Chapter 66: Joy Turns to Sorrow

Chapter Sixty-Six
Joy Turns to Sorrow

Inside the deep and dark underground structure, Klein carried the hurricane lamp and circled the hall, carefully checking whether there were any other entrances. Of course, he did not dare enter the corridor leading to the innermost room. As for the snakes that had gathered again, they were once more driven away by the bitter cold wind.

After obtaining a definite answer, he voluntarily retreated to the great doorway and, together with the three living corpses, watched Miss Bodyguard Sharron place explosives in different positions.

“She looks very professional,” Klein muttered softly.

The three living corpses, without question, gave him no response.

There was a reason for that, however. He was using spirituality the whole time to shield Azik’s copper whistle’s negative influence. Otherwise, he would have encountered an abnormally enthusiastic “chorus” of agreement.

Originally, he had not planned to bring that ancient, exquisite copper whistle. But since he had to guard against the evil spirit secretly making mischief, he had no choice but to sacrifice some spirituality.

“Miss Bodyguard—no, Miss Sharron—said she was a blasting expert. She really was not bragging…

“Was this originally her line of work? Or does some Sequence along her Beyonder pathway make her skilled in such fields? According to the materials I read while in the Nighthawks, the rough possibilities are Sequence 9 Criminal, Prisoner, Warrior, and Hunter, Sequence 8 Sheriff, and Sequence 7 Weapon Master and Knowledge Keeper. Heh, the latter has a nickname: Detective. It belongs to the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom… Beyond that, I am not sure…

“I wonder which pathway Miss Sharron is from. None of them look very similar. This time, she also displayed the ability to command living corpses…”

Amid Klein’s wandering associations, Sharron finished the arrangement and casually lit the fuse.

Casually? Lit it?

Hey, hey, hey! Why did you not warn me first!

Only then did Klein return to himself. Startled, he hurriedly withdrew from the hall and entered the outer corridor.

The three living corpses followed behind him unhurriedly.

“This place is safe.”

Sharron suddenly appeared beside him.

Klein relaxed slightly, then asked, “Will dust be shaken loose here?”

“Yes,” Sharron answered with a single word.

“That is good.”

As he spoke, Klein stepped back again.

Hiss, hiss, hiss. The sound of the fuse burning entered his ears, making him slightly restless.

This emotion was not because he feared the coming explosion, but because one boot had not yet fallen.

“One,” Sharron suddenly said.

“Ah?”

For a moment, Klein failed to understand what she meant.

Rumble!

The earth shook violently. Dust abruptly fell from above. Klein’s ears buzzed, and for a brief moment, he could hear nothing else.

If he had not been a Clown, he would already have lost his balance and fallen to the ground.

Cough, cough, cough! Having had his attention shifted and thus not been able to prepare himself properly, Klein coughed. He saw ahead that massive stones and earth were rapidly falling, instantly blocking the entrance.

Amid the lingering tremors, Klein gripped the copper whistle Mr. Azik had given him and observed its reaction.

Although he had already performed divination in advance and received the result that the trip had no real danger, this place involved human-shaped statues of the six orthodox deities. Even revelations obtained above the gray fog were not something he dared trust completely. Moreover, the interpretation itself could be wrong. Therefore, he carefully used Azik’s copper whistle to determine whether the evil spirit had broken free because of the blast.

The surface of the copper whistle remained cold yet gentle, showing no unusual change. Klein finally felt fully at ease. He looked toward the living corpses beside him and confirmed from their eyes that he was currently extremely dusty and disheveled.

Very good. This fits the explanation I will give old Mr. Miller Carter later… It did not waste the effort I made to change clothes specifically before coming here…

He walked toward the entrance, confirming that it had been completely blocked.

Without making a great disturbance, in the future only Beyonders of the Apprentice pathway and people similar to Miss Sharron will be able to enter. She has eliminated many potential competitors. No wonder it was free…

Klein gazed at the stones and earth and sighed inwardly.

Of course, I can too. I have a state similar to a Spirit Body!

He silently added in his heart with a smile, but outwardly he showed nothing.

“Work’s done.”

Klein snapped his fingers with exaggeration. Leading the three living corpses, he hurried and stumbled back toward the house’s basement. At some unknown time, Sharron had already vanished.

Inside the spacious basement, Miller Carter was nervously pacing back and forth, glancing frequently toward the secret door.

Seeing Detective Moriarty and his assistants emerge with their number intact, he immediately let out a long breath and asked urgently, “What happened inside?”

Klein deliberately panted.

“That underground structure is far, far too ancient. It has gone far too long without repairs. We were originally driving away snakes, but our movements were only slightly too large, and it triggered a violent collapse. A whole section collapsed. Fortunately, we were close to the entrance and escaped in time.”

“Storms above! That building was that dangerous?”

Miller Carter struck his left chest with a fist.

