The Mighty Bone Dragon

Why do I get the feeling you're acting guilty and deliberately changing the subject?

Keeping this thought to himself, Klein cautiously inquired, "What kind of commission? You know my principles, Talim—I don't want to get involved with high-ranking figures."

"I know. You said the same when asked to investigate the 'Black Emperor' vigilante and that Tarot-themed organization," Talim replied seriously. "That's why I declined on your behalf when that important figure recently wanted to hire you to investigate someone. But this matter has nothing to do with him—it's my personal request."

"Thank you, Talim." Though curious about the noble's intentions, Klein decided to let sleeping dogs lie and asked again, "So what do you need from me?"

"You remember that lady who chased me here last time?" Talim carefully began.

Not only do I remember, she's now my believer—actively compiling scriptures no less. My only true blessed lives with her.

Keeping these thoughts to himself, Klein simply nodded for Talim to continue.

"Someone wants to meet her... but I've lost contact. I need you to find her whereabouts." Talim produced a slip of paper. "This was her previous address—perhaps a lead."

Klein recognized the villa where Talim had secretly met Lina. Since then, Lina and Xio had relocated twice—a trail most detectives would lose.

"Would this 'someone' happen to be that important figure?" Klein pressed.

"No... it's... well, Sherlock, I can't disclose that. But I swear it's unrelated to any powerful individuals." Talim looked apologetic.

"No matter. I'll look into it." Klein smiled. Refusal might arouse suspicion now.

Whether to inform Lina depends on divination results from above the gray fog.

When Talim reached for his wallet to prepay, Klein waved him off. "Payment can wait until I find leads. Though you could help sell my bicycle company shares to a good buyer."

He'd mentioned this during his last Quelaag Club visit—a timely reminder.

"Mr. Frami Cage won't disappoint you!" Talim chuckled.

...

Above the gray fog, "The Fool" manifested pen and paper to write:

"Danger awaits Lina if she meets Talim."

Placing Talim's address note beside the statement, he let the citrine pendulum hover over the words.

After meditation and proper procedure, the pendulum swung vigorously clockwise—clear affirmation of significant danger!

Who wants to meet Lina? Are they threatening her, or is the meeting itself hazardous?

Both startled and unsurprised, Klein tried a new statement:

"Ince Zangwill orchestrated Talim's search for Lina."

The pendulum denied this.

Not Ince's scheme then...

A third attempt:

"Reporting Talim and Prince Edessak's suspicious activities to the church endangers the informant."

The pendulum's frenzied clockwise spin confirmed extreme peril—whether he, Xio, or Audrey acted as whistleblower, even church protection would fail.

What conspiracy surrounds Prince Edessak? Ince alone couldn't warrant this... Are gods playing chess here?

This suspicion cemented Klein's resolve to avoid Talim's affairs entirely.

As for Lina... he decided to wait one or two weeks before explaining the situation's pros and cons, letting her decide whether to meet Talim.

If Lina contacts Talim immediately after his request to me, it would reveal our prior connection... Perhaps the danger is temporary—by then, meeting might be safe. They've met before after all...

If my deductions are correct, Talim is likely under constant surveillance by some powerful entity. Everyone he contacts, including me, probably falls under observation—though casual acquaintances like me would receive less scrutiny than Talim himself... Unless I attempt to officially report him...

As for surveillance methods... Could it be "0-08"? Lina must have countermeasures against it, explaining why her previous meetings with Talim were uneventful...

After I cursed Ince Zangwill with the "Misfortune Crystal" Mr. Tower lent me during the Aurora Order's "Abyss of Flesh" ritual, perhaps Ince suffered severe damage, forcing a change in surveillance methods? This new approach might be less comprehensive than "0-08" but more dangerous?

Sighing, Klein let his spirituality descend, vanishing from the ancient palace above the gray fog.

Tomorrow he'd begin investigations—not into Lina's whereabouts, but as cover to track down Baron Larry instead. Though troublesome, that matter seemed far safer than Talim and Prince Edessak's affairs. Armed with the "Psychic Breath" charm, Klein felt confident about apprehending the man who'd nearly harmed his sister.

...

December 13th, Monday, 3:15 PM

In the basement of Backlund's Fragrant Estate, a disheveled, exhausted Ebner gently lifted a massive skeleton wreathed in black mist, its eye sockets burning with azure flames, sealing it into an ornate golden card. He officially renamed it from "Bones of Sophia" to "Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Who says a bone dragon can't have blue eyes? With a demigod psychic dragon's skeleton as base material, changing its "skin" is child's play.

"After over two weeks... finally complete! And it exceeds expectations!" Ebner admired the card while reviewing the bone dragon's tested capabilities, swelling with pride.

The primary skeleton came from a Sequence 3 "Dreamweaver's" draconic form, retaining partial "Manipulator" abilities—even inheriting the "Dreamweaver"-level "Psychological Concealment" to create illusory cover. However, this required Ebner to temporarily merge with it via his "Pure White Eyes."

Two operation modes existed:

Basic Control - Like partnering with a telepathically-linked companion, granting limited abilities: "Dreamwalking," "Mind Deprivation," and "Psychic Breath"—plus melee bone... combat. This low-consumption mode lasted as long as Ebner could sustain his "Pure White Eyes," which blocked the corruptive vision of its demigod-bone composition and City of Calamity aura—lethal without such protection.

Fusion Combat - Temporary merging via spiritual resonance granted near-full "Manipulator" capabilities plus necromantic spells. Even Ebner's own learned skills could be amplified through the bone dragon. However, the physical and mental strain limited this mode to five seconds—beyond which bodily mutations became irreversible.

The sole disappointment was lacking the demigod undead's "Spirit World Traversal"—though Ebner reasoned even if present, the five-second fusion limit would make it suicidal for long-distance travel.

Checking the clock at 3:30 PM—likely during Tarot's sharing segment—Ebner decided to skip this week's meeting entirely. Having missed two already, one more wouldn't matter. By next Monday, perhaps "The Fool" would advance to "Faceless," resolving his spirituality issues.

Storing the card, Ebner headed for the teleportation altar—a long-overdue bath at the Indor hot spring estate awaited. Two weeks of nonstop work had left him... aromatic.

(End of Chapter)