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Chapter 425: Under the Roses

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Beyond the window, the glass greenhouse reflected the pale light of the sun, and the bright roses stood out even in the thin fog.

In the bedroom, Duke Negan seemed to have recovered the feeling of following his father and elders around the vast lands when he was young, riding a horse, using a hound, and chasing a wild beast.

Finally, he climaxed and the surroundings seemed to become abnormally quiet.

At this moment, his mind suddenly buzzed once. He felt as if the pleasure and comfort he was feeling had suddenly exploded one after another. It continued exploding without end or limit, again and again.

Duke Negan's waist kept shaking, and his eyes were blank, his brain having lost its train of thought.

His heart began to beat violently in an unbearable manner, like a steam boiler whose pressure had gone beyond its limits. It could blow up at any time, and hot steam could gush out at any moment.

If it were an ordinary person or a Beyonder who wasn't physically strong, they would've suffered a heart attack, a massive cerebral hemorrhage, and die on the spot. But Duke Negan ultimately managed to ride through the attack. Only his eyes were unfocused, and saliva was flowing out the corner of his mouth before he weakly slumped onto his mistress.

The Wind-blessed and the duke's secretary, who were onguard on both sides of the room, simultaneously sensed the strange and mysterious smell of spirituality. The former's body was suddenly surrounded by a violent wind, sweeping him towards the wall, and with a clang, a large hole was blown through the wall as he stepped into the bedroom.

The secretary went straight to the source of the mystery—the attic of the house!

Along the way, he didn't evade or dodge, but the decorative vases and other objects in the corridor seemed to have found lives of their own and avoided him in ingenious ways.

As he ran up the stairs to the attic, the wooden floorboards seemed to rise, as if to give him a hand.

In just three or four seconds, the refined, handsome, blond young man entered the attic and saw a figure sitting on an old chair.

The figure was covered in a thick black liquid, just like the gathering of all the ugly desires and intense feelings in the depths of a human's heart. It was the greed of willing to sell and hang oneself by the ropes, the hunger that wouldn't even spare one's own kind, and a lust without limits.

This was a devil walking the earth!

The skinny secretary's expression didn't change, nor did he attack directly. Instead, he looked at the other party, reached behind him, and politely closed the door.

Bam!

The wooden door of the attic was closed.

The entire room suddenly felt like it had been completely sealed, as if one could never leave the room unless effort was put in to crack the seal.

At this moment, the concept of "closing the door and sealing the room" seemed to have been changed to "seal this place, isolate the outside from the inside!"

The Desire Apostle moved. His body expanded and grew a pair of huge bat wings that emitted light blue tongues of flames.

One by one, fireballs that exuded a strong sulfurous smell were formed, and they bombarded Duke Negan's blond secretary.

The secretary reached out with his white-gloved left hand and clenched it while half-turning his wrist.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fireballs stopped following the principle of straight or parabolic paths as they scattered in every direction in a sudden outburst of chaos, like the irregular movement of tiny particles suggested by a botanist 1 . Some of them hit the wall, some hit the ceiling, some fell beside the weak-looking secretary, and some fell backward, almost wounding the Desire Apostle himself.

The entire attic was a mess, with traces of destruction and char everywhere, and the house even shook a few times.

However, the mysterious power that was "sealed" in here, or the rules that had been tampered with, had yet been destroyed. The surrounding walls, the old wooden door, and the dusty roof appeared to be on the verge of collapsing, but it remained intact.

The Desire Apostle wasn't frustrated by the failure of his previous attempt, nor was he flustered that he couldn't control his enemy or catalyze him into a frenzy, due to his calmness and restrained desires. His coffee-brown eyes suddenly lit up like lava as he took the form of the blond secretary. He spat out a word in the Devil language, one filled with foulness and filth: "Die!"

Almost at the same time, the pupils under the secretary's golden-rimmed glasses constricted. He opened his left fist and aimed at the Desire Apostle with the palm of his hand.

Suddenly, his figure split into two. One was refined and skinny like his actual self. The other was a shadow covered by a black liquid of "desire." The two quickly alternated, overlapping with each other at times.

"Die!"

The words said in the Language of Foulness echoed in the attic as the secretary let out a low grunt and took two steps back.

Following that, the split silhouette dissipated, and large swaths of rusted red marks appeared on his face, as though he had turned into a man of iron that had been left in a humid area for years.

Cough! Cough! Cough! He coughed violently, spitting out blobs of rusted blood that had congealed into clumps.

The marks on his body began to slowly peel off.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

The Desire Apostle was also coughing, coughing out blood that had clumped and turned to rust. The viscous black liquid covering his entire body suddenly became much thinner.

The Language of Foulness seemed to have half of its effects transferred to him by Duke Negan's secretary!

…

In the bedroom.

The Wind-blessed helped Duke Negan up and kicked the beautiful mistress to the other side in case she was an accomplice of the assailant.

The reason why he didn't help the secretary was because he knew he had only one responsibility—to protect Duke Negan!

And in similar situations, one had to be wary of more than one enemy!

At this point, Duke Negan had somewhat recovered a little, he was rather strong, but his limbs still felt weak. His body felt empty and his mind was sluggish. He was completely unable to use his Beyonder powers.

He motioned to the Wind-blessed to remove the conch necklace from his neck and brought the item to his lips.

Duke Negan took a deep breath and blew into the small conch which was covered in strange patterns.

Splash!

The low and deep sound of the tide was heard as it rushed towards the Holy Wind Cathedral.

"With His Grace's speed, he should be able to arrive very soon!" The Wind-blessed first reassured him, and then with Duke Negan on his back, he went to the window and leaped down.

He wanted to meet up with the duke's guards outside; there were two or three Low-Sequence Beyonders among them.

Duke Negan gasped for breath and said, "Catch him, make sure to catch him alive, or with a Spirit Body…

"I want to know who it is!"

He had suffered an assassination attempt from Pirate Admiral Qilangos the last time, and now, it was an unknown Sequence 5 expert. Duke Negan was very aware that he hadn't developed any irredeemable grudges with anyone recently, as such, he was especially angry and resentful.

He wanted to find the mastermind and use all the resources at his disposal to tear the mastermind apart!

The premise of all this was that he could find clues from the assassin.

Seven or eight seconds later, most of the duke's guards surged forward, surrounding Pallas Negan and the Wind-blessed in the middle as they gathered in front of the garden.

"Wait here and be on guard against the enemy," the Wind-blessed gave the order.

Under normal circumstances, he had to protect the duke and evacuate from the assassination grounds as quickly as possible and rush to the safety of the Holy Wind Cathedral. However, he wasn't sure if there were any other enemies, and he was afraid of being ambushed en route. He was afraid of missing the reinforcements from Spellsinger of God, Ace Snake, and ending up being placed in a more perilous situation.

One second, two seconds, three seconds… Time kept flowing by as the house shook from time to time, and the battle inside seemed to have reached its climax.

"Why is the Archbishop not here yet?" the panting Duke Negan asked in a slightly panicked voice.

With the archbishop's flying speed, he should've arrived very quickly. However, there weren't any signs of the thin fog being scattered in the direction of the Holy Wind Cathedral.

On high alert, the Wind-blessed hesitantly said, "Perhaps, perhaps the Archbishop, the Archbishop…"

He eventually failed to mention the possibility that the Archbishop wasn't in the Holy Wind Cathedral.

At that moment, the beautiful mistress of Duke Negan came to the window of the bedroom on the second floor, her eyes filled with a lost and beautiful smile.

Then, she jumped down, deliberately hitting her head on the concrete floor.

Bam!

After producing a jarring sound, there were quite a few cracks on her beautiful head, and blood began to flow out.

She rolled a few times, weakly, until she was facing up.

Her eyes had lost all focus, and her frozen expression was one of madness and fear.

Seeing this scene, many members of the duke's guards couldn't help but feel horrified.

Even Duke Negan himself felt that his emotions were on the verge of collapse when Archbishop Snake didn't arrive.

"Let's go! Let's get out of here!" he weakly called out on instinct.

Just as the Wind-blessed was rejoicing over not being soft-hearted when kicking the mistress away—otherwise, the duke would've been killed on the spot—he heard a command filled with horror. His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Inside the attic, the Desire Apostle, who was in the middle of a fierce battle, suddenly liquefied and turned into countless black shadows, jumping up and down on the ground.

After dodging the blond secretary's attack, he rematerialized in another direction.

Then, he looked at the enemy, raised his right arm, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

"No!" The blond secretary's eyes reddened.

All of a sudden, the Desire Apostle clenched his fist.

Outside the luxurious house, Duke Negan's horror erupted. It shot straight to his brain and into his veins, blanketing all his nerves.

He heard the sound of something shattering and felt a warm sensation at the back of his head.

At the same time, several members of the duke's guards became flustered and panicked. They all raised their custom revolvers or rifles in their hands and started shooting randomly towards the center.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Wind-blessed was the first to reach out and grab Duke Negan. He rolled to the ground, and a formless wind as sharp as knives appeared out of thin air, slicing through the throats of the guards.

Splat. Splat. The guards clutched at their throats, slowly falling to the ground in a pool of fresh blood. Duke Negan's body twitched a few times, but then it stopped moving.

He was robbed of his life by his own horror.

If he hadn't been a Sequence 6 Beyonder, then his horror might've even dismembered him.

Of course, if he hadn't become extremely weak, then he wouldn't have possessed such intense emotions. And even if he had these emotions, then he wouldn't have directly died as a result of this.

But there were no "ifs" in this world, Pallas Negan—the leader of the Conservative Party, the noble with the largest land apart from the king, the elder brother of the current Prime Minister, a Sequence 6 Beyonder, and a truly important figure— was dead.

