Chapter 195: "Lockpicking Expert" Klein

A few seconds later, Klein activated his Spirit Vision and surveyed the

room, only to find how extravagantly decorated Madam Sharon's room was.

In a spacious area with a cloakroom that was ajar, there was a thick

carpet, a blanket made with goose feathers, a makeup table strewn with

skin care products and cosmetics, a dazzling array of jewelry, thin

clothing and socks thrown over the rocking chair, and multiple

decorative items adorned with gold silk. All of these entered Klein's

field of vision.

What attracted Klein's attention the most was an unfinished oil

painting. On the painting was the naked figure of Madam Sharon

herself---her brown hair like a waterfall, her eyes like an innocent

deer's, pure and limpid. But her curved eyebrows, sharp nose, and tender

lips accentuated her form as a mature female. The two qualities fused

together despite the contradiction, releasing an alarming temptation.

Klein only gave a cursory glance at the area under the neck for a

moment. He wasn't trying to be gentlemanly. After all, he had already

seen the porno, so why would he have scruples over a picture?

His attention had been grabbed by the pastels, palettes, and

paintbrushes beside the painting, as well as a full-length silver-coated

mirror.

This combination and their placement relative to each other gave Klein a

weird thought that the painter was Madam Sharon herself, and not some

artist she had seduced.

*A beautiful woman with a great figure, flirtatious yet innocent,

stripping and drawing herself while looking in the mirror to chronicle

her beauty... It feels a little odd. Is Madam Sharon

narcissistic?* Klein gulped silently and retracted his gaze. He

started to search for possible evidence of her crimes.

Following Leonard's and Frye's instructions, he kept his black gloves on

as he searched. He had to keep the original position of everything in

his memory to facilitate putting everything back after he was done.

This proved easy for an advanced Seer. If he forgot, he could use dream

divination to recall the placement easily.

Of course, he had performed a divination before he left the house

tonight. There was going to be no danger and he would be met with

relative success.

*That's something a good charlatan would do... even if I'm already a

Clown...* Klein lampooned himself. He spent twenty minutes

searching Madam Sharon's room, but he didn't find anything noteworthy,

nor did he see any light emitted by spirituality.

Finally, he stopped before a safe in the corner of the room.

The steel safe was a meter tall; thick and heavy. It gave the impression

that it was unusually sturdy, as if it could only be opened using

explosives.

*This sure is a characteristic of the Age of Steam. There must be

complicated machinery within the safe...* Klein tried to open

the safe but failed miserably.

He left the safe for last. He took off his left glove and unwound the

topaz dangling on his left wrist.

Grabbing the silver chain and allowing the pendulum to fall, Klein

dispelled the excitement that the fragrance in the room gave him and

entered a state of Cogitation.

His eyes turned dark as he chanted to himself, "There is a secret room

or hidden partition in this room.

"There is a secret room or hidden partition in this room."

After reciting it seven times, Klein's eyes regained their normal color.

He looked at the dangling topaz, which was turning counterclockwise.

It was a negative result.

Klein nodded slightly and left Madam Sharon's room. According to the

process from before, he went through the study, the living room, the

greenhouse, and other parts of the house, but he didn't find any clues

of value.

He didn't use Dowsing Rod Seeking since he didn't exactly know what he

was looking for.

Klein took out his silver pocket watch and gave it a look. He confirmed

the time before returning to Madam Sharon's bedroom.

Carefully closing the wooden door, Klein took out the silver dagger used

for rituals and released his spirituality, allowing it to fuse with the

powers of nature and seal the room.

He was going to summon himself!

He was going to go through the safe using his spirit and check the

things inside!

Grandpa doesn't need to know how to lockpick! Klein proclaimed

in Mandarin.

The process was simple since he was praying to himself. He didn't have

to be too particular. Klein took out a candle infused with sandalwood

and ignited it using his spirituality. That was going to be his altar.

"I!

"I summon in my name:

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, the mysterious ruler above

the gray fog; the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."

The incantation reverberated around Madam Sharon's bedroom. Klein's

spirituality poured out from within him, gently fusing with the candle

flame to become a gray, palm-sized veil of light.

He then took four steps counterclockwise, made his way through the mad

ravings, and into the world above the gray fog.

He saw the Door of Summoning appear behind the seat of honor at the

ancient long table. Klein was about to react when he froze.

*I should perform a divination to see if I can discover any clues since

I'm already here. Here, as well as removing any interference, my powers

are also significantly boosted... Also, because of where I am now,

performing a divination is akin to using an object Madam Sharon brings

around with her everyday...* He sat down and conjured a fountain

pen and goatskin.

What should I divine? Klein slipped into deep thought\.\

Is there anything wrong with Madam Sharon?

*No, everyone makes mistakes, there would be something wrong with

anyone.*

Is Madam Sharon involved in a crime?

*...No, that's not narrow enough either. As a famous socialite tied to

the political sphere, it's natural that she would be associated with

something dirty yet cannot be convicted for... Also, what is the

definition of a crime anyway? The laws of the Loen Kingdom, or the laws

of the Intis Republic, or is it up to me to decide?*

Despite his many thoughts, Klein didn't want to delay it any further.

