"They were heading in that direction."
She had not directly revealed the location of the battlefield to Klein.
Extremely cautious, extremely wary… Klein pondered for a moment before asking, "Will this purification cause you any harm?"
"Zombies can do it, and I can do it in my Spirit Body form," Sharron replied with a simple, direct answer.
In other words, when a Sequence 5 Wraith still possesses a physical body, it is difficult for purification to have a significant effect… Klein thought as he followed up.
"What about exorcism?"
"And what about the Demon Hunters?"
Since she was collaborating with someone influential in the same field, Sharron hid nothing.
"Ghost hunting will harm our bodies, while exorcism will damage both our physical and Spirit bodies—though it is not lethal."
Klein smiled and let out a breath. "I understand."
He paused, thinking for a while before asking again, "Can you sense the power of purification and exorcism right now?"
From the side, Maric replied in a raspy voice, "No."
Excellent. The spiritual cage transformed from the Wall of Spirituality can indeed isolate the effects of the Sun Brooch. However, I feel so hot… Klein sighed inwardly with relief. "That is not the case."
"Besides the Scarlet Lunar Corona, what other mystical items or Beyonder weapons do Wraith Steve, Zombie Jason, and Werewolf Tyre possess?"
They have a bottle of biological poison, Miao Miao thought silently. But she revealed nothing.
"We don't know." Feeling somewhat irritable, Maric pressed the space between his eyebrows again.
In the face of the impending battle, it was inevitable that a person who had been suppressing their malice and desires would show signs of mental instability.
Sharron listened quietly and answered in a steady voice, "You are right."
"Under the influence of the Scarlet Lunar Corona, Jason and Tyre will be in a relatively frenzied state."
"Even if they possess mystical items, they lack the rationality to use them. Unless they are passive." Maric added, "And for a Werewolf, his claws are his Beyonder weapons. The same applies to Tyre, Jason, and me. They can slice through steel and carry toxins."
Klein's eyes shifted slightly as he nodded. "Alright, I have no more questions."
The carriage sped through the night where pedestrians were few. The wheels occasionally splashed through puddles, leaving faint tracks on the ground.
"How do they behave toward blood?" Miao Miao asked in a quiet tone.
Miss Assistant had once told her that Miao Miao's blood could be used to weaken Beyonders. Though it had astonished her when she first heard it, she remained silent then. Perhaps there was a deep connection to the mysterious past of this body's owner.
Maric glanced at Miao Miao with his sinister brown eyes and hoarsely, "Blood is a form of intense madness for Zombies and Werewolves. It awakens their bestial desires and makes them even more violent."
"What if we purify the blood with Holy Light and use it to attack them? For example, what if we use arrows tipped with holy blood?" Miao Miao suggested.
Klein's eyes brightened for a moment. He felt the warmth of his Sun Brooch, currently hidden within the Wall of Spirituality in his pocket. He inwardly praised Miao Miao's tactical ingenuity.
Miao Miao added, "We could fire arrows from hiding. If it hits them, it might burn them from the inside and stall their healing abilities."
Sharron, who had been staring out the window, said in a very low voice, "Blood and Holy Light... an effective concept. It would force Wraiths to remain visible in their spiritual bodies."
Ten minutes later, Maric signaled the driver—a stiff, sluggish man—to pull the reins.
Klein looked out the glass window at a dark area filled with dilapidated buildings. Not far away, the sound of flowing water could be heard.
"This is West Balam Dock, abandoned for a year. Renovations are set to begin soon. Our ambush point is in the warehouse area," Maric introduced.
An abandoned West Balam Dock… if anything goes wrong, the Tussock River is the best escape route… According to my previous observations, about two kilometers northwest is a Leaver Cathedral. It belongs to the God of Steam and Machinery… Klein quickly committed his surroundings to memory.
Miao Miao, who had no prior knowledge of this place, knew she would have to follow Klein if things changed. There won't be a twist like that, she thought, because I've read this.
Klein stepped out of the carriage, followed closely by Miao Miao . They followed Sharron and Maric deep into the docks. After five or six minutes of walking, they arrived at an open space surrounded by several warehouses.
The ground here was dark brown, covered in dry weeds. In a desolate, dark corner, a wooden box sat silently.
"These are the explosives you asked for," Maric pointed.
Klein nodded.
"Aren't you afraid a vagrant might steal them?"
"My zombies are sleeping underground here. If anyone enters, they will scare them away." Maric pointed to several spots. "Avoid those areas when you plant the bombs."
The word Zombie swirled in Miao Miao's head; she had seen many zombie movies. She was curious to see how different these Werewolves and Zombies were from the ones on screen.
