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Chapter 86: Prayer

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Suspension-style ritualistic magic referred to the termination of a ritual according to the Beyonder's judgment. They could finish other matters first before returning to continue the ritual. Even by doing so, it was still possible to gain the desired effects.

This was a technique produced over 1000 years of ritualistic magic development. After all, many high-level ritualistic magic required multiple steps. The duration ranged from an hour to half a day before finishing. It was difficult to ensure that no one disturbed them during the entire process or that there wouldn't be any accidents.

After gaining lessons from various predecessors through blood and tears, gaining feedback through each failure, being able to suspend ritualistic magic became mainstream at the higher levels while it also indirectly affected the lower level rituals.

However, being able to suspend a ritual didn't mean that the ritual could be suspended at any time. One had to abide by mysticism theory and grasp the corresponding technique. If not, the failure of the ritual was unavoidable. it could even result in a terrifying backlash effect.

Based on Klein's understanding, once one gained the attention of a particular divinity, and the divinity was waiting on the contents of the request, to suddenly say, "Wait, I need to use the bathroom," one can only be congratulated since they might never need to go to the bathroom ever again.

Phew… Klein heaved a sigh of relief as he composed himself.

Even though he had held many luck-enhancement rituals and had even designed a corresponding ritual that made an attempt at Justice and The Hanged Man, this was his first actual ritualistic magic that abided by the rules.

After looking at the silver-inlaid cane by the side of the bed, Klein picked up the third candle and placed it in the middle of the desk to represent himself.

He placed the silver bowl that Selena used for rituals in front of the third candle and replaced the ax with a Sacred Emblem. On the left were the pure dew and essential oils of the Moon flower, Slumber flower, and other plants. While on the right, he placed a plate of salt, a small silver dagger, a piece of fake goatskin, and a quill that was dipped in ink.

Luckily, Selena had a complete inventory; otherwise, he wouldn't have had any way to complete the preparations. As for the moderately fast rituals that Old Neil could perform, they were not something a Seer could do…

From the looks of it, Selena was quite an experienced mysticism enthusiast. Yes, if she wasn't experienced then she wouldn't have gotten into such trouble… She was only 16 and had been exposed to all of this for at least a year… Who had guided her? Ideas flashed through his mind as he picked up Selena's cup from the bed. He poured plain water into it and placed it beside the coarse salt.

He took out his pocket watch and popped it open. He didn't delay any further after taking a glance at it. He traced layers of the spherical light in his mind and quickly entered meditation.

The room that was filled with floral fragrance, was suddenly subject to a formless whirlwind. Klein put away his pocket watch and his eyes suddenly turned darker, from brown to black, as though he could see through one's soul.

He extended his palm and laid it against the candle on the top right corner. He chanted inwardly, "Evernight Goddess, you are the Lady of Crimson!"

As Klein chanted, he extended his spirituality and rubbed the candle wick. After a couple of moments, the candle suddenly lit up, and there was a tranquil blue inside the dim yellow light.

"Evernight Goddess, you are the Empress of Disaster and Horror!"

Just like he did before, Klein successfully lit up the second candle on the top left corner.

"I am your loyal guard; the shield that fends against danger in the dark night, and the long spear that stabs at evil in the silence!"

Whoosh!

The third candle that symbolized Klein began to burn.

The flame was still. He picked up the small silver knife and mimicked Old Neil's motions. He used incantations, coarse salt, and plain water to fulfill the purification.

Then, he let his spirituality that he had gathered spewed out from the tip of the silver dagger, and naturally merged them as one.

With the silver knife in hand, Klein walked around the bedroom—kneeling when he came to the bed—and sealed the area with a formless barrier.

The light from the street lamp outside the window suddenly disappeared, but the red light was still shining through quietly.

Klein returned to the study desk and picked up the quill. With spirituality and ink, he drew incantations and symbols to ward off disaster.

When all of that was finished, he put down the things he was holding. Then, he trickled a drop of pure dew, flower essence, and essential oils on each of the three candles.

Sizzle!

A faint fog filled the room which suddenly possessed an additional hint of mystery.

Next, he burned a few types of herbs before taking a step back from the mixture of fragrances and began reciting the corresponding incantation in the suspension ritualistic magic.

"Nobler than the stars and more eternal than eternity, the Evernight Goddess.

"I pray for your loving grace.

"I pray for you to show your loving grace to a devout believer of yours.

"I pray for the power of the Crimson.

"I pray for the powers of Disaster and Horror.

"I pray that you will cleanse your devout believer, Selena Wood, from evil's corruption and be safe from danger.

"I pray that you would wait for a moment, a moment for that unfortunate girl."

…

"Moon flower, a herb that belongs to the red moon, please bestow your powers to my incantation!

"Slumber flower, a herb that belongs to the red moon, please bestow your powers to my incantation!"

…

After reciting the incantation, Klein closed his eyes and repeated it seven times in his heart.

He saw that there was nothing out of the ordinary at the altar. He then lifted the silver dagger again and took a few steps back to the door of Selena's bedroom.

He tapped his chest in four spots, forming the shape of the crimson moon. He then turned around and raised his silver dagger.

His spirituality spewed out from the tip once again and sliced open the shape of a door in the formless wall.

Klein knew that even if he opened the door at that very moment, it wouldn't affect the tranquility and holiness of the altar.

He took out his silver vine-leaf pocket watch that had a intricate pattern. He checked the time and went through the process that was to happen in a few moments.

…

In the living room on the second floor.

Elizabeth's body was quivering as she lifted her head from time to time to check the wall clock. She was counting down in silence under the illumination of the two gas lamps.

"It's almost time…" As she spoke softly, she looked sideways at the lively girl with long wine-red hair. Her dimples were deep, her smile was bright, and she gossiped well with all the friends around her.

But the more everything looked normal, the more terrified Elizabeth felt. The cold and horrifying Selena in the mirror seemed to be in her head, and she couldn't wipe the image away.

I can't wait anymore! I have to take action now! Elizabeth suddenly stood up. Before everyone's shocked gazes, she smiled and stuttered, "Selena, I-I have a surprise for y-you. Follow me out for a bit."

"Really? Didn't you give me a birthday present already?" Selena flipped the mirror the other way around and stood up in surprise.

"A surprise will n-not have any signs." Elizabeth felt that she had no talent in acting at all.

Without saying another word, she walked toward the bedroom door first. Selena followed behind with a confused smile.

Melissa looked at her two best friends leaving, and unconsciously knitted her eyebrows.

Elizabeth is acting so strange today…

She started acting even stranger after she met Klein…

She suddenly ran out earlier and said that she needed to use the bathroom, but why did she look so anxious?

…

Selena's bedroom entrance.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and said to the girl in front of her, "Let's go to your room."

"Elizabeth, you seem very nervous and afraid. Why?" Selena looked puzzled at her good friend as she noticed her body trembling constantly.

"Excitement! Yes, excitement!" Elizabeth shot a glance at the mirror in Selena's hand as she turned half her body around to knock on the door with a long knock followed by two short successive ones.

"Why are you knocking on the door…" Selena was baffled even more.

Creak. Her bedroom door opened. Dressed in his black tuxedo and half top hat, Klein appeared in front of the two girls.

"Pleasant surprise? This is a pleasant surprise?" Selena's mouth turned agape as she felt perplexed.

At that moment, Klein suddenly reached out his hand and grabbed her by the wrist. He pulled her into the room as Elizabeth stood rooted to the ground.

Simultaneously, Klein's silver dagger struck forward as it spewed out his spirituality which quickly mended the door-shaped passage.

The invisible spirituality wall sealed off the room, insulating Selena's screams within.

Bang!

Klein suddenly closed the door and without even looking at Selena, he rushed to the desk.

The wine-red haired girl stopped screaming as she looked up and surveyed the room.

Her gaze rapidly turned cold as her skin was mottled with paleness. Her fingers rapidly grew sharp fingernails.

And at this moment, Klein had already returned to his Cogitation state. He trickled a drop of Moon flower and essential oil onto each candle as he chanted loudly, "Supreme Lady of Crimson, Great Empress of Disaster and Horror.

"I pray for you to bestow your loving grace.

"Show your loving grace to the lost lamb, Selena Wood!"

While chanting, he picked up the fake goatskin and pushed it onto the candle representing the requester.

Whoosh!

He felt a cold wind blow behind him as an immense energy assaulted his body.

The goat skin was ignited and Klein threw it into a silver bowl. Then, he crouched downwards in accordance to his preparations to dodge the lethal strike.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The wind howled ferociously, and Klein felt the uncontrolled outpour of his spirituality surging like the currents.

He saw the goatskin burning in the tiny silver bowl, burning in silent darkness, and he heard heavy items landing on the ground behind him.

Bam! Bang!

The two sounds followed one after another with almost no breaks in between. Wisps of dark green gases plunged into the silver bowl and vanished into the illusory darkness.

Klein rolled to the side and got up. He drew his revolver from his armpit holster. However, he saw that the adorable red-haired girl Selena had fallen to the ground and the silver-coated mirror had shattered into countless broken pieces on the carpet.

Those shattered pieces didn't reflect Selena, but showed the ceiling and Klein's silhouette.

Then, through the Spirit Vision he had left active, Klein saw the wicked dark green in Selena's aura had vanished completely. Everything returned to normal, but she seemed more frail.

Phew… He had just relaxed when he felt a sharp, throbbing pain in his glabella and head.

The sharp pain spread all over his body and made him want to roll around on the floor.

Klein held his fists tight, and the veins on the back of his hands popped and became black. They looked like moving worms.

Simultaneously, he heard silent screams and the whispers that ripped at his mind.

It took him nearly twenty seconds to survive the ordeal. His forehead and vest was soaked in cold sweat.

