Most buildings in Gurayn City were constructed along the winding roads that spiraled upwards, with plazas or markets occupying the flatter, more open spaces.
Carrying his luggage, Klein relied on the spiritual intuition of a Seer, randomly chose a direction, and walked forward, looking for a relatively lively bar along the way.
There weren't many carriages on the road, and rental ones were so rare that you could barely spot one or two in a long while. The most popular mode of transportation in East Balam was the "coffin." This custom originated from the worship of the God of Death, from the belief that coffins were objects that brought peace and tranquility. Because of this, Klein could always see several people carrying a black coffin down the street. The lid was much thinner and lighter than normal, opening as easily as a carriage door.
Carried by two, carried by four, carried by eight, pulled by horses or one-horned goats… This custom was pretty scary at night. Well, it wasn't much better during the day either. The whole city had a gloomy, sinister look to it… As Klein admired the "scenery" by the roadside, he stepped into a plaza. To his left was the church of the Lord of Storms, and to his right were restaurants, bars, and other establishments.
Just as he stopped, a coffin carried by four people was set down by the roadside.
As the lid was opened, the passenger lying inside the coffin stood up and stepped out. It was a gentleman from the Northern Continent, dressed in a white shirt and a black vest.
This gentleman had had his jacket draped over his arm the entire time, only putting it on after leaving the coffin.
Then, Klein watched as this man headed straight for the church of the Lord of Storms and walked inside.
There really was a strange sense of discord to this… Doesn't the Storm Church always like to change the customs of the colonies and forcefully push the Loenese way? Why don't they do that in East Balam? Because the Death pathway and the Night pathway are similar types? So, the Storm Church hopes to preserve certain folk customs of the Death domain, thereby restraining the spread of the Church of the Night? Klein nodded thoughtfully, turned towards the row of buildings on the right, and prepared to enter one of the bars.
Only after this first-hand experience did he vaguely understand why the ancient Balam Empire's clothing styles in many history books were the way they were.
They loved wearing pants, preferred lightweight styles, and considered pleats beautiful… Wasn't this just convenient for lying in a coffin while traveling? Klein smiled and shook his head, pushed open the heavy wooden door of the bar, squeezed past the drunks, and walked toward the bar area.
At this moment, the two military "trackers," afraid of being exposed, had distanced themselves from Dwayne Dantès and had only just reached the door.
Seizing this brief gap, Klein suddenly changed direction, slipping through the crowd like a fish, and dashed toward the back door area of the bar.
—Although he didn't understand the Dutan language, he could read the painted signs and knew where the restrooms were and which areas were off-limits to customers.
After turning into an area not visible from the main entrance, Klein shrugged his shoulders, quickly took off his coat, and draped it over his arm.
Immediately after, he tucked his gold-inlaid cane under his arm, covered his face with his palm, slowed his pace, and changed direction again, heading back to the main entrance of the bar.
When he was about ten meters away from where he had taken off his coat, Klein lowered his right hand from his face. His entire image had completely changed.
His greying temples, deep eyes, and refined demeanor had all vanished, replaced by the appearance of a common Loen native, seen everywhere on the Northern Continent.
Carrying his luggage and cane, Klein walked with steady steps towards the two military "trackers." Just as they were looking left and right for Dwayne Dantès, he brushed past them and left the bar.
Whether tracking or countering a tail, it was a strong suit of the "Faceless"!
Back in the plaza, Klein turned into a small alley that sloped upwards, planning to find an inn elsewhere.
Walking along a quiet, deserted path, he suddenly heard a woman's terrified cry.
The sound barely lasted a short while before it abruptly stopped.
Although he couldn't understand what she was shouting, Klein could feel the fear, terror, and panic. He immediately sidestepped into an even narrower and emptier path.
In less than ten seconds, he saw in a hidden corner a local man in his thirties, with brown skin and softer features, pressing down on a little girl who was at most thirteen or fourteen, violently assaulting her.
Klein glanced over, slowed his pace, and stopped in the nearby shadows.
At this moment, the little girl's face was twisted in extreme terror. But no matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free, and was even beaten for it.
Tears and snot were streaming down her face, her mouth was stuffed with a rag, and she could only let out muffled whimpers.
Just then, she was shocked to find that the bastard's movements to take off her clothes had slowed down.
Without even having time to think about what was happening, she instinctively looked at the bastard. She saw his eyes wide open, the muscles on his face twitching slowly, unable to form a complete expression. Then, his limbs, twitching and jerking, continued what he had just been doing, yet she could easily dodge him.
The little girl instinctively pushed him. Surprisingly, it had an excellent effect. The weight on her body lightened. She quickly stood up and tried to escape, but her legs kept giving way. Just a few steps in, she tripped over a stone and nearly fell to the ground.
At this moment, she heard footsteps behind her. Panicked, her movements became even more clumsy. Then, the footsteps stopped.
The little girl instinctively looked back, only to see the bastard standing rigidly two meters away, his joints moving in all sorts of bizarre contortions as if they had rusted over.
"What's happening..." The little girl felt as if she was dreaming.