Chapter 508: Don't Go Out
Unlike mainland cities such as Backlund, Tingen, and Pritz Harbor,
colonial islands such as Bansy Harbor lacked gas. The lamps lining the
two sides of the street were sparse. They had candles caged in glass,
waiting to be lit.
Unfortunately, the wind had picked up early, so no one went out in the
evening. The candles didn't shine at the predetermined time, and the
road was pitch black. The faint outline of the crimson moon shone
through the clouds.
Compared to before, the wind was much calmer. At the very least, Klein
didn't need to be distracted keeping his hat on.
The thin fog gradually pervaded the air, and the doors and windows of
the mainly two-story houses were shut tight. It was pitch black and
devoid of any light, as though no one had lived in the area for a long
time.
With a yellow lantern in one hand and a hard wooden cane in the other,
Klein walked quickly down the quiet street in the direction of the Green
Lemon Restaurant which Blazing Danitz had pointed out.
Woosh!
Amidst the fog, the wind began to swirl as Klein felt a baffling chill
down his neck.
He lifted his right hand, which held the cane, and propped up the collar
of his double-breasted frock coat, completely covering his neck.
It was at this moment that a scene suddenly appeared in his mind!
In the scene, a black shadow the size of a watermelon appeared from the
fog and lunged for his ear.
Without thinking, Klein swung his arm and forearm and struck out with
his cane.
Bam!
Just as the black shadow came close, it was struck head-on and sent
flying a long distance away.
With the help of the lantern's light, Klein finally recognized the thing
that had attacked him.
It was a head!
It was a head that had lost its body, a head that had its esophagus
hanging down!
The head floated in midair, its face resembling dried cheese with mildew
all over it. There was a yellowish-green liquid flowing down its skin as
it outlined the face's contours.
There were only two black holes left where its nose was supposed to be.
Its bulging eyes were mostly white without much black. Its lips were
mostly rotten, revealing sharpened teeth mixed with blood!
Dogsh\t!* Blazing Danitz silently cursed when he saw this
scene, his heart trembling.
Even though he had embarked on many treasure hunts and had fought many
monsters, such a disgusting and horrifying thing was still rare.
At some point in time, a classic revolver had appeared in his hand, and
he was about to fire it with his elbow held down.
At this moment, he saw a pure ray of light descend from the sky, landing
on the somewhat stiff head.
Ah!
A blood-curdling screech rang out, and the shriveled and hideous head
was quickly vaporized before dissolving into ashes. It didn't leave a
single trace behind.
How weak! Danitz subconsciously commented.
*Is this monster, Gehrman Sparrow, from the Sun pathway? Doesn't look
like it... He likely relied on what should be some sort of mystical
item... I didn't even realize it just now, but Gehrman Sparrow had
already discovered the enemy and attacked. He really is very
strong...* Danitz quickly turned his attention to something
else.
Just as his thoughts were settling down, he saw a similar head fly out
from the fog to his side from the corner of his eye. It was trying to
bite his neck.
Bang!
Danitz calmly pulled the trigger.
The brass bullet accurately hit the head covered in mold, shattering the
head's glabella as it fell backwards and stopped in midair.
Soon after, a crimson ball quickly expanded above Danitz's empty left
palm, and a fiery light began to swirl.
He leaned forward and dragged his arm before "throwing" the fire ball,
causing it to crash into the stiff head.
Flames soared up as the head burned red. The skin on the head quickly
charred, emitting a sizzling sound.
However, it lunged forward with its mouth wide open, ready to bite
Danitz's neck as though it wasn't affected.
This turn of events was somewhat out of Danitz's expectations. He nearly
failed to dodge in time, and he hurriedly rolled forward, barely dodging
fatal damage.
A bright scarlet color appeared on his left palm once again, but the
flame didn't expand this time. Instead, it shrunk, layer by layer.
Within a second, Danitz threw out the orange fireball, which was only
the size of an eye, while dodging.
The fireball was controlled by his spirituality. It drew an arc in the
air and accurately flew into the mouth of the shriveled head.
Boom!
The fiery light flashed, and the explosion splintered the flying head
from the inside out. Countless pieces of it, along with its blood,
splashed everywhere.
I've finally finished it... Danitz rolled to his feet and
breathed a sigh of relief.
Only then did he realize that this monster which only had a head wasn't
easy to deal with. Yet, Gehrman Sparrow had killed one with ease.
*It's mainly because the Beyonder powers in the Sun domain restrains
such things!* Danitz added scornfully in his heart.
As he thought of this, he turned his head to the side and realized that
Gehrman Sparrow hadn't waited for him. With his cane and lantern, he was
jogging into the distance, his black coat fluttering behind him
slightly.
...Dogsh\t! Wait for me... Wait for me!* Danitz's pupils
contracted as he widened his pace to chase after the man. He didn't dare
to stay on his own in the thin fog and dim surroundings.
Inside the Green Lemon Restaurant.
Donna looked at the white porcelain bowl in front of her and the dark
red blood cakes in it. She thought of the strange horror she felt when
seeing the customers eating just now, as well as the blood oozing out of
the headless cloaked man's neck.