The ritualistic magic I used sucked up all my spirituality and almost made my Beyonder powers lose control? Klein made a rough guess of the situation.

That also made him notice that he had digested quite a bit of the remaining energy in the potion. Based on his calculations, if he had the strength at the time he consumed the potion, he believed that there was no way he could have survived the ordeal. He could have become a monster straightaway.

"Acting" is quite effective after all… Klein tapped his glabella and wiped away his sweat.

He turned towards the altar, tapped his chest four times, and said out loudly, "Praise the Lady!"

Following that, he extinguished the candles and quickly tidied up the altar.

Finally, he placed the items back into the desk and used his silver dagger to dispel the spirituality wall seal.

Whoosh!

The sound of the wind echoed before subsiding. Klein let out a long sigh of relief and felt a sense of lingering fear.

"If I hadn't walked through the process beforehand and successfully completed the ritual then things would have become troublesome… Besides, I still don't know who my opponent or enemy is… Thankfully—yes—thankfully, the room was carpeted, so I didn't damage my clothes while rolling…"

He shook his head and reached out to open the wooden door to Selena's bedroom.

"How was it?" Elizabeth took two steps back and asked nervously.

Klein looked at her terrified expression and took off his half top hat before saying with a warm smile, "I've already corrected the mistake of her magic mirror divination. It's been resolved now."

Chapter 87: Exhortation

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Has it really been resolved?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief.

Klein smiled and nodded casually.

"Yes."

"It wasn't too hard."

That last part was a lie… He added inwardly.

Perhaps it was the fact that Klein had been calm and collected all this time, or perhaps he was her only ray of hope. Either way, Elizabeth didn't doubt him any more. She patted her chest and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. You truly are a trustworthy gentleman. I was scared senseless just now.

"How is Selena? Is she fine now?"

"She might remain unconscious for the next few minutes, but she's completely fine now. Oh, two to three days of weakness is to be expected." Klein suddenly had a stern expression on his face as he asked, "Who taught her mysticism? Didn't he tell her about the basic taboos?"

Elizabeth straightened up a little more like a student who had just been scolded by her teacher.

She thought for a moment before saying, "Selena once mentioned that her teacher is Hanass Vincent. She met him a year ago at the Divination Club on Howes Street."

Hanass Vincent… On the surface, he didn't seem to teach anything questionable about magic mirror divination, but he secretly been teaching dark divination… If I knew about this earlier, then I would have reported it to Captain and have raided him earlier… Klein felt some regret as he asked in a deep voice, "Was he also the one who taught Selena magic mirror divination?"

Klein was left with a lingering sense of fear because this matter had nearly affected his sister — Melissa!

Elizabeth nodded cautiously.

"Yes, but Selena had tried magic mirror divination a few times without any success. Oh, today she told me that she had a peek at her teacher's hidden incantations and that there would be no problems."

She was basically an expert at courting death… Klein massaged his temples to alleviate his headache.

"Do you still remember the incantations she recited?"

Well… Although Hanass Vincent had not voluntarily imparted the dangerous knowledge to Selena, it's obvious that he had been experimenting with it to extend an invitation to a mysterious, unknown entity. This would become a problem sooner or later. It has to be dealt with quickly before it gets worse and becomes a problem for someone else…

"I remember a part of it…" Elizabeth recalled. "She recited it in Hermes. As you know, I was only exposed to Hermes just recently. All I remember is her using the terms 'revolve,' 'spirit,' 'Creator,' and 'grace.'"

Creator? The True Creator? Many underground mysticism enthusiasts believe in this ancient entity revered by many secret organizations… Yes, an entity that appeared 1000 years ago during the early stages of the Fifth Epoch! Klein nodded amidst his thought and said, "Remember to ask Selena about the entire incantation after she wakes up, then find an opportunity to tell me."

"Alright," Elizabeth replied without any reservations.

But she immediately asked, feeling a little confused, "Mr. Moretti, why don't you ask her yourself?"

"I don't want to let Melissa know I enjoy mysticism. Can you help me keep that a secret?" Klein asked in return.

Elizabeth bit her lips, her eyes sparkling.

"No problem. Melissa prefers machines to mystery. She likes logic over instinct."

Klein placed his hat in front of his chest and bowed gentlemanly.

"Thank you for your understanding. As for Selena, you do know that she's not someone who can keep a secret."

"A more accurate description is that she likes to share secrets with others," Elizabeth agreed.

Klein put on his hat and thought for a moment before saying, "Remember to tell Selena after she wakes up that she suddenly fainted and shattered her mirror. I think her memory probably stopped at the point when she began the magic mirror divination."

Seeing Elizabeth nod, he put on a stern expression once again and said, "Remember, be it divinations or trying other mysticism rituals, do not pray to any other entities other than the seven orthodox divinities! You should immediately burn those types of incantations and stay far away from anyone distributing those materials!

"If I hadn't noticed this in time, Selena would have turned into a monster or an evil spirit in ten minutes, and everyone here would have been killed, myself included!"

Thinking about the ice-cold Selena in the mirror, Elizabeth had no doubts about what Klein had just said. She sighed with lingering fear and said, "I understand and I'll remember. I'll also keep an eye on Selena."

"Alright, go and take care of Selena." Klein raised his black cane and walked toward the stairway.

As he walked, his eyes became darker. He took out a single penny with his right hand and flicked it into the air.

"Selena is alright now.

"Selena is alright now."

…

Klein quickly repeated the description, then caught the falling coin. He saw George III's face facing upward.

This was not a simplification of spirit dowsing. Instead, it was a simplification of dream divination. At that moment, Klein had forced himself into a state of sleep with the aid of Cogitation in order to take a tour through the spirit world. The heads and tails of the coin were a symbolic manifestation.

Heads represented affirmation, while tails indicated dissent!

Great, everything is fine now… Klein twirled the bronze coin with his fingers happily.

That was a simplification only a Seer could accomplish.

…

Elizabeth was staring at Klein's back and saw the flying coin before he caught it.

Only when Klein vanished down the staircase did she turn to enter the bedroom. She saw Selena asleep on the floor with shattered pieces of the mirror beside her.

She held her breath and tiptoed into the room as she looked at the fragments of the mirror. She made sure that the ice-cold Selena was no longer present; instead, the fragments were reflecting the ceiling.

Phew. Put completely at ease, Melissa heaved a long sigh of relief.

But despite her efforts, she couldn't move Selena to the bed. Instead, she nudged her awake.

"Elizabeth… What happened to me? Did I get drunk?" Selena asked weakly, the glow in her eyes having turned considerably dull while her eyes were filled with confusion.

Elizabeth thought for a moment and replied in a serious tone, "No, Selena, something happened to you. Your magic mirror divination invited a malicious entity."

"Is that so?" Selena weakly made her way to the bed with Elizabeth's help. She rubbed her temple as she said, "All I remember is when I started the magic mirror divination."

Elizabeth told a half-truth, "You were a completely different person during the ritual. The you in the mirror was completely different from the you in real life… I was very scared. Using the excuse of giving you a surprise, I brought you into the bedroom before I snatched your mirror and shattered it onto the carpet. After that… after that, you fainted."

"Blessed be the Goddess, you're okay now!"

"I-I don't remember anything…" Selena muttered, her face pale.

The more Selena tried to remember, the emptier her mind became, and the more afraid she felt.

Subconsciously, she glanced at her desk and noticed that the placement of items was clearly different.

Just what happened exactly… Selena tried hard to remember, but she could only faintly remember a man in a black suit and hat. He was not strong or tall, but he had a straight back.

"Selena," Elizabeth said seriously, "I met a mysticism expert when I went to the underground market to purchase the amulet. He said that we shouldn't pray to any entity other than the seven orthodox divinities. Otherwise, we would be sure to invite disaster. Promise me, don't try this anymore. I didn't even know if what I did could save you just now!"

Selena was scared senseless. She nodded in a daze.

"No more, I'll never try this again!"

"And, just what did the incantations of your mysticism mean? If I have the chance to meet the mysticism expert again, I will ask him for you," Elizabeth asked, feigning nonchalance.

Selena rubbed her temple and said, "Spirit that revolves this world, the grace of the True Creator, the eyes that look at fate."

…

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Klein smoothed the creases and patted the dust off his clothes as he walked down the stairs.

After that, he took off his hat and returned slowly to the long dining table.

"Where did you go? It has been nearly 10 minutes," Selena's brother, Chris, asked as he folded his hand.

Klein smiled and replied, "To the bathroom, then upstairs to acquaint myself with the ladies."

"I appreciate your honesty," Chris praised in laughter.

He had the red hair and short build that ran in their family. He wore gold-framed glasses and had quite the personality; he was an exceptional lawyer.

You wouldn't say that if you knew that I had knocked your sister unconscious upstairs… Klein replied humbly, "We were merely engaging in academic discussion."

In the area of mysticism…

He put down his hat and returned to his seat. He received his two cards as the new round started.

Flipping up the corner of his cards, he saw the King of Spades and the Ace of Diamonds.

Looks like I became luckier… Is this payback for doing a good deed? Klein took out a coin in preparation to place his bet.

Since Hanass didn't intentionally reveal the incantation to Selena, there's no need for me to urgently report this to Captain…

He continued his cautious playstyle in the following rounds, only betting when he had a good hand. He didn't take any chances to bluff and didn't win much. When the game ended at half past ten, he had won six pence.

"I won two soli and eight pence." Benson fiddled with the notes and coins in his hand.

"I didn't expect you to be an expert at poker," Klein praised, laughing.

"No, I don't play often, but I know that this is the same as negotiation. You have to hide your cards and figure out the hidden cards that people have before using various means to scare or entice them…" Benson hadn't finished his sentence when he saw Melissa and the rest coming down from the second floor.

