Chapter 201: Apostle of Desire

Chapter 201: Apostle of Desire

The instant Stuart raised his gun and took aim, Klein, who had long since been on guard, sensed it. Almost at the same time as Stuart moved, Klein threw himself forward and dropped to the floor.

Bang!

Stuart, whose emotions had clearly gone out of control, pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed the cheek of a private detective, struck the wall, and buried itself inside.

Swish, swish, swish. The other detectives reacted by drawing their own revolvers, as though everyone they looked at had become an enemy. The scene descended into chaos.

Among them, Stuart and another private detective had faces flushed crimson, veins bulging. Their eyes burned with a “flame” mixed from fear and rage, as if they had become so-called demons.

At that moment, Kaslana let out a low growl.

“Stop!”

Her voice was not loud, yet it was filled with authority. Everyone present trembled and instinctively wanted to obey.

The scene fell briefly silent, but the detectives’ emotions did not seem to have substantially improved. Klein had already rolled in another direction and risen to his feet, holding his own revolver.

His thoughts raced. No longer caring about hiding his abilities, he planned to rely on his illusion powers to make the visitors calm down.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Ding-ding-dang-dang!

The private detectives all shuddered violently, and a measure of clarity returned to their eyes.

The light, clear sound of the doorbell was like a basin of cold water poured over their heads.

Stuart looked at the revolver in his hand and muttered blankly, “What was I doing just now…”

Official Beyonders made a move? Klein let out a breath of relief, carried his revolver, and approached the door.

The moment he grasped the handle, the appearance of the person outside naturally surfaced in his mind.

It was Isengard Stanton, his temples graying, face thin, wearing a deerstalker hat and black overcoat.

The great detective’s face was somewhat pale, and the part of his left arm near the shoulder was padded up noticeably.

He really is fine! Klein first felt joy, then instantly grew cautious. He still remembered how the Secret Puppet Master Rosago had transformed into a familiar police officer to trick him into opening the door.

Klein kept his finger close to the trigger, pulled the door open, and retreated two steps.

Isengard Stanton smiled and nodded to him.

“Thank you for visiting this afternoon. Otherwise, in my injured state, I might not have been able to continue playing hide-and-seek with that Demon.

“You saved my life.”

This… Could the correct interpretation of “suitable for visiting Isengard Stanton” have been that going to see him that afternoon would help him escape danger? And what about the following few days’ “suitable for visiting”? Missing the murder scene and avoiding suspicion? For a moment, Klein did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He stepped aside without relaxing his guard.

“What exactly happened?”

“We’ll talk later.” Isengard suddenly lowered his voice and laughed. “Surely you don’t want to discuss matters related to Beyonders in front of Stuart and the others?”

So you’re mentioning Beyonders to me so naturally? Well, I suppose being able to stalemate with the owner of the demon dog for more than ten minutes is already enough to prove I’m not an ordinary person… And I previously offered consultative advice deliberately pointing toward a demonized animal… Klein quietly fell two steps behind Isengard Stanton.

The moment Kaslana and her assistant Lydia saw the great detective, they let out a breath of relief. Stuart and the other private detectives also showed reassured expressions.

“Mr. Stanton, are you all right?” they asked one after another.

Isengard moved his left arm slightly and said, “I suffered a small injury, but it isn’t too serious.

“Very well. Everyone, don’t be nervous. This matter will soon be over. The police are waiting nearby in the darkness for that fellow.”

“Is it because of the serial murder case?”

“Have they locked onto the suspect?”

“Will he hurt innocent people?”

The private detectives rushed to ask questions.

Isengard pressed his right palm downward.

“Do not rush. I will tell you everything in detail and truthfully. But before that, there are a few questions I need to ask Sherlock and Kaslana. We’ll go into the sitting room for a few minutes.”

His accumulated prestige made the detectives refrain from objecting. They each sat back down.

Although they were still not fully at ease, they no longer had the restless unease that seemed ready to spiral out of control at any moment.

After entering the sitting room and closing the wooden door, Klein glanced at the sealed room and suddenly thought of something.

This kind of environment is extremely suitable for an item like the Biological Poison Bottle!

Cough… Klein cleared his throat, walked to the opposite side, and opened the glass window.

He still had not lowered his guard against Isengard Stanton, and he did not even believe that Kaslana was absolutely trustworthy.

Isengard looked around, directly occupied Klein’s easy chair, then chuckled and said, “I’m old. I still prefer sitting like this.”

Klein sat down on the single sofa and asked again, “Mr. Stanton, what exactly happened?”

Isengard glanced at Kaslana behind the coffee table and said, “We are all Beyonders, so I won’t explain the basic concepts.”

“Beyonders?” Kaslana first looked at Klein, then at Isengard. She was somewhat surprised, but not too surprised.