The roses in the nearby glass greenhouse were still in full bloom.

In the attic, the blond secretary seemed to sense something and could no longer control his emotions.

As a result, his mind went blank, and he anxiously ran outside, automatically opening the door to the sealed room.

Two seconds later, he snapped to his senses and turned around again. However, the figure that was covered by the black liquid and the suitcase in the corner had disappeared.

…

The Desire Apostle quickly left the villa, evacuating from the scene based on a predetermined route.

It was at this moment that a thick sea of blood seemed to appear before his eyes.

Chapter 426: 1-42

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The Desire Apostle, who had once worn Patrick Jason's skin, stopped in his tracks and looked around in bewilderment.

Only now did he vaguely realize that danger was approaching.

He was at the edge of a garden where the grass had withered due to winter and was revealing dark brown soil.

On the right side of the street, there weren't many pedestrians on the weekday afternoon. At this moment, there were only a few people passing by, but they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, a silver glint appeared in the eyes of the Desire Apostle, and a person decked out in full body armor emerged from the other side of the garden.

( NovelFull ) The armor was stained with congealed blood, diagonally from its left shoulder all the way down. It exuded a bewitching beauty and appeared to be extremely heavy. Every step it took slightly shook the ground.

Upon seeing this blood-stained silver armor, the Desire Apostle felt as if he couldn't breathe properly, as if he had met his most terrifying nemesis.

How are they here so quickly? They saw through my ruse so quickly? The Desire Apostle regained his calm and coldbloodedness, fully focused on sensing the emotions and desires of the Beyonder inside the blood-stained silver armor.

However, to his despair, the silver armor completely blocked his Beyonder powers.

It was as if he had touched a rock, a piece of cold armor which had no one in it!

The Desire Apostle had no choice but to raise his right hand, spreading out his giant bat wings and bringing with it some blue flames that rapidly condensed.

At that moment, a silver light flashed from his right palm, and his thumb fell to the ground. The wound was extremely clean.

Amidst swooshing sounds and a flash of silver light, the remaining nine fingers of the Desire Apostle were severed. The suitcase he was carrying also fell to the ground with a thud.

The Desire Apostle's pupils immediately contracted to a needle point, and he flapped the pair of huge bat wings on his back to escape in another direction.

The shadow under his feet shrank back without anyone realizing it, hiding in one spot.

The Desire Apostle had only taken two steps when countless silver lights burst out from his body like blooming fireworks.

The thick black liquid that covered his body splashed to the ground like raindrops. His forearm, arm, shoulders, ribs, neck, and other parts of his body broke off and smoothly slid downwards.

Splat. Splat. Splat. The pale, blood-stained intestines of the Desire Apostle splashed to the ground, along with his squirming stomach and his beating heart which had yet to cease.

The place where he stood was where the blood was the thickest. The further he went, the more splatted it looked, which when put together, they formed a beautiful flower of death.

A Sequence 5 expert, a Desire Apostle who had just completed an impossible assassination, was dismembered without any resistance.

This was a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact.

This was the Sealed Artifact that had caused over a hundred thousand people to lose their lives—Sealed Artifact 1-42!

Dressed in that terrifying-looking armor, Leonard Mitchell struggled to take two steps forward, sized up the dismembered body on the ground, and raised his voice.

"He's not completely dead yet!"

He paused for a moment and then added, "Different Devils have different characteristics. This Desire Apostle is a shadow-shifter. He's just abandoned his own body, only leaving a shadow behind."

While Soul Assurer Soest instructed a number of Nighthawks and members of the Machinery Hivemind to "keep ordinary people at bay," he surveyed the scene and listened to Leonard.

He took out his pocket watch and opened it. He asked with a serious expression, "There's only ten minutes left, is it enough? Don't force it!"

"No problem! 1-42 has locked onto him. I can sense its excitement," Leonard said without hesitation.

Soest spread his red-gloved fingers and said to the other Nighthawks, "Bring hot water with you and follow Leonard closely. Once there are any problem, switch with him immediately and dig a 'bathtub' on the spot!

"Also, leave marks. The other team members and I will quickly catch up."

Tap. Tap. Tap. The blood-stained silver armor began running in pursuit. Despite looking heavy, it was incredulously fast.

Soest watched as the few Red Gloves left before turning to look at Ikanser.

"Deacon Bernard, take the rest of the Machinery Hivemind members to that house. Watch the duke's guards and anyone else that's alive at the scene."

"Watch?" Ikanser subconsciously returned with a question.

Soest nodded seriously and said, "How can the Desire Apostle be able to determine that the duke would be coming to this house today, to the point of precisely pinpointing the time, and then perfectly luring the Spellsinger of God away?"

Ikanser was instantly enlightened.

"Are you saying that a member of the Duke's guards or someone trusted by him is a partner of the Desire Apostle?"

Otherwise, there was no way that his timing could be that perfect!

The so-called "operation" wouldn't have any chance of success otherwise!

"It can only be said that this is the most probable cause. We cannot eliminate the assumption that the Desire Apostle has a powerful clairvoyant." Soest didn't continue as he led a second batch of Nighthawks and followed the marks to reinforce the teammates up ahead.

With a calm face, he led the rest of the Machinery Hivemind back to the house of the Duke's mistress.

He looked up at the pale sun behind the thin fog and knew that the situation in the whole of Backlund, and even the whole of the Loen Kingdom, or even the world would change because of what had happened today.

…

In the darkness of the sewers, a shadow was advancing rapidly in a particular direction while clinging to the bottom of the stone wall.

He wanted to take advantage of the fact that the blood-stained armor was tall and heavy, making it inconvenient for him to move around in certain narrow areas of the sewers; thus, allowing him to shake him off his tail!

Every time the shadow moved a certain distance forward, it would stop, frozen in place.

His pitch-black surface continued to swell and solidify as if it was trying to produce new flesh and blood, but due to a lack of materials, it failed miserably.

The Desire Apostle let out a painful gasp, feeling that he could lose control at any moment in this state.

After a short breather, he continued to run for his life, unable to afford the time to decrease the threat of the problem he faced. He was also afraid that the terrifying blood-stained silver armor would silently catch up with him.

…

At the Quelaag Club, Klein entered the lounge and took the newspapers to the toilet.

He was afraid that the Desire Apostle would flee in advance, leaving potential danger for himself, Isengard Stanton, Kaslana, and the innocent private detectives. Therefore, he planned on heading above the gray fog to perform another divination to confirm the Desire Apostle's present situation and, thus, adopt a targeted strategy.

After repeating the previous process of replacing himself with a paper figurine, he sat in the seat of The Fool, conjuring Jason Beria's handkerchief and trying to divine his current location.

In the dusky dream world, Klein saw the dark sewers. He saw a living shadow and how his body seemingly appeared to fill itself with flesh and blood, only to constantly fail, as well as tiny black dust that kept being shed from his body.

The scene climbed higher and arrived aboveground, revealing a towering cathedral.

Holy Wind Cathedral… Klein opened his closed eyes and understood the situation of the Desire Apostle.

He hasn't been caught yet, but he seems to be heavily injured. His condition is in terrible shape and it's filled with abnormalities!

His suitcase is gone too… It must've been dropped when he was injured… Klein thought for a moment. Using divination, he recalled the map of Backlund and made it appear before his eyes.

Similarly, he came up with a rough layout of Backlund's sewers.

Having previously made full use of the sewer system, he had always been gathering similar information such as this. The main focus was on East Borough, the Backlund Bridge area, and the area where he was located in, Cherwood Backlund. After some hard work, he had long completed the first stage of his plan of understanding the main layout of the sewer network. To have a more in-depth understanding of it would require an extremely long period of persistence. When the time came, Klein even thought of infiltrating Backlund's municipal hall and directly sneak a peek at the design prints.

According to the two maps and the scene seen in the dream divination, Klein noticed that the Desire Apostle, Beria, hadn't fled in the direction of the Tussock River. Instead, he had taken the opposite route to Hillston Borough, as if he wanted to pass through and enter the artificial lake in Empress Borough.

In other words, he's getting closer and closer to me… Klein's mind stirred as he suddenly had an idea.

Although I'm not sure which sewer he'll pass through, I can make a judgment via divination… He's heavily injured and in a very strange state. His interference in this aspect has turned extremely weak. At close distances, it's not like I can't find him. After all, I've seen what he really looks like, and I have a grasp of his aura… When it comes to finding people, I'm a professional… I have to do something; I can't let him escape just like that! There's still time! After confirming the degree of danger, Klein made up his mind and returned to the real world.

He took out the candle, quickly set up a ritual, summoned himself, and responded to himself.

Not long after, there was a figure in black armor, wearing a black crown, and a cloak of the same color in the bathroom. It was Klein in his Spirit Body state while carrying the Dark Emperor card.

He also "included" mystical items such as the Sun Brooch and Biological Poison Bottle, so as to ensure success.

Then, he disappeared into the air and left the Quelaag Club in another direction.

The current Klein could fly, so he was very fast, but he couldn't cause any wind, because he was a Spirit Body.

He "scraped" past a tree and took away a dead branch.

Having seen Jason Beria's actual appearance before, together with his own memory and the handkerchief as a medium, Klein, combined with the layout map and the dowsing rod divination, quickly determined the sewer areas that Jason had passed.

After entering the pitch-black and fetid area, Klein used his maximum speed to pass through a large number of narrow areas and entered a relatively spacious area.

The dark river flowed, and a mixed smell filled the air. He would occasionally change his direction and chase after Jason Beria.

…

The Desire Apostle nearly lost control again. He stopped and pressed himself against the damp walls and cold pipes, trying hard to rein in his bloodlust and his desire to kill.