"It's time to go home," said Klein as he glanced at his sister and her friends while rubbing his temples.

The throbbing pain in his head remained.

After that, Klein went to the bathroom once more and took the opportunity to walk past Elizabeth and obtained the complete incantation.

Returning to his siblings, he smiled and said, "Oh right, I suddenly remembered something. I need to head back to the company for a while. Shall we go to Zouteland Street first? It'll be quick."

Chapter 88: Report

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"What is it?" Benson asked casually.

Melissa looked at her brother with a serious expression because she felt that Klein's behavior tonight was strange as well. In fact, it only looked slightly more normal than Elizabeth's behavior and, later, Selena's.

Klein chuckled as he had long thought of an excuse and said, "There was a mistake in one of the document descriptions, and I already informed my colleagues that I would hand it over to them when I arrive early at the company tomorrow morning. So, I can either amend it now since it's on the way or wake up at least half an hour earlier tomorrow morning. No doubt, I've chosen to do the former."

"Ah, no wonder. I had a nagging feeling that your mind wasn't in the game, so you were actually thinking about work." Benson smiled, suddenly enlightened. "No, I apologize. I should say, the card game helped you think."

"Alright, we shall wait for you." Melissa looked away and smoothed out the ruffles of her engageantes.

As it was past the operation time for both track and trackless public carriages, the three siblings bid their hosts farewell before hiring a carriage nearby. It cost two soli for forty-five minutes.

"I've heard that every carriage driver that rents out their own carriage adds ridiculous fees," Benson complained in a low voice. He had used most of the money that he won earlier to pay the driver.

Klein smiled and replied, "I think it's very acceptable. After all, it is almost eleven o'clock."

"I was just joking. I thought that we could actually share the carriage with other guests. Forty-five minutes can take us to many places." Benson looked out of the window at the other people who were hiring carriages one after another.

I know, ride-sharing… Klein rubbed the top of his silver-inlaid cane and said, "We don't have a problem with that, but the other customers might. Benson, did you notice that they care a lot about their image and at looking respectable? I think that might be common among the middle-class."

"Hmm." Benson nodded seriously and said, "The Wood family was much more extravagant than I imagined. However, Wood's weekly salary is only four pounds per week… Heh, 'looking respectable' might be the biggest difference between the middle-class people and curly-haired baboons."

Do you have something against curly-haired baboons… Klein almost burst out laughing.

Melissa didn't join in on their discussion. She took a seat and sized up Klein from time to time. Her gaze was sending chills down his spine.

The two-wheeled horse carriage was traveling quickly in the dark, quiet street. They arrived at Zouteland Street in only twelve minutes.

"Wait for me here. Five minutes, it won't be more than five minutes," Klein emphasized. He put on his top hat, grabbed his cane, and got off the carriage.

As the carriage driver was charging based on time instead of distance, the driver didn't mind waiting.

Going up the stairs, Klein arrived at the Blackthorn Security Company and knocked on the door.

Within ten seconds, the door was opened wide. Leonard Mitchell appeared before him in a vest and shirt.

"You're not on duty tonight," Leonard pointed out, looking surprised to see him.

Klein was only on guard duty once a week for the Chanis Gate. They maintained a regular work schedule for the rest of the time. As for emergencies that happened at night, they would be dealt with by the Sleepless who enjoyed the night.

However, only getting two to three hours of sleep a day can cause baldness and memory loss… Whenever he thought about this, Klein couldn't help but ridicule Captain Dunn Smith in his mind.

"I have something to report," he answered simply.

"There's a mission?" Leonard asked casually, moving aside.

When Klein entered the reception hall, he saw Dunn coming out in his black windbreaker. His gray eyes were dark as usual.

"Captain, I came across an incident involving the supernatural."

"Give me the details," Dunn asked directly.

Klein recounted the whole story from earlier and reported the steps that he took to deal with it.

"…So, I think there's a need to investigate Hanass Vincent."

Back then he believed that since the evil entity that was invited by the magic mirror divination hadn't caused a disaster, and there was no indication that he was in extreme danger. That meant that the entity probably still needed more time. It didn't want to awaken or possess Selena ahead of time; therefore, as long as its goals were not exposed, the evil entity chose to observe the situation. Under such circumstances, it wasn't hard for Elizabeth to trick Selena to head to the entrance of the bedroom.

"You've done well. You seized the opportunity before the evil spirit fully materialized to possess her body completely." Dunn lifted his head lightly and said, "Let us take care of the follow-up investigations. You can return home to rest."

Klein heaved a sigh of relief and chortled.

"I thought you would make this my initiation mission and make me complete it alone."

From the incantation that Elizabeth provided him, Hanass Vincent was certainly dangerous…

"That's because there's already an initiation mission for you." The desultory Leonard chuckled by the side.

"What?" Klein was shocked.

Dunn smirked and explained with his soothing voice, "At around seven tonight, the police station referred us to a case. From our initial assessments, there doesn't seem to be any danger or urgency, so it was decided that you would complete it on your own tomorrow."

"Alright, don't ask about the case. Rest well tonight and move your day off to Tuesday or Wednesday."

Captain, doing that only affects my sleep… Plus, Monday afternoon is when the Tarot Gathering takes place… Do I need to send a postponement notification to Justice and The Hanged Man? Klein shook his head and smiled bitterly. He then bade farewell and left.

Exiting the stairway, he suddenly sensed something. He lifted his head to look towards the carriage that they had hired. He only saw Melissa looking at him silently through the window.

When they made eye contact, Melissa suddenly looked away and sat properly.

The corner of Klein's mouth twitched, and he got into the carriage, pretending nothing had happened.

Under the crimson moon and pure night sky, the carriage moved quickly down one street after the other.

When they returned home, Klein yielded the bathroom to Benson for his shower while he went to Melissa's bedroom and knocked twice.

Melissa, who was planning to use the other bathroom, opened the door and looked at her brother suspiciously.

"Melissa, do you have any questions that you'd like to ask? I know you do," Klein asked straightforwardly.

Don't just observe me in silence…

Melissa lips trembled and creased her eyebrows as she spoke.

"Klein, what did you do to Elizabeth? She seemed a bit off."

"And, later on, Selena started acting very strange too."

Klein had prepared his reply.

"Do you know that Elizabeth and Selena are mysticism enthusiasts?"

"…Yeah, but I don't like it. I don't think there's anything that can't be explained in this world," Melissa answered seriously after being momentarily taken aback. "Anything that seems unexplainable is due to the fact that the knowledge we have grasped is insufficient."

"Yeah, I think so too," Klein echoed her sentiments guiltily.

I once thought so too, until I successfully courted death…

He coughed lightly and continued, "Mysticism involves Hermes, the language used specifically for ancient worship ceremonies and prayers. Elizabeth knew that I am good at it. Heh, it is within a historian's domain after all. So, she asked me about the pronunciation of corresponding words and their actual meanings."

Melissa nodded lightly, signifying her acceptance of her brother's explanation. It went according to her understanding of both parties.

"As for why Elizabeth and Selena became weird later on, I have no idea about the actual reasons." Klein removed himself from the picture first, then he said, "But, I can make a guess."

"You managed to guess it?" Melissa blurted out in shock.

Klein lifted his hand and patted his lips.

"I could guess from the contents of what Elizabeth asked. The few Hermes words were related to divination, as well as the worshiping of evil entities. Yes, when Selena did the magic mirror divination, did she recite in Hermes?"

He proactively brought that up in order to remind his sister to keep her guard up against similar situations. It would be even better if she could cut off contact with Selena and Elizabeth.

"Yes…" Melissa replied after a delay. "I think I understand why Elizabeth and Selena were acting strange…"

Then, Klein asked deliberately, "As Selena's magic mirror divination involved a wicked, illegal belief, perhaps Elizabeth found an opportunity to criticize and correct Selena's mistake after she clarified with me the actual meaning of the Hermes that Selena had used?"

"I think so," Melissa didn't doubt this conclusion because she had made the same deduction herself.

Klein let out a breath of relief upon seeing that he had successfully directed the flow of the conversation.

"In the future, it's best if you advised Selena to put her beliefs in the orthodox."

Then, he tapped four spots on his chest just like a priest.

"Yes, I will!" Melissa replied, sounding determined.

"And, don't tell Elizabeth and Selena about our deduction or about the things that I've said. I actually promised Elizabeth not to tell you," Klein emphasized.

"Okay." Melissa nodded lightly.

…

On Monday morning at eight, in the Blackthorn Security Company.

Klein took off his hat and greeted Rozanne and Bredt. After exchanging a few words, he entered Captain Dunn Smith's office.

He pushed the door open and looked around. He suddenly had a shock, because Dunn's face was pretty pale and his gray eyes looked clouded, without their usual darkness.

"What happened? Hanass Vincent?" Klein asked in concern and shock.

Dunn rubbed his forehead, took a sip of coffee, and replied with a bitter smile, "Hanass Vincent is dead."

"Who killed him ahead of time?" Klein sat before Dunn with his cane in hand.

Dunn didn't answer immediately but sighed and said, "Leonard and I went to look for Hanass Vincent last night. As his usual behavior didn't show any unusual signs and there was nothing odd about his house, I decided to enter his dreams to look for clues."

"In his dream, in his dream…"

His eyes showed fear as Dunn repeated himself twice, that was when he said, "In his dream, I saw a cross, a huge cross, one that blotted out the sky. On the huge cross there was a naked man nailed to it with black nails. His arms and legs were pinned with his arms extended outwards. He was hung upside down, his head hung low like a chandelier. There was strips of blood stains on his body."

