Under the bright sunshine, in a quiet and shady corner of the cemetery, Leonard Mitchell suddenly picked up the shovel stuck in the ground beside him.
Two mounds of earth gradually rose, slowly revealing the tomb. People occasionally passed by, but they were completely unaware of what was happening, as if it were all just a dream.
Finally, Leonard abandoned the shovel, bent down, and reached out his hands to grasp the edge of the coffin lid.
With a sudden burst of strength, he lifted the heavy wooden lid and discovered that the thick iron nails had fallen out at some point, and the dark coffin was completely empty.
There's nothing there!
Leonard remained in a semi-bent position, silently watching this scene, without making any further movements for a long time, as if he had become a stone statue.
In his hazy dream, Klein saw a stone tablet, an inscribed stone tablet, standing silently among many of its kind, bathed in Moonlight and tinged with a crimson hue.
This scene shattered instantly, and Klein snapped back to reality, confirming that he was still Dawn Dantès, still in the master bedroom at 160 Böklund Street.
The dream I just had seemed to be foreshadowing something... As a " Seer," Klein takes every dream seriously, and this time was no exception. He focused his mind, shook off his sleepiness, and tried to interpret it:
That should be a tombstone...
This represents a deceased person, or something related to resurrection...
"The crimson moonlight symbolizes the goddess, corresponding to concepts such as the Church of the Night and the Night Watchers... If the moon is seen directly, it may involve the 'Primordial Moon,' the progenitor of vampires Lilith, and the 'Mother Tree of Desire'..."
"The tombstone was stained with almost blood-red color, which is not a good sign..."
As Klein interpreted the text, he connected the dots, trying to arrive at a valid and meaningful conclusion.
After careful consideration, he began to believe that the revelations from his dream were related to his past and his connection with the Church of Evernight.
Reflecting on the events of the past few days, Klein slowly came to his answer:
" Dawn Dantès' frequent visits to Saint Samuel Cathedral will inevitably put him on the watchlist. If Leonard hasn't left Backlund yet, this will certainly attract his attention, after all, he knows Dawn Dantès is no ordinary person, with a mysterious background..."
"As Angel of the ' Marauder ' pathway, the old man within Leonard's body would most likely discover the close connection between the Gray Fog and the ' Seer ' pathway, and know that the corresponding Sequence 0 is called ' The Fool '..."
"In this way, they can naturally connect the previously circulated name ' The Fool ' with this, believing that I am a member of the Concealment organization that worships ' The Fool,' and from this line of reasoning, they can also implicate the person who killed Lanarvus, the 'Robin Hood' Black Emperor also used Tarot cards..."
"Adding to the clues I deliberately left behind regarding Gehrman Sparrow, and the fact that Leonard had been investigating Sherlock Moriarty beforehand, it's not impossible that he connected these facts and identified the key suspect."
"And the early Sherlock Moriarty. If Leonard investigates further, Leonard won't have trouble discovering that the great Detective resembles his former colleague... So, did he go to Tingen to dig up his grave to confirm it?"
As he pondered, Klein grabbed a cushion, groped his way to sit up, and felt that he had found the answer to the dream he had just had.
He began to carefully analyze what would happen next, considering whether or not to abandon the identity of Dawn Dantès:
Leonard couldn't share his speculations and findings with the other Nighthawks because the crucial parts were inexplicable, which would expose his own secrets...
"Based on my experience and understanding of him, he will try to guide him in another way, which will be more complicated, troublesome, and time-consuming. Before that, finding him and giving him another warning should dissuade him, since the church has not suffered any substantial losses this time, and no one has died as a result."
"Yes, I paid attention to the timing of Dawn Dantès. I specifically fabricated his activities in the Southern Continent over the past few months, deliberately staggering the dates when Gehrman Sparrow. This involves the Intis colony, making verification quite difficult..."
"In other words, Leonard at most considers me to be on the same level as Gehrman Sparrow Sherlock Moriarty and Klein Moretti, at most believing that I am an accomplice of 'them,' belonging to that Concealment organization that believes in ' the Fool '..."
"Heh, in his eyes, Dawn Dantès should be a mysterious and powerful being who can directly sense the presence of the old man within him, Demigod, half-human, which significantly distinguishes him from other identities."
Klein quickly came up with a solution, and then thought back to what had happened that afternoon at the " East Balam Veteran Officers Club ":
How did this arms smuggling business end up contacting me directly?
"I've just established a friendship with Senator Macht, and we haven't really tested each other yet, so he's not entirely trustworthy..."
Perhaps this is a test in itself?