Pant. Pant. The thin shadow started to move.

At this moment, he suddenly turned his head to look at the spot he had just passed.

The pitch-black armor and the black crown first entered his "eyes," outlining an extremely imposing figure.

Behind the figure, the weightless cloak lightly swayed as he moved forward.

…

"It's nearby!"

A body of heavy silver armor stained in blood went through the entrance and climbed down to the sewers.

Chapter 427: The Choice of The Times

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The murky river in the sewers flowed beneath the unlit surroundings. If a normal person walked in here, then he would have to carry a lantern in order to see the necessary details of the situation clearly.

However, to Klein, who was in his Spirit Body state, this wasn't an obstacle. Everything around him had long been reflected in his "eyes."

Therefore, when the Desire Apostle discovered him, he also discovered the Desire Apostle.

He didn't speak, nor did he hesitate. He opened his mouth and let out a soundless screech.

This was an attack that directly damaged the soul!

The Desire Apostle suddenly stopped moving, as if someone had delivered a heavy blow to him.

Large patches of shadow-like black substances fell off his body, as though he was shaking off the snowflakes that had been tainted with the deepest desires.

In that instant, the Desire Apostle, who was already severely injured, almost fainted.

Without the support of his physical body, he was like a candlelight in the middle of a raging wind, swaying back and forth, on the verge of being extinguished at any moment.

His shadow suddenly dispersed, turning into a pitch-black liquid that flowed in all directions, making it impossible to know which shadow to pursue.

At that moment, a shadow suddenly jumped out from the darkness behind Klein, and it suddenly rushed forward!

The black liquid, that could no longer be considered sticky, was merely a tool used by the Desire Apostle to confuse and make it easier for him to launch a surprise attack!

Klein didn't seem to react at all, allowing the shadow to lunge onto him.

However, the Desire Apostle suddenly shivered, as if he had touched the coldest and chilliest object possible.

The shadow rapidly slowed down, as if it had been "frozen" stiff.

He knew that wraiths and shadows came with freezing effects, but he didn't expect that the fellow wearing the Dark Emperor's crown would have such an influence on a Spirit Body like him.

This was a case of being completely suppressed when it came to their lives' natural order!

Klein had expected such an outcome. He half turned his body, stretched out his right hand and placed it on the head of the stiff shadow.

Then, the dark golden Sun Brooch, which was concealed by the black armor, flashed with a faint light.

The Desire Apostle sensed the danger and could perceive his imminent doom. He tried to resist but was temporarily powerless.

A ray of pure and holy light appeared out of nowhere and landed on the shadow's head, enveloping his body.

The surroundings were suddenly illuminated as the black shadow struggled with all its might but didn't stop evaporating. In just a blink of an eye, it had become abnormally thin, and its spirituality was filled with the radiance of the blazing sun and cries of indignation.

Klein didn't give him a chance to catch his breath, and he summoned another pure and bright Holy Light.

The feeling of daylight lasted for two seconds before the Desire Apostle fell to the ground, losing all signs of life.

His body remained in his shadow state, thin as though it had no density.

This Sequence 5 expert who had just assassinated a duke had died just like that. He didn't even have the time to pass on his last words.

At the same time, Klein saw that the deceased's spirit was on the verge of dissipating after suffering the blows.

The Beyonder characteristic will take a while to appear… Should I mimic Miss Sharron by possessing the shadow and speeding up the process… But I don't know how… Klein began considering what to do next.

Suddenly, he felt the ground tremble slightly.

Relying on his spiritual intuition, he looked back at the place where he had passed by before.

A tall, heavy silver armor was rushing over. Diagonally down from the left shoulder, it was stained with a large amount of solidified blood.

Sealed Artifact 1-42… Klein's heart tightened. Without any hesitation, he wrapped the spirit of the Desire Apostle within him and ended the summoning.

His original plan was that as long as the official Beyonders arrived, he would "return" immediately even if he didn't manage to finish off the Desire Apostle, handing over the rest to them.

The Red Glove in the blood-stained silver armor only saw a silhouette wearing a black crown and a similarly colored cloak before it disappeared without a trace.

He narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the spot where the man had just been, and found the Desire Apostle who had lost his life.

"Clearing clues and destroying evidence?" he said in a low voice.

Tap. Tap. Tap. The Red Gloves who were behind him arrived one after the other.

…

After returning above the gray fog, Klein wasn't in a hurry to channel the spirit. Instead, he directly left the mysterious space and returned to his body in the real world.

He skillfully packed up the ritual items like the candles, and soon, the last traces were removed.

After doing all of this, he once again created a double. He took four steps counterclockwise and arrived at the ancient palace above the gray fog.

Here he could communicate directly with a remnant spirit, as a real Spirit Medium could do, without having to pray to anyone or use the help of a ritual. He had confirmed that when he communicated with Nimblewright Master Rosago's spirit.

Considering that the spirit of the Desire Apostle had been purified and might dissipate at any moment, Klein prepared himself to ask the relatively more important information.

As for the potion formula for the Devil pathway, he planned to consider it only at the end. In any case, even if he obtained it, he didn't plan on selling it, lest he would nurture a few cold-blooded serial murderers.

Looking at the Desire Apostle with brown hair and brown, blank eyes, Klein emanated his spirituality and asked, "What were you plotting?"

The Desire Apostle's connection had been completely severed off from the outside world by the gray fog and could only reply in a muddled voice, "Assassinate Duke Negan."

Duke Negan… Him again? Who wants him dead so much? Klein was stunned as he asked, "Did it succeed?"

"Yes," the Desire Apostle answered calmly without giving any additional descriptions.

In this state, he only replied to whatever he was asked.

Poor Duke Negan, the Lord of Storms wasn't able to protect you… Klein gestured the sign of the crimson moon on his chest.

He didn't attempt to understand the details and directly asked, "Who instigated you to do so?"

Was it the organization that had commissioned Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos?Klein recalled the assassination attempt.

The Desire Apostle calmly said, "An organization, the most secret and ancient organization, most Beyonders don't know of its existence. Its members are said to have important figures in various fields, maybe the higher-ups of the various churches and militaries of different nations."

Sounds familiar… Could it be that secret organization which Emperor Roselle joined, the ancient organization that wields the second Blasphemy Slate? Klein's mind stirred as he asked, "What kind of reward did they promise you, that you would be willing to give up your identity of more than ten years?"

The Desire Apostle replied in a slightly changed voice, "A Card of Blasphemy, the Abyss card!"

A Card of Blasphemy? The Abyss card, one of Roselle's twenty-two Cards of Blasphemy! This most likely corresponded to the Devil pathway. It's no wonder that the Desire Apostle was willing to sacrifice everything that he had accumulated over the past ten years just for this… In it lies the hope for him to become a High-Sequence Beyonder!

The reward is much more valuable than the mission!

However, it's unlikely that Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos would be attracted by such a reward, unless… unless that organization has another Card of Blasphemy or some other item…

If it's really the mysterious organization which Roselle joined, finding a few Cards of Blasphemy is quite normal… Even if they don't, they still possess the Blasphemy Slate…

Klein was alarmed at first before asking in confusion, "Why do they want Duke Negan dead?"

The spirit of the Desire Apostle thinned significantly again, and he said in a hollow voice, "I don't know. All I did was consider taking the mission or not."

"Then, have you heard anything?" Klein pressed.

The Desire Apostle remained in the same unperturbed state.

"I have heard that their purpose is the resurrection or awakening of the Creator.

"They interfere with the progress of history, making it fit their needs, in order to achieve their goals at a certain point in time.

"If the trend of the times aren't as they expect, then they will try their best to reverse it.

"Other than that, they just quietly watch from the sidelines, apathetic. Perhaps they wouldn't act or entrust something even once every few decades or centuries…"

A secret organization in the true sense of the word… It's consistent with Roselle's description of the powerful faction that secretly manipulates the world… It also seems related to the original Creator… Seeing that the Spirit Body of the Desire Apostle was about to disappear, Klein quickly asked, "What is the name of that organization? How can they be contacted?"

The Desire Apostle looked ahead emotionlessly, his figure quickly disintegrating.

Before he disappeared completely, he answered the question, "They are called the…

"Twilight Hermit Order."

…

Inside the house with the glass greenhouse.

The thin secretary with the gold-rimmed glasses and white gloves sat with a sullen face and a look of deep grief.

"What's your name? What Sequence are you? Which Beyonder pathway are you from?" Deacon Ikanser asked solemnly.

The blond secretary replied slowly in a deep voice, "Lockhart Siakam, Sequence 5, as for which Beyonder pathway I'm from, you can apply for access to my records from MI9."

"Alright." Ikanser then asked, "Does the duke come here at a fixed time every week?"

"No, he doesn't like to work according to a schedule, especially after the assassination attempt by Qilangos. Before today, no one knew that he would be here today, and I only heard about it in the morning at parliament," Lockhart Siakam replied seriously.

Ikanser thought and asked, "If there's a spy amongst you, who do you think he is, and who do you suspect?"

Lockhart thought about it for a few seconds, then he shook his head.

Following that, Ikanser asked for details of the battle and got a rough idea of the process.

He saw that Lockhart was pale and badly hurt; hence, he politely rose to check on the rest of the duke's guards.

After watching the deacon of the Machinery Hivemind leave, Lockhart took a deep breath and trudged over to Duke Negan's corpse.

The great noble was no longer naked like before, but the remnants of terror still remained on his face.

After looking deeply at Duke Negan's corpse, Lockhart murmured sadly, "I'm sorry."

At this moment, with his back facing everyone, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.

