Chapter 26: Do Not Go Out

Chapter 26: Do Not Go Out

Unlike continental cities such as Backlund, Tingen, and Pritz Harbor, colonial islands like Bansy lacked gas lines. Streetlamps on both sides of the road stood sparsely, their candles sealed behind glass covers, waiting to be lit.

Unfortunately, the wind had risen early today. By evening, no one was going out, and the candle flames did not shed light at their scheduled time. The roads were pitch-black, their outlines illuminated only by the crimson moon that appeared and vanished within the clouds.

Compared to before, the gale had calmed considerably. At the very least, Klein no longer needed to spare attention for his hat.

Thin fog gradually spread. The surrounding buildings, mostly two stories tall, had doors and windows shut tight, dark and lightless, as though no one had lived there for a very long time.

Klein held the dim yellow lantern in one hand and his solid cane in the other, walking swiftly through the street that had grown quiet to the extreme, heading toward Lime Restaurant, whose direction Blazing Danitz had pointed out.

Whooo!

In the thin fog, the wind came swirling over. Klein inexplicably felt a chill at his neck.

He raised his right hand holding the cane, making the collar of his double-breasted long frock coat stand straight and high, fully covering his neck.

At that moment, a scene suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Within the image, a black shadow the size of a watermelon burst out from the fog and, in an instant, pounced toward his ear.

Klein did not think. He swung his arm and forearm backward and violently lashed out with his cane.

Bang!

The sudden black shadow had only just drawn near when it was struck squarely and sent flying a long distance.

By the light of the lantern, Klein finally saw clearly what had attacked him.

It was a head!

It was a head that had lost its body, with an esophagus dangling beneath it!

The head floated in midair. Its face resembled a shriveled cheese covered in mold spots. Its skin, leaking yellow-green fluid, clearly sagged loosely, yet still outlined the shape of the bone.

Where its nose should have been, only two black holes remained. Its eyes bulged outward, more white than black. Most of its lips had rotted away, exposing teeth mixed with blood, sharpened to points!

Shit! Seeing this, Blazing Danitz’s heart trembled, and he cursed inwardly.

Even though he had explored many treasures and fought many monsters, something so disgusting and frightening was still rare.

At some point, a classical revolver had appeared in his hand. His elbow pressed down, and he was about to fire.

At that moment, he saw a pure, clear beam of light descend from the sky and land on the head that had been struck somewhat stiff.

Ah!

A scream rang out. The shriveled, hideous head quickly evaporated and melted away, dispersing into ash and leaving no trace behind.

So weak! Danitz instinctively offered that evaluation.

Is the monster Gehrman Sparrow of the Sun pathway? Doesn’t seem like it… He should be relying on a mystical item… Just now, before I even sensed anything, Gehrman Sparrow had already discovered the enemy and attacked. He is indeed strong… Danitz’s attention quickly shifted to other matters.

His thoughts had only just settled when, from the corner of his eye, he saw a similar head fly out from the fog to the side, trying to bite his neck.

Bang!

Danitz calmly pulled the trigger.

The brass-colored bullet accurately struck the mold-covered head, shattering its brow and knocking it backward, leaving it suspended in midair.

Immediately after, in Danitz’s half-clenched left hand, a crimson glow rapidly expanded, flames beginning to coil around it.

He leaned forward and dragged his arm, “throwing” the ball of fire. With a boom, it struck the stiffened head.

Flames surged up, burning red. The skin of the head swiftly charred, making sizzling sounds.

Yet as though unaffected, it abruptly lunged forward, its mouth opening wide, about to bite Danitz’s neck.

This change exceeded Danitz’s expectations. He almost failed to dodge in time, hurriedly shrinking his neck and curling his body as he rolled forward, barely avoiding the fatal injury.

In his left palm, crimson light appeared again. But the flames did not expand. Instead, they contracted inward, layer upon layer.

In just one second, as he dodged, Danitz threw out an orange fireball no larger than an eye.

Controlled by his spirituality, the fireball traced an arc halfway through the air and accurately flew into the shriveled head’s mouth.

Boom!

Fire flashed. The explosion burst the flying head open from the inside out. Countless fragments, mixed with blood, scattered in all directions.

Finally dealt with it… Danitz flipped back to his feet and let out a breath of relief.

Only then did he realize that these monsters, reduced to nothing but heads, were actually not easy to handle, while Gehrman Sparrow had casually and simply destroyed one.

Mainly because Beyonder powers of the Sun domain greatly restrain things like this! Danitz added inwardly with disdain.

As his thoughts turned, he glanced sideways and discovered that Gehrman Sparrow had not waited for him at all. Holding cane and lantern, he was already jogging toward the distance in small, quick steps, his black frock coat lifting slightly behind him.

…Shit! Wait for me… Wait for me! Danitz’s pupils shrank, and he strode after him, not daring to remain alone in the thin fog and dim surroundings.

…

Inside Lime Restaurant.

Donna looked at the white porcelain bowl in front of her and the dark-red blood curd within it. She recalled the strange and frightening feeling she had when those customers were eating earlier, and the gurgling blood that had poured from the neck of the headless cloaked figure.

