Chapter 62: Expert Level

Chapter 62: Expert Level

Klein had only just straightened out his thoughts when Elland caught up with the two of them and said with a smile, “The target has been found. The search is over. I will first send you back to the inn, then bring the reward over in two days. Also, it would be best not to go out today.”

Klein maintained Gehrman Sparrow’s proper attitude. He merely nodded lightly and did not respond aloud.

On the way back to the Azure Wind Inn, Danitz clearly had questions or comments he wanted to express, but because Elland, a military man, was beside them, he could only change topics and discuss with great interest which pirates might be caught in today’s city-wide search.

To him, as long as those fellows were not part of the Golden Dream, they were not friends and were utterly unworthy of sympathy.

After entering the inn room and watching Elland leave, he closed the door and clicked his tongue.

“Book of Calamity… Ancient elven ruins… This really is interesting. But how did elves become like demons? Just taking their book and flipping through it casually drove that woman mad and made her lose control!”

What image do elves have in your mind? Creatures active in mountains, forests, and seas, skilled at cooking and fond of nature? Heh. According to Little Sun, the eight ancient gods before the Cataclysm were all exceedingly tyrannical, cruel, and evil. That included the Elven King Soniathrym. The elves who believed in Him and took Him as their king most likely could not have been much better. For a concrete reference, one may look at the members of the Aurora Order… The supernatural races that survived from the Dark Epoch are basically impossible to connect with the normal concept of “good”… Klein answered inwardly.

Of course, he did not exclude the possibility that, after the ancient gods fell, dragons, giants, elves, vampires, and other creatures gradually cast off those negative influences and eventually became relatively normal. But that would only apply to the middle and lower levels, not to demigod-level powerhouses. The high-ranking elf who left behind the Book of Calamity was clearly the latter.

As his thoughts turned, Klein suddenly noticed something:

Danitz understood Elvish!

He had recognized the parchment book’s title as Book of Calamity!

Vice Admiral Iceberg’s education of her crew has reached that level? It does not only popularize ancient Feysac, but also teaches Elvish, which can pry open the forces of nature… Perhaps Giant and ancient Hermes are also part of the Golden Dream’s curriculum… What a pirate crew with knowledge and dreams. But Captain lady, are you perhaps a little too biased in your teaching? Danitz does not seem to pass in many areas… Then again, for pirates whose primary job is treasure hunting, mastering ancient languages is indeed most important… Klein ignored Danitz’s sighs and turned his gaze out the window.

At that moment, the sky remained somewhat gloomy, as though a storm might fall at any time, making one instinctively feel oppressed.

Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, thinking with slight relaxation:

“They found Leticia and learned of the ancient elven ruins on Simim Island. The Church of Storms and the kingdom’s military should soon be able to use the connection between those ruins and Kalvetua’s hiding place to locate the increasingly insane Sea God—or use the ruins to accelerate his collapse.

“In that case, aside from the most fanatical and devout Sea God believers dying, everyone else basically should not suffer much harm…”

Klein had originally thought of using a spirit-world location method to enter Kalvetua’s hiding place after he fell and before the official Beyonders found it, conveniently taking the treasures there. But the appearance of the Book of Calamity seemed to have pushed that plan to the brink of failure before it had even begun.

Whew… It is nothing. Something that existed only in imagination and never belonged to me is no loss if I do not have it… I do not even know what I could gain there… This matter being resolved in this way is for the best… Klein withdrew his gaze from the weather and felt calm and relaxed, with only a faint, unavoidable trace of disappointment.

That day, he and Danitz followed Elland’s suggestion and did not go out again, staying within the inn.

Across Bayam, scattered gunfire, cannon blasts, and explosions rang out from time to time, only completely dying down after nightfall.

…

Early the next morning, Klein woke on schedule and discovered that layers of clouds were still stacked in the sky, leaving the world gloomy.

That meant the confrontation between Church of Storms Cardinal and high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers, Ain Kottman, and Sea God Kalvetua was still ongoing.

Klein felt the pain in his stomach and prepared to take a newspaper into the washroom.

But after glancing at Danitz, who was reclining leisurely in an armchair, reading the newspaper with white bread clenched between his teeth, he abandoned the idea.

Reading the newspaper while sitting on the toilet does not match Gehrman Sparrow’s persona!

Although it will be very boring, acting cannot be relaxed… Sigh. I have found another difference between my true self and the disguised identity in behavioral choices… Klein silently summarized his thoughts and entered the washroom.

Pulling down his trousers and sitting on the toilet, he stared almost blankly at the pale-white wall ahead, as though trying to read words from it.

At that moment, his spiritual intuition was suddenly triggered.

He hurriedly tapped his teeth and activated spirit vision.

Two thick, towering white bones appeared before him. They were the messenger’s legs.

The messenger stood there, its head passing through the ceiling, yet the pitch-black flames inside its eye sockets could still be seen.

It lowered its head slightly, looking down at Klein sitting on the toilet.

Klein raised his head and looked upward. For two seconds, he froze. His mind was full of inexplicable thoughts.

