Chapter 93: The “Giant” Bishop

Chapter Ninety-Three
The “Giant” Bishop

Toward evening, Klein sat down in the armchair of his sitting room. In the warmth of the fireplace, he picked up the information Isengard’s assistant had just delivered.

After his line of thought that morning had received praise from the great detective, Kaslana had immediately said she also needed a similar copy of the materials. Stuart, meanwhile, had sighed quietly, saying that ever since seeing how calm and composed Klein had been when facing Adol’s case, he had believed Klein to be an excellent detective—but he had never expected him to be quite this outstanding.

At the same time, Stuart told Klein that if he needed manpower or assistance, he could look for him. In Backlund’s detective circles, he knew many friends.

Isengard Stanton had also promised that he would immediately contact the police department and strive to provide the corresponding materials to the detectives who needed them before dark.

He really is a man of good reputation.

At the next Tarot Gathering, I need to have The World ask little Sun clearly about the characteristics of Sequence 6 Demon, and about what abilities Beyonders of that Sequence possess… Previously, I did not plan to get involved and forgot to collect corresponding intelligence. Now that I have decided to help, I have to be prepared, or I might run into danger without even knowing what is going on…

Klein considered for a few seconds, then lowered his head and, under the glow of the gas lamp, began flipping through the unsolved serial murder cases from the past twenty years across the entire Loen Kingdom.

There were far fewer than he had expected.

Four in Backlund, and five across all other cities combined. In total, there were only nine!

“Mm. Although this world has not yet developed the concept of DNA testing, and lacks many necessary criminal investigation techniques, under the Emperor’s influence it already has a comparatively mature field of fingerprinting. On top of that, there are supernatural methods such as spirit channeling, divination, and dream invasion.

“For individual murders, if they do not involve nobles, tycoons, or officials, the police department often will not seek aid from the Beyonder squads of the three great Churches. But serial murder cases have an extremely terrible influence and easily cause panic. They will definitely make the wisest choice… Looking at it that way, only a few unsolved serial murder cases within twenty years fits reason and logic.”

Klein quickly understood the reason.

He gathered his scattered thoughts and read through the cases one by one.

With insufficient information making divination impossible, he preliminarily selected two serial murder cases that might be connected to the current incident. He intended to use them as preliminary entry points.

One case had occurred four years ago. There had been five victims in all, all prostitutes who were single and had one child. Before death, they had been abused, yet there were no signs of intercourse.

The police in charge at the time had believed that the murderer must have known those prostitutes. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to accurately pick out women who were single and had one child. They began with people living nearby and several regular clients of the prostitutes, identifying a few suspects, yet in the end, they still failed to find the true killer.

Although the file only briefly mentioned it in passing, Klein could clearly tell that they had asked Beyonders from the three great Churches for help. Unfortunately, the case had still gone unsolved.

With the Beyonder abilities of the Abyss pathway, seeing that a woman once bore traces of depravity does not violate mysticism. Seeing that the other party was a prostitute is the same. But there is no reason to be able to see that she is presently single, and has one and only one child… The police’s line of thinking was correct, so where was the problem? Was the true murderer like me, able to resist dream invasion, divination, and spirit channeling, thereby escaping the examination of low- or mid-Sequence Nighthawks or Mandated Punishers?

It is possible. Although the major Churches do not lack understanding of Serial Killers, the other party may have had some other fortuitous encounter!

Starting from his own experience, Klein picked out certain issues.

I am analyzing them in the manner of a “kindred spirit”… I have not failed the surname Moriarty…

Mocking himself a few times, he decided that his priority targets were still those four suspects.

“Mm. I will have Mr. Stanton use the police to determine those suspects’ current addresses and conditions, and ask Stuart to find helpers. I will not personally appear, so as to avoid running into official Beyonders. Once the situation is clear, I can collect the suspects’ personal items and perform mysticism reasoning above the gray fog.”

Klein swiftly formed a plan.

The second case had occurred eleven years ago. At the time, four dismemberment cases had appeared one after another. Originally, the cases had not been combined. Only after the police grew suspicious from the method used to dispose of the bodies were they confirmed to be serial murders. The victims were people who had worked until very late before returning home. There were men and women. No property had been stolen, and there was no common relationship between them.

Because the most precious period had been delayed, that case had never managed to find any clues pointing to a suspect.

“This was a problem caused by mistakes. If a Spirit Medium had been invited quickly, the resentment of the dead might have gathered around the murderer… Of course, it is also possible that the killer even ‘killed’ the souls, like in the current case… The bodies of the dead should be nothing but ashes by now. It will be very difficult to begin there…”

Klein rubbed the corner of his forehead. Seeing that the sky had already darkened, he temporarily stopped thinking about the case, rose from the armchair, and left Minsk Street.

