Chapter 178: Strengthening Teammates

Chapter 178: Strengthening Teammates

Hazel’s gaze instantly froze. She felt something inside her mind expand violently, as though it were about to tear through an invisible barrier and burst forth.

Instinctively, she shifted her gaze away and slightly curled up.

Then she felt a ray of light rise from the depths of her mind, exploding into countless shards of memory that roared back and forth through her thoughts.

All at once, she remembered what had happened at home that day. She remembered her father, mother, maids, and male servants either putting on glasses or pressing at their eye sockets. The indescribable horror was so vivid, as if carved into her bones.

The expression on Hazel’s face collapsed. She curled into a ball and trembled, leaving the maid inside the carriage stunned. The maid hurriedly stood and reached out, trying to help her young lady up.

“No!” Hazel shuddered and shouted in an almost shrill voice.

The maid was both startled and frightened, freezing in place for a moment, not knowing how to react.

After crying out, Hazel calmed down a little. She fumbled to sit upright and looked ahead in extreme fear, only to see that the monocled postman had already entered another street, leaving only his back behind.

“I—I felt a little unwell just now. I’m much better now.” Hazel turned back and forced herself to speak to the maid.

She discovered that she was not as terrified as she had been in her memories. Perhaps, after a period of adjustment, she could now initially accept that kind of situation.

Otherwise, I might have lost control just now… Why did I use the phrase “lost control”… Thankfully, I had forgotten that memory earlier. When I saw that postman, I didn’t do anything too conspicuous. Only after ten or so seconds did I collapse. Otherwise, perhaps I would have been noticed, and something terrifying might have happened… Thoughts flashed uncontrollably through Hazel’s mind. Her body still retained a faint tremor.

“Miss, should we go to a clinic?” the maid hurriedly asked.

Hazel instinctively shook her head. Her mind was a mess, and she said casually, “Go to the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation first. I remember there’s a private clinic nearby.”

“All right.” The maid turned and instructed the coachman to speed up.

Hazel took one deep breath after another, trying to regulate her tense, panicked, terrified mood.

It had to be said that this did have some effect. Since she had not directly collapsed, she seemed to calm down a little more.

At that moment, at some unknown point, a sparrow had appeared atop the carriage. It squeezed its right eye and uttered human words in a voice so soft it was nearly nonexistent:

“She seems to have some unnecessary misunderstanding about me.

“It looks like ‘I’ crossed paths with her before. Ah, she is a resident of Böklund Street. Interesting…”

Not long after, the carriage reached Phelps Street. Seeing that the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation was not far away, Hazel suddenly spoke.

“To the church.

“Go to Saint Samuel Cathedral first!

“I want to pray.”

She wanted to tell the bishops everything she had experienced that day and everything she had seen today.

Within a gap in the carriage, a black ant moved the feeler on its right side and whispered in a human voice:

“Humans these days are truly lacking in creativity. Whenever something happens, they like going to church. I thought following her would let me discover something. Next time. Next time, I’ll steal the church right in front of them.”

As it spoke, the ant moved its other feeler.

Hazel instantly forgot what she had just said. She forgot the things she had just recalled. She forgot that she had encountered a monocled postman. At the entrance of the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, she got off the carriage and walked inside with her maid.

Clearly, her maid and coachman no longer remembered the earlier instruction either.

Inside the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, Audrey welcomed Hazel and brought this new friend into the aid efforts for soldiers wounded at the front.

Because The World Gehrman Sparrow had mentioned that angels such as the Secret Order’s leader Zaratul were hiding in Backlund, Audrey prudently gave up the third stage of Hazel’s treatment, hoping that, for the time being, Hazel would not recall her earlier experience and cause an accident.

Her current plan was to let Hazel participate in charitable work, to help others busily and actively, and thereby gradually become more cheerful while strengthening her ability to resist psychological shadows.

…

In the pirate free city, Forsi was drinking a strong fruit liquor that was a local specialty while recording what she had seen and experienced that day.

Suddenly, her spiritual intuition was touched. By instinct, she looked to the side.

She immediately saw a figure appear from the void, rapidly sketching itself into form. It was Gehrman Sparrow, wearing a half top hat and black windbreaker, his face cold and stern.

With a swish, Forsi stood while holding her glass and fountain pen. She blurted out instinctively, “Good afternoon, uh, Mr. Sparrow.”

As she spoke, she hurriedly set the items in her hands on the table.

Klein pressed down the brim of his hat, looked around, and said, “Do you wish to leave?”

Forsi’s eyes shifted left and right.

“Yes.”

Over the past few days, she had already made preliminary records of how this city differed from other places.

Klein said nothing. He pointed with his chin toward the items on the desk, indicating that Miss Magician should hurry and pack them.

