Chapter 218: Don’t Turn to Any Doctor in Desperation

Chapter 218: Don’t Turn to Any Doctor in Desperation

Hearing Klein’s question, Emlyn White was startled. He carefully examined him and said, “You are wealthier than I imagined.”

He had originally thought Sherlock Moriarty would need at least a week before he could gather 2,450 pounds.

“I’ve been saving for a very long time,” Klein answered with a sigh.

Emlyn nodded thoughtfully.

“Is being a private detective that profitable?”

“It’s only an identity convenient for action. If there aren’t any large bounties, it’s only two or three hundred pounds a year,” Klein said frankly.

Emlyn glanced at him and asked, seemingly casually, “Then what do you actually do? Smuggle arms? Steal from wealthy people’s treasuries? For Beyonders at Sequence 7 or below, there aren’t many things that allow them to quickly save more than 2,000 pounds. Most of them hover on the edge of illegality and crime.”

A vampire talking to me about illegality and crime? Looks like you yearn quite a bit for fast money… Klein smiled.

“I take on relatively dangerous missions. If you aren’t afraid of death, you can try it too.”

Emlyn shut his mouth. Only after a long while did he say, “Come find me in the evening. I’ll take you to the seller.”

What a wonderfully cowardly vampire… Klein was just about to agree when he suddenly felt that it was not safe enough.

What if that seller is tempted by the money? What if he doesn’t have the corresponding Beyonder materials at all and simply wants to lure someone over to rob and kill them? Emlyn White can be trusted, but the seller he introduces may not be… I need to find an excuse to go above the gray fog and perform a divination to confirm the degree of danger… Mm, there’s no need to make it so complicated. There’s a better method… As thoughts surged, Klein turned his head to look at Emlyn.

“No. You go by yourself.

“I’ll give you 1,000 pounds as an advance payment. Bring the two materials to Harvest Church. After confirmation, I’ll pay the remaining balance. I believe the seller should accept this method. It will demonstrate the trustworthiness of a noble Sanguine.”

Being flattered like this, Emlyn unconsciously lifted his chin.

“There is nothing wrong with this trading method.”

At this point, he gave a heh.

“Are you afraid they won’t honor the deal? Inside Harvest Church, you can feel at ease?”

“Of course. With a Blessed of the Mother Earth who is more than two meters twenty tall and whose muscles are exceptionally solid standing nearby, anyone would feel secure.” Klein smiled and pointed at Father Utravsky. “Someone capable of dealing with him would not care about wealth worth two or three thousand pounds.”

Emlyn’s face darkened, and he snorted.

“Aren’t you worried I’ll swallow that 1,000-pound advance payment?”

Klein leisurely looked ahead.

“Why should I worry?

“You return here every day and are very easy to find. And even disassembled and sold, a living vampire is worth far more than 1,000 pounds.”

Struck where it hurt, Emlyn muttered angrily, “Sanguine! Understand? Sanguine!

“And don’t use ‘a’ as the unit of measure!”

Klein laughed softly and said nothing more, waiting for the other party to calm down.

“We’ll trade according to the method you requested,” Emlyn finally said, reaching up to rub his forehead.

Klein immediately took out the envelope he had received that very morning and handed it over, together with the thick stack of 1,000 pounds in cash inside.

“Eight o’clock tonight. Here.”

Emlyn counted the banknotes and confirmed there was no error. Then he warily snuck a glance at Father Utravsky and lowered his voice.

“Mr. Private Detective, as someone who frequently comes into contact with all kinds of information and news, have you heard of an evil god called the Fool?”

Evil… Evil your… Klein nearly cursed inwardly.

His expression remained normal as he answered, “Recently, many people have been searching for the Fool’s believers. Do you want to join them and claim the corresponding bounty?”

Emlyn sighed.

“No. I’m only considering whether I should pray to this evil god—or evil spirit—and ask Him to help remove the psychological cue. You know that His specific honorific name has spread. As long as it’s translated into Hermes or ancient Hermes, there’s a chance of receiving a response… What do you know about Him? How much harm does He bring His believers? Does He forcibly change their views?”

Although the target points to me, I still want to say: vampire classmate, you are seeking any doctor in desperation… Klein felt extremely conflicted as he said, “The Fool is very mysterious. To this day, aside from the information you already know, no one understands the details regarding Him, such as which domains His divine authority covers, or the corresponding prayer ritual.

“What puzzles me is this: under these circumstances, why don’t you consider your va—uh, Sanguine progenitor, the ancient god Lilith? As long as the ritual is correct and the offering appropriate, She should help you remove the psychological cue.”

Emlyn leaned back slightly and stared ahead, saying nothing for several seconds.

He seemed to have suddenly turned profound.

After a brief quiet, he said in a low, slow voice, “Even before the Cataclysm, the Progenitor rarely responded to prayers. Only certain special matters could possibly receive Her aid. Removing psychological cues is not among them.”

