Chapter 328 — He That Touches Pitch Shall Be Defiled

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The wheels of the carriage pressed down on the track as the horses dragged it along. The heavy carriage steadily advanced, and soon, they were moving away from the street as though nothing had happened.

With a normal expression, Klein held onto his cane and waited until the tracked public carriage passed two stations before he got off ahead of time. He took a large detour and slowly headed back to the place where the gigantic Devil dog had been killed.

He wasn’t looking for its Beyonder characteristics, as it was impossible for the top experts of the Church to not know about this matter. They would’ve definitely taken it away long ago. He also wasn’t investigating the source of that slight snort. After all, with so much time having passed by, the carriages moving on the streets, and the people that were coming and going, how could there be any clues left behind? Even divination would fail to obtain an answer.

Klein’s purpose was to look at the subtle details that remained along the street, and to see the nature of the Sealed Artifact that had created the strange environment for the battle, so as to prepare for what might happen in the future.

This is a Magician’s acting... He sighed silently as he walked under the gray sky, along the edge of the street which was marked by the gas lamps.

The reason why he had to wait two stops before getting off and taking a detour, was because he was worried that there would be an official Beyonder who would sweep the battlefield in secret. He didn’t want to meet them, so he tried his best not to.

Klein, who was dressed decently and holding onto a cane, took some time before he returned to the huge Devil dog’s place of death. However, there were no traces of its presence on the street, and the passersby clearly didn’t know that a fierce Beyonder battle had taken place here.

That Sealed Artifact is really magical. It’s even more powerful than large-scale hypnosis. Klein activated his Spirit Vision and slowed his footsteps, like a gentleman on an outing rather than on an errand.

It took him over half an hour to complete his tour of the area, but his efforts with his Spirit Vision was futile. There was nothing out of the ordinary about his target area.

However, Klein’s spiritual perception sensed one thing: its scope and its boundaries.

When I entered the block and left from another direction, I felt a subtle and illusory feeling, as if I entered a different world from another world. That is to say, the Sealed Artifact’s scope of influence can reach at least one block, and its upper limit is temporarily unclear. Klein stood outside the target street, and nodded thoughtfully before returning. He went to a decent cafe, ordered a cup of Southville coffee, and sat down by the window.

As he drank the fluid with a rich aroma, he observed the street outside, which was beginning to bustle as time passed by, hoping to see any changes.

Unfortunately, what he had been looking forward to didn’t happen.

Of course, he wasn’t without gains. At the very least, he confirmed that a Magician “never performed unprepared,” which was one of the rules of acting.

He felt that the characteristics of the subtle precipitate in his body stirred a little.

In the evening, Klein stopped his observations and returned to Minsk Street in a public carriage.

At this moment, the gas lamps on both sides of the road had already been lit, illuminating the slightly wet cement ground with withered leaves that fell from the trees along the road with a blue hue.

Holding his cane, Klein strolled past the house of Lawyer Jurgen and strolled to Unit 15.

As he was walking, he suddenly thought of something. He had finished all the ingredients at home. If he went back now, he wouldn’t be able to cook dinner!

Uh, should I go to the meat shop and fruit shop, or find a restaurant to fill my stomach first? Klein hesitated for a moment, he then finally decided to take a break tonight and eat something ready-made.

Many of the dishes in this world were made quite simply and very quickly, so it didn’t become a situation where an hour was spent cooking for five minutes of eating. However, there was still a certain amount of work to be done. Furthermore, he had to wash the dishes and wash the knives and forks himself.

After touching his wallet, Klein turned around and walked in the direction of the area, where according to his memory, there were restaurants.

Once again he passed the house of Lawyer Jurgen’s.

Standing behind the open oriel window and looking at the “confused” expression Detective Moriarty had, Jurgen raised his voice and said, “Mr. Moriarty, did... I mean, did you forget your key again? Or did you drop your key?”

Why is he saying “again?” Klein replied with a chuckle, “No, not really.”

Jurgen solemnly nodded his head.

“Then why don’t you come to my place?

“You can return when it’s completely dark after we have dinner.”

... Klein hesitated for a second and smiled.

“It will be my honor.”

When he entered, the black cat, Brody, was licking his paws in a corner. Jurgen didn’t make much small talk as he stepped into the kitchen.

After Klein had hung up his coat and hat and put away his black cane, he stepped into the dining room and saw that the table was already covered with food—blackened steaks and mashed potatoes of the same color.

He wasn’t surprised by this. This was how Mrs. Doris, Lawyer Jurgen’s grandmother, cooked in her old age. The food didn’t look appetizing, but they were delicious.

She’s a good chef... Klein sat in front of Jurgen, smiled and made some small talk.

“Were you about to have dinner?”

“Yes, it’s a habit of mine to look at the scenery outside before my meal. It allows my thoughts to spread without boundaries.” Jurgen spread out his napkin and picked up his fork and knife.

Klein looked around in puzzlement and asked, “Where’s Mrs. Doris?”

Jurgen sighed and replied seriously, “The weather is getting colder and colder. Her chronic lung problems are back, so she has no choice but to be admitted to the hospital for a while.”

“May God bless her.” Klein drew the triangular Sacred Emblem of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery on his chest unfamiliarly.

Then he cut a piece of steak and forked it before stuffing it into his mouth.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of a problem and hurriedly asked, “So, you were the one who prepared dinner?”

“Of course. It was done a few minutes ago,” Jurgen answered simply.

If it isn’t the work of the great chef, Mrs. Doris, then this food... The corner of Klein’s mouth twitched. He held back the fear in his heart and still bit down on the small piece of steak on his silver fork, slowly chewing on it.

His brows furrowed a little as he forcefully swallowed the food. He squeezed a smile as he asked, “Why did you prepare two servings in advance?”

“One serving was prepared to be taken to the hospital for my grandmother.” Jurgen glanced up at Klein. “I’ll make another one later.”

“... So that’s how it is.” To be polite, Klein secretly took a deep breath and steeled himself as though prepared to do battle with the food in front of him and finish it.

By the time he was finished, Jurgen still had a tiny bit left. The senior solicitor put down his fork and knife, picked up the glass beside him, took a sip of red wine, and asked without expression, “How’s it?

“Which dish do you like the most?

“I know there’s still a large gap between my skills and my grandmother’s, but it shouldn’t be too exaggerated.”

Mr. Lawyer, I suspect you have problems with your sense of taste besides facial myopathy... Can’t you realize your standards? Klein smiled, moved his head from left to right, and said, “The white bread isn’t bad.”

“That was bought from Dodge bakery.” Jurgen reburied his head and finished the rest of the food.

After drinking the remaining wine, he thought for a moment and said, “Detective Moriarty, I want to entrust you with a simple task.”

“What is it?” Klein kept drinking water.

The mashed potatoes were too salty!

“My grandma’s been in the hospital lately. I might not be able to return because of my cases. This will lead to Brody being hungry.” Jurgen glanced at the black cat. “I want you to feed Brody when I’m not back, clean up his litter box, and play with him for a while. He loves to be scratched under the chin. Yes, every night at ten, if there’s no light in the house and it’s dark, you can come in, Two soli every time, until my grandmother comes home.”

Klein saw the solemn and prim look on Jurgen’s face. He smiled and said, “It’s a simple task. The reward is quite generous. I have no reason to reject it.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Brody the black cat and smiled at it.

Brody slowly turned his body and faced Klein with his back.

Klein’s smile couldn’t help but freeze on his face.

...

After drinking his fill, Klein excused himself from Jurgen’s place. He strolled back to his rented house in the completely dark streets.

By this time, the people who had finished their work had already returned home and were enjoying their dinner. There were very few pedestrians on the streets and not many carriages. It was very quiet.

Walking under the light of the gas lamp, Klein, who had no urgent desire to return, slowed down. So did the black shadow at his feet.

When he passed by the Sammers, he saw through the oriel window that the interior was brightly lit. People were moving back and forth, and sounds of chatter and laughing could be heard.

As for next door, 15 Minsk Street, it was dark and silent.

With a sigh, Klein quickened his pace, took out his key, and opened the door.

Before he went in, he checked the mailbox out of habit and found another letter lying inside.

Who sent it? Klein took out the letter and glanced at it under the light of the street lamp.

No stamps... It looks like Isengard Stanton’s handwriting... He nodded slightly, went inside, closed the door, switched on the light, and opened the letter.

The great detective Isengard said in the letter:

“... I’m very pleased to inform you that the murderer has been found and killed on the spot.

“The police think that our work is worth at least half the bounty. They should be disbursing it to me this week. When that happens, I will invite you and our other friends to come over and share this bounty.”

...

Isengard received the news so quickly? He sure has a close relationship with the Backlund police... Oh, it’s without a stamp. That means that he got someone to deliver it directly. The Loen Kingdom’s postal system isn’t that efficient. How could a letter sent in the afternoon arrive in the evening? Klein sighed, put down the letter, and got ready to change into a new outfit before heading out.

With the serial murders out of the way and the situation in Backlund easing, he could try to do a couple things.

For example, find Kaspars at the Bravehearts Bar and contact Maric to see if the Beyonder who could control zombies and Miss Sharron had any books regarding mysticism.

If my guess is right, they should be the defectors of the Rose School of Thought. They were previously in an official organization, and they must know a lot of mysticism knowledge. And now, I have enough money to buy them! Klein touched his wallet and thought in anticipation.