Captain, this is exactly the question I wanted you to ask! Klein nodded seriously:
"I feel much better. I even think I can pass the examination at the Sanctuary right now. It's an experience and confidence that cannot be described in words."
Thinking that his previous answer might have been a bit vague, he couldn't help but add:
"Perhaps the name of the potion is the key. When I strictly followed the 'Divinationist Code of Conduct' I had summarized, I became a divinationist and everything became beautiful and easy. Well, I have been able to use more covert methods to activate clairvoyance."
Dunn's eyebrows slightly furrowed, his gaze narrowing inward, as if in deep thought, he muttered to himself: "The name of the potion..."
After about a dozen seconds, he looked back at Klein and said:
"Do you need to tell your family about this? Sunday is the second day after you were on duty behind the Charnis Gate. You should have had a rest originally."
Considering that Elizabeth was a good friend of his sister's and he had promised to solve the problem within a week, Klein answered without difficulty: "There's no need to waste time like this. After we set off, let the carriage make a detour around Narcissus Street."
"Okay, you go find Frye, I'll fill out the application form and get out the seal '3-0782'." Dunn pointed to the lounge diagonally across from him.
Frye was the "Grave Digger", he didn't have the same abundant energy as the "Insomniac", and if he had time, he would often take a nap.
He filled out the application form, signed it himself, and collected it... Captain, there's a loophole in our management system... Klein muttered to himself under his breath, didn't speak, took his hat, and left Dunn's office, knocking on the door diagonally across.
The thumping sound repeated three times before Frye opened the door, looking at Klein with a hint of confusion in his eyes:
"What's the matter?"
Because he had just been sleeping, his hair was a bit messy, and his shirt wasn't neatly fitted, his cold and gloomy demeanor was greatly diluted.
However, still like a corpse that had just crawled out of a coffin... Klein suppressed a smile and replied very seriously:
"There is a case involving evil spirits. The captain is hoping to get your assistance."
"Okay." Frye subconsciously raised his hand to smooth out the mess in his hair and became the cold and ominous figure again.
When he was fully dressed, the two of them sat on the sofa area in the reception hall for only seven or eight minutes before they felt the surroundings become warm and pure, as if being bathed in the rays of the Sun's Holy Light.
Immediately after that, they saw Dunn. Smith stepping out of the partition, holding a small, half-sized ancient emblem in his hand.
This emblem was of a dark golden color, with the symbol of the sun engraved on it, with lines extending towards the edges, precisely the seal '3-0782' from the Intis Republic, originally known as "The Mutated Sun Holy Emblem".
—Intis was the country that Rosel transformed from the Empire to a Republic and then back to the Empire. Now it has established a stable republican system and is located on the west coast of the Northern Continent, separated from the Kingdom of Ruen by landmarks such as the inter-island sea and the Horanix Mountains.
Since the establishment of Intis, the Eternal Sun Church has dominated, suppressing the Church of the Craftsmen until it changed its name to the Church of Steam and Machinery, so this country is also known as the Sun Country.
"Let's set off, Frye, you are in charge of driving, Zisel can't endure the purification of the holy emblem for so long." Dunn calmly instructed.
Zisel. Francis was a civilian responsible for purchasing and applying for supplies, and also worked as a coachman, but he was an ordinary person and couldn't stay within fifteen meters of the seal '3-0782' for more than an hour. According to Klein's understanding, from Zotlan Street to Ramde Town, it would take at least two and a half hours, not including the time to make a detour around Narcissus Street.
"Okay." Frye didn't refuse, but checked again if there were any omissions in his belongings. ......
When the last rays of the sun tinted the spire of the town church golden, the night watch team's carriage, having made a detour along the Narcissus Street, finally arrived at Ramde.
This small town is located northwest of Tingen. Many of its buildings still retain the characteristics of the pre-steam era, with hardly any factories present. It is the commercial center of all the surrounding villages.
After parking the carriage at the corresponding position of the town inn, Dunn glanced at the barber shop opposite and said:
"I just asked the local residents. It only takes a quarter of an hour to walk from here to the abandoned ancient castle on the mountain. It is said to belong to the lord who ruled here in the last Ice Age, but something happened later and it turned into its present state. Of course, all their descriptions can only be classified as folk legends."
"Well, let's go now, deal with that ghost before it gets dark, and then take turns guarding '3—0782' to keep it away from ordinary people?"
Since Dunn received the "Variant Sun Holy Emblem", it has been exactly three hours. The distance to the extraordinary being's limit is getting closer. Soon, they will have to part ways and give each other time to recover.
"OK," Freja replied briefly.
"I have no problem," Klein quietly touched the "Sleeping Spell" and "Requiem Spell" in his pocket.
The three night watchmen, dressed in black thin windcoats and wearing the same color hats or felt hats, walked through the town streets, turning from the fork towards the nearby hill. The path was overgrown with weeds and densely covered with shrubs, but it was quite wide, almost wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side.
Not long after, they saw an ancient castle with its outer walls collapsed, and on the still-standing outer walls, green plants were climbing, while the exposed parts had many patches.
Before approaching there, Klein felt a bone-chilling coldness, and his arm suddenly developed a rash.
