The Terror of Option Chapter 906 906: 54 LOTM

Tuesday morning, the weather remained as cold as it usually was this season.

Klein tightened the collar of his tweed coat, put on his hat, and pulled open the door.

He was heading to the end of the street, where the mailbox was, to post a letter to Detective Stuart. Since it wasn't that far, there was no need to dress neatly or heavily, but Klein had just recovered from his cold, so he had wrapped himself up thickly just in case.

Perhaps it was because of the strong wind last night, but the air in Backlund was surprisingly good. Klein subconsciously slowed down his pace and enjoyed this rare morning.

As he passed Jurgen's house, he heard the oriel window creak open and instinctively turned to look.

Standing at the window was Mrs. Doris, wearing a black plush hat and a thick grayish-blue scarf. She looked even worse than before, and her body was even more hunched.

"Good morning, Detective Moriarty. Thank you for taking care of Brody. He said you were a good man, didn't you, Brody?" Old Granny Doris bent down and picked up the black cat with green eyes.

Brody used all four of his limbs and struggled in her embrace. Finally, he jumped down and lightly landed on the windowsill.

But instead of leaving, he circled around and around, nuzzling Mrs. Doris with its head on one side, without even looking at Klein.

Was he being friend-zoned by a cat? Klein gave a self-deprecating laugh and smiled sincerely.

"It's a happy deed, and even more delightful news is that you've recovered and have been discharged from the hospital."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he said goodbye and continued to walk down the street with a smile on his face.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard Mrs. Doris call after him.

"When Jurgen cos back, I'll have him pay you!"

... Do I look like I took this mission for the money? The smile on Klein's face suddenly froze. He could only half turn around and wave his hand, indicating that he understood.

When he was far away from Jurgen's house, his expression gradually turned serious, and he sighed faintly.

He had just activated his Spirit Vision to look at Mrs. Doris's aura and found that her situation wasn't too good. It wasn't only because of her old age but also because of the cold weather and bad air in Backlund. All of these had a very bad effect on her lung disease.

Mrs. Doris should be able to make it through this late autumn and winter, but it will be hard to say for the next one, or the next, next one... If she wants to live for a few more years, she would have to move to the south, to the area around Desi Bay... It's a pity that it's likely that Lawyer Jurgen can't afford to do so now... Even I haven't been to Desi Bay... Klein mumbled, ca to the mailbox, and stuffed the letter in.

This was the prelude to his performance.

And this evening, he would head to the Harvest Church as a detective and do the rest of the preparations.

After buying a Desi pie for breakfast, Klein returned via his original path and was quite at ease.

Before he got close to the house, he saw an elegantly-decorated carriage parked outside. Two ladies in black hats and a ribbon were anxiously pulling on his doorbell, while the maids and bodyguards were scattered around, as though they were on guard against sothing.

Mrs. Stelyn... Ma'am Mary... Do they have sothing to entrust with? They look very anxious... With the paper bag containing the Desi pie in hand, Klein approached and said with a laugh, "Ladies, it should be ti for breakfast."

When they turned back to see Detective Sherlock Moriarty, Ma'am Mary was visibly relieved.

"Mister Detective, you have to help ."

In Klein's Spirit Vision, there was nothing fake about her anxiety, nervousness, and fear. Therefore, he nodded his head, pointed at the door and said, "Let's talk inside."

As he spoke, he glanced at his landlady, Stelyn, and he noticed that her condition was entirely different from the past two days. She had beco very low and dejected, as though she wasn't interested in anything at all.

What happened to her? Although his landlady liked to show off a little, she's soone who loves life a lot... Klein took out his key and opened the door.

After entering, before she could sit still, Ma'am Mary impatiently said, "Detective Moriarty, I received a threatening letter!"

Threatening letter?

Klein put down the Desi pie, clasped his hands and asked, "What does the letter say?"

Ma'am Mary glanced sideways at Mrs. Stelyn, and seeing that she wasn't quite as active as usual, she said after so deliberation, "That letter asked to handle the smoke of the factory impartially when I carry out the atmospheric pollution investigation and to acknowledge their contributions, or else I would end up like the doll that ca with the letter...

"The doll's head was ripped off, and its arms and legs were broken."

Ma'am Mary seed to recall the feeling when she opened the letter, and she said with a trembling voice, "This is the first ti I've encountered sothing like this. I don't know if it will beco a reality or not. I didn't know that I would have to experience such cases when I beca a mber of the investigation council. I didn't know..."

Ma'am, perhaps Emperor Roselle once said that there are only two ultimate forms of hatred between people. One is to murder the other person's parents, and the other is to destroy another person's ans of earning money... Klein solemnly nodded his head and said, "My suggestion is to report it to the police."

From his point of view, Ma'am Mary was now a mber of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council. Her status was completely different from before, and the police would certainly not take the threats she received lightly.

Moreover, this involved important the developnt of a governntal policy and wasn't an ordinary matter, so there was a high probability that the police departnt would hand the case over to the Church's Beyonder organization in order to solve this case as soon as possible.

Based on Ma'am Mary's status as a follower of the Goddess, the Nighthawks was an inevitable choice.

This way, even if Klein wanted a share of the reward, he didn't want to involve himself in it.

"I've already done so, but it doesn't reassure ." Ma'am Mary pursed her lips and said, "Do you know what they said? They said that threatening letters were ford by cutting the words from newspapers, and the doll could be bought from anywhere. It would be very difficult to find the sender in a short period of ti! And they only sent one policeman to protect ! Goddess, is this how they treat a helpless citizen's cry for help?"

Ma'am Mary paused, looked earnestly at Klein and said, "Detective Moriarty, I believe you can help , not only because of your performance from that matter but also because of Mike's approval, Aaron's praise, and Talim's extolnt. And I know you made a great contribution in that serial murder case. Don't worry, I will pay you well enough."

Your words make happy, but sothing doesn't seem right...

Unless the police have already been bribed, they would probably transfer the case to the Nighthawks, and with Beyonder ans such as divination available, it would be impossible for a letter made up of words from a newspaper to avoid detection. The sender would have either been caught already, or they would have ans to interfere with divination... The latter would only lead to a formal and large-scale intervention by the Nighthawks...

No matter what the situation is, it will be different from how the situation is handled now...

Klein didn't answer Ma'am Mary right away, but he carefully analyzed the abnormality of this matter.

The living room suddenly beca unusually quiet. The feeling of silence made Ma'am Mary and Mrs. Stelyn sowhat uneasy for so unknown reason.

At so point in ti, Klein had fished out a coin and made it bounce and roll between his fingers, as though it were a habit of his to focus his thoughts.

Suddenly, the coin flew up and then fell down steadily onto the palm of his hand, its back facing up.

Klein was surprised. He was divining whether this matter involved danger, but it turned out to have none.

If such a threat really exists, even if the sender doesn't have considerable abilities, it would still result in a certain degree of danger. It's impossible to have none... Is it just a simple threat? Or... Klein suddenly thought of another possibility as he smiled and said, "Ma'am Mary, don't worry. You can go back ho in peace. If soone cos to you in the next two days to discuss this issue so as to make it public, allowing the citizens to know the true intentions of those factory owners in order to incite anger among the public, then you will be fine."

The possibility which Klein had just thought of was that the threat was a trap set up by the council so as to incite the public to use their anger, allowing the atmospheric pollution investigation to be carried out smoothly and lead to the subsequent bill which could benefit them.

This would explain why the police are responding in this manner.

"... Why do you say that?" Ma'am Mary asked, frowning.

Klein smiled and replied, "That's what I've deduced."

"And if what you claim doesn't happen in two days?" Ma'am Mary pressed.

Klein said sincerely, "Then I will provide protection."

In any case, there's no danger... he added inwardly.

After comforting and sending off Ma'am Mary, he went above the gray fog to confirm the matter and received the sa result as before.

By then, his Desi pie had turned cold...

...

Ma'am Mary returned ho with so apprehension and uneasiness, wondering if she should invite Stelyn to stay with her for a few days.

At that mont, her housekeeper inford her that the eldest son of Count Hall, the chief secretary of the National Atmospheric Pollution Council, Mr. Hibbert Hall, had co.

After both of them entered the living room, before Ma'am Mary could even open her mouth to speak, the handso, blond gentleman spoke first.

