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As soon as Klein thought that the small golden mountain above the gray fog would soon belong to someone else, his heart ached so much he could barely breathe. Just then, Leonard's unreliable voice reached his ears:
"Tsk, I forgot to tell you, all losses incurred during missions are reimbursable."
Reimbursable… Hearing this word "invented" by Emperor Roselle, Klein's mood immediately brightened, until he saw Seeka Tron rummaging through the pulpy, flattened flesh of Ray Bieber, which looked as if it had been crushed by a giant rock.
Watching one bone after another being casually poked aside, Klein's face twitched slightly. After all, this was his first time killing someone.
As if sensing Klein's gaze, Seeka Tron explained while searching through the rotting flesh:
"Ray Bieber was likely using an ancient ritual to absorb the power contained within the notebook, much like how we directly consume High-Sequence Beyonder potions. This is extremely dangerous."
"It's easy to lose control and turn into a Monster, but this also means that Ray Bieber hadn't fully absorbed the Beyonder power provided by the notebook. Therefore, a certain part of his body would be enriched with Beyonder characteristics, becoming a higher quality material."
"If you encounter a similar situation in the future, never miss it. It might be a very important 'item'."
The Law of Beyonder characteristic Indestructibility... Klein's pupils constricted slightly as he recalled the light spots that had merged into his Spirit Body when he first entered the Council of Entropy. Those spots contained not only the honorific name of the 'Lord of Order' but also information such as ritual steps and Beyonder knowledge.
Beyonder characteristics do not perish, nor do they diminish; they merely transfer from one carrier to another. The Beyonder characteristics left behind by a Beyonder who dies normally are no longer just materials and items; they are roughly equivalent to potions, specifically the potions corresponding to their Sequence, only lacking certain supplementary ingredients.
After a brief recollection, Klein sighed with emotion. This was the true demeanor of a hidden existence; such knowledge was given away casually without a second thought. As The Fool, Klein felt he should learn from this.
Just as Klein's thoughts drifted, Seeka Tron suddenly spoke:
"Found it!"
Driven by curiosity, Klein quickly walked over and saw a fist-sized, grayish-white object with a furrowed surface. It was soft and textured, like a living brain that had been freshly removed.
His heart pounded wildly, and Klein immediately felt an inexplicable attraction, similar to when the Antigonus family notebook displayed strange symbols earlier. It seemed only he had this feeling.
Seeka Tron was putting away the Beyonder characteristic and didn't notice Klein's abnormality. Leonard, who was looking a bit pale on the side, raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.
In the courtyard with the red chimney in the suburbs of Tingen City.
The twilight of the setting sun streamed through the window onto the table, and an open notebook rustled in the evening breeze:
"Ray Bieber, hoping to acquire the power within the Antigonus family notebook to escape the Nighthawks' pursuit, arrived at the home of Klein, the only surviving Nighthawk."
"Unexpectedly, the notebook, which hadn't been awakened even through ancient rituals, suddenly awoke, causing Ray Bieber to be corrupted."
"Nighthawks Klein and Leonard died at the hands of the mutated Ray Bieber..." (Crossed out)
"Oh, things have once again exceeded Ince Zangwill's expectations; not a single Nighthawk died."
"However, Nighthawk Captain Dunn Smith, due to constructing a dream, unfortunately directly faced the hidden pollution within the Antigonus family notebook, so his mental state developed extremely subtle problems."
"This is a very logical outcome. Ince Zangwill has taken another step closer to the success of his plan."
-----------------
No. 18 Vlad Street, East Borough, Tingen City.
Under the dim streetlights, Klein, who had changed his clothes, stopped in front of a hanging signboard that read "Lawson's Folk Herbal Medicine Shop."
After returning to the cathedral with the Nighthawks and confirming that Benson and Melissa were only frightened and would recover after a few days of rest, Klein took a carriage here.
He hadn't yet reported obtaining the Clown potion formula from the Antigonus family notebook. He planned to divine whether the potion formula was correct above the gray fog after tonight. If it was correct, he intended to offer it to the Church in exchange for contributions.
Thinking this, Klein pushed open the door. A strong scent of herbs wafted out, accompanied by a booming roar:
"Are you here to rob me?"