"Upon seeing such a scene, I lost consciousness. I left Hanass Vincent's dream, and when I woke up, Leonard told me that Hanass had died in his sleep."

"Huge cross, hung upside down, the man covered in blood stains… It's similar to some of the stories of the True Creator that some of the hidden organizations believe in, but there are considerable differences too…" Klein made a deduction in suspicion.

The few hidden organizations that believed in the True Creator had only appeared in the last two or three centuries, such as the Aurora Order and the Iron and Blood Cross Order. However, similar such depictions had never disappeared over the past thousand plus years.

Dunn rubbed his forehead again. "We'll follow-up on this. As for you, go ahead and complete your initiation mission first."

Chapter 89: A Simple Mission

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Klein nodded and said, "Alright, but I still don't know what my mission is."

"Nothing dangerous. I haven't seen any signs of danger at the very least," Dunn emphasized. "This is a case which was referred to us by Golden Indus's police department. The famous philanthropist Sir Deweyville has been experiencing unusual harassment over the past month. Be it his bodyguards, the security guards he has employed, or the police, none of them have been able to find the culprit. Inspector Tolle, who is in charge of this case, suspects that it involves Beyonder powers and, thus, handed the case over to us."

I saw Sir Deweyville at the library the other day and noticed that he was feeling down and lethargic. So it was a result of being harassed… Klein knitted his brows and asked, "What kind of harassment is it?"

There hasn't been any physical harm inflicted yet; thus, the harassment wouldn't be considered dangerous.

"Sir Deweyville hears moans and cries every night, no matter where he is, be it Tingen or not. This has affected his sleep quality negatively." Dunn flipped the notes in his hands. "He has seen a psychiatrist and has asked his butlers and servants to confirm that it was not an illusion. Having confirmed that it isn't a hallucination, thus, it is suspected that someone is harassing him."

Closing the file, Dunn looked up at Klein.

"Change into your probationary inspector uniform in the break room, then meet Inspector Tolle who is in charge of this case at the Shooting Club. He'll provide you with more details."

"Probationary inspector uniform?" Klein asked instinctively.

Dunn rubbed his forehead and smiled.

"Half of our salary comes from the police department, and the title of probationary inspector doesn't merely belong in the records. When you met Leonard and I for the first time, we were also wearing uniforms. This is a perk held by fully official members. Yes, the 'Perks' as Emperor Roselle would call it."

Unfortunately, I can't wear it as a casual outfit. Otherwise, I'd be able to have another spare outfit when my clothes are being washed… Klein picked up his cane and bade farewell before leaving the captain's office.

He headed toward the break room and saw a black and white checkered uniform, complete with leather boots, placed on the table. The uniform's peak cap was embroidered with the logo of the police department—two crossed swords and a crown. Located on the shoulder was a black and white epaulet with a shimmering silver star.

"This is a probationary inspector uniform?" Klein glanced at the uniform and noticed a string of numbers under the silver stars: 06-254.

He had some understanding of the police rank structure in the Loen Kingdom. He knew that those at the top were the minister and the chief secretary of the police force. Under them were the respective commissioners, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners of the various police departments. Those in the middle were superintendents and inspectors, while those at the very bottom were the sergeants and constables.

After closing the door, Klein took off his suit and hat before changing into the uniform.

He hung his suit up and left the room. He made his way into the clerk's office and looked at himself using the full-body mirror that Rozanne brought to him.

The young man in the mirror had black hair with gentle brown eyes. The uniform on his body accentuated him with a heroic spirit.

"Not bad." Klein praised himself narcissistically. He left his cane in the office and left the Blackthorn Security Company.

Inside his pockets were a full set of equipment, ranging from weapons to his police badge.

…

At the hall of the Shooting Club.

Klein met Inspector Tolle immediately since he was the only one in a police uniform.

Of course, there's me too… Klein thought.

There were two silver stars on the epaulets of Inspector Tolle's uniform. His clothes were propped up by his stomach and he had a thick blond mustache. His frame was tall but not imposing. Perhaps, it was imposing in the past.

"Moretti? Klein Moretti?" Inspector Tolle noticed Klein and welcomed him with a smile.

"Hello, Inspector Tolle, I believe that you have the right person," Klein replied amicably, then following his memories, he raised his right arm, kept his fingers straight and tight before saluting.

Tolle chuckled.

"I can tell that you'll be a young man who's easy to get along with. That's good. Shall we head to Sir Deweyville's place now?"

Even though he was a higher rank than Klein, the tone in his query was obviously friendly.

"No problem." Klein thought for a moment before he said, "You can fill me in on the details of the case on the carriage."

"Sure." Tolle stroked his thick blond beard and guided Klein out of the Shooting Club. They boarded a carriage which was stopped on the other side of the road.

There was the "two crossed swords and a crown" police emblem on the carriage, and it came with a personal carriage driver.

"Sir Deweyville is a believer of the Goddess, so we referred the case to you," Tolle said quickly as he sat down.

"I know. The fine knight is a common figure on the covers of newspapers and magazines." Klein flashed a friendly smile.

Tolle picked up the document docket beside him and removed the seal before taking out the materials inside. As he flipped through them, he explained, "Regardless, even if you are aware of it, I need to provide you with the detailed briefing.

"Sir Deweyville is one of the richest tycoons of Tingen City. He built his career beginning with a lead and porcelain factory. It has now expanded to steel, coal, shipping, banking, and bonds. He is also a great philanthropist that has been praised by the king, having set up the Deweyville Charity Foundation, the Deweyville Trust, and the Deweyville Library… He was also knighted five years ago… If he were willing to run for mayor, I don't think anyone in Tingen City could contest with him.

"But Backlund is his goal; he wants to become a member of parliament. We once suspected that the harassment might be related to this, but we have no clues to this date."

Klein nodded slightly and said, "We can't rule out that possibility, but there's nothing to confirm that suspicion as of now."

Tolle didn't dwell on this point. He continued, "From the sixth of last month, Sir Deweyville has heard painful skin-numbing moans every night when he sleeps, akin to a patient's fight for his life. He has checked the surrounding rooms multiple times, but he hasn't found anything unusual. His butler and servants have also confirmed that they heard such sounds, but it is simply softer for them.

"In the beginning, Sir Deweyville believed that this matter would pass quickly and didn't pay too much attention to it. But the moans became more and more frequent, to the point of occasionally happening during the day. There was even the addition of heart-wrenching cries."

"This has made Sir Deweyville lose sleep, time and time again he had no choice but to leave Tingen to his villa in the villages. But it was to no avail. The moans and cries persisted. Similarly, the phenomenon persisted even in Backlund, just that it wasn't as serious.

"He employed security guards to check his surroundings, but they didn't find any clues. Our preliminary investigations also came up with nothing.

"Sir Deweyville, who has been tortured for more than a month, is on the brink of collapse. He visited psychiatrists time and time again but was unable to have his problems resolved. He told us that if this problem was not solved within a month, he would leave Tingen and head to Backlund. He believes that there would be people who can help him there."

After listening to Tolle's explanation, Klein quickly analyzed and came up with a few possibilities.

He offended a Beyonder and is suffering from a curse?

No, if he was suffering from a curse, the butlers and servants in his house wouldn't hear the same things…

There's a Beyonder with unknown motives hidden among his servants and bodyguards?

But the problem stems from the point that there has been no requests made of Sir Deweyville over the past month…

Perhaps Sir Deweyville accidentally came into contact with some vengeful evil spirit?

That possibility cannot be ruled out…

The carriage entered the Golden Indus borough while Klein was still deep in thought. It stopped at the door of Sir Deweyville's house.

A steel fence surrounded a lush garden. There were two statues by the side of the hollowed metal gates, a magnificent fountain that showered a marble sculpture with water, an expansive two-story building, as well as a path wide enough to fit three carriages.

"Even the knight's house is only two stories high… The newspaper reported that Backlund is experimenting with building ten-story apartments…" Klein got off the carriage and saw a sergeant with three chevron stripes walking over briskly.

He looked at Klein and saluted.

"Good morning, Sir!"

"Good morning." Klein nodded with a smile.

Tolle smiled.

"This is Sergeant Gate, you can tell him if you need anything.

"This is Probationary inspector Moretti, a history and psychological expert from the police department," Tolle introduced Klein to Gate.

…I don't deserve such a title… Klein felt a little embarrassed.

After the greetings, Gate pointed to the two-story building behind the fountain and said, "Sir Deweyville is waiting for us."

"Alright." Klein caressed the revolver at his waist.

That was his best bet against an enemy.

Since he was in police uniform, he could put his revolver in a holster at his hip, making it easier to draw it.

As they spoke, the trio made their way down the path, around the fountain, and arrived outside the door.

By then, the door was already opened by a servant who was waiting politely at the side.

As Klein pretended to adjust his hat, he tapped twice on his glabella to activate his Spirit Vision before entering the house.

The square-faced Sir Deweyville was massaging his forehead in the hall. He was clearly in low spirits. His blond hair and blue eyes were either dry or dull as though he had aged considerably by at least five years.

"Good morning, Sir Deweyville." Klein, Tolle, and Gate bowed at the same time.

Sir Deweyville stood up and forced out a smile.

"Good morning, Officers. I hope that you can resolve what has been causing me distress."

At that moment, Klein squinted and slightly knitted his brows.

Other than his low spirits, Klein couldn't find any other problems with Sir Deweyville.

That's odd… He thought for a moment before he said, "Sir, in which room did you first hear the moans?"

"My bedroom." Sir Deweyville shook his head.

"Can we take a look?" inquired Klein.

"Haven't you checked it many times?" the middle-aged butler interrupted from the side.

It was clear that he didn't notice that Klein was the partner of the kind-hearted soul that had "not pocketed the money that he picked up."

