Chapter 101: Things to Note

Chapter 101: Things to Note

Inside the dim, mist-shrouded town, the woman who walked out from the alley seemed completely out of place against the whole environment. She was holy, dignified, unstained by the slightest dust, and her bright, radiant beauty made one’s eyes light up.

Yet her simple white robe and her loosely pinned-up hair added to her an air mingling restraint with languid ease.

That bright, holy woman also noticed the Wraith Senor. First, her expression froze. Then she smiled and said in a soft, pleasant voice, “Senor…

“When were you turned into a marionette? If not for you having been corroded into this state by the power of the night, I almost wouldn’t have recognized you.”

Outwardly, she seemed to be speaking to Senor. In truth, through the marionette, she was communicating with the controller behind the scenes.

Sigh. That deathly still, cold aura cannot be hidden at all. It can’t be concealed from higher-level Beyonders… I was thinking of hiding somewhere no one was paying attention and using Blood Admiral Senor to contact the other party, so I could ensure my own safety to the greatest possible degree… This place cuts off the power of the gray fog. If I truly die here, I most likely won’t be able to revive…

Klein shrank back inside the gray-white mill and made the marionette speak hoarsely.

“If you can get out, you will easily know that I began serving my master over a month ago.”

He answered using Blood Admiral’s tone and experience, as if Senor himself were still alive.

This was one of a Marionettist’s acting rules: each marionette must possess its own independent identity and setting.

At the same time, Klein had buried the key phrase “get out,” preparing to steer the subsequent conversation toward that topic.

In such an eerie, mysterious town, he had no thought of killing every Demoness on sight. Setting aside whether good Demonesses existed, and whether he had the strength to accomplish it, the mere fact that everyone was trapped here and urgently needed to exchange intelligence and find a way out was enough for him to temporarily choose peaceful coexistence.

The woman in the simple white robe laughed softly.

“Never forgetting to act at any moment. It seems you will digest the Marionettist potion very soon.

“A member of the Secret Order?”

She is very familiar with the Seer pathway… Mm, the Demoness Sect was an active secret organization in the Fourth Epoch. Even if they did not have close contact with Zaratul’s and Antigonus’s families, they would certainly know them fairly well. It is normal for her to understand the Seer pathway—assuming this lady truly does belong to the Demoness Sect…

Klein’s heart stirred. He deliberately asked in return, “Can there be no other possibility?”

He wanted to draw out the other party’s words and see which other organizations or individuals controlled the Seer pathway.

The bright, holy woman slowly walked forward, approaching Blood Admiral Senor while smiling.

“Which organization you belong to is not important. We have been exiled here, almost eternally imprisoned. The past is no longer important. What matters is the future—whether we can cooperate, and whether we can find a way to leave this place.”

Failed to bait her…

Klein had the Wraith respond, “That is exactly what I think.

“How should I address you?”

As that lady drew closer and closer to Senor, Klein, through his marionette’s sense of smell, could detect her fresh, delicate fragrance. And because of her words, he inexplicably imagined a scene of the two of them helping each other in such a desperate situation, casting aside worldly morals, and using their bodies to warm each other’s souls.

She really does seem like a Demoness… Huh. The longer I listen, the more familiar her voice feels, but no matter what, I cannot recall it. Unfortunately, in this situation, I cannot use dream divination as support. That would allow her to seize the instant when my mind wanders, and it would be impossible to predict what the result might be…

Klein frowned faintly.

The woman, whose radiant beauty carried a hint of languor, raised a hand and brushed back her hair, making her small, delicate ears even more prominent.

“Panatiya.

“And you?”

Klein had originally thought of casually choosing an identity to impersonate—Mr. X of the Aurora Order, or Gilchies, second mate of the Death Announcer. In any case, he could use Creeping Hunger to imitate their abilities. But in the end, he gave up on the disguise and spoke directly.

“Gehrman Sparrow.”

He did not know when the suspected Demoness opposite him had entered this misty town, so he could not rule out the possibility that she knew of Blood Admiral’s disappearance.

Panatiya nodded and turned to ask, “How did you get in?”

Klein did not conceal it. Borrowing the marionette’s mouth, he said, “I encountered a lady whose origins I do not know.

“She wore a hood. Her eyes seemed to hide a stretch of night, but they lacked spirituality.”

