Hearing Audrey’s affirmative answer, Mrs. Norna laughed:
“What an honest child.”
“I happen to know some very knowledgeable occult experts. Would you be interested in chatting with them?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I wish. Praise the Lady.” Audrey pretended to be delighted and traced a crimson moon on her chest.
Mrs. Norna, with a smile, gently nodded:
“How about having afternoon tea together tomorrow?”
“No problem.” Audrey’s excited gaze carried a hint of innocence.
After bidding farewell to Mrs. Norna and walking toward the living room, her smile gradually faded, and her demeanor became calm and composed.
“Her body language, the color of her emotions, and the subtle changes in her mental body projecting outward all indicate she has no ill intent, but she’s quite nervous… It seems Mrs. Norna really might be a member of the Psychological Alchemists… Hmm, she’s been observing my expressions and movements all along, but she can’t control or hide her own emotions. Maybe, like Susie, she’s also a ‘Spectator.’ Too bad she doesn’t know that the person in front of her is a ‘Reader of Minds’…” Audrey thought with a mix of anxiety and pride, involuntarily stepping her feet gracefully in a straight line.
……
Inside Einhorn Stanton’s house in the Hillston District.
Klein’s lips moved a few times, but in the end, he didn’t ask Stuart about who the employer was or what he looked like.
He decided not to get involved in Emlyn White’s affairs as much as possible.
Although from his own account, he was a law-abiding vampire, that was only based on the content he described. There were too many blanks in his early life, and Klein couldn’t confirm whether he had really never harmed an innocent.
Thus, he lacked the motivation to find Father Utraanski to rescue him. That was a “Dawn Knight” who was quite proficient in combat, had magical items to assist him, and wasn’t weakened!
Moreover, it would easily reveal his real identity to Father Utraanski and Emlyn White.
He hoped Emlyn White would soon gain the approval of that very capable father and be released from “imprisonment”… Klein silently made four clockwise turns in his mind for Emlyn White.
After the bounty was divided, the detectives took their leave one after another, and Klein even received the highest treatment of being escorted to the door by the great detective Einhorn Stanton.
Einhorn, holding his pipe, cleared his throat and said:
“There are still some unresolved doubts in the serial murders. Maybe behind the killer, there is an even more wicked guy hiding. Be careful lately, and don’t spread the word that you played a crucial role in this case.”
It seems the official Beyonders also suspect that demonic dog had an owner… Klein replied seriously:
“I know. I have the same suspicions.”
“Mr. Stanton, you also need to be careful. You are the convener of the gathering and the police’s main partner.”
Einhorn put his pipe into his mouth, then took it out and said:
“Sherlock, I’ll call you Sherlock. You can rest assured. Although I’m no longer young, I am still an excellent fighter, a good marksman, and have an instinctive vigilance.”
And you’re probably a Beyonder of a not-low sequence, just unknown which path… Klein thought and said:
“Mr. Stanton, you don’t seem to be from Backlund? Your accent is closer to the Seville region.”
“Yes, just like your accent is from the east coast of the Midlands.” Einhorn admitted openly.
The two detectives then exchanged a smile, both acknowledging each other’s ability to observe things without being noticed.
Before evening, Klein returned to 15 Minsk Street.
Well, I now have 1224 pounds in cash, plus 5 gold coins, and some small change. Compared to when I first came to Backlund, it’s quite ample. However, Sequence 6 materials cost at least 1500 pounds each, and sometimes, due to scarcity, the price can double. Beyonders who can obtain such items usually have sequences not too low and won’t misjudge the value and sell cheaply, so there’s no chance of picking up bargains…
Although that lady with the “Artisan” background is extremely eager for the potion formula of the “Black Emperor” path, we also have to consider her progress. When she was only Sequence 9, it was almost impossible for her to spend a large amount of money pre-ordering a Sequence 6 formula unless she had a gold mine or owned a bank… Hmm, you can’t always fleece the same sheep…
Amid his swirling thoughts, Klein didn’t rush to prepare dinner. He returned to the bedroom, pulled the curtains, and ascended to the Gray Fog.
He had a thought and needed to verify it.
Seated in the position of The Fool, he reached out and took the ancient-looking, brass-colored “Universal Key.”
Based on the notes of the descendant of Abraham that he obtained last night, he guessed that the other had lost control on the spot because he chose to advance during the full moon.
Therefore, the curse-like ability of the “Universal Key” to make people get lost in bad places, besides stemming from the residual Beyonder characteristics containing resentment and unwillingness, had a high probability of being contaminated by the illusory whispers of Mr. Door.
“Then, what changes will it undergo during the full moon?” Klein murmured.
He manifested paper and pen and wrote the sentence for divination he had prepared:
“Its performance during the full moon.”
Holding the paper in one hand and the “Universal Key” in the other, Klein leaned back in his chair and smiled wryly:
“I’m going to seek death again…”
“But this time, it shouldn’t be too dangerous. Mr. Door is far from the real world, lost in the dark depths, and I have the Gray Fog as a barrier.”
In this case, divining the danger level is no different from directly divining the matter itself. Experienced Klein half-closed his eyes, his gaze deepening, and he chanted continuously:
“Its performance during the full moon.”
……
After seven times, Klein fell into a dream.
In that gray, fragmented, illusory world, he saw again the basement where the descendant of Abraham had died.