The pitter-patter of rain, the faint mist, the rows of gas lamps that tried their best to emit a misty glow, and the carriages that drove through the streets from time to time formed the most common night scene in Baekeland.
Apart from these, Klein, who was standing behind the window, noticed some gratifying changes.
Ding ling ling!
As the crisp sound echoed, a strange machine with only two wheels sped along the edge of the road, heading to the other end of the street. Its frame was black, but parts of it had the grayish-white color of steel. Under the illumination of the gas lamps that penetrated the rain, it shimmered with the beauty of metal.
Sitting on the machine was a man wearing a postal worker's uniform. His legs were constantly pedaling, appearing to be working very hard. Behind him was a wooden box that had been painted green.
It's been well promoted … The mature Klein in a white shirt and black vest looked at this scene and sighed silently.
In the short few hours since he returned to Baekeland, he had encountered many similar strange machines on the way. These were the bicycles he had invested in and promoted!
From the newspapers, Klein learned that the Baekeland Bicycle Company had done a lot of advertising and had held bicycle races in the Cherwood Borough and the Baekeland Bridge area to attract the attention of the people there. Apart from these methods, they had also actively promoted it to the government's postal service, police, and other departments. The results were said to be pretty good.
Their pricing strategy was based on Klein's original suggestion. They avoided the middle and upper-class people who often used horse carriages and targeted technical workers with a weekly salary of one pound ten soli and above, students from well-to-do families, and public officials who often had to travel outside. Therefore, a bicycle that cost three to five pounds was something that people of this class could afford if they gritted their teeth. At the same time, they could flaunt it to people with lower incomes.
"The problem now is that it often rains in Baekeland, and people who ride bicycles can't use umbrellas … The next step is raincoats." Klein retracted his gaze, shook his head, and chuckled.
The place he was currently staying at was a high-end hotel in Hillston Borough. It cost 10 soli a night, which was so expensive that Klein's heart ached. However, in order to match his persona, he could only grit his teeth and bear with it.
According to his thoughts, Dawn Dantès's identity was likely to be a mysterious tycoon from Desi Bay who believed in the Evernight Goddess. He had sold his original land and mines and was prepared to come to Baekeland to seek new opportunities. He also had a certain level of interest in donating a noble title, but he lacked the wealth to do so. All he could do was consider expanding his connections and making financial investments.
The advantage of such an identity was that it was different from all the characters Klein had played before. There was a clear distinction, and it allowed him to naturally come into contact with people of the middle and upper echelons, especially the people from the Military Officers Club and the bishops of the Church of the Evernight Goddess's Baekeland diocese. It made it convenient for Klein to continue investigating the truth behind the Great Smog of Baekeland while gathering intelligence to come up with a detailed plan to steal the Antigonus family's notebook.
Of course, there were pros and cons. Such a mysterious tycoon would definitely be noticed by the Nighthawks and Mandated Punishers, and he would be subjected to a certain level of background investigation.
According to Klein's experience, such investigations could be done by official Beyonder organizations or handed over to the police if they didn't involve any important matters. However, they wouldn't take it too seriously, and it would be considered a routine matter.
Therefore, Klein, who could be considered an expert in the field of disguise, had designed and prepared a second identity for Dawn Dantès to deal with the background investigation.
In the second identity, Dawn Dantès was a person who had gone on an adventure to the Southern Continent's East and West Balam for some reason. He had used an alias and spent more than ten years in that rather dangerous place that was filled with opportunities, accumulating a fortune.
As the origins of this fortune weren't that bright, he had secretly returned to Desi Bay, forged a new identity, and prepared to start a brand new life in Baekeland, gradually legalizing the fortune.
Such people weren't rare in Rouen. Their stories were content that the investigators could accept and imagine. For this identity, Klein had left some inconspicuous clues in Conant City, indirectly helping to uncover the "truth" as soon as possible.
These clues included, but weren't limited to, the ticket stubs for a black ship ticket from East Balam to Conant City, habits developed from living in the Southern Continent for extended periods of time, and wealth of unknown origins.
Klein believed that as long as Dawn Dantès didn't directly involve himself in any serious Beyonder matters, such preparations were enough to fool the routine background investigation.
And if he were to encounter a very serious official Beyonder who wished to carry out the investigation, or even be willing to seek help from his colleagues in the Southern Continent, then Dawn Dantès had a third identity. He was a swindler who had a certain level of anti-divination skills. He would disguise himself as a mysterious tycoon and spend large sums of money on investments, all for the final scam.
This identity was enough to get Dawn Dantès arrested, but he wouldn't be given too much attention. This also gave Klein the chance to leave calmly and disappear from the center of the stage.
