Chapter 189: Politeness First

Chapter 189: Politeness First

When it came to knowledge of the ancient gods, Klein knew no less than many high-sequence Beyonders. After all, standing behind him was the City of Silver, a city that had endured from the Second Epoch to the present age, preserving corresponding myths and carrying many lingering traces of those times.

As far as he knew, the Phoenix Ancestor, Gregrace, was the so-called Ancient Death. Gravely wounded by the Creator of the City of Silver—the Sun God who had later been divided and devoured by the Kings of Angels—She had shattered and fallen near the end of the Second Epoch.

Yet Her influence had not vanished with Her death. Even in the current era, traces of it still remained, because She had been the one who opened the Underworld.

City of the Dead… “unknown spirit”… ancient god… None of that sounds safe at all… Klein stared at the radio transceiver before him and sank into thought.

Da-da-da. The illusory white paper spat out another section:

“Beyond this, I do not know much else.

“Great Master, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?”

That’s a decent question… Klein withdrew from his thoughts and gave a slight nod.

“Speak.”

The da-da-da of the radio transceiver immediately became lighter and more cheerful. Very soon, a new line of words appeared on the illusory paper:

“Regarding Calderón, you may consult ‘Red Light’ Aiur Moria.”

In the end, I still can’t get around the Red Light… Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, then asked instead:

“Will there be danger if I remove Hell Admiral Ludwell’s mask?”

“No!” A firm, decisive word leapt into Klein’s eyes.

That’s good… After thinking for a moment, he said:

“That will be all for today.”

“Great Master, wise Master, please wait one or two more minutes, and a gaze will be cast this way! Your loyal servant, Arrodes, awaits your next summons. Goodbye~” The radio transceiver’s da-da-da carried not the slightest hesitation.

One or two more minutes? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Klein’s heart jolted, as though he had just seen the countdown on a time bomb. He hurriedly made use of the altar that had not yet been dismantled and the materials he had not yet put away, performing a sacrificial ritual to toss the radio transceiver above the gray fog.

Only after finishing this and confirming that nothing abnormal had occurred around him did Klein have his marionette, Ludwell, walk to the side and avoid facing him directly. Then he removed the silver-white mask from Ludwell’s face.

A deep, pallid light surged out at once. It was not as exaggerated as what Klein had seen during his previous battle with Ludwell; it merely covered a small area around him, like a candle on the verge of burning out.

At the same time, the chilly gloom that had vanished from the nearby forest after the radio transceiver was sent above the gray fog reappeared. Added to it was an indescribable horror that struck directly at the soul.

It reminded Klein of graveyards. It reminded him of the legendary Underworld.

After waiting several seconds and seeing no further abnormal outburst, he directed another marionette, Winner Enzo, around to the front of Hell Admiral Ludwell and carefully studied the face that had long been hidden beneath the mask.

That face was nearly devoid of flesh. Its skin clung tightly to the bones without the slightest hint of color, translucent like crystal.

Beneath that “crystal,” indescribable translucent shadows flowed rapidly, sometimes merging with the skull, sometimes shrinking into the cracks, and sometimes surfacing upon the teeth.

If this had been the first month or two after Klein had transmigrated, Hell Admiral’s appearance would have frightened him half to death. But now, he had seen far too many hideously malformed Beyonders who had lost control, as well as all manner of mutated beings. A mere face of this degree could no longer shake his spirit.

After another round of “research,” Klein fully understood Ludwell’s condition.

It all stemmed from the special nature of the Gatekeeper itself.

Upon reaching Sequence 5 and becoming a Gatekeeper, a Beyonder could use their body as a prison, as an Underworld that belonged to them alone. They could contain a certain number of spirits, dead souls, and natural spirits, thereby obtaining all manner of unique abilities and powerful helpers. They no longer needed to bring an undead army wherever they went, drawing far too much attention.

In many folk legends, this had evolved into stories of “guardian spirits” or “spirits attached behind one’s back.”

The other meaning of Gatekeeper—and also its most ancient meaning—was to guard the Underworld within one’s own body, preventing the spirits it held from escaping while also making use of them. It was likewise symbolized by a pair of illusory double doors.

After the Ancient Death, the Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace, opened the Underworld, She had effectively granted a small portion of the authority of the Death domain to all Gatekeepers. This caused every Beyonder of that Sequence to receive a certain boost in strength.

The reason Hell Admiral Ludwell had always worn that mask was because he contained a powerful Underworld creature. On one hand, he made use of that creature; on the other, it had corroded his body in return, transforming him into an existence that was half undead and half human. At the same time, the creature instinctively remained connected to the Underworld, attempting to open a gate and return there.

This, combined with the Gatekeeper’s own abilities and authority, as well as the amplification from the Death’s Ring, allowed Hell Admiral Ludwell to enlarge the Door of the Underworld and directly steer the Black Tulip into it.

Half undead, half human… No wonder Ludwell dared to enter the Underworld. A true living person wouldn’t be able to survive there for even a second… Hmm, that Underworld creature gave him the special trait of having parts of his body turn into a wraith-like state, allowing him to extract another person’s spirit body from a distance. I encountered that before… Understanding dawned on Klein as he had Hell Admiral put the silver-white mask back on.