Should I hurriedly cover my lower body like a lady, or should I be open and fearless…

Before he could make a decision, the messenger dropped a letter, then shattered into white bones with a crash. They fell like a rainstorm and disappeared into the floor.

Klein caught Mr. Azik’s reply in a daze. It took him quite some time to react.

This messenger is becoming more and more impolite! Can it not see that I am using the toilet? It does not even know to knock first, or slide the letter in through the crack beneath the door! Klein cursed inwardly, half annoyed and half amused.

After thinking about it carefully, he also felt that slipping a letter through the crack beneath the door was somewhat difficult for the messenger. A huge being nearly four meters tall would have to lie flat on the floor just to reach that position.

That image would be rather funny to think about… Mm, next time I write a letter, I will add a paragraph and ask Mr. Azik to properly educate the messenger so it understands manners… Klein unfolded the letter and began reading Azik’s reply:

“…Based on the knowledge I can recall, I can provide two methods. The first requires sufficient preconditions: an item belonging exclusively to you, or to someone else, must be with Sea God Kalvetua. In that case, divination can be used to locate the place easily… The other prerequisite is that you can enter the spirit world. I have sufficient techniques in this area. Below are the three commonly used ones…

“The second method is to use a secret contract ritual and pray to Red Light Aiur Moria. He symbolizes power and will, and to a certain extent, He controls knowledge related to spirit-world creatures and spirit-world locations…”

So one of the Seven Lights, Red Light, is called Aiur Moria… The principle of the secret contract ritual is to adjust one’s own state, open one’s body and mind, and allow oneself to gradually harmonize with the target of prayer, finally achieving partial overlap and gaining the corresponding knowledge. But that harmony and overlap are mutual. While I obtain knowledge, my own secrets are also exposed to the target of prayer… There is no way I can trust Red Light… I have far too many secrets… Klein’s first reaction was to exclude the second method.

As for the first, it also lacked a chance of success. Klein did not possess any exclusive item inside Sea God Kalvetua’s hiding place.

“Unless I can use the rebels to send something to Kalvetua, or find an item that a Sea God believer once sacrificed and trace it back to the original owner—and it would have to be exclusive… Send something to Kalvetua…” As Klein thought, he suddenly had an idea.

His spirits rose. He repeatedly examined the plan several times and believed it had a certain probability of success.

After finishing in the washroom, Klein washed his hands. Then he immediately took four steps counterclockwise and arrived above the gray fog, where he divined the attempt he wanted to make. The revelation he obtained was that there was a certain danger, but as long as he handled it properly, it would be bearable.

Once all that was done, he returned to the sitting room and walked beside the armchair.

Danitz shot upright and laughed dryly.

“What is it?”

“Do you know the prayer corresponding to Sea God?” Klein asked in a tone without fluctuation.

Danitz spread one hand, then suddenly hissed.

“Shit…” he cursed his injured arm under his breath, then turned and laughed. “I do. I have seen the rebels hold rituals several times. Uh… Specifically, it is: ‘Blessed of the sea and the spirit world, Protector of the Rorsted Archipelago, Ruler of undersea creatures, Master of tsunamis and storms, great Kalvetua.’ Right. The two times it worked, it was recited in Elvish.”

Blessed of the sea and the spirit world… That posture is rather low… It is fundamentally different from my honorific name… Of course. Mine was made by imitating the seven true gods… Klein nodded lightly.

“Do you know of any empty warehouses or abandoned houses?”

“Of course! Every great pirate knows a few.” Danitz answered without hesitation.

Klein turned at once and walked toward the coat rack.

“Take me there.”

Take you there to do what? Although Danitz was puzzled, he did not dare ask.

…

In the Dock District, inside a filthy, run-down warehouse.

Danitz watched Gehrman Sparrow take out three candles and several metal bottles. Finally unable to restrain his curiosity, he asked, “What—what are you trying to do?”

Without turning back, Klein answered very calmly, “A sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice to whom?” Danitz asked with interest.

After arranging the altar, Klein took out an iron cigarette case and said in a flat tone, “Kalvetua.”

The location method he had thought of was to directly send something to Sea God Kalvetua!

As long as Kalvetua accepted it, Klein would be able to use divination and other means to locate the other party’s hiding place.

As for whether Kalvetua would accept it, he had naturally considered that as well and believed a certain possibility existed. Kalvetua was now in a state close to death, extremely mad, basically without reason, acting only on instinct. And perhaps he had an intense craving for the aura of the gray fog.

Therefore, Klein prepared to sacrifice an iron cigarette case that he often placed above the gray fog and see whether Kalvetua would accept it. If Kalvetua refused, there would be no real loss. He could simply treat it as if nothing had happened.

Sacrifice to Sea God Kalvetua? At that instant, Danitz felt that his brain was not enough to understand Gehrman Sparrow’s thoughts.

“Are you insane? How could it possibly accept your sacrifice? Even if it does, what meaning would that have? It is about to die! And this is dangerous!” Danitz blurted out.

Immediately afterward, he added inwardly:

No, Gehrman Sparrow has not gone mad, because he has always been mad…

Klein glanced at him and said simply, “In this area, I am an expert.”

In the domain of sacrificial rituals, I am expert level! Klein was not modest about this.