Morpheus was walking through the streets of Backlund, observing his surroundings. His goal wasn't to admire the architecture. He was detecting the other Beyonders nearby. Even though he had learned some Beyonder abilities from Klein throughout the night, it wasn't enough knowledge. A god was living in his mind, whispering to him every second. He couldn't help but laugh at his fate. In his first nightmare, he had been tortured for months to kill a god. Now, another god was trying to possess his body and drag him into a fate worse than death.
"Aren't you being a bit rude? At least Will politely asked me to kill him. But don't worry, I will destroy you. And then, the others…" said Morpheus with a wide grin spreading across his face. Passersby who saw his expression quickly rushed to get out of his line of sight.
For a brief moment, Morpheus had lost control over his spirituality and released his killing intent. To avoid attracting further attention, he slipped into an alley and vanished from sight. He reappeared atop a rooftop. This time, he held [Will's Wine Chalice] in his hand. He dropped a single drop of blood into it, and the Chalice began to fill. Morpheus placed the Chalice over a drain so that the blood would flow out. The blood mixed into the sewer system.
"This way, I can map out the entire city," Morpheus said. With his control, the blood spread through the entire sewage network. He now had a 'minimap' showing the city's main routes. Retrieving the Chalice, he continued his exploration. He mentally noted every bar he came across — or rather, any place where gambling could be found. To digest the "Winner" potion, he had to become a winner. Games of chance would help with that.
It was nearing noon. Morpheus had explored a large part of the city. He kept walking without pause, trying to familiarize himself with the streets. Then, suddenly, he staggered in the middle of the street. Before he could understand what was happening, a loud growl came from his stomach, so loud that the people around him turned to look again. Morpheus had forgotten how much energy he'd used. Resisting the god trying to possess his body, killing cult members, purging his body's corruption, regenerating himself — it had all taken a toll. But when they had arrived at Klein's house, he'd gotten caught up in conversation. Then, he ended up in a battle and turned into a giant snake. And in the morning, his mind was entirely focused on understanding the new world. His body had been continuously using power.
His eyes caught sight of a bar, and he immediately began walking toward it. "Bravehearts Bar… I hope they have something to eat," he thought. He walked in and headed straight for a table. He called out to the old man behind the counter.
"Bring me whatever food you've got," Morpheus said.
Since it was around noon, the bar was nearly empty—only one other table was occupied. The old man behind the counter stared at Morpheus for a moment, then reluctantly gave an order to a waiter. Shortly after, the food was ready and placed in front of Morpheus.
Without using a fork or spoon, Morpheus poured the entire plate of food into his mouth and swallowed it all in one go. The old man could only watch in stunned silence.
"Aahhh! That hit the spot! Hey old man, can you bring me twenty more of these? I haven't eaten in two months!" Morpheus said cheerfully. Maybe it was because of his hunger, but it felt like the best meal he had ever eaten.
The old man had witnessed many strange things in his lifetime. So Morpheus' behavior only gave him a brief moment of surprise. After all, Beyonders usually tried to hide their identities, to stay low-key. But from Morpheus' mannerisms, it was obvious what he was. Kaspars went off to place another order. As he walked, he glanced at the man at the next table.
At that table, a man had been watching the whole scene while playing with a deck of cards. When he saw the way the new customer devoured his food, his hand froze mid-shuffle. When he noticed Kaspars' gaze, he nodded confidently. He decided to stay on alert.
Morpheus continued to devour the food brought to him in a single gulp. With each plate, his strength returned. By the time he finished the last one, a mountain of plates had formed on his table. He let out a small burp and leaned back in his chair. His carefree attitude annoyed Kaspars.
"You done?" Kaspars asked impatiently.Morpheus, still cheerful, replied, "Thanks. That was the best meal I've ever had."With a smirk, Kaspars said, "Time to pay for the best meal you've ever had. That'll be 10 pounds," as he held out his hand.
Morpheus smiled and reached into his pocket to look for his wallet.
After a moment, his smile froze.
