Chapter 161: Hairlike Plants

Chapter 161: Hairlike Plants

Regarding Caron’s suicide case, the one most interested among those present was none other than Justice Audrey. However, she had long since noticed that the Magician Fors held a certain curiosity toward this matter as well. Therefore, she asked nothing, maintained her seated posture, and patiently waited for a certain bestselling novelist to speak.

In just one or two seconds, the Magician Fors looked toward the edge of the table in front of the World Gehrman Sparrow and, after weighing her words, asked, “What is the truth?”

Klein had long rehearsed in his mind how he should describe this. Without the slightest hesitation, he made the dummy World say, “The manipulator behind the scenes is very likely royal adviser Hvin Rambis. There is a high probability he has another identity: a councilor of the Psychology Alchemists.”

When she heard the first half of the statement, Justice Audrey’s mind naturally conjured the image of a kindly old gentleman. This man was born into an aristocratic family, had graduated from Perth University, possessed profound knowledge and exceptional insight, and had served as a royal adviser for over ten years. He was widely recognized as a scholar, a good man, and a gentleman.

Audrey had previously suspected that Caron’s suicide case might perhaps have been guided by the royal family, but she had never imagined that the actual manipulator would be the gentle, benevolent, kind, and humorous Hvin Rambis!

When the World Gehrman Sparrow revealed the gentleman’s other identity, she found it even harder to suppress her astonishment and shock.

Hvin Rambis is a Beyonder? A councilor of the Psychology Alchemists?

That is to say, he may be a half-human, half-god existence… I have met him many times and never once felt that he could be connected to the mysterious world. I always believed he was purely a scholar—a scholar with broad horizons…

And if Mr. World’s investigation has not been misled, it is truly hard for me to imagine that Hvin Rambis, famous for his willingness to help others, would be so indifferent toward a life, so coldly causing a child to lose a father, a wife to lose a husband, parents to lose a son… In ordinary times, he appears so cultured, so loving… Mm, politics is far dirtier than I imagined. The royal family as well…

Speaking of which, I have never met a councilor of the Psychology Alchemists and have never come into contact with their higher-ups. I never expected that, at their core, this hidden organization is not all that different from cults like the Aurora Order or the Numinous Episcopate… Our Tarot Club is still the best. Mr. Fool is always stopping or sabotaging the plans of evil gods and devils…

As Justice Audrey’s thoughts churned, the Hanged Man Alger keenly caught the smell of gunpowder hidden within Backlund’s political scene. He only felt that all sorts of forces were entangled there, with countless secrets mixed together, forming an enormous powder keg that could be detonated at any moment.

Nobles, the royal family, the Church of Storms, the Evernight Church, the Church of Steam, the newly rising wealthy class, commoners at the edge of the cliff, and the bottom rung living in miserable circumstances… The meaning of an era’s transformation was so clear. Yet previously, I failed to understand it distinctly and only believed, too simply, based on Qilangos’s words and “evidence,” that an era where old gods fade and new gods emerge is about to arrive. The tide of history surges forward, rolling and irreversible…

As Alger silently sighed, he seemed to see that towering Gothic clock tower, to see the Bell of Order hanging upon it.

Around that famous structure, air currents took shape, and the light dimmed, as though storm after storm were brewing in ring after ring.

In a daze, Alger suddenly had another thought:

What emerges may not necessarily be new gods. Perhaps there will also be ancient gods returning from far more distant eras…

Instinctively, he glanced at the uppermost seat of the bronze long table, then quickly withdrew his gaze. Waves surged within his heart, making it difficult for him to remain calm.

At this moment, he inexplicably felt that perhaps his previous ambitions and goals had been too small. He had only thought of becoming an archbishop of the Church of Storms, becoming a saint, possessing a voice across the entire world, and secretly guiding no small number of matters.

Since old gods are fading, new gods are emerging, and Mr. Fool is about to return to His seat in the Astral World, why can I not consider becoming an angel?

Only by reaching that level can one complete a qualitative change in life form, live for a long time, stand above all spirits, lead a large organization, and grasp power on a world scale!

As thoughts flashed one after another, the Hanged Man Alger felt a trembling no one else could detect. Excitement burst from within him.

The Hermit Cattleya, meanwhile, thought of the Queen of Mysteries’s whereabouts over the past two months. She felt that the Queen had spent a large portion of that time in Backlund.

Is something truly about to erupt in Backlund? When I write this time, I can try asking and see what answer the Queen gives…

Cattleya pushed up the thick glasses on the bridge of her nose and swept her gaze over Miss Justice and the other members from Backlund.