Panatiya was silent for two seconds before making a sound.

“Her… heh.”

She did not continue with details. Instead, she smiled and said, “What exactly did you do? To think the Evernight Church actually sent Her to deal with you.”

Panatiya had quietly changed her pronoun.

Her? That lady is an angel? A Church ascetic? Panatiya seems to know Her very well…

Klein’s thoughts turned, and he answered vaguely, “I infiltrated Saint Samuel Cathedral and tried to steal a sealed artifact. As a result…”

He did not explain the exact process, because he himself did not understand why he had encountered that lady.

Klein believed that, as an angel, that lady could not possibly live permanently behind Chanis Gate in Saint Samuel Cathedral. There was nothing there worth having someone of Her level guard day and night.

“So that is how it is… She really is beneath Samuel Cathedral,” Panatiya said, seeming to confirm something.

In secret organizations, when referring to Saint Samuel Cathedral, they drop the word “Saint”… I need to pay attention to that detail in the future…

Klein quietly pondered her words.

Panatiya did not continue the topic. With a faint smile, she said, “Alright. Do not mind the past. As I said earlier, what matters is the future—how to escape.”

Klein took the opportunity to have the Wraith Senor ask, “What do you know about this place?”

Panatiya glanced toward the black-spired church at the center of the town and said, “This place is not in reality, not in the spirit world, and not in the astral world. It exists in a certain concealed state.

“I have explored most places here, including outside the town, but I have never found any clue to leaving. Only that church remains. Perhaps all the secrets are hidden there.”

“Why haven’t you explored it?” Klein asked through the marionette.

Panatiya tugged at her pure white robe. There seemed to be many tears in it.

“My intuition tells me that a great danger is gestating inside.”

At this point, her tone changed.

“And now we have a certain method. Your marionette can help us scout the path. Even if it is lost, it will not harm you.

“Do not worry. So long as we can gain a preliminary understanding of the situation inside, I will find you a better marionette. In any case, this one looks as if it is about to fail.”

The logic is not wrong, but I cannot trust you. After all, you are very likely a Demoness…

Klein neither agreed nor refused. Seizing the chance, he had Senor ask, “What else should be noted here?”

Panatiya pursed her lips and said, “There were many people who entered this place for various reasons, but now they are all gone.”

All gone? Klein’s heart tightened.

“What happened?”

Panatiya sighed faintly.

“Some cases I do not know. Some were because of hunger. They entered those houses, ate some of the food inside, and then evaporated. They evaporated in an instant.

“And this time, divination showed that they lost their lives and sank into eternal sleep.”

In this misty town, people can still be wiped away and evaporated? And no longer survive…

Klein felt a chill run through him. Immediately afterward, he thought of something else and nearly blurted it out:

Then don’t you get hungry?

Afraid of triggering a mutation, he forcefully controlled his mouth and made the Wraith Senor ask indirectly, “How long have you been here?”

Panatiya’s voice sounded half like a sigh, half like a laugh.

“Perhaps half a year.

“I witnessed many people treating others of their kind as food in order to continue on. Fortunately, I need very little. Only a small amount of food lets me survive for a very long time. And on a human body, there are still some foods that will not cause harm to the main body.”

At this point, she raised a hand and pointed toward the crimson moon in the misty sky.

“Another thing you need to note: when the red moon becomes clear, this place changes and grows extremely dangerous.

“I suffered severe injuries because of that.”

As she spoke, she pointed toward a tear in her pure white robe.

Klein subconsciously made the Wraith Senor look over and saw that the tear was near her collarbone, revealing the fair, tender skin beneath, as well as a wound deep enough to expose bone.

At that moment, that patch of skin suddenly changed, revealing dense mysterious patterns and a deep, dark, evil color.

With a boom, Klein’s thoughts exploded. His mind filled with ravings and screams.

At the same time, breathing became difficult. His body rapidly weakened, and he involuntarily collapsed, coughing violently.

Then he saw a pure white robe. He saw two straight female legs. He saw Panatiya.

This lady had already entered the gray-white mill. Looking at the struggling Gehrman Sparrow, the corners of her mouth slowly split open, revealing neat white teeth and strands of bloody flesh hanging between the gaps. She whispered softly, “Caught you…”