Saint Hall's Reply

Inside the study on the second floor of 2 Narcissus Street, the house rented by the Moretti Family, more than ten meters away.

Klein Moretti carefully used a silver dagger to establish a Wall of Spirituality, sealing off the room so that what followed would not affect his brother Benson and sister Melissa next door.

During the day, he had felt two invisible forces envelop him in succession, just as when he had used the Transportation Ritual to enter the Grey Mist Space. They came with waves of illusory whispers and the appearance, then disappearance, of four black dots on the back of his hand.

He had judged at the time that members of the Tarot Club had successfully performed the Ritual Magic and contacted "The Fool" through the incantation he had created. But while at Blackthorn Security Company, Klein had not dared use the Transportation Ritual to answer their prayers in front of so many Nighthawks. He had waited until he returned home at night and his family had gone to rest before preparing to enter the Grey Mist Space and investigate.

Reciting the incantation he had long memorized and walking four steps counterclockwise, "The Fool" arrived at His temple.

The Grey Mist Space had not changed from last time, but among the countless deep crimson stars, two were shining with a special radiance.

Was it the Hanged Man, or the other two ladies?

As Klein pondered, he extended his spirituality and touched one of the flickering stars.

The images and sounds contained within immediately entered his mind. Along with an illusory, distant voice praying, a blurry scene emerged, as though separated by a layer of mist.

It was a young woman in a black robe. In a crude basement, she faced an altar with four lit candles and four offerings placed upon it, her hands clasped as she silently recited something.

From the surroundings and the strand of blond hair peeking out from beneath her black hood, Klein determined that she was a member of the Tarot Club, Miss "Empress."

It worked. This self-created Ritual Magic truly pointed to him, to "The Fool"!

Klein felt a burst of secret delight. The success of the Ritual Magic confirmed his authority within the Grey Mist Space, giving him greater confidence in what he planned to do next.

He steadied his excited emotions and attempted to answer "Empress's" prayer in the scene.

"I know."

"I know."

Even the next morning, when Angel arrived at Blackthorn Security Company in a daze and sat in the reception room drinking the coffee Rosanne had brewed, the deep, mysterious voice of "The Fool" from the previous night still echoed in her mind.

In this Steam Age without television or the internet, Angel had little to do at night and could only go to bed early. But just as she entered her bedroom, an incomparably clear image had suddenly appeared in her mind beyond her control: "The Fool's" figure hidden behind the Gray Fog, and His response to the ritual.

Compared to directly entering the temple in the Gray Fog from the Real World, this kind of feedback that affected her daily life frightened her even more.

There was no doubt that this was an incomparably powerful existence. Even if He was not a god, He was not far from one.

She seemed to have become this powerful being's first believer?

Unsure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Angel quickly accepted it. After all, resistance was useless, so she could only...

"Ah, Angel, you're here."

Dunn Smith, captain of the Nighthawks, emerged from behind the partition at the back of the reception room. Seeing her stirring the coffee in her hand while staring blankly at the empty sofa ahead, he greeted her.

"Good morning, Captain." Angel gathered her thoughts, set down her coffee cup, and returned the greeting.

"Saint Hall's Reply has arrived." Dunn briefly explained why he had come. He glanced at Rosanne, who was pretending to read the newspaper attentively behind the reception desk while stealing glances in their direction from time to time, and said, "Come to my office."

"Rosanne, if Klein comes, tell him to come to my office too."

Rosanne, feigning concentration, hurriedly nodded. She then watched Dunn and Angel disappear one after the other behind the partition.

She knew that the Nighthawks had many higher-level secrets that a clerical worker like her was not allowed to know, but she could not help pricking up her ears, trying to catch the conversation from deeper inside the building. Unfortunately, the sound of the office door closing made her lower her head in disappointment.

"Sit." After entering his office, Dunn sat directly in his high-backed chair. Angel closed the door without ceremony and sat across from him, waiting for him to continue the earlier topic.

"Holy Cathedral replied to me by telegram yesterday morning, but Triss the Instigator delayed things, so I didn't tell you immediately." As he explained, Dunn took out a telegram from the drawer, cleared his throat, and read its contents.

"Reply to the Nighthawks Tingen City Team: Your application to promote new member Angel Granger to an official member has passed our identity verification and qualification review. We hereby approve Angel Granger's appointment as an official member of the Nighthawks Tingen City Team."

Setting down the telegram, Dunn Smith said solemnly, "Once you become an official member, your weekly salary of 3 pounds will immediately double to 6 pounds. It will gradually increase with your years of service, and you will also receive the status of a probationary inspector in Ahova County."

"I believe you already understand the regulations you must follow. Last time, I said you could wait for Saint Hall's Reply before making your decision. So now, what is your decision?"

Angel had long since made up her mind, so naturally she would not back down now. She nodded with equal solemnity, took a deep breath, and answered, "I am willing to become an official Nighthawk."

"Congratulations, Miss Angel Granger. You are now an official member of ours."

Dunn Smith revealed his familiar smile once more, extending his right hand to clasp the right hand Angel offered at the same time.

