Klein envisioned his dream world based on 160 Böklund Street, creating numerous beautiful women to surround Dawn Dantès, perfectly portraying a wealthy man who is knowledgeable and experienced but has to endure hardship in the real world for the sake of his reputation, only able to indulge himself in his dreams.
Sitting on the sofa, Klein accepted a glass of red wine from a young woman. Before he could even taste it, his surroundings abruptly changed, transforming from a brightly lit, elegantly decorated villa filled with beautiful women into a gloomy, dark, damp, and filthy sewer.
Immediately afterwards, he saw five familiar explosives in his hand.
"Isn't this what I planted before?" Klein was taken aback at first, then pretended to be startled, hurriedly threw away the explosives, and looked around warily.
Seeing nothing amiss, he retreated step by step, groped his way to the vertical metal steps, decisively and quickly climbed up, moved the manhole cover, and left the sewer.
As he returned to Böklund Street, the entire dream shattered, waking him up.
Klein opened his eyes and, in the almost completely dark room, stared at the gold-decorated ceiling, recalling what had just happened:
"Was this done by that ' Marauder ' through the Demigod?"
He escaped the Nighthawks ' pursuit and remained hidden nearby, fearing the reappearance of the ' Black Emperor ' who had exposed his whereabouts. So he guided each dream, searching for his target.
"Very likely! If I hadn't been able to remain conscious and rational in a dream where someone was invading, I would have been driven by my subconscious to repeat the process of placing explosives and detonating them as a warning. After all, it's something I've done before, something I remember vividly..."
"Fortunately, I had figured out the rule that ' the Marionettist should stay behind the scenes as much as possible.' Whether exploring the sewers or meeting Triss, I relied on the Marionette Trissy. Even when I had to go in person because of the distance, I used my spirit form and went through the Gray Fog. I also carried items that interfered with spying and Divination, making it impossible for anyone to find out who the real Manipulator was. Otherwise, I would have been discovered and targeted long ago. Even if I didn't die, I would have already fled Backlund in a sorry state."
Thinking about this, Klein felt a surge of relief. The Original, he didn't know what secrets were hidden in the sewers, and he never expected there to be Demigod. However, he still adhered to the rules of the " Marionettist " and strictly demanded of himself, thus successfully avoiding the tragedy of his "performance" being exposed.
Backlund is truly a dangerous place; a moment of carelessness can lead to trouble... Klein sighed, realizing that he had unknowingly digested a portion of the " Marionettist " Potion.
Once he calmed down, he thought to himself, "Heh!"
"It seems that person is still on Böklund Street, most likely hiding in Hibbert's house, or even close to her."
"Heh, if this Demigod had invaded my dream a minute or two earlier, I would have seen ' Snake of Fate ' Will Auceptin. Although this Sequence 1 Angel is in a weak state, that's only relative to Ouroboros and the other Angel. Dealing with a sneaky creature that can't even directly ' Parasitism ' Hibbert shouldn't be too difficult. Putting aside other abilities, just revealing the complete Mythical Creature Form would have seriously injured the equally weak one."
"I bet Will Auceptin must have had some prior knowledge, which is why he chose this time of day to successfully avoid being seen by other Demigod."
"It's a pity we can't let that ' Marauder ' Demigod understand just how dangerous it is to freely invade dreams in Backlund... Leonard must know this all too well..."
Klein collected his thoughts, pretended nothing had happened, and used Cogitation to drift back into a deep sleep.
As the Sun rose slowly on the horizon, he naturally awoke, sat up, transformed into the likeness of Gehrman Sparrow, and murmured a prayer:
"... Please tell Lady ' The Hermit ' that the Angel has accepted the condition of 'a method to temporarily restore a certain amount of strength during the period of weakness' and has agreed to conduct the transaction at the end of June or the beginning of July."
"You can ask Bernadette when I can see her."
After finishing his prayers, Klein transformed back into Dawn Dantès, got up, went to the bathroom, and took care of his personal needs.
After brushing his teeth and washing his face, feeling exceptionally refreshed, he took four steps backward, entered the Gray Fog, and transformed his prayer into an image, which he then cast into the deep red star that symbolized the " The Hermit."
Onboard the " Future," docked at a port, " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya watched Frank Lee step onto the pier with anticipation, preparing to sell some items to raise 8,000 pounds in cash to purchase the " Druid " Beyonder Characteristic. She couldn't help but raise her hand to her forehead, feeling inexplicably a little insecure.
Although she was confident that her own level, mystical knowledge, and magical artifacts could easily suppress Frank Lee, who had become a " Druid," she remembered his ingenious ideas and terrifying practical abilities, and felt that the problem wouldn't be so simple. She didn't want to attend the Tarot Club above the Gray Fog with a watermelon growing on her head and wheat ears covering her body.
Fortunately, he doesn't yet have the " Druid " Potion recipe, so there's no need to worry about his advancement to Sequence 5 for now... Cattleya pushed up her glasses and reassured herself.
Just then, a hazy Gray Fog filled her vision, and she heard the voice of Gehrman Sparrow.
"Did that Angel agree?" Cattleya's expression softened immediately, and a slight smile appeared on her Admiral of Stars.
Once she obtains that drop of Mythical Creature's blood, it means she's very close to becoming Demigod!
She already possessed the Potion recipe from the " Mystic," and had previously accumulated contributions, exchanging them for a main ingredient from the Moss Ascetic Order. As for the remaining ingredient, she knew exactly where to get it and how to obtain it.
July, July... Cattleya pursed her lips, her gaze piercing through her thick glasses as she slowly surveyed the captain's cabin.
On Thursday morning, Klein had just finished a classical literature class when he heard illusory, layered prayers.
