68 Monster (2/2)

”A rather profitable business.”

After all, his only expense was providing the venue and protection.

”If any item catches your fancy but you lack the money, you can borrow from Swain. But of course, he charges a very high interest...” Old Neil trailed off as he gnashed his teeth.

As expected, it's like running a casino, they would provide usuries... Klein held his walking stick and looked around as he asked curiously, ”Mr. Swain is a Seafarer?”

The captain of a Mandated Punisher squad was likely a Sequence 7.

”No, he is only a Folk of Rage. Tingen is not a coastal city, so the Church of the Goddess is much more powerful than Lord of Storms here.” Old Neil scoffed. ”Actually, Swain had the chance of becoming a Seafarer, but was afraid that he would lose control so he chose to give up.”

Just as Klein was about to ask if the boss of the bar had any experience of nearly losing control, he suddenly felt a strange phenomenon happen on his left.

There appeared to be something hidden there, muttering and recounting.

Klein turned his head and saw a pale young man. He was wearing an old linen shirt and blue jeans that the working class normally wore. His eyes looked demoralized with a hint of craziness, and he was constantly mumbling.

”His spiritual perception is very high... or perhaps, distorted?” Klein creased his eyebrows and muttered.

It was the young man's spiritual perception that triggered his own spiritual perception!

Generally speaking, spiritual perception sensing something causes some interaction. It was nearly impossible to conceal it from others, but ”others” referred to Spirit Mediums who had cast their abilities, as well as powerful figures with similar special traits. A Beyonder like Klein would actually find it hard to detect, only detecting if one's spiritual perception reached a certain heightened level, or an abnormal distortion happened.

They made eye contact and the pale young man with messy black hair walked towards him with an expression looking as though he was half-sleepwalking and half-insane.

He stopped before Klein and stared at him.

Suddenly, he guffawed.

”Haha, it's the smell of death, death... Ah!”

Before he was done talking, he suddenly screamed tragically. His eyes shut tightly as liquid with the color of blood flowed out.

”Ah! Darn it!” The young man covered his eyes and hugged his head. He struggled on the ground and only calmed down after a while. He then lay there panting.

During the entire process, not a single customer or stall vendor looked over.

Klein pressed down his halved top hat and looked at Old Neil. Klein's mouth was hanging open in shock, using his actions to demonstrate his shock and to request for advice.

”Don't mind him. He's Ademisaul, an orphan, nicknamed 'monster.' He was born with high spiritual perception, and he has always been able to see things that he shouldn't, hear voices that he shouldn't. Hence, he is always raving and often getting hurt.” Old Neil shook his head as he explained.

He could tell that my body was once dead? Klein knitted his eyebrows and lowered his voice as he asked in doubt, ”Haven't the Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, or the Machinery Hivemind ever thought of taking him in?”

”No, we do not have the Sequence potion that suits him,” said Old Neil with a sigh.

Right, he was born with the starting point of half a Sequence... Klein asked again curiously,

”What Sequence pathway suits him?”

”The Sequence 9 that suits him is called 'Monster.' His nickname came from there. It's a pity that only the Life School of Thought has control over the Sequence pathway's beginning,” Old Neil replied softly.

He tried to keep the conversation between him and Klein from the people around them to avoid leaking information to mysticism aficionados.

Life School of Thought? Klein recalled the information he had previously read.

The secret organization appeared in the beginning of the current epoch. Its actual origins were unknown, but it was mainly passed down via master and disciple.

Their theories and beliefs were hardly known. Klein only knew that they separated the world into three layers: the definite rational world, also known as the absolute truth world, the spirits' world, and the material world.

Rumor had it that the secret organization had once produced a Soothsayer... Wasn't that a Sequence pathway that corresponded to Seer? Confusing, really confusing... Klein shook his head and saw Ademisaul struggle to get up and then wander off to another corner.

He reorganized his thoughts and followed behind Old Neil. They walked past one stall after another. There were plants like moon flower, fingered citron, night vanilla, and mineral resources like silver, topaz, ruby and so on.

”It's really very well equipped...” Klein muttered softly.

The mysticism aficionados of all ages and genders around him would be stopping, distinguishing, or talking at times. It gave the area a bustling vibe.

”Walk around on your own. I am going to settle my bill.” Old Neil pointed at one of the two rooms at the end.

”Alright.” Klein nodded without thought.

He strolled with his black cane and came before a stall which sold self-made amulets. He took a careful look at it for a while.

Just when Klein prepared to speak with the seller, he suddenly heard someone asking the stall behind him, ”Is this powder ground from cow teeth paeonol?”

Cow teeth paeonol? Isn't that one of the supplementary ingredients of the Spectator potion? Klein thought, then turned around to look at the inquirer.

Justice had repeated the formula for the potion several times, so Klein had been left with a remarkably clear impression of the ingredients.A substance supposed by 18th-century chemists to exist in all combustible bodies, and to be released in combustion.