In the dark night, amidst the verdant forest of vines, Klein closed his eyes, listening to a melody that seemed to drift from the heavens.
He felt peaceful and calm, yet a subtle melancholy and sadness were growing, spreading, and echoing within him.
After an unknown amount of time, the melodious tune finally faded away, and a gentle night breeze blew softly through the hanging pea vines.
Klein sighed silently, opened his eyes, and looked up. He saw the " Mystery Queen " Bernadette handing a "human skull" riddled with holes to her "servant," who had a human upper body and a wind lower body.
"Alright," Bernadette's soft, calm voice rang out.
"Thank you for your help." Klein bowed again, Manipulation the " Wraith " Senor back to his side.
At this moment, the pea vines shrank upwards and gradually faded, and the green forest quickly disappeared.
Klein and Senor landed at the bridge entrance at the same time. The surroundings were quiet and deserted, except for a squad of bridge guards with their backs to them not far away, just like before.
The fairytale-like scene just now seemed to be nothing more than an illusion.
Only then did Klein have time to examine his Marionette and find that it looked more like a dead man than before, with a pale face, a cold aura, and a distinctly eerie and chilling presence.
This must be the result of a single, large-scale erosion... If it were just guarding the Chanis Gate, once or twice a week, for one day each time, it shouldn't be this serious; it's impossible for it to become unbearable in just two months... If that's the case, even the Church of the True God couldn't afford such losses... It's estimated that normal internal guardians can survive for several years, even ten years or more, but they are prone to mutation and loss of control... Alas, when they chose to become internal guardians, they should have known that this would be their fate... Klein sighed, letting the " Wraith " Senor project itself onto the gold coin inside the iron cigarette case.
Immediately afterwards, he used the word " Travel " repeatedly, first going out to sea to select food for " Creeping Hunger " before returning to the master bedroom bathroom at 160 Böklund Street.
June 5th, Sunday, inside the Hall Family's castle.
Audrey was sitting at her desk, admiring the magical items she had just acquired.
Its shape is a long black glove that reaches the elbow, as if it came from royalty, exuding a noble and elegant temperament.
This originates from the Beyonder Characteristic of the " Mentor of Disorder " sold by "World" Gehrman Sparrow, and was crafted by " Artisan " over a certain period of time.
Audrey had consulted her father, Earl Hall, beforehand and received the answer, "You can buy it and use it yourself; it's good that you have the intention to show filial piety." So she specifically instructed Mr. " The Hanged Man " to have the " Artisan " make it into an item that the lady could carry with her.
This made her wonder if her father possessed some better magical item, or if the Church of the Goddess provided him with exceptionally high-level protection.
According to the " The Hanged Man's" account, this sheer glove could grant the wearer several extraordinary benefits:
First, it enhances one's authority and physical strength, causing surrounding creatures to unconsciously lower their stance and want to obey;
Secondly, it gains the ability to " Distortion " the target's language, actions, and intentions, thereby constructing certain rules that are beneficial to itself;
Thirdly, through symbolic " Bribe," the target develops a strong sense of goodwill, making it difficult for them to harbor hostile intentions or even fight against the wearer. If the conditions are right, the recipient of the Briber may even turn against their comrades in a very small probability. Audrey heard Mr. "World" say that this is one of the extraordinary abilities of " Bribe," called " Bribe-Attraction."
Fourth, it creates "confusion" around the locked target or a certain area, making it difficult for attacks to land on oneself and making it easy for the enemy to "choose" the Error.
Audrey was very satisfied with these effects, but what troubled her was that, because the " Artisan " himself was not of a high enough level, the negative effects of the Sequence 5 magical items he created were quite significant.
First, it can gradually darken the wearer's mind, making them always want to take shortcuts, use conspiracies, and do things through dishonest means. Second, after wearing it for more than 3 minutes, the user will also fall into a state of confusion. Audrey tried it before and unknowingly Error while taking a shower.
The normal procedure was for the maid to first fill the tub with hot water and adjust the temperature, then the woman would undress, enter the bathtub, and finally wash herself. However, Audrey entered the bathtub first, then filled it with cold water, and only remembered to take her clothes off after they were soaked.
Her only consolation was that she managed to control herself and not call the maid in to witness her embarrassing moment.
This makes me feel like a curly-haired baboon! Audrey thought, a little annoyed.
She felt she could accept the first negative impact because she was a " Psychiatrist " who could frequently examine herself and eliminate dark thoughts, and Susie also provided help from an observer's perspective. However, the second one was a bit unbearable.
The second negative impact is a big problem. I can only carry it with me for now and wear it only in critical moments. Oh right, I also have " Lies." It can amplify my emotions. When combined with this glove, it will make the darkness in my heart very serious. I may not be able to resist it now... Audrey's blue eyes rolled as she thought of a solution.
Just then, she heard a knocking sound at the door.
Her personal maid Annie, said from outside:
"Miss, the Earl wants to speak with you."
Audrey left the black veil glove on the table, got up, went to the door, and opened it.
Earl Hall was at home without a coat, wearing only a shirt and vest, stroked his handsome little mustache and chuckled:
"Aren't you ready yet? We're going back to Backlund soon."
