After calming himself down, Klein went underground, arrived at Chanis Gate, and knocked on the open door of the guardhouse.
Loyao Letting, who was sitting inside, had already packed his personal belongings. Upon seeing the shift worker arrive, he immediately tidied his hair and got up to leave.
After they nodded to each other, Klein suddenly spoke:
"I'm making good progress with Potion. I just shared my experience with Frye and the others. You can talk to them."
Loyao, whose expression was otherwise blank, glanced at the other person with slight surprise, and his lips moved a few times before he said:
"OK."
"Madam, I hope you can maintain this composure later... There's a bunch of wooden figures sitting in the recreation room now... "Klein smiled, went behind the table, and expertly picked up the silver-plated tin can that Dunn Smith used to hold Freshmer coffee.
After preparing a fragrant cup of coffee, Klein sat down leisurely, gazing at the quiet, empty hallway outside, letting his thoughts wander:
"I hope Mr. Azik's operation goes smoothly and he doesn't leave any clues... No, even if there are clues, I'll pretend I didn't notice them..."
"I wonder where the ' Mutated Holy Emblem of the Sun ' is sealed behind the Chanis Gate... Hmm, it doesn't possess the characteristics of being alive, so just leave enough space..."
"Speaking of which, I've never been inside the Chanis Gate, so I don't know what's going on inside... The fact that those dozens of strange and unusual Sealed Artifact remain undamaged and under control must be extraordinary. For example, Saint Selena's ashes?"
Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Klein suddenly heard hurried footsteps and quickly turned his attention to the doorway.
He saw Old Neil, dressed in a black classical robe and holding a matching felt hat, appear in the corridor, strode into the guard room, stand opposite him, and scrutinize him from head to toe without saying a word.
"... Mr Neil, what happened?" Klein chuckled dryly, picked up his fragrant coffee, and took a sip.
Old Neil looked him over a few more times, then sighed and said:
"You actually found Spirit Intuition in the ' Mystery Pryer's' motto and Daly's story..."
"This must be praised by the goddess, and I thank you for your guidance," Klein replied earnestly.
Old Neil pulled out his chair with a creak, sat down abruptly, and said with a hint of dejection, "If only... if only it had been twenty years earlier, if only..."
Knowing that the other person's age and physical condition no longer allowed him to take Potion, even if he had completely digested the previous dose, Klein remained silent and did not speak.
He felt that in this situation, anything he said would only provoke the other party.
"I initially tried to find a quick way to master Potion from the maxims of the Mystery Pryer, but unfortunately, I never got on the right track. Later, Daly's success gave me some inspiration, but by then I was over 50 years old and had given up trying. I subconsciously thought that it was a special talent that normal people couldn't imitate." Old Neil rubbed his temples and described his disappointment in a low voice.
He remained silent for a few minutes, then raised his head, looked at Klein, and said:
"It's such a pity that I only realized what I've missed at this age."
Old Neil seemed to have a somewhat vague understanding of " Acting Method," but after my shared experience, he immediately grasped some things... Klein reassured him:
"Actually, there won't be much difference. The Church doesn't have Sequence 8 corresponding to the ' Mystery Pryer '."
"Perhaps the Holy Cathedral has... no, if they did, they would at least tell the branch the name... an underground trading market isn't out of the question either..." Old Neil muttered a few words, propped himself up on the table, shook his head, stood up, and chuckled, "At least I haven't lost control and have lived a healthy life for decades... praise the goddess."
He drew a Crimson Moon on his chest, left the guard cell with a somber expression, and lost his usual cunning.
Klein watched his figure disappear from sight, then suddenly let out a long sigh.
He increasingly couldn't understand why the church leadership wanted to block the " Acting Method."
After a long while, Klein came to his senses and turned his attention to the Nighthawks's internal data in front of him.
Since bringing the boy from the City of Silver into the Tarot Club and learning that many things there still use ancient names, he has consciously strengthened his studies in this area, striving to master the comparison between ancient and modern names.
After an unknown amount of time, he heard footsteps again, slow and steady footsteps.
Almost simultaneously, the image of Dunn Smith in a black, knee-length trench coat flashed into his mind.
Having fully digested the " Seer's " Potion, my Spirit Intuition has also improved... Klein nodded thoughtfully, and a few seconds later saw the captain.
"Your letter." Dunn raised his right hand, flicked his wrist, and tossed the letter in his palm toward Klein.
Klein casually raised his hand, attempting to catch it, but his judgment and reaction were both slightly off.
Snap!
The letter fell to the ground, and Klein's right hand stood awkwardly in the wind.
In the sudden silence, his right hand froze for a moment, then continued to rise, casually smoothing his hair.
"The gaslight isn't bright enough," Klein said casually, bending down to pick up the letter and glancing at the envelope.
Mr. Hornacis ... a letter from Duster Guderian ... He nodded suddenly, opened a drawer, and took out a letter cutter.