He calmly added inwardly, "This is the choice of the times…"

Chapter 428: The Scapegoat

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

West Borough, 9 Hope Street, the Prime Minister's residence.

Aguesid Negan stood behind a large table and looked at Earl Hall with a serious expression.

"Lord Hall, my secretary should've briefed you on what has happened. You're the first noble that I've thought of at this moment."

The important member of the Conservative Party, who was presently Prime Minister of the Cabinet, looked like he had aged considerably. His tall, thin figure leaned forward as if unable to bear the bad news, to the point of needing to prop himself up on the table with both hands.

But his eyes were still sharp and his attitude calm.

Earl Hall, who had a beautiful mustache, sighed and said, "I'm sorry to hear this piece of news. It has shocked me greatly. I was thinking of visiting His Grace in a few days to discuss the bill that we're all very concerned about, but who would've known that he would be attacked…"

Having lost the handsome appearance of his youth due to his deep smile lines and the fattening state of his body, he first expressed his condolences, grief, and empathy, then he restrained his emotions and said, "His Grace is already dead. Compared to crying and being angry, we need to be more careful and calm. Only by doing this can we handle the aftermath and prevent this heavy steam train of the Kingdom from derailing."

"This is also the reason why I came to you immediately. The other nobles will only call upon their gods, trembling in fear, and express how unacceptable this is. They will want the murderer to be severely punished and the mastermind found. From their point of view, even the Duke who was heavily protected could be assassinated, then what about them?" Prime Minister Aguesid said in a heavy voice. "It's a perfectly natural and understandable reaction, but it's not the reaction we need." ( NovelFull )

Earl Hall nodded and asked, "Who's the murderer? What was the motive?"

"A Devil who was disguised as a banker for more than a decade, a true Devil. By the way, your Varvat Bank just acquired his business," Aguesid said, his tone unchanged.

"Patrick Jason?" Earl Hall immediately remembered the man's name.

He was the one who approved the acquisition of the bank.

Without reprimanding him, Prime Minister Aguesid thoughtfully said, "He's a Sequence 5, but he suddenly sold his business, abandoning an identity which he had used for more than a decade, and took an extreme risk in order to assassinate my brother. From this, we can make a compelling guess that he was instigated by a person or some faction. Unfortunately, he was killed while escaping. Even his Spirit Body was taken away. According to reports from the Nighthawks, it was done by the Hero Bandit Dark Emperor.

"It involves an extremely secretive organization, and we aren't able to find out anything about it in a short period of time?" Earl Hall asked.

"Yes, that so-called Hero Bandit didn't leave any traces behind. We can only start with the people who had come into contact with Jason in the past few months. This will take a lot of time, and there may not be any results." Aguesid gave an affirmative answer.

Earl Hall took two steps forward and asked, "What's His Majesty's attitude regarding this?"

"Grief, but no specific thoughts," Aguesid replied.

Earl Hall frowned and said after some thought, "In that case, the important thing isn't about who's the mastermind behind the scenes, but what goal they wish to achieve through this matter. If they want war, or to restart the conflict in the colonies, then we need to tell the masses that the one instigating Patrick Jason was the Feysac Empire, and we would fabricate a detailed process and provide seemingly convincing evidence. In the past several centuries, this northern neighbor of ours has always played a similar role, and I think everyone is already used to it. I don't think there's any doubt that it's very, very, very normal for the barbarians to do this sort of thing."

"And the masses will be afraid of them." Prime Minister Aguesid curled the corners of his lips, without intending to smile. "But we're making a series of changes that will take at least half of next year for us to stabilize before we have the ability to wage war."

Earl Hall muttered to himself, "Then let's find a target that everyone will find acceptable. Hero Bandit Dark Emperor is too mysterious and likewise for the secret organization behind him. If it's made public just like that, it would definitely incur extreme panic. People are always afraid of the unknown."

"Yes, what about the Aurora Order? They assassinated that pervert from Intis a few months ago. It wouldn't surprise anyone if they do anything else."

"Their reputation is bad enough. Their situation has already been repeated by the papers numerous times, to the point of becoming a horror element or classic antagonist in many novels. Besides, it will effectively reduce the suspicions that others have on us. There will always be people that believe the previous assassination was us commissioning the Aurora Order.

"Also, while we're fighting against the illegal terrorist organization, let's clean up Backlund. There are too many dangerous people hidden here." Aguesid answered tersely in agreement.

"The Aurora Order isn't a bad target…

"We shall first use them as a target. When the next year comes and we're ready, then we'll publish the results of the investigation, making an accusation that the one instigating the Aurora Order was the Feysac Empire. I believe that no one will care to defend a terrorist organization and the northern barbarians."

Earl Hall was taken aback for a moment before saying, "This goes one step further than I thought."

Without another word, Aguesid stood up and said, "I'm going to meet His Majesty now."

Having said that, he looked at Earl Hall.

"You have to be careful of your safety too. We still haven't figured out the motives of the people who assassinated my brother. Humph, the Church of the Lord of Storms has already agreed to replace the archbishop of Backlund diocese. Snake is always late at crucial moments! The believers of the Storm are always irritable, irascible, stubborn, conceited, and easily maneuvered by others!"

"Don't be prejudiced. For example, Leumi is very intelligent." Earl Hall let out a low laugh, and then he tapped his chest four times. "Thank you, the Goddess will protect me."

…

The Twilight Hermit Order… sounds very imposing… Returning to the real world, Klein stood up and pressed the mechanical button for the toilet.

He walked out of the bathroom amidst the sound of running water and thought about the information he had just received from spirit channeling.

He suspected that Twilight Hermit Order was the ancient organization with the second Blasphemy Slate which Emperor Roselle had joined.

To choose to have someone assassinate Duke Negan for the sake of a so-called "historical process" sounds a little absurd, but it also seems to make sense… Their goal is to revive or awaken the original Creator? This is similar to the City of Silver's belief. Little Sun and company have never believed that the Creator is dead. They can only accept that "He" has abandoned that piece of land and has been trying to get a response from "Him"… Klein paced back and forth, letting his thoughts wander.

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard knocking on the door.

It wasn't an attendant or maid from the Quelaag Club, but the bespectacled Carlson, one of the Machinery Hivemind members whom Klein had seen before.

"How did you get in?" Klein asked deliberately.

When Carlson saw that he was indeed in the room, he relaxed a little. Seeing that no one was around, he smiled.

"As a Beyonder, we often have all sorts of methods."

He received news from Deacon Ikanser, learning of the Desire Apostle's death, and came to confirm my situation. As for my performance, it's rather successful. My "illusion of a living person" wasn't exposed, and I successfully pulled the wool over everyone's eyes… Klein's hearted stirred and said, "Your expression tells me that there's good news?"

"Yes, Patrick Jason Beria has been killed. You're safe and no longer need to be protected by us," Carlson said honestly.

Such feedback made Klein feel the potion inside his body to seemingly accelerate its digestion.

Surprised and delighted, he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Carlson gave an affirmative answer.

"That's great!" Klein said happily.

Carlson looked at him and complimented him wholeheartedly, "Your detective instincts and logical thinking have given us a great deal of help. The deacon wrote that after this matter is over, a reward will be given to you in secret. Probably about 1,000 pounds."

1,000 pounds… Not bad, very generous! However, even if the bills in Jason's suitcase were of five- or one-pound denominations, and even if his jewelry isn't too expensive, it should still add up to about 50,000 pounds, right… Ma'am Mary of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council is probably worth that much if one counts her shares in the Coim Company.

Yes, Jason's accomplice in luring Spellsinger of God away had probably taken some of the money. The remaining amount is probably around twenty to thirty thousand pounds, but that's still nothing 1,000 pounds can compare with. What a pity… I can't think of it that way. Maybe Jason's accomplice took all the wealth ahead of time…Klein felt a wave of disappointment and joy.

And the reward from the Machinery Hivemind was even more proof of the success of his performance during this period of time. It made him feel like he was only one step away from completely digesting the potion.

"This is something I should do. After all, the person being threatened is me." Klein smiled.

He wasn't worried about retaliation from Jason's accomplice, because revenge was only a ruse. More importantly, he would be a Sequence 6 by then.

Carlson nudged his glasses and said thoughtfully, "Sherlock, you're also a believer of God. We hope to establish a good relationship with you. In the future, you can inform us of whatever you encounter and gather."

This is them developing me into an informant of the Machinery Hivemind… I have another channel for reimbursement… Klein drew a triangular-shaped Sacred Emblem on his chest.

"No problem."

…

No longer being protected by the Machinery Hivemind, Klein stayed at the Quelaag Club until dinner, then he slowly took a carriage back to 15 Minsk Street.

He opened the letterbox out of habit and saw a new letter with no postage stamp.

The letter was from Detective Isengard Stanton, who left it after an afternoon visit, had written: "… I heard from the Machinery Hivemind of the suggestion you offered. Your sharpness and caution is truly astounding. If you weren't already a Beyonder, then I would even believe that being a Reader is the pathway that suits you best.

"You truly are the best young man at deduction that I've ever met!"

…

Klein stood in the living room, reading Isengard's letter by the light of the gas lamp.

This time, there was nothing new to the performance. It was done step by step and conformed to the past performances. It didn't even have much of an effect… But there were enough people in the audience, and all of them were by my side, which allowed me to get feedback directly… Klein held onto the letter as he reflected over the matter.

He half closed his eyes and felt something inside his body rapidly disintegrating and dissipating. Numerous illusory stars around him seemed to appear, and he could only feel a very weak attraction from the resplendent stars.

On the last month of 1349, his Magician potion was finally digested.

Chapter 429: Various Parties

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The street lamps at night illuminated the wet ground, which was sent splashing by the occasional horse carriage that passed by.

