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Audrey covered her face and walked away, and Susie opened her mouth, shaking the air as if to explain: "Audrey, I..."
Hearing the not-so-standard Loenese, Audrey's mouth twitched, and she walked even faster.
Looking at the dog biscuits that had fallen to the ground, Susie, sitting upright, sniffed. Seeing that the troublesome Annie hadn't come to find her, she raised a paw, seemingly considering how to eat in a way that suited her current status.
A few seconds later, she gave up thinking and, following her instincts, pounced forward, snatching the bag of dry food and rushing out of the storeroom.
Inside the spacious and comfortable carriage, Glaint looked at Audrey, whose expression was strange, and asked somewhat oddly: "Audrey, what's wrong? If you're not feeling well, we can go another time."
Recovering from her jumbled thoughts and returning to her Spectator state, Audrey quickly reined in her emotions and said gently: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some questions."
Thinking about whether it was a good or bad thing for a dog to speak... she immediately added in her mind.
Her strong reaction earlier was just because her simple beliefs had been challenged, leaving her somewhat at a loss!
After calming down, she realized this wasn't a bad thing. Susie could observe and eavesdrop for her in certain situations. People would be wary of their own kind, but it was unlikely they would suspect a pet of eavesdropping, even if that pet was squatting at their feet.
And now Susie can speak, she can tell me directly what she hears. Hmm, I'll have to teach her words and standard pronunciation later...
Looking at Audrey, who was once again distracted, Glaint was bewildered. He lightly coughed and handed her the pure white, lace-trimmed mask he had prepared, explaining: "At Beyonder gatherings like this, people generally don't show their true faces. They all wear masks to conceal themselves. This is your mask. I hope this gathering will have the formula I'm looking for."
Audrey took the mask and oh-ed, then tentatively asked: "I have a Sailor potion formula here, do you need it?"
The Church of the Lord of Storms... Glaint's face showed a moment of struggle, but he still said firmly: "Apothecary, I think what I need is the Sequence 9 Apothecary formula!"
Feeling Audrey's somewhat puzzled gaze, he chuckled and explained: "For me, being healthy and not afraid of most diseases and injuries is the most important thing!"
Seeing Audrey about to say something, Glaint quickly added: "Of course, this isn't absolute. I'll try these Beyonder gatherings first. If I can find it, that's best. There's no need to trouble Duke Aaron with such a small matter."
After inheriting his father's title, Glaint finally experienced the brutal competition among Loen's upper class. It was only by befriending Audrey that he had the chance to seek help from the Duke, and this opportunity naturally had to be saved for the most crucial moment, not wasted prematurely due to his own ideas.
Watching the constantly changing emotional colors of his friend, Audrey said no more. After a twenty-minute carriage ride, she followed Glaint into a secret door in the alley behind the "Bravehearts Bar."
In a private room at the "Bravehearts Bar" not far away, Xio, wearing a mask and with height-enhancing modifications, looked at his friend Fors, who was sprawled on the sofa, unwilling to move. He sighed helplessly: "It's almost time. As per tradition, it's your turn to host the gathering this time."
Looking at Fors, who was covering her ears, Xio deepened his tone, and a faint sense of authority permeated the air: "Fors, we are debt-paying workers. You don't want that person to come back and collect the debt, do you?"
Fors, with a look of utter despair, was pulled up by Xio, muttering: "I swear, if I had known a Sequence 8 potion was so expensive, I definitely wouldn't have advanced. At this time, I should be at home getting my beauty sleep..."
Pretending not to hear the complaint, Xio pulled the chattering Fors out of the private room's tunnel.
-----------------
Above the gray fog, Klein, at the head of the bronze long table, took out a gold coin. This was the 1-pound gold coin he had offered as a sacrifice before, which he had enveloped and washed with gray fog for several days.
Actually, Klein initially wanted to use a slightly cheaper Sol instead, but considering that the Arbiter Pathway was mostly controlled by the royal family or nobles, it would be too undignified for a dignified hidden existence to use a Sol. In the end, he still switched to a gold pound.
Looking at the crimson star symbolizing Mr. Emperor, Klein extended his spirituality and lit it up. In the gradually clearer prayer scene, Klein nearly jumped off the high-backed chair.
On the classical and exquisite desk, 500 gold coins were neatly arranged, shining brightly under the lamplight, creating a strong visual impact. But none of this was the main point; the crimson moonlight from the window also illuminated a figure.
