Fors's eyelashes fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself lying on the floor of her living room. Through the window, she saw that the bright moon was hanging high in the sky like a crimson disk. The normally thin and blurry chiffon seemed to turn into rich bloody light.
I'm not dead, I didn't lose control... It wasn't a dream just now... I really was saved by a mysterious and powerful Mr. Fool... When Fors sat up and examined herself, she saw that there was nothing unusual about the rest of her body except that her hair had grown longer and denser.
But my life is completely different from before... I don't know if this is good or bad...Silently mumbling to herself, Fors sat on the ground hugging her knees whilst lost in thought. Her mind would sometimes wander off, and at times, she would be anxious, sad, or confused.
...
Above the gray fog, Klein looked at the chair which had the symbol of a layered door on its back. He muttered to himself in thought, I wonder what kind of information is contained in those ravings...
When she's at Sequence 7 or Sequence 6, she should be able to resist the negative effects and hear the content of the ravings.
If she hasn't grasped the acting method, I can let Miss Justice and the others help me teach her. I have sworn under a Holy Artifact to the Goddess that I wouldn't mention anything related to the acting method to people who aren't aware of it.
... When I advance to Sequence 5 and become a Nimblewright Master, perhaps I can use a corresponding ritual and the uniqueness of this mysterious space to remotely control her and directly see what she sees and hear what she hears.
That way, I can determine if it's Mr. Door...
This gentleman who has witnessed the history of the Fourth Epoch might be even older than Mr. Azik who had lived multiple lives.
I wonder what Sequence his strength and level are equivalent to. 2? Or even 1?
After some consideration, he felt that his spirituality was becoming unstable, so he hurriedly descended into the gray fog and returned to the real world.
This was a common occurrence after a recent advancement; therefore, Klein gave up on going out, and he patiently entered Cogitation at home, retracting and releasing his spirituality.
...
In the wee hours of the morning, Fors took the earliest steam metro back to St. George Borough before taking a public carriage to the two-bedroom apartment where she lived with Xio.
When she opened the door, she was surprised to find Xio, who usually slept late, toasting some bread.
"The sudden appearance of last night's Blood Moon gave me insomnia, so I woke up very early. Fors, are you alright? Did those strange ravings get stronger?" Xio asked, looking up with concern.
Fors's vision suddenly blurred. She turned her head to the side, forced a smile, and said with her usual confrontational tone, "What happened to your brain? Didn't I say it before? The ravings will definitely become stronger during the Blood Moon!
"But it doesn't affect me at all. Yeah, it doesn't affect me at all. Look at me, look at how energetic I am right now!
"Hey, toast a piece of bread for me too!"
"I thought you didn't like eating it this way?" Xio tidied her short, blonde hair and mumbled softly.
...
After taking his first step at revenge and attaining an advancement, Klein slept through the night. He leisurely went out to buy Feynapotter noodles for breakfast, along with a Desi pie and a cup of sweet iced tea.
After enjoying the delicacies in satisfaction, he put down his fork and knife and picked up the newspaper. He was in a very relaxed mood as he began to read.
A quick scan revealed that the headlines of the Tussock Times read:
"Night of the Bloody Moon, the Killer Demon strikes again!"
Again? Klein quickly flipped through the front pages of the other newspapers and saw many similar titles:
"The 11th true case! The police are helpless!"
"The cold-blooded Killing Demon has once again made a clear mockery of the police!"
"The atmosphere of panic is spreading through Backlund!"
This... The Nighthawks and the Mandated Punishers must all be having headaches, right? Klein sighed in his heart.
To be honest, he had the urge to catch the killer.
Back on Earth, when he was weak, he would often daydream about being a person to uphold justice and punish evil. But now, as a Sequence 7 Beyonder, Klein felt sorry for his past dreams due to his choice of not being a superhero.
Sigh, what a pity. This case has already received a high level of attention. If I were to join in, wouldn't that mean that I'm waiting for my identity to be exposed? I still have to be rational... Furthermore, according to The Sun, the culprit is highly likely to be advancing from Sequence 6 to Sequence 5. Although I won't be afraid of him, I might not be able to catch him even with the new spells and spell-like abilities I gained. It's quite risky... After thinking about it, Klein still chose to follow his deepest beliefs and remain an ordinary citizen.
He believed that with the strength of the few Churches—if the killer were to continue committing crimes—there was a high chance of them getting caught!
After flipping through the news, Klein glanced at the Backlund Morning Post and found that the advertisement for the Ernst Firm's purchase of goods had appeared again on the fifth page.
There's going to be a gathering tomorrow night at 8 o'clock. I can sell the Spring of the Elves marrow crystals to the Apothecary then... Klein muttered as he memorized the first four digits of the price listed.