"Ma'am Mary, I've heard of what has happened to you. It's a disgrace to Backlund, and even to the whole kingdom, and I'm deeply sorry for it.

"Don't worry, everyone in the committee will stand with you!"

"Thank you for your concern," Ma'am Mary responded gratefully.

After a mont of consideration, Hibbert Hall said, "Ma'am, I wish to get a reporter to interview you regarding this incident. I want to tell everyone about what happened to you and how despicable this act is. I want to let everyone see how outrageous those people who have contaminated Backlund's air are! There's no sign of repentance!

"Please agree to my request."

This... It's exactly as Detective Moriarty described... Ma'am Mary was montarily at a loss for words.

...

After breakfast, Klein rested for a while. Since he had nothing better to do, he went above the gray fog in preparation to divine the origin of the Biological Poison Bottle.

This ti, he didn't delay it at all.

-x-X-x-

The stone pillars of the ancient and majestic palace supported the high do.

Klein sat at the end of the long bronze table, holding a translucent brown bottle. He checked it over and over again, but he didn't sense any danger from it.

Let's begin... He conjured a pen and paper and wrote the divination statent: "Its origin."

Putting the fountain pen away and bracing himself for a blow, Klein glanced at the paper and the Biological Poison Bottle, leaned back in his chair, and entered Cogitation while reciting the statent.

Soon, he entered a hazy gray dream world and saw a dark but spacious room.

There were king cobras, black widows, and other strange plants and animals in the room. It was a ssy and harrowing scene.

A middle-aged man in a white coat was standing in front of a long table in the middle of the room. He threw the snake gall and spider venom into the huge black pot that hung from the ceiling.

In the end, he even put in a few items that possessed a strong spiritual luster. For example, they would sotis disperse into a black gas, and other tis condense into dark green lung-shaped objects. Otherwise, they would be in the form of a tube containing a clear azure liquid or fiery red eyes...

The air around the black iron pot gradually beca viscous. It was gathering towards the center, but it was constantly being pushed aside, making it difficult to achieve its goal.

When the white-robed middle-aged man saw this scene, his brow slowly creased, his expression looked slightly anxious.

He flipped through the black notebook by his side, gritted his teeth, and used a ritual silver dagger to slice open his wrist.

Drops of fresh blood dripped into the black iron pot, seemingly breathing life into its contents instantly. A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted, sucking in all the viscous air around it. The scarlet blood which had yet to leave his wrist was fully sucked into it.

And that wasn't everything. Regardless of how the white-robed middle-aged man struggled to resist, or how he revealed a terrified expression, he couldn't prevent his body from approaching the iron pot.

His body was stretched, his head was compressed, and amidst his screams, he was eaten, little by little, by the pot.

The hanging specins, plants, and anything that could move or be moved, all flew into the pot.

Brown fog suddenly filled the room, quietly ebbing and flowing.

By the ti it was all over, the room was empty except for the brown, translucent bottle lying quietly in the middle of the clearing.

...

The scene quickly faded away, and the dream world shattered. Klein opened his eyes and muttered to himself, So the Biological Poison Bottle is a product of a death-seeking experint.

I thought it was a Beyonder characteristic left behind by so Beyonder... If that were the case, I'd have been able to divine a formula...

To Klein, a Rampager's spirituality and Beyonder characteristic, as well as a spirituality and Beyonder characteristic which was contaminated by an evil god, could all be used to divine a formula. Just like the All-Black Eye which Nimblewright Master Rosago left behind. It was thanks to the isolation effects of the gray fog, and how the mysterious space was able to eliminate negative influences, giving him the ability to court death. Of course, a Beyonder characteristic involved many other additional factors. In theory, the chances of failure were extrely high, but Klein only had the confidence to do so after advancing to Magician.

Similarly, a Sealed Artifact ford by Beyonder characteristics could also be used to divine the formula for a potion.

However, if they were mainly ingredients, then through the production processes and dangerous experints done by an artisan or other Beyonders, turning them into mystical items, then Klein's divination would be useless at his current state. Even with the enhancent effect provided by the mysterious space above the gray fog, it was useless.

Not bad. At least I don't have to worry about the Biological Poison Bottle having any other latent risks anymore... Klein glanced at the Werewolf fang and wisely abandoned his curiosity.

...

In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Count Hall.

Audrey continued her study of psychology.

By her feet, the huge golden retriever, Susie, was sitting there, her eyes shining. From ti to ti, she wagged her tail, as if enjoying the scene.

Psychiatrist Escalante finished the introduction material and deliberately made a casual remark.

"Actually, there is such a theory.

"It's believed that humans would inherit a certain amount of their ancestor's consciousness over the generations; thus, forming the underlying logic of one's behavior patterns. For example, although many people have never seen a poisonous snake, they would instinctively feel afraid and wish to avoid it once they encounter one.

"Why is that? This is theorized to be an instinct that we inherited from our ancestors, sothing that is hidden in the deepest recesses of our consciousness. In ancient tis, people constantly fought with poisonous snakes and all kinds of ferocious animals, and they gradually carved this mory into their consciousness and passed it down."

"How does it get passed down?" Audrey asked with interest.

Escalante, with her long hair which reached her waist, laughed.

"That's a very good question.

"So people provide explanations that involve a theory that everyone's consciousness is actually connected at the lowest level. It is one entity, and the traces and characteristics left behind on this entity will affect the consciousness that belongs solely to them.

"For example, the lowest level of consciousness is like an endless ocean. Our unique consciousness would be the islands situated in the ocean and can be split into two parts. One is hidden under the water, which is the subconscious which is higher in both quantity and size; the other is exposed on the surface of the ocean, the superficial consciousness that can usually be detected.

"This is the axiom of this school of thought in psychology."

Audrey glanced at Susie, stroked the golden fur on its neck and said, "So, we can use this connected ocean to influence the consciousness of others and achieve the goal of curing certain ntal illnesses?"

This is the mysticism foundation and Beyonder powers of a Psychiatrist? But it doesn't seem enough and is lacking sothing. For example, the sky above one's head, the sky which shrouds everything? Audrey curiously thought as she wore a look of confused enlightennt.

"You're really talented in this area!" Escalante praised in delight. "However, we can only affect a portion of the surrounding ocean, and through it, we can affect those who are close to us. If we venture deeper into the ocean, it will be easy for us to lose ourselves."

She looked up at the ornate and complicated clock on the wall, smiled, and said, "Ti's up, this is the end of today's class. Miss Audrey, if you're interested in this psychological school of thought, then we can continue talking about it next ti."

"Alright." Audrey stood up and bowed.

Watching Escalante leave, she nodded in thought.

Ma'am Escalante doesn't seem like a real Psychiatrist. At most, she's like , a Telepathist...

Was what she just talked about the axioms of the Psychology Alchemists?

They really are patient. Why aren't they trying to recruit yet...

As Audrey was in thought, Susie comnted happily from the side, "Audrey, I feel like she's the sa type of person as us. No, I an the sa type of dog. No, that's not right... Woof!"

Susie, who only had a rudintary grasp of the human language, fell into a state of confusion, unable to find the right words to describe her feelings.

...

South of the Bridge, Rose Street, outside the Harvest Church. @@@@

Klein, in his normal disguise, looked up at the Sacred Emblem of Life on the facade, held his cane, climbed the steps, and stepped through the main door.

The first thing he had to do was to confirm the situation.

Only by doing this could he perform better so as to ingeniously rescue the vampire, Emlyn White, without garnering suspicion. Then, as a detective who had provided clues, he could receive the gratitude from the White family and gain the applause of an audience.

It was bound to be an interesting performance.

The Harvest Church wasn't big, as it only had a prayer hall. Klein found a spot by the aisle and looked ahead as he took off his hat.

Bishop Utravsky was preaching. His height of more than 2.2 ters, and his burly physique, which couldn't be concealed by his loose priest robes, gave off an extre sense of oppression.

However, his expression was one of extre gentleness, filled with appreciation and gratitude towards life.

In front of such a "priest," no one dared to cause a ruckus. The few believers quietly listened, occasionally making prayer gestures unique to the Church of Mother Earth.

Klein watched carefully, waiting patiently, neither conceited nor rash.

As the sermon ended, he gripped his cane and prepared to get up to proceed with his subsequent plans.

