Chapter 14: The Same Night

Chapter 14: The Same Night

After listening to the Hanged Man’s account, Klein inevitably thought once more of Red Angel Medici and of the evil spirit within the underground ruins.

However, he did not share what he had discovered during the recent exploration. First, there was no need for the moment. Second, it involved Miss Sharron.

As for the other members, they had already learned of Bansy Harbor’s destruction last time, and the Hanged Man had not revealed any new intelligence. Naturally, none of them felt the need to respond.

Seeing that no one spoke, Alger swept a glance at the World, then withdrew his gaze and said calmly, “It is your turn.”

The Hermit Cattleya immediately turned her head and looked toward the Magician Fors.

“Ma’am, what else do you know about Mr. Door? I can pay an appropriate fee.”

Fors, who had originally not wanted to reveal her own problem, suddenly hesitated and wavered when she heard the latter half of the sentence.

A fee… I wonder how much Miss Hermit is willing to pay me… I don’t know all that much about Mr. Door either… and some of it comes from Mr. Fool’s words…

The Magician Fors looked once more toward the seat of honor at the long bronze table.

“Honorable Mr. Fool, may I speak of it?”

Since he saw her every full moon, Klein knew that Miss Magician’s financial situation was not particularly good. He smiled and nodded.

“You may.”

Fors silently sighed in relief, then turned toward the Hermit Cattleya.

“500 pounds. You may apply for a private exchange.”

Cattleya did not bargain. After thinking briefly, she said, “There is no need. Speak directly.”

She hoped that after the other members heard Miss Magician’s explanation, they might recall more matters related to Mr. Door.

Fors nodded and chose her words.

“I once obtained a mystical item. It could help people travel through the spirit world. But after using it, whenever there was a full moon or a blood moon, I would hear strange ravings. They bring pain that is close to losing control.

“And according to Mr. Fool, those ravings come from Mr. Door.”

She paused for a second, then added, “He may be asking for help.”

So Fors has been silently enduring such pain… She usually doesn’t show it at all, always seeming as if she enjoys life…

While Justice Audrey instinctively felt sympathy for her friend, she also reproached herself for not effectively using her Spectator abilities to discover what was wrong with Fors.

A mystical item for spirit world travel… ravings during the full moon… suspected calls for help…

The Hermit Cattleya repeated the key points in Miss Magician’s words inwardly and nodded in satisfaction.

“Thank you for your description.”

Her gaze swept over the other members, but she regrettably discovered that no one had any additional reaction.

The free exchange segment continued and came to an uneventful end.

After watching the members leave and helping them complete the practical parts of several transactions, Klein returned to the real world and sat in his easy chair, feeling somewhat relaxed as he rested for a while.

Then he walked to the desk, took out paper and pen, and wrote to Sharron, telling her that the lucky necklace had been sold and that only the Biotoxin Bottle remained. In addition, he still had the Beyonder characteristic of a Madman.

After folding the letter and writing down No. 126 Gard Street, Hillston Borough, Mrs. Marya, and the other corresponding information, Klein once again opened the iron cigarette case, allowing Admiral of Blood Senor to silently appear beside him.

This Wraith was like a personal valet as he humbly picked up the letter on the desk and vanished from the room.

A few blocks away, at a mailbox, a letter appeared out of thin air and dropped inside.

…

East Chester County, inside the Hall family’s castle.

Audrey’s green eyes stared unfocused at the mirror, her mind echoing with the contents of the Book of Secrets.

This knowledge interwove into an illusory book. Once she recalled it, the book would appear, and she could turn to the corresponding page according to her will.

This was a product Klein had created after he became able to directly mobilize a small amount of the mysterious space above the gray fog, combining the information bestowed with a Seer’s dream-recollection ability. It could last one to two weeks.

That was enough time for Audrey to finish reading the Book of Secrets. After that, if there were anything she could not remember clearly, she could request another bestowment.

“Mr. Fool’s condition seems to be getting better and better…” Audrey thought happily as the light gradually returned to her eyes.

She stood up and walked toward the door. Smiling at the golden retriever lying outside in boredom, she said, “Susie, that posture is not very ladylike.”

Susie looked around vigilantly, twitched her nose, and only then spoke.

“This is the most standard posture during hound training.”

But you are not a qualified hound… Audrey grumbled inwardly, then smiled and said, “I thought you would answer me like this: Audrey, I’m only a dog~”

Susie replied seriously, “Excessively repeated words make it easy for others to grasp one’s habits and psychological activities.

“Audrey, that is what the psychology book says.”

…For a moment, Audrey could not find a response. Just then, she saw her father, Earl Hall, leading a personal valet and an attendant up the castle stairs.

