Klein suddenly turned around, activated his Spirit Vision, and looked at the alley entrance again, but found no trace of the uniquely shaped tall woman.
Was this another "coincidence"? Klein felt a faint throbbing in his brow; this 0-08 stress response always made him overthink in similar situations.
But what Klein didn't know was that right beside him, Bernadette, wearing an illusory hat, was scrutinizing the young detective, who had been specifically mentioned by Duke Aaron, with her azure blue eyes.
This was also one of the fairy tale magics from "Mystical Reenactment," centered around a "hat" that could render people invisible.
Shifting her gaze from Klein, Bernadette looked at the "Wheel of Fortune" card clutched in Klein's hand. As a Clairvoyant, she sensed an unusual aura emanating from that Tarot card.
Bernadette raised an eyebrow slightly, lifted her hand, and touched her brow. Immediately, a pair of emotionless, almost transparent eyes with no eyelashes appeared before her.
Then, these "Eyes of Mystery Prying" were held by invisible hands and placed on the face of a transparent figure.
This was Bernadette's "Invisible Servant."
Due to the painful lessons from previous prying into fate, Bernadette was extra cautious when divining, especially when it concerned Duke Aaron.
With the "Invisible Servant" acting as a medium connecting the "Eyes of Mystery Prying" to the "River of Fate," even if she did glimpse something indescribable, as long as she promptly dismissed the "Invisible Servant," the backlash Bernadette suffered would be significantly reduced.
However, as a trade-off, the already limited prying into the secrets of fate would now yield even more Vague prophecies, and the "Eyes of Mystery Prying" would also be restricted accordingly.
After just one glance, Bernadette's eyes solidified. The "Invisible Servant's" perspective was already shared with her. One after another, complex, silvery symbols emerged from the undulating River of Fate, instantly forming a giant, illusory, scaleless snake.
On the surface of this silver-white giant snake, dense patterns and symbols formed interconnected wheels, each surrounded by different markings.
The passive ability of the "Eyes of Mystery Prying" instantly filled Bernadette's mind with various complex and unfathomable information. If it were an ordinary Sage, it would be a miracle if their brain didn't crash at this moment.
However, as the founder of Oravi Island, who stood in opposition to the Moses Ascetic Order, Bernadette had long been accustomed to this feeling from the intrusions of the Hidden Sage, and her thoughts did not become sluggish because of it.
Cold, crimson eyes swept over Bernadette. The anticipated backlash did not arrive. Bernadette watched in surprise as the silver-white giant snake soared from the River of Fate, coiled its body, and bit its own tail.
Like a mysterious and exaggerated wheel, or more accurately, a continuously shrinking wheel, this silver-white giant snake was constantly devouring its tail, finally transforming into a ball of light that silently fell into the turbulent River of Fate.
Ouroboros! This name instantly appeared in Bernadette's mind. She did not feel any hostility from the silver-white giant snake, and there was no corresponding backlash apart from the passively received information overload.
Just as she was about to use her Clairvoyant ability to delve deeper into the River of Fate, she found that there was no feedback other than the turbulent, illusory river.
It was as if everything she had just seen was something someone wanted her to see, and not something a mere Clairvoyant could access or pry into.
Waving her hand to dismiss the "Invisible Servant," Bernadette looked at the "Wheel of Fortune" card that Klein had put back into his chest, which seemed to have lost all its mystical power and looked like an ordinary Tarot card. Her eyes flickered slightly, and she followed Klein into the carriage.
-----------------
Backlund, a two-story villa in the West Borough.
Doctor Aaron pushed open the door and entered, seeing his wife lying sideways on the sofa with a smile on her face. He immediately asked:
"What's wrong? Why are you so happy?"
Wilma Gladys gently stroked her slightly bulging belly with a tender expression, a happy smile on her face:
"Aaron, what do you think we should name this little one?"
-----------------
Looking at the relieved bartender, Klein ultimately did not propose the absurd excuse of going to the restroom first before leaving. Unable to perform divination above the gray fog to confirm, he felt a blockage in his heart and could only irritably look out the window.
