Upon returning to the real world, Klein extinguished the candles, put away the remaining items, and carefully checked the situation in the warehouse.
Luckily for him, the whirlpool of seawater created by Kalvetua had completely wiped the area clean, leaving only the subsequent sprays of rain, the blackened patches from the lightning strikes, and sparse piles of ash, as well as the ravines produced by Klein's two feet.
The traces are easy to deal with.I can get Danitz to use his fireball to "wash" the place later, disguising it as an internal strife between pirates... Klein nodded indiscernibly and pulled out one of the few remaining paper figurines. He shook his forearm and flicked his wrist.
The paper figurine flew out and burned on its own before turning into black ash.
After doing all of this, Klein walked towards the door, frowning as he walked.
The soles of his boots were gone, and the rest of his clothes were tattered and torn, wet, or charred.
This was unavoidable under those circumstances, as it wasn't something a paper figurine could withstand—the tearing was a result of the potent suction from the whirlpool, the moist sensation came from Kalvetua's torrential rain, and the charred black marks were a result of being struck by bolts of lightning in the interval when Klein was using his Paper Figurine Substitutes. Even now, despite having calmed down, his right forearm still spasmed a few times due to the electric shock.
It cost me 8 pounds 6 soli... I have to get a new set of clothes... I had divined danger and had made preparations, but I didn't expect Kalvetua to be more powerful and crazier than I had expected... I hope that I'll gain something later. Klein silently shook his head. He restrained his expression and endured the pain before coming to the door and knocking three times.
Danitz, who was constantly uneasy, hesitated for two seconds before he opened the door.
Discovering that Gehrman Sparrow had returned to his cold and reserved state, with him no longer emitting a hunger and madness that struck terror to his spirituality, Danitz let out a sigh of relief. He took a glance inside and asked, "Is it over?"
"No." Klein curled the corners of his lips and revealed a gentle smile.
Not yet? Danitz jumped in fright.
"W-what else needs to be done?"
Klein maintained his smile that concealed madness.
"A clean up is still necessary.
"That's basic courtesy."
A clean up... Danitz was stunned. Raising his right hand, he pointed at himself and said, "Me?"
The corners of Klein's mouth widened.
"Or shall I do the honors?"
Then I would be eaten by Creeping Hunger! Danitz let out a hollow laugh.
"How should I clean this place?"
"Use a fireball," Klein answered simply.
As a part-time pirate, it didn't take much effort for Danitz to understand Gehrman Sparrow's intentions. He walked past him and headed for the interior of the warehouse.
During this process, he had a few questions in his mind, which were quite puzzling.
Captain said that Creeping Hunger needs to devour a living person every day, but Gehrman Sparrow can only satisfy it after a battle. He usually doesn't bother with it. B-besides, in that battle just now, Gehrman Sparrow had used Steel Maveti's ice powers. He didn't feed it after... Strange... What secret lies behind this?
A seal of a certain level? Or, can it be that the organization behind him is capable of sealing Creeping Hunger?
As Danitz "cleaned" the warehouse, Klein stood outside, looking up at the overhanging dark clouds, looking forward to what would happen next.
I've already sent the iron cigar case that's tainted with the gray fog's aura over, so all I need to do is wait for Kalvetua, a fake "Sea God," to collapse and die... I hope the Beyonders of the Church of Storms and the kingdom's military won't have the time to find it in time, or leave behind some items of certain value that they think little of... Klein slowly took in a deep breath, listening to the dull bombardment sounds coming from behind him.
...
In a hotel, Alger stood at the window, staring out at the overcast sky.
I received the Sanguine's anesthetic gas not long after the last Tarot Gathering. I was prepared to go out to sea to gather ingredients, but a week has passed, and I'm still stuck in Bayam... The corners of his mouth twitched as he shook his head.
First, there was the incident of The World hunting Steel Maveti. It earned him quite a sizable amount of money, and then he had to wait for the reward. After that, when the reward was obtained, he encountered the breakdown of that sea serpent, Kalvetua, and was ordered to search for the adventurers and archaeologists—Leticia and company.
I heard that during the investigation yesterday morning, Leticia and the others were found. The Mandated Punishers and the military seemed to have obtained some important clues, and quite a number of them went to Symeem Island... Heh, this is something that I'll never have dibs on... Alger retracted his gaze, pulled up his short robe that didn't reach his knees, and muttered to himself.
"Let it end as soon as possible."
Once Kalvetua was completely dead and the tsunami was no longer a latent risk, he could leave the harbor. After leaving the City of Generosity, Bayam, he could work at advancing to Sequence 6 Wind-blessed.
As his mind whirred, Alger's heart skipped a beat and he turned around to look out the window.
He saw the clouds high in the sky quickly dissipate, with the crimson moon quietly hanging in the sky.
...
Klein slept until midnight, when he was suddenly jolted awake. He had vaguely sensed something.
He rolled out of bed, went to the window, and pulled back the curtains.
Crimson moonlight shone in, covering everything like frost. It was cold and dreamy.
Klein looked out and saw that the clouds which hung low had disappeared. The bright crimson moon was high in the sky amidst the sparse stars.