The Magician Fors knew some of the details of Caron’s suicide case. She knew very clearly that the victim had acted of his own accord throughout and had not been controlled. She knew the witnesses firmly believed that all of it had been caused by Dawn Dantes. Comparing those facts against the actual situation gave her a powerful fear of that councilor of the Psychology Alchemists. She did not want to one day discover that her own thoughts and preferences had all been implanted by someone else.

What difference is that from being a puppet? The mid- and high-Sequences of the Spectator pathway are truly terrifying… But this would make excellent writing material. Psychology already has hypnosis as a field… In my next book, I will write about a pathological female protagonist who falls in love with a gentleman, then uses hypnosis to make the other party love her back, only to discover at the end that the gentleman is actually a master hypnotist…

Fors opened her mouth, then closed it again. She asked nothing further about Hvin Rambis, because she did not know this royal adviser at all.

Klein had shared Hvin Rambis’s matter mainly to remind Miss Justice, telling her to be careful and guard against this councilor of the Psychology Alchemists. Seeing that his goal had already been achieved, he changed the subject and said, “There is one more thing. Help me pay attention to Qonas Kilgor. He is a major general and deputy director of MI9. On the surface, he is only Sequence 5, but in reality, he is already a demigod of the Black Emperor pathway. He has rather powerful spiritual intuition and is very sensitive to others’ gazes.”

Qonas Kilgor…

Justice Audrey repeated the name inwardly and discovered that she had almost no impression of this gentleman.

Either our social circles intersect very little, and even if we have occasionally met, I only nodded and never asked exactly who he was, or he is extremely low-key and seldom attends gatherings of that kind… I can ask Const when there is an opportunity. He is from MI9 and will definitely know this superior… Audrey was not especially surprised that Qonas publicly claimed to be only Sequence 5 but was actually a demigod. In her view, similar circumstances should be fairly common among members of intelligence agencies.

The Hanged Man Alger and the Hermit Cattleya had more or less heard of Qonas Kilgor, this high-ranking member of MI9, but both lacked further understanding. For now, they could only hurriedly update the information in their minds and remind themselves that if they ever encountered matters related to this person, they had to be particularly cautious.

Seeing that Mr. World had no more matters to share, the Sun Derrick did not wait for Mr. Hanged Man to ask. He proactively spoke.

“I made another new friend.”

He paused, then stepped into the main point.

“The area he patrols includes the mausoleum of the former Chief. He told me that the six-member council has not yet opened the door leading underground. However, in the cracks between the stones on the outer layer of the mausoleum, dense and strange plants have grown. They look very much like human hair.”

The six-member council has three demigods. Even if some are away exploring and not in the City of Silver, the other three, because they wield certain powerful sealed artifacts or graze evil spirits, should also possess strength close to that of demigods. Yet after joining forces for so many days, they still have not opened the former Chief’s mausoleum… This means the problem is not small… And what kind of operation causes plants like human hair to suddenly cover everything?

One question after another surfaced in Klein’s heart. He waited for Mr. Hanged Man to question little Sun.

He knew the other party would certainly ask.

After quietly listening, the Hanged Man Alger’s brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed. He considered and said, “Aside from that, are there any other abnormalities?

“Is the one responsible for opening the mausoleum that Shepherd Elder Lovia?”

“Not only her. The Chief is there as well, along with two other elders,” the Sun Derrick answered seriously. “There are no other abnormalities for now.”

Alger nodded.

“Very good. Maintain your present state. Establish connections with more people and pay close attention to changes in that mausoleum.”

Having received praise, Derrick hurriedly nodded several times.

After they exchanged information about a few other matters, the gathering naturally entered the study segment. The Magician Fors had originally wanted to ask what a pharaoh mummy could be used for, but after glancing at the World Gehrman Sparrow, she closed her mouth again.

After the gathering ended, Klein returned to the real world, turned on the faucet, washed his face and hands, and patiently waited for night to descend.

When the time came, he would take the military’s airship to Desi Bay.

…

Southern Continent, Berens Harbor.

Because the Golden Dream was sailing in the southern part of the Misty Sea, Danitz had not taken many days to arrive at this harbor on the northernmost edge of West Balam.

He wore a dark cloak and carried a suitcase. The Sun Brooch was pinned inside his clothes, and an iron-black fist glove lay tucked against him. He was sweating profusely as he followed the dockside road outward, feeling that he was now armed to the teeth and far stronger than before.

Leaving the docks, Danitz glanced left and right, then raised a hand to hail a carriage.

The coachman looked at him and spat out a string of words.

“%#@&&*((())…”

What is he saying…

Danitz looked blankly at the other man. He remained stunned for several seconds before he remembered one thing:

He did not understand the local Dutanese at all!

And when he had previously come to West Balam, because he had the Captain, a linguistics expert, leading the group, he had never needed to worry about whether he could understand anyone.