As Stuart raised his gun to aim, Klein, who was already on guard, noticed and, almost simultaneously with Stuart's movement, fell forward and crashed to the ground.
Bang!
Clearly out of control, Stuart pulled the trigger; the bullet grazed a private Detective's cheek and hit the wall.
With a series of swift movements, the other Detective drew their revolvers, seemingly viewing everyone as an enemy, creating chaos in the scene.
Among them, Stuart and a private Detective had flushed faces, bulging veins, and eyes burning with a mixture of fear and anger, as if they had become so-called Devil.
Just then, Kaslana let out a low growl:
"Stop!"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was full of authority, causing everyone present to tremble and unconsciously want to obey.
The scene fell silent for a moment, but the mood of the crowd did not seem to improve. Klein, on the other hand, rolled to his feet in another direction, holding his own revolver in his hand.
His mind raced, and without holding back, he decided to use his hallucination abilities to calm the visitors down.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Jingle bells!
The private Detective suddenly jolted awake, their eyes clearing slightly.
The light sound of the doorbell was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads.
Stuart stared blankly at the revolver in his hand and muttered to himself:
What was I just doing...?
"The official Beyonder has made a move?" Klein breathed a sigh of relief, picked up his revolver, and approached the gate.
The moment he grasped the handle, the image of the person outside the door naturally appeared in his mind.
That was Isengard Stanton, with graying temples, a thin face, wearing a deerstalker hat and a black overcoat.
The great Detective looked somewhat pale, and his left arm was padded up near his shoulder.
He was indeed alright! Klein was initially delighted, but then became cautious—he still remembered the time when " Marionettist " Rosago disguised himself as a familiar policeman to trick him.
Klein pressed his finger to the trigger, pulled open the door, and took two steps back.
Isengard Stanton smiled and nodded at him:
"Thank you for your visit this afternoon, otherwise I might not have been able to continue playing hide-and-seek with that Devil while I was injured."
You saved my life.
This... does the correct interpretation of "suitable to visit Isengard Stanton " mean that going to see him this afternoon will help him get out of trouble? What about the "suitable to visit" in the following days? Avoiding the murder scene to avoid suspicion? Klein was momentarily at a loss for words.
He remained vigilant and stepped aside:
"What exactly happened?"
"Wait a minute," Isengard suddenly lowered his voice and chuckled, "Do you really want to discuss the topic of Beyonder in front of Stuart and the others?"
So you bring up Beyonder with me so casually? Well, the fact that I could hold my own against the owner of that Devil Dog for over ten minutes is enough to prove I'm no ordinary person... and I even offered advice that deliberately pointed to Devil animals... Klein subtly fell two steps behind Isengard Stanton.
Upon seeing the great Detective, Kaslana and her assistant Lydia breathed a sigh of relief, and the private Detective, including Stuart, also showed expressions of relief.
"Mr. Stanton, are you alright?" they all asked.
Isengard moved his left arm slightly and said:
I was slightly injured, but not too seriously.
"Alright, everyone, don't panic. This will all be over soon. The police are waiting for that guy in the shadows nearby."
"Is it because of that serial murder case?"
Have you identified the suspect?
"Won't he harm innocent people?"
The private Detective asked questions one after another.
Isengard pressed down with his right palm:
"Don't rush, I will tell you everything in detail. However, before that, there are a few questions I need to ask Sherlock and Kaslana. Let's go to the living room for a few minutes."
His long-established prestige left the Detective speechless, and they all sat down.
Although they were still not entirely at ease, they no longer had the anxiety or the risk of losing control of their emotions.
Entering the living room and closing the wooden door, Klein glanced at the closed room and suddenly thought of something:
This environment is ideal for using items such as " Biotoxin Bottle "!
Cough... Klein cleared his throat, walked to the other side, and opened the glass window.
He remained wary of Isengard Stanton and didn't even believe that Kaslana was entirely trustworthy.
Isengard looked around, then immediately took Klein's armchair, and chuckled:
"I'm getting old, but I still prefer to sit like this."
Klein sat down on the single sofa and asked again:
"Mr. Stanton, what exactly happened?"
Isengard glanced at Kaslana behind the coffee table and said:
"We are all Beyonder, so I won't explain common-sense concepts."
" Beyonder?" Kaslana first looked at Klein, then at Isengard, slightly surprised but not too unexpected.
So you're Beyonder too... How come you were stumped by a weak ghost back then, and couldn't even figure out what the problem was... Hmm, maybe it's Sequence you're not good at dealing with Specter, Evil Spirit spirits... Klein responded to Kaslana's gaze.
