Before leaving, Klein casually tossed a coin, asking if today was an unlucky day to go to the " Bravehearts Bar ".
After receiving a negative answer, he looked around and whispered to the air:
"Is someone monitoring me today?"
After a few seconds of silence, the bodyguard's ethereal voice suddenly came from behind him:
"No."
Klein instinctively turned around to look, but still couldn't find the bodyguard.
His attention quickly shifted to the answer, and he couldn't help but scoff inwardly:
Military Intelligence Section 9 didn't even put me on the suspect list!
After confirming that Rosago hadn't contacted me, he completely ignored me.
Should I feel honored, or insulted?
Indeed, a Detective busy finding a cat to catch someone cheating on their partner can hardly be associated with assassinating a national ambassador or killing Sequence 5 powerhouse...
Moreover, Military Intelligence Section 9 had been monitoring me to some extent for a while. They saw my panic, my helplessness, and my desperate struggles to save myself, but clearly they couldn't cause any real harm to the ambassador...
Lost in thought, Klein put on his top hat, picked up his black cane with silver trim, and walked out of No. 15 Minsk Street. He spent 2 Soli to take a horse-drawn carriage to the " Bravehearts Bar " on Iron Gate Street in the Backlund Bridge Area.
He entered with practiced ease, weaving through the patrons cheering him on around the boxing ring, and arrived at the bar, tapping on the table:
"A glass of Southville beer."
The bartender looked up at him and muttered:
" Kaspars is in Card Room 3."
Klein smiled, laid out five penny coins, and pushed them towards the other man.
Then, he picked up a wooden cup, sipped his finely foamed Southville beer, walked around the two most crowded, busiest, and most sweaty playing tables, and knocked on the door of the No. 3 card room.
Kaspars was playing no-limit Texas Hold'em with a group of people, with stacks of banknotes piled high in front of him and piles of gleaming coins that were dazzling to the eye.
Noticing Klein's gaze, the black market arms dealer with a large scar on his face twitched his bright red nose and casually said:
"I don't like using chips; they feel unreal. The tactile feel of banknotes and the weight of coins are intoxicating, just like the pleasure of having sex with a woman!"
After muttering this sentence, Kaspars frowned slightly:
What are you doing here again?
Klein didn't answer directly, but gestured for them to talk outside.
"Damn it! I'm going to wipe them out this time! Shit, I'm not calling!" Kaspars threw the two cards in front of him into the middle, then limped to the door and said to Klein, "You'd better have a good reason!"
Leaving the card room and reaching a corner, Klein lowered his voice and said:
"I'd like to know when the next gathering is, like the last one."
Kaspars scrutinized him suspiciously. "Didn't Maric and you agree on something?"
"It's not about hiring bodyguards, it's about me, you know, I've become very interested in that kind of thing." Klein was telling the truth.
Kaspars hesitated for a moment and then said:
"There's a party tonight, organized by the same person as last time, but you'll have to wait at least half an hour. I'll go inform them first. You showed your credibility last time, so I don't think there will be any problems."
"No problem, I'll pay you." Klein touched the banknotes in his pocket.
"This time it only costs 1 pound," Kaspars said, as if to say, "I'm very generous."
"It's well worth it," Klein said, a smile playing on both sides of his mouth.
After paying the fee, he found a seat, sipped his rich, malty Southville beer, and watched the boxing match unfold in the ring.
"I can take them both down at the same time..." Klein quickly came to this conclusion.
A dozen minutes later, Kaspars returned to the bar, looked around, and said in a low voice:
"They agreed."
"We'll be there in half an hour. The Storm is brewing; I hope you haven't forgotten that mask."
Klein gave an affirmative answer to this.
He slowed down his drinking pace, sipping it slowly, and it took him half an hour to finish the 500ml large glass of Southville beer.
It was the same road as before, the same house without any lights. Klein put on the iron mask that only covered the upper half of his face and watched as Kaspars rhythmically knocked on the door.
Unlike last time, the knocking sound kept changing... Klein listened carefully for a while and saw the small wooden panel on the door open, and eyes peering out.
After a routine that was no different from the others, he put on a hooded robe, hiding his entire face in shadow.
It was the same living room, with the same flickering, dim candlelight. Klein casually found a spot and sat down quietly.
But unlike before, this time he was no longer suppressed or tense; instead, he leisurely looked around.
The chilly wind blowing down his neck confirmed that the bodyguard had followed him in unnoticed.
As expected, there were no Sequence 5 powerhouses among the people gathered here, and there might not even be any Sequence 6 powerhouses... Klein thought to himself thoughtfully.
After listening for a while, he saw the round-faced " Apothecary " change his posture, as if he wanted to speak.
Sure enough, the Apothecary, whose chubby face was partially visible, quickly raised his hand and said:
"' Black Snake ' seems to have died in the sewers..."
"Those wild beasts are still rampaging."
" Black Snake " is dead? Klein was quite taken aback when he heard this news.
