15 Minsk Street, Woodmore District.
Klein, having eaten and drunk his fill, sat in the armchair in the living room, a burning charcoal fireplace at his side.
In the warm environment reminiscent of early summer, he wore a white shirt, black vest, and thin trousers, both hands spread open on the newspaper, turned to the page with the most small advertisements.
"A new type of transportation vehicle, urgently seeking investment, details to be discussed in person…" Klein silently read the line twice, then reached for a pencil on the small dark-red round table beside him and circled the item.
If no commissions came in the next day or two, he planned to go check out this so-called new transportation vehicle and see if it had any investment value.
—Such matters couldn't be divined in advance, due to a lack of sufficient information.
"I hope it's something like a bicycle…" Klein had just murmured this silently to himself when layers of illusory prayer suddenly echoed by his ear.
Who? Miss Justice? Mr. Hanged Man? Student Sun? Or some clerk at
Four steps in reverse, ascending above the
Having already gained considerable experience, Klein sat down calmly, extended his spirituality, and touched those ripples of light in a gesture of responding to prayer.
The scene before his eyes shifted abruptly, revealing a blurry sofa on which a petite woman dressed in apprentice knight's clothing was curled up.
She hasn't copied the password… She's looking at a piece of paper… Klein suddenly realized the cause of it all.
"She must be one of the two Beyonders that Miss Justice mentioned needing me to evaluate…"
After pondering for over ten seconds, Klein chose not to truly respond, planning to take that step at midnight instead. That way, he could assess her character and abilities based on her reaction, attitude, and handling of the situation.
Of course, he would absolutely never force anyone to join the
…………
"The Fool who belongs to a different age…" Having just finished reciting the passage in ancient
This was, perhaps, possibly, the honorific name of some hidden existence! She realized this with terror.
And her knowledge of mysticism, along with various rumors she had heard, all told her: Once someone chanted the complete honorific name of a hidden existence, it generally meant drawing that entity's gaze!
The consequences of that gaze would most likely not be pleasant — they could even be catastrophic!
Many of those hidden existence were incarnations of evil gods and demons!
And I recited it in unprotected ancient Hermes… How stupid of me — why did I carefully discern it and earnestly memorize it… Xio looked around in a panic, terrified that some indescribable monster might suddenly appear in the quiet house.
The sofa, the coffee table, the cabinet, the dining table, the chairs, the oil paintings — everything came into her view one by one, utterly unchanged.
After remaining vigilant for several dozen seconds, Xio relaxed slightly, comforting herself: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid—I only recited the honorific name just now. I didn't follow it with the full prayer incantation."
"This counts as an incomplete ritual, so it probably won't attract any attention."
"Besides, there's a good chance that name was translated by the owner of this paper using Emperor Roselle's special symbols, so it might not even be correct."
"But—but I've heard that if an evil god or demon becomes interested, even an incomplete ritual can draw a response… How stupid of me, truly…" The more she thought about it, the more miserable Xio's expression became, feeling she had made a terrible mistake.
After waiting a few more minutes and seeing no clear response, Xio puffed out her cheeks and slowly let out a breath.
She slipped the paper back into *A History of the
Splash!
The nearly transparent water flowed downward. Xio bent low, cupped her palms together, and scooped up a small amount.
She was just about to press the cold water to her face when, from the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of a long, slightly curly head of brown hair in the mirror.
Her own hair, by contrast, was shoulder-length, messy yellow.
In that instant, every hair on Xio's body stood on end.
She planted her feet, pushed off with both hands, and sprang backward, twisting her body halfway around as she drove her elbow into a hard strike.
Crack!
She collided with a warm body, the impact drawing a familiar scream from the other person, who crumpled to the ground.
Xio froze mid-motion and looked down at her friend, who was clutching her stomach, rolling in pain, eyes brimming with tears.
The corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily as she said: "Fors, when did you get back?"
Fors didn't answer right away. After a moment, she braced herself against the wall and slowly stood up, complaining: "I just—just got back. Xio, have you lost your mind? You didn't even look before you attacked! Hit me that hard!"
"How did you get in?" Xio asked awkwardly, deflecting.
"Climbed through the washroom window. What, is there a problem? It's perfectly normal for an 'Apprentice' to go around without a key," Fors answered self-righteously.
Xio straightened her back immediately, pushing all the blame back: "Then why didn't you use the door? You really scared me just now!"
Fors blinked and said: