Chapter 148: Messenger

Chapter One Hundred Forty-Eight
Messenger

Klein’s answer made Daly chuckle. The semi-transparent face that had only a mouth said, “Even if you drew inspiration from the maxim of the Mystery Pryers and confirmed your thoughts through my experiences and behavior, clearly recognizing ‘acting’ in just over a month and summarizing your own ‘Seer’s code’ is still enough to prove that you possess outstanding intelligence and an open mind.”

Klein did not dwell on a topic that made him feel guilty. Instead, he asked, “Madam, do the Church’s upper ranks know about this—this so-called ‘acting method’?”

“Without question. They know it very clearly. I once went through the Church’s historical records, searching for those of our kind who advanced far too quickly, ignoring ordinary rules. I discovered that Nighthawks and bishops like that were not few. I was not the most special one. As for their endings…”

Here, Daly deliberately paused. Her tone seemed to grow somewhat heavy.

“What endings did they have?” Klein’s heart tightened, and he blurted the question out.

Could the Church of the Evernight Goddess regard the acting method as a temptation from evil gods and demons?

The eyeless, noseless, earless semi-transparent face suddenly laughed aloud.

“Their outcomes were all rather wonderful. Apart from those who lost control or sacrificed themselves in supernatural incidents, the rest at least became archbishops or high-ranking deacons. Among them, there was no lack of powerhouses who successfully advanced to higher Sequences. Ah, within the Goddess’s Church, Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 are collectively known as Saints, while Sequence 2 and Sequence 1 are Angels on Earth. Of course, every Angel was once a Saint.”

…Madam Daly, you were deliberately frightening me just now…

The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched slightly. He did not conceal his confusion as he asked, “Since the Church grasped the acting method long ago, why not tell every Nighthawk?”

“Even though this cannot completely prevent loss of control, it can certainly reduce the corresponding probability by a large margin and cut down on meaningless losses.”

A trace of bewilderment appeared on the semi-transparent face that had only a mouth.

“I do not know why either. They told me that once I become an archbishop or high-ranking deacon, I will be able to learn the secret behind this. I came to see you today because I hope that before you submit your special application, you will tell Dunn about the acting method with relative clarity.”

Klein did not foolishly ask why she did not do so herself. Instead, he said thoughtfully, “Once one draws the Church’s attention, one must make a promise and establish an oath not to tell anyone else about the acting method?”

“Yes. Before one of the Goddess’s holy relics, and in Her name. That oath has enough binding power. Trust me: you absolutely do not want to know the consequences of violating it. Right now, I can only discuss it with someone like you, who has also grasped the acting method. Before you answered, your state had already told me the truth, so I dared to speak that term.”

Daly let the strange face sigh.

After pausing, she continued, “Back then, I only vaguely grasped the essence of acting, and therefore digested my potion very quickly. Yes, among the Church’s higher ranks, they use the word digestion to describe the mastery of potions. I think it is extremely apt. In short, before I swore the oath and was told of the acting method, my understanding of this matter was not especially clear, so I could not accurately remind Dunn and the others.

“I had originally given up. I did not expect to encounter you—a bizarre specimen who clearly recognized the acting method before submitting a special application. No, a genius.”

So that is how you view me, madam…

Klein’s mouth twitched again. Then he solemnly promised, “I originally intended to use the matter of my special application to remind the Captain of the acting method’s existence. With your explanation, madam, I no longer need to worry about anything.”

“Very good. You truly are a kind young man,” Daly said, obvious relief in her tone.

Madam, you seem to be only two or three years older than me…

Klein pointed out the problem silently in his heart.

Before he could speak, the strange, semi-transparent face continued, “If you have questions, or if there is something you need help with, you may write to me. After I—heh-heh—after I become an archbishop or high-ranking deacon and learn why the Church hides the acting method, I will hint to you whether the matter is good or bad.”

Klein’s spirits lifted at once. Without hesitation, he asked, “Madam, what is your address?”

To him, one more helper was one more helper. And this was a relatively powerful Spirit Medium!

Facing Klein, who did not decline at all, Daly fell silent for several seconds, then laughed softly.

“Our communication should not pass through the post office, nor should it use ordinary letters. That is very unsafe.

“I will teach you a relatively simple ritual magic. It can summon a unique spirit, a spirit belonging to me. You give it the letter you have written, and it will deliver it to me accurately. It is slower than a telegraph, but faster than a steam train. If you finish it at noon, I in Backlund will receive it that very night.”

Klein listened attentively and nodded slightly.

“A very practical ritual magic.”

Daly laughed in a low voice.

“The distinctive feature of this ritual magic is that it prays to oneself, drawing power from one’s own spirituality. It does not need to pass through a deity, and is therefore rather hidden. However, its power is often not very great.

