On a night with clear moonlight, in the garden of 160 Böklund Street.
A gray rat crawled out of its hole, running straight for the master bedroom's bed.
As a tiny, black, glue-like blob object floated down, the rat held it over its head like an acrobatic act.
It quickly turned around, ran out of 160 Böklund Street, and headed for the sewer entrance.
At this moment, the gray rat raised its torso up and reached out with two of its paws.
They magically extended as blobs of flesh appeared on its forelimbs!
Then, using its mutated front paws, it moved the manhole cover away without causing a sound!
Without stopping at all, the gray rat headed straight down the sewers, going all the way to the spot where Demoness Trissy previously hid.
It kept digging in a corner until it excavated a mirror fragment from the soil.
Having done that, the gray rat threw the black, sticky object over its head to the side where it was relatively clean. It then retreated to a corner, allowing its body to stretch and turn into a middle-aged man wearing a dark red coat and a triangular hat. He was none other than Admiral of Blood, who had previously been active at sea.
However, this Senor, along with his clothes and body, was just a thin layer, akin to a figurine cut from paper.
"This rat is quite fat..." Admiral of Blood stroked his chin, but his paper figurine-like body nearly flew up as a result of the cold draft in the sewers.
The person who spoke was none other than Klein. He was inside his master bedroom, turning a rat into his marionette by controlling its Spirit Body Threads. He then made it carry the ritual materials and head down the sewers to contact Demoness Trissy.
Senor, whose arms were flailing about due to the draft, bent down and picked up the sticky blob. This was the remains of Trissy's lock of hair after she burned it with black flames. It could be used for a communication ritual.
Right on the heels of that, he wiped the mirror fragment clean and smeared the material onto it.
After this step, Klein made his marionette take two steps back from the "mirror." With a smacking sound, Senor was plastered to the mossy wall like an oil painting
East Borough. In a room with thick curtains that left it almost dark.
Raven-black, slimy "tentacles" coiled together, forming a huge sphere.
And at the end of these "tentacles," there were either eyes with clear blacks and whites embedded in them, or there were venomous snake heads attached there. The latter opened their mouths slightly as they shot out their tongues in a rather strange fashion. It was quite a harrowing scene.
Suddenly, they flailed up or retracted as the sphere crumbled, layer after layer.
Enveloped in the middle of a sphere was a curled up girl. She had abnormally sweet looks, but her brows were tightly furrowed. Her expression looked slightly warped due to the pain, a look that stirred up one's sense of pity.
The slimy and disgusting "tentacles" retracted and shrank, finally turning back into their original form -strands of raven-black hair!
The expression of the girl with soft, long hair soothed as she slowly got up and walked to the side of a tiny bed she had partitioned out. Picking up the sleeping gown that had fallen to the ground, she draped it over her.
Then, she curled her black hair and came in front of the full-body mirror. Reaching out her right hand, she swiped across it.
A black flame burst forth as it burned quietly in the air before being extinguished. It left behind a mirror that had turned dark and profound.
In the mirror, lights drifted and rapidly presented the sewers filled with dirty slush. Thinly plastered to the wall was a middle-aged man with an old triangular hat and dark red coat. He was looking down on the girl across an unknown distance, like a famous painting
The girl with the round face and thin eyes watched in silence before laughing.
As her smile bloomed, the dark room seemed to instantly brighten.
She then lightly opened her mouth and said in jest, "Mr. Gehrman Sparrow, is this your craziness and cruelty as the strongest adventurer?
"Or is it the case where I'm only acquainted with a clown?"
Klein wasn't surprised that Trissy had recognized him as Gehrman Sparrow. After all, he had previously met her in the image of Admiral of Blood Senor, and this pirate admiral had long been hunted by Gehrman Sparrow.
Back then, Trissy was hiding in the sewers due to an injury and was focused on revenge, preventing her from being kept abreast of the news at sea. It was rather unsurprising for her to be unaware of Admiral of Blood's demise, but things were different after she finished recuperating and left the area. She would've been a terrible Assassin and Instigator if she hadn't investigated her partner. Clearly, Trissy's past actions indicated that, despite being evil, it didn't discount her intelligence.
Klein didn't argue as he controlled the paper figurine-like Senor to smile and simply reply, "Why can't clowns be crazy and cruel?"
Without waiting for Trissy's answer, he said, "Any progress on your investigations into the captain of the royal guards?"
Trissy's expression turned slightly gloomy as she said, "It will need another month at the very least for any results. It might even take two."
"If you need help, you can seek me out," Klein emphasized again.
Trissy scoffed and said, "In Backlund, in this game, strength isn't able to resolve every problem.
"Of course, I've never wasted the opportunity to use others.
"Mr. Gehrman Sparrow, since there's no need to hide your identity, can you give me a more convenient method of contact?"
Why do I feel like I'm being asked to give my cellphone number... Klein thought about it for a moment before informing her of the incantation to summoning Miss Messenger, as well as the important ritual ingredient of one gold coin.
Trissy didn't speak further. Reaching out her right hand, she tapped on the mirror's surface.
