"Although I just became a Spirit Medium not long ago, and I'm still far from digesting it completely, there's no harm in making preparations early…" Jane replied after some deliberation.
Cattleya looked at her subordinate, who had been assigned to her ship by Queen Mystic, and knew that she wasn't telling the whole truth. All she could do was think, I thought I finally had someone to worry about, but I never expected that I'll end up like the fellows on the ship, always causing trouble for me…
However, despite feeling exhausted, Cattleya asked after some thought, "Who is that Sequence 5 Gatekeeper? Tell me in detail."
Jane didn't dare to hide anything on this matter; otherwise, it was very likely that she would harm her captain, as well as herself and Xio. Therefore, she recounted in detail the information that Ebner had previously told her, as well as his battle achievements when fighting MI9. Finally, she concluded,
"Overall, that Gatekeeper is equivalent to a powerful Sequence 5 Beyonder who possesses a demigod-level Sealed Artifact. As for his strange spiritual strength, it's unknown. But from his previous performance, he's likely only a Sequence 5 or 6."
A Baron from more than seven hundred years ago… Corrupted by a high-level existence… A Gatekeeper who can use the powers of a Black Knight… This isn't including that strange Spirit Body…
Although Cattleya had expected this, she never expected the person Jane was dealing with to be so difficult to deal with. After a moment of surprise, she said in exasperation,
"For such a person, even if you use the Sealed Artifact you obtained from the mausoleum and can temporarily control Ludwell and me to cooperate, it will only defeat him at best. It will be difficult to retain him… I advise you to give up."
"What if there are still Wraiths and Zombies helping to block his escape? Although they won't join the attack, they will help restrict his mobility." Jane had already communicated with Miss Sharron and made a deal.
"That's worth a try…" Cattleya pondered for a moment before nodding slightly. Then, she said to Jane in a profound manner, "I won't ask why you insisted on killing that Gatekeeper. It's just that, regardless of the outcome, the favor I owe you before the ruins are repaid."
"Of course." Jane nodded without hesitation.
"In that case, tell me your plan." Cattleya nudged her thick glasses and asked.
"Alright, Captain." Jane went with the flow and then explained her plan of using Xio as bait to fish out the baron.
"The plan is alright. The only loophole is that the baron's whereabouts are unknown. The 'bait' you prepared might not be able to encounter him." Having said that, Cattleya habitually nudged her glasses and asked, "Do you have a backup plan?"
"Unfortunately, there's no such thing…" Jane sighed. Her only social connection in Backlund was Ebner. She had formulated a plan without alerting him. It was already very good that she could perfect it so perfectly. There was no way she could have any backup plans.
"In that case, I'll need two days to prepare. I'll begin taking action on Wednesday night… In addition, I'll stay in Backlund until Friday at most. If the other party doesn't fall for it, I'll give up on this operation," Cattleya said after nearly twenty seconds of silence.
"Sure, I have no objections." Jane thought for a moment and exhaled.
…
That night, after Xio placed all her disguises and makeup tools in the storeroom at Ebner, she bade farewell and returned to her rented apartment.
She and Fors had already moved from North Borough to Cherwood Borough, and their residence wasn't far from Kingster Street, so there was no need for them to stay the night like before.
On the way, Xio's spiritual perception was suddenly triggered. However, before she could activate her Spirit Vision, a letter was stuffed into her hand.
Xio opened the letter warily and read it before muttering to herself with a serious expression, "Wednesday night?"
Then, she came to the park by the street, lit the letter, burned it to ashes, and scattered it in the grass.
…
Tuesday morning, Klein knocked on the Captain's office door with great familiarity.
After receiving permission, he turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. He saw the Captain enjoying his breakfast. To his right was a cup of coffee emitting a rich aroma. On the plate in front of him was white bread, toast, and bacon.
"What's the matter?" Dunn took out a piece of tissue and wiped the corners of his mouth.
"Mr. Stuart hasn't arrived yet?" Klein had already circled the office previously, but since he didn't find the deacon of the Church of Storms, he wanted to visit the Captain and report something.
"Mr. Stuart had an affair on the train. He had already sent a telegram last night, saying that he would visit again next week." Dunn handed a telegram to Klein.
