บท 229: The Black Hand Behind the Scenes
After "bestowing" himself the Morning Star necklace, Klein descended from the gray fog, returned to the real world, and placed it in his pocket.
Then, he dispelled the wall of spirituality and walked out of the bathroom. He quickly walked to the Captain's office and pushed open the door.
Dunn Smith was drinking his coffee when he nearly choked on his coffee.
"What happened?" He didn't blame Klein. Instead, his expression turned solemn. The abnormality of his teammates often indicated the seriousness of the matter.
Klein answered simply without hiding anything,
"Captain, I divined that there was something wrong with Old Neil.
"Last month, Old Neil told me that his deceased wife loved music, but today, Rozanne said that he has always been single.
"Besides, on the day I became a Beyonder, I saw a pair of strange, illusory eyes watching everything from behind Old Neil's back. There was also an almost transparent figure peeking from the door. He told me that it was a characteristic of ritualistic magic.
"I felt that something was amiss, so I tried to divine.
Dunn listened with a solemn expression. He stood up immediately and walked to the clothes rack. He asked curiously,
"Why didn't you directly divine if Old Neil had lost control?"
"I've been observing Old Neil's physical condition for the past month. At the very least, he was fine until last weekend… He's just a little old, so I think he's on the brink of losing control. There are signs of him losing control, and there's still room for redemption." Klein expressed his point of view in one breath.
Dunn put on his black top hat and trench coat before nodding.
"A very reasonable deduction… Let's visit Old Neil now. Yes, we should try to avoid agitating him.
"I'll go to Chanis Gate to get Sealed Artifact 3-0611. It should be able to stabilize Old Neil's condition and prevent his condition from worsening.
"Find Royale in the recreation room."
Sealed Artifact 3-0611… When Klein heard the name, he immediately felt energized. Previously, he had only thought that the secret technique on the Fallen Morning Star could stabilize the state of losing control, but because he was too flustered, too uneasy, and too worried, he had forgotten that there was a Sealed Artifact with similar effects behind Chanis Gate.
"Number: 3-0611.
"Name: Peaceful Hair Strands.
"Sealing Method: Do not make direct contact with living creatures.
"Description: This is a simple accessory formed from many strands of black hair.
"As long as one comes into contact with it without any protection, all living beings will lose all their desires and emotions, including but not limited to hunger, anger, sorrow, pain, envy, hatred, joy, satisfaction, and greed.
"It has been confirmed that the affected creatures will even lose their desire to leave contact with 3-0611. They will quietly stay in their spots until the end of their lives.
"If an external force is used to break contact between the person and 0611, then the person will gradually recover. However, experimental data suggest that the prerequisite for this is that the person has not been in contact with it for more than two hours.
"Once the contact lasts for more than two hours, the victim will remain silent forever.
"You can use gloves to avoid direct contact."
"These strands of hair do not possess any living characteristics. They do not have any inclinations of escaping the seal."
As his thoughts raced, Klein didn't delay any further. He immediately went to the recreation room and called out Sleepless Royale Reideen.
The lady with black smooth hair asked calmly, "What's the mission?"
"To visit Old Neil," Klein replied heavily.
"Old Neil…" Royale, who had always had a cold expression, exclaimed before falling silent.
A few minutes later, Dunn came out from underground. The three gathered together and took a carriage to Old Neil's house.
On the way, Dunn recounted Old Neil's past. Only then did Klein learn that Old Neil had a couple he was about to get engaged with when he was young. He died of a serious illness… Before he died, Old Neil had even taken the risk of exposing the secrets of a Beyonder to save him with ritualistic magic. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed.
At that moment, Klein's heart sank as he once again had an ominous feeling.
…
In the outskirts of Tingen, in a house with a dark red chimney.
A classic quill wrote:
"As Neil kept attempting the Alchemical Life bestowed by the Hidden Sage, he exacerbated the corruption he suffered. His body and mind were on the brink of losing control.
…
"Through divination, Klein Moretti determined that Neil's condition was abnormal. Hence, he took out the Morning Star necklace.
"The Fallen Morning Star Necklace contains two powerful secret techniques. They are the 'Ives's Concealment Barrier' and the 'Valette's Perfect Recovery Art.' The latter can effectively control a state that's about to lose control, so Klein Moretti wanted to save Neil.
At the same time, Dunn Smith felt his mental state recover a little thanks to Daly Simone's nourishment. After he heard Klein Moretti's report, he immediately determined that Sealed Artifact 3-0611 could help him recover. Hence, he went behind Chanis Gate to retrieve it.
Dunn Smith, Klein Moretti, and Royale Reideen rode a carriage to Neil's house. Neil hadn't completely lost control yet. If they arrived in time, they might still have a chance with the help of the Fallen Morning Star and 3-0611…
Just as the quill wrote this, it was grabbed by a pale hand.
