Klein stood up, his gaze sweeping across the small shack.
The oil lamp on the table flickered, and the fishing nets piled in the corner gave off the salty stench of seawater.
Karen curled up by the bed, his hands clutching his head, his mouth still repeating those fragmented ravings.
Klein asked a few more questions, but unfortunately, Lyra clearly didn't know much.
He could tell that this woman had already said everything she knew.
Karen's condition also didn't allow for any more stimulation.
Since that was the case, there was no need to stay any longer.
"It's time for us to leave."
Ophelia turned and walked toward the door.
Lyra stood up, her bamboo basket still by the door; the scales of the few fish inside shimmered with a faint silver light in the dimness.
"You two..."
She bit her lip.
"Can you really help Karen?"
Klein didn't answer immediately.
He looked at the crazed man by the bed, at the dense scratch marks on his arms, and at the sickly longing in his eyes.
"I don't know."
His voice was honest.
"But I will do my best."
Lyra's eyes turned red again.
She took a deep breath and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"Thank you."
Her voice was very small.
"Truly... thank you both."
Klein had already reached the door, his hand resting on the frame.
Hearing Lyra's voice, he stopped.
"Lyra."
He turned his head.
"Can I take some of Karen's blood?"
Lyra froze.
Her fingers instinctively gripped the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white.
"Blood?"
"Yes, I need to study it."
Klein's tone was calm.
"If his condition is related to those disappearances, there might be clues in the blood."
Lyra's breathing became rapid.
She looked down at Karen, then up at Klein.
"Will... will this hurt him?"
"It shouldn't."
Klein looked at the blood-streaked wounds all over Karen's body and shook his head.
"I only need a little; there's no danger."
"And if you don't trust me, you can draw the blood yourself."
Lyra's lips trembled.
She bit her lower lip, her teeth almost piercing the skin.
The room became so quiet that only Karen's ravings and the subtle sound of the oil lamp burning remained.
"Okay."
Lyra finally spoke.
Her voice was light, carrying a sense of desperate determination.
"If... if it can help him..."
Hearing Lyra's answer, Klein took a bottle from his alchemical robe and handed it to her.
The bottle was made of transparent crystal, refracting tiny fragments of light in the dim room.
The mouth of the bottle was sealed with a cork, appearing very delicate.
Lyra took the bottle, her fingers lingering on the glass surface for a moment.
She walked to Karen's side and gently took hold of his wrist.
"Karen."
Her voice was very gentle.
"Don't move, it will be over soon."
Karen looked up, his eyes gazing at her in a daze.
"Lyra... I want... I want to go back..."
"I know."
Lyra's tears slid down.
"But you have to be good."
She picked up a small knife from the table, the blade flashing with a cold light under the lamp.
Her hand was shaking.
The tip of the knife lightly grazed Karen's fingertip, and a drop of bright red blood seeped out.
Lyra held the glass bottle close, and the blood dripped into it, spreading into a small patch of dark red at the bottom.
The first drop.
The second drop.
The third drop...
Karen didn't resist; he didn't even seem to feel the pain.
He just stared at his finger, a flash of confusion in his eyes.
"Blood..."
He murmured.
"Red... so red..."
His voice suddenly became excited.
"There's red in the sea too... so much red..."
Lyra's movements paused.
Klein's gaze fell on Karen's face.
"What red?"
He asked.
Karen didn't answer. He just stared at his finger, his gaze becoming more and more empty.
"They like red... they said... red is beautiful..."
Lyra wrapped a strip of cloth around his finger, her movements very gentle.
She handed the glass bottle to Klein, her hand still trembling slightly.
"Is this enough?"
"It's enough."
Klein took the bottle.
He held it up, letting the lamplight pass through the blood.
The blood flowed slowly inside the bottle, its color somewhat darker than normal blood.
But it was only a bit darker.
Aside from that, it looked no different from normal blood, at least on the surface.
He took a small vial from his robes, which contained a colorless, transparent liquid.
That was an alchemical reagent to prevent coagulation.
He unscrewed the stopper and carefully dripped a few drops into the blood.
The reagent mixed with the blood, making a faint hissing sound.