Forsi did not hesitate at all. She immediately began sorting her manuscripts, as though she had already heard a command.

Klein stood there, watching her busy herself, then suddenly asked, “How is that horror story coming along?”

Forsi’s body trembled almost imperceptibly before she answered, “Soon. Very soon.”

Klein nodded slightly.

“About how much longer?”

“One week—no, five days. Five days at most.” Forsi answered at once.

Klein said nothing more. After Forsi finished packing her manuscripts, fountain pen, half a bottle of liquor, and other souvenirs, he stepped forward and gripped her shoulder.

Countless figures whose forms were impossible to describe swept past them. Compared to last time, Forsi was a little more relaxed. She even attempted to Record this instance of Travel.

Before long, she returned to Backlund, to the little alley where she had disappeared earlier, and heard The World Gehrman Sparrow say, “Rest for a few days before setting out again.

“Pay attention to the reply. Also, ask your teacher again whether he has any materials related to Blood Emperor Tudor, especially concerning various ruins.”

“All right.” Forsi quickly agreed and expressed her gratitude.

After parting with Gehrman Sparrow, she returned to East Borough and entered the room she rented together with Xio.

Xio set down the newspaper and looked toward her friend.

“Was it effective?”

“It worked well. This time, I went to a free city that belongs to pirates…” Before Forsi could finish, her expression shifted. “Give me my coffee beans and cigarettes.”

“Why? Did they not have any there?” Xio asked in some confusion.

Without slowing, Forsi headed straight into the inner room, sat at the desk, spread out her manuscript, picked up her fountain pen, and said without turning back, “For my new book!

“Remember to brew the coffee for me!”

Xio followed to the bedroom doorway. Hearing those words, she opened her mouth but said nothing.

…

Elsewhere in East Borough, inside a rented apartment of similar layout.

Because Zaratul had already arrived in Backlund, because Amon might be “fished” over at some unknown moment, because the Red Angel evil spirit’s true purpose remained unclear, and because he himself intended to stop George III from becoming the Black Emperor, Klein was, on one hand, hastening the digestion of his Bizarro Sorcerer potion and, on the other, making all manner of preparations.

At this very moment, after finishing with Miss Magician’s matter, he spread out a sheet of writing paper and began to write:

“Honorable Mr. Azik,

“During this period, I have learned quite a bit of ancient history. I believe you would be very interested in it. Otherwise, after losing your memories, you would not have chosen to become a history teacher.

“These historical matters involve secrets, and it would not be convenient to describe them in a letter. Once you awaken, I will share them with you in person…

“Also, I am now able to create a charm called Yesterday Once More. Once it is used, you will be able to find your past self from the gaps of history and borrow power from Him.

“For you, that itself may not be especially important. Its most crucial effect is that it can allow you to directly recover memories from your past self, without needing decades of time to slowly awaken them. I think you should like that…

“I have included two with this letter. If you awaken, you may test their effect…

“I am currently in an environment full of undercurrents. If you come over, please be careful. Please observe the situation in advance…

“…Regarding George III’s advancement to Black Emperor, I will try to do something, but the chance of success is very slim…

“Finally, I wish you well, and I hope you awaken soon.

“Your eternal student,

“Klein Moretti.”

After folding the letter, Klein placed it and two Yesterday Once More charms into an envelope.

Then he took out Azik’s copper whistle and blew it once.

The enormous bone messenger immediately rose from the floor and, in a posture one head lower than Klein, received the letter.

Klein nodded gently and watched the messenger break apart into individual bones, disappearing from sight.

After finishing this, he used two fingers to pull the paper crane folded by Will Auceptin from his wallet. With a pencil, he wrote on it:

“There is something I would like to ask.”

Then he placed the paper crane beneath his pillow, lay down, and, with the help of meditation, entered sleep.

Deep within that pitch-black spire, Klein once again saw Will Auceptin, wrapped in silver silk and sitting inside a black baby carriage.

Without waiting for the other party to speak, he asked directly, “Do you know from whom I can obtain the method to accommodate a Uniqueness? What kind of price would probably need to be paid?”

If the price is unbearable, then forget it… Klein silently added in his heart.

Will Auceptin, who was sucking his thumb, froze for a moment.

“You want me to accommodate the Die of Probability?”

Klein nodded solemnly.

“Whether it can succeed or not, we should at least make an effort.”

No sooner had he spoken than tears began to fall from Will Auceptin’s eyes.

The chubby infant thumped the side of the carriage with his hand, crying bitterly as he sobbed, “It’s useless… It’s too late… I’ve already rebooted, and I still need to grow for at least twenty-two years before I’ll be able to accommodate a Uniqueness… Why didn’t you say this sooner…

“I really am too unlucky… Ouroboros, that stupid snake, must have stolen too much of my luck…”