Desi County, Conant City, 67 Red Indus Street.
With a face commonly seen in Rouen Kingdom, Klein took a step forward and pulled the doorbell.
In less than a minute, the door creaked open. A maidservant in a black and white dress peeked her head out and sized him up for a few seconds.
She asked in puzzlement, "Good evening, who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for Ma 'am Neelu. I'm a friend of her father, David Raymond," Klein replied calmly.
David Raymond was the Nightmare he had released from Creeping Hunger, a Red Glove of the Nighthawks. His greatest concern was his daughter, Neelu. He felt extremely guilty for not being able to accompany her as she grew up, causing her to lose her mother and nearly lose her father. Back then, Klein had promised him that if he had the chance, he would come to this beautiful coastal city to help him see how his daughter was doing.
After some prior inquiries, Klein had gained a rough understanding of Neelu's situation. After this girl graduated from grammar school, she joined the Church of the Evernight Goddess's Care for Women and Children Foundation. Her weekly salary was 2 pounds 10 soli, making her the envy of her neighbors.
She had also inherited an inheritance from her "merchant" father. As for the exact amount, no one knew. All they knew was that she was richer than most middle-class people.
Typically, such a girl with sufficient wealth would be very careful about her marriage. They would repeatedly choose and inspect their partners, resulting in them marrying late. However, Neelu married a government employee after just a year of work.
As both of them believed in the Evernight Goddess, she didn't take her husband's surname. She was still called Neelu Raymond, and she continued living at 67 Red Indus Street without moving away.
Upon hearing Klein's reply, the maidservant hurriedly asked him to wait as she entered the living room to report.
Before long, a lady in a home dress walked to the door. She had black hair and blue eyes. Her cheeks were rather slender, and her facial features weren't bad. She resembled David Raymond somewhat.
"Good evening, sir. I'm David Raymond's daughter, Neelu. May I know when you met my father?" Neelu asked politely but warily.
Klein took off his hat and smiled.
"I met him at sea. It's been a few years."
Neelo Raymond glanced warily at the other side.
"Perhaps you still don't know, but he has already passed away."
Klein sighed.
"I know. I met him during that disaster. He said something back then. I didn't care much about it at first, but the more I thought about it in the past few years, the more I felt that you should know."
"Is that so?" Nero whispered. After some thought, she said, "Please come in. Do you mind if my husband listens in?"
"It's only related to your decision," Klein replied calmly.
Nina nodded and led Klein into the study. Her husband, a government employee with an ordinary appearance and a gentle temperament, put down the newspaper and followed them in.
After both parties sat down, Klein looked at the couple on the sofa opposite him.
"Mr. David Raymond once experienced a disaster and lost his father, mother, wife, brother, and sister."
Nero nodded expressionlessly.
"I know."
Klein thought for a moment and continued,
"On the surface, he's a businessman, but in reality, he's hunting down the murderers who caused that disaster."
"I know," Nina said without much of a reaction.
Klein glanced at her and continued, "He's devoted himself to this matter.
It's a pity that he wasn't able to accompany you as you grew up. While you lost your mother, you nearly lost your father. "
Nina fell silent for a second before quickly replying, "I know!"
"I know!"
Klein swept his gaze across the old books around him and sighed silently.
"He said that his greatest wish is to see you have your own marriage and family under the witness of the Goddess. He said that you're no longer lonely. I believe he should be very gratified now."
Nero's gaze slowly moved away from Klein's face. She opened her mouth and paused for two seconds before replying,
"… I know."
Klein leaned forward slightly and clasped his hands.
"He said that he might die at sea. He told me to tell you that he died in an accident. All the murderers from before have been punished. You don't need to hate anyone anymore.
"He also said that he loves you very much and that he's very sorry."
Nina fell silent for a few seconds. She blinked and turned her head to the side. She chuckled with unclear emotions.
"I got it …"
Klein gave her a deep look and slowly got up.
"I've already conveyed the message. It's time for me to leave."
The response from the other party was silence. Nero's husband nodded slightly to express his gratitude.
Klein turned around and walked to the door of the study. Just as he turned the doorknob, Nero Raymond's deep and hoarse voice sounded from behind him.
"What kind of person do you think he is?"
After a second of silence, Klein turned his head, curled the corners of his mouth, and smiled.
He smiled and said, "A Guardian."
He didn't stay any longer. He opened the door of the study and walked to the coat rack.
When he put on his top hat and left 67 Red Indus Street, a thin sob that he tried his best to suppress suddenly drilled into his ears.
