Returning to the room with the large balcony, Fors looked at Xio, who was leaning against the wall, and lowered her voice:
"Guess what I saw?"
"That male servant, Mr. Dantès's valet, is actually a follower of Death. He was just doing a spirit dance and praying!"
Xio's eyes widened in surprise, but then she relaxed:
"That's a very minor issue for Mr. Dantès."
"Well, that servant named Richardson clearly has Southern Continent blood; maybe he was born there, so it's not surprising that he secretly worships Death."
Fors smiled in response:
"I know. I just find it interesting. This rich man Dwayne Dantès seems to be surrounded by an awful lot of people with secrets, don't you think?"
"If one day I discover that in this house, besides him, everyone—the housekeeper, the maids, the gardener, the coachman, even the earthworms, bugs, and rats—are all connected to mysteries and the Beyonder, I don't think I'd be too surprised; I'd accept it easily."
Xio rolled her eyes at her friend again:
"If that were the case, Dwayne Dantès himself wouldn't be ordinary. Being surrounded by Beyonders and supernatural beings could only mean he's a spawn of an evil god or an angel on earth."
Before Fors could expand on the topic, Xio turned and asked:
"Weren't you saying earlier you had a strange dream about treasure? Why aren't you curious? Aren't you wondering what it might mean, or if it could be real?"
Fors chuckled:
"Dreams like that usually mean big trouble and danger. I'll think about it if I ever encounter that symbol again."
But in her mind, she thought otherwise:
This dream is pretty suspicious. Who knows if there's a trap? Better wait until the next Tarot Club meeting and ask Mr. Hanged Man, Lady Hermit, uh, and Mr. World for advice before deciding what to do. They're all experienced and powerful Beyonders; maybe they've dealt with something similar.
"You've matured a lot," Xio said, nodding slightly. She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to where Fors had been sleeping.
"Matured?" Fors snorted, moved closer to her friend, straightened her back, and "looked down" at the top of her head.
Before Xio could get annoyed, she sighed and said:
"You're the one who's really matured."
"I remember at this time last year, you relied on your gut, settled arguments with your fists, and acted confused, making mistakes and losing your way. Now you're much better."
Xio was stunned for a moment, then lay down on her side, wrapping herself in the thin silk quilt. With her back to Fors, she muttered:
"The main reason I got lost was that you were holding me back."
Fors forced a laugh, nodded thoughtfully, and said:
"That's an inherent characteristic of the Apprentice pathway. It has nothing to do with me personally, hmph!"
Seeing that Xio had lain down, she moved to the wall that connected to the master bedroom and seriously took up her role as bodyguard.
As the night gradually receded and the sky lightened, Klein got up, had breakfast, and then one after another received two groups of police officers and several journalists. Some came to further investigate Caron's suicide, while others wanted more details on the attack on Senator Macht.
Under the arrangement of the butler Walter, Dwayne Dantès met with them one by one and quickly handled everything.
At noon, Senator Macht suddenly arrived and said to Klein somewhat urgently:
"Come play a game of tennis with me at the club."
He belonged to several clubs, but the only one he shared with Dwayne Dantès was the East Baelin Veterans' Officers Club.
This must be about finalizing that arms deal? Klein understood the hidden meaning behind his words. He immediately instructed his valet Richardson to fetch his coat, top hat, and cane, boarded his own carriage, and followed the senator all the way to the sand-yellow unique building in the Hillston District.
Inside the club, in the same room as before, Klein once again saw Colonel Calvin from the Ministry of Defense, who had a donkey-like face.
After exchanging a few minutes of polite small talk, Calvin got down to business. He looked at Dwayne Dantès and chuckled:
"I heard from Macht that you can come up with twenty thousand pounds in one go?"
"It's a bit of a stretch, but yes, I can," Klein replied with a slight smile.
Calvin nodded in satisfaction, hesitated, and said:
"For now, you don't need twenty thousand. The batch of rifles, ammunition, and a few cannons I've prepared for you will be stored in a warehouse in East Baelin. It's not a large quantity—enough to equip maybe three or four thousand men. At scrap price, it's at most ten thousand pounds, but you'll have to give me fifteen thousand."
He spoke without any attempt to conceal it, as if this was the norm within the Loen army.
"No problem," Klein said calmly, nodding.
Calvin laughed:
"Good. Macht has good judgment. To do this kind of business, you can't be stingy.
"That batch of arms would be worth at least twenty thousand pounds in West Baelin. If you can find the right buyer and make use of your experience there, you could easily sell it for thirty thousand pounds or more. By the way, you'll cover the transportation and storage costs yourself; we'll only send two or three men to assist you."
So there will be overseers... Klein listened calmly, feeling the need to urge the "Star Admiral" and Danitz to send him the intelligence on West Baelin as soon as possible.
He thought for a moment and asked:
"About when do we start?"
"The batch will be in the corresponding warehouse in two weeks. After that, you decide when to start. You don't need to pay the full amount upfront—give 8,000 to 10,000 pounds first, and after it's done, pay the rest." Calvin took on a very accommodating manner.
Two weeks from now would be near the end of the month. He'd have to attend the "Snake of Destiny's" birth banquet first... And he still needed its umbilical cord blood... Klein's thoughts wandered.