Chapter 75

[AI ERROR / SAFETY BLOCK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

Shit! I’ve been controlled by the puppet!

Captain and the others are either unconscious...or have yet to recover. They can’t even get up... They won’t be able to...wake me up in time...

No... I have to...save myself!

Everything before Klein’s eyes happened in slow motion. All his joints and his brain seemed to be coated with an ever-thickening layer of glue.

He had no interest in becoming a human puppet, so he seized the opportunity—before he was fully under its control—to find a way to save himself.

I definitely can’t...hit myself... There must be an...external force...

External force... I’ll give it a try...

Without time for hesitation or the luxury to think things through, Klein grasped an idea in less than three seconds and immediately moved his “rusty” knee joint. With that, he took one counterclockwise step.

At the same time, he did not attempt to escape the invisible rope that seemed to hang around his throat. All he did was begin to internally recite:

“The... Immortal Lord of... Heaven and Earth...for Blessings...”

He wanted to harness the mysterious world above the gray fog to wake himself and escape Sealed Artifact 2-049’s assimilation!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Klein’s knees and ankles emitted unpleasant sounds of protest. With slow, contorted movements, he took another step counterclockwise.

“The Sky Lord...of Heaven and Earth...for Blessings...”

Klein’s thoughts became more halting. He felt as though he were a computer overloaded with bloatware and antivirus programs. He lifted his left foot in a jerky motion and took another step in the required spot.

“The... Exalted Thearch...of Heaven...and... Earth for... Blessings...”

Klein’s mind was slowing, stiffening. He took the final step purely on instinct.

At this point, he knew he was almost fully under the puppet’s control. Even if Ayer Harson could get up in time to save him, he probably wouldn’t be awakened with a push.

But his strong will to live drove him to recite the final line of the incantation:

“The... Celestial... Worthy...of... Heaven...and... Earth......for......... Blessings...”

Just as he finished his incantation, chaotic, hysterical shrieks and murmurs abruptly sounded in his ears. They shattered his solidifying mind into countless shards of uncontrollable thoughts.

Klein’s brain became a gurgling cauldron of soup. In his torpor, he felt his body grow lighter as his spirit drifted into the air.

Endless gray fog and crimson stars appeared before his eyes—vast, mysterious, and hazy.

Klein’s scattered thoughts quickly settled as he finally regained the ability to think, focusing on the magnificent palace before him.

“Phew... Good thing it worked,” he whispered, his voice tinged with lingering fear.

According to his previous observations, once someone fell under the control of Sealed Artifact 2-049, it was tantamount to death. Under normal circumstances, no medicine could save them.

Fortunately, his luck-enhancement ritual and the mysterious world above the gray fog did not adhere to normalcy!

Pacing back and forth, Klein began considering his situation.

I can't just stay here forever, right?

Once Captain and the others wake up and come close to me, I won't be able to explain what's happening...

As things are right now, I have only the shell of my body left. I'm more zombie-like than a zombie...

But if I take the risk and return, there's no guarantee of safety... What if I get controlled by 2-049 again?

...

While pondering his dilemma, Klein suddenly smacked himself on the forehead and let out a soft chuckle. “It looks like I haven’t gotten used to my status as a Seer!”

Before he finished his sentence, he appeared at the head of the long bronze table, seated on the high-back chair with the strange symbol.

Klein extended his hand and grabbed the fountain pen that materialized out of thin air. Then he scribbled a sentence on an illusory piece of paper:

Returning to the real world is very safe.

Next, Klein pulled out a projection of a spirit pendulum from his packet. After some experimentation, he discovered that any item he possessed could also be projected above the gray fog, though they appeared much more illusory.

Klein held the silver chain with his left hand and lowered the yellow crystal until it nearly touched the paper. Slowing his breathing, he half-closed his eyes and began calmly repeating to himself:

“Returning to the real world is very safe.”

...

“Returning to the real world is very safe.”

...

Again and again, Klein repeated the sentence, performing the spirit dowsing in its entirety without skipping any steps.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the yellow crystal slowly oscillating, guiding the silver chain in a clockwise spin.

Clockwise is positive while counterclockwise is negative... Returning to the real world is very safe...

Klein heaved a sigh of relief as he stored the chain away out of habit. Then he released his spirituality and wrapped it around his body, conjuring the sensation of a rapid fall.

The hazy fog and crimson stars swiftly turned ethereal as they zoomed upward. Soon, Klein saw himself still frozen in his original position—the brown puppet with half of its body still hanging out of the chest. He also noticed that the Sealed Artifact had apparently stopped all motion.

As his physical senses reached his brain, he was about to try moving his arm to determine his physical condition when he suddenly heard a voice concealed within the wind:

“Do you wish to be awakened? You can be saved as long as you promise me one thing. This one thing is to pick up that Antigonus family’s notebook for me. Nod if you agree. I know you are still capable of completing that action.”

Who?! Hmm... Looks like 2-049 isn't trying to control me again... That's right. It will not repeatedly influence the same person. There will he a break...Klein almost started in surprise, but he revealed nothing on his face.

