Chapter 753 The Final Clue
Late at night, Bansi Harbor, which was once bustling because it was located on various shipping lanes, has now become a ruin. There are many traces of charred marks like those after an explosion, and there are also broken walls that look like they have been ravaged by a strong wind. Except for the faint sound of waves and the chirping of birds in the corner, it seems dead silent.
"At least three people in a group, bring weapons and lanterns, even if you have night vision!"
The captain of the Blue Avenger, Alger, the "Hanged Man", gave orders to the crew beside him in a loud voice. These impatient sailors responded casually and got off the ship in groups, heading straight for the port ruins in the night.
They had long heard that there were many valuables such as gold buried here that the residents had not had time to take away when they left in a hurry. Even though many brave ships had docked and searched here in the past few months, there should be quite a lot left.
Alger frowned as he watched his crew quickly disperse into the ruins and disappear. He seemed to strongly disapprove of this trip to Bansy Harbor. It was not until he himself stepped off the ship and entered the depths of the ruins alone that his expression regained composure.
Those so-called rumors were actually spread by him himself, of course, because of Mr. "World"'s commission.
In this way, even if the church discovered a problem later, the first person to be investigated would be the sailor who proposed to "make a fortune", rather than the captain who held opposing views.
Feeling proud of his plan, Alger walked along the main road he remembered and arrived in front of the collapsed Storm Church. After a moment of silence, he walked towards a small building with some thick cables exposed on the side.
I remember this was the telegraph office in Bansy Harbor. It looked like it had been completely destroyed... Alger held the "Poison Blade" in one hand and pressed the crown of the "Magic Pocket Watch" with the other, carefully approaching the small section of the telegraph office's outer wall that remained.
After passing two slightly strange blood trails, he found the only noteworthy thing along the way.
It was a mural that seemed to have been carved with a knife and was deeply imprinted on a broken wall. It depicted a monster wearing armor, with an octopus head and holding a trident. It was surrounded by lightning and storms. Although it was not colored, it showed a kind of violence beneath the calm.
As soon as he saw the mural, Alger couldn't help but look away. His expression became stiff, and his heart was in turmoil.
That was the image of the "Lord of Storms" that he had seen at the Tarot Club, distorted by the "Redemption Rose"!
It wasn't until a few seconds later when there was no more thunder in the sky that Alger breathed a sigh of relief.
"Members of the 'Redemption Rose' have been to Bansy Harbor, and it was after it was destroyed. Well, I was here at the end of April, and the painting wasn't there then, so it must have been within the last two months... Is this the clue the 'world' is looking for?"
Muttering to himself, Alger pretended nothing had happened and turned to leave the telegraph office. He did not pray to the Lord of Storms, nor did he destroy the painting to prove his innocence.
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"Evil spirits, 'Redemption Roses,' and murals provoking the Storm Lord appear between May and June..."
Above the gray fog, Klein the Fool leaned back in his chair, pondering the clues at hand.
He was already 70% certain that the one possessing Ince Zangwill was the Fourth Epoch "evil spirit" from the underground ruins in Backlund's west district. The latter knew of the existence of the Redemption Rose and had recently escaped from the ruins through the actions of Feysac and Intis's spies. At the same time, Ince Zangwill had left the northern continent and begun to head south...
If it was the "Red Angel" Medici, then what was its purpose in possessing him, and why did it choose Ince Zangwill, who possessed "0-08" and was likely to escape its control?
It also made various strange moves, painting distorted images of gods in the Medici family's territory destroyed by the "Storm Church", provoking the "War Bishop" and making public appearances, looking for someone to exorcise the evil spirits, and then playing hide-and-seek with the Goddess Church...
Klein's gaze shifted to the "Blasphemy Cards" placed on the table. The unused "Red Priest" card sat alone in the corner.
Red Angel, Red Priest... The former is also known as the "Angel of War" in legend...
His eyes lit up and he thought of the key to the problem.
————
“Dongdong——”
Leonard Mitchell knocked on the door diagonally across from his lounge.
A moment later, Daly Simone, who had already taken off her daytime disguise and looked a little pale, opened the door. Seeing that it was an acquaintance, she raised her eyebrows and asked:
"Another late-night meeting? Can't you give ladies who love beauty a little beauty sleep?"
She had complained countless times about the habit of these "Red Gloves" members, mainly "sleepless people", to gather together late at night to discuss cases.
"There is indeed a meeting, but it will be in half an hour. I have some questions for you."
Leonard answered honestly to avoid the lady's sexually suggestive teasing.
"Excuse me? Are young people so polite when talking about that kind of thing these days?"
But his efforts still failed. After some sarcasm, Daly opened the door and let the man in.
