On the carriage prepared by the knight lady, Mozo returned home in a daze, holding the revolver forged from a Sequence Five Beyonder characteristic.
Only after he stepped inside did he finally come back to his senses.
He stared at the gun with a solemn expression.
A very serious question surfaced in his mind.
Should he sell it?
It was true that he would soon receive compensation from the authorities, and the amount would definitely not be small. But even so, Mozo still didn't think he had the luxury to afford using this thing.
One shot cost one hundred gold pounds.
He had heard that even a high-end estate only earned forty to fifty gold pounds a month. That was already a life most people wouldn't even dare dream of.
And yet, here, one shot was out of reach.
Are you really a Sealed Artifact from a righteous path, or some evil thing in disguise?
Will using you too much drive someone insane from sheer poverty?
And that knight lady... did she give this to me because it burns money too fast?
Mozo narrowed his eyes at the revolver, suspicion written all over his face.
After studying it for a long while, he finally sighed and gave up the idea of selling it.
First, it wouldn't be easy to find a buyer.
Second, he genuinely needed a powerful artifact for self-defense.
Besides, given his personality and future plans, he probably wouldn't have many situations where he needed to fire it anyway.
After putting the gold-devouring gun away, Mozo took out the note the knight lady had given him.
It contained a method for contacting her through the Spirit World.
As for what the Spirit World actually was, even Mozo couldn't fully explain it. The best he could do was describe it as a strange realm attached to the material world.
A place both empty and filled with bizarre entities.
There was a theory that the Spirit World was a manifestation of the Primordial Dream. It explained perfectly why the place was so chaotic and absurd. Dreams, after all, rarely made sense.
But that theory had a fatal flaw.
After the Great Rebellion, the Primordial had already died.
Thinking of that rebellion, Mozo frowned slightly.
What was it again?
He felt like he had forgotten something extremely important.
But when even the Nameless Book held no record of it, he knew this wasn't just a vague feeling.
It was truly gone.
And there was nothing he could do about it.
So he simply let it go.
Though normally separated from the material world, the Spirit World could still be utilized in many ways. The most common use was message delivery.
That reminded Mozo of his dream play when he had been Saint John.
In that story, the great saint John Connor had sealed the Undying Witch within the Spirit World using his life.
So many years had passed.
Had that terrifying witch escaped?
Hopefully not.
Otherwise, Mozo would have yet another dangerous enemy to deal with.
The Undying Witch was infamous for her sadistic tendencies.
If he ever fell into her hands...
Mozo shuddered.
He quickly shook his head and turned his attention back to the note.
It detailed the method to summon the knight lady's contracted Spirit World messenger.
Surprisingly, it was the safest and rarest method.
As expected of a great noble family.
There were generally three ways to send messages through the Spirit World.
The first was the cheapest.
Two people would agree on a time and perform a ritual to open the Spirit World, establishing coordinates to communicate. However, it was unreliable. Either party could make a mistake, and the Spirit World itself was far from safe.
The second method was to offer sacrifices to a Spirit World creature in exchange for delivery services. This was the most common approach, with several well-known entities and rituals.
The downside?
They charged a lot.
The third method was a symbol of status, power, and personal charisma.
Contracting a Spirit World entity as a personal messenger.
Such a being could not only deliver messages but also explore the Spirit World, even retrieve rare treasures.
And if one had enough charm or offered sufficient payment, the entity might even enter the material world to fight.
The knight lady clearly used the third method.
She had her own contracted messenger.
Mozo scanned the instructions with interest.
The process itself was simple. Enter a meditative state and recite a short invocation.
Messenger of Molly Windsor, I call upon you from the other side of reality.
May you ride the waves and winds, delivering my thoughts.
So they really are family.
Mozo nodded to himself.
Everything seemed fine.
Until he reached the final note.
Additional: Each summon requires payment of one gold coin. Payment must be made both ways. One-sided transactions are not allowed.
One gold coin?
Mozo froze.
Then he sucked in a sharp breath.
What kind of pricing is this?
Are you some four-headed beauty or something?
After memorizing the contents, he burned the note without hesitation.
One gold coin per summon, and no guarantee of cooperation.
What a rip-off.
Wait.
Should I use one of my old contracted messengers instead?
Mozo suddenly recalled that among his former contracts, there was one that only required an apple as payment.
But the thought was quickly dismissed.
Those messengers were far too famous.
Or rather, far too noticeable to certain people.
If they started delivering messages again, someone might trace them back.
And come knocking.
Mozo had no intention of getting himself killed because someone followed the signal back to him.
That would be ridiculous.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.
Why had all his contracted messengers been so... flashy?
Why hadn't he picked something low-key?
What had he even contracted?
Six of the seven highest-ranking Spirit World entities represented by the Rainbow.
Each of them left unmistakable traces whenever they moved.
There was also the Void Whale, whose slightest movement stirred storms.
And the Hundred-Eyed Giant, whose awakening shook mountains.
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
What had he been thinking back then?
Mozo fell into deep contemplation.
Then suddenly slapped himself.
He remembered.
Because it looked cool.
Right.
Forget it.
The old messengers were unusable.
And contracting a new one required at least Sequence Seven. Anything lower would be too dangerous in the Spirit World.
One gold coin it is.
It's not like I'll need it often anyway.
He comforted himself.
At the same time, he made a mental note to visit the bank tomorrow and exchange for a few gold coins, just in case.
What Mozo didn't know was that at the exact moment he considered contracting a new messenger, deep within a shattered prison in the Spirit World, something stirred.
Chains bound wrists, ankles, and collarbone.
A witch with seven faces slowly raised her head.
Each face represented a different persona.
They shifted in rapid succession.
Rage roared.
Sorrow wept.
Diligence strained.
Gluttony hungered.
Justice closed its eyes.
Ecstasy smiled.
The cycle continued.
At last, sorrow took control.
The Undying Witch, forever trapped in grief, wept endlessly for her fate, her suffering, and her regrets.
But soon, sorrow gave way to rage.
She snapped her head up, glaring toward a distant point in the Spirit World.
Her voice dripped with fury.
"Damned world. Damned gods. Damned John!"
"I will find you."
"You wretched bastard."
"I will kill you a thousand times!"
Before the roar could fade, another face replaced it.
Ecstasy.
All hatred vanished in an instant, replaced by a seductive charm that could melt a man's bones.
Even in her broken, tortured state, she licked her cracked lips and radiated irresistible allure.
"Ah... John... my John..."
"The only man who refused me..."
"I will find you again."
"I do not age. I do not die."
"And when I do..."
"Please... let me savor you forever..."
Before she could finish, another face took over.
Gluttony.
Her voice turned feral.
"Let me devour your delicious flesh... forever!"