After nearly three days at sea, Ebner arrived safely at Damir Port on Friday evening.
The journey was largely uneventful, aside from a drinking match with Alanson Edward, the captain of the City of Brilliance, who had recognized him. Other than that, there was little of note.
Meanwhile, in Backlund, Klein attended a gathering hosted by "Eyes of Wisdom." There, he purchased a "Hurricane Axe" from Fanny and traded it with the "Sun" of the City of Silver. Then, after receiving information from Miss Justice on impoverished noble families, Klein conducted a thorough investigation on Baron Pound, uncovering his true identity as a Tudor descendant. Carefully weighing his options, he and Sharron eventually decided to blow up the entrance to the underground ruins on Williams Street.
Likewise, over the past three days, Xio attempted to track down Lanevus, albeit without success. Instead, she discovered that someone else was also searching for him, and that this person seemed to be leaving clues intentionally, having already attracted the attention of suspected Aurora Order members.
According to MI9's intelligence, one such Aurora Order member was two meters tall and had recently started frequenting pubs near the docks. Known for his violent temper and impressive fighting skills, he was nicknamed "The Giant" by the bar workers.
The person searching for Lanevus, meanwhile, had no MI9 file but showed notable scouting and anti-surveillance abilities, appearing quite familiar with official Beyonder tactics. Xio's attempts to follow him so far had been unsuccessful, reinforcing her suspicion that he was deliberately baiting Aurora Order members.
Looking at the two sketches in her hands, Xio thought for a moment and deduced that the "Giant," being as aggressive as he was, would likely act soon.
Should I go take a closer look?
I wonder if the person searching for Lanevus could be one of Mr. Fool's blessed ones…
Hesitating for a moment, Xio sealed the rented "safe house" with her spirituality and prayed devoutly:
"O 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.
"Your loyal servant prays for Your attention;
"I pray that You will connect me to Mr. Tower…"
...
Yes, Xio felt it safest to consult Ebner on things she couldn't fully grasp, especially given the insight he had shared on the platform the other day. Moreover, this gave her a chance to report to Mr. Fool.
...
At that moment, "Mr. Fool" himself had just blown up the entrance to the underground ruins with Miss Sharron. The lingering gunpowder smell on him attracted the attention of a police dog, leading to him being escorted back to the police station for questioning.
Fortunately, The Declaration could turn invisible, so it hadn't been discovered or confiscated by the officers.
Watching his lawyer, Jurgen, help sign the bail paperwork, Klein was thankful for the stroke of luck.
Then, he heard the faint layering of a female voice's prayer.
Miss Justice? Or Miss Judgment? Whoever it is, it's probably about Lanevus.
But when he excused himself, headed to the washroom, reversed the steps, and arrived in the gray fog, he was surprised to find that Miss Judgment wanted to contact Mr. Tower.
Are they planning to turn my place into a phone booth? Klein thought, exasperated. But he put his grumbling aside and made the connection, as Miss Judgment's tone suggested it was important.
...
In Damir, Ebner had just sat down in a local restaurant to enjoy some island seafood. As he was chewing on a slice of raw fish, the gray fog suddenly appeared, and Miss Judgment's normal visage took shape before him.
Realizing the situation at once, he greeted her directly: "Miss Judgment, what can I help you with?"
Though no one else was present, Ebner refrained from using Xio's name. He trusted Klein, but Xio might not feel the same.
"Yes, Mr. Tower, I do have some matters I'd like to discuss with you." Xio's tone shifted slightly into a more formal, "Judgment" mode.
"Go ahead." Ebner nodded.
Xio organized her thoughts and outlined her findings over the past three days, detailing the new player involved in searching for Lanevus, the suspected Aurora Order responses, and her observations.
Listening from behind the gray fog, Mr. Fool frowned, sensing an unexpected level of complexity. Both the Aurora Order's rash reaction and the mysterious third party's presence had deviated from his original expectations.
Better listen to Mr. Tower's reasoning… He is a real detective, after all—his deductive and logical abilities must be superior to mine.
Ebner, meanwhile, was also surprised by the situation. A third party? Who else would be investigating Lanevus aside from Klein or the officials?
But then two names crossed his mind: Daly! And Dunn!
It's probably not Miss Daly; putting aside the original story, she has enough motivation but wouldn't go about it in this nearly provocative manner. She's with the Church and would just arrest him if she got close…
Then that leaves Dunn. Could his mental state have stabilized? And has he come to seek vengeance? That's dangerous… Shouldn't the Lady of Sloth step in?
