Chapter 162: Blazing Sunlight

Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Two
Blazing Sunlight

Faint light entered through the narrow stained-glass windows high above, lending a little visibility to the dim interior of Morse Church.

Klein sat quietly in the first row of seats to the left of the aisle, his silk hat resting on his knees, his cane leaning against his leg, his gaze fixed on the altar ahead.

No statue was enshrined there. There was only an enormous Dark Sacred Emblem: a deep black background studded with brilliant points of light, surrounding exactly half of a crimson moon.

Behind the Sacred Emblem, one hole after another had been opened in the wall. Sunlight from outside shone in, condensing into pure miniature specks of brightness. Connected to the nearly nightlike surroundings, they transformed into a lofty starry sky.

Whether it was the Evernight Goddess, the Eternal Blazing Sun, or the Lord of Storms, none of the orthodox deities had left behind a concrete image. What could be offered and worshiped were only Their symbols… Perhaps this is another manifestation of “do not look directly at God”…

Klein let his thoughts drift. He did not rush to take advantage of this opportunity, while he alone was guarding Sealed Artifact 3-0782, to make the Sunflame Charms.

He believed this matter required caution. Patience. Waiting. In the first dozen or so minutes, Leonard or Kernli might come in at any moment to remind him of some caution.

Within the extreme silence, time passed swiftly. Klein suddenly returned to himself, took out his vine-patterned silver pocket watch, snapped it open, and glanced at it.

Twenty minutes have passed…

He muttered soundlessly. Then he set his half-top silk hat and black silver-inlaid cane to the side, rose, and walked to a comparatively hidden corner near the altar.

At first, he faced the side of the altar. But the moment he saw the enormous Dark Sacred Emblem and that sacred scene that seemed like a projection of the night sky, he inexplicably felt guilty and uncomfortable. So he turned around, putting his back to the altar instead.

Immediately afterward, Klein removed Sealed Artifact 3-0782 from the inner side of his black tailcoat, bent down, and set that dark-gold, ancient badge on the floor.

After glancing at the abstract “sun” symbol on it, Klein took out a small section of candle mixed with sandalwood and placed it directly beneath Sealed Artifact 3-0782.

This was the binary ritual method he had “learned” from the Eternal Blazing Sun: using an item closely connected to a deity to directly symbolize Him, and using a candle to represent himself.

Taking a breath to ease his slightly taut nerves, Klein then removed the ritual items one by one: an engraving knife, two thin gold sheets, Sun essential oil made from a mixture of black-edged sunflowers, golden-edged sunflowers, and white-edged sunflowers, golden bergamot powder, and rosemary powder.

After finishing all of this, Klein skillfully used a ritual silver dagger to guide the flow of spirituality. He circled the simple “altar” once, creating an invisible, sealed wall.

He crouched, set the silver dagger aside, and extended his right hand, using spiritual friction to light the candle symbolizing himself.

Amid the swaying dim-yellow light, Klein picked up the Sun essential oil and dripped a single drop into the flame.

With a whoosh, an illusory mist spread, carrying a faint scent of sunlight.

After burning the golden bergamot powder and rosemary powder, Klein stood with the engraving knife and gold sheets in hand. He retreated one step and began chanting in ancient Hermes:

“Blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun.

“You are the Indestructible Light, the Embodiment of Order, the God of Contracts, the Guardian of Commerce.”

…

Indestructible Light, Embodiment of Order, God of Contracts, Guardian of Commerce—these were all part of the Eternal Blazing Sun’s honorific name. Without the prefix “Blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun,” the ritual would require the deity’s response to continue. In that case, Klein suspected the Eternal Blazing Sun might recognize him as the blasphemous person who had looked directly at Him. When Leonard and Kernli came in afterward, they would see only a heap of black ash.

Furthermore, the ritual had to be performed in ancient Hermes, the sacrificial language derived directly from nature. Only that unprotected yet exceptionally effective language could allow the incantation to bypass the Eternal Blazing Sun and point toward the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem.

At the same time, because he was stealing divine power, Klein had no way to divine in advance whether things would go smoothly. He believed that doing so would once again place him face-to-face with a deity. Thus, with his heart suspended, he cautiously recited the following incantation:

“I pray to You.

“I pray for You to bestow power upon me.

“Bestow upon me the power to complete the Sunflame Charms.

“O blood of the Eternal Blazing Sun, please pass your power to my charms…

“O golden bergamot, herb belonging to the Sun domain, please pass your power to my charms…”

…

As the incantation approached its end, Klein suddenly felt something before him brighten.

That dark-gold, ancient badge burst forth with blazing radiance, like a sun descending upon the earth.

Klein was instantly plunged into terrible heat. His hair heated rapidly, seeming as though it might ignite at any second.

It was as if his bare feet had stepped upon yellow sand baked beneath the midday sun, while his face and body were repeatedly scoured and polished by rolling hot winds blowing from every direction.

In that instant, he felt he had to do something. He had to guide and release that burning power. Otherwise, he would turn into a human candle.

Almost without thought, Klein raised both hands. His thoughts were boiling like hot porridge, but relying on the cooperation of spirituality and scorching wind, following instinctive memory and the ritual’s guidance, he began using the engraving knife to draw symbolic signs, corresponding numbers, magical markings, and ancient incantations on both sides of the gold sheets.

Outside the church, Leonard stood in the shade, avoiding the direct afternoon sun.

Suddenly, he discovered that the sunlight had become fierce, as if it were the hottest stretch of early July.

He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky. The blue “curtain” had no clouds and no dust, so clear that it invited admiration.

“Strange weather,” Kernli said from the other side, having noticed the sunlight’s change as well.

Leonard was about to chuckle in response when he suddenly tilted his head slightly.

His brows creased faintly, and his gaze turned toward the church with scrutiny.

“Good thing Rozanne is not here, or she would complain that the sun was darkening her skin,” Leonard said with a smile, withdrawing his gaze.

The blazing sunlight lasted only a few minutes before slowly dimming again. Everything returned to its original state.

Inside the church, Klein’s engraving knife was completing the final stroke.

As the magical symbol representing “light” was finished, the spirituality on both sides of the gold sheets abruptly connected into a whole, then withdrew deep into the metal itself.

No. This feels closer to divinity…

Klein finally escaped that scalding, blazing heat and regained enough clarity to examine the two Sunflame Charms in his hand.

The golden color on their surface had already turned muted. Their patterns were ancient and intricate, and a warm, smooth feeling slowly seeped out, entering Klein’s skin.

“Not bad. At last, I have a relatively powerful trump card.”

Klein sighed silently.

The activation incantation he had set for the Sunflame Charms was the ancient Hermes word for “light.”

If I want light, there shall be light…

He mocked himself inwardly, then placed the Sunflame Charms in another pocket. He did not put them together with the Slumber, Requiem, and Dream Charms, because doing so would affect the latter and reduce how long their effects could last.

“Mm. The power of the Sunflame Charms can be preserved for at least a year, perhaps even longer.”

Klein gathered his thoughts and turned his gaze toward the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem lying on the floor.

Seeing that its surface had not changed, and that its warm, pure sensation still assimilated the surroundings as before, Klein finally breathed out completely. He swiftly completed the ritual’s closing steps and removed the wall of spirituality.

Only now did he have the mind to examine himself. He discovered that the shirt beneath his clothing was nearly soaked through, his face was covered in sweat, and the tips of his hair were slightly curled.

Good. Good…

Klein sighed in relief, put away the items, and returned to his original seat. Exhausted, he fell asleep sitting there, until footsteps woke him.

His eyes flew open, and he instinctively touched the Sunflame Charms to confirm that they still existed.

“Your condition does not look too good,” Leonard said as he entered the church.

Klein rubbed both sides of his forehead, rose, and smiled.

“Because I am close to my limit.”

He took out his silver pocket watch, snapped it open, glanced at it, and said, “Just in time. It is your turn to guard Sealed Artifact 3-0782.”

Before his words had fully faded, Klein had already removed the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem and openly passed it to Leonard.

After watching him leave the church, Leonard restrained his usual careless manner. Focused and serious, he examined Sealed Artifact 3-0782. His expression gradually turned dazed, revealing obvious confusion.

Once they had completed their rotations, the three Nighthawks set out on the return journey.

Before leaving, they told Priest Siel to watch the town’s situation at all times. If another suspected haunting occurred, he was to immediately telegraph Saint Selena Cathedral.

At seven twenty in the evening, they finally reached Zouteland Street and handed in Sealed Artifact 3-0782.

After confirming that the Captain had discovered nothing abnormal, Klein happily left Blackthorn Security Company and hurried home before eight o’clock.

He took out his key, opened the front door, and suddenly saw an unfamiliar figure.

It was a girl clearly not yet twenty, wearing an old gray-white dress and working hard to wipe down the dining room.

She had black hair and brown eyes. Her eyes were small, her nose not very high, and her features were extremely ordinary.

Who?

Klein was first startled, then immediately understood that this was likely a maid-of-all-work here for a trial.

At that moment, Benson lowered his newspaper, looked toward his younger brother, and spoke with a smile.

“A company that does not allow its employees to leave work on time is always detestable.”

“But the salary it provides can soothe that wound,” Klein answered with a smile.

Once Miss Justice’s three hundred pounds arrives, I will tell Benson and Melissa about my salary rising to six pounds per week, so they will not need to worry too much about the family finances…

Thinking this, Klein set his cane against the wall, removed his hat, and walked into the living room. Lowering his voice, he asked, “You have chosen?”

He had performed divination yesterday using the information of the three maids-of-all-work and received the conclusion that all were suitable, so he had handed the right to decide to his elder brother and younger sister.

“Yes. Bella. Five soli per week. She is very willing and capable of learning cooking. She hopes to become a family cook in the future, and then her weekly wage would double. Her father is a worker at the Tingen City Steelworks Union, and her mother is a washerwoman,” Benson answered with a soft laugh. “Of course, another reason Melissa and I chose her is that the other two maids believe in the Lord of Storms. Only Bella is a believer of the Goddess. Personally, I do not reject believers of the Lord of Storms, but Melissa dislikes it a little.”

Melissa’s attitude is not exactly dislike. It is more like pitying their misfortune and raging at their refusal to change. Yes, Lu Xun said that!

Recalling his sister’s behavior all along, Klein’s face revealed a smile.

Benson said no more. He set down the newspaper and stood.

“Since you are back, let us enjoy dinner.”

…

The next day, Klein entered Blackthorn Security Company in a very good mood.

“Good morning.”

Rozanne glanced left and right, then said, “Old Neil is sick. How about we visit him at noon?”

“Old Neil is sick?”

Klein asked in surprise.

It cannot be severe constipation caused by the ritual to stop diarrhea, can it?

Mm. Judging from his behavior after vaguely learning about the acting method, suddenly falling ill is also possible… He is old. When the mind becomes fragile, the body will probably develop problems too…

Rozanne nodded hard.

“Yes. He had someone come and ask the Captain for leave.”

Klein nodded slightly.

“Then we will visit him at noon. Speaking of which, Old Neil is rather pitiful. His wife died early, and who knows which city his child is busy in. Once he falls ill, he can only lie alone at home, lonely and helpless.”

He was remembering the first time he had gone to Old Neil’s house.

Hearing Klein’s sigh, Rozanne widened her eyes and asked back in astonishment, “When did Old Neil ever get married?”