Part 1V THE UNDEAD CHAPTER XXIV THE GREAT MASS
After waiting outside the Great Prayer Hall for nearly ten minutes, Klein, along with the other believers attending the Moon Mass, was led inside by the priest.
The dim and serene atmosphere greeted them with neat and ethereal chanting:
”The scarlet full moon rises and reflects upon the earth.
”All sank into sweet dreams of themselves.
”Dreaming of parents and wives (husbands) and sons and daughters, which are forever ……” (note 1)
Between the layers of echoing holy and rhythmic sounds, the faithful in the large prayer hall could not help but be at peace, seeming to forget the troubles of life and stop worrying about the difficulties of the real world.
Under the guidance of several priests, they each found a seat, and in front of the altar, Bishop Elektra, who was in charge of this Mass, took the Book of Revelation of the Night and began to give a simple sermon.
When the session came to an end, the priests took up water and bread and distributed them to Klein and the others, this was the favor of the night, a food shared by the living and the dead.
Klein, who had not yet enjoyed his dinner, naturally did not waste the piece of bread of average quality and the cup of fresh water, and then saw a candle light up on the altar, which, against the darkness, seemed like the stars of the night, radiating a reassuring light and heat.
At this time, Bishop Elektra, with all the priests, with all the choir, chanted in unison once again:
”We will look up to that night sky.
”and warmly utter the name of k: ‘Goddess of the Night!
”with no other words but ‘Goddess of the Night,’
”May the Goddess, in the intervals of the angels’ singing
”And pluck them with sweet silence.
”and hold them in k’s gentle right hand.
”‘Goddess!’ If k hears, surely she will say yes.
”Would surely reveal a pure smile to the dead:
”‘Come, rest, and sleep in peace, my children!” (Note 2)
The empty, silent voice drilled into the ears of every believer with a sense of holiness that seemed to resonate with all the spirits present, and as a Sequence 5 Extraordinaire, Klein also seemed to have the sensation of his spiritual body being washed at this moment, and his spirituality naturally and soothingly flowed out.
Then, a serene darkness seemed to appear before his eyes, a darkness without the slightest sound.
In the darkness, a body lay there, pale but peaceful, as if it had not died, but was only in a deep sleep.
Klein’s mind was calm and peaceful as he walked in this darkness, when he suddenly stopped and looked diagonally ahead.
There, where the moon flower had quietly bloomed, were several people sleeping.
They were Dunn Smith without a hat and covered with a trench coat, old Neil, still dressed in his classic black robes, and Kornleigh, who was small and trying to save money.
Their eyes were relaxed and closed, and a very faint smile seemed to hang at the corners of their mouths as tombstone after tombstone was erected around them, each bearing the same word:
”Guardian.”
Klein closed his eyes for a moment, and the holy, ethereal voice rang in his ears with it:
”Cross your arms.
”and place them on your chest.
”say a prayer without words.
”and cry out from your heart:
”The only place to go is to peace!” (Note 3)
With his head bowed and his eyes closed, Klein raised his own hands and crossed them over his chest, then repeated wordlessly:
”The only homecoming is peace!”
”The only homecoming is peace!”
……
Over and over again, until the great prayer hall became extremely quiet, Klein opened his eyes and raised a hand to rub the corners of his eyes on either side.
He exhaled slowly and glanced to his left and right, noticing by the light of the candlesticks that the vast majority of the faithful were covered in tears without realizing it, and even his own valet, Richardson, was out of sorts enough to let the tears keep sliding down his face without wiping them away.
The Moon Mass is closer to a ritual, a ceremony with the participation of extraordinary powers, which is supposed to serve to resonate with each person’s spirit, allowing different people to see the closely related deceased in the darkness, to release their grief, and to gain serenity …… Well, this is not an aberration that is only for the extraordinary ones, so I can rest assured… …To ordinary people, this is a momentary hallucination and catharsis of inner emotions, and they will only think that the goddess is great, and will not suspect supernatural power …… Sequence 5 of the ‘Dark Night’ pathway seems to have greatly improved in its control of Spirit Improvement …… Klein withdrew his gaze and made a judgment in his heart.
Immediately afterward, he recalled the darkness, remembering the dead lying among the moon flowers.
Closing his eyes, Klein let his thoughts fizzle out:
”Is that dark plain with moon flowers, night herbs, and deep sleep flowers some kind of presentation of the Goddess’s divine kingdom?
”And what corresponds to the source of danger at night in the ruins of the Divine War?”
Within Klein’s mind, he gradually sketched out the cool night color he saw in the easternmost part of the Sunia Sea and the mist that shrouded the surface of the sea underneath the night color.
In the midst of that mist, there was the dark, ancient steepled church, with a single crow hovering and hovering over it, as if it were a sacrifice, as if it were mourning, and that church was surrounded by ordinary dwellings, simple wooden huts, gray mills, and shadowed figures.
According to reason, this misty scene that has a close connection with the night and dreams should be formed by the goddess or the residual breath of the destructive demon wolf Fregla, but it does not have the slightest resemblance to the presentation of the corresponding divine kingdom …… Well, mortals are not allowed to spy on the gods, and perhaps just now that dark plain full of flowers and grass is not a projection of the divine kingdom at all, but the a product incidental to the ritual …… Seeing that the Moon Mass had come to an end, Klein reached into the inside pocket of his clothing and pulled out his wallet.
