Chapter 31: Frightening Them

Chapter 31: Frightening Them

If I dig too deeply, there is a high chance it will lead to Redemption Rose, perhaps even to a hidden Red Angel… Just now, there were several times when I was practically dancing on the edge of a cliff… Thank goodness I restrained my impulse and suppressed my curiosity about the strange situations inside Lime Restaurant and the telegraph office… Klein withdrew his gaze and felt that even the Sun Brooch could not prevent a layer of cold sweat from seeping across his back.

Compared to an incident like the True Creator’s descent, an unknown situation that had not yet been detonated was far more terrifying. At the very least, Klein could not stop himself from imagining what exactly he would have seen, and what exactly would have happened, if he had kicked open the telegraph office door or gone around to the back and climbed in through the window.

His mind kept inventing strange and horrifying scenes, frightening him badly.

At the same time, he decided that he would later prepare Sun holy water for the passengers who had eaten in Bansy Harbor the previous night, to prevent any hidden problems from remaining.

“What is it?” Elland noticed Gehrman Sparrow’s abnormal state.

“I remembered something from the past.” Klein used a Clown’s abilities to keep his facial expression perfectly normal, while inwardly rejoicing that he had not taken risks the previous night and had now smoothly left Bansy Harbor.

As for the secrets of Redemption Rose and the King of Angels hidden there, Klein had only one thought:

Report it immediately!

If I do not report it, am I supposed to keep them around for the New Year of 1351?

If he chose to conceal it and waited until he had a sufficiently high Sequence and enough strength to explore it himself and reap the corresponding benefits, then if something happened in the meantime—if the danger was triggered ahead of time, or if the evil cultists still survived and killed one innocent traveler after another—Klein felt certain he would be consumed by guilt and burdened with a heavy weight. That, in turn, would bring him very close to losing control.

Of course, reporting also required the proper method. Klein was not foolish enough to tell Elland directly or write an anonymous letter to the Church of Storms. That would bring a great deal of trouble. First, the authorities would certainly investigate Gehrman Sparrow’s background with force, and many things would inevitably be exposed once dug into too deeply. Second, this current identity might be revealed to Redemption Rose, drawing the pursuit of a King of Angels.

What Klein intended was to wait until the Tarot Gathering in two days. Using The World, he would mention the abnormalities in Bansy Harbor, and The Fool would lightly draw out Redemption Rose and the King of Angels. As someone related to the Church of Storms, The Hanged Man would naturally understand what he needed to do next.

This would be his chance to earn merit!

As for the matter of Medici family direct descendant blood, Klein did not consider it at all, because neither he nor Miss Sharron had any intention of freeing the evil spirit in the underground ruin.

Seeing that Gehrman Sparrow clearly had no desire to speak about his past, Elland laughed and took out a small black wooden box, tossing it over.

Klein caught it and expressed his confusion with his eyes.

“The murloc’s swim bladder. It can be used to make an item. Very useful at sea.”

A Beyonder material from a murloc… Worth at least 150 pounds… The captain is quite generous… Klein nearly forgot what reaction Gehrman Sparrow should have at that moment.

Fortunately, he was rather experienced in acting. His face immediately darkened.

“I did not save you for a reward.”

Elland burst into laughter.

“I am not giving this to you to repay you for saving me either.

“We count as friends now, do we not? If I see a friend lacking a similar item and help him make up for a shortcoming, is that not perfectly normal?”

That is so reasonable that it is impossible to refute… Klein held the black wooden box in silence for a few seconds before finally nodding.

Elland covered his mouth and yawned. Taking off the ship-shaped hat on his head, he said, “I need to go back to my room and catch up on some sleep. See you at noon.”

Klein waved politely and led Danitz all the way to the door of Room 312.

There, he saw Donna and Denton already awake, waiting outside.

“Uncle Sparrow, what are you holding?” Donna asked curiously.

Klein did not speak. He simply opened the lid of the small black wooden box.

Inside, on a layer of black velvet, lay a transparent object like a round gemstone, blue as water, its radiance rippling outward layer by layer.

“That day’s—murloc’s…” Denton thought for a while and said heavily, “Swim bladder!”

At that moment, following Klein’s eye signal, Danitz opened the room door.

Donna walked lightly into the room while stretching out the hand she had kept behind her back.

She was holding a thick stack of cash, consisting of ten-pound and five-pound notes.

“My father, my mother, Uncle Cleeves and the others, and Uncle Dimodo’s family asked me to give this to you. One hundred and fifty pounds!” Donna smiled sweetly. “They said this is not enough to express their gratitude. It is only to make up for the supplies you used. Uh… Those things must be very expensive, right?”

“Not too bad.” Klein thought for a moment, then accepted the 150 pounds of thanks so that Urdi and the other ordinary people would not feel uneasy.

Seeing Uncle Gehrman Sparrow tuck both the cash and the black wooden box into his pocket, Donna let out a breath of relief at finally completing the task her parents had entrusted to her.

She quickly returned to the real reason for her visit. Curious and somewhat afraid, she asked, “Uncle Sparrow, what were those monsters last night? Are ghost stories all true? Were your abilities to leap out from flames and make light fall from the sky something you were born with? Is it magic, or witchcraft?”

