The sky was dark and gloomy, but there was no fog familiar to Backlund people. The waves came in waves, blowing away all the haze, allowing the high-altitude clouds to spread out and form various shapes, reflecting the golden red cast by the sky.
This is Pulitzer Harbor, the largest and busiest port in the Kingdom of Loen.
Dozens of passenger ships and cargo ships were moored in the half-moon shaped harbor. A man in a white shirt and black windbreaker looked at the distant sea and said something softly.
"How's it going? The sea is pretty calm today, right?"
A strong man wearing an old-fashioned captain's hat came close to the man. The corners of his wrinkled mouth were slightly drooped, as if he was in an unhappy mood.
"The weather yesterday was better than today. If it hadn't been for the damn explosion, we could have eaten Byam's grilled fish earlier."
The man in black - Klein glanced at the outdated hat on the head of the strong man, although in his opinion, there were few clothes in this era that were not outdated.
He stood up straight and spoke softly:
"explode?"
"Yes, it exploded. Yesterday, a place where nothing was placed at the bottom of the cabin suddenly exploded. Although it only burned some tobacco leaves, it was still very unlucky." The strong man licked his lips and tapped his heart with his right hand habitually. "
Praise the storm, I hope there won’t be any more trouble.”
Most people who sail on the sea all year round are believers in storms... Klein remembered the advice the security guard gave him when he bought the ticket, and looked at the strong man in front of him, who was also the captain of the "North Wind" -
—Compaoré, the corners of his mouth curled up.
"It's okay to tell me. Like you said, an explosion is not a good sign."
"Haha..." Compaoré laughed a few times, lowering his voice with pretense of fear, "You are right, if all the passengers run away after hearing this, I will suffer a big loss."
"Should I consider upgrading you to a cabin? How about a deluxe cabin?"
The luxury private room costs 40 pounds, and I don’t have the spare money... Klein ignored the other party’s teasing, his expression remained cold.
Compaoré also realized that the personality of the man in front of him was not that easy to get in touch with, so he patted his chest generously.
"Actually, the news has spread all over the pier. I don't believe that the passengers on the ship didn't hear anything about it."
"As for the luxurious private room..." The old cunning man raised his eyebrows and clicked his tongue, "Don't even think about that. There is a big customer who spent fifty pounds to book it two days in advance. That's probably a big deal.
A lady, maybe a widow."
"Hey, a young, rich widow with that figure!"
Watching the captain walk away step by step, Klein's expression did not change, and he looked towards the lower level where the luxury cabin was located.
That was right next to the cabin where the tobacco was stored.
...
"Um?"
Lord Red Angel, who was puffing away his breath, put his noble feet down from the table, looked diagonally upward, and patted Bernadette who was reading a newspaper on the same table.
"Little guy, do you feel it? An extraordinary person has boarded the ship."
"A large number of extraordinary people come in and out of Pulitzer Port every year," Bernadette's eyes still stayed on the newspaper, but she raised her eyebrows and kicked Medici mercilessly with her feet under the table, "The great Red Angel
Your Excellency has slept for more than a thousand years and has become so fussy?"
Medici dodged Bernadette's moderate attack and smiled frivolously.
"You can see if I make a fuss tonight."
Bernadette's eyes did not leave the newspaper, and Medici gradually stopped smiling, no longer looking for trouble.
"My intuition tells me that this trip to sea will be fun. That extraordinary person is wearing a sealed item that is familiar to me. I really didn't expect to meet him here."
"Hey, do you think I should scare that little guy? After all, he belongs to an acquaintance, so it's normal to take care of him."
acquaintance?
Bernadette finally put down the newspaper, and the depth of the condensed blue suddenly deepened. She stared in the direction Medici was looking, but she did not see the unlucky "hunter" she expected.
He can still be called an acquaintance by the Red Angel, and he has not been promoted to a true god... Bernadette thought for a while, her tone was calm.
"Okay, after I cut off your spiritual supply, the great Red Angel can see if he can fulfill his responsibilities as an elder before the spirit body dissipates."
Medici, who now relies on Bernadette's financial aid to go out, grinned, as if he had seen something interesting, put his feet back on the table, and silently lit a cigarette.
