Having had a poor night's sleep while waiting for news, Klein was finally about to succumb to slumber when he suddenly heard overlapping layers of prayers.
Although he desperately wanted to sleep for a while longer, he forced himself to ignore the discomfort of his throbbing brain and leaped out of bed. Taking four steps counter-clockwise, he arrived above the gray fog and saw Mr. Devil's crimson star contracting and expanding repeatedly...
"What? It's Mr. Devil again..." Klein shook his head weakly, reached out, and tapped on the star. Subsequently, he heard the familiar prayer, "The Fool who does not belong to this era; you are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog; you are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck. Thank you for your grace, allowing me to have a wonderful morning..."
'Your morning might be wonderful, but I'm dying of sleepiness here!'
Klein grimaced, but then he noticed something was off.
'Mr. Devil's prayer today sounds a bit listless! Oh, right! Yesterday evening, Miss Justice prayed to me in the Lord of Storm's prayer chapel, which likely caused him quite a bit of trouble... It seems I truly need to remind the members of the Tarot Club. Fortunately, my prayer last time was essentially stealing the power of the Eternal Blazing Sun's blood; the Goddess shouldn't blame me for that, right?'
Consoling himself, Klein returned to the real world. At that moment, he felt extremely fortunate that at least he hadn't prayed to himself right in front of the Evernight Goddess's Sacred Emblem last time.
"It's only six o'clock. I should sleep a bit longer. Anyway, I'm a 'freelancer' now." Klein glanced at the wall clock, and a slightly exaggerated, brilliant smile curled his lips. However, just as he was about to lie back down, the room suddenly turned chilly. Simultaneously, countless ferocious bone spikes gushed out from the floor like a fountain.
Seeing this scene, Klein felt no concern; instead, an infinite sense of security arose within him. He waited for the skeletal giant to take form and actively reached out, letting a somewhat thick envelope fall into his hand. As the skeletal giant collapsed back into individual bones, the now wide-awake Klein sat on his bedside and impatiently unfolded the stationary.
"Your letter came very timely. It allowed me to understand the root of the recent turmoil in Backlund. I have already obtained 'Creeping Hunger,' which has triggered some memories for me."
"It seems to be an experience from one of my lives, but the recalled fragments don't seem particularly friendly..."
"Regarding the person holding the Spectator pathway Sealed Artifact, I have obtained some leads. For your safety, you had best not continue the investigation."
"The 'Sacrificial Ritual' you inquired about,I recalled some of it long ago. Perhaps because the impression was very deep, it seems that in one of my past lives,or perhaps the earliest one,I was a priest."
"I must warn you in advance to exercise sufficient caution when using a Sacrificial Ritual..."
...
The remainder of the letter contained knowledge about Sacrificial Rituals. However, Klein,who had previously been desperate for this information,set it aside for now. He could finally relax.
'Mr. Azik has obtained "Creeping Hunger," which means Qilangos should be dead. Mmm, and since he could write a letter, he shouldn't have sustained any serious damage.'
Klein's mood instantly brightened, and the drowsiness that had previously troubled him returned. He tucked Mr. Azik's letter under his pillow and hopped back onto the bed. Mmm, as for the Sacrificial Ritual and such, he would look into them in detail after he woke up...
...
"Going out so early again today?" Fors, who had once again been awakened by the sound of Xio getting up, didn't bother hiding this time and asked bluntly.
Having slept through the night and completely cleared her fatigue, Xio nodded slightly and said, "Actually, the factory owners showed signs of yielding yesterday. However, that Lavis is a man of vision; he doesn't intend to just accept their 'compensation' but wants to completely overhaul the treatment of workers. You should understand that this is no simple notion. In short, we have at least three more days of parades ahead, after which we'll have to deal with the lawyers sent by those wealthy people..."
"Isn't that great? You're an [Arbiter]; dealing with lawyers is what you're supposed to do, isn't it?" Fors said as if it were obvious. Xio turned her head and said solemnly, "I am only an arbiter in the East District, not a judge in a courtroom. Do you think those gang bosses in the East District would hire lawyers to negotiate with me? Compared to those expensive fellows, they trust their own fists more..."
At this point, Xio shook her head slightly and changed the subject:
"Compared to me, how was your situation yesterday? Did the formula for the [Sheriff] potion appear at the gathering?"
"Yes, the asking price was £450. I just don't know how much of a reward Miss Audrey will give us... Even if it's only half, I can lend you some more, and we should be able to buy it." Fors didn't tell Xio that "Mr. V" might be Snow. In her eyes, Xio and Snow had only met once; even if she didn't mention it, Xio shouldn't be able to deduce Snow's identity.
"I hope Miss Audrey is generous enough." Hearing Fors's words, Xio also perked up. If she could advance to [Sheriff], her debt would become one thousand... no, nine hundred and ninety-nine times. Although still a bit much, with some effort, she should be able to pay it off soon!
At this thought, Xio's enthusiasm for work soared. She quickly adjusted her clothes, placed her triangular spike in an easy-to-reach position, and said to Fors with her long legs,relative to her body proportions, "Time for work. We can talk more when I get back."
"Mmm, let's go together today." Fors immediately spoke the plan she had decided on yesterday. Hearing this, Xio frowned:
"What are you going for?"
'Of course it's to see if you'll do anything dangerous!' Fors grumbled in her heart, but on the surface, she put on a curious look, "I find that Lavis you mentioned quite interesting and want to observe him up close. Perhaps my next book can have a supporting character like him."
"As long as you don't regret it." Xio thought about yesterday's task and felt there was no danger, so she nodded. After getting approval, Fors quickly changed into clothes suitable for movement and walked out of the house with Xio. However, before they reached the public carriage station, the voices of newsboys reached their ears.
"Extra! Extra! 'Vice Admiral Hurricane' Qilangos has been killed in Backlund!"
"Huh? What?"
Xio and Fors looked at each other in bewilderment until the newsboy's voice approached and repeated the news several times. Only then did they suddenly snap out of it.
"Qilangos is dead? He's actually dead?"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]
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A/N: "Sacrificial Ritual" (献祭仪式) - A core mechanic in LotM where Beyonders can send objects or messages to high-level beings like The Fool.
A/N: "Sheriff" (治安官) - Previously mentioned, Xio's target Sequence 8. Fors's estimate of £450 is a realistic market price for this level of formula.
T/N: "Freelancer" (自由职业者) - Klein's current status after "leaving" the Nighthawks (dying) and moving to Backlund.
T/N: "Newsboy's Call" - The sudden death of a Pirate Admiral in the capital is a major public event, highlighting the efficiency of Mr. Azik (and the unintended aid from Snow/Justice).