Chapter 171: Investigating Themselves

Chapter 171: Investigating Themselves

Queen Borough, inside the luxurious villa of Earl Hall’s family.

The finest Feneport Saint Desi Mountain coffee gave off a rich aroma, mingling with the lovely fragrance of Queen black tea to form an intoxicating symphony of scent. The two wreathed the elegant three-tiered stands, setting off plate after plate of delicious and exquisite desserts.

This was Audrey’s afternoon tea.

Her noble friends with an interest in mysticism had arrived as invited, sitting around her amid pleasant conversation and laughter.

Under Audrey’s quiet guidance, Jane, Murray, and the others developed a strong interest in the “chivalrous bandit Black Emperor” who had appeared the previous night. One after another, their gazes turned toward Cons Learsen, the noble youth who had joined MI9.

“Did that ‘Black Emperor’ actually have Beyonder powers?” the sweet-looking Christine asked curiously.

Among them, every person’s father was at least a viscount, which gave those who liked mysticism sufficient status and channels to learn of the existence of Beyonder powers and potions. However, like Audrey in the beginning, they were unwilling to join the Nighthawks, Mandated Punishers, Machinery Hivemind, or MI9. They did not wish to waste large amounts of time carrying out official duties.

Aside from that, the families they belonged to could not be traced back a thousand years, nor to the time when the Loen Kingdom had just been founded in the Fourth Epoch. They were not ancient nobles, nor were they completely loyal to the royal family or entrenched among the upper ranks of the military. As a result, they had never been bestowed potion formulas. Even if they possessed Beyonder materials, they might not be able to recognize them; even if they recognized them, they would not know how to use them.

This greatly limited the possibility of Murray, Christine, and the others becoming Beyonders. They could only yearn for it, yet find it very difficult to take that crucial step.

As for whether their elders had privately collected potion formulas and cultivated a few Beyonders for their own families, that was not something they could know. After all, it was not allowed. If the king truly caught them with such evidence, he could absolutely use it as grounds to strip them of their titles.

Of course, at this very moment, there were already two “traitors” in the drawing room: Audrey, who had advanced to Sequence 8 Telepathist, and Viscount Glaint, who had collected one Beyonder material and would soon become an Apothecary.

The tall, thin young gentleman Cons took a sip of coffee and said, “I won’t answer directly. I’ll only tell you a few facts.

“In the dining room where the battle took place, apart from traces of a gas explosion, various methods also detected elements such as toxins, substitutes, a wraith’s shriek, and bullets condensed from sacred power. Oh, and that ‘Black Emperor’—no, that chivalrous bandit—was in a ghost-like state.”

It doesn’t seem to be the one who killed Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, nor does it seem to be the one who dealt with Lanevus in the sewers… The person who stole the Black Emperor card and created the Capim case is Mr. Fool’s third Blessed? Just in Backlund alone, He has at least three Blessed… How many Blessed does He have in total? Audrey’s heart stirred. Pretending to be innocent, she asked, “There was an intense supernatural battle there?”

Under her guidance, Murray went a step further and asked, “There were Beyonders in Capim’s house? Fairly powerful Beyonders? And more than one?”

“He was only a human trafficker…” Viscount Glaint could not help expressing his confusion.

Audrey maintained a faint smile and a curious gaze, waiting patiently for Cons’s reply.

Cons chuckled.

“Murray’s guess is correct. That is all I can say.

“Do you want my team leader to lock me in confinement?”

Capim had fairly powerful Beyonders in his house, and more than one…

As expected, he wasn’t an ordinary human trafficker. Perhaps he was involved in many mystical incidents…

Human trafficking… Could he have been involved in evil cult sacrifices? Was Mr. Fool’s Blessed acting against that?

The Lanevus incident was similar. It involved an evil cult, sacrifices, and the descent of the True Creator… I wonder which evil cult and which evil god was behind Capim…

Mr. Fool’s targets seem to have always been aimed at those evil gods… Is this truly a game between deities? I wonder how many major affairs of those evil gods He has already ruined… Audrey instantly connected many things, and her emotions gradually surged.

The enemies of our Tarot Club are evil gods!

Anything else is unqualified!

Does Mr. Fool want to earn the title of “Bane of Evil Gods”? Audrey pressed her lips together and laughed silently in her heart.

Immediately afterward, she restrained her emotions and repented inwardly.

Audrey, how could you? How could you make jokes about Mr. Fool…

…

Around noon, Klein returned to Minsk Street. As expected, he found a letter in his own mailbox—Old Kohler had paid a coachman to deliver it.

This was the emergency contact method they had agreed upon.

Of course, according to Klein’s expectations, Old Kohler, who could not read words, would only use simple symbols to tell him when and where to meet. To his surprise, once he unfolded the letter, it was filled with neat handwriting.

With just one glance, Klein confirmed that it matched the handwriting in Daisy’s wordbook.