Compared to my first time in Baekeland, I've really grown up quite a bit by being able to design such a three-layered identity … Klein slowly walked back to the center of the room and cast his gaze at the full-body mirror in the corner.
In the mirror, his black hair had a few streaks of white. His eyes were deep, but they exuded the vicissitudes of having experienced many things. He was a middle-aged man with a mature bearing and a charming appearance.
Designing the identity of Dawn Dantès wasn't difficult for the present Klein, but stealing the Antigonus family's notebook from behind Saint Samuel Cathedral's Chanis Gate was an impossible mission for any external Beyonder. Even a King of Angels couldn't guarantee that he could do it.
Of course, unlike other Beyonders, Klein had two advantages when it came to this matter. First, he had been a Nighthawk before, so he had sufficient understanding of the internal processes. He knew what he could use and what he couldn't. Therefore, the first method he eliminated was to become a Nighthawk and blend in, finding an opportunity to pass through Chanis Gate.
The problem with this method was that the Nighthawks couldn't enter Chanis Gate as they pleased. Even the Captain and deacons were the same. Something had to happen before they could obtain the corresponding authority. Furthermore, there were Keepers behind Chanis Gate. Walking around without permission would result in an attack, resulting in a battle. Klein didn't wish for his theft to cause any casualties to the members of the Church of the Goddess.
After careful consideration, he placed his target on the Keepers.
These elders were retired Nighthawks. After they volunteered to enter Chanis Gate, they were in charge of watching the Sealed Artifacts. They belonged to a different department from the Nighthawks, and they entered and exited through the underground passageway of the cathedral. They wouldn't interfere with the Nighthawks' work, nor would they be disturbed by the Nighthawks.
Perhaps it was because they stayed behind Chanis Gate for extended periods of time, but these Keepers had certain peculiarities. Their auras were cold, and they lacked expression. Their skin was pale, and they were like monsters in the depths of the darkness that hovered between life and death. Klein believed that it wouldn't be difficult for him to identify his target if he encountered one.
His initial plan was to rent a place in North Borough near Saint Samuel Cathedral. He would hire a butler, a servant, a maid, a gardener, a chef, and a carriage driver to put on the airs of a tycoon. Then, he would often head to the cathedral to pray sincerely, participate in Mass, donate money, and slowly familiarize himself with the bishops and priests.
During this process, he would try his best to find people suspected to be Keepers. He would choose two or three targets and observe their living conditions. At a suitable time, he would imprison one of them, change into his appearance, or directly possess him. Through Chanis Gate, he would wait for an opportunity to read or take away the Antigonus family's notebook.
This was a very rough plan, but it was closer to a train of thought. It relied on Klein to constantly perfect it based on the various pieces of information he had gathered.
On this matter, Klein's second advantage was that he had Tarot, a helper that the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Nighthawks hadn't expected. Furthermore, he could also consider hiring a Nighthawk or Keeper from the Baekeland diocese to enter the Gathering and complete the theft through a traitor. It was just like how Zaratul had used Rosell The Great to obtain the Antigonus family's notebook.
I still have to go to the cathedral often. Only by doing so can I find a target … Klein faced the mirror and nodded silently.
It had to be said that he was feeling a little conflicted. If there was really a Nighthawk or Keeper who was willing to betray the Church and serve Mr. Fool, his first thought was to bestow divine punishment to eliminate this disgusting traitor!
After exhaling and giving a self-deprecating laugh, Klein put on his double-breasted frock coat and hat, walked out of the room, and came to the side of the street.
He held an umbrella and circled to another street. Taking advantage of the distant street lamps and the hazy drizzle, he suddenly transformed back into Sherlock Moriarty.
Looking at his wrinkled trousers, Klein reached out to hail a carriage and prepared to head to Eichinger Stanton's house, which was also in Hillston Borough.
Half an hour later, the slightly old and dark building appeared before Klein's eyes.
He paid the fare of two soli, and in the drizzle that reflected the dim yellow light, he walked steadily around the puddles and arrived at the detective's door.
Putting away his umbrella, he reached out to ring the doorbell. After waiting for a moment, Klein saw a broad-faced young man open the door.
The man had wheat-colored hair, grayish-blue eyes, and high cheekbones. He had the characteristics of people from Lenburg and Masin.
Mr. Eichinger Stanton's new assistant? Someone from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? Klein took off his hat and said with a smile, "Good evening.
"Good evening, is Mr. Isengard Stanton there?"
"Yes, he just finished dinner after a busy day," the wheat-colored young man replied politely. "May I know who you are?"
Klein chuckled.
"Tell the detective that a friend of his has returned from vacation."
The young man was taken aback.
He blurted out, "Mr. Sherlock Moriarty?"
PS: I recommend an interesting new book, I Possessed the Demon Emperor. It's quite a good introduction.
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