Most of the houses in Gurain City are built along the winding roads, with occasional flatter and more open areas serving as squares or markets.
Carrying his luggage, Klein, relying on his " Seer's" Spirituality intuition, randomly chose a direction and headed towards a relatively lively bar along the way.
There weren't many horse-drawn carriages on the road, and even fewer taxis; you'd only see one or two every now and then. The most popular mode of transportation in East Balam was the "coffin," stemming from the custom of Death worship and the belief that coffins brought peace and tranquility. So, Klein often saw several people carrying a black coffin past, the lid much thinner and lighter than normal, like a carriage door that could be opened at will.
Two people carrying it, four people carrying it, eight people carrying it, pulled by horses or unicorns... Such folk customs are a bit scary at night, and well, they're not much better during the day either. The whole city seems gloomy... Klein walked into a square while admiring the "scenery" along the road. On the left was the church of the " Lord of Storms," and on the right were restaurants, bars, and other shops.
Just as he stopped, a coffin carried by four people was being lowered down by the roadside.
As the lid opened, the passenger lying inside the coffin stood up and stepped out—a gentleman from the Northern Continent, dressed in a white shirt and black vest.
The gentleman's formal attire remained draped over his arm until he was removed from the coffin, at which point it was draped over his body.
Then, Klein watched as the man headed straight for the " Lord of Storms '" church and went inside.
This really has a strange sense of incongruity... Hasn't the Church of Storms always liked to change the customs of the colonies and forcefully promote the Loen? Why doesn't it do the same in East Balam? Is it because the " Death " path and the " Evernight " path are similar in type, so the Church of Storms hopes to preserve certain folk customs of the Death realm in order to restrain the spread of the Church of Evernight? Klein nodded thoughtfully, turned to the row of buildings on the right, and prepared to enter one of the bars.
Only after this firsthand experience did he vaguely understand why the ancient clothing style of the Balam Empire, as described in many history books, was the way it was.
He loves wearing pants, prefers lightweight styles, and considers wrinkles beautiful... Isn't that just convenient for going out and lying in a coffin? Klein smiled and shook his head, pushed open the heavy wooden door of the bar, squeezed past the drunkards, and walked towards the bar area.
At this moment, the two military "stalkers," fearing exposure, distanced themselves from Dawn Dantès and had just reached the door.
Seizing this brief opening, Klein suddenly turned and darted through the crowd like a fish toward the back door of the bar.
Although he didn't understand the Dutanese, he could read the signs and knew where the restrooms were and where customers were not allowed to enter.
Once he was out of sight of the main entrance, Klein shrugged and quickly took off his coat, draping it over his arm.
Immediately afterwards, he gripped his gold-plated cane, covered his face with his palm, slowed his pace, and changed direction again, heading towards the bar's entrance.
When he was nearly ten meters away from where he had just taken off his coat, Klein lowered his right hand from his face, and his entire appearance had changed.
His graying temples, deep eyes, and refined demeanor all vanished, replaced by the appearance of the Loen people, a common sight on the Northern Continent.
Carrying his luggage and carrying his cane, Klein walked steadily toward the two military "stalkers," brushing past them as they looked around for Dawn Dantès, and left the bar.
Both tracking and counter-tracking are the strengths of " Faceless "!
Back in the square, Klein turned into a sloping alley leading uphill, intending to find a hotel elsewhere.
As he walked along a quiet, deserted road, he suddenly heard a woman's terrified screams.
The sound lasted only a short time before abruptly stopping.
Although he couldn't understand what the other person was shouting, Klein could sense the fear, apprehension, and panic. So, he stumbled and entered a narrower, deserted path.
Less than ten seconds later, he saw a local man in his thirties with brownish skin and soft features, violently assaulting a girl who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, in a secluded corner.
Klein glanced around, slowed his pace, and stopped in the nearby shadows.
By this time, the little girl's face was Distortion with extreme panic, but no matter how much she struggled, she could not break free and was even beaten in return.
Tears and snot streamed down her face, and her mouth was stuffed with rags and clothes, so she could only make muffled noises.
Just then, she was shocked to find that the scoundrel's movements as he tried to take off his clothes had slowed down.
"..." There was no time to consider what had happened. She subconsciously looked at the bad guy and saw his eyes widen, his facial muscles slowly twitching, unable to form a complete expression. Then, his hands and feet twitched and paused as he continued what he had been doing, but he was easily dodged.
The little girl instinctively pushed the other person, which had a surprisingly good effect. She felt lighter and quickly stood up, trying to escape. However, her legs were weak and she tripped over a pebble after only a few steps, almost falling to the ground.
