Klein glanced at the serious-looking Dunn Smith, then suddenly smiled and said:
"Captain, I figured something out yesterday."
"What is it?" Dunn repeated his question, leaning back slightly in his chair and loosening his clasped hands.
Klein recalled the prepared remarks he had made earlier and said:
"Based on my previous experience, I believe that the very name of Potion contains a set of rules that help us master Potion and avoid negative effects. When we follow these rules in handling matters, it seems that we become professionals in the corresponding field."
Similarly, these rules are implicit; no one tells you directly. You can only summarize them little by little from the relevant professions and then revise them based on different feedback."
"So, when I became a real Seer at the Divination Club and had my own ' Seer Code,' the ramblings and hallucinations that plagued me disappeared."
"That's what I've come to understand."
After saying this, Klein secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had said everything he needed to say, except for not directly mentioning " Acting."
Sigh, I just hope the captain won't reveal that I already have such a clear idea when the church sends someone to inquire. That would draw even more attention to me... Plus, with the " Seer " path and the Antigonus Family involved, there might be quite a bit of trouble... However, the captain has seen many storms and has rich experience and considerable Wisdom. Once he understands the " Acting Method," he will definitely notice the church's concealment on the relevant issues and know what he should and shouldn't say... Klein's mind was filled with mixed thoughts, somewhat confused.
However, he quickly made up his mind and came up with a plan:
If the captain still hasn't grasped the " Acting Method " or realized the church's concealment, then I'll enlighten him directly before submitting the special application!
Hmm, I'll test the waters first, to see what they're really thinking...
Dunn listened quietly to Klein's description, his gray eyes growing even more profound.
He remained silent for about ten seconds, then reached up and rubbed his temple, picked up his pipe, and took a sniff.
After sniffing it, he seemed to forget the rules of the Nighthawks squad and casually pulled out a matchbox.
A bluish-white plume of smoke rose slowly as Dunn half-closed his eyes, seemingly savoring the tobacco.
After a while, he opened his eyes, smiled at Klein, and said:
"Sorry, I forgot you don't smoke."
"Smoking is harmful to your health," Klein replied seriously.
Dunn, holding his pipe, thought for a moment and said:
"I think I understand some things now."
No, Captain, you don't understand anything! Anyway, don't keep wandering into my dreams! Klein didn't ask any questions back, but only gave a gentle smile.
"Perhaps it won't be long before you submit a special application..." Dunn said, half-jokingly and half-sighing, taking a deep drag of the tobacco flavor mixed with mint.
"Will tomorrow be okay?" Klein answered in his mind, took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and said:
"Captain, I have to go find Old Neil; today's occult lesson is about to begin."
"Okay." Dunn, pipe in hand, watched Klein leave.
After closing the door to the captain's office, Klein walked in a good mood toward the stairs leading underground. As he passed the civilian staff office, he saw a man and a woman, two strangers, inside.
The new clerical staff member... Klein nodded thoughtfully, adding in his mind:
"Submit a special request to the captain in two days, or within this week!"
Then, after a series of tests, he became the " Clown " of Sequence 8!
In the quiet, dark underground passage, Klein turned toward the armory and pushed open the half-closed door of the guardhouse.
"What happened to you?" He was startled when he saw Old Neil's appearance.
Old Neil looked listless, his face pale, and he kept yawning.
"I've been constipated lately, and last night I tried a Ritualistic Magic to solve this problem. As a result, I didn't sleep well all night, and I kept running to the bathroom. In the end, I almost fell asleep on the toilet."
Well, the constipation problem is solved... Seeing that it wasn't a big problem, Klein almost laughed.
But he restrained himself and instead asked:
Are you feeling better now?
At the same time, he carefully tapped his left teeth together twice, using his " Spirit Vision " to observe Old Neil's health aura.
The digestive system's yellow color and the excretion area's orange color were somewhat dull and mottled, but thankfully, they were within a reasonable range... Klein secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's alright, I got some antidiarrheal medicine from Frye." Old Neil yawned like a chain smoker. "You can study the occult course on your own today; it's only the last two or three days of material anyway."
"Okay," Klein said politely. "Or I could stay here to guard the armory and study mysticism, while you go to the lounge to catch up on some sleep?"
Old Neil instantly straightened his back and answered with piercing eyes:
"Little Moretti, you truly are the second most conscientious of the Nighthawks, second only to Frye!"
