Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 203 Adam

Inside the dining car of the special train, Ember looked at Ikonser, who was sitting across the aisle with messy hair, and suddenly asked:

"Butler Ikonser, is he a member of your Mechanical Heart?"

Ikonser glanced in the direction the embers were pointing and immediately spotted the middle-aged man with dozens of plates piled up in front of him. After a moment's thought, he spoke:

"His name is Eric, Eric Sloan. He is the captain of the Mechanical Heart squad in Constance, a 'Weapon Master' with a Sequence 7 warrior pathway."

Just as most Night Watchers are of the 'Sleepless' pathway, most members of the Mechanical Heart are of the 'Generalist' pathway, and Ikonser is no exception. This endows them with extraordinary abilities in memory, learning, and practice, far surpassing other extraordinary individuals of the same sequence.

Before boarding the train, Iconsel had reviewed the list of passengers boarding in Constance and memorized each of their names.

However, Ikonser's expression was somewhat strange at this moment, because it was the first time he had seen someone who could eat so much. But being a member of Mechanical Heart, he still managed to make amends:

"After all, it's the warrior route, so it's normal for them to eat more, right?"

"The Warrior Path?" Audrey's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of surprise in them.

Why does the Steam Church have extraordinary individuals on the Warrior path?

"Eric?" Ember turned his gaze back to the man whom Ikonser called Eric, his eyes lingering on the top of the man's head.

[Eric Orlando, 'Gluttony']

It has a title and a name, which matches the one Iconsent mentioned, but the surname is different.

This Mr. Eric was clearly using a false identity to deliberately infiltrate the Mechanical Heart's ranks. He went to great lengths to board this special train bound for the Republic of Intis in order to achieve certain goals.

As for their purpose, it's not hard to guess.

The special train departed from Backlund and did not stop at any station along the way, nor did it encounter any accidents.

The only variable was the three carriages added in Constance. And Eric's coincidence of boarding in Constance makes it hard not to suspect a connection between the two events. In other words, the other party was very likely after the contents of those three carriages.

But that wasn't what Ember was focusing on; his focus was on the other person's 'title'.

Binge eating.

This almost immediately reminded Ember of someone he had met before—

Herwin Lambis, a royal advisor and member of the Psychological Alchemy Council.

Herwin Lambis's title is "Pride".

As his name suggests, Herwin Lambis's behavior was just like his title. Although he disguised himself as a kind and friendly old man, his every word, action, and even his gestures carried a subtle arrogance.

And the person in front of us, just like his title, is a true 'glutton'.

Pride and gluttony—it's hard not to think of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.

Herwin Lambis is a member of the Psycho-Alchemist Council, so who is this person in front of us? Is he also a member of the Psycho-Alchemist Council?

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With the clanging of the train on the tracks, the view outside the window suddenly dimmed, but the restaurant lights remained bright. The people inside were unsurprised and continued enjoying their food.

Just now, the train entered a tunnel, a tunnel that is several kilometers long.

The tunnel itself is also a symbol of the border, as the exit on the other side of the tunnel is located within the territory of the Republic of Intis.

"Click!"

At the same time, as if sensing something, Eric glanced at the dimly lit mountainside outside the window and suddenly stood up. He looked around, took out a small, exquisite tin box from his pocket, poured out a handful of white, flat, round candies, stuffed them into his mouth, and left the dining car while chewing vigorously.

Ember watched Eric leave without any intention of stopping him, but suddenly asked:

"Deacon Ikonser, what's in those three carriages?"

Just as Ikonser picked up his knife, ready to enjoy his meal, his expression froze, and he coughed dryly, saying:

"I apologize, but I cannot disclose that information."

He wasn't surprised that the other party noticed those three carriages, but that didn't mean he had to tell them everything.

"It's okay."

Ember's eyes were utterly calm, and he spoke with composure:

"I don't really care what's inside, but I think there are some people who would be very interested in what's inside."

Iconsier, sensing the implication in the embers' voice, frowned and asked:

"What did you discover?"

