Having read through many magazines, Klein knew that the circles he wanted to enter often involved balls, so he wasn't surprised by the butler Walter's suggestion and nodded, saying:
"Good."
After saying that, he turned to his personal valet Richardson, and said:
"Prepare the carriage; I'm going to Saint Samuel Cathedral."
Klein remembered clearly that his main purpose was to Acting role of a devout follower of the Evernight Goddess, to make contact with the relevant clergy, and thus find an opportunity to infiltrate the Chanis Gate. Therefore, he planned to go to the church to pray whenever he had free time, to show his sincerity, and to become familiar with the church.
"Yes, sir," Richardson replied respectfully.
Before long, Klein, dressed in a coat and top hat, boarded the rented luxury four-wheeled carriage, enjoying the scenery along the way while sipping black tea with lemon slices.
Actually, there was a small bar inside the carriage, where the butler Walter had prepared distilled spirits such as Golden Lanti and Winter Rand, as well as various red and white wines from Intis.
However, Klein didn't really like drinking. As an Beyonder, he also disliked the feeling of being drunk, as it easily reminded him of losing control. So, using the excuse that he couldn't drink at church, he instructed his personal valet, Richardson, to prepare a pot of Marquis's black tea in advance.
"If I could, I'd actually prefer a sweet iced tea; it's the taste of the South," Klein said to Richardson, half-jokingly.
"I'll prepare next time," Richardson replied immediately.
Klein smiled and shook his head:
No, no need, that's not polite enough.
"Once I get to know my neighbors here, I'll throw a party with a Desi theme, and I'll also prepare sweet iced tea. Hehe, I think their kids will love it."
Richardson, realizing he had misunderstood his employer, hurriedly and somewhat nervously spoke up:
"I will remember that."
It's only about a twenty-minute walk from 160 Böklund Street to Saint Samuel Cathedral on Phelps Street. If it weren't for the need for appearances and the fact that he had already rented a carriage and hired a driver, Klein would have preferred to walk to digest his food and get some exercise.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the edge of the square outside the church. Klein, holding his gold-inlaid cane, got out and stood watching the white doves dance for a while.
Upon entering the church and arriving at the main prayer hall, he handed his top hat and cane to Richardson, found a seat near the aisle, bowed his head, clasped his hands, and began to pray earnestly and quietly.
Richardson sat down to his side and behind him, arranged his belongings, glanced at the Sacred Emblem of Darkness on the altar, and then closed his eyes.
In the tranquil atmosphere, Klein felt a slight dispersion of his Spirituality. He was not surprised by this, because believers praying in the church often had similar experiences, with small amounts of Spirituality, imbued with devout faith, gradually gathering to provide power for the seal of the Chanis Gate underground.
After an unknown amount of time, he was suddenly struck by Spirit Intuition, quietly opened his eyes, and discreetly looked diagonally ahead.
There stood an elderly man dressed in a black clergy robe, with sparse, frost-white hair and a face as pale as a dead man.
From a distance, he appeared cold and expressionless, blending somewhat into the dimly lit environment of the Great Prayer Hall.
The internal guard... Klein made his judgment with just a glance, then closed his eyes to pray again. Of course, he had already memorized the other person's facial features:
He has a large nose, gray-blue eyes, loose facial skin, and no beard.
The elderly man dressed as a clergyman sat down and prayed attentively to the goddess. In the entire prayer hall, only a few holes in the upper part of the front wall let in pure light, like brilliant stars, making the dark environment appear soft and sacred.
Time ticked by, and Klein's Spirit Intuition was once again struck.
He cautiously opened his eyes and saw the inner guard in the black robe leave his seat and enter the side passage.
That should lead to the back of the church... Do the inner guards all live inside the church? They have no relatives, no families, no homes of their own? Judging from their condition, it doesn't seem too surprising, and it's normal for those guarding the interior of the Chanis Gate to be under the supervision of the bishops... This means I really have to become friends with the bishops and priests of Saint Samuel Cathedral to gain the freedom to enter and leave the back of the church... Klein didn't look any further, closing his eyes and pondering various questions.
After a while, he slowly got up, walked to the altar, stood in front of the offering box, took out 50 pounds in cash, and devoutly put it in.
This drew the attention of the bishop and priests on duty that day, their gazes softening as they remembered his appearance.
Having done all this, Klein nodded slightly to the clergy, turned and walked down the corridor toward the exit, with Richardson following closely behind, carrying his hat and cane.
After leaving the Great Prayer Hall, he walked amidst exquisite murals and the light shining through the stained glass windows above, heading towards the entrance.
Just then, several figures entered. The leader was a middle-aged man with long, dark hair at his temples and soft facial features. He was wearing a black trench coat, without gloves or a cane.
To the left and slightly behind this man was a young man also wearing a black trench coat. He had dark hair and green eyes, and was handsome, but his hairstyle looked rather casual, as if he hadn't combed it carefully after getting up in the morning.