His eyes widened.
'I forgot I'm completely broke!'
With an embarrassed smile, Morpheus asked Kaspars, "Is there any chance I could pay later?"Kaspars' expression darkened. The man had eaten that much and was now talking about leaving without paying."No chance," he said, placing his hand near his belt to reveal a weapon.
Morpheus sighed. Then an idea came to him. "I have a valuable item. What if I leave it as collateral and come back with the money?" he suggested.
With his power, he could easily solve all his problems—but Morpheus wasn't a barbarian. He didn't harm anyone unjustly.
The old man asked with weariness in his voice, "Is the item valuable enough to cover the meal?"He began scanning Morpheus for anything that might be worth something. He didn't see anything of value."Most likely, it's extremely valuable," Morpheus said, raising his hand into the air.
He had known the man at the nearby table was a Beyonder the moment he entered. He'd assumed the man was acting as some kind of protector of this place. Morpheus summoned his [Extraordinary Sword] in a way that the man could see.
Kaspars, who was standing nearby, immediately gasped and backed away.As the sword materialized, Maric suddenly stood up, ready to stop any possible attack—but the pressure from the sword was enough to freeze him in place.
This sword, in Morpheus' hands, had evolved by killing a god. An ordinary person wouldn't last long under its pressure.
Morpheus quickly dismissed the sword. It hadn't caused any issues for Sunny and the others before, so he wasn't expecting such a reaction."I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be that strong. Looks like only the lady by the window can handle the pressure," Morpheus said, looking into the old man's eyes. "Give me an hour, and I'll bring you the money."
The old man looked toward the man at the other table, waiting for a response.Maric glanced at the doll-like woman by the window—Sharron.Sharron, tense, simply nodded in approval.Once Kaspars received the signal, he nodded at Morpheus.
"Great! Thank you. I'll collect the money and be right back!" Morpheus said, summoning his sword again—this time placing it as far away from Kaspars as possible—and entrusted it to Sharron.
Sharron hesitated, unsure whether she should touch the sword or not.
Morpheus waved goodbye and stepped out the door, heading to the place where he could earn money the fastest:
The casino!
At that moment, Maric and Sharron were staring at the sword. Stealing it was incredibly tempting. With Sharron's abilities, escaping wouldn't be a problem. But someone who could leave a sword like that behind so casually was powerful enough to retrieve it by force. They were already in hiding from others; they couldn't afford to bring more trouble upon themselves.
All they could do was sigh and look at the sword.
Half an hour later, Morpheus returned to the bar, his pockets full of money. He hadn't even had enough for a meal, but now, after gambling with a single pound he found on the ground, his pockets were stuffed. The power of the "Winner" potion was really working.
He pulled out fifty pounds and handed it to Kaspars.
"Aside from the meal, I want you to prepare a gun and bullets for me. The rest is for information," he said seriously.
He placed his hand on a table, and a map of Backlund formed from blood.
Looking at Kaspars, he said, "Mark every gang, big or small, that's involved in crime."
Kaspars swallowed hard, stepped forward, and began marking the gang hideouts he knew on the map. Then he went to the bar's back room to prepare the weapon and ammunition.
After Kaspars left, Morpheus walked toward Maric's table. Maric and Sharron watched him cautiously.
"There's no need to worry. If I were here to harm you, I wouldn't have spent this much time over ten pounds," he said, placing his hand on the sword and recalling it. The sword returned to his spirit.
"If you ever need my strength, I can help—for a fair price," Morpheus added.
Sharron waited a moment before asking, "How will we reach you? Do you have a messenger?"
"Tell Sherlock Moriarty what you need. He'll make sure it gets to me," Morpheus smiled.
At that moment, Kaspars finished preparing everything and handed the supplies to Morpheus. Turning to the two Beyonders, Morpheus said, "See you later," and waved as he exited the bar.
He now needed to locate a room where he could avoid disturbances. It was almost 3 o'clock, and he had been invited to a tea party at his friend's house.