Chapter 241: I Did Another Good Deed Today

Chapter 241: I Did Another Good Deed Today

After coming to a realization, Klein rubbed his temples and slowly calmed his emotions. He discovered that this matter did not have much to do with him.

He had no motivation to get involved. Whether the Loen military found Turani von Helmosuin or not was irrelevant to him, because he lacked sufficient sense of belonging toward the Loen Kingdom. The things he had done in the past had only been because he simply hoped society would remain stable and ordinary people would not be unexpectedly harmed. If possible, he was willing to push forward change, so that lower-class paupers could at least live like human beings.

“I didn’t expect that after coming to this world, I’d seem more like an internationalist…” He laughed self-mockingly and was about to return to the real world, preparing to turn out the lights and sleep, allowing the waves outside to rise and fall and the storm to rage.

At that moment, the corner of his eye swept over the largest object in the junk pile—the radio transceiver.

“Speaking of which, which faction is controlling Turani von Helmosuin? If it’s people from the Queen of Mysteries Bernadette’s side, that’s fine. She is someone who strictly adheres to the maxim ‘Do what thou wilt, but harm none.’ She won’t do anything excessive.

“But if it’s the Rose School of Thought represented by Blood Admiral, that would not be good. Aside from the temperance faction being suppressed internally, those who believe in the Chained God—or the Mother Tree of Desire—are no less evil than the Aurora Order. If they grasp the most advanced technology, I’m afraid disaster will follow…” Klein stopped the action of wrapping himself in spirituality and lightly tapped the edge of the mottled long table with his finger.

He quickly had an idea. It was to bring the radio transceiver back to the real world, adjust it to the corresponding frequency, and see whether he could receive any telegraphs from Blood Admiral’s faction. Then he could use the codebook in his possession to decipher them.

“Tonight’s citywide search means the matter is at a rather delicate and important node. If they are the ones controlling Helmosuin, there is a high chance that necessary telegraph exchanges will occur… Since the Governor-General’s Office, the Loen military, and the Church of Storms have not paid attention to this technology yet, and perhaps have not even accepted it, this is an extremely safe method. Therefore, after Old Quinn’s death, Blood Admiral’s people may very well not have changed their frequency or codebook… In any case, I’ll try it.” Having finished his deductions, Klein did not delay. He returned to the real world and busied himself preparing the ritual to receive a bestowment.

After bringing the radio transceiver into his room, he did not use it directly. Instead, he took out his ritual silver dagger and created a wall of spirituality to seal off the room.

He was airing it out, letting the “scent” of the gray fog disperse!

For Klein, confirming which faction was controlling Helmosuin did not actually need to be so troublesome. By directly using the aura of the gray fog to connect with Magic Mirror Arrodes, he could obtain an effective answer. The problem was that this was too close to the last question-and-answer session. A frequently appearing aura had a certain chance of being noticed by evil gods such as the True Creator or the Primordial Demoness, which would be extremely unsafe.

Therefore, out of caution, Klein intended to rely on himself.

After seven or eight minutes, feeling that the “scent” had almost dispersed, he removed the wall of spirituality, operated the radio transceiver, and began listening in.

After an unknown amount of time, radio waves suddenly appeared on the corresponding frequency!

Klein suppressed the joy in his heart and carefully made a record. Then he opened the codebook he had earlier reconstructed through divination and carried out the corresponding decoding.

Very quickly, he wrote one line of words on a sticky note:

“32 Black Pepper Avenue. 7 a.m. tomorrow.”

As expected, the ones controlling Helmosuin are Blood Admiral’s people. There might even be powerhouses from the Rose School of Thought involved behind them… Klein immediately made a judgment.

This was not based on the telegraph’s content, but on simple reasoning from the fact that the telegraph existed.

If this had nothing to do with Blood Admiral and his people, then on a night like this, it would be far too coincidental for them to receive or send a telegraph involving Bayam streets!

“Does this telegraph mean they should meet at 32 Black Pepper Avenue before seven tomorrow morning? Or are Helmosuin and Silver Coin Viper Odell already hiding there and now reporting their location to Blood Admiral, giving the corresponding time?” Klein thought for a moment, then immediately returned above the gray fog. Combining it with the intelligence he had obtained, he wrote down a divination statement:

“Turani von Helmosuin’s current location.”

Holding the paper and leaning back against his chair, Klein repeatedly recited the statement in a murmuring voice while using meditation to enter a dream.

In the gray, foggy world, he saw an underground hall with countless gas wall lamps.

Inside the hall stood a huge, complicated machine. It was made of copper pillars, operating levers, connecting arms, and innumerable tightly fitted gears, occupying two thirds of the space.

A thin old man with completely white, messy hair, wrapped in a thick coat, paced back and forth in front of the machine. From time to time, he tossed a candy into his mouth and crunched it noisily.

