Chapter 187: Recitation

Chapter 187: Recitation

In the Backlund Bridge area, guided by the location Miss Messenger had provided, Klein found the man who had been seduced by Trissy and was helping her “send and receive” letters.

However, Klein did not enter the apartment building, nor did he disturb the target. With both hands tucked into the pockets of his black windbreaker, he continued walking forward.

Under the glow of the gas streetlamps, he walked all the way to an intersection, then turned toward another block.

During that process, inside a certain building, a rat that was stealing food suddenly trembled.

It immediately abandoned the piece of cheese and, following the “passage” it commonly used, moved in the opposite direction from Klein, drawing close to the target area.

Then, in a hidden corner, the rat opened its mouth and spoke in a human voice:

“Blessed of the sea and the spirit world, protector of the Rorsted Archipelago, ruler of underwater creatures, master of tsunamis and storms, great Kalvetua…”

The moment the rat finished speaking, Klein, who had already turned into another street, vanished. In his original spot, only a smear of firelight rapidly scattered.

He had used Flame Jump, but not as a means of travel. Rather, he had entered a prearranged hotel room to rendezvous with one of his marionettes. Because of that, he did not need to worry too much about Zaratul sensing it and causing some unexpected accident. After all, the target was clear, the distance was short, and he had protection.

Inside the room, under the gaze of his marionette Enyuni, Klein took four steps counterclockwise and arrived above the gray fog.

As he sat at the head of the bronze long table, he drew the Sea God Scepter over. With the help of a prayer light spot and through True Vision, he began observing the target’s situation—the man who was forwarding messages for the witch Trissy.

A few minutes later, Reinette Tinekerr appeared inside that apartment as agreed. She took away the gold coin and left the envelope on the table.

The man was once again frightened into trembling, but in the end, he still overcame his fear, picked up the letter, and weighed it in his hand.

A quarter of an hour later, he solemnly and carefully took out that lump of black paste-like matter, separated a small piece from it, and smeared it over the surface of a mirror.

Very soon, in the dim mirror, he saw the young lady who occupied all his dreams. He hurriedly said, “That crazy adventurer just sent a letter. It seems to contain something else inside. As you instructed, I did not open it.”

At that moment, the image Klein saw above the gray fog began to display a mystical quality.

In his vision, the state of the mirror itself became indistinct. It was closer to a dim, illusory, unreal passageway. It connected with similar objects in the surrounding region, forming a complex and abstract “spiderweb” that wove together a deep and bizarre “world.”

Using the gray fog to obtain True Vision, Klein could barely make out the general state, but he could not discern details. He did not know whether strange and terrifying creatures were hiding within that “world.”

“In mysticism, mirrors are often given the symbolic meaning of a passage to another ‘kingdom,’ and are often associated with horror and the uncanny… Is this the ‘mirror world’? My Beyonder abilities don’t involve this domain at all… No, not entirely. If someone prays to me and attempts ‘magic mirror divination,’ then the ‘mirror world’ will naturally have an illusory passage pointing to me, toward the gray fog…

“Strictly speaking, the ‘mirror world’ isn’t a real world. It is closer to a collection of ‘doors,’ connecting different mirrors and different mysterious kingdoms. If one got lost inside, perhaps one might directly appear in the Abyss, or even the starry sky… Of course, a demigod with abilities in this area should be able to use it to create a reflection world and hide within it…

“A collection of ‘doors’… Aside from witches and resentful spirits, do high-Sequence Beyonders of the Apprentice pathway possess similar abilities? Does one aspect of the Mysticologist’s ‘mystery’ refer to the ‘mirror world’? It is mysterious enough and concealed enough… Under normal circumstances, even True Vision would be unable to directly see the ‘mirror world,’ unless someone had activated it…”

Klein nodded thoughtfully, then heard the witch Trissy answer sweetly, “Throw the letter into the mirror.”

“It can be thrown in?” As a low-Sequence Beyonder, the man had never witnessed something so miraculous. After hesitating, he pressed the letter against the mirror.

The surface of the mirror suddenly rippled with layer after layer of dimness, like water stirred by waves.

The instant the man felt the solid touch beneath his hand loosen, he saw the letter magically pass through the glass surface and enter the swaying, illusory interior.

Immediately after, the letter seemed to be pulled by a vast whirlpool. It continued falling deeper, toward the room where Trissy was.

Above the gray fog, Klein raised the Sea God Scepter and focused on following the letter, trying to lock onto the witch’s location.

At that very moment, within his True Vision, the deep and gloomy “mirror world” suddenly underwent violent fluctuations, making everything blur.

By the time the turbulence subsided, Klein had already lost all trace of both the letter and Trissy.

“The aura of the Primordial Demoness can actually interfere with this kind of observation…” Klein fell silent for a moment, then sighed.