"Girls are always so narrow-minded. It's a pity that you don't become a 'hunter'."
Boom!
The roar of the steam engine resounded across the deck, and even the cabin was shaking. At 10:17 a.m. Backlund time, the "North Wind" left the port.
...
Underground of a mansion in Backlund's West District.
Emlyn stood in front of a black coffin and took a deep breath.
"Sir Nibais, I'm going to start."
...
"Has the final count started yet?"
Horamik, who was wearing a gray soft hat, looked at Yin Kangse and moved his right arm wrapped in a bandage.
There were three or four scars on this demigod's face, large and small, and traces of bandages could be seen in many parts of his body. Only his kind eyes, which hid wisdom, were bright and bright.
"Your Excellency, the Archbishop, the final statistics are almost completed and will be reported to the kingdom this afternoon at the latest." Yin Kangseul answered calmly, holding a silver mirror in one hand and thick materials in the other.
Although the royal family insisted that it was Edsac's actions that caused the disaster, they still could not escape the fate of compensation. The three major churches established a temporary joint meeting for this purpose. They each counted the losses of their own churches and dioceses and then unified the total.
Finally, we discussed a specific plan and prepared to hang a piece of meat from the royal family to make up for the losses caused during this period.
This is the plan proposed by the Church of Storms. As the only church that has intervened in military affairs and is also the church that has benefited the most after the Great Smog, they have enough confidence to put pressure on the royal family.
However, Ace Snake, the current head of the Church of Storms in Backlund Diocese, is not so lucky and does not have the courage to argue.
Because of repeated dereliction of duty and failure to clean up the deadly stain of the plague as soon as possible during the great smog, this "Singer of God" was reported by the Loen Council and the Prime Minister together. The noble gentlemen were determined to take down the plague even if they gave up more benefits.
This guy rushed back to sea.
"Give Arrods to me. Stand behind me and use the sealed artifact to protect yourself."
This sudden order confused Yin Kangse, but he still handed the silver mirror to the archbishop and retreated to the corner of the room. Lights of different colors rose up on him, strictly protecting the deacon.
"Dear Arrods, my question is, is Ace Snake hiding anything from his superiors and other churches?"
After a long moment of silence, Horamik made up his mind and asked the question that had been bothering him for several days.
The water surface suddenly floated on the silver mirror that seemed to have eyes on both sides, and the gray-white mist behind the mirror floated like waves, forming a picture with some hesitation.
In a sunny room, an old man with gray hair leaned quietly on an easy chair, as if asleep.
This scene lasted for several minutes, until Horamik almost no longer heard the sound of Yin Kangse's deliberately held breath. The sleeping old man slowly opened his eyes, and there was no sign of just falling asleep in his sharp silver eyes. The confusion and laziness when I woke up were instead eager to try, hiding a deep excitement and a shadow that was inconsistent with my identity.
Horamik stared closely at the scene that collapsed as Ace Snake stood up, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It's question time for Arrodes. If you lie or fail to answer correctly, you will be punished."
Blood-red words occupied the mirror. Horamik glanced behind him as if unintentionally, and the room became even quieter.
"My question is, do you often feel admiration and love for your dolls?"
A puppet of His Excellency the Archbishop?
Between curiosity and following the heart, Yin Kangseul chose to be curious and seek knowledge. His heart suddenly stopped for half a beat.
He recalled the puppets of His Excellency the Archbishop—most of the puppets of this "occult scholar" were himself!
How is it possible? Is Arrods' brain broken? How is it possible that someone would treat him...
"yes."
Yin Kangseul's heartbeat stopped.
"Congratulations, you are very honest."
Horamik looked at the white new words on the mirror with a dull expression. He was silent for a while, and then suddenly said to behind him:
"Go to the equipment department. The question just now is beyond your authority. You need to clear the memory of this period."
The trembling deacon in the corner of the room responded loudly, tremblingly touched Arrods away, and fled out of the room at an extremely fast speed.
Seeing the door closed tightly, Horamik's kind face finally showed a hint of seriousness.
"Ace Snake is using dreams?"
"Who is he talking to?"
