Lord of the Mysteries

Unlike mainland cities such as Backlund, Tingen, and Pritz Harbor, colonial islands such as Bansy Harbor lacked gas. The lamps lining the two sides of the street were sparse. They had candles caged in glass, waiting to be lit.

Unfortunately, the wind had picked up early, so no one went out in the evening. The candles didn’t shine at the predetermined time, and the road was pitch black. The faint outline of the crimson moon shone through the clouds.

Compared to before, the wind was much calmer. At the very least, Klein didn’t need to be distracted keeping his hat on.

The thin fog gradually pervaded the air, and the doors and windows of the mainly two-story houses were shut tight. It was pitch black and devoid of any light, as though no one had lived in the area for a long time.

With a yellow lantern in one hand and a hard wooden cane in the other, Klein walked quickly down the quiet street in the direction of the Green Lemon Restaurant which Blazing Danitz had pointed out.

Woosh!

Amidst the fog, the wind began to swirl as Klein felt a baffling chill down his neck.

He lifted his right hand, which held the cane, and propped up the collar of his double-breasted frock coat, completely covering his neck.

It was at this moment that a scene suddenly appeared in his mind!

In the scene, a black shadow the size of a watermelon appeared from the fog and lunged for his ear.

Without thinking, Klein swung his arm and forearm and struck out with his cane.

Bam!

Just as the black shadow came close, it was struck head-on and sent flying a long distance away.

With the help of the lantern’s light, Klein finally recognized the thing that had attacked him.

It was a head!

It was a head that had lost its body, a head that had its esophagus hanging down!

The head floated in midair, its face resembling dried cheese with mildew all over it. There was a yellowish-green liquid flowing down its skin as it outlined the face’s contours.

There were only two black holes left where its nose was supposed to be. Its bulging eyes were mostly white without much black. Its lips were mostly rotten, revealing sharpened teeth mixed with blood!

Dogsh*t! Blazing Danitz silently cursed when he saw this scene, his heart trembling.

Even though he had embarked on many treasure hunts and had fought many monsters, such a disgusting and horrifying thing was still rare.

At some point in time, a classic revolver had appeared in his hand, and he was about to fire it with his elbow held down.

At this moment, he saw a pure ray of light descend from the sky, landing on the somewhat stiff head.

Ah!

A blood-curdling screech rang out, and the shriveled and hideous head was quickly vaporized before dissolving into ashes. It didn’t leave a single trace behind.

How weak! Danitz subconsciously commented.

Is this monster, Gehrman Sparrow, from the Sun pathway? Doesn’t look like it… He likely relied on what should be some sort of mystical item… I didn’t even realize it just now, but Gehrman Sparrow had already discovered the enemy and attacked. He really is very strong… Danitz quickly turned his attention to something else.

Just as his thoughts were settling down, he saw a similar head fly out from the fog to his side from the corner of his eye. It was trying to bite his neck.

Bang!

Danitz calmly pulled the trigger.

The brass bullet accurately hit the head covered in mold, shattering the head’s glabella as it fell backwards and stopped in midair.

Soon after, a crimson ball quickly expanded above Danitz’s empty left palm, and a fiery light began to swirl.

He leaned forward and dragged his arm before “throwing” the fire ball, causing it to crash into the stiff head.

Flames soared up as the head burned red. The skin on the head quickly charred, emitting a sizzling sound.

However, it lunged forward with its mouth wide open, ready to bite Danitz’s neck as though it wasn’t affected.

This turn of events was somewhat out of Danitz’s expectations. He nearly failed to dodge in time, and he hurriedly rolled forward, barely dodging fatal damage.

A bright scarlet color appeared on his left palm once again, but the flame didn’t expand this time. Instead, it shrunk, layer by layer.

Within a second, Danitz threw out the orange fireball, which was only the size of an eye, while dodging.

The fireball was controlled by his spirituality. It drew an arc in the air and accurately flew into the mouth of the shriveled head.

Boom!

The fiery light flashed, and the explosion splintered the flying head from the inside out. Countless pieces of it, along with its blood, splashed everywhere.

I’ve finally finished it… Danitz rolled to his feet and breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did he realize that this monster which only had a head wasn’t easy to deal with. Yet, Gehrman Sparrow had killed one with ease.

It’s mainly because the Beyonder powers in the Sun domain restrains such things!Danitz added scornfully in his heart.

As he thought of this, he turned his head to the side and realized that Gehrman Sparrow hadn’t waited for him. With his cane and lantern, he was jogging into the distance, his black coat fluttering behind him slightly.

… Dogsh*t! Wait for me… Wait for me! Danitz’s pupils contracted as he widened his pace to chase after the man. He didn’t dare to stay on his own in the thin fog and dim surroundings.

…

Inside the Green Lemon Restaurant.

Donna looked at the white porcelain bowl in front of her and the dark red blood cakes in it. She thought of the strange horror she felt when seeing the customers eating just now, as well as the blood oozing out of the headless cloaked man’s neck.

