When Klein heard the overlapping ethereal prayers, he was sitting in a carriage returning from St. Samuel Cathedral to Berkeland Street.
A woman... Not too urgent... He could only make the roughest judgment about this and couldn't immediately go above the Gray Fog to respond.
He glanced out the window at the gas streetlights dispelling the darkness, then withdrew his gaze, picked up the white-glazed porcelain cup with gold trim, and took a gentle sip.
Seeing this, Richardson, who was at the side, mustered his courage and said:
"Sir, I've thought it through. You were absolutely right: everyone starts from having no experience or very little experience. Thank you for giving me such an opportunity to grow."
After confirming that Godothps and his gang were dead, he finally stopped worrying and started considering his career.
Changing employers frequently in a short period of time is a considerable stain on a servant. Once he resigned from Dwayne Dantès, Richardson believed it would be difficult for him to continue as a valet.
For him, this would be a great detriment.
This is not only because a valet's annual salary is at least 25 pounds, far surpassing other non-managerial positions and equal to the lady's maid, but also because valets and lady's maids are the servants most likely to become butlers!
They follow the master or mistress, help them with trivial matters, act as their mouthpiece, and serve as their assistants. This effectively cultivates their abilities, comprehensively masters various butler skills, and makes them trusted confidants of the employer. If given the opportunity, they can relatively easily become estate stewards, butler's assistants, deputy butlers, and step by step be promoted to butler.
Richardson indeed yearned for a peaceful life, but that didn't mean he was willing to remain a servant forever. He undoubtedly wanted to use his own efforts to get more pay and a higher status. A butler in a wealthy family was his ultimate goal.
"Understanding now is not too late," Klein replied with a smile, permitting Richardson to stay.
Returning to 160 Berkeland Street, he instructed the housekeeper Taneia to have the kitchen prepare a midnight snack for 11:30, while he went up to the third floor, took off his coat, and entered the bathroom.
At this time, the bathtub had already been filled with hot water at the right temperature by the maid five minutes earlier.
Klein didn't rush to take a bath. He went above the Gray Fog and figured out who had just been praying.
Mr. X... Traveler... Miss Magician's efficiency isn't bad... Unnoticed, she has grown too... Klein muttered a few words to himself.
After careful consideration, he materialized The World, Gehrman Sparrow, and had this puppet pray in the billowing gray fog:
"...Give me the time, place, and more intelligence. Only then can I act."
Klein's thought was simple: the Traveler's ability was quite useful, but Dwayne Dantès couldn't leave Berkeland Street for long periods or stay in his room all the time. If Miss Magician could provide detailed and reliable information, a single assassination wouldn't affect anything. But if The World were to gather information from the periphery bit by bit, it would be impossible and would affect more important matters.
Soon, The Magician Fors replied:
"...I'll gather it as soon as possible."
Since Mr. X's gathering hadn't yet determined the next time or place, she could only wait patiently.
With this matter settled, Klein returned to the real world, stripped off all his clothes, and lay down in the bathtub.
The warm water enveloped him. He squinted comfortably, feeling his physical and mental fatigue being gradually washed away.
He had been to St. Samuel Cathedral several times recently to listen to Bishop Electra's lectures on "Revelations of the Night" and had also grasped the appearances and characteristics of two internal guards. However, since there had been no repetitions, he still couldn't determine the pattern of the guards' rotation shifts.
Such behavior would also bring trouble. Opening his eyes and looking at the water vapor above, Klein sighed inwardly:
"The first review should be coming soon..."
A person who frequently enters the inner areas of St. Samuel Cathedral would most likely be questioned by the Nighthawks. Given that his background was still not very clear, such a thing was nearly inevitable.
If there was no review, it would be a serious dereliction for the Nighthawks... Klein slowly exhaled.
…………
Beneath St. Samuel Cathedral, Leonard slowly walked out of a room that was so quiet it was soundless.
His emerald green eyes now seemed stained with black strange water, with countless illusory bubbles and ripples appearing and disappearing.
"Not bad, becoming a 'Soul Pacifier' so quickly, almost catching up to me," congratulated Daly Simone, who stood in the corridor, with a tone that seemed teasing or self-deprecating.
She was still in a hooded black robe, wearing blue eyeshadow and blush, giving her an eerie beauty.
When Leonard saw this familiar lady, he only felt that her demeanor had become more chilly, and it seemed countless shadows were hiding around her, layer upon layer, deep and icy.
"Clearly, I'm still a long way from you. Given your state, you should be able to advance to 'Gatekeeper', right?" Leonard wasn't too casual in front of Daly and spoke more formally. Because if he joked, in the end he would be the one blushing awkwardly, not this lady.
"Gatekeeper" is Sequence 5 of the "Undead" pathway.
"I could have two months ago," Daly said without concealment, her expression slightly twisted.
Leonard roughly understood the reason and nodded slightly:
"Still haven't accumulated enough merit?"
Daly immediately curled her lips and said:
"Yes. It's like already being in bed, everything prepared, only to find there are no condoms at home, and outside it's night, and most of the shops in the nearby blocks are closed!"
Strange analogy... Leonard didn't know how to respond and could only laugh:
"You could proactively take on some matters."
Not giving Daly a chance to speak, he pointed to the other end of the corridor: