The Black Thorn Security Company."
Upon seeing the sign, Klein stood still for a moment, experiencing a mixture of surprise and anticipation.
Indeed, it's quite... hard to comment on... He shook his head with a wry smile, ascended the steps, and extended his right hand to lightly knock on the partially closed door.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Slow and rhythmic knocks echoed, but there was no response from inside, only the faint sounds of movement.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Klein repeated, but with the same result.
Changing his approach from knocking to pushing, widening the gap, his gaze wandered inside, observing a set of classical sofas, soft armchairs, and a wooden coffee table that seemed to be for reception. Across from him was a table, behind which sat a girl with gradually lowering chestnut hair.
Though the sign of "security company" was just a facade, it seemed a bit... unprofessional, didn't it? How long has it been since they had any business? Well, maybe they don't need any... Klein mused silently as he approached, knocking twice more on the table, near the girl's ear.
Thud! Thud!
The chestnut-haired girl sat up abruptly, quickly raising the newspaper in front of her, shielding her face.
"The Honest Citizen of Tinggen City"... what a name... Klein silently read the newspaper's headline to himself, glancing up at the side facing him.
"Direct Steam Train 'Skyline' to Conston City is launched today... Honestly, when will they have a direct route to Dixie Bay? I really don't want to take a boat again, it's too uncomfortable, terribly uncomfortable... Oh, who are you?" The chestnut-haired girl recited with a pretense of indifference, then voiced her opinion. Gradually, she lowered the newspaper, revealing a smooth forehead and hazel eyes. Her expression shifted from conciliatory to startled as she looked at Klein.
"Hello, I'm Klein Moretti, here at the invitation of Mr. Denon Smith," Klein removed his hat, placing it over his chest and giving a slight bow.
The chestnut-haired girl appeared to be in her early twenties, wearing a light green Rune-style casual dress with beautiful lace accents on the cuffs, collar, and chest, complementing her increasingly beautiful face.
"Captain... alright, please wait here, I'll go ask him," the girl hastily got up and entered the adjacent room.
Not even offering a glass of water... their service leaves something to be desired... Klein smiled faintly, waiting in place, instead of heading to the sofas and chairs.
After two or three minutes, the chestnut-haired girl emerged, her smile sweet as she spoke, "Mr. Moretti, please follow me. The captain is on duty at 'Chanis Gate' today and cannot leave."
"Alright," Klein replied warmly, but his mind was filled with questions.
What is 'Chanis Gate' exactly?
As they passed a partition, the first thing that caught his eye was a short corridor, with what seemed like three offices on either side.
Some offices were locked tight, while others were wide open, revealing people inside typing away on heavy mechanical typewriters.
Glancing around, Klein unexpectedly recognized a familiar face: the young officer who had come to search his house that day, with his black hair and blue eyes, exuding a romantic poet's aura.
He wasn't in uniform, his white shirt untucked from his pants, giving him a carefree appearance.
Perhaps he truly is a poet... Klein nodded in greeting, and the other responded with a smile.
The chestnut-haired girl turned the handle of the leftmost office at the end, pushing the door open and pointing inside, saying with a smile, "There are a few more flights of stairs to go down."
This office was devoid of any items, with only gray stone steps leading downwards.
The walls on either side of the stairs were adorned with elegantly designed gas lamps, their steady light dispelling the darkness and bringing a sense of peace.
The chestnut-haired girl walked ahead, watching her step cautiously.
"Although I often come this way, I'm still afraid. I always worry about falling and rolling down, you know, Leonard once did such a stupid thing. On his first day as a 'Watcher', on the first day he hadn't fully mastered his own strength, he tried to run down at full speed, and then, then he became a wheel, haha, it's funny to think about it, well, the guy I greeted just now, it's all three years ago now. Speaking of which, I've been a Night Watcher for five years, I was only seventeen at the time..."
The girl spoke casually as she walked, suddenly tapping her forehead discreetly.
"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Rosanne. My father was an official member of the Night Watchers, who sacrificed himself in an accident five years ago. From now on, we should be colleagues, um, should I use the word 'colleagues'? We can't be called teammates yet, after all, we're not extraordinary individuals."
"I hope to have the honor, but ultimately it depends on Mr. Smith," Klein observed the enclosed surroundings, feeling like they were descending into the depths - the stone walls exuded a cold dampness, dispelling the summer's heat.
"Don't worry, if you're allowed to come here directly, it means the captain has agreed. I've always been a little afraid of the captain, although he's very kind and caring, giving me the feeling of my father, but for some reason, I'm still afraid." Rosanne's voice was as sweet as candy.
Klein humorously responded, "Isn't it normal to be afraid of fathers?"
"Good point." Rosanne reached out to touch the wall at the corner.
As they conversed, the two completed the spiraling descent, arriving at a level stone floor.
This was a long corridor, with gas lamps similarly embedded in metal grilles along the walls, casting light downwards, stretching the shadows of Klein and Rosanne.
Klein keenly noticed that every so often, there was a "Dark Crest" on the wall, the symbol of the Goddess of Night - "Deep black as the base, adorned with just half of the crimson moon."
