Chapter 150: Wrapping Up

Chapter 150: Wrapping Up

In the silence that seemed to have frozen solid, Amyrius swiftly regained control of his expression. Heavy with authority, his voice low and deep, he said, “Tell me exactly what happened.”

Klein did not conceal much. He began with Auston Leavitt’s question, then mentioned the mysterious person who had warned him in the dream not to resist the tide of the era or the choice of history. After that, he briefly spoke of the sudden telegram, then roughly described Cynthia’s mutation, the situation at the scene, the secretary’s arrogance, his own response, and the subsequent investigation.

The only things he hid were the fact that February 4th was his first day on Olavi Island and the corresponding suspicions.

Of course, he also spoke very vaguely about the actual battle. He trusted Admiral Amyrius would understand. After all, what a Beyonder specialized in and which unique abilities they possessed were among their greatest secrets. If those secrets were leaked and understood by others, the other party could prepare targeted countermeasures, and the Beyonder might even die at the hands of someone of a lower Sequence.

Below the high Sequences, many Beyonders could be very powerful, but also very fragile.

Amyrius listened quietly until the end. In the dim room, no change could be seen on his face, but the fact that he neither interrupted nor asked questions already revealed certain things.

After several seconds of silence, he spoke in a grave tone.

“The mysterious person who invaded your dream emphasized the destiny of the era and its tide?”

“Yes.” Klein had already returned to Gehrman Sparrow’s face, and he did not deliberately explain that the mysterious person had not mentioned the specific plot involving Auston Leavitt.

Amyrius fell silent again for a moment before saying, “You maintained my appearance in the dream?”

“Yes. That is my secret.” Klein answered succinctly.

Amyrius gave a nearly imperceptible nod, pacing silently within a small area before looking once more at Gehrman Sparrow.

“There was nothing wrong with your choice.”

Hearing those words, Klein felt as though he had received the most final and effective kind of feedback. The potion inside his body seemed to digest considerably in response.

As his low voice echoed, Amyrius turned sideways and looked out the window, saying without emotion, “I originally did not intend to sign a contract with the substitute. Instead, I planned to tell Cynthia that I had signs of losing control and would be unable to approach her intimately for five days. But later, certain reasons made me change my mind.”

If not for the temporary contract’s compulsory restrictions, even if I could have endured the ordinary temptation, I wouldn’t have been able to withstand the magnified desire last night…

Of course, if Cynthia had known in advance about the five-day restriction, she wouldn’t have been so anxious to consume powder ground from the Necklace of Reproduction, and she wouldn’t have sensed the Mother Tree of Desire and mutated… But in that case, the initiative would have remained with the Naturist Sect. They could have found some other excuse to make Cynthia consume it…

This matter really was aimed at me… What exactly does the Mother Tree of Desire want to do? And what reason made Admiral Amyrius make such a crucial change? Klein faintly grasped something important. Looking at Amyrius’s profile, he asked, “What reason?”

Without the slightest expression, Amyrius answered, “You do not need to know.”

…For the first time, Klein hated that kind of response so much.

After thinking for a moment, he took out the cracked pendant and tossed it to Amyrius.

“This is the Necklace of Reproduction that originated from the Mother Tree of Desire.”

Amyrius raised his hand, caught it, lowered his head to glance at it, and said, “You may leave.

“Go to Bilt and receive your payment.”

You’re not worried I might know something I shouldn’t? That’s true. Auston and the others’ plot has already been exposed and learned by their political enemies, while Amyrius clearly wasn’t involved. So whether I understand it or not isn’t that big a problem… Klein had expected there to be a long-term confidentiality contract, but to his surprise, he was allowed to leave just like that.

Seeing that Amyrius did not bring up another matter on his own, Klein pointed at him and said, “Clothes.”

Only then did Admiral Amyrius raise his head and silently remove the tailcoat, shirt, and waistcoat he was wearing.

Klein had originally wanted to ask for additional payment on the grounds that the difficulty of the mission had exceeded the limits agreed upon beforehand. However, after faintly confirming that Cynthia’s matter had come because of him, he guiltily abandoned the idea. He quickly removed the comfortable sleep robe, changed into the tailcoat, and, following Amyrius’s instructions, leaped down from the window. With the guards somehow “blinded” to him, he silently left the garden villa.

Amyrius put on the sleep robe, gripped the Necklace of Reproduction, and walked to the window. He gazed at the crimson moon and the few scattered stars in the night sky, standing there in silence.

Expressionless, he stood there for a very long time without changing posture.

Pa!

His clenched left hand loosened slightly, and the cracked pendant shaped like a miniature rhinoceros horn fell to the floor in fragments, piece by piece, grain by grain.

…

At noon the next day, after sleeping peacefully, Klein left the inn and took a carriage to the Sweet Lemon Bar. In the room on the second floor, he met Bilt Brando.

“It’s over?” Bilt asked, both relieved and pleasantly surprised.

Klein nodded.

“Admiral Amyrius has returned.

“The remaining payment?”

Bilt revealed a smile he could not conceal. With his bodyguards dismissed outside the door, he personally went to the safe and took out the remaining five hundred pounds, as well as a blue cufflink.

