Chapter 33: The Joys of Life

Chapter 33: The Joys of Life

“The folk customs of the Southern Continent really are rather different from ours.” Audrey lowered her head and glanced at the feathered hat ornament inside the gift box, praising it sincerely. “But it still very much matches my aesthetic taste.”

Her latter sentence was half genuine and half polite. On one hand, she truly felt that the processed feather resembled a work of art. On the other hand, she also felt that its style was too obvious and extreme. It was not the kind of accessory she herself liked to use.

It was just like how many people, when visiting ancient ruins, would become interested in objects with unique shapes and mysterious patterns, praising them endlessly, yet very few would buy something similar to place at home or wear as an accessory.

Hearing this, Klein smiled and said,

“Within the Southern Continent, there are actually major differences among various folk customs. East and West Balam are almost completely different from the Highlands and the River Valley. Of course, they also have things in common. For example, they all revere gold, believing this metal possesses mystical power.”

At this point, he pointed at the feather in Audrey’s hand.

“Legend says those who wear this kind of hat ornament will receive the protection of the feathered serpent—that is, Death.”

He was hinting at the hidden function of the feather.

Audrey, already a Sequence 6 of the Spectator pathway, easily heard the hidden meaning in Mr. World’s words. She understood that this hat ornament could receive a so-called “Death” response at a critical moment and exert a certain effect.

As for the specific method of operation, it belonged to basic knowledge of mysticism, and Audrey had a very solid grasp of it. There was no need for Mr. Dwayne Dantès to explain further.

She smiled lightly without showing her teeth.

“I truly like it. I will insert it into my hat on a suitable occasion.”

Not bad. Speaking with a Spectator is easy… Klein returned the smile and pointed outside the door.

“There are still some gifts to deliver.”

“Today, you are the most popular person here,” Audrey responded with a smile, using this indirect way to express her thanks.

At the same time, she felt a little troubled inwardly. She hesitated over whether she should seize the opportunity now and tell Mr. World—who had been involved in Karon’s suicide case and had shown great interest and attention toward it—about Hvin Rambis.

Mm, Monday is almost here. I should leave it for the Tarot Gathering. It will be easier to communicate then… Perfect. I also need to ask Mr. Hanged Man, Madam Hermit, and the others how to handle the current situation, especially how to guard against the suggestions and hypnosis of high-sequence powerhouses. After all, it won’t always be possible to pray to Mr. Fool in advance and receive an angelic blessing… Thinking carefully about it, that kind of hypnosis really is frightening. Without noticing anything, one can simply follow orders, completely unaware of what has happened… Audrey’s thoughts bubbled like boiling water, one after another rising to the surface.

This made her begin to suspect that quite a few people in Backlund’s high society circles had suffered hypnosis before and had done things that went against their true thoughts and wishes.

In addition, she also faintly understood something:

Whenever her father and mother went to Saint Samuel Cathedral to attend Mass, the one presiding over the ritual was absolutely the Archbishop of Backlund. And anyone qualified to hold that post was surely a demigod of the Church of Evernight!

Sometimes, His Grace the Archbishop even comes to our home to visit and chat with us… Is this to guard against similar things? So that is why Hvin Rambis’s hypnosis of me was not too excessive? Audrey watched Dwayne Dantès leave her office and close the door behind him. She sat down again, picked up a pen, and unconsciously began doodling on a sheet of paper.

By the time she recovered from her thoughts, the blank paper in front of her already bore circle after circle, all interwoven together. There was also a pair of cold eyes and a face whose lines scattered outward.

With only one glance, Audrey’s spirit tensed. She hurriedly used friction between spirituality and matter to ignite that sheet of paper, burning it to ashes.

The things she had unconsciously doodled just now reflected, to a certain extent, her true inner emotions and thoughts!

And for a qualified Psychiatrist, interpreting similar drawings was a basic operation. Therefore, Audrey did not let any traces remain.

After a while, Klein finished delivering gifts and exchanged casual conversation with several directors. Then he entered the room set aside for part-time directors like him to rest. Finding paper and pen, he sat down on the sofa and, after some thought, began writing a letter:

“Dear Mr. Azik…”

While in the Southern Continent, Klein had already written about Adam obtaining 0-08, and about himself, Leonard, and Daly successfully taking revenge on Ince Zangwill. He had then blown the copper whistle, summoned the messenger, and sent the letter to the sleeping Mr. Azik. There was no doubt that, even now, he had not received a reply.

As for the fact that the letter mentioned Adam and 0-08, Klein did not care at all. In any case, that Angel of Imagination surely knew of his relationship with Mr. Azik. Sharing something that had happened with an acquaintance to a certain extent would not draw any intense reaction.

