Sir Desi Shaw? Mr. Hibbert Hall? Who are they? I don't know them at all..." Klein pretended not to have any questions and said half-jokingly:
"Hopefully they can bring blue skies and sunshine to Backlund."
"Yes, while it's everyone's freedom to burn whatever they want in their own fireplace—a right granted by law—blue skies and sunshine are things to yearn for more," Luke Summer, a member of the Soot Abatement Society, chimed in, pointing to the rented driveway. "We should head over there; Mary desperately needs some help."
Starling Summer added, feigning modesty:
"Perhaps some members of parliament will attend the banquet, from the Backlund region, or from the Kingdom."
"One can imagine how grand this banquet will be," Klein complimented politely, watching the Summer get into their car and leave.
Just as he turned around to head to the mailbox at the end of the street, a postman in a dark green uniform arrived in a carriage and dropped a letter into the mailbox at his door.
"My letter?" Klein took out a bunch of keys and casually chose the one with an antique shape and a color that was almost like brass.
Snap!
The " Master Key " easily opened the mailbox.
"From now on, I can just take this one key with me when I go out..." Klein muttered, taking out his subscribed newspaper and the letter from earlier.
This letter is from Isengard Stanton.
Yesterday, he also reviewed old, unsolved serial murder cases, picked out the most suspicious ones, and, through the police department, made preliminary confirmation of the current situation of the corresponding suspects. He then wrote to private Detective like Klein and Kaslana, who were interested in this direction, to share his findings.
This includes the two cases that Klein was particularly focused on.
"Great Detective think alike... My letter was written in vain..." Klein joked to himself before returning to the living room.
According to Isengard, the random killings of people returning home late involved investigating many people, but no suspect could be identified. After many years, it was extremely difficult and almost hopeless to find clues again.
In another case, one of the four suspects was a teenager whose mother was also a victim—a prostitute, single, and an only child. He suffered abuse from his mother, was withdrawn and ruthless, and was the first suspect the police suspected. However, less than six months after that case, he was seriously injured in a gang fight in the East Borough and died in the operating room of a charity hospital.
His body was cremated and his ashes were buried in the cemetery in the presence of witnesses.
In this way, he would be impossible to connect with the current serial killings.
If there was no cremation, I would definitely dig up the grave to confirm... Klein had seemingly risen from the dead, seriously considered the possibility of the other party's resurrection.
Of the remaining three suspects, one has moved multiple times in recent years, and the police have lost track of his situation and need more time to investigate; one went bankrupt and moved from the North Borough to the East Borough; and the other has remained unchanged and is still running a grocery store on the same street.
Klein pulled out another sheet of paper, first describing the relevant situation, then asking the recipient to secretly observe the two suspects with specific addresses. He emphasized:
"Serial killers are cruel, vicious, and highly aggressive. Please be careful and do not get too close to them. Observe them as if you were just an ordinary neighbor."
"What I need is their recent mental state, such as whether they are irritable, whether they like to lock themselves in their rooms and rarely communicate with others, and whether they have assaulted others."
This was also information he received from the " The Sun." After each murder, the " Devil " would eat the victim's internal organs according to the ritual, and would remain in a bloodthirsty, manic state, wanting to harm others, until a new victim appeared.
After emphasizing the importance of personal safety once again, Klein folded the letter, put it in a new envelope, and affixed a black stamp to the surface.
Then, he wrote down the recipient's name:
" Detective Stuart."
Inside the Earl Hall's luxurious villa in Queens Borough.
Susie lay in the corner of the study, seemingly bored as she observed her surroundings.
Earl Hall, his belly slightly swollen, took a puff of his pipe and said to his eldest son:
" Hibbert, do you know why I insisted on getting you on the Atmospheric Pollution Investigation Commission?"
Hibbert Hall replied thoughtfully:
"Do you hope to influence the formulation of relevant laws and policies?"
"No, although I am the second largest shareholder of the Constant Coal and Steel Consortium, I am not too concerned about this issue. I have been urging them to make the necessary adjustments for some time now. Controlling air pollution is the future trend, and I have no doubt about that."
" Hibbert, although our family has a permanent seat in the House of Lords, and you will become a senator sooner or later, why do some nobles wield greater influence among senators, aside from those with special status like the Speaker?"
