After a few seconds, Klein activated his Spirit Vision and looked around the room. Under the crimson Moonlight, Madam Shermane's bedroom was decorated luxuriously and lavishly.
Thick carpets, spacious rooms, velvet duvet covers, tables cluttered with various skincare and cosmetic products, jewels shimmering with different lusters, a half-open walk-in closet, light clothing and stockings casually tossed on a rocking chair, and numerous decorative items inlaid with gold thread—all these came into Klein's view.
The most eye-catching thing in the entire room was an unfinished oil painting, depicting Madam Shermane naked. Her brown hair cascaded down her back, and her brown eyes, like those of a deer in the forest, were pure and moist. Yet, her arched eyebrows, upturned eyes, straight nose, and delicate lips also outlined the charm of a mature woman. The two were combined in a contradictory manner, yet they exuded an amazing allure.
Klein glanced down the neck, not looking closely. This wasn't a fake suit; he'd even seen the other man's "dirty stuff," so what was there to be afraid of with "little yellow rabbits"?
His attention was drawn to the paint, plates, brushes, and a silver-plated full-length mirror next to the oil painting.
This combination, this arrangement, this spatial relationship gave him a strange idea: that the artist of this oil painting was Madam Shermane herself, and not some painter she had seduced.
A woman with stunning looks, an outstanding figure, and a captivating yet innocent charm, strips naked, admiring herself in the mirror, Record her beauty... This scene feels rather strange... Isn't Madam Shermane a bit too narcissistic? Klein muttered silently, then looked away and began searching for possible evidence of a crime.
Following Leonard and Frye's instructions, he always wore black gloves and memorized the original appearance of each place he searched so that he could restore it later.
For a " Seer," this is not difficult at all; if forgotten, it can be easily recalled using the techniques of " Dream Divination."
Of course, he had also consulted Divination before going out tonight, and it indicated that there would be no danger and everything would go smoothly.
This is what a proper charlatan should do... even if I'm already a " Clown "... Klein muttered to himself, having spent nearly twenty minutes searching Madam Shermane's bedroom, finding nothing of interest and not a glimmer of Spirituality light.
Finally, he stopped in front of the safe in the corner of the room.
It is a meter tall, iron-gray in color, thick and heavy, giving it an exceptionally solid feel; it seems that even if you brought explosives, you wouldn't be able to move it.
"It really has the characteristics of the Steam age... It must contain an extremely complex mechanical combination..." Klein tried to pick the lock, but failed miserably.
He postponed the safe matter until later, took off his left glove, and removed the citrine pendant from his wrist.
Holding the silver chain and letting the pendulum hang down, Klein dispelled the heat from the room's fragrance and entered a Cogitation state.
His eyes darkened, and he murmured to himself:
"This room has a secret room or hidden compartment."
"This room has a secret room or hidden compartment."
After seven repetitions, Klein's eye color returned to normal, and he looked at the citrine pendant, seeing it rotating counterclockwise.
This indicates negation.
Klein nodded almost imperceptibly, left Madam Shermane's bedroom, and quietly searched the study, living room, sunroom, and other places according to the previous procedure, but failed to find any useful or valuable clues.
The reason he didn't use the " Dowsing for Objects method" was because he had no idea what he was looking for.
He took out a silver pocket watch with a vine pattern, turned it on, glanced at it to check the time, and then turned back to Madam Shermane's bedroom.
Klein carefully closed the wooden door, took out the ritual silver dagger, and unleashed a torrent of Spirituality, combining it with the forces of nature to seal off the entire room.
He wants to "summon" himself!
He wanted to use his spirit form to enter that heavy safe and examine the items inside!
"I don't need to know how to pick locks!" Klein muttered in Chinese.
Since it was a prayer to himself, all the procedures could be simplified and didn't need to be so elaborate. So Klein took out a candle mixed with sandalwood incense, lit it casually with his Spirituality, and that was it for setting up the altar.
"I!"
"I summon in my own name:"
" The Fool That Doesn't Belong to This Era, Mysterious Ruler Above the Gray Fog, the King of Yellow and Black who wields good fortune."
The chanting echoed in Madam Shermane's bedroom, and Klein's Spirituality surged forth, mingling with the candlelight to form a pale gray, palm-sized curtain of light.
Immediately afterwards, he took four steps in the opposite direction, piercing through the roar, and entered the Gray Fog.
Klein glanced at the " Door of Summoning " behind the high-backed chair at the head of the ancient long table, and was about to respond when he suddenly paused.
"Since I'm already here, I might as well do Divination and see if I can find any clues... Here, besides the interference being eliminated, my abilities are still somewhat enhanced... Moreover, the environment in which my body is located makes the current Divination equivalent to using items that Madam Shermane carries with her..." He sat down and materialized parchment and a round-bellied fountain pen in front of him.
What should Divination? Klein fell into thought:
"Is there something wrong with Madam Shermane?"
No, everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has problems.
"Is Madam Shermane involved in a crime?"
"... That's not rigorous enough either. As a socialite who mingles in political circles, it's normal to get involved in some dirty and unprovable things... Besides, what defines a crime? The laws of the Kingdom of Loen, the Republic of Intis, or my own judgment?"
As his thoughts raced, Klein didn't want to waste any more time, since his physical body was still in the real world. So, he decided to confirm the Divination he had done before.
He picked up his pen, and without writing, a Divination phrase appeared on the parchment before him:
" John Maynard's death was influenced by extraordinary factors."
This is Divination Klein performed when he went to Congressman Maynard's house to help the police with Spirit Channeling; the answer at the time was negative.
Holding the silver chain, with the citrine pendant just a hair's breadth away from touching the words on the parchment, Klein half-closed his eyes and silently recited the Divination phrase:
" John Maynard's death was influenced by extraordinary factors."
" John Maynard's death was influenced by extraordinary factors."
He repeated it seven times, then opened his eyes, looked at the pendulum, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
The citrine pendant is rotating clockwise!
Clockwise rotation signifies affirmation!
There were extraordinary factors involved in Congressman Maynard's death!
Klein gazed at the slowly calming pendulum, a storm raging within him:
"My Divination at the time was influenced and interfered with..."
"Is Madam Shermane Beyonder, a very powerful Beyonder? Or does she have someone behind her helping her plot Congressman Maynard's death?"
"Is it to eliminate this strong contender for the mayoral seat, and to get rid of the New Party's future members of parliament?"
As thoughts raced through his mind, Klein wrote down new Divination phrases:
" Madam Shermane is Beyonder."
He still silently recited it seven times, still used the " Spirit Pendulum Method," and with the help of his current environment and some information related to Madam Shermane, Klein completed the Divination and saw the answer.
The answer is that the citrine pendant rotates clockwise; the answer is definitely yes!
Madam Shermane is Beyonder... Klein's heart tightened, and without further delay, he immediately responded to his "call" and pushed open that mysterious door.
After the confusion and dizziness, he saw Madam Shermane's bedroom, and he saw himself.
Klein Levitation and flew to the bulky safe, reached out his right hand, and carefully inserted it.
Since Madam Shermane was Beyonder, he had to be wary of the traps she might have set in the safe.
In this spiritual state, which is infused with a bit of power from the mysterious space and most of his own Spirituality, Klein no longer needs to Divination. He can receive a hint simply by approaching danger. The essence of most Divination relies on the Astral Body to travel through the Spirit World to obtain revelation, which, simply put, originates from its own Spirituality.
The nearly transparent hand passed through the thick metal door, and Klein didn't notice anything unusual.
After scanning the area from all sides, he suddenly lunged forward, his entire spirit body disappearing into the safe.
He saw that it was divided into three layers. The first layer contained standard gold bars, thick stacks of banknotes, and even more valuable jewelry. The second layer contained many documents without covers. Klein puffed out his cheeks and blew on them a few times, but he couldn't open them to see their contents.
Hmm, I'll try again later with Mr. Azik's copper whistle... Klein had already tested it before. When the " Solar Flare Charm " and " Azik Copper Whistle " were completely enveloped by spirits, the two items could pass through obstacles and seemed to become a semi-real, semi-illusory existence.
The bottom shelf of the safe was quite eerie; it contained only a black-and-white photograph of a handsome young man.
" Madam Shermane's former lover? They were forcibly separated, Madam Shermane had to marry the old Baron, so she began to Depravity, wandering the beds of one man after another. But deep in her heart, she still kept a pure land. Whenever the night was quiet, she would take out this photo and caress it with tears in her eyes..." Klein instantly imagined a tragic and desolate romance drama.
However, the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt, because the young man in the photo seemed, perhaps, possibly, to look somewhat like Madam Shermane...
Madam Shermane's brother? She's Beyonder... Damn, could she also be on the Witch Pathway? Just like " Instigator " Trissy! A sudden thought flashed through Klein's mind, startling him.
Why did Trissy linger in Tingen before? Was it because she had a companion there? Klein examined the photograph closely and increasingly felt that the young man resembled Madam Shermane.
His almost transparent face contorted into a grimace, as if he could no longer bear to look at that "dirty little film" from before.
Composing himself, Klein began to feel around the safe again, looking for anything else hidden inside.
Although he can't pick up paper now, the feeling of passing through objects is different from passing through air, and the feeling is also different between objects of different densities.
While fumbling around, Klein suddenly paused.
He felt a hole, a hidden compartment, on the side of the safe closest to the wall!
After confirming there was no danger, Klein crawled inside. His vision revealed ointments, incense, herbal powders, and a statue carved from white bones.
The statue was about the size of a palm, vaguely resembling a beautiful woman with extremely long hair that reached all the way to her ankles, each strand distinct and thick like a venomous snake.
At the tip of each hair, an eye is carved, some closed and some open, densely packed together.
Klein was startled, "smelled" some kind of eerie odor, and hurriedly retreated from the mezzanine.
He finally understood why his attempts to divine the Divination chamber and hidden compartment had failed!
P. S.: There will be extra chapters starting tomorrow, please vote with your monthly tickets~ The first chapter tomorrow will still be at noon.