The wheels pressed on the tracks, and the horses pulled the carriage forward, heavy but steady, and soon they were gone from the street where nothing had happened.
Klein held his cane with a normal expression, and only got off the tram after it had passed two stops. He then took a long detour and slowly returned to the place where the Devil hound had been killed.
He wasn't searching for the Beyonder Characteristic extracted from the other party; the church's top experts couldn't possibly be unaware of this and would have taken it long ago. Nor was he investigating the source of that earlier soft hum; so much time had passed, carriages were moving along the streets, and people were coming and going—what clues could possibly remain? Even Divination wouldn't yield any answers.
Klein's goal was to glean insights into the characteristics of the Sealed Artifact that created the strange battle environment from the subtle details remaining around the street, in order to prepare for a possible future encounter.
This is how the " Magician " Acting... He walks under the gray sky, along the street lined with gas lamps, and sighs silently.
The reason he waited two stops before getting off the train and took a longer route back was because he was worried that there might still be official Beyonder secretly cleaning up the battlefield at that time, and he wanted to avoid encountering them as much as possible.
Dressed impeccably, carrying a cane, and with a gold watch chain hanging from his lapel, Klein finally returned to the "scene of the Devil giant hound's death" after some time. However, there were no traces of the incident on the street, and the passersby were clearly unaware that a rather intense supernatural battle had taken place there.
"That Sealed Artifact is truly amazing, even more powerful than large-scale Hypnosis." Klein activated his Spirit Vision, slowing his pace even further, like a gentleman out for a picnic rather than on business.
He spent nearly half an hour circling around, but his Spirit Vision yielded no results; the target area showed no abnormalities.
However, Klein's Spirit Intuition still detected something: scope and boundaries.
"When entering the block and leaving in the other direction, I had a slightly unsettling feeling, as if I had entered another world. That is to say, the influence of that Sealed Artifact can reach at least one block, and the upper limit is currently unknown. Well, one thing that can be confirmed is that it only works on Beyonder." Klein stood outside the target street, nodded thoughtfully, then went back, found a decent-looking coffee shop, ordered a Southville coffee, and sat down by the window.
As he sipped the rich, fragrant liquid, he surveyed the increasingly bustling streets outside, wondering if things would change over time.
Unfortunately, what he hoped for did not happen.
Of course, he didn't come away empty-handed; at least he confirmed one thing: " Magician doesn't perform without preparation" is indeed one of the rules of Acting.
He felt a slight disturbance in the subtle, settled properties within his body.
As evening approached, Klein stopped observing and returned to Minsk Street by horse-drawn carriage.
At this moment, all the gas streetlights on both sides of the road were lit, their blue glow illuminating the slightly damp cement ground and the roadside trees with their withered and yellow leaves.
Klein, carrying his cane, walked past the house of the Lawyer in Jurgen and strolled toward the house at number 15.
As he walked, he suddenly realized that he had run out of food at home, and he wouldn't be able to cook dinner if he went back now!
Hmm, should I go to the butcher shop, vegetable shop, or fruit shop, or find a restaurant to fill my stomach first? Klein hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to be lazy tonight and eat something ready-made.
Although many dishes in this world are quite simple and quick to prepare, so that it's not a case of cooking for an hour and eating for five minutes, it still requires some labor, and you still have to wash the dishes and cutlery yourself.
Klein touched his wallet, then turned around and headed in the direction where he remembered most of the restaurants.
He passed by Jurgen's Lawyer's house once again.
Jurgen stood behind the open bay window, looking at the "confused" Detective Moriarty, and raised his voice:
"Mr. Moriarty, you—I mean, you forgot your keys again? Or did you lose them?"
Why did you say "again"? Klein chuckled and replied:
No, not at all.
Jurgen nodded very seriously:
"Then why don't you come to my house as a guest?"
"We'll go back after dinner, when it's completely dark."
... Klein hesitated for a second, then smiled and said:
"It's my pleasure."
When he entered, Brody the black cat was licking his paws in the corner. Jurgen didn't exchange many pleasantries and went into the kitchen.
After Klein hung up his coat and hat, put away his black cane, and walked into the dining room, food was already laid out on the table, including dark-colored steaks and mashed potatoes of the same color.
He wasn't surprised; that was how Doris. Jurgen, the Lawyer's grandmother, cooked in her later years—not very appealing, but delicious enough.
She's a great chef... Klein sat down opposite Jurgen, smiling and exchanging pleasantries:
Are you about to have a meal?
"Yes, before a meal, I usually look at the scenery outside and let my thoughts wander freely." Jurgen spread out his napkin and picked up his knife and fork.
