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*****
"Captain, what happened to me?"
Seeing his teammate slowly open his eyes on the floor, Swain's rugged, weathered face was instantly streaked with tears. He rushed forward to help the restored man sit up.
"It's okay! It's all over now!"
"This... this truly is a miracle!"
On the other side, the two Nighthawks couldn't help but murmur in unison. Old Neil, whose years rivaled Swain's, had a startling brilliance shining in his eyes.
"It seems miracles really do exist... they really do."
"I apologize for my earlier suspicion. Thank you for saving my teammate." Swain handed his weakened former subordinate—now a regular human—to another Punisher. He rose and looked at George with profound gratitude. "Within my power, name whatever reward you require!"
To Swain, becoming an ordinary human was infinitely better than becoming a monster. In fact, many retiring Nighthawks and Punishers, plagued by the fear of losing control in their old age, would gladly trade their powers to live out their remaining days in peace. George turning his teammate back into a human wasn't a drawback; it was a massive blessing. It meant this man would never have to fear the madness again.
"As for the reward—one hundred and fifty pounds. And perhaps we can be friends; I've always been quite fond of making new friends." George casually tossed the clump of Sailor characteristics back to Swain and gave a friendly smile.
Money was secondary to George. He had countless ways to acquire wealth; the one hundred and fifty pounds was merely to stop his current body's parents from moping around in financial distress every day.
As for the extracted characteristic, he had no intention of keeping it. It was a Sequence 9 item, and it didn't belong to his own pathway. After a brief study in his palm, it held no further use for him. Moreover, he knew the Churches were extremely protective of the characteristics belonging to their specific pathways. If he kept it, they might not be able to force him to return it, but it would certainly create a rift. Since his primary goal was to establish a positive relationship with the Churches, he wasn't about to get hung up on such trivialities.
"Fine. I would be honored to call you a friend!" Swain replied, his voice heavy with sincerity.
To him, George was worth far more than a hundred and fifty pounds—he would have paid fifteen hundred. He understood, of course, that George was likely doing this to earn the Church's goodwill. As a mere Sequence 8, Swain didn't think he personally had much to offer a high-sequence powerhouse.
However, he knew that once he reported George's ability to cure the "Lost," the Church's upper echelons would place immense importance on him. They might even offer extraordinary terms to recruit him.
"In that case, why don't you treat me to a drink at your tavern? I originally came out today specifically to browse the underground market anyway." George nodded and took the lead toward the Evil Dragon Bar.
As he walked past the young Nighthawk who possessed that peculiar spatial aura, George paused for a moment and greeted him casually.
"This is the second time we've met. Hello, my name is George."
"Klein." The young man blinked in surprise before reflexively giving his name.
Old Neil, standing beside him, looked confused. "You two know each other?"
Klein was a rookie who had only joined the Nighthawks a few months ago. How could he possibly be acquainted with a Beyonder of this caliber? Klein immediately shook his head; he had never seen this person before. Given George's distinctively short stature, there was no way he would have forgotten him. He began to suspect George had mistaken him for someone else.
"Oh, you haven't seen me, but I've seen you," George explained as they walked. "About half a month ago, I happened to pass by a warehouse and saw your Nighthawk squad in a battle. You were one of them, and you left a very deep impression on me."
That night at the warehouse? Why did I leave a 'deep impression'? Unless...
Klein's heart suddenly hammered against his ribs. Given George's displayed power, he was undoubtedly a high-sequence Beyonder. It wasn't surprising that such a person would notice a battle.
The problem was the "deep impression." In that fight, Klein had mostly been a supporting player, hiding in the distance, taking potshots with his revolver, and using divination to sense danger. To an outsider, there was nothing noteworthy about his performance—unless George was talking about his "lucky" shots hitting the Secret Order members.
But there was one thing that was noteworthy: he had used his unique Gray Fog space to resist the control of the sealed artifact, the Antigonus family's puppet. In his official report, he had explained his survival by claiming he was just outside the puppet's effective range.
Could this mysterious powerhouse have seen through the Gray Fog back then? This was Klein's greatest secret. In reality, he wasn't Klein Moretti; he was Zhou Mingrui, a modern office worker who had transmigrated into this body after a failed luck-enhancement ritual. That ritual had opened a mysterious space above the Gray Fog—a place he used to gather information by "summoning" others and posing as an ancient deity. The thought that George might have seen it made him break into a cold sweat.
There's definitely something special about him, George thought, noticing the subtle shift in Klein's expression. He let a small smile play on his lips.
"Your divination skills are quite good, and your potion is nearly digested. You have great talent. Oh, and you might not know this, but we actually belong to the same sequence pathway."
So he noticed me because we're on the same path? God, he gave me a heart attack! Klein felt a massive wave of relief wash over him. "I've only just started. I'm nowhere near your level, sir."
"Oh, one more thing," George added conversationally. "That Secret Order Beyonder who tried to escape that night? I happened to deal with him for you. His body is buried in that small grove on the north side of the city."
George mentioned it as if it were an afterthought. The Loen Kingdom recognized the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Church of the Lord of Storms. Since he had just done a favor for the Storm worshippers, it was only fair to throw a bone to the Evernight Nighthawks. It also gave them a perfect reason to seek him out later.
"The Nighthawks are grateful for your assistance! If you don't mind, our Captain would surely like to thank you in person!" Old Neil, being the sharp veteran he was, reacted instantly. He issued the invitation before George could even finish his sentence. A Beyonder who was friendly to the Church and could save the "Lost" was a prize they would fight to secure.
After speaking, Neil shot a quick look at Klein. Klein, being just as quick-witted, took the hint immediately. He made a hasty excuse to leave and hurried back to the Church to report the situation to their Captain.
Swain, meanwhile, helped his weakened teammate along, signaling another Punisher to find the current Captain of the Storm's Punishers to give them a full briefing.
(End of Chapter)