He was no stranger to that figure; it was Duke Aaron, who had left Tingen last week, the esteemed Blessed who was already a High-Sequence Beyonder.
Klein instantly felt the shock of being caught in the act, and subconsciously drew a Crimson Moon on his chest before realizing he was still in the gray fog space, still trading with Mr. "Emperor."
Exhaling deeply, Klein steeled himself and manipulated his spirituality to open the door of sacrifice and bestowal. Even seeing the large pile of glittering little darlings floating around him from the open door, and finally the ancient ring that appeared, his mood still didn't improve.
Klein just wanted to end the transaction as quickly as possible now, eagerly preparing to throw out the hot potato in his hand. His right hand, gripping the gold coin, paused, then he smiled bitterly and sighed, still throwing the gold coin into the door of bestowal.
Picking up the gold coin that had fallen on the altar, and watching the door of sacrifice and bestowal dissipate, Duke Aaron's originally calm face finally showed a smile after the invisible sense of being watched disappeared. He could already guess that Mr. Fool was currently brainstorming.
Above the gray fog, Klein's expression was somewhat uncertain. Although he had been mentally prepared since learning that most High-Sequence Arbiter Beyonders were concentrated in the royal family or great nobles, he still found it a bit hard to accept now.
He found it hard to believe that he had actually pulled in a Goddess's Blessed, and wondered how the Church or that high and mighty God would react.
After a long while, Klein gave a bitter smile. With no clear idea, he simply stopped thinking about it. From now on, he could only take one step at a time.
Setting aside the pile of little darlings, Klein reached out for the ring. After closing his eyes and divining for a moment, his expression shifted slightly, and he opened his eyes.
"Moonlight Ring"
"Grants a certain degree of physical enhancement, possesses super strong self-healing abilities, and can cast various Dark-type spells similar to Darkness Wings and Abyss Shackles by consuming spirituality. The intensity is limited by the caster's own Sequence."
"Passively increases spiritual strength and recovery speed. Actively activating the 'Full Moon' state significantly increases spirituality for a short period. After the effect ends, the user will fall into a bloodthirsty state."
This Mystical Item made up for his current lack of offensive means apart from firearms. Its negative effects were also very minor. From now on, he wouldn't have to worry about insufficient spirituality when holding a Tarot Club meeting.
The only headache was that he had to come up with a reasonable explanation for this Sealed Artifact, otherwise, he wouldn't pass the Nighthawks' scrutiny. Moreover, he had to avoid Mr. "Emperor," or rather, Duke Aaron, when using this Mystical Item.
Otherwise, it would be tantamount to openly telling him that he was Mr. Fool's Blessed. How else could he continue to blend in with the Nighthawks team?
He glanced at the surrounding gray fog, and remembering that all of today's tasks were completed, Klein decisively picked up the ring. What place was more suitable for testing this Mystical Item than above the gray fog?
After trying out several Dark-type spells granted by the "Moonlight Ring" and satisfying his magic addiction, Klein hesitated for a moment but decided to try the "Full Moon" state.
He needed to determine what benefits this state would bring him and, most importantly, its negative effects. He couldn't have a negative effect kick in while he was fighting someone, that would...
As soon as he thought of that scene, Klein's expression became a bit strange. With the surge of spirituality, crimson light spread out from the ring.
Klein's mind became a pot of boiling porridge. He only felt his "body" lighten, his spirituality float, and the distant and near crimson stars once again appeared before his eyes: vast, mysterious, blurred, and hazy.
Just then, he suddenly felt a faint, indistinct "plea" within that crimson! This seemed to be a change brought about by enhanced spirituality.
Klein's spirits immediately lifted. He let his spirituality spread, touching the crimson mass. He didn't intend to pull anyone in; he just wanted to observe the prayer scene to ascertain the situation.
A blurry and distorted image immediately appeared before his eyes. He could only vaguely see a brown-haired youth kneeling, facing a pure crystal ball.
The youth's black tight-fitting clothing was completely different from the prevailing trends in the Loen Kingdom, and also significantly different from the traditional costumes of foreign countries like the Feysac Empire and the Intis Republic that Klein had seen in magazines.
His surroundings were dim, with old tables and chairs, occasionally illuminated by sudden flashes of light, but Klein couldn't hear the rumble of thunder or the sound of raindrops.
