For a split second, Walter wondered if he had imagined it. There was no doorbell ring just now!
He steadied himself and quickly walked to the servants' quarters at the back of the building. He woke up a few of them and told them to get their double-barreled shotguns and patrol the perimeter of the main house to prevent any burglars or robbers from sneaking in.
Walter didn't immediately call the police because nothing had happened yet. It was possible that the ring was just the prank of a wandering tramp.
Meanwhile, inside the nearest sewer, the earlier intruder gripped the metal handrails and descended layer by layer into a dim, lightless area.
He soon stopped, leaned his back against the moss-covered wall, and slowly slid down to sit on the filthy ground.
His eyes closed again, as if he was still unconscious. In front of him, a middle-aged man in a worn tricorn hat and dark red coat materialized out of thin air. It was Klein's marionette, the Wraith,
Senor bent over and fished out 7 soli and 11 pence in coins, as well as small cloth pouches containing different powders, from the inner pockets of the intruder's clothes.
Klein, sitting in his room, controlled the marionette from several tens of meters away. He identified the powders one by one and found that, as he had suspected, they were all herbs from the realm of the dead. Some of them could be used for "spirit communing"!
— It was highly likely that the Beyonder from Balam belonged to the Corpse Collector pathway. Even if he hadn't reached Sequence 7, Necromancer, it was normal for him to carry corresponding herb powders and essential oils, since these materials had uses beyond just "spirit communing."
Immediately after, Klein manipulated the marionette Senor to quickly set up a ritual and pray to Mr. Fool.
Then, he went Above the
Having done all this, he returned to the real world and continued to manipulate the "Wraith" Senor to truly begin the "spirit communing."
Passing through the glimmering storm, Klein saw the intruder's spirit. It was dazed, blurry, and transparent.
"What is your name? Which faction do you belong to?" Senor asked in a low voice.
The intruder responded woodenly: "Godopous... I belong to the Black Skull Gang."
The Black Skull Gang was a gang near the docks on the edge of the East Borough and the
Godopous said dazedly: "We are fighting for a god... We were originally members of the East Balam Restoration Committee. We founded the Black Skull Gang to gather intelligence and obtain funding. Beyond that, we have another mission: collect all items related to the god of Death and send them back to the Southern Continent."
"This time, we have reliable intelligence. Among Count Wolf's collection is a mask taken from the mausoleum of the Eggers family. This family is said to be the descendant of a god."
"To obtain this mask, we need someone to work in Count Wolf's household or infiltrate the banquets and balls he throws. Richardson is a perfect candidate. He has no record of joining any organizations and has extensive experience as a servant."
A noble's servants are practically "hereditary." It's not so easy to worm your way in... Unless they temporarily need a large number of hands for short-term hire...
Speaking of which, this kind of thing actually happened. At tonight's ball, a lady mentioned that a few nobles in poor financial straits had sold off their lands and estates, dismissed almost all their servants, keeping less than ten to serve them, barely maintaining a dignified life. When they needed to host a large banquet or ball, they would hire a batch of temporary workers from organizations like the "Society for Assisting Domestic Servants" to put up a good front...
Also, Count Wolf actually possesses a mask from the family of the Death deity's descendants. I remember Mr. Azik's surname is Eggers... What a pity. I don't want any unexpected disturbances right now, or I might have found a way to get this mask for Mr. Azik... Klein silently muttered a few words and had Senor continue asking: "How did you meet Richardson?"
Godopous said flatly: "We met at an estate in East Balam. Back then, we were both slaves."
"Among the slaves, someone was quietly spreading the faith of the god of Death. I, Richardson, and his mother, in that kind of life, inevitably became followers of the god of Death and secretly joined that very influential organization among the slaves."
"Later, Richardson's mother fell ill and died. He was brought to Backlund, while I stayed in East Balam and found a chance to escape the estate."
"Years later, I was sent to Backlund. By a stroke of luck, I encountered Richardson again. He... he had actually forgotten his mother's death, forgotten the abuse he had suffered, forgotten his faith in the god. He had been corroded by a so-called peaceful life!"
"To avoid me, he deliberately made mistakes and changed employers three times in a row. But how could he have known that his past companion is no longer an ordinary person!"
Everyone has the right to choose, as long as it doesn't harm others. Still, Richardson and I are two different kinds of people... In the room, Klein closed his eyes for a moment before having Senor ask in a low voice: "What is the name of that influential organization among the slaves?"
Godopous hesitated for a moment and said: "The
The Eternal Life Society... I know this. It's a branch of the Church of the Dead... Klein, coming from the Nighthawks, was quite familiar with it.