Part 2: The Faceless Men Chapter 113: “Professional” Advice

　　Klein was going to ask if Alan, or any of his family members, had taken home any of the more unusual items, such as the dirty muppets, before the unlucky streak came to an end.

　　But as the words came out of his mouth, he suddenly felt that this was too direct and could easily reveal the fact that he knew quite a bit about the mystical realm, and while this could be interpreted as the Great Detective being knowledgeable, there was no need to take that risk.

　　So, instead, he took a more roundabout approach and asked Dr. Allen if his family had suffered any misfortunes as well.

　　Upon hearing his question, Alan Krebs thought back carefully and said:

　　”No, other than following me into a steam train accident, they are as unlucky as they were before, most of the time it’s hard to talk about whether they were lucky or unlucky, and the rest of the time they were both, not particularly unlucky.”

　　This is not right …… If it is the kind of item that needs to be sealed like the Doom Muppet, it will definitely affect people within a certain range …… Could it be that Allen dripped blood on it, and so the two sides established a solid connection? In Klein’s psychic vision, Allen’s aura and emotional colors matched his physical and mental states respectively, and there was nothing special about it.

　　He asked with deliberation:

　　”Were there any people in that hospital you worked for who were nearly as unlucky as you?”

　　”No, so I think I must have been cursed by someone.” Alan tugged on his bow tie, looking rather agitated and uneasy.

　　At Talim’s curious onlooker’s gaze, Klein thought for a moment:

　　”Before those bad lucks, did anything stranger happen to you, like, say, cutting yourself? In folklore, blood is a powerful medium through which a curse can stand.”

　　”I confirmed this after I suspected a curse, and I haven’t bled in the last three months.” Alan replied with a heavy expression as he pressed his knife and fork.

　　This is a little strange …… and can not do the more complicated divination in front of them …… Klein asked again:

　　”What about something else that’s a bit strange?”

　　”Alan, seriously think back again, there can’t be no reason for something like this, have you offended anyone recently? Or become an obstacle to someone else?” Talim echoed the concern.

　　Allen lowered his gaze to the food on his plate and fell into a long contemplation, and Klein didn’t stay idle, settling the food before it turned cold and became unpalatable.

　　When he began to enjoy his dessert, Allen finally raised his head and said:

　　”I’m not a person who is good at socializing, and I don’t have a good relationship with my colleagues, but it’s hard to believe that they would try to curse me for that.”

　　”Well …… after you guys reminded me, I did remember something, it may be related to the occult.”

　　”What is it?” Klein and Talim’s spirits lifted at the same time.

　　”Before the unlucky streak, I was in charge of a patient, it was a kid less than ten years old, he was very poor and needed to have his left leg amputated due to some problems.” Alan pushed down his gold-rimmed glasses and reminisced, “I hadn’t been a father for long, and I was always sympathetic to the misfortunes that befell the child, and every time I checked on the ward, I would have a few words with him, to encourage him and comfort him.”

　　After a pause, Alan spoke more smoothly:

　　”I remember it was the day before his surgery and I specifically went to the ward to see him again, he was indeed quite upset and was playing with tarot cards, an item he had brought with him when he was admitted to the hospital and wasn’t even allowed to take away from his family.”

　　”I played tarot divination with him in order to relax him.”

　　”At that time, I turned over a card that was reversed ‘Wheel of Fortune’.”

　　”The boy then looked at me with a pure and innocent smile and said.”

　　”Doctor, your luck is going to get worse eh.”

　　”Doctor, your luck will change for the worse eh ……” Talim inhaled and said, “Why do I feel that such a scene such words make my body a little cold… …that child died on the operating table later?”

　　Alan shook his head:

　　”That surgery was a success, and it wasn’t long before he was discharged with flying colors and a special thank you to me.”

　　”So, I never suspected this matter, but now after looking back, I realize that this is the only time in the last two months that I have come into contact with an item involving the occult, and no matter what, useful or not, tarot cards are ultimately used for divination.”

　　Klein had a brass-colored coin in his hand at some point, and it was bouncing and tumbling around his fingertips, seemingly symbolizing the analytical process of the “famous detective”.

　　The coin bounced up and down, falling into his palm, and Klein glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, ending his “thinking”:

　　”What’s that kid’s name? Where does he live?”

　　Alan answered without hesitation:

　　”His name is Will Onsettin, and as for where he lives, I don’t remember.”

　　”What do you suggest, Mr. Detective?”

　　”Do you know any experts in the field of the occult?”

　　Klein took a sip of his black tea and smiled at the expectant glances of Allen and Talim:

　　”My suggestion would be to go to the church of that deity you believe in, describe to the bishop the misfortunes that have recently befallen you, and then ask him if he has a solution for them, Alan, I remember you’re a follower of the, uh, Goddess of the Night, aren’t you?”

