On his way from Böklund Street to Saint Samuel Cathedral, Klein passed by the " Loen Charity Bursary Foundation " at 22 Phelps Street and was quite surprised to find it still open.
As the initiator and current director, he was quite concerned about this matter, so he paused his journey and changed course.
As soon as he entered the gate, Klein saw Miss Audrey come down from the second floor, accompanied by her personal maid, a golden retriever, and several staff members.
"Good afternoon. There doesn't seem to be anything here that requires us to stay in this situation," Klein said, stepping forward and voicing his doubts.
Audrey, holding a newspaper, looked at Dawn Dantès and said:
"Several of the recipients were injured in the airstrike. I just visited them and arranged for their follow-up treatment."
The young lady's eyes were slightly red, as if she had witnessed many heartbreaking things in the hospital.
"May the goddess protect them." Klein understood and drew a Crimson Moon on his chest.
He seized the opportunity to reveal his pre-prepared idea:
"I plan to donate some more money to the Foundation to purchase food, medicine, and medical equipment. We can do more in this man-made disaster."
"A wonderful idea. Those who are suffering will be truly grateful to you, Mr. Dantès." Audrey tapped her chest four times clockwise, her eyes filled with obvious joy and pity. "I will do my best as well."
She didn't want to just donate money; she also wanted to organize the related matters properly.
Klein nodded and said:
"No need to praise me. At a time like this, I just did what I should do."
"In addition to donations, I will also donate food. You can discuss these matters directly with my butler, Walter. Hmm, Miss Audrey, I can write you a letter of authorization now, allowing you to mobilize the resources of the Megro Manor in my name."
"And what about you, Mr. Dantès?" Audrey asked, her suspicions already confirmed.
This is the most normal reaction in the current context.
"I received a notice from the church to help them with some things. I haven't been to Saint Samuel Cathedral yet, so I don't know the specifics. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'll be traveling a lot lately and won't be able to return to the Megro Manor for a long time," Klein said, giving the reason he had prepared beforehand. "Miss Audrey, my time with the Foundation has allowed me to understand your character and abilities, and your background and status have determined your vision and perspective. Entrusting this matter to you is the best solution I can think of."
Klein didn't expect his Lies to fool a seasoned " Spectator "; he only wanted to deceive those around " Justice " Audrey —well, excluding the dog.
"Mr. World" is going to temporarily abandon the identity of Dawn Dantès in order to hide and do some things? Audrey seemed to understand, pretending to think, and after a few seconds of contemplation, she said:
"Given the current situation, I cannot refuse such a request."
Klein secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately sent his personal servant Enuni, upstairs to fetch paper and a pen. Then, in front of a group of staff members, he personally drafted a power of attorney, signed his name, pressed his fingerprint, and stamped it.
Having done all this, Klein turned his gaze to the newspaper in Audrey's hand:
"Has anything else happened? I just returned from outside the city and heard the newsboys shouting that the kingdom has declared war on Feysac."
Audrey pursed her lips, her expression slightly somber, and said:
"Shortly after the Feysac airship squadron's air raid on Backlund, their Sonia Sea Fleet, taking advantage of the thick fog, attacked the Royal Naval base on Oak Island in Pritz Harbor and the surrounding shipyards. Fortunately, the Church of Storms had received advance warning and sent a telegram in advance, so Pritz Harbor was not lost, but many ships and factories were lost, and it is said that many people were killed or seriously wounded..."
"This is war..." Klein sighed. "Could I see how the king declared war?"
Audrey knew King George III had a problem and could hear the sarcasm in Mr. World's words, so she didn't refuse and handed him the newspaper.
This is a copy of the Tussock Times.
Klein, without needing to elaborate, saw the King's declaration of war on the front page:
"... Seven hundred and eight years ago, the Feysac took the Sonia Island from us."
"A year ago, the Feysac seized half of our interests in East Balam."
"Today, they bombed Backlund and attacked Pritz Harbor, causing the deaths and injuries of countless Loen people, their blood staining the earth."
"We can't back down any further. Backing down will only lead to repeated bullying by the Feysac. If we continue to back down, we will lose all our overseas interests, a large number of products will go unsold, countless workers will lose their jobs, and more farmers will go bankrupt!"
"Everything, past and present, shows that Justice is on our side, and we have enough strength to achieve a complete victory."
"My lords, I, your Emperor George III, on behalf of the Houses of Parliament and the Government of the Kingdom, declare war on Feysac. We will not stop until they raise the white flag and surrender!"
"Forward! Reclaim Sonia Island! Forward! Capture Saint Milom!"
"Victory will surely be ours, the gods are with us!"
Klein quickly glanced through it, using his " Clown " ability to control the twitch of his lips.
He then returned the Tussock Times to Audrey, removed his hat, and bowed.