At this mont, a man wearing the priest robes of the Church of Mother Earth entered from the door that led to the room at the back of the cathedral.

He looked twenty-eight or twenty-nine-years-old, had black hair and red eyes, possessing a high nose and thin lips. He was handso but didn't give off masculine vibes. He was none other than Emlyn White.

Klein's mouth gaped a little and nearly failed to close it.

Isn't this guy supposed to be locked up in the basent?

Wasn't he shouting about how determined he was, that he would absolutely not submit to Bishop Utravsky's will?

Emlyn White distributed the communion to one believer after another, and he finally stopped in front of Klein.

Klein's mind whirred, and he imdiately in a low voice, "Are you Emlyn White? Your parents entrusted my friend to look for you.

"Why are you here? Did you encounter sothing? Are you in need of assistance?"

Emlyn White didn't seem to have his unique pride and said with a smile that only looked slightly better than crying, "There's no need; I will be returning ho soon."

He pursed his lips, shook his head, and forced a smile, saying, "I am already a believer of Mother Earth, no—a priest."

This answer was completely out of Klein's expectations. For a mont, he didn't know how to respond, and he could only shout repeatedly in his mind:Hey, you were very adamant about your worship of the moon the last ti we interacted at the Harvest Church. You said that you would absolutely not convert to believing in Mother Earth. How long has it been, and you have already given in?

Isn't that way too fast?

What about your persistence? Where's your moral integrity?

My carefully prepared performance has been forced to end before it has even begun.

Th-this is just taking by surprise!

Klein opened his mouth and suddenly realized sothing amiss.

Why is Emlyn White informing of his conversion?

I'm just a detective who accidentally chanced upon him while passing by...

Does he wish for to pass this ssage to his parents?

Is there another aning behind this?

While Klein was guessing, Emlyn White put away his worried and smiled smugly.

"You don't have to act, Mister Detective.

"Or should I call you the new owner of the Master Key?

"Hehe, to a noble Sanguine, everyone has a different sll and has different blood characteristics. Even when I was locked up in the basent, I could sll it. I rember your sll."

-x-X-x-

I've been recognized!

Klein instantly fell into shock as he nearly entered combat mode.

Even if he didn't use his Spirit Vision, he could tell from Emlyn White's tone and words that he wasn't lying. He was very confident and certain.

Just as the tense feelings rose in him, Klein suddenly thought of sothing.

Why should I worry about that?

Then, he answered his own question in his mind, So what if I was recognized? The current situation is different from what it was two months ago!

I was left flustered by the incident with Ambassador Bakerland in front of the official Beyonders. I was rushing around, trying to grasp at every possible straw. In the process, I ended up making contact with Beyonder circles, and even the possibility of becoming a Beyonder was quite plausible. Therefore, even if my identity as a Beyonder was exposed, they wouldn't think too deeply about it and dig up my past.

And it's very likely that Detective Isengard Stanton is a Beyonder, and he maintains good relations with the police and the official Beyonder organizations. He had speculated that I was the sa as him and tried to gently rope in. In this regard, I can barely be counted as a borderline mber of the official Beyonders, and if anything were to happen, I wouldn't necessarily be imprisoned.

More importantly, I have already made my current image so deeply ingrained that I don't have to worry about any wanted posters. If anything goes wrong, then I can just abandon 15 Minsk Street and my identity as Sherlock Moriarty!

So, what's there to worry about?

Yes, before I ca here, I had also perford a divination, and the revelation was that there was almost no danger.

As these thoughts flashed across his mind, Klein's contracted pupils, slightly appalled expression, and his fight or flight state eased, as if he was discussing the day's weather with Emlyn White.

Seeing his calm expression, Emlyn White raised his eyebrows, took a few steps to the side, and squeezed past him before slowly sitting to his side.

The vampire looked at Bishop Utravsky, who was leading the believers in the rite of Holy Communion, and he said with a sneer, "Mister Detective, aren't you afraid that I'll go to the police station and shout out loud that you're a Beyonder?"

Similarly, Klein looked forward and said without turning his head, "I'll go with you and shout out loud that there's a vampire!"

Co on, let's have an internecine outco! Do you think I'm afraid of you!?

Emlyn White's expression stiffened, he raised his right index finger and said, "Sanguine, a noble Sanguine! Got it?"

Before Klein could speak, seeing that Bishop Utravsky was preoccupied with the rites of Holy Communion, Emlyn White chuckled and said, "Regardless, I'm finally going to be free.

"I pretended to submit and told the old man that I was willing to convert to believing in Mother Earth and was deeply penitent for what I had done. Although I have no idea what was necessary to show repentance, it's not a problem to put on an act.

"That old man actually believed like this, and he was very happy as well. He let out on the spot, and he let beco a priest here. He told that as long as I morized the Holy Bible of the Church of Mother Earth, he would allow to return ho.

"Haha, that old fogey, who's all brawn and has beco silly from his faith, sure is easy to fool!"

Easy to fool? Klein turned his head to look at the vampire, looking smug he looked forward and said, "Father Utravsky used to be a pirate, he probably killed far more people than the number of people your father has ever saved. Furthermore, most pirates don't trust their fellow crew mbers. Betrayal and trickery are common among them. To be a relatively successful pirate able to live to the end, Father Utravsky wouldn't be a person who's easily fooled, even if he's not a bright person."

Emlyn White wore a look of disbelief as he wished to retort. Klein rubbed the top of his cane and leisurely added, "Father has a powerful Sealed Artifact in his possession; it is known as the ntal Terror Candle. It can allow the wielder to enter the deepest recesses of the target's soul. There, no one can lie.

"Moreover, this is only one of its uses. I don't know if it has any other abilities."

Emlyn gradually froze, his eyes losing focus. @@@@

After a dozen seconds, he whispered with a pale expression, "When I said I was willing to change my faith, that old man ca in with a lantern. There was a candle in the lantern, and I didn't get a good look at it..."

Klein tilted his head and gave Emlyn White a sympathetic glance.

"Perhaps Father Utravsky used it to plant a seed in you, one that gradually and thoroughly makes you wholeheartedly believe in Mother Earth."

The corner of Emlyn's mouth twitched, revealing a smile comparable to a zombie's.

"I don't feel anything at all. It shouldn't be anything like you said.

"Besides, aren't my parents coming? They can bla the priest through ordinary people, saying that he forcefully detained , forcing him to make a choice between sullying the Church of Mother Earth's reputation and letting go.

"Isn't that a great idea?"

Klein maintained his look of pity, clasped his hands, and raised them to his nose, acting truly penitent.

"If I were Father Utravsky, I would choose to call the police and have them determine the truth.

"Tell , who do you think will suffer in the end, the bishop who has the right to preach or a vampire?"

"... Sanguine, Sanguine!" Emlyn White's facial muscles seed to twitch.

He clenched his fist and punched the back of the pew in front of him.

"I can wait. Once I morize the Holy Bible, I will ask the old man to let return! He is a truly devout person and will not break his promise!"

Klein didn't turn his head and said with a smile, "I've been to 48 Riverbay Avenue. Your parents have already moved away."

"Naturally. Not only will they move away, they will also move to sowhere I'm not aware of," Emlyn White responded without hesitation.

Klein added with a relatively relaxed tone, "They moved in a hurry. They left a lot of things behind, such as the things in your room."

Emlyn White's expression suddenly beca extrely wonderful. He gaped his mouth, abruptly stood up, squeezed past Klein, and rushed towards Bishop Utravsky who stood in front of the Sacred Emblem of Life.

"Father, Bishop, I want to return ho, I want to return ho, I want to return ho!" Emlyn shouted.

Seeing that there were still believers who hadn't finished their Holy Communion yet, Father Utravsky didn't respond. He rely gave the pitiful vampire a calm look.

Emlyn quickly shut his mouth and beca quiet.

He paced back and forth, looking extrely anxious.

Smiling, Klein stood up, took his cane and hat, and strolled down the aisle to the front pew of the cathedral's hall.

When Holy Communion was over, he walked up to Father Utravsky and said with a serious expression, "Bishop, I don't know why you're retaining Emlyn here, nor do I want to know. I only know one thing—his parents have entrusted to take him back."

If this giant-like priest agrees to my request so easily, I can only light a vigil candle for this vampire, Emlyn. No—I'm sure he will hate candles from this day forth. It's best to mourn for him... Klein secretly thought.