“No, it should no longer be called a Difference Engine. It is a lovable fellow that can analyze questions and calculate answers by itself according to set procedures. Yes, its name must be ‘Analytical Engine’!” the old man kept muttering to himself, while Klein’s perspective rose along with it, leaving the underground hall and arriving at the building above.

It was a three-story villa with a garden and lawn. Outside hung a doorplate with words written on it:

“32 Black Pepper Avenue!”

So he really is there… Klein opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.

Then he began to feel troubled over how to handle the matter next.

“A great scientist like this is not much use to me. He would instead be a source of trouble. I can’t possibly toss him above the gray fog forever, so there’s absolutely no need for me to personally act and take him away… Mm. Should I give the intelligence to the Loen military or the Church of Storms? That would effectively prevent the Rose School of Thought from gaining benefits. But there is a faction within the military that should be connected to the true culprit behind the Backlund Great Smog. It would not be good for Helmosuin to fall into their hands… The Church of Storms, meanwhile, is famously impulsive. One assault operation might send the great scientist straight to meet the god he believes in…” After careful consideration, Klein gradually formed a bold idea.

That was to expose the matter, placing it under the light. Make Turani von Helmosuin’s existence and ownership no secret to the Loen military and the major Churches. This would effectively ensure that the great scientist’s abilities served the Loen Kingdom itself, rather than any single faction!

The key is balance… Klein smiled and murmured. With a beckon, he summoned the Sea God Scepter.

For the him of the past, if he wanted to make something public and place it in plain sight, he could only carefully scatter “flyers” across the city. But now, he had a simpler and more effective method!

After choosing one believer who was currently praying, Klein pulled his perspective farther away, taking in the scene within a five-kilometer radius.

Then, relying on the Sea God Scepter, he seized control of the surrounding wind!

After things calmed slightly, Klein sank his will into the image, changed his voice, and spoke in a deep, hoarse tone:

“Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!”

Woo!

Inside Bayam, the sound of the wind suddenly grew fierce. It swept in all directions, accompanied by a low yet grand voice:

“Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!”

“Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!”

…

The voice quickly spread throughout Bayam, like a citywide broadcast.

Silver Coin Viper Odell was wearing a cloak and pretending to be Helmosuin, hiding inside a poor district crowded with houses and a mixed population. From time to time, he appeared, guiding MI9 and the police under the Governor-General’s Office.

Suddenly, a gale swept past, pouring a voice into his ears:

“Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!”

…What? As the voice echoed around him, Odell was both stunned and shocked. With one careless step, he fell from the roof and nearly suffered heavy injuries.

Behind the Church of Waves and in a small building near the Governor-General’s Office, Jahn Kottman and Robert Davis heard the voice in the wind one after another.

Their first reaction was to look up toward the sky. Then they cast their gazes toward the district where Black Pepper Avenue was located.

After making the broadcast, Klein, in rather good spirits, threw the Sea God Scepter back into the junk pile and returned to the real world.

He did not rush to bring the radio transceiver back above the gray fog. Instead, he allowed it to remain there, continuing to listen for radio waves.

“With this, even if the Rose School of Thought has powerhouses hiding in Bayam, they won’t dare appear. Heh. And no matter who succeeds, in the end, because of public opinion, they will have to ‘hand him over’ to the state! What a pity. I don’t love writing diaries like the Emperor did. Otherwise, I could write this sentence: I did another good deed today!” Klein silently sighed a few times. He took off his coat and went to bed, paying no attention to what would happen outside next. In any case, it had nothing to do with him.

After an unknown length of sleep, he suddenly woke, rolled over, and sat up. Then a series of thuds sounded from the door.

Who could it be? Knocking in the middle of the night… I’m John Yord right now… Klein put on Creeping Hunger, took the Death Knell revolver from beneath his pillow, and walked to the door.

A visitor’s appearance swiftly surfaced in his mind. It was a thin old man with gray-white but messy hair. He wore a cotton-stuffed jacket and a wool coat, and was tossing a coffee-colored candy into his mouth.

Turani von Helmosuin!

What the hell! Why would he come looking for me? I’m just an ordinary John Yord! Also, how did he escape a demigod’s tracking? Klein’s first reaction was to tell the other party, You knocked on the wrong door. He immediately held it back and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

Helmosuin laughed weakly.

“I noticed you back at Seaweed Bar, but there was no opportunity to look for you then.

“Heh. My life has already reached its end, so recently I’ve remembered many things.

“Please allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Orange Light Hilarion.”

Orange Light Hilarion? Klein was first stunned. Then he asked in confusion, “What matter do you have?”

Helmosuin chuckled.

“I came to remind you of one thing. Beware the Mother Tree of Desire!”

He paused, then said, “All right. I should leave now. I am about to die and return to the spirit world.

“Do you have any enemies here?”

“Why do you ask?” Klein asked, bewildered.

Helmosuin coughed once.

“I can go to their door and quietly die there. That way, your revenge would be complete.”