Chapter 163: Finally at Ease

Chapter 163: Finally at Ease

Leonard’s expression froze slightly before swiftly returning to normal.

He had already remembered that Dawn Dantes was cooperating with the military and preparing to sell a batch of guns and cannons to West Balam.

Therefore, although this gentleman’s appearance on a military airship was surprising, it was not incongruous at all.

The only question was: he is going to West Balam so soon? Has Amon’s arrival also placed a certain amount of pressure on him?

As Leonard’s thoughts turned, he leveled his gaze again. Together with his teammates, he walked up the gangway, boarded the second level, and entered a large lounge reserved exclusively for them.

The Red Gloves had not been seated for long when deep rumbling, the turning of propeller blades, and all kinds of friction sounds rang out in succession, bringing faint tremors to the floor and walls.

The tremors gradually intensified into swaying. The airship shook as it lifted upward, then bit by bit regained stability.

Klein had already sat down and fastened his safety belt. With a slight curiosity, he looked around, experiencing a sensation of flight different from anything in his past.

“The takeoff is not especially stable, and the altitude is rather low. But without encountering a hurricane, the turbulence is relatively acceptable. I wonder how they achieved that…”

Klein gazed toward the window ahead at an angle, showing absolutely no intention of unfastening his safety belt and walking around.

This was not fear of heights—though he did have a little. After all, if he temporarily wore Creeping Hunger, he could fly short distances and directly Teleport. He was not that afraid. He was merely seriously acting the part of a Desi millionaire taking an airship for the first time.

At that moment, Klein’s spiritual intuition was suddenly touched. He hurriedly clicked his teeth softly and rapidly activated Spirit Vision.

He then saw the colors around him become rich and vivid, layered distinctly over one another. He saw bones after bones surge from the floor like a fountain, forming a huge skeleton nearly four meters tall.

Dark flames burned inside the skeleton’s eye sockets. In its lowered hand, it held a stack of folded letter paper.

Mr. Azik’s messenger… Has he finally recovered from his state of change?

Klein felt a surge of pleasant surprise and immediately prepared to rise and take the letter.

Only when something at his waist and abdomen pulled against him did he remember that he was still wearing his safety belt.

Just as he reached down to unfasten it, the skeletal messenger crouched and stuffed the papers into his hand.

Klein froze for a moment. Then he lifted his head, looking at the messenger’s eye sockets where pitch-black flames burned, and lightly nodded as a greeting.

He could understand why the messenger had not appeared one level lower and only let its upper body pass through the floor. This was a military airship. Apart from the squad of Red Gloves from earlier, there were likely other Beyonders aboard. They likewise possessed spiritual intuition and a certain degree of Spirit Vision, and could faintly detect the messenger’s existence.

But I do not think crouching to deliver a letter is polite… I would rather it do things the way it used to…

Klein muttered silently as he watched the messenger collapse into illusory bones that fell to the floor like a waterfall.

Inside the large lounge, Daly Simone, who still liked calling herself a Spirit Medium, suddenly tilted her head and looked toward another room separated by the hall.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes narrowed a little.

Daly quickly withdrew her gaze and said to the low-ranking military officer seated in the corner of the lounge acting as an attendant:

“Bring me a mixed drink—half Highland and half champagne.”

“That is a rather strange formula, ma’am,” the officer said while unfastening his safety belt and walking toward the liquor cabinet welded to the side. He tried to offer his own suggestion.

Wearing blue eyeshadow and blush, Daly smiled.

“I like tasting unique things.”

At this point, she changed the subject and asked casually, “Aside from you and us, there seem to be other people on this airship?”

The officer opened the liquor cabinet as he answered, “Yes.

“A businessman. I think his name is Dawn Dantes. He has some cooperation with the Ministry of Defense.”

Dawn Dantes…

Daly froze for an instant. Her eyes shifted slightly.

“What cooperation?”

To her right, Leonard Mitchell subconsciously adjusted his sitting posture, changing from resting his right foot over his left leg to placing his left foot over his right.

“I am not sure,” the officer answered with a shake of his head. “It seems they want to make use of that gentleman’s experience in the Southern Continent.”

“The Southern Continent…” Daly repeated the term thoughtfully and asked no more.

…

Inside the smaller lounge opposite, Klein had already unfolded the letter paper and was reading carefully.

It was indeed from Azik Eggers. He explained that his previous experiences had allowed him to recover even more memories, and that he had been forced to use sleep to digest and restore them, which was why he had not been able to reply in time.

Klein truly relaxed. In a good mood, he shifted his gaze to the following contents.

