Chapter 187: Azik’s Warning

Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Seven
Azik’s Warning

The sheer presence of the “messenger” shocked Klein for five full seconds before he recovered and bent to pick up the paper.

“Even if Mr. Azik is unable to use most of his Beyonder abilities because of his amnesia, just sending out this messenger should be enough to deal with Sequence 7, perhaps even Sequence 6 Beyonders, right?”

His mind reflected his own astonished and envious expression. He did not hurry to unfold the paper, instead slipping it into the pocket of his clothing together with his Slumber Charms and other items.

The carriage continued forward, reaching Daffodil Street. When Klein stepped out, he instinctively glanced at the driver Cesare and saw that the man wore a smile, his gaze calm and relaxed, entirely unaware of what had just happened.

After looking again through spirit vision, Klein nodded almost imperceptibly and returned to his front door.

He glanced at the second-floor balcony and the water pipe. After pondering for several seconds, he decided to maintain his dignity and not attempt to climb. As for the clothes stained with blood and filth, he would bring them to Blackthorn Security Company tomorrow, where the police department would arrange for specific washerwomen to handle them. That way, he could avoid frightening the maid Bella and his younger sister Melissa.

Before leaving through the second-floor window, Klein had already secretly unlocked the front door from inside. Now, under cover of the deep night, he took out his key and opened the door with barely any sound, then slipped inside with agile movements.

After closing and locking the front door, he silently released a breath, lightened his steps, and returned to the second floor.

Stopping before his locked bedroom, Klein unhurriedly took out a tarot card, inserted it into the crack of the door, and flicked it lightly. With simple ease, he undid the special locking arrangement he had made himself.

Immediately afterward, he pushed open the door, entered, locked it, removed his clothes, and finally relaxed completely.

“This is like being a thief…”

Klein shook his head with a smile. He unhurriedly removed the revolver and stuffed it under his pillow.

After finishing the cleanup, he lit the gas lamp, took out the letter paper, sat at the desk, and seriously unfolded it to read.

“I am very sorry for only replying now. I have been busy tracing the footprints of my past, meeting former teachers and classmates, and chatting until very late.

“After reading your letter, I finally understood why I encountered those things over the past two days. First, the police came to the hotel where I am staying and searched each room. Then, at night, someone secretly made a round through the place. Yes, I mean someone with Beyonder abilities.

“…So it turns out Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos—the man who frequently appears in novels and newspapers—has infiltrated Backlund and caused no small amount of slaughter. I remember that he is wanted not only by our Loen Kingdom, but also appears on the bounty lists of the Feysac Empire, the Intis Republic, and the Feynapotter Kingdom…”

So how much is the bounty?

That thought instinctively emerged in Klein’s mind.

He did not receive an answer, because Azik moved on to another matter:

“The Shepherd ability you described gives me a familiar feeling, as if I have seen it or encountered it somewhere. But no matter what I do, I cannot remember. This should be an experience from one of my previous lives. Being unable to complete the recollection makes me feel terrible and distressed.”

Eh, Mr. Azik is somewhat interested in the Shepherd ability. That gives me an entry point for asking him to help. Mm, it feels a little coincidental… No, this is not coincidence. It is inevitable!

According to the deductions, Mr. Azik has lived for over a thousand years and is very likely a high-Sequence powerhouse. In that case, in his earliest life, or during his previous lives, he must have witnessed the Beyonder abilities of many Sequences and left deep impressions of the more special ones… In other words, not only Shepherd, but also professions like Unshadowed, Demon Hunter, and Guardian should also give him a similar sense of familiarity…

As long as a magical item corresponds to some Sequence’s ability, it is entirely imaginable for Mr. Azik to find it familiar and become interested…

Klein was first puzzled, then suddenly enlightened. His heart grew much more certain.

His gaze moved downward, and he continued reading.

“As for the sacrificial rituals you asked about, I recalled some of them long ago. Perhaps they left an exceptionally deep impression. Perhaps in one of my lives, or in the earliest life, I was a priest.

“I must warn you in advance: when using sacrificial rituals, be sufficiently cautious. You must not place your own safety in the conscience of evil gods and certain hidden existences. They possess no such thing.

“In addition, you must have strong discernment, because evil gods and demons will create one seemingly harmless identity after another for themselves. My advice is: do not sacrifice to any existence you do not understand or cannot be certain of. Otherwise, your soul will also become the sacrifice.”

In plain language, evil gods and demons wear aliases and pretend to be identities that are easy to trust… Just like on the internet, behind an account that looks like a cute girl, there may be some unshaven man crouching at a keyboard… Even if you meet offline and confirm the appearance, you still need to be careful. Perhaps it is a cross-dressing big brother…

Klein did not ignore Azik’s warning simply because he planned to sacrifice to himself. He nodded in strong agreement.

