"How long ago did the... Councilman Maynard die?" Klein asked as he packed up his things, getting straight to the point.
If it had been more than fifteen minutes, the information he could obtain would drop off a cliff. If it was more than an hour, he could only get a general sense of things.
If it had been over a month, there was a high probability that the spirit channeling itself would fail.
"Unfortunately, the preliminary examination report shows Councilman Maynard died between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. last night." Dunn shook his head. "Just provide your assistance; don't worry about what you might or might not get."
"Alright." Klein took off his coat, picked up his hat and cane, and walked toward the guardroom door. Dunn Smith replaced him to tend to the Chanis Gate.
In theory, as a Beyonder, as long as one's spirituality was enhanced, things like Spirit Vision, Divination, and Ritualistic Magic could be learned. The Sleepless pathway was especially famous for its high spiritual perception.
In reality, the differences between the "professions" of different Sequences were still very obvious. For example, Dunn Smith and Leonard Mitchell both currently knew Spirit Vision, but the aura colors they saw were only a shallow white or pale blue, and they couldn't accurately distinguish the state of different parts of the human body. Of course, in their Spirit Vision state, they could definitely directly see ghosts and spiritual entities, but it wasn't as simple and effective as their own spiritual intuition.
This also caused the problem of the Sleepless, Midnight Poet, and Nightmare not liking to activate their Spirit Vision.
Similarly, if they wanted to, they could learn methods like the Spirit Pendulum, Dowsing Rod, and Dream Divination, but the success rates weren't worth hoping for.
The same applied to the field of Ritualistic Magic.
When the two men passed each other, Dunn suddenly spoke:
"I forgot to mention earlier, this case is also being handled by Inspector Toller. He's waiting for you in the reception hall of the security company. Remember to put on your new uniform and take your new badge."
Klein was not surprised at all and asked with a laugh:
"New uniform, new badge? The Tingen City Police Department is very efficient."
He had only been promoted to Sequence 8 yesterday...
"Because this case is very important, so..." Dunn spread his hands and sat down in Klein's previous seat.
Klein went straight back upstairs, not rushing to the reception hall. He entered the Nighthawks' rest room and went to the attached bathroom to take care of personal matters — the guard room only provided a chamber pot, a water bottle, and a basin.
Then, he changed into the special police uniform with the upgraded two silver stars and the soft cap with the "crossed swords supporting a crown" emblem.
After transferring over items like the "Sunfire Charm", "Azik's Copper Whistle", "Ritualistic Materials", etc., Klein straightened his clothes and walked out of the rest room with his cane.
As soon as he passed through the partition, he saw Inspector Toller sitting in the sofa area.
He hadn't seen him for a while. The tall police officer had become even more rotund, his belly even more prominent. With his thick beard and hair, he looked like a brown bear that had just escaped from a circus.
"I'm glad to be working with you again." Toller immediately relaxed upon seeing it was a Nighthawk he knew, leaning forward to stand up and extending a bear's paw.
No, a hand... Klein silently corrected himself, shaking hands with the other man out of politeness.
"Likewise."
At that moment, Toller glanced at Klein's two gleaming silver stars on his epaulettes and said with a hint of envy:
"We're at the same rank now. It hasn't even been a month."
Klein had intended to seriously say, "The dangers we face are probably ten times greater than yours," but just as the words were about to leave his mouth, he remembered his current identity — Sequence 8, "Clown".
Perhaps he could give it a try... With the mental reflection of his facial expressions, he curled his lips into a clear smile and replied:
"Maybe in another two or three months, you'll have to call me 'sir'."
"You really are something." Toller let out a laugh and pointed outside. "Shall we go?"
"Alright." Klein didn't give up his cane. For him, after becoming a "Clown", this "weapon" finally lived up to its name.
Exiting the Blackthorn Security Company, Klein and Toller walked side by side down the stairs. One thin, one fat, a very stark contrast.
"I feel like we could even go to a circus and make the audience laugh." Klein suddenly laughed.
Toller nodded in strong agreement:
"Yes, I think our contrast makes a great comedy effect. You know? Some circuses are trying performances with clowns of different weights and heights."
No, actually I was referring to the animal tamer and the brown bear... Klein certainly wouldn't utter such a rude remark, so he echoed:
"It's a pity that Tingen City doesn't have a permanent circus."
"That's true, but we still have the Opera House, the Grand Theater, and the Concert Hall." Inspector Toller replied, sounding a little wistful.
The two exchanged pleasantries as they boarded the police carriage. It was only then that Klein shifted the topic to the case:
"Is Councilman Maynard confirmed to have been murdered?"
"It's not certain, but his wife and his two sons are unwilling to accept the possibility of a sudden illness. Well, there are indeed some problems at the scene. When Maynard was found, he wasn't wearing a single piece of clothing, lying on the guest room bed like that." Toller said carefully.
"Does he and his wife sleep in separate rooms?" Klein leaned back against the carriage wall, imitating the protagonists of various detective shows he'd seen in his past life.
Toller shook his head:
"No. His wife hasn't been in Tingen for the past few days. She's gone to Backlund to attend an important social ball. You might not know this, but she's the daughter of a New Party leader and a Member of Parliament. She's still on the steam train back to Tingen, but she sent a telegraph ahead of time to express her stance."