Chapter 70: Subsequent Measures

Chapter 70: Subsequent Measures

When Klein opened his eyes again, the threats and pleadings in his mind had all disappeared. Ahead of him, the pale-blue flame still burned quietly upon the pitch-black wick.

He carefully inspected the state of his spirit body, confirming that all traces of chaos had vanished. His aura colors had also become pure, no longer mottled.

Finally resolved…

Klein breathed out, set down the Sea God Scepter, and snapped his fingers, instantly extinguishing the Nightmare Candle.

He did not immediately return to the real world. Instead, he sat quietly above the gray fog for a while, soothing and dispelling the negative emotions still remaining in his heart within this place where not a single sound emerged.

After this incident, Klein understood more deeply than ever before that the extraordinary path was a road of constant struggle against madness and danger. All Beyonders, with the slightest carelessness, could be pushed by internal factors or outside stimuli to the brink of losing control, developing problems of the mind. And once the symptoms manifested, if the problem was not resolved quickly enough, rescuing them afterward would become extraordinarily difficult.

This secondary personality resulted from both internal and external factors… The source is that I am a transmigrator, yet I fused with Klein Moretti’s memory fragments and part of his emotions. Naturally, there was already an underlying tendency toward split personality. Recently, to steal the Antigonus family notebook and to act as Dawn Dantes, I have been like someone walking along the edge of an abyss, under enormous pressure. After being polluted and stimulated by the internal caretaker’s out-of-control mind, the problem immediately erupted…

Klein lifted a hand and rubbed his temples while vanishing from above the gray fog.

The moment he returned to his body, Klein suddenly felt his mind become much lighter and clearer, as if a glass pane coated in dust had been carefully wiped clean. The excess Faceless potion he had taken had been fully digested.

As expected, the appearance of the secondary personality was partly triggered by the various psychological issues from before. This time, using the Nightmare Candle to solve the problem was equivalent to undergoing a complete and effective psychoanalysis. For a short period of time, there should be no hidden danger in this regard. Still, I have to constantly pay attention, regulate myself more, and not be negligent…

Klein walked out of the washroom and onto the balcony. He gazed at the distant mountains and the nearby greenery, his state quite good.

He could clearly sense that the degree of his self-recognition and self-identification had deepened. The vague feeling of detachment that had often existed before had weakened considerably.

I never expected that winning the struggle against a secondary personality would have such a benefit… If not for the fact that a second split personality would be stronger and harder to deal with, I would almost want to split my personality a few more times and kill “myself” a few more times…

Klein shook his head with a laugh, mocking himself twice.

Truthfully, for anyone else, this single split personality alone would have been extremely dangerous and difficult to resolve. It was only because he knew where to find the Nightmare Candle, knew how to obtain it, understood the nature of the problem, and had experience dealing with it that he could eliminate the hidden danger in time, preventing the secondary personality from growing. Otherwise, the best outcome would have been like Bishop Utravsky’s original state. The worst would have been a gradual, irreversible loss of control.

Besides, I still have a “psychiatrist” as backup…

Klein chuckled softly and slowly walked back into the room, sitting in an easy chair.

He recalled today’s encounter again, extracting points he would need to pay attention to in the future.

“If a mid-Sequence Beyonder of the Sleepless pathway loses control, they can directly inflict mental pollution through pulling someone into a dream. I must be careful about that in the future…”

Below high Sequence, most pathways’ out-of-control Beyonders could not do this. They would usually mutate into monsters and use their corresponding Beyonder abilities to control or attack targets. It was difficult for them to pass on the corruption they themselves suffered.

Aside from mid-Sequence Beyonders of the Sleepless pathway, the Spectator pathway should be able to do something similar… If I run into enemies like that and do not eliminate them first, I really would not even know how to defend myself… Also, although I have figured out the internal caretakers’ state and their connection to the sealing core, the corresponding problem has now appeared: if I want to disguise myself and infiltrate, how should I create the signs of having been corroded by the sealing core, and avoid being seen through by it?

Klein thought carefully for a while but had no ideas at all. He had no choice but to stand, walk to the desk, pick up a fountain pen, and draw a composite symbol of secrecy and prying upon a white sheet of paper.

