The wind blowing from underground carried an unsettling chill. Amidst his mental tension, Klein felt a sense of relief.
Finally here...
As long as I pass this test, I won't have to worry about something like this for at least half a year...
Once I advance to Sequence 8 and become the so-called 'Clown', I'll possess actual combat strength. With the aid of divination and the safety net of the 'Sunfire Charm', even if I encounter great danger, there's a good chance I can survive it...
To wait for the Church's assessment, I didn't even withdraw the 300 pounds Miss Justice deposited into the anonymous account, to avoid being 'audited' for financial issues and convicted of having massive unexplained wealth...
...
Just as these thoughts uncontrollably flashed through Klein's mind,
"High Deacon?" Klein blurted out in shock.
The thirteen Archbishops and nine High Deacons made up the upper echelons of the Church. It was said that among them were high-sequence powerhouses!
These twenty-two gentlemen and ladies were completely equal in status, following only the oracles of the
Dunn took a breath of the chilly underground air and nodded slightly.
"Yes, a High Deacon. But don't be nervous. Crestet is only Sequence 5 and hasn't stepped into the 'demigod' level, so there's no need to be too afraid or in awe of him."
"Mm, his title in the entire supernatural world is the 'Sword of the Goddess' because he has been acknowledged by a Sacred Artifact. His combat ability is not inferior to a newly advanced Sequence 4."
"I've already spoken with him just now. His attitude is very amiable."
The captain's implication was that he had only said what should be said and nothing that shouldn't. He was telling me not to be nervous and to stick to the plan... Klein nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Where should I go to meet this High Deacon?"
"The alchemy room where potions are concocted." Dunn answered simply and directly, a trace of gloom flashing across his face.
The alchemy room where potions are concocted? The same laboratory where
He put on the thin black trench coat, slipped his hands into his pockets, and walked down the winding stairs into the depths. He turned left at the crossroads.
Soon, Klein saw a dimly lit door under the glow of elegant gas lamps. Inside, the long tables had been moved aside, clearing the center of the room.
There, two classical high-backed chairs were placed facing each other, less than a meter apart.
The chair facing the door was currently occupied by a man in his thirties wearing a black trench coat and a white shirt.
His golden-brown hair was cropped very short, and his dark green eyes were like a moonless lake in the middle of the night. The collars of his shirt and trench coat were turned up high, hiding his entire chin in shadow.
"Hello, Your Excellency Cecile." Klein bowed respectfully.
Crestet Cecile crossed his right leg over his left, leaned back leisurely against the chair, and smiled slightly.
"Hello, Klein. You can sit over there."
He pointed to the high-backed chair opposite him.
At his feet was a silver-white metal briefcase, similar in size and width to a violin case.
That can hold a sword that isn't too long... Klein stepped forward a few paces and sat down in his designated seat.
Crestet bent the index finger of his right hand and pressed it against his nostril, pondering for a few seconds before saying: "I intend to first test the degree to which you have mastered the potion. Any objections?"
"No." Klein shook his head confidently.
"Very confident." Crestet chuckled, then maintained his previous posture, quietly gazing at the opposite side.
Klein suddenly felt the light from the gas lamps around him disappear, devoured by a dense darkness.
He instantly became extremely tired, as if he had reached the time his biological clock marked for sleep.
But his spirit was also highly tense, unable to relax, just like the state he had experienced before when he was too tired to fall asleep properly.
A silent 'night' pervaded the surroundings. Klein heard the ticking of a faucet that wasn't fully tightened, the sound of people talking inside the Blackthorn Security Company, and the noise of wind passing by the stairwell.
Apart from this, he didn't see anything he shouldn't see, nor did he hear anything he shouldn't hear.
"Excellent." Crestet's magnetic voice dispelled the darkness, causing the light from the gas lamps both inside and outside the alchemy room to reappear in Klein's eyes.
Klein was suddenly freed from the intense fatigue, recovering his previous vigour.
It influenced me without me even noticing... So this is the level of a Sequence 5? So this is the terror of a High Deacon? He recalled what had just happened with a lingering sense of fear.
Crestet Cecile clasped his hands together and placed them on his knees, shrinking down slightly so that his lips were hidden behind his high collar.
"You have passed the test. Your mastery of the potion has reached a level above excellent."
"Next, I will observe whether there are hidden dangers in your body, spirit, and mind, whether the residual spirituality of the potion has unconsciously changed your character and left behind problems."
"You have three minutes to adjust your state."