The palm came from a man, a man wearing a black double-breasted frock coat. He was obviously blind in one eye, and his dark blue eyes were nearly black.
The man picked up the brown-covered notebook and read it carefully. Then, he picked up his quill and wrote on the newest page without dipping it in ink:
"Neil recalled that the moment Klein Moretti rapidly advanced, the Holy Cathedral immediately sent people to examine him, as though they were stopping Klein Moretti from sharing the method of quickly grasping the potion. The indignation in his heart and his suspicion of the Church of Evernight made him attempt to pray to the Hidden Sage once again while his body was at its limit. This was in line with logic.
"On the brink of losing control, he was once again corrupted by high-level knowledge. Neil's outcome was sealed. He completely lost control and became a disgusting monster.
"Following that, Dunn Smith, Klein Moretti, and Royale Reideen arrived at Neil's residence. They acutely noticed that Neil had lost control. As for Neil, he attempted to use words to move Dunn and company to let him go.
As Dunn Smith reeled in sorrow, he attempted to use his Nightmare powers to pull Neil into a dream.
But his attempt was seen through by Neil, and he used his connection with the Hidden Sage to escape Dunn Smith's dream.
Dunn Smith's psyche was damaged by the backlash, and he was even contaminated by the aura of a high-level existence.
At this point, the blind man closed his notebook and looked out the window. He said to himself,
"Fallen Morning Star… The Concealment Barrier of Evins? It's no wonder he can always escape death…"
…
In a bungalow with a garden in the outskirts of Tingen North Borough.
Neil, who had completely lost control, used his four cold, lashless eyes to shine with a dark light. He locked onto Dunn, and his expression turned cold.
"You are pulling me into a dream!
"No, it's useless! My eyes can see through everything!"
At the same time, the sticky blood that covered the ceiling, floor, and walls began to squirm, like a giant opening its mouth in an attempt to swallow Klein and company.
Klein didn't draw his revolver in a fluster. Instead, he reached into his pocket, intending to use Holy Light Summoning from the Fallen Morning Star.
Suddenly, he saw everything calm down again. The sticky, bloody liquid with dense black hair was as serene as a still lake.
Neil lost his coldness, hatred, desire, and other expressions. He became peaceful and quiet.
At some point in time, Dunn had already thrown Sealed Artifact 3-0611 into the sticky blood.
Any living creature that made contact with the Peaceful Hair Strands would turn silent and lose all motivation until the end of their lives!
Dunn, Klein, and Royale drew their guns and aimed at the man's head.
At that moment, Old Neil revealed an expression of extreme fear as he struggled. His strong desire to live had slightly overcome the effects of Sealed Artifact 3-0611.
The four additional eyes disappeared. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth were deep, his hair was white, and his dark red eyes were turbid, just like the first time Klein saw him.
"Dunn, do you remember the time when I saved you…"
"Royale, do you remember how I helped you save your family's lives…"
"Klein, do you remember how I taught you mysticism every day? Do you remember how we talked about reimbursement? Do you remember how I made you hand-ground coffee? Do you remember how we dealt with the Mandated Punishers who lost control?"
…
Klein hesitated for a moment before hearing—
Bang! Bang! Two sounds.
Two silver demon hunting bullets flew out, stabbing into Old Neil's head one after another.
Dunn and Royale lowered their guns and fell silent.
"We are guardians, but also a bunch of miserable wretches that are constantly fighting against threats and madness."
After a long while, the hunched Dunn looked at Old Neil's mangled corpse and muttered to himself in a daze.
…
Backlund, Cherwood Borough, in the garden villa on Kingst Street.
As it had been drizzling since the morning, Ebner didn't leave the house and instead stayed home to experiment with the effects of various ritualistic magic.
However, Xio's sudden visit broke his reverie.
"Darkholme disappeared last night," Xio said after entering the living room.
After carefully recalling for a while, Ebner remembered who Darkholme was. Hence, he asked, "The gang leader who controlled quite a number of people? The one who gave you the information about Dual-faced Lawson?"
"That's right." Xio nodded and said with a heavy expression, "I previously entrusted him to pay attention to the vagrants in East Borough… So I suspect that his disappearance might have something to do with Qilangos."
"You didn't disguise yourself when you entrusted Darkholme with the mission?" Ebner asked.
"Of course." Xio nodded, somewhat puzzled. Would disguising her traits work? Even if she was tall, the gang leaders would've recognized her.
"Then, I'm afraid Qilangos is already aware of your general situation…" Ebner immediately made a judgment.
"I thought of that too, so I'll be moving when I get back… But many people know that you're my friend, and your place isn't a secret… I'm worried that Qilangos will attack you," Xio said worriedly.
At this moment, Ebner suddenly sensed something and immediately activated the White Eye.
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