“…First, select herbs and essential oils corresponding to the proper domain. In this respect, it is no different from ordinary ritual magic. But among the candles, you only need the one symbolizing yourself… Then comes the incantation. This has three parts. The first is ‘I.’ You cry out ‘I’ in ancient Hermes, Giant, Dragon, or Elvish. The second is ‘I summon in my name,’ which may be changed to Hermes. The third part is the specific description of the summoned being. For example, the one you will use later: the spirit wandering within the void, an Upper-Realm creature driven by others, the messenger belonging solely to Daly Simone.”

Upper Realm? In mysticism, that usually refers to the spirit world…

As Klein carefully committed the ritual process to memory, he analyzed it.

In that field, he could now barely count as an expert.

…The advantage of this ritual magic is that it bypasses deities and purely uses one’s own power. Therefore, it is not limited by the domain of any deity and can achieve a diverse range of spell effects. The problem is that it depends on one’s own strength. The weak remain weak, while the strong remain strong…

Klein felt that he had once again gained new knowledge, knowledge from mysticism that his current Sequence would not normally be able to access.

Daly repeated the description several times, then emphasized solemnly, “Remember, do not casually change the specific description of the summoned being. It is very easy to attract terrifying monsters that way.”

“All right.”

Klein nodded honestly.

At the same time, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

If I changed the summoned being’s description to “The Fool that does not belong to this era, the mysterious ruler above the gray fog, the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck,” what would be summoned?

Would there be no effect at all, or would the gray fog suddenly descend? Or would I need to go to that mysterious space and respond?

Could this help me pry more power from above the gray fog?

Could it trigger some terrifying chain reaction?

Still haunted by the lingering fear of having successfully courted death with the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem, Klein ultimately obeyed his heart and decided that he would first go above the gray fog to perform a divination before deciding whether to try.

After some thought, he asked with keen interest, “Madam, if one strictly uses the acting method, how long does it take to go from Sequence 8 to Sequence 7? And from Sequence 7 to Sequence 6?”

“According to the materials I have read, Sequence 8 to Sequence 7 can take anywhere from three months to two years. It depends on whether you can quickly comprehend the core spirit and corresponding rules during the acting process. Sequence 7 to Sequence 6 requires six months to three years, and Sequence 6 to Sequence 5 is about the same. From Sequence 5 to Sequence 4, it can take three to twenty years…”

Daly gave a rough description.

Klein suddenly smiled.

“So, madam, you have already reached Sequence 6?”

He had heard Dunn mention that Daly had taken one year to go from Sequence 9 Corpse Collector to Sequence 8 Gravedigger, and another year to go from Gravedigger to Sequence 7 Spirit Medium. She had been a Beyonder for only five years in total, which meant Daly had been at the Spirit Medium level for roughly three years.

“Yes. That is also the reason I was transferred to the Backlund diocese.”

The strange, semi-transparent face answered frankly.

“My current profession is Spirit Guide. However, I still prefer the title Spirit Medium. All right, this little fellow is tired. I must leave. Under these circumstances, I will not say ‘may the Goddess protect you.’”

“May you have a good dream.”

Klein pressed a hand to his chest and bowed with a smile.

“No. There will be no good dream tonight. I have to rush back to Backlund. That is not a pleasant experience. It is like having relations with someone you dislike…”

Daly’s voice grew lower and lower. The semi-transparent face with no eyes or nose slowly retracted into the wall, leaving no trace behind.

The gas lamp’s light suddenly grew bright, and all gloomy green vanished without a trace.

Klein, whose spirit vision had remained active the whole time, stared blankly at that change. It took quite a while before he recovered.

“Spirit Medium—no, Spirit Guide—is really impressive. She can even create a mystical ‘messenger’… I wonder what special traits my Sequence 7 and Sequence 6 will have…”

He murmured soundlessly to himself, swiftly removed the wall of spirituality, extinguished the gas lamp in his bedroom, and lay quietly on the bed in the darkness.

He did not plan to go above the gray fog tonight. He had to guard against the possibility of Daly suddenly returning and saying Dunn Smith’s classic line: “Right, I forgot something.”

If that happened, he would not even be able to silence her permanently!

…

The next day, Klein entered Blackthorn Security Company three minutes early.

“Good morning, Klein. The new civilian staff have arrived!”

Rozanne greeted him with a brilliant smile.

Klein felt sincerely happy for her.

“Congratulations, Rozanne. The Goddess heard your prayers.”

“My skin is going to come back to life!”

Rozanne nodded, eyes shining.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Klein walked toward the partition and knocked on the Captain’s office door.

“Come in,” Dunn’s mellow voice sounded from within.

Klein pushed open the door and entered, only to see the Captain instinctively straighten his posture, his gray eyes deepening into a look of someone prepared for trouble to come knocking.

“Cough.”

Klein cleared his throat, sat down with his hat and cane, and said, “Captain, there is something I would like to report.”

“What is it?” Dunn asked in a deep voice, hands clasped together.