Chapter 96: Daly’s Guess

Chapter Ninety-Six
Daly’s Guess

The next morning, Klein, having fully recovered his condition, walked into Blackthorn Security Company with steady steps.

“Good morning, Klein. The weather is wonderfully cool today. I am already looking forward to tonight’s feast.”

Rozanne, wearing a pale green dress, stood behind the reception desk and greeted him with a beaming smile.

Klein deliberately touched his stomach and said, “Miss Rozanne, you should not discuss such topics at a time like this. I have already begun to resent the tasks that have not yet arrived today. I only hope night will come sooner.”

“So do I.”

Rozanne giggled.

She looked left and right, then beckoned for Klein to come closer. Lowering her voice, she said, “I saw Madam Daly just now.”

“Madam Daly, the Spirit Medium?”

Klein asked back, slightly surprised.

This most famous spirit medium in Awwa County had always lived in Enmat Harbor, which was not especially close to Tingen.

“Yes.”

Rozanne nodded vigorously.

“But she has already left. Ah, she is the ideal Beyonder in my heart. If I could become a Spirit Medium, I would leave Tingen and travel the world alone—to Intis, to Feysac, to Feynapotter, to the Southern Continent, to the great plains, to primeval forests, to snow-covered fields of ice!”

Miss, perhaps you should first familiarize yourself with Nighthawk regulations…

Klein shook his head in amusement.

“Even Madam Daly needs to submit an application and receive approval if she wishes to leave Enmat Harbor.”

“I know, but you should not remind me of that right now and shatter my fantasy!”

Rozanne said, puffing up her cheeks.

“In truth, I could never become a Beyonder. It is too dangerous. Who knows when one might suddenly die with a bang? In my opinion, so-called Beyonders are people who, in order to fight monsters, turn themselves into monsters.”

“Archbishop Chanis once said that we are guardians, but also a group of wretches constantly fighting danger and madness.”

Klein sighed, repeating the line that had left the deepest impression on him.

To fight the abyss, we must endure the abyss’s corrosion.

The two fell silent at the same time. Rozanne was the first to recover. She pursed her lips toward the partition and said, “The Captain said to look for him as soon as you arrive.”

“All right.”

Holding his hat and carrying his cane, Klein passed through the partition, knocked, and entered Dunn’s office.

The middle-aged gentleman with deep gray eyes and a high hairline set down his coffee cup and smiled.

“Daly came by.”

“That is not exactly a surprising thing, because Rozanne already told me in advance,” Klein replied with a smile.

Dunn paid no attention to his humor. He sighed and said, “Daly has been transferred to the Backlund diocese. That is the most prosperous and crowded city in the entire world. It also has the most Beyonders and the most opportunities… She has far greater hope than I do of becoming an archbishop or a high-ranking deacon.”

“Why?”

Klein straightened his sitting posture and asked in puzzlement.

Dunn thought for a dozen seconds before saying, “She has unique talent in mastering and developing Sequence potions… I told you before that among the Nighthawks’ internal regulations, if one wishes to consume the next Sequence potion, one must first wait three years and undergo strict examinations to avoid losing control. But under normal circumstances, three years is often not enough. I spent three years advancing from Sleepless to Midnight Poet, and nine years from Midnight Poet to Nightmare. A full nine years. As for advancing from Nightmare to Sequence 6, I have already spent three years and still have no idea how many more will be needed.

“When our bodies age and our minds begin to decline, even if we overcome the hidden dangers, we should no longer attempt advancement, because the risk of losing control becomes so high that no one would willingly take it.

“But Daly is different from me, and different from the vast majority of Beyonders. After becoming a Corpse Collector, she submitted a special application after only one year, hoping to immediately consume the next potion. What shocked everyone was that she actually passed the more stringent examination and obtained the Gravedigger potion.

“From Gravedigger to Spirit Medium, she also used only one year. Heh. This is only her fifth year as a Beyonder, and she is only twenty-four. She is still young enough, with enough chances ahead.”

Her public identity is the most famous spirit medium in Awwa County, while in truth she really is a Spirit Medium… Is this not precisely “acting”? Old Neil seemed to have mentioned that Madam Daly had similar tendencies…

Klein felt that he had grasped the core reason Madam Daly had advanced so quickly.

“Captain, you are still young too. You are only in your thirties,” Klein comforted Dunn and silently added in his heart, It is only your memory that is a little poor…

Dunn drank some coffee and smiled bitterly, shaking his head.

“Why do you not consult Madam Daly about the method for mastering and developing Sequence potions?” Klein deliberately asked.

Dunn set down his coffee cup and rubbed both sides of his brow bone.

“She told me to become a true Nightmare… I do not know what she meant.”

Acting as a Nightmare… Hiss. Nightmare sounds rather evil…

Klein’s brows drew together slightly, and he briefly fell silent.

At that moment, Dunn took out his pipe, sniffed it once, and said, “I discussed with Daly the matter of the Seer potion’s subsequent Sequence being Clown. If we first set aside the possibility that the Secret Order member deliberately lied to you, she proposed an interesting guess.”

“What guess?” Klein’s eyes lit up as he asked eagerly.

He had once used divination to verify whether Clown was truly the potion after Seer and had received an unclear result, though one leaning closer toward affirmation.

Dunn’s deep gray eyes swept over him. While thinking, he said, “Normal Sequence pathways are progressive relationships. They follow a shared point, advancing step by step within the same domain. For example, Sleepless, Midnight Poet, and Nightmare are clearly all connected to night, and to the sleep, peace, and quiet derived from night. One can imagine that the later stages will be similar, only more powerful and broader, perhaps involving elements such as concealment, misfortune, fear, and the crimson moon.