Tomorrow night is your 18th birthday dance.
As he spoke, Earl Hall glanced at the maid Annie and the others, signaling them to step back a short distance.
"Sigh, it's that time of year again for social events." Audrey nodded, trying to sound mature. (Note 1)
Earl Hall glanced at his daughter and asked with a smile:
Have you figured out how to use that item?
Audrey smiled and said:
"Certainly.
"I plan to fold it up and put it in my small bag so Susie can carry it."
In this way, since Susie wasn't wearing or using it, she wouldn't experience any confusion. Her psychological issues could be Placate and treated by Audrey. More importantly, without the amplification of " Lies," Susie, who is also a " Psychiatrist," could still examine herself and adjust her mental state from time to time.
Earl Hall paused for a moment, then chuckled and praised:
"A clever approach."
Audrey felt a surge of pride, but outwardly remained quite reserved as she said:
I plan to name it ' The Hand of Horror '.
"My dear Earl, thank you for your birthday gift!"
"And in a few more days, I can concoct Potion and try to advance my cultivation level!" Audrey added joyfully to herself.
Sunday night, 160 Böklund Street.
Klein stood on the balcony, peering at the street scene through the gap in the curtains, a sense of tension rising within him.
If nothing unexpected happens, he will soon begin his operation to Stealing the Antigonus Family Notebook.
Since he had the help of the " Mystery Queen " Bernadette to make his own Marionette appear to be corrupted, and after figuring out the rotation pattern of the internal guardians by frequently going to church to pray, listen to sermons, and make donations, Klein only had one thing left to do in his preparations for the Stealing plan.
That is, how to quietly and unnoticedly replace the target!
According to Klein, the inner guards would head underground at the crack of dawn, before the church Door Opening. At that time, attempting to infiltrate directly would risk being discovered by Demigod like the Archbishop of Backlund, making success virtually impossible.
Therefore, Klein's plan was to sneak into the church a day in advance and patiently wait for his opportunity.
This undoubtedly requires sufficient disguise, but it's no challenge for " Faceless ".
After observing for a period of time, Klein discovered that the church also held a large mass on Sunday nights, because Sunday and Evernight are both symbols of the goddess.
After the Mass, the servants would be busy cleaning up the trash and debris outside.
Klein's plan was to seize this opportunity, quietly knock out a servant, impersonate him, enter the church, and sleep in the servants' quarters.
To this end, he had already purchased a suitable dose of sleeping pills from " The Moon " Emlyn, which could induce a 10-hour sleep without causing any physical harm, for a full 5 pounds.
Huff... After a few minutes, Klein slowly exhaled, drew the curtains, walked back into the room, took four steps backward, and entered the Gray Fog.
He sat down in the " The Fool's" seat, pondered for nearly a minute, then conjured paper and pen, and wrote down the Divination statement:
"This theft of the Antigonus Family Notebook is dangerous."
After setting down the dark red, round-bellied fountain pen, Klein took the pendulum from his left sleeve, held the silver chain in his left hand, and let the citrine pendant suspend above the paper, almost touching it.
He entered Cogitation, closed his eyes, and silently recited the Divination phrases seven times. Afterward, he slowly opened his eyes and saw the pendulum rotating clockwise, with a normal amplitude and speed.
There was danger, but it was within the normal range... Klein quickly interpreted it.
He was actually a little worried that someone might be interfering again, just like the " Mother Tree of Desire " had done before, but this could neither be confirmed nor disproven.
Therefore, when the Divination results, the plan, and his own preparations all met the necessary conditions, Klein had already made his decision.
He gazed at the citrine pendant, which was gradually coming to a stop spinning, and spoke in a low voice in his native language:
"The arrow is on the string, it must be released."
Before he finished speaking, Klein enveloped himself in his Spirituality, simulating the feeling of falling, and returned to the real world.
This time, he planned to carry only three items with him: " Creeping Hunger," " Senor Gold Coin," and " Azik Copper Whistle." They all had the characteristic of being able to be placed inside an iron cigarette case, with " Paper Angel " and " Wall of Spirituality " providing double concealment.
The rest of the items would most likely not pass through the Chanis Gate, as they could easily trigger anomalies in the sealed core. Therefore, Klein threw them, along with the cash, onto the Gray Fog, prepared to flee immediately if any problems arose.
The 3% stake in Coim Company he bought for £12,800 is now tied to the identity of Dawn Dantès... Klein quickly collected his thoughts, grabbed a mirror, and placed it on his pillow.
Next, he drew the mysterious symbol that summoned the " Magic Mirror " Arrodes.
Note 1: Historically, the London social season was from December after Christmas to June. However, when this book was set up, considering some plot arrangements and the fact that the main belief of the Loen upper class was the " Lord of Storms," the time for discussing national affairs was placed from June to September, when Storm are more frequent. Thus, the social season naturally became June to New Year's Day. Of course, on weekends in autumn and winter, nobles would definitely go to the countryside to hunt foxes. Please don't get confused and don't give the opposite answer when someone asks about the London social season.