Daffodil Street, Tingen City.
Klein is discussing a popular play with his brother Benson and sister Melissa, and he cordially invites them to see it at the Grand Theatre next Sunday night.
"I think the newspapers have said enough. ' The Return of the Count ' is definitely a play worth seeing live. It has been performed dozens of times in Backlund, and every performance has been sold out. I don't think we should miss this opportunity." The lack of entertainment options made Klein unwilling to give up, after all, he was someone who had been fashionable and seen plays in his previous life.
Of course, if it weren't for maintaining my image, I'd much rather play pool at the pub... Hmm, renting a court to play tennis wouldn't be bad either, that's something to consider. It's a middle-class leisure activity, and with my current physical condition, as long as I don't encounter any other Beyonder, I can easily handle most opponents... Well, for now, that's just a thought. This morning I'll reinvestigate the people and things related to Lanarvus, this afternoon I'll practice combat, and before going home this evening I still need to check some of the Red Chimney houses...
"I'm such a busy man..." Klein thought to himself, trying to find some humor in his situation.
Seeing that Benson was already interested, Melissa was still a little hesitant, so he added with a smile:
"It's said that the most popular supporting character in ' The Return of the Count ' is a genius mechanic."
"Alright, we have to go to the big theater to see a play at least once, no matter what." Melissa pursed her lips and nodded reluctantly, but her eyes were much brighter than before.
Klein was about to respond when he suddenly heard a buzzing whisper in his ear, making his head spin for a few seconds.
Someone is pleading with me... He put his right hand behind his back and chuckled softly:
"Then I'll patiently wait for the ticket booking day to open."
"Okay, I'm going back to my bedroom to work on a report."
"We're about to plunge into the ocean of knowledge; let's hope we don't drown in it," Benson chuckled self-deprecatingly, then turned back to the restaurant with Melissa and sat down.
Klein went up to the second floor, locked the bedroom door from the inside, sealed the entire room with Wall of Spirituality, then took four steps backward, chanted an incantation, and came up above the Gray Fog.
Within the towering palace, which resembled the dwelling of Giant, his figure suddenly appeared at the head of the long bronze table, his eyes reflecting a deep red star that was constantly shrinking and expanding.
Klein raised his right hand, spreading his Spirituality, and touched the star that symbolized " Justice ".
With a bang, he saw Distortion and blurry image: Miss " Justice " wearing a beige court dress, sitting on a chair in a dark corner, her hands clasped together, her forehead pressed against her chest.
Meanwhile, a slightly immature and tense, sweet female voice, layered and echoing in a dreamlike manner, resonated in layers:
" The Fool That Doesn't Belong to This Era!"
"You are the Mysterious Ruler Above the Gray Fog;"
"You are the King of Yellow and Black, who holds the key to good fortune."
I beg for your attention;
We implore your hearing;
"At the ball hosted by Duke Negan, I met someone who resembled Qilangos."
"He disguised himself as Baron Gramir, his motives are unclear."
"I noticed some details that made me think of the extraordinary ability of that magical item, Baron Gramir Qilangos, to change people's appearances."
Klein listened attentively and carefully considered the details, finally understanding what Miss " Justice " was describing:
Qilangos managed to sneak into Duke Negan's ball using his special ability, " Creeping Hunger "!
But what he didn't expect was that a certain noble lady was an " Spectator," an " Spectator " who remembered Baron Gramir's past characteristics, and thus unknowingly exposed himself!
What is this guy trying to do? And what should I do? I've been experimenting with sacrificial rituals without using Spirituality materials for the past two days, and I've discovered that I can create something like a " Door of Summoning," but I can't open it. I was just thinking of finding some time to go to the underground market to buy some Spirituality materials to do a second experiment... Miss " Justice " is going to a ball, so she certainly won't be carrying Spirituality materials with her... Klein pondered for a dozen seconds and began to respond to " Justice's" prayer.
The small prayer room in the Duke Negan's residence.
Audrey prayed several times before finally stopping, straightening her clothes, and quickly walking towards the door.
She knew she couldn't disappear for too long, otherwise her parents would worry and misjudge the situation, making incorrect decisions.
Standing behind the door, Audrey took a deep breath and, with a mix of trepidation and unease, extended her right hand, clad in a white gauze glove, to unlock the door.
Leaving the small prayer room, she walked back down the corridor towards the "dining room." As the guests, carrying wine glasses and plates, drew closer, her vision blurred, and she found herself surrounded by an ethereal mist.
In the center of the thick, grayish-white mist was an ancient high-backed chair, upon which sat a mysterious being whose face and figure were obscured, looking down upon everything.
"Mr. The Fool!" Audrey nearly blurted out in surprise.
Then, she heard a familiar, deep voice:
"I see."
The sound still echoed, the Gray Fog had disappeared, and before Audrey's eyes were still those long tables set with food and drinks, still the lively scene of clinking glasses.
