Chapter 76: Searching for Anomalies

Chapter 76: Searching for Anomalies

Klein neither answered yes nor no. Stopping on his way toward the bedroom, he said flatly, “That was a question.”

“Yes, yes, a question! A completely baseless, slanderous question! And I gave a negative answer.” Danitz responded in delight, placing heavy emphasis on the fact that he had never admitted anything.

Klein nodded lightly.

“I will clarify it to your captain.”

Clarify… Danitz first froze, then opened his mouth halfway, his expression twisting.

As someone who had seen a great deal, he did not continue defending himself or arguing. Instead, he forced a smile and said, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Klein quietly inhaled and used his Clown ability to control his facial expression.

“Listen carefully.”

“Yes, of course!” Danitz hurriedly agreed.

Seeing Gehrman Sparrow turn and reach the bedroom door, he could not help blurting out another question.

“You will not really go clarify things with the captain, will you?”

Klein twisted the handle and answered without much expression, “Listen carefully.”

With that, he pushed the door open and entered. Before the corners of his mouth could spread, he shut the door behind him.

…

After breakfast the next day, Klein changed into wide-legged trousers, a coffee-brown thick jacket, and a flat cap, then altered his appearance and left, leaving Danitz alone in the room to watch over the wireless telegraph receiver.

Along the way, Klein changed his face again, making himself look even more like a local native.

He found a specialized store and bought linen gloves, a shroud, and a body bag. Then, based on the surrounding environmental features he had seen while browsing the prayer scenes, he found his way to that bridge hole and found the girl who had died in the corner, in the mud.

Because it was still winter and the weather was not hot, the corpse had not yet shown obvious signs of decay. Even so, the ulcerated skin and foul odor still made Klein instinctively feel nauseated.

He had not immediately come last night to bury this girl, who had wished to live like a human being, because under the influence of recent events, Bayam was under especially strict nighttime control, and the cemetery would only open after dawn.

Taking out a small metal bottle, Klein poured a little Klarg’s Oil onto his hand and rubbed it at the tip of his nose.

A sharp, choking sensation invaded his mind. A minty disinfectant-like smell filled his sense of smell, leaving him as clear-headed as if he had just fallen into an ocean with ice blocks floating on the surface, no longer affected by any other odor.

After putting the metal bottle away, Klein put on the gloves, walked a few steps forward, and crouched beside the female corpse.

He first spread out the shroud and slowly rolled her into it. Then, moving gently, he placed the body inside the body bag.

Carrying the bag on his back, he deliberately passed through several of Bayam’s busiest streets, continuing all the way outside the city. Following a narrow road that carriages could not travel, he climbed halfway up a mountain by the sea.

Here stood a cemetery specially prepared for local natives by the Church of Storms and the Governor-General’s Office.

By contrast, the cemeteries of the Loenese, Intisians, Feynapotterans, and other foreigners who came here to trade, adventure, or settle were on the other side of Bayam, backed by woods, flat and gently sloped.

Klein climbed step by step, entered the unnamed cemetery, and found the gravekeeper dozing off.

“How do you want to bury him?” the gravekeeper said, pointing at the body bag. “If you want it free, you have to wait a few days. We wait until the morgue has collected a certain number of bodies, then burn them together and bury them in the same grave pit. Of course, a priest will soothe the spirits of the dead beforehand.

“Five soli, and he gets his own urn and one compartment. Two pounds, and that gets the urn, a grave, and a stone tablet. If you do not want cremation and need a coffin, you can go there and choose one. Different woods, different prices.”

Klein thought for a moment, took out a five-soli note, and handed it over.

“What name?” The gravekeeper counted the bills, picked up a fountain pen, and asked with a decent attitude.

In truth, he did not know how to write words. He merely needed to draw a few symbols to help his memory.

Klein paused for a second and said, “Budi.”

“Budi…” the gravekeeper repeated softly and drew a symbol.

Without lifting his head, he continued, “She can have one epitaph on the compartment.”

Budi was a typical female name among the local race of the Rorsted Archipelago, so the gravekeeper no longer mistook the deceased’s gender.

Klein fell silent for several seconds, then spoke in a low voice.

“She was a person.”

“She was a person? What a strange epitaph…” the gravekeeper muttered softly. “Do you have a photograph? I know you do not.”

Before his voice had fully fallen, he saw the other party hand him a “photograph.”

It was a portrait Klein had produced with ritual magic, perfectly recreating the girl’s appearance before she fell ill. To avoid suspicion, he used corresponding paper and certain techniques so that the portrait looked like a real photograph.

The gravekeeper was somewhat surprised, but he did not say much. He quickly took the materials and, together with Klein, carried the body bag to the small house where the priest lived.

After the requiem, cremation, placement into the urn, attaching of the photograph, carving of the epitaph, and the rest of the process were all complete, Klein looked at it deeply for a moment, then turned and left the cemetery.

Descending the mountain path, he saw the entirety of Bayam:

The seawater was pale blue, close to green, stretching to the horizon. Layers of sails filled the harbor, while smokestacks rose tall. Streets crisscrossed. People came and went. Manors surrounded the area, plants flourished everywhere, broad roads extended into the distance, and the rail tracks ran straight… It was like a beautiful oil painting by a master, full of vigorous vitality and indescribable life.

