Indo Harbor, inside the bedroom of a villa in the western district.
Siltana, a member of the God of Combat Church's official "Demon Hunter" squad, a descendant of Mr. Azik, and a woman with a well-proportioned figure, changed out of her uniform and put on the only dress-style formal gown she owned.
Then, stepping out of the bedroom in high heels, she arrived in the living room.
Mr. Azik, who was sitting on the sofa, glanced at this descendant of his, put down the newspaper, and smiled as he teased, "That's rare—so you're actually willing to put the wine bottle down."
"I was just thinking something felt missing!" Siltana replied with feigned realization, then spread her hands and said boldly, "Our squad's been assigned to security duty for the 'Twilight Day Celebration.' Once we enter the Pitt Hotel later, there'll naturally be plenty of fine liquor waiting for me. I can't let the small spoil the big."
With bronze-toned skin and a mole by his ear, Mr. Azik nodded and casually said, "I got an invitation to the celebration. Just pretend you don't know me when the time comes."
"You got an invitation?" Siltana was extremely surprised when she heard this. As far as she knew, tonight's celebration would host quite a few major figures from the Empire and the churches. Those who could be invited were all great nobles, high-ranking officials, or famous figures from various industries.
Mr. Azik chuckled softly and said, "Live long enough, and you'll naturally accumulate some connections…"
Though this invitation had nothing to do with my own accumulation—it was obtained by that kid Cullen through connections within the Earth Mother Goddess Church.
Siltana, whose complexion was similarly dark, nodded thoughtfully. She didn't linger any longer. After bidding farewell to Mr. Azik, she left the villa and headed toward the Pitt Grand Hotel.
After she departed, Mr. Azik turned his gaze toward the window and said in a low voice, "Come out."
As soon as his words fell, countless illusory bats flew into the living room from nowhere, quickly "assembling" into Cullen's figure.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cullen went straight to the point and asked tentatively, "You called me here—has there been new progress regarding 'Gluttony'?"
Mr. Azik didn't answer immediately. Instead, he carefully examined him for a few moments before nodding slightly and saying with satisfaction, "There are no signs that your 'fate' has been 'interfered with,' which means he still doesn't know about you."
At this point, he paused, then continued, "I've roughly figured out why we kept coming up empty when tracking 'Gluttony' before… If my guess is correct, his schemes—or rather, the schemes of the one 'arranging' him from behind the scenes—will erupt tonight…
"During the 'Twilight Day Celebration' later, 'Gluttony' probably won't dare enter the venue. Most likely, he'll be observing nearby around the hotel…
"Your task is to thoroughly search the surrounding area of the hotel, find him, lock onto him, and capture him!
"I, on the other hand, will attend the celebration openly to further lower his guard."
Hearing this, Cullen fell silent for several seconds, seemingly digesting the information revealed in Azik's words, before finally asking,
"Will the one 'arranging' him behind the scenes make a move?"
Mr. Azik shook his head and said, "I'm not sure… but tonight, there will most likely be a major event. He probably won't have the spare attention.
"Besides, this 'Gluttony' is just an unwitting chess piece."
As he spoke, he casually struck a match, picked up a cigar to warm it, and then asked, "Any other questions?"
"No… I'll bring back the portion of 'spirit' that Silika lost!" Cullen promised.
"Hopefully." Azik took a puff of his cigar and watched Cullen transform into "bats" and fly away, only then letting out a faint sigh.
…
Indo Harbor, headquarters of the "Demon Hunter" squad.
Due to manpower shortages caused by the "Twilight Day Celebration," Dunn Smith and Daly Smith—disguised as the "Fogge" couple—had been temporarily seconded here.
The two had been reading and chatting leisurely in the lounge, but at this moment, Daly—nearly six months pregnant, with a visibly protruding belly—suddenly showed a change in expression.