Klein took it and scanned through it. Thinking of the "Honest Paper" he bought yesterday afternoon, he subconsciously blurted out, "What a coincidence."
As he spoke, he glanced at the Captain through the corner of his eye. Apart from some electric characters, there was an open magazine in front of the Captain.
"It's indeed a coincidence, but it should be written in the telegram. The Mysticism Magister has confirmed that the accident was purely accidental and that there were no signs of it being done by someone else. When it comes to investigating cases, we should trust the professionalism of a Mysticism Magister who was once a detective," Dunn said as he leaned back in his chair.
When Klein heard that, he nodded and skipped the topic. He began talking about the main purpose of his visit.
"I've met Daxter Guderian, the doctor from the mental asylum and a member of the Psychology Alchemists."
At that moment, he noticed the title of the magazine in front of the Captain through the corner of his eye.
"The Donningsman Tree Sap in the Southern Continent's rainforests has an obvious effect of boosting hair growth."
This… Could it be that he wants to take note of his image after making progress with Madam Daly?
In fact, Beyonders didn't have to go through that much trouble. If Old Neil was still around, he would most likely suggest designing ritualistic magic for hair regrowth. He could then pray to the Goddess for help. As for whether he would eventually grow fur and become a curly-haired baboon, that would be a whole other matter…
Cough, perhaps Mr. Tower, who has a deeper understanding of ritualistic magic, can design safer and more reliable methods…
Wait, why am I thinking about this? I'm not bald! Could it be that the past few late-night live streams have given me a sense of danger?
What the… spirituality warning?
The self-deprecation in his heart immediately dyed Klein's happiness with sorrow. The sorrow was filled with a comical feeling, just like a Clown.
Dunn leaned forward again and clasped his hands. He asked, "What information did the doctor provide?"
Klein snapped back to his senses and threw away the ridiculous thoughts in his mind. He briefly described, "He told me that before Hood Eugen went mad, someone had visited him frequently. That person's name was Lanevus."
"Lanevus…" Dunn rubbed his temples. "I seem to have heard of it somewhere…"
"The cheat who swindled at least 10,000 pounds," Klein reminded him.
At the same time, he couldn't help but lampoon, Captain, you're not sensitive at all to money!
Dunn thought for a moment with a serious expression before shaking his head, indicating that he had no recollection of it.
Upon seeing this, Klein had no choice but to recount the main points related to Lanevus. Then, he applied to channel Hood Eugen's spirit in a bid to obtain clues.
Dunn finally agreed to Klein's plan. After some thought, he decided.
"…We'll go at dawn and secretly sneak in.
"I'll stay by the side to prevent any accidents from happening."
…
Backlund, South of the Bridge, Rose Street.
A rental carriage stopped at the entrance of the Harvest Church. After taking a glance at the grayish-white fog in midair, he pressed down on his silk top hat and unhurriedly walked out of the carriage and passed through the door.
The moment he entered, he saw Miss Hazel in her priest attire carefully wiping the candle stands with a cloth and a bucket of water.
And Father Utravsky, who seemed to have grown a little taller, was preaching in the morning.
He randomly found a seat and waited. After the priest finished his final toast, he walked forward and greeted Bishop Utravsky with a smile before asking,
"Father, is there any news of Wednesday's ball?"
Bishop Utravsky smiled warmly and said, "My identity isn't suitable for such an occasion, but I helped you get an invitation."
As he spoke, he took out an exquisitely printed card and handed it to Ebner.
"Thank you very much, Father." Ebner received the card and thanked him with a sincere nod.
"Heh heh, the person you should thank the most is Member of Parliament Macht. It was because of his help that everything went so smoothly. Yes, their family will likely be attending the ball. You can just follow the Member of Parliament." Bishop Utravsky chuckled.
Together with Member of Parliament Macht… Perhaps I can get a ride on the carriage? While his thoughts wandered, he found it inappropriate to leave immediately. He picked up a piece of cloth and helped Hazel wipe the tables and chairs in the cathedral.
But just as he was wiping the handrail of the basement stairs, he discovered that the Sacred Emblem of Life engraved with spiritual materials on the heavy stone door that had once imprisoned Hazel had lit up once again. Together with many mysterious symbols, it formed a complete seal.
"Who are they holding this time?
Wait, counting the time… Could it be some vampire who got lost and came to me?