In the early hours of the morning, in the well-ventilated but quiet and deep underground, the dim yellow light of the gas lamps, sheltered by the glass, steadily and without swaying, illuminated the deserted and peaceful passageway.
Klein sat in the guard room, casually flipping through the stacks of newspapers, magazines, and books in front of him, while keeping a small portion of his attention on the outside, wary of anyone trying to break into the Chanis Gate.
His coat and top hat were hanging on the coat rack near the entrance, and his cane was leaning quietly against the wall, within easy reach.
The rich aroma of coffee filled the air, and Klein involuntarily took a sip, rubbing his temples to combat the heaviness in his head and the fatigue in his body.
Although he was a tough guy who often slept at 5 a. m. and woke up at noon when he was in college on Earth, and even after working for the past two or three years, he still occasionally stays up all night and can still go to work energetically the next day, all of this is thanks to how fun the games are, how good the novels are, and how interesting the movies, variety shows, and TV series are.
This world clearly lacks these necessities for staying up late.
" Emperor Roselle, too. If you're going to show off, go all the way! Dedicate your limited life to an infinite cause, and lead the people of this other world into the information age with small but rapid steps!" Klein muttered silently, consoling himself that at least there were still newspapers, magazines, and an ever-growing collection of novels.
He originally intended to overcome drowsiness through focused study, but in practice he found that this contradicted his job responsibilities, because once he got into the zone, it was easy to ignore the outside noise and the situation at Chanis Gate.
Whew, Klein picked up his coffee cup and carefully blew on it.
He sipped his mouth, letting the aroma linger, and the liquid slowly flow down his esophagus.
"Fairmer coffee from the Paz Valley is bitter, but very invigorating," Klein remarked, setting down his cup.
The Paz Valley, located in the Southern Continent, is a premium coffee-producing region. It is currently contested by the Republic of Intis and the Kingdom of Loen —the two countries have established colonial regimes on the left and right banks of the Paz Valley, respectively, and destroyed the original Kingdom of Paz.
In the unsettling silence, Klein casually picked up a magazine and discovered it was " Ladies' Aesthetics," a publication about clothing and styling.
"This must have come from Rozanne..." he chuckled to himself, turning the pages with great interest.
Perhaps influenced by the rapid advancements in camera technology over the past decade or so, the magazine " Ladies' Aesthetics " not only extensively used illustrations but also imitated newspapers by featuring black and white photographs.
They quite fashionably hired famous theater and opera actors to showcase the charm of their costumes and the magic of their styling. In just seven years, they transformed from a regional new magazine in Backlund into a mainstream periodical with distribution channels throughout the country.
"This dress is nice, and the girl looks good too..." Klein casually flipped through the clothes, not hiding his admiration for beauty.
He is a man who is physically and mentally developed and has always admired beautiful girls. However, he has already set his sights on finding a way home, so he tries to keep his distance from women, not wanting to delay them or leave any emotional debts.
As for hiring streetwalkers, he has a slight obsession with cleanliness in this regard.
Benson and Melissa have an existing bond that cannot be broken; the only way to make up for it in the future is to find a way... Klein suddenly felt heavy-hearted and couldn't help but sigh.
The longer you're away from home, the more you feel that melancholy in the quiet of the night.
He instantly lost interest in admiring the beautiful woman, put down the magazine he was holding, and picked up a novel instead.
" Stormwind Villa, by Fors Wall," Klein read aloud the main content of the cover.
In the quiet of the night, bathed in a soft, yellowish light, a book with a cover reminded him of the days when he rented books as a child, and he read on with a sense of nostalgia.
The novel * Stormwind Villa * tells the story of Cissy, a woman who is 1.65 meters tall and weighs 98 pounds, who becomes a governess at the Frius Villa.
"One pound is roughly equal to one jin... Is this another world's version of Jane Eyre?" Klein ran his fingers along the comfortable paper, guessing what would follow.
However, just when he thought it was a romance novel, an " Evil Spirit " appeared. When he realized it was a supernatural novel, Ms. Cissy revealed herself to be Detective and delivered a brilliant deduction.
Just when Klein thought it was Detective novel, the protagonist suffered a severe blow to the head, lost his memory, and began a heart-wrenching plot.
"... In the end, it's still just a romance novel." Klein closed the book and took a sip of coffee, feeling a headache coming on.
Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A sudden, intense banging sound rang out, echoing in the dim, quiet corridor and in the almost deserted underground.
Klein was startled, his nerves tensing instantly.
He instinctively took out his revolver from his armpit holster, adjusted the magazine and trigger, and slowly approached the door, searching for the source of the sound.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The pounding grew more and more violent. Klein looked in the direction of the sound and saw the large black iron double doors painted with seven holy symbols.
