Chapter 111: The Extraordinary and the Ordinary

Chapter 111: The Extraordinary and the Ordinary

After handling the mutated glass bottle, Klein took out his gold-cased pocket watch, pressed it open, glanced at it, and memorized the current time.

He had to return here three hours later and separate the Unshadowed Cross from the Bottle of Enslavement. Only by doing so could he obtain a standalone Manipulator Beyonder characteristic, rather than a product mixed together with the characteristics of every preceding Sequence.

“It feels a bit like doing an experiment…” Klein nodded slightly, put away his pocket watch, returned to the real world, and truly began his afternoon nap.

At four o’clock in the afternoon, under Butler Walter’s watch, personal valet Enuni knocked on his employer’s door.

“What is it?” Dwayne Dantès, dressed in sleeping clothes and rubbing his forehead, opened the bedroom door.

Enuni bowed and said,

“Sir, the afternoon tea invitation you accepted from Madam Liana the night before last is for today.”

“All right. Give me fifteen minutes to prepare.” Klein looked toward Butler Walter as he spoke.

Then he instructed his personal valet, Enuni:

“Come in and help me change.”

Once only he and his marionette remained inside the room, Klein manipulated the latter to bring over clothes appropriate for afternoon tea while occasionally glancing at the wall clock.

About ten minutes later, after tying his bow tie and putting on his coat, he took four steps counterclockwise where he stood and went above the gray fog.

At that moment, exactly three hours had passed since his previous visit.

At the very top of the bronze long table, the mutated glass bottle—firmly pressed together with the Unshadowed Cross by the gray fog’s power—had already lost the faintly glowing, gridded quality that had made it seem like a work of art. It now appeared to have abruptly changed into a common daily-use item one might see by the roadside.

At the bottom of the glass bottle, however, a large amount of grayish-white substance had separated out. It flowed on its own as though filled with vitality, forming a heart-shaped object the size of a child’s fist. Its surface was not only covered in many folds, but also split open with one eye-like crack after another. As for the complex, three-dimensional patterns, signs, and symbols that extended inward and pierced into the void, they were almost identical to what Klein had seen when he obtained Hvin Rambis’s Beyonder characteristic.

There are just a few slight differences… Klein released the gray fog’s suppression and took the Unshadowed Cross out of the bottle’s mouth.

Only after this step did the separated object fully detach from the mutated glass bottle, becoming complete and independent.

Klein picked up the object that resembled both a brain and a heart with his left hand, examined it for a few seconds, then tossed it into the miscellaneous pile, where gray fog shrouded it.

At that moment, a voice once again sounded from within the mutated glass bottle, only this time, it was rather weak:

“You… this… devil…”

Klein gave no response. Holding the Unshadowed Cross in his right hand, he inserted it back into the bottle’s mouth and used the power of the gray fog to press them tightly together.

Thus, the ancient palace returned to tranquility.

After returning to the real world, Klein put on his top hat, picked up his cane, and rode a carriage away from 160 Böklund Street toward Member of Parliament Macht’s residence at 39 Böklund Street, in the same neighborhood.

…

Inside the elegantly decorated sitting room of Member of Parliament Macht’s house, several guests sat around an exquisite three-tiered serving tray. Before each of them stood a cup of alluringly colored black tea.

Klein picked up a small cucumber sandwich, took a light bite, and spoke half in jest, half with genuine feeling:

“The desserts today seem to have rather distinctive shapes, whether the carrot cake or the cream scones.”

Hearing this, Member of Parliament Macht laughed heartily.

“Dwayne, your powers of observation truly are sharp.”

That has nothing to do with observation. Anyone who isn’t blind can see it. They’re all oddly shaped… After grumbling inwardly, Klein said,

“That sounds like a good thing.”

“Of course. Hazel made them herself. You can all try some later. Although she still cannot effectively control their appearance, they truly taste quite good.” Member of Parliament Macht spoke with a hint of showing off.

On the other side, Portland Moment, president of Backlund Technical University, immediately laughed.

“That does not sound like the Hazel I know.”

Member of Parliament Macht glanced at Madam Liana, then said in satisfaction,

“Everyone grows, do they not?

“Hazel really has matured recently. She is not only willing to learn those courses she once resisted, the ones prepared for socializing and marriage; she also occasionally makes desserts, plays music for us, and often takes the initiative to accompany her mother to concerts, horse races, department stores, and all sorts of salons and banquets, where she quietly listens.”

According to Miss Justice, Hazel’s treatment has already progressed to the stage where she can recall the tremendous fright and pain she once suffered. Although that is only a direct emotional sensation and does not yet involve the specific course of events, it is enough to make Hazel occasionally dream that she lost her parents and most of her relatives… This has made her unconsciously begin to cherish her family, and because of that, she has changed herself to a certain degree? Klein nodded thoughtfully and smiled.

“That is a good thing.”