Silently shaking his head, Klein left the street and entered a cathedral of the Evernight Goddess.
Passing through the deep and quiet aisle, he sat in the seventh row from the back. Facing the dark black Sacred Emblem with the half-crimson moon and resplendent stars, he took off his top hat, lowered his head, and clasped his hands in front of his mouth, just like most of the believers.
Time passed quickly in the silence and tranquility. Klein slowly opened his eyes and gently stood up.
There was a blob of something wrapped in paper where he had been sitting.
Klein walked down the aisle, out of the prayer hall, and walked to the entrance of the cathedral.
With his back facing the inside, he put on his top hat, raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers.
Pa!
The paper where he had been sitting was suddenly ignited, attracting the priest's attention. By the time the gentleman rushed over, the flames had already been extinguished, leaving behind a glossy black gem-like object.
This is … Although the priest didn't know what the gelatinous object was exactly, his spiritual perception told him that it was very important!
When he and the other priests chased him out of the cathedral, the gentleman in the tailcoat and half top hat had already disappeared.
The next morning.
Klein, who had obtained a new identity through the local black market, came to the steam locomotive station.
He held a second-class ticket worth 18 soli and his identification documents in one hand, and a black leather suitcase in the other. He stood tall on the platform, waiting for the train to Baekeland to arrive.
Now, he looked like a middle-aged man in his forties. He was more than 180 centimeters tall, and his black hair was mixed with some silver strands. His blue eyes were as deep as a lake at night, and his facial features were rather pleasing to the eye. He had a mature and refined temperament.
Looking down at the identification documents in his hand, Klein's eyes reflected his current name.
"Dawn Dantès."
After some thought, he placed the suitcase on the ground, opened it, and stuffed all his identification documents inside.
Inside the suitcase was a small black wooden box. Inside it was the ashes of a former Rouen soldier, Frunziar Edward.
Just as Klein tidied up the suitcase, he heard a humming sound. A steam locomotive spewed out smoke as it entered the platform and slowed down to a stop.
He looked up and cast his gaze forward. After sizing it up in silence, he whispered to the suitcase.
"It's time to go back …"
He immediately stood up straight, picked up his belongings, and walked towards the opened carriage door.
...
Baekeland, Cherwood Borough, 26 Kingster Street.
Baansen took off his hat and coat and handed them to the maidservant. He looked at his sister, Melissa, who was focused on reading in the living room.
"The entrance exam is in June. You can finally experience the pain of my serious studies."
Melissa didn't look up as she continued reading.
"I'm studying seriously every day."
"Be humorous, Melissa. Be humorous. What's the difference between a person who doesn't know humor and a curly-haired baboon?" Baansen said with a smile.
Melissa casually glanced at him.
"That's not what you said before."
She didn't dwell on the difference between humans and curly-haired baboons.
"Do government employees also finish work so late?"
"No, it's just that a lot of things have happened recently. You know, oh, you don't know. In such a big change, the handover of work and the straightening out of different relationships are very troublesome." Baansen glanced at the mirror in the living room and could not help but raise his hand to tidy his hair. He said with an unhappy expression, "Although I'm just a small employee in the Ministry of Finance, it doesn't stop me from having a lot of work. The only thing that comforts me is that I've finally passed the damn internship period. From now on, I'll have a weekly salary of three pounds!"
Melissa put down her book and said to Baansen as she walked to the dining room, "Don't worry.
"It's time for dinner."
She paused for a moment, then said very seriously,
"I read in the newspaper that there's something called Donningsman Tree Sap, which is very effective for hair growth."
Baansen's expression suddenly became very complicated.
…
Wu!
Amidst the whistle, the long steam locomotive rattled into Baekeland.
Klein carried his suitcase and once again set foot on the "Capital of Capitals," the "Land of Hope." He realized that the fog was much thinner than before, and there was no longer an obvious pale yellow hue. The gas lamps on the platform had not been lit early to dispel the gloom and darkness.
Looking around, Klein left the steam locomotive station, changed to a subway and a carriage, and went straight to the Church of the Storm Cemetery outside the West Borough.
Then, he spent a small amount of money to place Frunziar Edward's ashes in a cabinet.
At this point, it had been more than 165 years since the Rouen soldier left Baekeland.
Taking a step back, Klein stared at it for a while. Shaking the paper into metal, he engraved on the cabinet door.
"Frunziar Edward."
He closed his eyes and wrote again:
"Every journey has an end."
(End of Part Three)
PS: Third, thank you to the Seal for the Silver Alliance. Thank you to everyone. I'll write a conclusion tomorrow.
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