"I remember that Anderson was eventually made into bait by the Angel King who must not be named to catch the three-in-one wraith of Solomon Einhorn Medici… Could the God of Knowledge foresee that and plan to use it somehow?" Ebner pondered this possibility, but without the original storyline for guidance, the grand schemes of the gods were increasingly elusive. He finally decided to shelve the matter, but left Aetris with one final reminder.
"Learning from Anderson to become a 'Hunter' is fine, but don't join them on this 'God War Ruins' adventure."
Starting from this point, Anderson's luck would begin to run thin, and those around him wouldn't necessarily share his resilience.
Aetris nodded, though with some reluctance. "Anderson said this expedition would take at least half a year to organize, with extensive groundwork for route mapping and gathering adventurers. He also mentioned something similar to what you just said—although he was a lot more blunt about it. He told me that if I can't reach mid-sequence by the time they're ready to set off, I'll only be courting death by joining."
Anderson at least seems aware of what he's getting into, Ebner thought. But even mid-sequence Beyonders will find this extremely dangerous, unless they have some kind of backup, like Klein's extraordinary luck or the Star Admiral secretly looking out for them.
Once Aetris had left, Ebner returned to his desk to contemplate another thorny issue—how to fulfill the "Acting Method" for his role as "Knowledge Keeper."
"'Knowledge Keeper' literally means someone who guards knowledge, which is clear enough, but how do you act it out? Should I take a position as a library guard?" he joked inwardly.
However, Ebner doubted that the role was quite so literal. After all, the title "Knowledge Keeper" was also known in modern times as "Detective," and the detective profession shared a natural connection to the "Apprentice Detective" sequence.
"When I return to Backlund, I'll practice as a consulting detective under my mentor's name. Working through real cases should help me form the right 'Acting Method'… though I doubt I'll get many hints from him since he's likely under an Oath of Secrecy."
As he checked the time, Ebner noticed it was already 6 p.m., so he gathered his things and made his way to the ship's dining hall.
---
Back in Tingen, Klein was about to leave the Blackthorn Security Company when Captain Dunn called him back to his office with an unusually somber expression.
Klein entered to find Leonard, Cohen, Sia, and Loiel already present—everyone except Frye, who was guarding the Chanis Gate.
"Starting tonight, you'll be taking turns in pairs to patrol Raphael Cemetery on the way home each day for the next week," Dunn instructed.
"Captain, did something happen at the cemetery?" Leonard asked, voicing the question everyone was wondering about.
"I don't know..." Dunn replied quietly as he glanced down at an unsent telegraph draft on his desk, gray eyes deep with thought.
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances.
"Just be vigilant, and report anything unusual to me immediately," he added.
"Understood, Captain!"
Though they all responded in unison, they took their time leaving the office, each half-expecting to hear the Captain's classic parting line, "Hold on, there's one more thing."
But to their surprise, Dunn said nothing further as they left.
"This isn't normal," Leonard, the white-haired, black-eyed poet of the Nighthawks, muttered uneasily.
"The Captain is definitely dealing with something serious," Loiel agreed, her brow furrowing. She glanced around at her fellow Nighthawks and asked, "Does anyone know what's going on?"
"He was patrolling Raphael Cemetery earlier today," Klein offered, recalling his brief exchange with the Captain before ducking out to the washroom. "Everything seemed normal this morning."
Leonard, who had fallen to the back of the group, muttered to himself before visibly relaxing. "Hey, maybe there's nothing to worry about. The Captain could just be in a good mood for a change."
But before he could finish, Cohen, the Sleepless, cut him off: "Does anyone have a way to contact Ms. Daly?"
"I have her address," Klein replied, having reached out to Ms. Daly before for guidance on dream divination techniques.
"Good. Write her a letter detailing the Captain's unusual behavior and get it sent off," Loiel suggested.
With a plan in place, the team dispersed, leaving Leonard awkwardly alone in the corridor.
With a resigned shrug, he muttered, "Old man, are you sure the Captain's okay?"
---
As Klein left Blackthorn Security Company, he spotted Anna, Joyce's fiancée, entering with reddened eyes.
