The actions of the messenger shocked Klein for a full five seconds before he recovered. He bent over and picked up the letter.
"Even if Mr. Azik is unable to use a good portion of his abilities as a Beyonder, because of his memory loss, being able to send out such a messenger should make him powerful enough to deal with a Sequence 7 or 6 Beyonder." His heart reflected his shocked and envious expression. He didn't unfold the letter immediately. Instead, he placed the letter into his pocket, together with the Slumber Charms.
The carriage continued forward. When Klein exited the carriage at Daffodil Street, he instinctively looked at the driver, Cesare, only to see his relaxed smile, as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual that had happened.
Klein nodded and returned home after observing Cesare with his Spirit Vision.
He looked at the balcony and pipes on the second floor and pondered for a few seconds. He decided to maintain his gentlemanly behavior and not attempt to scale the pipe back into his room. As for his stained clothes, he would take them to the Blackthorn Security Company tomorrow and get a professional to wash them through the police department. That would prevent his clothes from shocking his maid Bella and his sister Melissa.
Klein had removed the reverse lock on the front door before he leaped out the window from the second floor. Now, he took advantage of the fact that it was late at night and quietly opened the door to his house, deftly making his way in.
After closing and locking the main door, he heaved a sigh of relief. He went up to the second floor with hushed footsteps.
Stopping before his locked bedroom, Klein took out a tarot card calmly. He inserted it into the slit of the door and lightly pulled, easily breaking the specialized lock he designed himself.
He then entered the room, locked the door, and removed his clothes, before he fully relaxed.
It sure feels like being a thief... Klein laughed as he shook his head. He calmly took out his revolver and placed it under the pillow.
After he was finished with all of that, he lit up the gas lamp and sat in front of his desk. He took out the letter and began reading seriously.
"I'm sorry for replying only now. I've been busy searching for traces of my past. I've also been meeting up with former teachers and students and those drag on late into the night.
"I finally understand the encounters that I've had over the past two days after reading your letter. The police searched every room in the hotel that I'm staying at. There was a person who secretly snooped around in the hotel at night. Yes, I'm talking about a person with Beyonder powers.
"... So Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, who's a frequent character in novels and newspapers, has infiltrated Backlund and has gone on quite a killing spree. I remember that he's not only wanted by the Loen Kingdom, he's also on the bounty list of the Feysac Empire, the Intis Republic, the Feynapotter Kingdom..."
So, how much is the bounty? Klein subconsciously wondered.
He didn't get an answer because Azik had switched to mentioning something else.
"I find the abilities of a Shepherd that you described quite familiar, it's as if I've seen it somewhere, but I cannot remember where. It must be an encounter from one of my past lives. Not being able to recall it makes me very frustrated."
Eh, Mr. Azik is a little interested in the Shepherd. I can use this to get him to help me. Yes, this sure is coincidental... No, this is not a coincidence, but inevitable!
It can be inferred that Mr. Azik has lived for over a thousand years and is most likely a High-Sequence Beyonder. Then, he would most likely have encountered the powers of many different Beyonders in his earlier lives. He would also have deeper impressions of those that were more unique... In other words, it isn't only the Shepherd that would give him feelings of familiarity, but jobs such as the Unshadowed, Demon Hunter, or Guardian that would do so as well...
It's highly likely that Mr. Azik would find any mystical item that corresponds to a particular Sequence's abilities familiar and have his interest piqued. That's something that can be imagined...
Klein was doubtful at first before being enlightened. He was a lot more certain as a result.
He shifted his gaze and continued to read the letter.
"I've long recalled some parts of the sacrificial ritual you asked about, probably because I have a deeper impression of them. Perhaps I was a priest in my one of my more recent lifetimes.
"I have to remind you and warn you, that you have to be very cautious when using sacrificial rituals. You cannot entrust your safety to evil gods or hidden, mysterious existences. They do not have consciences like we do.
"Also, you have to possess a strong sense of right and wrong, for the evil gods and devils often create seemingly harmless identities for themselves. My opinion is that you cannot sacrifice something whose presence you are not fully aware of; otherwise, your soul could end up being the sacrificial item."
In simple terms, evil gods and devils will take on another form, disguising themselves as someone trustworthy... Just like on the Internet, an account that claims to be a seemingly adorable chick might be controlled by a huge bloke... He had to be cautious even if they were to meet offline after confirming the person's looks, as the person might just be cross-dresser... Klein didn't disregard Azik's warning just because he was conducting the sacrificial ritual for himself. He nodded in approval.