“Yes. Perfectly preserved ancient structures will always be only a handful. The rest collapse into the river of history,” Klein replied. “I will lead you in to have a look and confirm the situation.”

“Will there be further collapse?” Miller asked cautiously.

“No. This side is comparatively solid.”

Klein deliberately patted the dust on his clothes and coughed twice. Then he led his employer inside, made a short circuit, and stopped before the completely blocked entrance. The walls near the hall had likewise collapsed, and behind them were stones and earth.

“You may use this portion.”

He pointed toward the corridor area.

Miller was silent for several seconds, then sighed.

“Fortunately, I did not rashly send anyone inside to explore, but instead found a professional like you. Otherwise, I would now be responsible for several lives.

“Very well. This commission ends here. I will give you the remaining compensation.”

As he spoke, Miller Carter had already taken out his wallet and counted. Somewhat awkwardly, he discovered that he had only a little more than thirty pounds in cash.

“Good thing I have other money. Otherwise, I would have to make a trip to the bank,” Miller muttered. Lifting his head toward Klein, he asked, “Do you mind receiving gold coins?”

“No. I do not mind money in any form.”

Klein smiled.

The gold pound of the Loen Kingdom, apart from being a large-denomination banknote, could also be an actual gold coin. This was the guarantee behind the paper currency’s value.

However, in the more than one hundred years since Emperor Roselle, the people of the Northern Continent had grown increasingly accustomed to paper money. There were even members of Parliament who wished to have copper pennies represented by corresponding banknotes.

True gold pounds had become very rare in circulation. Only certain old-fashioned gentlemen would attach a small fixed box to the other end of their pocket-watch chain and store a few gold coins inside in case of accidents.

It was reassurance, and also habit.

Miller nodded. Following the golden watch chain on his clothing, he took out a box that shone with golden light from a certain pocket.

Pa. He opened the box, took out five gold coins, and handed them together with the banknotes he had counted to the detective before him.

Klein avoided no suspicion. After counting everything once, he suddenly flicked one of the gold coins upward and caught it smoothly in his palm.

“Thank you for your generosity.”

He glanced at the portrait facing upward, revealed a heartfelt smile, and then pressed a hand to his chest, bowing to Miller Carter.

Mm. If it were another detective, even though the entrance and corridor had been blasted shut, after returning they would still definitely have nightmares, hear strange noises in the house, become mentally weak, feel as though someone were constantly watching them, and so on. That would be the contamination of the evil spirit’s aura, and it would take a long time to vanish. But we are different. Miss Sharron herself is already like a female ghost, and one trip above the gray fog will leave me completely fine. As for those three living corpses, if they are not even afraid of death, what else can they be afraid of?

Klein inwardly mocked a few times in a good mood, then bade farewell to Miller Carter and turned to leave the house.

Once he reached the street, the three living corpses walked off on their own toward another direction without saying goodbye.

Miss Sharron has left… And she really did not charge any hiring fee for the living corpses…

Klein smiled, lifted his arm, and waved toward the backs of those three living corpses.

After that, he returned home, changed into normal clothes, and headed to Cragg Club to practice shooting.

After conveniently eating dinner there as a reward for the perfectly completed commission, Klein took a public carriage back to Minsk Street.

The gloomy, dim surroundings were illuminated by gas streetlamps one after another. Holding his cane, he walked leisurely along the roadside.

Suddenly, he had a premonition that was not exactly good, but not especially bad either.

What is this?

Klein lifted his head and looked ahead, discovering two policemen approaching with a police dog, seemingly conducting inspections along the way.

Inspection? An inspection with a police dog? The influence caused by that serial murder case? There was the scent of cloves and gooseberries left at the scene, so they assigned additional police dogs?

Klein could not help lampooning inwardly.

The history of police dogs could be traced back to Roselle’s time at the earliest, but their numbers had always remained low.

Considering the many items on him, and considering the premonition just now, Klein planned to take a detour from the other side.

But just then, the two policemen saw him and gestured for him to stop.

The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched. With a face full of smiles, he waited where he stood.

“Routine investigation,” one of the policemen said after approaching, showing his identification.

“All right…”

Before Klein’s voice had fallen, the police dog abruptly began barking, howling at him without pause.

This—is it smelling the gunpowder on me? The smell left behind from practicing shooting this afternoon?

Klein understood in an instant. Looking at the wary expressions on the two policemen, an idea flashed through his mind. With a genial smile, he said, “It is like this. I found a revolver on the road, along with a shoulder holster and bullets, and was just about to hand it over to you.”

He slowly took out his revolver, lifted both hands to shoulder height, and added with an earnest smile, “Officers, I truly am not illegally carrying a gun.”

One policeman remained on high alert, while the other took the revolver and said gravely, “You must come with us to the police station.”

“All right.”

Klein replied with a brilliant smile.

“But I have one request. Please notify my lawyer, Mr. Jurgen Cooper. Only in his presence may I accept a search.”