Chapter 144: Art of Shifting Calamity

Chapter 144: Art of Shifting Calamity

Amon!

Klein’s pupils contracted. Although he appeared normal on the surface, his mind had already gone taut. Stormy waves surged through his heart.

He had always used Amon to frighten the old grandfather inside Leonard and the Marauder pathway demigod beside Hazel, but that was merely borrowing a name. He had never expected that this Blasphemer, this King of Angels, would arrive in Backlund so soon—and that what he was searching for was an organization that believed in the Fool!

Actually, this is both unexpected and reasonable. When Backlund contains an angel and demigod of the Marauder pathway, according to the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence, Amon would come sooner or later… The only problem is that He has spent all these years searching for something in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. He is unlikely to suddenly give that up. And His mausoleum in the outskirts of Backlund has already been destroyed by the Machinery Hivemind, so He cannot travel back and forth as before… Therefore, this is not His main body, but an avatar? An avatar that already existed on the Northern Continent? Mm, angels of the Marauder pathway should all be skilled at using Worms of Time to create avatars. Amon must be stronger than all of Them in that regard…

Thoughts slid through Klein’s mind like lightning as he gradually formed a certain guess.

—Sometimes, he even suspected that the mythical creature form of the Marauder pathway was a pile of Worms of Time combined in some manner.

As a King of Angels of the Marauder pathway from before the Cataclysm, Amon definitely knew what the title “Fool” represented and could detect the corresponding aura… He even wanted to steal control and ownership of the gray fog… This time, He is coming for the Fool. That really is troublesome…

After the initial shock and horror, Klein gradually calmed his emotions.

What he feared most now was that, due to the law of Beyonder characteristic convergence, he might accidentally run into Blasphemer Amon while going out. The other party was clearly capable of detecting his special nature. At that point, there might not be any great commotion; the so-called Fool would have to consider whether he had the chance to resurrect and revive. After all, that was a King of Angels, an existence second only to a true god. Moreover, the Marauder pathway had always been known for deception and hidden abilities. Even in Backlund, Amon might not necessarily be afraid to act. Perhaps silently stealing away another person’s life was precisely His specialty.

From this perspective, temporarily leaving Backlund for West Balam may not necessarily be a bad thing… In short, the greatest problem still lies with me. If I had already advanced and become a Bizarro Sorcerer, I would be able to conceal the aura of the gray fog. Even if I ran into Amon, I would not have to worry about exposing anything…

Klein inhaled soundlessly, once again feeling a certain urgency:

He had to push open the door to Sequence 4 as soon as possible, alter his life form, and become a half-human, half-god powerhouse!

For that, whether it meant obtaining another marionette, deepening his acting, accelerating digestion, or gathering the corresponding Beyonder materials, he had to work even harder!

Whew… Backlund really is a terrifying place. If Ouroboros has not left, or has already returned, then among the ones I know of alone, there are four—no, five angels here, including two Kings of Angels! That does not even count the royal family and military, who have Backlund as their base, nor that underground-ruins evil spirit whose whereabouts are unknown—an amalgamation of a former King of Angels and the wills of two angels… If the Rose School of Thought’s Abomination Suah also comes here because He is tracking Gehrman Sparrow, then things will truly become lively. Compared with this, the demigod battle outside Bayam back then can only count as child-level…

Looking at Ian’s sketch, Klein shook his head with unclear meaning.

“Mm. I understand.”

In Ian and Maric’s eyes, his headshake meant that he did not recognize the monocled man in the drawing. In reality, what he expressed was helplessness.

“Everyone, I must leave. I will reply before dawn.” Klein removed his hat and bowed, then slowly withdrew from the billiard room. From a secluded alley outside the Bravehearts Bar, he Teleported back to 160 Böklund Street.

Inside the master bedroom, the first thing he considered was not Sharron and Maric’s request, but how to handle the hidden danger brought by Amon.

Having already become fairly experienced in this regard, he quickly found a train of thought:

Find something for Amon to do. Divert His attention!

As for what that “something” would be, it naturally had to be something He could not resist and would definitely be interested in. For example, a Marauder pathway angel—Pallez Zoroast!

This might be the key to whether Amon could become a Sequence 0 true god. It was far more important than searching for an organization that believed in the Fool.

Of course, Klein would not directly betray Leonard’s old grandfather, because the other party had not shown malice so far.

His thought was very simple: inform Pallez Zoroast that Amon had already arrived in Backlund and see how this angel surviving from the Fourth Epoch would respond. Then, depending on the situation, decide what he himself should do.

If that old grandfather has no way at all to handle what is very likely only an Amon avatar, and can only make Leonard leave Backlund under the pretext of a mission to avoid Amon, then I will also go to West Balam ahead of time and say I am rebuilding my network. When the Snake of Fate Will Auceptin is born, I can quietly Teleport back to take the umbilical cord blood…

Having made a decision, Klein drew out a sheet of letter paper and wrote:

“Amon has arrived.”