Father Utravsky looked down at them and replied gently, "Emlyn can return ho at any ti."

"..."

Klein gave Emlyn White a glance, raised his right hand, and tapped his chest.

He wanted to gesture the sign of the crimson moon by tapping in a clockwise fashion, but in the end, he forced himself to draw the triangular Sacred Emblem.

Emlyn beca rather anxious from the look Klein gave him. Without a word, he rushed to the door of the cathedral and left without a hitch.

Klein followed him at a moderate pace without any signs of anxiety.

After proceeding forward in what appeared like a jog, Emlyn suddenly slowed down and said in a daze, "I feel like I'm starting to miss the Harvest Church, the feeling of morizing the Holy Bible, and the Sacred Emblem of Life. I wish to return to clean and tidy the place. It'll only take an hour, an hour..."

This planted seed is even more "vicious" than I had imagined. No matter where this vampire goes, he will return to the Harvest Church every day and work for an hour? That's actually quite alright. At the very least, the seed, which was planted, didn't change Emlyn's faith. In a way, he's showing him so respect, but why did I use the word 'respect'... That candle is called ntal Terror Candle, and it's said to be from a dragon. The Spectator pathway is rather scary... Klein tapped his cane and said, "Do you need to remind you of anything?"

"There's no need!" Emlyn's expression distorted as he angrily said, "I will fight this feeling! I'm going to move to Midseashire or Feysac. I don't believe that I'd still wish to return when I've left Backlund!"

He gritted his teeth and suddenly exhaled.

"Let's take the carriage back to Riverbay Avenue."

"Alright," Klein responded nonchalantly.

After a few steps, Emlyn stopped a rental carriage.

Just as he was about to board the carriage, his back stiffened for two seconds. Then, he said so quietly that Klein could barely hear him, "I don't have any money on ."

"I do." Klein smiled.

Emlyn stopped talking and got onto the carriage. Klein sat across him, and as the carriage began to move off, he asked, as if in thought, "Your father is a doctor? One that possesses outstanding skills in drugs and dicine?"

Although he was listless, Emlyn raised his chin out of habit.

"This is the gift that we Sanguine enjoy. The most outstanding potion masters are all from the Sanguine!"

"Is that so..." Klein whispered to himself; his thoughts a mystery.

Emlyn said after a mont of silence, "Write to your friend and tell him that I have returned to Riverbay Avenue. My parents will co looking for ."

"Alright," Klein answered simply.

After nearly twenty minutes, the carriage pulled into Riverbay Avenue and stopped in front of Unit 48.

After paying the fare, Klein got out of the carriage and saw Emlyn White look towards the bedroom, his expression becoming abnormally excited.

Restraining himself, the vampire pressed his hand to his chest and bowed deeply at Klein.

"In any case, I must thank you."

Klein imdiately revealed a smile.

"There's no need to thank .

"The bounty reward of finding you and the transportation fees will be obtained from your parents.

"Also, you have to concoct a dicine with Beyonder effects to help treat a patient.

"This is the reward that your family should pay."

-x-X-x-

Bounty reward, transportation fees, and dicine with Beyonder effects... Emlyn White was left montarily dazed when he first heard that.

This was not the answer that he had expected.

What about your gentlemanliness? the vampire thought in shock.

As a detective, abiding by clear accounting principles is necessary. Besides, you've even delayed my visit to the Quelaag Club. I don't know what food they've offered in limited supply for the past two days... Klein looked at Emlyn White as he joked and lampooned silently.

After a few seconds, Emlyn forced a smile and said, "I have to see the patient before I can concoct the appropriate dicine."

From your tone, you sound really confident... Klein nodded thoughtfully.

He then thought of a problem.

The White family seems to be a family of outstanding potion scholars. If I were to really be injured and poisoned, then I can co to them for treatnt... Wouldn't all of my efforts of going out of my way to get the Apothecary formula from Father Utravsky be for naught? I no longer need to nurture another aide that's good at healing... Reality sure does change faster than a plan...

However, it's not really a waste either. I've already made back my investnt from Miss Magician. For things like formulas, as long as it exists, it will always be valuable...

Besides, the White family will definitely stay away from Riverbay Avenue and live their lives with new secret identities. I might not be able to find them, so it's not that convenient...

No, before the ntal Terror Candle's inducing thoughts are resolved, all I need to do is wait for Emlyn White at the Harvest Church...

With this in mind, Klein took off his hat, bowed and said, "No problem, I will take you there when the ti cos.

"I shall not waste your ti any further. Cheerio."

Emlyn White's expression changed as he hesitantly said, "If you can remove the effect of the ntal Terror Candle, then you will receive a greater bounty, and..." He paused and raised his chin. "... and the friendship of the Sanguine."

I'm a Magician, and I possess the Sun Brooch and Biological Poison Bottle. I'm only limited to diumship when it cos to the aspect of one's psyche, so what can I do? Amongst the people I know, only Miss Justice is a close match, but she's only a Sequence 8 Telepathist... Unless you change your faith to "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era," then we would will be able to find out how to use the knowledge recorded in the Book of Secrets to help you solve this problem through a corresponding ritual... Speaking of which, vampires seed to be worshipers of the primitive moon, very similar to the Shaman King and the like... Could the ancient god recorded in the City of Silver—the Vampire Ancestor, Lilith—be the primitive moon?

Klein said with a smile as his thoughts wandered, "I'll keep a lookout for ways to help you."

Emlyn White nodded and didn't say anything else. He impatiently turned around and rushed to the door.

If it wasn't for the fact that the carriage driver was still nearby, he would've spread his black bat wings and soared directly to the second floor.

Klein laughed and shook his head emotively.

He rode back in the sa rental carriage and arrived at the steam tro not far away. He then made a transfer and returned to Cherwood Borough's 15 Minsk Street.

Before entering the room, Klein, who had beco accustod to opening the letterbox, checked for letters.

To his surprise, there really was a letter.

There was no stamp on the letter. It was addressed to Detective Sherlock Moriarty and was signed off with "Jurgen Cooper."

Lawyer Jurgen? Puzzled, Klein picked up the envelope and tore it open.

Under the light of the street lamp, he saw a piece of paper and two bills.

The denominations of these two notes were one soli and five soli.

A total of six soli... I fed the cat three tis during the period... The agreent was two soli per instance... Realizing the reason, Klein opened the door and lit the gas lamp.

As he unfolded the letter, he discovered that it didn't contain much, and the words that Jurgen had handwritten were as precise and serious as he was.

"Dear Detective Moriarty,

"Thank you for taking care of Brody over the past few days. This is the reward you deserve.

"I rang the doorbell twice and found that you weren't at ho, so I could only put the paynt in an envelope and put it in your letterbox.

"As I might not be able to co back until tomorrow evening, I might miss the verbal agreent which my grandmother promised—tonight.

"As a lawyer, I value the validity of verbal agreents and hope that they will be carried out strictly.

"Finally, thank you once again.

"Jurgen Cooper."

Mr. Lawyer, your gratitude is so dry and boring that it's even inferior to Brody's, but the explanation for your behavior is very detailed. It really fits the Jurgen style... Also, why place it in my mailbox? If this were Earth, in the ti before I transmigrated, I might not even look at the mailbox downstairs for months... Klein smiled as he folded the bills and placed them in his pocket. Then, he took out a sheet of paper and wrote to Detective Stuart.

After writing the beginning pleasantries, he wrote after so deliberation:

"... I found Emlyn White at the Harvest Church near Tuteva Street. It's a very small cathedral belonging to the Church of Mother Earth. It isn't very common in Loen... Emlyn White claid that it was because of certain matters that he chose to run away from ho. Afterwards, he was taken in by the bishop of the Harvest Church and stayed there, becoming a..."

Klein thought for a mont before writing down the word "volunteer."

Then he added simply:

"Thanks to my persuasion, he has returned to 48 Riverbay Avenue. However, he might visit the Harvest Church often for volunteer work."

When he was done, Klein read through it, then he put down the pen and neatly folded the letter.

He rummaged around for an envelope, but he didn't affix the corresponding stamp. He planned to hire soone to deliver it directly to Stuart's house the next day.

