Chapter 155: Urgent Meeting
After collecting himself, Klein went down to the basement and walked to
Chanis Gate. He knocked on the door to the guard room.
Inside, Royale Reideen had already packed her personal belongings. She
immediately smoothed her hair and stood up when she saw the person
taking over her shift.
After greeting each other with a nod, Klein suddenly said, "I've had
some success with grasping my potion and have shared my experiences with
Frye and the rest. You can ask them about it."
Royale, who typically didn't have much of an expression, looked at Klein
with a little shock. Her lips quivered a little as she said, "Alright."
*Madam, let's hope that you can still maintain your calm composure in a
while... There are already a bunch of dazed people sitting in the
recreation room right now.* Klein laughed and made his way
behind the table, expertly taking out the tin can which Dunn Smith used
to store his Fermo coffee.
After making himself a cup of aromatic coffee, Klein sat down and
relaxed. He looked out at the lonely hallway and allowed his thoughts to
roam free.
*Let's hope that Mr. Azik's mission is successful and that he doesn't
leave behind any clues. Well, even if there are clues, I can just
pretend to not notice them.*
*I wonder where the Mutated Sun Sacred Emblem is sealed behind Chanis
Gate? Since it doesn't possess any living qualities, it only needs a
little space...*
*Come to think of it, I haven't been inside Chanis Gate. I'm not sure
what it looks like inside... To be able to keep the weird Sealed
Artifacts of varying sizes safe and maintain surveillance, it must be
quite special indeed. For example, the ashes of Saint Selena?*
Many thoughts streaked past Klein's head when he suddenly heard urgent
footsteps. He focused and shot a look towards the door.
He saw Old Neil, wearing his classic black robe, appear in the corridor
with a black carpet in his hands. He made his way into the guard room
and said nothing, but instead observed Klein thoroughly.
"Mr. Neil, did something happen?" Klein let out a dry chuckle and took a
sip of his fragrant coffee.
Old Neil sized him up and sighed.
"To think that you would find inspiration from the maxim of the Mystery
Pryers and Daly..."
"I have to praise the Goddess. I also have to thank you for your
teachings." Klein gave a reply in all seriousness.
Old Neil pulled back a chair and sat down. He said, a little depressed,
"How good would it be if it was twenty years ago..."
Klein maintained his silence, for he knew that Old Neil wasn't allowed
to consume any more potions because of his age and health, even if he
had completely digested the one he had right now.
Under such circumstances, anything he said would've agitated him.
"My earliest thoughts was to quickly gain control of my potion from the
maxim of the Mystery Pryer, but regrettably, I wasn't embarking in the
right direction. Daly's success did give me some clues, but I was
already more than 50 years old back then, and had already given up on my
efforts. I subconsciously thought that her success was a result of her
genius, and that an average person wouldn't be able to emulate her
achievements." Old Neil rubbed his temples as he described his
disappointment.
He was silent for a few minutes before he lifted his head. He looked at
Klein.
"It sure is regrettable that only now do I understand what I've missed
out on at this age."
*Old Neil should've had a faint understanding of the "acting method." He
immediately understood what happened after I shared my
experiences...* Klein consoled, "It wouldn't have made too much
of a difference. The Church doesn't hold the Sequence 8 corresponding to
Mystery Pryer."
"Perhaps the Holy Cathedral does have it... No, if they have it, they
would at least tell us its name. It's also possible that the underground
market might have it..." Old Neil muttered. He shook his head as he
stood up. He laughed and said. "At least I didn't lose control, and I've
lived healthily for decades... Praise the Lady."
He drew a crimson moon in front of his chest and left the guard room a
little dejected. He had lost his usual shrewd look.
Klein looked at Old Neil's back and suddenly let out a long sigh.
He was even more perplexed as to why the higher-ups of the Church would
hide the "acting method."
Klein collected himself after some time, placing his attention on the
confidential information of the Nighthawks in front of him.
Ever since he pulled the youth from the City of Silver into the Tarot
Club and learned that the City of Silver still used the ancient names
for many things, he found it necessary to enhance his knowledge in these
areas.
Some time later, he heard another set of footsteps. These footsteps were
slow and steady.
At the same time, an image of Dunn Smith wearing a black trench coat
flashed past his mind.
*My spiritual senses have been elevated after fully digesting the Seer
potion...* Klein nodded in understanding. He saw the Captain a
few seconds later.
"A letter for you." Dunn extended his right arm and flicked his wrist,
tossing the letter over to Klein.
Klein lifted his hand and tried to grab the letter, but be it his
judgment or reaction, he missed.
Pa!
The letter fell onto the floor, leaving Klein's right hand extended
awkwardly in the air.
Under the suddenly silent atmosphere, his right hand first became rigid,
then he pulled it back toward his head and pretended to smooth out his
hair.
"The light from the gas lamp isn't bright enough," Klein made a
perfunctory statement casually. He bent his back and picked up the
letter, giving it a cursory glance.
Mr. Hornacis... It's a letter from Daxter Guderian... He
nodded in understanding and pulled open a drawer to retrieve a letter
opener.