In the legends of the City of Silver, Lilith, the ancient god who represents the Moon, has already had Her authority reclaimed by the awakened Creator—or perhaps She fell even earlier in some divine war… Then who occasionally responds to Sanguine prayers? The Primordial Moon? Klein deliberately pressed further.

“Then there is also the Primordial Moon you could pray to. Many rituals of underground Beyonders borrow Its power.”

This mainly refers to the Witch King and corresponding creatures… Klein added silently.

Emlyn’s lips moved, but he could not make a sound. His face gained an indescribable degree of fear.

Only after quite some time did he solemnly say, “I suspect the Primordial Moon is some evil god or high-ranking Demon in disguise. Most people who pray to It gradually change, becoming cruel, becoming mad, and becoming filled with the desire to reproduce. As for the rest, mainly Sanguine, they most likely lose control on the spot and turn into true monsters.

“There was once a powerful Sanguine who, because of danger, attempted to pray to It. In the end, she turned into a lump of flesh that only knew mating and reproduction. With cows, sheep, horses, mice, even plants and stones, she gave birth to one strange descendant after another. Each was equivalent to the founding of a new monster species. Fortunately, she was quickly eliminated. Her descendants were as well.”

…The Primordial Moon is that dangerous? The Book of Secrets never mentioned it at all… Has Witch King Karaman’s mind already been corrupted by It? Thank goodness I’ve only ever imitated and modified things, and the target of my prayers is myself… Emlyn White’s description frightened Klein so badly his heartbeat quickened.

It gave him a deep understanding that hidden existences outside the seven orthodox deities were indeed not so trustworthy.

Except for me… he sighed.

At that moment, Emlyn gave a bitter smile.

“If the negative effects brought by the Fool aren’t that severe, then praying to Him is not entirely impossible to consider.”

The only effect would be that you would have to pay a certain fee… In order to maintain the image he had presented, Klein could only lightly pat Emlyn’s shoulder and draw the triangular sacred emblem over his own chest.

“Praying to a hidden existence whose details are unknown is extremely dangerous. Since that is the case, you might as well choose whichever of the seven deities you like better and believe in Them. They won’t affect your daily life or make you throw away your dolls.”

“If there really is no other way…” Emlyn suddenly discovered that he was calmer than he had imagined.

Klein did not stay any longer. He squeezed into the corridor and walked toward the outside of Harvest Church.

Looking at the foggy sky outside, he began thinking about what he should do next.

Without question, his current focus was on saving money and finding materials.

Little Sun’s side needs to settle down a little more, so that he doesn’t become suspected again. Later, he can use the method to remove the mental corruption of a losing-control Beyonder from an item to offset the payment he promised… Deep-sea Naga hair can be entrusted to Mr. Hanged Man, while I’ll have to rely on myself for the characteristic of a Human-skinned Shadow… Emlyn White and old Mr. Stanton’s Eye of Wisdom gathering haven’t produced any corresponding news after more than a month. I need to switch channels… Mm. After this long, the Rose School of Thought’s high-sequence powerhouse probably isn’t still monitoring the Bravehearts Bar so closely. I’ll go there this evening and see whether I can contact Miss Sharron and Maric… Klein swiftly formed a plan.

And before going to Bravehearts Bar, he first had to go to the East Borough, to the one-bedroom apartment he had rented on Black Palm Street, and change into worker’s clothes.

With that in mind, he walked toward the public carriage stop opposite him.

…

In Green Cemetery on the outskirts of the West Borough.

Fors Wall, wearing a black veiled hat, walked quietly beside Dorian Gray of the Abraham family, accompanying him to sweep the graves and offer flowers to Lawrence, Anlisa, and the others.

As they silently moved forward, her thoughts were entirely on the Beyonder material known as a Spirit Eater’s stomach pouch.

She knew that she had already digested the Apprentice potion. As long as she obtained a Spirit Eater’s stomach pouch, she would be able to become a Trickmaster. Yet she still had no clue regarding that item, and the Sun, who had the highest chance of helping her, did not dare hold a ritual or invite his friends to hunt Spirit Eaters because of what had happened earlier.

In order to advance as quickly as possible and take another step toward escaping the full moon curse, she had even prayed to Mr. Fool, asking His Blessed to help search for the material. During the process, she revealed that her new book had been published and that she would soon receive her guaranteed manuscript fee, in order to prove that she had sufficient purchasing power. She was not worried that Mr. Fool would learn her real identity, because she believed Mr. Fool certainly already knew it.

In the secluded, peaceful, icy environment, Fors and Dorian stopped before Lawrence’s grave.

Looking at the posthumous photograph and reading the epitaph, “He Was a Good Teacher,” Dorian Gray remained silent for a long time. Only after quite a while did he sigh.

“How ironic…”

“Why?” Fors asked in surprise.

She had heard Lawrence mention before that he had been a public school teacher in Constant City, Midseashire. That was why she had used such an epitaph.

“This has nothing to do with you. It is a matter of our family.” Dorian gave a self-mocking smile and bent down to place the flowers.

After straightening again, he looked forward and suddenly said, “Fors, do you wish to become a Beyonder? Like the kind I described in my letters.”