
How dare he use my name to swindle money and defile women... His lips twitched, and he wished he could give that guy named Ed Sheeran another lightning bolt.
This is called whipping a corpse.
The girl will probably call the police, right? This kind of case will definitely be transferred to the appropriate Beyonder Squad. I wonder if it will be the " Nighthawks," the " Mandated Punishers," or the " Machinery Hivemind " to handle it... After Mr. A's actions, my reputation as " The Fool " is not small in Backlund. Perhaps I already have a file in the official organization. Hmm, they might gather all the information and hand it over to the " Red Gloves Red Gloves " or a similar team to handle it... Klein, with his former experience Nighthawks, pondered the possible developments.
However, he quickly put the matter out of his mind, because he couldn't find him no matter what he did.
Klein tossed the " Sea God Scepter " back into the pile of junk and prepared to return to the real world.
Suddenly, among the deep red stars that were silently suspended in the boundless Gray Fog, one of them suddenly shone, spreading out a light like water!
It expands and contracts repeatedly, making it exceptionally conspicuous.
This is a deep red "star" that does not belong to any member of the Tarot Club.
Today has been quite busy... Who could it be? Someone like Miss Justice, Mr. The Hanged Man, or Little the Sun, someone who connects with the Gray Fog through certain objects? Klein thoughtfully extended his Spirituality, offering no response, merely browsing.
P. S.: First update delivered, please vote with monthly tickets!