This time, the contents of Klein’s letter no longer involved the extraordinary domain. With a smile, and with gentle strokes of the pen, he gave a detailed account of the charitable bursary situation he had just learned from Audrey and the other directors. At the end, he wrote:

“…This truly is a meaningful thing. I feel satisfaction and joy from it. Mr. Azik, do you also think so?

“When you awaken, perhaps you can try doing something similar. In the future, with every revival, you might see children you once helped. At that time, although you may no longer remember them, they will surely still remember you…”

After finishing the letter and putting down the pen, Klein carefully read it through again. Only after confirming there were no problems did he blow the copper whistle, summon the skeletal messenger, and have it take the letter away.

Then, bringing his personal valet Enuni, he left the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation and arrived at the nearby Saint Samuel Cathedral. Inside the dark, peaceful prayer hall, he prayed silently for fifteen minutes.

As usual, Klein came before the donation box and placed inside the stack of cash in his hand, totaling eighty pounds.

Using that opportunity, he found Bishop Elektra, chatted with him for a while, and listened to a sermon.

This announced Dwayne Dantès’s return to religious social circles.

As for gifts, Klein did not give them in person, because this was inside the Goddess’s church. Privately, Butler Walter would naturally deliver the items to the homes of several bishops on his behalf.

…

At afternoon tea time, Klein followed his schedule and left 160 Böklund Street to visit Dr. Allen’s home. Richardson had gone there that morning to give advance notice and had received permission.

This time, Klein not only met Dr. Allen Ceres, but also his wife, Wilma Gladys, the baby who had been born not long ago, and the baby’s elder brother and sister, who were several years old.

“What a pity that I was unable to attend, uh…” Klein deliberately paused and smoothly waited for Wilma Gladys to smilingly reply, “Will.”

He reorganized his words.

“It is very regrettable that I went to East Balam and was unable to attend Will’s birth banquet.

“This is a protective amulet that is quite popular there. It can bring good luck to a child.”

As he spoke, he handed the golden ornament in his hand to Dr. Allen.

Allen Ceres was not especially good with words. He did not refuse and directly accepted it, nodding.

“Thank you.”

Then, gripping the cord, he lowered the golden amulet into the stroller beside him and shook it gently.

“Will, do you like it?”

The plump baby wrapped in silver silk raised his arm, swung it, and smacked the golden amulet away.

Smacked it away…

Inside the living room, the scene instantly became somewhat awkward. Klein chuckled and broke the silence.

“Children often react like this.”

At this time, a maid entered with a three-tier tray of afternoon tea snacks. Host and guest alike used the chance to shift the topic, and the atmosphere returned to harmony.

As Klein drank black tea and ate snacks, he spoke of the various unusual customs in East and West Balam. Allen and his wife, along with the two other children, listened with considerable interest and asked questions from time to time.

During this process, Klein suddenly turned his face toward the stroller and asked with a smile,

“You don’t seem to like my gift?”

As he asked the question, Allen, his wife, and everyone else in the living room showed not the slightest abnormality, remaining in the posture of listening seriously.

Within the illusionary scene Klein had created, the narration had not stopped!

Will Auceptin, his little arms chubby, snorted when he heard this. In a child’s tender voice, he said,

“What meaning is there in this kind of gift?

“You might as well have given me Guadar directly. At least that can be drunk!”

Klein smiled and shook his head. Then he said instead,

“I have a piece of news for you. Ouroboros was injured by a certain person. For a while, He probably won’t be able to continue searching for you.”

He did not dare mention Adam’s name or title, nor did he even think too much about Him, afraid that the leader of the Twilight Hermit Order would notice and thereby discover the whereabouts of Will Auceptin, the Snake of Fate.

As for descriptions like Amon’s brother, Klein temporarily gave up on those as well. No one knew whether Amon was still in Backlund. Mentioning the name of the Angel of Time too often might bring about a convergence of fate.

However, Klein believed Will Auceptin should be able to guess who had injured the Angel of Fate. Among those still active in the real world and of a level slightly higher than Ouroboros, only Adam and Amon remained.

The description he used was “a certain person.” That ruled out the possibilities of multiple angels joining forces or the use of Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts.

Will Auceptin was quiet for a while before saying,

“I knew it. From a long-term perspective, the deviation in your fate is a good thing.”

After exchanging this piece of information, Klein was just about to dispel the illusion when he suddenly heard Will Auceptin mutter,

“Ah, now I suddenly want to drink Guadar. It would be best with some ice.”

“That drink isn’t very good for children!” Klein interrupted the illusion with a serious expression and reached for one of the cups of ice cream the maid had just brought.

Then, under the gazes of Allen and Wilma, he scooped a piece of ice cream with a silver spoon and smilingly teased the child.

“Will, do you want some?

“Do you want some?”

Madam Wilma immediately laughed.

“Our Will doesn’t like eating that.”

The moment she finished speaking, Klein put the ice cream on the silver spoon into his own mouth.

“Wah!”

Inside the stroller, the child let out a loud cry.