Tap, tap, tap.
As the horses' hooves began to move and the wheels rolled, Klein, who had activated his " Spirit Vision " and turned to look around, failed to see the gentle and sweet young lady he had hoped for. His eyes were filled with the scene of the brown carriage moving forward.
By this time, all the passengers who were waiting to board the public carriage at this stop had boarded, the carriage doors were tightly closed, and they were gradually moving away.
Inside the carriage, the twenty or thirty people were so close together that their auras overlapped and obscured each other, making them appear to Klein as a dazzling array of colors, so difficult to distinguish.
He silently shook his head, raised his hand and lightly tapped his brow, deactivating " Spirit Vision ".
For him, it was a simple sentiment of helping if he could since he had encountered the situation. But if he had already missed the opportunity and the situation was not particularly clear, then there was no need to keep thinking about it and delay his own affairs.
Bathed in the crimson Moonlight, Klein strolled back home along the still bustling Daffodil Street, where he saw Melissa sitting at the dining table, working on the exercises assigned by the school under the bright glow of the gas lamp.
She gently bit the barrel of her pen, her brows furrowed slightly as she pondered deeply.
"Where's Benson?" Klein asked casually.
"Ah..." Melissa looked up, paused for a few seconds in a daze, and then said, "He said he went to several districts today and was so tired and sweaty that he needed to take a good bath to relax."
"Okay." Klein chuckled, then suddenly noticed that Melissa was wearing a long dress he had never seen before.
It is off-white overall, with fashionable leg-of-mutton sleeves, and the collar and hem are trimmed with tulle ruffles. Apart from that, there is no overly complicated design, making it a light and casual style that perfectly highlights the youthful vibe of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.
"A new dress?" Klein asked with a smile.
This expense was agreed upon only after he and Benson had strongly insisted on it.
Melissa hummed in agreement.
"I just got it from Mrs. Rochelle's. I figured I'd have to wash it soon, so I thought I'd try it out first."
Klein listened with considerable confusion and asked:
" Mrs. Rochelle?"
Isn't this my old neighbor?
Melissa nodded and explained earnestly:
" Mrs. Rochelle was actually a seamstress, but she was unlucky and had to mend clothes at home. Life was, well, a bit tough. I knew she was good at it, and her prices were cheaper than buying from a lady's clothing store, plus they fit perfectly. So I ordered a new dress from her for only 9 Soli and 5 pence, and it only took a few days. The same dress would have cost a whole pound and a half at Harold Department Store!"
"So thrifty and good at managing a household... Sister, I know, at least half of your reason is out of sympathy for Mrs. Rochelle..." Klein didn't criticize Melissa for her presumptuousness, but instead smiled and said:
When have you been to Harold Department Store?
That Howes Street, near the Divination Club in Halles, is a place that at least the middle class can afford.
"..." Melissa was speechless for a moment, and it took her a while to say, "It's Selena and Elizabeth who insisted that I go with them. Actually, well, I actually prefer gears, I prefer places with Steam and machinery, um."
"It's good for girls to go shopping at department stores occasionally," Klein said with a smile, Placate his sister.
After chatting for a few minutes, eager to wash away the lingering smells of the bar, he quickly went upstairs to the second floor.
Just as he was about to go back to his bedroom to get a change of clothes, he suddenly heard noises coming from the bathroom near the small balcony.
Just seconds later, Benson Door Opening and left, wiping his receding hair.
"So? Did you compliment Melissa's new dress?" He glanced at Klein and asked with a smile.
"I think I forgot, I only asked where it was done..." Klein thought for a moment and said.
Benson immediately chuckled and shook his head:
"What an irresponsible brother! Melissa couldn't bear to put down that long dress as soon as she got it. After finally finishing cooking and washing the dishes, she couldn't wait to put it on, and she hasn't taken it off yet."
"... Didn't she want to wait until after her shower to change? And wash and hang it up to dry while she was at it..." Klein subconsciously countered with Melissa's explanation.
"Tsk," Benson remarked, "It's been quite hot these past few days, and she's been busy in the kitchen for so long. I think it will be much more comfortable for her to do her homework after taking a shower."
That's right... Klein suddenly realized, and he and his brother Benson exchanged a smile.
So this is the real Melissa... What's wrong with girls loving beauty? There's no need to make excuses to dress up... He smiled, shook his head slightly, and walked into his bedroom.
Later, while taking a shower, Klein vaguely heard knocking on the downstairs door, and a sense of unease immediately arose in his mind:
Doesn't the staff who collect coins from the gas meter only come once every two weeks?
Could it be Mrs. Schodde next door? No, this lady is said to strictly adhere to middle-class etiquette and would not visit at inappropriate times.
Puzzled, Klein cleaned himself up, put on his old but comfortable shirt and trousers, and ran downstairs.
He looked around but didn't see any strangers, so he asked:
Did someone knock on the door just now?