Klein tucked the bottle into the inner pocket of his alchemical robe, his fingertips lingering on the fabric for a moment.
"Thank you."
He said.
Lyra didn't speak.
She just stood there as her tears fell silently.
Klein turned and walked out of the shack.
Ophelia followed behind him.
The door closed behind them, cutting off the ravings and crying inside.
The moonlight in the alley was still cold.
The sound of waves hitting the pier drifted from afar, over and over, like an never-ending call.
Klein gripped the glass bottle in his pocket.
The blood inside still carried body heat; he could feel that faint warmth through the glass.
But in that warmth, there seemed to be something else mixed in.
Something cold and alien.
"Let's go."
He turned and walked toward the exit of the alley.
"There's still time; let's go check out the sea."
Ophelia followed him, her footsteps echoing in the narrow passage.
Moonlight spilled from above, casting two long, thin shadows on the ground.
...
The Silver Scale Harbor pier was even busier than during the day.
Workers carried cargo back and forth across the jetties, and the iron chains of the cranes made a piercing grinding sound.
In the distance, several fishing boats were unloading their catch, the smell of fish mixing with the saltiness of the sea in the air.
Klein stood at the edge of the pier, the sea breeze blowing the hem of his alchemical robe.
The ships before him were crowded densely on both sides of the jetties.
Workers carried sacks across decks, cranes creaked, and captains shouted orders.
Some were loading, some were unloading, and others were repairing sails.
Every ship was busy.
Klein's gaze swept from one ship to another.
Cargo ships. All cargo ships.
At this moment, there didn't seem to be any passenger ships in Silver Scale Harbor.
The vessels here served only one purpose: transporting goods. From the west coast to the inland, or from the inland to the west coast. Day after day, year after year.
That was fine, though.
What they were about to do was clearly not suitable for involving uninvolved people.
Even if there were passenger ships, they would have to kick the owner off and head out to sea themselves.
Ophelia walked to his side, her gaze falling on the distant sea.
Moonlight spilled over the waves, and the sea surface shimmered with silver-white light.
"I can carry you across."
Her voice was calm.
"Walking on water isn't difficult for me."
Klein turned his head to look at her.
Ophelia's golden eyes glinted in the moonlight. Her expression didn't change; she just looked at him seriously.
"On my back, or in my arms."
She added.
"Either is fine."
Her tone was natural.
But Klein could feel that her gaze lingered on his face a bit longer than usual.
Actually, Ophelia's suggestion was quite good.
But Klein shook his head.
"No need."
He lifted his hand, his fingertip tracing an arc in the air.
Low-pitched syllables spilled from his throat—short fragments of some ancient language.
The sea breeze blew the sound away, mixing it into the noise of the waves hitting the pier.
Ophelia watched his hand.
The pier lights shone on his fingertips, casting tiny shadows.
And then, there was nothing.
No light, no magic circle patterns appearing in the air; even the mana fluctuations were so faint they were almost undetectable.
Klein withdrew his hand and turned to walk toward the sea.
His foot stepped onto the wooden planks at the edge of the pier, making a faint creaking sound.
Then he stepped out.
The sole of his shoe landed on the sea surface.
The water didn't cave in.
No ripples spread out.
He simply stood there, moonlight spilling over the sea at his feet; the waves flowed beneath his shoes like they were passing under an invisible stone.
Ophelia stopped in her tracks.
She watched Klein's back, watched as he stepped onto the sea as if it were solid ground.
There was no glow of a magic circle.
There was no flow of battle qi.
Even the mana fluctuations were so faint they were barely perceptible.
But he was standing there.
The waves flowed beneath his feet, the moonlight sparkled on the water around him, and the ripples spread and closed as if something invisible was supporting him.
Ophelia lifted her foot and stepped onto the sea.
The water surface dipped beneath her foot before quickly springing back.
Golden battle qi flowed around her calves, forming a thin protective film.
She could feel the resistance of the seawater, could feel that every step required precise control of power and balance.
This was the method she was familiar with.
Using battle qi to counter gravity, using force to step firmly upon the water.
But Klein was different.
He just walked along, his steps as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll. The waves lapped against his soles with a faint splashing sound, but his body didn't sway at all.
