After looking around, Klein, who had found nothing else, returned to the stone pillar-propped ancient palace.
He sat at the head of the long bronze table with his eyes half-closed. He examined his spirituality growth with the number of members he could draw in.
Including the empty positions that I could handle from before, I can still recruit four new members. However, there are no suitable targets at the moment... Klein shook his head and muttered before returning to the real world to busy himself for a good dinner.
After slicing potatoes, boiling beef, adding onions, and stir-frying them for a while, as well as sprinkling seasonings like sugar and pepper, Klein poured the prepared hot water into the saucepan, covered it with a lid, and turned the fire down.
I have to admit that a Magician's Flame Controlling is a good helper in the kitchen... Ever since I got it, my culinary skills have clearly improved... If it wasn't for the loss of control, the monsters, the searches, and the evil gods, the world would be at peace and perfect if everyone was dedicated to using their abilities without causing public damage... Klein sighed and left the kitchen to enter the living room.
As the light from the wall lamps spilled out, Klein, who had been planning on flipping through magazines and wait for the appropriate time to throw in the potatoes, carrots, and the proper amount of salt, he couldn't help thinking about how to act as a Faceless.
Just after waking up this morning, my spirituality had completely stabilized. I discovered that although there aren't any signs of digesting the Faceless potion in me, I do have a certain level of harmony. This is a phenomenon that never happened after consuming the Seer, Clown, and Magician potions...
With this in mind, Klein looked up at the oriel window. As it was already dark outside, it had become like a mirror, faithfully reflecting Sherlock Moriarty with his black hair, brown eyes, beard, and gold-rimmed glasses.
Klein nodded thoughtfully.
Perhaps it's because I've always been acting as Klein Moretti. Yes... In a way, Sherlock Moriarty is just Klein's disguise — not someone else.
Although I've received many memory fragments and gained some of the original's feelings that previously existed, in essence, I'm still a guest from an alternate world. I am Earth's keyboard warrior, Zhou Mingrui.
I've been through so much in the last five months that sometimes I even think I'm Klein Moretti.
Amidst the silence, many thoughts flashed through Klein's mind, giving him a lot of insight.
However, I'm still Zhou Mingrui who's donning the skin of Klein Moretti... Someone who has never given up the idea of returning... He slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the figure reflected on the oriel window had already changed.
It was a young man with dark brown eyes and short black hair. His facial features were unremarkable, and he appeared refined, but he had obvious eye bags with an inkling of a double chin.
This was Zhou Mingrui from Earth.
Long time no see... Klein sighed, raised his hands and rubbed his face.
By the time he lowered his arms, he was back as Sherlock Moriarty.
After this period of contemplation and adjustment, he inexplicably felt that the gap between his spirituality and the potion had reduced significantly, and there were signs of them slowly blending together.
No wonder Nimblewright Master Rosago's teacher, yes—perhaps his teacher would say that you can disguise yourself as anyone, but you are ultimately yourself... This is likely a core rule of a Faceless's acting method. Once one forgets this point, it would be easy to forget yourself amidst the constant changes, eventually turning into a monster. Klein felt enlightened when he recalled what he had previously obtained via spirit channeling.
He crossed his right leg and leaned back, quickly coming up with a plan for the future.
Search for and conclude the actual acting rules for a Faceless...
In the Beyonder circles of Backlund, through the Tarot Club, gather information about mermaids, in preparation to complete the ritual at sea...
Directly or indirectly get the Solar High Priest potion formula to help Little Sun advance to Sequence 7, so that he has the clearance to obtain the method for removing a Rampager's mental corruption on a Beyonder characteristic.
But I can't fully place my hopes on Little Sun. I should still attempt to look.
Klein, whose mood was slowly turning staid, snapped his fingers, reducing the stove's fire in the kitchen as the fragrance of beef emanated.
At that moment, he heard the doorbell ring.
The visitor was none other than Lawyer Jurgen.
Even though it was drizzling and the ground was wet, Jurgen was still dressed meticulously. He even wore a vertical collar.
"What's the matter?" Klein, who was very familiar with Jurgen, didn't make any small talk and directly asked.
Jurgen put away his black umbrella, patted a few drops of water off of his double-breasted frock coat and said, "Sherlock, I'm leaving Backlund on Monday next week to go south on a holiday with my grandmother. The warm environment and the clean air suits her very well."
"That's excellent news." Klein took the initiative to deduce, smiling as he asked, "You want me to temporarily adopt Brody?"
Jurgen shook his head gravely.
"My grandma can't bear to part with Brody and insisted on taking him with her. I've already asked; as long as we put him in a cage and buy a full-price ticket, he can board the steam locomotive, but we have to keep the cage clean at all times to not pollute the air above."
Honestly, the smell in the third-class carriage is enough to overwhelm the stench of cat poop... Klein chuckled.