"I'll leave the rest to you."
"Please rest assured." Audrey returned the greeting, holding the letter of authorization and the newspaper.
Klein didn't linger any longer and left the " Loen Charity Bursary Foundation " with his personal servant Enuni, heading to Saint Samuel Cathedral.
At this time, there were hardly any believers left in the church; most had returned home and were busy preparing for life after the start of the war.
In the dim and quiet environment, Klein found a place to sit, took off his hat, clasped his hands together, brought them to his mouth and nose, and whispered the name of the " Evernight Goddess," then said:
"... I received information from the ' Red Angel ' Evil Spirit that Zaratul may have already arrived in Backlund, and the secret ruins of the ' Blood Emperor ' most likely contain the mausoleum needed for the ' Black Emperor ' ritual..."
After finishing his prayers, Klein waited patiently for a while and saw Archbishop Anthony Stevenson enter through a side door and walk towards him.
The Saint had a clean-shaven face, wore a black robe with a red crescent moon symbol, and moved without making a sound, like the slowly descending Evernight.
Upon approaching Dawn Dantès, Anthony said nothing, only gesturing with his eyes, before turning towards the library.
Klein then stood up, put on his hat, and followed silently behind.
As for his personal valet, Enuni, he took his cane and walked towards the church entrance, where he waited.
Outside the library, Archbishop Anthony turned around, a slight smile on his face, and said to Dawn Dantès:
"War has broken out, and there is so much to do. As a devout follower of the goddess, would you be willing to offer some assistance?"
As expected... it seems Lady Arianna has already left Backlund... Klein sighed, drawing Crimson Moon on his chest.
"It is my honor, praise to the goddess."
After responding, he immediately asked:
What do you need me to do?
"I will let you know when things come to a head. In the meantime, try not to go home," Saint Anthony said in a rather illogical way.
Klein instantly understood what the other party meant: to hide first, as they didn't have the energy to deal with Zaratul for the time being, and could only provide protection within a certain range.
Just as I thought, the goddess is processing the " Uniqueness " of the " Death " pathway, and won't be able to descend for a long time. The church's higher-ups also have to deal with the war, and the negative effects of the "Level 0" Sealed Artifact are becoming increasingly terrifying... Klein nodded slightly:
"Yes, Your Excellency the Archbishop."
"May the goddess protect you." Saint Anthony painted the Crimson Moon.
"Praise the goddess, for peace is the only refuge." Klein responded with practiced gestures.
Then, he left Saint Samuel Cathedral and, with his personal valet, turned onto another street.
After walking for a while, Dawn Dantès and Enuni disappeared without anyone noticing.
Inside a two-bedroom rental apartment in the East Borough.
With his unremarkable face, Klein took out his Adventurer Harmonica, brought it to his lips, and blew on it.
Soon, Reinette Tinekerr, emerged from the void, showing no surprise at her new contractor appearance.
Klein didn't hand over any paper, but said directly:
"Tell Miss Sharron and Maric that Zaratul has come to Backlund and may be in contact with the Rose School of Thought. Tell them to be very careful, and it would be best if they didn't even go to the ' Bravehearts's ' pub for the time being."
" Zaratul..." This time, Reinette Tinekerr's four heads spoke simultaneously, as if it took some effort to remember who it was.
"The leader of the Secret Order, Sequence 1 Angel who went mad but is now back to normal." Klein took out a gold coin and handed it to the messenger.
He didn't say that Zaratul was very interested in Gehrman Sparrow, believing that the messenger, being a high- Spirit World, would be aware of his special nature to some extent; otherwise, the Angel wouldn't have bothered to lower himself to be a messenger. If it was for the " Yesterday Once More " spell, He could have provided assistance in a more respectable way.
As for why Zaratul didn't find any trace of the Gray Fog Mist in Foggy Town but was interested in Gehrman Sparrow, Klein believes there are three reasons: First, the extraordinary aggregation inherent in the Gray Fog brought this powerful " Seer " to Backlund, allowing him to foresee something; second, Gehrman Sparrow was able to leave Foggy Town and return to the real world even after obtaining the Error symbol; and third, Gehrman Sparrow may be connected to an organization that worships " The Fool."
When Zaratul came into contact with the Rose School of Thought and discovered that the " Mother Tree of Desire " also had some interest in Gehrman Sparrow, even without a preconceived notion, his level of attention would increase dramatically.
Reinette Tinekerr said nothing more, but one of her heads swung forward and bit the gold coin.
After watching the messenger leave, Klein pulled up a chair and sat down, gazing at the sky outside the window across a wooden desk.
The layout of this rented room is the same as the one he lived in when he was in Tingen City: the bedroom is inside, and the living room, dining room/study is outside, with a bunk bed.
At this moment, besides him, the Marionette Qonas and the Marionette Enuni were also in the room.