According to the rules of the Nighthawks squad, if there is a clear and correct recipient, Rozanne and other clerical staff will deliver the letter directly to that person. However, if the letter is anonymous or the recipient cannot be found, it will be sent to Dunn for inquiry or decision.
Klein carefully tore open the envelope, pulled out the papers inside, quickly unfolded them, and glanced through them.
He discovered that Doctor. Duster, the doctor at the mental hospital, was requesting a meeting as soon as possible, which was at 2 PM today.
Did he get the " Mind Reader " formula? Or is there something else going on? Klein raised the letter in his hand, looked up at Dunn and said:
"Captain, my informant, the one from the Psychology Alchemists, wants to meet at 2 PM."
"Did you reveal what it is?" Dunn asked, as if he had expected it.
"No." Klein shook his head.
Dunn thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Let Leonard guard the Chanis Gate for now. I'll go with you and hide nearby. This kind of urgent meeting request is very likely a trap. I've seen and heard too many similar things. Besides, if something really important happens, this way we can act the fastest."
"Captain, you're truly experienced... Yes, when it comes to serious matters, you're a reliable, trustworthy, and unforgettable captain..." Klein nodded immediately.
"OK!"
2 PM, Zouteland Street Shooting Club, inside Shooting Range No. 9.
Klein glanced at the bullet-riddled target, then looked at the slightly uneasy asylum Doctor Duster Guderian, and said:
"What happened that made you rush to the Hound Tavern to find the mercenary team?"
Only in this way would Wright, the owner of the Hound Tavern, immediately deliver the letter to Blackthorn Security Company, instead of waiting for Klein to pick it up himself.
Duster observed Klein's subtle expressions and body language, and replied in a deep voice:
"I feel like Hood Eugen has been acting strangely lately."
Hood Eugen was the asylum patient who recruited Duster into the Psychology Alchemists.
"Is there anything unusual about your behavior?" Klein asked professionally.
Duster secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had found someone to rely on, and said carefully:
"He... he seems... he really has gone mad..."
"Have you really gone mad?" Klein asked in astonishment.
Wasn't Hood Eugen feigning illness to infiltrate the mental hospital in an attempt to influence the patients from both positive and negative perspectives, in order to hone his mental abilities?
He's actually sick? He's actually gone mad?
"I think it's like this..." Duster paced back and forth anxiously, "I could communicate with him normally before and received instruction on how to properly use his extraordinary abilities, but in the last few days, his thoughts and his state have become very strange. We often can't communicate, just like with other patients I've encountered. Although, although this allowed me to successfully obtain the ' Mind Reader ' formula, I can't confirm whether it's real or fake, and I'm even more afraid of uncontrollable changes."
"It's alright. As a Seer, Seer possesses the mysterious space above the Gray Fog, I can't distinguish between truth and falsehood..." Klein first breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned and asked:
Who had he been in contact with before his abnormal behavior began?
"Only those patients... I... I can't be sure. I'm not in the asylum every single day, every single hour. I also have time to rest," Duster replied with a somber expression.
Klein nodded slightly, as if it were a trivial matter.
"Don't be nervous, I'll have someone protect you secretly Hood Eugen has been in contact with. Also, you must be careful that he's testing you. Um, you'd better also inform other members of the Psychology Alchemists about this and see how your organization's higher-ups react."
"Okay." Duster adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, regaining the composure typical of Spectator, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Klein, saying, "This is the recipe for the ' Mind Reader ' Potion. I'm not sure if it's correct."
"We'll verify it," Klein replied with a smile, unfolding the document and glancing at it.
Main ingredients: Complete pituitary gland of an adult Rainbow Salamander, 10 ml of cerebrospinal fluid from Farsman Rabbit.
"Additional materials: 5 grams of chestnut tree buds, 8 grams of dragon tooth grass powder, 3 petals of Pure White Elven Flower, 100 ml of pure water."
"Excellent," Klein complimented, folding the paper and placing it in the inside pocket of his tuxedo.
After exchanging a few more words and confirming that Duster's "auditory hallucinations" had subsided, he took his leave and cautiously went to the shooting range reserved for the Nighthawks, where Dunn Smith was waiting.
"Captain, my informant gave me a recipe for ' Mind Reader ' as a thank you for helping him control the Potion's backlash, but he's unsure if the recipe is genuine." Klein handed the paper to Dunn with a serious expression. "Also, he mentioned something..."
As Dunn browsed the formula, he listened to Klein describe Hood Eugen's situation, and finally nodded, saying:
"I'll organize people immediately to monitor the mental hospital in shifts. You haven't received professional training in this kind of thing, so you don't need to participate. Go back to your post at Chanis Gate."
At this point, he gave Klein a deep look and said:
"With this recipe, once you pass the test, you won't need to accumulate any more merits; you'll directly obtain the ' Clown ' Potion..."
P. S.: It's already mid-month, please vote with your monthly tickets!