When it came to his understanding of ancient gods, Klein wasn't any less knowledgeable than many High-Sequence Beyonders. After all, he had the City of Silver that had lasted from the Second Epoch to this day. There were corresponding myths passed down there, and there were many remnant influences.
Based on what he knew, Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace was a so-called ancient Death. Due to being severely injured by the City of Silver's Creator, the Sun God who had been eaten by the Kings of Angels, she shattered and perished at the end of the Second Epoch.
However, "Her" influence didn't vanish. Up to the present era, there were still some traces of it. This was because "She" was the founder of the Underworld!
City of the Dead … Unknown soul … Ancient god … This sounds very dangerous … Klein looked at the radio transceiver in front of him and fell into deep thought.
Tap. Tap. Tap. The illusory white paper spat out another section.
"Apart from this, I'm not too sure about anything else.
"Great Master, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"
That's a good question … Klein reined in his thoughts and nodded slightly.
"Speak."
The tapping sounds of the radio transceiver instantly turned brisk as a line of words appeared on the illusory white paper.
"With regards to Calderón City, you can ask Red Light Elmoria."
In the end, I still can't avoid the Red Light … Klein nodded slightly and asked, "In the end, I still can't avoid the Red Light …
"If I were to remove Admiral Hell Ludwell's mask, would there be danger?"
"No!" A resolute word appeared in Klein's eyes.
That's good … He thought for a moment.
"That's all for today."
"Great Master, wise Master, in another minute or two, there will be gazes cast over! Your loyal servant, Arrodes, awaits your next summoning. Goodbye ~ "The tapping sounds of the radio transceiver didn't hesitate at all.
Another minute or two? Why didn't you say so earlier? Klein was alarmed as though he had seen the countdown of a time bomb. He hurriedly used the materials that hadn't been put away from the altar and held a sacrificial ritual, throwing the radio transceiver above the gray fog.
After doing all of this and confirming that there weren't any abnormal changes in the surroundings, Klein made Ludwell walk to the side and avoid facing him. He then took off the silver mask on his face.
A pale-white light spewed out, but it wasn't as exaggerated as the one Klein had seen during his battle with Ludwell. It only covered a small area like a candle that was about to burn out.
At the same time, the gloomy and gloomy feeling that disappeared after the radio transceiver was sent back above the gray fog appeared once again. Furthermore, there was an indescribable horror that struck straight at the heart.
This reminded Klein of the cemetery and the legendary Netherworld.
After waiting for a few seconds and seeing that there weren't any additional abnormalities, he made another marionette, Winner Enzo, circle to the front of Admiral Hell Ludwell and carefully observe the face that had been masked for a long period of time.
The face was devoid of flesh and the skin was tightly attached to the bones. It was colorless and transparent like a crystal.
Beneath the "crystal," an indescribable transparent shadow was rapidly flowing. At times, it would fuse with the skull, and at other times, it would shrink into the gaps and appear on the teeth.
If this were the first one or two months after his transmigration, Klein would've definitely been frightened to death by Admiral Hell's appearance. But now, he had seen too many Rampagers and mutants of all shapes and sizes. He wouldn't be stirred by such looks.
After another round of "research," Klein completely figured out Ludwell's condition.
This stemmed from the uniqueness of a Gatekeeper.
At Sequence 5, after becoming a Gatekeeper, a Beyonder could use their body as a cage that belonged solely to the Netherworld. They could hold a certain number of souls, the dead, and natural spirits, and through this, they could obtain all sorts of unique powers and powerful helpers. There was no need for them to bring an army of the dead wherever they went, making them extremely eye-catching.
In many folklore, this resulted in stories of "Spirit Behinds."
The other meaning of "Gatekeeper", which was also the most ancient meaning, was to guard the "Underworld" within one's body, to prevent the spirits contained within from escaping, and to make use of them. This was also symbolized by a pair of illusory double doors.
As for ancient Death, Phoenix Ancestor Gregrace, after she opened up the Netherworld, it was equivalent to giving a small portion of the authority of the Death domain to all the Gatekeepers. It allowed all Beyonders of this Sequence to have a certain degree of strength enhancement.
The reason why Admiral Hell Ludwell constantly wore the mask was because he had a powerful Netherworld creature within him. On the one hand, he was using this creature, and on the other hand, it was corroding his body, turning him into a half-undead, half-human existence. At the same time, this creature was constantly instinctively connecting to the Netherworld, attempting to open the door and return there.
This, combined with the Gatekeeper's own powers and authority, as well as the augmentation from Death's ring, allowed Admiral Hell Ludwell to enlarge the door to the Netherworld, allowing him to directly drive the Black Tulip in.
Half-undead, half-human … It's no wonder Ludwell dares to enter the Netherworld. A real living person wouldn't be able to survive there for even a second … Hmm, that Netherworld creature gave him a unique ability to turn a portion of his body into a dead soul. He can extract the Spirit Bodies of others remotely. I encountered it back then … In enlightenment, Klein made Admiral Hell wear the silver mask again.
