The drizzling rain, the faint mist, the rows of gas streetlights struggling to project their hazy glow, and the occasional horse-drawn carriage passing by together constitute the most common night scene in Backlund.
Besides these, Klein, standing behind the window, noticed some welcome changes.
Ring ring!
Amidst the echoing crisp sound, a strange machine with only two wheels sped along the edge of the road, heading towards the other end of the street. Its overall frame was black, but some parts were a steely gray-white, gleaming with a metallic beauty under the light of the gas streetlights that pierced through the rain.
A man dressed in a postal worker's uniform sat on the machine, pedaling vigorously with his legs. Behind him was a wooden box painted green.
"That's a great promotion..." Klein, dressed in a white shirt and black vest, exuding a mature air, silently remarked as he watched the scene.
Within just a few hours of his return to Backlund, he encountered several similar strange machines along the way—the very bicycles he had invested in and been promoting!
From the newspaper, Klein learned that Backlund Bicycle Company had done a lot of advertising and held bicycle races in the Cherwood Borough and Backlund Bridge Area to attract people's attention. In addition to these methods, they also actively promoted their products to government departments such as the post office and the police, and the results were said to be quite good.
Their pricing strategy followed Klein's initial advice, avoiding the upper-middle class who frequently used carriages, and targeting skilled workers earning more than £1.10 Soli a week, students from well-off families, and public servants who needed to travel frequently. Therefore, a bicycle costing £3 to £5 was affordable for people in this class, while at the same time allowing them to show off to those with lower incomes.
"The problem now is that it rains a lot in Backlund, and cyclists can't use umbrellas... The next step is raincoats." Klein looked away, shook his head, and chuckled softly.
He was currently staying at a high-end hotel in Hillston Borough, which cost 10 Soli a night. Klein felt a pang of regret at the expense, but he had to grit his teeth and bear it in order to maintain his persona.
According to his plan, Dawn Dantès should be a mysterious wealthy man from Desi Bay who worships the Evernight Goddess. He has sold his original land and mines and is preparing to come to Backlund to seek new opportunities. He is somewhat interested in donating to obtain a title, but he does not have enough financial resources. Therefore, he can only consider expanding his network and making financial investments first.
The advantage of this identity is that it is completely different from all the roles Klein Acting before, and it allows him to naturally come into contact with some upper-middle-class figures, especially the people in the officers' club and the bishops of the Church of the Evernight Goddess in Backlund. This makes it convenient for Klein to continue investigating the truth behind the Great Smog of Backlund Incident while gathering intelligence and formulating a detailed plan to steal the Antigonus Family Notebook.
There are advantages, but also disadvantages. Such a wealthy man with a mysterious background will definitely attract the attention of the " Nighthawks " and " Mandated Punishers," and will be subject to a certain degree of background investigation.
Based on Klein's experience, similar investigations, unless they involve significant events, may be conducted by official special organizations themselves or transferred to the police department, but they are not taken too seriously and are considered routine matters.
Therefore, Klein, an expert in the field of disguise, designed and prepared a second identity for Dawn Dantès to deal with background checks.
In his second identity, Dawn Dantès is a guy who, for some reason, went on an adventure to the West Balam of the Southern Continent. Using an alias, he amassed a fortune over a decade in that rather dangerous yet opportunistic place.
Because the origin of this wealth was not exactly honorable, he secretly returned to Desi Bay, forged a new identity, and prepared to start a new life in Backlund, gradually legitimizing his fortune.
Similar people are not uncommon in Loen. Their stories fall within the scope of what investigators can accept and imagine. To maintain this identity, Klein left behind some inconspicuous clues in Connaught City to indirectly help uncover the "truth" as soon as possible.
These clues include, but are not limited to, black ship ticket stubs from East Balam to Connaught City, habits developed from long-term survival in the Southern Continent, and wealth of unknown origin.
Klein believed that as long as " Dawn Dantès " was not directly involved in any serious extraordinary events, such preparations would be sufficient to evade routine background checks.
However, if he encounters a very serious official Beyonder who wants to investigate further and is even willing to ask colleagues from the Southern Continent for help, then Dawn Dantès has a third identity: a fraudster who has mastered certain anti- Divination techniques. He disguises himself as a mysterious wealthy man, spending large sums of money on investments, all for the sake of his final scam.
This identity was enough to lead to Dawn Dantès' arrest, but it wouldn't be taken too seriously, thus giving Klein the opportunity to gracefully exit and disappear from the center stage.
"Compared to when I first came to Backlund, I've really grown a lot in terms of being able to design this three-layered identity..." Klein slowly walked back to the center of the room and turned his gaze to the full-length mirror in the corner.