"No problem." Klein nodded with a smile. Then he asked, "If I use my purification and exorcism powers now, will it harm those little creatures of yours?"
"No, they are equivalent to sleeping corpses. Besides, there is a thick layer of soil acting as a barrier," Maric answered affirmatively.
After surveying the area, Sharron said, "Stay here and prepare yourselves."
"We will lure the enemy here. It will take no more than thirty minutes. Please make good use of the time."
"Once your preparations are complete, hide in one of the warehouses. Do not rush to attack. You must be patient."
"No matter how dangerous the situation becomes, treat it as normal."
"When I become weak and the Scarlet Lunar Corona appears, you can use that 'eye' to find Steve and launch a surprise attack. I will also use my mystical item to assist you."
Klein listened intently and smiled. It was a very simple plan.
"The simpler the plan, the more effective it is," Sharron replied calmly.
Maric rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "Steve is no fool. If a complex plan fails, it collapses entirely."
After the conversation, Sharron's figure vanished instantly. Maric also exited the docks quickly.
In the silence of the abandoned West Balam Dock, only Klein and Miao Miao remained. She moved a short distance away from Klein. Klein still hasn't revealed his Sequence or Pathway to me… he definitely doesn't fully trust me yet. He likely views meeting a fellow countryman as a mere coincidence.
Klein pulled a small rectangular metal box from his pocket. It was encased in a 'membrane' created from spirituality—the 'Spirituality Cage' evolved from the Wall of Spirituality.
In the next moment, Miao Miao looked toward the roof and waved her hand quickly.
Fine, almost invisible threads hooked onto the beams of the warehouse. Within seconds, she had created a hidden path across the ceiling—for rapid movement or a sudden strike if necessary.
Four warehouses overgrown with weeds, and the ground is muddy from the previous rain… Klein took out a slip of paper and shook it. The paper stiffened instantly, becoming as hard as an iron plate.
Using the paper, Klein quickly dug a shallow hole in the center of the clearing and buried the small metal box, isolating it from the outside world with a thin layer of soil.
Miao Miao helped Klein plant sticks of dynamite from the wooden box into various corners and warehouses. Klein buried the final few sticks near the center of the "graveyard."
Once finished, he took out his revolver and checked his bullet ratio: three purification bullets and two exorcism bullets.
Tucking the revolver back into his underarm holster, Klein straightened his clothes and moved to the gap between two warehouses. He threw a paper figurine onto the spot where the explosives were buried.
As part of the final preparations, Klein removed the 'Sun Brooch' from its cage. Miao Miao held out a vial of blood she had brought. Klein applied his spirituality to the brooch, and a brilliant golden glow surged into the vial. The dark red blood began to simmer, emitting a holy radiance.
"Are you sure you can fire arrows with this from a distance?" Klein asked.
"Certainly," Miao Miao said quietly.
Klein watched her for a moment as she dipped her arrows into the vial. Noticing his gaze, she asked, "Do you have something else to say?"
"You probably still don't know my Sequence and Pathway," Klein said.
"True, I'm not certain of your Pathway, though your Sequence is surely higher than mine," Miao Miao said, feigning curiosity.
"I am a Sequence 7 Magician of the Seer Pathway."
So… he really trusts me.
""The next Sequence of my Pathway is called Swindler. Aren't you afraid I'll deceive you? You should never trust a thief; I might even leak your identity for my own gain," Miao Miao said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Klein chuckled softly and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then why haven't you leaked it yet?"
"Ugh... fine, I'm screaming it then!" She leaned in close to Klein's right ear and whispered, "Sherlock Moriarty—whose real name is Klein Moretti or Zhou Mingrui—is a Sequence 7 Magician of the Seer Pathway."
A trace of a smile appeared on Klein's face. To end the Miao Miao slightly furrowed her brows and asked, as if out of curiosity, "Did you choose this path after learning from Roselle's diary?Have you read the entry from January 4th?""
She was almost certain she already knew the answer.
Even so, she had to pretend she didn't know at this moment..
"Yes," Klein admitted.
"That means you've mastered the method Senior Roselle described very well..."
Klein and Miao Miao climbed onto the roofs of separate warehouses, hiding in the shadows. After double-checking his charms, extracts, and herbal powders, Klein touched his iron cigar case and snapped his fingers.
The paper figurine he had thrown between the warehouses suddenly stood up. It transformed into a gentleman wearing a black double-breasted frock coat, a half-top hat, and carrying a sturdy cane.
The gentleman's position was secluded, making him difficult to spot for anyone entering from the outside.
Miao Miao watched from afar. The crimson moon was obscured by clouds tonight, leaving only a faint glimmer in the clearing.
Soon after, Miao Miao spotted three figures approaching at an incredible speed.