Chapter 799: Spying

North Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.

Just as Klein entered the main prayer hall, he used the points of light

that shone from the back of the altar to survey his surroundings, taking

in all the believers inside.

In one glance, Klein rapidly locked onto a target. He followed the aisle

and walked forward without showing any abnormal signs.

In the first row was an elder wearing a black clergyman's robe, but he

exuded a cold aura. His face was pale, and his hair was withered and

yellow. He had his eyes closed tightly as he prayed with great focus. He

was one of the Keepers that Klein had previously sensed.

His shift is usually on Friday... Klein didn't approach him

and instead sat two pews away from him. After finding a spot to sit

down, he handed over his hat and cane to Richardson.

Then, while sitting down, he tapped his left thumb on the first segment

of his index finger twice, silently activating his Spirit Body Threads

vision.

Suddenly, black illusory threads appeared in front of Klein as they

densely extended out of different Spirit Bodies endlessly.

Having just taken his seat, Klein shifted his gaze, casting it onto the

Keeper.

He nearly exclaimed from what he saw, but thanks to his self-control as

a Clown, and his ability to expect abnormal situations, he managed to

relax and maintain his staid attitude.

In his vision, although the yellow-haired elder had Spirit Body Threads

extending out, his body was entirely black in color on the inside as the

darkness swallowed the origins of the illusory threads in a way that was

completely different from ordinary Beyonders!

*Indeed, they have already been eroded by the core seal, causing a

mutation at the level of the soul... From the looks of it, the problem

is closer to my second guess. They are, in a sense, part of the core

seal. Once they show signs of losing control, they will immediately

trigger the item's instinctive reaction that forcefully quells them...

It's no wonder the Keepers need to be a voluntary role and be advanced

in their years. They probably understand the outcome...* Klein

sighed as he prepared to deactivate his Spirit Body Threads senses and

retract his gaze.

At this moment, he saw a pair of eyes. They were black without any

emotions within.

Beside the eyes, there were pronounced wrinkles that extended bit by

bit, as though they were distorted, strange mysterious symbols.

They were the Keeper's eyes!

At some point in time, he had straightened his body, turned around, and

looked blankly at Dwayne Dantès!

Klein's scalp instantly went numb as he forced a smile and nodded at him

as though it was a normal meeting of eyes.

The Keeper slowly moved his head as a response.

Then, Klein felt as though he was extracted from his surroundings as

things turned blurry before turning clear.

At that instant, he knew that he had been pulled into a dream.

Hence, as he maintained his image as Dwayne Dantès, he sized up his

surroundings, only to realize that he was still inside Saint Samuel

Cathedral. However, all the pews were either damaged or overturned and

strewn everywhere. It looked as though it had met with a raid.

The altar up ahead was filled with cracks and weeds. The thick layer of

dust made it seem like it had been in such desolate conditions since a

long time ago.

The Keeper with yellow, withered hair was in front of the collapsed

donation box, coldly staring at Dwayne Dantès who was suited in black.

Upon seeing Klein look over, he widened his mouth to reveal white,

sharp, irregular teeth.

And these teeth were embedded with blurry, indistinct, and tiny figures.

They had complete facial features and limbs, and their expressions were

different but were colored with the same pain as though they were

imprisoned there and unable to escape.

"Grunt..." The Keeper's throat let out a growl that sounded like a beast

as his back hunched over.

By his spine and waist, his clothes swelled as four blood-vessel-covered

arms without any skin grew out.

Right on the heels of that, they grew fine black hair as the tips of his

fingers grew sharp nails with a smacking sound.

In just three short seconds, the Keeper who looked normal had turned

into an eight-legged monster that sprawled on the ground. It looked like

a spider that had silently woven its web in the night while awaiting its

prey, and also like a deformed black wolf that struck intense fear into

one's heart.

Meanwhile, two gigantic palms filled with black hair extended out of the

desolate altar without any warning. They pressed onto the sides as black

gas condensed into slippery tentacles that extended in every direction.

Soon, they filled the entire prayer hall.

The aura that left him trembling, the extreme sense of fear, and the

huge, illusory figure were penetrating an invisible barrier as they

manifested more clearly.

He lost control? That Keeper lost control? Klein stood there,

subconsciously wishing to react and use his uniqueness to forcibly

escape the dream, but suddenly, he figured out the series of events that

had happened. His expression changed as he wore a terrified expression

as he ran to the door, trembling. It looked like he was struggling in a

dream.

In the time it took to take a breath, a dark chill spread out from the

outside world like a tidal wave, inundating the entire dream and

quelling everything.

Klein snapped his eyes open and realized that he had fallen asleep at

some point in time. As for the yellow-haired Keeper, he had long turned

his head to continue praying.

Dwayne Dantès's eyes darted around as he looked around in horror as

though he was still immersed in the dream and unable to escape the

horror that had gripped him.

After nearly a minute, he took two deep breaths and looked at the Sacred

Emblem again, drawing a sign of the crimson moon on his chest.

Only then did Klein have the time to recall the experience he had and

began speculating as to what had happened.

*As I had spied on his Spirit Body Threads, it caused him to show signs

of losing control; thus, causing an excessive reaction by pulling me

into a dream and attempting to deal with me?*

*Later, the core seal behind Chanis Gate sensed the anomaly and quelled

the problem...*

*Now, the crux of the matter is if the Keeper still remembers the source

of his near-mutation... If he's already used to it, he should find the

cause of the problem very vague considering his present state... Of

course, it might not be my problem. Perhaps he was already on the brink

of losing control...* Klein looked at the elder once again to

observe what he would do next to determine how he should react.

*If all else fails, I'll directly use Creeping Hunger and escape with

Traveling...* Klein rapidly made up his mind as he patiently

waited for the possible repercussions.

A few minutes later, he saw Bishop Elektra walk in from the side door

towards him.

Klein's heart tightened as he spread open his left fingers in

preparation to activate Creeping Hunger.

At that moment, he suddenly had an idea and stopped his actions.

*If the Keeper has already informed the bishops about my problematic

situation via a dream, I would be the victim of a collective assault by

the Church's Beyonders. After all, pulling me into a dream can avoid

harming the other believers. Therefore, they have no need to find a

bishop I'm familiar with to come over... It's likely more to extend

their regards and to placate me...* Klein retracted his gaze and

continued a praying pose.

In less than a minute, he finally sensed someone approach as he looked

up and saw Bishop Elektra softly say, "You don't look too well?"

"I fell asleep without realizing it and had a nightmare. I still feel a

little afraid," Klein said with a self-deprecating smile.

Bishop Elektra sat beside him and said in a staid manner, "Dreams are

sometimes the manifestation of the fear within you.

"You will feel better as long as you sincerely pray to the Goddess and

consume holy water.

"Of course, the most important thing is to not suppress yourself

usually. Learn to confess to the Goddess. At times, wailing in secret

can reduce a lot of your stress."

Klein secretly observed the bishop's attitude and read his tone before

heaving a sigh of relief.

"I understand."

He cast his gaze forward again, bowed his head, and clasped his hands to

begin praying silently.

While doing so, he saw the Keeper in front of him stand up and walk to

the side door where a bishop was waiting.

Phew... Klein silently exhaled as he truly became one with the

serene environment.

Suddenly, he heard a voice that was his, but it wasn't something that he

could control.

"Did you think what you did was well-hidden?

*"No! Not at all! Have you forgotten that you've touched the Evernight

Goddess's Holy Artifact?"*