Klein unfolded the letter with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, and began to read Azik's reply:
"... The scene you described made me think of some possibilities, like Vampire and Mutant."
"Natural Vampire were nearly extinct before Dragon and Giant disappeared from the stage of history, and they can only be found occasionally afterward. The Vampire we usually discuss and the ones in folk tales are closer to Beyonder. I remember there was Potion in a certain Sequence of pathways called ' Vampire '."
"If your boss is already in a semi-mad state, then he has most likely ingested this Potion by mistake. Mixing two Potion from different pathways will inevitably lead to semi-madness. Hmm, I vaguely remember that the ' Evernight ' pathway, which is what you call the ' Sleepless ' pathway, can be interchanged with the ' Death ' pathway and the ' Giant ' pathway in the High-Sequence, but this does not include the ' Vampire ' pathway."
"Of course, it's possible your boss is consciously accepting it. After all, ' Vampire ' have long lifespans, excellent physiques, and outstanding appearances. Compared to these benefits, a semi-mad state isn't unacceptable."
Klein was taken aback; he hadn't expected Mr. Azik to provide such useful information.
The " Death " pathway refers to the " Corpse Collector " pathway, which can be interchanged with the " Sleepless " pathway in High-Sequence. This is a secret I learned from Roselle's Diary, but I never imagined they could also be interchanged with the " Giant " pathway in Sequence 4 and beyond... The " Giant " pathway is the one controlled by the City of Silver, which is now the " God of Combat " pathway... I've always suspected that the Giant King Ormir was an ancient God of Combat...
Hmm, Emperor Roselle's diary describes the Church of the Evernight Goddess and the Church of the God of Combat as irreconcilable enemies... Could it be because their Sequence are interchangeable at a higher level?
Based on this conjecture, the mutual animosity between the three oldest churches —the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom— can be explained to some extent, because their respective " Sailor," " Bard," and " Reader " pathways can be interchanged at High-Sequence!
Well, in the "Pale Age" at the end of the last era, the main forces behind the fall of Death were probably the Evernight Goddess and the God of Combat...
The captain is usually in a normal state. Apart from his poor memory, he doesn't show any signs of madness, so the possibility of him taking the ' Vampire ' Potion can be ruled out!
Mr. Azik has been recalling quite a few things lately... Could it be that the " Creeping Hunger " has truly triggered him?
Klein nodded slightly and continued reading:
"' Mutant ' is not the name of a race, but a description of many similar creatures. When they are normal, they are no different from humans, but they always harbor instinctive, Distortion, and repressed desires. Whenever they encounter a specific scene or thing that triggers these desires, they will erupt, turn into Monster, and wantonly satisfy their bloodlust and killing desires."
"Once everything calms down, they will return to normal, but with each outburst, they will become a little more ruthless, until their minds are completely Distortion."
"The most common one, and the only one I can recall, is the Werewolf. They are normally indistinguishable from humans using most extraordinary abilities, but during the Full Moon, their Distortion desires intensify, and their bodies undergo certain changes."
"Your boss might be a hidden ' Mutant,' and the death of his teammate has awakened his true nature."
"These are all my personal guesses. Because my memory is incomplete, I cannot guarantee that there are no other possibilities. Perhaps your guess about the signs of impending loss of control can also be explained."
"Whether they ingested ' Vampire ' Potion or were inherently ' Mutant,' there was no saving them. Of course, some have speculated that ' Mutant ' were originally normal humans, but were corrupted by strange curses or evil Devil, which is why they turned into different Monster under certain circumstances."
"Furthermore, I'm not sure if the initial signs of loss of control can be treated. I suggest you report directly to your supervisor's supervisor; hopefully, it's not too late."
Klein put down the letter, looked at the desk with a serious expression, and pondered for a long time.
He had to admit that the possibility of an " Mutant " existed, but the possibility of early signs of things getting out of control could not be ruled out.
"I can only wait for Ms. Daly's feedback... She should have received the letter I sent the night before last yesterday morning. If she replied promptly, I would have seen it last night or this morning... It's almost noon... Is that little messenger afraid to approach Chanis Gate? Or is Ms. Daly delayed by something else?" Klein shook his head, feeling still very tired, so he forced himself to fall asleep again through Cogitation.
In the hazy world, he suddenly woke up and realized that he was dreaming.
Then, he saw Dunn Smith appear before him, wearing a thin black trench coat.
Following a normal dream-like response, Klein slowly uttered a summons:
Good morning, Captain...
