No. 2 Daffodil Street,
After leaving a note, Klein locked the door and quickly walked towards
Leonard's black hair was slightly longer than last month, and since it was not well-groomed, it looked very messy.
But even so, with his good looks, emerald-like eyes, and poet-like temperament, it still had a unique charm.
Indeed, any hairstyle depends on the face... Klein subconsciously muttered and pointed towards Iron Cross Street, saying: "Fry is waiting for us over there?"
"Yes." Leonard adjusted his untucked shirt and asked casually, "Did you find any clues from the documents?"
Klein walked along the edge of the street, holding his cane in his left hand, and said: "No, I couldn't find any pattern in the method or time of death. You know, rituals involving evil gods or demons must follow specific times or methods."
Leonard touched the custom revolver hidden under his shirt at his waist and chuckled: "That's not absolute. In my experience, some evil gods or demons are very easily satisfied, as long as they are deeply interested in what happens next."
"And among these death incidents, there must be a considerable portion that are natural. We have to rule them out to get the correct answer."
Klein glanced at him and said: "That's why the captain asked us to reinvestigate and exclude normal events."
"Leonard, your tone and description tell me you have extensive experience in this area, but you've been a Nighthawk for less than four years, encountering on average no more than two supernatural cases per month, and most are simple and easy to resolve."
He always felt that his teammate Leonard Mitchell was strange and mysterious, not only was he suspicious of Klein and thought he was special, but he himself was sometimes crazy, arrogant, frivolous, and profound.
Could he also have had an adventure? An adventure that made him think he was the protagonist of a play? Klein made rough speculations based on his extensive "knowledge" from movies, novels, and TV shows.
Hearing his question, Leonard smiled and said: "That's because you haven't officially become a Nighthawk yet; you're still in the training phase."
"Every half year, the cathedral compiles the supernatural cases encountered by each parish and church into books, and makes certain deletions in different versions based on confidentiality levels, then distributes them to members."
"In addition to your mystical studies, you can apply to the captain to enter the
Klein nodded with sudden understanding: "The captain never reminded me of this."
He still hadn't had the chance to enter the Chanis Gate.
Leonard chuckled: "I thought you were used to the captain's style, but I didn't expect you to naively think he would remind you."
With that, he added meaningfully: "If one day the captain remembers everything and forgets nothing, then we need to be vigilant."
Does that mean a descent into madness? Klein nodded solemnly and then asked: "Is this the captain's unique style? I thought it was a problem with the 'Sleepless' sequence..."
Memory loss from staying up late or something...
"To be precise, it's the style unique to 'Nightmare'. Reality and dreams interweave, often making it hard to tell what is real and needs to be remembered, and what is false and can be ignored..." Leonard wanted to say more, but by then they had entered Iron Cross Street and saw Fry the "Coroner" waiting at the steam tram stop.
Fry wore a black round-brimmed hat, a thin coat of the same color, and carried a leather case. His pale complexion made one suspect he might fall ill at any moment, while his cold and gloomy demeanor caused the waiting passengers to keep their distance.
After nodding to each other, the three remained silent and gathered together, passed by "Slim's Bakery," and turned towards Iron Cross Street Lower Street.
The clamor hit them immediately. Street vendors selling oyster soup, pan-fried meatfish, ginger beer, and fruits shouted hoarsely, making passersby involuntarily slow down.
It was a little past five o'clock, and many people had returned to Iron Cross Street. Both sides of the road began to crowd, with some children mixed in, watching everything coldly and eyeing everyone's pockets.
Klein often came here to buy cheap cooked food and had previously lived in a nearby apartment, so he was quite familiar with the place. He reminded: "Watch out for thieves."
Leonard smiled and said, "Don't worry about it."
He pulled his shirt, adjusted his holster, and exposed the revolver at his waist.
Suddenly, all eyes on him shifted away, and passersby unconsciously made way.
...Klein was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed Leonard and Fry, lowering his head to avoid being noticed by anyone he knew.
—Benson and Melissa still kept in touch with some of their former neighbors, as they hadn't moved far enough.
After passing through the area filled with many vendors, the three entered the true Iron Cross Street Lower Street.
Here, the pedestrians were all dressed in shabby clothes, and their reaction to the appearance of strangers who were well-dressed was both vigilant and greedy, like vultures staring at carrion, ready to attack at any moment. But Leonard's revolver effectively prevented any accidents.
"Let's start with the death incident from last night, starting with Mrs. Lovis, who pastes matchboxes." Leonard flipped through the documents and pointed not far away: "134, first floor..."
As the three walked forward, ragged children at play quickly dodged to the roadside, staring at them with dazed, curious, and fearful gazes.