Klein was extremely familiar with his appearance and his figure, yet he also had the illusion that he hadn't seen him for several years or even decades.
Leonard Mitchell!
Klein's eyes narrowed slightly, but his feet didn't falter at all. He maintained his previous pace and stride as he approached the " Nighthawks " in black trench coats.
Yes, Klein confirmed they were " Nighthawks "!
When they met, he glanced casually at Leonard and the others, then walked past them toward the door.
The gate was wide open; outside, the clouds were thin, the sunlight was pure, and white doves were flying.
Leonard Mitchell glanced idly at the passing worshippers, then looked away and sighed:
"I hope I can stay in Backlund for a few more days this time and get some rest. This case is not only dangerous and exciting, but it also requires me to be constantly on my guard."
Their " Red Gloves " team had just cracked a case involving Devil disguised as humans, capturing two of the targets.
It may seem easy on the surface, but it is not simple at all. They went through many setbacks and counterattacks to complete the mission with great difficulty. Every team member was not only physically exhausted, but also mentally exhausted.
Captain Soest shook his head and laughed:
"This is life for us ' Red Gloves,' and you should have known this when you chose to join."
"However, congratulations on your advancement to ' Spirit Warlock '."
Leonard Mitchell smirked:
"This is slower than I expected. And Captain Soest, you've finally, finally reached Sequence 5."
"This isn't a problem with the church. If I could handle it well, I would have become a ' Spirit Warlock ' five years ago." Soest's smile faded as he walked towards the main prayer hall. "Go and pray to the goddess; it will effectively relieve your psychological stress and restore your mental state."
As they spoke, the group of " Red Gloves " entered the dimly lit and quiet hall and each found a place to sit down.
Just as Leonard was about to concentrate on his prayers, he suddenly heard a slightly aged voice in his mind:
"That person just now seemed a bit odd."
"Who?" Leonard asked, lowering his head and speaking in a low voice.
The slightly aged voice replied:
"One of the people you met at the door, I was residing inside your body, and my strength hadn't fully recovered, so I couldn't see him very clearly."
Leonard recalled for a moment and asked in a low voice:
What's the problem?
"He carries an ancient aura," the voice in Leonard's mind simply said.
"An Beyonder has lived for a very long time?" Leonard muttered. "I'll try to investigate."
At the same time, he thought to himself:
The Old Man was definitely hiding something; he rarely reminded me so proactively who was at fault, yet his words were vague... Once we found the target and confirmed there was no immediate threat, we'd leave it alone to avoid getting involved in the battles of those undead Monster of the Fourth Age... If that person truly brought disaster, we'd report it directly to the Archbishop...
Inside a house in the Cherwood Borough.
"This is the money I borrowed from you before." Fors handed Hugh the £220 debt.
She has received £100 from Mr. " The Moon " and £500 from Ms. " The Hermit ".
Xio Derecha ran his fingers through his messy, unruly blond hair, glanced at the money, then looked up at Fors and blurted out:
Did you really participate in illegal gambling?
"I must tell you, this kind of gambling is definitely a trap and a snare, letting you win money only to make you lose even more! Although you are Trickmaster and have the opportunity to Deceit them, similar gambling games may very well be hiding other Beyonder!"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Fors pressed her hands down, saying with a mix of exasperation and amusement, "Do I look like the kind of person who would get involved in illegal gambling?"
"Yes!" Hugh answered without hesitation. "If I hadn't stopped you, you wouldn't even be smoking a cigarette; you'd be smoking marijuana!"
That's because the pain from the Full Moon Ravings made me seek numbness, but that won't happen anymore... Fors didn't argue with Hugh, and explained directly:
"I sold my occult knowledge at a gathering of Beyonder, haha, the guy was very generous, offering several hundred pounds."
"I see..." Hugh instantly forgot his previous question and said, "A new gathering of Beyonder has recently started in the East Borough, and I've been invited."
"A new gathering of Beyonder?" Fors was taken aback at first, then became somewhat expectant.
Based on some of the conversations between her teacher Dorian Gray, and Mr. " The Fool," she knew that Lewis Wien was the messenger of the Aurora Order. His visit to Backlund was likely to replace the previously missing Mr. A and rebuild the Aurora Order's influence in the metropolis. Therefore, there was a considerable possibility that he was disguising himself and organizing a new gathering of Beyonder.
After thinking for a moment, Fors said to Hugh, seemingly unintentionally:
Do you want to participate?
"Of course, I need to prepare the Potion recipe for ' The Interrogator '," Hugh replied decisively.
Fors nodded, covered his mouth, yawned, and said:
"When you're eligible to invite new members, remember to include me."
P. S.: No drafts saved up... Updates will be regular on Monday. Please vote with your monthly tickets and recommendations!