Chapter 206: Wish

Chapter 206: Wish

Polymath… Just from the name, that Sequence sounds a little powerful… Sequence 7 of the Reader pathway is called Keeper of Knowledge or Detective. It belongs to a “profession” focused on mastery of knowledge and reasoning ability, with at most decent hand-to-hand combat and weapon-use skills added on. It cannot be considered especially formidable. But at Sequence 6, it seems to undergo a qualitative change all at once, especially in the field of supernatural combat… It seems every Beyonder pathway has such a turning point below the High Sequences, though it does not fall at a fixed Sequence. For example, in the Seer pathway, that turning point is Sequence 7 Magician… Klein drank a mouthful of hot coffee. He did not continue probing into another person’s Sequence secrets and instead smiled.

“Mr. Stanton, you seem very relaxed, not tense or worried at all.”

Isengard did not answer directly. He put down his knife and fork, took out his pipe, and said, “Do you mind?”

Actually, I mind a little. But Backlund’s pollution and fog are already this severe; breathing in a bit more secondhand smoke probably won’t make it worse… Klein shook his head and smiled.

“Does it help you think?”

“More accurately, it’s a habit. Every day after breakfast, I’m used to doing this.” Isengard prepared his pipe and took a deep breath.

As the smoke drifted out, he sighed.

“Fear, tension, and worry do not help us face threats. Since that is the case, why not relax a little? The brain becomes more active that way. My assistant was precisely too prone to worry, which led to that fatal disaster. Sigh…”

Isengard glanced at Kaslana and continued, “Moreover, our opponent is an Apostle of Desire. Overly intense emotions must absolutely be forbidden.”

At this point, he gave a soft laugh.

“Most importantly, it is not as if we have no other way to lock onto the Apostle of Desire.”

“What method?” Kaslana put down her final slice of bacon and asked seriously.

Isengard took a puff from his pipe and laughed self-deprecatingly.

“When discussing such topics, I still prefer an easy chair.

“Demons possess premonitions of danger, but they are not good at divination and prophecy. Therefore, if the Apostle of Desire wants to find out who the main targets of revenge are, he must actively investigate the situation and gather information. Otherwise, how could he know that a group of private detectives made outstanding contributions in the serial murder case? How could he accurately lock onto you and me?

“In that process, he would certainly have to deal with many people. Even if he disguised himself, he would leave behind some traces. Combined with the blurry image provided by the Machinery Hivemind, those traces can form clues.

“Similarly, if he wanted to attack me, he had to find out where I lived, my schedule and movement patterns, and whether I was under the protection of powerful official Beyonders. That required a considerable period of observation and corresponding inquiries. It likewise required interacting with other people and fixed locations. Heh, once there is interaction, clues will exist.

“One of my favorite maxims is: wherever one has passed, traces will be left behind.”

I know that line. Emperor Roselle said it… Klein smiled.

Immediately afterward, he felt somewhat emotional, because this was the second time he had heard someone mention that phrase in this world.

The previous time, he had still been in Tingen.

Kaslana, whose cheek muscles sagged slightly, sighed.

“As expected of a great detective. I did not think of any of those things. Your observation and reasoning abilities are worthy of admiration.”

Isengard smiled in response.

“Everyone has their own area of expertise. In pure hand-to-hand combat, I would be defeated by you again and again.

“Sherlock should also have thought of the things I just mentioned. He likewise possesses outstanding observational and deductive ability. He is an excellent detective.”

Actually…