Chapter 19: Sealed Artifacts

"We are guardians, but also a bunch of miserable wretches that are

constantly fighting against dangers and madness."

The corridor outside the window was sealed, its walls ice-cold. The room

was illuminated with bright yellow lights. Dunn Smith's delivery echoed,

sending blow after blow to Klein's heart. It left him temporarily at a

loss for words.

Dunn shook his head and smiled when he saw Klein silent.

"Are you very disappointed? Beyonders are not like what you imagine them

to be. We are always treading alongside danger."

"There is always a price to any gain." Klein recovered from his shock as

he answered with a quivering voice.

It was true that he never imagined that the halo, abnormality, and the

inordinary aspects of a Beyonder would have such hidden threats. Perhaps

it was only because he was hearing a description without witnessing it

first hand and that he had been sucked into the vortex with a peculiar

incident already befalling him. Klein soon brought his fear, uneasiness,

worry, and apprehension under control.

Of course, the thought of shrinking back was inevitable; it lingered

around and refused to leave.

"Not bad. Very mature and rational..." Dunn finished the last mouthful

of coffee and added, "Also, Beyonders are not as powerful as you imagine

them to be, especially a low-Sequence Beyonder. Heh, why would we use 1

to represent the highest grade and 9 the lowest? Isn't this against

intuition and logic? The low Sequence we often mention refers to a low

grade or a high number. They are the starting point of the Sequence

chain.

"Alright, where was I? Yes, Beyonders are not as powerful as you

imagine. A low-Sequence Beyonder's power is no match for guns, much less

cannons. They are just more fascinating and indefensible than firearms.

If you have a chance to become a Beyonder in the future, you must

consider what I said today carefully. Do not make a rash decision."

Klein gave a self-deprecating smile.

"I don't even know when I will have the chance."

He felt that he would not miss the opportunity if it presented itself to

him. Consuming the wrong potion or a higher-ranked potion in the

Sequence could be mostly avoided. The major potential danger was the

subtle influences the potions had and what he experienced from having

heightened auditory and visual perceptions.

For the former, he could draw on the experiences from generations of

people before him. As long as he was not in a rush to advance himself

and patiently grasped control over his powers, the chances of losing

control were relatively low. Furthermore, he still had to resolve the

potential problem that he currently faced. He had to understand the

essence of mysticism and seek a way to transmigrate back. These were the

underlying reasons for taking the first step. He did not aim for higher

Sequence spots. If it was easy to lose control, he could just forget

about advancement, stay in his original Sequence, and rely on knowledge

to plan a way 'home.'

It was needless to elaborate on the potential risks. Back when Klein

held the luck enhancement ritual, he was nearly driven crazy. The

murmurings that nearly blew up his head were still fresh in his mind.

They were not unavoidable by not becoming a Beyonder; therefore, it was

better to gain power that allowed him to defend himself.

With this in mind, Klein felt that the pros clearly outweighed the cons.

It made his thoughts of withdrawal almost disappear.

Dunn picked up his pipe again as his gray eyes carried a smiling trace

to them.

"I cannot give you an accurate answer on this. To become a Beyonder,

firstly, you must make enough contributions. Perhaps tomorrow or the day

after, you would be able to interpret critical ancient documents. Maybe

you would be able to give us valuable ideas for one of our cases?

Secondly, it depends on the arrangements of the higher-ups. No one can

be sure.

"Alright, I believe you should know quite a bit about Beyonders now. In

the future, do not make a rash decision. Now, I'll introduce you to our

Nighthawks team's civilian jobs."

He stood up and walked to the door. He pointed in the opposite direction

of Chanis Gate and said, "We have an accountant and someone else who is

in charge of procuring necessities and collecting supplies handed out by

the Church and the police department while standing in as a carriage

driver. They are professionals and do not need to take shifts, so they

can rest on weekends. The other three civilian staff are Rozanne, Bredt,

and Old Neil. Their jobs include: attending to visitors, cleaning the

rooms, and writing case files and inventory registration lists. They

also guard the armory, storeroom, and the archives, strictly enforcing

the registration should someone wish to enter, take out or return an

item. Each of them has one day off a week, other than Sundays. They

negotiate among themselves on the arrangement of night shifts and rest

days."

"So is my job scope the same as Rozanne and the rest?" Klein swept away

his thoughts about Beyonders and tried to clarify his job

responsibilities.

"No, there's no need. You are a professional," said Dunn with a smile.

"You currently have two tasks. First, every morning or afternoon, go

take a stroll outside. Focus on the various streets that lead from

Welch's place to yours."

"What?" Klein was dumbfounded.

What kind of job is this?

Is that very professional?

Dunn inserted his hands into the pockets of his black trench coat and

said, "After you confirm that you have lost your memories, we will close

the case on Welch and Naya. Similarly, that diary of the Antigonus

family has vanished completely. We suspect that you brought it with you.

You might have hidden it on your way home which might be why we did not

find any clues at your place. This is also likely the reason why you

were not there and chose to commit suicide at home.

"Although you were mysteriously influenced and have forgotten this piece

of memory, the human spirit and brain is very fascinating, so there

might be residual traces. Daly might not be able to obtain them through

her means as a medium, but it does not mean that they do not exist.

Perhaps you will feel a sense of déjà vu at a familiar and critical

spot.

"That is what we wish to obtain."

"Got it." Klein was enlightened.

The Nighthawks' deduction of the diary's location was indeed reasonable.

He was the only one alive among the people involved. Only he had the

time and motive to take the diary away and hide it on his way back!

