Chapter 209: The Real Jason

Chapter 209: The Real Jason

15 Minsk Street, inside the washroom.

Klein took a paper figurine from an inner hidden pocket of his clothes, flicked it casually, and turned it into a substitute.

He had the substitute sit on the toilet, newspaper in hand, to deceive any watchers. Meanwhile, he used that chance to hide in the shadows, take four steps counterclockwise, and enter the world above the gray fog.

This entire sequence of operations was more magical than magic itself!

Inside the majestic, ancient palace, Klein sat at the seat of honor of the long bronze table and made Jason Beria’s handkerchief appear before him.

This was only a projection, but it could still be used for divination, provided the handkerchief had not left his body in the real world. Back when he was in Tingen and divined the mutated Sun Sacred Emblem, Klein had relied precisely on a projection. At the time, he had not yet understood the ritual for summoning himself, and had no way to bring spiritual items above the gray fog.

Of course, using a projection and using the true object produced no small difference in effect. Therefore, whenever the true object could be used, Klein tried his best to use it. But now, under the protection of official Beyonders, performing rituals was not particularly convenient.

If someone discovered that he still had to light a candle while squatting on the toilet in broad daylight, things would become troublesome.

If I really can divine Jason Beria the Demon’s whereabouts, but the revelation isn’t clear enough, then I’ll risk it once and summon myself to bring the handkerchief up… Klein muttered, then conjured parchment and a fountain pen with a rounded body, writing down the divination statement:

“Jason Beria’s current location.”

Normally speaking, relying on a handkerchief the other party had only used during some ritual was not enough to divine the target’s whereabouts. The connection was not close enough, and there would be too much interference. For example, it might very easily attract the Abyss Duke that the ritual had pointed toward.

But for Klein, interference could be eliminated. The so-called Abyss Duke was, at most, a high-sequence Demon, not the Abyss’s embodiment, the Dark Side of the Universe. Meanwhile, the mysterious space above the gray fog had received guests such as the Eternal Blazing Sun and the True Creator, genuine deities, as well as the slightly lesser but still at least angel-level Mr. Door, and it had yet to capsize.

As for the problem of the connection not being close enough, Klein, who could only receive a certain boost from the gray fog, had no way to solve that for now. He could only try and take his chances. Perhaps after he became a High-Sequence Saint in this field, he would have corresponding confidence.

In theory, it should be possible. After all, during a ritual, the states of body, mind, and spirit are most unified, and also most easily resonate with the outside world… Klein, who could now barely count as a mysticism expert, whispered to himself. He held the handkerchief and the parchment with the divination statement, then leaned back against his chair.

He swiftly entered a meditative state and repeatedly recited, “Jason Beria’s current location.”

After seven times, Klein sank into sleep and entered the dream world.

Within the gray, hazy world, countless scenes flickered continuously. They were intermittent and extremely scattered.

Soon, one image became clear, filling Klein’s “vision” until he seemed to enter that dream.

In the dream, the lamp light was dim. A desk was dark red. A figure stood before a bow window, gazing out at the garden.

Inside the garden was a greenhouse made of glass. Within it, roses bloomed one after another, crimson and dripping with life despite the cold of December.

The figure’s appearance was reflected on the window. It was a man of medium build, with slightly curled brown hair and cold brown eyes. He seemed to be only in his thirties.

This… I’m divining Jason Beria’s location, aren’t I? Who is this? Why does he feel a little familiar… Klein was confused, but did not think too deeply. He allowed his spirituality to continue remaining in a scattered state, as though wandering through some mysterious world.

Just as his confusion had surfaced, the man turned around and walked toward a corner of the room. There, two rather large leather suitcases had been placed.

The man crouched down and opened one of the suitcases. Inside, stacks of banknotes were neatly arranged, pressing down one gold bar after another.

The banknotes visible on the outside were all ten-pound notes, while the gold bars shone with a captivating luster.

From a hidden compartment in the suitcase, the man pulled out an item. With a casual shake, he unfolded it.

It was a slightly pale human skin!

A complete human skin!

The man swiftly stripped himself naked and put the human skin over his body. In only ten or so seconds, he had turned into Jason Beria, with high cheekbones, blue-gray eyes, and neatly combed-back hair!

At that point, the image abruptly shattered, and Klein opened his eyes.

No wonder Jason dared take such risks. It turns out that for more than ten years, he had been wearing a human skin and had never exposed his true appearance… As expected of a calm yet insane Demon… Klein could not help sighing.

Jason had left his portrait behind in the house without causing Isengard and the others any suspicion, because the nearby residents had all seen him and knew his appearance. Even without the portrait, with the official organizations’ Beyonder abilities, they would have been able to restore an image of him—perhaps one even more accurate than a photograph. Therefore, Jason had neither reason nor motivation to destroy such things. That was very easy to understand.

