Chapter 176: Letter

For Klein, setting up a simple ritual was as easy as breathing. Very

soon, he was done preparing the ingredients, and he lit up the candle

that represented himself.

Looking at the flickering candlelight on the desk, Klein had an amusing

thought for some baffling reason.

*Would this be considered holding a candlelight vigil in memory of

myself?*

F\\k, what the hell am I thinking!?

He reined back his thoughts and picked up the Black Rotten Flower powder

that belonged to the domain of Death and sprinkled it onto the candle.

In return, he caught a whiff of a smell that was akin to formaldehyde

from his previous life.

Immediately after that, he dripped Full Moon Essence Oil, a favored item

of the Evernight.

Amidst a sizzling crackle, his surroundings suddenly became quiet, and

there was a shapeless, magical surge.

Klein took a step back and softly recited in ancient Hermes, "I!"

Then, he changed into Hermes, "I summon in my name."

"The spirit that wanders about the unfounded, the higher-dimensional

creature that a human orders, the messenger that belongs to Daly

Simone."

Whoosh!

The wind wailed and the dim candlelight was tainted with a blue luster.

Under its illumination, the wall behind the desk produced translucent

ripples, and a creepy face surfaced. Other than its mouth, it had no

eyebrows, eyes, or nose.

Its thick lips parted, and a long red tongue was extended. There were

sharp, irregular teeth that lined its mouth. In addition, the tip of the

tongue had five delicate fingers. They were constantly extending and

retracting, as though they were waiting for a delivery.

*This is Daly's messenger? Compared to Mr. Azik's, it's just like a

child. No, I can't accurately determine their differences. Yes, one is

an adult Giant, and the other is a human baby... I wonder if it's due to

the mystical item, or if it signifies Mr. Azik's strength? I have to

reevaluate my understanding of him. Perhaps, he's a High-Sequence

Beyonder...*

*Crap, I forgot. In the letter, I should've asked Madam Daly for the

names of the Sequence 4 and Sequence 3 Corpse Collector pathway. Mr.

Azik most likely belongs to that pathway. Of course, he might've not

advanced via potions. Yes, perhaps it's a gene that's passed down from

his ancestors... I'll ask next time, the messenger is

waiting...*

Klein looked at it seriously for a while and passed the neatly folded

paper into the messenger's "hand." Then, he watched as the hand gripped

it tightly.

Whoosh!

The messenger retracted its tongue and swallowed the letter. The

translucent, creepy, and wriggling face shrank back into the wall and

disappeared.

*I've got to say, this magic is quite cool. Rather convenient too, but

it can't be spread...* Klein looked at the candlelight that had

returned to normal. He shook his head and ended the ritual.

Monday morning. Backlund, Empress Borough.

In a hidden corner of the municipal garden built by Duke Negan, Xio

Derecha with her unkempt blond hair and Fors Wall with her languid

bearing were gawking at the liaison before them in a daze. They were

momentarily at a loss at which language to use for a greeting.

The petite Xio, who was slightly over one and a half meters tall, looked

at the golden retriever that had extended its tongue and was wagging its

tail. She smoothed out her trainee knight attire and weighed her words

before she said, "Are you Miss Audrey's messenger?

"Oh my Goddess, why am I asking a dog so seriously..."

Fors was holding a thin cigarette with her fingers as she chuckled.

"Maybe it's a magical creature?"

"I've never seen a magical creature that looks so much like a dog..."

Xio replied in all seriousness.

Susie sat down and closed her mouth. She then pointed at her belly with

her paw.

There was a leather pouch tied around the dog's body amidst her long

golden fur.

Xio looked to her left and right, making sure that there was no one

watching before she quickly moved closer. She bent down and removed the

pouch.

Fors watched curiously when her expression suddenly turned weird.

"It's made of crocodile skin, and it looks like the work of the fashion

designer, Mr. Sades... She's actually using such a pouch for the

transaction..."

"...In other words, it's very expensive?" Xio raised the leather pouch.

Fors pursed her lips tightly and nodded seriously.

Xio instantly lowered her speed in an exaggerated manner. She carefully

opened the zipper and took out the letter inside, as though she was

carrying an antique vase in her hands.

After she read it, she passed the letter to Fors.

Fors burned it with her cigarette after reading it carefully. She

watched as it turned into ashes and scattered onto the soil.

"There's no extra information provided." Xio pouted subconsciously. She

took out a neatly folded paper from the pocket of her trainee knight

attire.

She looked at Susie in an imposing manner and exhorted subconsciously,

"This is the investigation report for the past few days. You must pass

this on to Miss Audrey Hall directly."

Susie quivered and sat up straight, her tail was wagging vigorously.

Xio nodded in satisfaction, stuffed the stack of papers into the leather

pouch, and tied it around Susie again.

Susie howled and ran off very quickly.

In the Hall family's luxurious villa.

Audrey was sitting on the sofa of her own living room. She was holding a

letter opener and was trying to open the letter before her.