This means that the confrontation between the Sea God and Sea King has ended? Klein pondered for two seconds, retracted his gaze, closed the curtain, took four steps counterclockwise, and went above the gray fog.
He sat at the end of the long, mottled table, took out a gold coin, and began to recite a divination statement in a low voice.
"Kalvetua is completely dead."
...
After he repeated this seven times, he flicked the gold coin and watched it leap upwards and tumble down.
The gold coin landed in Klein's palm, and the king's head faced up.
It meant a positive result!
It meant that Sea God Kalvetua was completely dead!
As expected, the ancient elven ruins on Symeem Island and the hiding place which Kalvetua used to maintain its existence are closely connected... The Mandated Punishers and the military have just received the Book of Calamity, and since they only learned about the ruins for a little more than a day before Kalvetua couldn't hold out much longer... I thought it could forcibly survive for two or three more days... Klein sighed and tried to divine whether the official Beyonders had already entered Kalvetua's hiding place.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of information, his divination failed, and he was unable to obtain any revelations.
After thinking for a while, Klein changed his angle, undid his spirit pendulum, and began to divine if it was dangerous for him to search and explore Kalvetua's hiding place.
As this involved himself, he quickly received a conclusion.
The topaz pendant was rotating counterclockwise at a not-so-fast frequency and low amplitude.
It's dangerous, but it's acceptable... The danger is even less than the sacrificial ritual... Klein nodded gently, returned to the real world, and began his preparations for his operation.
He locked the bedroom door first, then he arranged the ritual to summon himself.
Once again entering above the gray fog, Klein picked up the Dark Emperor card and placed it inside his Spirit Body.
All of a sudden, he turned corporeal as if he was of flesh and blood. The surrounding black fog stuck to the surface of his body and formed a majestic aura. It was as if he was entirely clad in physical armor, but on his head was a gorgeous pitch-black crown.
Looking at the human-skinned glove on the table, Klein hesitated to put it on.
Above the gray fog, Creeping Hunger was almost in a sealed state. It didn't dare to make any unusual movements, but once it left the area, the uncontrollable hunger would cause harm to its wielder, whether they were alive or in Spirit Body form.
Amidst Klein's considerations was whether the Dark Emperor's high level could suppress the Creeping Hunger inside his Spirit Body and keep it normal.
I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll end the summon and return here... This will hardly require any time, and there's no danger... Klein picked up Creeping Hunger and put it on over the iron-black armor gauntlet.
He didn't hesitate any longer and stepped into the Door of Summoning. With the help of the expanding candle flame, he arrived in the real world.
Without being careless, Klein's first reaction was to check the state of Creeping Hunger. He found it calm and submissive, subservient to the high level of the Dark Emperor.
Not bad... With a sigh of relief, Klein placed the mystical items, such as Azik's copper whistle, the Biological Poison Bottle, and the Sun Brooch, into his body one by one.
Finally he picked up his black hardwood cane and prepared to use it to search for his "lost" iron cigarette case that had been tainted with the gray fog's aura.
Of course, in order to find the place where Kalvetua was hiding, one had to first enter the spirit world and pinpoint the location from within. Otherwise, it would only fail.
As for how to enter the spirit world, Klein didn't consider the three methods provided by Mr. Azik. As a Spirit Body with intelligence and the ability to think, how was he not able to find the spirit world and enter it?
He calmed down a little and recalled the scene of countless spherical light. His body and mind quickly became tranquil. His thoughts gradually became empty as his consciousness gradually extended and expanded.
He soon discovered that he was surrounded by indescribable illusory, transparent things. All the colors became bright, distinct, but overlapping, and the gray fog had grown so faint that it seemed to cover everything in an ethereal manner.
In the depths, high up in the sky, there were seven rays of lustrous brilliances that shone with different colors. They seemed to possess life, and they contained immense knowledge.
This was the spirit world. It completely overlapped with reality and was omnipresent.
If I happen to encounter the Mandated Punishers or military personnel, I will immediately end the summoning and return above the gray fog... Klein took a step forward. After easily entering the spirit world, he felt his body become illusory.
The black cloak behind him fluttered up slightly, and the hardwood cane in his hand stood upright.
He said in a low, dignified voice, "The location of my unique iron cigar case."
...
While chanting, Klein felt tense for a baffling reason. In the saturated and distinct colors of his surroundings, pairs of indifferent and eerie eyes glanced over.
After repeating it seven times, Klein released his grip and waited for the revelation.
The black hardwood cane floated, floating forward at an adequate speed which was neither too fast or slow.
Klein followed it, flying through the real, the illusory, the strange, and mysterious spirit world.
Here, if he lost his bearings, it was very easy to end up completely lost and never be able to leave again.
Of course, there wasn't a problem for Klein. If he really "got lost," he could end the summoning and return directly to the space above the gray fog.
Klein chased after the black cane, which was sometimes thrown and sometimes dropped, shuttling back and forth between distinct and overlapping colors. He passed by half-hidden spirit world creatures that couldn't be accurately described, and it was hard to know how far he had traveled.
Suddenly, he saw an eye. It was round, with clear blacks and whites.
The eye looked at him without blinking. There was no head, nor was there a corresponding body.
