After thinking for a while without finding an answer and sensing no danger, Klein put away the slender blood crystal, then bent down to examine Gillschies had lost half his head and turned into Devil.
"I wonder if I can still get the bounty, and how much... I don't know who the military liaison is here? Sending a telegram to Oz Kent? With that going back and forth, plus the time he spends operating remotely, it definitely won't be done in three or four days. I'll have to leave tomorrow... And I'll definitely have to give the middleman a cut." He muttered a few words, walked to the side, picked up the half-high silk hat with obvious scorch marks, and put it on his head.
Then, dragging the heavy, enormous Devil corpse, he walked step by step to the door and reached out to open it.
The sound of a whistling wind swept in, instantly shattering the silence inside the room.
Klein snapped his fingers to shut down the " Spirit Body Threads," and continued dragging the hideous Devil corpse through the corridor, down the stairs, to the first floor.
By this time, there were only a few people left in the bar; tables and chairs were overturned, debris was scattered all over the floor, and the place was a complete mess.
Klein entered the lobby through the badly damaged staircase, looked around, and found the boss huddled behind the bar with a worried expression. Only a few of his hired bodyguards remained, scattered around the area.
Tap, tap, tap... Klein walked over step by step, the Devil corpse behind him smashing through many tables and chairs.
"What... what do you want to do?" The boss took a step back and asked in a loud voice.
His bodyguards gathered around nervously, their eyes darting around and their bodies moving in different directions, as if they would run away at the slightest sign of trouble.
Klein stopped and tossed Gillschies's corpse forward.
Then, he spoke in a deep, hoarse voice:
Can you collect the bounty on my behalf?
The boss froze for a second, his gaze instinctively shifting downwards to clearly see the enormous Devil corpse still wreathed in blue flames.
He and his bodyguards gasped simultaneously, feeling as if they were in a different world.
This is a real Devil!
Except for lacking the curved goat horns, it looks exactly like the Devil described in church scriptures and legends!
For ordinary people living in Pirate Paradise, witnessing supernatural forces is not a rare occurrence. In this respect, their knowledge is significantly greater than that of the people in the western colonies of Oravi and the Kingdom itself. However, the group of people who are the owners of the Grand Bar and the guards have never seen a real Devil, and even suspect that this is a smear campaign by the Church against unofficial Beyonder.
The shopkeeper reluctantly averted his gaze and looked at the adventurer, whose clothes were tattered but whose expression was cold and stern:
"Yes, they should have a way to confirm that this is Gillschies."
"Is that Gillschies?"
Klein secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded silently.
The boss hesitated for two seconds, then forced a fearful smile and said:
"But we can't get it all, you know. It will cost some money, about 30%, otherwise you'll have to wait a long time. 9,500 pounds is not a small amount. For Toscarter Port, it will take at least a week. And that's because pirates often roam here, and adventurers often take bounties, so they always have a considerable amount of money on hand. On Oravi Island, elsewhere, it might take two weeks, or even a month."
£9,500 was no small sum. Klein clearly remembered that back in Tingen City, the Nighthawks team's monthly budget was only around £1,000, which was shared by the church and the police department.
He thought for a moment and said to the bar owner:
Do you recognize me?
"I know him." The boss nodded hurriedly.
Klein glanced at everyone and continued asking:
Can you find out where I live?
"Yes, yes." The boss dared not lie.
Klein hummed in agreement and said in a flat, descriptive tone:
"Deliver the £6,000 reward by noon tomorrow."
£6,000? That's less than 70%, more than £600 less... The shopkeeper was stunned, not expecting the Crazy Adventurer to voluntarily lower the price.
"Is it possible?" Klein asked again.
The extra 650 pounds was his compensation to the bar, given the rather dire situation there. However, such words were not something a mad adventurer could say himself; he believed the bar owner was no philanthropist and certainly wouldn't hand over any extra money.
After careful consideration, the boss replied:
"Able!"
Even if the official process wasn't that quick, he wasn't worried, because he planned to borrow some money first, along with his own savings, to cover the bounty that Gehrman Sparrow needed.
Businesses that can earn several hundred pounds at once are rare, so we can't let them slip by!
Klein nodded, said nothing more, turned around, and walked towards the bar's entrance.
As he approached the door, he took out a few gleaming copper coins from his pocket and tossed them onto a small, still-standing round table beside him.
Clink, clink, clink, the coins tumbled until they stopped, totaling 8 pence.
Throughout this action, Klein, dressed in a long black tuxedo, did not stop or slow down, and his figure quickly disappeared through the doorway.
"What... what does he mean by that?" the boss asked, both surprised and bewildered.
Most of the bodyguards shook their heads with the same expression, indicating that they also didn't know what Gehrman Sparrow's intention was in flipping the coin.
The only bodyguard who had been guarding the gate frowned, thought for a moment, and said uncertainly:
"When he first came in, he took someone else's beer and threw it to Gillschies."
"Is this the payment for that beer and the glass?"
The bar fell silent once more. The owner and his bodyguards couldn't accept this explanation, but they inexplicably felt it was quite in line with the style of the mad adventurer Gehrman Sparrow.
