The Primordial Creator? Klein paused for a moment, then recalled the information Old Kohler had given him earlier:
Recently, some people in the East Borough, Dock Borough, and Factory Borough have been spreading the belief in the Original Creator, claiming that He has not truly died but exists within everyone and in everything. They believe that as long as one serves Him wholeheartedly and praises Him, one can not only be redeemed after death and enter His Kingdom of Heaven, but also have one's current life greatly improved, for example, having sizzling meat to eat every day.
This is very similar to the Aurora Order's variant Creator theory, so Klein judged at the time that it was done by that Concealment organization, feeling that after the Lanarvus incident, they began to pay attention to the vast number of poor people.
"They've become so brazen, recruiting people to their religion on the street?" Klein carefully considered his reply.
"I've heard of it."
The middle-aged man in worn-out clothes immediately broke into a smile:
"Do you know that the Apocalypse are coming? Do you know that the Primordial Creator will establish sanctuaries on earth to protect believers?"
For a moment, Klein considered taking the opportunity to be proselytized, slowly infiltrating the outer organization of the Aurora Order, collecting relevant evidence and clues to retaliate against their search for " The Fool " followers. However, after careful consideration, he felt that this was too dangerous. Relying on himself alone would be tiring, troublesome, and not necessarily effective.
Ultimately, he decided to report this phenomenon to " Machinery Hivemind " and let the official organization handle it!
Having figured this out, Klein's expression instantly turned serious:
"I don't know, and I don't want to know!"
He strode forward, shaking off the other man and ignoring the middle-aged man's shouts.
On his way out of the East Borough, he observed carefully and found that many workers who had lost their jobs due to the improvement of textile machines and the off-season at the docks were gathered in small groups, listening to the Placate and teachings of unidentified people.
The investigation of the East Borough, the Dock Borough, and the Factory Borough was completed two months ago. Why haven't the three major churches and the parliament come up with any concrete measures yet? They must be paying more attention to this area. They can't be unaware of the current situation... Trying to play the long game? This is going to backfire easily! Klein muttered to himself as he adjusted his baseball cap, walked out of the East Borough, and headed straight for the Backlund Bridge Area.
The " Bravehearts " bar had just Door Opening at noon, and there were hardly any drunks. Only busy workers from the neighborhood would come in for a simple lunch.
Klein mingled among them, spending 10 pence on an oat bread with pork sausage and a glass of Southville beer, looking quite wealthy.
He slowly ate his fill, finished his beer, and then looked at the bartender:
Is Kaspars Kanlinen there?
He planned to stock up on some regular ammunition while he was at it.
The bartender glanced at him:
It seems like it's been a long time since you've been here.
" Kaspars is dead. They say he was restless in his sleep, wrapped himself up too tightly, and suffocated himself. Haha, I don't really believe that could happen. I've only heard similar things in ghost stories, but that's what those black and white dogs said."
"Black and white dog" refers to a policeman wearing a black and white checkered uniform.
Suffocated by his own blanket? That sounds like something out of the mystic world... Was it that High-Sequence member of the Rose School of Thought who, after searching for Miss Sharron and Maric, chose to kill them out of spite? What about the status of a High-Sequence member? Judging by this, Kaspars can't contact Miss Sharron and the others either... Perhaps they've already left Backlund...
Kaspars's foresight regarding the dangers of the supernatural world was insufficient. If it were me, I wouldn't have returned to the " Bravehearts " bar; I would have taken my savings and moved to another city or environment long ago... However, under normal circumstances, High-Sequence powerhouses wouldn't specifically target ordinary people like this; at most, they wouldn't consider the potential side effects when forcibly " Spirit Channeling "... As expected of the Rose School of Thought, which indulges in unrestrained desires, High-Sequence powerhouses are capable of doing such a thing...
Klein was both surprised and sympathetic towards the black market arms dealer.
The bartender wiped the glasses and continued:
"If you're looking to buy some items, there are new merchants now."
"Who?" Klein asked casually.
"' The Old Man ' is in billiards room number three," the bartender said without looking up.
Klein immediately got up, slowly strolled towards that familiar place, and knocked on the slightly ajar door.
"Come in," a voice called out.
That voice sounds familiar... Klein pushed open the wooden door and looked inside.
Standing beside the pool table was a boy who wasn't very old. He wore an old overcoat and a brown Round Tower hat, and had bright red eyes. He was Ian, whom Klein had met when he first arrived in Backlund. Because of the disappearance of Detective Zerrell, whom Ian had hired, Klein got involved in the dispute over the manuscript of the third-generation Difference Engine and had to spend a lot of money to hire Mr. A of the Aurora Order to kill Intis Bakerland Jean Madan, the Intis ambassador to the Kingdom of Loen.
"It's you, Detective Moriarty?" Ian was startled.
He deliberately added a mustache to make himself look older.
Klein smiled as he entered the billiards room, closing the door behind him as he did so.