Stop, stop, stop. You have too many questions… Klein, who could no longer stand the heat, removed the Sun Brooch and tossed it onto the desk in the sitting room. Casually, he answered, “They are called Beyonder powers. They are obtained through certain rituals and potions.

“Many ghost stories have prototypes. The monsters last night were created through evil rituals.

“As for the rest, ask him.”

Klein tilted his head and glanced at Danitz.

“So amazing…” Denton and Donna exclaimed at the same time.

Immediately after, Donna’s eyes brightened as she said, “Uncle Sparrow, you are just like the ‘supermen’ Emperor Roselle described!

“Can we—can we also become people like you through rituals and potions?”

Denton nodded heavily, echoing his sister’s words. Powerful anticipation surged within both of them at the same time.

It was then that Donna discovered that Uncle Gehrman Sparrow’s eyes seemed to carry a faint gloom.

Immediately afterward, she saw this miraculous uncle pull up the corners of his mouth into a somewhat strange smile.

In a low voice, Klein said, “This is not something worthy of envy or anticipation.

“Once you choose this path, you will walk alongside danger and madness at every moment.

“You may defeat them a hundred times, a thousand times, but as long as you lose once, you will become like that fallen bishop.”

As he spoke, he set his cane aside, took off his formal coat, and rolled up his shirt sleeves.

One of his arms had become dry and wrinkled, like that of someone over a hundred years old. The other was transparent and colorless, revealing the blood vessels, muscles, and fascia beneath the skin.

At the same time, dense clusters of pale granulation tissue began sprouting across his face. Donna and Denton were so terrified that they staggered back in panic, bumping into the door.

Klein, his face covered in tiny granules of flesh, maintained the upward curve of his lips.

“Do you see it clearly?

“This is madness.”

No… Donna and Denton almost lost all reason. Stumbling, they opened the door and ran out.

After rushing forward several steps, they lost their balance and fell to the ground.

“So scary, so scary…” Denton kept crying in a small voice.

At that moment, they heard the door to Room 312 close with a clang.

Donna gradually calmed down. She did not dare think about it, yet could not stop herself from thinking about Uncle Gehrman Sparrow’s appearance just now: one grain of flesh after another covering every inch of his face, his arms either wrinkled or transparent, no less frightening than the monsters from last night.

For some reason, she recalled his eyes. She recalled the words, “This is madness.”

Her vision suddenly blurred, and tears poured down uncontrollably.

“Donna, Donna, what is wrong?” Denton was frightened by her reaction and forgot that he himself was still afraid.

Donna sobbed and said, “I do not know…

“I just—I just suddenly feel so, so sad.”

Inside Room 312.

Danitz watched Klein return to normal and could not help clicking his tongue.

“Actually, there was no need to scare children like that. It will give them nightmares. You could have just told them that drinking potions is dangerous.”

No sooner had he spoken than he saw a hardwood cane covered in bloodstains and grime fly toward him, accompanied by a sentence without the slightest emotional fluctuation:

“Clean it.”

Danitz caught it reflexively, his smile freezing on his face.

…

Backlund, Queen Borough, inside Earl Hall’s luxurious villa.

Audrey stood behind the white railing inlaid with gold on the second floor, watching servants on the first floor move back and forth, busy with their tasks.

According to the customs of the Kingdom of Loen, nobles with fiefs would, one week after the New Year’s ball, gradually leave Backlund and return to their own estates, enjoying a pleasant life in the countryside or in their castles. Only in June would they return to the capital and begin day after day of socializing once more. Of course, a powerful noble and major banker like Earl Hall would certainly have to travel back and forth between the two places frequently to handle affairs.

And “moving” was not an easy matter. Many things had to be sorted out in advance, with some servants bringing them ahead of time to the manor or castle. Only once everything was ready would the masters set off on their journey.

By the time this Tarot Gathering ends, I should be on the steam train back to East Chester County… I hope that Mr. Vampire can truly obtain the fruit of the Tree of Elders and the blood of a mirror dragon, so I can become a Psychiatrist before leaving Backlund… Audrey’s thoughts drifted.

At this moment, Countess Caitlyn walked over and asked with a smile, “What are you thinking about? Mm… You are already an adult. When you return to Backlund in June, you may find something to do. Do you have any plans?”

Audrey answered almost without thinking.

“Mother, I want to go to a Church charity organization.”

I want to truly understand this world… she silently added in her heart.

“A good idea.” The countess expressed her approval.

She gave a few more reminders, then went downstairs to inspect the family’s affairs.

Audrey gathered her thoughts, turned her head, and smiled faintly at the golden retriever crouching nearby.

“Susie, are you looking forward to it? You will be able to run freely again across green fields and chase through lush forests.”

She was teasing Susie, because the dog was not a qualified hound and had thus become a complimentary gift.

Susie instinctively wanted to stick out her tongue, but gracefully restrained the urge like a lady.

Without hiding her emotions, she answered, “Of course. I like running, but I hate that group of barbaric fellows.”

Is she referring to the foxhounds Father and the others keep? Audrey pressed her lips together, preventing her laughter from spilling out.

She raised her head to glance at the wall clock and discovered that it was almost time for the Tarot Gathering.