Klein smiled, composed.

"Those were my colleagues, not me."

"Sir, this is an expert sent by the police agency," Tolle said, taking the opportunity to introduce him.

Deweyville looked at the young expert and said, "Alright, Cullen, take him to my room."

"Sir, I hope that you will come with us," Klein said seriously.

Deweyville hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "If that can solve the problem…"

He grabbed his cane as he spoke. He made his way feebly toward the staircase with the butler Cullen and several guards beside him, ready to support him if needed.

Klein surveyed the surroundings as he followed behind them silently.

One step, two steps, three steps… They arrived at the second story and entered the master bedroom.

Klein didn't have the time to survey the surroundings when the hair on his body stood on their ends.

This was feedback from his spiritual perception!

Chapter 90: Findings By Sight

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Sir Deweyville's bedroom was larger than the living room and dining room of Klein's house combined. It was partitioned into a place for a bed, a living space, a changing room, a bathroom, and a study desk and bookshelves. The furnishings were exquisite, and the details were extravagant.

But to Klein, the light seemed dimmer and the temperature was several degrees colder than the outside.

At the same time, he seemed to hear the sound of sobbing and moaning, as though one was putting up a last-ditch struggle.

Klein was in a trance, and everything suddenly returned to normal. The sunlight shone brightly through the window and poured over the entire bedroom. The temperature was reasonable, neither too high nor low. The surrounding policemen, bodyguards, and butler were quiet. No one spoke.

This… He looked sideways at the classic yet luxurious bed. He felt there were pairs of blurry eyes lingering in the shadow, like the moths that fearlessly stayed around gas lamps.

Taking a few steps closer, Klein lost the earlier images from his Spirit Vision.

Not a standard wraith or an evil spirit… What is it exactly? Klein frowned and recalled the mysticism knowledge that he had been learning all this time.

From what he had seen, the mission would have been easy if it was passed to a Corpse Collector, Gravedigger, or Spirit Medium. It was obviously not within his domain of expertise.

Holding back his urge to use divination as an investigative approach, Klein looked around slowly to look for other traces to confirm the few guesses on his mind.

"Inspector." Sir Deweyville hesitated and asked, "Did you discover anything?"

"If it were that easy, I believe my colleagues wouldn't have waited until now," Klein replied, glancing at the philanthropist subconsciously.

Just as he planned to retract his gaze, he suddenly saw that there was a faint white human figure reflected behind Sir Deweyville in the mirror behind him.

No, there were many figures overlapping each other, resulting in a white distorted figure!

The figure flashed by and Klein seemed to hear faint sobbing.

Phew… He let out a breath to ease his nerves, having almost drawn his gun out out of fright.

Heightened spiritual perception with Spirit Vision will one day scare me senseless… Klein tried relaxing his tense nerves by joking around before redirecting his focus back onto Sir Deweyville.

This time, he saw something different.

Now that he was in the bedroom, Sir Deweyville had a faint and twisted figure shimmering around him. It even dimmed the lighting of that area.

Every flash was accompanied by an illusionary cry and moan that could hardly be detected by an ordinary person.

Hardly audible for an ordinary person under ordinary circumstances? Is it because it's daytime? Klein nodded as he thought.

He had an initial judgment for this case.

It was resentment that was haunting Sir Deweyville. It was the remnant spirituality that resulted from unresolved emotions before a human's death!

If such feelings of resentment stayed in this world over a period of time, they would become a terrifying wrathful spirit after becoming stronger.

However, Sir Deweyville was a famous philanthropist. Even Benson, who was a picky person, was in awe of him. Why would he be bogged down with the resentment of the dead? Is he actually two-faced? Could it be the means of a Beyonder with nefarious intentions? Klein guessed the possibilities suspiciously.

After some thought, he looked towards Deweyville and asked, "Honorable Sir, I have a few questions."

"Please ask." Deweyville sat down wearily.

Klein organized his thoughts and asked, "When you leave here to go to a new place, such as the village or Backlund, do you temporarily get at least half a night's worth of peace before the situation resumes and gradually worsens? Even when you sleep during the daytime, are you able to hear moaning and sobbing sounds?"

Deweyville's half-closed eyes suddenly widened as his deep blue eyes were suddenly beaming with hope.

"Yes, did you find the root of the problem?"

Only then did he realize that due to his extended period of insomnia and his poor mental state, he had completely forgotten to inform the police about such an important clue!

Seeing that Klein's question had uncovered something useful, Inspector Tolle relaxed. He knew that the Nighthawk had found a clue.

Sergeant Gate was surprised and curious too. He couldn't help but look closely at the psychological expert, Klein.

It coincided with the traits of gradual entanglement and the feature of accumulation… Having received the feedback, Klein had basically confirmed the cause.

Then, he had two ways of helping Sir Deweyville to shake off the burden. One was to set up an altar directly around the man and remove the resentment of the dead entirely using ritualistic magic. The second option was to use other mysticism measures to find the root of the problem and solve it from there.

Taking into consideration the rule of preventing commoners from learning of Beyonder powers to the best of his abilities, Klein planned on first attempting the second method. Only if it failed would he pray to the Goddess.

"Sir, yours is a psychological illness, a mental problem," he spoke nonsense with absolute seriousness while looking at Deweyville.

Sir Deweyville knitted his brows and asked in reply, "Are you telling me that I'm a mental patient, that I need to enter an asylum?"

"No, nothing that serious. Actually, most people have psychological problems to one degree or another," Klein casually comforted him. "Please allow me to introduce myself again. I am a psychological expert from the Awwa County Police."

"Psychological expert?" Deweyville and his butler looked at Inspector Tolle who they were familiar with.

Tolle nodded seriously and confirmed that it was true.

"Alright, what do you need of me for my treatment? Besides, I don't understand why my butler, my bodyguards, and my servants will hear the sobbing and moaning as well…" Deweyville held his walking stick with both hands, looking confused.

Klein replied professionally, "I will explain it to you after it's resolved."

"Please tell your butler, your servants, and your bodyguards to leave. Inspector Tolle, Sergeant Gate, please leave as well. I need a quiet environment to begin the initial treatment."

A "treatment" with magic… Inspector Tolle added in his heart and nodded at Sir Deweyville.

Deweyville fell silent for more than ten seconds before saying, "Cullen, take them to the living room on the second floor."

"Yes, Sir." Butler Cullen didn't retort since the request was made by a police officer, a probationary inspector, and a psychological expert.

After watching them leave the room one after another and closing the door behind them, Klein looked at Deweyville who had dark blond hair and blue eyes, and said, "Sir, please lie down on your bed. Relax and try to sleep."

"…Alright." Deweyville hung his coat and hat on the clothes rack before walking slowly to the side of the bed and then laid down.

Klein drew all the curtains, turning the room dark.

He took off his pendant and quickly used spirit pendulum to determine any dangers. Then, he sat on the rocking chair near the end of the bed, traced a spherical light in his mind, and entered Cogitation. He allowed the world of spirituality to extend before his eyes.

Then, he leaned against the back of the chair and fell into a deep sleep, allowing for his Astral Projection to make contact with the external world.

He was using the technique of dream divination, to let himself be in the spiritual environment like he was dreaming, so as to communicate with each and every resentment that plagued Sir Deweyville.

Only communication would be able to give him an answer and solve the problem!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A sad sob reverberated in Klein's ear, and he "saw" that the white translucent figures were floating around him.

A painful groan echoed as Klein, who barely regained his mental processes, extended his right hand and touched one of them.

Suddenly, the figures swarmed at him like moths darting toward a fire.

The image before Klein's eyes suddenly turned blurry and his brain seemed to be cleaved into two. Half of his mind was calmly observing while the other half saw a "mirror."

In the "mirror," there was a young girl dressed in worker garbs. She looked strong and fit as she walked in a dust-covered factory while her head throbbed in pain.

Her eyesight occasionally turned blurry and her body became skinnier by the day.

She seemed to hear someone calling her Charlotte, and the voice said that she had a hysterical illness.

Hysterical illness? She looked towards the mirror and saw that she had a faint blue line on her gum.

…

The "mirror's view" switched and Klein saw another girl called Mary.

She too walked into the lead factory, young and lively.

Suddenly, half of her face started twitching, followed by her arm and leg on the same side.

"You have epilepsy." She heard someone say while her whole body was convulsing.

As she twitched and fell, the intensity increased before she finally lost consciousness.

…

There was another girl, and she was depressed. She was walking around the street in a daze, to the point of having a speech impediment.

She had a very bad headache, and she had a blue line on her gums. She would also convulse from time to time.

She met a doctor, and the doctor said, "Lafayette, this is a result of lead poisoning."

The doctor looked at her with pity and saw her convulse again. She twitched continuously, and the doctor saw that her eyes had lost all their light.

…

Many images appeared before Klein, and he remained immersed within them and calmly observed.

Suddenly, he understood the plight of the girls 1 .

The female workers had been in extended contact with white lead. They had all died of lead poisoning as a result of long-term exposure to the dust and powder.

Sir Deweyville had a lead factory under his name and also two porcelain factories. All of them hired comparatively cheaper female workers!

Klein "saw" all of that in silence, and felt that there was something that still had not been clarified.

Such "death resentment" was insignificant. They could not affect reality or have any effect on Deweyville even when accumulated.

Unless— Unless there was a more powerful and stubborn resentment that had united them all.

Just then, he "saw" another girl.

The girl was no more than 18 years old, but she was glazing the porcelain in the factory.

"Hayley, how are you doing lately? Do you still have a headache? If it gets too serious, remember to inform me. Sir Deweyville has enforced a rule that people with severe headaches cannot continue being in contact with lead and must leave the factory," an elder lady asked with concern.

