Jack reactivated his [Eyes of Judgement]. A stream of information appeared in his vision. Cold and precise. Superimposed over the dark water.

  [Name: Blood Oath Coin]

  [Grade: Cursed]

  [Durability: Extremely Tough (98%)]

  [Special Ability: Beacon for Lonely Queen]

  [Description: Forged by a fallen empire across the sea, this coin is a vessel for a broken promise and a vengeful oath. When submerged under the sea, it summons a phantom ship that acts as a beacon, a focal point to attract the Lonely Queen, a ghost ship crewed by the undead warriors who swore a blood oath to the fallen emperor. Each appearance strengthens the bond that guide its final, vengeful landing closer.]

  Jack floated in the dark, silent water. The cursed coin felt burning in his spectral hand. Tourist attraction? He almost laughed in frustation. These people were all watching a countdown timer to an invasion. A threat from a real ghost ship, with nasty undead crew members.

  He closed his spectral fist around the coin. The mystery had just become a case. And he had just found the first clue.

  Jack couldn't let the coin stay underwater and continue becoming a guiding beacon for the upcoming undead threat. He needed to move it out of the water.

  He tried to put it in his system inventory. It didn't work.

  Jack sighed. 'Of course it won't work. It won't be that easy.' He sarcastically thought.

  He kept controlling the [Blood Oath Coin] with the telekinesis of his [Mysterious Anomaly]. He needed a place to isolate the object. A place that existed but also didn't exist at the same time. And he knew where it was

  He kicked his legs. Despite its pointless no-force generation effect due to the spectral nature of his body, it worked. His spectral voldyanoi form charged through the water with effortless grace. Upwards...

  He phased out of the water surface soon. Automatically shifting his form mid air. The [Shapeshift (Voldyanoi)] ability deactivated. The spectral underwater creature vanished. Replaced by a specter with a translucent top hat and a flowing cape.

  He hovered a few meters above the undulating surface of the sea. The cursed coin was floating nearby. Perfectly controlled by his telekinesis.

  The twin moons in the sky were sharp silver crescent at the moment. And the were reflected perfectly off the undulating waves. To a normal person, it was a pretty view. To Jack, it was a doorway.

  He quickly activated his [Mythical Mirror Realm] ability. Afterward, he immrdiately dove into the reflective surface of the sea water.

  Reality warped. The sound of the ocean waves was muffled and then disappeared. And suddenly, he was floating over the polished marble floor of his personal Mirror Mansion.

  The luxurious space was silent. Its halls were brightly lit. With the light source coming from the candelabras above and the light scones on the wall. He floated toward the center of the main hall and placed the coin on the altar-like table.

  Then, his form shimmered. [Incarnation Shift] was activated.

  The mysterious specter form disappeared. Instantly, it was replaced by his huge and broad-shouldered human form. Dressed in his mercenary's leather-set attire.

  In this form, Jack had an access to his human's secondary class... Treasure Hunter. It was a class designed for utilizing treasures. The coin was cursed. But it was still a treasure.

  He extended his hand and activated the specific resonance of his Treasure Hunter class. He wanted to gain power from the coin. His fingers glowed as they touched the coin.

  The coin rattled. It flared a crimson light. Resisting his touch. Jack pushed his willpower to suppress the resistance. A little resistance wouldn't stop him.

  Sure enough, a new panel immediately shimmered into view. Quite distinct from the previous system notifications.

  [NEW SPELL CARD ACQUIRED!]

  [SPELL CARD: BLOOD OATH TRACKS]

  A cool tarot-like card appeared. Hovering on air in front of him. It had a classic painting of a flaming foot steps. Jack immediately activated his [Eyes of Judgement]...

  [Spell Card: Blood Oath Tracks]

  [Type: Clairvoyance]

  [Effect: When activated, the caster can perceive a phantom tracks leading to the targeted person the caster wanted to find. It only works when the searched target has close enough relationship toward the caster. The tracks are visible only to the caster.]

  [Requirement: Usable by any transcendent. Caster must possess a minimum Mysticism of 10.]

  [Maximum Duration: 1 hour]

  [Cooldown: 5 minutes per use]

  "Not bad." Jack commented. A satisfied smile touched his lips. "It's a tracking spell. Might be useful in certain situations."

  Well, for most situations, Rune would actually be a more practical guide than the spellcard. She could probably guide him to the target better than the card.

  Perhaps, he could give it to Reina later. It would help her better. Just in case she needed to track someone when she was not with him.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  He looked at the cursed coin. He didn't want to carry the coin back into the city. It was too dangerous. So, he simply opened a heavy iron drawer in the nearest desk, dropped the [Blood Oath Coin] inside, and slammed it shut.

  The connection to the Lonely Queen should be broken. Or at least, the signal would be muffled. It would be harder for the real ghost ship to find it out.

  ...

  Jack shifted back into his specter form. And passed through through a mirror in the mansion and and reappeared back above the sea. He quickly floated back to Sapphire City's Dock District.

  It was past midnight. The city should have been asleep. But Sapphire City never truly closed its eyes. Despite the dark night covering the sky, lights, tavern music, and the hissing from machine pipes still turned the city alive.

  "Time to see who's been playing 'toss the coin to invite calamity'." Jack grunted.