" Black Snake " is the man who sold him the " Listener's " relics, enabling him to "successfully" create the " Words of Filth," and is suspected to be a member of the Aurora Order.
He wasn't weak, yet he died in a simple sewer beast-clearing mission... Klein frowned in confusion, then suddenly remembered something:
That was when he discovered Zerrell's body and heard a thumping sound coming from deep inside the sewers.
When he led Ian over, Zerrell's corpse had already been partially gnawed away by strange beasts.
That was at the bottom of Iron Carbon Street in the East Borough, quite far from the Backlund Bridge Area, and I wondered if there was any connection... Klein had absolutely no urge to verify this.
The news of " Black Snake's " death spread rapidly in the dimly lit living room, drawing whispers from many and creating a sense of shared fear.
The Apothecary clapped his hands and said:
"So, what should I do?"
The whispering abruptly ceased, and the room fell into a frozen silence.
Because of the Apothecary's previous advice not to offend anyone, Klein thought for a moment and took the initiative to speak:
"If I were you, I think I would abandon the remaining herbs and never go there again."
"Why? They'll be ripe soon, and those beasts hide deep in the sewers; they usually don't come out," the Apothecary asked hesitantly.
Klein deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice:
"There must be an organization behind ' Black Snake,' and his death will inevitably lead to an investigation. I think you probably don't want to deal with them, right?"
Possessing the " Listener's " relics does not necessarily mean that " Black Snake " is a member of the Aurora Order, but his calling the " True Creator " a great being indirectly confirms this.
Moreover, it's better to believe it's true than to take chances.
"Hmm." The Apothecary nodded slightly, seemingly having made a decision.
Klein added a few more words:
"If it were me, I would also anonymously report this to the police."
"What?" Many of the party members exclaimed in surprise.
Klein explained in a consistent tone:
"Since the beasts in the sewers can kill the ' Black Snake,' it means they are highly dangerous. And since everyone lives in Backlund, if this causes a major disaster, it's hard to guarantee that we won't be affected."
"Therefore, the best option is to attract the attention of the police and let the authorities handle the matter."
"Isn't it great that we can enjoy good results without taking any risks?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the old gentleman with the " Eye of Wisdom " clapped and said:
"A brilliant idea! We fear the official Beyonder, but we can also utilize them; we shouldn't try to handle everything ourselves."
"That's because I'm an official Beyonder being, so my thinking is definitely different from yours, who are purely wild..." Klein thought to himself with a smile.
After speaking, he returned to an observer's attitude, listening to others selling or seeking to buy goods and materials, watching transactions succeed or fail, but nothing interested him.
He hasn't listed the special materials he needs yet, intending to observe the industry a few more times.
Time ticked by, and the " Eye of Wisdom " old man began to arrange for people to leave, one person every three minutes.
Klein was the first to leave last time and didn't know what happened afterward. Only now did he realize that there were at least five exits here. The servants of the " Eye of Wisdom " would lead different people through different passages, trying to keep them separate and prolong their time.
About half an hour later, only three members of the gathering remained in the living room: the old man known as " The Eye of Wisdom," Klein, and a man who appeared to be Apothecary.
The " Eye of Wisdom " glanced at Klein and chuckled in an aged voice:
Looks like you're in luck.
He recognized me as the person who bought that ominous " Black Snake " item last time... Klein smiled and said, "Yes, I won the bet."
Upon hearing their exchange, the Apothecary's eyes widened as he scrutinized Klein, and it took him a long time to say:
"Do you possess other lucky charms? I'd already considered you dead."
"You're so direct..." Klein replied tactfully, "Perhaps I'm just lucky enough."
Actually, he really wanted to have something similar.
" The Eye of Wisdom " sighed, "Young man, don't always gamble with luck, especially in this kind of thing. Even if you've won many times before, once you lose, you won't have a chance to turn things around."
"I know, that's why I came to this gathering, hoping to buy something useful. Ha, I'm one of you guys," Klein said casually.
"The same kind?" the Apothecary exclaimed dramatically. "I should have listened to my teacher back then!"
Teacher... he himself is suspected to be a " Apothecary "... the " Apothecary " path is controlled by the Church of the Earth Mother and the School of Life... the School of Life's method of inheritance is a master-apprentice system... Klein's heart stirred, and he asked curiously:
Why do you say that?
The Apothecary sighed and said, "My teacher told me to choose the path that would make me lucky enough, but I ended up becoming a potion concocter. As a result, I haven't been able to find all the main ingredients for the next Sequence of Potion in two whole years. Your luck makes me Envy."
Making someone lucky enough... that's a lot like the " Monster " Sequence Pathway... truly the School of Life... Klein chuckled.
What are your reasons for making this choice?
The Apothecary suddenly straightened his back and said:
"This is a man's choice!"
"Once I learned that I could concoct potions to enhance that ability, I chose this path without hesitation!"