480 Honest Rewards (1/2)
In the hall where the stone pillars had collapsed, a group of Nighthawks wearing black windbreakers and silk hats appeared around the altar. The person leading the team was the Archbishop of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, Saint Anthony Stevenson.
”It was disrupted by someone?” he muttered without stopping and directly walked to the stone door that led to the interior.
Rich darkness surfaced as the stone door silently opened. Saint Anthony led some of the Nighthawks in as they delved deeper.
Along the way, they didn't discover a single guard or anything of value. It was as if this place had been forcefully swept clean.
Finally, they reached a room in the deepest recesses, but there was nothing there but walls and stone pillars. The blue door of light which was there when Klein left was long gone.
The lanterns in the Nighthawks' hands suddenly lost their light, and darkness enveloped the room.
When everything returned to normal, they found that the surrounding walls had somehow melted away. However, there were no hidden doors or tunnels behind them. It was either a thick layer of mud and rocks or the corridor they came from.
Saint Anthony was silent for more than ten seconds before saying, ”Try divination.
”Search the vicinity.”
…
Achoo!
Walking through the pathless cliffs and forest, Klein was saddened to realize that he had apparently really fallen sick.
The residual effects of Mr. A's Beyonder powers, combined with the fact that he was drenched during winter, gave him the shameful cold.
However, he didn't dare to stop to collect dry twigs to light a fire and dry his clothes and money. He was afraid that the Beyonders of the Church would find him.
Even though he had already gained the endorsement of Stanton Isengard from the Machinery Hivemind and obtained the status of a semi-official, this was a matter involving the Primordial Demoness's awakening and the True Creator's descent—two cases of the highest order. Therefore, he was bound to be subjected to rigorous investigations, have tea sessions with the Machinery Hivemind, Mandated Punishers, and Nighthawks to recount the whole process actively or passively.
There were two major pitfalls to this. One was that he knew people inside the Nighthawks, and although Detective Sherlock Moriarty looked quite different from the martyred Klein Moriarty, making it impossible to identify him via photographs, he had zero confidence if things were done face to face. Two, because of similar pathways, the Church of the Evernight Goddess wasn't very friendly to people and things related to Death. Back in the Pale Era at the end of the Fourth Epoch, Death had fallen under the siege of the seven gods, and Sherlock Moriarty had ”summoned” a powerful descendant of Death at the critical moment. This wasn't a problem that could be explained away easily.
That high-level powerhouse was rushing to deal with Ince Zangwill and 0-08, so she didn't have time to bother with a friendly small fry like me. However, I can't be careless as a result. I should flee when it's necessary!
Yes, I can write to the Machinery Hivemind when I have a chance, stating the second reason as to why I have to temporarily leave Backlund. This way, I might still have a chance to work with them in the future. Of course, I have to secretly observe to see if the Machinery Hivemind has any strong enmity towards any descendants of Death… I wonder how Mr. Azik is doing…
Heh heh, perhaps Sherlock Moriarty might be dead in the official announcement. He sure lived up to his name and identity…
As quickly as possible, Klein tried to find a small town and blend in with the crowd while enduring the alternating fever and cold.
Only in human society could the Faceless's powers be fully expressed.
The woman who was working with Mr. A, uh—she should be a Demoness. She went to East Borough… From the looks of the ritual, there must've been a large number of deaths over there. I wonder… With the spiritual intuition of a Seer, Klein's heart suddenly felt heavy.
At this moment, all the colors in front of his eyes turned saturated, as if they had been sprinkled with oil by a deity.
The feeling was over instantly, and Klein found himself far away from where he had been, with the bronze-skinned, soft-featured Azik Eggers appearing next to him.
”Mr. Azik, are you unhurt?” He couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
”I am,” Azik replied frankly before smiling, ”but to an Undying, this isn't a big problem.”
Klein calmed down and asked, ”What happened to Ince Zangwill and 0-08?”
”Ince Zangwill is still alive, and he still wields that Grade 0 Sealed Artifact,” Azik said as he walked.
Klein tried hard to follow him as he couldn't help but sigh.
”What a pity.”
”Don't worry about it; he was severely injured,” Azik solemnly said. ”And most importantly, we know that he was secretly cooperating with the royal family, so we don't have to worry about not being able to find him in the future. This way, you can focus on improving yourself, and I can also try to go to a few places that I've recalled, to awaken more memories. Heh heh, your luck isn't bad. I've been secretly observing the people from MI9 and the royal family to confirm Ince Zangwill's whereabouts. One of the most important places was Red Rose Manor, so I've always been wandering around the area. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to rush over to save you so quickly.”
Klein immediately felt a little awkward when this was mentioned.
”Mr. Azik, aren't you puzzled as to why I didn't die?”
”I often wake up after entering a coffin as well. This is something that I previously recalled,” Azik said with a smile, completely unfazed by the matter. ”And in my incomplete memory, although it's rare in others, it's not without precedent.”
He often wakes up after entering a coffin… Often? Klein suddenly realized that the problems that he was worried about were nothing in the eyes of a real powerhouse.