According to the rules of the Nighthawks, if there was a clear and
correct recipient, Rozanne and the rest of the clerks would give the
letter directly to the person that the letter was addressed to. If the
recipient was anonymous or an unknown name, it would be handed over to
Dunn. He could then ask around or make a decision.
Klein carefully pried open the letter and took out the piece of paper
within. He quickly unfolded the piece of paper and read through it.
He realized that the asylum doctor, Daxter, was asking for an urgent
meeting at two in the afternoon today.
*Has he obtained the Telepathist formula? Or is it regarding something
else?* Klein lifted the letter in his hand and looked at Dunn.
"Captain, my informant, the one from the Psychology Alchemists, wishes
to meet me at two in the afternoon."
"Did he say anything else?" Dunn asked, as if he was expecting this.
"No." Klein shook his head.
Dunn thought for a moment, then said in a heavy voice, "Get Leonard to
watch over Chanis Gate for the time being. I'll go with you and hide
somewhere. These urgent requests to meet could sometimes be a trap. I've
heard of many similar incidents. Furthermore, if it's something
important, we can act quickly."
*Captain, you sure are experienced... Not to mention being the most
reliable, trustworthy Captain without memory issues whenever we have
something serious to do...* Klein immediately nodded.
"Alright!"
At two in the afternoon. Inside the small shooting range 9 of the
Zouteland Street Shooting Club.
Klein looked at the target that was covered in bullet holes, then
glanced at the uneasy Doctor Daxter Guderian.
"What happened for you to look for mercenaries at the Hound Pub in such
a fluster?"
Only by doing so would the boss of the Hound Pub, Wright, hand the
letter immediately to the Blackthorn Security Company instead of waiting
for Klein to collect it himself.
Daxter observed Klein's expression and body language, then responded
softly, "I find Hood Eugen a little abnormal recently."
Hood Eugen was the patient from the mental asylum that had roped Daxter
into the Psychology Alchemists.
"What sort of abnormalities has he exhibited?" Klein pressed, displaying
his professionalism.
Daxter heaved a sigh of relief, as if he had found a pillar of support.
He said while deliberating his words, "H-he seems to have really gone
insane..."
"Really gone insane?" Klein asked in shock.
*Didn't Hood Eugen feign his illness and infiltrate the mental asylum to
attempt to influence the patients in order to train his mental
abilities?*
He had really turned sick, genuine insanity?
"I think so..." Daxter paced around anxiously. "I could hold a normal
conversation with him in the past and receive guidance on how to
correctly use my Beyonder powers. But in the past few days, his thought
processes and his condition has become really weird. I can barely
communicate with him. He was just like my other patients, even though...
even though I've managed to get the Telepathist formula as a result. But
I cannot determine if it's real or fake. I'm afraid that there might be
some uncontrollable changes that might occur."
*No matter. As a Seer, a Seer who has the mysterious world above the
gray fog, I'll be able to determine if it's real or fake...*
Klein heaved a sigh of relief before creasing his brows and asking, "Did
he come into contact with anyone before he turned abnormal?"
"Only the patients. I-I cannot guarantee that, though. I'm not in the
asylum for the whole day. I also need time to rest," Daxter said, his
expression serious.
Klein nodded, as if it was something trivial.
"Don't worry. I'll send someone to protect you in secret. You should
find out who Hood Eugen has come into contact with as soon as possible.
Also, you have to be careful; he might be testing you. You should also
report this to the members of the Psychology Alchemists and see how the
higher-ups of your organization react."
"Alright." Daxter propped up his golden spectacles, recovering the calm
of a Spectator. He then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and
handed it over to Klein. "This is the formula for the Telepathist
potion, but I cannot guarantee its authenticity."
"We will verify it." Klein smiled in response. He unfolded the piece of
paper on the spot and looked at it.
"Main ingredients: The complete pituitary gland of a mature Rainbow
Salamander, 10 ml of spinal fluid from a Farsman Rabbit."
"Supplementary ingredients: Chestnut Spore 5 grams, Dragon Tooth Grass
Powder 8 grams, 3 petals of Pure White Elf Flowers, Pure Water 100 ml."
"Excellent," Klein praised. He folded the piece of paper and stuffed it
into the inner pocket of his tuxedo.
After exchanging a few more words and ascertaining that the "voices"
which Daxter was hearing were subsiding, Klein bade him farewell. He
cautiously made his way to the shooting range reserved for the
Nighthawks. Dunn Smith was waiting inside.
"Captain, the informant gave me the Telepathist formula to thank me for
helping him control the side effects of the potion, but he cannot
determine the authenticity of the potion." Klein handed the piece of
paper to Dunn with a stern expression. "Furthermore, he mentioned
something else..."
Dunn read the formula as he listened to the concerns about Hood Eugen.
After that, he nodded.
"I'll immediately assign manpower to keep the mental asylum under
surveillance. You haven't had professional training when it comes to
these matters and don't to participate in this. Go back and guard Chanis
Gate."
With that said, he looked at Klein deeply in the eyes and said, "If we
take this formula into account, you don't need to accumulate any more
meritorious achievements. You can directly receive the Clown potion
after you pass the examination..."