Part 1 THE JOKER CHAPTER 153 The Final Pavement
The distinctive broad chin, the hair of the ancient knight, the eyes with their icy smile …… Hugh Dilcha, half reclining, half sitting on the sofa, scrutinized the sketch Audrey had given her.
In her eyes, it was the living, breathing, gold pound that could walk.
After deepening the looks of the great pirate Zillingerus into her mind, she read down the additional description:
”Brown hair, dark green eyes.”
”Portrait for reference only, as the target has the ability to shape-shift into the likeness of others for an unknown duration.”
Portrait Drawing for reference only …… Target has the ability to shape-shift into the likeness of others …… For reference only, shape-shift into the likeness of others …… Then why am I memorizing the contents of the sketch so carefully …… Hugh’s expression froze for a moment, as if she had felt the malice of the world.
She looked up in perplexity at Forsyth Wall, who was lounging lazily on the sofa opposite her, and said to herself as if she were talking to herself:
”There’s no way to find this, it’s not clear what it looks like, only that it’s an Outlander, and the number of new Outlanders that come to Berkland every day is simply uncountable.”
Folth strained his back, trying to sit up, but after three attempts, he failed miserably.
”I’m only an apprentice, not an arbiter ……” she muttered as she reached up and pressed her hand against the back of the couch and managed to go from lying down to sitting.
”The lady perhaps thinks we’re seers?” Forsyth joked.
Hugh was about to reply when he suddenly realized there was a lot more to the additional description.
She read them out in a low voice:
”Suggested avenues of search:”
”1. there is an evil item on Zilingus that devours the blood, flesh and soul of a living person every other day, consider the missing homeless man.”
”2. a detailed collection of information on Zillingerus, from which his unique hobbies and behavioral patterns are summarized.”
”3. a person’s five senses may be able to change, but as long as he hasn’t undergone special training, he will always act like himself, such as favorite foods, walking style, habitual movements, and more details.”
Forsyth nodded slightly as he listened:
”Miss Audrey is not a simple and naïve young girl like the rumors say, she has a delicate heart and calm observation.”
”Is that so?” Hugh asked rhetorically not too sure, and without expecting an answer turned to propose, “I’ll be in charge of gathering information, and you’ll summarize the hobbies and characteristics of that pile of gold pounds, no, that pirate general?”
Forsyth’s eyes widened at once, and shaking the tin box containing the rolled cigarettes in his hand, he said:
”How can you bear it? How can you bear to let a slender, sensitive writer do this kind of summarizing and analyzing and reasoning?”
Hugh glanced at his friend, unconsciously displaying a convincing majesty:
”There’s a very good bit of reasoning in your Stormhill.”
Forsyth shrank his shoulders, lowered his head, and looked at the coffee table:
”Do you know how many hairs I lost and how many times I lost sleep over that piece of reasoning?”
She looked up quickly, glanced at Hugh Dilcha, then continued to bury her head and muttered:
”Life is very short, and there is so much to be done, why should we waste it on such uninteresting and tedious work?”
Very reasonable …… Hugh nearly nodded his head in agreement, and it was hard to maintain the majesty of the “Arbiter”.
”And do you have another solution to this problem?” She pressed her throat, letting her childish voice trail off.
Voorhees thought hard for a dozen seconds before jerking his head up:
”We can call in the professionals! After you collect the information of ‘Hurricane Lieutenant General’, we erase the name, take it to a good detective, ask him to help summarize and generalize, reasoning and deduction, which only needs to pay for the consulting fee!”
Why didn t I think of …… Hugh s mind blanked for a moment, and Forsyth looked at me and I looked at you, and no one said anything.
When the atmosphere became a little awkward, she cleared her throat and said:
”Let’s do as you propose.”
After saying that, she was busy adding:
”You’ll pay for the counseling!”
……
Howells Neighborhood, Divination Club.
”Good afternoon, Mr. Moretti.” Angelica, the pretty lady in charge of hospitality, looked ahead in surprise and said, “You rarely come over on Fridays.”
Klein, who was exhausted from trying to line up the red chimney houses, smiled:
”Fate doesn’t keep repeating itself, it always has to bring us some surprises.”
He happened to be passing through, and it was time for the hire of the hired carriage, so he came up for a sip of black tea and a rest.