…

At the top of the bell tower attached to the Church of Waves, Church of Storms Cardinal and high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers, Sea King Ain Kottman, stood at the edge, gazing over the refreshing sea and the mountains spreading into the distance along the coastline.

Bayam’s pollution levels were rather low, because industries such as mining and smelting were located in other cities on the island. Here, the pillars of the economy were spice trade, brothels and casinos, and the gathering and transfer of goods. There was no mature industrial sector, and because the temperature was mild, coal for heating was used for only a small number of days each year.

Sea King Ain Kottman had only just withdrawn his gaze when he saw a Mandated Punisher run up along the spiral staircase.

“Your Excellency Kottman, there is new intelligence.” The Mandated Punisher struck the left side of his chest with his right fist.

“What is it?” the sturdy Ain Kottman asked, turning around.

The Mandated Punisher handed over the note in his hand.

“News from inside the rebels. They received Kalvetua’s response and are currently shaping new statues.”

“New statues?” Ain Kottman unfolded the note and rapidly browsed through it.

Immediately, he turned his head and looked toward the interior of Blue Mountain Island, where the jungle was like an ocean. After a moment of thought, he said, “Search the archipelago’s waters for places showing abnormalities.”

From this intelligence, he confirmed one thing: the mysterious person who had taken Kalvetua’s remaining characteristic had not left the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago. This could be judged accurately from the fact that the other party could disguise himself as Kalvetua and respond to believers.

At the same time, Ain Kottman knew very well that the Beyonder characteristic left behind by Kalvetua, who had gone completely mad before death, would inevitably possess serious negative effects whether or not it had formed into a true item. It would inevitably cause abnormalities in the surrounding area.

And he believed that it would not be easy for that mysterious person to find the correct method of sealing it.

Even if the person found one, the moment he responded to prayers, he would be unable to control himself and expose the problem.

This was the clue!

“Yes, Your Excellency Kottman. Storms are with you!” the Mandated Punisher saluted again.

…

After entering Bayam, Klein found a moment when no one was paying attention to release the Faceless ability and took a carriage back to the Azure Wind Inn.

The moment he opened the door and entered, he saw Danitz seated before the wireless telegraph receiver with an expression both strange and grave.

“Any gains?” Klein asked in a low voice.

“No. None.” Danitz lifted his right hand and waved the newspaper in it. “My bounty. My bounty has been raised to 5,500 pounds…”

This was almost chasing Steel Maviti!

It had caused him to not dare go out, relax, or drink. He could only obediently stay in the room and listen for signals.

That rate of increase is really tempting… For a moment, Klein did not know what expression to use, so he could only remain expressionless.

“This is only the beginning.

“Mr. Ten Thousand Pounds.”

…Shit! Danitz cursed in his heart, but his face did not dare show the slightest disrespect.

Those things were all done by Gehrman Sparrow. How did my bounty rise? Those sons of bitches in the Church of Storms and the kingdom’s military! He forced a smile and shook his head, his facial muscles somewhat twisted.

Klein held back his laughter and ignored him, returning to the bedroom to make up for his lost sleep.

At that moment, he saw a letter appear out of nowhere, drifting down from midair and landing right before him.

Klein lifted his right hand and caught the letter.

The messenger did not even show itself this time? It dropped the letter and left? Klein clicked his tongue and casually opened the letter to read:

“…There are two ways to obtain a messenger. First, think of an accurate description, hold a ritual, summon the corresponding spirit-world creature, and sign a necromantic contract with it. Second, directly enter the spirit world, search for the messenger you desire, and after obtaining its consent, sign a contract with it and record the precise descriptive words for future use.

“The first method is simpler, but rather dangerous, because what matches the description might be a powerful spirit-world creature or a strange evil spirit. Each time you summon, you can never be completely certain what you will attract, and this is a risk that divination finds difficult to avoid in advance.

“The danger of the second method lies in the fact that finding a suitable messenger is not easy, and there is also the risk of getting lost in the spirit world.

“Unless you are a Traveler, I do not recommend the second method. For the first, I can provide some tested ‘descriptions.’ As long as the process is accurate, the degree of danger will be fairly low, but the result may not necessarily satisfy you. In addition, the contract requires the power of the necromancy domain. You may use my copper whistle to provide that.

“The format includes the following sections…

“Of course, if you do not mind, I can transfer one of my messengers to you and have it sign a contract with you…”

Transfer one to me? No wonder the messenger just now did not even dare show itself… Klein thought as though enlightened.

Considering that last time, the messenger taken as a guard had unfortunately been killed by Mr. A, which had caused the later messenger to become increasingly impolite toward him, Klein first tactfully declined the kind offer in his heart.

“Use the first method or the second? The first is prone to accidents. Maybe a prospective messenger summoned on the spot will beat me up… Common descriptions are not special enough, and the messenger’s abilities may be worrying… The second? I do not fear getting lost. I can directly return above the gray fog, and in spirit body state I can use the Sea God Scepter. Spirit-world creatures are not afraid of having their blood drained dry either. Mm, I have to do this outside the archipelago, otherwise I will be troubled by the prayers.” Klein soon made his decision.