Joyce had been held under protective custody at the Tingen Nighthawks' headquarters since Tris remained at large. Anna had taken a position as a clerk in the office to be near her fiancé, much to the delight of Rosanne, who complained constantly about night shifts.
As it wasn't Anna's scheduled shift, Klein assumed she was there to visit Joyce and brought her to the holding room.
"Anna, what's wrong?" Joyce asked as soon as he saw her red eyes.
"Darling… our friend Bogda passed away," Anna said, breaking into sobs.
"Oh, goddess, he was still so young…" Joyce murmured, bowing his head as a long sigh escaped his lips. "How did he pass on?"
"Bogda fell gravely ill. His liver was in terrible condition, and the medicines only dulled the pain. He took a risk on an operation but… he never made it out…" she choked out.
Klein, moved to silent sympathy for the departed man he'd never met, mused, With surgical techniques so primitive, going under the knife was more like gambling one's life... If only he'd consulted me for divination—I'd have suggested he see the pharmacist who healed Mr. Glacis's lung disease.
Thinking of the pharmacist, Klein realized the man could well be a Beyonder and resolved to visit him soon if only to evaluate any potential risks and report accordingly.
As he escorted Anna out of the company, Klein was preparing to head home himself when he suddenly remembered a detail Dunn might have overlooked:
Wait, I officially became a Nighthawk! My weekly salary should be 4.5 pounds now… but where's my overdue pay?
---
July 16th, Monday.
While Klein was busy solving his first official case for the Nighthawks and securing compensation for the Hayley family, the White Agate docked at Emmat Harbor.
Adventurers of all kinds began disembarking. While this was not the end of their journey, everyone was eager to stretch their legs after four days at sea.
As Ebner watched Aetris escort the Farnal family away, he turned to see Xio waving goodbye to Captain Elland.
With a wistful sigh, Xio turned to Ebner. "Captain Elland is a fair and wise gentleman, but he couldn't provide any leads on my father's case." She had spent the better part of the journey pursuing this end.
"Maybe you can count on Fors's progress," Ebner suggested with a smile, picking up his luggage and heading toward the gangplank.
"Fors… She's likely starving to death in her own bed by now," Xio said dryly, having picked up some of Ebner's sense of humor over their travels.
*Is the 'Magician' really that unreliable?* Ebner thought, somewhat taken aback.
"You're really the one I want to get intel from!" Xio's tone grew serious as she looked at him intently.
"If you want information from me, then you'll have to…" Ebner began.
"Have strength!" Xio interrupted.
"Exactly. So get to work on advancing to the next Sequence!" After all, she'd need power if she was to face her near-immortal enemies.
With a resolute nod, Xio followed him off the boat.
---
After settling into a nearby inn, Xio went out to reconnect with acquaintances, leaving Ebner to his own devices. Seeing that it was already half-past two and that the Tarot Club meeting was soon approaching, he began preparing by setting up a spiritual wall around his room.
He sat on the edge of the bed, strategizing on the persona he'd adopt for the Tarot meeting.
"Perhaps I'll position myself as a scholar eager to display his knowledge. I'll share some free information and insight upfront, which will make them come to me first whenever they have questions in the future… after all, the most expensive knowledge is the free kind."
"Oh, and Klein's still gathering Roselle's diary pages. Should I look for some too? Maybe not just yet—I'm still 'unaware' of Mr. Fool's need for them."
"But where would I even get more pages? My mentor doesn't seem to collect Roselle's works, nor does Mr. Gaston..."
An idea struck him mid-thought: Why bother looking for real ones? I can just write some myself, in simplified Chinese! That way, if I need to pass information to Klein without revealing too much, I could do it through these 'diary entries'… Of course, I'd need to mix in some humorous or romantic anecdotes to keep up appearances and not make Klein suspicious.
"I'll just have to make sure to write messily, to match how poorly the locals tend to reproduce Chinese characters."
Just as Ebner was savoring his plan, a surge of crimson light washed over him like
a tidal wave, engulfing him completely.
The Tarot Club was beginning.