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In the utility room on the other side of the villa, Anderson, who had been casually banished there by Aaron, sat obediently on the ground, but his expression was somewhat melancholic.
"It's a pity I was born at the wrong time. The name of the strongest Hunter in the Fog Sea hasn't resounded throughout the world yet. It seems even Heaven is jealous of my talent."
William Black glanced at the sighing Anderson, having no intention of comforting him. Instead, he mentally counted down 3 seconds. Before he even reached 0, he heard the familiar voice speak again.
"Speaking of which, that Duke and this Elf wouldn't..."
His melancholic expression had already been replaced by a mischievous grin, but his words cut off abruptly before he could finish. Anderson's face gradually flushed, his tongue lolling out, and foam forming at his mouth.
William Black hastily distanced himself from this loose-tongued fellow.
Just as Anderson was about to collapse, the invisible force finally dissipated. Aaron's figure appeared, with Siatas following behind him.
Huff, huff... The strongest Hunter in the Fog Sea gasped for air, bending over and dry-heaving.
"Always playing the Provoker, you truly have talent. However, against powerhouses you can't resist, I advise you to rein it in."
Aaron calmly commented, glancing at Anderson, who had not yet fully recovered.
The Hunter's robust physique allowed Anderson to recover quickly. After the recent lesson, he was much more subdued, giving a dry chuckle and saying:
"Alright, I'll bear your teachings in mind. Do you, do you have any instructions for me? The strongest Hunter in the Fog Sea is at your command!"
"Quite perceptive," Aaron said, looking at Anderson.
"I heard from Siatas that you two are being hunted by the Iron and Blood Cross Order?"
Anderson's eyes darted around, and his tone immediately became agitated, as if he had suffered a great injustice. He quickly accused:
"In Intis, I was coerced into joining them. These lunatics who believe in the True Creator seem to have sacrificed their brains."
"They are fanatical to the point of stupidity and often oppress and exploit us members who aren't as fanatical. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I left them, but now I'm being hunted down. This is simply outrageous!"
Ignoring Anderson's clamor, Aaron stared at him calmly, even coldly, and said flatly:
"Get to the point. What did you do to warrant an Iron-Blooded Knight hunting you?"
Feeling a little uneasy under that cold gaze, Anderson cleared his throat and quietly added:
"That not-so-bright demigod is named Duda O'Casey. He was responsible for exploring a True Creator relic for the Iron and Blood Cross Order."
"The relic was already destroyed, but in the deepest part, I obtained a token with a bas-relief of a Hanged Man on a cross."
"After I took out that token, a strange mutation suddenly occurred deep within the relic, entangling Duda O'Casey. I only barely escaped with a charm from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom."
Carefully observing the Duke's expression, Anderson also subtly mentioned the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, implying that he was not alone.
A token related to the True Creator? Aaron scrutinized Anderson. No wonder, with so many dangerous places in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, this guy ended up falling for the Ouroboros mural.
Feeling a bit uneasy under Aaron's gaze, Anderson hastily continued:
"That token was sealed and hidden by me. It's not on me right now. If Your Grace is willing to let me go, I will certainly present that token with both hands."
Looking at Anderson's expectant face, Aaron's lips curved slightly upward as he playfully said:
"I have an even better idea, one that can also help you eliminate future worries. Would you like to hear it?"
Seeing that half-smile, Anderson really didn't have the courage to refuse, so he stiffly nodded his head.
Receiving a satisfactory reply, Aaron then pointed at Anderson:
"I'll use you as bait to hunt that Iron-Blooded Knight."
"After the hunt, you can join the 'Dawn', to avoid any potential future pursuit from the Iron and Blood Cross Order. As compensation for your adventure, I can provide you with the Iron-Blooded Knight potion formula."
Anderson's heart instantly fell into a dilemma. One who often walks by the river is bound to get their shoes wet. Even if an Iron-Blooded Knight's strength would decline somewhat after leaving the army, dealing with him, a Reaper, would still be effortless.
But his adventurous journey to the Forsaken Land of the Gods was essentially to seek further advancement, and now this opportunity was right before him.
The most crucial thing was that this didn't seem to be a choice, but rather a notification. Sighing inwardly, Anderson mumbled quietly:
"I hope you keep your word...."
