Part 1 The Joker Chapter 17 Special Ops
”Blackthorn Security.”
Seeing the signboard, Klein froze for a long time, with an unexpected but reasonable feeling.
Still really …… don’t know how to spit …… he shook his head and lost his smile, picking up the stairs, extending his right hand and knocking lightly on the half-covered door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Slow and rhythmic knocking sound echo, the house but not a little response, only “da da da da” movement vaguely out.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Klein repeated the process, but the result was the same.
He changed the knock into a push, let the gap wider, and then looked into, saw a set of classic sofas, soft surface recliners and original wood coffee table, I do not know whether it is used for the reception, saw a table directly across the table, and behind the table, head down, a little bit of the brown-haired girl.
The “Security Company” sign was just a disguise, but it was too, too unprofessional, wasn’t it? How long has it been since you’ve had any business? Well, you don’t need any business, either. …… Klein said as he leaned in and tapped the girl’s ear twice on top of the table.
Knock! Knock!
The brunette girl sat up straight for a moment, her hands snapping up the newspaper spread out in front of her, blocking her face.
The Honest Man’s Newspaper of Tingen City …… good name …… Klein silently read the newspaper’s raised head toward his side of the page.
”The ‘Flyer’, a direct steam train to Coniston City, opens today …… Really, when will we get direct access to Dixie Bay, I don’t want to have to go by boat again, it’s too much of a pain in the ass, it’s very much a pain in the ass …… Huh, who are you?” The brunette girl made a comment as she pretended to read, while speaking, she lowered her newspaper, revealing her bare forehead and light brown eyes, first curtly and then wrongly, looking at Klein.
”Hello, I’m Klein Moretti, here at the invitation of Mr. Dunn Smith.” Klein removed his bowler hat and placed it on his chest, bowing slightly.
The brown-haired girl was in her early twenties, wearing a light green Rune-style lightweight gown with beautiful lace on the cuffs, neckline, and chest, which set off her face ever more beautifully.
”Captain …… okay, you wait here for a moment, I will go to ask him.” The girl got up in a panic and entered the inner room through the door of the room next to her.
Also did not say to pour a glass of water or something …… service consciousness is worrying ah …… Klein smiled slightly, waiting in place, did not go to the sofa and chair side.
After two or three minutes, the brown haired girl pushed the door out and said with a sweet smile:
”Mr. Moretti, please follow me, the captain is on duty at the ‘Charnis Gate’ today and can’t leave.”
”Okay.” Klein took a warm step, while in his heart he muttered.
Charnis Gate, what is that?
Passing through the partition, the first thing that caught his eye was a not-so-long corridor, with just three offices to the left and three to the right.
Some of these offices were locked, some were open, and the people inside could be seen clacking away on heavy mechanical typewriters.
With a glance, Klein was surprised to find a familiar face: the young officer who had come to search his house that day, the dark-haired, blue-eyed one with the romantic air of a poet.
He did not wear formal dress, and his white shirt was not tied into his pants, a look of indolence.
Maybe he really was a poet …… Klein nodded his head in greeting, and the other returned the smile.
The brunette twisted the handle on the office to the left of the end and pushed the door open, pointing inside and laughing:
”There’s still a few more flights of stairs to go down.”
This office held no objects, only gray stone steps extending downward.
The walls on either side of the steps were lit with elegantly shaped gas lamps, the steady glow dispelling the darkness and bringing peace.
The brown-haired girl walked ahead, staring at her feet as she walked carefully:
”Even though I often walk here, I’m still scared, I’m always worried about falling and gurgling and rolling down, you don’t know, Leonard did something stupid like that, he tried to run down it at sprinting speed on the first day he became a ‘Sleepless One’, the first day he didn’t have full control of his own power, and then, and then He became a wheel, haha, it’s funny just thinking about it, well, that’s the guy who just greeted you, that was three years ago, speaking of which, it’s been five years since I joined the Night Watchers, and I was only seventeen at the time ……”
The girl looked at the road while talking to herself, suddenly, she slapped her forehead covertly and said:
”I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Roxanne, my father was a full-fledged member of the Night Watch, and he died in an accident five years ago. We should be colleagues from now on, uh, I should use the word ‘colleague’ …… Not quite teammates, after all, none of us are Extraordinary.”
”I hope it will be an honor, but ultimately it’s up to Mr. Smith to say.” Klein surveyed the enclosed surroundings, only to realize that the two were starting to go underground – the stone walls seeping a cold dampness that dispelled the summer heat.
”Don’t worry, the fact that you were allowed to come straight here means that the captain agreed, I’ve always been a little afraid of the captain, even though he’s kind and caring and gives me a fatherly feeling, for some reason it just scares me.” Roxanne spoke with a voice like she had a piece of candy in her mouth.
Klein responded with humor:
”Isn’t it normal to be afraid of your father?”
”Makes sense.” Roxanne reached around the corner and propped up the wall.
As they spoke, the two men finished the steps that circled downward to the stone-paved flat floor.
It was a long aisle, with the same gas lamps surrounded by metal grilles set into the walls on either side, their light waving down and dragging Klein and Roxanne’s shadows.
Crane was keenly aware of the Dark Emblems on the walls at regular intervals, symbols of the Goddess of the Night – “deep black, embellished with sparkle, and clustered around the Crimson Moon just halfway down.” ”
These emblems didn’t seem to be anything special, but walking among them, Klein’s state of mind gradually calmed down, and Roxanne also closed her mouth, no longer chatting as she had done a while ago.