Dunn, who had always kept part of his attention on his wife, immediately put down his book and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing… the baby kicked me." A faint smile appeared on Daly's face, filled with maternal warmth.
"What a naughty child." Dunn relaxed upon hearing this, but then worriedly asked, "Are you really okay? Should we go back and rest?"
"I was just kicked—how could I be that delicate?" Daly chided sweetly. She was about to say more to reassure her husband when her expression changed again.
And this time, it was rather grave.
Dunn immediately grew tense and said in quick succession, "What happened now? Should we go take a look at the Earth Mother Goddess Church in the southern part of the city?"
Daly gently shook her head, then directly pulled her husband out of the church. Only after entering a café two streets away, reserving a private room, and setting up a "Spiritual Wall," did she lower her voice and say, "Just now, a spirit I had dispatched in advance to the vicinity of 'Calderón City' reported that another two 'people'—a man and a woman—have entered that Spirit World city."
Although Dunn was somewhat puzzled by his wife's series of actions—after all, monitoring 'Calderón City' was originally a task arranged by the God of Combat Church, with no need for secrecy.
If it weren't for the fact that the resident bishop and the "Demon Hunters" had gone to the Pitt Grand Hotel, Daly's somewhat abrupt behavior right now might have even aroused suspicion.
However, out of trust in his wife, and knowing she must have her reasons, Dunn didn't question her and simply nodded, signaling her to continue.
"It's not that 'Demoness' from a few days ago… This time, one of the two seems to be a 'Wraith,' and the other is the gentleman thief 'Black Emperor'!" Daly said seriously.
"The gentleman thief 'Black Emperor'? The famous one in Backlund?" Dunn recalled after a moment, since during the period when the gentleman thief was most active, he had already returned to Backlund.
"Not as famous as your 'Iron Man.'" Daly glanced at her husband, her eyes carrying a hint of pride, looking as if she took glory in it herself.
Dunn, however, didn't really want to bring up his past as "Iron Man," since that finale was genuinely embarrassing. He coughed lightly and changed the subject, saying, "I remember the gentleman thief 'Black Emperor' being a subordinate of Mr. 'Fool,' right?"
"Yes…" Daly withdrew her "appreciative" gaze of her husband and said solemnly, "So I think we should inform Mr. 'Fool'… after all, after we reported that 'Demoness''s whereabouts a few days ago, the church has probably raised the level of surveillance there by several degrees."
…
Deep within the illusory and abstract Spirit World, Klein—wearing black armor and a crown—and Sharon—having changed back into her classic, elaborate Gothic long dress—bypassed a mass of mist that looked thin and perfectly normal. Their field of vision suddenly opened up, revealing before their eyes a magnificent city that could only exist in myth and legend.
This city was unlike anything normal. It didn't develop upward, but instead extended layer upon layer toward the bottom of a deep underground pit, giving the overall impression of an inverted mausoleum.
The buildings within were of all kinds of styles, yet all equally bizarre. Some were towering pale stone pillars with enormous monolithic houses carved at their tops; some were long and rectangular, with doors on the roof and no windows at all; some were built underground, with tombstones erected at their entrances; some were constructed from white bones, chaotic and fragmented.
The closer one got to the bottom of the pit, the better preserved the buildings were. The closer to the top, the more collapses there were, filled with the sense of decay and ruin brought by time.
Since he had already been here once, Klein was quite familiar with the place and was about to lead Sharon to where the "Spirit World Marauders" habitually hid.
But at this moment, he suddenly heard Daly's prayer.
The God of Combat Church might have an ambush outside Calderón City? Klein frowned slightly, but didn't pay it much mind.
After all, they wouldn't dare approach this city built by an ancient god, and he himself was merely a spirit body. As for "Sharon," although she possessed her own consciousness, she was only a "historical projection."
They could "run away" at any time.
After weighing it briefly, Klein still decided to continue deeper into Calderón City and complete the hunt for the "Spirit World Marauders."
(End of the chapter)