"There's something wrong there." Klein pointed seriously and cautiously at the step separating the living room and dining room.
In the internal materials of the Nighthawks, he had read that if a similar situation appeared in one's spirit vision, it often meant that something evil and filthy was hiding at the target location. If you weren't confident in your abilities, it was best not to try to touch it, as it could easily cost you your life—sometimes, even just a single glance could cause irreversible damage.
Dunn followed his gaze. His own spirit vision was also very high, and he immediately sensed the anomaly. He turned to Klein and calmly instructed, "Divine whether exploring that place will go smoothly."
He didn't ask me to divine before we entered the castle. He was pretty confident... This means he thinks whatever's hidden there is more dangerous than the vengeful spirit... Klein nodded silently, put away his revolver, and handed his cane to the nearby Fry.
Then, he unclasped the citrine pendant from inside his cuff, held the silver chain in his left hand, and formulated an appropriate divination statement.
In an instant, his eyes turned dark, and an intangible breeze swirled around him.
"Exploring the hidden location of the castle will go smoothly." "Exploring the hidden location of the castle will go smoothly." ...
After chanting silently seven times, Klein saw his eyes return to normal. The citrine pendant was swinging clockwise.
Although its range was small, it was definitely swinging clockwise!
This meant the exploration would be smooth.
Now a true diviner, Klein immediately nodded at Dunn and Fry. "The danger is either within a resolvable range, or it's absent."
Dunn pinned the "Mutated Sun Emblem" to his left chest, pressed down on his silk top hat, and strode quickly toward the steps, expertly searching for the mechanism.
Fry, who had retrieved the gauntlet, returned the cane to Klein and, revolver in hand, warily scanned his surroundings, seeming to fear a sudden enemy attack.
I'm still not professional enough… in the Nighthawks field… Klein pulled himself together, drew his revolver again, and began keeping watch as well.
A few minutes later, the half-crouching
The floor there split open, revealing a descending staircase. An immensely cold and filthy feeling filled the air, almost condensing into a solid substance.
Dunn glanced at it, removed the
After bouncing a few times with a clatter, the "Mutated Sun Emblem" came to a stop somewhere below.
If there are undead creatures inside, they'll probably pick up "3-0782" and throw it back... That would be interesting... Klein stared at the steps descending into the darkness, waiting patiently.
The stubborn cold and filth soon melted away like snow and ice meeting the sun, and warmth and purity enveloped the entrance to the secret chamber.
"Klein, the two of us will go down. Fry will stay here to prevent any other enemies from destroying the mechanism." Dunn made the decision with the experience of a veteran.
"Alright." Klein no longer felt stage fright. He stepped forward and stood beside Dunn. Fry nodded curtly, not relaxing his vigilance.
*Clap, clap, clap.* Dunn was the first to descend the steps, his footsteps echoing in the silence.
He didn't prepare a lantern or torch because, for a Beyonder of the Sleepless pathway, darkness wasn't an obstacle but a boon.
In such an environment, their vision was unaffected.
After descending a few steps, Dunn suddenly turned his head and looked at Klein. "I forgot you don't have darkvision. I'm used to not preparing any lighting items..."
"...Captain, don't worry about it. I have Spirit Vision." Klein found himself not surprised at all.
The Captain being that cool just now wasn't his normal state!
In his Spirit Vision, the darkness ahead was filled with a hazy gray. Although it was very blurry, it allowed him to barely make out the steps.
Mm, the captain is quite healthy, and his mental state is good... Klein carefully stretched out his foot and slowly descended.
This staircase wasn't long. After fourteen or fifteen diagonal steps, his feet touched the ground.
The Sealed Artifact "3-0782" was lying right there, radiating warmth, spreading purity, and giving off a faint light.
With this meager light, Klein could see more clearly. He looked around and found that this was a not-very-large basement. The original coolness was gone, but the dampness remained.
In the center of the basement rested a black coffin, its nails a dark red color.
The coffin lid had been pushed aside, revealing a set of white bones within, a headless skeleton.
Dunn looked around first before bending down to pick up the "Mutated Sun Emblem."
"Captain, this coffin... hmm, its purpose is to prevent the deceased inside from turning into a zombie or a vengeful spirit..."