"It's nothing," Klein said with a warm smile.
He didn't seem to notice anything, but his mind raced as he considered what the instantaneous change meant.
Previously, the Keepers would head upstairs along the nearby staircase, so I can roughly determine that they live there. It matches the spot where the change happened … The Keepers aren't in the right state, so the chances of them losing control are higher than ordinary Beyonders. Why would they suddenly display malice and evil thoughts?
And this is forcefully suppressed or calmed down by the seal core behind Chanis Gate deep underground?
If that's the case, there are two possibilities. First, the seal core behind Chanis Gate can sense all the abnormal changes happening in Saint Samuel Cathedral, and from there, it can react instinctively. Second, the Keepers are constantly being corroded by the seal core's powers over the years. To a certain extent, they have become a part of it, or they bear the corresponding uniqueness. Once there's an anomaly, it will immediately result in the interference of the main body.
If it's the former, it means that when I knock out the Keeper to replace him, it'll be easily detected by the seal core behind Chanis Gate. It'll cause a change like before, causing the matter to fail right at the beginning. If it's the latter, my disguise as a Keeper will definitely be ostracized when I enter Chanis Gate …
I have to figure out the root of the problem before I can think of a targeted solution …
It's really difficult to steal Sealed Artifacts from the various Churches. It's no wonder almost no one is willing to do it …
Amidst his thoughts, Klein listened attentively to Bishop Elektra's recount of Saint Samuel's experiences and the letter he left behind. Only when it was about time did he politely bid farewell.
After returning to 160 Böklund Street, just as he handed his hat and cane to Richardson, he saw his butler come over.
"Sir, do you plan on holding a ball or a banquet next weekend and invite the neighbors?" Walter didn't use a suggestion tone as though he was simply asking.
However, Klein knew very well that since the butler had raised the matter, it indicated that it was time to do it.
He nodded slightly.
"Saturday night. A ball.
"I'll have to trouble you and Taneja to make some preparations ahead of time.
"Do we have enough money at home?"
When he said the last sentence, Klein turned to look at the housekeeper.
Taneja nodded solemnly.
"It's enough.
"The variety of alcoholic beverages in your wine cellar is enough for several banquets."
Back when they moved to 160 Böklund Street, Klein had given her 1,000 pounds for household expenses. From the looks of it, even if she wanted to replenish herself with fine wine, tea leaves, and coffee beans, it was impossible for her to finish it in a month.
The gold pound is still very strong … Klein nodded and smiled.
"Don't open a wine that's too expensive the first time. Rouen's habit is to be reserved."
"Yes, sir." Although Walter knew how to organize a ball, he still listened to his employer's instructions very seriously.
He paused for a moment, then said,
"You only need to do two things. The first is to draft a guest list with our help. Think of a greeting for each person that suits their identity and experience. The second is to order a formal dress for the ball."
How troublesome … When I greet Hazel, can I tell her that the sewers here are cleaner than the ones in the Southern Continent? As Klein lamented and cursed inwardly, he nodded slightly.
"No problem."
…
In the dead of the night, the crimson moon hung high in the sky. The smog in Baekeland, which had thinned significantly, presented a tranquil beauty.
In Dawn Dantès's master bedroom, Klein set up a ritual and summoned himself.
He wanted to enter the sewers that night to confirm if Trissy had left. Then, he would head for the fork she had described and explore the so-called hidden passageway to see if he could discover anything.
Klein didn't have any extravagant hopes of obtaining any additional rewards. He was only worried that the secret hidden in the sewers was a latent danger that would one day explode. This would easily implicate Dawn Dantès, who lived nearby, and it would ruin his plans to steal the Antigonus family's notebook.
I can't be an ostrich when it comes to such matters, burying my head in the sand and pretending that I didn't see anything … I have to discover the problem as soon as possible before it completely explodes. I have to destroy what needs to be destroyed and report what needs to be reported. That's the most effective method … Of course, I have to be careful. I can't let my explorations become the fuse … Klein's Spirit Body emerged from the candle flame. With the enhancement of Aztec's copper whistle, he possessed Dawn Dantès's body and controlled him to walk to the edge of the wall of spirituality before sitting on a reclining chair.
From an outsider's point of view, this was equivalent to a tycoon falling asleep while reading the newspaper and forgetting to go to bed.
Having a summoned soul possess my body is indeed different from directly returning to my body. There's a clear sense of estrangement … Klein compared the experience and floated back to his desk. He tidied up most of the items on the altar, leaving only the candle that maintained the summoning to burn silently.
After doing all of this, Klein wore Creeping Hunger, fused with Aztec's copper whistle, Death Knell, and Señor gold coin, and flew out of the master bedroom. He left 160 Böklund Street in midair and entered the sewers.
Just as Klein found himself in the damp and dirty environment, he immediately released Wraith Señor and controlled the marionette to open up a distance from him. He then turned into the hidden fork where Trissy had previously recuperated.