Backlund was located in the middle of the kingdom, only dozens of kilometers from the Sonia Sea, and it rained frequently all year round. The highest temperature in July was only 28 degrees Celsius, and the lowest was around 2 degrees Celsius in winter. The weather seldom had a chance of dropping to zero or lower, but this didn't stop people from feeling the cold here. Even the northerners from Feysac, who were used to living in ice and snow, sometimes couldn't bear the humidity that penetrated through their clothing and flesh.

Klein stood behind the oriel window in a room which didn't have its fireplace lit. He looked at the tranquil scene outside and felt relaxed in his body, heart, and soul.

As long as he gathered the ingredients and concocted the potion, he could immediately advance to Sequence 6, becoming a Faceless.

The Magician potion has been completely digested… The Desire Apostle was personally finished off by me and he failed to escape… The Aurora Order's search of The Fool's believers is still going in circles… Apart from Mr. Azik being pursued by an unknown faction and the problem of the potion ingredients, I'm temporarily not troubled by anything… Klein leaned his body forward and took in a breath of air. He then looked at the fog that had condensed on the windows.

The reason why he had risked his life to intercept the Desire Apostle was because he was afraid that the other party would have other plans and, thus, smoothly escape from the pursuit of the official Beyonders. At that time, he might be remembered for his crucial advice and be avenged afterwards—as a Coldblooded, a Devil was unlikely to take the risk of avenging his comrades, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't choose to vent their anger on someone who nearly caused their death.

This operation was definitely necessary. Perhaps someone from the Twilight Hermit Order is somewhere receiving him. Once the Desire Apostle escapes, and with me not having any relevant information, perhaps I'll be prepared against a Sequence 5, believing that I would be pretty safe once I advance to Faceless, but the Desire Apostle might very well use the information provided by the Abyss card and the Twilight Hermit Order's help to advance to become a High-Sequence Beyonder! Such a development is quite scary if I think about it… One is required to inflict the finishing blow of justice… Klein reflected over what had happened this afternoon and summarized his experiences and lessons.

After enjoying the night scenery for a while, he returned to the sofa and sat down to think about his future plans.

With the reward provided by the Machinery Hivemind, I'll be able to afford the mutated pituitary gland and blood of a Thousand-faced Hunter. The Deep-sea Naga's hair simply requires me to have money. Such an ingredient should be relatively easy to find on the sea. I can get Mr. Hanged Man to help. The only problem is the Human-skinned Shadow characteristic…

And even if there is a clue, I don't have enough money…

With this in mind, Klein couldn't help but give a self-deprecating chuckle.

I'm not a person who particularly loves money, it's just a very average preference. When I was in Tingen, I always encouraged Melissa to spend and urged her and Benson to hire a maid. I felt that no matter what, I should try to not treat myself too badly, and every time I did a covert operation, I always placed safety first and made sure to be careful so that I wouldn't be affected mentally because of the allure of wealth.

However, in order to take revenge, I have to advance, and advancing requires me to buy expensive Beyonder ingredients. I can only accumulate every single penny and save whatever I can…

He suddenly hunched his shoulders and felt that the coldness of the living room made a Magician like him, who didn't have an excellent constitution, shudder.

Therefore, he decided to take a shower, crawl into bed, and read in bed.

There's only another three or four hours left before it's bedtime; there's no need to ignite the fireplace again… With a sigh, Klein got up and walked to the second floor.

…

Under the Steam Cathedral.

After Ikanser finished reading all the recorded statements, he picked up his coffee and took a sip.

After a few seconds of silence, he pulled out the ancient silver mirror called Arrodes.

Carlson took a glance at it and asked curiously, "Deacon, if I ask the honorable Arrodes about an unsolved mathematical problem or a classical paradox, will it give me the correct answer?"

"Most of the time, it will directly reject you. If it thinks that you have ill intentions, it will even give you a lightning strike or make you suffer a curse that you would never want to face," Ikanser said with a sigh. "It's a living Sealed Artifact with extremely high intelligence, not a rigid, rule-abiding difference machine. When using it, it's best not to think about trying to find loopholes."

Carlson looked around at his teammates and kindly suggested, "Deacon, let me ask the question for you. I have nothing I need to hide."

He straightened his back and assumed an open, honest posture.

Ikanser smiled bitterly and said, "There's no need, I already know what I need to know. I'm no longer afraid of similar questions, and occasionally, the honorable Arrodes will ask very profound questions. With your body's condition, the subsequent penalty won't be easy to bear."

With that said, he clenched his fists before spreading his fingers apart and gently stroked the surface of the mirror thrice.

In that subtle atmosphere, Ikanser asked in a deep voice, "Honorable Arrodes, my question is: 'Who or what faction instigated the Desire Apostle to assassinate Duke Negan?'"

The silver mirror didn't show any changes for a while. Only after a long time did the surface produce an aqueous light, forming a scene that looked like an oil painting.

It was a plain where the sun was about to set. The vast field was covered in a faint golden afterglow.

"What does that mean?" Carlson and the other members of the Machinery Hivemind looked at each other, unable to understand. Even though one of them was a Beyonder who had advanced from Mystery Pryer and was no stranger at reading revelations.

"Twilight? The symbol of the end of life? A sect that believes in Death, or lunatics that believe in the apocalypse?" a Mystery Pryer said after some deliberation.

Carlson nodded in agreement.

"I think it's the latter."

Ikanser ignored their discussion because Arrodes's question had already appeared.

"What color of underwear do you like best?"

Ikanser's face suddenly flushed red, and he felt as if smoke was rising from the top of his head.

With great difficulty, he spat out a word: "Red."

The room suddenly became unusually quiet, and Carlson and the others pretended to look towards a corner.

Ikanser sat down wearily and scratched his fluffy hair, ready to ask the second question.

Carlson couldn't bear it as he said, "Deacon, let me try."

"… Try not to reach the punishment phase." Ikanser finally nodded in agreement.

Carlson confidently mimicked the deacon's actions, gently stroking the surface of the silver mirror three times while the other members gathered again.

"Honorable Arrodes, my question is 'Who are the accomplices of the Desire Apostle?'"

The aqueous light stirred as the scene changed. It first presented a woman's back, one with an outstanding figure.

Then, there was a person who was extremely blurry and could barely be identified as a man based on his attire.

"There is indeed another partner. This should be the person who sold the intelligence on Duke Negan! It's a pity that the other party has already dealt with it…" Carlson looked around and said.

He felt that he had no secrets and didn't need to care about the questions that followed.

This time, the choices that Arrodes offered was a question, a mission, or a penalty.

Without any hesitation, Carlson said, "Question!"

Words that looked like dripping blood quickly outlined the surface of the silver mirror: "Do you relieve yourself daily with your hand?"

Carlson's lips quivered, and he felt his ears rapidly turn hot.

Although this was something he found very normal, giving an answer in front of so many teammates and his superior still gave him the urge to bury his head in the ground.

"Yes…" he answered very quietly.

…

Under Saint Samuel Cathedral.

Daly, with her blue eye shadow, tossed a stack of documents in front of Soul Assurer Soest.

"All the information you want on the tarot card case."

"It's smaller than I thought," Soest said, slightly surprised.

Daly snickered.

"This is just an index."

Upon seeing this, Leonard touched his lower lip with the palm of his red gloved-right hand.

"Captain Soest, why don't we do a thorough investigation of the people who interacted with Jason Beria and compare it with the two previous cases? There might be clues to the organization that is symbolized by tarot cards."

"Duke Negan is a devout believer of the Lord of Storms, and he represents the interests of the Church of the Lord of Storms in the political scene. The Mandated Punishers will definitely be frantically searching for the real culprit, so we don't need to get involved; otherwise, we'll easily be put at odds with them. Let's investigate the cases involving the tarot cards, and who knows, we might find new clues. Of course, we'll definitely end up running all over the place, but that's part and parcel of a Red Glove's duties," Soest explained with a smile.

Leonard nodded.

"I understand.

And deep in his mind, the elderly voice tsked and laughed.

"The Nighthawks have missed it just like that. That person has the smell of the Dark Emperor, the true Dark Emperor!"

…

Inside the Holy Wind Cathedral.

Wearing a black bonnet, Spellsinger of God, Ace Snake, swept his silver eyes and picked a Mandated Punisher elite.

"Although I'm about to leave Backlund, this is the decision of the Council of Cardinals.

"You only have one mission after this, and that is to investigate the assassination of Duke Negan.

"After applying, all of you have the right to use a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact. You must find out who is targeting us!"

Standing at the very front, a middle-aged man wearing a modified captain's hat immediately led the group. He clenched his fist and lightly tapped his chest.

"As you command, Your Eminence!"

He was lean and had no particularly outstanding features, but there was an anchor tattoo on his neck.

…

In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Earl Hall.

Audrey looked at Susie, who had opened the door herself, and said in a low voice, "What's Father and the others talking about?"

When she found out that Earl Hall had returned late and that his expression was unusually grave, she immediately sent Susie in to listen.

"Duke Negan was assassinated." Susie closed the door behind her with her feet.

"Ah?" Audrey froze, suspecting that she had misheard.

Although she had already experienced an assassination attempt on Duke Negan, she had never thought that this powerful noble would actually die.

"It's true." Susie gave an affirmative answer.

Audrey instantly felt a little blank, finding it a little surreal.

How could such a powerful noble, a person of flesh and blood, capable of speaking and laughing, the duke who had given her a piece of land, die just like that?

Suddenly, she felt the cruelty and coldness of the adult world.

"Who did it?" Audrey asked subconsciously.

"A Sequence 5 Devil," Sequence answered quickly. "But he has already been silenced by the so-called Hero Bandit Dark Emperor."