This train was a special train for the Steam Church, and most of the passengers were members of the Mechanical Heart, while the crew and conductor were also believers of the Steam Church. In comparison, Ember and his companions were the only outsiders.

As the embers seemed to be referring to something, they said:

"Mr. Eric, don't you think he's very abnormal?"

"He just has a bigger appetite."

"Perhaps."

Iconsor frowned deeply, almost knitting his brows together. He didn't think there was anything wrong with Eric, but Ember's words made it hard for him not to be suspicious.

During the Great Purge of Backlund a few months ago, he had personally witnessed Ember standing with the archbishops of the three major churches, which meant that Ember was very likely a demigod as well. And Ikonser naturally dared not ignore the advice from a demigod.

After hesitating for a long time, Ikonser glanced at the steak on his plate, which was emitting an enticing aroma, and sighed deeply.

He slowly stood up and chased after Eric in the direction he had left.

-

"We've been discovered?"

Eric walked down the aisle of the carriage, muttering to himself:

"That can't be right. A group of low- to mid-sequence Extraordinary Beings couldn't possibly see through my disguise. Besides, my identity is genuine; it's registered with the Steam Church. So what if I ate a little more? Why would they suspect me?"

Eric grew more and more confident as he thought about it, and finally nodded silently.

Yes, that's right, his identity will never be discovered.

Thinking about it this way, Eric's mood immediately improved a lot.

He walked straight through the door at the back of the carriage and entered a city.

As if they had been waiting for a long time, a large carriage slowly drove up, and the driver was an ordinary middle-aged man wearing an old top hat and a dark jacket.

Eric skillfully boarded the carriage and sat in the right-hand seat.

The carriage doors closed automatically, and the carriage slowly started moving.

Eric looked out the window. In the city stood magnificent buildings that exuded an air of mystery and darkness, and gentlemen in top hats and trench coats and women in elaborate and somber dresses walked by.

His gaze swept over a gentleman beside the carriage, whose face was covered in short black hair and whose mouth revealed sharp canine teeth.

This is a werewolf.

Eric was already used to this, even though he was always amazed by the city's wonders every time he entered.

This is Eden, the city in everyone's heart; it exists wherever there are people.

Among those "pedestrians," besides werewolves, there were bears walking upright, cats with lazy expressions, strange people with a face covered in colorful spiders, giant rats with bloodshot eyes, pythons flicking their tongues, and some kind of canine creature scrutinizing every passerby with eyes full of mating desire...

They wear top hats and trench coats, or exquisite and elaborate dark dresses, trying their best to imitate humans in every detail, but they can't make themselves truly like humans.

In psychology, these are called "animalistic desires".

The carriage traveled through the dim night, passing pedestrians and various Gothic buildings, and soon arrived at a church in the very center of the city.

The church is over eighty meters tall and is supported by a series of black giant pillars. Each pillar is inlaid with a certain number of skulls, some from humans and some from different creatures, but all of them have empty eyes that are pointed downwards, as if watching every living being who enters the church.

Like most of the buildings here, this church is exquisite in every detail, but it is composed of elements that lean towards nightmares, horror, terror, and mystery.

Stepping off the carriage and through the main gate, one is greeted by a magnificent yet spacious hall.

Deep within the hall stood a massive cross, around which a greyish-white dragon statue was coiled.

Unlike ordinary churches, there are no rows of seats for believers to pray here, nor is there a place to place candlesticks. Instead, there is a small long table in front of the dragon statue, with five chairs on each side, and the head and bottom seats are empty.

On the right side of the long table sat a tall, upright gentleman wearing a greyish-white mask that appeared somewhat ethereal and unusually cold. The mask's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were all slightly crooked, and it exuded a gloomy aura, making it look like a face distorted by jealousy, a face named 'Jealousy'.

At some point, Eric also acquired a mask. The mask's mouth was wide open, stretching all the way to his ears, and remained so, as if it wanted to devour everything its two eyes could see. It was called "Gluttony."