If he were to go through the Kingdom's postal system, even if he were to put the letter in the mailbox now, he wouldn't be able to get it taken away by the postman until tomorrow, and then there would be the process of sorting and delivering it. So, although he was also in the royal capital of Backlund, Stuart would have to wait at least until the day after next before seeing the letter. Only then would the Whites be notified. And during this period of ti, Emlyn White was a penniless guy with only his figurines.

This is also for the sake of receiving paynt early... Klein chuckled, tidied up the coffee table, and returned to the second floor to brush his teeth and take a bath.

...

On Wednesday morning, after spending two soli and entrusting a rental carriage driver to deliver the letter, Klein bought so of the main ingredients for Desi seafood rice, intending to cook fried rice today.

He couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva when he thought of the pearly white rice.

After spending so ti, he finally cooked a pot of fragrant fried rice with bacon and black tea after going through all sorts of hassles in the kitchen. It was so delicious that tears almost filled his eyes.

This is truly a moving and nostalgic taste... After eating two large plates of fried rice, Klein sat down on the chair and rubbed his belly.

As Emlyn White's situation had too many twists and turns, his performance had already ended before it had even really begun, and he couldn't achieve the desired goal. Thus, he could only look for another opportunity to take the initiative for a performance.

However, Klein still benefited from this. Failure was also an experience, and it made him understand at least one thing:

Unlike ordinary magicians, my performance not only has aides, but it also has enemies and participants. Their reactions and choices can similarly affect its developnt. I have to consider all of these elents ahead of ti...

This is also a lesson. It's better to be taught a lesson over such a trivial matter than to be schooled when facing important matters...

Klein looked at the empty plate in front of him and contemplated about what other "performances" he could initiate.

After a mont of serious consideration, he realized that there weren't any.

Of course, it wasn't absolute. They were just unsuitable for him to do them now. @@@@

For example, Klein had always wanted to take care of that evil spirit in the Fourth Epoch ruins of the Tudor Dynasty. But even if it was Sharron, who had the Scarlet Lunar Corona, and Maric, who had obtained the Rampager Beyonder characteristic of a Wraith, Klein didn't think that they were able to fight against the High-Sequence monster. It was even possible to end up dead before even knowing why.

Taking the initiative to perform isn't equivalent to courting death. It's not about using one's life to perform... Klein warned himself.

There was sothing else he wanted to do, but he didn't think there was much of a chance.

It was to find the strange child, Will Auceptin, who had brought bad luck to the surgeon, Aaron.

Klein had always been interested in the tarot card which the child possessed, and he wanted to confirm if it was a mystical item.

Unfortunately, this case had already been taken over by the Nighthawks, and Klein didn't want to get involved with his forr colleagues.

I'll wait for Dr. Aaron's break ti before heading to the Quelaag Club and asking about the progress, and then I'll decide what to do... Klein's thoughts quickly took shape.

According to what he knew, Dr. Aaron was usually free on Friday afternoons and Sundays in which he would play tennis at the Quelaag Club.

Klein had also confird one thing through today's Backlund Morning Post. There would be a Beyonder gathering tomorrow night organized by Eye of Wisdom.

I can't sell the Werewolf Beyonder characteristic or the Biological Poison Bottle for the ti being. I can't even find soone to turn the forr into a mystical item... The High-Sequence Beyonders of the Rose School of Thought are definitely still active nearby, filled with rage. I bet they can't wait to find Sharron, Maric, and their helper before tearing them apart... He had to keep a low profile in this area for the ti being... Klein picked up his napkin, wiped his mouth, and began to clear the table.

He had wanted to rest for the day and go to the Quelaag Club for a leisurely day without taking the initiative to perform, but then he recalled the Amon avatar which attempted to penetrate the gray fog, and he recalled the role that the Book of Secrets had played in that harrowing mont.

So Klein lit the fireplace in the living room and brought the Book of Secrets back to the real world. He then concentrated on reading, studying, and taking notes.

Of course, he would later burn the corresponding notes above the gray fog.

It was already noon before he realized it when he suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

After hiding the Book of Secrets, Klein entered the living room and went straight to the door.

The visitor was the thin, bearded Detective Stuart.

He looked at Klein with great reverence and excitent, and he couldn't wait to praise him.

"You really are a great detective with abundant resources and channels. You were actually able to solve this kind of case without any clues!"

... Why do I feel a slight change in my spirituality? It seems like the potion has been digested a little more... In other words, my "performance" still enjoyed so limited success. However, there's only one person in the audience, and only he was fooled into seeing the wonderful outco... An audience's applause really is effective...Klein was startled before he revealed a warm smile.

-x-X-x-

"No, it's just good luck. God was watching over ." Klein modestly stepped aside and invited Stuart in.

What he said was the truth, and this matter did involve good luck. Long before Stuart had accepted the mission, he already knew of Emlyn White's whereabouts.

Stewart shivered as he took off his coat and hat and hung them on a rack in the hall.

"The darn weather is getting colder. Perhaps I should try using those coats with cotton stuffed inside them," he said.

"You can't call this cold, right? If you go to the north of Midseashire and live in Winter County for a day, you'll understand what truly low temperatures and true winter are like." Klein chuckled.

Then, he generously asked, "A cup of hot coffee?"

"I would love one." Stuart followed him to the activity room on the first floor. "I've been to north Midseashire, and I know about the cold and the snow there. It was a nice vacation, but Backlund's cold isn't inferior either. It went through my clothes like magic and seeped into my bones. Oh, what a wonderful fireplace!"

Stuart stood in front of the burning fireplace for twenty seconds before he sat down on the sofa. He looked at Klein, who was busy brewing instant coffee, and he said, "I'm going south for a holiday to go fishing at Desi Bay for new year's. What about you? Do you have any vacation plans? We put up with Backlund's air for a year and work hard to save money, all for such a holiday."

"Perhaps, I should head to Desi Bay as well..." Klein said hesitantly. He turned his head to the side of Stuart's face, and for a mont, he seed to be in a trance.

This involved an agreent.

An appointnt with his elder brother, Benson, and sister, lissa.

"Haha, I'll show you my fishing skills when the ti cos." Stuart continued without end, "We still aren't rich enough, otherwise I'd like to travel to Feysac, Intis, and even to the Southern Continent."

After he finished making the coffee, Klein handed the man a white porcelain cup. He took two steps back and sat down across from him.

Holding the cup in his hand, Stuart took two deep breaths of the fragrant and warm steam.

After resting for a few seconds, he put the cup down and said very formally, "According to our agreent, I'll share the reward I received this ti with you.

"The Whites gave a total of fifty pounds, and you obviously did more than I did.

"Sherlock, how about thirty pounds? I still have to pay my informants for their work."

Only fifty pounds? A vampire is only worth fifty pounds? Klein couldn't help but silently lampoon.

But he also knew that it wasn't that the Whites didn't want to increase the bounty; it was because they were worried about giving too much money and scaring the detectives into making unnecessary associations, attracting the attention of the police or so official Beyonder organization.

To the average private detective, a fifty-pound mission was already tempting enough, and Klein had only used seven pounds back then to hire detectives to investigate all the red chimney houses in the whole of Tingen City and the towns along its outskirts.

"In addition, the Whites gave you an extra pound, claiming its for your transportation expenses for the past few days." Looking sowhat puzzled, Stuart produced six five-pound notes and one one-pound note.

Klein reached out to take them, casually checked their authenticity and didn't explain the transportation fees.

Stuart didn't ask any further questions and instead said with a smile, "Apart from Mr. Stanton, you're the best detective I've ever t. Did you join this profession midway, or have you studied under a great detective prior to this?"

What great detective have I studied under? There's quite a number. There's Sherlock Hols, Hercule Poirot, the forever elentary school student 1 , and that guy who swindles others in the na of his grandfather 2 ... Klein silently lampooned.

He thought and said, "I co from Midseashire, and I did various jobs before I beca a detective."

"That's why you're so rich in knowledge and experience!" Stuart said in enlightennt.

Hey, I'm a bit embarrassed by your flattery... Klein smiled but didn't respond.

Stuart took a sip of his coffee and said, "Sherlock, I hope you can provide with help in the future if I encounter a difficult case that I'm unable to solve."

My social connections in the detective circles have widened... Klein replied cautiously, "If I have the ti when the ti cos."

After so idle conversation, Stuart tactfully offered to take his leave, and Klein accompanied him to the door.

