The Nightmare appeared by the side of the long bronze table.
He was a man in his thirties with black hair and blue eyes, a long, thin face, and obvious nasolabial folds. He had a beard that wasn't too thick by his mouth and chin.
As the pain and the distortion eased, he pressed his hand to his chest and gave a solemn bow.
Compared to the Faceless from before, the Nightmare was obviously not as muddle-headed and weak after being released. It was unknown if the Evernight pathway's enhancement to one's soul was stronger than that of the Seer pathway, or if it was because the Grazing process had only happened recently.
Klein sighed silently and began asking via spirit channeling, "Why did you die at the hands of Qilangos?"
The corner of the Nightmare's mouth slightly curled up, revealing a bitter smile.
"I'm a Red Glove from the Nighthawks. I was tracking down a bunch of ancient chronicles that originated from a Balam imperial tomb. We suspected that they were related to the reason for Death's passing.
"I found out that a part of it might've fallen into the hands of a particular tycoon, so I led two companions of mine and boarded the ship he was on. Unfortunately, we were attacked by Qilangos's fleet just as we were about to launch an investigation."
"What happened to your companions?" Klein subconsciously asked.
The Nightmare said in a slightly pained tone, "We originally had the opportunity to leave and even kill Qilangos through our skillful teamwork, but our ship sank, and we had to board a lifeboat instead. Everyone, everyone died, no—they were killed in the line of duty!"
May the Goddess bless you... Klein drew a crimson moon inwardly.
This made him more aware of the great difference between fighting at sea and fighting on land—environmental factors were of critical importance.
Beyonders not from the Sailor pathway would be at a great disadvantage!
If it wasn't because of the fact that the Flying Carpet had been huge, cumbersome, and slow, making him an easy target, Klein would've opted to keep it and give Danitz cash.
Fortunately, I have the bladder of a murloc. I can find an Artisan to create a mystical item that allows me to swim underwater... Unfortunately, it's very difficult to find an Artisan. Most of them are from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, and there aren't many unaffiliated ones; otherwise, mystical items wouldn't be this rare. If push comes to shove, I'll get Mr. Hanged Man to help... Klein looked at the Nightmare who had been killed in the line of duty and said softly as he leaned back, "What's your name? What unfulfilled wishes do you have?"
The figure of the Nightmare was already slowly dissipating. When he heard Klein's question, he said with a smile, "My name is Davy Raymond. I lost my parents, wife, and siblings in a black magic incident, leaving me with only one daughter, Neelu. She was born in 1330 and is a very lovely girl. And I'm sorry to say that in order to investigate the truth over the black magic incident, I joined the Nighthawks and later became a Red Glove. I didn't manage to spend time with her, making her lose her father alongside her mother.
"Heh heh, I believe that the Church will definitely give her my pension and secretly provide her a certain amount of help. I'm not worried about her life, but I only hope to see her enter the hall of marriage under the witness of the Goddess, to have her own family and not be lonely anymore."
"It's already the year 1350. She may already have a marriage partner," Klein sighed wistfully and said.
"Time flies..." Davy Raymond muttered in response. "Tell her that all the culprits have been punished and that I died because of an accident. There's no need to hate anyone anymore. Tell her that Daddy loves her, and Daddy is very sorry..."
His figure became more and more transparent, and he was about to disappear.
Klein closed his eyes and asked, "Where does she live?
"What's the name of the tycoon who collected Death's chronicles?"
"We live in Desi County's Conant City. It's a beautiful seaside city, with rich rubber plantations growing nearby. If she hasn't moved, then she'll be living at 67 Red Indus Street. The tycoon's name is Jimmy Necker. He should've fallen into the hands of Qilangos as well..." Before Davy Raymond finished speaking, his figure had already completely disappeared, leaving only a deep black gem-like object on the surface of his glove.
Klein quietly watched this scene, and after a few seconds, he raised his right hand and tapped four times clockwise on his chest. He then said in a deep voice, "If there's a chance, I will visit your daughter and see how she's doing."
In the palace which looked like a giant's residence, the fog was endless, without any undulations, and was eternally unchanging.
Klein put away Davy Raymond's Beyonder characteristic, rubbed his forehead, and turned his attention back to Death's chronicles.
The Death pathway and the Evernight pathway can be switched at high Sequences. There's nothing odd about the Church sending personnel to investigate the corresponding chronicles... I wonder if Jimmy Necker is dead or not. I'll need to find out... If he has already perished in a tragic case, and the thing has fallen in Qilangos's hands, that will require me to investigate from the pirate's side... Qilangos's crew now belongs to Vice Admiral Ailment, Tracy...
As it involves Death, it might be able to help Mr. Azik. Klein decided to check it out in passing himself, and if he encountered any difficulties, he could write directly to the powerhouse.
After clearing his mind, he quickly returned to the real world and used the ritual to summon Creeping Hunger back.