It was precisely because Trissy was so strange in all kinds of ways that he had not taken the risk of mixing his own hair into the materials to locate her. That could very easily bring down a terrifying curse. He might even die violently on the spot.

For Klein, sudden death was just sudden death. As long as his corpse was not pulverized, he should be able to revive. But if that happened, it would also mean he failed to seize the chance to lock onto Trissy. The other party would definitely relocate very quickly. Would that not be the same as wasting one precious resurrection opportunity for nothing?

Having suffered a setback, Klein swiftly returned to the real world and left the Backlund Bridge area.

…

The next morning, Klein, wearing an ordinary, unremarkable face, took a carriage to Saint Samuel Cathedral.

He intended to inform the Evernight Goddess of the matter involving the witch Trissy through a low-voiced prayer and recitation of Her honorific name. That way, if some accident truly occurred on the night of the full moon, at least a deity would be watching Backlund, with a certain amount of preparation made in advance.

After all, the ones who had originally exiled and sealed Mr. Door had included the Evernight Goddess. She was certainly very familiar with his methods.

In matters of this kind, Klein never tried to force himself beyond his ability. He had a very clear understanding of himself:

If he could not solve the trouble himself, he should find someone capable of solving it to help!

As for why he did not do this at home and had to run all the way to Saint Samuel Cathedral, it was because Klein also intended to observe Böklund Street and the surrounding area while he was at it, searching for any subtle traces of Amon’s arrival.

Hazel and her family had once been entangled with Amon, and Hazel herself belonged to the Marauder pathway. Whether in terms of intersecting fate or the convergence of characteristics, she was a high-risk individual who might encounter Amon by chance. Klein did not dare be careless or negligent in the slightest. The reminder and arrangement he gave himself was to come and inspect the area every so often.

Similarly, because Miss Justice had treated Hazel’s psychological trauma several times afterward, if something happened to Hazel, Miss Justice could easily be affected as well. Therefore, Klein was also rather worried about the safety of that noble young lady. He believed it necessary to confirm her state from time to time through the crimson star—of course, he would avoid relatively awkward time periods.

As his thoughts flew, Klein, already near Pacefield Street, got off the carriage early and had his marionette Enyuni go to a hidden place to recite the Sea God’s honorific name.

He himself swapped positions with his marionette Qonas, and inside a “distorted” sealed-off space, he took four steps counterclockwise and entered above the gray fog.

Then, with the Sea God Scepter magnifying his True Vision, he carefully observed Böklund Street and the situation inside the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation.

“Hazel has not been parasitized… Miss Justice has not… Their maids, pets, and bodyguards have not either… The residents of Böklund Street and the staff of the charity foundation have not… There are no traces of Amon’s activity on any street in this area…” Klein breathed out in relief and returned to the real world.

After that, he approached Saint Samuel Cathedral, passed through the entrance, and found a seat in the dim, tranquil great prayer hall.

After softly reciting the Evernight Goddess’s honorific name, Klein briefly described the situation:

“…The witch Trissy has obtained hair from a bloodline descendant of the Abraham family and intends to contact a certain hidden existence on the night of the full moon. Her exact purpose cannot be confirmed…”

He sat quietly for a while. Seeing no response from the Goddess and no archbishop emerge, Klein put on his silk top hat and slowly left the church.

That night, he moved to another place, controlled a rat as his marionette, and had it recite another honorific name:

“Great God of War, symbol of iron and blood, master of turmoil and strife, I wish to meet with You…”

As before, the rat lost its life as soon as the prayer ended, and Klein immediately widened the distance.

He wanted to meet the Red Angel and discuss Mr. Door and Dark Angel Sasrir.

After waiting several minutes, Klein, through another rat marionette, saw the previous one suddenly ignite. Blazing white flames surged out from it.

Those flames swiftly sketched out a short sentence on the ground:

“I don’t want to see you.”

…The muscles of Klein’s face twitched almost imperceptibly.

After a little thought, he rationally gave up and left the area.

Several dozen seconds later, the remaining blazing white flames formed a new set of words:

“Beg me.”

By then, Klein had already gone far away.

In a certain house somewhere in Backlund, Sauron Einhorn Medici, wearing a black robe patterned with red, rose from the sofa.

He frowned slightly and said to Himself as though muttering, “Who is interfering with me…”

…

In the blink of an eye, the night of the full moon arrived in Backlund.

Inside a room illuminated by crimson light, the witch Trissy stood within an altar. Around her were ritual materials such as rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, and lapis lazuli.

After rather complex preparations, she lit the hair in her hand and placed it into the large cauldron.

Once the flames were tinged with a layer of gloom, Trissy took two steps back and, with a solemn expression, recited in Jotun:

“Great Door of all Doors;

“Guide of the endless starry sky;

“Key to all mysterious worlds…”