Chapter 279: Extreme Joy Begets Sorrow

In the dark underground structure, Klein walked around the hall with a

raised lantern in his hand. He thoroughly checked to see if there were

any other entrances. Of course, he didn't dare enter the tunnel that led

to the innermost room, and the newly gathered snakes were, once again,

blown away by a biting cold wind.

After receiving confirmation, he took the initiative to retreat to the

side of the gate, where he watched, along with the three zombies, as

Sharron placed explosives at different locations.

"She looks very professional." Klein sighed softly.

And without a doubt, the three zombies didn't respond to his musings.

However, there was a reason for this. He kept using his spirituality to

wrap Azik's copper whistle so as to shield against its negative effects;

otherwise, he would've encountered their abnormally passionate

"response."

He had no intention of bringing this ancient and exquisite copper

whistle with him originally, but considering that he had to guard

against the evil spirit's manipulations, he could only sacrifice some of

his spirituality.

*Miss Bodyguard, no---Miss Sharron said that she's a demolition expert,

and from the looks of it, she really isn't bragging...*

*Was she in this line of work in the past? Or does one of her Sequences

in her Beyonder pathway make her skilled in this domain? According to

the information I read back in the Nighthawks, a few candidates like

Sequence 9 Criminal, Prisoner, Warrior, and Hunter, Sequence 8 Sheriff,

and Sequence 7 Weapon Master and Knowledge Keeper. Heh, the latter has a

nickname, Detective. It's part of the Church of the God of Knowledge and

Wisdom... As for the rest, I'm completely clueless.*

*I wonder which pathway Miss Sharron is. Nothing seems to match, and she

even showed her ability to command the zombies...*

While Klein's thoughts wandered and made all sorts of associations,

Sharron finished setting up the explosives and, in passing, lit the

fuse.

*In passing? Lighting the fuse? Hey, hey, hey! Why didn't you give any

warning?* Only then did Klein jolt back to his senses and was

startled. He quickly rushed out of the hall and entered the corridor

outside.

As for the three zombies, they calmly followed behind him.

"It's very safe here." Sharron suddenly appeared and floated beside him.

Klein breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Will dust fall from the

tremors over here?"

"Yes," Sharron answered with a single word.

"That's good." As he spoke, Klein took another step back.

The hissing sound of the fuse burning reached his ears, making him feel

slightly irritated.

It wasn't because he was afraid of the explosion that followed, but

because he couldn't feel at ease.

"One," Sharron said suddenly.

"Huh?" Klein didn't understand what she meant.

Rumble!

The earth shook violently, and plumes of dust fell from above. Klein's

ears buzzed, and for a moment he couldn't hear anything else.

If it wasn't for the fact that he was a Clown, he would've lost his

balance and collapsed to the ground.

Cough! Cough! Cough! Having been distracted and caught

unaware, he started to cough. He saw boulders and mud rapidly falling in

front of him as they instantly blocked the entrance.

During the remaining tremors, Klein gripped the copper whistle given to

him by Mr. Azik and observed its reaction.

Although he had divined beforehand that his expedition would be safe, he

didn't dare to believe it completely, even if it was a revelation gained

from above the gray fog since it involved the statues of the six

orthodox gods. Therefore, he cautiously judged whether or not the evil

spirit was freed with the help of Azik's copper whistle.

The copper whistle's surface was cold but mild, and it had no abnormal

changes. Completely relieved, Klein looked at the zombies beside him and

confirmed one thing from their eyes: his face was very dirty right now.

*That's good. It's in line with how I'm going to explain this to Old

Mister Millet Carter... I didn't waste my effort in changing into a

different set of clothes...* He walked to the entrance and

confirmed that it was completely blocked.

*Without causing too much of a commotion, it's true that only those from

the Apprentice path and Beyonders like Miss Sharron can enter in the

future. By doing so, she has ruled out many potential competitors. No

wonder it was free...* Klein looked at the boulders and dirt

before sighing.

*Of course, I can too. I have a condition similar to a spirit

body!* He silently added this sentence inwardly with a smile,

but his expression didn't change at all.

"Let's call it a day." With an exaggerated snap of his fingers, Klein

led the three zombies back to the basement of the house. As for Sharron,

she had already disappeared.

In the spacious basement, Millet Carter was nervously pacing back and

forth, looking at the secret door from time to time.

As soon as he saw Detective Moriarty and his assistants exit, he let out

a long breath and asked anxiously, "What happened inside?"

Klein deliberately panted and said, "That underground structure is too

old, it hasn't been repaired in a long time. We were driving the snakes

away, but with just a little bit of movement, it collapsed. The whole

area has collapsed, but luckily we were close to the door and managed to

escape in time."

"Holy Lord of Storms! That structure was that dangerous?" Millet Carter

pounded his left breast.

"Yes, there are always only a few ancient buildings that can be

preserved. The rest would've collapsed in the river of history," Klein

answered. "I'll bring you in to confirm the situation."

"Will there be more collapses?" Millet asked cautiously.

"No, this area is quite sturdy." Klein deliberately patted the dust off

his body and coughed twice. He then led his employer in and stopped at

the entrance that was completely blocked. The walls near the hall had

also collapsed, leaving behind only stones and dirt.

"You can use this area." He pointed to the corridor area.

Millet was silent for a few seconds before he sighed.

"Thank goodness I didn't hastily send someone in to explore but instead

went to look for you, a professional. Otherwise, I would've had to bear

the burden of the loss of several lives.

"Alright, this commission ends here. I'll pay you the rest of the

reward."

As he spoke, Millet Carter took out his wallet, did a count, and was

somewhat embarrassed to find that there were only about thirty pounds in

cash.

"Fortunately, I still have other forms of money; otherwise, I'd have to

go to the bank," Millet mumbled as he looked up at Klein. "Do you mind

taking gold coins?"

"No, I don't mind any form of money." Klein smiled.

The gold pound of the Loen Kingdom could be in the form of gold coins

unless they were of huge denominations. This was the guarantee of the

denomination on paper money.

However, in the past hundred years after Emperor Roselle, the people of

the Northern Continent had become more and more accustomed to paper

money. There were even some Members of Parliament who wanted notes to

replace copper pennies.

Gold, in the true sense of the word, already hardly ever circulated in

the market. Only some of the old gentlemen would attach a fixed box on

the other end of their pocket watch chains which contained some gold in

case of accidents.

It was to give them peace of mind and was also a habit.

Millet nodded, and following the gold chain on his clothes, he pulled

out a box that flickered with golden light from a certain pocket.

He opened the box, took out five gold coins, and handed them together

with the notes he had previously counted to the detective.

Klein didn't hide his actions as he counted the money and suddenly

flicked a gold coin and caught it coolly.

"Thank you for your generosity." He glanced at the portrait that was

facing up and smiled sincerely. Then he pressed his hand to his chest

and bowed whilst facing Millet Carter.

*Yes, if it were any other detective, even if they demolished the

entrance and the passageway, they would definitely have nightmares upon

returning. They would hear things at home, and their minds will turn

weak. They would feel like they're being watched all the time and

experience other problems. That's the corruption of the evil spirit's

aura. It will take a very long time before the effects disappear, but

we're different. Miss Sharron is like a ghost to begin with. As for me,

I'll be completely fine once I go above the gray fog. As for the three

zombies, they aren't even afraid of death, so what's there to be afraid

of?* Klein lampooned while in a good mood as he bade Millet

Cullen farewell and left his house.

Arriving on the street, without even informing him, the three zombies

walked in another direction.

*Miss Sharron is gone... She really didn't collect any money for the

zombies...* Klein smiled as he raised his arm and waved at the

departing backs of the three zombies.

Then, he went home and changed into his normal clothes and headed for

the Quelaag Club to practice shooting.

After also settling his dinner there as a reward for the successful

completion of his mission, Klein returned to Minsk Street in a public

carriage.

The dark, gloomy environment was illuminated by gas lamps, and with his

cane, he strolled leisurely along the street.

Suddenly, he had a premonition which wasn't too good or bad.

What's going on? When Klein looked up, he saw two police

constables with a dog on a leash, apparently investigating the streets.

*Investigation? An investigation with a police dog? Is this a result of

the serial killings? The scene of the murder had the smell of cloves and

gooseberries, so they included a police dog?* Klein couldn't

help but silently lampoon.

The history of dogs dated back as far as the Roselle period, but the

numbers had always been small.

Considering that he had many things on him, and considering his earlier

premonition, Klein decided to take a detour.

But at that moment, the two policemen saw him and signaled for him to

stop.

The corner of Klein's mouth twitched as he waited in place with a smile

on his face.

"Routine investigation." As they approached, one of the officers showed

his identification documents.

"Alright..." Before Klein could finish his sentence, the police dog

suddenly growled at him and barked endlessly.

*Is it because of the smell of gunpowder on me? The smell of gunpowder

from my afternoon practice?* Klein instantly realized what was

happening. He looked at the faces of the two officers who were now on

alert. With a thought, he smiled and said, "It's this, I picked up a

revolver along the way, along with an underarm holster and bullets. I

was planning on handing them over to the police."

Slowly, he took out his revolver, raised his hands to his shoulders, and

added with a serious smile, "Officers, I really am not bearing a gun

illegally."

As one constable remained on high alert, the other constable received

the revolver and said seriously, "You have to come back to the police

station with us."

"Alright," Klein returned with a radiant smile. "But I have a request.

Please inform my lawyer, Mr. Jurgen Cooper. I will only accept a body

search with him around."