10 o'clock at night, in the alley by the back door of the Bravehearts Bar.
Like the previous time, Klein, in his black double-breasted frock coat and matching half top hat, had merely circled the bar once before he walked to the nearest street as though he were on a stroll.
Just as he walked out of the alley, a carriage stopped in front of him. Behind the glass window was Maric's pair of brown eyes which were still suppressing any signs of malicious intent.
Klein pressed the top of his half top hat and, holding the sturdy cane in his hand, calmly boarded the carriage as if he had hailed it himself.
He sat down and straightened his bow tie like a gentleman attending a banquet.
"That outfit isn't suitable for battle." Maric, who was wearing a white shirt, black vest, and tights, sized him up a few times and frowned.
It was obvious that he still had some doubts regarding Klein's strength, but he had chosen to trust Sharron.
Klein smiled casually and said, "My Beyonder powers are different from yours. Our fighting styles are different too. This type of clothing will not affect me negatively in any way; it even suits me very well. For example, it has a lot of pockets, and they can be used to store different items in different places, so as to avoid taking the wrong things when in a hurry and losing my life through such a laughable mistake."
As he spoke, he took out the remaining three sedatives from a sewn concealed pocket—they were the special sedatives concocted by the Apothecary!
Just as he finished his sentence, a figure quickly outlined itself on a window of the carriage.
A figure wearing a long black regal dress and a small soft hat.
It was none other than the Sequence 5 Beyonder of the Mutant pathway, Wraith Sharron.
"You explain too much." Sharron looked at Klein and said in an ethereal tone, "Not natural enough."
... I just wanted to get into the act... Klein laughed dryly and replied, "Probably it's because I'm a bit nervous."
Without waiting for Sharron to speak again, he handed the three sedatives to Maric.
"Find a chance to drink it yourself.
"I'm sure that you're more experienced than I am. You won't drink it too early or too late, much less drink too little or too much."
Maric looked at the sealed and transparent glass test tube, gently shaking the liquid inside and said, "Two and a half. Any more and I will really be sedated. I wouldn't do anything for a short period of time."
"Very good," Klein praised and turned to look at Sharron. "Have you guys decided on the ambush spot?"
Sharron nodded.
"We're on the way there."
She didn't directly reveal the intended location to Klein.
Very prudent, very careful... Klein thought for a moment before asking, "Will you be hurt by purification?"
"As a zombie, yes. Same when I'm in my spirit state," Sharron explained succinctly.
In other words, when a Sequence 5 Wraith is still in their physical state, the purification effects wouldn't be effective... Klein thoughtfully asked, "What about exorcism?
"What about demon-hunting?"
As they were dealing with a Beyonder of the same pathway, Sharron didn't hide anything from him.
"Demon-hunting will deal damage to our bodies. Likewise for exorcism, to both our bodies and spiritual bodies. But it wouldn't be fatal."
Klein curled his lips into a smile and exhaled.
"I understand."
He pondered for a moment, and he asked again after some deliberation, "Do you feel the power of purification and exorcism now?"
"No," Maric replied hoarsely.
Very good, this spirituality cage, modified from a wall of spirituality, is indeed able to isolate the effects of the Sun Brooch. However, I'm so hot... Klein secretly sighed and confirmed, "Wraith Steve, Zombie Jason, and Werewolf Tyre, do they have any other mystical items or Beyonder weapons besides the Scarlet Lunar Corona?"
"We don't know." Maric pinched his glabella, looking a bit irritated.
With the battle at hand, he couldn't help but be stirred by these emotions while suppressing his maliciousness and desires.
Sharron listened silently and replied without any hints of discomposure, "When influenced by the Scarlet Lunar Corona, Jason and Tyre will be in a rather fervent state.
"Even if they have mystical items, they would lack the reason to use them."
"Unless it's something passive," added Maric. "But to a Werewolf, their claws are their Beyonder weapons. It's the same for me, Tyre, and Jason. It can tear through steel and comes with venom."
Klein's eyes darted about as he nodded.
"Alright, I have no more questions."
In the night with few pedestrians, the carriage sped across the streets, its wheels going over puddles of water from time to time, splattering fine dirt onto itself.
After ten minutes or so, Maric had the zombie driver stop the carriage.
Klein looked out through the glass window and saw a dark, dilapidated building. Not far away, the sound of running water could be heard.
"This is the West Balam dock that has been abandoned for a year and is about to be rebuilt. Our planned ambush point will be around its warehouses," Maric introduced.