The slightly bumpy carriage ride did not last too long. As soon as Klein stepped out of the carriage, he saw Kaspars Kalinin, standing at the entrance of the "Bravehearts Bar," enthusiastically coming to greet him.
"Mr. Sherlock, you're finally here. Please come in."
Casually dismissing the bartender, Kaspars Kalinin personally led Klein directly to the private room at the back of the bar. Klein didn't know what trick this guy was up to, so he just silently followed until the private room door was closed before speaking in a deep voice:
"Kaspars, what do you need me for? Have you already investigated my last commission thoroughly?"
With a slightly awkward expression, Kaspars Kalinin lightly coughed and explained:
"Your commission is being followed up by both the Punishers and MI9. No bounty Hunter is willing to take on your task."
"This time, I invited you because a expert wants to see you. You must perform well and be careful not to anger him!"
By the end, Kaspars Kalinin's voice had dropped to its lowest, only barely audible to Klein.
Just as he was about to press for more questions, he saw the intelligence dealer dart out of the private room with an agility that didn't match his age, closing the door behind him.
You… Klein's pupils contracted, and he immediately stood up. As soon as his fingers touched the doorknob, a bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped his entire body, and a somewhat familiar, indifferent voice echoed in his ears:
"No need to be so nervous. I bear you no ill will."
-----------------
Casually pushing the materialized Midseashire County map towards the somewhat surprised "Gluttony" Howard Philip, Aaron calmly countered:
"Does where I got it from matter?"
"Besides, your reaction tells me that I can get the answers I want from you."
Howard Philip no longer looked at the map. The smile had vanished from his face, and he asked with a somewhat serious tone:
"What do you know?"
As if suddenly remembering something, the voice of this "Gluttony" paused, and though it was a question, his tone was quite certain:
"Qonas fell into your hands?"
Watching Howard Philip, who seemed to be imagining things, Aaron neither denied nor admitted it. So what if he did do it?
However, judging by the reaction of this Psychology Alchemists Council member, Qonas's sudden death might have a greater impact than he had anticipated.
Collecting his thoughts, Aaron immediately replied:
"I have no interest in discussing a dead man. Let's be frank. You've seen that map; the marked area is near Constant City."
"I want to know the exact location of the Blood Emperor's underground ruins in Midseashire County."
Howard Philip pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head, explaining in a low voice:
"A long time ago, I made a promise before the President, who personally implanted a psychological cue in me."
"That was a promise stemming from my own will, which, after being woven and interwoven into a 'Net of Restriction' by a Dream Weaver, transformed into my subconscious."
"Because this originates from my own spirituality, even my teacher cannot bypass the restriction without alarming the President and without a sound."
Having already discerned that this Mr. "Gluttony" was subtly revealing information about the President, and having also heard the hidden meaning in his words, Aaron did not press further. His indifferent voice sounded again:
"Therefore, I cannot directly tell you the specific location of that ruin, but this does not mean I have no way."
"After leaving the Sea of Collective Subconscious later, I will hypnotize myself, seal this memory of meeting you, and implant a psychological cue to go to that ruin."
"You just need to hide your presence and follow me then."
"Heh, I forgot to tell you, there are currently no Angels in Midseashire County, at least not in what I know."
Listening to this audacious self-hypnosis, a smile finally appeared on Aaron's face. He stood up and extended his right hand:
"Then, I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"
Having reached a consensus, and with his primary objective largely achieved, Aaron's expression relaxed slightly, and he chuckled, teasing:
"Can you tell me how many council members like you have had psychological suggestions implanted?"
Shrugging helplessly, Howard Philip's expression was calm, but his tone was quite self-deprecating:
"Perhaps only me and that fool you mentioned earlier."
"Although I'm not sure how you bypassed the seal and learned that intelligence from Qonas, you must know that most of the powerful figures in the Loen Royal Family are currently unable to spare time. To successfully complete their plans, they naturally need to seek help from others."
"And the commissioners of the Psychology Alchemists are responsible for a large city like Trier or Backlund, including the surrounding areas, scattered throughout the world. Therefore, I, who am responsible for Constant City, naturally cannot stand by and do nothing."