"The sound coming from behind the Chanis Gate?" He narrowed his eyes, his heart pounding like a drum.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Klein saw the Chanis Gate swaying slightly and felt the immense force it was bearing.
"No way... I've only been on duty here for one day and something's already happened? Did I get a bad luck constitution after transmigrating?" Klein's right hand, gripping the gun handle, was sweating profusely.
But soon he remembered the captain's instructions: no matter what sound you hear or what happens, do not open the Chanis Gate unless it is opened from the inside.
Hmm, is this normal? Klein calmed down considerably.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The noise behind the Chanis Gate grew louder and louder, but the heavy black iron double doors only shook and showed no other abnormalities.
"That's really normal, it scared me to death..." Klein muttered to himself, and was about to return to the guard room.
Just then, he heard a screeching sound and saw the Chanis Gate crack open heavily outwards!
tie!
Amidst the harsh, teeth-grinding voice, Klein's almost frozen eyes caught sight of a figure. It was roughly the forearm height of an average adult man, dressed in a black, elegant, miniature court dress with obvious stains on the hem.
It had a face that wasn't particularly delicate, with deep black eyes and tightly pursed lips.
This is a rag doll, a toy rag doll!
Almost the instant Klein subconsciously raised his gun to aim, the rag doll in the black court dress pressed tightly and forcefully against the open Chanis Gate, unfolding the paper it was holding.
Numerous Concealment symbols were drawn on the paper, some of which Klein recognized, and others which he had not yet mastered. Together they formed a vertical eye!
Before Klein could even process what was happening, the court doll was suddenly pulled back behind the Chanis Gate Chanis Gate, forcefully dragged back by an invisible force!
Clang!
The Chanis Gate closed again, and there was no more knocking or banging.
The underground returned to its usual peace and silence, as if nothing had happened.
" The Chanis Gate opened from the inside, I need to report to the captain... but it closed again..." At this moment, Klein finally regained his senses, feeling a mix of surprise, fear, and confusion.
A few seconds later, he remembered what that doll in the black court dress was, because as a formal member of the Nighthawks, he was already qualified to know about the Level 3 item sealed behind the Chanis Gate in Tingen City.
Number: 0625.
Name: Misfortune Cloth Doll.
"Danger Level: '3', Somewhat dangerous, use with caution, only permitted for operations involving three or more people."
"Confidentiality Level: Nighthawks Watch Member or Higher."
"Sealing method: Simply isolate it from humans."
Description: This doll is wearing a court dress popular around 1300. The hem of the dress has stains that are difficult to wash out, and it is impossible to confirm whether they were there the Original.
"In several tragic cases in Tingen City that stemmed from family financial crises, police noticed the presence of this doll, which was always placed in the children's bedrooms, on the bedside table."
Several Nighthawks accepted the commission and began investigating the doll.
"Preliminary findings indicate that it brings Misfortune, gradually causing those around the subject to fall into crisis and ultimately die. The subjects were on the verge of bankruptcy in just two weeks."
"This doll lacks the characteristics of a living being and shows no tendency to try to escape the seal."
"Through long-term experiments, we have found that as long as you enter its 10-meter range for no more than half an hour each day, you will not be afflicted by Misfortune; if it is already plagued by Misfortune, simply transferring it to another owner will improve its condition."
Appendix: This doll first appeared at the home of Tess lady Tess on Lower Street Iron Cross Street in the West Borough. She was a toy maker who had to move to Lower Street Iron Cross Street because of her advanced age, her husband's serious illness, and the early deaths of her two children.
"This was the last toy she sold; she traded it for some violet juice, which ended her and her husband's lives after more than three days of starvation."
Klein recalled the information about the Sealed Artifact "3-0625," and more doubts and horror welled up in his heart:
"Wasn't it said that this doll doesn't possess the characteristics of being alive? Wasn't it said that it had no tendency to try to escape the seal?"
"What was that I just saw?!"
"And what was it that finally pulled it back?"
What do the patterns drawn on the unfolded paper represent?
"What just happened was like a psychopathic killer attacking a victim, who was desperately banging on the door and screaming for help, only to be pulled back inside..."
Amidst a flurry of ideas, Klein decided not to act on his own.
He returned to the guardhouse and pulled a rope.
The rope was pulled, the gears turned, and a rapid ringing suddenly sounded inside the Blackthorn Security Company on the second floor.
Leonard Mitchell and the other sleepless individuals who were playing cards in the recreation room immediately put down their cards and rushed underground.
P. S.: Requesting votes on Monday!