Ugh! Ugh!
Klein squatted there and couldn't stop himself from vomiting. As he hadn't eaten breakfast, he quickly vomited out all his food.
At this moment, a pewter-colored square flask that resembled a cigarette box appeared in front of him.
The opening of the flask emitted a mixed smell that resembled tobacco, disinfectant, and peppermint leaves. It made Klein's nose choke as he felt energized.
The strong stench still lingered around him, but Klein no longer felt nauseous. His vomiting quickly stopped.
He traced the pewter-colored flask upwards and saw a pale hand that didn't seem alive. He saw the sleeve of a black trench coat and the cold and gloomy Corpse Collector Frye.
"Thank you." Klein had completely recovered. He propped his hands on his knees and stood up again.
Frye nodded without any expression.
"It'll be fine once you get used to it."
He plugged the flask and placed it in his pocket. He turned around and walked to the heavily decomposed corpse of the old woman. Without wearing gloves, he began his inspection. As for Dunn Smith and Leonard Mitchell, they were strolling around the room, occasionally touching the table and newspapers.
Old Neil pinched his nose and stood outside the door, grumbling in a low, muffled voice.
He grumbled in a low, muffled voice, "It's disgusting. I'm applying for a subsidy this month!"
Dunn turned his head and used his black-gloved right hand to touch the dust on the wall beside the fireplace. He looked at Klein.
"Is this place familiar?"
Klein held his breath as he outlined the appearance of his silver pocket watch in his mind, calming his body and mind.
Already in his Spirit Vision state, he immediately had a different feeling. A scene that came from the deepest recesses of his memories flashed before his eyes.
Fireplace, rocking chair, table, newspapers, rusty nails on the door, tin cans inlaid with silver …
The scene was dark and hazy, just like a documentary on Earth, but even more blurry and illusory.
It quickly overlapped with everything that Klein saw. The sense of déjà vu and déjà vu appeared clearly. An illusory and fleeting shout once again penetrated an invisible barrier.
"Hornacis … Flegrea … Hornacis … Flegrea … Hornacis … Flegrea …"
"It's a little familiar," Klein answered honestly. His head was hurting, so he quickly tapped his forehead twice.
Hornacis … The Hornacis mountain range that appeared in the original Lin Li's diary?
That was the content he had deciphered from the Antigonus family's notebook …
The whisper just now was very similar to a previous one. It involved the word Hornacis … Is this a seduction?
Klein was shocked. He didn't dare to think too deeply, fearing that he would lose control.
Dunn nodded slightly and walked to the cabinet. He suddenly reached out and pulled open the wooden door.
The bread inside was covered in mold, and there were seven or eight gray, stiff, furry mice lying dead next to it.
"Leonard, go downstairs and find the patrolling police to figure out the situation here," Dunn ordered his team members.
"Alright." Leonard turned around and left the house.
Dunn then opened the doors of the two bedrooms and searched them carefully.
After he confirmed that he didn't find any clues or the Antigonus family's notebook, Corpse Collector Frye straightened his back and wiped his hands with a white handkerchief he carried with him.
"It has been more than five days since the death. There are no external injuries, nor are there any obvious effects from Beyonder powers. The exact reason will require further investigation."
"Did you discover anything?" Dunn turned to look at Old Neil and Klein.
The duo, who had long left their Spirit Vision state, shook their heads.
"Apart from the dead person, everything here is normal. No, there was an invisible force that sealed the room in the beginning. As you know, we often have similar operations when we use ritualistic magic," Old Neil added after thinking for a few seconds.
Just as Dunn was about to speak, he suddenly looked outside the door. A few seconds later, Klein and Old Neil sensed something as they turned to look at the corner of the staircase.
A few seconds later, the soft footsteps grew louder as Leonard and a police officer walked up.
The police officer's expression changed slightly when he caught a whiff of the stench. He immediately cooperated with his "colleague" from the Special Operations Department to knock on the second floor's door and roughly asked about the situation on the third floor.
Moments later, he, who was wearing a two-V silver epaulet, looked at the corpse on the rocking chair.
"Katie Stephanie Bieber, between 55 and 60 years old. Widow. Lived here with her son, Ray Bieber, for more than ten years."
"Her husband was a jeweler when he was alive. Her son is about 30 years old and doesn't have a wife. He inherited his father's business and earns about one pound and fifteen soli a week. According to their neighbors, they haven't been seen in more than a week."
At this point, Klein already knew what the main point was.
Missing, or to be more precise, Ray Bieber was nowhere to be found!
That ancient notebook might very well be on him!
"Do you have a photo of Ray Bieber?" Dunn looked at the police officer. He was acting as a high-ranking inspector.
However, this couldn't be considered acting, because on the police department's files, he was indeed a high-ranking inspector. His salary and allowance were based on this. Of course, it didn't include the Church's portion.
The police officer shook his head nervously.
"I don't know … We have to return to the station to search. Normally speaking, we can't leave a photo of every guy."
"I understand. Continue asking the residents on the first floor and ask them in detail," Dunn ordered.
Looking at the police officer, he closed the door and turned to Old Neil.