-----------------
Tingen City. Having already dealt with the ghost at Sir Deville's house and completed his entry mission, Klein was now returning to Blackthorn Security Company by carriage. The carriage fare was sponsored by the generous Sir Deville.
Looking at the gradually dimming sunset outside the window, Klein thought for a moment and said to the coachman in front:
"First, go to 18 Vlad Street in East Borough, then to 27 Besik Street, 'Henry's Private Detective Agency', and finally return to Blackthorn Security Company."
Facing the request from the esteemed gentleman personally received by Sir Deville, the coachman naturally agreed. After all, Sir Deville would certainly pay the fare.
Feeling the environment far more comfortable than a public carriage, Klein leaned back on the cushion, looking at the streets outside the window. As the carriage slowed down, his brows furrowed.
The door to 18 Vlad Street in East Borough was locked at this time, and the originally prominent sign for "Lawson's Folk Herbal Medicine Store" was nowhere to be seen.
Did they run away, fearing capture by the Nighthawks? Klein thought for a moment but didn't get out of the carriage to check. He simply told the coachman to proceed to the next location.
He hadn't forgotten the red chimney he saw in his "Dream Divination," but it wasn't convenient to leverage the Nighthawks' power for investigation, as Klein couldn't explain it to the Captain.
Simply searching for similar houses didn't require Klein to search personally. He only needed to spend some pounds to have professional detectives find and organize the information, and he just needed to be responsible for identification.
The carriage slowly stopped on Besik Street. After giving instructions to the coachman, Klein put on his mask, pulled down his top hat, and walked up the stairs to the agency on the second floor.
This was his second time here. Last week, he had spent a full 7 pounds. This time, he was making a detour to see if his pounds had been well spent.
Thump, thump, thump! He knocked on the half-open door.
"Come in." A voice, as if containing old phlegm, came out.
Klein, holding his cane, pushed the door open and saw Detective Henry in a white shirt and black waistcoat. He spoke concisely:
"I'd like to see how my commission from last week is progressing? Have you found houses with red chimneys?"
Upon hearing this slightly strange request, Henry instantly remembered this employer. He cleared his throat and said:
"The red chimney commission is still ongoing. You should know that there are quite a few similar buildings in Tingen City. Of course, if you can provide other clues, things would be simpler."
To prevent this sensitive detective from remembering his features, Klein chuckled hoarsely:
"If I had other clues, I wouldn't have commissioned you."
To be honest, the previous divination above the gray fog made him pessimistic about the outcome, because the manipulator behind the scenes had clearly detected his prying and even interfered, so they definitely had ample time to move their hiding place.
Therefore, he only hoped to find further clues from the relevant tenant information.
Hearing the employer's displeasure, Henry smiled, no longer probing, and took out a thick stack of documents from the cubicle, explaining:
"These are some of the house and tenant information my detectives collected last week. We were discreet enough, please trust our professionalism."
Klein briefly scanned the report in his hand, which included photos, then nodded slightly and left the agency.
In the steady carriage, Klein carefully opened the investigation report. He planned to first find the houses where tenants had changed after he divined the "red chimney."
"Sir, Blackthorn Security Company has arrived."
The clatter of hooves stopped, and the coachman's voice came. Klein put away the half-read documents, picked up his cane and top hat, and slowly stepped out of the carriage.
"The remaining information can be organized tonight. After finding the problematic houses, we can investigate them on-site one by one."
"After all, I saw that red chimney in my dream divination, and I saw parts of that house. As long as I encounter it again in reality, I will definitely feel a spiritual familiarity, thereby confirming the target."
Klein walked and thought, planning to avoid the Seer club for the next few days and first investigate the suspicious houses he had.
As for whether such an action was dangerous, he didn't need divination to get the answer.
Since there was a change of tenants, it indicated that the mastermind who caused his fate to be discordant and always encounter coincidental events had already left!
Looking at the gradually appearing Crimson Moon, Klein took a deep breath. At midnight tonight, he would also attend the "Council of Entropy" of that hidden existence, where some questions that had troubled him for a long time but had nowhere to ask might be answered.
