Before the two carriages collided, Lex judged that he could not evade in time. He decisively pounced on the coachman driving in front, pulled him off the carriage, and with a hunter's agility, protected himself and the coachman with imperceptible movements, rolling to the other side of the street.
While rolling, Lex heard a violent crash, the startled neighing of horses, and various chaotic sounds.
When he stopped, he saw the two carriages had already crashed into each other. As the sedan carriage approached, the horses pulling it must have instinctively shied away from the open carriage, resulting in the sedan body hitting sideways. Now, half of Lex's open carriage was embedded in the sedan body, debris of wooden planks was everywhere on the ground, and a wheel rolled past Lex.
Lex quickly pushed the stunned coachman: "Run!"
He got up himself, took out his revolver, and calmly looked at the man who walked out from behind the sedan carriage.
The first time he saw him, Lex recognized him: this was the madman he had repelled on the multi-masted ship that night.
He was indeed the owner of that diary, the culprit behind all this!
Considering his current situation, Lex quickly made a decision.
He had to do two things.
One was to sound an 'alarm' to get Lewis and others from the Baron's Mansion to come.
The second was to stall for time and try not to expose his strength. Fortunately, the characteristics of the Hunter sequence were not very obvious. As long as Lewis didn't see him fighting this madman in hand-to-hand combat and holding his own, he wouldn't make that connection.
Bang!
Lex fired a shot into the sky. The gunshot echoed down the street. Because the street was very quiet, and because the few families on this street had all accepted the mayor's invitation tonight, the gunshot carried very far.
The reason he didn't shoot directly at the madman was, firstly, a high probability of being dodged, and secondly, it would disrupt the subsequent plan.
Watching Lex shoot into the sky, the madman's expression froze for a moment, then his eyes radiated a fierce Light, like an irrational beast, he let out a series of low growls from his throat and pounced at Lex.
"Stop!"
"I am Mr. Heimerk's subordinate! Harming me is tantamount to infringing upon Mr. Heimerk!"
Lex's words were clear and his tone was loud.
He remembered that in the diary, this madman mentioned a person named 'Heimerk.' From the way he referred to this person, this madman held him in great awe.
Indeed.
Hearing the name 'Heimerk,' the man with disheveled hair and insane eyes stopped. His nose was almost touching Lex.
Hoo-hoo-hoo-
At such a close distance, Lex not only clearly heard his heavy breathing, but could even hear his heartbeat.
Then, the madman took two steps back and said in a hoarse voice: "Are you really Mr. Heimerk's subordinate?"
Under normal circumstances, Lex knew it would be difficult to make him believe such nonsense.
But when this man fought, his rationality was almost zero, which had been witnessed on the multi-masted ship.
Given the lack of rationality, Lex doubted whether he would still have something like 'thought.'
Even if he did, he probably wouldn't think too much, or too far.
"Of course, otherwise, why do you think I know the name 'Heimerk'?"
Lex retorted, not giving the other party time to think, and quickly added: "Mr. Heimerk sent me to find you. He wants to know, how is that matter progressing?"
The madman's lips curled up, revealing a smile with a hint of madness: "Very smoothly, very smoothly. The Path, the Path has initially taken shape."
Lex almost asked him what Path, but he restrained himself in time and rephrased: "Where is the Path?"
"In a safe place."
"Be careful not to be discovered."
"No, it won't."
The madman's words were disjointed, seemingly due to the lack of rationality, which prevented him from forming coherent thoughts.
"It is currently in a special state. It is both in the Spirit Realm and in reality."
"It cannot be seen with the naked eye, nor can Spiritual Vision see it clearly. It is now a moving ritual, just one step away from becoming a medium for a deity's descent."
Lex was greatly astonished.
A moving ritual, a medium for a deity's descent!
He composed himself and said: "That sounds very smooth indeed. How did you create it? I need to report back to Mr. Heimerk."
The madman looked triumphant: "Following Mr. Heimerk's advice, I modified the incantation and received a response."
"I gave birth to twins, one died, and the other also didn't have the characteristic."
"But after eating, after eating its own brother, it manifested the characteristic. It's a miracle."
"Through a ritual, I prayed to a deity to stabilize its characteristic, and I fed it fresh flesh and blood..."
Lex noticed that the madman's eyes were gradually becoming less frantic; he seemed to be regaining his rationality, and his sentences became much more coherent.
He worried that if the other party fully recovered his rationality, he would realize he had been tricked, and might even run away.
Why isn't Lewis here yet!
"Then, then, it slowly changed. A few days ago, I held a sacrifice on a ship. That ritual, and those offerings, finally made it into its current state."
So, that so-called Path, was it that monster named 'Gore'?
It had grown to a special state where it couldn't be seen with the naked eye and Spiritual Vision couldn't see it clearly?
Lex seized the moment and said: "Can the Path be captured by special methods?"
The madman shook his head: "That's very difficult, if you want to capture it. You either have to enter the Spirit Realm, or use the correct ritual, or you need to smear its body with pure blood. But these conditions, except for the third, are very difficult to achieve in this town..."
No, his sanity was almost completely restored!
"Very good."
Lex smiled: "You've done well. Mr. Heimerk instructed me to give you a reward."
The madman's eyes shot out a fanatical Light, and he involuntarily stepped forward two paces: "What kind of reward is it?"
Bang!
A gunshot echoed a second time on the street. The madman's body swayed sharply, his chest hit, and he stumbled back several steps.
Lex put away his smile and said with an almost cold expression: "Mr. Heimerk said that if the Path is stable, you no longer need to live."
The rationality that was about to return quickly vanished from the madman's eyes. He let out an angry roar, his body leaning forward almost parallel to the ground, and quickly charged at Lex.
Lex was about to raise his gun to shoot when a short stick carved with incantations suddenly lay between them, then struck the madman's face.
The blow sent the madman reeling backward.
In his field of vision, a pale-skinned man, who seemed to have not been exposed to the sun for many years, appeared.
Jeffrey!
He then followed up with a kick, sending the madman rolling continuously down the street.
"Mr. Lex, please step back quickly!"
Jeffrey stood in front of Lex, vigilantly staring at the cloaked man.
Lex quickly reverted to playing the 'fragile' noble youth, nodding without trying to act tough, and retreated to the side of the street.
The madman got up, shaking his head, seemingly trying to shake off the effects of that last blow. Just as he was about to charge, his eyes became dazed.
He looked as if sleepiness had suddenly overcome him, and his eyelids were slowly closing.