Hearing Anderson's question, Klein momentarily didn't know how to answer.
He gave the unfortunate "Strongest Hunter" a cool glance, raised his right hand, and pointed upwards.
"I see..." Anderson Hood nodded as if enlightened.
What exactly did you understand... I don't even know what I was trying to say... Klein twitched the corner of his mouth imperceptibly, changed the subject, and recalled:
"I just met someone..."
"Someone we don't know? Not a member of the *Future*? The one who walked out from the deep end of this hall earlier?" Anderson suddenly became excited.
This guy has none of the airs of the "Strongest Hunter," he's just like a tabloid journalist chasing a hot story... Klein complained inwardly. Without answering, he directly said:
"She asked me to deliver a prophecy to you."
"She... what prophecy?" Anderson was a little astonished.
If I were using the identity of Klein Moretti right now, I'd tell you, "Sorry, I forgot, she only said it once"... Klein imagined the prank that would never happen, then said in a low voice:
"The most fatal dangers are often hidden in the most ordinary of lives."
Anderson listened seriously, then hissed:
"That's absolutely right! I almost got myself drunk into a fool just now. Who would have thought that the vast majority of the crew on the *Future* were drinking faulty alcohol!"
He pondered for a few more seconds, then asked uneasily:
"That's it? Are you sure you haven't forgotten any details, or any key words?"
You're testing me... Klein ignored Anderson Hood, walked to the entrance of the fresco hall, and looked out at Frank, Nina, and the others outside.
Earlier, in the library, the "Mystery Queen" had suddenly pointed out that he was the Phantom Thief "Black Emperor," throwing him into a passive position. Then, he had tried to disrupt her rhythm and not follow her lead. Consequently, his mind had been tightly wound, his thoughts entirely focused on the verbal sparring and how to respond. He had no time or opportunity to review the entire process and dig out the subtle details he had missed. Now, he finally had the leisure.
"First, the most important and urgent question I must think clearly about is, to what extent does the 'Mystery Queen' understand my identity and her knowledge of Roselle's diary? "Mm... She believes I possess the method of deciphering the script Emperor Roselle created, rather than the script itself. Although the difference between these two meanings isn't too great, it is sufficient to prove that our identities as transmigrators are something she cannot imagine and for which she has no clues. "Miss Sharon is not a newcomer just entering the occult circles, nor is she someone just starting to deal with complex matters. When she found someone to forge my identity, she couldn't have revealed who the client was. Moreover, the photos I provided all used the image of Gehrman Sparrow... "In other words, the 'Mystery Queen' hasn't reached the conclusion that Sherlock Moriarty equals Gehrman Sparrow. Yes, if she already had, a better way to address me would be 'Mr. Black Emperor Sherlock Moriarty,' which would have struck my psychological defenses three to five times harder than directly calling me the Phantom Thief 'Black Emperor.' "From her perspective, how did she find useful information from those scattered clues? "She knew that bookmark was the 'Black Emperor' card, so she linked the ghostly Phantom Thief 'Black Emperor' with the strange spirit that stole the 'Blasphemy Card' from the Kingdom's museum. Then, because the 'King of the Five Seas,' Nast, abruptly appeared in the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago, she guessed, based on the law of Beyonder attraction, that the Phantom Thief 'Black Emperor' might also appear in Bayam, appear in the archipelago. "Through investigation, she discovered the familiar identity of Gehrman Sparrow, and from the consistency of his activities with those of the Phantom Thief 'Black Emperor,' she made a guess and chased all the way here, infiltrated the *Future*, and observed me up close. "This is logical, but parts of it involve some coincidences. The 'King of the Five Seas,' Nast, can appear wherever he wants. Maybe he just missed a certain lady at the 'Red Theater' and had his ship traverse the Spirit World into the Rorsted Archipelago. Maybe Bayam coincidentally had a high-sequence Beyonder ingredient for the Black Emperor pathway, strongly attracting him... This couldn't be directly linked to the Phantom Thief 'Black Emperor.' "Of course, the 'Mystery Queen' making such a connection is not incomprehensible. Perhaps, when it comes to clues about important matters, she would rather be wrong than let them slip. Hah, it's a good habit, but it makes one very tired. "Also, she most likely didn't lock onto Gehrman Sparrow from the start. But in the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago, in the 'Generous City' of Bayam, the mad adventurer Gehrman Sparrow has a very loud reputation. As soon as she heard the name and matched the timeline, she could make a basic judgment. "Sigh, it's better to be low-key. Fortunately, the act is finally over. I can let the identity of Gehrman Sparrow disappear!" Klein reviewed the whole matter and felt he had more or less figured out the issue.
However, he had another thought, another guess:
It was that when the "Admiral of the Stars," Cattleya, brought Gehrman Sparrow on board, she was too high-profile, as if she was afraid others wouldn't know the mad adventurer was working with her!
"Maybe she was making some kind of hint, and then the 'Mystery Queen' came, learned about Gehrman Sparrow, figured out my activity trajectory at sea, made a comparison, and reached a judgment. She said she was bluffing me, but she was actually quite certain!" Klein, with one hand in his pocket, walked out of the fresco hall, heading straight for the "Admiral of the Stars," Cattleya, outside the Black Monastery. He planned to take advantage of her half-awake state and ask for the answer directly.
At this point, he had actually relaxed quite a bit because it was obvious that the 'Mystery Queen' only knew that Gehrman Sparrow was the Phantom Thief "Black Emperor," a Beyonder serving some big shot, and didn't touch on anything more secretive.
"Even if she also connects the great detective Sherlock Moriarty, who appeared nearby on the night the 'Black Emperor' card was stolen, it's not a big problem.