Chapter 914: The Calling Deep Inside the Mausoleum

"..."

Upon seeing Admiral Hell Ludwell's reaction, Klein and the living crew

of the Black Tulip could hardly believe their eyes.

He originally imagined two scenarios:

The first was Ludwell requesting help from a Numinous Episcopate demigod

to ambush Gehrman Sparrow and the powerhouse backing him. This wasn't

impossible since Sequence 7 of the Death pathway was called Spirit

Medium. They also had the ability to sense impending danger.

The second was that Admiral Hell hadn't made any preparations. He tried

resisting but ended up being easily finished off by Mr. Azik.

Klein's plan was to have Mr. Azik deal with the demigod while he hunted

Admiral Hell in the first scenario, so as to obtain his second

marionette. If it were the second scenario, he could request Mr. Azik to

watch by the side as he controlled his marionette to challenge Ludwell

alone. During this process, he would use Creeping Hunger and hide in the

shadows, doing his best to stay behind the scenes so as to digest his

Marionette potion faster.

To his surprise, Admiral Hell didn't put up a fight at all. He directly

prostrated himself and kissed the deck as though he was Azik's most

loyal and humble servant.

How are we going to come to blows now... Klein stared ahead

blankly, somewhat at a loss for words.

And it was silent across the ship.

Azik raised his hand and pressed down on his silk hat as he walked

towards the prostrating Ludwell at a decent pace.

One step. Two steps. Three steps. He stopped in front of Ludwell and

said with a deep voice, "What stage has the Numinous Episcopate's

Artificial Death Project reached?"

Ludwell kept his forehead peeled to the ground as he hoarsely replied,

"Artificial Death can already influence High-Sequence Beyonders who

failed their advancements, but it is still unable to reply to prayers

and rituals..."

After the description, he slightly raised his torso and took off the

black, square-shaped ring from his right hand. Then, with both hands, he

offered it in front of him.

Silently, the ring seemed to be dragged by countless spirit bodies as it

flew up and landed in Azik's palm.

Azik studied it for a few seconds before wearing it on his left index

finger.

Suddenly, a terrifying and profound feeling was emanated from his body.

The zombies and skeletons who were either naked or wearing rotten

leather armor, genuflected, bowing their heads as though they only dared

to look at his boots. The flying wraiths and shadows landed on the deck

and clung closely to it. None of them dared to float in midair again.

The other pirates aboard the ship plopped to their knees, plastering

their faces to the deck without daring to raise them.

Klein stood to the side, watching Mr. Azik's back and the suddenly empty

scene. He turned agape, but he didn't say a word.

Azik took another two steps forward and came to Admiral Hell's side.

Then, he turned his body and faced Klein and said to Ludwell, "You shall

be his marionette for a year. When the time is up, you can return to the

spirit world."

Azik said those words without any inflection, as though he wasn't

determining Admiral Hell's life and death or future. Perhaps, to him,

this was a trivial matter that didn't need him to care for the thoughts

and feelings of the person being ordered.

Ludwell's body shook violently as though he was furious and indignant.

But ultimately, he didn't raise his head. He continued keeping his head

peeled to the deck.

"Yes, honorable Death Consul."

Just as he said that, ghastly white and dark green mysterious symbols

were accentuated as they meshed together, forming an illusory bronze

door.

The door rapidly contracted and was imprinted inside Admiral Hell's

forehead.

Klein looked in surprise and puzzlement. Only when Mr. Azik nodded at

him and pointed to Admiral Hell did he blankly step forward and enter a

ten-meter-radius. He began controlling Ludwell's Spirit Body Threads.

The pirate admiral almost leaped up a few times to flail his arms, but

none of that happened. Soon, his thoughts turned sluggish as he

subconsciously resisted.

After a while, the silver-masked Admiral Hell Ludwell stood up. Bowing

his head, he retreated to Klein's side and stood beside Winner Enzo.