Her throat moved and she almost vomited.
Donna decided to give up the delicacy, even though the fragrance had
already seeped into her nose.
She ate some salad and mashed potatoes without much thought and waited
for the wind outside to die down. She felt the clock on the wall moving
ever so slowly.
Time passed by the second. The customers at the table paid their bills
and left the second floor. The second floor became quieter and quieter
as it turned emptier and emptier.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Donna felt that the sound of feet on the
wooden steps as they descended were frustrating.
Finally, she noticed that the trees outside were no longer swaying, and
the ground was littered with all sorts of junk.
"The wind has stopped!" Donna said, pointing excitedly to the window.
Her father, an import and export merchant, Urdi Branch, pinched his
forehead and growled, "Where's your table manners, Donna?"
"But..." Just as Donna was about to argue, Cleves raised his palm and
pressed it down.
"It's 7:40 p.m. and we're almost done with dinner. Let's head back as
soon as possible. There are many nasty legends about the night in Bansy
Harbor."
Every merchant who depended on the sea for a living was more or less
superstitious, especially when it came to the legends of the natives.
Therefore, Urdi fell silent and agreed with Cleves's suggestion.
He quickly foot the bill and led his family and bodyguards down to the
first floor.
Cleves was about to open the door to find his way when a creaking sound
came from a nearby room. Donna almost screamed out in fright and gripped
Denton's hand tightly.
A figure walked out, glanced at them, and calmly said, "It's fogged up.
It's best not to go out."
The figure wore a black tailcoat without a hat. There was a pair of
glasses on the bridge of his nose. His face was fleshy and almost
circular.
"What are you trying to convey, Mr. Fox?" Cleves recognized him to be
the owner of the Green Lemon Restaurant.
Fox said without much of an expression, "In Bansy, during the nights
when the fog and weather drastically changes, it's best not to go out or
respond to any knockings. Otherwise, one might encounter... bad things."
The more Donna listened, the more scared she became. She loudly
emphasized, "People have already left ahead of us!"
Fox pointed to the rooms on the first floor.
"They chose to stay."
Creak! Thud!
As soon as Fox's voice fell, the doors to the various rooms opened
either softly or heavily. The gentlemen and ladies from before came to
the doors and quietly watched Donna and her family, who were considering
to leave.
"Perhaps we should respect the customs here," Urdi Branch said in
deliberation. "Staying a night here won't affect our boarding of the
ship."
According to the experience Cleves was equipped with, he should've
followed Fox's advice and stayed at the Green Lemon Restaurant, but he
remembered Gehrman Sparrow's reminder. It was a reminder of a powerful
adventurer who was watching Blazing Danitz!
There is danger dormant in Bansy Harbor... It doesn't refer to
it being indoors or outdoors... Cleves quickly made his decision and
said to Urdi, "Mr. Branch, please trust in my profession."
"Yeah, I've seen a lot of folklore, but none of them are pragmatic,"
another bodyguard agreed.
Before he finished his sentence, knocking sounds came from the
restaurant's door and a series of screams could be heard from afar.
"Look, there are knocking sounds. Don't respond," Fox said slowly.
Urdi's heart palpitated as he was about to choose to stay the night.
Donna looked at the gentlemen and ladies standing at their doorways, and
she felt that their gazes looked abnormally weird.
"No, we have to return!" the young lady stressed, almost screaming.
Cleves could also feel the indescribable pressure and the coldness that
seeped through his bones, and he once again stressed his opinion.
"If there are any problems, then it'll be more dangerous staying here.
There are cannons on the ship, as well as sailors with guns and sabers."
This reason convinced Urdi, who motioned for Cleves to open the door.
Cleves waited for the knocking to subside, then with one hand holding a
gun, he pulled open the door with the other.
The wind's howling had quietened and the darkness was deep amidst the
spreading fog. It was as if there were many monsters hidden within.
Donna held her younger brother, Denton, and, hiding behind Cecile, left
the restaurant one step at a time.
Creak!
The door to the restaurant suddenly closed, preventing them from
returning.
At this moment, they were like ships stranded in a storm, as though they
were the only ones left in this world.
With the lantern in hand, Cleves walked in front when he suddenly saw
something fly over and crash into the ground, rolling a few times.
Donna and the others subconsciously looked over and immediately let out
cries of terror.
It was a shriveled, rotting head!
Then they saw light.
Light fell from the sky, and the disgusting head melted into
nothingness.
"This..." Urdi and the others swallowed hard, their bodies trembling.
At that moment, they saw a faint yellow light approaching from the
depths of the fog.
It was a figure holding a lantern, wearing a half top hat and a
double-breasted frock coat which shared the same color as the night. The
lines of his face were distinct, and there was an obvious sharpness in
the coldness.
"Uncle Sparrow!" Donna and Denton cried out.
They felt their hearts settle down.
Klein tossed the lantern to Danitz beside him, and he walked over with
his cane in hand before calmly saying to Cleves and the others as if
nothing was out of the ordinary, "Let's go to the telegraph office
first.
"What about the Timothys?"