Chapter 87: Gift

Chapter 87: Gift

Amid the soft, soothing melody, Klein and Hazel danced gracefully. One was tall and upright, the other slender and long-limbed. Apart from the age gap appearing a little large, whether in rhythm, movement, bearing, or appearance, they matched each other extremely well. Their dance was beautiful enough to almost serve as a teaching demonstration.

Klein took the initiative to break the silent atmosphere. As they lightly turned, he said as if casually, “Some time ago, I kept having nightmares. Fortunately, with the Goddess’s protection, after praying at the cathedral a few times and drinking several cups of holy water, I no longer woke in the middle of the night.”

Hazel silently lifted her eyes. After two seconds, she asked, “What kind of nightmares?”

She is actually interested in this topic… Will Auceptin was exactly right…

Klein smiled and replied, “I was inside an abandoned, dilapidated church, being chased by all kinds of monsters.

“But you should also know how dreams are. One can never remember the details clearly. I find it hard to describe exactly what those monsters looked like.”

Hazel said nothing, but her bright, deep-brown eyes were full of disapproval.

In other words, she believed that things in dreams were not necessarily impossible to remember.

Klein held her as they stepped diagonally, then said with a smile, “Indeed, I have also had very clear dreams before.

“At that time, I was still in the Southern Continent. I dreamed of an inverted mausoleum made of pitch-black boulders. It extended underground, and living corpses covered in white feathers emerged from it, trying to drag me inside.

“I dreamed something similar for several days in a row. It is a little embarrassing to say, but I was quite frightened at the time. I hurried to a nearby city, found a divination club, and asked them to interpret the dream for me. Their conclusion was that, while purchasing local specialties, I might have offended a tribe’s faith in Death.

“Strangely enough, when I went to that tribe to apologize, offered gifts, and participated in one of their celebrations, I never had that dream again.”

All of this had been fabricated from the perspective of a diviner. Its purpose was to arouse Hazel’s interest and see whether she would unconsciously reveal something. At the same time, it was also a subtle suggestion that would not make others suspicious. Its hidden meaning was that if Hazel was troubled by dreams, it would be best to seek a member of a divination club or a church pastor to interpret them, rather than blindly believe the contents of the dreams and rashly attempt something herself.

When Will Auceptin had mentioned that Hazel had some problem and that Klein could talk with her about dream-related topics, Klein had suspected that her apparent contradictions might have originated from repeated dreams. Otherwise, it was difficult to explain why she clearly had at least Sequence 8 strength, yet severely lacked common sense about the mystical world and was blindly arrogant. Moreover, she was an upper-class young lady who received family education. It should be very hard for her to come into contact with a wild Beyonder of unknown purpose. After all, her father was a Member of Parliament who should certainly be protected, and there should be no shortage of Beyonders around him.

Therefore, Klein believed it very possible that Hazel had come into contact with some object, or that, because of her personality, she had been favored by some powerful figure who guided her step by step into becoming a Beyonder through dreams, without giving her the necessary common sense. At the same time, that figure had also lured her into searching and digging for something in the sewers.

There were two factors that made Klein more certain of this guess. The first was Will Auceptin’s words. The second was that Sequence 5 of the Marauder pathway was called Dream Stealer. It could not, and would not, possess only the Beyonder ability to steal thoughts of action!

Hazel quietly listened to Dawn Dantes’s account. Her mouth unconsciously opened, then closed again. After nearly ten seconds, she said, “Why didn’t you go to the Goddess’s cathedral back then?”

As expected, she reacts to the topic of dreams, but she is still rather cautious and has revealed nothing…

Klein smiled bitterly and said, “There was no cathedral of the Goddess nearby. That region belonged to the faith of the God of Steam and Machinery.”

Hazel did not continue the topic. She shifted her attention back to the dance itself, as if she had already immersed herself in the music.

Klein also quieted down, wandering through the beautiful melody with the young lady.

When the dance ended, he escorted Hazel back to her original spot. Then, because he was thirsty, he headed toward the long table area, planning to take a glass of sweet iced tea.

At that moment, he saw Bishop Elektra enjoying red wine there.

Unlike the Church of Storms and the Church of the God of Combat, clergy of the Evernight Goddess were forbidden from heavy drinking. They had to refuse distilled liquor, though small amounts of champagne, beer, red wine, and white wine were permitted.

“How is it? This should be your first time hosting such a grand ball, yes?” Bishop Elektra asked with a smile, lifting his glass slightly.

Klein smiled in reply. “It is troublesome, and also, mm, interesting. The greatest problem is that dancing so many dances in one breath always leaves one tired, sweating, and wanting water.”

Bishop Elektra laughed loudly.

“Now that you have come to Backlund, do not reduce your physical exercise. Sometimes, social occasions are more tiring than you imagine.”

At this point, a teasing expression appeared on his face.

“Madam Aurolie has given you considerable praise. She believes your inner self is sufficient to match your appearance.”

…Thank you for her approval…

For a moment, Klein could find no other way to respond. He could only answer in a joking manner, “A person’s inner self cannot be seen through one dance.”

Before Bishop Elektra could show the smile all men understood, Klein changed the subject.

“Bishop, I have recently become involved in a business deal. I may offend a certain powerful gentleman, and I am a little worried.”

