Inside the deep, dark underground building, Klein, carrying a lantern, circled the hall, carefully checking for any other entrances. Of course, he didn't dare enter the passageway leading to the innermost room, and the snakes that had regrouped were once again blown away by the biting cold wind.
After receiving an affirmative answer, he voluntarily retreated to the doorway and watched with the three Living Corpse as the bodyguard Sharron, placed explosives in different locations.
"Looks very professional," Klein muttered to himself.
The three Living Corpse did not respond to him, as expected.
However, this was for a reason; he consistently used his Spirituality to shield himself from the negative influence of the Azik Copper Whistle, otherwise he would have encountered unusually enthusiastic "compliance."
He hadn't originally planned to carry this ancient and exquisite bronze whistle, but considering the need to guard against the hidden machinations of Evil Spirit, he had no choice but to sacrifice some of its Spirituality.
"Miss Bodyguard, no, Miss Sharron said she's a demolition expert, and she's not exaggerating..."
"Was she originally in this profession? Or did a Sequence in her Beyonder Pathway make her adept at a similar field? Based on the information I saw in the Nighthawks squad, it roughly includes Sequence 9 ' Criminal,' ' Prisoner,' ' Warrior,' and ' Hunter,' Sequence 8 ' Sheriff,' Sequence 7 ' Weapon Master ' and ' Keeper of Knowledge,' ah, the latter has a nickname, ' Detective,' and belongs to the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom... I don't know about the others..."
"I wonder which path Miss Sharron will take; she doesn't seem like it at all. She even demonstrated the ability to command the Living Corpse this time..."
Amid Klein's boundless imagination, Sharron finished setting up the trap and casually lit the fuse.
"Hey! Why didn't you warn me!" Klein snapped out of his daze, startled, and hurriedly left the hall, entering the outer corridor.
The three Living Corpse followed behind him unhurriedly.
"It's safe here." Sharron suddenly appeared beside him.
Klein breathed a slight sigh of relief, then asked, "Will any dust be shaken down?"
"Yes," Sharron replied with a single word.
"That's good." As he spoke, Klein took another step back.
The hissing sound of the burning fuse reached his ears, making him slightly irritated.
This feeling wasn't because he was afraid of the impending explosion, but because one shoe was still not dropping.
"1." Sharron suddenly spoke up.
"Huh?" Klein didn't understand what the other person meant at first.
Rumble!
The earth trembled violently, and dust suddenly fell from above. Klein's ears were ringing, and for a brief moment he couldn't hear anything else.
If he weren't the " Clown," he would have lost his balance and fallen to the ground.
Cough cough cough! Distracted and unprepared, he coughed as he saw boulders and dirt falling rapidly in front of him, instantly blocking the entrance.
Amid the lingering tremors, Klein gripped the brass whistle Mr. Azik had given him, observing its reaction.
Although he had consulted the Divination beforehand and received the result that there was no danger on this trip, this place did involve the human-shaped statues of six orthodox gods. Even if it was a revelation obtained above the Gray Fog, he dared not completely believe it, and the interpretation itself could be wrong. Therefore, he cautiously used the Azik Copper Whistle to determine whether the Evil Spirit had escaped because of this.
The surface of the bronze whistle was cool yet gentle, showing no unusual changes. Klein was completely relieved. Looking at the Living Corpse beside him, he confirmed one thing from their eyes: he was currently covered in dust and dirt.
That's good, it fits perfectly with the explanation I'll give Mr. Miller Carter later... It wasn't a waste of my effort in changing my clothes before coming here... He walked towards the entrance and confirmed that it was completely blocked off.
Without making a big fuss, only the " Apprentice " route and Beyonder like Miss Sharron will be able to enter in the future. She has eliminated many potential competitors, no wonder it's free... Klein gazed at the stones and soil and sighed to himself.
"Of course, I can too. I have a kind of spirit-like state!" He silently added in his heart with a smile, but remained expressionless on the surface.
"That's a wrap." Klein snapped his fingers dramatically, leading the three Living Corpse hurriedly and hastily back to the house's basement, while Sharron had vanished without a trace.
In the spacious basement, Miller Carter paced back and forth anxiously, glancing at the secret door every now and then.
Seeing Detective Moriarty and his assistants emerge in an orderly fashion, he let out a long sigh of relief and asked urgently:
What happened inside?
Klein deliberately panted as he said:
"That underground structure was too, too old, and hadn't been repaired in too long. We were trying to drive away snakes, but we moved a little too much and it caused a violent collapse—the whole thing collapsed. Luckily, we were near the entrance and managed to escape in time."
" Storm above! That building is so dangerous!" Miller Carter clenched his fist and punched his left chest.