Besides, it was his last pause, and with his new Divination Club “experience” it would be logical for him to make a special application to Dunn-Smith.
”Your words are always philosophical.” Angelica exclaimed heartily.
Klein thought for a moment and deliberated:
”I will probably come to the club very rarely in the future, you don’t need to recommend me to anyone else.”
With the magic potion digested, he had to move on to a new goal!
”Why?” Angelica said in surprise and confusion, “You’re already well known at the club, most people know that your divination is very accurate and magical, we’re even thinking of asking you to be the Sunday lecture teacher.”
If there is a pound for each divination, then I will bite the bullet even if I am tired and bitter …… And I will have to run a few more houses with red chimneys, and try to uncover that black hand behind the scenes as soon as possible …… Klein laughed gently:
”Lady, don’t hold back, it’s fate.”
”I am not never coming to the club again, merely reducing the frequency, and my dues will be paid as scheduled.”
Anyway, being able to reimburse …… me I’ll still come over occasionally to monitor the place …… Klein added silently.
”That’s a shame, I hope you happen to come to the club when I get confused.” Angelica sighed.
After getting over her initial shock, she realized that she was surprisingly not as surprised by this as she thought she would be.
Perhaps a soothsayer who was so amazing and so in awe of fate really wasn’t something a club in Tingen City could have for long……. Angelica smiled as if in thought:
”Sibel black tea?”
”Yes.” Klein returned the smile.
He sat in the club for about ten minutes, recuperated a little, drank his black tea, and left the place to take the railed public carriage back to Daffodil Street.
As he entered, he opened his mailbox out of habit and saw a letter inside that had just been delivered.
Casually opening it, Klein found that the letter came from Mr. Aztec:
”…… I will be traveling to Morse Town on Sunday and returning on Wednesday.”
The townspeople of Morse Town generally believe in the goddess …… Going on Sunday, then according to the normal efficiency, on Tuesday, or Wednesday, the night watchman can only receive the news, and I will be just in time …… Mr. Azick actually remembered my request! …… I hope he can also remember not to personally appear, just summon a random ghost and bluff for a while …… Klein nodded his head slightly invisibly, spewing out his own spirituality and igniting the letter paper with friction.
With a flick of his hand, the flames turned into flying ash and slowly fell to the ground.
……
On Saturday morning, Klein walked leisurely into Blackthorn Security wearing a thin black trench coat, a half-height silk bowler hat, and carrying a silver-encrusted cane.
After greeting Roxanne, he glanced at the partition location, saw that the door to the captain’s office was open, and said, deliberately without controlling his volume:
”Yesterday evening, at the Divination Club, I saw a girl who looks a lot like you.”
”Really?” Roxanne asked rhetorically, rather interested.
Klein nodded insincerely and replied, “Really, I even thought she was your sister.”
”To your regret, I don’t have any sisters, not even cousins.” Roxanne let out a playful laugh, “Did you remember her name?”
”No, why would I try to memorize her name?” Klein laughed softly, “Seeing you is no different than seeing her.”
”Can I take that as a compliment?” Roxanne, who always didn’t need others to find a topic of conversation, took the initiative and asked, “Klein, you must have made a lot of money at the Divination Club, right? As a true diviner, your caliber is not comparable to other amateurs.”
Without mentioning this topic, we are still good colleagues …… Klein coughed and said:
”Diviners have to honor fate, they can’t use divination to seek abnormal benefits.”
”Are you summarizing your own Diviner motto?” Roxanne asked curiously.
”Yes.” Klein answered frankly.
After a few more moments of small talk with the other man, he waved goodbye, grabbed his hat, and headed for the partition.
Knock, knock, knock, he looked over at Dunn Smith, who was tossing coffee, and gently knocked on the open door of the room.
”Come in.” Dunn glanced up at him and busied himself with straightening his posture.
Klein had already probed the captain’s mouth in the past two days, and was sure that Dunn Smith had not mentioned even a single word to others while trying to “play the law”, and was obviously avoiding the church hierarchy.
Therefore, he casually closed the door to the room, sat down on the opposite side, expression solemn with some excitement, said:
”Captain, I feel that I have thoroughly grasped the ‘Diviner’ magic potion.”
”I would like to submit a special application.”