Robbery? Klein was stunned for a moment, his right hand instinctively moving to his waist where a revolver was holstered.
Looking in the direction of the voice, Klein was a little surprised. He saw several pale-faced young men, but their eyes were not as vacant and crazed as before; they seemed quite calm.
It was Ademisaul, nicknamed the Monster, whom Klein had met for the first time when Old Neil took him to the Beyonder item underground trading market at the Evil Dragon Bar.
As if sensing Klein's scrutiny, Ademisaul turned his head, and a silver wheel formed by an Ouroboros appeared in his eyes.
Klein felt a momentary trance. When he recovered, his face instantly changed dramatically. Although the fat Apothecary Darkwill beside him hadn't seen the silver wheel, he was still startled by the sudden surge of aura, and his initial roar abruptly stopped, becoming somewhat stammering:
"You, you wait a moment. I, I do have the crystallized root of the Phantasmal Phosphorus Tree."
With the silver hidden in his eyes, Ademisaul smiled as he watched Darkwill rummaging through boxes and cabinets and Klein's wary expression, then flicked a gold coin to Klein.
Seeing Klein dodge and not catch it, he added:
"A worthless trinket. Hmm, it can bring you some luck. Consider it a greeting gift."
With that, he stood up and took a yellowish root covered in grayish-white spots from Darkwill's hand.
Darkwill, on the other hand, had a pained expression. The "crystallized root of the Phantasmal Phosphorus Tree" was a genuine Beyonder ingredient, worth at least two hundred pounds on its own. If it were made into a potion and sold, he could earn at least another two hundred pounds.
His heart bleeding with pain, yet forced to maintain a facade of enthusiasm, Darkwill could only console himself internally: "A small impatience will spoil a great plan."
Ademisaul glanced at Darkwill and Klein, put away the Beyonder ingredient, and spoke leisurely, not at all minding, even intentionally letting Klein hear:
"I can't take advantage of you for nothing. In the Backlund Bridge area, deep in Iron Gate Street, there's an underground gathering at the 'Bravehearts Bar'. There you'll find the 'Medullary Crystal of Elf Spring' that you want."
Klein, standing at the door, twitched his ear, having already memorized the place name. He then turned sideways, watched Ademisaul leave, and made no attempt to stop or follow him.
Nimble, Ademisaul bypassed a few streets and stopped in a dark corner, whispering with a hint of excitement:
"Sir, I have completed the task you assigned."
The silver hidden in his eyes reappeared, and a ethereal voice echoed from an unknown source:
"Very good. I have already given you the Sequence 9 'Monster' potion formula, and the missing main ingredient is now also available. You can officially join the Life School of Thought after becoming a Beyonder."
"You have naturally high spirituality and are indeed a good prospect. In a month, the teacher I found for you will arrive in Tingen and tell you what to do next."
The ethereal voice became increasingly illusory, dissipating with the silver light into the deep night. As if sensing the dissipation of a certain aura, Ademisaul slightly lowered his head.
Inside "Lawson's Folk Herbal Medicine Shop," after the strange man left, Darkwill looked at Klein with a constipated expression and said impatiently:
"If you have something to say, say it quickly. Otherwise, the shop is closing!"
After hesitating for a while, Klein finally picked up the gold coin on the floor, found a random seat, and said calmly:
"I want to buy some Beyonder potions. Can you recommend some to me?"
As he spoke, he emphasized the word "buy." Darkwill's impatient expression instantly vanished, and he said with a cheerful smile while taking out potions:
"Customer, you have excellent taste. You've truly come to the right place this time."
"I recommend three types of potions for you. This one effectively stops bleeding and quickly promotes wound healing, and it remains effective for six months."
"This one can quickly restore spirituality, but it has certain side effects; you'll enter a weakened state for an hour after taking it."
"The last one can help gentlemen regain the impulsiveness of their seventeen or eighteen-year-old selves, turning them into Beyonders in bed, hehe, you should understand what I mean, but it's only effective for a month and a half."
I'm a decent person... Klein's forehead twitched as he looked at Darkwill's lewd smile, and he muttered to himself.
Seeing that the customer was not interested in the last potion, which he had particularly pushed, Darkwill's eyes darted around, and he added:
"Even if this potion exceeds its expiration date, it can still produce an effect, only it will expand from 'there' to the whole body."
