Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 71 The Phenomenon of Stagnation

Klein repeatedly bent his arms and stretched them out, watching Dunn push open the door to the guardhouse.

The captain's cautiousness, high vigilance, and absurd "protective actions" made his mind extremely tense, just like the feeling he had when he walked through cemeteries at night as a child.

Level 2 sealed artifact, dangerous, must be used with caution and restraint... Even the official members of the Night Watch have no idea of ​​the details... They don't know just how dangerous it is... In his tense state, Klein couldn't help but think about many things.

Just then, his mind suddenly went blank, as if his processor had suddenly lost power.

Everything slowed down in Klein's vision, even the movement of bending his arm.

He saw Captain Dunn stop and approach him frame by frame in slow motion, and saw the other slowly extend his palm and push his shoulder.

Suddenly, Klein's thoughts and vision returned to normal, as if he had just been hallucinating.

"What happened?" he asked in a low voice, his voice filled with confusion and a hint of fear.

Dunn shook his head at him and said in a deep voice:

"Observe carefully."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and walked into the guard room. Klein followed closely behind and saw four people sitting or standing inside.

One of them was Leonard, the "Midnight Poet." Klein had never met the other three before, but they all had one thing in common: they were all doing "bent arm stretches" without any relaxation.

"Klein Moretti has a strange connection with the Antigonus family's notes," Dunn briefly introduced.

Then, he pointed to the three strangers and said:

"These ladies and gentlemen are colleagues from the Backlund parish, escorting the sealed artifact '2-049' here. This is Lady Lorota, a Sequence 8 'Gravedigger' and also a sharpshooter."

At that moment, the dark-haired woman, who was around thirty years old, nodded kindly to Klein.

She had a good-looking face, was not wearing a hat, and was dressed in men's clothing: a black coat, a white shirt, black tight-fitting trousers, and matching leather boots. The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.

After Klein had greeted them, Dunn pointed to the man sitting behind the desk:

"Al Hassen, an old guy like me."

Before he finished speaking, Klein watched as Mr. Al Hassen, wearing a gray overcoat, began to move his arms stiffly, as if gears were not lubricated or joints were covered in rust.

What's going on...? Klein was stunned when he saw Lolota push El Hassen, and then the man's actions returned to normal.

"Was I like that just now?" Klein was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized:

This is a sign that the sealed artifact "2-049" has been dangerously leaked!

What would happen if they weren't woken up in time?

Will I become a "living dead"?

Filled with questions, Klein greeted the charming middle-aged man, Al Hassen.

"Borgia," Dunn said, pointing to the last night watchman.

He was a cold-looking man with a knife scar on the side of his face. His brownish-yellow eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, constantly scrutinizing everyone present.

"Let's get going, everyone. Let's finish this quickly and seal '2-049' away as soon as possible," said Al Hassen, a handsome middle-aged gentleman with wrinkles around his eyes, as he stood up.

Hmm, what about "2-049"? Klein looked around curiously, but found no trace of the sealed object. Of course, he couldn't see the parts that were hidden by the table without activating his "spiritual vision".

"Okay." Dunn turned to Leonard Mitchell and said, "You're in charge of driving. It's best not to let Caesar get involved in this kind of thing."

The Caesar he mentioned was a clerical worker in the Tingen Market Nightwalker team responsible for requisitioning and purchasing supplies. He also worked as a coachman, the one who drove Klein to Welch's residence to meet "The Psychic" Daly.

"No problem." Leonard put away his flippancy and nodded solemnly.

At that moment, Klein saw Al Hassen bend down and lift a dark iron box from behind the table.

The box was engraved with glittering stars and a crimson full moon, and it was surrounded by an invisible sense of sealing.

The sealed artifact must be inside, right? I wonder what "2-049" looks like... Klein curiously examined the box.

Boom!

Boom!Boom!

A violent knocking sound suddenly came from inside the iron-black box, causing its surface to bulge repeatedly.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Something terrifying seemed to awaken inside the box, violently pounding on the door, each pounding striking the hearts of everyone on duty.

Alive? Just as Klein's mind started to race, he saw Captain Dunn's "bent arm extension movement" become stiff, his joints as hard as if they were filled with glue.

Borgia, the Night Watcher from Backlund, nudged Dunn on the shoulder, restoring his movements to normal.

The state after being affected by "2-049" is like dancing a robot dance... If everyone is affected, wouldn't we become an awkward dance group? Fortunately, it seems that "2-049" can only affect one person at a time... Klein relieved his inner tension by complaining, and dared not slack off in the bending and stretching of his arms.

