"We are guardians, but also a group of pitiful creatures constantly fighting against danger and madness."
The corridor outside was sealed, the stone walls were cold, and the room inside was illuminated by lights, giving off a bright yellow glow. The recitation by Dunn Smith lingered in the air, hitting Klein's heart one beat at a time, making him momentarily unable to speak.
Seeing Klein's silence, Dunn shook his head and smiled:
"Are you disappointed? The extraordinary ones are not as you imagined. We have always been in the company of danger."
"There are gains, there must be a price." Klein calmed down from the shock and replied carefully, choosing his words.
He really hadn't expected that the extraordinary ones, apart from their glorious, extraordinary, and different-from-the-ordinary aspects, also had such hidden dangers. Perhaps it was because he only heard the description and hadn't truly encountered them yet, or perhaps it was because he was already involved in this vortex, and maybe some strange event would fall on him at some point. His fear, anxiety, worry, and dread quickly decreased to a manageable level.
Of course, the emergence of the retreat thought was inevitable, entangled and reluctant to leave.
"Right, very mature, very rational..." Dunn finished the last mouthful of coffee and added, "Also, the extraordinary ones are not as powerful as you think. Low-level extraordinary beings, for example, why use 1 to represent the highest rank and 9 to represent the lowest? This is too contrary to intuition and logic. What we usually call low-level is referring to low ranks, and the higher numbers are the starting points of the sequence chain."
"Okay, where did I leave off? Right, the extraordinary ones are not as powerful as you think. Low-level extraordinary beings' 'power' is not as strong as firearms, let alone cannons. However, in some aspects, they are more wonderful and harder to guard against than firearms. If you have the chance to become an extraordinary one in the future, you must carefully consider what I said today, and don't make a rash choice."
Klein smiled self-deprecatingly:
"I still don't know when I'll have the chance?"
If there was such a chance, he felt he wouldn't miss it. Taking the wrong potion, overstepping the limit of the potion, were things that could be avoided to the greatest extent. The main danger lay in the subtle influence of the potion itself and the unknown "danger" heard or seen after the inspiration was enhanced.
The former had the experience of previous generations as a reference. As long as one didn't be anxious and impatient in enhancing, and mastered the power steadily and carefully, the probability of losing control should still be relatively low. Moreover, he was only taking this step to solve the potential danger at present, understand the essence of mysticism, and find a way to return, and didn't aim for the high-level "position". If it were really easy to lose control, at the very least, he wouldn't advance and stay in the original sequence, relying on knowledge to plan "returning home".
The later dangers were even less to be mentioned. Klein still remembered vividly the whispers that made him close to madness and his head about to explode when using the "transference ritual". This wasn't something that could be avoided just by not becoming an extraordinary one. Since that was the case, it would be better to master some forces that could counteract them.
Thinking of all this, Klein felt the pros and cons were so clear that the retreat thought in his heart had largely disappeared.
Dunn picked up his pipe again, his gray eyes with a slight smile:
"For this matter, I can't give an accurate answer. To become an extraordinary one, one must first gain sufficient merit. Maybe you could interpret the key ancient documents tomorrow or the day after, or provide very useful opinions for our case? Secondly, look for new ideas above, no one can say for sure."
"Alright, I think you should have a better understanding of the extraordinary ones now. You won't make impulsive choices anymore. Now, I'll introduce to you the civilian work of our night watch team."
He stood up, paced to the door, and pointed in the opposite direction of "Charnis Gate":
"We have an accountant, a person in charge of purchasing necessary items, collecting supplies distributed by the church and the police department, and a part-time driver. They are all professionals and do not need to be rotated. They have Sundays off every week. The other three clerks are Rosan, Brett, and Old Neil. Their duties include: receiving visitors, cleaning rooms, writing case documents and item declaration lists, and guarding weapons, materials and the library. They strictly keep records of entry and return, and each person takes a day off every week, except Sunday. The rest of the time, they have shifts of night duty and rest, and the rotation is decided by themselves."
"And I do the same thing as Rosan and the others?" Klein put away his thoughts about the extraordinary beings and confirmed his "job responsibilities".
"No, you don't need to. You are a professional, right?" Dunn smiled and said, "Your current tasks are two. First, every morning or afternoon, go for a walk, with the focus being on the various roads from Welch's residence to your home."
"Ah?" Klein looked completely confused.
What kind of "job" is this?
Is it professional?
Dunn put his hands in the pockets of his black windbreaker and said:
"After confirming that you really have lost your memory, the cases of Welch and Naya are closed. Similarly, the diary of the Antigonus family has completely disappeared. We suspect that you were carrying it away when you left and hid it on the way home. That's why we didn't find any clues at your home. This should be the possible reason why you weren't at the scene but at home 'committing suicide'."
"Although you were mysteriously affected and completely forgot this memory, the soul and brain of a person are very curious. Maybe there are some traces remaining. Dali couldn't obtain them using 'psychicist' methods, but that doesn't mean they definitely don't exist. Maybe in familiar places, in key areas, you will have the feeling that you have seen or done something before."
"This is the reward we want."
"I understand." Klein suddenly had a realization.