...
Inside the second-class guest room of "Beifeng".
Klein, who was admiring the undulations of the sea outside the window, suddenly turned his head, listened to the voice whose characteristics had been erased, and frowned slightly.
Someone is praying to the "Fool".
He turned on his spiritual vision and observed his surroundings. After confirming that no one was prying, he laid down a spiritual wall and walked backwards to the gray fog.
In the majestic palace, Klein sat in the top position, clicked on the crimson stars that were expanding and contracting, and raised his eyebrows.
Emlyn White, he is actually praying to "The Fool" again.
Is this the meaning of the vampires, the meaning of Lilith, or...his own?
Klein hesitated for a few seconds, and finally clicked on the star, and a flash of deep red exploded next to the long table.
"The great 'god of mystery'."
The straight-dressed Vampire bowed slightly, and even though his facial features were blurred by the mist, a hint of lingering fatigue could be seen.
This guy shouldn't have been locked up by the "Secret", so why does he still look so weak?
Klein nodded slightly and said straight to the point:
"It seems you have already thought about it?"
Emlyn, who was just about to sit down, was stunned for a moment. He stayed there and thought for a while before he figured out what the "God of Mystery" was asking.
"Yes, I have witnessed the harm caused by the disaster, and I have personally felt the suffering of the withered life. As the savior appointed by the ancestor, I want to fulfill my responsibility."
In other words, you were invited by Bishop Utravsky to work as a volunteer for a few days, so you are so exhausted... Klein did not answer directly, but instead said:
"Don't worry, you can first tell me what else you saw besides the disaster?"
After the last encounter, Emlyn no longer dared to maintain the pride of the savior in front of this god, and immediately replied:
"I saw the good and evil of human nature. The government and the church that were supposed to be the protectors of the East District did not do what they should do immediately. Instead, cults like the Aurora Society opened shelters in the East District and protected a large number of civilians.
, won the favor of many people in the East District, and many people secretly had the idea of writing this letter."
"Although it is wrong to surrender to depravity, we are all children of our mother and equal beings born on this earth. We have no right to blame these already suffering people."
Emlyn changed the words Wen Zouzou heard from the priest, hoping to satisfy the god.
Did this vampire steal the word from Bishop Utravsky?
The corners of Klein's mouth twitched slightly, but he quickly turned his attention to the part about the Aurora Society.
Now that I think about it, all the previous actions of the Aurora Society in the East District seem understandable. Whether they were spreading their faith or building underground churches, they all seemed to be preparing for this disaster.
The only question is where did the Aurora Club get the news? If they were participants in the plan from the beginning, they would not do anything unnecessary based on their behavior, but if they were not directly involved in the planning of the Great Smog...
.
Could it be that the Aurora Society withdrew from the plan midway?
But why?
Klein thought about it, and in the end it could only be attributed to the true Creator's efforts to get rid of madness, but he didn't know what role "mystery" played in it.
Alas, I have already rejected Lilith once before. Excluding Emlyn may give the wrong signal and cause unnecessary misunderstandings... Klein knocked on the table and said in a mellow voice:
"It seems that you already have your own understanding of the disaster. What do you want to get from me?"
"I don't know." Emlyn shook his head very honestly.
Klein almost slapped himself in the face, so he had to say something more explicit.
"I convened a party to serve as their witness. You can also participate in it and exchange it for a promise."
Emlyn stood up and saluted without hesitation:
"This is exactly what I want!"
"I just don't know what you need me to promise."
The "Fool" at the top said with a smile and a flat voice:
"A free favor, here's the ticket to the party, I'll let you know when I need it."
"This is a secret transaction, so you cannot reveal any information privately to the vampires or other beings."
"Of course, if Lilith personally asks, you can tell."
Klein raised a smile and brushed his palms across the table.
"Now you can choose your code name. Those attendees like to use tarot cards to refer to themselves, just like they call me 'The Fool'."
Emlyn looked at the incomplete main tarot cards that were reflected on the surface of the long bronze table. He looked at them carefully with interest and touched the center card.
He turned over the cards and glanced at them, a smile appeared on his lips, and he proudly read out his code name.