Not daring to glance at the lady's messy room, Leonard sat on the round stool, looked at the floor, and got straight to the point:
"I want to know everything about 'The Evil Spirit'."
"That's too broad," Daly shook her head and rejected his question. "The formation of evil spirits, their territories, habits, or what they fear. If you really want to investigate something, you might as well be direct."
Leonard hesitated, unsure whether he should tell Daly, who was still unaware of his connection with Klein, about the letter he had just received. After a moment, he carefully asked:
"If there's an evil spirit with a high Sequence in its previous life, trapped somewhere because it can't leave its 'territory,' can it gain true freedom by possessing another person?"
"Of course they can, but even high-sequence Beyonders can't withstand the prolonged exploitation of high-level evil spirits and will quickly weaken or die. The principle is similar to that of a vengeful spirit possessing a person..." Daly glanced at the hesitant Leonard with some surprise and continued, "The only exception is Beyonders above Sequence 5 of the Death God Path. They have their own small underworlds and can usually tame some natural spirits for their own use. Of course, they can also accommodate real evil spirits."
Sequence 5, "Gatekeeper"... Leonard pondered for a moment, further confirming the accuracy of the information provided by Klein. After a moment of silence, he continued:
"So, what would an evil spirit that escapes its 'territory' desire most?"
"Some of it is their obsessions from their lifetime, like searching for their killer or visiting their loved ones... Of course, evil spirits are the remnants of paranoid and insane minds, and generally don't do anything good...
"Moreover, all evil spirits have two tendencies. The first is to absorb the souls of living beings, just like living people need to consume coffee and tobacco. Souls are not necessary for them, but they make them feel happy. The second is to seek out extraordinary materials from their past lives. They don't need to prepare potions, they can be 'contained' by eating them raw. This will allow them to break free from the various restrictions of evil spirits and eventually transform into special spiritual creatures..."
After a pause, Daly said with a somewhat vague look in her eyes:
"...The messenger you summoned last time was one of these powerful and special spiritual creatures."
No wonder the old man called the headless messenger "Him". He was a true angel in life, and should have recovered some of his strength... Leonard thought with some fear, and then realized that Ms. Daly had discovered some of his "specialness". He pursed his lips and remained silent.
"Haha, do you think I haven't noticed your abnormality?"
Seeing his expression change, Daly chuckled, glanced at the closed door, and continued:
"Although I don't know what powers you possess or what secrets you hide...but as long as we're dealing with Ince Zangwill, we're on the same page. You can always seek my help."
Is it really okay to say this in the Nighthawks' base... Leonard's chest tightened, and he bent over like a thief. His mouth moved twice, and as if he had made up his mind, he suddenly raised his head and said:
"That guy seems to be possessed by an evil spirit, and it's very likely an evil spirit from the Hunter path..."
To his surprise, Daly did not show much surprise. She just nodded slowly and said in a slow tone:
"Then, he should possess some provocative instinct, proactively leaving clues to mislead our investigation... In addition, he will search for the extraordinary properties of this path to allow the evil spirit to recover its strength and escape from the possession... We will need tacit cooperation in the meeting later!"
At the end of her speech, she stood up from her chair, her pale face flushed with excitement.
————
A street kebab shop in the lower city of Kukwa, Uttar Pradesh.
Danitz, who disguised his hair and skin to look like a local with black hair and brown skin, wolfed down the local barbecue. He looked curiously at Anderson Hood across the table, swallowed the meat, and said,
"Why don't you leave here? After I complete my mission and leave, are you willing to stay alone in this city with local people?"
Anderson, who hadn't disguised himself because there was no reward, looked bewildered, but he didn't hesitate to grab the barbecue. He didn't answer until he had gathered his own portion.
"I don't know either, but I have a feeling I don't want to leave this place, as if... there are some treasures waiting for me to discover. Maybe this is the intuition of a treasure hunter, haha."
Damn intuition, you're trying to steal my harvest... Danitz muttered. Fortunately, he didn't wear the gloves made with the Beyonder characteristics of "Guardian" Groselle for the convenience of eating, and did not recklessly provoke the Sequence 5 "Hunter" in front of him.
Especially after he reappeared in West Balam two months after his disappearance, and seemed mentally unstable.
————
"The evil spirits of the Hunter Path have a strong demand for Beyonder characteristics of the same path..."
The message that "World" Klein conveyed through Mr. Fool flashed through Angel's mind. He was stunned for a moment and took out the two "Hunter" path items he owned from the "Mirror Space".
"Iron Knight" characteristics and "Reaper Legion".
Based on Ince Zangwill's behavioral characteristics, these two items would be the most effective "bait" for him.
But is everything really that simple?
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