Who could have known that even in the most ordinary, normal place, he had already left behind a misleading trail! If they searched according to the portrait, even with the Nighthawks’ Sealed Artifact 1-42, locking onto him would not be so easy… And during both of his actions, he used his own abilities to conceal his face. Who would have thought that the face so carefully hidden and protected was fake? Klein tasted a hint of cunning from Jason’s actions.

He rubbed his forehead and began recalling the scene he had seen during dream divination.

“A house with a glass greenhouse. That feature is quite obvious. There shouldn’t be too many similar buildings in Backlund. But the problem is, how should I report it? The moment I tell the Machinery Hivemind about this, Jason will definitely sense danger and warily begin to disguise himself and move…

“Go straight to the Nighthawks who have Sealed Artifact 1-42? What if I run into someone I know? I don’t want to be turned into ashes and scattered into the Tussock River… Besides, I can’t report it in too much of a hurry. I only just started moving, so there’s no way my information channels could have given feedback so quickly…

“That guy really is carrying a huge amount of cash and jewelry. An entire suitcase of banknotes… Its total value might even exceed 50,000 pounds…”

Klein’s thoughts drifted wildly for quite a while before he finally calmed down. He decided to wait two days first, then use an appropriate method to pass along the revelation he had obtained to the Nighthawks responsible for the matter.

With the divination complete, he returned to the real world, dismissed the substitute, and sat on the toilet himself.

…

That afternoon, Klein, who was preparing to go out, casually tossed a coin.

This time, the revelation he received was that it was not suitable to go out at that moment.

“Going out would be dangerous?” Without hesitation, Klein sat back down in the living room.

After about twenty minutes, he heard the doorbell ring lightly and discovered that Isengard Stanton had come to visit.

“Mr. Stanton, have you obtained something?” Klein asked, rather delighted.

Isengard pointed toward the area behind the entrance hall.

“Let us talk inside.”

“All right.” Klein stepped aside.

After they each sat on opposing sofas, Isengard held his deerstalker hat and inhaled.

“That Apostle of Desire appeared again.”

Seeing Klein remain calm, he nodded in satisfaction and continued, “The family members of two detectives were unwilling to accept protection. They felt that they would not be implicated and stayed outside. At lunch today, they were found dead in their respective offices. One was so terrified that he frightened himself to death, while the other became so excited that he exhausted the last of his strength.

“They were far too stubborn—worthy of being believers of the Tyrant. But because of this, the Mandated Punishers have officially become involved. Supposedly, the High-Sequence powerhouses of the major Churches and the military have all turned their attention here, making the Apostle of Desire their most important recent priority.”

“You want me not to reveal your identity as a believer of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?” Klein asked in sudden realization.

“Speaking between detectives truly is easy.” Isengard smiled and nodded.

“No problem,” Klein promised first. Then he said, “Some of my information channels are inconvenient to expose. If valuable intelligence comes back from them later, I hope you can pass it along to the Nighthawks for me and keep it confidential.”

As for why he wanted to contact the Nighthawks rather than the Machinery Hivemind, he trusted that he did not have to spell it out. With Detective Stanton’s intelligence, Isengard could probably figure it out with his toes.

Isengard first agreed to Klein’s request, then asked in puzzlement, “If you tell me, that is equivalent to letting Jason sense it in advance as well.”

“Let us hope we can find a good way around that… Please also help think of other possibilities. That ring of yours should be able to imitate quite a few Beyonder abilities,” Klein answered frankly.

“All right.” Isengard said nothing more.

After a few seconds of silence, he took out his pipe, smelled it, and said, “The Apostle of Desire’s actions today have confirmed one of my guesses. Heh, it is also the question you previously thought of.”

“His main objective isn’t revenge?” Klein understood what the other man was saying.

Isengard leaned forward and said solemnly, “Since Jason has already passed the Coldblooded stage, it means he definitely has become cold-blooded. It is impossible for him to go this far for that demon dog.

“Sherlock, look. By now, all of Backlund’s official Beyonder forces have been mobilized. Even High-Sequence powerhouses have shifted more attention toward this matter. At such a time, if Jason wants to deal with another, true target, wouldn’t it be much easier?”

After brief thought, Klein replied in a deep voice, “That makes a great deal of sense!”

…

After exchanging thoughts for a while, Isengard continued on to find Kaslana. Klein tossed a coin and then, following his original plan, went out to the Krag Club.

For the time being, neither of them revealed their own suspicions to the official Beyonders, out of fear that doing so would endanger Jason and make him give up on his operation.

As soon as Klein entered the Krag Club, he ran into the surgeon Allen in the lobby.

“Long time no see,” he greeted with a smile.

“I’ve been too busy lately,” Allen responded in a friendly manner, though his expression retained its habitual aloofness. “And my wife recently became pregnant. I’m going to be a father again.”

“Congratulations. When did it happen?” Klein asked casually.

Allen thought for a moment and said, “It was only confirmed recently. It should be more than a month along.”

“More than a month?” Klein first froze, then looked into the other man’s eyes.