After all, his physical body was still in the real world. Thus, he

decided to confirm the past few divinations he did regarding the

incident.

He picked up the pen and, without writing, he conjured a divination

statement on the goatskin before him

"John Maynard's death was due to supernatural influences."

This was the divination he did when he went to Maynard's house to help

the police. The answer he received last time was negative.

Grabbing the silver chain, he allowed the topaz pendulum to almost touch

the statement on the goatskin. Klein half-closed his eyes and silently

recited the divination statement, "John Maynard's death was due to

supernatural influences.

"John Maynard's death was due to supernatural influences."

After repeating it seven times, he opened his eyes and looked at the

pendulum. His pupils constricted suddenly.

The topaz pendulum was spinning clockwise!

Clockwise meant a positive result!

Maynard's death was really due to supernatural influences!

Klein stared at the pendulum that was slowing down, his heart churning

in turmoil.

My divination back then was influenced, disrupted...

*Madam Sharon is a Beyonder, a rather powerful Beyonder? Or is there

someone backing her, having helped in planning Maynard's death?*

*Did they want to remove a powerful opponent to the seat of mayor, to

remove a future House of Commons Member of Parliament from the New

Party?*

Many thoughts raced through his mind as Klein wrote a new divination

statement: "Madam Sharon is a Beyonder."

He recited the statement seven times, still using the pendulum

technique. Klein used the location he was at, as well as the information

he knew regarding Madam Sharon, to complete the divination. He saw an

answer.

The answer was the clockwise rotation of the topaz pendulum: the answer

was yes!

Madam Sharon is a Beyonder... Klein's nerves tensed. He didn't

delay any further, immediately answering his own prayer and pushing open

the mysterious door.

After a moment of chaos and dizziness, he saw Madam Sharon's bedroom and

himself.

Klein floated to the front of the heavy safe and extended his right

hand. He carefully extended his hand into the safe.

Since Madam Sharon was a Beyonder, he had to be wary of traps in the

safe.

In such a state, where his soul was infused with powers of the

mysterious space and his spirituality, Klein no longer needed

divination. He would receive a warning when he was approaching something

dangerous---a large portion of divination was obtaining revelations by

allowing one's Astral Projection to roam in the spirit world. In other

words, it was derived from one's spirituality.

Klein didn't notice anything unusual. when his nearly-transparent hand

made it through the thick metal door.

After sweeping his hand, he leaned forward, plunging his entire spirit

into the safe.

He saw that the inside of the safe was split into three sections. The

first was filled with gold bars, thick stacks of cash, and even more

precious jewelry. Another layer had sealed documents. Klein blew on

them, but he didn't manage to flip them open to look at their contents.

Yes, I'll have to try again with Mr. Azik's copper whistle...

Klein had experimented with it previously. When he enveloped the Flaring

Sun Charm or Azik's copper whistle with his spirit, both the items were

able to make it through obstacles, as if becoming illusory items

themselves.

The bottom-most layer of the safe was rather strange. There was only a

black and white photo there. On the photo was a suave young man.

*Madam Sharon's past lover? Were they forcefully broken apart, and Madam

Sharon having no choice but to marry the old baron and, thus, embarked

on her path of debauchery by entering the beds of multiple men? But deep

in her heart, she still harbors a pure space. Every night, when it's

quiet, she takes out this photo and strokes it with tears on her

face...* Klein instantly imagined the plot of a great romantic

tragedy.

But the more he looked at it, the more something seemed amiss. The young

man in the photo seemed, perhaps, a little too much like Madam Sharon...

Madam Sharon's brother? She's a Beyonder... F\\*k, could she also be

of the Demoness pathway? The same as Instigator Trissy!* Klein

suddenly had a stroke of inspiration which scared himself.

*Could the reason Trissy stayed in Tingen this long be because her

partner was here?* Klein observed the photo closely, realizing

that the young man looked remarkably like Madam Sharon.

His nearly-transparent face grimaced in pain. He could no longer view

that "porno" the same way as before!

Collecting himself, Klein felt for the corners of the safe to see if

they hid anything.

Even though he couldn't pick up any papers in his current state, passing

through objects was a different feeling from passing through the air.

The feeling was also different when passing through objects of different

densities.

In his search, Klein suddenly froze.

He found an empty space on the side of the safe facing the wall---a

hidden compartment!

After confirming that there was no danger, Klein made his way inside.

What entered his field of vision were ointments, fragrances, powdered

herbs, and other objects. The centerpiece was a statue of a god that

took the form of a skeleton.

The statue was about the size of a palm, and probably of a beautiful

girl. It had long hair all the way to its heels, each strand of hair was

thick and clear, like a venomous snake.

Situated at the tip of every strand of hair was an eye---some closed,

others open.

Klein was shocked. He caught a whiff of an evil scent and hurried out of

the hidden compartment.

He now understood why his divination for any secret rooms or partitions

in the room had failed!