"The user will become extremely violent, with greatly increased strength, speed, and agility. Uh, they'll fall into weakness after half an hour. It's definitely a good helper for murder and robbery, ah no, for dealing with strong enemies."
Why do I feel like you're shamelessly pushing expired medicine? Although he grumbled inwardly, Klein was still somewhat tempted until he saw the prices of these potions.
"One bottle costs 3 pounds? You want to charge me 18 pounds for just these few bottles of potions?"
If he didn't know that the fat man in front of him was definitely also a Beyonder, Klein would have wanted to tie him up and send him to the police station to let him thoroughly research how extortion should be punished!
This guy isn't trying to recoup his losses from me, is he? Klein's eyes narrowed slightly. He took out his specially made police inspector's badge from his storage and spoke in an unfriendly tone:
"I am a member of the Tingen City Nighthawks team. Now, please state the prices of these potions again!"
The flesh on Darkwill's face jiggled, and he sighed, resignedly saying in a weak voice:
"2 pounds a bottle. Believe me, this is definitely a discounted price."
Staring at the unscrupulous merchant for a while, Klein took out 12 pounds from his storage and placed them on the table, planning to divine whether the potions were truly effective above the gray fog after returning.
If this unscrupulous merchant dared to deceive him about the efficacy, Klein swore he would send him to the police station—no, he should send him to the Blackthorn Security Company for a good period of reflection.
-----------------
In the sea east of Sonia Island, near the safe shipping lane, the "Morning Star" avoided the bustling port and slowly approached the desolate coast. Not far away was a vast primeval forest.
Aaron stood in the captain's cabin, looking at Siatas, whose face was flushed with excitement, while Boyer Bale stood quietly beside him.
After the Elf lady calmed down, Aaron continued:
"That's roughly the situation. I will honor my promise to you in 'Groselle's Travels,' but I hope you know what you should do, and I hope this will be a friendly meeting."
After nodding to Boyer Bale, Aaron teleported away with Siatas. The "Morning Star" had numerous Elf crew members, which was both a gesture of sincerity and a bargaining chip, requiring the loyal Demon Hunter to personally oversee it.
In the center of the vast primeval forest, Aaron's figure slowly emerged. He raised an eyebrow and then looked towards the sky.
Under the crimson moonlight, a phantom, ethereal Door, inscribed with numerous mysterious symbols, slowly appeared. This was the Door of Summoning!
With a phantom creak, the Door of Summoning opened a crack, and Alvin Gallows stepped out first, followed by a beautiful woman with blood-red eyes.
A surging aura of life rapidly spread, followed by a pressure originating from the very level of life.
The youngest of the Sanguine's three Dukes, and a direct descendant of the Blood Moon Queen Auernia, New Moon Jorna!
Siatas, behind him, trembled under the pressure of the two Angels, while Aaron seemed unaffected, looking at the Sanguine Duchess with some surprise.
Originally, considering Alvin Gallows's status as the leader of the personal guards, he could gain a certain degree of trust from the ancient Sanguine Angels. Aaron had only intended for him to act as a bridge for communication.
As for the specific cooperation, Aaron planned to personally visit the Sanguine's headquarters after finishing this exploration of the Elf ruins.
New Moon Jorna took a step and arrived beside Aaron. Her blood-red eyes swept over Aaron, and after a moment, she said:
"My participation this time is of my own volition and does not represent the will of the Sanguine as a whole. Since an old friend has spoken, I will come and see what the 'hope' the Queen once spoke of truly is."
Aaron glanced at the silent Alvin Gallows, then looked at the New Moon Duke, a slight smile playing on his lips, completely unaffected by the pressure, and chuckled softly:
"No matter, I will personally visit the Sanguine later. Since you've come, I presume Alvin has already told you the general situation. I hope Your Grace can cover me!"
Jorna withdrew her gaze from Aaron's wrist and nodded noncommittally. Her blood-red eyes shifted to the decaying buildings not far away, covered by withered yellow vines.
The crimson moonlight gradually converged, and the originally dead plants strangely distorted and grew under the moonlight. A tide of life swept like a tsunami, constantly washing over them, and a clear voice echoed:
"This junior wishes to pay respects to the elder. Please grant an audience!"
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