As soon as he walked into Blackthorn Security Company, Klein keenly felt the solemn atmosphere. He quickly went underground and saw Dunn, Leonard, and other Nighthawks teammates already fully prepared.
Seeing Klein arrive, Dunn pointed to the surrounding Nighthawks and explained:
"Three official Punisher team members of the Church of the Storm were killed by the Instigator, Trissy, from before. It's said that other Beyonders took action. The Church of the Storm has sealed off the news, but they requested aid from the Nighthawks and Machinery Hivemind."
"I've already assigned personnel. You haven't received professional training for this kind of thing, so you don't need to participate, but tonight you need to stand guard at Chanis Gate for Leonard."
Klein's mind immediately recalled Trissy, wearing the sapphire ring, whom he had seen that night at the "Witch's Brew Bar," and a slight chill ran through him.
Looking at the somewhat distracted Klein, Dunn thought he was just nervous about his first time guarding Chanis Gate, and then reassured him:
"You just need to remember, no matter what sound you hear, no matter what happens, do not open Chanis Gate, unless it is opened from the inside."
As the Nighthawks left, the well-ventilated but silent and deep underground instantly became deathly quiet. The dim yellow gas lamp flickered slightly, illuminating the silent corridor.
Although he had already asked Rosanne to inform Benson and Melissa that he couldn't come home tonight due to work, Klein's expression still changed several times.
He still remembered the scene of divining that sapphire ring before. That level of backlash indicated that it was definitely a Sealed Artifact of extremely high Beyonder characteristic.
He wanted to remind the Captain to be careful, but he was afraid of exposing more. Klein felt a bit agitated and could only pray in his heart that tonight's operation would go smoothly.
"If worst comes to worst, the secret hidden on Leonard should also be able to ensure the safety of the Captain and the others...."
Thinking this, Klein felt a little ashamed. He diverted his attention by opening Detective Henry's investigation report and dedicating a small part of his mind to paying attention to the outside, guarding against anyone approaching Chanis Gate.
The dim yellow light flickered. Klein finally filtered out 11 houses with tenant changes from these reports. Rubbing his sore eyes, Klein took a sip of coffee, his head aching.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Violent knocking suddenly resounded, echoing in the dim, quiet corridor, echoing in the almost empty underground.
Klein jumped, his nerves instantly taut.
He instinctively took out his revolver from his underarm holster, adjusted the cylinder and trigger, and slowly moved towards the door, searching for the source of the sound. Following the sound, he saw the black iron double door with seven sacred emblems painted on it.
"Sounds coming from behind Chanis Gate? I'm only on my first guard duty here, and something's already happening?"
Klein's eyes narrowed, his heart pounding like a drum. Looking at the slightly shaking Chanis Gate, he quickly remembered the Captain's reminder before he left.
Is this a normal phenomenon?
Klein calmed down considerably. Looking at Chanis Gate, which was making more and more noise but showed no other abnormalities, he prepared to turn back to the guardroom, half-believing, half-doubting.
Klein, in his state of high tension, didn't notice four black dots appearing on the back of his right hand, changing from light to dark, forming a small square.
Just then, he heard a piercing scraping sound and saw Chanis Gate swing heavily outward, revealing a crack!
In the grating, teeth-aching sound, Klein's almost frozen eyes saw a figure.
It was probably only as tall as an adult man's forearm, wearing a black, elegant miniature court dress, but the hem of the skirt had obvious stains.
On its not-so-delicate face, its eyes were dark, and its mouth was tightly pressed.
It was a cloth doll, a toy cloth doll!
Almost at the instant Klein subconsciously raised his gun to aim, the cloth doll wearing the black court dress tightly and forcefully pressed against the open Chanis Gate, unfolding the paper it held in its hand.
The paper depicted numerous hidden symbols, some Klein recognized, and some he had not yet mastered. Together, they formed a vertical eye!
This is... Klein's pupils suddenly contracted. Before he could even think about what was happening, his vision was suddenly enveloped by a thick, dark golden mist.
Klein only vaguely saw the court doll suddenly being forcefully pulled back behind Chanis Gate by an invisible force. His consciousness wavered for a moment, and then he found himself in a magnificent palace.
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