In the rarely traversed alley, the surroundings grew increasingly dim. A cold, chilling wind blew in gusts, and though it wasn't like a blade that could cut the face, it seemed to possess a form of magic, slowly and resolutely seeping through the layers of clothing.
Disguised as Gehrman Sparrow, Klein lifted a hand to adjust the bowler hat on his head, watching as Miss "Magician," wrapped in a dark scarf and a thick woolen overcoat, carrying a suitcase that looked quite heavy, cautiously entered the alley.
—In the
Klein withdrew his left hand, with its "Sloshing Pouch," from his pocket, flexed his five fingers, and asked:
"Are your manuscripts ready?"
Fors felt a cold draft blow in from her neck and instinctively hunched her shoulders.
"At least enough for two weeks of serialization.
"I've already handed them over to the newspaper editor."
Before Gehrman Sparrow could ask more, she quickly added:
"I brought my pen, ink, and manuscript paper."
Klein gave a slight nod, stepped forward two paces, and reached out to grasp Miss "Magician's" shoulder.
Fors immediately focused her concentration, her eyes reflecting an illusory, slowly turning book.
The environment around her immediately became richly saturated: reds grew redder, blacks grew blacker, browns grew deeper, layering and intertwining in a somewhat hallucinatory way.
Fors had already fully adapted to this state, successfully "recording" this "journey," and she carefully observed the "scenery" along the way, mentally "imprinting" the one after another strangely shaped, difficult-to-precisely-describe Spirit World creatures.
After a few breaths, her vision went black, and she felt a coldness unlike any she had experienced before, making her body tremble uncontrollably.
Instinctively, Fors used a trick to illuminate her surroundings and looked around, discovering herself inside a wooden cabin. "World" Gehrman Sparrow had already vanished without a trace.
*Where is this place?* Fors looked towards the window, only to see something heavily piled up there, allowing no light to shine through.
This made her even more puzzled. She walked to the door, extended her right hand, and pulled the door open towards her.
With a creaking sound, she saw white snow, piled so high it had blocked the exit.
Fors stood frozen there, Gehrman Sparrow's earlier reminder echoing in her mind:
"Keep warm..."
In just that short minute or two, Klein had already taken a trip over the sea, using the prey he had long selected to pacify the "Sloshing Pouch," and returned to the rented room in
Actually, in Klein's usual style, he would definitely have handled this kind of matter personally, simultaneously conducting additional investigations to confirm to the utmost extent that the witch Triss had no plan to help "Mr. Door" escape. However, considering that
Under the influence of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Convergence, he felt that if he moved about recklessly in Backlund, sooner or later he would directly run into Antigonus, or even
Sigh, I'd already planned out how to disguise myself — buy a bicycle, get a uniform, ride around different districts as a postman... that way I'd attract the least suspicion... Klein took a sip of the "Gululu tree sap" he'd brought back from the sea, leaned back in his chair, and let his marionettes Enuni and Claudias knead his shoulders and massage his legs respectively.
…………
The Land of Forsaken Light, afternoon town camp.
After opening his eyes,
He suppressed the excitement within, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to gently knock on that thick wooden door.
"Come in." Amid the thudding sounds, Colin Iliadat's deep, steady voice came from inside.
Derrick turned the handle, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. His gaze fell upon the white-haired "Monster Hunter" Colin, whose face bore old scars, and he blurted out without thinking:
"Chief, I've discovered some peculiar mushrooms — they're edible!"
Colin Iliadat fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly:
"Mushrooms?"
Hearing the puzzlement in the Chief's words, Derrick instantly recalled a type of mushroom he had once seen:
It came from the abandoned temple of the "Fallen Creator" — vibrantly colored, appetizing in appearance, but extremely dangerous at its core.
His emotions settled considerably. He gave a soft "mm," nodded, and said:
"Yes, mushrooms. Different varieties of mushrooms. They can devour the flesh and blood of monsters to grow and reproduce..."
Derrick provided a detailed description of the unique properties of those mushrooms, and earnestly explained what milk, beef, fish, and flour were.
Finally, he solemnly emphasized that those mushrooms had to be thoroughly cooked before eating, and that one needed to be careful to identify the varieties that accumulated toxins.
Colin Iliadat listened quietly, showing no emotional fluctuation. After a moment of thought, he said:
"Do they have other harmful aspects, or any other points that require attention?"