This time, he saw that the area that didn't look like a sewer was stained with dirt and rats.
From the looks of it, Trissy has really left … Klein, who was following far behind, silently heaved a sigh of relief.
As a Spirit Body, he didn't need to breathe, nor did he need to walk on the ground. Therefore, he didn't mind how terrible the sewers' environment was.
Wraith Señor walked out of the area and continued forward. He found the sixth fork that led to the left, and Klein maintained a distance of more than fifty meters from him, fully playing the role of the mastermind behind the scenes.
At the end of the fork was a moss-covered wall with obvious corrosion. At a glance, there was nothing abnormal. If Trissy hadn't mentioned it, Klein wouldn't have gotten his marionette to search every inch of the area in detail.
A few minutes later, Señor, who was wearing a dark red coat, suddenly straightened his body and took a step forward, walking into the wall.
After passing through the relatively thick obstacle, Klein's vision suddenly opened up. With his marionette's vision, he saw a half-natural, half-artificial cave. It was less than 1.8 meters tall and three meters wide. There were shovels and other tools wrapped in tarpaulin on the ground. There was a large amount of soil and gravel, and in front of him were two secret passageways that extended diagonally downwards.
The one on the left was five to six meters deep, while the one on the right was nearly ten meters deep. However, there wasn't anything there, as though it was still being excavated.
Was this Hazel's doing? In the day, she's a proud lady of high society, but at night, she's a sewer excavator. Furthermore, she has to move buckets of soil and gravel? Her wandering is to find the exact spot, and the excavation is the subsequent step? There should be a secret door in that wall … Klein leaned against a hidden spot outside the fork as he controlled Señor to carefully survey the area.
Following that, he made the Wraith enter the secret passageway on the left and walked all the way to the end of the impenetrable mud and gravel.
Señor's figure gradually faded as he no longer had any corporeal presence. In this form, he traversed the mud ahead and explored deeper.
However, he didn't discover anything noteworthy even when he was close to a hundred meters away. All he saw were some ordinary insects.
Klein then made his marionette change directions and "swim" in the sea of mud, but he still didn't find anything.
Wraith Señor quickly returned to the cave from before and entered the secret passageway on the right without being affected by any obstacles.
There's still nothing abnormal … It's not unreasonable for Trissy to determine that one needs a specific pathway or item … Hmm, she must've used the invisible threads of a Demoness of Pleasure to explore … Unfortunately, I've already lost Tinder … I wonder if the gray fog aura on me will work. It seems to attract Beyonders of the Marauder pathway … Klein silently muttered to himself. He wished to take advantage of his Spirit Body state to personally explore the two secret passageways that Hazel had dug up.
However, he resisted this urge because he was now a Marionettist. Unless absolutely necessary, it was against the rules of acting to use his true body.
It's fine even if I don't rely on the gray fog aura. When I'm on the Tarot tomorrow afternoon, I'll just buy a mystical item from the Marauder pathway. It doesn't need to be too expensive. Just one that corresponds to a Sequence 9 or 8 will do … Hmm, Lanevus's badge is only a signal receiver. It doesn't belong to this pathway … Without understanding what's hidden deep in the passageway, rashly using my Spirit Body to explore might attract some High-Sequence Beyonder monsters … Being careful and cautious is always a self-requirement … Klein slowly sighed as he unsummoned Señor.
He wasn't worried that Hazel would continue coming over in the near future. Before finding a way to deal with the situation from the previous time, any normal human wouldn't continue coming!
Ignoring the fact that Hazel hasn't come into contact with Beyonder circles, even if she did, it wouldn't be a simple matter to obtain an item from the Sun domain. After all, Baekeland is the territory of the Church of the Storm … I do have something I don't use often. Heh heh. Should I find an opportunity to sell it to her and use it to harm my marionette? Klein teased himself and shook his head with a smile.
He then ended the summoning and returned above the gray fog, disappearing into the sewers.
…
On Monday morning, the bright sunlight penetrated the thin clouds, illuminating every corner of Baekeland.
Emlyn White pulled down his silk top hat. As he left the carriage and walked towards the Harvest Church, he mumbled with his eyes half-closed, "That's right.
"The weather sure sucks …
"Baekeland's worst season is about to arrive …"
Just as he was about to step onto the steps, he suddenly saw a paperboy approach him and hand him a copy of the Tussock Times.
"Sir, this morning's newspaper!"
Emlyn was about to reject it, but he realized that there was a small slip of paper in the paper.
"…" Without batting an eyelid, Emlyn took out a penny and handed it to him before receiving the Tussock Times and the slip of paper.
Before entering the Harvest Church, he quickly unfolded the latter and browsed through it.
"There are clues to the person you are looking for. Please come to The Brave."
PS: Seeking monthly votes during the double period ~
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