In the image, the youth clasped his hands together against his forehead, his body bowed forward, continuously praying for something. A thick, buzzing voice echoed in Klein's ears.
Klein listened intently, but then discovered an embarrassing fact:
He couldn't understand what the other party was saying; it was a language he had never encountered! It was only somewhat similar to the ancient Feysac he had previously learned, leading him to deduce that it might be an ancient Jotun.
He didn't make a special effort to memorize it. Even if he forgot, he could recall the youth's prayer using the Seer's dream divination ability. Klein, lacking sufficient knowledge, decided to first understand what the other party was saying before making any plans.
Taking off the "Moonlight Ring," Klein instantly felt a wave of discomfort. The comfortable feeling of spiritual flow disappeared, and the prayer sounds he could hear and the connection to that crimson star also vanished.
It seems I can only pull in a maximum of three members at this stage... As this thought just surfaced, an uncontrollable bloodlust nearly overwhelmed his will.
Fortunately, this was above the gray fog. Layers of mist enveloped the "Moonlight Ring," and an invisible barrier greatly reduced that uncontrollable bloodlust.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. Even though the negative feeling had greatly diminished, the stinging sensation of nearly depleted spirituality also filled his mind. Without further hesitation, he wrapped himself in spirituality, simulating the sensation of falling.
-----------------
City of Silver, Derrick's home.
In the dimly lit room, Derrick slowly stood up and carefully placed the pure crystal ball in front of him into a box.
This was an item his father had brought back from a ruin during an expedition, said to have some kind of Mystical effect, and was given to him as a birthday gift.
Looking at the silver-white arcs of electricity occasionally flashing in the Darkness, Derrick still felt uneasy, even after just making a prayer.
Ever since the blood-colored full moon, which occupied half the sky, appeared over a month ago, whether it was some kind of omen or not, the City of Silver began its exploration towards the Giant King's Court, and this included Derrick's parents.
The youth, staring out the window with a slightly worried expression, did not notice that behind him, on the surface of the pure crystal ball inside the box, a crimson flash appeared, then vanished.
-----------------
Without removing the Wall of Spirituality in the room, and using the ritual materials on the table, Aaron casually drew the blended symbol representing Concealment and prying on the full-length mirror next to him.
The surface of the full-length mirror immediately emitted a dim but pure light, and an illusory, ancient, bizarre silver mirror quickly appeared in the mirror's surface, with faint glimmers from the black, eye-like gems on both sides.
This immediately gave Aaron a sense of vulgar voyeurism. As if sensing Aaron's gaze, white words quickly outlined themselves on the mirror:
"Humble Arrodes is at your service at all times, Great and Mysterious Duke!
"May I ask why you summoned me? Was it, was it my humble request last time that received your favor?"
Favor... Aaron's mouth twitched. This magic mirror's bottom line was indeed absurd. Not wanting to hear Arrodes's flattery anymore, Aaron said directly: "Yes, I have obtained that item. It's a gold coin."
"Now the question is how do I give it to you?"
If you want me to go to the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery in Backlund, then you should calm down in there a bit longer before coming to find me... Aaron added in his mind.
The pale text instantly turned golden, directly showing its undisguised joy:
"Great Duke, humble Arrodes praises your generosity."
"Uh, you just need to place that gold coin here and hold it for two seconds."
Looking at a vortex, close to the size of a normal gold coin, appearing on the mirror, Aaron nodded and pressed the gold coin, which he had been holding in his hand, onto it.
It felt like less than two seconds, and the gold coin in his hand, which could originally barely be called a Mystical Item, completely turned into an ordinary item, its attached aura absorbed and gone.
Aaron wasn't surprised by this. Without Beyonder characteristics, to maintain the extraordinary nature of ordinary items for a long time, the most common method was to inscribe the honorific names or true names of Angels, or even Gods, using languages that could leverage nature.
This was equivalent to borrowing 'mystery' and 'power' from them, provided, of course, that they consented.
This gold coin tainted with the gray fog's aura was essentially the same, but because Klein's current strength was low, he couldn't control Sefirah Castle.
The reason it could still achieve this effect was only due to Sefirah Castle's high Sequence, but correspondingly, the time it could maintain its extraordinary nature would be greatly reduced.
Aaron thoughtfully put away the gold coin, looking at the stick-figure smiley face and the line of words below it that appeared on the mirror:
"Great, generous, and powerful Duke, humble Arrodes thanks you for your favor. Now you may ask me a question."
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