The black flames burst before disappearing, restoring the full-body mirror to normal.
In the sewers, Senor buried the mirror fragment back into the soil and made his body shrink rapidly, turning back into a gray rat. It then ran deep into the sewers, allowing itself to be fed by carnivores.
Back in 160 Böklund Street, Klein drew his curtains and returned to the reclining chair.
To be frank, he regretted cooperating with Trissy.
He felt that she was burdened by some will of the Primordial Demoness and was reckless for revenge. She was like a ticking bomb that might explode at any moment.
If Trissy were to mutate, it's highly possible that she would create a terrifying disaster... I shouldn't have spared her back then... Klein sighed and began setting up a ritual. He sent the black blob above the gray fog and attempted to divination Trissy's present location and recent condition.
Twenty to thirty seconds later, he was met with failure.
This only worried him more because such an outcome implied that Trissy had become a Blessed of the Primordial Demoness to a certain extent.
The next afternoon, Klein, who had had breakfast, began instructing Butler Walter and the newly-appointed butler assistant, Richardson, to deliver the gifts he had brought from the Southern Continent.
This filled an entire luggage bag, of which included Fermo coffee beans, East Balam tobacco, River Valley's grape wine, and human-bone sculptures.
They were to be gifted to the different neighbors around the neighborhood as a sign of goodwill from Dwayne Dantès. It was also to announce his return to the social scene.
"Oh yes, remember to mention to Member of Parliament Macht or his wife that this bottle of River Valley grape wine is suitable for making cocktails. It's best matched with lemon juice," Klein exhorted Walter.
Particular care was needed in gifting others—it had to take into account the receiver's preferences, and obviously, the most popular product of the Southern Continent at present, Donningsman Hair Tonic, wasn't suitable as a gift, as it would only appear to be a veiled attempt at ridicule.
Walter solemnly nodded and said, "Yes, Sir."
After receiving no more instructions from his employer, Richardson glanced at the remaining pile of gifts and asked, "Where will they be sent to?"
"This is for the staff of the bursary foundation. I'll deliver it myself," Klein said with a smile.
He then pointed at the golden amulet in his hand and said, "I missed the birth of Dr. Aaron's child, so I'll need to express my apologies in person. Heh heh, I'll head over in the afternoon and plan on gifting this amulet with Southern Continent characteristics to that child."
Of course, as a baby, Will Auceptin Ceres probably won't like it... Compared to this, "He"—I'll just call him he-would rather have ice-cream... Klein grumbled inwardly after answering Richardson. After the butler and Richardson left, bringing gifts and male servants to the different neighbors, Klein got into his carriage and headed straight for the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation at 22 Phelps Street.
After alighting, he headed forward with his valet, Enuni, carrying plenty of gifts behind him. Along the way, he greeted and gifted any members of the staff he saw.
Soon, Klein arrived at the second story and arrived at one of the director's office. He knocked gently on the door.
"Please come in." Audrey Hall's gentle voice sounded.
As a rather senior Spectator, she had already noticed that Mr. Dwayne Dantès had come to the Loen Charity Bursary Foundation. She had been patiently waiting for him.
Klein pushed the door and entered, taking out a small gift box from his inner pocket before saying with a warm smile, "I've returned from the Southern Continent. Well, my business went very smoothly. I brought some gifts for everyone, hoping to share my happiness with everyone."
He had specially mentioned this to indicate to Miss Justice that he remembered her request.
"You leave me no reason to decline it," Audrey said with an expectant smile.
This didn't mean that she cared for the gift Mr. World gave, but more a result of being curious as to what Mr. World would give.
After receiving the gift box, she tore open the wrapping in front of Dwayne Dantès and discovered an accessory with a white feather adorned with pale yellow patterns as its highlight.
"This is a decorative ribbon," Klein explained. "People of certain social standing in East Balam will enjoy wearing items with such white feathers on various parts of their body. Out of all the places, it's considered most noble and meaningful to attach it to a hat. This is said to be a tradition from the worship of feathered serpents. Heh heh, feathered serpents are symbols for Death over there."
And the feather he got a Southern Continent craftsman to craft into the hat was a byproduct of the Artificial Death project. It could be sacrificed.
Klein had once obtained three of them. He had used one in Bayam by using the copper whistle messenger and summoning the mutated monster which was corrupted by Artificial Death. The other was sacrificed to Artificial Death in the Southern Continent, allowing him to receive the revelation of Ince Zangwill being possessed by an evil spirit. This was the last feather.
As the present Artificial Death was equivalent to the Evernight Goddess to a certain extent, Klein, who was clearly a Blessed, didn't need to carry out such acts in subsequent rituals. He could use other materials to replace the feather, so he decided to turn the remaining one into a gift for Miss Justice. After all, she was also a believer of Evernight, and she might be able to contact Artificial Death at some critical moment.
Audrey held her present with a smile as she silently listened to Dwayne Dantès's description. For some baffling reason, an idea flashed in her mind: Don't tell me Mr. World really plucked a feathered serpent's feather for this hat...
