Danitz held the bronze dagger and sliced across the back of his left palm, but his hesitation prevented him from using much strength.
He looked up and forced a smile.
"Although I've been injured many times, pain still leaves me afraid."
"Get to the point," Klein replied coldly.
Danitz gave a hollow laugh.
"Haha, I'm just a little scared of pain."
Just as he said that, he exerted strength with his right hand, slicing open a wound on the back of his hand with the bronze knife. The words he had said was apparently to divert his attention so that he could reconcile with the idea of pain.
Blood quickly seeped out as Danitz immediately put down the dagger. He dabbed some blood on his right finger and smeared it across the dark brown cover of Groselle's Travels.
After finishing that, he held his breath, waiting for a change.
Suddenly, he saw a snowflake the size of a goose feather. Strong winds howled by his ears, and immediately, a biting chill wildly drilled into his body.
Although Danitz was mentally prepared, he was still alarmed. He instinctively looked around to confirm where he was.
He realized that at some point in time he had left the captain's cabin of the Golden Dream. He found himself in a land of frost wrecked by a blizzard. Due to the extreme environment, he couldn't see into the distance at all. He couldn't even tell if he was on a mountain or on a flat plain.
I've really entered a strange world... Captain is here too? Danitz held up his hand to block his face, afraid that the snow would get into his eyes.
He calmed himself down and recalled Gehrman Sparrow's instructions. From his pocket, he hurriedly took out a piece of paper that had been folded into a square, and he carefully unfolded it.
While doing this, he was especially afraid of any accidents that could lead to the paper tearing or being blown away. That would make him lose all hope; but thankfully, none of that happened. He saw the contents written by Gehrman Sparrow.
"Recite the following honorific name in Hermes, but preferably in ancient Hermes:
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era.
"The mysterious ruler above the gray fog.
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.
"Burn this upon chanting."
This... This is a secret existence at the level of a deity? Due to Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina's strict education, Danitz wasn't illiterate when it came to mysticism. He even had quite a good foundation.
Looking at the piece of paper in his hand, he subconsciously drew a gasp, sucking in the cold wind and ice-cold snowflakes that left a biting cold. He immediately coughed as his expression turned twisted.
He was now able to confirm one of his past theories.
Gehrman Sparrow really did belong to a powerful and very secretive organization! And the organization consecrates an existence known as The Fool, a godlike existence!
Indeed, such a powerful and crazy fellow can't appear out of nowhere. They don't just sprout out of the ground... Danitz tugged at his collar and tightened his clothes. Looking at the piece of paper fluttering in the wind, he wore a clear look of hesitation.
He knew very well how dangerous it was to recite the name of an unknown secret existence whose intentions were unknown. It could lead to an outcome more terrifying than death!
Captain is also trapped here. Furthermore, there's no way of leaving... Danitz clasped his hands and placed them before his mouth.
He suddenly threw out his hands and used ancient Hermes to recite The Fool's honorific name.
...
On the Golden Dream, in the captain's cabin.
With his own eyes, Klein witnessed Danitz turn illusory without any reason before disappearing. There was no longer any question about how entry into Groselle's Travels could be achieved.
After patiently waiting for a moment, he heard a series of illusory pleas, and it clearly came from a man.
Phew, from the looks of it, Groselle's Travels is unable to block out the gray fog. The world inside the book is still connected to that mysterious space... This way, even if I were to enter, I wouldn't be entirely cornered or lack any trump cards... Klein didn't hide his sigh of relief.
To confirm it, he took four steps counterclockwise while chanting the incantation. After arriving above the gray fog, he saw the brilliance representing Danitz rippling outwards beside The Fool's high-back chair.
The body and soul enter together... The world inside the book is very stable. There's no way to shatter it just by pulling the Spirit Body... Indeed, if it's possible, the divination from before would've received the corresponding revelation... Using the Sea God Scepter is too dangerous. Bestowing Danitz directly will only speed up his death... Klein half-closed his eyes as he emanated his spirituality. After taking everything in for a moment, he arrived at many conclusions.
He didn't delay and returned to the real world immediately. Holding the bronze dagger, he wiped away Danitz's blood on it with a piece of paper.
After folding a piece of paper and putting it into his pocket, he began to consider his next move.
From the looks of it, smearing blood allows direct entry. This way, I don't have to worry about my body suffering any accidents. Furthermore, I can very quickly resolve the problem.
But similarly, I can't be careless. I have to be careful of any other dangers. Hmm... If there's anyone on this ship that might be problematic, they might be able to sneak into the captain's cabin after I enter Groselle's Travels, sacrifice this book to the True Creator, Primordial Demoness, or Hidden Sage. I'll be in trouble then. I'll definitely suffer something worse than death.
The Golden Dream's sailors mostly seem to be infatuated with Vice Admiral Iceberg. The fact that Anderson's superficial provocation was effective enough proves this. Therefore, telling them that this involves Vice Admiral Iceberg's life and getting them to watch each other so that no one enters, that will put me at ease.