Azik watched the entire process in silence before finally slowly saying,

"In the Death pathway, high-level Beyonders have extremely suppressive

powers over low-level Beyonders."

*...I can tell. Back when I threw your copper whistle, even the Sequence

5 Admiral Hell failed to control his undead creatures...* Klein

nodded gently, indicating that he had taken note of it.

Immediately after that, a zombie which had rotted in several areas rose

up. Carrying an azure-blue cufflink, it came before Klein.

It was the Murloc Cufflink he had lost!

*Although it's useless for the current me, I've finally gotten it

back...* As Klein was lost in poignancy, he reached out to

retrieve the item that belonged to him.

Then, he saw Mr. Azik walk back and reach out to grab his shoulder.

He hurriedly extended his arms to grab onto the shoulders of his

marionettes, Enzo and Ludwell.

All the colors saturated, brightened, and overlapped. Having entered the

spirit world, Klein instinctively asked, "Mr. Azik, where do we go

next?"

"Berserk Sea," Azik calmly replied.

He paused for a moment and then added, "Give me the copper whistle."

"...Alright." Klein made Enzo take out the iron cigar case and retrieve

the ancient cigar case.

Azik reached out and took it before saying in a deep voice, "My

intuition tells me that this ring left by Death, together with this

copper whistle and myself, should allow us to find the spot in the

Berserk Sea where Death perished back then."

Klein subconsciously said, "My dream tells me that it's very dangerous.

"Perhaps we should first find the Numinous Episcopate members who are

implementing the Artificial Death Project. We can make decisions after

receiving more detailed information from them."

Azik fell silent for a few seconds.

"A voice there is calling out to me."

Klein turned his head to look at Mr. Azik. He saw that this man with

soft facial features and weathered eyes had his facial contours

furrowed. He no longer had that slight curve to his lips.

Colors flashed by quickly as Azik brought Klein through the pitch-black

storm that enveloped the Berserk Sea.

At this moment, the dark square ring and the exquisite ancient brass

whistle shimmered slightly, illuminating Azik's face.

This Death Consul who had lived through the Fourth Epoch closed his eyes

as he silently listened to a shout that came from an unknown location.

Then, he suddenly clenched his right hand.

All the scenery from the nearby spirit world was imploding, turning into

a slowly-spinning black vortex whose borders couldn't be seen.

The vortex suddenly burgeoned, devouring Azik, Klein, and his two

marionettes.

Klein sensed a sudden and intense sense of dizziness as he nearly

vomited on the spot.

He recovered after an unknown period of time, realizing that he was

inside a dark, cold mausoleum. Around him were open coffins, and inside

them were rotting corpses with white feathers on their backs.

Although I warned Mr. Azik, we still ended up here... Klein

was taken aback for a second as he suddenly felt a deep sense of

helplessness.

He turned his head to look to the side and saw Azik standing near him.

He was staring intently at the flights of stairs that led deep into the

mausoleum.

There was a thick black gas emanating in the area as they slowly swirled

like smog.

"The one hiding in there might very well be Artificial Death..." Klein

couldn't help but warn.

Azik's facial contours were no longer as taut as he curved the corners

of his mouth.

"My slumber from before has allowed me to recall many more things. I saw

myself seated on a bone throne, and I saw Beyonders and ordinary people

lying dead in front of the throne. They hadn't done anything wrong, but

they died sudden deaths all the same. One by one, they got up, turning

into ghastly undead creatures, undead creatures that pledged allegiance

to me.

"And I was just coldly watching them without any emotional fluctuations.

I allowed the disaster to spread through the village and into the city.

"This made me feel unlike myself. However, I also knew very well that

this might be the real me."

As Death Consul from the Fourth Epoch's Balam Empire...?

Klein's lips quivered slightly before he pursed them tightly.

Azik rubbed his temples and continued in an unperturbed tone, "I sense

myself returning to that past."