It wasn’t long before a crossroads appeared ahead, and the brown-haired girl briefly introduced herself:
”To the left leads to the Church of St. Selene, to the right is the Weapons, Materials, and Literature Depository, and straight ahead is the Chanes Gate.”
The Church of St. Selene? Was Zoltan Street just on the backside of Red Moon Street? Klein froze at the sound of it.
St. Selene’s Church on Red Moon Street was the headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of the Night in Tingen, and was a sacred place that the local devotees aspired to, along with the Church of the God of Steam and Mechanics “Church of the Sacred Numbers” on the outskirts of the city, and the Church of the Storms “Church of the River and the Sea”, which was also located in the northern district of Tingen. “Together with the Church of the Holy Numbers, the Church of the River and the Sea, the Episcopal Church of the Storm, also located in the northern district of Tingen, the religious community of Tingen and its neighboring towns and villages is supported.
Realizing that it was not appropriate to ask too many questions in his current position, Klein just listened silently without making a sound.
Crossing the intersection and going straight ahead, in less than a minute, a black iron folio door painted and engraved with seven holy emblems appeared in front of the two.
It stood there, intuitively heavy, cold, and overlooking, like giants guarding the darkness.
”The Charnis Gate.” Roxanne mentioned, pointing to the room next to it, “The captain’s in there, get yourself in.”
”Yes, please.” Klein politely returned.
The room Roxanne pointed to was just a little bit in front of the “Charnis Gate”, the window was open and there was light shining out, Klein took a breath and steadily flexed his fingers.
Thud! Knock! Knock!
”Come in.” Dunn Smith’s low, warm voice came out.
Crane gently pushed open the concealed door of the room, and saw that there was only a table and four chairs inside, and that Dunn-Smith, with his high hairline, was leisurely reading a newspaper in the same black trench coat he wore last night, with a gold watch-chain near his breast-button.
”Have a seat, thought it over? Sure you want to join us?” Dunn asked with a smile as he put down the paper in his hand.
Klein removed his hat, curtsied, and sat down at the table, nodding slowly:
”Yes, I’m sure.”
”Then read this deed, huh, what everyone likes to call a contract these days.” Dunn pulled open the desk drawer and pulled out the deed in duplicate.
The clauses on it weren’t much, they were roughly the same ones Dunn Smith had said before, focusing on the confidentiality clause, in that violators would no longer go through the kingdom courts, but would instead be tried directly by the arbitration tribunal of the Church of the Goddess of the Night, just like soldiers and officers have to go to a court-martial.
The five year contract …… two pounds 10 sousl weekly salary, 10 sousl confidentiality and risk allowance …… Klein read them one by one and answered with a straight face:
”I have no problem with that.”
”Then sign it.” Dunn said, pointing to the dark red pen and ink on the table.
Klein first tested the pen on a scrap of paper, then took a covert breath and signed his big name, Klein Moretti, in the corresponding position on both deeds.
He had to end up with his fingerprints because he didn’t have a seal yet.
Dunn retrieved the deeds and took a seal from a drawer, stamping it at the end and a few highlights.
With that done, he stood up and handed back a copy of the contract with one hand and reached out to Klein with the other:
”Welcome, you’re one of us from now on, and note that the contract has to be kept secret as well.”
Klein followed and stood up, taking the contract while shaking the other man’s hand and smiling:
”I should call you Captain then?”
”Yes.” Dunn’s gray eyes were unusually dark in the dim surroundings.
After shaking hands, the two men sat down individually, and Klein glanced at the seal on the contract, realizing that the text read “Nightwatchman’s Squad, City of Tingen, County of Ahova, Kingdom of Ruin.”
”I really didn’t think you’d cover it with ‘Blackthorn Security’.” He laughed casually.
”Actually, we have another sign.” Dunn pulled a piece of paper out of a drawer.
It was stamped with the dual seals of the city government and the police department, while the contents were two lines of words:
”Team 7 of the Special Operations Department of the Ahova County Police Department of the Kingdom of Ruen.”
”The first four groups are normal police officers who take care of security, such as the VIP protection group, important place protection group, etc., while from the fifth group onwards, it’s for supernatural incidents in the various municipalities of the county, we in the seventh group are in charge of incidents related to goddess followers in Tingen City, and if there are different believers present, it’s divided according to the geographic area, and we’re mainly for places like the North District, West District, and the Golden Sycamore District. ”
Dunn roughly introduced, “Team 6, which is affiliated with the Storm’s Lord Church’s ‘vicarious punisher’ team, is responsible for the Docklands, East End, and South End, and the University District and the outskirts go to Team 5, which is the ‘Mechanical Heart’ in Tingen’s Squad.”
”Hmm.” Klein couldn’t find anything he wanted to ask about this, and turned to laugh, “What about this if someone actually comes to the door and commissions a mission because of the ‘Blackthorn Security Company’ brand?”
”Take it, why not? As long as it doesn’t interfere with day-to-day business.” Dunn replied in a calm and humorous tone, “The team is quite happy to earn money as an extra allowance, anyway, such troublesome and trivial little things like looking for cats and dogs are now taken care of by private investigators.”
”How many people do we have in total in this night watchman squad?” Klein asked on the subject.
”There aren’t many paranormal events, and even fewer extraordinary people, and there are only six official members of the Night Watch in all of Tingen, including me, heh, and six civilians counting you.” Dunn replied unhurriedly.
Klein nodded and finally opened his mouth to ask the thing that concerned him the most:
”Captain, what was that you said about the extraordinarys getting out of control? Why did they get out of control?”