After emphasizing the precautions, Azik quickly began explaining the sacrificial rituals he knew.

“First, arrange the altar. To whichever deity or relatively normal hidden existence you hope to sacrifice, carve the corresponding symbol and use herbs and minerals belonging to Their domain. Of course, those may also be prepared in advance as holy oils, balms, incense, and so forth.”

Corresponding symbol?

Klein froze for a moment, discovering that he—“the Fool that does not belong to this era”—did not actually know what symbol corresponded to him.

His thoughts shifted, and he quickly connected it to the complicated symbol behind the high-backed chair at the very head of the bronze long table—the complicated symbol formed from part of the “Pupil-less Eye” symbolizing concealment, and part of the “Distorted Lines” symbolizing change.

“That should be my symbol. More accurately, it is my symbol above the gray fog… As for domain, that is simple: concealment, change, and good luck… But I cannot be certain. I can only try it out… Mm, even if the symbol is wrong, as long as the honorific name is correct, the target of the sacrifice will not point to some other existence. At most, the ritual will fail. That much, I can be certain of…”

Klein rubbed the surface of the paper thoughtfully, gradually forming a plan.

His gaze found focus again and looked toward the following content.

“Second, you must determine whether sacrificing to the corresponding existence requires a specific time. After that, follow the normal ritual process until the honorific name and prayer are recited.

“You must remember: always use Giant, Dragon, Elvish, or ancient Hermes. Rely on their direct connection to natural forces to complete communication with the corresponding existence. You may design the exact wording yourself, but it must contain several key words: ‘pray,’ ‘gaze,’ ‘offer,’ ‘kingdom,’ ‘gate,’ and ‘open.’

“Finally, use materials that possess spirituality, combining them with the vibrations of natural forces caused by the incantation to construct a preliminary channel—one connecting to the ‘gate of the kingdom’ of the corresponding existence. If that existence is interested, your sacrifice can be completed.

“This step is not strictly necessary. If you can make the corresponding existence extremely interested, then the moment you finish reciting the incantation, They will open the ‘gate of Their kingdom’ and construct a stable channel Themselves. However, this often means danger, because orthodox deities and comparatively friendly hidden existences rarely do such a thing. Only evil gods and demons directly respond for certain purposes.”

Materials that possess spirituality are not cheap… I wonder whether merely reciting the incantation can let me open a sacrificial channel similar to the “summoning door,” and mobilize a little of the power from the mysterious space above the gray fog… Mm, I will try first. If that does not work, I will go to the underground market to buy materials that possess spirituality… It should not require extraordinary materials, right? It only needs a certain degree of spirituality, right?

Klein thought of the three hundred gold pounds in his bearer account, then of the dozen or so pounds in private savings he had just managed to accumulate.

Extraordinary materials and materials that possessed a certain spirituality were not completely equivalent. Hood Eugen’s remaining heart was an extraordinary material, while those black scales belonged to materials with a certain spirituality.

After reading Mr. Azik’s letter, Klein rubbed his fingers together and ignited a spiritual flame. He burned the paper to ashes and scattered them into the trash bin.

At this hour, night was already deep. He was in no hurry to attempt the ritual. Instead, he planned to first make a proper plan, determine all necessary precautions, and only then put it into practice.

He had already vaguely noticed one of his own problems: when he had a plan prepared, he handled matters cautiously and rationally. But once he encountered something outside the plan, or entered a state of sudden inspiration, he easily considered only the good aspects and ignored bad possibilities.

A simple way to describe it would be: once impulsive, he tends to frantically court death…

Klein reached up and covered his face.

The next day, Dunn Smith, having already communicated with the Mandated Punishers and the Machinery Hivemind, began assigning tasks. Klein also accepted his own assignment: to investigate certain people with connections to Lanevus. But according to his own opinion and the Nighthawks’ internal rules, he did not need to take responsibility for people he already knew.

Of course, his afternoon combat lessons still continued as usual. Dunn also did not treat him as a primary investigator.

…

Backlund, Hillston Borough. Inside a house with stables and a garden.

Qilangos, who had a distinctive broad jaw and dark-green eyes, glanced at the unconscious man on the floor. He stripped off the man’s clothes and changed into them himself.

Immediately afterward, he leisurely walked to the full-length mirror and watched the black glove on his left hand wriggle as though digesting. On the back of the glove, many distorted lines emerged.

A few seconds later, Qilangos saw a faint light cover his reflection. His muscles, skin, and bones began changing in strange ways.

Before long, he had become the man on the floor. Whether height, appearance, or bearing, everything was identical.