Chapter 184: The Save

Chapter 184: The Save

Mo Fei’s own situation was starting to get progressively worse. In the beginning he was feeling eccentric, but the more the tune of the music got louder, the more the control was beginning to crush his mind.

Unlike Old Bai, who was also feeling the madness in his mind, he at least was losing control at a normal speed. In Mo Fei’s case, the speed limit was two times more than normal due to the influence of the phantom thread in his spiritual ribbon.

His brain was constantly snapping veins as a prickle of blood dripped from his ears and nose.

The artifact was slowly taking him faster to the verge of losing control. His eyes were turning blurry, and he started to see the spirit world as an anchor to focus on something else.

"By the charm of bronze and silver flame, draw the line where madness cannot tread. In the ancient law, in the hidden name, restore the living, inter the dead."

Captain Benson chanted the words as the runes in the walls began to glow with a faint golden luminance. Afterward, he quickly pulled two mystical charms and looked at the border. A thin circle had formed there that was invisible a while ago.

He avoided entering and walked alongside the edges until he found a faded line that had an open path. He placed one of the charms there, then quickly moved toward the other side of the library, following the line.

Placing another charm there, he muttered the formal words of blessings. "O Light that proceedeth from the Void, O Anchor that tethereth the clay unto the waking dawn! I command the threshold to close; I command the deep to vomit back what it has swallowed. Let the blood cease its rebellion, and let the mind be an unbreached citadel against the whispers of the cosmos. The light looked upon the dark, and the light decreed: Thus far shalt thou come, but no further. By the majesty of the ancient covenant, thou shalt not cross!"

The two mystical charms settled into their faded anchors, a majestic, ancient Authority rippled through the boundary.

The bronze and silver flames atop the runes flared, casting long, holy shadows that seemed to physically pin the encroaching madness to the floor. It was a power derived from an ancient law — a fragment of a deity’s true honorific language, whispered in a bygone epoch.

As the thin circle slowly dissolved, that was when it rushed in. His gaze trying to find the artifact, he couldn’t hear the sound of the piano when he was outside the boundary, but it was clear now... because of the charms, the music’s influence changed direction to them instead of Benson.

He finally found the box of the artifact and shut the box tightly close before pulling a spiritual paper and cords to seal the box entirely.

The melodic notes of the piano vanished in an instant.

Both Old Bai and Mo Fei gasped. Their expressions tensed as their smiles finally dropped into a deep mental exhaustion.

Benson’s gaze lay on Lionel, who was still humming and performing a flawless dance, and spun once. "Lionel... the artifact is sealed..."

Lionel’s hand stopped at his hat, his body remaining frozen in a pose as he tilted his head slightly. "Oh..."

Captain heaved a sigh of relief and turned toward Mo Fei and Old Bai who still seemed to struggle to maintain their minds from the remaining influence; however, his gaze lay on Mo Fei, who seemed to struggle more than Old Bai as sweat dripped from his face and mixed with blood. "Mr. Sherlock, why did it affect you more?"

Mo Fei stared at his hand and didn’t answer immediately... he knew he couldn’t answer truthfully. "It’s simply because I was exhausted from the spiritual influence of an Angel."

Valid reasoning...

Benson gave him a nod and turned toward Old Bai. "Old Bai, what were you even doing to awaken a dangerous artifact?"

The old man chuckled, wiping his sweat. "I didn’t do it on purpose... I was checking for a secret ingredient for a potion and mistakenly opened this box."

With a sigh, he turned toward Lionel, who was still humming a tune, and slowly walked toward them. Benson asked. "Why did he seem to be less affected by the artifact?"

Old Bai answered before Lionel. "He didn’t actively resist the influence, because he was going with the musical flow. Knowing about our young Lionel, he is just too narcissistic to believe that it was caused by an artifact rather than doubt his newly found talent."

"That’s a compliment, isn’t it?" Lionel snorted and sat down on a desk, waving his one hand in the air.

All three of them also sat down, and Benson glanced at Mo Fei. "Well, Sherlock... it’s currently nearly 1:30 AM. Why did you return to the organization at this time?"

"As I said before, about the influence of an angel."

Benson nodded. "Ah, so that was it. Have you talked to Him then? What was his response?"

"Captain, I believe He is not a threat currently. I have talked to Him; whatsoever, He indeed has amnesia."

Old Bai leaned back on his chair and took a long breath, trying to keep his breath after the relentless dance that had brought his muscles to ache from old age exhaustion. "We interpreted it right. Young man, are you sure that He’d not be a threat?"

"Yes."

Benson considered his answer with seriousness because it was not about the organizational safety, but at that moment, he had the responsibility of a whole city. He put his hand on his chin and thought, then finally asked. "So, what is your next step? What shall we do of Him, Mr. Sherlock?"

"For now, we must not take any actions. I’ll also try to keep an eye on Him also because He is a physician and historian in the Lakeview Institute of Arts, meaning it’d be easier to find Him there."

Lionel yawned once and brought up a novel. Leaning against his chair, he opened it and read it to pass his time without actually hearing any of their rant.

Benson and Old Bai, however, listened attentively. "If you say so, I’ll trust you this time. Good job for your work, in return..." He stood up and brought up an envelope that had four pounds. "Here is your one month’s worth of salary."

Mo Fei remembered his own current money. He had one pound and eighteen shillings left; that was enough for two weeks, but he also had to take care of Kiyori since she was ill, which gave him one week of worth money left.

He quietly took the money and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for that, Captain."

Captain Benson gave him a formal smile and stood up from his seat. "Is there anything left?"

Mo Fei thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, Captain. You may rest now, I only need a few books to understand something important about Acenders’ world."

Lionel also stood up and walked beside Benson while holding the novel, reading it with more attention than it deserved.

Afterward, as both of them settled down, Old Bai pulled a glass of water and drank. His expression slowly returned to usual as the ache receded. "What do you seek, young Sherlock?"

"Is there anything related to something called Sephirots?"

"Sephirots?" Old Bai said with a surprise, it was a very casual thing to him. "They are ten attributes, emanations, or divine channels in Kabbalah mysticism; the hidden God revealed Himself with those attributes. What about it?"

"No, Old Bai, not that one. A Sephirot related to Authority."

Old Bai rested his hand on a table, adjusted his spectacles, and asked. "A Sephirot in Authority? That’s a one thing I never read or heard before. Where did you learn it from?"

"It was regarding a Descent of a Sephirot that appeared in World Six."

"I’m sorry to say, Sherlock, but I do not know of Sephirot Authorities, or do they even exist. You may have to find out more about it in world six..."

Mo Fei nodded, stood up, then lifted his top hat. "Thank you, Old Bai. Well then, I take my leave now."

"Sleep well." He waved his hand once, then returned to his work of potion, creating something that he didn’t tell anyone about yet.

Mo Fei exited the Midnight Wings and pulled his pocket watch out. The time was 1:28 currently, and to reach the Lakeview Institute of Arts, it’d take him another 30 to 40 minutes to reach there because it was already night, and finding a carriage was hard.

His mind was already feeling sleepy; another night where he might not sleep, but well, the City of Light wouldn’t let him sleep peacefully either way.