He was summoning the Magic Mirror, Arrodes.

On the full-length mirror inside the master bedroom, invisible ripples suddenly spread across the surface. Points of silver light leaped out, outlining one Loenese word after another:

“Great and supreme Master, Your loyal, humble, obedient servant Arrodes awaits at all times to serve You.

“My previous behavior caused a certain amount of damage to Your current image. I-I am very frightened, very guilty. C-can You accept my apology?”

It actually knows to admit its mistake this time…

Klein gave a soft heh and said, “Do not make the same mistake again.”

“Alright!” New words burst from the surface of the full-length mirror. “How may I serve You?”

“Yes.” Klein considered his phrasing. “The Evernight Church’s internal caretakers have all been corroded by the power of the sealing core behind Chanis Gate. Their state differs from normal Beyonders. Is there any way to disguise that perfectly?”

The silver-white words squirmed and changed, outlining new content:

“Great Master, there is only one method. Sacrifice Your marionette. Let it accept the corrosion of the sealing core’s power and gradually change state until it becomes consistent with those internal caretakers. Then You may contain it within Your body and deceive the sealing core.”

It can be done that way… That is indeed an idea… But a Sequence 5 Wraith made into a marionette might be impossible to buy even with money… As expected, wanting a high-Sequence potion formula and materials means paying an enormous price…

Klein thought for a moment and asked, “Then how can I make my marionette accept the sealing core’s corrosion?”

Normally speaking, his Wraith marionette might be discovered by the sealing power the moment it neared Chanis Gate—or the moment it appeared in the grand prayer hall—and then forcibly purified or dispersed.

On the full-length mirror’s surface, watery ripples floated again, reflecting a figure.

That figure wore an old-fashioned gauze bonnet. She was tall, and her long chestnut hair showed beneath it. It was the Queen of Mysteries, Bernadette.

“Great Master, You must seek her help.” Arrodes assembled silver words to explain.

Her? The Queen of Mysteries is not of the Evernight pathway. How can she provide help? Or does she possess a sealed artifact corresponding to a high Sequence of the Evernight pathway, similar to the sealing core behind Chanis Gate? Perfect timing. The Admiral of Stars needs one drop of mythical creature blood. When the time comes, besides the object that will satisfy Will Auceptin, she must also pay my intermediary fee… This will be the intermediary fee!

Klein nodded thoughtfully.

“Very good. You may leave.”

“Yes, great and supreme Master. Your loyal, lowly servant Arrodes awaits Your next summons.” As the silver-white words appeared, Arrodes also outlined a hand on the mirror surface, pinching a handkerchief and waving continuously.

The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched at the sight. For a moment, he did not know what reaction to have.

…

West Borough, inside the Odora family’s villa.

Emlyn White wore a faint smile as he casually found a single-person sofa in the sitting room and sat down.

Diagonally opposite him, another Sanguine baron, Rus Báthory, held a glass of blood and narrowed his eyes, staring at him with no attempt to conceal the loathing and hatred in them. During the hunt for the first Primordial Moon believer, Rus Báthory had not only been injured, but had also had his spoils snatched by Emlyn.

Showing such an expression will only make me happier…

Emlyn laughed inwardly, turning his head toward Casimi Odora, who pushed open the door and entered. He waited for the baron to announce the result and present the prize.

Casimi forced himself to ignore Emlyn’s gaze. He walked to the front of the fireplace and said to all the Sanguine present, “I summoned you here this time because the hunting competition has already produced its final victor.”

Who?

The Sanguine looked around at one another, each guessing who had won.

Their gazes focused mostly on Rus Báthory. Almost no one thought it would be Emlyn White. Only Rus Báthory vaguely guessed something, his gaze filled with astonishment as it fell upon that damned fellow.

Casimi quietly sighed.

“Emlyn White has hunted three targets and has automatically obtained victory.”

“What?” A young Sanguine blurted the word, unable to believe it.

The Sanguine were a race whose members numbered far fewer than humans. In Backlund, there were only some of them. Therefore, they were all familiar with one another.

Everyone knew exactly what sort of Sanguine Emlyn was!