The crimson before his eyes faded, and
Crack!
The crystal ball shattered from the inside out, either turning into illusory light that flew into the surrounding void or clattering to the floor, each piece sparkling.
Derrick stared dumbfounded and silent at the scene. From the reflection in the bronze mirror, he noticed the bloodstains on his face and the crimson light swirling on the back of his right hand, condensing into a circle radiating lines.
This strange symbol instantly burrowed into the back of his hand and disappeared completely.
Derrick froze for as long as a dozen lightning flashes lit the sky before finally waking from his dreamlike stupor.
He looked at the crystal ball fragments on the floor and then at the back of his right hand, his gaze gradually turning deep.
Walking out of the bedroom and back to the living room, Derrick opened the front door and looked up at the sky above the Silver City.
A flash of lightning passed, covering everything in silver radiance; then, amidst the rumbling thunder, the world fell into darkness—a darkness without a single ray of light, deep and heavy, despairing.
Derrick clenched his fists; his eyes held no joy, only lingering sadness and pain.
But he was no longer confused.
…………
"Phew, I fooled another member, no, developed another member..." Klein chuckled and shook his head, mocking the current strength of the
"Meanwhile, the Silver City, which 'The Sun' said held no hope, had at least three powerful experts at Sequence 4!"
"With one more preparation, I can explain the situation to the captain and make a special request. Once I become a 'Clown', at least I won't just be support." Klein didn't stop; he extended his spirituality, wrapped himself in it, and dropped sharply downward.
Piercing through the gray fog, breaking through the whispers, he returned to the room and dispelled the spiritual wall.
Then Klein picked up the keys, pulled open the door, and left. He first checked the two rooms Dunn had booked, confirming that the captain and Fry hadn't returned yet, then went to the first floor and pushed the keys to the innkeeper.
The innkeeper glanced at the wall clock and gave him a thumbs-up: "Good job!"
"Hey, what do you think I rented a 'hourly room' for?" Klein opened his mouth to explain but eventually decided to let him keep misunderstanding.
He consoled himself with a sense of grievance: "Hmm, that way he won't have a loose tongue and mention to the captain that I rented another room!"
After another showy lap outside, Klein did a quick divination and, based on the results, returned to the inn, heading straight to the second floor. He predictably saw Dunn and Fry discussing the investigation in one of the rooms.
"It can be confirmed that the wraith has only appeared in the last two or three months," Dunn said, glancing at Klein as he entered and nodding in conclusion.
Klein immediately agreed: "My investigation also confirms this..."
He summarized the key points of his previous questioning and finally added, "Ha, a villager named Rascal Grey even claimed to own a portrait of the First Baron Ramud, saying it's an oil painting over a thousand years old."
"You didn't buy it, did you?" Dunn's gray eyes flickered; he paused and asked directly.
"Captain, do you think I'm that easy to fool?" Klein chuckled dryly. "No, I didn't. Although I'm just a history student, I've attended some archaeology classes and have some experience in this area. I can preliminarily tell real from fake. Ha, the person in that painting looks a lot like my history teacher, Mr. Azik."
He said the most critical thing in a casual, unconcerned manner.
Dunn indeed didn't pay attention to that. He rubbed his temples and said, "A small town with ancient ruins like this is always full of all kinds of antiques. I just met a villager selling a silver goblet that belonged to Baron Ramud."
"
Klein instinctively asked, "You didn't buy it, did you?"
Fry looked at him, he looked at Fry, and neither continued the topic.
"The next task is for you or Fry, whoever has recovered, to take the sealed artifact '3-0782' to an empty place outside town. Otherwise, most of the inn's occupants will become idiots who only know 'Praise the Sun'. You first, or Fry?" Dunn, with deep gray eyes, looked at Klein.
"Me." Klein slightly raised his hand and laughed, "It's not too late yet; I can come back and get a good night's sleep. We'll take turns every two hours?"
"Yes, Fry, go with Klein and confirm the handover location." Dunn turned to "Corpse Collector" Fry. During the separate investigation, he had already managed to give the sealed artifact '3-0782' to Fry; otherwise, he would have been purified in body and mind and started praising the Sun. And Fry, due to insufficient recovery time, could only last another three hours.
"Okay." Fry removed the "Mutated Sun Holy Emblem" from the inside of his black trench coat and handed it to Klein.