He still had something to do tonight!

He was going to the South Borough of the Bridge, to Harvest Church on Rose Street, to find Bishop Utravsky and strive to obtain the Apothecary formula. He had already divined whether this matter was dangerous.

To Klein, having an Apothecary as a subordinate would be extremely helpful.

He would be injured. He would fall ill. He would encounter enemies capable of hurting him. An Apothecary who could be found at any time would become his strong support.

After making a transfer through the East Borough, Klein changed his disguise, took the steam metro, crossed the Tussock River, and arrived at the South Borough of the Bridge.

Along the way, the darkness along the metro line and the corresponding gas lamps formed a memorable scene.

Switching to a public carriage, Klein came to Rose Street. Without needing much recognition, he spotted the small Harvest Church.

The golden church had a rather conspicuous spire and a Sacred Emblem of Life carved into its outer wall. It was a simplified infant surrounded by symbols such as wheat, flowers, and spring water. It was completely different from the surrounding buildings.

At this moment, the church interior was dimly lit. There seemed to be few believers inside.

Klein slipped in from the side. Cautiously, he used greasepaint to smear his face rather than relying solely on his Illusion Creation ability.

Inside the church hall, rows of chairs stood neatly arranged. At the front was a huge Sacred Emblem of Life, with lit candles on either side.

In the frontmost pew sat a tall man in his forties or fifties wearing brown clerical robes.

Merely sitting there, he seemed like a small mountain, giving off enormous pressure.

The man wore a bishop’s soft cap. His eyebrows were pale and sparse, with obvious wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, along his cheeks, and by his mouth. At the moment, his eyes were tightly shut, his hands clasped together and braced beneath his chin, as though making the most devout repentance.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, revealing pale blue.

“The Mother’s church refuses no one. Why did you not enter through the front door?”

The man in his forties or fifties did not lift his head. His voice was low and gentle.

“You are Bishop Utravsky?”

Klein walked out from the shadows.

The tall man in brown bishop’s robes answered with a mild tone, “I prefer to be addressed as Father.”

“Father Utravsky.”

“Very well, Bishop,” Klein deliberately chuckled. “Your name and your height both tell me you are Feysac. Why would you believe in the Earth Mother?”

Bishop Utravsky slowly lifted his head, gazed at the Sacred Emblem of Life ahead, and said with abundant emotion, “I was born in Indo along the Inner Sea. I was a person fanatical about battle and slaughter.”

Indo? He really is from the Feysac Empire…

Klein nodded almost imperceptibly.

The Inner Sea was the natural boundary among Loen, Intis, and Feysac. The eastern shore belonged to Loen, most of the western shore belonged to Intis, and farther north lay several famous port cities of the Feysac Empire, such as Indo.

In addition, the Inner Sea extended northeast, piercing through Feysac territory all the way to the North Sea. That region of water contained many islands, serving as habitats for polar bears, seals, and other animals.

Hunting bears and fishing seals were traditional entertainments among the local Feysac people.

As his thoughts drifted slightly, Bishop Utravsky continued gazing ahead and said, “I committed grave crimes. I fled to the Sonia Sea and became a savage pirate.

“Before I truly fell into the hell of my own heart, I was fortunate enough to encounter a missionary of the Mother.

“After that day, I understood the preciousness of life. I understood the charm of all living things growing. I obtained a pure joy that came from life itself. Before the Mother’s sacred emblem, I swore an oath: I would spread Her faith to other nations, using that to repent for my bloody past.

“And so, I came. I came here.”

Amid that peaceful yet emotional voice, Bishop Utravsky stood.

He was over 2.2 meters tall, sturdy in build, his clerical robes stretched tight, like a legendary giant appearing once more upon the Northern Continent.

Real giants are three to five meters tall and have a single vertical eye… The people of the Feysac Empire are generally tall… No wonder they have always called themselves descendants of giants and believed themselves to possess giant blood…

Klein had no choice but to tilt his neck backward in order to look at the “father’s” face.

“Why have you come?” Bishop Utravsky lowered his head and asked.

“I heard you have a matter you wish to entrust to someone, with the reward being the Apothecary formula?”

Disguised, Klein asked directly.

Bishop Utravsky was silent for several seconds before saying, “Yes.

“Although I do not know where you heard it from, this matter indeed exists.”

“Then what is the task?”

Klein asked with a smile.

Utravsky examined him deeply for a while.

“I believe you cannot complete my commission.”

“Perhaps I can. I have to know the specific contents before I can make an evaluation,” Klein said, frowning slightly.

Utravsky stood there like a giant pillar. After a few seconds, he said, “My commission is…”

At that point, he closed his eyes.

“Kill me.”