Hayley touched her forehead and replied with a smile, "Just a little, I'm okay."

"Tell me tomorrow if it gets any worse," the elderly lady exhorted.

Hayley agreed. When she returned home, she massaged her forehead from time to time.

She saw that her parents and brothers had returned, but their faces looked hopeless.

"Your father and brothers lost their jobs…" her mother said as she wiped her tears.

Her father and brother hung their heads low and muttered, "We will try to get some work at the harbor."

"But we don't even have bread money for the day after tomorrow… Maybe we will need to move to Lower Street…" Hayley's mother looked at her with reddened eyes. "When are you getting your pay? It's ten soli, right?"

Hayley massaged her forehead again.

"Yeah, Saturday. Saturday."

She didn't say anything else and remained as quiet as usual. She returned to the factory the next day and told her supervisor that her headache recovered and she felt fine.

She smiled and walked five kilometers back and fro to work daily. She massaged her head more and more frequently.

"You haven't found another job?" Hayley couldn't help but ask her father and brother while looking at the soup which was boiling with black bread.

Her father said in frustration, "The economy is in a recession. Many places are retrenching. Even the harbor jobs are sporadic. I could only get three soli and seven pence a week."

Hayley sighed and fell into her usual silence. However, she hid her left hand that was twitching suddenly.

On the second day, she walked to work again. The sun was shining brightly, and the street grew busier and busier with pedestrians.

Suddenly, she started convulsing all over.

She fell to the side of the road, foam spewing out of her mouth.

She looked up into the sky and her gaze turned into a blur. She saw people walking past and others getting close. She saw a carriage pass by with the Deweyville family emblem with a white dove with its spread wings as if ready to take off.

She tried hard to open her mouth, but she couldn't make a sound.

So, she didn't say a thing, quiet as ever.

But the difference this time was that she was dead.

Chapter 91: Solution

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The scenery started to distort, turning illusory and began to fade away.

After Klein left his dreamlike state, his vision adapted to the darkness in the room.

He knew that with one pound and ten soli, which was thirty soli a week, Benson didn't have an easy time supporting the family according to the standards of an average family.

He had thought that the majority of workers earned twenty soli a week.

He had once heard Melissa remark that Lower Street of Iron Cross Street had five, seven, or even ten families squeezing into the same room.

He also learned from Benson that as a result of the situation in the Southern Continent, the kingdom's economy was in a recession for the past few months.

He knew that a maid, with board and lodging provided, could earn between three soli and sixpence to six soli a week.

Klein extended his hand and pinched his glabella. He was silent for a long time, until Sir Deweyville asked, "Officer, aren't you going to say anything? The psychiatrists I went to would always speak to me and ask questions in such a situation.

"However, I must say that I feel at peace. I almost fell asleep. I haven't heard any moans or cries yet.

"How did you do it?"

Klein leaned back in the rocking chair. Instead of providing an answer, he asked with a gentle tone, "Sir, do you know about lead poisoning? Do you know about the dangers of lead?"

Deweyville fell silent for a few seconds. "I did not know about it in the past, but I do now. Are you telling me that my psychological illness stems from my guilt—my guilt toward the female lead and porcelain factory workers?"

Without waiting for Klein to answer, he continued just like he always had—in his position of power during a negotiation.

"Yes, I did feel guilty about this in the past, but I did compensate them. At my lead and porcelain factories, the workers do not earn less than other workers in the same industry. In Backlund, lead and porcelain workers are paid no more than eight soli a week, but I pay them ten, sometimes even more.

"Heh, many people criticize me for breaking ranks since it makes it hard for them to recruit workers. If not for the Grain Act that made many farmers bankrupt, sending them to the cities, they would have had to raise their wages just like I did.

"Furthermore, I've also informed the supervisor of the factories to make sure that those with repeated headaches and blurry vision are to leave the areas where they are exposed to lead. If their illness is really severe, then they can even ask for help at my charity foundation.

"I think I have done enough."

Klein spoke without a ripple of emotion in his voice, "Sir, at times, you cannot imagine how important a salary is to a poor person. Simply losing work for a week or two can result in an irreversible loss to their family, a loss that would cause tremendous grief."

He paused before saying, "I am curious, why wouldn't a kind person like you install equipment that can protect against dust and lead poisoning in your factories?"

Deweyville looked at the ceiling and laughed ruefully.

"That would make my costs too high for me to bear. I would no longer be able to compete with other lead and porcelain companies. I no longer pay too much attention to my profits in these areas of my business. In fact, I am even willing to fork out some money. But what's the point of keeping the business if I have to keep doing that? That can only help a number of workers and not become a standard in the industry or effect change on other factories.

"That would merely result in me forking out money to support the workers. I heard that some factories even secretly hire slaves to minimize costs."

Klein crossed his hands and said after a moment of silence, "Sir, the root of your psychological illness comes from the buildup of guilt, despite you believing that the guilt has faded and disappeared over time. It wouldn't have any visible effects under normal circumstances, but there was something that triggered you and set off all the problems at once."

"Something that triggered me? I'm not aware of such a thing," Deweyville said puzzled, but with conviction.

Klein allowed the chair to rock gently as he explained with a gentle tone, "You did fall asleep for a few minutes just now, and you told me something."

"Hypnosis?" Deweyville made a guess as he usually did.

Klein did not give a direct reply and instead said, "You once saw a girl dying on her way to work while you were on your carriage. She had died because of lead poisoning. She was one of your workers who glazed porcelain while she was still alive."

Deweyville rubbed his temples, speechless before saying somewhat doubtful, "I think that happened once… but I can't remember it clearly…"

His prolonged insomnia had left him in a poor mental state. He could only faintly recall seeing such a scene.

He thought for a moment, but gave up taxing his brain. Instead, he asked, "What was that worker's name?

"Well, what I meant was, what should I do to cure my psychological illness?"

Klein replied immediately, "Two things."

"First, the worker that died by the side of the road was called Hayley Walker. That was what you told me. She was the most direct trigger, so you have to find her parents and give them more compensation.

"Second, spread information about the dangers of lead in the newspapers and magazines. Allow your charity foundation to help more workers who suffered from the damage. If you succeed in becoming a member of parliament, push for enacting laws in this domain."

Deweyville sat up slowly and laughed in a self-deprecating manner.

"I will do all of the rest, but to enact a law, heh— I think it's impossible since there is still competition from nations beyond our country. Setting up such a law would just slip the entire industry in the country into a crisis. Factories would become bankrupt one by one, and many workers would lose their jobs. Organizations that help the poor cannot save that many people."

He slowly got off the bed and adjusted his collar. He then looked at Klein and said, "Hayley Walker, right? I'll immediately get Cullen to retrieve information about her from the porcelain company and find her parents. Officer, please wait with me and continuously evaluate my mental state."

"Alright." Klein stood up slowly and smoothed his black-and-white checkered police uniform.

…

At eleven in the morning in the living room of Deweyville.

Klein sat on the sofa in silence as he looked at the man and woman being guided into the house by Butler Cullen.

The two guests had blemished skin, wrinkles already woven into their faces. The man had a slight hunch while the woman had a mole under her eyelid.

They looked nearly identical to what Klein had seen through Hayley, just older and more haggard. They were so skinny that they were almost all bone. Their clothes were old and ragged. Klein even learned that they couldn't continue living on Lower Street of Iron Cross Streets any further.

Sob…

Klein sensed an icy wind start to spiral through his spiritual perception.

He pinched his glabella and shot a glance toward Sir Deweyville. It was unknown when a faint white, translucent, contorted figure had appeared behind him.

"Good-good morning, Honorable Sir." Hayley's parents were unusually polite.

Deweyville rubbed his forehead and asked, "Are the both of you Hayley Walker's parents? Doesn't she also have a brother and a two-year-old sister?"

Hayley's mother answered in fear, "Her-her brother broke his leg at the harbor sometime back. We got him to take care of his sister at home."

Deweyville remained silent for a few seconds before he sighed.

"My deepest condolences for what happened to Hayley."

Upon hearing that, the eyes of Hayley's parents immediately turned red. They opened their mouths and said over each other, "Thank-thank you for your goodwill.

"The police told us-told us, that Hayley died from lead poisoning. That's the term, right? Oh, my poor child, she was only seventeen. She was always so quiet, so determined.

"You had sent someone to visit her before and sponsored her burial. She is buried at the Raphael Cemetery."

Deweyville glanced at Klein and changed his sitting posture. He leaned forward and said with a serious tone, "That was actually an oversight of ours. I have to apologize."

"I have considered that I need to compensate you, to compensate Hayley. Her weekly salary was ten soli, was it not? One year would be five hundred and twenty soli, or twenty-six pounds. Let's assume that she could have worked for another ten years.

"Cullen, give Hayley's parents three hundred pounds."

"Three-three hundred pounds?" Hayley's parents were dumbfounded.

They never had more than one pound of savings, even at their richest!

It wasn't only them who were dazed. Even the expressions of the bodyguards and maids in the room were also all that of shock and envy. Even Sergeant Gate couldn't help but draw in a deep breath—his weekly salary was only two pounds and among his subordinates, only one chevroned constable earned one pound a week.

Amidst the silence, Butler Cullen walked out of the study and held a bulging sack.

He opened the sack and revealed stacks of cash, some one pound, some five pounds, but mostly made up of one or five soli.

It was clear that Deweyville had made his subordinates receive "change" from the bank earlier.

"It's an expression of Sir Deweyville's goodwill," Cullen handed the sack over to Hayley's parents after receiving confirmation from his master.

Hayley's parents took the sack and rubbed their eyes, looking at it in disbelief.

"No, this-this is too generous, we cannot accept this," they said as they held the sack tightly.

