Chapter 316 Arrodes
The entire battle actually lasted only about a minute. As Isengard Stanton said, if they could hold on for another minute, the team hidden nearby by the "Mechanical Heart" would rush here and solve the problem with absolute military advantage.
But unfortunately, the "Apostle of Desire" was too cautious. Even though he fell into a trap, even though he used the unexpected "mental shock" to severely injure everyone present and got the opportunity to fight back, his primary goal was still to save himself, rather than risk killing some of the extraordinary people present.
While all the extraordinary people in the audience were stunned by the "mental shock", he could already sense the "Mechanical Heart" approaching rapidly from the street. Even further away, there were two other teams, full of "danger" targeting him, rapidly approaching the street.
So he fled the scene without hesitation.
The "Mechanical Heart" team that broke in was led by a middle-aged man with brown hair and a hard-lined face. He was dressed in a trench coat and a top hat like all the official Beyonders of Backlund, and held a peculiarly shaped revolver in his hand.
He was the first one to enter the house. After seeing the situation clearly, he immediately ordered the other teammates to rush to the back door and try to track down the escaping "Apostle of Desire". However, in less than two minutes, he led the team back to the living room with an unwilling look on his face.
"He was seriously injured. The ground was covered in black blood, but he had already escaped."
He murmured, looking at Kaslana and her assistant who were helping each other to stand up, Isengard who climbed up from behind the sofa by himself, and Angel who sat down on the sofa with Sherlock's help.
"Did you see his face clearly just now?"
Another Mechanical Heart asked, holding a metal vessel in his hands. It looked like a washbasin and was about the same size. Inside was the black slime collected from the back door. This was not only the blood of the "Apostle of Desire", but also part of his flesh. It was transformed into a viscous black liquid by some extraordinary ability. It could be used to hide the body and avoid attacks. Just by looking at it with the naked eye, it felt like it was filled with all kinds of negative and pessimistic emotions.
"Only his eyes were visible, which were blue, and the rest of his body was covered in this liquid."
The one who answered was Sherlock. He had hardly been attacked in the previous battle. Even when he was affected by the "mental shock", most of the madness he showed was an act, with the purpose of confusing the "Apostle of Desire" and waiting for the Mechanical Heart team to come and encircle him.
He glanced at Angel, who was sitting on the sofa next to him with a strange red face, and wondered how much of her reaction was true and how much was false.
"It doesn't matter, we have other options."
The Mechanical Heart member replied, putting down the "washbasin" and looking at his captain with a look that was not sure whether it could be considered expectation.
The latter took two steps forward, took off his hat and placed it on the coffee table to the side, revealing his messy brown hair. He found a still intact sofa and sat down, nodding slightly to the gathered Beyonders, and said:
"Hello everyone. This is most of you meeting me for the first time. I'm Ikanser Bernard of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery," he paused before continuing. "I'll be using a magical item to investigate the movements of the 'Apostle of Desire.' Although Mr. Stanton and I have an agreement that your identities will not be considered during this operation, if you intentionally or unintentionally leak any information, this agreement will be immediately voided."
Angel suppressed the various impulses that surged in her heart and listened to the warnings of the Mechanical Heart. She knew that most of these words were directed at her. Isengard, Kaslana, and Sherlock were all detectives registered with the official Beyonders and were also victims of threatening letters. Only she was considered a "wild Beyonder of unknown origin."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another Mechanical Heart asking Lydia, an assistant who was not a Beyonder, to leave the living room, leaving only the official and unofficial Beyonders.
"I see. Thanks for the reminder."
When she opened her mouth to respond, Angel realized that her voice was a little hoarse. Sherlock handed her a cup of coffee that had already gone cold under the frosty air. She thanked him, took the coffee and drank it all in one gulp, and felt her dry throat felt much better.
Ikanser waited until the door was closed before he breathed a sigh of relief and took from another team member an ancient silver mirror decorated with black gems on both sides. It was about the size of a magazine and had a strange concentric pattern on the back.
He held the silver mirror in one hand and gently stroked the surface three times with the other hand. After a brief pause, he spoke:
"Respected Arrodes, my question is..."
He hesitated, as if having trouble deciding which question to ask.
His eyes wandered between the basin of black liquid and the messy living room. After a moment, he continued:
"...Where is the demon that attacked here just now?"
As he finished his question, the surrounding gas lamps suddenly dimmed, as if covered by an extra lampshade, and the surface of the ancient silver mirror was filled with a strange water light, revealing a scene as if Angel was performing a magic mirror divination.
In a deep sewer, a black shadow was moving along the wall at an extremely fast speed. Most of the time, it stuck to the wall like a two-dimensional painting, but when it turned a corner or changed direction, it would transform into a human form and run a few steps on its feet.
The image in the mirror followed the shadow closely, unaffected by the darkness underground and the ever-changing speed.
The moment the black shadow regained its human form, everyone present saw his profile. Although it was also covered in dark liquid, he had high cheekbones, a protruding chin, and a pair of cold blue eyes.
"The sewers don't have any particular features, and our exact location is unclear. Furthermore, he moves very quickly. Even if we could locate him, it would probably be difficult to catch him..."
"At least we know what he looks like, and we have some clues..."
"It's difficult. I know quite a few people who look like this. There are probably countless in Backlund."
Several Mechanical Hearts were discussing in low voices. One member, who had been prepared, quickly drew a profile sketch, then tore off the page and carefully put it away. This would become the focus of their next search.
Angel also looked at this silver mirror, which was obviously a sealed object, with curiosity. It actually located the other party directly with just a tiny bit of information. You have to know that this is the "criminal" path of Sequence 5, with an almost impenetrable anti-divination ability. If she used an ordinary magic mirror for divination, she would probably get a dark failure.
Furthermore, this mirror actually has its own name, Arrodes. It's probably an important Sealed Artifact, at least Level 2, possibly even Level 1... To be able to use it, this Ikanser must be a butler or the leader of a team similar to the Red Gloves, meaning Sequence 6 or higher...
Just as she was guessing, the image on the surface of the silver mirror disappeared and a few lines of words appeared instead.
“According to the principle of reciprocity, it is my turn to ask questions.
"If you answer incorrectly, or lie, you will be punished."
The last word seemed to be written in blood, and it was even dripping down.
Including the knowledgeable Isengard, several "outsiders" swallowed their saliva and looked at Ikanser, whose face was a little pale.
Several Mechanical Hearts subconsciously took a few steps away from him.
The middle-aged man, who was suspected to be a deacon of the Steam Church, licked his dry lips and his expression became serious.
The original words on the silver mirror disappeared, and a new line appeared as the water light flashed.
"Will you break your promise for profit or other reasons?"
As if he couldn't believe the question was so simple, Ikanser leaned his head closer to "Arrodes" and carefully confirmed it. Then he glanced at Angel next to him, and quickly retracted his gaze.
"Won't."
He answered softly.
After a moment, the words on the mirror completely disappeared, returning to a silver surface that could barely reflect the surrounding scene.
The onlookers looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling that the matter had ended too simply, which did not fit the dangerous nature of the "Sealed Artifact". This was especially true for the several "Mechanical Hearts". They had previously distanced themselves from their captain, obviously trying to avoid some danger, but now they looked at each other with confusion on their faces.
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