With a sigh, Klein let himself relax and enjoy the rare peace and comfort in his dream, just like a normal person.
About fifteen minutes later, he finally saw the Beyonder had come to Placate him leave the dream.
"Finally... I can sleep peacefully now..." Klein wanted to open his eyes as usual and fall back asleep, but he found that once he stopped being highly vigilant and on guard, he could fall into a deep sleep by taking advantage of the lingering tranquility in his dream.
That night, he slept very well and slept until dawn. Outside, the Sun was rising, the red moon was still shining, the sky was bright, and the wind was rustling softly.
Klein lazily stared blankly for nearly ten minutes before picking up the gold-cased pocket watch from the bedside table, snapping it open, and glancing at it.
"It's not even 6:30... Should I turn over and go back to sleep, or get up now?" Klein assessed his own condition and found that he was clear-headed, energetic, and not tired at all. So he got out of bed to wash up, strolled to the balcony, and looked at the orange-red sky.
In this season, Backlund is not too smoggy due to the wind, and with the air pollution control efforts of the previous months, the sky is clear and the air is fresh. Gardeners are busy in the garden, and kitchen maids and handymen are heading to the market together. Apart from them, the surroundings are peaceful, which makes Klein feel cheerful and temporarily forget all his troubles. He feels that the world belongs to him alone at this moment.
He watched the scene quietly with a faint smile on his face. Over the next fifteen minutes, two or three servants emerged from the surrounding houses, some carrying baskets, others leading horses. The whole neighborhood gradually came to life, and the sunlight began to brighten.
"This is what life should be like..." Klein sighed silently, suddenly feeling an urge to go for a walk. He turned away from the balcony, walked to the door, and turned the handle.
Richardson was already waiting outside his master bedroom, making it impossible to guess what time he had gotten out of bed.
This is the hardest part for a personal male servant; he must go to bed later and get up earlier than his employer.
"Breakfast is still an hour away, sir. If you'd like to start earlier, the kitchen can prepare it within fifteen minutes." Richardson didn't Dawn Dantès had suddenly gotten up early.
Klein chuckled:
"No need to go ahead, I plan to go for a walk first."
"Yes, sir." Richardson went into the bedroom, picked out a coat according to his employer's request, and helped him put it on.
Finally, Klein put on his silk top hat, took his embroidered scepter, went down to the first floor, walked out the door, and slowly walked along the Intis plane trees and black gas lampposts on the street to the other end.
Along the way, a faint fragrance wafted from the gardens of each house, and the green leaves of the trees created a serene atmosphere high up. Pedestrians came and went in twos and threes, very few in number. Occasionally, a passing carriage would break the silence and then quickly disappear into the distance.
Klein enjoyed the morning environment and the beauty of waking up early, feeling the traces of yesterday's negative emotions evaporating and disappearing little by little.
Hmm, Beyonder need to know how to proactively create conditions and adjust their mood... After I walk around like this, the bishops of Saint Samuel Cathedral should know that Dawn Dantès has fully recovered and won't bother me to sleep in the middle of the night... As Klein's thoughts wandered, his gaze casually swept over 39 Böklund Street next door.
This is the home of MP Macht.
Its outer wall is made up of sharp, strip-like iron bars, allowing passersby to peek through the gaps and admire the beautiful garden inside.
As his gaze shifted, Klein spotted a familiar figure: Hibbert, with her long, dark green hair and deep brown eyes. This beautiful and proud young woman was walking along the garden path with her maid, glancing around every now and then.
"She's up this early too? She hasn't been able to go to the sewers at night lately, so her sleep quality is excellent?" Klein thought to himself, then looked away and paced forward.
Klein glanced at Richardson, who was steadily following behind him, and suddenly remembered the News, magazine columns, and stories he had recently read about the Southern Continent.
He had been consciously reading about similar topics to enrich the Dawn Dantès. After all, much of his previous knowledge of the Southern Continent came from pirates, adventurers, and Anderson, the Strongest Hunter in the Sonia Sea —who knew if there were any exaggerations or fabrications?
