Klein had anticipated Bishop Electra's next question, and upon hearing it, he sighed:
"It was my father, a truly Wisdom elder, who sadly passed away in an accident many years ago."
When he said this, he incorporated the feelings he had when his parents died, the emotions he had accumulated while he was in a foreign land and unable to go home, and the traces left by his experience in Tingen City. His tone seemed calm, with a hint of a smile, but there was a kind of sorrowful yet profound and lingering flavor hidden within.
"I'm sorry, he must have already entered the Kingdom of God and is sleeping peacefully under the watchful eye of the Goddess," Bishop Electra said sincerely, and drew a Crimson Moon four times clockwise on her chest.
Before Dawn Dantès could respond, he looked at the other man and extended an invitation:
"There's a the Moon Mass for the deceased the day after tomorrow, to help them sleep in the realm of the goddess and attain eternal peace. I wonder if you'd be interested in participating?"
The Church of the Evernight Goddess has few feast days. The most important is the Winter's Gift Day, followed by the Grand Mass on the Full Moon, also known as the Moon Mass. After that, there are regular Masses and prayers every Sunday. However, different parishes and cathedrals may have their own special feast days due to their respective patron saints or Angel.
"That's exactly what I wanted," Klein said sincerely, rising to his feet and bowing.
This would allow him ample contact with the priests and bishops of Saint Samuel Cathedral, and even establish a relationship with the diocesan bishop, laying the foundation for future access to certain areas of the church.
At the same time, he once again understood why the " Evernight " pathway could be interchanged with the " Death " pathway:
Both possess the authority of peace, Eternal Sleep, and darkness, representing the end and the finality!
Next, Mauri Macht didn't delve into Dawn Dantès's identity or background, as if he had just asked casually. He and his wife, Liana, chatted about their vacations at Desi Bay over the years. Klein had crammed on the relevant information and stayed there for two days, responded in a local accent, emphasizing the Desi specialty: grilled fish.
During this process, he also casually mentioned his hunting activities when he went to West Balam to do business, and seemed to be very familiar with the primeval jungle there.
He was laying the groundwork for Dawn Dantès. Unlike East Bairon, West Balam Loen Intis East Balam similar colonial power and often clashed. Even the areas they actually controlled changed from time to time. It was not an easy task to track down the activities of a merchant or adventurer there, especially Dawn Dantès might be using an alias.
As for his hunting experiences in the West Balam primeval forest, Klein did not fabricate them randomly, nor did he copy them from any magazine or newspaper. He used Anderson, the Strongest Hunter in the Sonia Sea, as a blueprint for his own glorious deeds, extracted details, abandoned the main plot, and embellished them himself, making them both real and fictional.
Hearing about the massive pythons, man-eating fish with sharp teeth, and flowers that could capture their prey, Mrs. Liana, the wife of Councilor Macht, would occasionally gasp in amazement, looking both frightened and eager to learn more. The councilor and the bishop were equally interested and couldn't help but interrupt Dawn Dantès's descriptions to ask for details.
"You are truly an excellent hunter! When I served in East Balam, I never had the chance to enter the jungle; I never imagined it was so dangerous." After the very refined middle-aged gentleman opposite him finished speaking, Mauri Macht picked up a small piece of velvet cake and sincerely praised him, "If there is an opportunity in the future, I would like to invite you to go hunting with me."
As they talked, a maid brought afternoon tea and snacks, and a male servant was on hand to attend to them.
Upon hearing Senator Macht's half-serious invitation, Klein responded with a smile:
I can't wait!
After chatting for a while and discussing the air pollution control situation in Backlund, the three guests took their leave. Since they had only just met and were not yet familiar with each other, Klein did not try to stop them. He and his personal valet, Richardson, escorted them to the door.
As the bishop, the councilor, and his wife left, the smile on Klein's face gradually faded, but it didn't disappear completely.
He was fairly satisfied with the current progress. The Church of the Evernight Goddess, which was connected to Bishop Electra, was his main purpose in returning to Backlund Mauri Macht, a retired soldier and current senator, undoubtedly belonged to one or more officers' clubs, which would help him continue his investigation into the Great Smog of Backlund Incident.
Next, he would gradually deepen their connection... Klein returned to the small living room and saw that the maid had already cleared away the remaining snacks and black tea.
He had planned to eat a little more...
Regardless of the quality of other foods, the desserts and pastries of Loen, especially Backlund, are exceptionally outstanding Dawn Dantès is particularly skilled in this area, and even Madam Liana praised them repeatedly. Klein also wholeheartedly agreed.
Withdrawing his gaze, Klein remained silent and calmly walked towards the stairs leading to the third floor.