Her throat moved and she almost vomited.

Donna decided to give up the delicacy, even though the fragrance had already seeped into her nose.

She ate some salad and mashed potatoes without much thought and waited for the wind outside to die down. She felt the clock on the wall moving ever so slowly.

Time passed by the second. The customers at the table paid their bills and left the second floor. The second floor became quieter and quieter as it turned emptier and emptier.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Donna felt that the sound of feet on the wooden steps as they descended were frustrating.

Finally, she noticed that the trees outside were no longer swaying, and the ground was littered with all sorts of junk.

“The wind has stopped!” Donna said, pointing excitedly to the window.

Her father, an import and export merchant, Urdi Branch, pinched his forehead and growled, “Where’s your table manners, Donna?”

“But…” Just as Donna was about to argue, Cleves raised his palm and pressed it down.

“It’s 7:40 p.m. and we’re almost done with dinner. Let’s head back as soon as possible. There are many nasty legends about the night in Bansy Harbor.”

Every merchant who depended on the sea for a living was more or less superstitious, especially when it came to the legends of the natives. Therefore, Urdi fell silent and agreed with Cleves’s suggestion.

He quickly foot the bill and led his family and bodyguards down to the first floor.

Cleves was about to open the door to find his way when a creaking sound came from a nearby room. Donna almost screamed out in fright and gripped Denton’s hand tightly.

A figure walked out, glanced at them, and calmly said, “It’s fogged up. It’s best not to go out.”

The figure wore a black tailcoat without a hat. There was a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose. His face was fleshy and almost circular.

“What are you trying to convey, Mr. Fox?” Cleves recognized him to be the owner of the Green Lemon Restaurant.

Fox said without much of an expression, “In Bansy, during the nights when the fog and weather drastically changes, it’s best not to go out or respond to any knockings. Otherwise, one might encounter… bad things.”

The more Donna listened, the more scared she became. She loudly emphasized, “People have already left ahead of us!”

Fox pointed to the rooms on the first floor.

“They chose to stay.”

Creak! Thud!

As soon as Fox’s voice fell, the doors to the various rooms opened either softly or heavily. The gentlemen and ladies from before came to the doors and quietly watched Donna and her family, who were considering to leave.

“Perhaps we should respect the customs here,” Urdi Branch said in deliberation. “Staying a night here won’t affect our boarding of the ship.”

According to the experience Cleves was equipped with, he should’ve followed Fox’s advice and stayed at the Green Lemon Restaurant, but he remembered Gehrman Sparrow’s reminder. It was a reminder of a powerful adventurer who was watching Blazing Danitz!

There is danger dormant in Bansy Harbor… It doesn’t refer to it being indoors or outdoors… Cleves quickly made his decision and said to Urdi, “Mr. Branch, please trust in my profession.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of folklore, but none of them are pragmatic,” another bodyguard agreed.

Before he finished his sentence, knocking sounds came from the restaurant’s door and a series of screams could be heard from afar.

“Look, there are knocking sounds. Don’t respond,” Fox said slowly.

Urdi’s heart palpitated as he was about to choose to stay the night.

Donna looked at the gentlemen and ladies standing at their doorways, and she felt that their gazes looked abnormally weird.

“No, we have to return!” the young lady stressed, almost screaming.

Cleves could also feel the indescribable pressure and the coldness that seeped through his bones, and he once again stressed his opinion.

“If there are any problems, then it’ll be more dangerous staying here. There are cannons on the ship, as well as sailors with guns and sabers.”

This reason convinced Urdi, who motioned for Cleves to open the door.

Cleves waited for the knocking to subside, then with one hand holding a gun, he pulled open the door with the other.

The wind’s howling had quietened and the darkness was deep amidst the spreading fog. It was as if there were many monsters hidden within.

Donna held her younger brother, Denton, and, hiding behind Cecile, left the restaurant one step at a time.

Creak!

The door to the restaurant suddenly closed, preventing them from returning.

At this moment, they were like ships stranded in a storm, as though they were the only ones left in this world.

With the lantern in hand, Cleves walked in front when he suddenly saw something fly over and crash into the ground, rolling a few times.

Donna and the others subconsciously looked over and immediately let out cries of terror.

It was a shriveled, rotting head!

Then they saw light.

Light fell from the sky, and the disgusting head melted into nothingness.

“This…” Urdi and the others swallowed hard, their bodies trembling.

At that moment, they saw a faint yellow light approaching from the depths of the fog.

It was a figure holding a lantern, wearing a half top hat and a double-breasted frock coat which shared the same color as the night. The lines of his face were distinct, and there was an obvious sharpness in the coldness.

“Uncle Sparrow!” Donna and Denton cried out.

They felt their hearts settle down.

Klein tossed the lantern to Danitz beside him, and he walked over with his cane in hand before calmly saying to Cleves and the others as if nothing was out of the ordinary, “Let’s go to the telegraph office first.

“What about the Timothys?”