Chapter 96: One of Two

Chapter Ninety-Six
One of Two

A certain illusory sensation faded. Klein once again saw the strange candle he held in his hand, saw its pitch-black wick and pale flame.

The floor that had been smashed by the Dawn Paladin, the damaged chairs, and the candles severed one after another had all returned to the state they had been in before the battle. There was no sign anywhere that they had ever suffered harm.

Bishop Utravsky, who had originally stood before him, had at some unknown point sat down in the first row. His waist and back were bent forward, his head buried low, both hands tightly clutching his temples.

Drip!

Drip!

Sweat slid down his face, soaking the ground beside his feet. A large patch of the floor there had already grown wet.

Sensing that the strange candle had been snuffed by Klein, Utravsky suddenly shivered. Under Klein’s gaze, he lifted his head.

His slightly turbid eyes were filled with tears. On his wrinkled face, tear tracks crisscrossed with one another.

Yet his gaze was full of reminiscence, joy, and clarity.

If this “Giant” bishop had previously seemed tall and heavy, then now, only his body remained heavy. His spirit had lost that weight.

At that moment, Klein felt as though he were looking at a newborn infant.

Those tears were proof of new life.

The corner of Father Utravsky’s mouth slowly lifted. He smiled with gentle kindness and said, “You were much stronger than I expected.”

“No. That was only because I already knew enough in advance and had made the corresponding preparations. The past you did not know what your opponent was good at, and had also been weakened considerably. If I fought you like that in the real world, the question I would be considering is how to escape,” Klein answered frankly.

A prepared Magician and an unprepared Magician are entirely different concepts…

He silently added that line inside his heart.

Bishop Utravsky did not dwell on the issue. His entire being seemed to give off an air of relief as he said, “Thank you, my friend.

“As agreed, I will give you the Apothecary formula, along with a mystical item.”

As he spoke, he took from a pocket inside his brown clerical robes an object that seemed like a combination of a needle, a soft tube, and a container.

“You have two choices. This is one of them. When I obtained it, I did not know its name, and afterward I never thought of naming it. You can use it to draw out one tube of blood—your own blood. Then, at a critical moment, you may transfuse it back into yourself. In that way, your fatigue will vanish, your illness and injuries will ease, and your strength, speed, balance, and other qualities will receive a large though temporary boost,” Bishop Utravsky said, pointing at the object in his hand.

“Then what are its restrictions and hidden dangers?” Klein asked rationally.

Father Utravsky glanced at the needle and tubing marked with mysterious patterns, then explained in detail:

“After one tube of blood is drawn, you will be weak for a full twelve hours. Transfusing the blood back into yourself during those twelve hours will produce no effect. Of course, the exact time restriction is not absolutely precise. It increases or decreases depending on a person’s physique and condition. In addition, it is best not to use it frequently—no more than once a week. Otherwise, the returned blood will bring not only strength, but also a brief loss of reason. Drawing blood repeatedly with too little time between uses will also make weakness become one of your defining traits.

“Apart from this, it has one more problem. Once you carry it on your person for more than half an hour, you will become somewhat neurotic.”

Good thing Bishop Utravsky did not draw blood in advance. Otherwise, if his past self had been able to transfuse it back during the battle, my hopes of winning would have become very, very low…

That was the first thought to flash through Klein’s mind.

Immediately afterward, his brows drew together slightly. He was rather worried about the negative effects of that mystical item.

Whether it was temporarily losing reason, being weak for twelve hours, or becoming somewhat neurotic, those hidden dangers did not look too severe at first glance. But having seen Beyonders lose control and having heard the ravings of evil gods, Klein believed a Beyonder’s mental state was extremely important. If it remained at a low point for long periods, or frequently became abnormal, that could very easily lead to loss of control—even if the Beyonder had grasped the acting method.

“What is the second choice?” Klein asked after two seconds of silence.

Bishop Utravsky took from another pocket an ancient brass-colored key and smiled.

“It is called the Master Key. It can help you open any lock that does not contain mystical power, as well as a small portion of locks that have been given supernatural effects. And in places without locks or doors, it can still open a passage not belonging to reality. Heh. The premise is that there is no Beyonder power restricting it, and that the obstacle is not too thick.

“Its spirituality is completely restrained. When not in use, even a Beyonder would find it very difficult to tell that it differs from an ordinary key.”

Father Utravsky stood again, forcing Klein to choose between looking up and craning his neck.

The “Giant” bishop strode to one wall at the side of the church hall and pressed the “Master Key” against the brickwork.

He lightly twisted it. His entire body seemed to enter water, sending out ripples as he passed through the wall and arrived outside.

Immediately afterward, Bishop Utravsky returned to the church hall in the same way, returning once more to Klein’s field of vision.

“Have you decided which mystical item you want?” the towering father asked, lowering his head.

“Mm. What are the hidden dangers of the Master Key?” Klein asked after choosing his words.

