In the evening, Klein sat down on a reclining chair in his activity room. Warmed by the fireplace, he picked up the information that Isengard’s assistant had just delivered.
As soon as his idea received praise from the great detective in the morning, Kaslana immediately claimed that she needed the same piece of information. Stuart had murmured that he had believed Klein was an excellent detective, given his calmness and composure when he faced Adol’s case, but he hadn’t expected him to be that outstanding.
At the same time, he told Klein that if he needed help, he could find him. He knew a lot of people in the detective circles in Backlund.
Isengard Stanton also promised to immediately contact the police and try to provide the corresponding information to the detectives who needed it before nightfall.
He truly was very trustworthy.
At the next Tarot Club, I’ll have to ask Little Sun through The World about the characteristics of Sequence 6 Devil and what powers the Beyonders of this Sequence possess… I didn’t plan on involving myself previously, so I had forgotten to gather the corresponding amount of information. However, since I’ve decided to help, it’s best to be prepared. At the very least, I would know what’s happening when danger rears its head… Klein thought for a few seconds, then he lowered his head and, under the light of the gas lamp, began to look through the unsolved serial murders in the last twenty years of the Loen Kingdom.
There were fewer than he had expected.
There were a total of four in Backlund, five in the other cities, a total of nine in total!
Yeah, although this world doesn’t have the concept of DNA yet and lacks many necessary detective skills, with the impetus of the Emperor, there’s already a rudimentary form of fingerprint investigations. Furthermore, there’s mediumship, divination, dream entry, and other Beyonder methods! The police usually wouldn’t seek out Beyonder teams from the three major Churches for individual murder cases that don’t involve the nobles, the rich, or officials. However, a serial killer has very negative repercussions. It easily causes panic, so they’ll definitely make the wisest choice… This way, having only a few unsolved serial murders in the past twenty years is reasonable and logical. Klein quickly understood the reason.
He gathered his thoughts and began flipping through the cases, one after another.
In the absence of sufficient information to perform a divination, he had initially selected two serial killings that might be related to the current incident and intended to use them as an initial starting point.
One case occurred four years ago. There were five victims, all single prostitutes with a child. They had been mistreated before they died but lacked any evidence of sexual intercourse.
The police in charge of the case at the time thought that the murderer must’ve known the whores, or else it would’ve been impossible to precisely select individuals with a child. They had identified the suspects from the people who lived nearby and from the regular customers of several of the whores, but in the end, they failed to find the real murderer.
Although the dossier only made a brief note, Klein could clearly tell that they had asked for the help of Beyonders from the three major Churches. Unfortunately, they were still unable to crack the case.
With the Beyonder powers of the “Abyss,” being able to tell signs that a woman had once been a degenerate doesn’t go against the law of mysticism. Likewise for recognizing an individual as a prostitute, but it doesn’t make sense that they would know that the woman was single with only one child… The police were right. What was the problem? The real murderer was like me, able to resist dreams, divination, mediumship, and evade the investigations from Mid-Sequence Nighthawk and Mandated Punisher Beyonders?
It’s possible. Although the Church doesn’t lack knowledge about the 'serial killer,” the murderer might have had some fortuitous encounters! Klein picked out some problems from his own standpoint.
I’m analyzing them by being part of “their kind”… I really didn’t fail to live up to the name of Moriarty… He gave a self-deprecating comment and decided that the first target would still be the four from Backlund.
Yes, I’ll get Mr. Stanton to confirm the suspects’ current address and condition through the police, and I’ll ask Stuart to get others to help. That way, I wouldn’t appear directly, so as to avoid encountering any official Beyonders. After the situation has been clarified, I can gather the suspects’ belongings and move them above the gray fog to make metaphysical deductions. Klein quickly worked out a plan.
The second case had taken place eleven years ago. Four cases of dismembered corpses had happened in succession. Originally, these cases were considered as isolated cases until the police began having suspicions over the way the bodies were handled. Only then was it confirmed that it was a case of serial murders. The victims were men and women who had worked till late at night before they returned home. They weren’t robbed, and there had been no common connection between them.
Due to the delay—time which was very valuable when the crime was first committed—the case failed to produce any clues pointing to a suspect.
This is a problem caused by mishandling the case. If they had quickly received the help of a Spirit Medium, the wraith of the deceased might even gather around the murderer… Of course, it’s also possible that the wraith can be “killed” by the murderer, just like this case… There’s probably only ashes of those victims left. It will be hard to do any investigations through them… Klein rubbed his temples, and when he saw that it was evening, he stopped considering the case and got up from his reclining chair to leave Minsk Street.
