Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 753 The Final Clue
Late at night, the Bansi Port, which was originally very lively because it was located on various shipping lanes, has now become a ruin. There are many traces of charred marks like after an explosion, and there are also broken walls like after being ravaged by strong winds. Except for the faint sound of waves and the chirping of birds in the corner, it seems dead silent.

"At least three people in a group, bring weapons and lanterns, even if you have night vision!"

The captain of the Blue Avenger, Alger, the "Hanged Man", gave orders to the crew beside him in a loud voice. These impatient sailors responded casually and got off the ship in groups, heading straight for the ruins of the port in the night.

They had long heard that there were many valuables such as gold buried here that the residents had not had time to take away when they left in a hurry. Even though many daring ships had docked to search in the past few months, there should be quite a few left behind.

Alger frowned as he watched his crew members quickly disperse into the ruins and disappear. He seemed to disapprove of this trip to Bansy Port. It was not until he himself walked off the ship and entered the depths of the ruins alone that his expression regained its composure.

Those so-called rumors were actually spread by him himself, of course, because of Mr. "World"'s commission.

In this way, even if the church discovered a problem later, the first person to be investigated would be the sailor who proposed to "make a fortune", rather than the captain who held opposing opinions.

Feeling proud of his plan, Alger walked along the main road in his memory to the collapsed Storm Church. After a moment of silence, he walked towards a small building with some thick cables exposed on the side.

I remember that this is the telegraph office in Bansy Harbor. It looks like it has been completely destroyed... Alger held the "Poisonous Blade" in one hand and pressed the crown of the "Magic Pocket Watch" with the other, and carefully approached the remaining small section of the outer wall of the telegraph office.

After passing two slightly strange bloodstains, he found the only noteworthy thing along the way.

It was a mural that seemed to have been carved with a knife and was deeply imprinted on a broken wall. It depicted a monster wearing armor, with an octopus head and holding a trident. It was surrounded by lightning and storms. Although it was not colored, it showed a kind of violence beneath the calm.

As soon as he saw the mural, Alger couldn't help but look away. His expression became stiff, and his heart was filled with turmoil.

That was the image of the "Lord of Storms" that he had seen at the Tarot Club, distorted from the "Rose of Redemption"!
It was not until a few seconds later when there was no more thunder in the sky that Alger breathed a sigh of relief.

"Members of the 'Redemption Rose' have been to Bansy Harbor after it was destroyed. Well, I came here at the end of April, and the painting wasn't there then, so it should have been within the last two months... Is this the clue that the 'World' is looking for?"

Muttering to himself, Alger pretended nothing had happened and turned to leave the telegraph office. He did not pray to the Lord of Storms, nor did he destroy the painting to prove his innocence.

----

"Evil spirits, 'Redemption Rose', and murals that challenge the Lord of Storms appear between May and June..."

Above the gray fog, Klein the Fool leaned back in his chair, thinking about the clues at hand.

He was already 70% certain that the one possessing Ince Zangwill was the Fourth Epoch "evil spirit" in the underground ruins of Backlund's west district. The latter knew about the existence of the Redemption Rose and had recently escaped from the ruins through the actions of Feysac and Intis' spies. At the same time, Ince Zangwill left the northern continent and began to head south...

If it was the "Red Angel" Medici, then what was its purpose in possessing him, and why did it choose Ince Zangwill, who possessed "0-08" and was likely to escape his control?

It also made various strange moves, drawing distorted images of gods in the territory of the Medici family destroyed by the "Storm Church", provoking the "War Bishop" and making public appearances, looking for someone to exorcise the evil spirits, and playing hide-and-seek with the Goddess Church...

Klein's eyes moved to the "blasphemy cards" placed on the table. Among them, the "Red Priest" card that no one had used yet was placed alone in the corner.

Red Angel, Red Priest... The former is also called "War Angel" in legends...

His eyes lit up and he thought of the key to the problem.

----

"咚咚-"

Leonard Mitchell knocked on the door diagonally across from his lounge.

After a while, Daly Simone, who had taken off her disguise during the day and looked a little pale, opened the door. Seeing that it was an acquaintance, she raised her eyebrows and asked:

"Another midnight meeting? Can't you give ladies who love beauty some time to get some beauty sleep?"

She had complained countless times about the habit of these "Red Gloves" members, mainly "Sleepless People", to gather together in the late night to discuss the case.

"There is indeed a meeting, but it will be in half an hour. I have some questions for you."

Leonard answered honestly to avoid any sexual comments from the lady.

"Excuse me? Do young people talk about that kind of thing so elegantly nowadays?"

But his efforts still failed. Daly opened the door and let the man in after some sarcasm. Not daring to glance at the lady's messy room, Leonard sat on the round stool, looked at the floor, and went straight to the point:
"I want to know everything about 'The Evil Spirit'."

