"…" Upon seeing Admiral Hell Ludwell's reaction, Klein was just like the surviving crew members on the Black Tulip. They nearly couldn't believe their eyes.
There were two scenarios that he had envisioned.
Firstly, Ludwell had sought the help of a demigod from the Charismatic Order to ambush German Sparrow and the powerhouse backing him. This wasn't impossible. Sequence 7 of the Death pathway was called Spirit Medium, and they similarly had the ability to foresee the impending danger.
Secondly, Admiral Hell wasn't prepared and forcefully resisted, allowing him to be easily finished off by Mr. Aztec.
Klein's plan was that if it was the first scenario, Mr. Aztec would deal with the demigod while he hunted Admiral Hell and obtained his second marionette. If it was the second scenario, he would implore Mr. Aztec to watch by the side while he controlled his marionette to fight Ludwell alone. During this process, he would use Creeping Hunger to hide in the shadows and try his best to stay behind the scenes so as to quickly digest the Marionettist potion.
To his surprise, Admiral Hell didn't put up any resistance. He prostrated on the ground and kissed the deck, acting as if he was Aztec's most loyal and humble servant.
How am I supposed to fight like this … Klein looked ahead in a daze, unsure if he should say anything.
And the entire ship was silent.
Aztec raised his hand to press down on his silk top hat as he unhurriedly walked towards the prostrating Ludwell.
One step, two steps, three steps. He stopped in front of Admiral Hell Ludwell and said with a deep voice, "That's not the case.
He said with a deep voice, "How far has the Charismatic Order's Artificial Death project progressed?"
Ludwell's forehead was pressed to the ground as he hoarsely replied, "Artificial Death, how far has the Charismatic Order's Artificial Death project progressed?"
"Artificial Death can already actively influence High-Sequence Beyonders who have failed their advancement, but it's still unable to respond to prayers and rituals …"
After describing, he raised his upper body slightly and took off the black square ring on his right hand. He held it with both hands and handed it forward.
Silently, the ring seemed to be carried by countless Spirits as it flew up and landed in Aztec's palm.
Aztec studied it for a few seconds before picking up the ring and wearing it on his left index finger.
Suddenly, a terrifying and indescribable feeling of being high and mighty emanated from his body. The zombies and skeletons that were either naked or wearing tattered leather armor knelt down on one knee and lowered their heads, as though they only dared to look at his boots. The wraith and shadows also fell to the ground as they stuck close to the deck. None of them floated in midair.
The other pirates on the ship plopped to the ground as they buried their faces into the deck, not daring to raise their heads.
Klein stood on the other end, looking at Mr. Azik's back and the empty scene. He opened his mouth, but he didn't say a word.
Aztec took two steps forward and came to Hell's side. and said. to Klein. "Aztec" Aztec's Master.
"You will be his marionette for a year. When the time is up, you can return to the spirit world."
Aztec said these words calmly, as though it didn't involve Admiral Hell's life or future. Or perhaps, it was a trivial matter to him. He didn't need to care about the feelings and thoughts of the person he was commanding.
Ludwell's body trembled violently as though he was angry and indignant. However, he ultimately didn't raise his head as he continued sticking his forehead to the deck.
"Yes, Exalted Death Consul."
Just as he said that, mysterious symbols that were pale white and dark green protruded out one after another. They intertwined together, forming an illusory bronze door.
The bronze door rapidly shrank and landed on Admiral Hell's forehead before burrowing in.
Klein watched in astonishment and confusion until Mr. Aztec nodded at him and pointed at Admiral Hell. Only then did he move forward in a daze and enter the ten-meter range. He began controlling Ludwell's Spirit Body Threads.
The pirate admiral wanted to bounce up several times and wave his arms, but he failed to do so. Soon, his thoughts turned sluggish as he subconsciously struggled.
After a while, the silver-masked Admiral Hell Ludwell stood up. He lowered his head and retreated to Klein's side, flanking Winner Enzo.
Azik watched in silence. Finally, he slowly said, "That's right.