Ophelia followed.
Her pace was steady, every step landing accurately. But she could feel the difference between herself and Klein.
She was fighting against the sea.
While Klein seemed to be in conversation with it.
The pier lights gradually receded.
Only moonlight remained on the sea, the silver-white light spilling over the waves and dyeing the entire area in a cold color.
Klein walked toward the deep sea.
His pace wasn't fast, but every step was steady.
The sea breeze blew over, the salty stench filling his nostrils.
A ship's horn sounded in the distance, low and long, trailing a lingering note into the night.
He wondered if the sailors on that ship would think they'd had too much to drink if they saw someone walking on the sea.
"Are you communicating with the water elements in the ocean?"
"Yes."
Klein didn't look back.
"I simply tell the water elements not to let me sink, and they find a way to hold me up."
"Sounds simple, doesn't it?"
"Is it...?"
Ophelia curled her lip slightly, a rare expression for her.
She didn't think it was simple at all.
Klein gave a light laugh.
"Actually, it's very difficult."
He didn't stop walking.
"You need to communicate with the water elements you're in contact with. The seawater is constantly moving, so you need to keep casting the spell."
"Besides, water elements are very fickle. They don't listen obediently. You need to persuade them."
He paused.
"Or bribe them."
Ophelia was silent for a few seconds.
"Does it consume a lot of mana?"
"It's alright."
Klein looked back, his gaze falling on Ophelia's shoes.
Golden battle qi flowed over her, like a thin layer of flame.
"It's less effort than stepping on water through force."
He said.
"Your battle qi consumption should be greater than my mana consumption."
Ophelia looked down at her feet.
"It's fine."
She said.
"My battle qi recovers very quickly."
This time, it was Klein's turn to curl his lip.
The sea breeze blew, making his hair a bit messy. He reached up to brush it back and didn't speak again.
Ophelia looked up, her golden eyes watching Klein's back.
"And..."
She added.
"If you get tired, I can still carry you."
Klein's pace missed half a beat.
The waves lapped against his soles with a faint splashing sound.
He didn't turn around.
"I know."
He said.
"Thank you."
Moonlight spilled over the sea around them.
The ship's horn sounded again in the distance, even further away than before.
Ophelia didn't speak again.
She just followed him as they continued forward.
The pier lights gradually vanished, and the surrounding sounds became blurred.
The sound of the waves became clearer, one after another, like an never-ending breath.
The moonlight spilled over the sea, making it shimmer.
Klein stopped walking.
He turned around, looking back toward Silver Scale Harbor.
The lights of the port flickered in the distance, like a field of stars fallen to the ground.
The outlines of the ships were faint in the darkness, and the iron arms of the cranes were like the skeletons of giant beasts.
"Far enough."
He said.
Ophelia stood beside him, her gaze sweeping across the surrounding sea.
From here, they could no longer see any details of the land. There were only the distant lights and the endless darkness beneath their feet.
The water was very deep.
So deep the bottom couldn't be seen.
Klein crouched down, his fingers reaching into the seawater.
The water was very cold.
Freezing to the bone.
He closed his eyes, and mana seeped from his fingertips, extending into the depths of the sea like tiny tentacles.
The seawater was flowing.
Schools of fish were swimming.
And there were things deeper down—bones, wreckage, fragments of sunken ships.
Klein frowned.
The fish were somewhat strange, but they were only affected by the sea monsters that had died here before. The bones and wreckage at the bottom were piled together—biological and nautical alike—but no particularly unusual presence could be detected.
He increased his mana output.
His perception spread out like ripples.
Ten meters.
Twenty meters.
Fifty meters.
Still nothing.
Klein opened his eyes and looked at the sea surface.
The moon was reflected in the water, but because of the shimmering waves, the reflection was somewhat blurred, making it look merely round.
"No discovery?"
Ophelia asked.
"No."
Klein stood up.
"At least not within this range."
He looked at the distant sea.
The sea breeze blew, carrying the scent of salt and fish.
The ship's horn sounded again in the distance, even further away than before.
"It seems we can only wait for the other side to take the initiative and make a sound."
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