At that moment, she heard footsteps behind her, and she became increasingly flustered, her hands and feet moving more and more erratically.
Then, the footsteps stopped.
The little girl instinctively turned around and saw the villain standing stiffly two meters away, his joints rusted as he made all sorts of strange movements.
"What happened...?" The little girl felt like she was dreaming.
The local man with brownish skin struggled for a while, then finally calmed down, smiled, and Dutanese:
"If you ever encounter someone like me again, remember to run to the nearest church or a crowded place."
The little girl froze for a moment, then suddenly let out a scream and ran away.
Subconsciously, she chose the direction of the church in the square.
Once the secluded corner returned to peace, the local man with brownish skin turned his head and looked towards the nearby shadows, watching Klein emerge from there.
"The new Marionette... not strong enough, not agile enough, no extraordinary abilities, and rather fierce-looking. Aside from speaking the Dutanese, he's utterly useless." Klein made a quick mental assessment. "If he weren't committing evil deeds and if I didn't understand the local language, I'd probably bury him alive."
He couldn't help but compare this to the previous Marionette, " Admiral of Blood " Senor:
" Senor is a ' Wraith,' capable of ' Mirror Blink,' able to hide in the reflection of gold coins without fear of being seen... He also possesses the Wraith Scream and the ability to possess beings, making him a perfect match for the Marionettist..."
Most importantly, he will also be Dutanese...
"Now, this Marionette is like the difference between a penny and 42,000 gold pounds."
"I don't know his name. I can only use his abilities to sense superficial thoughts and can't access deeper memories unless I encounter familiar people or things, at which point his spirit changes accordingly and 'spits out' more information... Let's call him Afu, no, Enuni."
Klein rubbed his temples, sighed, and left the area with his new Marionette, Enuni, before the little girl could attract the clergy.
Before long, with the help of the Marionette, he found a hotel to stay in at random in the area where the prosperity and backwardness of Gurain City met. Surprisingly, he did not need to provide any identification documents, even though Klein had disguised himself as a typical local on the way.
"It lacks even more effective administration than those colonies at sea..." Klein put down his luggage, threw most of the cash he was carrying into the Gray Fog, and kept only 50 pounds for daily expenses.
Meanwhile, having already crossed the Raging Sea and no longer needing to worry about causing any anomalies, he retrieved the copper whistle and iron cigarette case from the mysterious space above the Gray Fog, making it easier for Mr. Azik to locate them when he arrived.
Having finished all these tasks, and having already eaten dinner on the cruise ship, he suddenly had some free time and decided to seize the opportunity to find a second Marionette.
As for how to find it, Klein, who didn't know much about the situation in Gurain City, planned to use his expertise as a " Seer " and search using mystical methods!
Taking Of with Enuni, they left the hotel. Klein broke off a branch from Doningsman Tree, using it as a divination staff, and skillfully Cogitation, whispering:
"The location of the new Marionette."
In the quiet, silent environment, pairs of indifferent eyes seemed to pierce through the barrier between illusion and reality, all fixed on the divination stick.
The branch then tilted down, pointing in a direction.
After walking a distance and Divination once, Klein followed the revelation he had received, winding his way through many twists and turns until he arrived at a steep staircase.
This staircase connects several levels of Gurain's roads, and one must look up to see the top. At this moment, it is deserted.
" The Divination did indeed reveal that this place is here... Why is no one here? Is it because the Divination wasn't done above the Gray Fog, so the result isn't accurate? But I am a ' Marionettist ' at Sequence 5, and my Divination ability is definitely among the top in the High-Sequence..." Klein frowned slightly, looked around, and couldn't find any target.
He thought for a moment, then walked to the steps and sat down in the shadows at the very bottom edge, waiting with little confidence and great boredom.
A few minutes later, he stood up again Enuni Marionette in his previous spot.
Then, Klein himself created some distance and hid in a Concealment spot nearly two hundred meters away.
Gurain City, Lower Lip District.
Leonard Mitchell, Daly Simone, and others followed the " Red Gloves " squad leader Soest, to a nearby neighborhood.
Under the cover of darkness, Soest reiterated to all personnel:
"Our target this time is Ulrika, who lives in house number 13. He is a very important member of the Spirituality Religion and is responsible for liaising with different groups in the Backlund region."
"Although all the intelligence indicates that he is not Demigod, in order to prevent any accidents, I still applied for a '1' Sealed Artifact, and Lady ' Eye of the Goddess ' is also ready to provide assistance at any time."
"Also, most of the residents in this neighborhood are locals, so we need to be wary of the possibility that they might also be members of the Spirituality Religion."