Chapter 119: Dawn Dantes’s New Business

Chapter 119: Dawn Dantes’s New Business

Leonard stared fixedly at the portrait of Sherlock Moriarty lying on the desk. In his mind, he reconstructed the other man’s appearance without glasses and without a beard.

Although this might differ somewhat from reality, belonging to a product of both guesswork and imagination, Leonard increasingly felt that Sherlock Moriarty looked familiar—very much like someone he had once known.

“How is that possible? He died long ago! I personally buried him!” Leonard could not help shaking his head, giving a soft, self-mocking laugh.

Before his words had fully faded, his expression abruptly stiffened, because the person in his memories had not been simple. He had hidden very great secrets.

That person had strangely broken free from the influence of 2-049 without anyone else’s help!

That person had used 2-049’s special nature to kill a Sequence 7 Beyonder, even though he had only been a Diviner who was not skilled at combat!

That person had summarized the acting method in a very short time and advanced to Sequence 8 at an astonishing speed!

That person had possessed a high-Sequence charm of the Sun domain and, together with Captain Dunn Smith, who had used the sacred ashes, had actually killed Megose, who had been carrying the child of an evil god!

That person’s Sequence 8 Beyonder characteristic had been taken by Ince Zangwill, while Captain Dunn Smith’s Sequence 7 Beyonder characteristic had remained on the spot!

Perhaps it was not that Ince Zangwill casually took away a Beyonder characteristic that had just happened to separate, causing something to go missing at the scene. Perhaps the corresponding object had never formed in the first place!

Leonard Mitchell abruptly came back to himself and once again examined Sherlock Moriarty’s portrait.

After more than ten seconds, he squeezed a name out from between his teeth:

“Klein Moretti…”

The more he looked, the more he felt that the mysterious detective Sherlock Moriarty looked extremely like his former teammate, the hero who had saved Tingen, Klein Moretti!

And that was even with the two obvious distinguishing features—glasses and beard—separating the two!

At some unknown point, Leonard’s hands had clenched into fists, every joint whitening. After a while, he exhaled audibly and once again picked up Sherlock Moriarty’s file.

This time, with an exceptionally clear purpose, he flipped directly to the approximate time the other party had first arrived in Backlund:

Early September!

And that was not long after Klein Moretti had been buried!

Leonard Mitchell’s emerald-green eyes grew darker and deeper. Instinctively, he continued flipping through the file.

Then he saw a name:

Lanevus!

This was one of the planners of the evil god’s descent in Tingen City, and the main culprit behind the deaths of Dunn Smith, Klein Moretti, and other Nighthawks.

And the second matter recorded after Sherlock Moriarty came to Backlund was that, because of the serial murder case, he had gone to the docks to investigate and just happened to come into contact with Lanevus, who had been hiding his identity!

After that, the True Creator’s attempt at descent was ruined, and Lanevus died in the sewers, his body covered in tarot cards. This was similar to the later style of the chivalrous thief Black Emperor.

At least he did not forget the harm that swindler caused…

Leonard muttered silently. His expression softened quite a bit.

He quickly read through the file again, then sat in his chair without moving for a very long time, as though he had fallen asleep inside the shadow cast by the lamplight.

After several minutes, Leonard finally changed posture. Leaning back against the chair, he said in a low voice, “Old man, do you think this detective Sherlock Moriarty resembles the teammate I had in Tingen, Klein Moretti?”

Inside his mind, the slightly aged voice spoke after a moment’s hesitation.

“The one who joined the Nighthawks because of the Antigonus family notebook?”

“Yes…” Leonard replied in a heavy voice.

After two seconds, the parasite inside his body said, “Somewhat.”

Having received that answer, Leonard once again fell silent. Only after a long time did he take out a gold-cased pocket watch, snap it open, and glance at it, confirming that it was still only morning.

Leonard immediately closed the watch cover, shot to his feet, and nearly knocked over the stack of documents on the desk.

He hurriedly reached out and steadied the papers. Then he left a note saying that he had discovered a clue, planned to investigate it, and might return very late.

Let me see whether someone is impersonating the hero of Tingen, or whether you have been wearing a mask all along—whether you were a member of a hidden organization who infiltrated the Nighthawks, and whose true purpose is no nobler than Ince Zangwill’s, likewise targeting the items behind Chanis Gate…

Leonard no longer carried his usual careless manner. His eyes narrowed slightly as he quickly left the underground area beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.

…

Hillston Borough, outside a very distinctive building.

Dawn Dantes stepped down from the carriage and saw a house built mainly in late Fourth Epoch style.

The building made extensive use of huge stones. It had four floors, and every window on each floor looked like a door, corresponding to a small balcony.

Because of the passage of time, its overall color was sandy yellow. Stone pillars and arches together supported an elegant portico, giving it an extremely dignified appearance.

This was precisely where the East Balam Veterans Club was located.

Klein lifted his cane, pointed at the building before him, and said with a smile, “It has a great sense of history.”

