Early morning, 160 Berkelund Street.
Klein got up, washed up, and instead of rushing out the door, he first took four steps backward and entered the gray fog.
He then manifested the "World" Gehrman Sparrow and had this dummy devoutly pray:
"Great Mr. Fool, please convey two sentences to Daniz:
I need him to provide information on West Balam, preferably with connections and resources.
Also, tell him to be careful of the Church of the Night's people recently."
............
On the "Golden Dream", Daniz, who saw the sun earlier than in Backlund, was holding a glass of malt beer, sitting in the shade, avoiding the scorching light.
Another quarter of an hour, and class would start again. The captain said that a qualified treasure hunter must master enough mathematics... Sigh, this is such a headache, but also a bit exciting, shit! Daniz rested one hand on his knee and took a gulp of beer.
Just then, gray fog filled his vision, and a blurry figure overlooking everything appeared, while Gehrman Sparrow's voice echoed in his ears.
"West Balam information? Although we've been there to look for lost ancient treasures and got to know a few tribal natives, that's about it, I can't say much more... What a hassle, I have to run around again. Gehrman Sparrow has so many things!" Daniz silently complained, then warily glanced left and right, afraid that the madman would suddenly pop out.
Taking a breath, thinking that he needed to work hard to become stronger so that he wouldn't be completely helpless when the captain was in danger and only shamefully hide behind, Daniz slapped his own face a few times with the hand not holding the glass and abruptly turned over and stood up.
He immediately left the shadowy spot, found companions like "Tinplate" and "Bucket", and asked who to consult for an in-depth understanding of West Balam, getting an almost unanimous answer:
"Captain Edwina Edwards, or Anderson Hood, who had previously attended the bonfire party on the ship."
Asking the captain directly, would she suspect me, think I have secrets and am secretly serving someone else... But that Anderson guy has run off somewhere again, shit! Daniz was momentarily troubled, and couldn't help shifting his thoughts to Gehrman Sparrow's subsequent reminder:
"Be careful of the Church of the Night's people!"
Daniz wasn't stupid; he knew that something specifically emphasized by that crazy adventurer couldn't be simple. That meant he believed he would most likely become the Church of the Night's primary target for capture, frantically chased by the "Red Gloves"!
Besides the Church of the Night, the Church of the Lord of Storms and the military were also targeting him, it was said each had sent an entire team... Daniz thought with a trembling heart.
He soon showed a mixed expression of confusion and bitterness, and muttered to himself:
"But I haven't done anything..."
............
After relaying the words about collecting West Balam information to "Star Admiral" Cattleya, Klein left the gray fog and returned to the real world, having breakfast and taking tutor lessons as usual.
When he woke up in the afternoon, with the help of his valet Richardson, he changed into his formal going-out clothes and boarded the carriage that had been waiting at the door.
"To Saint Samuel Cathedral," Klein said, half-leaning against the carriage wall, instructing the coachman.
— He considered that he still retained the identity of Dwayne Dantès and thought it best not to easily change his previous persona, so the frequency of attending Saint Samuel Cathedral should not decrease, and the donation amount should not diminish.
Moreover, this could effectively clear some suspicion; after all, it was hard to imagine that the "criminal" who had previously infiltrated behind the Chanis Gate not only didn't flee but swaggered back into the church as if nothing had happened... Thank you, Emperor Roselle, for not plagiarizing criminal psychology, for not pointing out that many high-intelligence criminals like to return to the crime scene, admiring their own masterpiece and the helpless expressions of others... Klein muttered inwardly, picked up the black tea prepared by Richardson, and took a light sip.
After moistening his throat, he glanced at his valet and asked casually:
"What are your deepest impressions of East Balam and West Balam?"
Richardson, sitting beside him, didn't ask why, thought for a moment, and said:
"East Balam is more stable, West Balam is more chaotic."
After finishing this simple answer, Richardson turned to look at his employer and found that Dwayne Dantès had half-closed his eyes, assuming an expression of "continue".
Richardson scratched behind his ear, weighing his words, and said:
"Also, poverty, hunger, and flogging. Uh, the original people of East Balam and West Balam once worshipped Death. Later, because believing in the Goddess of the Night, the 'Lord of Storms', the 'Eternal Blazing Sun', and other orthodox gods came with benefits, such as status elevation and church protection, there was a large-scale conversion of faith.
However, as the number of converts increased, that special status quickly disappeared, and many at the bottom secretly worshipped Death again.
This is more evident in the more chaotic West Balam; the descendants of Death always receive ample support…
These are all things that my, my father occasionally mentioned when drunk."
Klein listened quietly, without interrupting his valet's account, nor asking further questions.