Kohler and Klein
Constant City, Municipal Square.
Inside the semi-open-air café, Fors felt the stares of passersby and felt as if ants were crawling all over his body.
There are more people here than at the Port.
Moreover, because Lorry was wearing a flashy shirt today, she stood out even more in the crowd, and she even noticed that some people were deliberately looking them up and down.
He was so calm. Is this the world of the strong...? No wonder he performed so well back then, even though they were both Sequence 9...
Fors sighed inwardly, glancing at Lorry across from her who was calmly enjoying his coffee and dessert, trying to ease his unease by letting his mind wander.
"There's something I still don't understand..." The separate booth area offered some privacy, which is why she dared to speak like that.
"Tell me more about it," Lorry asked casually as he cut the fruit-studded cake into equal pieces with a knife and put them into his mouth with a fork.
Fors tried hard to keep her eyes from looking outside and said in a low voice:
"First, we pretend to be from Intis because the country's primary beliefs are those of the ' Eternal Blazing Sun ' and the ' God of Steam and Machinery.'"
"I suspect... you'll later use some means to spread the message that you might be Sun Pathway Beyonder."
"Secondly, spending an extra day on the boat was to make the performance more realistic."
"The reason we played husband and wife was because of Intis's open-minded culture; the possibility of siblings traveling across borders together is very low, and it would easily arouse suspicion."
"This is especially true for relationships between friends and companions."
"The Port District is crowded and full of gossip, especially in the taverns. A rumor can easily become three or five versions and spread around."
"Gossip is undoubtedly what everyone is most interested in and spreads the fastest."
"Furthermore, the choice of the Wind Whisperer Hotel was probably also due to its location, as it's situated in the Riverside District, adjacent to the Port District."
Lorry picked up the lemon water next to him and rinsed his mouth, then chuckled softly:
"You speak so eloquently, don't you seem to know a lot?"
Fors leaned forward, lowering his voice so much that it looked to outsiders as if the two were whispering:
"Even so, can we lure out that Sun Believer?"
"Of course not, this is nothing." Lorry shook his head without hesitation:
"The target was able to quietly infiltrate Backlund, discreetly investigate information related to those who shared the same Pathway Beyonder, and finally decisively seize the materials."
"He doesn't seem simple-minded at all; how could it be so easy for him?"
After saying that, he added:
"Besides, the target isn't just one person."
"According to the Client, the target's companion is tall and skilled in combat—I suspect he is a ' Pugilist ' or a ' Weapon Master.'"
Noticing Fors's bewildered look, Lorry explained in a low voice:
"Pugilist" is Sequence 8 of the "Warrior" Pathway, also known as the "Giant" Pathway, while "Weapon Master" is Sequence 7 of this Pathway.
The reason we don't speculate any further is that the Client successfully escaped from being surrounded by the two, making it almost impossible for the other party to be Sequence 6.
"You should know that the ' Solar High Priest ' isn't exactly known for his combat skills."
"So..." Fors felt a little dizzy listening to this, "What do we, no, what are you planning to do next?"
"Let's do what we should do," Lorry shrugged and smiled.
Huff... Fors exhaled forcefully, a look of confusion flashing deep in his eyes.
His problem was pretty clear, right? So why did he give such a pointless answer as "Do what we should do"?
Could this be a characteristic of a "Marauder"?
She felt her mind was a jumbled mess, and asked, reorganizing her thoughts:
What I mean is:
Where are we going next, and what are we going to do?
Lorry thought for a moment and asked:
Is there anything you'd like to do?
"If not, we'll go to the other side of the square to see the animal show at the open-air Circus Troupe. Of course, I'll buy Sweet Iced Tea and flavorful barbecue beforehand."
"Would it count as wanting to punch you...?" Fors's chest heaved violently as she gritted her teeth and asked defiantly, "And then what?"
"See the sculptures in the square? Go shopping? Buy clothes? I'm fine with any of those." Lorry casually gave a few answers, then waved his hand and said, "It mainly depends on what you want to do."
"Let nature take its course. Don't forget who we are now." He picked up his coffee, took a small sip, and smiled meaningfully.
"..." Fors frowned slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.
Half a minute later, she decisively gave up, rolled her eyes at the man opposite her, and focused on enjoying the fruit cake in front of her, which was touted as a specialty of Wind City.
Friday morning.
Backlund, a budget coffee shop in the East Borough.
"Good morning, we meet again." Klein, carrying Breakfast, sat down opposite a middle-aged man in a thick jacket and greeted him.
He glanced at the other person's Breakfast, his eyes flickering slightly.
Honey water, cream toast—the other person's situation has improved... Klein thought to himself, a sense of joy welling up inside him.
It has nothing to do with whether the other party reciprocates or not; it's simply the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes from seeing someone you once helped doing well now.
The middle-aged man looked up abruptly, surprised and delighted, "Reporter, is that you?"
--In other words, if Lorry weren't here right now, he would have recognized this man at a glance: Old Kohler, an important supporting character in the Original Novel and his former coworker who was also the manager of his Ceramics Factory.
"Heh." Klein chuckled twice, briefly introduced Mike, and then said with a light laugh, "Looks like you've been doing well lately?"
Old Kohler chuckled and scratched his head, explaining in a low voice:
"After we parted ways last time, I was lucky enough to run into an old buddy of mine. He found a good boss and is now a Factory manager."
"He wanted to help me out, but the Factory is currently undergoing a transformation. He can't take care of me right now, so he left me some money for food and shelter and asked me to occasionally help him find out some information."
He promised that once he finished the boss's task, he would get me a job at the Factory.
"Thanks to you, Mr. Reporter, if it weren't for your help that got me through those days, I might have starved to death on some street corner."
Factory, gathering information... Klein and Mike almost simultaneously caught these two keywords and turned to look at each other.
Klein coughed lightly and asked:
"Do you have time later? If you're not busy, my colleagues and I would like you to show us around the East Borough."
"Of course, we won't let you help for nothing; we'll pay you a reward."
Old Kohler glanced at the Vagrant outside the window, seeing them Trembling in the chilly wind in the corner, and sighed softly.
"I have time."