The wind blowing from beneath the ground carried a chilling sensation. Klein's nerves were tense, but he also felt a few moments of relief.
Finally...
Once I get through this, at least for the next six months, I won't have to worry about similar things...
Once I reach level 8 of the promotion sequence and become the so-called "jester", I will have true combat skills. With the assistance of divination and the guarantee of the "Solar Flame Spell", even if I encounter a major danger, there is still a good chance of surviving...
To wait for the examination by the Sanctuary, I haven't withdrawn the 300 pounds that Miss Justice deposited in the anonymous account. To avoid being "audited" for economic problems and being convicted of having an unclear source of large amounts of wealth... ...
Just as Klein's various thoughts were flashing uncontrollably through his mind, Dunn Smith smoothed the collar of his shirt and said in a low voice:
"The person in charge of this investigation is Creste. Cesarima, one of the nine senior deacons on duty at night. The Church values you very much."
"Senior deacon?" Klein was stunned and blurted out.
The thirteen archbishops and the nine senior deacons are the usual high-ranking members of the church. It is said that among them, there are many powerful individuals at the highest level!
These twenty-two gentlemen and ladies are completely equal in status. They only follow the oracle of the Night Goddess and are accountable to the Pope.
Dunn took a deep breath of the underground cool air and nodded gently:
"Yes, a senior deacon. But you don't need to be nervous. Creste only has sequence 5 and hasn't reached the level of 'half god and half human'. There's no need to be too afraid or intimidated."
"Well, he has the title 'Goddess' Sword' in the entire extraordinary world because he has received recognition from a sacred object. His combat strength won't be worse than that of the newly promoted sequence 4."
"I just talked to him earlier. His attitude is very kind."
The captain's underlying message was that he only said what needed to be said and didn't say what shouldn't be said, so I don't need to be nervous. Just follow the prearranged plan... Klein thoughtfully nodded and asked: "Where should I go to meet this senior deacon?"
"The apothecary workshop." Dunn simply and directly replied, with a hint of sadness flashing across his face.
The apothecary workshop? That's the laboratory where Old Neil prepared the "Diviner" potion? Klein slowly exhaled and returned to the Night Watcher entertainment room, taking off his coat from the coat rack.
He put on the black thin windbreaker, inserted his hands into the pockets, and descended step by step along the winding staircase that led deep into the ground, turning left at the crossroads.
Soon, Klein saw a series of elegant gas lamps illuminating the hidden doors, and he saw a row of long tables moved aside, leaving the central part empty.
There were two classical high-backed chairs placed facing each other, less than one meter apart.
The one facing the door was sitting there at that moment, a man in his thirties wearing a black windbreaker and a white shirt.
His golden-brown hair was shaved short, and his dark green eyes were like a lake without moonlight at midnight. The collar of his shirt and windbreaker was raised high, hiding his entire chin in the shadow.
"Hello, Cesarima Lord." Klein bowed.
Creste. Cesarima crossed his right leg over his left, reclined back in the chair, and smiled slightly:
"Hello, Klein. You can sit over there."
He pointed to the high-backed chair opposite.
At his feet, there was a silver-white metal box made of cast metal, similar in size and shape to a violin case.
It could hold a not-too-long sword... Klein moved a few steps forward and sat in his designated seat.
Creste raised his right index finger, pressed it against his nose, and pondered for a few seconds before saying:
"I plan to test your mastery of potion-making. Is there no problem?"
"No." Klein confidently shook his head.
"Very confident." Creste smiled and then maintained his previous posture, gazing calmly at the other side.
Klein suddenly felt that the gas light芒 around him vanished, swallowed by the thick darkness.
He suddenly became very tired, as if he had reached the sleep time marked by the biological clock.
However, his spirit was highly tense, unable to relax, just like the situations he had encountered before when being too exhausted to sleep peacefully.
The quiet "night" pervaded around, and Klein heard the ticking sound of the faucet not tightened, the voices of people talking in the Black Thorn Security Company, and the movement of the wind at the staircase entrance.
Apart from that, he didn't see anything he shouldn't have seen, nor heard anything he shouldn't have heard.
"Very good." Cresta's magnetic voice dispelled the darkness, and the gas lights inside and outside the alchemy chamber reappeared in Klein's eyes.
Klein suddenly broke free from the thick exhaustion and regained his former vigor.
Unconsciously, it affected me... Is this the level of Sequence 5? Is this the terror of the High Deacon? He recalled the incident with a slight shudder.
Cresta. Cecima clasped her hands together and placed them on her knees, hunching her body slightly, so that her lips were blocked by the high collar:
"You passed the test. Your mastery of potions has reached an above-average level."