Councilman Macht nodded in response.

“It is actually an imitation of ancient architecture, but it itself already has more than a century of history…”

As he spoke, he led Dawn Dantes into the club and said to the lady at the front desk, “Dawn Dantes. Informal member. I am the recommender.”

After speaking, he turned slightly and explained to the wealthy gentleman, “You never served in East Balam, nor did you participate in any of the battles there. You were not even born into the military, so there is no way for you to become a formal member.

“However, even as an informal member, you can freely enter and leave this place, use the club’s various facilities, enjoy delicious food and alcoholic beverages, and make all kinds of friends.”

“That is exactly what I look forward to,” Klein said with a smiling nod.

After the beautiful lady with Southern Continent ancestry completed the registration, Macht added, “There is no joining fee. The annual membership fee is sixty pounds.”

With that, he chuckled and said, “It is not expensive, especially not for you. Here, you can come into contact with all kinds of weapons, there are enough shooting ranges for you to practice with, and you can also learn horsemanship…”

For a club of this level, sixty pounds truly is not expensive. One should know that generals often appear here, and it has several rather famous chefs…

Klein said nothing more. He took out his wallet, counted out sixty pounds for the receptionist, and received a badge marked with a forest, ocean, and crossed blades. On the back was a number.

“This is a place filled with the radiance of honor. I deeply admire the contributions you made in East Balam,” Klein said as he pinned on the badge, looking toward Councilman Macht. “If I wish to make some contribution here, whom should I look for?”

Councilman Macht pointed at the lady at the front desk.

“Just give it to her.

“She will record it and announce it on the bulletin board over there.”

Klein nodded lightly.

“Good.”

He then turned his head, having his personal valet Richardson take out the prepared five hundred pounds in cash.

After making the donation, Klein followed Councilman Macht through the richly decorated hall and into a room like a sitting room. His personal valet Richardson was left in the lounge outside, where there were snacks, black tea, and coffee.

Inside the small room, through Macht’s introduction, Klein met five officers, either retired or still serving. Apart from a certain Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, the one with the highest status was an army colonel named Calvin. He currently worked in the Loen Ministry of Defense, though his specific position was unknown.

And as far as Klein knew, someone in the military who could hold the quasi-high-ranking status of a colonel was most likely a Beyonder, and quite possibly mid-Sequence!

Macht, Calvin, and the others soon began chatting. Klein did not force his way into the conversation. He listened attentively to their exchange, only occasionally adding one or two comments.

In this relaxed and leisurely atmosphere, Calvin suddenly turned his head and looked at Dawn Dantes.

“I heard you were often active in West Balam in the past?”

This colonel had a long face, yet he did not appear funny in the slightest. His gaze was rather deep.

Klein answered with a smile, “Yes. It is even more chaotic there than East Balam.”

Hearing this, Calvin laughed.

“Of course. The Intis people made too many mistakes there.”

He paused, then continued asking, “How are your relations with the Intis people there?”

Klein was not quite sure of the other party’s purpose, so he could only bite the bullet and say, “Not bad. They are all very greedy.”

In truth, he did not know a single one of them. He had only heard Anderson mention a few names and corresponding deeds.

Calvin nodded, then asked another question:

“Are you familiar with the tribes there, and with the resistance armies?”

“…I know some of them,” Klein replied vaguely.

The only “army leader” resisting Intis whom he knew was the former Intis princess, the Queen of Mysteries, Bernadette.

Calvin smiled and lifted his glass of red wine, taking a small sip.

During this process, everyone else, including Councilman Macht, remained silent.

Putting down his wineglass, Calvin once again looked toward Dawn Dantes.

“It is like this. Every year, we eliminate many firearms and cannons from service. If we directly destroy them or handle them in other ways, either the waste is too great or the cost is too high. Neither option is ideal.

“I wonder whether you would be interested in buying a batch and selling them to West Balam—to regions under Intis rule—to those tribes and resistance armies.

“Believe me, this is absolutely an extremely profitable business. Of course, it is also very dangerous. If you are caught by the Intis people in West Balam, we will not acknowledge that you are working for us.”

This… This is asking me to become an arms dealer? This is one of the most profitable businesses around… Although I am not familiar with West Balam at all and have no connections there, I can resell them through various turns to the Queen of Mysteries, or sell them to the resistance army in the Rorsted Archipelago…

Klein’s heart stirred. He deliberately revealed complex and conflicting emotions.

“I have never done anything similar, but it is indeed tempting enough.”

Calvin laughed loudly.

“There is no need to rush into a decision. This is an important matter and worth careful consideration.

“As long as you tell Macht your answer within this week, that will be enough.”

Klein secretly breathed out in relief and nodded with a smile.

“Alright.”

…

Tingen City, Raphael Cemetery.

Although the afternoon sunlight was quite strong, many places here remained dark and chilly.

Leonard stood before a grave, silently staring at the gravestone.