Chapter 422: The True Jason
Inside the bathroom in 15 Minsk Street.
Klein took out a paper figurine from a concealed pocket, shook it, and
transformed it into a body double.
He made the body double sit on the toilet with a newspaper in hand as a
way to deceive others. Then, he hid himself in the shadows, took four
steps counterclockwise, and went above the gray fog.
These series of actions were even more magical than magic!
Inside the majestic ancient palace, Klein sat at the very end of the
long bronze table, conjuring Jason Beria's handkerchief in front of him.
It was only a projection, but it could also be used for divination as
long as the handkerchief didn't leave his body in the real world. The
earliest instance was back when he used the projection of the Mutated
Sun Sacred Emblem in Tingen City as a divination object. At that time,
he still didn't know how to summon himself, and he was unable to bring
items with spirituality above the gray fog.
Of course, there was still a big difference between using a projection
and using the actual object for divination; therefore, Klein often tried
his best to use the actual object. But right now, with him being
protected by official Beyonders, it wasn't that convenient to carry out
a ritual.
If anyone were to find him lighting candles in the day while on the
toilet, he would be in deep trouble.
*If I can really manage to obtain Jason Beria's location via divination,
I can always take the risk by summoning myself and bringing the
handkerchief up here if the revelation isn't clear enough...*
With a mumble, Klein produced a goatskin and a fountain pen. He wrote
the divination sentence: "Jason Beria's current location."
Normally speaking, relying on a handkerchief that the target used only
during a certain ritual made it impossible to divine the whereabouts of
the target since the connection wasn't strong enough, and there was too
much interference. For example, it was very easy to end up provoking the
Abyss Grand Duke which the ritual was directed at.
But for Klein, interferences could be eliminated. The so-called Abyss
Grand Duke was at most a High-Sequence Devil, and not the incarnation of
the Dark Side of the Universe. Above the fog, the mysterious space had
already handled deities like the Eternal Blazing Sun and the True
Creator. Even a slightly weaker one was at the level of an angel, Mr.
Door, and up to this point in time, he hadn't suffered any serious
mishaps.
As for the problem of the connection not being strong enough, Klein, who
could only be enhanced to a certain degree by the gray fog, was helpless
as well. He could only give it a try and try his luck. Perhaps it would
only be after he became a High-Sequence Beyonder Saint in this domain
that he could have the corresponding confidence.
*In theory, it's possible. After all, when holding a ritual, one's body,
heart, and mind were unified the most. It was also the easiest to
communicate with the outside world...* Klein, who was now barely
considered an expert in mysticism, muttered. He held the handkerchief
and the goatskin with the divination statement written on it, and he
leaned back into his chair.
He quickly entered a state of Cogitation and constantly chanted, "Jason
Beria's current location."
After chanting it seven times, Klein fell into a deep sleep and entered
the dream world.
Within the gray world, countless images flashed and intersected with
each other in a rather dispersed manner.
Soon, the scene became clear and filled Klein's "vision," which made him
feel as if he had entered a dream.
In the dream, the lights were dim and the desk was dark red. A figure
was standing in front of the oriel window, looking out at the garden.
There was a glass shed in the garden, with roses blooming inside, bright
red in the December cold.
The figure of a man was projected on the window. He was of medium
height, with curly brown hair and cold brown eyes. He looked to be in
his thirties.
*This... Am I not divining Jason Beria's location? Who is this? He feels
a little familiar...* Klein was puzzled, he but didn't think
further about it. He let his spirituality remain in a dispersed state,
as if he were roaming some mysterious world.
Just as he raised the question, the man turned and walked to a corner of
the room, where there were two large leather suitcases.
The man squatted down and opened one of the suitcases. Inside was a neat
stack of bills, with gold bars placed on top of them.
The notes that were exposed were all in ten-pound denominations, while
the gold bars shone with an enchanting luster.
The man pulled something out of a hidden pocket of his suitcase, shook
it, and opened it.
It was a slightly pale piece of human skin!
A complete piece of human skin!
The man quickly stripped off his clothes and put on the human skin. In
just ten seconds, he had become Jason Beria with tall cheekbones, blue
eyes with a tint of gray, and neatly combed hair!
At this point, the scene suddenly shattered, and Klein opened his eyes.
*It's no wonder that Jason was willing to take a risk. So it turns out
that in the past ten years, he has always been wearing a human skin and
has never shown his true face... As expected of a calm and crazy
Devil...* Klein couldn't help but sigh.
Jason had left his portrait in the house, and it didn't garner any
suspicion from Isengard and the others, because his neighbors had seen
him and knew what he looked like. Even without the portrait, with the
powers of the Beyonders of the official organizations, it would've been
easy to reconstruct his likeness, and the result would've been even
better than a photograph; therefore, there was no reason for Jason not
to have the drive to destroy something like it. This was something very
logical.