Eric pulled out a chair and sat down. Suddenly, a medium-rare steak, coated with black pepper sauce, materialized in front of him. It sat on a porcelain plate, steaming slightly. Eric picked up a knife and cut into the steak, revealing the side still containing myoglobin, and began to enjoy the meal as if no one else was there.

At that moment, a gentle voice sounded in both of their ears simultaneously:

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin."

Eric didn't look up, but only glanced at the head of the long table out of the corner of his eye.

The previously empty seat was now occupied by a man in a black wheelchair. He was different from everyone else there because he wasn't wearing a mask. His face was unnaturally pale, with long, pale yellow eyebrows, neatly combed hair, and a few wrinkles on his forehead.

Gluttony continued stuffing steak into his mouth, while Jealousy turned to the man at the head of the table and questioned him in a deep voice:

"Mr. Dellau, are there only three of us on this mission?"

The man, known as Dellau, who was sitting in a black wheelchair, smiled:

"To be precise, it's just the two of you."

After a pause of one second, Dellaut continued:

"Actually, this mission was originally intended for three people, but as you've probably heard, a major event occurred in Backlund: King George III was assassinated. The Psychological Alchemy Society's influence in Backlund suffered a severe blow as a result, and many members lost contact. Even our committee member, Mr. 'Arrogance,' was unfortunately affected and has been 'missing' for quite some time."

"Besides, Miss Lust is in Trier, the capital of Intis; Miss Greed is in St. Milon, the capital of Fussac; and Miss Sloth is in Fenneport. None of them can provide timely assistance for this upcoming operation. After all, we are not extraordinary beings of the 'Door' pathway, nor do we possess any magical items in this area."

"Miss Lust?"

"Gluttony" Eric suddenly looked up, surprised, and said, "Wasn't it Mr. Lust? Has it been changed?"

Without waiting for Dellau's reply, Eric stuffed another piece of steak into his mouth, swallowing it while lamenting, "What a pity, I originally thought we got along quite well."

"Jealousy" frowned and said in a deep voice:

"If there are only two of us, this mission will be too dangerous!"

Dellaud smiled and said:

"But the rewards are just as generous, aren't they? Your masks are an advance payment, enough to grant you far greater authority than other committee members, and the masks themselves will greatly enhance your strength."

"Binge" mumbled indistinctly:

"But it also brings significant side effects."

"This is only temporary."

Dellau shook his head, still smiling, and said, "The Persona will negatively affect your mental state and your true personality, which is indeed something to be aware of. But you are all experts in the field of mental health and have the ability to solve this problem."

He paused for a second, glanced again at the gluttonous "binge eating," and emphasized:

"Of course, it may take some time to adjust, but overall it shouldn't be a big problem."

'Gluttony' pretended not to hear and silently conjured up a creamy soup, which it then gulped down in large mouthfuls.

Jealousy pressed on once more:

"Why can't others get masks in advance? Why should we be the only ones carrying out this dangerous mission? With masks, they can enter the city at any time and board the special train under our guidance, which would greatly increase their chances of success..."

"I'm sorry, no."

Dellaud's smile faded slightly, and he calmly refused, "They will have a chance to take the mask out of Eden later, but not now. Moreover, even without considering the reward for completing the mission, this advance payment alone far exceeds the level of danger it poses."

"If you are unwilling to carry out this mission, I can help you apply for an exchange with someone else."

As soon as the words were spoken, 'Jealousy' fell silent, while 'Gluttony' continued to drink the endless bowl of cream soup without a care in the world.

Seeing that the two no longer objected, Dellaud nodded slightly, then added:

"If you encounter an accident that you cannot solve on your own, you can try saying a name; this may save you."

"What's the name?" 'Gluttony's' eyes flickered slightly, and he abruptly put the bowl down.

Dellaut's expression immediately turned serious:

"It comes from the sacred texts of the Creator of the Tertiary period, and involves the highest mysteries of the spiritual realm. It is closely related to something in our Psychological Alchemy."

"It is 'Adam'."

(End of this chapter)