The inference of the night shift workers about the whereabouts of the diary is indeed reasonable.
Among the people present at that time, only he was still alive, and only he had the time and "motivation" to take the diary away and hide it on the way home!
"If we can find that diary this way, you should be able to earn enough credit to become an extraordinary being." Dunn. Smith encouraged, indirectly indicating that the diary was still important.
"Hope." Klein nodded.
Dunn turned the topic back:
"Second, you take a day off every week. You can determine which day by yourself. When you are not outside, go to the weapons depot and read the documents and classics we have saved. This is the job of a history professional. After reading all of them, you will have to rotate with Old Neil and others."
"Okay, no problem." Klein let out a sigh of relief quietly.
It's not something too difficult, is it...
At this moment, Dunn turned his body slightly and pointed at the black iron double door engraved with seven holy emblems, saying:
"This is the 'Charnis' door. It originated from the founder of the modern night shift system, Bishop Charnis. In the underground of the central church in each major city, there is one such door."
"It is guarded by rotating members of the night shift team. There are at least two 'guards' from the church and countless traps inside. You must not approach it casually. Otherwise, you will be contaminated by bad luck."
"It sounds very impressive." Klein expressed his opinion.
"It is divided into several areas, storing certain sequences of potion recipes and various magical materials, temporarily detaining heretics, strange beings, cultists and members of secret organizations. Ha, they will eventually be sent to the sanctuary." Dunn casually explained.
Sanctuary? The headquarters of the Night Goddess Church in the northern winter region of the kingdom. "The Peaceful Church"? Klein seemed to be thinking as he nodded slightly. "Moreover, there are various high-level classified copies of important documents and books. Once your access level is raised, you might have the opportunity to read them." Dunn pondered for a moment and then continued, "On the lower floor behind the 'Charnis Gate', there are also some sealed items."
"Sealed items?" Klein chewed on this word.
This sounds like a proper noun.
"In the extraordinary items we collected and obtained, some are too important and too magical. If they fall into the hands of evil forces, they will cause great damage. Therefore, they must be strictly kept secret and closely guarded. Even we ourselves can only use them under specific circumstances. And..." Dunn paused here before continuing, "And some of these items have a very special existence. They possess certain 'living' characteristics and will lure the guards, affect the surroundings, and escape on their own, causing disastrous consequences. They must be strictly controlled."
"Very mysterious," Klein commented.
"It's quite amazing."
"The Night Watch headquarters divides these sealed items into four levels. '0' level indicates extreme danger, the highest level of attention, the highest level of confidentiality. They must not be discussed, leaked, described, or inspected. They can only be sealed underground in the 'Temple'. '1' level is highly dangerous. They can be used to a limited extent. The confidentiality level is for bishops and Night Watch officers and above. The central church of Berkland and other diocesan headquarters can keep one or two, the rest must be handed over to the 'Temple'. '2' level is dangerous. It should be used with caution and moderation. The confidentiality level is for bishops and Night Watch teams captains and above. Central churches in major cities can keep three to five, and others can be handed over to the 'Temple' or diocesan headquarters. '3' level has a certain degree of danger. It requires the action of at least three people to apply. The confidentiality level is for official members of the Night Watch."
"When you see the corresponding documents in the future, you should understand what they represent by the numbers. For example, 2-125 is the 125th sealed item of the danger level."
Dunn was speaking as he suddenly turned around and walked back to the room, pulling out a piece of paper from the bottom of the drawer:
"By the way, take a look at this. Three years ago, a new bishop lost control and didn't know how he managed to break through all the protection and disappeared mysteriously with a '0' level sealed item. You should recognize his photo. If you find anything, don't alarm anyone, don't disturb, come back and report. Otherwise, you will be 100% killed."
"What?" Klein took the paper and found that it was not titled. He had to look at a black and white photo and a few lines of text:
"Inns Zangwell, male, forty years old, former bishop who failed in promotion as a 'Guardian', was lured by the devil and fell into evil, carrying the sealed item '0-08' and fled. The specific features are..."
According to the photo, combined with the description, Inns Zangwell was wearing a double-breasted pure black clerical robe, wearing a soft hat, with dark gold hair, pupils blue as deep black, a high nose bridge, lips tightly closed, facial features like classical sculptures, without any wrinkles, the most eye-catching feature was that he was blind in one eye.
"The description of the fallen one is detailed, and for the sealed item, there is only a code name..."
Klein expressed his first impression truthfully.
"So it's the highest level of confidentiality. The search for the '0-08' sealed item is conveyed orally, not written down, and only a little about it is known." Dunn sighed, "The shape of '0-08' is a common pen, but it can write without ink. That's all."
Dunn didn't say much about this aspect. Following the golden chain on the black windbreaker, he took out a similar ornate watch, clicked it open, looked at it, and pointed to the door:
"I have covered all the points I needed to. Now go to the armory and find Old Neil. Ask him to arrange specific literature reading for you. He is no ordinary civilian. He was once a full-fledged member, but due to his old age, lack of promotion, poor health, and inability to handle cases anymore, he no longer wants to become an internal 'guardian' or simply stay at home for recuperation. Instead, he just wishes to spend his time surrounded by books and documents."