He was referring to Coim Company’s matter and Baron Syndras.

Bishop Elektra took a sip of red wine.

“There is no need to worry. Backlund is a place that respects the law. Besides, the Goddess will protect you.”

“Then I am relieved. Praise the Goddess!” Klein earnestly drew a crimson moon over his chest.

After Bishop Elektra went to the dance floor, Klein’s gaze slowly darkened, and he sighed soundlessly.

He was not afraid of or resentful toward anything. Rather, he felt a little guilty. At least until now, the Evernight Church had treated him quite well. Although money was part of the reason, they had indeed provided him with considerable help, even being willing to offer a certain degree of protection. Yet he was planning how to deal with the internal caretakers, and how to deceive the sealing core behind Chanis Gate to steal an item.

Sigh. If this plan requires a very long time to complete, then I really will need to undergo regular psychotherapy. Otherwise, I may develop more mental problems…

Klein examined his emotions and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

…

Cherwood Borough, inside a house.

Xio set the Fenepotter meat pies and Desi Bay sweet iced tea she had bought on the dining table and said to Fors, “You shouldn’t eat this kind of food too often. It isn’t very healthy.”

“Why do you say that?” Fors picked up a pie filled with fruit and ham and took a bite.

“I saw it in a magazine. As a bounty hunter, maintaining one’s figure is essential.” Xio hesitated, then still picked up a pie and brought it toward her mouth.

Fors clicked her tongue and laughed.

“You are a combat-oriented Beyonder, not an ordinary bounty hunter. You can maintain your figure without being too deliberate.

“Perhaps because of that, you missed your final chance to grow taller. Ah, right. I heard the Warrior pathway can effectively make people taller. Just look at those Feysac barbarians.”

Xio froze, then suddenly sighed.

“But I was born already half an Arbiter. I had no way to become a Warrior.”

Clearly, she had seriously considered the matter before.

Seeing that she had stirred up her friend’s memories, Fors hurriedly pretended she had said nothing and focused on enjoying her late dinner.

After they had eaten their fill and tidied up, she pulled Xio into her bedroom and cleared her throat.

“You have helped me a great deal recently, so I have decided to give you a gift.”

“What troublesome matter do you need me to do this time?” Xio warily touched her short golden hair.

“…” Fors blinked, suddenly reflecting a little on her usual behavior.

She gave two dry laughs.

“This is for before. For before.”

Before Xio could respond, Fors took out a square iron box under her friend’s suspicious gaze, the kind originally used to hold cigarettes.

“I don’t smoke,” Xio said directly, shaking her head.

Fors gave an “Mm,” then opened the iron box, revealing the light-blue, semi-transparent hexagonal prism inside.

Xio’s gaze immediately froze. Looking at the lightning-like radiance flashing through the crystal, she instinctively asked, “Interrogator?”

“Yes. I met someone at a Beyonder gathering who was selling it cheaply. I was afraid of missing the chance, so I hurriedly bought it,” Fors said, speaking the complete truth without a single falsehood. “You know that some time ago, I received a reward from my teacher because of something. I do not lack this amount of money.”

Xio knew that her friend had often gone out recently, claiming she was working for her teacher. But even so, she still could not believe that Fors could so easily buy an Interrogator Beyonder characteristic as a gift for her. This had crossed far too many layers beyond their original living situation!

Is she still gambling, and after becoming an Astrologer, she started winning large sums? Or has she finally targeted a bank vault and used Door Opening to steal the cash inside?

Many guesses flashed through Xio’s mind at once, but she could not find corresponding evidence.

Two or three seconds later, she made a decision. Every week, on two random days, she would pretend to go out, then secretly observe what Fors was actually doing.

If not for her belief in her friend’s character and bottom line, she would even suspect that Fors had become the mistress of some powerful Beyonder or wealthy man.

“It… it is too valuable.” Xio waved her hand, trying to refuse the gift.

Fors had long since prepared her wording. She smiled and said, “In any case, I will have many things to trouble you with in the future. Just treat it as advance payment.”

“We are good friends. There is no need to talk about payment,” Xio said after hesitating for a second and shaking her head.

I was waiting for exactly that sentence!

Fors immediately smiled.

“Then treat it as an early birthday present. Refusal is not allowed!”

“But my birthday is still more than half a year away…” Xio muttered. At last, she stretched out a hand and accepted the Interrogator Beyonder characteristic.

…

Sunday morning. Xio suppressed the excitement and anticipation inside her and went out as usual, preparing to go to a specific place to leave the corresponding secret mark. She intended to arrange a meeting that night with the masked man from MI9 in the depths of some remote alley.

With the Interrogator Beyonder characteristic, and with her Sheriff potion already digested, she only needed to obtain the correct formula to advance to Sequence 7. That would be a solid step forward in investigating the truth of what had happened back then and restoring her family’s glory. Therefore, she was impatient to accept a few more military missions and accumulate enough merit as quickly as possible.

After doing this, she planned to first walk through a few places in the East Borough to see whether there was any important news, then return home to follow Fors and find out what her friend had been doing recently, and whether she was in danger.

However, just as Xio entered the East Borough, she felt as if someone had locked onto her.