Chapter 33: Monday Again

Chapter 33: Monday Again

After Klein finished speaking, Albert followed his description with several more targeted questions, checking whether certain details could match up.

Without question, the answers he received were satisfactory.

“Thank you for your cooperation. I wish you pleasant dreams.” Albert smiled, rose, and gave a bow. At the same time, he once again used his Nightmare abilities to influence Dawn Dantes, ensuring that after waking, the man would only vaguely remember having had some sort of dream and be unable to recall its exact contents.

Once all this was done, he turned toward the door, twisted the handle, and left the dream.

As expected, the Nighthawks still trust the abilities of a Nightmare too much… If I were the one leading this matter, I would definitely design an entire series of questions in advance from different angles and on different aspects, then compare them against one another to find inconsistencies and loopholes…

Heh. The best method would be to cooperate with Miss Justice and prepare several professional psychological evaluation questionnaires, then make the target finish them all inside the dream. If he were disguising himself, his mental state and the image he wanted to present would definitely produce contradictions across different evaluation results—unless, of course, he was a psychology expert too, capable of noticing the true purpose behind every group of questions…

Klein leaned back against the sofa and turned his gaze toward the window.

In the gray-black, hazy world, the light of the gas streetlamps was dim and pale, making the surroundings seem gloomy and lifeless.

Klein watched quietly for several seconds. Then the corners of his lips lifted, and he gave a self-mocking smile.

Meanwhile, beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral, after seeing Albert wake normally and listening to his report, Leonard first let out a breath of relief. Then his wariness toward that undying monster from the Fourth Epoch only grew deeper.

…

In the City of Silver, lightning tore across the sky, illuminating every street.

Derrick Berg walked out of his house with the Hurricane Axe at his side and headed toward the twin towers in the north of the city.

Along the way, he encountered many residents of the City of Silver. Some were busy hurrying about. Some were taking their children to receive general education. Others moved in groups of three to five, patrolling every corner to prevent anyone from accidentally dying at home, failing to be ended by their closest kin, and turning into a terrifying evil spirit.

Their presence made the City of Silver feel exceptionally alive. Derrick could even hear the laughter and chatter of children from time to time.

He could not help recalling the days he had spent at the Afternoon Town camp. Each day, the humans he encountered numbered only a dozen or twenty, and most of the time they had to remain inside sturdy but cramped buildings. Outside, the monsters lay silent in the darkness, hiding in houses. Again and again they were cleared out, yet again and again they seemed to appear from nowhere, making every member of the exploration team feel a helplessness born from the depths of the heart—as though no matter what they did, true safety could never be obtained, and they would never be able to relax. At every moment, they had to put forth all their strength, unable to permit the slightest lapse.

No normal living creature could maintain such a state of high vigilance and alertness for long, which was why the City of Silver had a mature rotation system.

Returning from Afternoon Town to the City of Silver had not taken the first exploration team very long. Afterward, however, quarantine observation and rest were unavoidable. Only today had Derrick finally adjusted himself and believed his mental state could withstand the negative impact of advancement.

He had already reported to Chief Colin Iliad that he had obtained the Notary potion formula and had been permitted to exchange that achievement for the corresponding Beyonder ingredient—the tail feather of a Contract Spirit Bird.

As for the items he owed the Moon, he had already obtained them through patrols around Afternoon Town and transferred them to the other party through Mr. Fool.

Once I advance, I’ll be qualified to choose a mystical item that is not high-Sequence…

Derrick thought with faint anticipation and quickened his steps, soon reaching the twin towers in the north of the city.

Although the materials warehouse and the mystical items were all inside the round tower, watched over by the six-member council, Derrick’s destination was the spire, because the merit exchange point was there.

Just as he was about to enter the spire, his spirituality was stirred. He instinctively raised his head and looked toward the upper levels of the round tower. Behind a window, he saw a woman in a black robe embroidered with purple patterns looking down at him.

She had silver-gray curled hair, pale-gray eyes, and a beautiful face. It was the Shepherd Lovia, a member of the six-member council!

As their gazes met, Lovia’s eyes seemed able to pierce the soul. Yet her expression did not change in the slightest. She even nodded lightly, as if greeting him.

She is not greeting me. She is greeting the one behind me…

In that instant, realization dawned upon Derrick.

This came from the experience he had gradually accumulated under the guidance of the members of the Tarot Club.

He nodded in response and, without showing any abnormality, withdrew his gaze and entered the spire at an unhurried pace.

…

At night, in Bayam’s private harbor, the Golden Dream, whose strange main cannon was arranged along its central axis, sailed beside the pier.

Carrying the local specialties gifted to him by the Resistance, Danitz climbed the gangway onto the deck while smiling broadly and waving behind him.

He had been extremely comfortable here during this period. As the special envoy delivering firearms, food, and a small amount of Beyonder materials, he had received very high-level treatment. Each day consisted of drinking, eating meat, bragging, hunting, and even being invited to watch a ritual in which the Sea God bestowed blessings upon His believers.

