Chapter 723: Another Good Deed Today
After a moment of his mind going adrift, Klein rubbed his temples and
slowly composed himself. He discovered that the matter had little to do
with him.
He wasn't motivated to participate in the matter. He was apathetic to
whether the Loen military found Turani von Helmosuin, because he lacked
a sense of belonging to the Loen Kingdom. What he had done in the past
was solely to ensure a stable society and that its citizens wouldn't
suffer any accidental damage. If possible, he didn't mind instigating a
revolution to allow the poor to lead better lives.
*I never expected myself to become more of an internationalist after
coming to this world...* He gave a self-deprecating laugh as he
prepared to return to the real world and have some sleep. Under the
cloak of darkness, he would allow the tempest outside to freely unleash
its might.
At this moment, his attention was caught by the biggest item in the junk
pile through the corner of his eyes---the radio transceiver.
*Speaking of which, what is the faction controlling Turani von
Helmosuin? It's nothing much if it's people from Queen Mystic
Bernadette's side. She's a strong believer of "do as you wish, but do no
harm," so she wouldn't do anything overboard.*
*It wouldn't be good if it's the Rose School of Thought represented by
Admiral of Blood. Ignoring the temperance faction that's being
suppressed, as believers of the Chained God or Mother Tree of Desire,
their level of vileness can't be lower than the Aurora Order. Letting
them grasp the most advanced technology available might bring about a
disaster...* Klein stopped his actions of wrapping his body with
his spirituality. He gently tapped the edge of the mottled table.
He soon had an idea, which was to bring the radio transceiver back to
the real world, adjust it to the correct frequency to see if he could
receive the telegrams from Admiral of Blood's crew. Then, he could use
the codebook he had to decipher the communications.
*There will be a huge sweep of the city tonight. The matter must be at a
rather important and intricate point. If the ones controlling Helmosuin
are them, there's a possibility of the appearance of crucial telegram
exchanges... In a situation in which the governor-general's office, the
Loen military, and the Church of Storms haven't placed importance or
even accepted this technology, this is the safest method. Therefore,
Admiral of Blood and company have a nonzero chance that they wouldn't
change the frequency and codes after Old Quinn's death... Anyway, I'll
just give it a try.* After some deliberation, Klein didn't delay
as he returned to the real world and busily prepared a bestowment
ritual.
After bringing the radio transceiver into his room, he didn't
immediately use it. Instead, he used a ritual dagger and created a wall
of spirituality to seal the room.
He was doing it to air out the gray fog's "smell!"
To him, there was actually no need to go through so much trouble to
confirm the faction that controlled Helmosuin. He could've used the gray
fog's aura to contact Arrodes and receive the answer. But the problem
was that he had posed his questions recently, and the "smell" that
frequently appeared might incur the notice of evil gods like the True
Creator or the Primordial Demoness. It was extremely dangerous.
Therefore, Klein decided to play safe by relying on himself.
After about eight minutes, when the "airing" was almost complete, he
dispelled the wall of spirituality and controlled the radio transceiver
to begin his surveillance.
After an unknown period of time, the corresponding frequency received a
transmission!
Klein held back the joy in his heart as he seriously made notes. Then,
he flipped through the codebook which he had replicated using
divination, and he began the necessary deciphering process.
Soon, he wrote a line on a note: "32 Black Pepper Avenue. 7 a.m.
tomorrow."
*Indeed, the people in control of Helmosuin are Admiral of Blood and
company. There might be powerhouses from the Rose School of Thought
involved...* Klein immediately made a judgment.
This wasn't confirmed based on the content of the telegram, but a simple
inference from the existence of the telegram itself.
If Admiral of Blood and company were uninvolved, it was unlikely for
them to send and receive telegrams involving Bayam's streets!
*The meaning of this telegram is to gather by 32 Black Pepper Street
tomorrow before 7 a.m.? Does it mean that Helmosuin and Silver Coin
Viper Oder are hiding there, and they're reporting to Admiral of Blood
of their location and giving a corresponding time?* Klein
thought for a moment and immediately returned above the gray fog. With
the intel he had just received, he wrote the divination statement:
"Turani von Helmosuin's present location."
With the paper in hand, he leaned back into the chair and chanted the
statement in a raving-like manner as he entered a dream with Cogitation.
In the gray, hazy world, he saw an underground hall with countless gas
wall lamps.
Inside the hall was a massive, complicated machine. It was constructed
from copper cylinders, operating levers, take-up levers, and countless
gears. It took up nearly two-thirds of the space.
A thin elder with grizzled, disheveled hair wore a thick coat as he
paced in front of the machine. From time to time, he would pop a sweet
into his mouth and munch on it noisily.
"No, it shouldn't be called a difference engine. It's an adorable fellow
who can analyze questions and calculate the answer based on a set of
procedures. Yes, its name should be a calculator!" The elder kept
muttering to himself as Klein's vision was pulled upwards and out the
underground hall, arriving at the building above.