Deweyville said in a deep voice, "This is what Hayley deserves."

"Y-you truly are a noble, charitable knight!" Hayley's parents bowed repeatedly in agitation.

They had smiles on their faces, smiles that they couldn't repress.

They praised the knight repeatedly, repeating the same few adjectives they knew. They kept insisting that Hayley would be grateful towards him in heaven.

"Cullen, send them home. Oh, take them to the bank first," Deweyville heaved a sigh of relief and instructed his butler.

Hayley's parents hugged the sack tightly and walked toward the door quickly without stopping.

Klein saw the faint translucent figure behind Sir Deweyville attempt to extend its hands towards them, hoping to leave with them, but the parents' smiles were abnormally radiant. They didn't turn back.

That figure turned fainter and, soon, vanished completely.

Klein also sensed that the icy feeling in the guest hall had instantly returned to normal.

From beginning to end, all he did was sit there silently, not expressing his opinion.

"Officer, I feel much better. Now can you tell me why my butler, servants, and bodyguards could also hear the cries and moans? This shouldn't just be solely a psychological illness of mine, right?" Deweyville looked at him curiously.

Inspector Tolle, who knew the underlying truth, instantly became nervous.

Klein replied without much expression, "In psychology, we call this phenomenon—mass hysteria."

Chapter 92: Psychological Expert

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Mass hysteria?" Sir Deweyville, who had met many psychiatrists recently, ruminated over the term Klein had said.

Despite their curiosity, his butler, bodyguards, and servants didn't make a single sound since they had not been given permission by him.

As for Sergeant Gate, he looked towards Klein doubtfully as if he had never heard of that concept.

Klein controlled his habit of tapping the armrest with his fingertips and calmly explained, "Humans can be fooled easily by their sensory organs. Mass hysteria is a kind of psychogenic illness that is a result of tense nerves and other factors amongst a group of individuals as they influence each other."

The jargon he spewed out confused Sir Deweyville, Sergeant Gate, and the rest, causing them to subconsciously opt to believe him.

"Let me give a simple example of this; this was one of the cases that I previously dealt with, one man held a dinner banquet and invited 35 guests. Midway, he suddenly felt disgusted and puked. After that, he even had severe diarrhea. After a couple times, he began to believe that he had gotten food poisoning. He shared his speculation with the other guests on the way to the hospital.

"In the next two hours, there were more than 30 guests that had diarrhea amongst the 35 guests, with 26 of them experiencing nausea. They flooded the entire emergency room of the hospital.

"The doctors went through a detailed examination and performed cross checks, and they concluded that the very first man didn't have food poisoning at all. Instead, it was a result of stomach inflammation caused by the change of weather and cold liquor.

"The most surprising fact was that none of the guests who went to the hospital had food poisoning. In fact, not a single one of them was sick.

"That is mass hysteria."

Deweyville nodded slightly and marveled, "I understand now. Humans do lie to themselves easily. It's no wonder that Emperor Roselle once said that a lie would become reality once it was repeated a hundred times.

"Officer, how may I address you? You are the most professional psychiatrist I have ever met."

"Inspector Moretti." Klein pointed at his epaulet and said, "Sir, your troubles have been resolved temporarily for now. You can try to sleep now while I determine if there are any other problems. If you are able to sleep well, please allow us to bid farewell ahead of time instead of waiting for you to wake up."

"Alright." Deweyville massaged his forehead, took his cane, and walked upstairs to his bedroom.

Half an hour later, a police carriage left the fountain at the door of Deweyville's residence.

When Sergeant Gate got off on the way and returned to his police station, Inspector Tolle looked towards Klein. He complimented in jest, "Even I believed that you were a real psychological expert…"

Before he finished his sentence, he saw the young man in a black-and-white checkered uniform looking expressionless. His eyes were deep and serene as he forced a smirk on his face and said, "I only had some experience with it in the past."

Inspector Tolle fell silent until the carriage arrived outside 36 Zouteland Street.

"Thank you for your assistance, allowing Sir Deweyville to be finally free from his problems and be able to find sleep again." He extended his hand and shook Klein's hand. "Thank Dunn on my behalf."

Klein nodded slightly and said, "Alright."

He went up the stairs and returned to the Blackthorn Security Company. He knocked and entered the captain's office.

"Done?" Dunn was waiting for his lunch.

"Done." Klein massaged his forehead, and kept his reply short and simple. "The root of the problem stemmed from the lead and porcelain factory under Sir Deweyville. From the moment they were established to this day, too many deaths have been caused by lead poisoning. And every accident left Sir Deweyville with some resentful spirituality."

"Generally speaking, that wouldn't bring too big of a problem. That might cause nightmares, at the most." Dunn had experienced similar cases with his plethora of experience.

Klein nodded slightly and said, "Yes, that's usually the case. But, unfortunately, Sir Deweyville encountered a female worker who died of lead poisoning on the streets. She collapsed by the side of the street and happened to catch a glimpse of the Deweyville's family emblem. She also harbored intense indignation, worry, and desires. It was only when Sir Deweyville gave her parents, brother, and sister a compensation of three hundred pounds did her emotions dissipate."

"This is a societal problem. It isn't rare in the Age of Steam and Machinery." Dunn took out his smoking pipe, smelled the tobacco, and sighed. "Workers that make linen work in damp environments, and are generally diagnosed with bronchitis and joint related ailments. As for factories with serious powder and dust issues, even if the dust isn't poisonous, it can still accumulate into lung problems… Sigh… We don't have to talk about this. As the kingdom develops, I believe these problems will be resolved. Klein, let's find a restaurant tonight to celebrate you becoming an official member, alright?"

Klein thought for a moment before saying, "How about tomorrow… Captain, I have used Spirit Vision for an extended period of time today and also used dream divination to directly interact with those resentments. I'm feeling especially drained. I want to return home in the afternoon to get some rest. Would that be okay? Oh, then I'll head over to the Divination Club at about four or five in the afternoon to see how the club members are reacting to news of Hanass Vincent's sudden death."

"No problem, that's only necessary." Dunn chuckled. "Tomorrow night it is. Let's do it at Old Will's Restaurant next door. I'll get Rozanne to make a reservation."

Klein took off his police peak cap and stood up to salute him.

"Thank you, Captain. See you tomorrow."

Dunn lifted his hand and said, "Hold on, did you mention that Sir Deweyville gave the female worker's parents a compensation of three hundred pounds?"

"Yes." Klein nodded and immediately understood the reason why the captain had mentioned it. "You are worried that they will get into trouble because of their wealth?"

Dunn sighed.

"I've seen many similar situations in the past. Pass me their address, I'll ask Kenley to arrange for them to leave Tingen for another city, to start life anew."

"Alright," Klein replied in a deep voice.

With all of that done, he left Dunn's office and entered the break room diagonally opposite. He changed into his original suit and left the police uniform in his locker.

Klein took the public carriage back to Daffodil Street in silence. He took off his coat and top hat. He then heated up the leftovers from last night and ate them with the last piece of wheat bread to fill his stomach.

Then, he went to the second floor, hung his clothes, and slumped into bed.

When he woke up, the pocket watch showed that it was already ten past two in the afternoon. The sun was hanging high up in the sky and the sunlight shone through the clouds.

Underneath the golden splendor, Klein stood next to his desk and looked out the oriel window. He watched the pedestrians in old ragged clothing as they entered or left Iron Cross Street.

Phew… He let out a breath slowly, finally overcoming his low spirits.

Every journey had to be taken one step at a time. Likewise, his Sequence needed to be advanced one level at a time. Everything worked like that.

He shook his head and sat down. He started concluding and reorganizing his encounter over the last week, so as to reinforce the important points in his mind to prevent himself from forgetting them.

Five minutes before three in the afternoon.

Above a blurry, boundless, grayish-white, silent gray fog stood a lofty palace. An ancient mottled bronze table sat there quietly.

On the seat of honor at the long table sat a man already engulfed by the thick gray fog.

Klein leaned against the back of the chair and contemplated. He suddenly extended his hand and tapped on the crimson stars that represented Justice and The Hanged Man.

…

Backlund, Empress Borough.

Audrey lifted her dress as she quickly walked towards her bedroom.

Suddenly, she felt something and looked sideways at the shadow sitting on the balcony. As expected, she saw her golden retriever, Susie, who was sitting there in silence, observing her as always.

Audrey sighed and drew a crimson moon on her chest. She then got closer and looked down at her golden retriever from a commanding position.

"Susie, that's not right. This is peeping. A Spectator has to observe in an open manner."

The golden retriever lifted its head to look at its owner and shook its tail.

After nagging her dog, Audrey didn't delay any further and continued walking towards her bedroom again.

In the few seconds of opening and closing the door, she suddenly had a weird idea.

"I wonder if Mr. Fool would allow Susie to enter that mysterious space. Then, there would be four members in the Tarot Gathering! And all of them would be Beyonders!

"No way, Susie can't talk. If they were to let her express her opinion and share her thoughts, what would she do? Woof woof woof? Howl howl? Eww, why am I mimicking a dog's bark here…

"Just imagining such a scene feels really strange. A mysterious and solemn gathering with the sudden barking of a dog… Mr. Fool would definitely kick us out of the Tarot Gathering directly…"

Audrey locked the door and sat by the side of her bed. She took out a piece of old yellowish-brown paper from underneath her pillow.

She read it repeatedly and entered her Spectator state.

…

In a particular area of the Sonia Sea, an old sailboat which was in pursuit of the Listener had already left the Rorsted Archipelago.

Seafarer Alger Wilson was worried that the wall clock's machinery would malfunction, so he entered the captain's cabin about half an hour earlier in case he had misjudged the time which would cause his subordinates to see him getting pulled into the Tarot Gathering.

