Upon reaching the entrance, Walter used the light from the gas streetlamp to peer through the gaps in the iron fence and found that there was no one outside; the street was quiet.
For a moment, Walter wondered if he had misheard; there hadn't been a doorbell ring at all!
He composed himself, strode to the servants' quarters behind the small building, woke up a few of them, and had them take double-barreled shotguns and patrol the area around the main house to prevent thieves or robbers from sneaking in.
Walter didn't call the police immediately because nothing had happened yet, and the doorbell ringing earlier was probably just some prankster homeless person making noise.
Meanwhile, in the nearest sewer, the previous infiltrator, holding onto the metal handles, descended layer by layer until he reached a dark, shadowless area.
He stopped quickly, leaned against the moss-covered wall, and slowly slid down to sit on the dirty ground.
His eyes closed again, as if he were still unconscious. In front of him, a middle-aged man wearing an old tricorn hat and a dark red coat suddenly appeared. It was Klein's Marionette, " The Wraith " Senor.
Senor bent down and rummaged through the intruder's inner pockets, finding 7 Soli and 11 pence in coins, as well as a small cloth bag containing various powders.
Inside the room, Klein remotely Manipulation the Marionette dozens of meters away, identifying the powders one by one. He found that, as he had expected, they were powders of various herbs from the Death realm, and some of them could be used for " Spirit Channeling "!
The Beyonder from Balam are highly likely to be on the " Corpse Collector " path. Even if they haven't reached Sequence 7 " Spirit Medium," it's quite normal for them to prepare the corresponding herbal powders and essential oils, since those materials have more than just the function of " Spirit Channeling."
Immediately afterwards, Klein Manipulation the Marionette Senor to quickly set up a ritual and pray to the " The Fool ".
Then, he went above the Gray Fog to respond, allowing the other party to complete the next task.
Having done all this, he returned to the real world and continued to Manipulation the " Wraith " Senor, truly beginning his " Spirit Channeling."
Through the Storm of shimmering light, Klein saw the infiltrator's spirit, dazed and indistinct.
"What's your name? Which faction do you belong to?" Senor asked in a low voice.
The intruder responded blankly:
" Godops, I belong to the ' Black Skull Party '."
The Black Skull Party seems to be a gang located on the edge of the East Borough and near the docks in the Backlund Bridge Area. They are mainly composed of people of Balam descent. While not as savage and reckless as the Zmanger Gang, they are still ruthless and fearless, unafraid to kill... Klein, recalling previously gathered information, had Senor continue asking questions:
What do you mainly do? Why are you looking for Richardson?
Godops mumbled incoherently:
"We are fighting for God."
"We were originally members of the East Balam Rose of Redemption. We established the Black Skull Party to gather intelligence and obtain funding. In addition to these, we also had another mission: to collect various items related to the Death and send them back to the Southern Continent."
"This time, we have obtained solid clues that among Earl Wolfe's collection is a mask brought from the tomb of the Einhorn Family, a family descended from gods."
"To obtain this mask, we need to send someone to work at Earl Wolfe's house or infiltrate one of Earl Wolfe banquets or balls, and Richardson is an excellent candidate. He has no prior record of involvement with any organizations and has extensive experience as a servant."
Servants in noble households are often "hereditary," so it's not easy to infiltrate their ranks... unless there's a temporary need for a large number of people for short-term hiring...
It's true, such things do happen. At tonight's ball, a lady mentioned that a small number of nobles in dire financial straits sold off much of their land and estates, dismissed almost all their servants, leaving only fewer than ten attendants to barely maintain a respectable life. When there are large banquets or balls, they then spend money to hire a batch of temporary workers from organizations such as the " Help Domestic Servants Association " to keep things in order...
Furthermore, Earl Wolfe actually possesses a mask from a family descended from the Death Reaper. I recall Mr. Azik's surname is Aegis... It's a pity, I don't want to be disturbed by any unexpected events right now, otherwise I might have found a way to get that mask for Mr. Azik... Klein muttered a few words silently, then let Senor continue asking:
How did you meet Richardson?
Godops said stiffly:
We met at the East Balam estate; at that time, we were both slaves.
"Among the slaves, some were quietly spreading the belief in Death. I, Richardson, his mother, inevitably became a believer in Death in that kind of life, and secretly joined that influential organization among the slaves."
"Later, Richardson's mother fell ill and died, and he was taken to Backlund, while I stayed in East Balam and looked for an opportunity to escape the manor."
"Years later, I was sent to Backlund, where I ran into Richardson by chance. He had forgotten his mother's death, the abuse he had suffered, and his faith in God. His will had been Corrosion by the so-called peaceful life!"