Bishop Utravsky smiled gently.

“The person carrying it will occasionally get lost.

“According to others, it should be random getting lost.”

Get lost? I am a Diviner, with spiritual intuition…

Klein muttered inwardly and gradually made his decision.

After a few seconds, he said, “I want the Master Key.”

He did not wish to risk problems with his mental state and accumulate the danger of losing control.

What a pity. What I most want is still that strange candle… The deepest part of the mind, the lowest level of dreams—places like that count as my home field…

He sighed silently inside his heart.

“Very well.”

Bishop Utravsky handed the ancient brass key to Klein and took back the strange candle wrapped in what seemed like human skin.

As Klein examined the mystical item, Utravsky pointed behind him.

“The Apothecary formula is in the room. I will retrieve it. Please wait here a while.”

Klein nodded in response. Taking advantage of the moment Bishop Utravsky’s figure disappeared from the hall, he took out a one-penny copper coin and divined whether the other party had lied regarding the Master Key.

After receiving an acceptable answer, he walked to the wall in front of which a row of candles stood and pressed the ancient brass key against the solid obstacle.

Injecting spirituality, he twisted the key. Klein’s vision blurred for an instant, then grew clear again.

At that moment, his sight no longer held burning candles, orderly chairs, or a straight wall. There was only withered grass, muddy ground with some scattered garbage, and, to the side farther out, a gas streetlamp standing upright.

“It really came through.”

Klein smiled and nodded. Turning around, he used the Master Key again, successfully returning to the church hall.

After waiting a dozen or so more seconds, Utravsky walked in with heavy steps, holding a roll of yellowish-brown goatskin.

“You may seek an appraisal. If there is any problem, I will always be at Harvest Church,” the “Giant” bishop said, handing the Apothecary formula to Klein.

Main ingredients: horn of an adult unicorn pegasus, three grams of crown jellyfish venom crystal…

Klein opened it and swept a quick glance over the contents, then answered with a smile, “I will confirm whether it is real.”

For example, through divination above the gray fog…

He added inwardly.

Bishop Utravsky nodded lightly. Without saying more, he turned and walked toward the Earth Mother’s Sacred Emblem of Life.

He spread both arms and recited in a low voice:

“Thank You, source of life!

“Praise You, mother of all things!”

…

Klein put away the Master Key and the Apothecary formula. After Utravsky stopped, he half-jokingly said, “Was my arrival also arranged by the Earth Mother?”

Otherwise, why thank Her?

The fake believer of the Evernight Goddess clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Yes. All of this was the Mother Goddess’s arrangement. Otherwise, the matter of my seeking help would not have reached your ears. I would not have come to Backlund, nor would I have obtained that Nightmare Candle,” Bishop Utravsky said with a gentle smile, without the slightest anger.

A complete and self-consistent believer’s logic. But…

Klein suddenly felt he could no longer communicate with him. Pressing a hand to his chest, he bowed and said, “Thank you for your generosity. I should take my leave.”

Straightening, he swiftly retreated and quickly vanished from the church hall, vanishing from Rose Street.

Ten minutes later, he once again saw the golden outer walls of Harvest Church from another direction. The corner of his mouth could not help twitching.

“Can I not get home without divining?”

He muttered soundlessly, stubbornly wanting to rely on himself to defeat the matter of getting lost.

But his hand was faster than his voice. It had already snapped off a branch from a roadside tree and turned it into a temporary divining rod.

The rod divination method could be used not only to find people, but also to find objects and paths!

This time, Klein finally returned home smoothly, then went above the gray fog to confirm the authenticity of the formula and the degree of the Master Key’s hidden danger.

…

The next day was Sunday morning.

After waking and eating breakfast, Klein took out paper and pen and wrote a letter to Isengard Stanton, asking him to help through the police department and confirm the current situations of several suspects in the serial murder case from four years ago—the one that targeted prostitutes who were single and had one child.

After folding the letter and placing it into an envelope, Klein stuck on a black one-penny stamp, put on his clothes, took his hat and cane, and left his front door, preparing to mail it at the postbox at the end of the street.

At that moment, he saw his neighbor, Madam Stelyn Sammer, and her husband, Mr. Luke, step out together in formal attire.

A rental carriage had already stopped before their door.

“Good morning. Off to a banquet so early?” Klein asked, slightly surprised.

Luke laughed.

“Not quite a banquet. More helping out.”

Madam Stelyn lifted her chin slightly and added, “Mary has successfully entered the Kingdom Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee. There will be a grand ball tonight, and we must go over early to help.”

Madam Mary’s wish came true? Impressive…

Klein sighed inwardly, then said with a smile, “Please offer my congratulations to Madam Mary.”

Luke Sammer nodded.

“You have not read this morning’s paper yet, have you? It has already published the complete list of the Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Committee’s members.

“The committee chair is Sir Des Shaw, and the chief secretary is Mr. Hibbert Hall.”