"The initial batch of guns and artillery should not be large in quantity, nor should it involve high-quality products, and payment should be made in advance before delivery. If I really have any problems, they will not suffer any losses, but will only bear the slight aftereffects of this small batch of weapons flowing into their controlled area."
"Hmm... For them, I, a wealthy man with a complicated background and in-depth understanding of West Balam, am a really good candidate. First, I have money; second, I have courage; third, I have resources and connections, so I can sell arms to the right people; fourth, I have no background in the upper echelons of the kingdom, so I can be thrown out as a scapegoat at any time."
"They'll probably send someone to monitor us secretly... As long as this 'deal' goes smoothly, I'll be a close partner of the military... This will be beneficial for investigating the truth behind the Great Smog of Backlund Incident..."
"The problem now is that I have absolutely no real understanding of the West Balam rebels or the various tribes... I don't even know where Anderson is, and I don't have his contact information..."
"Well, Danitz might have some information about West Balam... the ' The Hermit ' lady too, and the same goes for the ' Mystery Queen ' behind her... Let's gather intelligence through these channels first..."
Having made his decision, Klein's thoughts gradually calmed down, and sleepiness returned. So, he slowly slid down and crawled into the covers.
Beneath the Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard, returning from Tingen, caught up with the squad's internal meeting.
Soest first relayed the archbishop's conclusions and the findings of several local " Nighthawks " teams:
"With the help of the Holy Cathedral, His Excellency Saint Anthony confirmed that the intruder was Gehrman Sparrow and concluded that this mad Criminal was still alive but no longer in this world."
"This is a contradictory statement. I don't understand what it means, and His Excellency the Archbishop has not explained it either."
"In short, our focus will shift entirely to the investigation of Gehrman Sparrow."
"According to information provided by Military Intelligence Section 9, Gehrman Sparrow's identity is false; he originally came from Backlund..."
After summarizing the clues, Soest casually asked:
Do you have anything to add?
Leonard opened his mouth as if to speak, but after a moment of hesitation, he fell silent.
Soest glanced at him sideways and called out by name:
" Leonard, didn't you find some clues?"
Leonard paused for a second, then shrugged and said:
That lead has been ruled out.
Soest didn't ask any more questions and instead looked at the other team members.
After a round of supplementation and analysis, he began to arrange the tasks for his " Red Gloves " team.
Once everything was arranged, Leonard Mitchell, carrying a list of those who needed to Dream Divination and would be cross-checked, returned to the upper lounge and threw himself onto the bed.
After sitting silently for a while, Leonard raised his hand to smooth his hair, preparing to take action.
However, the first dream he encountered did not belong to any of the names on that list.
His target is Dawn Dantès!
After much deliberation, he decided to have a face-to-face conversation with this member of the Concealment organization, an immortal Quaternary Monster, to see if he could extract any relevant information.
This may seem a bit reckless, but it's a good approach when both parties know the other has problems or secrets.
At 160 Böklund Street, Klein's dazed mind suddenly cleared, realizing that someone had entered his dream.
He hesitated for a moment, then sat down in the armchair, turned his head to look at the balcony, and saw a dark-haired, green-eyed man in a white shirt and black vest nimbly leap in—it was Leonard Mitchell.
I haven't even come looking for you yet, and you've already shown up at my door... All the other " Nighthawks " politely knock on the door and come in, but you're the only one who climbs over the balcony... Klein thought to himself as he watched his poet classmate approach.
At this moment, in Leonard's eyes, Dawn Dantès in his dream was still dressed in a suit, with graying temples, sharp features, and great charm.
At this moment, the wealthy man's lips curled slightly, a smile playing on his lips, making no attempt to conceal the fact that he remained conscious and unaffected by the " Nightmare " ability.
"Didn't Pallez Zoroast teach you what manners are?" Klein said in a tone befitting the image the other person had in mind.
Pallez Zoroast... He's warning me again... Leonard paused for a moment, then memorized the name.
He quickly composed himself and gave a somewhat awkward bow, saying:
Please forgive me for bothering you, but you are on our screening list.
"You were the ones who carried out this infiltration? Is this your purpose in coming to Backlund?"
"No." Dawn Dantès, adopting the air of Klein, picked up the glass of red wine beside him, took a small sip, and said, "It wasn't us, it was him all alone."
He adopted an attitude that suggested he wasn't afraid you'd know.
" Gehrman Sparrow?" Leonard asked in a low voice.
Klein glanced at the other person with his deep blue eyes, which held a hint of world-weariness, and said:
Isn't that obvious?
"What exactly is he trying to do? He didn't take anything," Leonard asked casually.
Klein raised his hand and touched his graying temples, chuckling as he said:
"What you think?"