"To avoid me, he deliberately made mistakes and changed employers three times in a row. But how could he have imagined that his former companions were no longer ordinary people!"
Everyone has the right to choose, as long as it doesn't harm others. However, Richardson and I are two different kinds of people... Klein closed his eyes briefly in the room, prompting Senor to ask in a low voice:
"What was the name of that influential organization among the slaves?"
Godops hesitated for a moment and said:
" The Eternal Life Society, believers in the Death, will gain eternal life in the Underworld after leaving the painful reality."
The Eternal Life Society... I know that, a branch of the Spirituality Religion... Klein, who came from the " Nighthawks," knew quite a bit about it.
He continued to Manipulation the Marionette Senor to interrogate the other party, obtaining a large amount of intelligence related to the Eternal Life Society, the East Balam Rose of Redemption, and the Black Skull Party, confirming that Godops and his gang had innocent blood on their hands.
After ending the Spirit Channeling and cleaning up the traces, Klein waited for half an hour before letting the " Wraith " enter Godops's body again, guiding him out of the sewers and back into the shadows on the street.
Meanwhile, inside 160 Böklund Street, the servants with double-barreled shotguns were no longer so focused on their patrols, seemingly believing that the lurking danger had passed.
Klein pretended not to notice anything and remained asleep in the master bedroom. However, he had already set up a ritual, summoning himself and responding to himself. He then left the house silently as Wraith Specter, carrying Azik Copper Whistle, an iron cigarette case, and " Creeping Hunger."
He followed Godops closely, maintaining a distance of 80 meters, thereby Manipulation the "hostage" possessed by the Marionette, leading him to another block and onto a taxi at the intersection.
More than an hour later, " Godops " returned to the Black Skull Party headquarters, a small house near the docks.
This place contains a large quantity of weapons and several members sent by the East Balam Rose of Redemption, who form the upper echelons of the Black Skull Party.
As agreed, " Godops " knocked on the door and said to the member who came to greet him:
" Richardson has given in."
"Very good." The member glanced at Godops absentmindedly, then stepped aside to let him pass.
" Godops " looked around and saw a pile of high-performance explosives and a batch of rifles that he had bought earlier in the corner of the house, while several high-ranking members of the Black Skull Party were gathered together, discussing something.
" Godops, want one?" The member from before handed over a cigarette.
This is a Southern Continent style tobacco, made by wrapping a small amount of herbs in dried tobacco leaves.
Godops took it, casually picked up a few matches from the table, and struck them with a snap.
Then, he tossed the burning matches into a corner, near a high-performance explosive device that was easily ignited.
"..." Everyone present stared blankly at Godops, momentarily unable to process what had happened.
Rumble!
Klein sat on a bench a few dozen meters away, his back to the house where flames were rising and the air was billowing.
A few seconds later, Senor, wearing a dark red coat, appeared beside him, bearing slight burn marks.
The Wraith placed its hand on its chest, bowed, and then returned to the surface of the gold coin on the iron cigarette case.
It's a pity I couldn't pick up the Beyonder Characteristic, otherwise it wouldn't seem like an accident... The fact that the Black Skull Party's higher-ups don't have Beyonder is definitely suspicious... Klein sighed inwardly, disposed of the traces, ended the summoning, and returned directly to the Gray Fog.
The next morning, he acted as if nothing had happened, got up, washed, and waited for his personal male servant to come in and put on his outer clothes.
Richardson went inside in silence and skillfully completed his work.
Then, he took a step back, lowered his head, and said:
"Sir, I'd like to resign after this week's service."
He normally received his salary weekly from the housekeeper Taneja.
"Why?" Klein asked, looking at himself in the mirror and adjusting his vest.
At the same time, he thought to himself: Not bad, he knew to resign voluntarily and not cause trouble for his employer...
Richardson had already prepared an excuse:
"I feel I'm not yet qualified to be a personal valet. Last night at the ball, I spoke with the servants of the other guests and realized I'm still far from adequate."
Klein smiled and said:
Everyone starts with little to no experience. Think about it some more, and give me your final answer tomorrow.
"Yes, sir." Richardson said no more, and left the room to go downstairs to get his employer the morning's newspaper.
During this process, he would first flip through the newspapers and put the most interesting ones on top.
While flipping through the pages, his gaze suddenly froze, focusing on a news article:
A violent explosion occurred at 79 Dirham Street in the Backlund Bridge Area, suspected to be linked to the Black Skull Party...
According to police, all the top leaders of the " Black Skull Party " died in the accidental explosion, including Lima, Moreira, Godops, and others.
This... Richardson shook his head, wondering if he was dreaming.