"Brody shouldn't be too happy to leave, right?"
"But he's even more reluctant to part with my grandmother," Jurgen replied.
He pressed his hat and changed the subject.
"I'm here to inform you that if you need to be released on bail or settle any legal disputes during this period of time, you can go to my colleague. Here is his business card; I've already informed him that he wouldn't be leaving Backlund this year."
What a professional, to think that he even considered this problem... However, I don't need to do that for now. I'm now an informant for the Machinery Hivemind, and I won't be remanded at the police station under normal circumstances... Klein thanked him with a smile, took the name card, and slipped it into his pocket.
Jurgen didn't have any intention of chatting or entering the room. He immediately raised his hand and said, "I still have to visit the rest of my clients. Sherlock, I'll see you tomorrow. No—I'll see you next year."
"Then, I must wish your family a happy new year in advance." Klein smiled and waved.
After watching Jurgen leave with his umbrella, Klein closed the door and sat back down in the living room.
At this moment, apart from the flame which was licking the bottom of the pot in the kitchen, there were no other sounds coming from the house. It was so quiet that Klein could hear the carriages outside moving in the distance.
He looked around slowly and saw the coffee table, contracts, cupboards, pens, porcelain cups, dining table, chairs, and walls.
Retracting his gaze, Klein leaned back against the sofa and looked out the window at the dark night and the street lamps emitting a misty glow in the dark. In the deep cold silence, he sighed.
"The new year..."
...
The lightning gradually calmed down, and the darkness became the ruler of the earth. The exploratory team from the City of Silver finally reached their destination after a short but, at the same time, not short trek and numerous battles.
On both sides of the street, most of the houses had collapsed. Only a few could barely hold on, but their surfaces were mottled with the dust of time.
With the help of an animal hide lantern whose light didn't reach far, Derrick Berg saw the completely collapsed walls and streets that were in such ruin that even weeds didn't grow.
On both sides of the streets were half-collapsed houses, with a tiny minority barely standing. However, their surfaces were mottled and filled with signs of aging.
The white and blue colors that formed the foundation of the coatings, the pointed structures which were different from the City of Silver, had already turned gray, making it hard for anyone to imagine their original appearance.
However, Derrick could figure out the city's past through such observations. It had definitely experienced a long history with a considerable number of inhabitants, developing its own civilization in the dark ages.
The humans here took potions, built and repaired buildings, and defended the city wall. About six teams or more had explored the outside and hunted monsters in search of the necessary resources to survive.
They would celebrate for any brief periods of calm, offering sacrifices to the gods and yearning for a response. They gave birth to the next generation, allowing hope to continue.
However, in the end, they disappeared into the darkness, losing all their voices and leaving behind only ruins.
The ruins were like a huge grave, burying a civilization that had struggled to survive but eventually vanishing dismally.
Demon Hunter Colin looked around, his expression somewhat solemn, as though he saw the future of the City of Silver.
He pointed ahead and said, "The other places have already been cleared.
"The temple is in the center of the city."
The exploratory team dispersed a bit, but they still maintained sufficient order and didn't let down their guard.
After passing through ruins that had been destroyed for an unknown period of time and went past streets so quiet that they drove people mad, Derrick finally saw a high, wide artificially-made platform.
On top of the high platform, there was a half-collapsed building. It looked extremely similar to the temples in the City of Silver. It had a dome propped up by pillars, creating an arched entrance.
The style of the buildings here was completely different from that of the other buildings. It really is true that they later converted to the Fallen Creator... The thought had barely crossed Derrick's mind when the four lanterns in the team went out at the same time!
All of a sudden, the exploratory team was plunged into pure darkness. There was no lightning in the sky, the candles on the ground had extinguished, and all human breathing seemed to disappear at once.
Derrick's body immediately tensed, as he felt as if some monster had stuck its tongue out in the darkness and was trying to lick his scalp, but his spiritual perception told him that nothing real had appeared.
At that moment, an immature, helpless, terrified, and dry voice sounded out by his ear.
It was a child whispering, "Save me... Save me..."
For a moment Derrick froze, not knowing how to react, but in an instant, a coruscating glimmer of dust appeared before him.
The dust exploded one after another, igniting a silvery white light that illuminated the surrounding area.
Colin stared at Derrick and said in a deep voice, "What's on your mind?"
Derrick instantly snapped to his senses and clasped his hands in shame and pressed them to his mouth and nose as if in prayer.
His body immediately emitted rays of clean, pure light, causing the surrounding darkness to silently disperse.
The other team members seized the moment to reignite the candles.
Because of the Demon Hunter's timely reaction, no members disappeared this time, nor were there any new members appearing.
Collin retracted his gaze from Derrick and looked at the half-collapsed temple on the high platform. He solemnly said, "From now on, we can't afford to be careless. We have to be on full alert."