Benson, leisurely reading the newspaper, chuckled:
"It's Bic Mountbatten, one of the cops on Iron Cross Street. He asked if we'd seen a chubby-faced boy of about eighteen or nineteen today. Ha, he even gave us a sketch to identify him. Too bad, Melissa and I haven't seen him, otherwise we could have gotten the bounty. What about you, Klein?"
"No." Klein roughly understood what was going on.
The " Instigator," Tris, successfully escaped from the area around the Evil Dragon Bar in the Dock Borough and fled to the vicinity of Iron Cross Street and Daffodil Street, whereupon the police came to question him.
This situation also indicates that the operation to apprehend the " Instigator " is nearing failure!
Klein didn't dwell on it anymore, because he hadn't even started combat training yet, and his shooting skills were only at a beginner level. At this point, considering how to deal with a natural " Assassin " was simply playing with his life.
That night, he slept very restlessly, constantly worried that the " Instigator " would sneak into his house and hide, causing another bloodshed.
Fortunately, Daffodil Street remained peaceful throughout the night, and the morning sunlight dispelled all the gloom.
Relaxed, Klein changed into a suit, put on a top hat, picked up his cane, and walked to Zouteland Street, where he greeted Rozanne in the reception hall.
"Good morning, Klein," Rozanne responded cheerfully, then lowered her voice, "I heard last night's big operation failed?"
"The operation to capture ' Instigator ' Tris?" Klein asked curiously.
"Mmm!" Rozanne nodded emphatically, glancing at the partition, "It seems that the informant from the Mandated Punishers team spotted the ' Instigator ' in the Dock Borough... Their original plan was to wait for the other Beyonder and a special operations team from the police department to arrive before launching their operation, hoping to resolve the situation quickly without disturbing ordinary people. Unfortunately, that ' Instigator ' was very perceptive, noticed the problem in time, broke through the encirclement ahead of time, and successfully escaped."
"At times like these, they need an Beyonder with tracking abilities, like me," Klein joked.
"There was no shortage of pursuers at the time." Suddenly, Dunn Smith's voice rang out.
Rozanne turned her head sharply and saw the captain, wearing a black trench coat, leaning against the partition door frame, staring at her with his deep gray eyes.
She quickly raised her hands to cover her mouth, then shook her head repeatedly to indicate that she hadn't said anything.
Dunn shifted his gaze to Klein, pondered for a moment, and said:
" The Mandated Punishers, the Machinery Hivemind, and our Nighthawks —more than six Beyonder in total—tracked the injured Tris to the Lower Street Iron Cross Street and found his temporary residence. However, the trail went cold there. Neither supernatural methods nor normal investigations worked; he seemed to have vanished into thin air, completely disappeared."
"Do you need my help with Divination?" Klein asked tentatively.
Dunn shook his head slightly:
" The Machinery Hivemind has a ' Mystery Pryer,' a Beyonder not much less skilled than Old Neil. I even suspect he's already at Sequence 8, though I don't know the name of the corresponding Potion."
" The Gnosis survived to this day; there must be something special about them," Klein casually reassured the captain.
For the rest of the morning, he continued his mystical studies, his reading of historical materials and documents, and his practice of certain techniques, just as before.
With lunchtime fast approaching, Klein gradually became distracted.
A few minutes later, he simply packed up his documents and listened to his stomach rumbling.
Just then, Dunn Smith entered the civilian staff office and said in a deep, mellow voice:
" Klein, come with me to Chanis Gate. The Sealed Artifact '2-049' has been escorted here. The subsequent operations may require your sensitivity to that notebook."
"... Okay." Klein stood up and replied.
His mind began to race, wondering what the Sealed Artifact looked like and whether this mission would be dangerous.
In this slightly tense silence, he followed Dunn down the stairs and into the passageway.
After walking straight through the intersection, Dunn suddenly stopped, turned his head, and said seriously:
"Follow me and do this movement continuously, without stopping. Remember, you absolutely cannot stop; it's a matter of your safety!"
As he spoke, Dunn bent his arm, then stretched it out, stretched it out, then bent it again, repeating this cycle without interruption.
Klein stared blankly at the captain's demonstration, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said:
"Because of the special nature of that Sealed Artifact?"
"Yes." Dunn nodded with unusual seriousness. "This kind of action allows us to detect that something is wrong with you immediately, and timely rescue will prevent your life from being in danger."
"Okay." Klein didn't hesitate any longer and followed along with the "arm bend and stretch" exercise.
"If this arm gets tired, switch to the other one," Dunn added.
"2-049" Sealed Artifact is really strange... What could be the point of such an action? It looks extremely dangerous... Klein's thoughts raced as he looked at the captain cautiously and said:
"OK."
He had too many questions in his mind, but with the Chanis Gate in sight, he had no choice but to suppress them.
Besides, given my security clearance level, I probably won't know the details. I can only do as instructed... Klein sighed and followed Captain Dunn to the guard room Chanis Gate.