Viscount Stratford… the royal chamberlain… From this position, there does seem to be some faction of the royal family behind Backlund's Great Smog incident. As for who exactly, that remains to be investigated… Klein couldn't spare the time to verify Triss's answer, so he could only have Senior chuckle and say:
“You told me the clue so easily—I find that a bit hard to believe.”
Triss said with a sneer and a hint of self-deprecation:
“To me, that's a good thing. I can tell that you and the forces you represent are very interested in the true schemes of the royal family and those behind the scenes. If by providing some effective leads, I can make you clash with them and bring the real conspirators to light, I'm very happy to do so. It helps my revenge, and it's a great help.”
According to this logic, doesn't it conversely also show that I can use you, drive you to investigate this matter, fish out the real mastermind behind the scenes, and keep my own forces hidden in a safe place until we have effective intelligence? Eh, wasn't Triss's speech just now inducing me to cooperate with her to a limited extent and voluntarily become a "mine-sweeper" to uncover the truth? She showed the value of being used… She fears I might ultimately decide to kill her… Klein roughly understood what Triss really meant, and manipulating the Wraith, he said:
“That makes sense. I should do that too.
“I think I don't need to threaten or tempt you—you'll try to contact Viscount Stratford on your own once your wounds heal.”
Triss curled the corner of her mouth and said:
“I just hope he's not into men.”
That could still be solved. If you're already Sequence 5, you could consider switching to Sequence 4 of the Hunter pathway, "Ironblood Knight"… Also, have you forgotten your past self? Why are you getting more and more accustomed to using the abilities of a "Pleasure Witch" against men… Klein muttered inwardly and had Senior laugh and say:
“That's not a problem. You can show him an old photo of yourself.”
Triss froze for a moment, her expression slightly twisted, as if a deep-buried shame had been dug out and exposed to the sunlight.
Her delicate eyes immediately clouded with anger born of humiliation, and her pale, injured face suddenly flushed red.
Triss quickly reined in her emotions, snorted, and said hoarsely:
“No wonder you're the 'Blood Admiral'—you certainly have a deep understanding of the Witch pathway.”
So she hadn't been sure about that before. I thought the Witch Cult and the Rose School had cooperated, so she believed the Blood Admiral knew the secrets of the Assassin pathway, which is why she made that joke… Regardless, mocking someone's gender isn't good… Well, this fits the Blood Admiral's persona… One of the Puppet Master's precepts is "Remember, every puppet has its own setting"? The reason Triss mentioned the old photo earlier was probably just to vent the joy and excitement of torturing and eliminating an enemy, without paying special attention to the details… Klein nodded thoughtfully and manipulated Senior to say:
“At my level, I'm bound to have learned a lot of secrets.”
He didn't continue this topic; instead, he turned and said:
“How do I contact you?
“During your investigation of Viscount Stratford, I might be able to provide some help.”
Triss reached to her ear, grabbed a lock of smooth black hair, and then a blue ice shard condensed and cut a strand off.
She then opened her palm holding the strand of black hair, letting black, silent flames emerge, burning each hair to ash.
These ashes were not blown away by the cold wind in the sewer; instead, they contracted inward and coalesced into a black, paste-like mass.
“Smear them evenly on a mirror, and I'll know you're looking for me. Afterwards, I'll use that mirror to communicate with you.” Triss flicked her wrist and threw the paste-like black substance to “Blood Admiral” Senior. “This should be usable about five times. That's enough.”
Since Senior was just a puppet, Klein wasn't worried at all about him catching the sticky black mass. He looked at it for a few seconds and casually stuffed it into his clothing pocket.
Triss was silent for a few seconds, then bit her lip and said:
“If I need some help, how do I contact you?”
That was a problem… Klein very much wanted to tell her to directly summon Miss Messenger Reinette Tinek. After all, once Triss inquired about the Blood Admiral's recent situation, she would know that behind this Wraith was hidden Gehrman Sparrow—that couldn't be hidden.
After a few seconds of consideration, he decided to be cautious and thought it would be fine to change the contact method once Triss actually discovered it.
After all, she wasn't someone to be trusted… Her revenge for Prince Edessak might indeed be genuine, but it likely also contained other motives, such as taking revenge for herself… Klein had Senior look around and say:
“This sewer hides many secrets. I come here often. You can leave the help you need in writing here.
“If it's urgent and there's no time, you can first contact the person earlier and have him leave a message here.”
Triss slowly nodded:
“Okay.”
Klein felt the conversation was about done and prepared to have the puppet Senior leave.
At that moment, his 'gaze' swept over Triss's hands and saw that the sapphire ring, comparable to a Grade 0 sealed artifact, was gone!
He had noticed it earlier but assumed she had changed fingers—but it was really gone. From this, she had indeed paid a considerable price when she escaped Prince Edessak's Red Rose Manor and broke free from Ince Zangwill and '0—08's control! The mark left by the 'Primordial Witch' on her was also gone? Klein thought for a second and had 'Blood Admiral' Senior laugh and say:
“One more thing.”