Dunn nodded slightly and said:
" Leonard has discovered a lead while investigating the Lanarvus case, and he needs your help."
" The Mystery Pryer sent by the Holy Cathedral won't arrive until tomorrow morning because the Steam train has broken down."
"Okay..." Klein replied vaguely.
Dunn thought for a moment and then added:
"You don't need to go back to Zouteland Street, just go to 62 Howes Street, Leonard will be waiting for you there."
"Thanks a lot."
As soon as he finished speaking, Klein's dream shattered, and his eyes opened instinctively.
Howes Street... Isn't this the neighborhood where the Divination Club, my classmate Welch, and that Aurora Order member used to live? So many things have been happening lately, one after another, like something's brewing... Klein slowly got up thoughtfully, first went to the bathroom to clean himself up, then changed into a white shirt, brown vest, and black trench coat, grabbed a half-high silk hat, and went downstairs to the living room.
It was not yet 11 o'clock, and Benson and Melissa had not returned yet. Klein told the maid Bella that she didn't need to worry about her lunch.
He then took a horse-drawn carriage to the Howes Street, where he saw Leonard Mitchell, the " Midnight Poet " with his messy yet beautiful hair, standing in front of house number 62.
Even in the chilly September weather, Leonard was still only wearing a thin white shirt and beige trousers. His green eyes swept over them as he said:
"This is very likely the house that Lanarvus rented under an alias."
"How did you find out?" Klein asked, slightly curious.
Leonard pointed to his head:
"Since you got a lead from Hood Eugen and suspect that Lanarvus might be Aurora Order, well, the cloth merchant Sirius Arapis, I have no choice but to change my approach and look for clues through the Aurora Order since my normal investigation has yielded no results."
"Previous reports indicated that many residents in the Sirius and Howes Street had contact with each other, so I checked them one by one and found some problems here."
"What's the problem?" Klein nodded slightly.
Leonard raised an eyebrow. "The problem is obvious. The tenant here rarely shows up Hynas Vincent's death, he claimed he was going to do business in the Southern Continent and never returned. His information is accurate, and the police haven't found anything."
"That can only be described as a coincidence," Klein said, frowning.
"Of course, it's just a coincidence, but when I showed the photo of Lanarvus to the residents around me, an old gentleman felt that he looked a lot like the tenant of number 62, except for the glasses." Leonard pulled a black and white photo out of his pocket.
Why didn't you say so sooner... Klein thought to himself, and followed Leonard into number 62 of the Howes Street. At Leonard's request, he began to Divination whether there was a hidden compartment or a secret room.
And the result is yes!
"A hidden compartment or secret room in this house."
Klein wrote down the new Divination text, sat on the sofa, and closed his eyes while reciting it silently.
After seven repetitions, he Dream Divination, his vision blurred.
In the gray world, Klein saw the oak bookshelf, rows of books, one of the books being pulled out, and the wooden cover next to it suddenly opening to reveal a hidden compartment.
The image quickly disappeared, and Klein opened his eyes, saying to Leonard:
"In the study."
He wrapped the citrine pendant and followed Leonard into the study, where he saw the oak bookshelf he had dreamed of earlier.
"Pull out that book; there's a hidden compartment there," Klein said, pointing to the book furthest to the side.
"It's here... I searched the whole house but found nothing, so I had to go back to Zouteland Street for help." Leonard muttered as he walked over and pulled out the book Klein had pointed to.
He fumbled around for a while, finally found the mechanism, and snapped open the hidden compartment.
A letter lay quietly inside the hidden compartment.
A letter? Lanarvus hid a letter here? Klein was very surprised by this.
He Divination to see if the letter contained any dangerous items, and after receiving a negative answer, Leonard reached out and grabbed the letter, opening the envelope which had no address or recipient.
Leonard pulled out the letter, flicked it, and unfolded it.
Klein moved closer and stared intently at the letter, which began with the following paragraphs:
"Haha, congratulations! Congratulations on finally finding this letter!"
"This shows that you are not too stupid, not too slow-witted, and are qualified to participate in this game of life and death that I have designed."
"Child laborers constantly dying, factory workers who rarely live past ten years due to the harsh environment and hardship, female workers risking serious illness for meager wages—I see countless resentments shrouding every factory, making the surroundings oppressive and gloomy. This is the worst of times, and also the best of times. Our game will begin against this backdrop."
"Fools, get ready, I'm about to give you a hint!"
P. S.: Second update, please vote with monthly tickets! Also, I'd like to recommend a friend's book, "Ninefold Divinity," it's quite long now, and he promised to treat me to dinner.