“Yes.” Member of Parliament Macht responded with deep feeling. “I was once very worried about Hazel’s personality. I worried she would be unable to obtain a beautiful marriage, unable to interact normally with people in this circle. After we died, if she encountered difficulties, she might not be able to find anyone to help her. Now, I can finally feel at ease.”

A heartfelt smile appeared on Member of Parliament Macht’s face. Rarely, he revealed the worries he had carried in the past.

He then raised an arm, waved it lightly, and spoke with unusual boldness:

“Why do I oppose the damned smog and pollution? Why do we contend with Feysac in East Balam and with Intis in West Balam over colonial interests? Is it not all so that our descendants can live better lives with fewer worries?

“To me, Hazel’s maturity is more meaningful than the merits I established in East Balam or the battles I fought in the House of Commons.”

Klein quietly listened to Member of Parliament Macht speak, unable to resist turning his head to glance out the window.

Outside, clouds densely filled the sky, and the sun could not be seen.

At that moment, Portland Moment responded to Member of Parliament Macht half jokingly:

“No, those things are also so that we ourselves may live better.”

At this point, he looked toward Klein and said,

“Dwayne, have you thought it through? Do you want to invest in my mechanical laboratory?”

Klein laughed softly.

“Mr. President, why are you still as impatient as a young man?

“I have already looked through the materials you provided and gained a rough impression of what rights, interests, and returns the investment might bring. To be frank, I am quite interested. I am especially satisfied that this mechanical laboratory can train one talented young person after another. That is exactly the kind of place one should invest in. What is most valuable in the current era? Talent!”

“Emperor Roselle once said that.” Portland Moment chuckled. “So, how much do you plan to invest?”

Klein picked up his bone-china teacup, took a sip of black tea, and said,

“The preliminary plan is ten thousand pounds.”

“You truly deserve to be Backlund’s most famous wealthy gentleman of late. I cannot even guess how many assets you actually possess. First, you donated shares worth over ten thousand pounds. Then you spent twenty thousand gold pounds to purchase Rose Song Manor. Now you intend to invest a full ten thousand pounds into Portland’s mechanical laboratory…” Madam Liana, who sat nearby, could not help exclaiming in admiration.

Portland Moment, meanwhile, raised his thumb.

“This is what a truly discerning investor looks like.”

Klein smiled.

“But I will still first have a team of lawyers and accountants verify the situation and draft the terms. Professional matters should be left to professionals. In addition, I must consider whether to invest directly, or whether to first establish a company or foundation and complete it through that. Mm, Portland, I think there is one area where your considerations are insufficient. Such an important laboratory actually has no protective measures! Are you not afraid of commercial spies or foreign powers infiltrating and sabotaging it?”

Portland Moment was stunned for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“That is very reasonable… I somewhat overlooked that problem before.”

Having achieved his goal, Klein did not continue entangling himself in that topic. Instead, he deliberately asked,

“Is there still no news about Major General Qonas Kilgor?”

Member of Parliament Macht sighed.

“No. Sivellaus Yard says they have searched Rose Song Manor and the surrounding area thoroughly, yet they have not found even the slightest clue.”

As he spoke, the member of parliament lowered his voice.

“I suspect that major general encountered an accident while carrying out some secret mission. The atmosphere among the upper levels has been somewhat strange recently…”

In a certain sense, your guess is completely correct… Klein sighed with him.

“I hope nothing has truly happened.”

During the afternoon tea that followed, Klein kept an eye on the time and made a trip to the washroom, placing the Dreamwalker Beyonder characteristic that had separated out from the mutated bottle into the miscellaneous pile.

By the time the gathering ended and he returned to 160 Böklund Street, the sky had truly darkened. The gas streetlamps on both sides of the road had been lit in advance, and fine, pattering rain began knocking against the carriage windows.

“Right now, all the problems are concentrated on what exactly is hidden inside the Blood Emperor’s ruin. As long as the three Churches can discover the problem in time, many things can be prevented from erupting.” Klein looked out at the hazy lights blurred by rain and considered the recent situation. “In the short term, unless we can catch Katerina, there is nothing much I can help with. And the Goddess is digesting or mastering the Death Uniqueness, so She might not have the ability to respond at that level.

“To solve this difficult problem, either a targeted Grade 0 Sealed Artifact must be brought over from the Holy See, or we rely on the Churches of Storms and Steam and see which of those two true gods responds… Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts might not necessarily work, since a King of Angels is involved. And within the two Churches, traitors are very likely hidden…”

The distance from 39 Böklund Street to 160 was not far. Before Klein had fully organized his thoughts, he had already arrived at his front door and had to step down from the carriage.

When he went to the third floor to change clothes, his spiritual intuition suddenly stirred. He saw Reinette Tinekerr, holding four blond-haired, red-eyed heads, walk out from the void.

“From Sharron?” Klein asked as he reached out and accepted the letter, already guessing.

“Yes…” one of the heads Reinette Tinekerr carried opened its mouth and answered.

Klein said nothing more. He opened the envelope and unfolded the paper, only to see a single line of words:

“The operation begins tonight at ten.”