He actually named his priceā¦ Upon hearing the vampireās request, Klein felt both irritated and amused.
He looked at the Bishop Utravsky, who was standing in front of him, and asked, āFather, may I borrow your candle? The one that you used last time. Iāve forgotten what itās called.ā
Before Bishop Utravsky could reply, the vampire in the basement spoke in a stunned voice.
āWhat do you want to do? What do you want to do?ā
At this moment, Bishop Utravsky answered warmly, āItās called the Mental Terror Candle. What are you borrowing it for?ā
Father, youāre very cooperative. You even knew to askā¦ The corners of Kleinās mouth curled up.
āI plan to use it to directly inquire the deepest part of this friendās heart.
āAs you know, Iām quite talented in this area, and Iām very good at such mattersā¦ā
Before he could finish his sentence, the vampire in the basement had already shouted, āBastard, give up on your idea!
āYou will be cursed if you do this to a noble Sanguine!
āHey, hey, hey! Iāll speak! Iāll speak! Iāll tell you the origins of the Master Key!ā
Klein immediately chuckled.
āThank you for your cooperation.ā
āHmph! The friend of that dirty old man naturally isnāt a good person! As a Sanguine, all I did was go to the hospital to steal blood bottles to drink. Why did I end up locked up in here and forced to listen to this naggy, housefly-like Bible of Life!?ā the vampire in the basement angrily complained.
Frankly speaking, if you really are who you claim to be, and you bumped into me, at most, I would give you a warning. Unfortunately, you got lost and entered this cathedral. The priest you encountered used to kill people wantonly and enjoyed combat, but heās now pious and repentant. You can only blame your poor luckā¦ However, with Bishop Utravskyās recovery, heās unlikely to hurt you. At most, he will keep you to his sideā¦. Klein silently responded.
The vampire in the basement paused for a few seconds and said, āAbout a month ago, I went to the hospital in South Borough to steal blood and ended up meeting a thief.
āHe originally wanted to enter the hospitalās finance department, but he ended up lost. He opened the door to the blood bank and ended up being caught by me.
āHe was using that Master Key. He told me that he had found it back when he had burgled a particular house. He had also obtained a pocket watch with inlaid diamonds. Uh, in the basement.
āAt first, he thought that the key would correspond to a room or safe. He made several attempts and found that the key could open all doors. This is no doubt an unimaginable surprise for a thief. After that, he enjoyed numerous successes until I caught him and confiscated his key.
āDamn, I didnāt expect that the key would make one get lost back then!ā
It matches the scene I saw with my divinationā¦ However, is there a curse on the Master Key? The previous owner was detained because he got lost, and the owner before that was caught red-handed because he got lostā¦ Perhaps I should really throw it into the space above the gray fog and take it out when I need it. But, that will be a lot more troublesome and might cause delays to certain mattersā¦ Klein controlled his expression and asked unhurriedly, āDid the thief say where he stole it?ā
The vampire in the basement mumbled, āAre you doubting my intelligence? How could I not ask about this?
āHe said it was in the area south of the bridge, 48 Riverbay Avenue. I was planning to check it out whenā¦ Damn it!
āAlright, Iām done answering. Donāt disturb me anymore.ā
Klein didnāt leave just because he received an answer. Instead, he slowly took out a halfpence copper coin and recited softly, āHeās lying.ā
ā¦
After repeating it seven times, Kleinās eyes turned dark, and he flicked the coin up. He watched it spin in the air before it landed in the palm of his hand.
It was heads, indicating a positive response.
In other words, the vampire was lying!
The thiefās description coincides greatly with what I had seen through divination, so they confirm each otherā¦ The vampire mustāve lied about the exact address! Klein looked at Bishop Utravsky and said with a chuckle, āHe lied.
āLet me think about the reason why he lied.
āIt would be very unwise of him to vent his anger and seek revenge on me, who is completely uninvolved. It would also be very detrimental to his situation.
āSo, I think heās actually using this method to call for help. That address might very well belong to a companion of his. Father, do you plan on paying a visit?ā
The basement suddenly fell silent. After a few seconds, the vampire laughed and said, āI just didnāt want to tell you that easily. You threatened me just now, so I lied to take revenge on you. Isnāt that normal?ā
I can hear how forceful you are at trying to calm yourself downā¦ Klein smiled and said, āThen, whatās the real answer? If you continue lying, I donāt mind sending this address to the three Churches. Iāll just say that it has something to do with the recent serial murders.ā
āā¦ Humans are really viciousā¦ā The vampire sighed through gritted teeth. āThe area south of the bridge, 32 Verdi Street.ā
Klein tossed the coin again and got the result that the vampire wasnāt lying.
It seems like vampires donāt have the ability to interfere with divinationā¦ Hmm, I should confirm it above the gray fog when Iām backā¦ Klein pressed his hand to his chest, faced the heavy stone door, and bowed.
