Chapter 268: Numbers and People

Chapter 268: Numbers and People

Inside a small town on the outskirts of Backlund.

After changing into clean, dry clothes, Klein placed his soaked banknotes one by one across the surface of the table, waiting for them to dry naturally in the warm room.

Throughout the process, his movements were extremely cautious and gentle. He even forcibly suppressed the sneezing and coughing brought by his fever and cold.

To ensure there were no mistakes, he did not use his own flame control to bake them dry.

Once everything was done, he walked toward the corner of the hotel room, where a full-length mirror stood.

In the mirror, Klein’s black hair was neatly combed diagonally. His eyes were deep brown, his face rather thin, and his contours distinct.

A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested upon his nose. There was no beard around his mouth, making him seem young yet not without experience.

This was Zhou Mingrui’s appearance, altered according to Northern Continent racial features, and specifically the vibrant version from his university years, before society had fattened him.

He planned to return to Backlund once the situation had calmed down slightly, take a look around, and in passing obtain a legal identity for his current appearance. Compared to when he had left Tingen, he now did not lack corresponding channels. Ian in Bravehearts Bar, Miss Sharron’s circle, and Great Detective Isengard Stanton were all possibilities.

It really is nostalgic… Klein murmured to himself. Inside the room, where the curtains had long since been drawn, he busied himself with a ritual, preparing to bring Creeping Hunger above the gray fog for absolutely safe study.

Inside the silent, empty ancient palace, he appeared at the head of the long bronze table, holding the thin glove that seemed to be made of human skin, and leaned back against the chair.

Immediately afterward, he closed his eyes and extended his spirituality into the item that needed to be sealed.

At once, he sensed the glove’s hunger. It seemed to possess a stomach pouch that could never be filled. Yet above the gray fog, it was so docile that it dared not leak even a thread of malice, like a hunting dog lying there motionless, not daring to move.

Then Klein heard unwilling cries and pained groans.

Transparent faces—twisted, savage, and howling—immediately emerged within his inspiration, brimming with grief and madness unbearable to witness.

Those “faces” were deeply fused with Beyonder characteristics of different colors, states, and manifestations. Wherever Klein’s spirituality spread, he could merge with the corresponding “face” and use the abilities it possessed.

So this is how it is used? Klein tried again and again, and with the aid of divination, he roughly understood which five souls Creeping Hunger was currently “grazing.”

First was a Faceless, but it had only the ability to alter appearance and build.

Second was a Psychiatrist. It could plunge a target into a frenzied state, perform a certain degree of psychological suggestion, simulate dragon might to intimidate individuals or groups, and create chaos.

Third was an Interrogator. It could make the glove’s wearer proficient in the use of various weapons, turn them into an explosives expert, and grant the ability to condense mental strength to pierce a target’s spirit body.

Fourth was a Nightmare. It had only one ability: silently dragging people into dreams. But unlike the corresponding Beyonder, this mainly relied on Creeping Hunger to accomplish, so after entering a Nightmare state, the wearer could still move their own body.

Fifth was a Priest of Light. It could produce halo-like effects that purified undead and filthy creatures within a certain range. At the same time, it also possessed the Bard’s ability to enhance the singing voices of itself and its companions, and could summon “Holy Light” that was somewhat weaker than “Sun Flame.”

The limit is five souls, and the usable abilities are fixed when a soul is first…