Half an hour later, he finished reading the thick newspaper in front of him and started to seriously consider his future plans.
The long-term plan is to advance to a higher Sequence, becoming a demigod expert before I plot my revenge against Ince Zangwill.
A mid-term plan is to find the acting method for Magician. I'll slowly summarize the corresponding mantras to observe, so as to digest the potion bit by bit. During this process, I'll start my search for the Characteristic of a Human-skinned Shadow, hair from a Deep-sea Naga, Thousand-faced Hunter's blood, and mutated pituitary gland, as well as the means to remove an evil god's corruption from an object.
Um... The Beyonder ingredients of Sequence 6 each cost around 1500 pounds. It's very expensive!
In addition, I need to obtain a mystical item that's focused on attacking or controlling. Although a Magician is very powerful, most of the Beyonder powers are used for life-preservation and escaping. In a corresponding environment, the strongest attack is that of a custom revolver. The only boon is how it takes others by surprise, and it also lacks the means to control an enemy.
Short-term plan, short-term plan... Heh, I'll be cutting up some paper figurines and make preparations for my powers. I'll visit the circus in the afternoon as a way to relax and for entertainment. I can try to gain inspiration for the "acting" by observing ordinary magicians. Yes, I saw in the newspapers that there are a few permanent circuses in Backlund...
After finalizing his thoughts, Klein immediately tidied up his plates, cleaned his knife and fork, and devoted himself into being busy making preparations.
When it was almost noon, he put down the scissors and looked at the three crude paper figurines in front of him. He sighed and muttered to himself, This is probably the first time in my life that I've done manual work so seriously
Fortunately, it's just to cut out some paper figurines and not flowers or embroidery. It's fine as long as it's shaped like a person!
Sigh, if it wasn't for the fact that my hands have become dexterous, I might've failed today...
Klein had just used an additional paper figurine to test his capabilities and confirmed that everything was fine.
He folded the paper figurines and hid it in a stack of notes. Klein put them away into his pocket.
Just as he was about to go out and enjoy a meal at a slightly better restaurant before heading to the nearest circus to watch the performance, the doorbell suddenly rang, and the pleasant, jingling sound echoed in the air.
A job? The advertisement I posted should be almost done with its listing period...Wearing a starched shirt and a thin warm sweater, Klein came to the door and grabbed the handle.
At the same time, the image of the visitor appeared in his mind.
It was a man in his forties. He was rather fat, and he appeared to have difficulty even standing.
His eyes were tiny from the copious amounts of flesh on his face. His skin was rough but very white. He had a gentleman's cane in his hand, and a very tall and large hat on his head.
Even though Backlund was cold in October, the man's forehead was dripping with sweat.
Beside him were two attendants in bright red coats, supporting him from both sides.
I don't know him... Klein mumbled, and before his spiritual perception could respond, he opened the door.
"Good afternoon. The weather is truly scorching hot." The fat middle-aged man took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
As he spoke, a cold wind blew, causing the two attendants beside him to shiver.
"Good afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with?" Klein asked politely.
"You are Detective Sherlock Moriarty? I have something that I want to entrust you with." The middle-aged man forced a smile and said, "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Rogo Colloman, a jewelry businessman."
"Please, come on in." Klein smiled and made way.
Rogo Colloman stepped in with heavy footsteps and sat down on the sofa, causing the old furniture to emit a resistant groan.
"What is it exactly?" Klein took out a copper penny and deftly rolled it around his fingertips.
Rogo sighed and said, "I wish for you to protect my son until tomorrow afternoon. He has offended some lunatics."
"Until tomorrow afternoon? Have you found a solution? Why not call the police?" Klein asked unhurriedly.
Rogo remained silent for two seconds before saying, "Adol got into some bad company and was led to do bad things by them. Oh, it's nothing too serious, but ones that can land him in prison. Unless it's necessary, I don't want to call the police.
"He recently had a falling out with those bad friends of his. As a result, he suddenly broke down and kept yelling that those people wanted to kill him.
"I was very worried, so I hired six senior bodyguards from a security company to keep watch outside. Then, I hired another four private detectives to take shifts watching over Adol, even if he's sleeping.
"But one of the detectives suddenly had an accident at home and will only be able to return tomorrow afternoon. Therefore, I can only hire another detective at the last minute.
"I'm sorry, I can only hire you for one day.
"Yes... The reward is 10 pounds, and if you were to encounter danger, I'd add more. You'll definitely be satisfied."
Is that so... 10 pounds for a day. That's equivalent to a week's salary of Mr. Sammer from next door... Klein was able to tell from the color of the other's emotions that he wasn't lying.
During the brief silence in the living room, he kept flipping the copper penny between his fingers and with a thud, it fell into his palm.
Klein glanced at it, bent his fingers and smiled.
"Deal."