“This is the mystical item made from the fishman swim bladder you provided,” Bilt introduced. “It can provide illusory scales hidden beneath your skin, making you as difficult to grasp as a fish and helping you withstand a certain amount of damage. With it, you can dive at least fifteen meters without protection and move freely underwater for ten minutes. Its negative effect is minor. It merely makes you more prone to fatigue than usual in hot or dry places.”

In other words, this cufflink and the Sun Brooch should be kept apart as much as possible… Klein reached out and accepted the money and the item.

“You’re not worried there might be a problem?” Bilt joked.

“Your assets are here,” Klein replied blandly.

His meaning was simple: if something went wrong, he would not have to worry about finding the person responsible.

Bilt’s smile stiffened for a second before he said, “It doesn’t have a name yet. You can give it one.”

“Fishman Cufflink.” Klein did not waste any brain cells on the matter.

“…A good name. Very descriptive.” Bilt forced a smile.

After a pause, he added, “That Artisan said he can solidify a ritual for summoning a spirit world creature onto a spiritual material. It can last for up to a year and a half, but he needs you to provide the detailed information.

“Heh, according to our agreement, I’ll pay for it. You don’t need to worry.”

“Good. Make it into a harmonica.” Klein took out paper and a fountain pen from his pocket and swiftly wrote down the ritual for summoning his messenger.

“A messenger? That’s quite rare. Beyonders outside the Death pathway usually have a hard time finding a suitable messenger.” Bilt took the sheet of paper and glanced at it casually. “Eh, if, during the crafting process, the messenger is accidentally summoned, she must be given one gold coin… What happens if she isn’t? Heh, spirit world creatures always have strange quirks. I’ve seen some especially fond of music, and others that linger beside piles of excrement.”

What happens if you don’t? Perhaps Miss Reinette Tinekerr will bring both your head and the Artisan’s head to me. She’s a creature with a castle in the spirit world. Maybe she’s even stronger than me—at least when I’m not using the Sea God Scepter… Klein lampooned inwardly and said in a low voice, “We’ll discuss the third promise for item crafting in the future.”

“All right.” Bilt had no objection to that. Then, with some curiosity, he asked, “Mr. Gehrman, how did you fool the three people Admiral Amyrius specifically warned you about—Secretary Luan, Governor Auston, and Miss Cynthia?”

…Klein did his utmost to keep his cheek from twitching.

“By following the materials and studying them carefully.”

He did not elaborate. Standing up with his hat in hand, he gave a polite bow.

“I should take my leave.”

“A pleasure working with you,” Bilt replied with a smile.

After watching Gehrman Sparrow’s back vanish through the doorway, he shook his head, chuckled, and muttered to himself, “That powerful and crazy adventurer is actually a natural actor?”

After lunch, one of his subordinates delivered the day’s newspapers.

Bilt smoked a cigar while flipping through them casually. Then his expression suddenly froze.

“Last night, the new Governor-General, Ben Conrad, held a banquet at his residence… New Governor-General? Auston Leavitt was removed from office?” Bilt picked up the other newspapers in astonishment and saw the same news.

Given his connections and resources on Olavi, a major event like a change in Governor-General should have reached his ears long ago. But this time, it had happened with extreme suddenness. The vast majority of people had only learned of it when the new Governor-General officially appeared.

A while later, one of the collaborators secretly serving Admiral Amyrius entered the room.

“His Excellency orders you to investigate the people around you, find all believers of the Naturist Sect, and sink them into the sea,” the collaborator relayed Amyrius’s instructions.

“All right.” Bilt asked in confusion, “What exactly happened? Starting yesterday, the Naturist Sect has suffered heavy blows.”

“His Excellency was assassinated by the Naturist Sect. Miss Cynthia was killed, Secretary Luan was injured, and the general’s guards suffered considerable losses,” the collaborator said simply.

“Ah?” For a moment, Bilt was stunned.

Weren’t those exactly the people Admiral Amyrius had specifically mentioned as the focus of the impersonation?

I even emphasized them to Gehrman Sparrow in particular…

Now Miss Cynthia is dead, Secretary Luan is injured, and Auston Leavitt has been removed from office… Bilt’s expression went blank as the corners of his mouth moved slightly.

…

Stoen City, capital of East Chester County.

Audrey quietly listened to a noble young lady speak, responding from time to time and offering comfort.

“Audrey, you really are an angel. After talking with you, I feel much better,” the noble young lady praised sincerely near the end of their conversation.

At that moment, Audrey saw a female pastor of the Church of Evernight come in. She modestly responded, then, with a faint smile, went over to greet her.

On the surface, the pastor was an ordinary person carrying out the lowest-level missionary work. In truth, she was a secret member of the Psychology Alchemists.

“Audrey, the potion formula has already arrived with me, but you must make enough contributions before you can obtain it,” the female pastor whispered while no one was paying attention.

Audrey’s eyes moved slightly.

“No problem.

“However, Madam Smine, can you tell me its name?”

The female pastor known as Smine glanced left and right, then lowered her voice.

“Hypnotist.”