After putting on his coat and hat, Stuart was about to open the door and leave when he suddenly turned around and sincerely said, "Sherlock, you live too simply.

"Your talent deserves better coffee."

Ah? Klein was stunned for a mont, but then he imdiately felt a bit embarrassed.

He laughed dryly and said, "I can't tell the quality of the coffee. It's all the sa to ."

...

After sending Stuart off, Klein went to the butcher's to buy a few ox bones and so beef. He went to the vegetable shop to buy so ingredients such as white radish, rounding up all the required condints.

He wanted to prepare beef bone radish soup for dinner and eat it with the leftover rice. As for noon, he found a random restaurant on the streets and ate a small serving of lamb chop.

After a leisurely afternoon, Klein continued to study the Book of Secrets, and the more he read, the more he realized that he knew little about mysticism.

Fortunately, he had a solid foundation. He quickly grasped many things once he ca into contact with them and pondered over them.

In the evening, he slled the tantalizing fragrance of the beef bone soup, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down twice.

He heard the doorbell again, as though it was a bugle to signal dinner ti.

Gulping down his saliva, Klein walked behind the door and reached for the handle.

The image of the visitor naturally appeared in his mind. It was the handso but not masculine red-eyed vampire, Emlyn White.

There's no need to rush him at all... What a man of his word... Klein opened the door and smiled.

"Good evening, Mr. White"

Emlyn raised his chin, letting his impatience show in his expression.

He was about to say sothing when Klein looked at his brown clerical robes and said with a knowing smile, "You just ca over from the Harvest Church?"

Who was the one who said he could resist last night?

Unable to maintain his gentlemanly deanor, Emlyn gritted his teeth and said, "That old man, that old man...

"Dammit, how do I get rid of this inducing suggestion?"

Before Klein could reply, he patted the clothes on his chest and said with a stern face, "Take to the patient.

"There's a good dinner waiting for ."

As he spoke, he sniffed indiscernibly, as if he had slled sothing.

Klein picked up his coat and hat without saying another word.

"Alright, I'll take you there now."

After closing the door and taking a few steps, he cautiously asked, "Do you have a certificate to practice dicine?"

How else am I supposed to convince Lawyer Jurgen to allow Mrs. Doris to take the dicine?

Emlyn looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and said, "I don't need those papers to prove my abilities."

Before Klein frowned, he casually added, "It's too simple. I obtained it easily by going through the process."

... This tone makes it sounds like he's rather proud of receiving a certificate for practicing dicine... Klein smiled without a word.

Looking at the wet ground in front of him, Emlyn casually said, "Do you know what I like most about Backlund?"

"What?" Klein responded without any curiosity.

Emlyn chuckled and said, "The persistent gloomy sky with fog that blots out the sun. This allows to go out during the day without feeling too much discomfort.

"It's great, except for the air."

In other words, the sun really would deal certain damage to vampires? Fortunately, I thought of this yesterday and didn't bring the Sun Brooch with ; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to communicate with Emlyn...

Klein seed to gain an understanding.

As they conversed, they had already arrived outside the Jurgens, and Klein went up to ring the doorbell.

After a while, the door opened, and Mrs. Doris, who was dressed thickly at ho, said with pleasant surprise, "Mr. Detective, I wasn't expecting you?"

Brody the black cat crouched to the side, looking at Emlyn warily, as though it felt that sothing was amiss about him.

Klein pointed to the vampire beside him.

"I beca acquainted with a doctor who's good at treating lung diseases, so I've asked him to co and give you a checkup. Let do the introductions. This is Dr. Emlyn White."

"Is that so? You still actually rembered this? What a good child!" Doris happily invited the two inside.

Child... Klein's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything in the end.

On the way into the living room, Emlyn whispered, "The patient's problems are irreversible. She's very old and rather weak.

"Even if I give her the dicine, she would only be able to live through this winter. She would pass away in three to five years.

"Unless she's given an immortal potion or the like as spoken in the legends, that's all that can be done. Or should I turn her into a Sanguine? But at her age, she can no longer endure the changes a Beyonder characteristic can do to her body. Furthermore, my parents and I don't have any excess characteristics left."

Irreversible... Klein was startled and silently sighed.

He said to Emlyn, "Make her the dicine first. We'll leave that to after the winter."

"Alright, I have a type of ready-made dicine with that's suitable for this kind of situation." Emlyn didn't stand on ceremony as he sat down on the sofa.

At that mont, Lawyer Jurgen was walking out of the kitchen as he took off his apron. He asked Klein about the purpose of his visit.

"Dr. White, what do you think of my grandmother's lung disease?" Jurgen asked seriously.

Emlyn was obviously very experienced in such situations. He first explained the ins and outs of lung disease, and after most of it flew past Jurgen's head, he said, "What she needs most is warm and healthy air. That's my most sincere advice.

"In addition, I have special dicine that she can take for free."

As he spoke, he took out his certificate and a small tal bottle.

"Will there be any side effects?" Jurgen asked cautiously.

"No, the only problem is that it can't cure the root of the problem completely; it's just a temporary cure," Emlyn replied in a very professional manner. "If it weren't for Detective Moriarty, I wouldn't let anyone try it."

"Perhaps I can give it a try? Cough..." Mrs. Doris interrupted.

Jurgen glanced at Klein who, having perford a divination prior to this, nodded affirmatively.

"Alright." Jurgen finally made his decision.

He watched warily as Mrs. Doris drank the bottle of dicine and carefully observed her reaction.

There wasn't much change to Mrs. Doris at first, but she gradually began to feel her breathing lighten.

She stood up and bent down to pick up the cat. She happily said, "I feel much better!"

Seeing this scene, Jurgen's usually stoic face had his lips curl up slightly.

However, Klein was thinking about the three to five years.

He curled a smile and sighed to himself.

This can also be considered a type of magic show, I guess. Using Beyonder powers to create fake outcos to make the audience happy...

-x-X-x-

After waiting for more than half an hour and confirming that nothing unexpected had happened, Klein and Emlyn White left Lawyer Jurgen's house and proceeded in silence, each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts. Soon, they arrived outside 15 Minsk Street.

The vampire, Emlyn White, put his fist to his mouth, coughed lightly, and said, "The paynt has been paid. I hope we won't et again in the future."

That sounds pretty cool, but Mr. White, have you forgotten sothing important?Klein smiled politely.

"I will visit Bishop Utravsky every now and then, and I hope you will not be at the Harvest Church when the ti cos.

"That way, I don't have to busy myself with finding a way to solve the inducing suggestion planted in your psyche."

Emlyn White's expression suddenly beca very strange. He stayed silent for two seconds before he raised his chin and said, "We have many powerful mysticologists among the Sanguine. I will write to them for help."

After he finished speaking, he pressed his hand to his chest and bowed to bid farewell.

Turning around and taking a few steps, he suddenly slowed down, turned his head, and asked hesitantly, "What were you cooking over here?"

"Beef bone radish soup, with rice and chili peppers from the Feynapotter highlands," Klein said in anticipation as he breathed in the fragrance drifting out from the house.

Emlyn frowned and shook his head.

"Chili peppers aren't things fancied by the Sanguine."

Frankly speaking, it's hard for to imagine a vampire eating chili peppers. Of course, I occasionally imagine a vampire holding a stead bun and chewing on garlic and onions... Klein silently lampooned, pointed to the door, and indicated that he was about to enjoy his dinner.

Emlyn White thought for a second, lowered his voice, and said in deliberation, "Last night, I thought over things for a long ti and found out that you actually didn't do anything, so why are you asking for compensation? That old man would've let leave at any mont."

Klein chuckled.

"No, that's not how the accounts are done. Your parents assigned a mission to find you, not to save you. In the end, I found you. According to the agreent, the reward should belong to .

"Besides, if I hadn't reminded you, you might've stayed in Harvest Church for weeks or months before you realized that you were free to leave. Furthermore, you wouldn't have noticed the seed planted in your mind."

"Are you hinting that my intelligence isn't up to par?" Emlyn's face twisted.

No, I'm saying it directly... Klein smiled but didn't say anything else. He just opened the door and went straight to the kitchen, his mind full of the clear and alluring soup, the white rice, the soft yet chewy beef, the marrow hidden deep in the bones, the sweet, refreshing radishes with aty flavors, and the shredded chili from the Feynapotter highlands.