He had something to do that night!
He wanted to go to the area south of the bridge, to the Harvest Church on Rose Street, to find Bishop Utravsky in a bid to obtain the Apothecary formula. He had already divined to see if it was dangerous or not.
To Klein, having an Apothecary as a subordinate was extremely helpful.
He could get injured or fall sick. He could encounter enemies who could harm him, and an Apothecary who he could find at any moment would be someone he could rely on.
After making a detour to East Borough, Klein disguised himself and took the steam metro to cross the Tussock River and arrived at the district south of the bridge.
Along the way, the darkness along the metro line and the corresponding gas lamps formed an unforgettable scene.
While on the public carriage, Klein came to Rose Street and found the tiny Harvest Church which was easily recognizable.
The golden cathedral had a more striking steeple and a Sacred Emblem of Life engraved on its outer wall. It was a baby surrounded by the symbols of wheat, flowers, and spring water. It stood out from the surrounding buildings.
At that moment, the cathedral’s lights were dim, and there wasn’t a single devotee inside.
Klein sneaked in from the side, carefully dabbing his face with paint rather than relying solely on his ability to create illusions.
In the hall of the cathedral, rows of pews were arranged neatly. Right at the top, at the front, there was a large Sacred Emblem of Life. Candles were lit on both sides of it.
A tall man in his forties or fifties wearing a brown clergyman’s attire sat in the front pew.
Just by sitting there, he was like a small mountain, giving off an extremely oppressive feeling.
The man wore a bishop’s bonnet, and his eyebrows were light and thin. There were obvious wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, his cheeks, and the corners of his mouth. He had his eyes closed tightly, his hands clasped as he pressed them to his chin, as if in the most pious of confessions.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, revealing a patch of light blueness.
“The Mother’s Church will not reject anyone. Why didn’t you take the main entrance?” The forty to fifty-year-old man didn’t raise his head as he spoke in a low and gentle voice.
“Are you Bishop Utravsky?” Klein walked out of the shadows.
The tall man in the brown bishop’s attire replied gently, “I prefer to be called a Father. Father Utravsky.”
“Alright, Your Grace.” Klein deliberately laughed. “Your name and your height tell me that you’re from Feysac. Why do you believe in Mother Earth?”
Bishop Utravsky raised his head slightly and stared at the Sacred Emblem of Life ahead of him and said with emotion, “I was born along the coasts of Midseashire, Indaw. I was a man who was passionate about combat and killing.”
Indaw? He really is from the Feysac Empire… Klein nodded indiscernibly.
Midseashire was the natural border between Loen, Intis, and Feysac. The east coast belonged to Loen, most of the west coast belonged to Intis; and to the north were the famous port cities of the Feysac Empire, such as Indaw.
In addition, the Midseashire spread to the northeast, penetrating through the Feysac Empire’s territory and connecting with the North Sea. There were many islands in that part of the sea that were the habitats for polar bears and sea lions.
Hunting polar bears and sea lions were a traditional festival for the citizens of Feysac.
Just as his thoughts began to wander a little, Bishop Utravsky continued looking forward and said, “I committed a serious crime and fled to the Sonia Sea where I became a ruthless pirate.
“I was lucky enough to meet a missionary of Mother Earth before I fell into the true hell of the soul.
“After that day, I understood the value of life, understood the charms of all living things, and gained the joy that stems purely from life itself. I swore in front of the Mother Earth’s Sacred Emblem that I would spread her faith in other countries to make up for my bloody past.
“Thus, here I am. I came here.”
Amidst his calm and emotional voice, Bishop Utravsky stood up. He was over 2.2 meters tall, and his build was sturdy. His robes were tight, and he looked like a giant from the legends who reappeared on the Northern Continent.
A real giant is three to five meters tall, with a single vertical eye… The citizens of the Feysac Empire are generally tall… It’s no wonder that they’ve always claimed to be the remnants of giants, believing that they have the blood of giants… Klein had to raise his neck to look at the priest’s face.
“What are you doing here?” Bishop Utravsky asked with his head lowered.
“I heard you have a request and that the reward is the Apothecary formula?” Klein, who had donned a disguise, went straight to the point.
Bishop Utravsky fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “Yes.
“Although I’m not sure where you learned of this, it’s true.”
“Then, what task is it?” Klein asked with a smile.
Utravsky sized him up seriously for a while before saying, “I don’t think you can fulfill my request.”
“Perhaps I can? I need to know the details before I can make an evaluation.” Klein frowned.
Utravsky stood there like a giant pillar. After a few seconds, he said, “My request is…”
At this point, he closed his eyes and said, “Kill me.”