Chapter 187: “Perfect” Reasoning

Chapter 187: “Perfect” Reasoning

Backlund, Cherwood Borough.

Fors, who had been taking an afternoon nap, suddenly woke from her dream. She saw the boundless grayish-white fog and Mr. Moon, head lowered in prayer, and heard his clear words:

“…In the southeastern outskirts of Backlund, at the center of Delair Forest, there is an abandoned ancient castle. At least two ancient Wraiths haunt the place, and other dead souls also exist there. The possibility that Beyonders live in seclusion inside cannot be ruled out. The coordinates are…”

There is finally news of the main ingredient for Scribe. News worth 300 pounds…

Fors was filled with delight. She immediately thanked Mr. Fool and asked Him to pass on to the Moon that she would pay the reward later.

After finishing this matter, she rolled out of bed and went downstairs, planning to pour herself a glass of wine while also thinking about when she should explore that abandoned castle and what preparations she needed to make.

“Leymano’s Travels cannot be rented out recently… Xio has to come along too… There are quite a few undead in that abandoned castle, making it rather dangerous. I need to consider the matching of ‘magic.’ If there are flaws or it is not targeted enough, I can spend money to ask Mr. World, Mr. Hanged Man, or the Sun to record corresponding Beyonder powers…”

Although Fors did not have much actual combat experience, she had moved through several Beyonder circles for a number of years. Later, she had even joined the Tarot Club. Having heard a great deal and seen a great deal, she naturally knew what preparations needed to be made before an adventure.

As for the option of directly asking Mr. World to do it for her, she had stopped considering that long ago. She believed that even if she gave him all her gains plus her savings, it would still not match the payment required.

Of course, if a tentative exploration proved that the abandoned ancient castle was truly dangerous, and not a place a Beyonder of her level could venture deeply into, then she would bravely shoulder debt. After all, only by living was there hope; only by living was there a future.

In theory, it should not reach that point. Leymano’s Travels still has two demigod-level Beyonder powers left behind by Mr. World. At worst, I use them first and find a way to replenish them afterward… The only problem is that those two demigod-level Beyonder powers may not be suitable for dealing with Wraiths and dead souls…

Fors sipped some Winter Highland as one thought after another gradually took shape.

At that moment, she heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. Instinctively, she cast her gaze toward the door.

The front door abruptly opened backward, and Xio walked in carrying two paper bags exuding a rich fragrance.

“Desi pies?” Fors blurted out at first, then frowned in confusion. “Have you not had a lot of commissions recently? Why are you back so early?”

Xio tossed one bag of Desi pies over, unable to conceal her smile.

“I happened to pass by, and I also had not eaten lunch. I planned to take a short rest.”

Without waiting for Fors to ask again, she said proactively, “I have saved enough merit!

“I will very soon be able to exchange for the Interrogator potion formula!”

Although her task of monitoring Viscount Stratford, the Chamberlain, had yet to make any substantial progress, it belonged to the kind of work that accumulated merit on a daily basis. As long as she submitted a qualified report each week, she could obtain the corresponding “bounty.” Therefore, with her other commissions completed to varying degrees, Xio could already obtain the Interrogator potion formula.

“Finally…” Fors sincerely felt happy for her friend. Then she shook the wineglass in her hand. “Want a drink to celebrate?”

At the same time, she also thought of her own matter.

This is really great. After Xio becomes Sequence 7, she should undergo a certain qualitative change. Exploring that castle will be more secure!

Xio looked at the transparent liquid in the glass and shook her head several times in succession.

“Drinking is bad!”

As she spoke, she frowned.

“And I hate the taste.”

Before Fors could speak, she suddenly remembered something. She stood directly and walked toward the door.

“I saw the mailbox stuffed full of things just now. Did you not open it at all today?”

“I had not gotten around to it yet.” Fors put on an expression that said she was very busy and had manuscripts to write.

Xio was a person of great initiative and did not listen to her explanation at all. She had already opened the door and gone out to handle the mailbox.

A dozen seconds later, she returned inside with a stack of newspapers and a few letters. While looking at the recipients, she said, “They are all yours! Two from publishers, one invitation to a surgical exchange, and one from Pritz Harbor.”

Pritz Harbor…

Fors’s heart stirred. She put down the wineglass and caught the letter Xio threw over.

In front of her friend, she opened all the letters with apparent composure and discovered that one of them was indeed from her teacher, Dorian Gray Abraham.

“…Calderón City is an extremely special place deep within the spirit world. I cannot confirm its origins. I only know that it is very dangerous. There were once demigods who entered and never managed to come out… When you sell the specific spirit-world coordinates to that gathering member, you must remind him…”

Mr. World’s target is such a dangerous spirit-world city?

Fors stared at the letter in her hand, her eyes widening slightly.

…

The Red Gloves squad, having arrived at the next East Balam city, had joined up with the local Nighthawks and occupied one of the latter’s offices.

“Everyone rest for half a day. We begin acting before dawn.” Sost took out his pocket watch, clicked it open, and glanced at the time.

This time, they were going to strike a secret stronghold of the Numinous Episcopate, find more information on the artificial Death project, and dig out another group of enemies hidden in Backlund.

As for the intelligence obtained from Ulika, it had already been transmitted back to Backlund via telegraph. They no longer needed to worry about the follow-up handling. After all, there was not only one Red Gloves squad, and the local Nighthawks in Backlund were numerous and powerful.