"Ah?" Audrey was stunned once again.

How could it be the Hero Bandit Dark Emperor? How could it be Mr. Fool's adorer?

He helped me resolve the problem of Duke Negan's previous assassination!

This is a complete contradiction!

Audrey immediately told Susie to eavesdrop again while she locked the door behind her and sat at the edge of her bed, praying to Mr. Fool.

After she had finished reciting his honorific name and had described the assassination of Duke Negan, she asked with great trust, "Was your adorer present there?"

After a while, she saw the endless gray fog and heard the voice of The Fool.

"Yes.

"He's looking for the organization that directed the Desire Apostle."

As expected, it wasn't arranged by Mr. Fool! Was the reason why "He" had his adorer stop Qilangos last time also because of that organization that's pulling the strings behind the scenes? Audrey relaxed and asked curiously, "What organization is that? For it to gain your attention."

A second later, she heard Mr. Fool reply in an unperturbed manner, "Twilight Hermit Order."

Chapter 430: A Brand New Day

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Twilight Hermit Order…

What kind of organization is it? Why haven't I heard of it? When Mr. Hanged Man was filling me in on the general knowledge of the various factions, he didn't even mention anything about this…

Audrey was both surprised and confused. As the gray fog faded away, Mr. Fool's aloof figure had vanished.

Her eyes darted around as she quickly made a guess.

This organization known as the Twilight Hermit Order sounds even more powerful and mysterious than the other underground powers such as the Aurora Order and the Life School of Thought. It's so unknown that even the knowledgeable and experienced Mr. Hanged Man, who's closely related to the Church of the Lord of Storms, doesn't know of its existence…

And their plot was directed at a powerful noble of the kingdom, one of the most powerful people in the world.

They might be the observers hidden in the deepest depths of the Beyonder world, the true controllers. They influence the situation of the Northern and Southern Continents, so it's no wonder that they would be noticed by Mr. Fool…

The last time Mr. Hanged Man successfully got "His" adorer to help wasn't because the promised reward was sufficiently high, but because Mr. Fool himself was targeting Twilight Hermit Order…

This organization is as mysterious as our Tarot Club…

Audrey, for some inexplicable reason, became a little excited, and this diluted the impact Duke Negan's assassination had on her.

There definitely aren't a lot of Beyonders who know of the existence of the Twilight Hermit Order. And I'm one of them, and we, the Tarot Club, are targeting them!Audrey stood up and walked to the full-body mirror in front of her.

She raised her chin slightly, showing an abnormally beautiful angle.

Staring at the girl in the mirror, Audrey slowly calmed down. This was the first time she felt it was imperative that she quickly raised her Sequence.

Even Duke Negan, a Beyonder under tremendous amounts of protection, can be assassinated, let alone Father who's just an ordinary person.

Although based on the family vault's situation, there are definitely many Beyonders in the family, and the Church of the Goddess will also provide additional protection. However, this doesn't ease my heart. Duke Negan's guards aren't any weaker than what we have…

All the best, Audrey, get to Sequence 7 as soon as possible, then Sequence 6, and then hide in the darkness. I'll be my father, mother, and brothers' last line of defense!

…

The capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, the City of Generosity.

The Blue Avenger was once again passing by, moored at the port, giving sailors a chance to indulge and vent.

Alger Wilson changed into a robe embroidered with storm patterns and went to the largest cathedral on the archipelago, the Cathedral of Waves.

It was classical in style, and it mostly used stone pillars and arched structures, and it had a towering dome and two clock towers—in the early days of colonization, the pioneers often had no time to build a cathedral, which brought about very serious consequences for them.

Surrounded by tribes, jungles, and ancient buildings, they would often die mysteriously in great numbers for no reason at all, even after they had conquered the region.

This situation, which had caused a great panic, gradually deteriorated after the cathedrals of the various Churches were built, becoming something that happened only once in a while.

Standing in front of the cathedral, Alger was in no hurry to enter. Instead, he looked through the narrow windows at the dark and mysterious atmosphere and the warm candlelight that illuminated the activity area.

A few seconds later, he entered the grand prayer hall, clenched his right fist and struck his left chest. He turned to the bishop facing him and said, "May the Storm be with you!"

"May the Storm be with you!" the bishop responded in the same way.

Without waiting for Alger to speak, the bishop of the Cathedral of Waves took out a telegram.

"You're just in time. The Council of Cardinals has issued orders. Read it before praying."

"What orders?" Alger asked casually as he reached out to take it.

The bishop's expression was grave as he said, "Duke Negan has been assassinated. The Council of Cardinals has ordered all Mandated Punisher and priests to pay attention to anything regarding the Hero Bandit Dark Emperor, as well as all the matters related to the tarot ritual."

Hero Bandit Dark Emperor? Alger perfectly expressed his surprise.

He already knew that the Dark Emperor was Mr. Fool's adorer.

The bishop said with a serious nod, "The assassin of Duke Negan is a Sequence 5 Devil, but while escaping, he was killed by Hero Bandit Dark Emperor. This is the same outcome as Rear Admiral Qilangos, who failed to assassinate the duke."

Not only are the superficial circumstances the same, but even the core issues are the same… It was also Mr. Fool's adorer who killed Qilangos, another adorer… Was Mr. Fool the one who really wanted Duke Negan dead? No, if it were really him, then he would've warned Qilangos the last time to be careful of Miss Justice, so as to not expose his identity on the spot… Mr. Fool is paying attention to the truth behind the assassination and the real murderer? Who could it be, or which organization would receive so much attention from Mr. Fool? Alger instantly thought of many things and made a preliminary judgment.

He looked down at the telegram and saw that the Church had set up a special investigation team for the assassination of Duke Negan. Every member was an elite of the Mandated Punishers.

Should I apply to join, so as to have a grasp of their actions at any time? Alger hesitated for a moment.

In the end, he decided to follow his original plan and keep a low profile.

…

With a brand new day, Klein slept until he woke up naturally. He slowly got up, washed his face, and went downstairs.

He wasn't in a hurry to prepare breakfast. Instead, he habitually opened the door, bathed in the fog, and took out today's newspaper from the letterbox.

"What is it?" Suddenly, he noticed that there was a thick envelope stuffed inside the newspaper. It wasn't light at all.

Squeezing the surface, Klein's mind flashed with the faint fragrance of banknote ink.

His spiritual intuition told him that there was a lot of cash inside.

Carefully, he opened it and pulled out the stack of money.

After counting the money, he confirmed that there was a total of 1000 pounds.

It's the reward money from the Machinery Hivemind… Is this their way of secretly handing me the money? How can they be so certain this is fine? Leaving it in my mailbox just like that? What happens if it's stolen? The delighted Klein couldn't help but grumble.

With this money, and without the Machinery Hivemind protecting him in secret, he could go to Vampire Emlyn White to complete the previous transaction!

After breakfast, Klein immediately put on his coat and hat, held his cane, and stuffed the newspaper in his arm and went out.

On his way to the carriage stop, he saw his landlord, Mrs. Stelyn Sammer directing the maid to load the suitcase into the carriage in front of the door.

"Good morning, Mrs. Sammer." Klein smiled and greeted her.

Stelyn smiled modestly and returned the greeting.

She seems to have recovered mentally… Who knows what happened to her… Klein curiously asked, "Where are you going?"

"It's almost New Year's. Mary gave Luke some time off in advance. We're going to Desi Bay to usher in the new year," Stelyn said proactively. "Sigh, we've been to a few of the cities there, including the famous coastal towns. This time, we're preparing to go to Feynapotter. I've heard that the scenery in Seville City is quite good."

Klein replied in jest, "How enviable."

"What about you? Detective Moriarty, where do you plan on spending the New Year?" Stelyn asked with a smile.

I'm probably staying here… Oh right, I have to prepare some tools to repair the wall which Stuart had previously shot a hole in… Klein smirked and said, "Back to Midseashire, where the winter smells different."

The smile on Stelyn's face became even more obvious.

"I hope to meet you at Desi Bay in future New Year's Eve celebrations."

…

South of the Bridge, Rose Street, Harvest Church.

Upon seeing Detective Sherlock Moriarty in his black tweed coat, Emlyn White, who was carefully wiping the candle stand, smiled.

He combed his hair, walked over with his head held high and said in a low voice, "There's information on Jason Beria. A Sanguine knows him."

"I have his information as well." Klein smiled as he handed the newspaper over. The headline read: "Yesterday, His Grace the Duke of Negan assassinated, a true devil plundering the land."

Beneath the title was a detailed description of the assassination yesterday, and it revealed that the murderer was a banker named Patrick Jason who was killed on the spot, and the terrorist organization, the Aurora Order, claimed responsibility.

When he saw the news earlier, Klein, who was having his breakfast, almost spewed out the milk in his mouth.

At first, he imagined that the Aurora Order's Mr. A was brain damaged to take responsibility for this matter. However, after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was most likely a cover used by the officials.

If the Twilight Hermit Order is really the ancient organization which Emperor Roselle joined, then they would be extremely hostile towards the Aurora Order. After all, they hate the True Creator… This thought suddenly flashed through Klein's mind.

Emlyn looked blankly at the newspaper again and again before asking in disbelief, "Does this mean the information I got is useless?"

"In theory." Klein gave the vampire gentleman a sympathetic look. "However, the official organizations are still investigating the masterminds behind Jason Beria, if your information points in the right direction, it should be of worth."

As for Klein himself, he obviously didn't want to get involved in this matter anymore.

"No… He only knew Jason Beria and some of his hobbies." Emlyn sighed.

Seeing his reaction, Klein asked in amusement, "Don't you usually read newspapers?"