After Azik emphasized a few things he had to look out for, he quickly explained the sacrificial ritual he knew of.
"First, set up the ritual. Choose the symbols based on which deity or unorthodox mysterious existence you are going to offer a sacrifice to. Use the corresponding herbs and minerals of ‘His' or ‘Her' domain. Of course, you can also make them into holy oils, ointments, scents, and other items in advance."
Symbols? Klein froze for a moment. He realized that he—The Fool that didn't belong to this era—didn't know what his corresponding symbol was...
He thought for a moment, quickly recalling the complex symbol on the back of his chair at the ancient bronze table. It was made up of a Pupil-less Eye which represented secrecy, and the partial contorted lines which represented change.
That should be my symbol, or more accurately, that is what symbolizes me in the world above the gray fog. My domain is much simpler then—secrecy, change, good luck... But I cannot be too sure of that, so I'll have to try it out... Even if the symbol is wrong, as long as I get my honorary name right, the target of the sacrifice wouldn't point towards some other entity. The worst thing that could happen is that the ritual would fail. Of that, I'm certain... Klein thought as he rubbed the surface of the paper as he formulated a plan in his heart.
His eyes focused on the letter once again, reading the rest of the letter.
"Second, you need to be clear if the sacrifice needs to happen at a specific time. Then, follow the processes of a normal ritual, until you finish reciting the honorable names and incantations of the ritual.
"You must remember to use either Jotun, Dragonese, Elvish, or ancient Hermes. You must use the natural powers in these languages to establish a direct connection with the corresponding entity. You can design the exact incantations to use, but it must include these critical terms: ‘pray,' ‘notice,' ‘offer,' ‘kingdom,' ‘gates,' and ‘open.'
"Finally, you must use materials that have a certain spirituality quality to create a connection with the natural powers of the incantation. This will allow you to construct a tunnel that connects to the gates of the kingdom where the corresponding entity resides. If the entity is interested, then your sacrifice is complete.
"This step isn't absolutely necessary. If you can make the corresponding entity very interested in your sacrifice, then ‘He' will open the gates to ‘His' kingdom for you after you finish reciting the incantations, establishing a stable tunnel on ‘His' own accord. Of course, this would often imply danger as the orthodox result as relatively friendly hidden gods rarely do this. Only evil gods or devils would reply to you directly in order to achieve their goals."
Materials that have spirituality are not cheap... I wonder if merely reciting the incantations would allow me to open a sacrificial tunnel similar to the Door of Summoning? I wonder if I could make use of the abilities of the world above the gray fog... Yes, I'll try that first and only get the materials with spirituality from the underground market if I fail. Do I need Beyonder ingredients? It should be fine if it possesses a certain amount of spirituality, right? Klein thought about the 300 pounds lying around in his anonymous account. He also thought about the 10 plus pounds of savings that he had saved up.
Beyonder materials were not completely identical to materials that possessed spirituality. For example, the heart that Hood Eugen left behind was a Beyonder ingredient while the black scales were a material possessing certain amounts of spirituality.
After he finished reading Mr. Azik's letter, Klein rubbed his fingers together and ignited a flame of spirituality. He burned the paper to ash and threw it into the rubbish bin.
It was already deep into the night and Klein was in no hurry to try the ritual. He intended to first make a plan and go through everything that he needed to take note of before putting it into practice.
He had a vague understanding of his shortcomings long ago. He was cautious and rational when it came to things he made plans for, but once the events deviated from his original plans, he would easily consider only the good and disregard the bad when he was forced to be on his toes.
A simpler description would be that a rash action of his would easily cause him to court death... Klein extended his palm to cover his face.
The next day, Dunn Smith, who had communicated with the Mandated Punishers and Machinery Hivemind, started to assign missions. Klein also received his assignment. He was tasked to investigate a number of people who had connections to Lanevus. But because of his suggestion and the policy of the Nighthawks, he didn't have to be responsible for the people he had met previously.
Of course, Klein continued with his combat lessons in the afternoon. Nor did Dunn assign him the role of lead investigator.
...
Backlund, Hillston Backlund. In a building with a horse stable and garden.
Qilangos, who had a unique wide chin and dark green eyes, looked at the unconscious man before him. He took off the man's clothes and wore them.
He then leisurely walked in front of the dressing mirror and saw the black glove on his left hand twitch. He saw many contorted lines appearing on its back.
A few seconds later, Qilangos saw a thin veil of light envelop his figure. His muscles, skin, and bones began undergoing a strange transformation.
Sometime later, he transformed into the unconscious man, completely identical in height, appearance, and demeanor!