So you’re a Beyonder too… Then how were you stumped by such a weak ghost before, to the point that you couldn’t even see where the problem was… Mm, perhaps your Sequence simply isn’t good at dealing with shadows, specters, and wraith-like creatures… Klein met Kaslana’s gaze.

Isengard smiled.

“I once studied in Lenburg for four years. It was there that I came into contact with the supernatural world and became a believer of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.

“After returning to Backlund, I gradually established good relations with the military, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. But I still dare not truly expose my identity, because the Mandated Punishers would definitely treat me as a cultist and eliminate me. In this matter, the other official organizations would not directly help me, because doing so would be equivalent to going to war with the Church of the Lord of Storms.

“As expected of the Church of the Tyrant.”

“The Tyrant?” Klein asked casually.

Isengard took out his pipe, but merely sniffed the scent of the tobacco.

“That is what we within our Church call the Lord of Storms.

“All right, let’s return to today’s matter. The person who attacked me, the one who sent threatening letters to you, is the owner of the murderer from the previous serial murder case. Heh, you should know that the murderer was a black dog of the Demon Sequence—especially you, Sherlock. You were the first to point out that a Demon might be an animal.”

Klein smiled without denying or admitting it. Kaslana merely clasped her hands together and said nothing.

Isengard immediately shook his head with a laugh.

“There’s no need for you to worry. I am not an enforcer. And as a believer of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, I cannot preach in Backlund, nor can I formally establish an organization. I can only rely on people like you for help.”

In other words, you can help us take the blame? Klein quipped inwardly.

Seeing that they still did not admit anything, Isengard continued, “The owner of that demon dog is a Sequence 5 powerhouse. Uh, as far as I know, Sequence 5 of the Demon pathway is called an Apostle of Desire. They can make use of and manipulate each person’s emotions and desires, inducing them to fall.

“When facing an Apostle of Desire, you absolutely cannot have intense emotional fluctuations or obvious desires. Otherwise, he will immediately be able to remotely control you, plant a seed, or directly catalyze it.

“This will expose many problems in a person, gradually corrupt them, or make their emotions spiral out of control at a critical moment so they cannot resist… This is only part of an Apostle of Desire’s Beyonder abilities. I confirmed these aspects during my fight with him.”

Hearing this, Klein suddenly understood one of the reasons the other party had sent threatening letters and made a provocative gesture.

He wanted to anger me, to create an intense emotional fluctuation in me, thereby planting a seed of corruption or catalyzing my emotions so they would erupt out of control!

That would make any later attack much easier for him!

Fortunately, I’m a Beyonder who has seen and experienced quite a lot. At the time, I only felt vigilance and caution… Stuart and the others must have undergone comparatively obvious emotional changes when they saw the threatening letters, so the Apostle of Desire planted seeds in them…

If we had not stabilized them in time just now, the scene would have turned chaotic from within, leaving the official Beyonders around us unable to react in time and giving the Apostle of Desire ample opportunity…

The slow passage of time I felt at Isengard Stanton’s house earlier—was it because my sudden vigilance, tension, and guardedness were magnified?

As Klein recalled what had happened before, he felt a wave of relief.

“So that was it…” Kaslana also seemed to understand many things.

Isengard rubbed his temples and said, “I was almost manipulated by him myself, which was why I was injured. After that, I relied on a mystical item to play hide-and-seek with him inside the house, until Sherlock’s visit created a three-way stalemate and gave me a chance to breathe.

“My poor assistant had still been looking forward to returning to Lenburg for Mass during the New Year.”

At this point, he gave a long sigh.

“When the police arrived, I took the opportunity to escape. Afterward, I used the river to shake off his pursuit,” Isengard added, then changed the subject. “Sherlock, Kaslana, how do you plan to respond?”

After a moment of silence, Kaslana said, “Mr. Stanton, what suggestions do you have?”

Isengard said, “First, accept official protection so that the Apostle of Desire does not dare act, and hope he is soon caught or killed.

“If that hope fails, the official forces cannot possibly protect us forever. Then we only have two choices. One is to change our identities and those of our families with their help, and move somewhere else to live. But no one can guarantee that the Apostle of Desire will not discover us. The second is to directly join the corresponding official organization and become peripheral members. This will likewise involve changes to identity and residence, but it is safer.”

Join the corresponding official organization? The Machinery Hivemind? Or go to places like Lenburg or Masin and join the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? Wouldn’t I then become a believer of three surnames—no, three families? Klein inexplicably felt a sense of absurdity.

Thoughtfully, he asked for advice.

“Is there no other way?”

At the same time, Kaslana’s expression showed no change. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Isengard Stanton rubbed his pipe and said, “There is. That is for us to join forces, create an opportunity, and find and hold back the Apostle of Desire as soon as possible.

“Of course, the most perfect outcome would be killing him directly.”