How did you only learn of such an important matter until now!?

Emlyn gave him an odd glance.

"Why should I read the newspapers?

"I'm very busy."

Busy cleaning the Harvest Church, busy spending time with those dolls you have at home, and busy thinking of ways to trick people into giving you blood to drink… You really are a new-age vampire… Klein opened his mouth, but he used his Clown powers to suppress the laughter he was about to let out.

He didn't tease Emlyn White and said seriously, "I've already gathered enough money for those two ingredients.

"When can you give them to me?"

Chapter 431: A Drowning Man Shouldn't Desperately Clutch at Straws

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Upon hearing Klein's question, Emlyn White jumped in fright as he carefully sized him up and said, "You're richer than I thought."

He had imagined that Sherlock Moriarty would take at least a week to raise 2,450 pounds.

"I've been saving for a long time." Klein sighed in response.

Emlyn nodded thoughtfully.

"It's so lucrative being a private detective?"

"This is just an identity that makes things convenient. If you don't encounter a huge bounty, it'll be two to three hundred pounds a year," Klein said frankly.

Emlyn glanced at him and asked casually, "So what do you actually do? Smuggling arms? Stealing from the vaults of the rich and powerful? For Beyonders below Sequence 7, there's not much that can be done to save up more than 2,000 pounds so quickly, and most of them are gray areas that border on breaking the law. "

You, a vampire, are talking to me about breaking the law? It seems like you're rather eager to make some quick money… Klein smiled.

"Accept some relatively dangerous missions; if you aren't afraid of death, you can try."

Emlyn shut his mouth, and only after a long time did he say, "Come and find me in the evening. I'll take you to the seller's place."

What an obedient vampire… Klein was about to agree, but he suddenly found it unsafe.

What if the seller gets thoughts from seeing all the money? What if he doesn't have the corresponding Beyonder ingredients and is trying to fool me to commit a robbery? Emlyn White can be trusted, but not necessarily the seller he's introducing… I have to find an excuse to perform a divination above the gray fog to confirm the degree of danger… Yes, there's no need for it to be so complicated. There's a better way… After some thought, Klein turned his head to look at Emlyn.

"No, go by yourself.

"I'll give you 1,000 pounds as a deposit, and you'll bring the two ingredients to the Harvest Church. After confirmation, I'll pay the remaining balance. I believe the seller will accept this method. This will show the credit of a noble Sanguine."

Upon being flattered, Emlyn unconsciously lifted his chin.

"There's no problem with this way of trading."

Saying that, he let out a laugh.

"Are you afraid that the other party will not keep their word? Are you more at ease in the Harvest Church?"

"Of course, anyone would feel safe when they see a Mother Earth adorer by the side, who is over 2.2 meters tall and has exceptionally firm muscles." Klein smiled and pointed at Father Utravsky. "People who can deal with him wouldn't mind two to three thousand pounds."

Emlyn's face darkened, and he snorted.

"Aren't you worried that I'll steal the thousand-pound deposit?"

Klein casually looked straight ahead.

"Why should I be worried?

"You will come back here every day, making it easy to find you, and a living creature like a vampire would sell for more than a thousand pounds."

Emlyn, who had been hit in a sore spot, muttered in exasperation, "Sanguine! Do you understand? Sanguine!

"Also, don't call me a creature!"

Klein chuckled and didn't say anything as he waited for Emlyn to calm down.

"We'll do it the way you requested." Finally, Emlyn reached out and rubbed his temples.

Klein immediately took out the envelope he had received that morning, and he handed it to him along with the thick stack of cash worth a thousand pounds.

"See you here at eight tonight."

After counting the bills and after confirming that there was no mistake, Emlyn warily stole a glance at Father Utravsky and said in a low voice, "Mr. Private Detective, with you being in contact with a lot of intelligence and news, have you heard of an evil god known as The Fool?"

Evil?… Evil? You f… Inwardly, Klein nearly threw out a profanity.

He answered with the most normal expression, "Many people are searching for believers of The Fool recently. Are you planning on joining their ranks to obtain the relevant bounty?"

Emlyn sighed and said, "No, I'm only considering whether I should ask this evil god or the evil soul to help me dispel the psychological cue. As you know, the rumors going around include "His" specific honorific name, and as long as it's converted into Hermes or ancient Hermes, it's possible to get a response… What do you know about "Him"? How much harm will "He" bring to "His" believers? Will "He" forcefully change the believers' views?"

Although it points to me, I still have to say. My dear vampire friend, you are like a drowning man desperately clutching at straws… Feeling mixed emotions, Klein said, "The Fool is very mysterious. Up to this day, apart from the news you already know, no one knows of 'His' detailed situation. For example, how vast his clergy is, or what sort of corresponding prayer rituals there are.

"What puzzles me is that you aren't considering the two of your vamp—Uh, Sanguine's ancestor, the ancient goddess Lilith? As long as the ritual is correct and the offerings are appropriate, 'She' will help you dispel the psychological cue."

Emlyn leaned back slightly and stared straight ahead, saying nothing for several seconds.

He seemed to instantly become sullen.

After a brief moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "Before the Cataclysm, the ancestor had already rarely responded to prayers. Only certain special circumstances allowed us to get 'Her' help. This does not include the removal of a psychological cue."

In the legends of the City of Silver, the ancient goddess, Lilith, who represented the moon had already had her authority taken back by the awakened Creator, or perhaps she had fallen in some battle among the gods earlier on… Then, who is the one occasionally responding to the Sanguines' pleas? The Primordial Moon? Klein deliberately pressed, "Then, there's still the Primordial Moon to pray to. Many underground Beyonders have rituals that borrow 'His' power."

This is mainly referring to the Shaman King and the corresponding biological creatures… Klein added inwardly.

Emlyn's lips quivered, but he didn't speak as there was an indescribable fear on his face.

After a long time, he solemnly said, "I suspect that the Primordial Moon was impersonated by some evil god or a high-level devil. People who pray to 'Him' mostly experience change, turning cruel, crazy, and even filled with desire. And the remaining ones, with the Sanguine mainly, there is a higher chance of them losing control and becoming true monsters.

"There was once a powerful Sanguine that tried to pray due to some danger, but she ended up turning into nothing but a hunk of meat that only knows to mate and reproduce. She, together with bulls, rams, stallions, mice, and even plants and rocks, gave birth to one strange descendant after another. Each one of them developed their own Monster species. Thankfully, she was quickly eliminated along with her descendants.

… The Primordial Moon is that dangerous? There was no mention of it in the Book of Secrets. Had Shaman King Klarman's thoughts been corrupted? Fortunately, I only referenced, modified, and prayed to myself… Klein's heart raced in fright as a result of Emlyn White's description.

This made him acutely realize that the hidden existences other than the seven deities were indeed not that trustworthy.

Except me… He sighed.

At that moment, Emlyn smiled bitterly and said, "If the negative effects brought by The Fool isn't that great, praying to 'Him' might be something to consider."

The only effect is that you will pay a certain amount of money for it… In order to maintain his image, Klein could only pat Emlyn on the shoulder and draw a triangular Sacred Emblem on his chest.

"It's very dangerous to pray to a hidden existence that you don't know about. If you're considering that, you might as well choose a faith out of the seven deities you prefer. They won't affect your daily life and won't make you abandon your dolls."

"If there's really no other way…" Emlyn suddenly found himself calmer than he had expected.

Klein didn't linger on. He pushed his way out into the aisle and walked out of the Harvest Church.

Looking out at the misty sky, he began to think about what to do next.

There was no doubt that his current focus was on saving money and finding the ingredients.

Little Sun's side needs to stabilize a little more. To prevent him from being suspected again, I'll use the method of ridding a Rampager's mental corruption as the promised payment… The Deep-sea Naga's hair can be entrusted to Mr. Hanged Man. I'll have to rely on myself for the Human-skinned Shadow's characteristic… There hasn't been any relevant information from Emlyn White and Eye of Wisdom, Mr. Stanton, for over a month. I'll have to try different channels… Yes, it's been quite long. It's likely that the High-Sequence Beyonder of the Rose School of Thought isn't monitoring the Bravehearts Bar that closely. I'll go visit it in the evening and see if I can contact Miss Sharron and Maric… Klein quickly had an idea.

In order to go to Bravehearts Bar, he had to first go to East Borough and change his worker's clothes in the one-bedroom apartment he also rented on Black Palm Street.

As he thought of this, he walked towards the carriage stop on the opposite side of the road.

…

West Borough, inside Grimm Cemetery.

Fors Wall, who was dressed in a black veiled hat, quietly walked beside Dorian Gray, a member of the Abraham family. She had accompanied him to place flowers on Lawrence, Aulisa, and company's graves.

While walking silently, her thoughts were completely focused on the Beyonder ingredient, the Spirit Eater's stomach pouch.

She knew that she had already digested the Apprentice potion and as long as she could get the Spirit Eater's stomach pouch, she would become a Trickmaster. However, she ultimately lacked the clues related to it, and The Sun, that she had the most expectations at being able to help her, didn't dare to hold a ritual or invite friends to hunt Spirit Eaters because of what had happened before.

In order to advance as quickly as possible and escape the curse of the full moon, she had even asked Mr. Fool for help, hoping that "His" adorers could help her find the ingredients. In the process, she revealed that she had published her new book and was about to receive a fixed fee for the book, in order to prove that she had sufficient power to purchase it—she didn't fear that her real identity would be known by Mr. Fool, because she believed that Mr. Fool clearly knew it.

In the secluded, quiet, and cold environment, Fors and Dorian stopped at Lawrence's grave.

