Chapter 118: It Lurks in the Air
Alice hastily gathered some spiritual materials and prepared a simple sacrificial ritual. She tossed the mysteriously alluring gold coin into it.
As the door of sacrifice closed, Alice finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had no desire to consume a Sequence 5 characteristic without proper rituals or auxiliary materials. Once was quite enough, thank you very much.
Regardless of how Klein might be studying that characteristic in the gray fog, with the most dangerous item in the room now gone, Alice looked at Charlie King's corpse and suddenly realized something.
Even if Charlie had committed suicide, her late-night visit here would still seem rather suspicious, wouldn't it?
Would she have to face the Nighthawks again in her dreams?
After pondering this for a moment while staring at the body, Alice decided to worry about it later and began searching the corpse.
Unfortunately, she only found one extraordinary item on Charlie King - the "Wealth Accessory" he had mentioned.
It was a brooch set with an emerald green gemstone, which Charlie had worn as a cufflink. Alice examined it for a few seconds before deciding to take it back for further study of its side effects.
She considered ransacking Charlie's modest living room but remembered the side effects he had mentioned. She decided against it, realizing with sudden clarity how terrifying the "Wealth Accessory" truly was. Its most insidious aspect wasn't the side effects, but rather how it operated - first giving, then taking payment.
Much like fate had done to her.
"So... should one pay the price first, then reap the rewards?" Alice murmured to herself.
No one answered her rhetorical question. She sighed deeply, straightened Charlie's body, and bowed to his corpse.
Alice had mixed feelings about Charlie King. She was angry at his offense but felt a strange kinship over their similar experiences. His final act of shooting himself had deeply shaken her.
In the end, she just sighed again and began searching for any remaining value - specifically, the spirit world potion formula!
After carefully folding and pocketing the paper with the formula, Alice hesitated before taking a sip of the coffee she had set down earlier. She left with a grimace.
Instead of immediately seeking a night carriage, she walked quietly through the pre-dawn streets.
"Thump, thump, thump."
In the silent alleyways, only the echo of her footsteps could be heard.
Listening to the sound, Alice's thoughts began to wander. She now had the main ingredient for Sequence 5 and the potion formula. Though the ritual sounded a bit mystical, she believed fate wouldn't make things difficult for her in that regard.
So... theoretically, once she gathered the auxiliary materials, she could advance?
Alice suddenly stumbled.
She instinctively steadied herself against a wall and looked back - she had accidentally stepped on a small stone while lost in thought.
That's normal, right? It's easy to trip when walking absentmindedly, especially at night.
But Alice couldn't bring herself to laugh it off.
Everything around her seemed calm. The night breeze still occasionally blew, the red moon still rose and set, and she could even hear birds chirping now and then.
Everything appeared perfectly normal.
Alice closed her eyes, plunging her vision into darkness, but the premonition only grew clearer.
It felt as if some monster was silently devouring everything in the darkness, approaching her, surrounding her, and then... consuming her!
Alice opened her eyes in terror and began to run.
Her panicked footsteps echoed through alleys large and small until finally, she stopped.
Alice leaned against a wall and closed her eyes again.
The terrifying sensation was gone.
But Alice no longer had the courage or desire to continue her nighttime stroll. She quickly began searching for a carriage.
Sitting inside the carriage, listening to the rhythmic sounds of wheels and hooves, Alice finally calmed down.
She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the carriage wall.
The coachman, perhaps bored or uneasy driving alone on the empty streets, tried to start a conversation: "Ma'am, why are you out so late?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk," Alice replied dismissively, still shaken from her earlier fright.
"Is that so? Your hobby is quite unique, just like mine," the coachman chuckled, undeterred by Alice's curt response.
Unique? What could be unique in this era lacking entertainment? Alice raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are your hobbies?"
"I often play cards with myself to pass the time," the coachman replied. "You know that game that's become popular recently, 'Duel with Evil'?"
"Recently..." Alice blinked in confusion, considering the age difference between herself and Emperor Roselle. She fell into thought, "It's not that recent, is it?"
The coachman didn't respond.
Alice frowned, feeling something was off but unable to pinpoint what. After a moment, she asked, "Why do you play cards by yourself? Can't you play with others?"
"I live in a rather remote area, rarely seeing people - besides, not many are willing to play cards with me," the coachman replied, still smiling.
No wonder... Alice nodded thoughtfully, feeling she understood. Then she asked curiously, "Shouldn't there be more people during the day? Why do you drive your carriage at this hour?"
"Of course, it's to meet unique ladies and gentlemen like yourself," he answered with a smile.
"...So this is purely a personal hobby, not for money?" Alice inquired.
"That's right," the coachman confirmed.
Alice fell silent for a moment, then said, mentally reminding herself to be respectful, "Well... that's quite an unusual hobby."
The coachman chuckled softly and stopped the carriage. "We've arrived," he announced.
"So quickly?!" Alice exclaimed, jumping down from the carriage. Realizing they had indeed arrived, she said in surprise, "We really are here."
"I too regret our chat was so brief," the coachman smiled, rubbing his right eye socket. "But I think we'll meet again."
A faint sense of unease spread through Alice's heart. She looked at the coachman for a few seconds, then frowned, paid her fare, and left.
Behind her, the coachman watched her retreating figure and took out a monocle from his pocket, placing it over his right eye.