"The armory is now in your hands!"
He grabbed the blanket from his lap, dashed out of the guard cell like a whirlwind, leaving Klein standing there in a daze.
In the morning, Blackthorn Security Company received an extra job: escorting a wealthy businessman to the docks for a transaction. Leonard and Kenley easily completed the task and earned a considerable amount of extra money, much to Klein's envy.
He continued to delve into the mysterious world step by step, practicing his marksmanship, only to be subjected to a frenzied "torture" by his teacher, Gawain, who seemed to have been driven mad by something unknown.
Huff, huff... Klein gasped for breath, his mouth agape, before he regained the strength to shower and change.
After leaving Gawain's house, he continued his work, spending 2 Soli to hire a horse-drawn carriage, and passed by the remaining ten houses with red chimneys in turn.
Klein's expression turned very serious as the last dark red chimney disappeared from his sight.
"The 'red chimney' house I saw in my Divination wasn't among those that recently changed tenants... This makes things complicated. There are 1,600 or 1,700 houses; I don't know when I'll be able to finish checking them all... Sigh, I can't ask anyone else for help with this; only when I'm facing the target do I have that Spirituality familiarity..."
"Don't get discouraged, don't give up. Whenever you have free time, keep checking. Try to find the target within three months, no, two months! Maybe the ones I check tomorrow or the day after will contain the target?"
"Okay, go back and organize the data, and plan the daily investigation routes based on the nearby and distant areas!"
Klein encouraged himself, trying to shake off his frustration.
Having made his decision, he was about to instruct the driver to turn onto Daffodil Street when he suddenly realized that it was very close to Instructor Azik's residence.
"Before Mr. Azik went on his trip, he wrote to me saying he would be back this week, but he didn't mention the exact date. I can just stop by and leave him a note. Hmm, it costs 2 Soli to rent a carriage for an hour. It's almost time now, so I'll stop at Mr. Azik's house and then take a public carriage..." Klein made a quick decision.
Four minutes later, he got off the carriage and went to Azik's house.
This area is noticeably more upscale than Daffodil Street, but not as Howes Street. The houses have lawns in front and small gardens in the back.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Klein pulled the rope at the door and rang the bell inside the house.
After waiting a moment, he heard footsteps coming from inside, and then he saw the door open.
Azik, with his soft features and bronze skin, appeared before Klein. Since he was at home, he was simply dressed in a white shirt, brown vest, and brown trousers.
" Klein? I was just about to write to you," Azik greeted warmly. "I just got home last night."
Klein looked closely at the small black mole below his right ear and said:
"Mr. Azik, I've found clues about your past."
"Really?" Azik's expression suddenly became excited, and his weathered eyes lost their composure.
"Let's go inside and talk." Klein glanced around.
Azik nodded quickly, made way, and let the guest in.
He locked the door and led Klein to the living room on the first floor, where he sat down on the soft sofa.
"What clues did you find?" he asked eagerly.
Klein hadn't expected to meet Mr. Azik today, and he organized his thoughts as he spoke:
"I recently accepted a commission to exorcise a Wraith from an abandoned castle outside the Ramde Town."
" Ramde..." Azik repeated the name softly, his brow furrowing slightly.
Klein observed the other person's expression and slowed his speech, saying:
"During the process of exorcising the Wraith, we discovered something, so we went to the town to conduct an in-depth investigation..."
"A townsman claimed to have a portrait of the first Baron Lamud and tried to sell it to me. I looked at the painting out of curiosity and found that the person in the portrait, apart from the hairstyle, had very similar facial features to you, Mr. Azik. Even the mole below the ear was in the same position and the same size."
"Under my interrogation, the townsman confessed that the oil painting was a work from more than forty years ago, but the subject it imitated was indeed from an abandoned castle, and it was indeed an ancient portrait painting unearthed there."
"You know, people like us with unique abilities possess a basic skill for detecting Lies, and that skill tells me that the townsman wasn't lying."
Azik leaned forward to listen, then clasped his hands together and remained silent for a long time.
After five or six minutes, he finally let out a breath and said:
"Your description didn't help me recall anything more. Perhaps, perhaps I should go see that abandoned castle for myself."
"Can you take me there?"
"It's my pleasure," Klein replied, already prepared, "But I need to go home so my brother and sister won't worry."
"No problem." Azik stood up abruptly.