"Lives at 19 Howls Street?"
While memorizing the information, Klein keenly picked up on a detail.
"Hmm, Welch's residence is on Howls Street, the Divination Club is on Howls Street, and this cloth merchant named Siris Aripis is also on Howls Street… From this perspective, it's not strange that Welch knows Haines Vancent; he might even have been introduced by Siris Aripis…"
Suddenly, Klein felt the clues connect, and his thoughts became clear.
He had originally been full of questions about why Welch knew Haines Vancent, because the banker's son was not someone interested in mysticism; for him, money was more useful than divination. But now, Klein felt he could preliminarily infer the process of their acquaintance:
"According to descriptions in various magazines, the middle class and wealthy are very willing to visit neighbors of the same level to form a social circle beneficial to themselves. Welch and cloth merchant Siris, both on Howls Street, have the motivation and opportunity to become friends…"
"It's not particularly hard to understand that Siris knows Haines Vancent, who frequently goes to the Divination Club on Howls Street. Perhaps an encounter or a favor made people who often appear in the same area familiar…"
"Haines Vancent wanted to sell the ancient texts in his possession, so through Siris's introduction, he sought out Welch, a history major university student…"
"The image of the suspected evil god 'True Creator' appeared in Haines's dreams, and he himself mastered the correct incantation format. All these indicate that he has gone deep into the field of mysticism, and it is possible that he is a member of some secret organization…"
"It is also possible that his joining the secret organization was guided by Siris."
…
Amidst these thoughts, even without using divination methods, Klein was almost certain that the information left by the other party had considerable credibility:
"Even if he is not called Siris Aripis, not a cloth merchant, and does not live at No. 19, he definitely belongs to Howls Street or the nearby area!"
As he pondered, Klein re‑examined the other party's borrowing records:
"His last visit to the Deville Library was last Saturday, the day before Selina's birthday dinner, which was also the day before Haines Vancent's death. Now, several days have passed, and he still hasn't returned the journals he borrowed."
"According to previous records, when he borrowed only two journals, he would usually come back the next day."
"Does this mean that Siris learned of Haines's death, was frightened, and dared not come to the Deville Library again?"
"Well, at first he borrowed many unrelated history books and journals, and only later did he gradually clarify his goals, which largely overlapped with those I borrowed…"
"This shows that he had no guidance, no senior associate professor of history in a university to consult, and relied entirely on his own exploration."
"What would a frightened target normally do? Two options: one, if the information is essentially complete, he would head straight to the main peak of the Hornacis Mountains; two, if the main conditions are still lacking, he would first hide and see how the wind blows, and after confirming that Haines's death cannot be implicated on him, he would appear again."
With that thought, Klein closed the borrowing record, pushed it back to the library administrators, and took out a portrait, asking if they had seen the target. Unfortunately, there were many borrowers daily, and the administrators had difficulty remembering people without distinctive features.
"Alright, sorry for the trouble." Klein put away his identification and badge.
He had no intention of investigating alone—it was not only dangerous but also cumbersome. He planned to go to Zouteland Street once more, hand the subsequent matters to the captain and teammates, and then go home to make tomato oxtail soup for his brother and sister, while using the mysterious space above the gray fog to divine the target's status and whereabouts.
"Officer, nothing else?" An administrator asked with relief and sincerity.
Klein nodded slightly:
"Nothing else. If new clues appear, I'll come again."
He gripped his black handrail with silver inlay and walked quickly toward the door.
Just then, he saw a man wearing a black double‑breasted suit with his collar turned up high come in with his head lowered.
In the moment they brushed past each other, Klein caught a glimpse of the man's thick and messy eyebrows, and caught a glimpse of a pair of gray‑blue eyes!
These were parts that the high collar could not conceal!
Siris? Siris Aripis? Such a coincidence? Klein was stunned. He hadn't expected to encounter the target directly!
What kind of luck was this?!
Wasn't this too much of a coincidence?
He assessed his condition, felt the soreness in his muscles, and pretended nothing had happened as he continued toward the door.
Mm, a person must follow the wishes of his heart; stability is the priority!
As long as Siris hadn't left Tingen, this miss was inconsequential!
At this moment, the man in the black double‑breasted suit walked up to the reception desk and handed the journals he was holding to one of the administrators.
"Returning." He said in a low, muffled voice.
The library administrator casually took the journals, glanced at them, and suddenly froze.
He instinctively looked up at the man opposite him, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Is there a problem?" The man with the high collar asked in a low voice.
His words were like a spark that ignited a powder keg, causing the administrator to instantly lose control. While running to the side, he shouted loudly:
"Officer!"