Inside the Fishermen's Guild in the Dock District, an elder in a grayish-white robe, with dark golden long hair and beard, sat upright at a desk.
Everyone else in the office tacitly ignored the elder; even if they happened to pass by his location, they would reasonably avoid him.
On the desk in front of him lay a book bound with parchment, its deep brown cover bearing a line of Dragonese words: Liveseyd!
He glanced at the peculiar eye-shaped ornament hanging from the edge of the desk and said calmly, "The story should begin."
As if in response to his words, a pure, cold light flashed across the eye-shaped ornament.
The book with 'Liveseyd' written on its cover began to turn its pages on its own, revealing content that combined text and illustrations.
The pages rustled, quickly reaching the last page and stopping there.
At the top of the parchment, there were lines of Dragonese words previously written: "To make the evil spirit within him willing to help and cooperate, Ince Zangwill must first satisfy the evil spirit's desire, allowing him to obtain at least one Beyonder characteristic of a high Sequence from the Hunter Pathway.
Thanks to the evil spirit's essence as an undead creature and his own special status, Ince Zangwill, who was once a Sequence 5 Gatekeeper, gained the ability of 'Spirit World Travel,' which typically only high Sequences of the Death Pathway possess. This ability, under Ince Zangwill's deliberate concealment, seems to have gone undiscovered, though this is only what he believes.
Affected by the Beyonder characteristic Convergence effect, the evil spirit named Medici Sauron Einhorn, by a twist of fate, brought Ince Zangwill and 0-08 to Berens Port."
The elder with dark golden hair and beard looked at the writing on the parchment book, a gentle smile always on his face.
After a two-second pause, he unhurriedly picked up a round-bellied steel pen from the desk and wrote new Dragonese words on the parchment-bound book:
"Relying on 0-08's peculiarity, Ince Zangwill learned that a Red Gloves team from the Church of the Evernight Goddess had just arrived in Berens Port and was intentionally investigating him.
Through certain inevitable coincidences, 0-08 gained Insight into the Church of the Evernight Goddess's arrangements for capturing Ince Zangwill and informed him. Ince Zangwill decided that after satisfying the needs of the evil spirit within him, he would go and kill this Red Gloves team.
This was a provocation, and also a proof, proving that the Church of the Evernight Goddess's previous decision to abandon him was an error."
At the end of the page, the elder wrote another sentence, as if with some realization: "Everything will go smoothly today."
At the same time, Ince Zangwill, who was still in the warehouse, reached out and held 0-08 after it stopped writing, and also wrote the same sentence in his notebook: "Everything will go smoothly today."
Before he could put away his notebook and quill pen, Medici Sauron Einhorn's evil spirit once again took control of his body and mocked him with a disdainful tone: "Heh, is this a coward's blessing to himself?"
"No, this is a necessary preparation."
Ince Zangwill was not angry; he merely explained in a calm tone. Through their long period of coexistence, he had already figured out the evil spirit's habits, which included its penchant for mockery and the fact that he couldn't win an argument against it.
Putting the notebook back into his pocket, he relied on his own Gatekeeper ability, borrowing the evil spirit's special traits and status, and used the 'Spirit World Travel' ability, his figure quickly fading and disappearing from the warehouse.
In the open square near the Dock District, Anderson held a map he had marked with many routes and symbols, saying with a chuckle: "I've figured out the approximate location of an ancient mausoleum these past few days. According to West Balam customs, there must be a large amount of gold burial items inside."
Danitz was stunned for a moment, asking with some surprise: "Weren't you performing on the street all this time? When did you find out all this?"
"That's just a facade. A mature Hunter must learn to disguise himself and hide his true intentions…"
Anderson's eloquent voice suddenly stopped. He noticed a figure approaching him directly, and a sense of vigilance inexplicably rose in his heart.
He observed the other party for a moment, realizing he didn't know this person, but for no reason, he felt as if he was facing his natural enemy, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Heh, you look a bit miserable in this state. What, after all this time, you still haven't found your way home, still lingering on a Nighthawk?"
Danitz suddenly spoke words that didn't fit his persona. He covered his mouth in surprise:
"I, I, what did I just say?"
Anderson glanced at Danitz, whose expression had turned to horror, his eyes flickering as he instinctively moved a little further away from him.
