For an instant, Klein's casually scanning gaze stopped and locked onto that familiar figure.
He immediately realized that he had shown a slight anomaly, and in the perception of a demigod, that was impossible to ignore.
His back muscles tensed, and thoughts raced and collided like sparks in his mind.
Instead of reflexively jerking his gaze away, he continued to look in that direction, at the demigod who seemed to be from the Black Emperor pathway, and said with a smile to Councilor Macht:
"Indeed, it's not just retired officers here."
It was an observation that seemed meticulous but was actually meaningless nonsense.
Councilor Macht chuckled:
"Any club, by the time it's fully developed, will exceed its original boundaries."
His reply seemed to say nothing, but upon careful thought, it might have said something—or perhaps the contrary.
Just then, that gentleman, with broad shoulders, slightly long arms, and dressed in a black suit, also naturally turned his head to glance at their position. He saw that a certain rich man who had donated fifteen thousand pounds was curiously sizing them up and talking quietly with Councilor Macht.
This led him to think that the earlier stunned look was only a normal reaction after learning his position.
Then, he withdrew his gaze and continued the unfinished topic.
Meanwhile, Klein had a cold sweat on his back and felt his legs go weak.
Although he had faced demigods before and even fought them, this was the first time he'd encountered such a small setting, close proximity, with danger lurking in every thought. More importantly, he was by no means prepared to face a demigod: not only did he have no puppets, but he only had the Death Knell revolver, Azik's copper whistle, and the Adventurer's harmonica.
—The Sea God's Scepter couldn't be carried physically and required strict conditions for use, otherwise it would cause mass casualties; Grosell's Travels, if carried for too long, would passively pull Klein into the world of the book, making it troublesome to get out; Wriggling Hunger still needed sealing and was restless every day, so he wouldn't take it out unless necessary; the Luck Stealer talisman was made from Time Worms and could attract Amon — unless he was going to use it soon, Klein wouldn't dare to carry it with him...
If that demigod from the Black Emperor pathway had indeed discovered something wrong, the best solution Klein could think of was:
to blow the harmonica, summon Miss Messenger, and ask her to help him escape Backlund through the Spirit World!
He never considered having Reinette Tynicole directly fight the other party while he found an opportunity to shoot from the side with the Death Knell revolver. After all, Backlund was the home turf of official Beyonders, and given Miss Messenger's peculiar appearance, that gentleman could easily frame her with some charge, and Klein would inevitably be surrounded by more and more demigods and powerful sealed artefacts.
What a close call... Klein logically averted his gaze, used his Clown abilities to keep his legs steady, and walked towards the main entrance without showing any abnormality.
He didn't ask Councilor Macht about who those people were, displaying a complete lack of interest, thereby proving that his glance had been truly casual.
Nevertheless, the other's return look had exposed his features to Klein:
Thick but not messy black eyebrows, short and stiff black hair, dark blue nearly black eyes, a nose as high as a mountain peak, a large beard spreading from the corners of his mouth, deep contours, an elongated face, and harsh lines.
It was a man with a very tough appearance, possibly in his thirties or forties — it was hard to tell accurately.
From his appearance alone, Klein thought he looked more like a demigod from the Arbiter pathway rather than the Black Emperor one.
Of course, this demigod's presence was actually closer to a Warrior, but he was too short.
With a clear impression of his look, Klein didn't need to ask any more; he could directly seek answers from Arodus, even though he was wary and cautious of the "Mirror," or he could entrust Miss Xio, Miss Sharon, etc. with a simple background check.
—He believed that no matter how well a demigod concealed himself, his position couldn't be too low, and he would easily be found out.
One step, two steps, three steps — Klein left the Dongbailang Veterans' Club with normal composure.
Once in the carriage, he leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, and let out a long sigh in his heart:
"The broken clue from the Backlund Great Smog event has finally been reconnected..."
He kept his eyes closed for a long time, not speaking, as if still contemplating the business discussion, but in reality he was more occupied with calming the inner emotions he had just suppressed.
During this, Klein noticed that his valet, Richardson, had wanted to speak several times but closed his mouth, as if struggling with something.
In the end, he said nothing and focused on preparing the marquis black tea for his employer.
Because of the recent incident, Klein didn't have the mind to deal with his problem at the moment, so he pretended not to notice anything.
In the silence and the sound of the carriage wheels, they returned to 160 Berkelund Street.
As he climbed to the third floor and was about to take a bath in the tub that the first maid had prepared at the right temperature, Richardson, holding his top hat and cane, stepped forward and respectfully asked:
"Sir, are you planning to go to the Southern Continent soon?"
"Yes," Klein replied frankly. He had already prepared to give the housekeeper Mrs. Taneja an additional 500 pounds in cash for the daily expenses of Dwayne Dantès's residence while he was in the Southern Continent.