āThank you for your cooperation.ā
āHmph,ā the vampire in the basement snappily replied.
As Klein turned to leave, the vampire suddenly shouted, āRemember that my name is Emlyn White. Remember, my name is Emlyn White!ā
Why do I have to remember your name? Itās not like Iām going to save you. Without preparation, and without a home ground advantage, Iām no match for Father Utravsky, and he has the mystical item to transfuse bloodā¦ Hmm, could it be that this vampireās companion will offer a bounty, and he wishes for me to sell this information? Klein was surprised for a moment before he walked out of the Harvest Church without a word.
After finding a secluded place, he undid the spirit pendulum wound around his left wrist and started to divine if he should visit 32 Verdi Street at that very moment.
The answer he got was that there was some danger, but it wasnāt too high.
There is certain dangerā¦ Whereās the danger? What kind of danger would it be? Klein carefully analyzed the situation, suspecting that the Apprentice who died from losing control had turned into a ghost-type monster due to its intense grievance. Furthermore, it was a relatively strong one at that.
Thatās not right. That thief clearly came out with the Master Key without encountering any trouble. Could it be that the danger is in another secret location in the house? Klein thought for a moment and decided that it would be best for him to go only when he was sufficiently prepared. It prevented him from entering a situation in which he encountered an enemy whom he was unable to deal with, with his present Beyonder powers.
At the very least, Iāll have to wait until I buy bullets that can purify wraith shadowsā¦ He nodded slightly.
After this consideration, combined with his previous battle with Dawn Paladin Bishop Utravsky, Klein suddenly felt that he could vaguely conclude the first rule of a Magician: āNever perform unprepared!ā
Doing otherwise would result in a high chance of messing upā¦ Klein added silently.
ā¦
On Tuesday morning, after preparing butter and toasting two slices of bread, Klein was in no hurry to eat. He opened the door and retrieved the dayās newspaper from the mailbox.
Eh, thereās a letterā¦ He pulled the letter out from the newspaper and glanced at the envelope as he returned to the dining room.
Itās from Stuartā¦ It appears that he has already completed his preliminary investigations. Klein nodded slightly, tore open the envelope, shook the piece of paper, and sat down at the dining table as he read it.
Stuart claimed that the two suspects had shown no signs of abnormal behavior. One of them entrenched himself at the grocery store and guarded his wife and children, living a lifeless life, while the other was busy with various temporary jobs and working hard to maintain his life. They were not irritable, nor did they have the urge to fight. They also didnāt lock themselves up in a room.
At the end of the letter, Stuart lamented the harsh situation in East Borough and vowed to save enough money to avoid being reduced to staying there when he was old.
āThank you for your help. I will share my findings with the rest of you if there are any other clues,ā Klein replied to the letter simply when he saw how Stuart had no signs of being discovered. He didnāt want Stuart to delve deeper into the case, or else the Devil might detect the danger and kill any latent dangers in advance.
Putting away his pen and paper, Klein picked up a piece of bread that had already been soaked in butter and leisurely spent his breakfast with a cup of black tea and the newspaper.
During this process, he felt rather regretful that there were no signs that the Beyonder gathering organized by Old Mister Eye of Wisdom would be held.
Sigh, the existence of this Devil has seriously affected the lives of the Backlund Beyonders. I hope Mr. Isengard Stanton is able to notice my hint and be fruitful. Yes, he should be a ārecognizedā Beyonder by the officialsā¦ Klein put down the newspaper and picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth before he packed up to leave.
His plan today had been already decided last week.
He was to visit the Royal Museum for the Emperor Roselle Memorial Exhibition!
ā¦
In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Count Hall.
Audrey was wearing a light lace dress and donned snow-white fur as she waited for her personal maidservant, Anne, to help her put on a soft hat with pearls and a thin fishnet veil.
Beside her, Susie sat there with a bow tied around her neck.
āMy beautiful little princess, where do you plan on going?ā Count Hall asked, stroking his fine mustache as he descended the stairs.
Audreyās eyes replied with bright eyes, āFather, I plan to attend the Roselle Memorial Exhibition.ā
I can take a look at the original diary of Emperor Roselle and find a chance to get some for Mr. Foolā¦ she added in her mind.
Count Hall muttered to himself, āWhy are you going today? There will be a lot of people, and the scene will be very chaotic.
āYes, Iāll get someone to coordinate with the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery. After the official exhibition is over, theyāll open its doors specially for you and your friends for half a day. That way, you can have a quiet and undisturbed tour.
āIf you have anything you wish to look at closely, you can discuss it with them directly.ā
In that the case, that seems even better. I can directly look through the diaries in this exhibitionā¦ Audrey lifted her skirt and curtsied.