"If you can find the diary this way, you will likely make enough of a

contribution to become a Beyonder," encouraged Dunn, indirectly

revealing the importance of the diary.

"I hope." Klein nodded.

Dunn changed the subject again.

"Secondly, you get a day off every week. You can decide which day it is

for now. When you are not outside, go to our armory and read the

literature and canon books. This is a job for a professional historian.

When you finish them all, you will have to begin taking shifts with Old

Neil and the rest."

"Alright, no problem." Klein heaved a sigh of relief.

This is not something too difficult...

At this moment, Dunn turned his body halfway and pointed to the black

outward-swinging gates that was engraved with seven sacred emblems.

"This is Chanis Gate. It is named after the creator of the modern

Nighthawks system, Archbishop Chanis. There is one under the central

cathedral of every major city.

"It is guarded by formal Nighthawk members on rotation. Inside, there

are at least two 'Keepers' who are sent by the Church, as well as

countless traps. You must not approach it under any circumstances;

otherwise, misfortune will befall you."

"That sounds scary," Klein expressed his feelings.

"The area inside is divided into a few zones. Stored within are certain

potion formulas for certain Sequences and other magical materials. It is

also used to temporarily hold heretics, mutants, cultists, and members

of secret organizations. Heh heh, they will eventually be sent to the

Holy Cathedral," introduced Dunn in passing.

*Holy Cathedral? The headquarters of the Church of Evernight located in

the Winter County to the north of the kingdom, Cathedral of

Serenity?* Klein nodded slightly as though he was pondering over

the matter.

"In addition, there are all sorts of classified documents and records

inside. When you gain a higher clearance, you might have a chance of

reading them." Dunn hesitated for a moment before adding, "Behind the

Chanis Gate, there are also Sealed Artifacts in the basement."

"Sealed Artifacts?" Klein ruminated on the terms.

It sounded like a specialized term.

"Some of the extraordinary items we gather and retrieve are just too

important and magical. If they fall into the wrong hands, it would cause

immense destruction. Therefore, we have to keep it strictly confidential

and watch them carefully. Even we can only use it under special

circumstances. Besides..." With that said, Dunn paused for a moment

before continuing, "Besides, there are some things inside that are very

special. They had certain 'living' characteristics which can entice the

Keepers. It would influence the surroundings, attempt escape, and cause

catastrophic outcomes. They have to be strictly controlled."

"How fascinating," commented Klein wistfully.

"The Nighthawks headquarters have categorized these Sealed Artifacts

into four grades. Grade 0 represents Extremely Dangerous. They are of

the highest importance and of the highest confidentiality. They are not

to be inquired, disseminated, described, or spied. They can only be

sealed in the basement of the Holy Cathedral," described Dunn in detail.

"Grade 1 is Highly Dangerous. They can be used in limited ways. Their

security clearance is limited to diocesan bishops or Nighthawks deacons

and above. The central cathedral of diocese headquarters like Backlund

can store one to two artifacts. The rest will be handed over to the Holy

Cathedral.

"Grade 2 is Dangerous. They can be used with care and moderation. The

security clearance requires one to be a bishop or a Nighthawks team's

captain and above. The central cathedrals in the various cities can

store three to five artifacts. The rest will be turned into the Holy

Cathedral or the diocese headquarters. Grade 3 is Considerably

Dangerous. They have to be used carefully. It can only be requested for

operations that require three or more people. The security clearance

requires one to be a formal member of the Nighthawks."

"In the future, you will see the corresponding documents. Through the

numbers, you can understand what they represent. For instance, 2-125

means that it is a Dangerous grade Sealed Artifact No. 125."

As Dunn went on, he suddenly turned around and returned to his room. He

pulled out a piece of paper from the bottom of the drawer.

"By the way, take a look at this. Three years ago, a newly appointed

archbishop lost control. For some unknown reason, he stormed through the

various levels of protection and vanished mysteriously with a Grade 0

Sealed Artifact. Memorize this photo. If you discover him, do not alert

or disturb him. Return to report it immediately or the chance of you

dying in the line of duty is a thousand percent."

"What?" Klein received the piece of paper. There was no title on it,

just a black and white photo with a few lines of words.

"Ince Zangwill. Male. Forty years old. Former archbishop. A Gatekeeper

who failed in his promotion and was enticed by the devil and was

corrupted. He escaped with Sealed Artifact 0-08. Particular traits

are..."

The picture depicted Ince Zangwill as wearing an all-black clergyman

robe with buttons on both sides and a soft cap. His hair was dark blonde

and his pupils were so blue that it was nearly black. He had a high nose

and his lips were tightly pursed. His facial features were like a

classic sculpture without any wrinkles. The most striking characteristic

was that he was blind in one eye.

"The description of the corrupted is so detailed but the only thing

about the Sealed Artifact is its codename..." Klein honestly offered his

first impression.

"That's why it is at the highest security clearance. The search for

Sealed Artifacts No. 0-08 is only described verbally and never written

in words. Even so, the description will be little," said Dunn with a

sigh. "0-08 appears to be a common quill, but it does not need ink to

write. That's all."

Dunn did not dive deeper into the topic. He tugged at the golden chain

on his black trench coat and took out a gorgeous pocket watch of the

same color. He clicked it open and took a glance before pointing

outside.

"I've told you all you need to know. Go to the armory to find Old Neil.

Get him to arrange the documents that you need to read. He is no

ordinary civilian clerk. He was once a formal member, but due to his

advanced age, he failed to be promoted. His health is ailing, so it's no

longer suitable for him to handle cases. Furthermore, he does not wish

to become an internal Keeper or rest at home. All he wishes is to be

accompanied by documents and records."