Although the sun was bright outside, this area remained dim and gloomy. Some candelabra had even already been lit, embedded in the walls and illuminating the stairs.

“This castle is far too old. I think it needs a major renovation,” Earl Hall casually complained to his daughter.

Audrey nodded reservedly.

“Yes, dear Earl. That is precisely why I do not like it here. It makes me feel as if I am slowly rotting away.”

“And yet I spend 13,000 pounds every year maintaining this place,” Earl Hall said with a rueful laugh.

Audrey glanced at Susie, then smiled at her father.

“Father, what brings you to me?”

Earl Hall pointed at the papers in the attendant’s hand.

“A telegram from Backlund. Someone is selling ten percent of the shares in the Bicycle Company. My dear, are you interested? I believe this industry has a very bright future, and it is currently far from reaching even its lowest expectations.”

“Bicycle?” Audrey was rather unfamiliar with the term. Her eyes shifted slightly, and a puzzled expression appeared on her face.

Earl Hall smiled as he looked at his daughter.

“A two-wheeled machine for people to ride. You may understand it as the common person’s carriage.

“In Loen, in Backlund, the largest population is not made up of nobles or merchants, but ordinary people engaged in manual labor. Next are the more skilled and higher-status types among them. This is the crowd bicycles are targeting. They possess absolute numbers and a certain degree of purchasing power. Even if only ten percent are willing to buy bicycles, this company will see rather fine development.

“Mm, they hold the corresponding patents.”

Audrey trusted her father’s judgment and understood the prospects described by Earl Hall. She nodded lightly.

“How much are the ten percent shares worth?”

“According to preliminary investigations, the Backlund Bicycle Company is currently worth only 50,000 pounds. That is because the spread of the product and an explosion in sales still require time to ferment. Therefore, one cannot simply conclude that ten percent of the shares are worth only 5,000 pounds. My recommendation is an initial offer of 8,000 pounds, with a psychological bottom line of 15,000 pounds. I will have someone handle this matter for you,” Earl Hall said concisely.

Around ten thousand pounds… I have already spent almost all of this month’s cash…

Audrey said, somewhat embarrassed, “Father, I cannot immediately take out such a sum. Selling stocks, real estate, or mining assets—or waiting for their returns—would all require time.”

Earl Hall laughed heartily.

“There is no need for such trouble. Pledge your shares in the Backlund Arms Group or the Pritz Commercial Shipping Company to a bank for a short term, and you can obtain enough cash. Once the matter is settled, pledge the Bicycle Company shares to the bank for a longer term and use that loan to repay the previous loan.

“In this way, you only need to pay one or two weeks of higher interest to complete the transaction. The annual dividends of the Bicycle Company will be enough to pay the interest on the long-term loan, allowing you to patiently wait for the value to appreciate. And that is a high-probability outcome.”

Although Audrey had never received a complete education in commerce and finance, she had a father who was a great banker, so she was not unfamiliar with such matters. After thinking it over briefly, she understood the entire process and asked in confirmation, “In other words, I only need to pay two or three hundred pounds to obtain ten percent of the Bicycle Company?”

“Perhaps a little less,” Earl Hall said with a smile.

Audrey understood what her father meant. As the largest shareholder of Bavart Bank and the fourth-largest shareholder of Backlund Bank, he had more than enough ability to help his daughter obtain a short-term loan at a reasonable interest rate.

“Thank you, dear Earl.” Audrey smiled, lifted the hem of her skirt, and curtsied.

…

Under the moonlight of night, the seawater was a deep blue so dark it was nearly black. Alger Wilson stood at the bow and watched the quiet, crouching outline of Pasu Island.

This was the headquarters of the Church of Storms, the land blessed by a true god!

As a mid-level member of the Church, Alger remembered having come here only three times. Once was after finding the Blue Avenger and advancing to Seafarer. Another was during last year’s debriefing. The third had been long ago, when, as a mixed-blood child with deep blue hair, he had been selected to enter headquarters and become a member of the children’s choir. However, having no talent for singing at all, he was soon sent away and returned to the little church on the island of his birth to work as a servant. The priest there was a man exceedingly rough toward his subordinates.

Whenever he recalled this experience, his expression would become rather heavy, and his longing to climb to a high position would intensify.

Amid the wind, the Blue Avenger advanced quietly, sailing toward the harbor.

…

In Backlund, which had likewise entered the night, Emlyn White, wearing a crisp formal suit and a silk top hat, had hidden himself outside the residence of another Sanguine baron, Rus Bathory.

He believed the other party would soon take action and reclaim the bait. And for a Sanguine, such a night under the red moon was very suitable for hunting.

After an unknown length of time, Emlyn’s eyes suddenly brightened. He saw a figure leap down from a rear-facing window of the house and land silently on the ground.