Though these crests seemed ordinary, walking among them, Klein's mood gradually became serene, and Rosanne fell silent, no longer engaging in idle chatter as before.
Before long, a crossroads appeared ahead, and the chestnut-haired girl made a brief introduction, "Turning left leads to the Saint Selena Cathedral, turning right leads to the arsenal, materials, and library, and going straight ahead is Chanis Gate."
Saint Selena Cathedral? Is Zottlan Street behind the Red Moon Street? Klein listened with a dazed expression.
The Saint Selena Cathedral on Red Moon Street was the headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of Night in Tinggen City, a sacred place revered by devout locals. Together with the Steam and Mechanical Church of the Storm Lord, "Saint Mathilde Cathedral" in the northern district of Tinggen, and the River and Sea Church of the Storm Lord, "River and Sea Cathedral," they formed the religious backbone of Tinggen City and its affiliated towns and villages.
Feeling that it was not appropriate to ask too much in his current capacity, Klein simply listened silently, not speaking up.
Passing through the
crossroads, they walked straight ahead. In less than a minute, a pair of black iron doors, engraved with seven crests, appeared before them.
Standing there, it gave people a feeling of heaviness, coldness, and dominance, like a giant guarding in the darkness.
"Chanis Gate," Rosanne remarked, pointing to a nearby room, "The captain is inside, please go in by yourself."
"Alright, thank you," Klein replied politely.
The room Rosanne pointed to was a little ahead of "Chanis Gate," with the window open and light shining out. Klein took a deep breath, steadied himself, and reached out to push the slightly open door.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Come in," Denon Smith's deep and warm voice came from inside.
Klein gently pushed open the partially closed door, seeing inside only a table and four chairs. Denon Smith, with his high hairline, was wearing the same black coat from last night, casually reading a newspaper, with a gold chain near the buttons on his chest.
"Please, sit down. Have you made your decision? Are you sure you want to join us?" Denon set down the newspaper, smiling as he asked.
Klein removed his hat, performed a courtesy, and sat down at the table, nodding slowly, "Yes, I'm sure."
"Then take a look at this contract, hehe, nowadays everyone prefers to call it a contract." Denon opened the drawer of the table, taking out a duplicate of the contract.
There weren't many terms on it, mostly what Denon Smith had mentioned before, with the focus on confidentiality clauses. Violators would not go through the Kingdom's courts but would be directly judged by the arbitration court of the Church of the Goddess of Night, like soldiers and officers facing military courts.
A five-year contract... two pounds and ten sols per week, ten sols for confidentiality and risk subsidies... Klein read through them one by one, answering solemnly, "I have no problem."
"Then sign it." Denon gestured towards the dark red pen and ink on the table.
Klein first tested the pen on a scrap of paper, then discreetly took a breath, signing his full name at the corresponding positions on both copies of the contract: Klein Moretti.
Because he didn't have a seal yet, he could only leave his fingerprint in the end.
Denon took back the contract, then pulled out a seal from the drawer, stamping it at the end and several key points.
After everything was done, he stood up, handing one copy of the contract to Klein, and extending his hand to him, "Welcome, from now on, you're one of us. Remember, the contract is also confidential."
Standing up with Denon, Klein glanced at the seal on the contract, finding the words "Night Watchers Squad, Tinggen City, Ahova County, Rune Kingdom."
"I never thought you would use 'Black Thorn Security Company' as a cover," Klein remarked casually.
"In fact, we have another sign." Denon took out a piece of paper from the drawer.
Stamped with double seals from the city government and the police department, the content was two lines of words:
"Tinggen City Police Department Special Operations Department, Seventh Unit."
"The first four units are responsible for regular security tasks, such as VIP protection and safeguarding important locations. Starting from the fifth unit, they deal with supernatural incidents in the county's various cities. Our Seventh Unit is mainly responsible for events related to the Goddess believers in Tinggen City. If there are followers of different faiths, they are divided by region. We mainly cover the North, West, and Golden Wutong districts," Denon briefly explained, "The Sixth Unit, which is part of the Storm Lord Church's 'Punishers' team, is responsible for the Dock and East districts, and the Fifth Unit handles the University district and suburbs, that is, the team of 'Heart of Machinery' in Tinggen."
"Hmm," Klein had no immediate questions about this matter, so he changed the subject with a smile, "What if someone comes to entrust a task because of the sign of 'Black Thorn Security Company'?"
"We accept it. Why wouldn't we? As long as it doesn't interfere with our daily affairs," Denon replied calmly and humorously, "It's just an extra subsidy, and the team members are quite willing. After all, these troubles, like finding cats and dogs, are now all taken care of by private detectives."
"How many people are there in our Night Watchers squad?" Klein asked, picking up on the topic.
"There aren't many supernatural incidents, even fewer extraordinary individuals. There are only six official members of the Night Watchers in Tinggen City, including me. Including you, we have six civilian personnel," Denon answered calmly.
Klein nodded, finally broaching the subject he was most concerned about:
"Captain, what do you mean by the extraordinary individuals losing control? Why do they lose control?"