Before dinner, the butler Walter finally returned home and reported to him about the 10% stake in Backlund Bicycle Company:
"Sir, we were lucky enough that someone had already hired professional Lawyer and accountants to investigate Backlund Bicycle Company and provided an offer to the seller before the advertisement was published. However, during the subsequent negotiations, a buyer with a higher offer came in, and he was unable to continue and had to give up."
"This way, we don't need to wait for the investigation report; we can directly hire the original team."
Klein nodded and asked without hesitation:
"What price are you offering now?"
"The buyer who backed out offered £6,000, with a bottom line of £7,000. The seller didn't disclose details about the other buyers, but based on various sources, the asking price is at least £8,000."
8000 pounds, not bad... Should we raise the price a little higher? If I raise it even slightly and they just give up, wouldn't that be embarrassing? Klein nodded slightly.
"Give me the relevant report, and I'll consider it."
After reviewing the report and finishing dinner, in order to establish an image of a generous yet shrewd and pragmatic person, Klein turned to Richardson and said:
"Prepare a two-wheeled carriage; I need to go out."
He had expected Richardson to ask in surprise why it was a two-wheeled carriage, which he felt was not respectable, but to his surprise, the personal valet only showed a hint of doubt before respectfully replying:
"Yes, sir."
Obeying orders without questioning why is a virtue... Klein sighed inwardly, waiting for Richardson to return and help him put on his coat.
Once on the two-wheeled carriage, he gave the order directly:
"Take a trip around the Backlund Bridge Area and the eastern edge of the East Borough."
Richardson still didn't ask about the destination, but simply instructed the coachman to carefully guide the horses.
The carriage traveled through the Cherwood Borough and, illuminated by the gas lamps, arrived at the Backlund Bridge Area.
Klein didn't specify where to go, but simply told the driver to wander around the nearby streets.
He leaned against the wall of the carriage, gazing at the street outside. He saw pedestrians walking with worn clothes and tired faces, as if they had just finished a busy day and were in a hurry to go home for dinner. Occasionally, a bicycle with a ringing bell would pass by, nimbly rushing into the distance. The rider's expression was more energetic than that of the pedestrians, exuding an indescribable pride.
A very intuitive division of labor, although it's just the difference between skilled workers and ordinary workers, the difference between a weekly wage of 1-2 pounds and less than 1 pound... Klein slowly exhaled and subconsciously looked up at the sky.
By this time, Backlund was completely shrouded in Evernight, but the smog wasn't too severe, and it was possible to see through it, revealing many glittering stars.
Since the Great Smog Incident, environmental governance has indeed improved day by day... However, the situation of lower-class workers in the East Borough doesn't seem to have changed much substantially. Although wages may be higher and working hours may have improved to some extent, the former has been largely offset by the influx of people and rising prices across the board, while the latter has changed only to a very limited degree, at most shortening from 15 or 16 hours to 11 or 12 hours...
It's true that we should focus on solving whatever problems arise, and ignore the rest until they occur... Hmm, the kingdom is still undergoing internal reforms, and many things haven't been sorted out yet... Klein's thoughts drifted as he watched until the carriage left the Cherwood Borough.
On the " Future ", " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya, standing behind the captain's cabin window, watched as Frank Lee pushed a wooden barrel into the shadows, put something inside, and then covered it tightly.
He seems to have been researching plant growth in dark environments lately... How come he's suddenly acting normally? Cattleya frowned in confusion, always worried that Frank Lee was brewing a big "invention."
"I'll have Nina ask her later..." Just as this thought flashed through her mind, she was suddenly struck by Spirit Intuition and turned around to see a letter on her desk.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her face. Cattleya walked over, opened the letter, and quickly glanced through it:
"Two Obninsk who do not belong to the Church of Storms are near the ' Abyss Maelstrom ' directly north of Sonia Island..."
"Find the direct descendants of the Abraham Family..."
Well done.
" Abyss Maelstrom " is the name of a dangerous sea area, not Abyss.
The Abraham Family... Cattleya thought for a while but couldn't find any clues. She planned to ask at the next Tarot Gathering.
The next morning, after carefully consulting the Divination about whether to raise the price, Klein said to his butler, Walter:
"Hire that team and continue negotiations. My bottom line is £9,000."
"Okay, sir," Walter said apologetically, "Something came up at home, and I'd like to have half a day off earlier than planned."
"No problem, do you need any help?" Klein asked gently.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I can handle it, and it's not urgent. I'll deal with the equity negotiations first," Walter said sincerely.
Klein didn't ask any more questions, nodded, and approved his leave.
After the butler left the room, Klein turned to Richardson and said:
Did Walter see anyone this morning?
"The butler received a letter," Richardson replied without hesitation.