The figure in the mirror was clear, but the woman in the black court dress from earlier was no longer there. It was as if she had never appeared.
Klein quietly activated his Spirit Vision but found nothing.
"Did I hire a female ghost as a bodyguard? This is even weirder than a female ghost... At least Spirit Vision can see ghosts..." Klein thoughtfully touched Azik's copper whistle in his pocket, feeling the same coolness and chill without any extra change.
"It's not affected by the whistle... So it's probably not an undead type... Still, I can't be certain. Back then, the copper whistle was buried with me, but none of the dead around me showed any abnormalities... Is it because everyone buried in the cemetery had requiems performed by priests and bishops? When does it actually work, and when doesn't it? Once the ambassador's matter is resolved, if I'm still alive, I'll go to the cemetery and do some tests, trying to figure out the range and limitations. I can't keep carrying it around like a time bomb..." Klein washed his face, turned around, and walked out of the bathroom.
He had just picked up the newspaper in the living room, intending to browse it in the study or bedroom, when he suddenly heard the doorbell ring.
Amidst the jingling sound, Klein's mind immediately tensed. He put on his coat, made of various materials, and walked cautiously towards the door.
He clearly remembered that danger was supposed to strike in the coming days!
He stood behind the door for a moment, and in his mind naturally emerged a picture of the scene outside.
The Crimson Moon was faintly visible in the sky. The elegant gas street lamps on both sides of the road illuminated the damp streets. A boy in an old coat stood there, his deep crimson eyes carrying a hint of confusion.
"Ian Wright? Why is he here? Isn't this the scene from my Dream Divination? Is this a sign of impending danger?" Klein opened the door and warily took two steps back.
"Detective Moriarty." Ian took off his brown bowler hat, bowed slightly, and said, "I came here to apologize to you. I'm very sorry for getting you involved in such a dangerous affair."
Klein frowned slightly. "The best thing you can do is go to the police station."
Ian looked around and lowered his head slightly. "I just came out of the Military Intelligence Ninth Department."
"Huh? So that's the name of that special military department?" Klein moved aside, pointing to the living room. "Perhaps we can talk."
"At least I need to know what got me into such a passive situation..." he sighed inwardly.
Ian didn't stand on ceremony and followed Klein into the living room, sitting in the same spot as last time.
Just as he was about to speak, Klein suddenly added, "If what you're about to say will get me into even greater danger, then don't bother."
"No, everything is almost over." Ian's composure was beyond his years.
Klein breathed a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "So, what exactly happened?"
As his words faded, he suddenly saw a figure appear on the bay window opposite the living room. A woman in a black court dress, her light golden hair tied up in a bun, her eyes blue, her features delicate, and her complexion pale. It was the same woman who had greeted Klein in the bathroom mirror earlier.
The woman seemed to find an illusory high-backed chair to sit down. She rested her left palm on her right elbow and propped her face up with her right hand, assuming a listening pose with an expressionless face.
"...Klein was momentarily unsure of how to react.
At that moment, Ian, who had been silent for a few seconds, spoke in a low voice, "Actually, Detective Zreal was a spy for the Feysac Empire. He adopted several street children and taught them intelligence-gathering techniques. I was among them."
"So that's it... I got involved in a major espionage case..." Klein suddenly understood.
Ian stared at the coffee table and continued, "We had the advantage of age. People often didn't notice us, so we could gather a lot of useful intelligence. Two weeks ago, I stumbled upon a clue about the Hermoine manuscript."
"Hermoine?" Klein felt the surname was familiar.
Ian looked up at him and explained, "Turnian von Hermoine. The greatest scientist, mathematician, and mechanical engineer after Emperor Roselle, and the father of the second-generation Difference Engine."
"So that's who it is!" Klein immediately recalled the relevant information.
He was not just a great scientist; he was a mad scientist. He believed that humanity had an essential flaw and could only achieve the ultimate truth through machines. He had a deep love for eating, seemingly using this as his own source of energy. He mysteriously disappeared while researching the third-generation Difference Engine and was an important figure sought after by all nations.
"His manuscript? A manuscript involving the third-generation Difference Engine?" Klein asked tentatively.
The Difference Engine was a mechanical device used for calculation. It could effectively improve the efficiency of scientific research and various engineering projects. In Klein's view, it was an alternative computer of the Steam Age, though at present, it only possessed computing capabilities.
Ian shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't actually see it. Maybe it had some related ideas."
He paused and recounted the sequence of events again. "I reported this matter to Detective Zreal. He was very happy and asked me to continue investigating along that clue, while he immediately reported it to his superiors."
"I spent some time and finally confirmed the whereabouts of the manuscript. But I was afraid of the danger and didn't dare steal it directly. I decided to return to Detective Zreal's place. After that came the things I told you about. Someone broke into Detective Zreal's home. Many of the small mechanisms weren't reset, and he didn't respond to my contact attempts. The people from the Zmanig Gang were even trying to catch me..."
"Through your help, I confirmed Detective Zreal's death. I took a false tooth from his body. Well, after we parted ways."
"Detective Zreal told me that there was a way to urgently contact his superior engraved on the inside of that false tooth. It was a method that even he himself didn't know. It would only be removed in case of an accident."