Who Is Klein?

The belongings of the man killed by Helene at the Beyonder gathering were quickly delivered to Ebner's hands.

There weren't many items: a short sword, five charms, three seeds, and an emerald-green gemstone brimming with vitality.

The gemstone, which appeared later on the man's corpse, wasn't identified by "Sea Serpent" Welf's subordinates, so they sent it along as well.

While they didn't recognize it, Ebner instantly identified the gemstone as an Extraordinary characteristic. After briefly analyzing it, he confirmed that the man was indeed a "Harvest Priest."

"The charms are all 'Sun' pathway spells, not particularly lethal but seemingly intended to provide 'light sources'... likely to facilitate plant growth in dark environments.

"The short sword is a mystical item, incredibly sharp and corrosive, specifically designed to counter scaly or membrane-based defenses. It appears to be made from materials related to vampires or artificial vampires and can only remain stable for about a year.

"The key items are these three seeds... They're similar to the one Helene previously handed me, all showing signs of artificial modification. Among them, one is another man-eating flower, while the other two resemble... sunflowers with an uncanny familiarity.

"Wait a minute, could those charms be crafted using these 'sunflowers' as raw materials?

"A 'Harvest Priest' doesn't possess the ability to hybridize and create new species. These seeds must have originated from someone or somewhere else...

"Could it be the work of another transmigrator? Or was this one of Emperor Roselle's bizarre experiments?"

As Ebner analyzed the seeds, he fell into deep thought, suspecting that the person who created these man-eating flowers might also be a transmigrator.

The earlier deviations involving the "Strongman" Ozil had already sparked his suspicion about the existence of other transmigrators. After all, his own butterfly effect couldn't have reached events that occurred more than a decade ago...

And now, the appearance of the man-eating flowers and sunflowers seemed to corroborate his theory.

"But if it really is another transmigrator, they've been way too low-key. There are hardly any traces left... Unless they've been lying low all along? No, that doesn't add up... If that were the case, the man who disrupted the Beyonder gathering wouldn't have had access to their hybrid seeds.

"Then, perhaps the transmigrator met with some misfortune and has already passed away? Could this man have merely stumbled upon their relics?

"From my analysis, these hybrid species are creative but not particularly advanced. Their actual level of skill might not even surpass Miss Judy's... At most, the creator was probably at the level of a 'Biologist.'

"To have just advanced to 'Biologist' and then gotten killed or succumbed to madness... That's downright embarrassing for a transmigrator!"

Ebner muttered a few sarcastic thoughts to himself as he picked up the emerald-green Extraordinary characteristic, considering what sort of item he could craft from it.

Just then, "Sea Serpent" Welf entered, having finished handling the post-gathering tasks. He brought with him preliminary information about the identity of the slain man:

"He was a moderately well-known lone assassin and mercenary in the Rorsted Archipelago. His real name is unknown, but he went by the codename 'Doctor.'

"His most notable achievement was assassinating the leader of the notorious Bayam gang, the 'North Party.'

"Since then, he's been on the North Party's wanted list. Most people believed he had already left Bayam, but it turns out he was still here all along.

"As for tonight's incident, it seems he accepted a contract from Prowse to assassinate me. If not for your foresight in exposing his tricks, I fear I would've been devoured by those horrifying plants."

Welf expressed his gratitude while reporting, his tone both respectful and sincere.

—Prowse was a rival competing against Welf for control of the Amyris Leaf Bar.

Ebner didn't care whether Welf's gratitude was genuine or feigned; it didn't matter to him. His only concern was one thing: "Do your best to locate this 'Doctor's' previous hideout and bring back everything he left behind for me."

He couldn't help but regret having Helene kill the man outright for the sake of establishing dominance. If they had captured him alive, it would've saved a lot of trouble now.

Of course, he could still ask Klein to divine the origins of the seeds. Knowing Klein, he'd probably be quite interested... But relying on the "Fool" too frequently felt disrespectful.

It was better to exhaust mundane investigative options first, and only turn to Klein if absolutely necessary.

"Yes, sir," Welf agreed without hesitation. He seemed confident in his ability to accomplish this task, and the day's events had thoroughly demonstrated Ebner's strength. Any stray thoughts he might've harbored before were now completely extinguished.

Although the "contract" binding Welf ensured he wouldn't dare or be able to betray Ebner, it was human nature to entertain unrealistic fantasies.

After assigning the task to Welf, Ebner collected his spoils from the gathering and, together with Helene, boarded a carriage to return to the inn where they had rented a room earlier.

Numerous spies from various factions saw this and quietly followed behind the carriage.