　　He almost shouted out Goddess in passing, but fortunately remembered in time that his current identity was a detective who believed in the God of Steam and Machinery.

　　”But, my previous prayers to the goddess, attending mass, as well as donating money and items didn’t help, so I think it’s still necessary to find some diviners who are somewhat competent.” Alan didn’t agree with Detective Moriarty’s suggestion.

　　Talim nodded in agreement next to him:

　　”Yeah, the gods don’t care if you’re lucky or unlucky, lucky is a blessing, unlucky is a test.”

　　This friend, your faith is very impious ah, be careful of the Lord of the Storm to give you a lightning …… Klein looked at the two men separately and smiled:

　　”This suggestion is based on very simple logic.”

　　”If, and I mean if, useful, effect-producing occultism really exists in this world, then the ones who are the best at this aspect of things must be the Seven Orthodox Churches, or else they would have long since been replaced by other forces that have mastered occultism.”

　　”If there’s no such thing as true occultism, then looking for soothsayers and witch doctors won’t get you any help, so it’s better to look at the higher status bishops to see what solutions they have there.”

　　Alan analyzed it carefully and finally nodded:

　　”Makes perfect sense.”

　　”Perhaps I need the bishop to convey it for me before the goddess will bless me.”

　　No, the accurate description is that with the bishop’s relay, the night watchers will be able to notice the abnormality in your body …… Klein retorted in his heart.

　　He didn’t even think of helping Alan himself, because to solve the other party’s problems in terms of luck, apart from finding the root cause of everything, he definitely had to set up certain rituals as well.

　　Not to mention whether or not Klein knew how to do a real transit ceremony, even if he did, he would still be exposing the fact that he possessed transcendent power in front of people he was unfamiliar with because of the ceremony, increasing the risk quite a bit out of thin air.

　　Since I can let the night watchman step in, there is no need for me to get it myself ah …… just don’t know if the problem comes from that boy, or the tarot cards in his hands, if it is the latter, then it might be a rather suitable seal for me, but it is a pity ah …… Clyne shook his head quietly, and put the a surge of greed and other emotions into his mind.

　　At this point, Allen had already made up his mind and looked at Klein, tugging at the corner of his mouth:

　　”Thank you, Mr. Moriarty, although you don’t understand the occult, you relied on strict logic to give the best advice.”

　　是，我不懂神秘学 …… Klein smiled:

　　”Just call me Sherlock, Alan.”

　　Well, since I am no longer a night watchman, the composition of my occult knowledge has become more and more strange, on the one hand, I have mastered quite a lot of secrets relating to the high sequence of relations with the gods, on the other hand, I only know the more elementary ritual magic, the relatively more complicated ones, I only know about sacrifice and granting rituals, and the runes are even stuck in three kinds for a long time …… Crane sighed in his heart, feeling that he urgently needs a more comprehensive book. Sigh, feeling that he urgently needs a more comprehensive and in-depth occult book.

　　As for the knowledge of being able to separate the spiritual pollution of the evil god from the extraordinary characteristics, there is currently not even a clue.

　　……

　　After taking a lunch break at the club, Klein took a public carriage and arrived at the Rice Circus in the Chorwood District near the location of the Tasok River.

　　Today is not a festival or a holiday, there are not many customers in the circus, and the clowns responsible for entertaining and amusing all look a bit listless.

　　After passing through the “divining hut” and the tents selling pies, crepes, fruit pies and alcoholic beverages, Klein made his way along the edge of the circus grounds and found a small theater with a blackboard at the door that read, “On non-holiday days, there will be four performances a day, each of one hour’s duration.

　　The first afternoon show was at two o’clock, not long after it had begun.

　　Buying a ticket, Klein entered the theater and heard the sound of cheering.

　　At that moment, a lion tamer was on the stage, hand-held whip in hand, ordering a black bear to do a naive act, and beside him lay a tiger, mottled yellow and black, and seated a baboon with very dark and curly fur.

　　Snap!

　　With a swing of the trainer’s whip, the black bear flipped awkwardly.

　　”I say, this guy just tried to slap you!” At the very front of the rows of seats, someone suddenly shouted out in a loud voice, which instantly drew laughter from the few spectators in the venue.

　　They thought it was a new method of circus amusement.

　　But Klein didn’t think so, as he noticed that the color of the tamer’s emotions veered towards anger and annoyance.

　　He smiled and walked over to the first row and sat down, enjoying the performance on the stage before he was ashamed of his ticket.

　　Just then, the man who had just spoken shouted again:

　　”That tiger wants to bite your neck off, and that curly-haired baboon wants to grab you under his butt for a cushion!”

　　The tamer’s movements visibly stiffened as the audience hahaha’d and laughed.

　　This …… Although those words are very much like muckraking, why do I hear a reminder …… Klein glanced sideways at the speaker in the same row and realized that it was a man in his thirties with a round face.

　　This tone, this way …… is a bit familiar …… Klein muttered silently.