章 32: Farewell
In the parlor, Ebner finally saw Jane, but she was completely different from the girl he once knew. Her bright shoulder-length blonde hair had dulled, losing its former luster and becoming gloomy. Her skin, once fair and rosy, had turned ghostly pale…
Yet these physical changes were far from the most startling. What shocked Ebner most was that her eyes no longer held their former sunshine—gone was her cheerful innocence, replaced by a piercing, unyielding coldness.
Without even activating his White Eye, Ebner could tell that Jane had recently become a Beyonder, with the potion's power overflowing and manifesting externally. The intensity of the effects revealed that her advancement must have been challenging, even problematic.
After quickly reasoning through the situation in his mind, Ebner arrived at the probable truth. Frowning, he asked, "Jane, you became a 'Corpse Collector'? And you used Mr. Grant's Beyonder characteristic directly? That kind of advancement is dangerous. Didn't those two warn you?"
On the other side of the room, Jane's heart was filled with joy at seeing Ebner. She even felt an urge to confide in him, to share her pain, but the lingering effects of the potion prevented her from showing such closeness. She instinctively stepped toward him, using her best attempt at a non-menacing voice as she said, "Ebner… So you really did know that my father was a Beyonder! Back then, you pretended he was just volunteering… You're a Beyonder too, aren't you?"
Seeing Jane moving toward him with a deathly pale expression, Ebner almost took a step back and drew his weapon in self-defense. Fortunately, he realized she posed no threat in time to stop himself. Still a bit stiff, he reached out to support her, as he had done so often in the past.
"Same person, same action," he thought, marveling. "Yet while the old Jane would fill me with warmth, now she makes me feel as though I'm facing a deadly threat."
Outwardly, Ebner acted as if he hadn't noticed her transformation. "Jane, you need to learn to control your strength now that you're a 'Corpse Collector.' If you charge at me as you used to, your potion-enhanced physique could easily knock me back a few meters."
"Sorry, Ebner… But don't try to change the topic. You still haven't answered my question!" Jane apologized instinctively, her tone softening a little as she found traces of her old self in his steadying touch. Her gaze, however, remained cold.
At least her personality hasn't changed much, Ebner thought, breathing a sigh of relief. As long as her mind was intact, she could eventually overcome the lingering effects of the potion and reduce the risk of losing control.
"You haven't answered my question either, have you?" he replied, chuckling. "Alright, yes, I am a Beyonder. And I did notice your father had taken that path, but he never harmed anyone. I didn't want you to be involved in the dangers and madness of the Beyonder world, so I chose to keep part of the truth from you. Besides, I wasn't lying—strictly speaking, your father was volunteering, wasn't he?"
Jane nodded coldly, but her voice lost its icy edge. "So, Ebner… You didn't want me to become a Beyonder? But without power, I'll never be able to get revenge…"
Ebner sighed. "I just didn't want you to be in danger… But now, there's no point in discussing that. I won't try to dissuade you from seeking revenge. I may not feel the hatred you do, but I can understand your pain and sorrow. Just remember: the path of a Beyonder is dangerous and fraught with madness. You must be prepared for that."
"Miss Sharron and Mr. Maric have already told me all of this… And don't blame Mr. Maric. He warned me repeatedly of the dangers of directly consuming a Beyonder characteristic. But I had made up my mind. I'll kill the werewolf who destroyed my family! I'll annihilate the Rose School of Thought!" As she spoke, Jane's pale face darkened further, and the room seemed to grow colder.
"I only hope that, after your revenge, you'll once again have the pure smile you used to wear," Ebner said earnestly.
"Thank you, Ebner." Jane's gaze softened a bit, though she privately doubted she'd ever regain that innocence.
Maturity often arrives in a single moment. But the price isn't one everyone is willing to pay.
Ebner knew this hope was but a comforting fantasy, and he let the subject drop, asking instead, "So, what did you call me here for? When I got the message, I thought it was from Maric."
Jane tried to smile but failed, her expression twisting slightly. "Miss Sharron and Mr. Maric have been constantly changing locations to avoid enemies and the authorities, so they plan to send me to stay in Emmat Harbor for now, where someone will teach me mysticism. I overheard that advancing as a Beyonder requires a lot of money to buy materials…"
"I could lend you some—" Ebner began.
Jane shook her head. "I don't need a loan. My father once told me that if something happened to our family, I should go to the basement of a house in St. George Borough. He hid some valuables there… Looking back, he must have sensed something might go wrong."
He probably became aware of the dangers of being a Beyonder and prepared a backup plan in advance, Ebner reasoned, instinctively analyzing the situation.
Jane looked at Ebner intently. "Ebner, I can't go out safely right now, so I want you to retrieve the things my father left for me."
"That's not a problem, but why not ask Maric? The fewer people who know your whereabouts, the safer you'll be. After all, the Mandated Punishers are searching for you relentlessly," he cautioned her.
"Because I don't entirely trust Maric and Sharron. Yes, they saved me, and yes, they kindly offered me their help, but in the end, they're still part of the Rose School of Thought. I know it's irrational, but I can't help resenting them." Jane looked at him anxiously. "Do you think I'm awful?"