When the carriage finally stopped, the spies trailing it were dumbfounded to discover that it was completely empty! The so-called "Appraiser" and his maid had vanished under everyone's watchful eyes.

In reality, Ebner was casually walking hand-in-hand with Helene right past them. Yet, none of the spies could see them—completely ignoring their presence as if they didn't exist.

Back at the manor, after witnessing this baffling phenomenon, Helene finally snapped out of her shock. She sighed in amazement, "This ability is terrifying! Even scarier than Tracy's invisibility!"

"That's why you need to beware of 'Spectators,'" Ebner quipped with a smile as he let go of her hand. Then, without wasting any time, he headed straight to the basement. His plan was to "teleport" to the city of Rorsted under the cover of night and fabricate yet another "Dr. Strange Late-Night Q&A" incident.

Leonard's visit had made it clear that the Nighthawks had started harboring suspicions about him. Naturally, he needed to clear his name somehow.

"Spectators aren't nearly as terrifying as 'Mysticism Magisters,'" Helene muttered quietly as she watched her employer disappear behind the door.

...

Bayam, Headquarters of the Mandated Punishers Local Squad Near the Waves Cathedral

Leonard had just followed Captain Sost of the Red Gloves into the building when he overheard a Mandated Punisher reporting to their squad captain:

"The new owner of the Amyris Leaf Bar, 'Sea Serpent' Welf, had the support of a backer who appeared at today's Beyonder gathering.

"There were two of them: a man and a woman. The man is suspected to be an 'Appraiser,' but based on the number of mystical items he displayed, there's a strong possibility he's actually an 'Artisan.' Additionally, when he used a mystical item to 'authenticate' something, he invoked the faith of the 'God of Knowledge and Wisdom' and received a response.

"The woman, on the other hand, is likely a 'Pyromancer.' Judging by their interactions, she appears to hold a subordinate position to the man.

"However, during their journey back by carriage, the two of them mysteriously disappeared—so much so that even Merys, the Watcher, couldn't detect any clues."

The squad captain of the Mandated Punishers thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "There are indeed many people in the Church of Knowledge adept at crafting items… It wouldn't be strange if they're connected to the aristocracy in Luen, especially those in the Hunter pathway."

"Should we immediately arrest 'Sea Serpent' Welf?" asked the Punisher team member. He knew that their Lord and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom were sworn enemies. Even if Welf was a legitimate believer, arresting him wouldn't be out of line.

The squad captain deliberated for a moment before shaking his head. "Welf donated 1,000 pounds to the cathedral just last week. He's a follower of our Lord. Arresting him without cause would make our future operations more difficult…

"Additionally, detaining him would drive gatherings like this deeper underground, making them harder to monitor and giving truly dangerous individuals more room to operate."

Before Leonard could hear more, a Mandated Punisher elite came down to escort the Red Gloves to a meeting room on the second floor.

As they climbed the stairs, Leonard reflected on the conversation he'd overheard, letting his mind wander:

"A woman? A Pyromancer? The old man mentioned that the 'maid' working for the Hero Detective might be a Pyromancer from the Sauron family… Could it be her?

"Based on my research, the Hero Detective's teacher is highly likely to have been a follower of the God of Knowledge…"

.....

Dream Labyrinth Tower, Fifth Level: Tingen Scene

Klein stood in front of the door at 2 Narcissus Flower Street, silent for several seconds before summoning the courage to press the doorbell.

After some thought, Klein had concluded that the best way to gain the trust of the Nighthawks in this dream scenario was to convince his past self. After all, who understood "Klein" better than him?

However, when the door opened, he was surprised to see a middle-aged woman who looked vaguely familiar. She was the neighbor who had moved in not long before his "death." She informed him that there was no Moretti family living on Narcissus Flower Street.

Shocked, Klein walked toward the nearby "Slin Bakery" to question Wendy Slin, the elderly woman who owned the shop.

The seventy-something Wendy, with her gray hair and gentle smile, looked saddened as she heard Klein's inquiry. She sighed and said:

"Klein Moretti committed suicide two months ago… His siblings, Benson and Melissa, didn't want to stay in this sorrowful place any longer, so they left the city."

Klein committed suicide? Well, of course… Even this Tower couldn't possibly probe the existence of the Gray Fog. Without the Gray Fog and the Tarot Club, there's no way Klein could have survived that incident involving multiple secret organizations and a Sequence 0 Sealed Artifact…

At that moment, Klein finally understood what was different between this scenario and his real-life experience: himself.

"Who is Klein?"

This sudden question came from Miss Sharron, who had been silently standing by his side all along.

(Chapter End)