"I'll leave the rest to you. Otherwise, we'll have to let the residents sleep in peace and search for Ray Bieber's appearance in their dreams. Yes, I don't really trust drawings that are based on oral accounts."
Old Neil nodded and took out a few thumb-sized bottles from a hidden pocket at the waist of his black classic robe. He sprinkled the liquid inside in a certain order.
Right on the heels of that, he took out a handful of powder and sprinkled it around himself.
A strange, pungent smell emanated. It wasn't affected by the stench in the room, but Klein suddenly felt an invisible force around Old Neil. It was a force that separated him from the environment and everyone else, just like how the house was previously.
Old Neil half-closed his eyes as his mouth quivered, chanting a deep and indistinct incantation. Klein wasn't prepared for it and only vaguely heard "I pray for the power of the Goddess" and "I look forward to the blessings of the night" …
Whoosh! A sudden gust of wind entered through the window and blew the powder away.
Klein's heart suddenly palpitated as goosebumps protruded all over his skin. He felt an indescribable and extremely terrifying "smell" that he didn't dare to look at directly emanate.
His mind was in a mess, but he was tense and unable to relax. It was as though he had just finished a set of difficult math problems.
Suddenly, Old Neil opened his eyes. His pupils were pitch-black.
He took out a fountain pen from his pocket and scribbled on the waste paper on the table. His movements were so fast that his entire body was trembling.
Klein focused his gaze and saw a face with deep eye sockets and a high nose bridge quickly appear.
After the naturally curly short hair was completed, Old Neil wrote a line of words below the portrait:
"Black hair, dark blue eyes, full porcelain dentures on the left side of the mouth."
Clatter! The fountain pen in Old Neil's hand fell onto the paper as his body convulsed a few times.
"This is the remnant of Ray Bieber's appearance in the room," Old Neil, whose eyes quickly returned to normal, muttered.
Then, he returned to his previous spot and slowly circled it. The invisible force that separated them instantly dissipated and turned into a gentle breeze.
"Praise the Lady." Old Neil tapped his chest four times, forming the shape of the crimson moon.
Klein relaxed and observed even more carefully. He realized that Ray Bieber's facial features were nothing special, and he had a rather calm demeanor. However, the wrinkles on both sides of his nose were clearly drooping.
"Let me see if I can use dowsing rod searching." He picked up the portrait and rummaged through the male clothes in the bedroom before spreading them on the floor.
Dunn, Leonard, and Old Neil didn't stop him. They watched as he placed the silver-inlaid black cane on the clothes and the portrait. Corpse Collector Frye was as silent as ever.
The brown color turned black. Klein's gaze was deep as he completed the silent incantation and released his palm.
The black cane stood there silently, as though it had been inserted into the floor.
"Ray Bieber's location," Klein repeated inwardly.
Amidst the howling wind, the cane fell down. However, as it fell, it kept changing directions until it finally spun slightly around a pivot point.
Without the help of any external force, the silver-studded black cane was able to stand firm again.
Klein tried a few times, but the outcome was the same. All he could do was shake his head at Dunn and Old Neil.
A strange force is interfering with my divination …
Dunn took off his black gloves and said to Leonard and Klein, "Take Ray Bieber's portrait and ask the residents here.
"Take Ray Bieber's portrait and ask the residents here for a final confirmation. Then, put him on the wanted list for murdering his mother."
"Alright." Klein held the cane and bent down to pick up the portrait.
After the neighbors confirmed that the person in the portrait was indeed Ray Bieber, Dunn got Leonard and the police officers to go to the police station to complete the paperwork. He and Frye headed to a few bars in Tingen City to look for him through underground channels.
Klein and Old Neil took a public carriage back to the Blackthorn Security Company. It wasn't even eight yet, and Roshan hadn't arrived yet.
After closing the door, Klein turned his head to look at Old Neil. He asked, half puzzled and half seeking guidance.
He asked, half puzzled and half seeking guidance, "W-why would I send the Antigonus family's notebook to Ray Bieber's house?"
This was a completely different direction from Iron Cross Street from where Welch lived.
Old Neil walked to the sofa and chuckled.
"Isn't it obvious? You didn't know if you triggered the power within the notebook, or if you did a certain ritual out of curiosity, but you provoked a strange existence that you shouldn't have provoked. And this power, this existence's goal was to send the notebook to Ray Bieber and cut off all clues so that no one could discover it. "
"Therefore, other than you, who was chosen, Welch and Naya committed suicide on the spot. As for you, frankly speaking, I still don't understand how you survived."
"I don't know either …" Klein sat down and deliberately answered with a bitter smile. "I've thought of your guesses about what happened, but I don't understand why the notebook was given to Ray Bieber."
Old Neil spread his hands.
"Perhaps his birth Spirit Number meets the requirements, or perhaps he's the only remaining descendant of the Antigonus family. In short, there are too many possibilities … There should be a similar reason why the notebook was sold to our Tingen City."
"I believe it's because he's a descendant." Klein came to a realization and sighed. "Unfortunately, I didn't notice immediately that Ray Bieber and the notebook were gone."
Old Neil smiled.
"That's a problem for Dunn to worry about. It's a good thing for you."
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