Okay, although I don't need it anymore, I can give it to Susie and exchange it for other extraordinary materials... Hmm, Susie's Potion is still missing the spinal fluid of the Farsman Rabbit... There are some things that are much more convenient for Susie to do than for me to do myself... Every "great Detective " needs a good assistant, hmm! Audrey quickly made a decision; for her, this was no longer something she particularly cared about.
After putting down the telegram, her joy subsided, and the troubles of reality gradually emerged.
I still owe Mr. The Fool's Secret Order intelligence, the mission to assassinate Ambassador Intis, and a request from his Blessed... I finally understand what it feels like to be burdened with heavy debts... Audrey, we can't delay any longer! Let's get started! The girl quietly clenched her fist, intending to find paper and pen to write a letter to Viscount Glaint, asking him to arrange a meeting with Hugh and Fors as soon as possible and to delegate the task.
Audrey picked up her pen, dipped it in ink, and suddenly held her wrist still, not writing.
She had just realized a crucial problem: she knew very little about Ambassador Bakerland of Intis. In this situation, it was easy to misjudge the difficulty, either failing to find someone willing to accept the commission or entrusting it to an unsuitable person, causing the mission to fail right from the start.
As for the potential cost of this expansion, that wasn't her main concern. She believed that the rewards offered by Mr. " The Fool " would be better and more helpful to her.
After a moment's hesitation, Audrey turned to her maid Annie and said:
Tell Countess Grelint that I accept the invitation and will be attending her ball tomorrow evening.
Grelint is the wife of Earl Wolfe, and her upcoming ball has invited ambassadors from various countries to Loen, including Bakerland Jean Madan.
Audrey had originally intended to use illness as an excuse to cancel, but now she was quite interested in the ball.
After observing Ambassador Bakerland and gathering enough intelligence, she would then meet with Hugh and Fors! Audrey suddenly felt a surge of excitement, a sense of participating in something big and beginning the adventurous career she had always dreamed of!
Bayam, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, is known as the " City of Generosity ".
Back in the real world Alger Wilson changed into a set of slightly flamboyant and ornate clothes from the Republic of Intis, entered the alley through the back door of the hotel, and wandered around several streets.
He stopped in front of a house without a garden or lawn, and took out a common white hard-shell mask and put it on.
Immediately afterwards, he reached out and knocked on the door, three times loud and two times soft, with two long knocks and three short knocks in between.
After waiting for about ten seconds, the door creaked open, and a man wearing a pirate turban poked his head out, quickly looking around.
"Come in," the man said in a deep voice, stepping aside.
Alger didn't say anything and quietly walked into the house.
Clang!
The door slammed shut.
At 15 Minsk Street, Klein opened the curtains and sat down at his desk.
The information about the Secret Order provided by the " The Hanged Man " made him realize that the target might still have some connection with the Republic of Intis. At the same time, he recalled the " The Hanged Man's " previous descriptions of the Antigonus Family as "strange" and "terrifying."
The Beyonder who infiltrated my room last night using the iron-black nematode to peek at information and leave a warning did indeed act rather strangely... The Sequence Chains controlled by the Antigonus Family are precisely the " Seer " pathway of the Secret Order, the two can be equated... In other words, it's possible to speculate that the Beyonder last night was a member of the Secret Order who also acted as a spy for the Republic of Intis? Or perhaps they didn't belong to the Secret Order, but obtained the corresponding formulas and Potion through the connection between the Republic of Intis and the Secret Order? Klein began to make bold hypotheses and carefully verify them:
"This explains why my ' Clown ' premonition didn't work when the eerie horsehair worms invaded; it stemmed from the suppression I received from High-Sequence individuals along the same pathway... Of course, there's also the reason why the black horsehair worms didn't pose a real threat to me..."
"Similarly, this also explains why, the very night I finished writing the intelligence on Ian Wright, iron-black nematodes infiltrated and headed straight for my desk... The fact that the other party possesses ' Seer ' abilities makes things quite plausible..."
After careful consideration, Klein felt that his guess was likely close to the truth.
"If he is indeed High-Sequence individual of the ' Seer ' pathway, what Sequence would he be, and what would his Potion be called? To be able to Manipulation iron-black nematodes, could he be another bigwig in the 'Circus,' Beast Tamer?" Klein shook his head silently, half self-deprecatingly and half amusedly.
Perhaps I'll get my next Potion recipe from him... Is this the true meaning behind the revelation I received from my previous Divination? Backlund, truly a " Land of Hope "... Klein muttered to himself, then began to consider what to do next:
He had already delegated the task of assassinating Intis Ambassador Bakerland to completely eliminate the potential threat, but he himself had to avoid suspicion and didn't have the ability to do so.