After folding the letter paper and placing it in an envelope, Klein took out the adventurer’s harmonica, brought it to his lips, and blew hard.

At the same time as Reinette Tinekerr appeared, he took a gold coin from his pocket and pressed it on top of the letter.

—This was one of the ten gold coins he had asked his personal valet Richardson to exchange for that afternoon. In order to maintain the image that Dawn Dantes and Pallez Zoroast were on the same level, when Klein told Leonard Mitchell the contact method, he had not said that both sending and receiving letters required one gold coin.

From this, it could be seen that face was bought with money…

As Klein sighed inwardly, he said to Miss Messenger, who wore a gloomy, complicated dress, “Deliver this letter to 7 Pinster Street. Mm, drop it directly into the mailbox. There is no need to hand it to the recipient.”

Because he was unclear about Pallez Zoroast’s true intentions and personality, Klein hoped to conceal more of his cards in front of Him. Therefore, before Leonard proactively wrote to Klein Moretti, he did not intend to let his poet classmate directly see Miss Messenger.

One of the blond-haired, red-eyed heads held in Reinette Tinekerr’s left hand lifted. Half-inhaling, half-leaning close, it bit the envelope and gold coin. However, she did not immediately vanish. Instead, she floated in place, all eight eyes looking at Klein in silence.

What is going on?

Klein froze for a second, then vaguely guessed the answer. With a strange expression, he asked, “You do not know where 7 Pinster Street is?”

Only then did he remember that messengers delivered letters by relying on mysticism-based location—on locating contracted partners, or on locating the aura of someone who had previously sent a letter. Once the latter moved beyond sensing range, the messenger could no longer find them.

Hearing Klein’s question, the four heads held in Reinette Tinekerr’s two hands nodded at the same time, indicating that she indeed did not know.

Klein abruptly coughed twice, pulled open a drawer, and found a full map of Backlund. With a fountain pen, he first drew a large circle marking the North Borough, then circled Pinster Street.

“Once you reach there, you can look at the door numbers.” Klein folded the map and handed it over.

One of the heads in Reinette Tinekerr’s right hand immediately opened its mouth and bit the map. Then her figure faded and entered the spirit world.

Seeing this, Klein exhaled, turned, and left the master bedroom. He went to the half-open room with the large balcony and read newspapers and magazines.

Late into the night, before bathing, he took four steps counterclockwise and entered the mysterious space above the gray fog.

“Helping Sharron and Maric steal the mummy of Tutanthis II is dangerous.”

Klein removed the citrine pendant hidden inside the cuff of his left wrist and began the divination.

This time, the pendulum rotated clockwise, but not with great amplitude or speed.

This means the danger level is not high… And even if there is a trap aimed at Miss Sharron and Maric, the current me is not too afraid…

Klein beckoned, making a small, translucent “black-crystal card” fly over.

It was the Fate Stealer charm.

A demigod-level high-grade charm Klein had created using a Worm of Time!

Immediately afterward, he summoned Creeping Hunger and the Sea God Scepter. Wearing the former and holding the latter, he recorded Lightning Storm and Tornado.

—The mutated and upgraded Creeping Hunger could use Mr. X’s soul and characteristic to record two demigod-level Beyonder powers no higher than Sequence 3. With this, Klein no longer needed to borrow Leymano’s Travels every time, and it was more convenient. After all, flipping through the magic book would affect his use of Death Knell and the Fate Stealer charm unless he grew two more hands.

After completing the preliminary preparations, Klein returned to the real world. He drew out another sheet of letter paper and wrote, succinctly:

“The specific time, location, and plan.”

…

At one in the morning, Leonard, who had already slept for two hours, got up full of energy, preparing to leave 7 Pinster Street and head underground beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.

He had just stepped out when his spiritual intuition suddenly stirred. Instinctively, he cast his gaze to the side.

Confusion flashed in his eyes. Leonard walked over and opened the mailbox.

At dinner, he had already emptied the newspapers, bills, and letters inside. Normally, before daybreak, there should not be anything else in the mailbox, because the postman had already gone home. Yet right now, a thin letter quietly lay at the bottom.

“Old man, you did not remind me there was a new letter,” Leonard said in a low voice while picking it up.

In his mind, the slightly aged voice responded, “No one entered the door.”

Leonard knew that the old man’s perception was limited by his own body, so he said nothing more. He opened the envelope, took out the paper, and shook it open.

The letter was blank over large areas. Only a single short sentence existed:

“Amon has arrived.”

Amon has arrived…

Leonard’s pupils abruptly widened.

At the same time, for the first time, he heard the “breathing” of the parasitic being inside him.