In front of him was a glass of nearly transparent liquor. The rich aroma swirled strand after strand into his nostrils.

Alger trembled once again when he thought of the impending Gathering, the boundless fog that presented itself in front of him in the hotel's corridor, and the mysterious Fool who sat in the middle of the gray fog.

He lifted his glass and took a gulp, using the burning sensation in his throat to ease the emotions that had stirred within him.

Very soon, he restored his calm. He was as calm and stoic as he always was.

Chapter 93: New Diary Page

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Above the gray fog, gigantic stone columns held up a majestic divine hall.

Two dark red blobs extended out into faint human figures by the side of the ancient mottled bronze table.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool." Augmented with a blurry effect, Audrey greeted him with a bow and smiled. "It is unfortunate that there is no wine here; otherwise, we could have a toast to your successful trial."

She was referring to the ritualistic magic.

"You are more powerful than we imagined," Alger Wilson praised as well.

Klein was surrounded by the thick fog as usual. He pressed down with his right arm and spoke with his normal tone, replying as though it was natural.

"Great, this means that we are on the path of excellence. If you have any matters to tend to that leave you unable to attend the gathering on Mondays, conduct the ritual and inform me. All you have to do is change the line in the incantation 'I pray for a good dream' with the reason."

"Alright," Audrey quickly agreed. "Mr. Fool, I obtained another page of Emperor Roselle's diary. I believe I still owe you one page."

"I was away from land this week and haven't found any new pages." Alger placed his right hand near his chest and bowed in apology.

"No matter. I expected my request to take a long time." Klein leaned back into his chair and tapped the armrest with his index finger. He looked at Miss Justice and said, "You can express the contents of the diary now."

Audrey bowed slightly and said, "As you wish."

A pen suddenly appeared before her. She recalled the symbols that she had memorized and tried her best to transcribe them.

In seconds, she saw that the goatskin was already filled with content. The strange symbols neatly covered the entire page.

After checking the contents, she put down the fountain pen and said, "It's done."

Klein raised his hand and the goatskin parchment appeared in his palm.

Shifting his gaze down, he started reading without emotion.

"July 9th. I suddenly thought of an interesting question. Since the Sequence pathways are also called the 'Blessings of The Divinities' or 'Pathways of The Divinities', then why would the stone slate that records the completed twenty-two Sequence pathways be called the 'Blasphemy Slate'. Blasphemy, what an interesting term… Just who is the one blasphemed?

"And who created the Blasphemy Slate? How could that person hold all of the Sequence pathways? Just what other information was on the stone? I really want to see it…

"July 12th. I've realized another fact today. The Sealed Artifacts are an important component of a church's overall strength, even though some of the sealed items are very, very dangerous. Among the seven churches, the God of Craftsmanship wields the least number of Sealed Artifacts which are also relatively less dangerous… Did I join an organization without a future? No, I should think of it this way; only a blank piece of paper can produce a good painting. A weak organization is the best place for me to display my abilities!

"July 14th. I saw that mysterious Mr. Zaratul again. I never expected him to be the leader of an ancient organization, the Secret Order!"

Klein's pupils constricted when he read this. He nearly revealed an unnatural expression.

The Zaratul family only had a certain connection with the Secret Order in the notes of the Church of the Evernight Goddess. But now, he learned from Emperor Roselle that the mysterious Mr. Zaratul was further determined to be the leader of the Secret Order.

From the looks of it, it is an unquestionable fact that the Secret Order holds the Seer Sequence pathway…

While Klein was reading the diary, Audrey looked over and began observing him out of habit.

However, her field of vision was completely obscured by the thick fog.

Momentarily taken aback, Audrey snapped back to her senses and turned her head frantically to look at the other illusory dark red star.

I was too reckless, too insolent, too foolish in trying to observe Mr. Fool… I was lucky, lucky that he isn't angry. Audrey stuck out her tongue secretly and pretended to admire the scenery. She was just short of humming a lively tune.

Alger sat silently, his gaze never leaving the long bronze table. He knew his place, as if he was in the presence of a true god.

Klein collected himself and scanned the last portion of the diary.

"After learning that I had become a Savant, Mr. Zaratul mentioned that I had chosen a difficult, yet relatively safe path. I asked him why that was the case, but all he did was smile before telling me that the Sequence pathway contains secrets beyond my imagination. I couldn't help but ask him which Sequence pathway he selected. He told me that his Sequence 9 was Seer.

"I intentionally mocked him and asked if every Seer only disclosed half-truths, never explaining things more clearly. Furthermore, he was clearly a powerful High-Sequence Beyonder. There was no need for him to continue acting as a Seer!

"Mr. Zaratul told me that it was a habit he adopted from back when he was a Seer, and that this was a method that could pique my curiosity and make me cooperate with him. He hoped that I could help him steal a dangerous sealed item from the Church of the God of Craftsmanship, a relic of the Antigonus family.

"Clearly, this must wait until I become a core member of the Church of the God of Craftsmanship. I asked Mr. Zaratul how long it would take to digest the potion if I used the acting method, and what standards I should use to determine if I had digested it completely.

"He told me that for the lower Sequences, it would only take half a year to digest the potion as long as one strictly used the acting method. In fact, in the fastest case, it might only take a month. And standard measure for progress was simple; every Beyonder would sense it immediately once the potion was completely digested. It is what it is.

"I asked him for more details, but he merely smiled at me.

"To hell with his smiles, I'll beat up every Seer I see when I become a High-Sequence Beyonder!"

…Rest in peace, Emperor… Klein read the diary several times before looking at Justice and The Hanged Man again.

"Sorry for the wait."

"It is our honor." Audrey was still shocked, forgetting that she was a Spectator.

She looked at The Hanged Man and organized her words.

"Where can I find the Psychology Alchemists?"

Psychology Alchemists… Klein suddenly recalled the man buying supplementary ingredients for the Spectator potion at the Tingen underground market.

Perhaps he was a member of the Psychology Alchemists?

Just as Klein was considering how to get closer to that man, The Hanged Man, Alger Wilson shook his head and said, "Miss Justice, firstly, I don't have a clue. Secondly, I don't think there's any rush in seeking out the Psychology Alchemists. What you should focus on now is completely digesting the Spectator potion."

Audrey glanced at The Fool and noticed that he didn't have any intention of adding to the conversation. She nodded in disappointment and said, "All I want is to have plenty of time to prepare so that I can approach them more naturally. Alright, then when can I digest the Spectator potion and stop acting? Is there a standard that indicates when I can? I'm almost at the point where I no longer feel frustrated, nor do I hear the constant murmuring anymore."

Alger looked at The Fool in the fog but saw that he didn't have any intention of speaking. He then deliberated before saying, "If you don't use the acting method, the typical rule of thumb is to wait three years and confirm that you no longer feel restless or receive any auditory or visual illusions. There is one simple test to determine when you can. That method is to exhaust your body to its limit. If you still don't hear any maniacal murmurings or see any strange things at that point, that would mean that you're ready to advance."

"With regards to the acting method, I have also just come into contact with it. It feels good, so I don't think it'll take three years."

That wasn't useful at all… Three years, that's too long… Audrey criticized inwardly.

She had just thought about this when she heard an armrest being tapped.

Audrey froze, then turned her head in joy. She saw The Fool tapping on the edge of the long table.

Alger sat straighter, waiting for The Fool to speak.

Klein said in his normal tone, "For Low-Sequence Beyonders, as long as you strictly stick to acting, you should be able to digest the medicine in half a year. It's even possible to do it in a month."

He looked at Justice and added, "As for the signs of digestion, you'll know it when it comes. It doesn't need to be taught."

"One month… Great! Thank you, Mr. Fool!" Audrey exclaimed while brimming with joy.

Miss Justice, don't think that you are the chosen one. The key point is half a year…Klein lifted his right hand and placed it beside his lips.

"Half a year…" Alger repeated softly.

Audrey sensed joy, relief, and intense doubt in his tone.

What is he suspicious about? Audrey thought as she asked, "Mr. Fool, have you considered adding more members?"

Klein leaned back casually. He had long prepared an answer.

"This started as a trial, so I didn't spend much time thinking about extending our meetings.

"But now, as a regular gathering, we must choose our members carefully. Secrecy is our motto."

Audrey nodded gently and said, "That is to say that we have to follow a process of observation, recommendation, and testing process. Yes, a process."

"You can interpret it that way," Klein affirmed.

In his mind he was thinking about how he could inquire about the Secret Order and the Clown potion.

How can I ask questions in a way that befits my status? Klein was placed in a difficult spot.

At that moment, realizing that Justice temporarily had nothing else to say, Alger took the initiative to speak, "I've heard that a Listener from the Aurora Order is searching for traces of the True Creator, which is the holy residence they advocate."

"True Creator?" Audrey asked, puzzled.

"It is an ancient entity worshiped by numerous secret organizations and cults. They believe that the Creator hasn't completely perished. The Core he left behind is the True Creator." Alger gave a rough explanation. "Since the Fifth Epoch, the True Creator has appeared in many forms, such as The Hanged Giant or the Eye behind the Shadow Curtains. Heh heh, many people believe that Emperor Roselle referenced the imagery of the True Creator when he was creating the tarot cards; hence, there exists the card of The Hanged Man."

At this point, he looked at Klein and said, "Mr. Fool, there's nothing with what I said, right?"

Is he trying to probe for my views on the True Creator? Klein thought about the bloody man on the cross that the Captain saw in Hanass Vincent's dream and immediately had an idea.

Doesn't both the hanging and the shadows imply evil connotations?

Therefore, he chuckled and said, "I am more inclined to call him, the Fallen Creator."