Just then, the voice added quickly:

“If you do this, you will receive additional rewards. I know you are a Seer, and I also know that the Church of Evernight does not have the eighth rank of your Sequence. But our Secret Order can give it to you. Heh, frankly, I used to be a Seer. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to return. To show you my sincerity, I can tell you now that the corresponding Sequence Eight of the Seer path is Clown.”

Clown? Secret Order...Klein nearly didn’t manage to stay frozen in his puppet state.

He never would’ve made the connection between Seer and Clown.

Were they about to become the twin headliners of a circus?

“All right, make your choice. Believe me, you have no time left to waste.” The voice once again carried on the wind. In the distance, Dunn and Lorotta remained unconscious. Borgia seemed heavily injured, moaning without moving. Ayer Harson and Leonard Mitchell were in relatively better shape as they attempted to roll over and sit up.

Why me? The Secret Order... It must be that tuxedo clown from before. After he escaped, he secretly returned in a bid to fish in troubled waters... But why is he seeking help from me? He can single-handedly take on anyone here at this point...

Hearing the voice, all sorts of doubts flashed through Klein’s mind one after another.

Since the person claimed to be a Seer, Klein attempted to analyze the situation using the thought processes of a Seer.

He dared to return because he'd divined something hopeful in this situation. He believed that Monster Bieber would be destroyed and thattheywould all suffer a heavy setback.

He didn't take the notebook himself or deal with us directly because he likely divined that it would entail immense risk. Therefore, he suspects that either the captain or Ms. Lorotta are feigning their unconsciousness—and that this is a trap laid out for him.

He didn't make further divinations to determine my present state, probably because he might not have the time. If he waited any longer, Mr. Ayer Harson and the others would have regained some of their combat strength. Also, he belittles me and thinks it unnecessary.

He understands a Seer very well and is confident that I'm unable to escape the puppet's control... He is using me as cannon fodder to probe for any potential traps...

On the other hand, this also proves that I look no different than usual on the outside even while conducting the luck-enhancement ritual...

With his brain no longer a sludge, Klein felt that his line of reasoning was crystal clear. He was quite confident about the thoughts and goals of the tuxedo clown.

As for the clown’s promise, he believed not one word of it.Cannon fodder has no rights!

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Klein took control of his neck and nodded with difficulty. In doing so, he confirmed that he had indeed escaped the control of Sealed Artifact 2-049.

Immediately, a transparent “curtain” stirred about three meters to his side. It revealed the outline of a figure with a face painted in bright colors and dressed in a tuxedo—none other than the Secret Order member who had fled previously.

Since Klein had been in a twisted pose in his attempt to leap out of 2-049’s effective range, his back was now facing the black chest and the puppet. The tuxedo clown stood to his side, clearly keeping away from the Sealed Artifact and the barrel of his revolver. No doubt, he was very careful.

The clown pulled a long slip of paper from his pocket and snapped it in his hand until it was as stiff as a wooden stick. He held this “stick” at a distance of two to three meters and prodded Klein’s shoulder to wake him.

This fellow knows 2-049 very well. He knows that if the scent of an Antigonus family descendant is present, the puppet will go ballistic and be able to control two people at a time... He also knows that throwing a rock doesn't seem effective...? At the very least, I've seen Captain and present company attempt similar things...

[AI ERROR / SAFETY BLOCK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

Although Klein didn’t know why 2-049 hadn’t tried to assimilate him again, he didn’t dare remain within five meters of it any longer. Therefore, he waited with bated breath for an opportunity.

Just as the stick was about to touch his shoulder, Klein suddenly raised his left hand and grabbed the edge of the stick, yanking it backward.

Caught by surprise, the tuxedo clown was pulled forward by his hand. He staggered a few steps as the gap between him and Klein closed—now less than two meters.

At the same time, Klein readied the revolver’s trigger with his right hand.

Bang! Bang!

He shot twice—not aiming directly at the tuxedo clown but behind him, firing to the side of Sealed Artifact 2-049!

Before the gunshots rang out, the tuxedo clown had taken the initiative to roll from his staggering state, instinctively moving out of the bullet’s path.

Klein released his grip on the stick as he rapidly backed away several meters, rushing out of the danger zone.

After a few rolls, the tuxedo clown was about to jump backward and away when his head went abuzz and his thoughts rapidly turned to mush.

Oh no!

He forced me to...dodge in the direction of the Antigonus puppet!

I'm within...five meters...

How could he...not be...controlled by...the Antigonus...puppet...?

...

The tuxedo clown stilled. With what seemed like rusted joints, he attempted to crawl out of the effective range.

But Klein had already turned around. He held his revolver with both hands as he aimed at the slow-moving target.

To him, that was no different than shooting a fixed target.

Having witnessed the tuxedo clown’s battle with Dunn, Ayer, and Lorotta, Klein knew that he was agile and adept at rolls and flips. Therefore, even when they were only a meter or two apart, Klein had cautiously given up on landing a shot. Instead, he forced the clown to dodge toward the “home turf” he’d envisioned—within range of Sealed Artifact 2-049!

Furthermore, even if the puppet were ineffective, the tuxedo clown would only realize that he had fallen into a trap. He would escape by leaping backward and would not pose any significant threat to Klein.

Bang!

Reflected in the inscrutable gaze of the tuxedo clown, Klein calmly pulled the trigger.