In the spicy-hot shreds, there were also pink rose salt and green parsley leaves.

...

On Thursday morning, as promised, Klein went to the value-for-money coffee shop in East Borough.

Old Kohler, who was still wearing the sa thick jacket as before, was sitting in a corner, matching tea that barely tasted like tea with a loaf of black bread.

Klein ca in front of him, took out the things he had prepared long ago, and pushed them towards him.

It was paynt consisting of two five-soli notes, four one-soli notes, and a handful of copper pennies specially designed to increase the effect of the paynt.

Old Kohler stared straight at them for quite a while before finally reaching out his right hand to take them with a tremble.

He looked at the money over and over again, raised his hand to wipe his eyes, and squeezed out a smile.

"At the dock, we carry the heavy goods and do so troubleso cleaning with our feet in the cold and dirty water, only for one soli a day..."

And there was a total of 15 soli here!

Klein listened in silence. A few seconds later, he said, "What have you heard recently? What did you notice?"

Old Kohler put away his paynt, took another sip of his tea, pinched the corners of his eyes and said, "I've t a lot of dockworkers, and I've reconnected with friends I used to know when I was a tramp. So of them have found employnt in factories, and so of them have been switching between the workhouse and the parks. Heh, just like how I was in the past.

"Recently, there has been a rumor from who-knows-where that since we believe in one of the seven gods, why don't we directly pray to the Creator of everything? It's said that 'He' didn't truly pass away, and he remains in everyone's body and in all things. @@@@

"Praying to 'Him' will result in our redemption. Not only will we enter 'His' kingdom after death, but we will also have a better life before death. For example, we don't need to work so hard, and we can have butter and oily at every day."

This... Is this so theory the Aurora Order has spread about the Fallen Creator? After what happened to Lanevus, they've begun to pay attention to the poor in East Borough, the dock area, and the factory district, hoping to use them for certain purposes? I wonder if the three Churches have noticed this... They probably have...Klein tucked a piece of butter between two slices of toast and took a bite without knowing what to expect.

Old Kohler went on for a while before saying, "Mr. Detective, according to your instructions, I paid attention to the female textile workers. In the end, with the help of the police, their struggles failed, but, heh heh, the leaders beca the factory's supervisors, and a third of them lost their jobs.

"So of them are actively looking for new jobs, so have beco street girls, and so have gone off sowhere. The entire East Borough is in chaos."

If this was the situation when Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos ca to Backlund, he could co to East Borough to kill one or two people every day without anyone discovering or noticing the act... Klein sighed in his heart.

Old Kohler continued to recount what he saw and heard daily before saying, "By the way, Liv's youngest daughter has gone missing."

"Liv?" Klein was certain that he had never heard of the na.

Old Kohler then said in realization, "She's the laundry maid you and Mr. Reporter t last ti, the one who was arguing with soone. She was always at ho doing the washing with her two daughters, but yesterday, when her two daughters were returning ho from delivering the laundry, one of them ended up missing. The younger one, what a pity. She's been a widow for years, and she has always been counting on her two daughters, and now... Sigh, the police in East Borough definitely won't look too hard for her."

Unlucky people tend to et with even worse situations because they have no ability to resist danger or change their environnt... This phrase suddenly flashed through Klein's mind.

After a few seconds of stone-like silence, he said, "Take to see them. I'm a detective, so maybe I can help them find her."

"... They have no money," Old Kohler reminded him.

Klein picked up his hat and cane and said, "I occasionally do volunteer work too."

...

Cherwood Borough, in the apartnt which the two ladies originally rented.

Xio had resud her life as a bounty hunter, and Fors hastened the pace of her new book, hoping to save the money needed for the Beyonder ingredients required by the Trickmaster potion.

But writing a book wasn't sothing one could write that easily. Fors scratched her hair irritably and decided to go out for a walk to seek out inspiration.

As she walked, she found that she had unknowingly returned to a familiar place.

Diagonally ahead of her was the Yosifov Clinic, a fairly large private clinic where she had first worked.

After staring at it for a while, Fors thought of the old lady who had guided her into the Beyonder world. She turned into a small alley on the right and took a shortcut to a nearby street.

The two sides of the street had leaves fluttering down the parasol tree. It was a relatively quiet place.

Fors rembered that the old lady lived at Unit 39. Back then, she would occasionally visit personally to deliver dicine, give injections, or even to help with the daily chores.

It's almost been three years. That place should've been rented out again. There might have been several changes in tenants... I still rember when I ca to tidy up the items she left behind. I discovered many notebooks about mysticism...

Fors walked under the nearly barren parasol tree and slowly approached Unit 39.

As she recalled her past experiences, she gradually gained so inspiration for writing.

At that mont, she saw an old man in a heavy woolen coat and a black half top hat standing in front of Unit 39. He had rung the bell three tis.

After a few minutes, seeing that no one was opening the door, the old man with blue eyes shook his head and turned around. He whispered in puzzlent, "Still no one..."

He suddenly noticed Fors who was looking at him from nearby. He hurriedly walked over, gently and urgently smiled, and said, "Beautiful lady, do you live in this district? Do you know Laubero and Aulisa?"

Aulisa? Isn't that the old lady's na? There haven't been any tenants in this house lately? After so deliberation, Fors said, "I don't know if the Mrs. Aulisa I know is the one you're looking for. She lived here for a long ti, but she passed away three years ago."

"Passed away three years ago? What about Laubero?" the old man with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes hurriedly asked.

"Her husband passed away even earlier than she did," Fors answered honestly.

The elder was montarily stunned before revealing a sorrowful expression.

After a mont of silence, he said, "Thank you, good lady.

"I am the elder brother of Laubero, and I've been living in Midseashire all this ti. As I haven't received any letters from them for a long ti, I decided to co and pay them a visit.

"Can you tell what happened to them in the past few years?"

Mrs. Aulisa's husband's elder brother... Could he be a descendant of the family she spoke of? Fors suddenly snapped to her senses and replied with a smile, "No problem.

She quickly thought through what she could and couldn't say.

The elder pointed behind him and said, "There's quite a nice coffee shop over there."

...

Klein once again stepped into the humid room of a slightly old apartnt in East Borough.

He saw the woman who had quarreled with the street girl last ti over her contempt towards her profession. She was standing in a pile of clothes. Her wrinkled face had lost a lot of its spirit, she lost her laborious drive, and she looked lifeless.

As for her eldest daughter, the seventeen to eighteen-year-old girl who was sitting by the bed and washing clothes, she kept sobbing.

"It's all my fault. I didn't watch over her properly...

"I shouldn't have taken her into the secluded alley.

"She even said that she was going to learn a few more words at the free school tonight.

"It's my fault, it's all my fault...."

Liv suddenly regained her senses and turned to look at her eldest daughter. She wiped away her sad expression and berated her fiercely, "What are you crying for? Get up and wash the clothes!

"Do you want to starve? Do you plan on not even being able to attend the free school?"

After screaming, she saw Klein and Old Kohler at the door.

"Old Kohler... This is?" she asked doubtfully.

-x-X-x-

Old Kohler seed to be a slightly afraid of her ferocity as he subconsciously took a step back.

"Liv, this is a detective, and he w-wishes to help you find Daisy."

Liv's wrinkled, peeling face turned to Klein and said coldly, "We've already made a police report."

Although she was perhaps in her thirties, she looked to be in her fifties.

Klein looked around the room where many wet clothes hung. He vaguely rembered the last ti he was here. There had been a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, carefully holding a crude homade iron to iron the clothes which had wrinkled from being hung to dry. Her hands had been covered with burns.

She's the "missing" Daisy... Klein looked back at the laundry maid, Liv, and said in a neutral tone, "Do you believe that the East Borough police will really be looking for Daisy?

"Are you sure the people who caused Daisy to go 'missing' wouldn't cast their sights on your family?

"Do you wish to lose another daughter after losing one?"

When the cruel yet heart-wrenching words reached Liv's ears, the indifferent expression on her face slowly crumbled. She turned agape, but she couldn't say anything. The corners of her eyes gradually turned red.

She abruptly lowered her head and muttered to herself in pain and despair, "I don't have any money..."

The room suddenly beca silent. Even the sobbing girl didn't make another sound.

Klein pursed his lips and let out a silent sigh.