Leonard, Daly, and the others were just about to each find a place to rest when a Nighthawk with partial East Balam ancestry walked in holding a sheet of paper.

“There is a new telegram from Backlund.”

Sost reached out and took the paper. After unfolding it and reading for a few seconds, he said with a solemn expression, “Gehrman Sparrow has appeared again. Confirmation through divination indicates it is truly him.”

Gehrman Sparrow…

Leonard was not surprised by this result, because he had already learned from Dawn Dantes that his former colleague Klein Moretti was still alive.

He asked curiously, “What did Gehrman Sparrow do this time?”

Sost swept his gaze around and said seriously, “He boarded the Black Tulip and turned Admiral of Hell Ludwell into his marionette.”

“Admiral of Hell?”

“Ludwell?”

“Marionette?”

The Red Gloves could not hide their shock and spoke one after another. Even Leonard Mitchell was extremely astonished.

One had to know that Admiral of Hell Ludwell, who wore the ring left behind by Death, had the highest bounty and strongest strength among the Seven Pirate Admirals. He was publicly recognized as the strongest beneath the Four Kings, absolutely not comparable to ordinary Sequence 5 Beyonders. Yet Gehrman Sparrow had actually turned him into a marionette aboard his own ship, surrounded by his undead army and numerous subordinates!

—Although they did not understand much about Faceless or Marionettists, the term “marionette” alone allowed people to intuitively understand that Admiral of Hell Ludwell’s ending might be even more miserable than death.

He has become powerful to this degree? Was his infiltration behind Chanis Gate beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral required for a demigod ritual?

Leonard gradually fell silent and asked no further questions.

At that moment, Sost proactively said, “According to crew members who escaped from the Black Tulip, no battle occurred at the time. Gehrman Sparrow boarded the ship together with another man. The instant Admiral of Hell Ludwell saw that person, he gave up resisting, prostrated himself on the deck, and addressed him as Death Consul. Afterward, he allowed Gehrman Sparrow to turn him into a marionette.”

“Death Consul…”

Leonard subconsciously turned his head and looked toward Daly Simone.

To him, this Sequence 5 of the Corpse Collector pathway should know what Death Consul represented.

Daly gave a heh and shook her head.

“I only know that in the old Balam Empire, the ones who ruled the real world were Death’s descendants. They were called Death Consuls.”

“But the leader of the Numinous Episcopate’s royalist faction has never called himself Death Consul,” another Red Glove, Cindy, said in confusion.

This was relatively public information within the Nighthawks. Once one reached Sequence 7 or joined the Red Gloves, one was qualified to read it.

As for the artificial Death faction, no one there would call themselves Death Consul either.

“Who knows? Perhaps the Numinous Episcopate has split and reproduced again, giving rise to a new Death Consul faction.” Daly answered casually at first, then said thoughtfully, “Gehrman Sparrow’s origins are mysterious. His purpose in sneaking behind Chanis Gate is unknown. Perhaps he truly is related to the Numinous Episcopate.”

The Numinous Episcopate had always been one of the Evernight Church’s main targets, and the conflict between the two sides ran very deep.

These words immediately reminded Leonard Mitchell of something, because he knew that Gehrman Sparrow was Klein Moretti, and that Klein had joined a secret organization symbolized by tarot cards, one that worshiped the Fool. At most, it had a cooperative relationship with the Numinous Episcopate.

“The current factions of the Numinous Episcopate do not include a Death Consul… Admiral of Hell Ludwell can almost certainly be confirmed as an arm of the Numinous Episcopate. Dealing with him is equivalent to dealing with the Numinous Episcopate…

“Dawn Dantes once said that members of that secret organization come from different places and have different goals… Klein’s goal is revenge. Could there be one whose objective is to strike the Numinous Episcopate, gradually incorporate them, and revive or recreate Death with himself at the center?

“Since Dawn Dantes, an undying monster who survived from the Fourth Epoch, exists, then it is normal for that secret organization to have an ancient Death Consul as well. Perhaps the tarot card corresponding to him is Death!”

As thoughts flashed, Leonard felt that he had grasped the truth.

Then he thought of certain details.

Dawn Dantes was an undying monster who had survived from the Fourth Epoch.

He understood the Southern Continent very well.

He had recently left Backlund, and his current whereabouts were unknown!

Leonard shuddered inwardly. Taking advantage of his teammates’ discussion, he picked up his teacup, covered his mouth, and muttered quietly, “Old man, could Dawn Dantes be the Death Consul?”

Pallez Zoroast’s slightly aged voice carried a faint smile.

“No.

“In the Balam Empire, Death Consul was both a title of status and the name of Sequence 2 of the Death pathway at the time.”

Sequence 2… That secret organization also has a Sequence 2 angel…

Leonard’s gaze shrank. He whispered again, “Why are you certain Dawn Dantes is not the Death Consul? Because he is not an angel?”

Pallez immediately chuckled.

“No. The reason is very simple. You have seen a portrait of the true Death Consul. Back when you Nighthawks investigated the Welch suicide case, you may even have had contact with him.

“He was a lecturer in the history department of Hoy University.

“Azik Eggers.”

Azik Eggers…

Leonard was first stunned. Then he came to a sudden realization.

He finally understood why Klein Moretti could come back from the dead, why being cursed had not posed much of a problem, why he could join that secret organization symbolized by tarot cards, and yet usually showed no overly unique traits.

The reason was that behind Klein there existed a member of the secret organization, corresponding to the tarot card:

Death!