"Official members need to take turns guarding Chanis Gate. You may take one day off each week, and you can choose the day yourself, though it would be best to keep it fixed. This week's schedule has already been arranged, so you do not need to take a shift for now. However, we have other tasks scheduled today, and you may need to remain here on duty in case of emergencies."

After the brief "confirmation ceremony," Dunn Smith immediately returned to his role as captain of the Nighthawks and began assigning tasks.

"Also, now that you are an official member, I can speak more openly about certain matters. Old Neil once mentioned that the caliber of your pistol ammunition differs from everyone else's, increasing logistical difficulties. I suggest you standardize your ammunition caliber as soon as possible. Go to him later and collect another Revolver, though you may keep your current one and turn it in only after you become familiar with the new weapon."

Angel was not surprised to hear Dunn's words. Old Neil had mentioned the matter when she collected ammunition before, but because she was accustomed to her current weapon, she had not paid it much attention. Now that she was an official member, it seemed it was time to make a change and fit in with the group.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Seeing the captain nod in agreement, she prepared to leave the office. But after only two steps, the expected shout of "Wait a moment" came from behind her.

Of course... Captain, are you showing signs of premature senility?

Angel turned back and gave him an inquiring look.

"Did I forget to tell you that official members need to complete one task independently to earn the recognition of their other companions?"

Seeing her shake her head to indicate that she did not know, Dunn continued with a smile, "Normally, I would assign a task involving Beyonder factors. But considering your outstanding combat performance in dealing with Mrs. Sharon's attack, I think an ordinary task can be used instead."

"Don't worry, this isn't an official rule and will not affect your evaluation among the Nighthawks. It's simply... well, one of our Tingen Team's internal requirements."

"Understood, Captain. Is there anything else?" Angel silently noted down this "joining task," deciding to ask the other team members about it when she had the chance.

"Nothing else. You may leave."

Having learned from the last time she had been called back repeatedly, she deliberately slowed her pace. When closing the door, she even poked her head back in for another look. Dunn was writing something in his notebook, but sensing her gaze, he looked up at the doorway curiously.

"There's really nothing else," he said helplessly.

Angel made her way to the armory with practiced ease. This time, Old Neil was not studying those pages from Emperor Rosell's Diary, but brewing his hand-ground coffee with an old tea set.

Hearing that she had come to exchange for a smaller-caliber Revolver, Old Neil explained with a bitter smile, "I only mentioned it when Dunn went to the Police Station to collect next quarter's bullets. I wasn't complaining to him about the logistical difficulties. You could have continued using your original-caliber weapon."

"It's fine. I actually wanted to change it long ago."

Angel spoke against her true feelings. The gun exchange was already set in stone, and though she found it regrettable, there was no need to make Old Neil think that his slip of the tongue had caused this result.

Moreover, from the standpoint of logistics and supplying each other with ammunition during combat, the benefits of using weapons of the same caliber were obvious. She had previously refused to change only because she was used to her .45-caliber pistol. Angel had actually been somewhat hesitant about it herself, and now that she had become an official member, changing to the same weapon as the other Nighthawks was not a bad idea.

Seeing that Angel did not mind, Old Neil breathed a sigh of relief. He took out the armory key and soon found a brand-new Revolver. Perhaps as compensation, he also included two full boxes of ordinary bullets of the same caliber, ten Demon Hunter Bullets in a metal case, along with a matching shoulder holster and speedloader.

The surface of these exquisitely made Silver Bullets bore intricate patterns. It was said that their effect was similar to the special bullets Angel made herself, but they lacked the enhancement of repeated attacks and instead dealt extra damage to spirit bodies.

"You don't need to turn in your old gun either. Keep it as a secondary weapon during the transition. Last time, you exchanged your own old gun for a new one, so technically you never collected your own weapon. This time, I'm making up for that." Old Neil handed Angel the Revolver and its accessories, watching her sign her name in the record book.

"No... All right. Thank you. Once I get used to this gun, I'll turn in the old one."

A Revolver was worth no more than a few pounds, and Angel did not want to leave the veteran members with the bad impression that she was greedy for small advantages. She had intended to refuse, but then reconsidered. Old Neil's reasoning made some sense; it would take time to adapt to the new gun, so she might as well keep the old weapon for now.

She gripped the new Revolver and tested its feel, then opened the cylinder and loaded the .38-caliber bullets one by one. This Revolver held six rounds, one more than her previous large-caliber Revolver. That might take some time to get used to, lest she fall into the habit of reloading after firing only five shots.

The shoulder holster did not fit very well either. Angel turned her back and adjusted it for a long while before securing it in place. She tucked the new gun into the holster, loaded the remaining bullets into the speedloader, and slipped it into her pocket. Only then did she bid Old Neil farewell and leave the armory.

Under the lights along both sides of the underground passage, Angel retraced her steps to the crossroads connecting the church, Chanis Gate, and Blackthorn Security Company.

"Tap—tap—" Uniform Footsteps came from the direction of Chanis Gate. She turned her head and saw an utterly ridiculous sight before her.