The information I've seen in the past and recently all says that so-and-so went to the Southern Continent, made a fortune, or even immigrated there. Ha, this makes the entire population of Backlund believe that the Southern Continent is paved with gold, full of opportunities to get rich quick. Even the sap of the common trees there has multiple uses and can be exchanged for large sums of gold pounds. That's why the kingdom frequently goes to war with countries like Feysac and Intis to seize colonies... If it weren't for the fact that ordinary people couldn't save up enough for the fare and dared not smuggle themselves there, a large population would definitely flock there... Klein's thoughts shifted, and he casually asked his stand-in servant:
What is your impression of the Southern Continent?
He remembered that Richardson was born on the estate there and was brought to Backlund as an adult.
Richardson paused for a few seconds and then said:
"Sir, I don't actually know much about the Southern Continent, because I spend most of my time busy at the manor and rarely have the opportunity to go out."
"Just tell me your impressions, your most honest impressions. Don't worry about anything else. I just want to get a general understanding. You know, they all think I'm an expert on the Southern Continent, but in reality, my experience is limited to only a few places and the merchant class," Klein chuckled.
Richardson lowered his head slightly, looking at his toes as he took a step forward, and said:
My impression of the Southern Continent is:
"Hunger, exhaustion, pain, and a longing for the afterlife..."
Hunger, exhaustion, pain... Klein repeated these three words to himself as he walked step by step down Böklund Street, asking no more questions.
Inside a building on the edge of Backlund University of Technology in East Chester County.
Audrey is visiting the collection acquired by the " Loen Antiquities Collection and Preservation Foundation ".
She had originally planned to come on Tuesday afternoon, but Associate Professor Michelle Deut was attending an academic conference in Backlund and wouldn't be back until today, so she had to change her plans.
"These boots were found in a ruin in the mountains by a farmer near Stoën. Their shape and features are very similar to the social trends of the Quaternary period," Michelle explained to the elegant and beautiful young woman, introducing the items in the glass display case.
Audrey looked over with interest and noticed that the boots had noticeably upturned toes, suggesting they belonged to Clown.
The height of the curves on both sides is not the same, one is 3 centimeters and the other is 5 centimeters, so they don't look like a pair.
The asymmetrical style of the Quaternary period... three on the left and five on the right, I don't know which social class it represents... Audrey withdrew her gaze and followed Associate Professor Michelle to the next collection.
At the end of the tour, Michelle pointed to the glass display case diagonally in front of her and said:
"This emblem was only delivered a few days ago; it relates to a very ancient form of Dragon worship."
Dragon... Audrey took a measured step closer and saw a greyish-white Dragon with outstretched wings etched on the surface of the emblem.
"Where did it come from?" Audrey asked, much like before.
Michelle replied:
"A village called Hedrak, a Loen language word with no prototype in Ancient Feysac, seemingly spelled directly from its pronunciation."
Hedrak... This is the village I visited before, the one with the Dragon worship custom. A Mind Dragon lives in the Sea of Collective Subconscious of the people there... The Twenty Years' War notes I got from Associate Professor Michelle belonged to a knight named " Lindrila " who came from this village. He is suspected to be related to that Mind Dragon... Audrey nodded thoughtfully, carefully choosing her words, wanting to ask who found the emblem.
Just then, Associate Professor Michelle's expression turned unusually grave:
The discovery of this emblem was accompanied by a tragedy.
"A tragedy?" Audrey didn't hide her astonishment.
Associate Professor Michelle sighed and said:
"An archaeological team entered the village to study the custom of Dragon worship. As a result, one of the members went mad at night, and this mental illness seemed to be contagious. The entire archaeological team later went Lunatic one after another. They killed each other or mutilated themselves. None of them survived."
"This emblem was found among their belongings. It was first taken by the police, and only after they confirmed it was safe were they donated to us."
An archaeological team entered the village, and one by one, the members went mad... Audrey's eyes widened slightly as she repeated Associate Professor Michelle's words in her mind.
Suddenly, an Spirit Intuition flashed into her mind:
The Psychology Alchemists!
The members of this archaeological team are all members of the Psychology Alchemists!
P. S.: Updated first, revised later...