The abandoned West Balam dock... If an accident were to really happen, the Tussock River would be the best escape route... According to my previous survey, there is a Lever Cathedral about two kilometers northwest of here, one belonging to the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery... Klein quickly recalled his surroundings.
He disembarked from the carriage, tidied up his clothes in a leisurely manner, and, with his cane in hand, followed Sharron and Maric into the dock which awaited renovations.
After walking for about five minutes, they came to an open space surrounded by several warehouses.
The soil here was dark brown, with withered weeds lying everywhere. A wooden chest quietly sat in a dark corner.
"Those are the explosives you asked for." Maric pointed.
Klein immediately nodded and said, "Aren't you afraid that a tramp might steal them?"
"My zombies are sleeping underground here. If anyone enters, they will scare that person away." Maric pointed to a few other spots. "Avoid them when you bury the explosives."
"No problem." Klein smiled and nodded before asking, "Will my purification and exorcism effects hurt your guys?"
"No, they are equivalent to corpses when in deep slumber, and there's also a thick layer of soil shielding them." Maric gave an affirmative answer.
After looking around, Sharron became talkative for once.
"Stay here and make your preparations. We'll go and lure the enemy over.
"It won't take more than thirty minutes. Please make use of the time.
"After you finish your preparations, hide in a warehouse. Don't be in a hurry to make your move. Make sure to be patient.
"No matter how dangerous the situation is, treat it as normal.
"When I become weak and the Scarlet Lunar Corona appears, you can use that ‘eye' to search for Steve and launch a sudden attack on him. I will also use my mystical item to complement you."
Klein listened attentively, chuckled, and said, "A very simple plan."
"The simpler the plan, the more effective it is," Sharron calmly responded.
Maric pinched his forehead, shook his head, and said, "Steve isn't a fool. If any problem arises in a complicated plan, it will lead to a complete disaster.
After they finished their exchange, Sharron vanished and Maric quickly departed from the dock.
After watching them leave, Klein took out a small square metal box from his pocket. Its surface was covered in a thin film of spirituality. This was the spirituality cage that had been modified from a wall of spirituality.
It could, to some extent, isolate the outside world from the effects of certain mystical items, but it couldn't abate the negative effects they had on the possessor.
Of course, Sealed Artifacts which were too powerful or too strange were definitely not something that a spirituality cage could deal with. They required a special sealing environment that was specially designed for it.
Four warehouses, overgrown with weeds. The ground is muddy from the rain earlier... Klein took out a piece of paper and shook it.
Pa!
The paper quickly became taut and as hard as an iron plate.
Klein held the note and dug a shallow hole in the middle of the open ground. He buried the small square iron box in his hand. There was only a thin layer of soil between it and the outside world.
Next, he took out the explosives from the wooden box and buried them in different corners and in different warehouses.
He buried the remaining explosive sticks near the center.
After finishing all of this, he took out his revolver and adjusted the ratio of the bullets again—3 purifying bullets and 2 exorcism bullets.
Putting away the revolver in his underarm holster, Klein tidied his clothes, walked to a gap between two warehouses, and threw a paper figurine there, right above some buried explosives.
He examined his surroundings again, and then he took out another square metal box. He removed the spirituality cage on its surface and took out the dark golden sunbird shaped brooch, solemnly wearing it on his left chest.
Phew... Klein let out a breath, left the place, circled the exterior, threw out some inconspicuous items, and burned away the used piece of paper.
When he returned, he climbed to the top of one of the warehouses and hid in the shadows.
Reaching out his hand, he counted and confirmed the various charms, extract, and herbal powders. He touched the iron cigarette case and snapped his fingers.
The paper figurine he had left between the two warehouses stood up and transformed into a gentleman wearing a black double-breasted frock coat, a silk half top hat, and was holding a hard cane.
The gentleman's position was rather remote and hidden, making it difficult for anyone who came in from the outside to notice him.
With his stand-in present, Klein's figure disappeared from where he stood.
However, his vision wasn't affected in any way, and he could clearly see the road that led to the clearing.
Even though he had made preparations and had experienced many battles, Klein was still a bit afraid and nervous at that very moment.
No matter how good a performance was, it could still be seen through!
Furthermore, the enemy was a Sequence 5 wielding a mystical item! There was also a Sequence 6 and Sequence 7!
Is this the state every magician is in before he goes onstage? Klein took a silent breath, suppressing his emotions and the heat of his body.
That night, the crimson moon was constantly obscured by the clouds, and there was only a glimmer of light in the clearing.
Before long, Klein saw three figures rapidly approaching.
One in front, one in the middle, and one at the back!