It was a three-storey villa with a garden and lawn. Outside was its
address, and it reads: "32 Black Pepper Avenue"!
He really is here... Klein opened his eyes as he silently
exhaled.
Then, he was stumped about what to do next.
*A scientist like him is useless to me. Instead, it's the root of many
problems. I can't just keep him above the gray fog. Therefore, there's
no need for me to personally get involved and take him away... Hmm, hand
over the news to the Loen military or the Church of Storms? This will
effectively prevent the Rose School of Thought from obtaining any
benefits, but there's a faction in the military that is likely related
to the true culprit behind the Great Smog of Backlund. It's not a good
thing to have Helmosuin fall into their hands... The Church of Storms is
well known for being rash. A conflict might end up with the scientist
meeting the deity he believes in...* After some careful
deliberation, he gradually had a bold idea.
It was to make the news public. He would make the existence and location
of Turani von Helmosuin known to the Loen Kingdom military and the
Churches. This could effectively ensure that the scientist's
capabilities would be employed by the Loen Kingdom itself, and not any
one faction!
The key is balance... Klein smiled as he muttered. He then
beckoned with his hand for the Sea God Scepter.
For the former him, he had to carefully "distribute fliers" across the
city to make a matter public and known to all, but now, he had an even
simpler and effective method!
He selected a believer who happened to be praying, and then pulled his
view back as the surrounding area spanning five kilometers entered his
vision.
Then, with the Sea God Scepter, he wielded control of the wind!
Once the wind calmed down, Klein's will sank into the scene as he
changed his voice, saying with a low roar, "Helmosuin is at 32 Black
Pepper Avenue!"
Whoosh!
In Bayam, the howl of the wind turned intense as it swept in every
direction, bringing with it the deep and loud voice.
"Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!
"Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!"
This voice soon spread across Bayam like a broadcast to the entire city.
Silver Coin Viper Oder was donning a cloak, pretending to be Helmosuin.
He hid himself in a crowded building in the slums, occasionally
appearing to mislead MI9 and the governor-general's office's police
officers.
Suddenly, a gale swept past as the voice sounded in his ears.
"Helmosuin is at 32 Black Pepper Avenue!"
...What? As the voice resounded, Oder fell into a dazed shock.
Without noticing it, he fell from the top of the roof and nearly injured
himself badly.
Behind the Cathedral of Waves, and in a small nearby building of the
governor-general's office, Jahn Kottman and Robert Davis heard the voice
in the wind.
The first reaction they had was to look up at the sky before casting
their eyes towards the borough where Black Pepper Avenue was.
After the broadcast and being in a good mood, Klein threw the Sea God
Scepter back into the junk pile and returned to the real world.
He wasn't in a rush to bring the radio transceiver back above the gray
fog. Instead, he left it there as he continued monitoring the
transmissions.
*This way, even if there are powerhouses from the Rose School of Thought
hidden in Bayam, they wouldn't dare appear. Heh heh, and regardless who
takes action, they'll have no choice but to "hand" it over to the
country! Unfortunately, I don't have the habit of writing a diary like
the emperor. Otherwise, I could write something like: I did another good
deed today!* Klein silently sighed, took off his coat, got into
bed, and slept. He didn't care what was going to happen next, as it had
nothing to do with him.
After sleeping for an unknown period of time, he suddenly woke up and
sat up. Then, there was knocking on his door.
*Who could it be? To knock in the middle of the night... I'm currently
John Yode...* Klein wore Creeping Hunger and took out Death
Knell from under his pillow before coming to the door.
The visitor's looks quickly surfaced in his mind. It was a thin elder
with grizzled, disheveled hair. He was wearing a coat stuffed with
cotton and a tweed overcoat. He was popping a coffee-colored sweet into
his mouth.
Turani von Helmosuin!
Holy f\ck! Why is he here looking for me? I'm just the ordinary John
Yode! Also, how did he escape the tracking of a demigod?*
Klein's first reaction was to tell the man that he had gotten the wrong
person, but he held back and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Helmosuin smiled weakly and said, "I noticed you when we were in the
Seaweed Bar; however, I didn't have a chance to talk to you.
"Heh heh, my life is at its end, so I recently recalled many things.
"Please allow me to introduce myself. You can call me Orange Light
Hilarion.
Orange Light Hilarion? Klein was taken aback before he asked
in puzzlement, "Is there something?"
Helmosuin chuckled.
"I'm here to warn you. Be careful of the Mother Tree of Desire!"
He paused for a moment before saying, "Alright, I need to leave, and I'm
about to die before returning to the spirit world.
"Do you have any enemies here?"
"Why do you ask?" Klein asked, confused.
Helmosuin coughed and said, "I can silently die at their doorstep. That
way, you would have your revenge."