Having somewhat satisfied his curiosity, Aaron took a step back, detaching himself from the light membrane enveloping the Mind Island.
A familiar sensation of weightlessness came over him. Aaron found himself still standing in front of the door with the "Closed" sign. He skillfully entered a semi-hidden state to avoid being detected by the self-hypnotized Howard Philip, preventing unnecessary misunderstandings.
Within the Mind Island, after Aaron's figure disappeared, Howard Philip's expression instantly became solemn. A light projection peeled away from his body, seemingly representing the imprint of consciousness.
Specks of starlight condensed, and lines of text appeared on a blank sheet of paper that materialized out of thin air.
A moment later, Howard Philip attached the imprint, which had peeled from his body, to the letter and casually tossed it into the deep, dark, illusory, and undulating Sea of Collective Subconscious.
After doing all this, Howard Philip's expression eased slightly. Without wasting time waiting for a reply, he immediately separated a virtual personality from his body and began his self-hypnosis.
The illusory and dim Sea of Collective Subconscious rippled. Howard Philip, now wearing the "Gluttony" mask again, silently emerged from it. He glanced at the sky, which was already nearing sunset, and his figure became illusory once more.
After Howard disappeared, Aaron's Historical Void Projection emerged from the void, wearing a ring covered in grayish-white wrinkles—it was the Mystical Item crafted from the Manipulator Beyonder characteristic, the "Dream-Weaving Demonic Ring."
The Historical Void Projection does not have a corresponding Mind Island, which allows for maximum stealth in tracking Howard Philip and pinpointing the exact location of that Blood Emperor ruin.
Although this puts a greater spiritual burden on Aaron, and if the duration is too long, he would need to summon the Historical Void Projection again, it is sufficiently stealthy compared to "Travel Teleportation" and creates very little disturbance, making it difficult for Howard Philip to discover.
One must know that he is a demigod. Even if, to some extent, self-hypnosis reduced the difficulty for Aaron's tracking, he is still a demigod in the spiritual domain, and absolutely cannot be underestimated!
Silently, Aaron followed Howard Philip to the northeast outskirts of Constant City, passing through a dense forest and arriving at a mountain peak, which was already considered the outer reaches of the Minsk Mountains.
At this moment, Howard Philip, wearing the "Gluttony" mask, suddenly stopped, checking the surroundings and gradually expanding the scope. Virtual personalities also appeared in the Sea of Collective Subconscious, searching the surrounding Mind Islands.
Fortunately, the Historical Projection did not have a real Mind Island, so Aaron immediately took the "Dream-Weaving Demonic Ring" and quickly exited the Sea of Collective Subconscious.
Standing on the steep mountain peak, Aaron manipulated the Historical Void Projection and softly chanted the honorific name of the "Lord of Order." The true vision from the Nation of Disorder could help him determine the final location.
Inside the magnificent palace shrouded in dark golden mist, Aaron used his prayer light spot to actively elevate his vision, bringing the nearby scenery into view.
He watched as Howard Philip, in the prayer image, was dyed in a faint blue light, gradually becoming hazy and blurred, then vanished into thin air, going who knew where.
Aaron leaned back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping, pondering:
"I've confirmed a location. Although it's not that highly valued in Midseashire County, if the timing is right, I can still give George III a big gift."
"Howard Philip seems to achieve short-range point-to-point 'teleportation' through fixed rituals and items, which is a rather special type of 'Travel'."
"Hmm, if this kind of teleportation happens a few more times, perhaps I can use the 'Crown of Stars' to reenact it…"
"However, this ritual also requires internal permission; they must have a way to identify the identity of the entrant, which would make it difficult to achieve a surprise effect."
"It seems I still need to ask Mister Door for the method to open the Door… Hmm, no rush on this matter."
Aaron did not leave immediately. It wasn't until more than 10 minutes later, when Howard Philip, wearing the "Gluttony" mask, reappeared, that he confirmed both the entry and exit points were at this location before dispersing the prayer light spot.