The problem lies with Anderson. He's the Strongest Hunter. He's stronger than any of the Beyonders on board this ship. Furthermore, he's good at ambushes and infiltration. There's a small possibility that he can avoid the monitoring of others and secretly sneak into the captain's cabin... His background is still too dubious, and I have no way to really trust him.
I have to think of a way to get him to enter Groselle's Travels with me...
Amidst his thoughts, Klein flipped through the ancient book covered in yellowish-brown goatskin. He discovered that there wasn't any new content, and the story lacked traces of Danitz's existence.
This is to say that one needs to successfully survive and meet up with the lead's team before they will be considered a true part of the story? That will make more pages appear? Klein made a preliminary guess as he walked to the door again and opened it.
"Did it succeed?" Flowery Bow Tie Jodeson and company asked.
Klein shook his head and said calmly, "Next up will be a long ritual.
"No one is to enter and disrupt it; otherwise, it will lead to Edwina Edwards's disappearance forever or even her death."
After informing them of the main point, he looked around and directly said, "I suspect that one of you here might have problems.
"Everyone is to watch each other."
Gourmet Bru Walls instinctively wanted to retort out of habit when he suddenly saw the captain's cabin was empty. Danitz, who had just entered, was gone.
Recalling the captain's disappearance, and confirming that Gehrman Sparrow was about to attempt to save her after finding the cause of the problem, he nodded and said, "I'll be in charge of this matter.
"And they will also monitor me."
Klein didn't harp on the topic. He then turned to look at Anderson Hood who was leaning against a wall.
"Come in."
Anderson curled the right side of his mouth as he tsked.
"People not in the know might think I'm your subordinate. Your attitude is basically a role model for Provokers."
Despite his grumbling, he straightened his back and opened his stride before entering the captain's cabin.
After closing the door and locking it, Klein turned to face Anderson.
"Are you interested in participating in a rare adventure?
"You might be able to fulfill the achievement of hunting a dragon."
According to his observations over the past few days, he believed that Anderson Hood was a curious and adventurous hunter. He enjoyed learning about new things and experiencing novel forms of excitement.
Anderson stared at Gehrman Sparrow's face and sized him up seriously before smiling.
"I'm not interested."
He firmly shook his head.
Following that, he chuckled before Klein spoke again.
"I smell danger. A highly-conceited, crazy, and powerful adventurer is actually inviting me to adventure together. What does this imply? It means that it's extremely troublesome and dangerous!"
I thought you would be interested. This is different from how you usually act. You really can rein yourself in and let go of yourself... Hmm, I'll try another threat. If it doesn't work, I'll throw this fellow on a deserted island and let the Golden Dream sail off. We'll pick him up later. As a hunter, survival on a deserted island shouldn't be difficult for him... Klein quickly made up his mind as his gaze immediately turned cold. He looked at Anderson and said, "I will not permit having latent risks around myself."
Anderson was stunned for a second before he quickly smiled.
"Haha, it was just a joke. I'm very interested in the title of ‘Dragon Hunter.'"
... You changed your mind way too quickly... If you had insisted a little longer, you could've enjoyed the feeling of being abandoned... Klein nodded, walked back to the desk, and said to Anderson Hood who had followed behind him, "Smear your blood on this book's cover. There's no need for too much."
"Smear it?" Anderson scrutinized Groselle's Travels out of curiosity before surveying the area. "Edwina's disappearance is related to it? Same for that failure of a hunter's disappearance? Ah, right. Blazing Danitz. I nearly forgot his name. Thankfully, his bounty is a bit higher than before."
The corner of Klein's mouth twitched as he replied frankly, "That's right."
"Interesting..." Anderson glanced at the desk, picked up the bronze dagger, and indifferently sliced open a bleeding gash in his hand.
Right on the heels of that, he carefully put down the dagger and smeared the blood on the dark brown cover of Groselle's Travels.
After a few seconds of observation, just as Anderson was about to pick up the bronze dagger and wipe off the remnant blood on it, his vision was suddenly blanketed by a blizzard.
Seeing Anderson disappear just like Danitz, Klein picked up another piece of paper and wiped away the blood on the dagger before folding it and putting it into his pocket.
He wasn't sure if the trio would appear at the same location after entering the world inside the book. Therefore, he made preparations by having materials needed for Dowsing Rod Seeking!
After doing all of this, Klein held that dagger and streaked it across the back of his hand.
His facial muscles twitched as he looked diagonally downwards. Only after a few seconds did he exert strength.
His body shook slightly as his head turned to the side. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but open.
When the blood flowed out, Klein, who was still holding the dagger, grabbed his cane and quickly smeared the red liquid over the ancient book's cover.
After a short delay, Klein found himself amidst a white land of snow.