Hibbert for a moment and said:
"Titles, wealth, business standing, and connections within the government and military?"
"That's only part of it. Another aspect is your own ability to handle affairs. People always trust those with rich experience who have participated in many things. If you want to make a difference in politics in the future, besides inheriting a seat, you also need to participate in various affairs as much as possible, demonstrate the corresponding abilities, and gradually become active in the sight of members of parliament and ministers, so that they slowly feel that you are trustworthy. This comes from your own influence."
" Hibbert, look at the Republic of Intis, look at the current situation of their nobles, and you should understand that as time goes by and society develops, overt privileges will be weakened, and titles will become less and less important, merely honorary titles. What you should be concerned about is your position in the business world and your own influence," Earl Hall explained in detail.
"What if we encounter something we're not good at?" Hibber pondered.
"Then pretend you can handle it. Don't worry about wasting money, assemble a professional team, listen to their opinions, and make a decision accordingly. Everyone has many areas where they are not good at something, only money is omnipotent," Earl Hall remarked.
Hibbert replied, as if suddenly realizing something:
"I understand, Dad."
At that moment, Susie, who was standing next to her, yawned out of boredom.
When it was all over, it slipped into Audrey's studio, repeated everything it had heard, and muttered at the end:
"I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about..."
Audrey listened thoughtfully, then smiled faintly:
"This is a good thing, so you don't have to smell those pungent odors."
"Really?" Susie asked, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Audrey didn't answer it, but instead thought of something else.
She had originally intended to subtly draw the attention of lawmakers to the dire conditions in the East Borough, the Factory Borough, and the Dock Borough, but at her two most recent social gatherings, she found herself unable to find the opportunity.
Those nobles, those members of parliament, those senior government employees—they simply don't know how to talk about such topics, so there's no way to guide them!
It was Monday afternoon again, and Klein leisurely returned to 15 Minsk Street from the Cragg Club.
Since Stuart hadn't yet given the preliminary results of his investigation, and he couldn't find anyone to train as Apothecary, he had nothing much to do yesterday and today, so he went to the Cragg Club to practice shooting, read books, and, of course, freeload a meal.
During this process, he got to know many club members.
"This is where the business came from..." Klein sighed, took four steps backward, and entered the Gray Fog.
He proceeded with his preparations methodically, first conjuring up a dummy "world" and familiarizing himself with the Manipulation techniques of the " Eye of All-Black," and then sending a message to the " The Sun " that the Tarot Gathering was about to begin.
Having accomplished all this, Klein waited for 3 o'clock to arrive, then reached out and touched the crimson stars corresponding to each member to establish a stable connection. After that, the " Magician " also had his own illusory star.
Fors Wall dismissed Hugh by making an excuse to focus on her work. At that moment, her vision blurred, and she saw a sudden surge of grayish-white mist.
In the blink of an eye, she found herself above that mysterious and deep Gray Fog, inside that majestic palace, with an ancient and mottled bronze table in front of her, and figures shrouded in mist and indistinct around her.
Figures? Figures! Are these the members of the gathering that Mr. " The Fool " spoke of? Fors watched all this with caution and vigilance, sensing that those who could participate in such Concealment gathering were all extremely powerful Beyonder.
"Except for me..." she thought guiltily and fearfully.
However, considering it from another angle, if someone like me, Sequence 9, can join, then the other members might not necessarily be that powerful. The requirement for this gathering is clearly not strength, but rather that they have established a connection with Mr. " The Fool " for some reason... Fors quickly dismissed his previous judgment and relaxed a little.
Meanwhile, " Justice " Audrey also noticed a new person at today's party.
Is it a woman... Hugh, or Fors? Has she passed the test? Or someone else? Audrey almost forgot to greet Mr. The Fool, wanting only to carefully observe the characteristics of the new member.
Even if the other person's figure is blurry, you can still see their hair color and outline, and hear their accent and habitual phrases!
Hmm... I also need to be careful. Mr. " The Hanged Man " first confirmed my noble status from my unique pronunciation of certain words and my habitual use of certain special phrases... Audrey stood up, lifted her skirt slightly, and said to Klein, who was at the head of the bronze table:
Good afternoon, Mr. The Fool.
After exchanging greetings, she didn't hide her curiosity. She glanced at the new member in her row and asked with a smile:
Who is this?