Following Dunn's example, he left his cane behind and followed the five night watchmen through the passageway, up the stairs, and to the second floor of the Blackthorn Security Company.

Because Leonard had quickened his pace and given advance notice, Rosanne and the others temporarily hid on the third floor—such things were not common for these clerical workers, but they were certainly not unfamiliar either, while another night watchman, Cohenley, temporarily replaced Dunn to guard the Charness Gate.

Only after boarding the carriage did Klein breathe a sigh of relief, glancing out the window with a puzzled look and saying:

"Won't '2-049' affect ordinary people on the street?"

On the way from underground to near the carriage, the sealed artifact "2-049" caused six instances of slowing down, two of which I experienced myself, and was awakened by Captain Dunn and Leonard Mitchell respectively. This frequency is quite astonishing!

"Don't worry, '2-049' will prioritize humanoid creatures within five meters. The closer you are, the more likely you are to be selected. As long as we keep at least three people around it, people passing by outside the carriage will not be affected," the beautiful black-haired woman, Lolota, explained in a languid tone.

Strange sealed artifacts… Klein, making a bending arm gesture, uttered a similar sentiment once again.

On the way to Riel Bieber's house, Dunn and the others remained silent, keeping a close eye on each other. Only Lolota seemed completely unconcerned, occasionally admiring the not-so-clean streets of Tingen and praising Backlund's sewer system.

Before long, the familiar building came into Klein's view. The group of six kept an eye on each other as they made their way to the third floor.

The door to Riel Bieber's house has been marked with a sign from the Tingen Police Department, indicating that unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter.

While doing arm extension exercises, Dunn took out his key, unlocked the newly replaced lock, and then turned to let Al Hassen, who was carrying a black iron box, enter the house first.

Boom!

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The sealed object inside the iron-black box began smashing violently once again, even more violently than before. This caused Al Hassen's arms to swing uncontrollably from side to side, leading Klein to even suspect that the box might be smashed through.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Klein keenly noticed that Captain Dunn's arm-bending movement had become difficult. Just as he was about to push the other man to wake him up, his head buzzed and he suddenly went numb. The scene in his eyes instantly turned into slow motion.

Wasn't it said that it would only affect one person at a time...? Klein's thoughts quickly went blank.

At this moment, Lolota and Borgia, who were prepared, each gave the two a push.

With his thinking ability restored and his vision returning to normal, Klein looked around fearfully, nearly blurting out a question:

Isn't it said that "2-049" can only affect one person at a time?

Luckily, I didn't stop bending and stretching my arms at that moment!

"The sealed artifact '2-049' has entered a berserk state, affecting up to two people each time. It can be confirmed that Riel Bieber is a descendant of the Antigonus family," Al Hassen described in a mechanized manner.

Lolota chuckled softly and looked at Klein, saying:

"Whenever it encounters a descendant of the Antigonus family, even just a trace of their aura, '2-049' becomes extremely excited, and its abilities are noticeably enhanced. I think you can understand its feelings."

"I don't understand..." Klein asked curiously.

"So, it's a living being?"

Lolota smiled, but did not answer directly:

"You'll see soon enough. As long as Riel Bieber hasn't escaped Tingen City, '2-049' will lead us to him."

Klein had no choice but to put aside his other questions and follow the night watchmen around the room.

Amidst the loud banging, they locked the door, went down the stairs, and returned to the carriage.

Al Hassen glanced out the window a few times to make sure there were no pedestrians within five meters, then placed the black iron box on the floor, turned the mechanical switch, and unlocked the spiritual shackles.

The fierce banging stopped abruptly, and the entire carriage fell silent; not even the sound of anyone breathing could be heard.

Klein held his breath and watched as the dark iron box slowly opened, making a creaking, ear-piercing sound.

Clang!

The box tipped over, and a thin, brown arm emerged, no longer than a child's finger.

With each arm pressing forward in turn, a brownish object, about the size of a normal person's palm, appeared segment by segment before Klein and his companions.

It has prominent elbows, finger joints, and knee joints; its body is wrapped in brown, oil-stained strips of cloth; and its face is painted with red and yellow clown paint.

It is a strangely shaped puppet!

"2-049" raised its head and looked at Klein with its pure black, pupil-less eyes.

It slowly stretched its stiff lips into a clown-like grin.

(End of this chapter)