Klein looked around in confusion and said:
Where is Mrs. Doris?
Jurgen sighed and replied seriously, "The weather is getting colder, and her old lung problem has flared up again. She has to stay in the hospital for a while."
"May God protect her." Klein awkwardly drew the triangular emblem of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery on his chest.
Then, he cut a piece of steak, picked it up with a fork, and prepared to put it in his mouth.
Just then, a question suddenly occurred to him, and he quickly spoke up:
"So, this is the dinner you prepared?"
"Of course, it was ready a few minutes ago," Jurgen replied succinctly.
If it wasn't Chef Doris's cooking, then this presentation... Klein's lips twitched. Suppressing his fear, he still bit off the small piece of meat on the silver fork and slowly chewed it.
His brow furrowed slightly, but he forced himself to swallow the food, forcing a smile onto his face.
Why were two copies prepared in advance?
"One is for my grandmother at the hospital," Jurgen glanced up at Klein, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "I'll prepare another one later."
"... I see." Out of politeness, Klein took a deep breath and finished off the food in front of him with a fighting spirit.
After he finished eating, Jurgen still had a little over half left. The senior Lawyer temporarily put down his knife and fork, picked up the stemmed glass beside him, took a sip of red wine, and asked expressionlessly:
How are you feeling?
What's your favorite dish?
"I know there's still a significant gap between my cooking skills and my grandma's, but it shouldn't be too exaggerated."
"Lawyer, I suspect that besides facial nerve palsy, you also have a problem with your sense of taste... Can't you just have a proper understanding of yourself?" Klein smiled slightly, moved his head from side to side, and said:
"The white bread is not bad."
"That was from Dodge Bakery." Jurgen lowered his head again and finished the rest of his food.
After drinking the remaining red wine, he thought for a moment and said:
" Detective Moriarty, I'd like to commission something, a very simple commission."
"What?" Klein kept drinking water.
The mashed potatoes were too salty!
"My grandma's been at the hospital lately, and I might not be back for work sometimes, which means Brody will go hungry," Jurgen said, looking at the black cat. "I'd like to ask you to feed Brody, clean his litter box, and play with him for a while while I'm away. He loves it when people scratch his chin. Um, every night at ten o'clock, if my house is still dark, you can come in. It'll cost you 2 Soli each time, until my grandma comes home."
Klein saw a hint of tenderness appear on the usually stern and serious Jurgen Lawyer's face, so he smiled and said:
"It's a very simple task, and the reward is relatively generous. I have no reason to refuse."
As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the black cat Brody and smiled at it.
Brody the black cat slowly turned around, turning his back to him.
Klein's smile froze on his face.
Having drunk his fill, Klein bid farewell to the Jurgen family and strolled slowly back to his rented house through the streets where night had completely fallen.
By this time, people who had finished work had all gone home and were enjoying their dinners. The streets were quiet, with few pedestrians and carriages.
Walking under the glow of the gas streetlights, Klein, who had no urgent desire to go back, slowed down more and more, as did the black shadow beside his feet.
As he passed by the Summer' house, he looked through the bay window and saw that the house was brightly lit, with people moving around and faint sounds of conversation and laughter coming from inside.
Right next door at 15 Minsk Street, it was dark and quiet.
Klein sighed, quickened his pace, took out his keys, and opened the door.
Before going in, he habitually checked the mailbox and found another letter inside.
Who sent it? Klein took out the letter and glanced at it in the light of the street lamp.
No stamp... The handwriting looks like Isengard Stanton's... He nodded slightly, went inside, closed the door, turned on the light, and opened the letter.
In the letter, the great Detective Isengard wrote:
"... I'm happy to tell you that the murderer has been found and killed on the spot."
"The police department believes our work is worth at least half the reward, and it should be issued to me this week. I'll invite you and the other friends over to share the prize money."
Isengard received the news so quickly? He has a deep connection with the Backlund police department... Hmm, no stamp, which means he had it delivered directly. The postal system in the Kingdom of Loen isn't that efficient. How could a letter sent in the afternoon arrive in the evening? Klein sighed, put down the letter, and prepared to change his clothes and go out.
With the serial murder case solved, Backlund's situation eased, and he could try to do some things.
For example, go to the Bravehearts Bar to find Kaspars, contact Maric, and see if this Beyonder Living Corpse Manipulation and Miss Sharron have any books on the occult.
If I'm not mistaken, they should be defectors from the Rose School of Thought. They used to be part of a formal organization, so they must know a lot about occultism, and now I have enough money to buy it! Klein touched his wallet, thinking with a bit of anticipation.
PS: First update, please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets! There will be three updates today!