"There is indeed a ghost," Freja said, his tone showing no fluctuations as he looked at the ancient castle.
Dunn turned his head to look at one of the newly appointed night watchmen and smiled:
"Don't worry, with '3—0782' and Freja, the ghost won't cause too much trouble."
He held a specially made revolver in one hand and the variant Sun Holy Emblem in the other. He took the lead and walked towards the ruin-like ancient castle.
Klein followed closely behind, ready to pull the trigger or smash the staff and use the spells at any time.
Whew!
When Dunn was less than five meters away from the ancient castle, when the things like the broken stable and the well came into Klein's view, a cold wind that could be described as eerie blew out, seemingly refusing the arrival of the unexpected guest.
The three night watchmen did not stop and continued to move forward. The warm and pure feeling gradually dispelled the coldness, occupying the front end of the ancient castle.
They stepped over the piled-up stones through the collapsed outer wall and slowly entered the ancient castle that had lost its main entrance, stepping on the broken floor tiles.
The stone pillars had collapsed, and the moss-covered ancient castle hall was quite spacious, but the windows were narrow and located at a high position, making it difficult to get enough light, making the place dim and dark.
This is a characteristic of ancient buildings from the end of the Ice Age and the beginning of the Quaternary Period... Historian Klein instinctively made a judgment and concealedly activated his clairvoyance.
Just then, an unreal but harsh roar erupted, and a thick black fog suddenly spread out from nowhere, resisting the erosion of warmth and purity.
A figure of great height soon emerged from the black fog. He wore black full-body armor and held a broad sword that normal people could hardly wield.
This ghost was exactly the same as the one Klein saw in Elizabeth's dream. Two flames-like red lights penetrated the gaps in the face mask, cold but angry, staring at the three night watchmen.
"You disturbed my sleep! You must repay it with blood and flesh!" He suddenly stepped forward and approached Dunn in one step, his broad sword heavily chopping down.
Dunn quickly retreated agilely and raised his hand to fire a shot.
Bang!
The silver hunting bullets failed to penetrate the illusory black armor and struck it, making a clear but not very realistic sound.
Klein and Fry simultaneously stepped aside, one holding the gun with one hand and aiming at the two flames at the eye position of the black-armored knight and pulled the trigger. One eye turned into a deep and calm grayish-white, focusing on the specter.
The black-armored knight roared again and stepped forward with Dunne, sweeping out a broadsword.
Bang!
The broadsword failed to wound Dunne but sent him flying out, crashing heavily against the door and spitting blood.
With a clink, "3-0782" landed on the ground. The specter's right foot wearing iron boots impatiently kicked it, kicking the dangerous emblem that was constantly purifying the surrounding things out of the ancient castle gate and beyond its own 15-meter range.
When Klein saw this scene, he was worried, nervous, and felt strange, as if he was observing the changes before him from a superior, calm, and rational position.
Bang!
He fired another shot. The silver hunting bullets hit the specter's face armor directly, causing sparks to fly, but did not cause significant damage.
"Right-hand glove!" Just then, Fry, who was always cold and gloomy, shouted loudly, his tone full of anxiety.
Before he finished speaking, he also raised his revolver and aimed at the iron glove on the right side of the specter.
Bang! Bang! Klein, who had almost done it subconsciously according to Fry's words, pulled the trigger and simultaneously fired silver hunting bullets at the opponent.
This time, the specter did not use the armor to block hard but had prepared in advance and raised the broadsword, easily deflecting the two bullets.
Puff! He took a step forward and rushed towards Klein at a charging speed, crashing directly into him.
Klein flew backward and saw the depression in his chest and himself spitting blood, but he did not feel any discomfort.
He suddenly realized and fell to the ground, rolling and screaming.
Suddenly, the ancient castle, the specter, the collapsed pillars, and the scattered moss all became strange and fragmented, returning to the scene of the thick black fog and the black-armored knight emerging just now.
The only difference was that Dunne clenched his fists and half-bowed his body, his gray eyes becoming dark and deep.
Surely, everything before was a dream. The captain pulled the specter, me, and Fry into his dream at the same time, but I was rather special and could remain conscious and rational... Klein found himself still standing two meters to the right of Dunne's hand, without spitting blood or screaming.
Just at this moment, Dunne straightened up, looking at the specter coming to strike, calmly speaking:
"It's been over a minute."
The specter froze for a moment, then let out a shrill scream, and its body began to continuously emit black fog, as if receiving a death announcement.
Dead bodies and ghosts that are not at the level of evil spirits cannot exist in the 15-meter range of the "Mutated Sun Holy Emblem" for more than a minute!
Damn it, Captain, you're so handsome! Klein watched this scene and almost blurted out 666.
Dunne used his dream ability not to kill the specter with the advantage of his home field, but merely to delay time!
In the warm and pure feeling, the black fog evaporated quickly, the coldness gradually disappeared, and soon, the specter knight wearing the full armor and dragging the huge broadsword became completely transparent and merged into the void.
When!
A black iron glove landed on the ground, with a little white frost on its surface.
Klein was about to ask the captain for permission to go and pick up the "dropped items", but his gaze swept, and inspiration suddenly struck him.
The step position separating the ancient castle hall and the dining room seemed to be summoning him with intense and illusory pain and filth!