*Who would've thought that he would've left a hoax in somewhere that
looked to be most natural! If searches are made according to the
portrait, even if the Nighthawks have Sealed Artifact 1-42, it wouldn't
be that easy to lock onto the target... Moreover, in both times, he had
used his own abilities to conceal his face. Who would've thought that
his face, which had been tightly covered and concealed, was actually
fake!* Klein realized how cunning Jason was.
He rubbed his temples and began to recall the scenes he saw in the dream
divination.
*A house with a glass greenhouse. That's a pretty obvious feature. There
aren't many similar buildings in Backlund! But the question is, how do I
report it? The moment I tell the Machinery Hivemind, Jason would
definitely sense the danger and start to disguise himself and move
away...*
*Directly find the Nighthawk with Sealed Artifact 1-42? What if I
encounter someone familiar? I don't want to turn into ashes and be
scattered into the Tussock River... Besides, I can't rush to report it.
I just started gathering information, so how is it possible to receive
any information from my various channels so quickly...*
*That fellow is really carrying a large sum of cash and jewelry, a whole
suitcase worth of bills... The total value may exceed 50,000
pounds...*
Thoughts raced through Klein's mind and it took him a moment to calm
down. He decided to wait another two days, then use the appropriate
means to inform the Nighthawks in charge of this matter with the
revelation he received.
With the divination coming to an end, he returned to the real world,
removed his double, and sat on the toilet himself.
In the afternoon, Klein threw a coin when he was about to leave.
The revelation he received was that it wasn't beneficial for him to head
out.
"There will be danger if I head out?" Klein didn't hesitate to return to
his living room and sit down.
After about twenty minutes, he heard the doorbell ring and saw that it
was Isengard Stanton who had come to visit him.
"Mr. Stanton, any progress?" Klein asked rather delightfully.
Isengard pointed to the back of the hall.
"Let's talk inside."
"Alright." Klein made way by stepping aside.
After sitting on two sofas which faced each other, Isengard held his
hunter's hat and took a deep breath.
"The Desire Apostle has appeared again."
Seeing Klein maintaining his silence, he nodded in satisfaction and
continued, "The families of two detectives refused protection, believing
that they wouldn't be implicated, so they remained outside. Today, at
lunchtime, they were found dead in their respective offices. One was so
horrified that he died from fright. The other was too excited that he
expanded the last of his energy.
"They were too stubborn, as expected of believers of the Tyrant, But as
a result, the Mandated Punishers have formally involved themselves. It's
said that the few Churches and the military's High-Sequence Beyonders
have cast their gaze over, and they've placed the matter of the Desire
Apostle as one of the most important events in recent times."
"Are you hoping that I wouldn't reveal your identity as a believer of
the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?" Klein asked, seemingly enlightened.
"It's easy to talk between detectives." Isengard smiled and nodded.
"No problem." Klein made the promise first, then said, "I have some
information channels that are convenient to expose. If I get valuable
information from them later, I hope you can help me inform the
Nighthawks and keep it confidential."
As for why it's the Nighthawks instead of the Machinery Hivemind, he
believed that he didn't need to be too clear about it. With the
intelligence of a great detective like Stanton, he could easily figure
it out.
Isengard first agreed to Klein's request, then said in puzzlement, "By
telling me, it's the same as letting Jason notice it ahead of time."
"Let's hope we can think of ways of avoiding that... Also, please help
me think about other possibilities. That ring of yours should be able to
mimic several Beyonder powers," Klein calmly replied.
"Alright." Isengard didn't say anything further.
He pondered for a few seconds and took out his pipe to take a whiff.
"The Desire Apostle's actions today have verified one of my guesses. Heh
heh, it's also the question you thought of previously."
"His main purpose isn't revenge?" Klein understood what Isengard was
implying.
Isengard leaned forward and solemnly said, "Since Jason has already been
through the Coldblooded stage, it means that he's definitely
coldblooded. It's impossible that he would go this far for that Devil.
"Sherlock, look. Up until now, all of the official Beyonders in Backlund
have been mobilized, and even the High-Sequence Beyonders have shifted
their attention to this matter. At this point, if Jason wants to deal
with someone else---the true target---wouldn't it be much easier?"
Klein thought over it for a moment and replied heavily, "That makes
sense!"
After a short exchange, Isengard went on to find Kaslana. After Klein
tossed the coin, he went out as planned, heading for the Quelaag Club.
Neither of them had yet revealed their suspicions to the official
Beyonders, fearing that it would end up directing harm at Jason, making
him detect it and abandon his series of actions.
As soon as he entered the Quelaag Club, Klein met the surgeon, Aaron in
the lobby.
"Long time no see," he smiled and greeted him.
"I've been really busy recently," Aaron replied in a friendly manner,
but he maintained his cold expression out of habit. "Besides, my wife
recently got pregnant, and I'm going to be a father again."
"Congratulations. When did this happen?" Klein asked casually.
Aaron thought for a while and said, "It was just confirmed. She should
be pregnant for more than a month."
"More than a month?" Klein was startled, and then he looked into his
eyes.