Part 1 The Joker Chapter 39 Interesting Tricks
As a matter of fact, I don’t know whether the notebook was destroyed or hidden …… But it can be reasoned backwards, if it was to be destroyed, it could have been done on the spot, there was no need for me to take it away and then carry out the process …… Upon hearing Leonard’s question, Klein instantly turned on the “Keyboard Detective” mode. “Keyboard Detective” mode and mused:
”Perhaps the unknown being that Welch, Naya, and I touched both enjoyed the ‘sacrifice’ of life and wished to continue with something similar, so, with the ‘suicide event’ sure to be discovered, let me take away the notes that were hidden in preparation for the second ‘enjoyment’, only that something went wrong in the process and I didn’t succeed in killing myself in the end.”
This was Klein’s reasonable guess based on the information, novels, movies and TV shows he had read in his past life that involved evil rituals.
As for what went wrong in the process, he knew very well that it was the additional traveler “variable” of himself.
”Not a bad explanation, but I think that perhaps there is another possibility, that Welch’s and Naya’s suicidal sacrifices made the descent of that unknown being possible, and that that notebook carried or birthed evil, and that you were told to take it away and hide it for fear of being ‘born’ before being ‘powerful’ before it is discovered by us and destroyed outright.” Leonard Mitchell elaborated on another possibility.
As he said this, he stared into Klein’s eyes and said with a slight smile:
”Of course, the notes may have been destroyed in order to cover up the contents of them, to hide the object that actually carries or breeds evil, which would be reason enough to explain your suicide attempt.”
What do you mean? Is this suspecting me? Suspecting that the original owner’s body carries or breeds evil? No, what he carries or breeds is the traveler …… The word “breeds” is okay …… Klein froze and spat darkly while weighing his words:
”I won’t defend myself, after all, I really did forget that memory, but both the captain, and Ms. Daley, have confirmed that there’s nothing else wrong with me, and your joke isn’t funny.”
”I was just exploring such a possibility, it can’t be ruled out that the unknown being suffered a blow when he descended, so much so that you failed to commit suicide, we have to believe that the Goddess always protects us.” Leonard smiled and changed the subject, “What did you find out this afternoon?”
After the conversation just now and what happened before, Klein was deeply wary of Leonard, but on the surface he didn’t move to answer:
”No, I have to take a different route tomorrow afternoon.”
He pointed to the partition:
”I’ll have to pick up the bullets from the armory.”
The “shooting club” would be open until 9:00 p.m. After all, many of its members had to leave work to be free.
”May the Goddess bless you.” Leonard smiled and drew a circle symbolizing the Crimson Moon on his chest.
As he watched Klein pass through the partition and listened to his footsteps as he walked down the stairs, the smile on Leonard’s face faded and suspicion filled his turquoise eyes.
He whispered something, his tone a bit disgruntled.
……
Descending the stairs, Klein turned down the corridor silently illuminated by gas lamps towards the weapons, materials and literature storage.
Here the iron doors stood open, and Roxanne, a brown-haired girl, was standing at a long table, exchanging something with a middle-aged man with a thick black beard and a half-height bowler hat.
”Good afternoon, no, good evening, it’s always like the middle of the night in here, Klein, from what old Neil tells me, you’ve become an Extraordinary? What’s it called, ‘The Diviner’?” Roxanne asked with a sideways glance, her words flying.
She did not hide her curiosity and concern.
Klein nodded with a smile:
”Good afternoon, Ms. Roxanne, it’s always dark here, but it makes one feel serene. The description you just gave is not accurate enough, it should be put this way, the name of the sequence magic potion I took is ‘Diviner’.”
”You still chose to become an Extraordinary One ……,” Roxanne sighed, falling into silence for a moment.
Klein looked over at the middle-aged man next to him and asked politely:
”And this is?”
Another member of the Nightwatchman crew, or one of the other two civilians I haven’t seen?
Roxanne pursed her lips and said:
”Brett, a colleague of ours, he wants to switch the order of duty with me and free up the night after tomorrow, he’s going to see The Prideful Ones at the Grand Theater in the North End with his wife to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary, what a romantic gentleman.”
Brett smiled and reached out:
”With Miss Roxanne around, all need not be repeated, hello Klein, I didn’t realize you had become extraordinary so quickly, whereas I, heh, may never have had the courage.”
”It’s probably ignorance.” Klein laughed to himself and reached out to shake the other man’s hand.
”That’s not a bad thing.” Brett shook his head and laughed, “An extraordinary person once told me before he died to never explore the strange and dangerous; the less you know, the longer you live.”
At this moment, Roxanne interjected:
”Klein, you don’t have to be too concerned, I heard from Old Neil that your ‘Diviner’ belongs to the auxiliary, and is relatively quite safe, as long as you don’t try to communicate with unknown existences… Why are you wearing such clothing? Not gentlemanly at all! What are you doing here?”