The mask's effect was to placate the soul, allowing the Netherworld creature in Ludwell's body to be in a relatively calm state most of the time.
With his questions answered, Klein turned his attention back to the altar.
He wanted to attempt to "contact" the spirit world's Seven Lights.
In this regard, there were special secret deed rituals and corresponding spirit channeling rituals that he could choose from. After some consideration, Klein chose the latter. This was because during the secret deed ritual, he had to release his spirit and make contact with the targeted existence. From there, he would obtain a certain amount of knowledge, strength, help, or spiritual experience. This would result in his thoughts and secrets opening up to that existence.
As for the spirit channeling ritual, there were two types: direct communication and requesting the other party to descend. As the spirit world's Seven Lights were extremely high in status, Klein couldn't guarantee that the other party would respond according to the ritual's requirements. Therefore, although he wanted to communicate remotely, he had made additional preparations for a spirit descent to express his sincerity.
After lighting the three candles and dripping a liquid like mint essential oil, Klein specially took out a paper figurine and placed it on the altar as a medium for the spirit descent. If there wasn't anything similar, the target of the prayer would descend on him. It was just like how Dhaniz had requested Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina's spirit descend. There were two situations. First, the possessed person would completely lose their senses and would be controlled by the corresponding existence to answer the questions of others. Second, the possessed person would remain lucid and be able to control certain parts of their body, allowing them to answer the seducer. The simplest example was that one could use their mouth to speak while the other controlled their hands to write.
Klein quickly completed the first half of the ritual. He took a step back and opened his mouth, chanting in ancient Hermes.
"I!
"I pray in my name.
"I pray to communicate with the Light of the Spirit World that never fades, the embodiment of infinite knowledge, the Red of Authority and Will …"
The greatest difference between this spirit channeling ritual and ordinary ones was that one couldn't pray to a deity. Be it the Evernight Goddess or the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, their honorific names couldn't appear in the ritual; otherwise, it would definitely result in failure.
From a mysticism point of view, this meant that the spirit world's Seven Lights didn't belong to or serve any deity.
As words that could communicate with the spirits of nature were said, Klein saw the three candles swell at the same time. With a light crackling sound, they connected as though a door of light had opened.
The surroundings of the altar suddenly turned silent and dark as pairs of baffling eyes looked over from different directions.
A cold wind blew past. Apart from the three candles, everything on the altar floated in midair. Among them, the paper figurine stood up shakily. Its surface was dyed a rich and clear red that didn't look bloody at all.
"Hello." As Klein recalled the mysticism books that described the spirit world's Seven Lights, he spoke according to the correct interaction method he had concluded.
He acted as though he was facing a teacher.
The bright red paper figurine's head moved slightly as it let out an illusory but authoritative voice.
"Hello."
That's quite polite … Indeed, spirit channeling has turned into a spirit summoning. Thankfully, I was prepared ahead of time … Various thoughts flashed through Klein's mind as he said sincerely and respectfully, "Your Excellency Elmoria, I have something to ask you."
"Your Excellency Elmoria, I have something I'd like to ask you."
"You can just call me Elmoria. Please speak." The paper figurine floating in midair seemed to be competing with Klein to see who was more polite.
"I wish to know information related to Calderón City." Klein didn't change his attitude. After all, there was a saying in the Foodie Empire: It's no wonder you're so polite.
The bright red, nearly transparent paper figurine pondered for two seconds.
"May I know your goal?"
Klein didn't hide it as he said frankly,
"To hunt Spirit World Plunderers."
The paper figurine's head moved slightly.
"Indeed, it's only easy to find them in Calderón City. In other places, Spirit World Plunderers are like a drop of water in the ocean. It's very difficult to distinguish them. Even I can only occasionally discover them, but I'm unable to lock onto them for long periods of time.
"A portion of them are active in Calderón City's core, while a small number are scattered in the periphery. As long as you don't attempt to venture too deep, you won't be in too much danger. Unfortunately, there's something special there that prevents us Seven Lights from entering. Otherwise, we might be able to provide you with some actual help."
"That's the former divine kingdom of the ancient goddess Gregrace?" Klein made up his mind as he asked in a confirmatory manner.
The bright red paper figurine said,
"Yes, the ancient Death wishes to use this City of the Dead to revive, but 'He' failed completely. 'His' authority was taken by Balam's Death.
"However, this also makes Calderón City more dangerous. This is because the setup left behind by the ancient goddess underwent an anomaly after the failure. I'm not sure what exactly it has become."
Is that so … Klein nodded indiscernibly as he raised a few more questions from different angles. He received relatively satisfactory answers.
…
Bayam, outside a house near the harbor.
Alger and Admiral of Stars Cattleya were patiently waiting for the people inside to enjoy their dinner.
Lord of the Mysteries
Lord of the Mysteries
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