The man in the mirror had a few gray hairs mixed with black hair, and his eyes were deep but revealed the vicissitudes of life he had experienced. He was a middle-aged man with a mature temperament and a very charming appearance.
The identity of " Dawn Dantès " is not difficult for Klein now, but stealing the Antigonus Family Notebook from behind the Chanis Gate of Saint Samuel Cathedral is an impossible task for any external Beyonder. Even the Angel King cannot guarantee that he can do it.
Of course, unlike other Beyonder, Klein had two advantages in this matter. One was that he had previously served as a " Nighthawks " and had sufficient understanding of the internal processes, knowing which areas could be exploited and which did not. Therefore, his earliest solution was to become a " Nighthawks," infiltrate the organization, and find an opportunity to pass through the Chanis Gate.
The problem with this method is that the " Nighthawks " cannot enter Chanis Gate at will, not even the captain and deacons. An incident must occur for them to gain the corresponding access. Moreover, there are internal guards behind Chanis Gate, and wandering around and taking things will attract attacks and break out into battle. Klein does not want his theft to cause casualties among the Church of the Goddess.
After careful consideration, he set his sights on the internal guards.
These elderly men are all retired " Nighthawks " who volunteered to enter the Chanis Gate to guard the Sealed Artifact. They belong to two different departments from the Nighthawks, and they enter and exit through the underground passage of the church. They do not interfere with the work of the Nighthawks, nor are they interfered with by the Nighthawks.
Perhaps due to their long-term presence behind the Chanis Gate, these inner guards possess certain peculiarities: a cold aura, a lack of expression, and pale skin, resembling Monster existing between life and death in the depths of darkness. Klein believed that once he encountered them, it wouldn't be difficult to identify their targets.
His initial plan was to rent a place in the North Borough near Saint Samuel Cathedral, hire a butler, male servants, maids, gardeners, cooks, and coachmen to live the life of a wealthy man, and then frequently go to the church to pray sincerely, participate in Mass, donate money, and gradually become familiar with the bishops and priests.
In this process, he would try to find people who might be internal guards, select two or three targets, observe their living conditions, and when the time was right, Imprisonment one of them, transform into his appearance, or directly possess him, and through the Chanis Gate, seize the opportunity to look through or take away the Antigonus Family Notebook.
This is a very rough plan, closer to a general idea, and it relies on Klein to continuously refine it based on the various intelligence he has gathered.
In this matter, Klein's second advantage is that he has the Tarot Club, the Church of the Evernight Goddess, and unexpected helpers from the " Nighthawks." He can also consider recruiting a " Nighthawks " or Watchman from the Backlund parish into the gathering, using an insider to complete the Stealing, just like Zarathustra used Emperor Roselle Zaratul obtain the Antigonus Family Notebook.
"I still need to go to church often. Only in this way can I find my goal..." Klein nodded silently in front of the mirror.
It must be said that he was quite conflicted at this moment. If there really was a " Nighthawks " or guardian willing to betray the church and serve Mr. The Fool, his first thought would be to send down divine punishment to get rid of this disgusting traitor!
He let out a sigh, gave a self-deprecating laugh, put on Klein double-breasted tuxedo and hat, and walked out of the room to the street.
Holding an umbrella, he walked around to another street, and taking advantage of the distance from the streetlights and the misty rain, he suddenly transformed back into Sherlock Moriarty.
Klein glanced at the wrinkled cuffs of his trousers, then flagged down a carriage, intending to head to the Isengard Stanton house, also in the Hillston Borough.
More than half an hour later, the somewhat old and dimly lit building came into Klein's view.
He paid the 2 Soli fare and, in the drizzle reflecting the Yellow Light, steadily walked around the puddles to the Detective's door.
Klein folded his umbrella, rang the doorbell, and waited a moment before a broad-faced young man opened the door.
The man had wheat-colored hair, gray-blue eyes, and high cheekbones, characteristic of the Lenburg and Masin areas.
Mr. Isengard Stanton's new assistant? A member of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? Klein took off his hat and smiled, saying:
Good evening, is Mr. Isengard Stanton there?
"Yes, he's back from a busy day and just finished dinner," the tan-haired young man replied politely. "May I ask who you are?"
Klein chuckled:
Tell the great Detective that one of his friends has returned from vacation.
The young man paused for a moment, then blurted out:
"Mr. Sherlock Moriarty?"
P. S.: I recommend an interesting new book, "I Possessed the Demon Emperor," the angle of its approach is quite good.