A Strange Neighborhood

Backlund, Hillston Borough.

Klein and Aaron arrived at Rian Thomas's house, where his mother, a grieving old woman, opened the door for them.

"Doctor Aaron, this is..."

She looked at the unfamiliar bearded man next to Aaron and asked in confusion.

"This is my friend, Detective Sherlock Mr. Moriarty," Aaron introduced to Klein. "I specifically asked him to come and search for the missing Thomas."

Good morning, ma'am. I hope I can be of help.

Klein tipped his hat in greeting.

"Welcome, Mr. Moriarty." The old woman's eyes flashed with emotion as she welcomed the two into her home, saying to Aaron, "Thank you so much for caring so much about Rian."

As Aaron comforted the old woman, he followed Klein, watching him search the entire house. His Detective friend seemed very cautious, carefully examining every corner before lowering his head in thought and remaining silent.

"Sherlock, have you discovered anything?"

Aaron couldn't help but walk over and ask in a low voice.

Klein did not answer immediately.

As a Sequence 7 Beyonder, he detected no trace of mystery in the house, let alone any dangerous aura related to the True Creator.

Perhaps it's because the crime scene wasn't located here, or it was simply an ordinary case.

In fact, Klein couldn't be sure if this matter was related to Lanevus. The only suspicious point was Rian Thomas's identity—an obstetrician. Considering Lanevus's pregnancy cycle, the Evil God's Offspring in his womb could indeed be born soon.

Let's find the person first.

Klein thought for a moment, then turned to the worried old woman. "Excuse me, could you please give me one of Dr. Rian's personal belongings? I can borrow a Hound with a keen sense of smell; perhaps it can help me find a clue. Also, I need his photograph."

He certainly couldn't borrow Hound; he was just using that as an excuse to get his personal item for Divination. Aaron had no idea that his Detective friend wasn't actually good at reasoning, and that he solved cases entirely by relying on the citrine pendant wrapped around his wrist.

Dr. Thomas's mother, of course, would not refuse, and found a stethoscope that her son used daily and a recent photograph for Klein. In the photograph, Rian Thomas had a kind, round face and small eyes.

"Aaron, leave the rest of the investigation to me. You don't need to come along."

Leaving Thomas's house, Klein, stethoscope in hand, said to Aaron, "I might be going to dangerous neighborhoods later, and with you there, I'll have to protect you. Besides, as a colleague, you've already done enough."

These were just excuses he used to get the other person away, making it easier for him to use Divination.

"I understand. I hope you can find him."

Doctor Aaron said sincerely, then put on his hat and left in a hurry.

After watching the other person walk away, Klein hired a carriage at the street corner. He didn't tell the driver the exact location, but simply told him to drive forward. The carriage was charged by the hour, and the driver had no objections.

In the swaying carriage behind, Klein held a stethoscope in one hand and a cane in the other, using the Divination technique of "Wand Divination for Finding People" to locate Rian Thomas.

The good news was that the Divination worked; he could accurately sense the other person's location. The bad news was that Rian's current location was quite far; the carriage had left the Hillston Borough and the Cherwood Borough, eventually heading east into the chaotic Backlund Bridge Borough, which, together with the East Borough, formed Backlund's slums.

While Divination, Klein instructed the driver to change course.

After a while, the cane guided the carriage to circle a street, which confirmed that Rian Thomas was currently located within this building.

"Slow down, drive around here one more time."

Klein said to the coachman.

He was very careful not to get out of the car, but instead observed the street outside through the window.

There are many bars on this street, but perhaps because it was morning, there weren't many customers, even though the doors were open. The bartender listlessly tidied up the bar, yawning from time to time.

I don't see anything wrong.

Klein muttered to himself, the only problem being that there were a lot of streetwalkers here. And shouldn't they usually be resting in the morning?

Thinking about this, he seemed to realize that something was amiss.

Klein then instructed the driver to continue forward, and after crossing a street, he disembarked and booked a room at a cheap Inn. After taking some precautions, he walked four steps counterclockwise in the cramped room, eventually reaching the Above the Gray Fog.

He wanted to perform Divination in this more mysterious place to see if he could obtain more details.

Soon, Klein appeared behind the Bronze Long Table. He conjured paper and pen and wrote a Divination statement on it:

"Rian Thomas's current situation."

Holding a stethoscope in one hand, he kept chanting Divination phrases in a low voice, and soon he entered Dream.

Many images then appeared.

Klein saw a tired man walk out of the hospital. He had a kind, round face, exactly like the one in the photograph; it was Rian Thomas himself. As he walked down the street, he was suddenly harassed by several streetwalkers. If you looked closely at these women, you would notice that their movements seemed somewhat stiff, like Puppet.

In the next scene, Thomas is forcibly taken to a dark place by seemingly frail streetwalkers. Then, as if he sees something lurking in the darkness, his expression immediately turns to extreme terror.

Before the scene could shift to the other side, Klein's Dream abruptly ended.

That's about it.

Klein concealed the part Above the Gray Fog, only describing his Dream, and said to Luther, "I later tried to perform Divination on Lanevus, but I saw nothing."

"That actually explains things."

Luther frowned. "Lanevus carries the aura of an evil god, which can interfere with Divination."

"That's what I think too."

Klein nodded.

In particular, as the Evil God's Offspring gradually complete their development, their interference with Divination becomes even more powerful.

However, Lanevus is indeed going to give birth.

Luther thought to himself with a strange feeling.

He kidnapped the obstetrician, probably so he could successfully deliver his Divine Scion. Was he planning a C-section? After all, there was no corresponding exit.

"If I'm not mistaken, those streetwalkers also have problems."

Luther said, "One of the Rose Bishop's abilities is to create Flesh Servant. Those streetwalkers were probably killed by Lanevus long ago; they were just acting as his Puppet."

"So that's how it is. Luckily, I didn't get off the bus rashly."

Klein asked, with a mixture of fear and disgust, "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Now that they've confirmed Lanevus's location, what's their next step?