After revealing Ian Wright's whereabouts to both sides, he believed that Ambassador Bakerland would not have time to retaliate against him in the short term, nor would he cause any further trouble.
Finding the item he mentioned as extremely important was clearly what he was most concerned about.
"In other words, I'm safe until that item is found, so there's no need to rush to hire powerful Beyonder bodyguards... Well, even if there's retaliation later, the ambassador can't possibly hire High-Sequence powerhouses to deal with me; it's neither economical nor necessary, after all, Backlund isn't his home turf..."
"The most likely outcome is that I'll still entrust it to that Beyonder who infiltrated my room last night using the iron-black nematodes. He's at least Sequence 7, maybe even Sequence 6 or Sequence 5, with enough strength and familiarity with the situation... I'll just hire bodyguards according to that standard... Hopefully, before that, the ambassador will never be able to issue any orders..." Klein stared blankly at the finally dissipating fog outside the window.
He decided to go to the " Bravehearts Bar " again tonight. First, he wanted to use Kaspars to make contact with other Beyonder to lay the groundwork for selecting a suitable bodyguard. Second, he wanted to find an opportunity to sell Meursault's Beyonder Characteristic to raise some funds. Third, he wanted to see if anyone was selling powerful magical items to enhance his own strength. This was a plan that would never go out of style.
Having made up his mind, Klein pretended to leisurely flip through the newspaper, and waited until it got dark before slowly getting up and making himself a tomato oxtail soup.
After eating and drinking his fill, he drew the bedroom curtains as usual, deciding not to open them again that night.
Then, he summoned himself, responded to himself, and became a special spirit, bringing the Azik Copper Whistle, Meursault's Beyonder Characteristic, homemade talismans, various materials, and tarot cards from above the Gray Fog back to the real world, leaving behind only a few items such as the bloodstained standard contract.
Having done all this and equipped himself with the necessary gear, Klein's strength returned to its peak, and he once again became a semi-expert in the mysticism.
He straightened his collar, picked up his hat and cane, and left 15 Minsk Street.
Inside the " Bravehearts Bar " on Iron Gate Street.
Having traded a beer for the information, Klein found Kaspars in a card room, where Caspass was playing "Fight the Evil" while betting on a boxer outside, looking quite content.
The familiar surroundings reminded Klein of Maric, who had played Texas Hold'em with a dozen or so Living Corpse the last time he encountered him, and he suddenly felt glad that he hadn't brought Azik Copper Whistle with him.
If I had brought the bronze whistle that Mr. Azik gave me, I reckon those dozen or so Living Corpse in Maric would have betrayed me on the spot and "hospitally" "welcomed" me... I wonder what his expression would have been... Klein stood by the door and nodded to Kaspars Kanlinen.
Kaspars covered the cards, swore, got up and walked to the door, lowering his voice to say:
"I'll take you to a place where the people, though not as capable as Maric, are still quite formidable. Whether we can reach a deal is none of my concern. However, I must warn you beforehand: do not anger them, or you may not see the Sun tomorrow. Of course, in Backlund after September, seeing the Sun is no easy feat."
"Do I need to pay you?" Klein asked earnestly.
Kaspars nodded in satisfaction and said:
Two pounds.
That's enough to buy a revolver in a weapons shop... Although they'll mark it at over 3 pounds, you can usually bargain it down to around 2 pounds... Klein muttered to himself, handing Kaspars two 1-pound notes.
Kaspars turned to his card-playing friends and said something, then led Klein, limping, towards the bar's kitchen, from where they entered the alley behind and circled around to a dark, unlit house.
He took out an iron mask that could only cover the upper half of his face, handed it to Klein, and chuckled:
"Consider it as if you bought it for two pounds."
Two pounds can buy me a lot of things... Klein put on the iron mask and deliberately messed up his hair.
Seeing that he was ready, Kaspars knocked on the door rhythmically.
Seven or eight seconds later, a small wooden board on the door was suddenly pulled open, revealing brown eyes behind it.
After being scrutinized for a while, Klein finally saw the door open behind him.
A man wearing an iron mask stood there, handed Klein a hooded robe, and said in a hoarse voice to Kaspars:
"Remember to tell me in advance next time, otherwise, hmph!"
He closed the door, turned around, and led Klein through the dark living room into the first-floor sitting room.
A candle was lit on the coffee table, its dim, yellowish light casting shadows throughout the room.
There were about a dozen people sitting on the sofas and chairs around the coffee table, all dressed in hooded robes and iron masks.
Having put on his robe, Klein quietly found a chair in the corner and sat down, hearing a chubby-faced man complain:
"Recently, a group of wild animals have appeared in the sewers and have eaten up many of the herbs I planted."
"They're very clever; they didn't touch the poisonous ones. I need someone to help me clean them up. You know, this isn't my forte; I'm only good at concocting medicines to treat you." (8)