Chapter 182: Wanderer Klein

The weather in Tingen turned from refreshing cool to a bitingly chill in

early September. However, the sunlight at three or four in the afternoon

was still warm and soothing.

Klein went through the wall of spirituality and the oriel window. He

floated in the air outside of his bedroom as he overlooked the people

and carriages shuttling to and fro Daffodil Street.

Just then, there was a man in a gray labor uniform who suddenly lifted

his head and looked over.

Klein panicked and wanted to hide, but he couldn't find any suitable

cover.

When he didn't see anything to hide behind, he started to sneak back

into his house. However, from the corner of his eye, he saw the man

earlier merely glanced over the window. Then, his gaze followed a flying

sparrow, but unfortunately, he lost sight of it.

In Tingen, birds could occasionally be seen.

*Phew... I forgot that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to see

me...* Klein let out a breath of relief and felt that he had yet

to get used to the situation.

As he grew more confident, he flew lower and went to a nearby spacious

street where he floated above people's heads.

As he drew closer, Klein immediately realized that his "vision" was the

same as his Spirit Vision. There was no need for him to activate it, but

there was a restriction to its range.

Also, besides the aura and emotional colors, he could faintly feel the

existence of everyone's soul. They were blurry, illusory, and

transparent.

*In this state, I think I could bypass a person's body and directly

attack their soul...* Klein nodded thoughtfully.

He circled around and prepared to test his fastest speed. Hence, he flew

towards Iron Cross Street with all his strength.

It didn't take long before he came to a halt and arrived outside the

apartment he used to stay in.

*It should be about the speed of a car on the highway... It's a pity

that I still can't go in and out of the spirit world; otherwise, it'd be

perfect... But if I were to be lost in the spirit world, it's said that

the consequences are very severe.* Just as Klein finished his

self-evaluation, he felt low-spirited and gloomy. There was an unspoken

pressure.

He looked around and felt that Iron Cross Street was engulfed with

gloominess that ordinary people could see, a darkness that the sunlight

couldn't dispel. There were layers of numbness, despair, pain, and other

emotions overlapping, as though they were corporeal.

It feels just like what I experienced when using spiritual perception on

this street when I first became a Seer. Iron Cross Street's Middle

Street and Lower Street hasn't changed to this day... I wonder how many

years it took to accumulate such oppression and gloominess... Klein

recalled the past and sighed as he flew up to the third floor of the

surrounding buildings.

He finally felt sunlight and shook off his depression.

Klein flew along Lower Street and, from time to time, he would see

residents who were dressed in tattered clothes, looking expressionless

and malnourished. He even ran into two bodies that had died of natural

causes---prolonged starvation and malnutrition with a sudden infliction

of an illness.

There were countless people who died in agony every month. However, the

bankrupt farmers and slaves that surged in from the Southern Continent

replaced them very quickly... Klein sighed in silence and changed

direction and flew south.

That was the industrial area of Tingen. The steelworks, lead factories,

ceramic factories, printing factories, metalworks factories, machine

construction factories, and other factories all built right next to one

another.

As he flew, Klein saw towering chimneys. He saw dust filling the air and

a thick gloominess that was only slightly better than the that of Lower

Street.

It was crowded with emotions of exhaustion, pain, pessimism, and

numbness. Laborers who were in their thirties were considered the

minority.

Just as Klein wanted to fly lower to look at the area more closely, he

suddenly felt weak. It was a weakness that came from inside him.

My spirituality can't withstand the duress... Klein became

alarmed. He was in a hurry to return home, but he suddenly thought of a

better possibility.

*I was "summoned" out. If I were to end the summon, I would return

naturally!* He calmed down and carefully felt the surrounding

environment and his status. Unsurprisingly, he discovered something that

was connected to him from infinitely far away but also infinitely close

to him. It formed an intricate tether to him.

Through this connection, Klein clenched the Flaring Sun Charm tightly

and willed the strong desire to end the "summoning."

A massive and terrifying suction force overwhelmed him as his figure

went from transparent to nearly invisible, and in a flash, he vanished

from the corporeal world.

Silence was everywhere in the boundless gray fog, and there were

illusory crimson stars that twinkled. Klein reappeared in the lofty

palace that looked like the home of a giant, as he sat in the seat of

honor at the ancient bronze table.

The entire procedure went well... Furthermore... Klein looked

at his Spirit Body in pleasant surprise and saw that it contained a warm

and pure gold portion.

The Flaring Sun Charm!

*I actually brought something corporeal into the world above the gray

fog!* He held the charm with a smile and fiddled with it to make

sure it wasn't an illusory item.

Klein stood up and paced back and forth, feeling completely gratified.

He thought to himself in anticipation.

*As expected, ingredients and items can be brought into this mysterious

space!*

I just need to find the correct way!

*However, this method is quite complicated. It needs me to do quite a

bit before it reaches the destination. Furthermore, if I were to be

summoned by the members all the time, it would damage The Fool's image.