Looking at the photo taken after his death and reading the epitaph: "he's a good teacher," Dorian Gray remained silent for a long time before sighing.

"How ironic…"

"Why?" Fors asked in surprise.

She had heard Lawrence mention that he was a public school teacher in Constant City, Midseashire, and that was why she had used such an epitaph.

"This has nothing to do with you. It has to do with our family." Dorian gave a self-deprecating laugh and bent down to put down the flowers.

After straightening his body, he looked straight ahead, and suddenly spoke out, "Fors, do you want to become a Beyonder? The kind I described in my letter."

Chapter 432: Contracted Creatures

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Dorian Gray's question didn't surprise Fors at all. She had been prepared after keeping in contact with him for the past month, and she had even asked the experienced Mr. Hanged Man at the Tarot Club to decide what kind of expression and reaction she should use when faced with the question.

"Are there really such Beyonders?" Fors asked in surprise.

Dorian gently nodded.

"Yes."

He looked around to make sure that there was no one around, then he walked up to a tree with fallen leaves and pressed his hand on it.

Dorian's figure suddenly blurred, as if turning into a reflection in the water.

When it was clear, he had already appeared behind the tree, his posture unchanging.

"Oh god! That's really, really amazing!" Remembering the teachings of Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice, her mouth opened in a semicircle as she exclaimed.

Dorian walked back, smiled, and asked, "Do you want to become such a Beyonder?"

Fors fell silent for a moment before she answered him "excitedly", "… "Yes!"

Now that she was finally going to be a periphery member of the Abraham family, many things would be much easier for her in the future! Her heart was filled with genuine joy.

Dorian laughed before turning his expression grave, asking in all seriousness, "Are you willing to be my student?"

Fors nodded.

"Yes!"

Dorian let out a sigh of relief and then made a self-deprecating comment.

"I'm not a good teacher, I even taught a… Heh, there's no need to mention the past anymore. In short, don't hold too high of an expectation."

After considering it over this period of time, he had decided to learn from his previous experiences and lessons. He didn't tell Fors the situation regarding the Abraham family and only treated their relationship as one of teacher and student. That way, he didn't have to worry about the other party coveting his family's few remaining mystical items.

"No, your explanations of mysticism are excellent, really, Mr. Gray. No, Teacher." Fors quickly confirmed the relationship between them.

Dorian looked at the tombstone, shook his head, and exhaled.

"I wasn't planning on taking in any more students, but your noble character infected me.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I can give you the corresponding potion today."

"Today?" Fors asked, surprised.

Back when she went to Backlund Station to pick up Dorian Gray, she noticed that he was carrying only a very small suitcase, barely enough for a change of clothes. There was no evidence that he had any Beyonder ingredients on him.

Does he have his own resources and channels in Backlund, ones that belong to the Abraham family? Fors made a vague guess.

Her original plan was to rely on the inconvenience of the distance between them to sell off the Beyonder ingredients for the Apprentice potion, and then tell him that she had successfully advanced to become a Beyonder. This way, she was able to obtain a considerable amount of cash, as well as to avoid the tragic consequence of taking the Apprentice potion again and having to spend time to digest it.

"Yes." Without explaining, Dorian pointed in the other direction. "Let's go see Laubero and Aulisa first."

Taking a turn, they left Grimm Cemetery and returned to the house in Cherwood Borough which Fors and Xio had rented.

For the past month or so, Xio, who had advanced to Sheriff, had been leaving early and returning late every day in order to pay off her heavy debts. She had been trying hard to get every bounty she could get, so there was no doubt that she was of the house around noon.

"Is there a quiet room?" Dorian looked around casually.

"Plenty." Fors led her new teacher into the activity room on the first floor.

Dorian circled the room, checked the surroundings, and then asked Fors to light a candle mixed with a piece of dark red sandalwood.

He closed the door and drew the curtains.

He walked to the candle and took out two bottles of essential oil and some common herbal powders.

Holding a ritual? Shouldn't there be three candles? Fors curiously watched from the side and didn't rashly open her mouth, as if she was stunned by the atmosphere.

After finishing the first part of the ritual, Dorian took a step back and, with a serious expression, switched to the language of ancient Hermes.

"I!

"I summon in my name:

"Special Spirit Bodies roaming the upper realms, the void creature that loves music, Dorian Gray Abraham's Contract Companion."

Whoosh!

There was a sudden gust of wind in the activity room, and with a sobbing voice, the flickering candle flames were tinged with a deep blue hue.

The rings of light quickly spread out, forming a door that was beyond the concept of normality.

A ball of semi-illusory and half-corporeal objects flew out from the bottom of the circle of light.

Its entire body was colored a milky white. There were no eyes, nose, arms, or legs around it. Only an opening which resembled a mouth cracked open over its surface.

Dorian grinned, opened his mouth, and began to hum a gentle folk lullaby.

The "ball" swayed left and right, appearing extremely satisfied.

After he finished humming, Dorian extended his hand.

"Malmouth, give me the items that I deposited with you the day before yesterday."

The "ball" jumped up and down as its body suddenly swelled while it opened its "mouth" extremely wide.

Then, it spat out two Beyonder ingredients which had strange lusters to them.

To think that can be done… Fors stared in surprise.

Dorian caught the Apprentice potion's main ingredients, canceled the summoning, and ended the ritual.

He turned his head and smiled at Fors.

"Even in the spirit world, void creatures like Malmouth are extremely rare. Under normal circumstances, summoning rituals will not point to them. An elder of a sufficiently high Sequence must enter the Spirit World and, after a long period of searching, make a contract with one of them. That way, it will allow subsequent descendants to complete a summoning ritual with their corresponding name.

"After the void creature arrives, a new contract can be made, making them closely connected to oneself and no longer summonable by others."

"So that's how it is… That sounds interesting!" Fors said from the bottom of her heart.

She couldn't help but look forward to the future.

If I don't consider the curse of the full moon, or how ordinary Beyonders are being suppressed and constantly facing danger, exploring this wonderful world would be the most delightful thing… I hope that one day I can truly roam the Spirit World…

Dorian responded with a chuckle, "Malmouth's greatest ability is to swallow many items into its belly without causing them any harm. It's the equivalent of a mobile, hidden warehouse that almost no one can find.

"Of course, it can't store too much as its stomach has limited space. Also, it doesn't like people without talent in music. It would reject signing a contract with such people."

At least I can play the lyre… Just as Fors breathed a sigh of relief, Dorian instructed her to get him a black stew pot.

Realizing that he was about to concoct the potion right there and then, she maintained her expression, but her heart was frantically praying for an accident.

I don't want to drink the Apprentice potion again! That would waste a lot of time! If I had known that this would happen, then I would've been more honest… It's too late to tell the truth. Teacher Gray must've tried a divination attempt, but the outcome suffered interference. Confessing now would mean that there's a powerful person backing me or instigating me… In the midst of her thoughts, she saw Dorian turn around and hand her a bottle of the bubbling potion.

"Drink it and you'll become a Beyonder," Dorian said in a flat but very seductive tone.

Then he reassured her, "Don't worry. There won't be any problems with me here."

"Okay!" Fors gritted her teeth, received the Apprentice potion, and drank it all in one gulp.

At the same time, a thought flashed in her mind:

Honesty is the best policy…

…

The carriage stopped outside East Borough, and Klein, walking with a cane and a hat, entered the spacious slum in a relatively decent neighborhood.

As he walked forward, he saw two familiar figures emerge from the relatively clean apartment in front of him.

They were girls, one seventeen or eighteen years old, the other fifteen or sixteen years old—daughters of the laundry maid, Liv—Freja, and Daisy. The latter had once been kidnapped by Capim and was rescued by the Dark Emperor.

Daisy also spotted Klein and smiled brightly.

"Good afternoon, Detective Moriarty!"

Klein smiled and nodded before asking in puzzlement, "Daisy, don't you have public elementary school to attend?"

At the behest of reporters like Mike Joseph and the push by the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Backlund government established a charity fund with Capim's estate, specifically to help women and families who had been hurt by Capim.

Daisy's family took advantage of the opportunity to move from a shabby apartment in an environment with poor security to the outskirts of East Borough. They moved from one room to two, separating the "laundry area" from the place where they ate and slept.

In addition, Daisy received a bursary for attending a public elementary school, and she was delighted that the charity fund was responsible for her tuition and meals costing three pence a week.

What puzzled Klein was that the public elementary school only had breaks on Sundays, so Daisy wasn't supposed to be here at this time.

"The school is very close, I took advantage of the afternoon break to return and help Freja bring the washed and dried laundry to a client. She and mother can't handle the workload," Daisy answered frankly.

The immediate effect of her going to school was that the amount of laundry which Liv and Freja could do every day decreased, obviously lowering their family income. If it wasn't for Mike's help applying for a grant from the charity, then they wouldn't be able to maintain their present lives.

Therefore, there was no doubt that Freja wouldn't be able to enter a public elementary school, and when Daisy and Klein talked about it, her eyes were filled with unconcealed envy and pain.

Despite not even being eighteen years old yet, all she could do was silently watch her sister attend school.

Klein noticed that detail and deliberately reminded Daisy, "You really should know that your mother and Freja are having a hard time. Treat them well."

Daisy nodded seriously and said, "I've thought about it. When things settle down, I'll teach Freja what I learned during the day at night and on Sundays. I'll be her only tutor!"

Freja's eyes suddenly blinked, and she couldn't help lowering her head.

"Good, very good," Klein praised her before bidding them farewell in a good mood, and he turned to another street.

He went to Black Palm Street to change out of his worker clothes, and just after he left the apartment where he was renting a room from, he saw an old middle-aged man walk over. He asked with a kind face, "Sir, have you heard of the original Creator?"