Moon Puppet… Fors’s heart palpitated as she refocused and looked at the gathering participant who had just spoken.
The man in a black iron mask had already taken out a small puppet and showed it to everyone.
“I have a friend who discovered a series of graves deep in the Southern Continent’s Paz Valley. This puppet was stuck in the deceased’s right eye socket.
Fors observed the puppet seriously just like the other gathering participants. She discovered that it was slender, and its entire body resembled a tiny wooden piece that had been engraved with crescent-like eyes and a mouth. Embedded in it were dried grass and flowers.
Doesn’t look like anything special… Fors mumbled inwardly. Her spiritual perception didn’t sense anything as her pen-wielding hand continued hovering over a bronze-green notebook.
The man in the iron mask continued the introduction:
“My friend and I are unable to determine what use this puppet has, and we can only suspect that it’s not simple. It might also hide quite a secret.
“60 pounds. For just 60 pounds, you can have it. This price is very fair. Even if it has nothing to do with mysticism, it’s not a bad antique worth forty to fifty pounds.
“That is to say you’ll be spending 10 pounds to have a chance of a pleasant surprise. To you, this is a small sum of money.”
A very tempting explanation. This gentleman is likely a successful salesman. However, I don’t even have 10 pounds… As Fors engaged in a self-deprecating laugh, she didn’t believe that anyone would buy the so-called Moon Puppet of unknown origins and usage.
Just as she had that thought, she heard a female voice which was deliberately suppressed.
“50 pounds.”
Is she too rich, or is she willing to try her luck? Fors subconsciously turned her head to look at the speaking person, only to see the lady wearing a hooded long robe. Her face was hidden in the shadows.
At that moment, the owner of the Moon Puppet laughed.
“I’ll be more inclined to keep it for myself. Perhaps, there might come a time when I discover what’s so special about it.”
As he spoke, he realized that no one was offering a better price. He immediately said, “Of course, as a gentleman, I’ll satisfy your wish since you have expressed your desire and have given a reasonable price.”
“Deal,” the hooded woman replied with a deep voice.
Soon, the gathering’s attendant helped them complete the transaction. Fors noticed that the lady’s hand was trembling slightly after she received the Moon Puppet.
She places great importance on the item… She might actually know what’s so special about the puppet… Moon Puppet… Moon… From the Southern Continent… Fors suddenly made connections and recalled the few Primordial Moon believers who Mr. Moon was searching for. She began having a suspicion that the hooded lady was one of them, or that she had a connection with them.
Of course, she had zero evidence. She didn’t even have much of a compelling reason to have such a guess.
Phew… Fors silently exhaled as she decided to find a way to verify her theory.
She casually moved the hard-covered notebook in her hand, making a yellowish-brown goatskin appear.
On the piece of paper were all kinds of patterns that formed an ancient, mysterious picture of unknown intent.
This was one of the pages of Leymano’s Travels, and it recorded a particular Beyonder power.
It wasn’t a recorded power which Fors had gathered herself, but one of the five original pages when she received it.
Fors looked up, and she pretended to observe the transactions of the others while fully taking in the hooded lady’s situation.
She discovered that there was a mosquito with dark brown spots on a nearby wall and unknown worms that were slowly squirming on the ground.
Fors’s finger naturally slid across the yellowish-brown goatskin’s pattern as a complicated symbol quickly formed in her mind.
Silently and without showing any odd signs, she felt that she had “understood” the brown pattern, as her thoughts connected with the other party’s.
The brown-spotted mosquito flew at a low height.
It circled beneath the hooded lady and carefully clung to her front.
The mosquito’s vision was different from a human’s since an incomprehensible scene appeared in Fors’s mind. But it soon disintegrated and reformed into a rather normal scene.
The hooded lady had a rather curved outline with dark skin. Her brows were thin and the corners of her mouth drooped significantly.
Fors immediately recognized her. She was none other than the Primordial Moon believer, Windsor Behring, who Mr. Moon was searching for!
An effective clue is worth 100 pounds, and directly finding her means 500 pounds! Fors recalled the reward as she immediately became flustered.
Her first reaction was to drive the mosquito to bite Windsor Behring and suck her blood. That way, she could later use astromancy to directly lock onto her location.
However, she gave up the idea after struggling for a moment. That was extremely taboo in a Beyonder gathering. If she were discovered, she would definitely be attacked by all the participants of the gathering.
And the host of the gathering often had significant strength. Going too overboard made it easily detectable!