The anxiety and unease in her heart vanished instantly. She subconsciously straightened her back, and with a composed and light step, entered the "restaurant" and headed towards the lounge.
Above the Gray Fog, inside the majestic palace.
After responding to Miss Justice, Klein began to consider how to relay this message to the Hanged Man.
"It would be disrespectful for me to repeat the story myself... What kind of mysterious being would personally act as a messenger!" He pondered for several seconds, then suddenly had an idea. He materialized the image and sound of Miss " Justice's" prayer, turning it into a pixelated movie scene.
With a flick of his finger, Klein projected the repeatedly playing screen onto the deep red star that symbolized the " The Hanged Man."
Backlund, Cherwood Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.
In a simple, unassuming room, Alger Wilson, the " The Hanged Man," is studying recent investigation reports, trying to find clues about " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos.
To his right, slightly above and to the side, lay a stack of papers covered with Distortion "symbols".
Just as Alger leaned back and rubbed his eyes, he suddenly found that his vision had become illusory, filled with a thick gray-white mist.
Deep within this endless fog, there is a high-backed chair that seems to exist forever, upon which sits a faint, indistinct figure.
"Mr. The Fool "... Alger had barely conceived the thought when he saw a blurry figure in a long court dress appear in the hazy gray-white mist.
She remained in a praying posture, continuously recounting:
"At the ball hosted by Duke Negan, I met someone who resembled Qilangos."
"He disguised himself as Baron Gramir, his motives are unclear."
"I noticed some details that made me think of the extraordinary ability of that magical item, Baron Gramir Qilangos, to change people's appearances."
Alger was startled at first, then his expression brightened with delight. He pressed his hand to his chest, lowered his head, and said:
"Praise be to you, Mr. The Fool!"
Before he finished speaking, everything he heard and saw vanished, as if it had never existed.
Alger glanced at the desk where Roselle's Diary and investigation report were laid out, his pupils contracted slightly, and he once again felt the power of the Fool:
This is the Saint Samuel Cathedral, the former headquarters of the Church of Storms. Although this happened over a thousand years ago, it doesn't stop believers from still regarding it as a holy site. However, Mr. The Fool still silently "descended" and responded...
After a silence of about ten seconds, Alger picked up his belongings, turned around, and left.
He was going to find one of the cardinals of the Church of Storms, the archbishop of the Diocese of Backlund, " The Songster of God " Ace Snake!
For Alger Wilson, killing " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos with his own hands would be the best outcome, but if that wasn't possible, confirming his death would be acceptable as well!
After "transferring" Miss Justice's description to the Hanged Man, Klein left the mysterious space above the Gray Fog and returned to his bedroom.
Instead of immediately dispelling the Wall of Spirituality, he sat down at his desk, spread out the papers, picked up his pen, and began writing a letter:
"... According to the urgent intelligence I received, Qilangos, using the ' Shepherd's' ability, transformed into Baron Gramir and infiltrated Duke Negan's ball. His purpose is currently unknown."
Klein wasn't worried that Mr. Azik would suspect him or wonder why someone in Tingen City would know so quickly about what had just happened in Backlund, because telegraphs existed in this world.
"I'm not sure if this will interest you, but I think it's necessary for you to know." Klein finished quickly, folding the letter.
Then, he found the old bronze whistle, brought it to his lips, puffed out his cheeks, and blew it hard.
The enormous, terrifying, illusory skeletal messenger reappeared, still standing there, unconcerned that its head had burrowed into the roof.
Klein resisted the urge to use his " Clown " ability and instead of turning the letter into a throwing knife, obediently tossed it to the messenger.
He blew the bronze whistle again to end the summons, then Klein himself and went over the events in his mind once more.
That's all he can do right now!
Although Klein could also use the "Summoning Ritual" to carry the " Solar Flare Charm " and personally go to Backlund, firstly, it was too dangerous, as Qilangos was Sequence 6 " Wind-blessed " and possessed the magical item " Creeping Hunger "; secondly, it was too troublesome, as he would have to place the " Solar Flare Charm " on the Gray Fog first; and thirdly, it would be too easy to ruin his image. Therefore, he rationally abandoned this plan.
"Actually, it's not a big problem. Duke Negan is the highest-ranking noble outside the royal family, the bigwig behind the Conservative Party. There are definitely many high-ranking officials and dignitaries among the people attending the ball today. To say that there wasn't a powerful Beyonder protecting him, I'm the first to doubt it, and Qilangos is the second. Well, if it weren't for that factor, he wouldn't have needed to disguise himself and infiltrate... Since Miss ' Justice ' has already discovered it in advance, allowing the nobles to prepare, things won't get too serious or get out of control..."
"I wonder just how fast Mr. Azik's messenger is. If he can Spirit World Traversal, he might have a chance to catch the 'main course.' But if he's as slow as Ms. Daly's messenger, then we'll just have to guess the truth from the news afterwards..."
Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, putting the matter out of his mind, since there was nothing more he could do anyway.
P. S.: Two chapters today, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!