"Next, I will observe whether there are any hidden dangers in your body, mind, and soul, whether the residual spirit of the potion has unconsciously changed your personality and left problems."
"You have three minutes to adjust your state."
Klein nodded immediately:
"Okay."
He took a deep breath inwardly, allowing his body to slowly enter a meditative state, eliminating all bad thoughts.
Cresta didn't speak again. From the inside of her black windbreaker, she took out a silver watch and snapped it open.
Then, he focused on watching the seconds tick away.
Three minutes later, Cresta snapped the watch shut with a click, smiling and saying:
"I'm starting to chant."
Chant? Klein showed a puzzled expression.
Before he could speak, Cresta hummed a melodious tune.
This melody echoed in the alchemy room, gradually losing its harmony and no longer conforming to the pitch.
Zig! Zay! Sting! Klein seemed to hear the sound of nails scraping against the blackboard, the sound of plastic foam rubbing, the sound of the electric drill clicking, and various noises that drove him crazy.
The noises grew more and more, more chaotic, making a violent desire to vent and destroy welling up in his heart.
However, Klein, who often underwent tests of crazy rants and terrifying screams, quickly suppressed all these impulses.
He also appropriately showed some impatience, some tension, some confusion, and some unease.
The perfect state was actually a problem!
Suddenly, Cresta. Cecima stopped chanting, and the noise in the alchemy room disappeared, and the tranquility and silence of the underground floor re-entered.
The silence was so good! Klein exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.
"Good, very good. There are no hidden dangers in your body, mind, and soul. Of course, wanting to hit me and shut my mouth are normal reactions," Cresta's lips were blocked by the high collar, allowing one to judge his mood only from his tone.
"No, I can't," Klein admitted honestly.
Cresta smiled and said:
"Congratulations, you passed all the tests. Next is the question-and-answer session."
His dark green eyes suddenly became even deeper, with a gaze so profound that it seemed it could pierce through the flesh and see the soul.
"Ask away," Klein straightened his back.
Cresta maintained the same posture as before, seemingly casually asking:
"Did the experience of the Divination Club help you quickly master potions?"
"Yes," Klein replied very calmly, but didn't provide more descriptions.
Cresta nodded slightly and said:
"You said it was the experience of the Divination Club that helped you quickly master potions?"
"Um," Klein affirmed first, then turned the topic, explaining in detail, "I learned from a 'Secret Seeker' teammate that for all 'Secret Seekers' who abide by the maxim, the probability of losing control is much lower than the normal value. Later, I heard a sentence from Ms. Daly, who said she wanted to become a true 'psychic', and she was a genius who was promoted to Sequence 7 within two years." "Taking into account these two aspects, I think I can give it a try and become a true 'diviner', and summarize and refine the 'diviner's code of conduct'. Well, the result was much better than I expected. I quickly mastered the potion, Your Excellency Cessima. I don't know if you have had a similar experience. When you truly master the potion, you will have a special and wonderful feeling..." Klein described his experience, vaguely and unclearly explaining the "acting method".
If it were in a previous life, saying so many half-truths and lies in front of such a powerful night guard, he would definitely have been nervous and blushed, but since he had crossed over to this world, he had told too many lies and had already gotten used to similar things. He performed flawlessly.
The depth in Kreste's green eyes vanished, and his gaze returned to its original form. He chuckled and said:
"Relax, this is not an illusion."
From his response, Klein did not detect any doubt or scrutiny, and his heart gradually relaxed a bit.
"Dunn confirmed your experience. I think you are indeed a genius with clear logic and acute intuition." Kreste praised, then asked, "Have you shared these experiences with your teammates?"
"Of course." Klein admitted frankly, "I hope to help them reduce the probability of losing control. We are teammates and companions who need to face dangers together. I can't think of any reason to hide it, and for this reason, I didn't tell the civilian personnel."
Kreste lowered his right leg and straightened his body, allowing the thinner lips to emerge from the shadow of the vertical collar.
He smiled upwards:
"Although you have been in the Night Guard team for less than two months, I think your understanding of your companions is stronger than that of many others."
"Well, I plan to share some experiences with you, but according to the regulations of the Sanctuary, you must swear to the Goddess that you cannot tell anyone who doesn't know about these matters what we talked about."
"Is that okay?"
After checking, Klein was delighted in his heart and nodded without hesitation:
"There is no problem!"
Although I can no longer directly teach others the "acting method", I can still do it indirectly through Miss Justice and Mr. Hangman!