It was a letter sent by one of her brothers from the Balam Empire in the

Southern Continent. There was a parcel that came along with the letter.

At that moment, she saw Susie push open the half-closed door. The dog

dashed over quickly.

Susie sat on the carpet before Audrey and pawed at the leather pouch.

"You really are an excellent messenger!" Audrey wasn't stingy with her

compliments.

Susie looked back at the door. It induced vibrations in the air and said

softly, "Your friend is very serious. When I saw her, she reminded me of

the time when a hunter came to train us."

She had been a complimentary gift when Earl Hall bought hunting dogs.

*Susie, your Loen is getting more and more fluent. There are just a few

problems with your logic in using the language...* Audrey

watched as her golden retriever took off the pouch on her own and

skillfully pulled open the zipper.

She gave Susie a look and immediately understood. She stood up and ran

to lock the door.

"...There's no result so far, but we found that some vagrants

disappeared around the Backlund Bridge borough. Though, we can't know

for sure that it was Qilangos. Perhaps the vagrants merely changed their

movement patterns suddenly..." Audrey flipped through the investigation

report and seriously wondered how she should reply to Xio and Fors.

*I'll tell Xio that as long as she can track down Vice Admiral

Hurricane, Qilangos, I'll buy the Sheriff potion formula for her... No,

that's not friendly enough. It would make her feel an inferiority

complex. Yes, I shall say, "Xio, I've prepared your reward. As long as

you can complete the task, four hundred and fifty pounds will be

yours..." Sigh, as far as the main ingredients for the Telepathist

formula, I've only found the Farsman Rabbit's spinal fluid. I still need

the Rainbow Salamander's pituitary gland... Glaint, Xio, and Fors have

yet to find it...*

*Audrey, cheer up. At least you've digested the Spectator potion

completely!*

*Once you put together all the ingredients, you'll become a Sequence 8

Beyonder!*

Audrey reined in her thoughts, picked up a pen and paper, and quickly

wrote a reply. She stuffed it back into the leather pouch and entrusted

Susie to make another trip.

She watched her golden retriever as she opened the letter that her

brother had sent. She read it with a smile.

"My dear sister,

"I think you should come to the Southern Continent too. Come over to the

colonized regions of the Balam Empire. There's abundant sunlight, fresh

air, a clean environment, freshly caught seafood, various unique

cultures, and the very kind and obedient Balam people who make good

servants, as well as the smell of freedom.

"On the contrary, Backlund is cold and moist, the air is bad, there's

always dust, and it's always gloomy. Plus, it's highly populated which

leads to all sorts of problems. Hmm, and the endless balls, banquets,

and salons... The social events are so boring and insipid that I

wouldn't want to stay for a minute. Dear sister, I believe you share the

same feeling.

"I'm not running away from home. I'm merely seeking my own place in

life, but our brother definitely doesn't think so. He's always been a

selfish person. Of course, he wouldn't be stingy with you, because you

can only claim a tiny part of the family wealth, while I would be his

biggest competition in the fight for the inheritance within the ranks of

nobles. After all, our father is a count who takes a long view. He

definitely wouldn't be restrained by the rule that the eldest sibling

will inherit the rank of nobility.

"As long as he feels that it's necessary, he would do anything. Just

like when he sold off half the farmland and pastures to enter the

banking industry, regardless of the strong opposition.

"I miss Backlund sometimes, mostly Father, Mother, and you. I miss the

smile that you put on my face during those few years. You must've become

the most dazzling jewel in Backlund, but unfortunately, I'll only be

able to return after two years. A career is a man's pride, while the

outstanding young people in the Loen Kingdom treat the world as their

stage."

"You can tell our dear aunt that the coastal regions in the Balam Empire

are very suitable for vacations, and especially suitable for her, given

how her joints ache and swell in the winter. I sincerely invite her to

be my guest. If you can come with her, that would be even better."

"I didn't send you too many gifts. They're mainly things that are rich

with the traditions and styles of Balam, such as the unique yellow silk,

and the ornaments that are filled with traits related to the worship of

Death.

"I remembered that you loved things regarding mysticism so I'll look

around for you. The culture here is full of mystery."

After reading the letter, Audrey picked up a pen, paper, and writing

board. She leaned back into the sofa, pursed her lips and wrote

seriously, "My dearest Alfred,

"Although it has been less than a year, the little girl in your memories

has grown up. I don't like mysticism anymore, so you don't have to

search for those kinds of things."

Because it's very dangerous... Audrey puffed up her cheeks and

added in her head.

She had heard of too many tragedies related to mysterious objects when

participating in Beyonder Gatherings and from stories Xio and Fors

recounted.

She thought and declared excitedly, "I'm now interested in biology.

Recently, I've been in awe of the Rainbow Salamander. Can you ask around

for me and find out where I can find one of these creatures, or if they

have a complete corpse that has been preserved?"