"Haven't seen you for a long time."
He was the Original quite surprised by Ian's appearance here and his becoming a black market arms dealer, but then he thought of some details and felt that it made sense:
Klein was able to find the " Bravehearts " bar and Kaspars Kanlinen thanks to Ian's introduction.
This young man must have some connections in the area!
"Yeah," Ian muttered, suppressing his astonishment. "I spent two months in Pritz Harbor and found those guys to be savage and vicious, showing no consideration or care for children whatsoever. So I had to go back to Backlund and go back to what I was good at. Then, after Kaspars's death, I decided to change careers."
Before Klein could speak, he added:
" Detective, I've kept this in mind. I still owe you two requests."
There's no need to explain so much. I don't care what you did in the past, although I've always found your escape from Military Intelligence Section 9 somewhat suspicious, but it's not a big deal... Klein picked up a golf club and gestured with his hands, saying:
"Besides engaging in underground arms dealing, it seems you're also selling intelligence?"
"Yes," Ian answered very readily, "What do you want to know? It's free."
"Very generous... Is he feeling guilty towards me because of what happened before?" Klein pushed out his cue stick, struck the cue ball, and accurately potted a red ball into the middle pocket.
He didn't stand on ceremony and straightened up, saying:
"They've been looking for followers of ' The Fool ' lately, and there are many rewards offered. Do you have any information?"
Ian thought about it carefully and said:
"No.
"I even doubt whether ' The Fool ' has any followers at all, since no one can find a single clue."
... This is what they call a cannon hitting thin air... Klein silently mocked himself, then asked:
"Also, there's a bounty. Someone's looking for a university tutor named Azik Eggers. I'd like to know who posted this bounty so I can decide whether to get involved. Ha, searching for people is such a waste of time."
Ian didn't answer directly. He looked around and lowered his voice, saying:
Military Intelligence Section 9.
Military Intelligence Section 9? Not the Spirituality Religion... It seems it really Ince Zangwill's arrangement that caused Mr. Azik's conflict with Military Intelligence Section 9? Perhaps he learned some secret he shouldn't have known? A series of thoughts flashed through Klein's mind in an instant, and finally he smiled and said:
"It seems I don't need to worry about the bounty being fake, but I'm terrified that Azik Eggers is being tracked by Military Intelligence Section 9 because he possesses some secret. If that happens, the day I receive the bounty might be the last day of my life."
Ian shrugged:
I don't know about that.
"But you can just provide clues."
"Good suggestion." Klein didn't ask any more questions, spent 5 Soli to replenish some ordinary bullets, and then left the " Bravehearts " bar.
Once inside the horse-drawn carriage, gazing at the gloomy weather outside the window, he suddenly felt a pang of melancholy.
" Kaspars Kanlinen, which means Miss Sharron and Maric will abandon this 'outpost.' With only one-way communication available, it will be very difficult for me to reach them again..."
"Unless they encounter difficulties and need help, or reach the stage of dealing with the Evil Spirit in the underground ruins, I probably won't see them again."
"Although we can't be considered friends, we've collaborated twice. They're acquaintances with whom I can interact without concealing my identity as Beyonder being. This reduces the number of people like them by two."
"If it weren't for the recent ' Apostle of Desire ' incident, the only other person left who could openly discuss the situation in the mystical realms without any pretense would be Emlyn White, that eccentric Vampire."
"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
In the midst of his silent sigh, a faint, ethereal voice suddenly rang in Klein's ears:
What do you want?
Klein's hair stood on end instantly. Only after recognizing who was sitting in front of him did he breathe a sigh of relief and smile helplessly:
"Miss Sharron, do you always appear so unexpectedly?"
Wearing a Gothic court dress and a small black soft hat, Sharron sat quietly on the other side of the carriage, her face as pale as ever.
"Next time I'll knock on the window." Sharron nodded without any emotional fluctuation.
She didn't repeat her previous question, but simply looked at Klein quietly and reservedly.
A sudden knock on the window? That's just as scary... Klein didn't rush to bring up the " Human-skinned Shadow," but instead asked:
"That High-Sequence powerhouse has left?"
"Yes," Sharron uttered a single word.
Klein breathed a slight sigh of relief and gave a reminder:
"It could be a trap."
At this point, he remembered something and quickly added:
"I've finished reading ' The Book of Secrets ' and received information from other sources that praying to the ' The Moon Primordial ' is likely to cause problems; it's best not to try."
"Okay." Sharron didn't ask why.
She paused for a second, then said in a faint voice:
"The ' The Moon Primordial ' and the ' Chained God ' are suspected to be mortal enemies."
Because the Sequence can be interchanged? Or for some other reason? Klein thoughtfully steered the conversation back to a more formal tone:
"Miss Sharron, do you know where to find the properties of ' Human-skinned Shadow '?"
Sharron, who looked like a Puppet, listened calmly and nodded.
"Know."