”To collect today’s thirty rounds of ammunition.” Klein didn’t answer Roxanne’s earlier question.
He was sure the girl would soon forget about it.
”Okay.” Roxanne pointed to the table, “Brett, it’s all yours, you should know exactly where the keys and bullets are, and hey, old Neil is so cheap, he didn’t even leave the hand ground coffee behind, he promised to make me a satisfying …… drink today.”
As she rambled on, Klein claimed the bullets.
The two left the underground in pairs and parted on the streets of Zotland, one taking the public carriage home and the other walking into the “Shooting Club”.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Grip the gun, raise the arm, fire, throw out the revolver, withdraw the cartridge, insert the bullet …… Klein repeated this process over and over again, familiarizing himself with and memorizing the feeling of shooting.
Of course, he had several breaks in between to summarize and correct.
After practicing, Klein used the field again and did numerous exercises similar to push-ups in an effort to exercise and improve his physique.
By the time it was all over and he returned home in the trackless public carriage, he realized that it was close to seven o’clock and the sky had long since darkened.
Just as Klein was planning to go to the market or the street to buy ingredients for dinner, he found the front door open and Melissa returning with a bag containing stationery books.
On top of that, she was carrying quite a few dishes.
”…… I thought both you and Benson would be back late today, and I took 1 Soule from where you hid the money on the way out in the morning.” Seeing her brother’s puzzled look, Melissa explained with her customary seriousness.
”If you have taken the money, why don’t you take the public carriage to school?” Being reminded, Klein remembered the morning’s events.
Melissa frowned slightly and said:
”Why take the public carriage? It costs four pence to get to school, and a round trip is eight pence, and counting you and Benson, we’ll be spending 24 pence a day on the public carriage, a whole two Soule, and a week, well, not counting Sundays, that’s twelve Soule, which is slightly equal to our rent!”
Stop, stop, stop, don’t show off your math …… Klein pressed his hand in amusement.
Melissa paused, then added:
”I’m fine walking to school, my teacher says everyone should exercise regularly, and I pick up broken parts on the way.”
Klein said with a light chuckle:
”Let’s do some more math then, the public carriage costs 12 sousl and the rent is 12 sousl and 3 pence, that’s only £1.40 sousl and 3 pence in all, which is covered with Benson’s salary, and there’s quite a bit left over, well he collects last week’s pay …… and I’m still collecting £1.10 sousl a week, even with eating meat every day, and even counting the expense of gas, coal, wood, spices, etc., there is still a surplus, with a little thrift in luncheon, and even a subscription to the morning paper, which is only a penny a day.”
”By the time I have made up the advance on my salary in two months’ time, I can save up for new clothes for Benson, and for you, too.”
”But, but, we have to think about accidents.” Melissa clung to the unchanging view.
Klein looked at her with a smile and said:
”Then we could eat less meat, and don’t you think it’s a waste of time to spend fifty, no, a hundred minutes a day on the road? It’s perfectly possible to use it to read more, to think more, to improve your grades.”
”That way, Melissa, you’ll be able to graduate with honors, get a job that pays well, and then, what’s there to worry about?”
”……”
Playing on his previous experience of debating with people in forums, he finally convinced Melissa to agree to take the public carriage to school.
Whew, finally fooled, no, how can you call it fooling, it’s called convincing people with reason …… Klein belabored a sentence, took the groceries Melissa bought and sighed:
”Tomorrow, remember to buy beef or lamb or chicken …… Eat enough, eat well, in order to have a healthy body and a smart brain to deal with tough studies.”
Just talking about it makes me want to drool a little ……
Melissa pursed her lips and said in silence for a few seconds:
”Okay.”
……
Early the next morning, after overseeing Melissa’s boarding of the public carriage, Klein and Benson parted ways at the end of the street, each arriving at the office.
Just as Klein stepped through the front door, he saw the old Neil and Roxanne chatting at the reception desk, the former still dressed in a classic black robe, not caring about other people’s gazes, while the latter had changed into a soft yellow, lightweight gown.
”Good morning, Mr. Neil, Miss Roxanne.” Klein said as he took off his hat and saluted.
Old Neil gave him a promising look:
”Good morning, you didn’t hear anything you shouldn’t have last night, did you?”
”No, I slept well.” Crane was rather surprised by this as well.
He could only attribute it to the fact that he wasn’t inspired enough ……
”Haha, don’t worry about it, it’s not really that easy to hear.” Old Neil pointed to the partition and said, “Go over to the armory and continue our ‘occult lesson’ this morning.”
Klein nodded and followed Old Neil down the stairs and into the ground to the weapons vault, replacing Brett who had been on night duty last night.
”What do we need to learn today?” Klein asked curiously.
Old Neil said with a long hmmm:
”The intricacies and basics, but before that, an interesting trick to teach you.”
He gestured to the silver chain wrapped around his wrist, which had a pristine white crystal dangling from the top.