Mr. A? Mr. A of the Aurora Order? Klein, who had intended to move along the wall and shadows to the door, silently retreated back.
Ince Zangwill should be cooperating with some faction of the royal family... Only a force that is one of the rulers of Loen could have excavated and hidden such a large underground ruin near Backlund...
Ince Zangwill and "0-08"'s involvement directly rules out the Evernight Church. Although followers of the Storm Lord are a bit reckless and chauvinistic, they are unlikely to cooperate with the Witch Sect; at least so far, there have been no suspected Beyonders of the "Sailor" pathway... By the same logic, the Church of Steam is also less suspicious...
The Aurora Order has gotten involved too? What exactly are they trying to do?
Klein pressed his back against the wall, slowed his breathing, and listened to the conversation in the center of the hall while thinking.
After a brief silence, a deep and hoarse voice spoke:
"Alright."
The reply was so concise that Klein could not tell what they were plotting.
The gentle and pleasant voice that had spoken earlier chuckled and said:
"You don't seem to fully trust us yet?"
"Yes." Mr. A replied unceremoniously.
"Heh, then let me honestly describe our purpose and why we seek your cooperation." The gentle female voice said without annoyance. "We did some things and left certain traces. Before the Churches of Evernight, Storm, and Steam and the military discover them, we must eliminate them accordingly. For this, we need your help. Ah, it seems you haven't truly understood my meaning. Let me give an example. Suppose, suppose I committed a serious crime like murder in a house, what is the best way to remove evidence and clues?"
"There is no need for that. Having others witness such an act is precisely our goal." Mr. A said coldly.
...As expected of someone from the Aurora Order... They're all a bunch of madmen... Klein tentatively confirmed that the male speaker was Mr. A, the one who killed the Intis ambassador.
"...Suppose it's me, not you." The gentle female voice had a barely noticeable exhale.
After a second, Mr. A replied:
"Burn down the house, burying all the clues inside."
The gentle female voice carried a smile:
"That is precisely our idea. I am responsible for 'setting the fire,' and you will take this opportunity to expand the trend, create a channel or vessel, and let your Lord descend upon the world.
"The only price you pay is to bear all the infamy, drawing the greatest hatred from the military and the three Churches. But I believe you shouldn't mind."
"As long as it can welcome the return of the Lord, we will not feel any fear even if we are hated by all forces." Mr. A's tone was no longer so indifferent and distant.
Set fire? The Aurora Order takes the chance to complete the True Creator's descent ritual? That's the third time, right?... How did I run into it again? This is a damned doomed fate... Klein couldn't help but curse in Chinese in his mind.
At this moment, he was extremely curious and wary of the conspiracy between a certain royal faction, the Witch Sect, and Ince Zangwill. It was already so terrifying that they needed to use the True Creator's descent as a decoy!
Perhaps they have hidden cards that will ultimately disrupt the Aurora Order's ritual and screw over all forces except themselves... Klein thought tensely and calmly.
"It seems you have no more questions." The gentle female voice chuckled softly. "This place is very hidden and has appropriate arrangements. You can safely hold the ritual without fear of disturbance before it succeeds. As for the outside part, we have already prepared it, very, very early, just waiting for me to light the first 'flame.' If you still have doubts, you can check again."
Just as Mr. A was about to speak, Klein heard a clang, the sound of a door opening.
"Who let you in? Didn't I order that no one should approach this place?" The gentle female voice suppressed anger.
"Lady Despair, there's an emergency! Someone has infiltrated the underground! The higher-ups sent me in to handle the aftermath and close the corresponding passage." A male voice with a strong Backlund accent replied quickly.
The so-called "Lady Despair" was silent for a few seconds, as if communicating with an unknown entity to confirm the situation.
Finally, she said in an unchanged tone: "Go in. Don't come out again, and don't let anyone out. Wait for further instructions."
"Yes, Lady Despair!" The man ran with a thud toward the stone door here. In the background, there was a clang.
From Klein's hiding spot, he could relatively clearly see the stone door leading to the back area. He waited for seven or eight seconds, and a figure of average height, neither fat nor thin, appeared there.
The man panted, extended his hands, grimaced with a fierce expression, and pushed open the heavy stone door.
At that moment, Klein had fully captured his appearance and characteristics without any omission. This was an extraordinary ability of the "Faceless"!
The man had brownish-red skin, obvious Southern Continent ancestry, and his facial features were entirely unremarkable, making him hard to remember.
Because of his grimace, part of his teeth were exposed. The third tooth on the upper left gleamed with golden light—it was a fake tooth.
This... Klein, who had the spiritual intuition of a Seer, frowned, feeling a vague familiarity.
Soon, using his skills, he recalled the source of the familiarity:
"The Hanged Man" had once asked the Tarot Club members to find a man with brownish-red skin, missing his left third tooth, and with a thick Backlund accent.
That man was named Baron and was related to numerous cases of slaves escaping and disappearing from colonial islands!
At this moment, the man before Klein was nearly identical to the Baron described by "The Hanged Man"!
"Colonial islands slave disappearances..."