Sealed Artifact "0-08"
Wednesday morning, December 22nd.
Cherwood Borough, Holy Wind Cathedral.
Inside a room underground, a telegraph machine suddenly started making a clicking sound.
A sheet of paper written in ciphertext was ejected from the printer and picked up by a waiting clergyman who glanced at it habitually.
That one glance froze his gaze, and his body trembled violently.
Clang!
The clergyman hurriedly turned and ran out, his swinging arm knocking over the ink on the table, the black liquid dripping onto the floor.
He was completely unaware of what was behind him, and his strides grew longer and longer.
Around noon.
15 Minsk Street, Cherwood Borough.
Having secretly informed "Machinery Hivemind" of the information yesterday, Klein, who had been feeling uneasy all day, decided to cook himself something to eat.
He had just prepared the ingredients when he suddenly heard a series of knocks on the door.
Huff... Klein paused, a flash of panic crossing his dark eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, put down his knife, and walked toward the door with a calm expression.
Upon Door Opening, he saw the meticulously groomed, white-haired Old Butler.
"His Highness the Prince dreamt of Talim again last night, and he wishes to see you as soon as possible." The Old Butler removed his hat, bowed, and asked in a serious yet polite manner:
"Detective, are you free now?"
"Of course." Klein smiled, glancing down at his apron. "It'll just take a few minutes while I change."
Having said that, he slightly turned to the side:
"Please come in."
The Old Butler shook his head. "No need for that, I'd like to wait here."
Klein nodded slightly, glanced apologetically at the Old Butler, left the door ajar, and turned to walk straight to the Bedroom on the first floor.
As he passed the coat rack, he took the black coat without changing his expression.
Thirty seconds later, Klein appeared in the Bedroom.
He closed the door, gently opened the window a crack, took Match from his pocket, lit one, and tossed it out.
Flaming Jump!
Klein instantly appeared in the alley outside the house.
He took a deep breath, took out the "Master Key," and "Door Opening" directly, passing through the wall and running towards the nearest Church without looking back.
Three minutes later.
The meticulous Old Butler with his white hair suddenly frowned, and without the slightest hesitation strode into the house, heading straight for the Bedroom on the first floor.
Clang!
The door was kicked open forcefully.
The place was empty; there was no sign of Detective Sherlock at all.
Four o'clock in the afternoon, on the edge of the East Borough.
Old Kohler, wearing a worn but clearly cleaned thick coat, strode into the apartment that could barely be described as decent.
He went up to the sixth floor and knocked on the door of a room on the right side of the stairs.
Liv's voice came from inside:
The door wasn't locked.
Old Kohler coughed, turned the handle, and went inside.
"Is there something you need?" Liv, who was washing clothes on the Balcony, looked up and glanced over, as did Freya was holding a red-hot branding iron.
Old Kohler was silent for a few seconds, then hesitantly began to speak:
"A couple of days ago, an old friend of mine came to me and said that his generous boss was planning to take all the factory employees on a vacation to the Manor in the suburbs."
I can't give you the specific reasons.
"In short, he invited me to come along and promised that I could bring my family."
The sound of water stopped, Liv frowned:
"Family?"
"Ahem... family, friends, relatives, it's all the same." Old Kohler explained, his face slightly flushed. "Don't misunderstand."
"How could they mean the same thing?" Freya muttered under her breath, having already learned quite a few words from her sister, and was glared at by her mother.
"We're not going." As she spoke, Liv continued to soak her hands in a large basin full of cold water, vigorously scrubbing the clothes inside.
As she worked, she casually joked to herself:
"How can people like us, who finish one meal's bread but have no money to buy bread for the next, be entitled to go on vacation to some Manor like merchants and nobles?"
When Old Kohler couldn't persuade Liv, he turned to ask another person:
"Do you want to go, Freya?"
"Manor..." Freya had just learned the word a few days ago, mentally recalled its spelling, then looked up with a blank expression.
She couldn't imagine what it would look like in reality.
Old Kohler chuckled:
"That guy promised that the friends I brought would have the same year-end benefits as their employees, including free food and drinks, as well as desserts and drinks specially prepared for women and children. If they were interested, they could even ride a nobleman's pony in a special area."
On New Year's Day, everyone receives a gift, which may be...
"Old Kohler!"
Accompanied by the sudden, loud sound of water, Liv's voice also sounded somewhat displeased.
The air was silent for a few seconds, then her tone suddenly softened:
"I've heard things aren't very peaceful right now, you'd better be careful."
"How could there be such a good thing in the world?"
"We appreciate your kindness, but Daisy hasn't started her holiday yet, and we plan to work odd jobs at aristocratic banquets during the New Year period to earn some money."
Old Kohler sighed, closed the door tightly, and whispered:
"It is precisely because things are not peaceful that I have tried every means to get you to go with me."
"As you should know, I've been working for that Detective ever since, the same Detective who helped me find Daisy for free."
"He suddenly contacted me yesterday, warning me that it would be best not to stay in Backlund for a while, as something bad might happen."
Upon hearing this, Liv abruptly stopped what she was doing. "Something bad?"
"He didn't tell me more, but I could sense he was very..." Old Kohler struggled to find the words to describe yesterday's Detective:
"Uneasy... yes, uneasy!"
Uneasy... Liv glanced at her eldest daughter, pursed her lips, remained silent for nearly two minutes, and then gritted her teeth to make her decision:
"Freya, get to work!"
"After you've finished washing all the clothes, I'll take them to the employer. You go to the Public Elementary School and tell Daisy to go home quickly."
After saying that, she turned to look at Old Kohler:
"Won't it cause any delays?"
Old Kohler shook his head:
It won't delay anything.
"It's their last day of work this year, they can't leave until five o'clock." As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to lend a hand to the mother and daughter.
On the yellowed notebook, a seemingly ordinary Quill wrote:
"Recently, a new type of Face Mask has appeared in Backlund."
"These came from Lorry, an MI9 Informant was confirmed to have died in the line of duty. He also had another identity: the well-known Bestselling Author ' Raven.'"
"The ' Despair ' lady queued up and received one, but felt its appearance was too ordinary and completely did not match her aesthetic preferences, commenting that it was 'useful but not good-looking.'"
She admired talented young men, regretted not meeting them sooner to Bestowal them Pleasure. And then, to die in Affliction amidst that Pleasure.
"After discussion, we unanimously agreed that as long as the Three Great Churches remain unaware, the new type of Face Mask will not affect the plan."