Upon ascending above the Gray Fog, he discovered that the supplicant was " The Hermit " Cattleya.
The " Admiral of Stars " asked Mr. " The Fool " to tell the "World" that the " Mystery Queen " has agreed to his request. If he is in Backlund, they should meet at 11 p. m. tonight on the Tussock River, near the entrance to the bridge.
Bernadette is still stuck in Backlund... Klein manifested as Gehrman Sparrow and gave an affirmative response.
At 10:58 p. m., he went into the washroom and pulled a paper figure out of his pocket.
Snap!
Klein shuddered, transforming the paper figure into Dawn Dantès, who sat on the toilet, holding a book, seemingly lost in thought.
Then, he suddenly shrank by three or four centimeters, his face became thinner and his features more defined, and he had become Gehrman Sparrow.
Immediately afterwards, the glove on his left hand became transparent, revealing countless illusory shadows within it.
Klein immediately saw the colors around him first become rich, then distinct, layer upon layer, while he himself faded and disappeared into the real world.
He swiftly traversed the Spirit World, constantly adjusting his direction based on his location. In just a few seconds, he appeared at the entrance to the Backlund Bridge on the Tussock River.
At this time, the night was deep, no one was walking on the bridge, and the surroundings were extremely quiet. Only a group of soldiers guarding the bridge could be vaguely seen standing not far away.
As Klein was searching for the " Mystery Queen " Bernadette, he suddenly saw green pea vines hanging down from the sky, intertwining to form a lush and dense forest.
This "forest" stretches to the horizon, with vines forming various paths that intertwine and spiral, extending all the way into the sky.
Klein paused for only a second before casually choosing a path made of pea vines, suspended in mid-air, and began to walk forward step by step.
After an unknown amount of time, he saw the green plants forming a hammock-like chair, swaying gently high up.
The " Mystery Queen " sat there, dressed in a white Intis- style shirt and a dark black jacket, with a thin rapier at her waist. Except for not wearing a tricorn hat, she was dressed like a standard sea captain.
Unlike her previous encounter with Sherlock Moriarty in Backlund, where only a pair of black leather boots were visible, her long chestnut hair now cascaded down, and her deep blue eyes looked over as she spoke softly but without emotion:
"Please thank the person behind you for me."
"You still have a lot of respect for ' The Fool,' huh? Hmm, the questions I answered before should have cleared up a lot of her doubts..." Klein, wearing the "mask" of Gehrman Sparrow, politely replied:
"OK."
Bernadette's gaze remained fixed on him as she spoke:
What brings you here this time?
Klein paused for a second, then uttered the words he had prepared beforehand:
"I need your help to make him appear as if he has been long-term corrupted by the core power sealed behind the Chanis Gate of the Church of Evernight."
As he spoke, Klein summoned the " Wraith " Senor beside him.
Bernadette glanced deeply at the upright " Admiral of Blood," not asking Sherlock Moriarty or Gehrman Sparrow how they knew she had a way, and calmly said:
"The core seals of different churches within the Church of Evernight are different, and their states after being corrupted are also different."
Is it the ' Evernight ' pathway, the ' Death ' pathway, or something else?
Is it the parish cathedral, or a typical city center church?
She immediately eliminated the option of the Church of Evernight's headquarters, the Serenity Cathedral, because even the Angel King wouldn't dare to covet it.
Klein thought for a moment and said:
"The parish church, the ' Evernight ' route."
The " Mystery Queen," Bernadette, nodded slightly and said:
"I can subject him to the corresponding corruption, but in that case, your Marionette will be basically destroyed. At first, it can still be used normally, but as time goes by and the corruption deepens, it will gradually fall into a deep sleep and never wake up again."
"Can we prolong the time it takes for the complete erosion to occur as much as possible?" Klein asked, suppressing his heartache.
" Admiral of Blood " Senor's Marionette is among the most valuable of all his possessions!
Bernadette said calmly:
"At most two months."
Klein hesitated for two seconds before replying expressionlessly:
"OK."
He immediately placed his hand on his chest and bowed.
Thank you for your help.
The " Mystery Queen " Bernadette remained silent, withdrew her gaze, and stretched out her right hand, tracing words in the air that differed from those in the languages of Jotun, Dragonese, Elvish, and Ancient Hermes.
The words, radiating a starlight-like brilliance, intertwined to form strange symbols, seemingly opening a secret door to the depths of the Spirit World.
The "secret door" opened, and a gust of wind blew out, transforming the upper body into a man wrapped in a white cloth.
" The Requiem Horn," Bernadette said in a soft but subtly authoritative voice.
The man with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a wind figure responded respectfully and took out a human skull from a white cloth.
The skull has deep, dark eye sockets that are difficult to see the bottom of, and the rest of the skull has holes of different shapes, surrounded by cracks, and is as white as jade.
Bernadette took the " Requiem Horn," glanced at Gehrman Sparrow, and said:
"You should step back at least 50 meters."
Klein didn't ask why, leaving the " Wraith " Senor behind, and quickly drove away along the path paved with pea vines.
After going more than 50 meters, he suddenly heard a distant, tranquil, and melancholic melody.
Instinctively, Klein looked up and saw Bernadette sitting with her back slightly bent, hidden by the pea vines. Her chestnut hair swayed, her head was lowered, and she brought the "human skull" to her mouth, letting air flow from the holes, weaving a symphony of the night.
The music, carrying a calming power and a touch of melancholy, spread gradually without disturbing the bridge-guarding soldiers outside the Peavine Forest.
Klein stood there, listening intently, a sudden surge of longing for home welling up inside him.
That is the place a traveler, who has wandered for a long time, most longs for yet can never reach... Mobile version URL: m.