The enormous black-and-white eyes were translucent, floating quietly behind vivid overlapping patches of color, showing neither hostility nor friendliness.
At that moment, Klein recalled a passage from the notebook "Spirit World Encounters," in which an ancestor of the Abraham family said:
"Try not to make eye contact with any spirit world creature for more than three seconds; it's a provocation unless they have expressed a desire to communicate. And don't appear frightened or nervous, as this can increase the attack instinct of certain predators."
The corresponding words flowed through his mind. Klein averted his gaze and continued to "chase" the flying hardwood staff ahead, neither fast nor slow.
His figure, clad in black full body armor, wearing a jet-black crown and matching cloak, entered that round eye, quickly passed through it, and disappeared into the distance without causing any change.
Essentially, the spirit world is a very dangerous place—one careless move and you could encounter a terrifying existence at the demigod level... Klein kept traveling and realized it was truly chaotic here. The seven bright lights that could have served as markers were always high above, covering the "sky," yet they could often be seen below, to the left, to the right, ahead, and behind.
If not for the black staff as a guide, Klein would have no sense of direction at all.
Suddenly, through the thin, ethereal mist, he saw in what would normally be considered the lower left a floating castle. It was entirely black, with towering spires overgrown with vines, very Gothic in style.
Atop the castle stood a translucent woman, almost as tall as the castle itself, wearing an intricate, gorgeous, yet gloomy black dress. She had no head; there was a clean cut on her neck, and in her lowered hands she held four heads with golden hair and red eyes, strikingly beautiful. Upon closer inspection, the heads were all identical.
As Klein, in his "Black Emperor" appearance, passed by, the four heads in the woman's hands blinked simultaneously.
Klein did not respond and flew on as if he had seen nothing.
The woman slowly turned her body, making the heads in her hands see him off.
"What kind of monsters are these..." Klein's thought had just flashed when he saw the black staff rapidly "falling" downward.
He hurried after it, once again tasting free fall.
After seven or eight seconds, a half-visible pile of collapsed buildings appeared "ahead" of him.
Outside those buildings floated a giant jellyfish-like spirit world creature. It extended transparent tentacles covered in slime, incorporating the surrounding area into its "domain."
At the tip of each tentacle was a white skull with deep, hollow eye sockets, swaying gently and slowly.
The black staff passed through this bizarre spirit world creature and hovered in front of the almost illusory collapsed buildings.
Found? Klein was first pleased, then stared gravely at the giant "jellyfish" waving its skull heads.
He prepared to fight but didn't act immediately. Instead, he tried to emanate the deep majesty of the high-level "Black Emperor" card, looking coldly into the dark, profound eye sockets.
After three frozen seconds, Klein spoke in a low voice, uttering a word in Ancient Hermes:
"Leave!"
The tentacles with skulls twitched, and the giant "jellyfish" slowly floated up and disappeared into the depths of the spirit world.
"This Black Emperor card is really useful... I was even considering throwing Mr. Azik's copper whistle; a descendant of the Death should have some face in the spirit world..." Klein breathed a sigh of relief, descended, and grabbed the black hardwood staff.
Then, with anticipation, he dropped into the ruins.
For him, even if the people from the Church of Storms and the kingdom's military had already found this place and taken the most valuable items, he would still be quite satisfied with any leftovers.
Even if there was nothing, studying the elf ruins and seeing what information they left behind would be enough... Klein passed through the curtain-like barrier of void and suddenly felt the air become viscous and heavy.
Around him, rippling light appeared, coming from the deep blue seawater that filled the area.
At the bottom of the sea was an ancient, dark ruin; all buildings were collapsed or half-collapsed. A huge pillar covered with strange patterns and symbols jutted out from the center, seeming to have once supported the structure, now broken and leaning against the top of a nearby building.
Klein recognized this place and this pillar—it was the hiding place of "Sea God" Kavitua, a hidden spot where reality and the spirit world merged.
At that moment, a resentful, painful, angry, and mad howl echoed for a long time, never weakening—it was Kavitua's roar filled with resentment before his death.
It is indeed dead... Klein, holding the black staff, landed on the gray stone road in front of the ancient ruins.
On both sides of the road stood not-thick, not-tall pillars, also marked with strange patterns slightly different from contemporary symbols and magical signs. At the base of each pillar sat figures, some in ancient robes, some in modern brown jackets.
Sensing someone approaching, they grabbed swords, axes, and other weapons, stood up stiffly but swiftly, and turned toward Klein, revealing weathered gray-black faces and dried-up bodies with no flesh.
Their fanatical and vacant gazes simultaneously fell on Klein, who wore a black crown and black armor.
"Loyal followers of Kavitua... but this also means the Church of Storms and the kingdom's military haven't found this place yet..." Klein sighed inwardly, infused spirituality into the "Sun Brooch," and murmured a word in Ancient Hermes: