Chapter 306: Giant Bishop

In the evening, Klein sat down on a reclining chair in his activity

room. Warmed by the fireplace, he picked up the information that

Isengard's assistant had just delivered.

As soon as his idea received praise from the great detective in the

morning, Kaslana immediately claimed that she needed the same piece of

information. Stuart had murmured that he had believed Klein was an

excellent detective, given his calmness and composure when he faced

Adol's case, but he hadn't expected him to be that outstanding.

At the same time, he told Klein that if he needed help, he could find

him. He knew a lot of people in the detective circles in Backlund.

Isengard Stanton also promised to immediately contact the police and try

to provide the corresponding information to the detectives who needed it

before nightfall.

He truly was very trustworthy.

*At the next Tarot Club, I'll have to ask Little Sun through The World

about the characteristics of Sequence 6 Devil and what powers the

Beyonders of this Sequence possess... I didn't plan on involving myself

previously, so I had forgotten to gather the corresponding amount of

information. However, since I've decided to help, it's best to be

prepared. At the very least, I would know what's happening when danger

rears its head...* Klein thought for a few seconds, then he

lowered his head and, under the light of the gas lamp, began to look

through the unsolved serial murders in the last twenty years of the Loen

Kingdom.

There were fewer than he had expected.

There were a total of four in Backlund, five in the other cities, a

total of nine in total!

*Yeah, although this world doesn't have the concept of DNA yet and lacks

many necessary detective skills, with the impetus of the Emperor,

there's already a rudimentary form of fingerprint investigations.

Furthermore, there's mediumship, divination, dream entry, and other

Beyonder methods! The police usually wouldn't seek out Beyonder teams

from the three major Churches for individual murder cases that don't

involve the nobles, the rich, or officials. However, a serial killer has

very negative repercussions. It easily causes panic, so they'll

definitely make the wisest choice... This way, having only a few

unsolved serial murders in the past twenty years is reasonable and

logical.* Klein quickly understood the reason.

He gathered his thoughts and began flipping through the cases, one after

another.

In the absence of sufficient information to perform a divination, he had

initially selected two serial killings that might be related to the

current incident and intended to use them as an initial starting point.

One case occurred four years ago. There were five victims, all single

prostitutes with a child. They had been mistreated before they died but

lacked any evidence of sexual intercourse.

The police in charge of the case at the time thought that the murderer

must've known the whores, or else it would've been impossible to

precisely select individuals with a child. They had identified the

suspects from the people who lived nearby and from the regular customers

of several of the whores, but in the end, they failed to find the real

murderer.

Although the dossier only made a brief note, Klein could clearly tell

that they had asked for the help of Beyonders from the three major

Churches. Unfortunately, they were still unable to crack the case.

*With the Beyonder powers of the "Abyss," being able to tell signs that

a woman had once been a degenerate doesn't go against the law of

mysticism. Likewise for recognizing an individual as a prostitute, but

it doesn't make sense that they would know that the woman was single

with only one child... The police were right. What was the problem? The

real murderer was like me, able to resist dreams, divination,

mediumship, and evade the investigations from Mid-Sequence Nighthawk and

Mandated Punisher Beyonders?*

*It's possible. Although the Church doesn't lack knowledge about the

"serial killer," the murderer might have had some fortuitous

encounters!* Klein picked out some problems from his own

standpoint.

*I'm analyzing them by being part of "their kind"... I really didn't

fail to live up to the name of Moriarty...* He gave a

self-deprecating comment and decided that the first target would still

be the four from Backlund.

*Yes, I'll get Mr. Stanton to confirm the suspects' current address and

condition through the police, and I'll ask Stuart to get others to help.

That way, I wouldn't appear directly, so as to avoid encountering any

official Beyonders. After the situation has been clarified, I can gather

the suspects' belongings and move them above the gray fog to make

mystical deductions.* Klein quickly worked out a plan.

The second case had taken place eleven years ago. Four cases of

dismembered corpses had happened in succession. Originally, these cases

were considered as isolated cases until the police began having

suspicions over the way the bodies were handled. Only then was it

confirmed that it was a case of serial murders. The victims were men and

women who had worked till late at night before they returned home. They

weren't robbed, and there had been no common connection between them.

Due to the delay---time which was very valuable when the crime was first

committed---the case failed to produce any clues pointing to a suspect.

*This is a problem caused by mishandling the case. If they had quickly

received the help of a Spirit Medium, the wraith of the deceased might

even gather around the murderer... Of course, it's also possible that

the wraith can be "killed" by the murderer, just like this case...

There's probably only ashes of those victims left. It will be hard to do

any investigations through them...* Klein rubbed his temples,

and when he saw that it was evening, he stopped considering the case and

got up from his reclining chair to leave Minsk Street.

He had something to do that night!

He wanted to go to the area south of the bridge, to the Harvest Church

on Rose Street, to find Bishop Utravsky in a bid to obtain the

Apothecary formula. He had already divined to see if it was dangerous or

not.

To Klein, having an Apothecary as a subordinate was extremely helpful.

He could get injured or fall sick. He could encounter enemies who could

harm him, and an Apothecary who he could find at any moment would be

someone he could rely on.

After making a detour to East Borough, Klein disguised himself and took

the steam metro to cross the Tussock River and arrived at the district

south of the bridge.

Along the way, the darkness along the metro line and the corresponding

gas lamps formed an unforgettable scene.

While on the public carriage, Klein came to Rose Street and found the

tiny Harvest Church which was easily recognizable.

The golden cathedral had a more striking steeple and a Sacred Emblem of

Life engraved on its outer wall. It was a baby surrounded by the symbols

of wheat, flowers, and spring water. It stood out from the surrounding

buildings.

At that moment, the cathedral's lights were dim, and there wasn't a

single devotee inside.

Klein sneaked in from the side, carefully dabbing his face with paint

rather than relying solely on his ability to create illusions.

In the hall of the cathedral, rows of pews were arranged neatly. Right

at the top, at the front, there was a large Sacred Emblem of Life.

Candles were lit on both sides of it.

A tall man in his forties or fifties wearing a brown clergyman's attire

sat in the front pew.

Just by sitting there, he was like a small mountain, giving off an

extremely oppressive feeling.

The man wore a bishop's bonnet, and his eyebrows were light and thin.

There were obvious wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, his cheeks, and

the corners of his mouth. He had his eyes closed tightly, his hands

clasped as he pressed them to his chin, as if in the most pious of

confessions.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, revealing a patch of light blueness.

"The Mother's Church will not reject anyone. Why didn't you take the

main entrance?" The forty to fifty-year-old man didn't raise his head as

he spoke in a low and gentle voice.

"Are you Bishop Utravsky?" Klein walked out of the shadows.

The tall man in the brown bishop's attire replied gently, "I prefer to

be called a Father. Father Utravsky."

"Alright, My Lord." Klein deliberately laughed. "Your name and your

height tell me that you're from Feysac. Why do you believe in Earth

Mother?"

Bishop Utravsky raised his head slightly and stared at the Sacred Emblem

of Life ahead of him and said with emotion, "I was born along the coasts

of Midseashire, Indaw. I was a man who was passionate about combat and

killing."

Indaw? He really is from the Feysac Empire... Klein nodded

indiscernibly.

Midseashire was the natural border between Loen, Intis, and Feysac. The

east coast belonged to Loen, most of the west coast belonged to Intis;

and to the north were the famous port cities of the Feysac Empire, such

as Indaw.

In addition, the Midseashire spread to the northeast, penetrating

through the Feysac Empire's territory and connecting with the North Sea.

There were many islands in that part of the sea that were the habitats

for polar bears and sea lions.

Hunting polar bears and sea lions were a traditional festival for the

citizens of Feysac.

Just as his thoughts began to wander a little, Bishop Utravsky continued

looking forward and said, "I committed a serious crime and fled to the

Sonia Sea where I became a ruthless pirate.

"I was lucky enough to meet a missionary of Earth Mother before I fell

into the true hell of the soul.

"After that day, I understood the value of life, understood the charms

of all living things, and gained the joy that stems purely from life

itself. I swore in front of the Earth Mother's Sacred Emblem that I

would spread her faith in other countries to make up for my bloody past.

"Thus, here I am. I came here."

Amidst his calm and emotional voice, Bishop Utravsky stood up. He was

over 2.2 meters tall, and his build was sturdy. His robes were tight,

and he looked like a giant from the legends who reappeared on the

Northern Continent.

*A real giant is three to five meters tall, with a single vertical

eye... The citizens of the Feysac Empire are generally tall... It's no

wonder that they've always claimed to be the remnants of giants,

believing that they have the blood of giants...* Klein had to

raise his neck to look at the priest's face.

"What are you doing here?" Bishop Utravsky asked with his head lowered.

"I heard you have a request and that the reward is the Apothecary

formula?" Klein, who had donned a disguise, went straight to the point.

Bishop Utravsky fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "Yes.

"Although I'm not sure where you learned of this, it's true."

"Then, what task is it?" Klein asked with a smile.

Utravsky sized him up seriously for a while before saying, "I don't

think you can fulfill my request."

"Perhaps I can? I need to know the details before I can make an

evaluation." Klein frowned.

Utravsky stood there like a giant pillar. After a few seconds, he said,

"My request is..."

At this point, he closed his eyes and said, "Kill me."