"Of course not. That's perfectly understandable. I'm sure you'll be able to let go of that resentment eventually since they're not truly to blame." Ebner smiled in reassurance. The truth was, whether Sharron had targeted the Indulgence members or not, the werewolf would have attacked the Grant family due to his own uncontrollable urges.
"I'll try to get over it… After all, they've shown nothing but patience toward me, despite my attitude. But right now, Ebner, I only trust you—that's why I risked meeting with you," Jane said, handing him a slip of paper with an address written on it.
After briefly weighing the risks, Ebner concluded that the most he'd face were the traps Grant had set up in the basement. He nodded seriously. "Don't worry. I won't betray that trust."
---
At 1 a.m., Ebner arrived at St. George Borough. Since the steam metro had stopped running, he'd had to travel on foot, taking almost twice as long as usual to reach his destination, even though he'd taken "shortcuts."
After emerging from the Tussock River, Ebner straightened his valuable hat, deactivated its extraordinary abilities, and checked his gear. A joke he'd read in the paper came to mind: "A gentleman, newly arrived in Backlund, got lost in the thick fog. He asked a drenched passerby, 'How do I get to the Tussock River?' The man replied kindly, 'Just keep going straight. I just swam up from there.'"
"Although I didn't swim and my clothes are dry, I did just climb up from there!" Ebner chuckled to himself and continued toward Jane's address.
Chapel Street 16 was a small house with a garden. Given the weekly rent of about two pounds, it was clear Mr. Grant hadn't spared expenses when securing a safehouse.
Standing at a distance, Ebner inspected the house, careful not to rush in. He circled it several times, activating his White Eye to examine every detail, even using Scene Reversion to check for any ambushes. After confirming the place was safe, he dug up a key hidden under a flowerpot in the garden and entered.
As soon as he stepped inside, his Spirit Vision revealed a vicious, menacing ghost. It sensed his presence and lunged at him. However, Ebner had anticipated this and calmly whispered in ancient Hermes, "Unsheathe!" His cane sword transformed into a gleaming longsword. Using the enhanced speed it granted, he backed out of the house.
The ghost could only go as far as the entryway before it hit an invisible barrier and stopped.
"So, there's a guardian here, and it recognizes Jane's aura. Just a bound spirit—not too hard to deal with." Evaluating the threat, Ebner adjusted his hat, conjuring wind blades that struck the ghost, leaving visible marks.
Though the ghost was not very intelligent, it howled in rage at being hurt and clawed wildly at the air. Its range, however, was confined to the house.
"Wind blades are less effective on spirits. The Sun brooch would be much better for dealing with ghosts," Ebner muttered. He bound the spirit with "wind ropes" and severed it with a clean slash of his sword.
His
cane sword, possessing the abilities of a Sequence 8 "Twilight Giant," enhanced his physical prowess and weakened his opponent's powers, such as a ghost's "immunity to physical attacks."
"It was just a weak spirit, after all." After ensuring the ghost was truly gone, Ebner returned the sword to cane form and made his way down to the basement, following Jane's instructions.
The basement was modest, about ten square meters, and contained only a single chest.
Opening the chest cautiously, Ebner quickly inventoried its contents:
"500 pounds in cash, roughly 300 pounds in jewelry and gemstones, potion recipes for Sequence 9 'Corpse Collector' and Sequence 8 'Gravedigger,' and a false ID from Bayam… That's quite the treasure trove!"
Ebner couldn't help but wonder where Mr. Grant had acquired such wealth. Perhaps it was given to him by Mr. Bryan? But what had he done to earn such generosity from a Demigod?
With no answers forthcoming, Ebner packed the items into a bag and, after cleaning any traces of his presence, swiftly returned to Jane's temporary home in the Bridges Borough to deliver the items.
"When will you be leaving Backlund, Jane?" Ebner asked as she organized her belongings.
"Likely this afternoon. Mr. Maric said the authorities might use extraordinary methods to trace me, so the sooner I leave, the safer I'll be. Besides, I want to get stronger as soon as possible," she replied quietly.
"That's for the best. Fortunately, it's the Mandated Punishers searching for you. If the Machinery Hivemind were in charge, they'd likely have turned to that… sycophantic mirror," Ebner thought to himself.
"Will we… ever meet again?" For the first time, Jane's icy expression softened.
"We will. I'll come to Emmat Harbor to visit you!" Ebner replied with a reassuring smile.
---
That afternoon, Ebner chose not to personally see Jane off, knowing it would do neither of them any good. Jane, as his friend, would be far from him for the foreseeable future, but she had found her purpose and was willing to pursue it. All Ebner could offer was his silent blessing.
In this spirit, he quickly returned to the work Detective Isengard had assigned him, dedicating himself to study and attempting to decipher '2-081.'
A few weeks later, after Ebner had helped his teacher resolve a number of cases, he began to gain a bit of a reputation in the neighborhood.
On Monday, June 25, an exceptionally captivating woman entered the Isengard Stanton Detective Agency.
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