Her throat moved, and she almost vomited.

Donna decided to give up this delicacy, even though its rich fragrance had already entered her nose.

She casually ate some salad and mashed potatoes while waiting for the wind outside to stop. She felt that the wall clock was moving unbelievably slowly.

Time passed second by second. One table of customers after another settled their bills and left the second floor. The place grew quieter and quieter, more and more empty.

Thump, thump, thump! Donna found the sound of them stepping down the wooden stairs especially irritating.

Finally, she discovered that the trees outside were no longer swaying, and the ground was covered with scattered debris.

“The wind has stopped!” Donna pointed at the window excitedly.

Her father, the import-export merchant Urdi Branch, pinched his forehead and growled in a low voice, “Donna, where are your table manners?”

“But…” Donna was just about to argue when Cleeves raised a hand and pressed it downward.

“It is 7:40. Dinner is nearly over. We should return as soon as possible. Bansy Harbor has many unpleasant legends about the night.”

Every merchant who made a living from the sea was, to some extent, superstitious—especially when folk legends were involved. Thus, after brief thought, Urdi agreed to Cleeves’s suggestion.

He quickly paid the bill, then led his family and bodyguards down to the first floor.

Cleeves was just about to open the door and scout the way when a creak came from a room nearby, nearly making Donna scream. She gripped her younger brother Denton’s hand tightly.

A figure walked out, glanced at them, and said flatly, “Fog has risen. It is best not to go out.”

The figure wore a black tailcoat and no hat. A pair of glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. His face was fleshy and almost round.

“Mr. Fox, what are you trying to say?” Cleeves recognized him as the owner of Lime Restaurant.

Fox said without expression, “In Bansy, on nights of heavy fog and violent weather changes, it is best not to go out, and not to answer knocking. Otherwise, one may encounter something unpleasant.”

“People already left earlier!” The more Donna listened, the more frightened she became, and she emphasized this loudly.

Fox pointed to the rooms across the first floor.

“They chose to stay the night.”

Creak! Clang!

No sooner had Fox finished speaking than door after door opened, some lightly, some heavily. The gentlemen and ladies from before arrived at their doorways, silently watching Donna’s family as they tried to leave. Silently watching.

“Perhaps we should respect the local customs,” Urdi Branch said after weighing his words. “Staying here for one night will not delay us from boarding the ship.”

Based on Cleeves’s original experience, this was the sort of situation where he should follow Fox’s advice and stay at Lime Restaurant. But he thought of Gehrman Sparrow’s warning—the warning of a powerful adventurer capable of keeping Blazing Danitz under watch!

Bansy Harbor has hidden danger… He did not specify whether it was indoors or outdoors… Cleeves quickly made a decision and said to Urdi, “Mr. Branch, please trust my professionalism.”

“Yes. I have witnessed many folk customs, and none of them had any substantial effect,” the other bodyguard, Teague, echoed.

Before he finished speaking, a thump, thump, thump suddenly came from the restaurant entrance, while from farther away came faint, continuous screams.

“See? There is knocking. Do not answer it,” Fox said in an unhurried voice.

Urdi’s heart trembled, and he was about to choose to stay the night.

Donna looked at the gentlemen and ladies standing at their respective doors and felt that their eyes were indescribably strange.

“No, we have to go back!” the little girl emphasized, almost screaming.

Cleeves also felt that indescribable oppression, a chill seeping from within his bones. He once more stressed his opinion.

“If there is a problem, staying here will be even more dangerous. The ship has cannons, and sailors armed with guns and blades.”

This reason convinced Urdi. He gestured for Cleeves to open the door.

Cleeves waited until the knocking subsided. Holding a gun in one hand, he pulled back the door with the other and opened it.

Outside, the wind had fallen low. Darkness was deep, and fog filled the air, as though countless monsters were hidden within it.

Donna held her younger brother Denton’s hand and hid behind Cecile, leaving the restaurant step by step.

Clang!

The restaurant door suddenly shut, cutting off any possibility of return.

At this moment, they were like a ship in a storm, with only themselves left between heaven and earth.

Cleeves carried the lantern and walked at the front. Suddenly, he saw something fly over, strike the ground, and roll several times.

Donna and the others instinctively looked over and immediately let out terrified sounds.

It was a shriveled, moldy head!

Immediately after, they saw light.

Light descended from the sky, and the disgusting head melted away and vanished with it.

“This…” Urdi and the others swallowed with difficulty, their bodies trembling slightly.

At that moment, they saw dim yellow light approaching from the depths of the fog.

It was a figure carrying a lantern. His half top hat of silk was neat, his double-breasted long frock coat was the same color as the night, and the lines of his face were distinct, cold and stern, with obvious sharpness within.

“Uncle Sparrow!” Donna and Denton shouted at the same time.

They felt their hearts become steady all at once.

Klein tossed the lantern to Danitz beside him, carried his cane over, and calmly said to Cleeves and the others as though nothing were abnormal, “Go to the telegraph office first.

“What about the Dimodo family?”