"Yes, only a select few ancient buildings are truly well-preserved; the rest have crumbled into the annals of history," Klein replied. "Let me take you inside to take a look and confirm the situation."
"Are there any more collapses?" Miller asked cautiously.
"No, this side is more sturdy." Klein deliberately brushed the dust off his clothes, coughed twice, and then led his employer inside for a tour. They stopped at the completely blocked entrance, and the walls near the hall had also collapsed, leaving behind only stones and mud.
"You can use this part." He pointed to the corridor area.
Miller paused for a few seconds, then sighed:
"Luckily, I didn't rashly send people in to explore, but instead sought out a professional like you; otherwise, I would have been responsible for several deaths."
"Okay, this job is now complete. Here's the remaining payment for you."
As he spoke, Miller Carter took out his wallet, counted the money, and was somewhat embarrassed to find that he only had about thirty pounds in cash.
"Luckily, I have other money, otherwise I would have had to go to the bank," Miller muttered, then looked up at Klein and asked, "Do you mind accepting gold coins?"
"No, I don't mind money in any form," Klein said with a smile.
In the Kingdom of Loen, gold pounds can be used not only as large denomination banknotes but also as gold coins, which also guarantee the face value of the paper money.
However, in the more than one hundred years since Emperor Roselle, the people of the Northern Continent have become increasingly accustomed to paper money, and some members of parliament even want to have corresponding banknotes for copper pennies.
True gold pounds are rarely found in circulation anymore. Only some old-fashioned gentlemen would attach a secure box to the other end of their pocket watch bracelet to store some gold coins as a precaution against unforeseen events.
This provides peace of mind and is also a habit.
Miller nodded, and following the gold watch chain on his clothes, pulled a glittering gold box from one of the pockets.
With a snap, he opened the box, took out five gold coins and a banknote he had counted out earlier, and handed them to the Detective in front of him.
Klein didn't hold back at all. After counting the coins once, a gold coin suddenly popped up and he caught it with a flourish.
"Thank you for your generosity." He glanced at the upward-facing portrait, smiled sincerely, then placed his hand on his chest and bowed to Miller Carter.
"Well, if it were any other Detective, even if they blew up the entrance and passageway now, they would definitely experience nightmares, strange noises from the house, mental weakness, and a feeling that someone is watching them all the time. This is the influence of Evil Spirit spirit, which would take a long time to disappear. But we're different. Miss Sharron herself is like a female ghost. I'll be completely fine after a trip above the Gray Fog. As for those three Living Corpse, they're not even afraid of death, so what are they afraid of?" Klein grumbled a few times in a good mood, then bid farewell to Miller Carter and turned to leave the house.
Once on the street, the three Living Corpse walked off in another direction without saying hello.
Miss Sharron is gone... She really didn't take the Living Corpse ' hiring fee... Klein smiled, raised his arm, and waved to the backs of the three Living Corpse.
Afterwards, he went home, changed into normal clothes, and went to the Cragg Club to practice shooting.
After having dinner as a reward for the successful completion of the mission, Klein took a public carriage back to Minsk Street.
The gloomy and dim environment was illuminated by gas streetlights, and he strolled leisurely along the street with his cane.
Suddenly, he had a premonition that was neither good nor bad.
What's going on? Klein looked up and saw two police officers leading a police dog, seemingly conducting checks along the way.
A check? A check with police dogs? What happened after that serial murder case? The smell of lilac and gooseberry lingered at the scene, so they deployed more police dogs? Klein couldn't help but mutter to himself.
The history of police dogs can be traced back to the Roselle era, but their numbers have always been small.
Considering he had a lot of belongings on him and his earlier premonition, Klein decided to take a detour and go from the other side.
Just then, the two police officers saw him and gestured for him to stop.
Klein's lips twitched, but he waited there with a broad smile.
"Routine investigation." Upon approaching, one of the officers showed his identification.
"Okay..." Klein hadn't finished speaking when the police dog suddenly started barking and barking incessantly at him.
"W-They smelled the gunpowder on me? The lingering smell of gunpowder from the afternoon's shooting practice?" Klein instantly realized. He glanced at the two officers' wary expressions, an idea forming in his mind. With a beaming smile, he said:
"Here's the thing, I found a revolver on the street, along with a pouch and bullets, and I was just about to give it to you."
He slowly took out his revolver, raised it to shoulder height, and added with a serious smile:
"Officer, I really didn't possess the gun illegally."
One officer was on high alert, while another took the pistol and said solemnly:
"You have to come back to the police station with us."
"Okay," Klein replied with a bright smile, "But I have one request. Please inform my Lawyer, Mr. Jurgen Cooper, that I can only be searched in his presence."