Looks like that girl helped Old Kohler write it… The paper hasn’t been soaked by dampness either. Maybe Old Kohler specially bought some paper just for urgent contact… Klein opened the front door and walked into the living room while reading the letter.

He did not take off his coat. He only removed his hat and leaned his cane against the wall, because the fireplace inside the room had not yet been lit, and the cold of early November was silently drilling into his bones.

The content of the letter was very simple. After all, Daisy did not know that many words.

First, she thanked Mr. Detective for his kindness and goodwill. Then she told Klein that she had returned home safely. Finally, in a tactful manner, she mentioned that she hoped Mr. Detective could bring the wordbook with him the next time he came to the East Borough.

A polite girl… Klein chuckled softly. With a snap of his fingers, he burned the letter, leaving no clues behind.

He decided to make another trip to the East Borough tomorrow to return the wordbook to Daisy, as well as reimburse Old Kohler for the cost of delivering the letter, the paper, and the pen.

At that thought, he could not help sighing, then laughed softly.

“Captain, now it’s my turn to reimburse other people’s expenses…”

With only the final bit of aftermath left, Klein suddenly found himself with free time. He did not waste it. Leaving home again, he went straight to the Krag Club—Dr. Allen often appeared there on Friday afternoons, and Klein wanted to ask about the child who played with tarot cards, Will Auceptin.

After entering the Krag Club in the Hillston Borough, Klein said to the red-vested attendant who came to greet him, “A cup of Marquis black tea and a dessert. Send them to the corner of the hall, to the table where Dr. Allen and Reporter Mike are sitting.”

Klein had already seen the gold-rimmed glasses and rather aloof demeanor of the well-known surgeon Allen Kress, as well as the Daily Observer reporter Mike Joseph, with whom he had worked twice and whose blue eyes were quite charming. Beside them was Talim Dumont, a noble equestrian teacher who appeared at the club more often than anyone except Sherlock Moriarty.

“Oh, our great detective has arrived. We were just talking about you,” Talim said, rising with a smile.

“Speaking ill of me?” Klein joked.

Mike stood up as well and shook his hand.

“No. I want to hire you again.”

“What happened this time?” Klein bowed slightly to Dr. Allen and sat down at their table.

Mike chuckled.

“You must have read the newspapers, right? Capim was taken out by the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor, and his crimes were exposed. What a delightful matter!

“And as a reporter, I must have enough news sensitivity. I plan to get a list from the police department and go to the East Borough to interview the rescued girls, then truthfully restore the most vicious, cruel, and unforgivable side of Capim for the newspaper’s readers. Of course, the victims’ identities must remain anonymous.”

He paused, lowering his voice.

“I also have a hidden purpose—or rather, an idea. Through these interviews, I want to figure out whether those girls and their families know any relatively special friends. Maybe that person is the chivalrous bandit Black Emperor!”

You really did come to the right person… Klein nearly twitched the corner of his mouth.

He smiled at Mike and said, “We have worked together on matters in the East Borough before. There is enough familiarity and trust between us. I have no reason to refuse.”

“Then here’s to a pleasant collaboration!” Mike said with a relaxed expression, extending his hand. “We’ll start tomorrow or the day after. The pay will be the same as last time: ten pounds in total.”

At that moment, Dr. Allen, who had been listening from the side, said, “Sherlock, I also want to hire you. This evening, or after dinner.”

My market value has really been rising lately… Klein asked with amusement, “Will it conflict with Mike’s commission?”

“No.” Allen shook his head. “My luck has been good recently. That makes me suspect all the more that my previous misfortune was caused by that child’s reversed Wheel of Fortune card and the words he said. I’m very confused and troubled by this. I can say that I treated him very well and with great kindness. Why would he do that to me? I want to visit his home and confirm that he did it unintentionally. However, I am still afraid of such things, afraid that some accident might happen, so I want to hire you to protect me. Just tonight. It won’t conflict with Mike’s commission. What do you think?”

This is exactly what I wanted to do! Challenge the impossible… After doing something kind, has my character really improved? Have I truly become the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck? Klein felt a burst of pleasant surprise, but he only gave a reserved smile.

“No problem. We can discuss the compensation.”

…

The City of Silver.

Derrick Berg once again examined the translucent little worm with twelve rings—the remnant left behind by Amon’s avatar.

He had originally wanted to consult Mr. Fool about what it was, but considering that he had already troubled this godlike existence once, his skin proved a little too thin. He abandoned the plan he had set, preparing instead to materialize it at the next Tarot Gathering and ask Mr. Hanged Man, Miss Justice, and the others.

After hiding the little worm, Derrick suddenly thought of something. The team that had followed Elder Lovia the Shepherd to explore that half-destroyed temple of the Fallen Creator should be returning around this time. That place was not too far from the City of Silver and was in a direction they had not previously set foot in.

He decided to go take a look. Many of his acquaintances were among them.