Isengard smiled and said:
"I studied in Lenburg for four years, where I came into contact with the extraordinary world and became a believer in the God of Knowledge and Wisdom."
"After returning to Backlund, I gradually established good relationships with the military, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, and the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, but I still dared not truly reveal my identity, because the Mandated Punishers would definitely eliminate me as a cultist. In this matter, other official organizations would not directly help me, because that would be tantamount to starting a war with the Church of the Lord of Storms."
"As expected of the Tyrant's church."
" Tyrant?" Klein asked casually.
Isengard took out his pipe, but only sniffed the tobacco.
"This is what our church calls the Lord of Storms."
"Alright, let me get back to today's events. The person who attacked me, the person who sent you threatening letters, is the owner of the serial killer from that previous case. Heh, you should know that the killer was a black dog with the ' Devil ' Sequence, especially Sherlock, you were the first to point out that Devil could be an animal."
Klein smiled, neither denying nor admitting it. Kaslana, in turn, simply clasped her hands together, saying nothing.
Isengard immediately shook his head and chuckled:
"You don't need to worry. I am not a law enforcer. As a follower of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, I cannot proselytize or formally establish an organization in Backlund. I can only rely on you and people like you for help."
So, you're saying you can take the blame for us? Klein thought to himself, scoffing.
Seeing that they still didn't admit it, Isengard continued:
"The owner of that Devil Dog is Sequence 5 powerhouse. Well, as far as I know, the Sequence 5 of the ' Devil ' pathway is called the ' Apostle of Desire,' who can use and Manipulation everyone's emotions and desires to tempt them into Depravity."
"When facing the ' Apostle of Desire,' you must not have strong emotional fluctuations or obvious desires, otherwise you will be remotely controlled by him, or he will plant the seeds or directly catalyze them."
"This can expose many problems in a person, leading to gradual Depravity, or causing them to lose control of their emotions at crucial moments and become unable to resist... This is only part of the extraordinary ability of the ' Apostle of Desire,' and I confirmed this in my battle with him."
Upon hearing this, Klein suddenly understood one of the reasons why the other party sent threatening letters and made provocative moves:
He wanted to provoke himself, to cause a violent fluctuation in his emotions, thereby sowing the seeds of Depravity or catalyzing his emotions to erupt out of control!
This will make his subsequent attacks easier and more convenient!
Fortunately, I've met many Beyonder have experienced a lot, and at that time, I was only wary and cautious... Stuart and the others must have experienced a significant emotional change when they saw the threatening letter, thus planting the seed for them with the " Apostle of Desire "...
If they hadn't been calmed down in time, the situation would have descended into chaos from within, leaving the surrounding officials Beyonder no time to react and giving the " Apostle of Desire " ample opportunity...
The feeling that time was slow at Isengard Stanton's house was likely due to the amplification of sudden feelings of alertness, tension, and wariness.
Klein recalled the past and felt a surge of relief.
"So that's how it is..." Kaslana seemed to understand many things as well.
Isengard rubbed his temples and said:
"I was almost Manipulation by him and got injured as a result. Afterwards, I used a magical item to play hide-and-seek with him in the house until Sherlock came to visit, and the three of us were at a stalemate, which gave us a chance to catch our breath."
"My poor assistant was looking forward to returning to Lenburg for Mass in the New Year."
He let out a long sigh at this point.
"When the police arrived, I took the opportunity to escape and then used the river to shake off the pursuers," Isengard added, then said, " Sherlock, Kaslana, what are your plans?"
Kaslana paused for a moment and then said:
"Mr. Stanton, what suggestions do you have?"
Isengard said:
"First, accept official protection to deter the ' Apostle of Desire ' from taking action, and hope that he will be caught or killed soon."
"If that idea doesn't come to fruition, the authorities can't keep sending people to protect us indefinitely. We only have two options: one is to change our and our family's identities with their help and move to a different place to live, but no one can guarantee that the ' Apostle of Desire ' won't find out; the other is to directly join the corresponding official organization and become an outer member. This will also involve changes in identity and residence, but it will be safer."
Join the corresponding official organization? The Heart of Machines? Or go to places like Rembrandt and Maximilian and join the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? Wouldn't that make me a follower of three families, no, three different faiths? Klein felt a strange sense of absurdity.
He asked thoughtfully:
Is there no other way?
Meanwhile, Kaslana's expression remained unchanged, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Isengard Stanton stroked his pipe and said:
"Yes, that is, we should join forces to create an opportunity to find and hold off the ' Apostle of Desire ' as soon as possible."
"Of course, the ideal outcome would be to kill him outright."
PS: Requesting recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Monday!