Another outfit ruined, that's almost 9 pounds... Luckily, this time the income was quite good... Hmm, I'll get a new one tomorrow... After turning into another street, Klein stopped and assessed his condition.
Instead of rushing back to his hotel, he first used information provided by Mithor, the leader of the " New Loen Party," to find a policeman who was controlled by drugs, had done many bad things for the gang, and even fabricated a case to murder a witness. He used Spirit Channeling methods to confirm the man's crimes, and then let " Creeping Hunger " enjoy the real feast that belonged to him today.
After finishing this task, Klein returned to the inn by carriage and went to his room.
With a little preparation, he used a ritual to bring " Creeping Hunger " and slender blood crystals above the Gray Fog.
Seated at the head of the long bronze table, Klein unhesitatingly picked up his gloves and released the soul of the " Light Priest ".
This powerful Sequence 5 figure was a lean, refined, and amiable old man. Dressed in a simple white clerical robe, he bowed to the mysterious being shrouded in Gray Fog to express his gratitude.
Klein nodded slightly in response, then conjured paper and pen and wrote down the next Divination statement:
" Potion recipes with a ' The Sun ' pathway Sequence 7 or higher."
Leaning back in his chair, he began to Spirit Channeling through " Dream Divination."
The gray sky and earth quickly changed. He saw the " Light Priest " unfold a brown parchment in the sunlit study, on which a recipe was copied in Ancient Feysac:
Sequence 6, ' Notary '.
Main ingredients: 1 portion of Elder Tree root crystal, 5 tail feathers of the Spirit Pact Bird.
"Additional materials: 100 ml of sap from the Radiant Spirit Pact Tree, one Golden-edged The Sun Flower, one white-edged the Sun, and 5 drops of water fern sap."
After a few seconds of pause, the water ripples, reconstructing a luxurious palace filled with golden statues.
Inside the hall, a man radiating a pure light that made one afraid to look directly at him addressed the fifty-year-old man below:
"This is the ' Light Priest's ' Potion recipe. Remember, dispel darkness and praise the Sun."
The old man excitedly agreed and unfolded the ancient parchment in his hand:
" Sequence 5, ' Light Priest '."
Main materials: the red crest of the King of Dawn Rooster, and a piece of pure white radiant stone.
"Auxiliary materials: 5 grams of rosemary, 7 drops of kaffir lime juice, 10 ml of rock water, and 60 ml of blood from the King of Dawn Rooster."
"Ritual: In complete darkness, bury your entire body in ice that will not normally melt, then ingest Potion."
The image quickly disappeared, leaving no further content.
Klein was not surprised by this. He knew very well that when it came to the realm of Demigod, the seven churches would usually just provide the Potion and rituals directly, without giving out the recipes.
At this moment, the figure of the " Light Priest " had already largely dissipated due to the forced Spirit Channeling.
His pained expression faded, he tilted his head back, and opened his arms outwards, making a gesture as if embracing the sunlight.
"Praise the Sun!" The " Light Priest " closed his eyes and spoke devoutly.
These were his last words. His spirit rapidly disintegrated and faded, falling into the Gray Fog and disappearing completely.
"A devout believer..." Klein sighed, then quickly recalled what he had seen in his dream and copied down the recipe.
One of the main ingredients of the " Notary " is the root crystal of the Elder Tree... I remember that Miss " Justice's" " Psychiatrist " Potion requires the fruit of the Elder Tree... So it seems that the " Spectator " and the " The Sun " might actually be interchangeable in the High-Sequence... The difficulty for ordinary people in the " Light Priest " ritual is finding ice that won't melt normally, but the little " The Sun " is different. Living people in the " Forsaken Land of the Gods " might disappear in pure darkness, so we need to find a way to avoid it... Is dispelling darkness and praising the Sun Acting Method? Klein for a while and picked up the thin blood crystal that had precipitated from Gillschies's body.
He considered it for several seconds and carefully wrote down the corresponding Divination statement:
Its origin.
Holding the items and papers, Klein silently recited the words once more and entered the dream.
In the gray world, he saw the huge sailing ship " Black Death " with its two prows pointing high, and he saw Gillschies climb the rope ladder to the deck.
The moment the " Apostle of Desire " landed firmly, a thick, black mist filled the gaps in the deck, its Depravity and malevolent aura enveloping Gillschies and Corrosion everything on him that shimmered with spiritual light, including himself.
The mist rapidly contracted, seeping into Gillschies's chest, gradually turning red, as if stained with blood.
Finally, everything returned to normal. Gillschies knelt on one knee, facing the deck, and said:
"Your will is my will, the great ' Black Death '!"
The image shattered, and Klein opened his eyes.
He sat up straight, staring at the slender blood crystals, and silently murmured to himself, lost in thought:
Is the " Black Death " alive?
"A Sealed Artifact possessing the characteristic of being alive?"
"This crystal is the source of its control over the crew, and it possesses a strong corrosive nature, so even magical items that are not of sufficient rank will be Corrosion?"
P. S.: I checked the monthly votes, and I'm almost there. I'll add an extra chapter at midnight!