"That's too broad," Daly shook her head and rejected his question. "The formation of evil spirits, their territories, habits, or things they fear. If you really want to investigate something, you might as well tell me directly."

Leonard hesitated, not knowing whether he should tell Daly, who was still unaware that he had contacted Klein, about the letter he had just received from him. After a moment, he considered and asked:

"If there is such an evil spirit that was at a high level in its previous life and is trapped somewhere because it cannot leave its 'territory', can it gain true freedom by possessing another person?"

"Of course you can, but even high-sequence Beyonders can't withstand the long-term exploitation of high-level evil spirits, and will soon become weak or die. The principle is just like being possessed by a vengeful spirit..." Daly looked at Leonard who was hesitating with some surprise, and continued, "The only exception is Beyonders above Sequence 5 of the Death Path. They have their own small underworld, and can usually tame some natural spirits for their own use, and of course they can also accommodate real evil spirits."

Sequence 5, "Gatekeeper"... Leonard was thoughtful, and further confirmed the correctness of the information provided by Klein. After a moment of silence, he continued to ask:

"So, what would an evil spirit that escapes its 'territory' desire the most?"

"Part of it is their obsessions during their lifetime, such as looking for the person who killed them, or going to see their loved ones... Of course, evil spirits are originally the remnants of paranoid and crazy spirits, and generally they won't do anything good...

"Moreover, all evil spirits have two tendencies. One is to absorb the souls of living creatures, just like living people need to consume coffee and tobacco. Souls are not necessary for them, but they make them feel happy. The second is to look for extraordinary materials from their previous lives. They do not need to prepare magic potions, but can be 'contained' by eating them raw. This will free them from the various restrictions of evil spirits and eventually transform them into special spiritual creatures..."

After a pause, Daley said with a vague look in her eyes:
"...The messenger you summoned last time was one of these powerful and special spiritual creatures."

No wonder the old man called the headless messenger "Him". He was a real angel when he was alive, and he should have recovered some of his strength... Leonard thought with some fear, and then he realized that Ms. Daly had discovered some of his "specialness". He pursed his lips and remained silent.

"Haha, do you think I haven't noticed your abnormality?"

Seeing his expression change, Daly chuckled, glanced at the closed door, and continued:

“Although I don’t know what kind of power you possess or what secrets you hide…but as long as we are dealing with Ince Zangwill, you and I are on the same side. You can always seek my help.”

Is it really okay to say this in the Nighthawks' base... Leonard's chest tightened, and he bent over like a thief. His mouth moved twice, and he suddenly raised his head as if he had made up his mind, and said:
"That guy seems to be possessed by an evil spirit, and it is very likely an evil spirit from the Hunter path..."

To his surprise, Daly did not show much surprise. She just nodded slowly and said in a slow tone:
"Then, he should have some kind of provocative instinct, and will take the initiative to leave clues to mislead our investigation... In addition, he will search for the extraordinary characteristics of this path so that the evil spirit can recover its strength and escape from the state of possession... At the meeting later, we need tacit cooperation!"

At the end of her speech, she stood up from her chair, her pale face flushed with excitement.

----

A street kebab shop in the lower city of Kukwa, Uttar Pradesh.

Danitz, who disguised his hair and skin to look like a local with black hair and brown skin, wolfed down the local barbecue. He looked curiously at Anderson Hood across the table, swallowed the meat in his mouth and said:

"Why don't you leave here? After I complete my mission and leave, are you willing to stay in this city full of locals by yourself?"

Anderson, who had not disguised himself because there was no reward, looked confused, but he did not slow down in grabbing the barbecue until he had gathered his own portion beside him.
"I don't know either, but I have a feeling that I don't want to leave this place, as if... there are some treasures waiting for me to discover. Maybe this is the intuition of a treasure hunter, haha."

Damn intuition, you want to steal my harvest... Danitz muttered. Fortunately, he did not wear the gloves made of the Beyonder characteristics of "Guardian" Groselle for the convenience of eating, and did not recklessly provoke the Sequence 5 "Hunter" in front of him.

Especially after the other party reappeared in West Balam two months after disappearing, and seemed mentally unwell.

----

"The evil spirits of the Hunter Path have a strong demand for extraordinary characteristics of the same path..."

The information that World Klein conveyed through Mr. Fool flashed through Angel's mind. He was stunned for a moment and took out two "Hunter" path items he owned from the "Mirror Space".

"Iron Knight" characteristics and "Reaper Legion".

According to the behavioral characteristics displayed by Ince Zangwill, these two items will become the most effective "bait" for him.

But is everything really that simple?

(End of this chapter)