"I occasionally do volunteer work, simply to help others. Heh heh, I haven't done so in a long ti, so please give a chance."

"Volunteer work?" Liv lifted her head and ruminated over the phrase.

Klein nodded slightly and answered, "The job will be done pro bono. No, it is not completely free either. Kindness will bring great satisfaction.

"Since you have no other solutions, why not give it a try?"

Liv was silent for a mont. She raised her hand, which had wrinkled from being soaked in water for an extended period of ti, wiped her eyes, and said in a low voice, "Mr. Detective, you... you really are a kind and good gentleman..."

Her voice suddenly beca choked with sobs.

"... This was what happened—at midday before yesterday, at noon, Daisy delivered a load of washed laundry under Freja's lead. It was just outside East Borough, and they needed to cross several streets.

"In order to rush back for lunch, Freja had chosen a secluded alley, but a montary distraction left her realizing that Daisy, who had been following her, was gone.

"She retraced her route but never found Daisy, and Daisy hasn't co back yet.

"Where did this happen, Freja?"

The girl nad Freja had already stood up, her eyes were red and puffy.

She sobbed and said, "Right here, right here in Broken Axe Lane, Mister Detective. Will Daisy be alright?"

"Probably," Klein replied without much of an expression.

He looked around and asked, "Do you have anything that Daisy often carries? I can borrow a police dog. It has an excellent sense of sll and can be used to find a person based on the lingering scent."

"... No," Liv thought for a mont and said with a sad expression.

Freja once again shed tears. She felt as if the situation had turned into one of despair once again.

Suddenly, she blinked and said, "Wait, there's sothing.

"Daisy's vocabulary book!"

"Vocabulary book?" Old Kohler asked.

Liv sniffed and said, "I make Freja and Daisy attend the free school at night. I can keep washing clothes, but they can't always be doing the sa."

This lady is such a good mother... Klein couldn't help but sigh.

The free classes offered at night were set up by the three major Churches or so charity organizations. From eight to ten o'clock in the evening, the school would be free of charge and would even provide stationery and a certain amount of paper. It was an education that was need-blind, and it would at most involve so religious knowledge. Klein had heard Old Neil ntion that he had once been a teacher for the Church of the Evernight Goddess for several years.

Because there were very few people who volunteered to be teachers in the free school, a unique teaching thod was established. Teachers would arrive early, gather the few students who had the best academic progress, imbue them with the content for that day's class, and then put them in charge of teaching the different classes. The teachers would supervise, correcting any mistakes. It was called a "tutorial system."

Corresponding to the free classes were the free organizations such as the technical workers' workshop, which were truly accessible to the poor, and one of the few outlets to escape from poverty.

Unfortunately, there were too few similar organizations, and it was difficult for them to play a substantial role.

At this mont, the sobbing Freja added, "Daisy liked studying very much. She was made the tutor of her class by her teacher. She would put together the vocabulary words she had copied and hugged them in her bed every day. She would wake up early and go out into the street to recite them under the light of dawn. She's always found it regretful that there are no street lamps around here..."

As she spoke, Freja rushed back to the bunk bed and took out a stack of crumpled paper from under the tattered pillow.

Due to it being in a humid environnt for extended periods of ti, the words that were copied on it had already smudged.

The edges of the sheets of paper were worn out, as though they had been turned over and over by soone for a long ti.

"Mister Detective, i-is this okay?" Freja handed Klein the so-called vocabulary book, which had no binding at all, and anxiously asked.

"Yes," Klein answered very simply.

He wasn't trying to comfort Freja. Although it wasn't the kind of items Daisy carried around all the ti, it was sothing that had accompanied her all this while. Moreover, it had been projected with Daisy's strong will. It was excellent for using it as dowsing to seek her out.

He casually flipped through the vocabulary book and said, "Then I'll start taking action. The earlier I find Daisy, the better."

Liv and Freja were unable to find words to describe their feelings. All they could do was watch as Klein and Old Kohler leave, repeating the words "thank you," "thank you, Mr. Detective," and "thank you, good gentleman."

After leaving the apartnt, Klein turned to Old Kohler and said, "You should pay attention to those female textile workers who lost their jobs, especially those who have neither found new jobs nor beco street girls, and pay more attention to those who have gone off to unknown places...

"Pay attention to your own safety. Ask less and listen more. If you do this well, you'll get a bonus."

"Alright!" Old Kohler nodded heavily.

He didn't imdiately bid farewell. After hesitating for a mont, he asked with a tone full of expectation, "You'll find Daisy, won't you, Mister Detective?"

"I can only say that I will do my best." Klein didn't make any guarantees.

Old Kohler sighed and smiled bitterly.

"I've lost my child, so I'm very unwilling to see this sort of thing happen..."

He waved his hand and walked towards another street.

Klein left the area at a leisurely pace, wrapping Daisy's "vocabulary book" around the head of the cane and, without attracting any attention, completed a "Dowsing Rod Seeking."

There are results. Towards the northwest... For the ti being, It's not possible to confirm if I'm suffering any interference or misdirection... He looked down at the direction in which the cane was going to fall and put out his palm to steady it.

According to the revelation, Klein went all the way out of East Borough and hired a rental carriage.

Half an hour later, the carriage, which occasionally changed directions, stopped at Iris Street, near Cherwood Borough and West Borough. It stopped in front of a house with a vast lawn, a wide garden, a small fountain square, and a marble statue.

At this mont, Klein's cane had fallen down inside the carriage and was aid straight at that direction!

Through the window, Klein could see the guards patrolling inside the gates and ferocious dogs with their tongues out.

The security inside was quite tight.

More importantly, even without using divination, his spiritual intuition made him sense that there was great danger hidden within!

What is this place? How can Daisy's disappearance involve such a dangerous place?Klein thought for a few seconds, then he told the carriage driver to keep going. @@@@

The carriage driver replied with so surprise, "Sir, are you not here to visit Mr. Capim?"

Capim? The na sounded extrely familiar to Klein.

He smiled and asked, "Why do you think so?"

"There will always be people coming out from East Borough who ride in my carriage all the way here. Heh heh, this is the ho of the rich and powerful Mr. Capim," the carriage driver casually replied.

East Borough... Capim... Tycoon... Klein suddenly rembered who Capim was.

There were many rumors that he was the leader of a bloody criminal organization which was stained with blood. He was involved in the disappearance of many innocent girls!

And in reality, he was a tycoon who knew quite a few important figures.

Without another word, Klein leaned back against the wall and half-closed his eyes.

The horse carriage slowly moved forward. The luxurious villa was left behind as it disappeared from the window.

...

In a small booth in a coffee shop.

Fors already knew that the old man across her was called Lawrence Nord, who ca from Midseashire's Constant City and was a public school teacher.

He didn't know that Mrs. Aulisa's husband was dead, nor that Mrs. Aulisa had inherited his estate and beco a Beyonder, much less know that Mrs. Aulisa had left her relics... Could he also be a Beyonder? Does he have the ability to divine?After taking a sip of Fermo coffee, she organized her words and said, "I was a doctor at the nearby Yosifov Clinic, and Mrs. Aulisa ca to see often. That was when her husband, Mr. Laubero had already passed away...

"... Sotis I would accompany her by chatting with her and helping her do things like...

"So in the end, she made a will, giving her savings and cash. She donated jewelry, books, furniture, and other things to a charity. This was done under the supervision of her assigned law firm."

Fors was telling the truth, but not the whole truth.

Lawrence pinched his forehead and said, "What a pity. I don't understand why Aulisa didn't contact over all those years."

"She didn't ntion your na. She was vaguely dissatisfied with Mr. Laubero's family," Fors replied frankly.

Lawrence fell silent for a mont before saying, "Thank you for informing . It has made understand certain things."

"By the way, where are Laubero and Aulisa buried?"

"Grimm Cetery." Fors took out a pocket watch and gave it a look before saying, "Mr. Lawrence, I still have things to tend to. I should be leaving."

Lawrence didn't stop her. He got up and saw her off.

After sitting down again, he rubbed his temples in distress and silently muttered to himself, Laubero is dead, and he didn't leave any children behind, and I don't know what Aulisa did to his Beyonder characteristic... Richard died at the hands of the Aurora Order... Sam doesn't even wish to contact us at all, having no interest in shouldering the responsibility of the family na...

Will the Abraham family slowly disappear like this?