I can only do that occasionally, or after I understand it more. I can

design an incantation that summons The Fool's "Blessed," but it will

similarly be directed at me...*

*...I'm not some born laborer. Why must the incantation point towards

me? When the time comes, I can conjure what seems like a messenger or a

more unique "Blessed" and let it deal with the dispatch and collection

of materials...*

Ideas popped up one after another as Klein contemplated. But due to the

limitation of his capabilities and knowledge, he couldn't put them into

practice just yet.

As he became even weaker, Klein didn't dare to stay any longer. He used

his spirituality to envelop himself and simulate the feeling of

descending.

In the blink of an eye, he returned to his bedroom. He saw splendid

sunlight pouring in through the gap in his curtains.

He examined his body and made sure that the Flaring Sun Charm wasn't

brought back but left above the gray fog.

*When I've gotten enough rest, I'll repeat the summoning ritual at dawn

to bring the Flaring Sun Charm back to reality... Sigh, it would be

great if I could maintain the state a little longer. That way, I would

be able to investigate the houses with red chimneys. It's such a pity

that I can't do it yet. I could only fly long enough to investigate a

few houses before having to return above the gray fog and rest for half

a day. The efficiency would be just as low.* Klein walked before

his desk and put out the silent burning candle.

After he packed his things, he didn't remove the wall of spirituality

immediately. Instead, he sat down and took out a pen and paper to write

a letter---a letter to Mr. Azik!

After he wrote the salutation of "Dear Sir," he pondered for a few

minutes before penning:

"...I recently received news that one of the Seven Pirate Admirals, Vice

Admiral Hurricane, Qilangos, has infiltrated Backlund. He carries a

mystical item called the 'Creeping Hunger.' It provides an ability

similar to a Shepherd, which is a Sequence 5 Beyonder that swallows

different souls and obtains their corresponding powers. It's said that

there is a limit to the number of souls for Grazing, but the souls can

be swapped out...

"...Qilangos seems to have many Beyonder powers, and I'm not sure what

he's trying to do in Backlund... The news I received suggested that he

might be after a very important, very mystical item that could make

Qilangos a High-Sequence Beyonder or as powerful as a High-Sequence

Beyonder..."

Klein fabricated his source of information to generally describe the

situation with Qilangos, but it wasn't like Mr. Azik would look for a

Nighthawk Captain to confirm it.

Klein didn't directly request assistance but made it seem like he

brought up the subject casually to encourage Azik to be careful.

Regardless of whether Mr. Azik was willing to help, it wouldn't hurt to

first lay the foundations! If Klein eventually needed to ask for help,

it wouldn't appear out of the blue that way! Klein let out a breath

slowly and started writing the main content of the letter.

"The mastermind behind all that has happened hasn't taken any further

action, and I still haven't found any related clues.

"The reason why I'm contacting you so suddenly is mainly to ask for your

guidance regarding sacrificial rituals. I came across something like

that during a recent mission..."

*With The Sun's description and Mr. Azik's answer to compare, I should

be able to try a sacrificial ritual after that. By reversing the ritual,

I should be able to bestow items... This would be a more suitable ritual

for exchanging ingredients and items rather than summoning myself...

Yes, let's hope that Mr. Azik remembers the knowledge about

this...* Klein nodded slightly. He put down his pen without

signing his name.

*There's only one copper whistle, so I'm sure Mr. Azik wouldn't make a

mistake with the sender.*

Therefore, to be careful, Klein didn't leave his name.

After he folded the letter, he looked at his three-meter-tall ceiling.

He picked up the copper whistle from the bed a little hesitantly.

Perfect, let it squat and get the letter! Klein emphasized

inwardly before lifting his right hand and putting the copper whistle to

his lips. He puffed up his cheeks and blew hard.

The whistle didn't produce a sound, but Klein's acute senses noticed

that the surroundings had instantly turned cold.

He activated his Spirit Vision and saw that there were blurry yet

glistening white bones surging out of his study desk like a fountain as

it rose in height.

The white bones quickly gathered together and turned into an illusory

yet huge monster. Its head tore through the wall of spirituality and

reached somewhere unknown.

Klein looked at the white skeleton's thighs and body, as well as its arm

that hung down. Seeing its right palm open up, the corner of Klein's

lips twitched as he tossed over the folded letter.

The large bony palm did a sweep and caught the letter firmly.

Then, Klein picked up his copper whistle and blew again without

hesitation.

The monster crumbled in an instant, transforming into bones that fell

onto his desk before sinking in and vanishing.

After doing all of that, Klein removed the wall of spirituality. In the

sudden wind that stirred, he hobbled towards the clothes rack and

returned the copper whistle to its original place.

Then, he quickly walked to his bed and planted his head into it.

The moment his body touched the soft mattress, he fell into a deep

sleep.