«Nothing,» Klein said with a gentle smile.
He seemed not to have noticed a thing, but his thoughts were racing, trying to figure out what that instant change meant: The internal keepers had all been going upstairs via the nearby staircase, so it could be presumed they lived up there—the same place where the change had just occurred… The internal keepers weren’t in a normal state, so the probability of losing control was higher than for ordinary Beyonders; could they suddenly flare with malice and evil thoughts?
And that was forcibly suppressed or smoothed over by the sealed core behind the
If so, there were two possibilities: first, the sealed core behind the Chanis Gate could sense every abnormal change within Saint Samuel Church and react instinctively; second, during their years of duty, the internal keepers had been constantly eroded by the power of the sealed core, to some extent becoming part of it or bearing its peculiarities, so that any anomaly would immediately draw the intervention of the core.
If it was the former, when I knocked out an internal keeper and replaced him, the sealed core behind the Chanis Gate would easily detect it, triggering a change like just now, and the whole thing would fail at the start. If it was the latter, when I entered the Chanis Gate disguised as an internal keeper, I would inevitably face rejection…
I had to figure out the problem first, then come up with a targeted solution…
How difficult it was to steal sealed artefacts from the churches of various faiths; no wonder hardly anyone was willing to do it…
While Klein’s mind was churning, on the surface he listened attentively to Bishop Electra’s account of Saint Samuel’s experiences and the letters he left behind, and only when the time was nearly up did he politely take his leave.
Back at 160 Berkeland Street, he had just handed his top hat and cane to
«Sir, would you like to hold a ball or a dinner party next weekend and invite the neighbours?»
But Klein understood that since the butler had brought it up, it was time to do it.
He nodded slightly: «Saturday evening, a ball.
«I’ll need you and Tania to start preparing in advance.
«Is there enough money in the house?»
As he said the last sentence, Klein turned his head toward the housekeeper.
Tania nodded seriously: «Enough.
«The various alcoholic drinks in your cellar can already handle several banquets.»
When Klein moved into 160 Berkeland Street, he had given her 1,000 pounds in cash for household expenses, and it seemed that even after replenishing wine, tea, coffee beans, and other items, it would certainly not be used up in a month.
The pound was still strong… Klein nodded and said with a smile: «Don’t open anything too expensive at first; the Loen custom is to be reserved.»
«Yes, sir.» Walter, though he fully knew how to organise a ball, listened very carefully to his employer’s instructions.
He paused, then continued: «You only need to do two things: first, with our help, draw up a guest list and think up a bit of small talk for each person that fits their background and experience; second, order another formal suit for the ball.»
How troublesome… When I greet Hazel, can I say something like, «The sewers here are cleaner than the plazas of the Southern Continent»? Klein sighed inwardly, then nodded slightly: «No problem.»
…………
In the dead of night, the crimson moon hung high, and
In Dwayne Dantès’ master bedroom, Klein set up a ritual and summoned himself.
Tonight, he would enter the sewer to confirm whether Triss had left, and then go to the fork she had described to explore the so-called hidden passage and see what he could find.
Klein didn’t expect any extra gains; he was just worried that the secret hidden in this sewer was a latent danger that might one day explode, and that could easily involve Dwayne Dantès, who lived nearby, and ruin his plan to steal the
In such matters, one couldn’t be an ostrich, burying one’s head in the sand and pretending to see nothing… Finding the problem as early as possible, and before it fully erupted, either destroying it or reporting it, was the most effective approach… Of course, he also had to be careful not to let his own exploration become the fuse… Klein’s spirit emerged from the candle flame, strengthened by Azik’s copper whistle, and possessed the body of Dwayne Dantès before him, guiding him to walk to the edge of the «Spirituality Wall» and sit down in an easy chair.
From the outside, it looked like a rich man had fallen asleep reading the newspaper, forgetting to go to bed.