“Some Sequence pathways do not look like this on the surface, but careful analysis can still discover common points. For instance, Assassin and Instigator. Their hidden shared point is bringing disaster, pain, sorrow, and despair to people. The later Sequences should also follow this pattern.”

Klein listened with great focus and took the initiative to ask, “But Seer and Clown do not have that kind of relationship?”

“Mm.”

Dunn nodded lightly.

“Daly thinks that perhaps another kind of Sequence pathway relationship exists. After all, what we know is still far from enough.”

He paused and continued, “Daly said that in such a pathway, low and middle Sequence potions may separately provide a Beyonder with brand-new abilities that seem unrelated to what came before. Then, once a certain stage of qualitative change is reached, these abilities will be kneaded together, transforming into an extraordinarily powerful ‘profession’ that contains them all.

“In other words, the relationship is not progression, but decomposition and combination.”

Seeing that Klein looked somewhat bewildered, Dunn lifted his right hand.

“Normal Sequence pathways are progressive, like a person’s body. From childhood onward, one grows taller section by section, while also becoming stronger, heavier, and more mature.

“But special Sequence pathways are like this…”

At this point, Dunn bent his thumb.

“This is Sequence 9.”

Then he bent his index finger.

“This is Sequence 8.”

After that, he slowly bent his remaining fingers, one by one.

“Each finger is independent of the others. They seem to have no relation. But in the end…”

As he spoke the words “in the end,” Dunn’s five fingers had all bent inward, forming a hard fist.

“I understand.”

Klein suddenly came to enlightenment. He found Madam Daly’s guess and the Captain’s analogy deeply convincing.

Perhaps it really is like that?

He nodded thoughtfully.

Sequence 8 Clown and Sequence 9 Seer are completely different, possessing brand-new abilities. And according to the Nighthawks’ internal records, the corresponding Sequence 7 and Sequence 8 Clown also seem to have no obvious similarities…

After a stretch of silence, Klein curiously asked, “At what stage would those different abilities combine and undergo a qualitative change?”

Dunn took a sip of coffee and gave a soft laugh.

“Daly and I both guess it is Sequence 4.”

“Why?” Klein blurted.

“Because according to the Church’s division of Sequence pathways, Sequence 4 is the starting point of the high Sequences. It is said to bring about qualitative change in life and spirit all by itself. In ancient times, during the Fourth Epoch, those at Sequence 4 already qualified to be called demigods and half-humans. Unfortunately, in the modern age, such powerhouses are extremely, extremely rare.”

Dunn sighed with emotion.

“Sequence 4 to Sequence 1 are high-sequence powerhouses. Then which are considered low Sequence?” Klein asked, rather interested.

“Sequence 9, Sequence 8, and Sequence 7 all belonged to the low Sequences a thousand years ago. But in the last few centuries, the scarcity of Beyonders has led the major Churches to regard Sequence 7 as a middle Sequence as well.”

Dunn gave a self-mocking smile.

Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 are low Sequences. Sequence 7, Sequence 6, and Sequence 5 are middle Sequences. Sequence 4 and above are high Sequences…

Klein repeated the classification silently, inevitably feeling a hint of longing.

Emperor Roselle was a high-sequence powerhouse!

However, the higher the Sequence, the greater the risk of losing control…

Klein thought with some fear.

Acting casual, he asked another question.

“What is the name of the Church of the Goddess’s Sequence 4 potion?”

“In truth, I do not know. My confidentiality level does not allow me to access the relevant materials. Only after I become a diocesan bishop or a Nighthawk deacon will I be able to read them.”

Dunn shook his head with a smile.

“In fact, among the thirteen archbishops and nine high-ranking deacons at the top of the Church, at least half are below Sequence 4. Mm, and my estimate is comparatively optimistic. The archbishop previously placed on the wanted list, Ince Zangwill, lost control because he failed while attempting to advance to Sequence 4.”

The one who took Sealed Artifact 0-08? His potion’s name seemed to be Gatekeeper…

After thinking for a moment, Klein probed, “Is the Sleepless pathway’s Sequence 5 Gatekeeper?”

“No. That belongs to the Spirit Medium pathway. Once you become Sequence 7, or become a bishop or Nighthawk team captain, you will be able to read the corresponding materials.”

Gatekeeper belongs to the Spirit Medium pathway? Does it mean guarding the gates of hell? Or guarding the gate of the spirit world?

Klein considered that possibility.

“All right. Go find Old Neil and continue your studies,” Dunn said with a smile. “Do not forget tonight’s feast. It will be at Old Will’s Restaurant. The seats are already reserved. This time, I will formally introduce you to the other Nighthawks.”

“All right. I have already prepared cash.”

Klein forced the corners of his mouth to lift.

“No, no need. Have you forgotten we have an extra allowance? The portions submitted from the commissioned missions you completed.”

Dunn waved a hand.

Klein froze for a moment, then smiled brilliantly.

“All right, Captain!”

He turned and walked toward the door, beginning a silent countdown in his heart.

Three, two, one…

Hm? The Captain did not call me back…

Klein lingered at “one” for a very long time, astonished to discover that Captain Dunn Smith had nothing forgotten to add.

A miracle…

He silently evaluated the situation.

…

Inside the armory, Old Neil glanced at the obviously cheerful Klein and said, “Do not think about tonight’s feast. You still have many things to learn—more ritual magic, ancient Hermes, Dragonese, Elvish, and so on. And so on.”

“Right. Outside your days off, every afternoon you must follow a teacher and practice combat for at least two hours.”

“Combat? The Captain never mentioned that just now…”

Klein was startled.

Old Neil nodded and answered without hesitation, “He forgot.”