  He flew slightly above the rooftops. His spectral form was now invisible to the naked eye. He needed to narrow down the suspects. He reactivated his [Eyes of Judgement]. But this time, he tuned the filter.

  Normally, the power gave him information on everything he could think of... names, power levels, karma, skills, life story, and other things.

  But, if he did that without restrain in a city with millions of people like this Sapphire City... his brain would melt soon. Like a candle in a furnace. Er... not like he had a brain in his current form. But still, he'd better be careful.

  He set only two information parameters to acquire. Only the karma and affiliation. With that, he could now collect the data quickly and safely.

  He started to move methodically. The part of the city he had passed transformed in his view. Becoming an urban sea of grey dots, representing the ordinary citizens.

  But scattered among them were sparks of different colors. Those were what he should be focusing on.

  He started from the closest Dock District. He flew over a tavern near the docks. Inside, two dark auras of negative karmas sat in a corner. Talking quietly.

  'Let's see...' Jack muttered silently. Under the invisibility power, his eyes were actually glowing with an eerie light. But no one could see it.

  He focused his observation. Checking their affiliation...

  [Affiliation: Undeath Sect].

  'These necromancer wannabes again. How the hell anyone could be convinced that being undead is a great thing?' He internally complained. But then he realized that he was technically undead in this specter form. And it was... not that bad.

  Jack took note of their further details. The Undeath Sect played with undead after all. And the Lonely Queen, the ghost ship, carried undead warriors.

  He then drifted over the wealthier part of the city. The Trade District. The locations where the merchant houses and the business stores were mixed into one.

  In a high-end townhouse, he spotted three slightly dark auras. He checked their affiliation...

  [Affiliation: Royal Faction - Intelligence Division].

  "Spies. Obviously." Jack noted. The government would definitely plant their eyes in the city like this. Sapphire City was dominated by transcendent beings from one faction they didn't control after all. The Mercenary Union.

  He moved toward the industrial sector. The Factory District. The location where massive factories and warehouses loomed like snoring, sleeping beasts.

  He found another three agents from the Royal Faction. And four other individuals with much darker karma.

  He came closer and observed them. They were sleeping in the dormitory for factory workers. Four men with familiar aura. The disgusting aura of corruption bleached to look like pure holiness. He checked their affiliation...

  [Affiliation: Purity Church].

  As expected. Jack restrained his impulse to give these four a deadly nightmare. He took notes of their location and details. He needed to keep an eye on them.

  But then, in the same district, he hit the jackpot... Or the headache actually. It was hidden in the basement of a factory called the 'Gemstone Grinder'. A factory dedicated to the refining of precious stones.

  There, in the factory basement. He saw a cluster of dark auras. He counted them. Ten... Twenty... Thirty... Fifty Six!

  He checked their affiliation...

  [Affiliation: Eternal Soul Cult].

  'Crap! Fifty six cultists in one location? These guys do not infiltrate a city. They were infesting the place.' Jack swore. His brow furrowing.

  He was sure that the cult was looking for Eternal Flame to help them achieve eternal life. They were obsessed with the immortality like the Undeath Sect. But unlike the latter, the Eternal Soul Cult didn't aim for undead immortality.

  Why were these many cultists here? And these cultists were... all transcendent. Not a single one was a normal un-awakened human. Did they have any lead about a new eternal flame?

  Jack took note of them. But he moved on.

  And, near the Governor's manor, he saw a single, pitch-black aura. It was the darkest karma he had seen that night. He quickly checked it.

  [Affiliation: Night Salvation].

  The person was perfectly still. Perching on a the top of a clock tower. Jack felt a slight chill. This one was powerful. Almost at illumination level. He took a careful note of him.

  Night Salvation didn't do things for collective 'profit' or 'worship'. They did things for their own personal reasons. Or for unexplainable orders from their mysterious leaders. They were the most secretive and unpredictable underground group among the many Jack had ever seen.

  Jack hovered in the cold night air. His mind was racing. He had covered only about one-sixth of the city. And the tally was already ridiculous...

  6 Royal Faction agents.

  4 Purity Church cultists.

  2 Undeath Sect warlocks.

  56 Eternal Soul Cult members.

  1 Night Salvation agent.

  'This isn't a normal city." Jack grumbled again. "It's a breeding base for secret societies."

  The problem was that any one of these groups could be responsible for the current crisis. Any of them might have their own reasons.

  The Eternal Soul Cult might want the ghost ship because they thought it would provide them clues about the eternal flame they sought. The Undeath Sect might want the undead outbreak for their advancement. Even the Royal Faction might be trying to 'stage' an incident to give stronger reason to 'act' against certain targets.

  Jack had used his [Eyes of Judgement] to look deeper into the details of these suspicious people. But no one was holding a 'I dropped the coin' sign. The power was good, but it was limited.

  The eyes couldn't read a person's specific past actions. Unless those actions had permanently scarred their karma in a way that was considered significant by the world.

  The sheer volume of information was starting to make his spectral head throb. The 'blunt' reality was that he was looking for a needle in a haystack. And the haystack was currently being set on fire by several different arsonists.

  The first rays of dawn began to bleed over the horizon.

  'Morning already.' Jack looked at the sky. 'Continuing the scanning for the whole city now is very likely a waste of energy. I need a lead, not a census.'

  Should he just blast away all these suspicious people with deadly nightmare? It would make everything much easier...