Finally, he slowly said, "In the Death pathway, high-ranking Beyonders have a strong suppressive effect on low-ranking Beyonders."
… I can infer that back when I threw out that copper whistle of yours, even a Sequence 5 Admiral Hell was unable to control his undead creatures … Klein nodded gently, indicating that he had memorized this matter.
Right on the heels of that, a zombie that had rotted in several spots crawled up. It held a blue cufflink and walked in front of Klein.
This was the Murloc Cufflink he had lost!
Although it's useless to me now, it's still back … Klein sighed inexplicably and reached out to take back the item that belonged to him.
Then, he saw Mr. Aztec walk back and reach out to grab his shoulder.
He hurriedly reached out his hands and grabbed the shoulders of the two marionettes, Enzo and Ludwell.
All the colors became rich, bright, and overlapping. Klein, who had already entered the Spiritual World, instinctively asked,
"Mr. Aztec, where are we going now?"
"The Berserk Sea," Aztec replied calmly.
He paused for a moment, then added,
"Give me that copper whistle."
"… Alright." Klein made Enzo take out the iron cigar case and take out the ancient copper whistle inside.
Aztec took it and said in a low voice,
"My intuition tells me that with the ring left behind by the Grim Reaper, the copper whistle, and me, we should be able to find the place where the Grim Reaper fell in the Berserk Sea."
Klein subconsciously said, "That's right.
"My dream tells me that it's very dangerous there.
"Maybe we should first look for the members of the Charismatic Order who are obsessed with the Artificial Death Project and get more detailed information from them before making a decision."
Aztec was silent for a few seconds.
"There's a voice calling out to me."
Klein turned his head and looked at Mr. Aztec. He saw this man with soft facial features, bronze eyes, and a face that had been through the vicissitudes of life. His facial features were taut, and there was no extra curve at the corner of his mouth.
One color after another flashed past as Azik quickly brought Klein into the Berserk Sea where the pitch-black storm swept through and dark lightning streaked across.
At this moment, the dark and gloomy square-shaped ring and the exquisite brass whistle flickered at the same time, illuminating Aztec's face.
This Death Consul that had survived since the Fourth Epoch closed his eyes and silently listened to the unknown cries. Then, he clenched his right hand.
All the scenes in the nearby spirit world collapsed inwards, turning into a dark vortex that spun slowly with no end in sight.
The vortex suddenly expanded, swallowing Aztec, Klein, and the two marionettes.
Klein suddenly felt a strong sense of dizziness as he nearly vomited on the spot.
After an unknown period of time, he recovered and realized that he was already in a dark and cold mausoleum. Around him were open coffins, and in the coffins were rotting corpses with white feathers on their backs.
Although I've warned Mr. Aztec, I still ended up here … Klein was taken aback for a second as an irrepressible sense of helplessness surged in his heart.
He turned his head to the side and saw Aztec standing nearby, staring at the staircase that led deep into the mausoleum.
There was thick black gas emanating as it slowly flowed like a haze.
"What's hiding there might very well be an Artificial Death …" Klein couldn't help but remind him.
The lines on Azik's face were no longer as tense as before. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"The previous slumber made me recall even more things. I saw myself sitting on the throne of skulls. I saw the Beyonders and ordinary people who had collapsed in front of the throne. They didn't do anything wrong, but they suddenly died just like that. Then, one by one, they crawled up and turned into pale undead creatures, undead creatures that pledged their loyalty to me.
"And I just stared at it coldly, without any emotional fluctuations, and let the disaster spread to the countryside, to the city.
"This makes me feel like I'm not myself, but I also know that this might be my true self."
The Death Consul from the Fourth Epoch's Balam Empire? Klein's mouth quivered before he tightly pursed it.
Azik raised his hand to rub his temples, and he continued in a calm tone.
"I feel like I'm heading in this direction."
PS: I'll update first and then revise later. I'll be back to normal tomorrow. The main thing is that I got up at 6: 30 AM yesterday and left the house. I really couldn't finish the draft at night, so I went to bed very early.
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