Hmm, I’ll just get the 100 pounds. If there’s another chance, I’ll consider how to lock onto her directly… I have to leave this gathering early and smear my blood over Leymano’s Travels to prevent myself from getting lost. That would be dangerous… Fors repressed her disappointment as she made her final decision.
In fact, her actions were already out of line; hence, she didn’t wish to stay another second longer.
…
Hillston Borough, inside a high-class hotel.
Klein stood behind an oriel window as he silently took in the crimson moon and thin clouds in the sky.
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Some time later, he combed the white hair around his temples and reached out to draw the curtains.
Then, he went through the hassle of moving the radio transceiver back to the real world and spent the time “airing” out most of its “smell.”
This time, he only waited about ten seconds when he felt the room turn dark and eerie. He heard the radio transceiver begin to producing clicking sounds.
Klein approached and saw a piece of illusory paper spew out. On the paper were words composed of Loenese: “Great Master, please look right!”
Right… Klein turned his head in amusement and curiosity to his side.
He saw a full-body mirror, which had already turned dark, as though it was smeared with a layer of ink.
Just as a thought flashed in his mind, the full-body mirror lit up. Illusory fireworks began shooting inside the mirror as it burst and scattered down in a beautiful and dazzling display.
Meanwhile, the full-body mirror produced a line of golden Loenese words.
“Welcome back, Great Master!”
At that moment, although Arrodes didn’t produce any sound, Klein had the baffling feeling that it was hysterically shouting.
As the fireworks came to an end, the golden text distorted and formed a new line of text:
“Great Master, your loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, wishes to ask you how I might be of service to you?”
Klein was already very accustomed to this as he said in a practiced manner, “Answer my questions.”
The golden line of text reformed again.
“Thank you for your answer. You may ask.”
Prepared, Klein said, “Where did the evil spirit in Williams Street go to?”
The full-body mirror’s golden text froze for a few seconds before they slowly disappeared. As for the blooming fireworks in the background, they first blurred before a new scene became clear.
It was that of an abandoned chapel where withered vines crawled over its walls, and gray stones were strewn everywhere.
Klein found it rather familiar. It was where he and Sharron had once conversed with the evil spirit.
The scene drew close as Klein saw that in a corner of the collapsed chapel was a tiny pit that wasn’t too deep. There were clear signs of it being dug up with one’s fingers.
Miss Magician mentioned it before… As Klein’s thoughts surfaced, the scene produced a cold voice that hid a smile:
“It’s a pleasure working with you!”
As those words came out of the soil, the scene immediately turned distorted like a water surface being stirred before the scene completely shattered.
Pleasure working with you… Who did the evil spirit speak to?
To make an angel from the Hunter pathway use such a tone, the person opposite it mustn’t be someone of a lower level. That person might even be an angel. However, why would “He” use his hands to dig? “He” should have a much easier method that didn’t waste that much time…
The angel is also restricted in a certain sense? Hmm, just like that Grandpa in Leonard’s body? Right, Leonard was in Backlund back then! This is a clue, but there are other possibilities. Something at the level of an angel doesn’t equate to being an angel…
The evil spirit controlled Baronet Pound to contact someone? From the looks of it, the Intis and Feysac spies were just a smokescreen that was deliberately set up by the evil spirit. As expected of a Conspirer… Thoughts ran through Klein’s mind as he said to Arrodes, “Second question: I have three butlers to choose from. Who do you think is the most suitable?”
Golden Loenese words appeared one after another:
“If you choose Rebach and Walter, there might be an additional development. Asnia is the most professional, but he’s also the most ordinary.”
Hmm… the two who were formerly under the service of Duke Negan and Viscount Conrad do allow for additional development… Klein nodded in thought.
“It’s your turn to ask.”
At this moment, a bunch of golden text appeared:
“Great Master, what do you make of me being your butler? As long as you bring me out of the Church of Steam, I can become the best butler in the world!”
“…”
Klein hesitated for a second as he replied, mincing his words, “It’s not suitable at the moment.”
The golden text in the full-body mirror darked instantly before it lit up again, reforming the words:
“Alright.
“Your loyal and humble servant, Arrodes, will patiently await the day.”
Immediately following that, the full-body mirror produced a complicated picture with some footnotes.
“This is a rune formed with the corresponding symbols and magical labels. Great Master, as long as you are in Backlund, writing it on some paper is equivalent to summoning me.”
A mixture of secrecy and mystery prying symbols… Klein identified the rune and said, “Okay.”