The function of that mask was to soothe the soul, keeping the Underworld creature within Ludwell in a relatively calm state most of the time.

Having resolved this doubt, Klein turned his attention back to the altar.

He was going to attempt to “contact” the Seven Lights of the spirit world.

In this regard, he could choose between a special secret-deed ritual and a corresponding spirit channeling ritual. After some consideration, Klein chose the latter. In a secret-deed ritual, he would have to open his heart and spirit and come into contact with the entity being pointed to, thereby receiving a certain degree of knowledge, power, aid, or spiritual experience. This would also cause his own thoughts and secrets to be opened to that entity.

As for a spirit channeling ritual, there were two forms: direct communication and requesting the other party to descend. Since the Seven Lights of the spirit world possessed extremely high statuses, Klein had no way of ensuring that the other party would definitely respond according to the ritual’s requirements. Therefore, although what he had in mind was a “spirit channeling” conversation from afar, he still made extra preparations for a “descent” to show sincerity.

He lit the three candles and dripped in liquids such as peppermint essential oil. Klein then deliberately took out a paper figurine and placed it on the altar as a vessel for the “descent.” Without such an item, the target of the prayer might descend upon his own body, just as Danitz had once asked Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina to descend. That situation was further divided into two types. In the first, the possessed person completely lost consciousness and was controlled by the corresponding entity to answer other people’s questions. In the second, the possessed person remained conscious and could control certain parts of their body, thereby conducting a question-and-answer exchange with the descending entity. The simplest example was that one side could speak with the mouth while the other controlled the hand to write.

Klein quickly completed the first half of the ritual. Taking a step back, he opened his mouth and recited in ancient Hermes:

“I!

“I beseech in my own name:

“I beseech to communicate with the ‘Light of the Spirit World that never fades, incarnation of endless knowledge, red of authority and will’…”

The greatest difference between this spirit channeling ritual and ordinary ones was that it could not beseech a deity. Whether it was the Evernight Goddess or the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, no honorific name belonging to a god could appear in the ritual, or it would inevitably fail.

From the perspective of mysticism, this meant that the Seven Lights of the spirit world did not belong to or serve any deity.

As each word capable of communicating with natural spirits left his mouth, Klein saw the three candle flames swell at the same time. Amid a faint crackling sound, they connected into a single whole, as though opening a door of light.

The area around the altar abruptly became silent and dark. Pairs of inexplicable eyes turned toward him from different directions at the same time.

A cold wind suddenly swept through. Apart from the three candles, every object on the altar floated into the air. Among them, the paper figurine swayed upright, and its surface was instantly dyed a vivid, clear red that carried not the slightest trace of bloodiness.

“Good day,” Klein said, recalling what certain mysticism books had described about the Seven Lights of the spirit world and speaking according to the proper mode of interaction he had summarized.

He acted as though he were facing a teacher.

The bright red paper figurine lightly moved its head and let out an illusory yet dignified voice:

“Good day.”

Quite polite… As expected, the spirit channeling turned into a descent. Fortunately, I prepared in advance… Thoughts flashed through Klein’s mind as he said with sincerity and respect:

“Your Excellency Aiur Moria, there is something I would like to ask you about.”

“You may call me Aiur Moria directly. Please speak.” The paper figurine floating in midair seemed to be competing with Klein over who was more courteous.

“I wish to know information related to the city of Calderón.” Klein did not change his attitude. After all, in the great empire of gourmands, there was a saying: excess courtesy never offends.

The nearly translucent crimson paper figurine pondered for two seconds before saying:

“May I know your purpose?”

Klein did not conceal it and answered frankly:

“To hunt a Spirit World Plunderer.”

The paper figurine moved its head slightly.

“Indeed, only the city of Calderón makes them easy to find. Elsewhere, Spirit World Plunderers are like a drop of water entering the sea—extremely difficult to distinguish. Even I can only occasionally discover them and cannot lock onto them for long.

“Some of them are active in the core region of Calderón, and a small number are scattered in the outer layers. As long as you do not attempt to go deep, there will not actually be too much danger. Unfortunately, certain peculiarities there prevent us Seven Lights from entering. Otherwise, we could provide you with some tangible assistance.”

“Was that once the divine kingdom of the ancient god Gregrace?” Klein’s heart steadied as he asked for confirmation.

The bright red paper figurine said:

“Yes. The Ancient Death wished to use this ‘City of the Dead’ to resurrect, but She failed completely. Her authority was seized by that Death from Balam.

“However, this has also made Calderón even more dangerous, because the arrangements left behind by the ancient god mutated after the failure. As for what they specifically became, I do not know.”

So that’s how it is… Klein gave an almost imperceptible nod. He then asked several more questions from different angles, receiving answers that were comparatively satisfactory.

…

Bayam, outside a building near the harbor.

Alger and Star Admiral Cattleya were patiently waiting for the people inside to finish their dinner.