After everything was done and seeing that it was already getting late, he gave up on the idea of trying to catch up on his sleep. He decided to summarize the experiences and lessons from last night's operation.
The biggest lesson for Klein was that he had overestimated the patience of the Mandated Punishers.
He had originally hoped that, even if there had been an accident in the beginning, the Mandated Punishers would've been able to restrain him and wait for the real target, the real protagonist, Steel Maveti, to appear.
When that happened, they would've definitely used the Sealed Artifact which can pull many people into a dream, restraining all the unaffiliated Beyonders who had involved themselves in the blitz. As for me, due to my uniqueness, I would be able to detect that I'm asleep and be able to forcibly escape. Then, I could've dealt with Steel Maveti and his helpers in a composed manner, completing an achievement of an instant kill, and also bring two corpses along with me... Yet, just as the incident happened, that bunch of irascible bros stormed in. They didn't even leave any backup teams to watch out for any contingencies. At the very most, they would let the wielder of the Sealed Artifact stay beyond the periphery, with one or two guards...The more Klein thought, the more he was at a loss on whether to laugh or cry.
If it wasn't because Steel Mandated Punisher's group of pirates who were more cautious and had at least two Beyonders assigned, as well as all their puppets and zombies to stop the Mandated Punishers that might've pursued them, Klein would likely have found himself in a situation of going two against five. If that had happened, he would've chosen to give up and directly engage in a strategic shift.
What made Klein most satisfied was that he had done a pretty good job of making specific preparations.
This was the professional habit of a Magician!
Because he had long known from Miss Sharron and Maric about the traits of the first five Sequences of the Mutant pathway, Klein was well aware that Steel Maveti, who had gone through the Lunatic phase, could use irrational factors to resist any Beyonder disruption and influence on his mind. He had very strong resistance in this aspect; therefore, he gave up the thought of using Psychiatrist's Dragon Might and Frenzy, as well as Nightmare, which was clearly weaker than the Mandated Punisher's Sealed Artifact, and he instead focused on the Interrogator's Psychic Piercing and the Priest of Light's purification powers.
Psychic Piercing wasn't a Beyonder power that disrupted one's thoughts and affected one's soul, but a means to directly attack the Spirit Body. In essence, the other effect acted on one's Body of Heart and Mind, and targeted the Soul Body. There was a clear difference between the two.
If any part of that combo failed to chain in any way, Steel Maveti would've been able to recover, making it impossible for me to kill him quickly. And in that environment, that would spell failure. Yes... I've also used the pathway's trait of losing themselves to their desires, making it easy to grasp their emotions. I believed that once they suffered a psychic attack, there would be a high chance of them counterattacking in madness, without any consideration of anything else...
In fact, the safest way of dealing with a Zombie is to set up matchsticks or have Danitz. I'll use Flaming Jump and Light of Holiness, kiting Maveti. It'll make him want to battle but be completely unable to reach his opponent. He wouldn't escape even if he wanted to. Just send a fireball, and I'll catch up to him. Unfortunately, it's a waste of time, and the situation didn't allow for it...
Klein sighed, took out his pocket watch, snapped it open, and checked the time.
Seeing that it was almost nine o'clock in the morning, he turned the handle of the door and walked out of the bedroom.
At this moment, Danitz was lying in a reclining chair, producing snores that sounded like a steam engine was operating in the room.
He was quite alert, opening his eyes and sitting up as soon as Klein came out.
"... Are you going out?" Danitz asked when he saw Gehrman Sparrow take off his hat from the coat rack.
"Yes." Klein maintained his persona and didn't explain that he was attempting to act by helping someone confess.
What about me? Steel Maveti and his men are almost all dead, so I don't have to worry about that anymore... Even if the newspaper doesn't publish the news, I can spread it myself. There were idle pirates and adventurers who will use it as a material for bragging, spreading the matter to the sea and would end up informing Captain. That bunch of dogshit can't do a thing aside from drink and brag, but even so, they still have their uses... Danitz thought for a moment, then he asked while secretly feeling a sense of fear, "Mr. Sparrow, can I-I leave now?"
Klein revealed a faint smile.
"You have always been free."
That's right... I wasn't caught by him this time; I was just looking for help... I have always been free! Danitz was stunned for a moment, then he was delighted.
But right at that moment, he heard Gehrman Sparrow's voice lightly fleeting towards him.
"But that ends now."
Ah? What? Danitz looked confused.
It took him no less than three seconds to understand what Gehrman Sparrow meant.
He had been captured again!
"Why?" Danitz asked angrily and aggrieved.
Klein put on his hat and said in a low voice, "I want to meet your Captain."
Danitz widened his eyes, stood up abruptly, and shouted out, "What do you want?"
This fellow is a little too agitated... Klein replied calmly, "I have some things to ask her."