Then again, given what little I've seen of her, she doesn't seem very reliable. "Too lazy to care" might actually be her default approach.
Thankfully, Dunn is a seasoned Night Watcher with extensive experience. Without "0-08" interfering, his judgment should be cautious enough.
After some deliberation, Ebner said, "As for the Aurora Order's rash reaction, I have a theory."
"What theory?" Xio's eyes lit up; she knew Ebner "knew" things.
"I suspect Lanevus isn't in the best shape and might even be restricted in his movements by the Aurora Order." Though speculative, Ebner spoke confidently, as he knew this to be true from the original story.
"Why do you think so?" Xio asked, intrigued.
Klein, too, listened closely, eager to hear Mr. Tower's reasoning. He knew that Lanevus had likely received a "blessing" from the True Creator, making a condition like this unsurprising.
"Do you remember Moreira of the Eternal Life Society?" Ebner asked with a smile.
Xio recalled for a moment before hesitantly responding, "Is he the one who trafficked people in the East End for the 'Witch of Pain' Rae? I remember we fought him, and after you communicated with him postmortem, you identified that his red-and-black ring came from a mysterious figure in the dock area… That person even had him incite a dockworker strike."
"Exactly. That red-and-black ring was something I named 'False Fury' and later sold to Miss Justice… and the mysterious person who gave it to Moreira was likely Lanevus," Ebner confirmed.
"Why would he do that?" Xio asked, puzzled.
Instead of answering immediately, Ebner brought up another point: "The strike was eventually resolved by an Aurora Order member… I can confirm that because I was present at a Beyonder gathering when he commissioned it."
Xio seemed to grasp the idea and thoughtfully noted, "So Lanevus was deliberately causing trouble, trying to create chaos, while the Aurora Order kept trying to cover up after him… But they're not being nearly as careful with the person looking for him now."
Ebner smiled and shook his head. "Later, mutated beasts appeared in Backlund's sewers, resulting in the death of an unwitting Aurora Order member, who was then sent to clear the creatures."
"Are you saying that the beast mutations were also Lanevus's doing? Was he trying to stir up further chaos?" Xio asked, enlightened but with more questions. "But if he's been pulling the Aurora Order's strings and attempting to shake off their control, why hasn't he simply escaped? I feel like he's had plenty of chances."
Behind the scenes, Klein nodded in agreement; it sounded exactly like something that lunatic Lanevus would do. So why hasn't he escaped? Is he planning something bigger?
"His goal isn't merely to escape the Aurora Order…" Ebner concluded similarly to Klein, before shifting topics. "On the day I left Backlund, I read about the 11th murder in the serial killing spree… but if my suspicions are correct, it probably wasn't done by the real killer…"
Impressive—deducing that much just from reading the paper. But what led him to that conclusion? Klein thought, feeling both admiration and curiosity.
Knowing about the Devil ritual, Xio immediately caught Ebner's meaning. "If there was less than a three-day gap… then this case was Lanevus's work? Is he trying to provoke an official investigation to achieve something?"
Less than three days? Is that the killer's routine? Tower and Judgment must know the killer very well… So why not catch him?
Tower did mention that the killer was a real "Devil"—not so easy to capture… Do Devils have special traits?
While Klein pondered this, he heard Ebner chuckle and say:
"That's my theory, yes. As for why the Aurora Order is being so reckless this time, I suspect it's yet another of Lanevus's tricks."
Xio nodded, understanding. "With his previous stunts, the Aurora Order would have tightened its surveillance of him… He'd simply have to request a guard from the 'most devout' of his 'Master's' followers. The more 'devout' they are, the more 'mad' they tend to be, which would naturally attract official attention."
"Brilliant!" Ebner commended Xio, satisfied with her grasp of his deductions. Then he asked, "As for that third party investigating Lanevus, I don't have any ideas… Do you have a sketch of him?"
"Yes!" Xio, delighted at the praise, immediately prayed to Mr. Fool, and with his assistance, "materialized" a portrait.
It really is Dunn! Ebner recognized him immediately; after all, he'd crafted that face himself.
Behind the gray fog, "Mr. Fool" was left a bit speechless, mumbling, "Isn't… isn't that Iron Man?"
(Chapter End)