After witnessing these things, he had suddenly come to a realization: Bayam—or rather, all colonies—would inevitably erupt into fierce conflict in the future, and without decades or even a century of time washing over them, such conflict would not subside.

Therefore, Danitz decided that the next time he came, he would sell off the vast majority of the real estate he owned in Bayam, leaving only one house. Then he would look for chances to buy property in Trier, the capital of Intis; Backlund, the capital of Loen; and peaceful, scenic countryside locations.

I can also return to Nosier Town, see the old man and Mom… Mm, maybe I can buy one less house and get them a vineyard instead…

Danitz once again waved to the enthusiastic members of the Resistance.

Then he puffed out his chest and said smugly to “Floral Bow Tie” Jodeson, “Where is the Captain? I need to report what happened during this period.”

Jodeson gave a disdainful tch.

“Of course she’s in the captain’s cabin.”

At the same time, he muttered inwardly:

Ever since Danitz got connected to Gehrman Sparrow, this fellow has become more and more arrogant! Still, that mad adventurer really is terrifying. He actually succeeded in hunting Admiral of Blood!

“Hey.” Danitz laughed, walking with a punchable swagger into the cabin. There, he met Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina Edwards.

In an instant, he put away his provocative expression and gave a shameless smile.

“Captain, I’ve completed the mission.”

“The details,” Edwina said, setting down the book in her hands.

Danitz had long since prepared. He described in detail what had happened during this period, exaggerating his own role in it. At the end, he said, “Captain, I encountered Gehrman Sparrow. He asked me to ask you whether there has been any abnormality with the remains of the elven singer Siatas and the golden wine cup.”

Edwina did not answer directly. She stood and walked toward a corner of the captain’s cabin, where a black wooden chest had been placed.

The Golden Dream would only be heading for Sonia Island after this departure, so the remains of Siatas and Mobet were still aboard the ship. Edwina had stored them inside a specially prepared chest.

Bending one knee, she half-knelt and opened the black chest, revealing the intertwined remains placed within.

The golden wine cup, most of it flattened, lay quietly in a skeletal palm without the slightest abnormality.

“There is nothing unusual,” Edwina concluded.

Danitz craned his neck to glance at it, memorized the answer, and prepared to report to the great Fool when no one was around, asking Him to relay it to that madman Gehrman Sparrow.

…

“Nothing unusual?” Above the gray fog, Klein frowned slightly, half puzzled and half relieved.

According to his conjecture, the golden wine cup had a decent chance of hiding some problem. The absence of any abnormality exceeded his expectations somewhat. Still, he liked this answer, because he did not want Siatas and Mobet’s peaceful rest to be disturbed.

Perhaps additional catalytic conditions are needed? Heh. I hope they never come together…

Klein murmured a few words to himself, then turned his gaze toward Groselle’s Travels in the pile of miscellaneous items.

Because he temporarily had no way of entering the sea of collective subconscious, and because his present focus was the Antigonus family’s notebook, he had postponed his plan for a second exploration of the book world.

Whew… Klein exhaled, withdrew his gaze, and prepared for this week’s Tarot Gathering.

At exactly three o’clock in the afternoon, Backlund time, beams of deep crimson light lit up on either side of the long mottled table, solidifying into blurred, distinct figures.

Audrey was in as good a mood as usual—perhaps even better—because her brother Hibbert Hall had sent a telegram informing her that the ten percent stake in the Backlund Bicycle Company had been finalized at a total price of 12,000 gold pounds.

Moreover, she did not need to rush back to Backlund to sign anything. Before Hibbert left, she had already signed a full authorization agreement under the witness of two solicitors. At present, she only needed to wait until everything was complete, then sign a confirmation letter for her brother.

The corners of Audrey’s lips curved up elegantly. She stood, faced the figure at the head of the bronze table, veiled in gray fog, and said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~”

May Mr. Fool bless me. May there be clues to the fruit of the Illusory Chime Tree today…

Immediately afterward, she prayed silently in her heart.

After everyone greeted one another and sat down, the Hermit Cattleya did not disappoint Klein’s expectations. Once again, as though afraid to look directly at him, she lowered her head and said, “Mr. Fool, I have three pages of Emperor Roselle’s diary this time.”

Has the Queen of Mysteries still not found a clue regarding Emperor Roselle’s assassination… She is still providing diary pages through Madam Hermit… What a pity. I’ve been staying at the family estate recently and haven’t had much contact with the Psychology Alchemists, so I haven’t been able to obtain new diary pages… Mm, in a few days I should visit the Antiquities Collection and Preservation Foundation. Perhaps they have gathered some…

Justice Audrey listened curiously.

The Fool, Klein, gave a soft laugh.

“Very good.

“You may begin considering your request.”

In truth, I know the Queen of Mysteries has already told you the question… I wonder what she plans to do in Backlund…

Klein’s thoughts drifted slightly.

Very soon, the Hermit Cattleya manifested the three diary pages and handed them over to Mr. Fool.