Across from them, a sudden crimson hue, so rich it couldn't be dispersed, suddenly appeared in the deep blue, almost black eyes of the middle-aged man who had approached. Undisguised malice and anger surged within him. He shifted his gaze from Anderson to the top of Danitz's head, parting his lips into a grin:
"Lil' Raven! When did you start parasitizing others and still leave their self-consciousness intact? Has the long passage of time taught you what mercy is?"
Parasitism? Amon! Anderson suddenly reacted, his eyes wide, looking at Danitz with undisguised horror. He remembered the information mentioned at the Tarot Club earlier—wasn't he in Backlund? How could he appear on the Southern Continent?
"Don't be nervous."
Suddenly, a gentle voice came from beside his ear, as if endowed with magic, quickly dispelling the fear, dread, and worry in his heart.
Who... Anderson turned his head in confusion, realizing that a figure had appeared beside him at some point. Memories surged in his mind; that figure seemed to have always been there, but was always subconsciously overlooked.
He wore a simple white robe, had a light golden beard long enough to cover the lower half of his face, eyes as clear and innocent as a child's, and a gentle, reserved demeanor that made people instinctively feel good about him.
After clearly seeing the appearance of the middle-aged man dressed as a priest beside him, Anderson froze for a second, and then a faint sound of illusory things shattering seemed to echo in his mind. All the forgotten memories and emotions erupted at that moment.
The constantly surging memories and emotions made Anderson gasp for breath, a chill from the depths of his heart rising from his tailbone and shooting straight to his brain.
He felt that merely recalling his experiences during this period was enough to drive one mad and lose control!
Across from Anderson and Danitz, Ince Zangwill's expression suddenly distorted, fresh blood gushing from his ears, eyes, nostrils, and mouth. On his exposed skin, veins bulged, as if crimson sparks were floating within them.
His emotions became exceptionally agitated, as if he could lose control at any moment. His lips parted and closed, emitting a voice full of anger: "Adam!"
Adam? That Son of the Creator, King of Angels, Adam!
Anderson felt his brain was not quite enough; the development of events was like falling from the clouds into a muddy swamp in a single second. Before he could react and pray to Mr. Fool, Adam and the suddenly appearing Ince Zangwill vanished simultaneously, leaving only him and Danitz, who was possessed by Amon.
Anderson swallowed, taking a step back. He wanted to pray to Mr. Fool, but before he could speak, he had already forgotten his honorific name.
Danitz turned his head, looking at Anderson with peculiar eyes and said: "It's not time yet. In a little while, I will let you ask your Mr. Fool for help."
His target is Mr. Fool? He and Adam teamed up? What should I do... Anderson's expression gradually became heavy, becoming despairing.
Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet. The clamor of the crowd in the square all faded away, and even the sunlight dimmed, as if it had suddenly entered evening.
In this situation, one after another, brilliant blue stars descended from high above, reflecting a dazzling galaxy in the surroundings.
Amidst the twinkling starlight, eyes began to emerge from the light. They shimmered with a cold, pure glow, giving a feeling of extraordinary sacredness and profound wisdom, yet also appearing quite indifferent and devoid of warmth.
Amidst the twinkling starlight, the physical rules of the surroundings seemed to change. The movement of matter became heavy, becoming slow, and along with it, thoughts and bodies also slowed down.
Pfft!
The sound of a match being struck echoed around. The brilliant starlight around them flickered for a moment, then returned to stability.
Silently, a grayish-white Dragon with light golden eyes and vertical pupils appeared before Anderson and the possessed Danitz.
It had two grayish-black leathery wings on its back, relatively thick limbs, and its grayish-white scales were engraved with complex and three-dimensional mystical symbols...
Before Anderson could see more, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder, and he instantly woke up from the dream.
The heavy, sluggish feeling in his body remained. Because he had glimpsed a part of the grayish-white Dragon's body in the dream, Anderson's head also began to throb, various thoughts arose, and his thinking was very slow.
This state did not last too long. The hand on his shoulder transmitted a cold sensation, and his mind quickly became active, while the heavy, sluggish feeling in his body rapidly receded.
Just as he was about to turn his head to look behind him, he heard Leyton's voice: "Your mission is to pray to Mr. Fool and cooperate with others to kill Ince Zangwill."
The familiar voice relaxed the tense nerves in Anderson's mind. He had a series of questions to ask the other party, but when the words reached his lips, they turned into other questions: "A friend of mine, Danitz, has been possessed by Amon. What should I do?"