Mystery: Death Singer

The bronze gate quietly shrank, eventually reforming into a pale white point of light that disappeared into Edric's brow.

Although both are gateways to the "underworld," the one between Edric's brows is completely different from the one that the "Hand of the Dead" can open.

The "Underworld" that the "Hand of the Dead" points to is the true "Underworld" that truly exists within the "Spirit World" and is the final destination of all undead creatures.

The bronze gate hidden between Edric's eyebrows points to a "Netherworld" that is a small "Netherworld" that belongs exclusively to him!

This small underworld is not large, nor does it possess the terrifying destructive power of a true "Gateway to the Underworld," but it is large enough to accommodate a certain number of souls, the dead, and nature spirits, allowing Edric to maintain his peak combat power at all times.

Even the souls, the dead, and nature spirits that enter the smaller underworld can grant Edric various unique abilities.

After a few simple attempts, Edric made a discovery.

If the little beetle residing in Solomon's coin is placed into a miniature underworld, it will gain its unique "sensory" ability, enabling it to effectively search for all spirits within a range of several hundred meters.

In addition, Edric will also gain "Soul Language," an enhanced version of the little beetle's ability to transmit sound across distances, allowing him to speak as a soul and transmit information to other souls without attracting any attention.

Simply put, a small underworld, when not activated and used merely as a storage space, can help Edric save a "spirit slot," allowing him to be constantly under the blessing of some kind of spirit.

However, since the buffs provided by Frost Spirit and Stone Spirit cannot coexist at the same time, Edric can only send the little beetle into a small underworld to gain the buff and make himself more well-rounded.

This is what "special" means. If I could, I really wouldn't want this "special" thing... Edric stared at the pale mark on his palm, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

When the former owner of the "Hand of the Dead" sold it, he would never hide the crucial information that it "allows the holder to obtain a small part of the underworld," because no one would turn down a gold pound.

Whether or not one possesses this ability can absolutely determine two drastically different prices for "Hand of the Dead".

This suggests that Edric's acquisition of the "small underworld" and the "Hand of the Dead" may have been merely a trigger, a spark, but the real key lies in his own "special" qualities.

Edric looked away, forcing himself not to look at the pale mark anymore, and not even to think about what kind of debt he would incur because of it, or what price he would have to pay for it in the future.

As the saying goes, "Drink today, for tomorrow we may die."

What does it matter to the current Edric how much debt the future Edric will have to pay? Who cares about all that, let's have fun first!

As long as the hidden danger doesn't erupt at any moment, there's always a solution. If you can't handle it yourself, ask Mr. Azik for advice. If that doesn't work, you can wait for Klein to develop. If all else fails, you can go find... go find...

Who was he going to see again? Edric frowned, feeling as if he had forgotten something.

But soon, he turned his attention to the bronze door between his eyebrows and the small underworld it connected to.

The appearance of a miniature underworld gave Edric a rather bold, yet somewhat risky, idea.

…………

Meanwhile, in Tinggen, at No. 2 Narcissus Street.

Klein waved goodbye to his brother and sister, ate a simple breakfast, and returned to his bedroom.

Having made preparations, he took four steps backward into the gray fog, where he saw the crimson stars corresponding to "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" expanding and contracting illusoryly.

Extending his right hand, spreading spirituality, Klein saw blurry images before his eyes and heard the pleading voice of "Miss Justice" in his ears:

"I beg your ears."

"Because of the Qilingus incident, my father hired an extraordinary person to protect me, and there is also surveillance on me in secret that I am unaware of. I finally managed to find an opportunity to plead with you. I would like to ask for leave from next week's gathering. I believe these things will soon fade away."

Klein withdrew his spirituality and then extended it to the crimson star that represented the "Hanged Man".

As he expected, the "Hanged Man" also needed some time to clear his name and eliminate the negative impact, so he also missed next week's gathering.

After a moment's thought, Klein responded to their requests respectively: "I understand."

Immediately afterwards, he sent the same message to the crimson star corresponding to "Sun" and "Death":

The upcoming gathering is temporarily cancelled.

Excluding Klein himself, the Tarot Club currently has four members.

It's fine if one person takes leave, as it won't affect the normal operation of the gathering. However, if "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" both take leave at the same time, half of the members will be gone, which will inevitably affect the entire gathering.

Moreover, he knew that his former neighbor, Mr. Edric, codenamed "Death," was in Backlund and couldn't possibly be unaware of the news of "Hurricane Admiral" Zillingus's death.

To avoid revealing certain information due to the simultaneous absence of "Justice" and "The Hanged Man," which could allow "Death" to discover their true identities and affect subsequent gatherings, Klein simply announced the cancellation of next week's gathering.

Since no one showed up, it meant that no one had asked for leave from beginning to end. Even if Edric was puzzled, he would only think that it was him, the "fool," who had the problem, and it wouldn't affect anyone else.

—Even now, the master of the Tarot Club, the evil "Lord of the Bathroom," and a senior traitor of the Church of the Goddess of Night, still doesn't know about the Tarot cards scattered on the scene, or the "Death" card that was deliberately picked out and placed in a conspicuous position.

…………

Clang! Clang!

Amidst the rapid, intense crashing sounds, Edric, sitting on the earliest steam train, suddenly saw thick fog, the ancient palace that resembled the dwelling of a giant, and Klein, cloaked in the "Fool's" armor, sitting high in the depths of the gray fog.

The upcoming gathering is temporarily cancelled.

Before the sound had even faded, everything before Edric's eyes quietly returned to normal.

He stared silently out the window, lost in thought as he watched the things rushing past.

Edric didn't know if his audacious idea would succeed, or if his decision to suddenly return to Tingen was the right one. He also didn't know if he could rely on his "special" abilities to maintain his peak condition and exert his full strength in front of the mastermind.

But he still came.