Holding the wallet in his hand, he rose and entered the aisle and made his way to the altar, angling his way to the consecration box at Bishop Elektra’s look of mercy and compassion.
After tapping the chest four times clockwise to draw the Crimson Moon, Klein dropped in all the large bills.
A total of 300 pounds!
At this moment, Klein didn’t feel as much pain and reluctance as he did a few times before, and his mood was very calm, because he remembered the ceremony in which Old Neil returned the money he owed.
On that occasion, they had picked up the money clip containing over three hundred pounds in cash, under the blessing of the Goddess.
Stepping back and drawing the Crimson Moon again, he gave place to the donor behind him.
At this point, Bishop Elektra took it upon herself to welcome him, and spoke as she drew the Crimson Moon in four clockwise points:
”May the Goddess bless you.”
”May the Goddess know that what I wish for most right now is to listen to the teachings.” Klein responded with a smile.
Bishop Elektra glanced at the exit at the side of the prayer hall and said:
”If you don’t mind waiting a quarter of an hour, I can give you a sermon in the storeroom.”
”That is exactly what I desire.” Klein smiled gently.
Bishop Elektra immediately had one of the priests lead Lord and Servant Dawn Dantes out of the Great Prayer Hall through the side passage and around to the Book Deposit Room not far from the circling staircase.
Here, there were one large bookshelf after another, filled with all kinds of canonical books related to the Church of the Goddess of the Night, and some tables and chairs were arranged on each side for the priests and bishops to use for studying and preaching to the believers.
Twelve minutes later, Bishop Elektra entered the library with a smile that calmed people’s moods, and saw Dawn Dantes, who had gray sideburns and an elegant temperament, standing in front of a row of bookshelves, intently flipping through a canonical book with a scholarly feel.
”Reading something?” He asked with a smile.
Klein closed the books together and smiled to himself:
”Revelations of the Night.
”Frankly speaking, although I believe in the Goddess devoutly, I have been so busy with my life over the past years that I have never been able to settle down and carefully read this holy book.”
While speaking, he did not have any abnormalities on the surface, but inside he was vaguely a bit apprehensive, fearing that the goddess would directly give a lightning bolt to reward the devout believer Dawn Dantes.
Well, lightning is not in the domain of the goddess …… Klein reassured himself in his heart.
Bishop Elektra smiled and took the Revelations of the Night and said:
”It’s not too late to start.”
He whirled around and invited Dawn Dantes to sit down at a table, systematically explaining to the other party the composition of the Revelation of the Night and the key holy words within.
Richardson, for his part, took his employer’s hat and cane and sat down a little farther away, waiting quietly while distractedly listening to the Bishop’s sermon.
Time passed, and the seemingly earnest Klein had a sudden touch of inspiration, and the scene outside the door naturally came into his mind.
This is his intuitive hunch, originating from the “clown”, strengthened by the gray fog intuitive hunch!
Outside the door, an old man in the black robes of a clergyman passed by, heading for the winding staircase just nearby.
His white hair was still thick but he hadn’t done much combing and looked rather disheveled, his face was thin and had the look of skin wrapped directly around bone, his aura was rather grim, his skin was unusually pale, and his eyes were a rare pure black color.
The figure quickly disappeared into the doorway, not far away followed by the sound of footsteps gradually becoming higher and higher in motion.
An internal watchman! But not the one I met in the Great Prayer Hall before …… Well, he is on duty today? Klein looked intently at Bishop Elektra, posing as if he was contemplating the contents of the Holy Scriptures.
He was not surprised that the internal watchmen were inside the church at this point in time, passing by the Book Depository, because the sealing power behind the Charnis Gate would reach its peak at night and was no longer suitable for living creatures, so the internal watchmen entered at sunrise and left at sunset, and it was just now at full darkness.
Remember what day it is today and what day of the week …… After that, gradually add the appropriate information and feel out the rotation pattern of the inner watchers, so that you can play the right target at the right time …… Klein retrieved his thoughts and listened carefully to the lecture, and got up to take his leave after half an hour.
He smiled and said to Bishop Elektra:
”I wonder if I will have this honor to listen to your sermon afterwards?”
”No question.” Facing the rich man who had just tithed 300 pounds, Bishop Elektra couldn’t say no, and even nodded happily, “As long as you come to church, as long as I have time.”
Crane didn’t bother to dwell on the details lest he draw suspicion, sincerely thanked him, and left St. Samuel’s with his valet Richardson.
He returned home, not quite eight o’clock, just in time to enjoy dinner and spend the remainder of the day at leisure.
……
Late at night, in the master bedroom.
The deep-sleeping Klein suddenly opened his eyes.
His psychic intuition told him that someone had infiltrated this house of his!
Note 1: Adapted from Tennyson, The Lotus Eater
Note 2: Adapted from I. B. Browning, “The Children’s Cry”.
Note 3: Adapted from Thomas Hood, Bridge of Sighs and Tennyson, The Lotus Eater