Regarding Spirit World Plunderers, Azik described them as follows:

“…This is a rather cunning creature, rare in number and extremely skilled at disguise. It is not easy to find… One point that can be exploited is that it possesses very strong aggression. However, its danger level is also very high. Even someone with strength close to Sequence 4 must be sufficiently cautious. Otherwise, with one careless move, they may become its subsidiary soul…

“Its specific traits are… I am not especially clear, or perhaps I have not recalled them. I also do not remember the regions where Spirit World Plunderers are often active. I suggest that you pray to the Red Light, Aiur Moria. He is very friendly toward humans, is willing to answer similar questions, and holds the corresponding authority… The key to the ritual is the correct honorific name and symbolic sign…

“After you obtain clues regarding a Spirit World Plunderer, you may wait for a while. I may be able to provide some help…”

How could I possibly feel good about that…

Klein raised his right hand and pinched both sides of his mouth.

He then flipped the page and looked at the final sheet:

“…Similarly, when the time comes, I will help you seal that glove again… It is not that I am unwilling to teach you the sealing method, but that you likely cannot complete it. This borrows the power of the Underworld. One must at least be an Undying to accomplish it…

“Alright. I should be free very soon. I remember what you mentioned about the Death ring…”

Mr. Azik’s change does not seem too great. At least, from the letter, it cannot be seen…

Klein slowly exhaled. With a casual shake of his hand, he ignited the papers, turning them into ash that drifted down into the waste bin welded to the floor.

Although Azik’s ignorance of where Spirit World Plunderers most often appeared allowed him to preliminarily judge that this descendant of Death likewise did not remember Calderón City, and although he could vaguely infer that the mysterious spirit-world city was probably unrelated to the Underworld—otherwise, Mr. Azik, who had long recovered his connection to the Underworld, should already have recalled a portion of it—he still planned to ask about Calderón City in his reply.

No matter what, one must keep a little expectation as a person… Also, I need to mention to Mr. Azik that I have arrived in the Southern Continent…

Klein seriously considered how he should write his reply.

However, he did not immediately begin. He was afraid that summoning the messenger would trigger the spiritual intuition of other Beyonders aboard the airship.

As his gaze shifted, Klein once again looked toward the window. Outside, the sky was deep black, quiet and dark.

…

Staring at the dark sky where the red moon was veiled behind layered clouds, Admiral of Stars Cattleya withdrew her gaze, picked up her fountain pen, and carefully wrote:

“The answer to that question is: neither of the two options is correct.”

At first, she had been a little confused as to why the Queen had not directly asked what “hometown” meant, instead adding two guesses. Wouldn’t that easily cause the question to receive no effective answer? Later, after some thought, she believed that the Queen had indeed been more considerate than she had imagined.

Because the one being addressed was a secret existence suspected to be an ancient god; because the combined number of diary pages provided before and after this was only a dozen or twenty; and because each time she had exchanged them for corresponding answers, merely three diary pages—even three pages of high value—would likely find it difficult to be equivalent to such a key question as the destination of Emperor Roselle’s heart and spirit. The secret hidden behind it might even be more important than a Card of Blasphemy.

And the Queen seemed very attached to this question, unwilling to change it to another. Therefore, she had deliberately added two options, hoping to receive either a rejection or confirmation. Comparatively, this lowered the value of the question, making it just right to conform to the principle of equivalent exchange…

As her thoughts shifted, Cattleya recalled some things from the past:

At that time, she had still been young, receiving instruction in all kinds of knowledge. The Queen would occasionally give her questions and tell her that, during the process of solving them, she had three chances to lower the difficulty. First, she could request the exclusion of one wrong option. Second, she could ask a specified person on the ship for help. Third, she could pray to one of the seven lights of the spirit world and obtain the answer—provided, of course, that she could complete the ritual herself.

Clearly, the Queen of Mysteries had chosen the first method of lowering the difficulty this time.

Did the Queen have similar experiences when she was young? After excluding two wrong options, I wonder how far she is from the correct answer…

Cattleya’s expression unconsciously softened. She then continued writing:

“According to the intelligence I have received, a storm is brewing in Backlund. Please take care.”

She did not directly mention the deputy director of MI9 who was a major general or the royal adviser. After all, that was information shared at the Tarot Gathering. Unlike the question she had raised herself, which had received Mr. Fool’s tacit permission and could be directly told to the Queen.

After folding the letter, Cattleya summoned the Queen of Mysteries Bernadette’s messenger.

…

Berens Harbor. Night had just descended.

Danitz and Anderson had found a hotel opened by Intis immigrants, experiencing the convenience of being able to communicate in the same language.

After putting down his luggage, Danitz, wearing his cloak and glove, immediately left the room again and headed toward the staircase.

Anderson leaned against the opposite doorway and asked, amused, “What else do you need to do?”

Danitz instantly gave a heh.

“I’m going to buy a dictionary!

“That is much more reliable than your body language. In another few days, perhaps I will be able to grasp a few commonly used words!”

Anderson rubbed his chin with his black-gloved left palm.

“Your glove was made from that giant’s remains, wasn’t it? What are its negative effects?”

Without thinking, Danitz blurted out, “My actions become reckless. I always act first and think about the problem afterward…”

As he spoke, he quieted down.