Outside the enclosed corridor, with its icy stone walls, the interior of the room was illuminated by bright, yellowish light. In this environment, the echo of Denn Smith's narration lingered, resonating in Klein's heart, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Seeing Klein's silence, Denn shook his head and chuckled, "Disappointed, aren't you? Extraordinaries are not what you imagined. We constantly journey alongside danger."
"Every gain comes with a price," Klein replied, regaining composure from the earlier shock, carefully choosing his words.
Indeed, he had not anticipated that behind the radiant, extraordinary facade of the Extraordinaries lay such hazards. Perhaps it was because he had only heard descriptions and had not yet truly experienced them, or perhaps it was because he was already caught up in this whirlpool. He couldn't shake off the thought that strange events might befall him at any moment. However, his fear, unease, worry, and dread quickly diminished to a manageable level.
Of course, thoughts of retreat were inevitable, lingering persistently, refusing to depart.
"Very mature, very rational..." Denn finished his coffee, then added, "And also, Extraordinaries aren't as formidable as you think. Low-ranking Extraordinaries, why use 1 to represent the highest rank and 9 for the lowest? It goes against intuition and logic. When we talk about low-ranking, we refer to low quality, high numbers indicate the beginning of the sequence."
"Now, where was I? Right, Extraordinaries aren't as powerful as you think. The 'power' of low-ranking Extraordinaries doesn't compare to firearms, let alone cannons. They are merely more extraordinary in certain aspects, more difficult to guard against. If you ever have the chance to become an Extraordinary, you must seriously consider what I've said today. Don't make reckless choices."
Klein chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I don't even know when I'll have that chance."
If he did have the opportunity, he felt he wouldn't miss it. The risks of consuming erroneous potions or advancing recklessly could be minimized. The main risk lay in the subtle influences inherent in the potions themselves and the unknown "dangers" heard and seen after enhancing one's intuition.
The former had the experience of generations to reference, as long as he didn't rush to enhance, but steadily mastered his power, the probability of losing control should be relatively low. Moreover, his main goal was to address the current latent dangers, understand the essence of mysticism, and find a way to return. He had not set his sights on a higher rank. If he was indeed prone to losing control, he could simply refrain from promotion and remain in his current rank, planning his "return home" with knowledge.
As for the latter risk, well, Klein's memories of the whispers that drove him close to madness during the "transfer ceremony" were still fresh. This was something that couldn't be avoided by not becoming an Extraordinary. Since that was the case, he might as well acquire some power to combat it.
Thinking about all this, Klein felt the pros and cons were so clear that even his thoughts of retreat had mostly vanished.
Denn picked up his pipe again, a hint of amusement in his gray eyes, "As for this matter, I can't give you a precise answer. If you want to become an Extraordinary, one, accumulate enough merits. Perhaps tomorrow or the day after, you'll decipher crucial ancient texts or provide very useful insights for our cases. Two, see if there are any new ideas from above. That's something no one can explain."
"Well, I think you should have a better understanding of Extraordinaries now. You won't make impulsive choices in the future. Now, let me introduce you to the administrative duties of our Night Watcher team."
He stood up, paced to the door, and pointed in the opposite direction of the "Chenice Gate."
"We have an accountant, someone in charge of purchasing necessary items, and part-time drivers. They are all professionals who don't need rotation. They rest on Sundays. The remaining three administrative staff are Rosanne, Blythe, and Old Neil. Their duties include receiving visitors, cleaning rooms, writing case documents and item declaration lists, as well as guarding weapons, materials, and document libraries, strictly registering entries and exits. Each of them takes a day off each week, besides Sunday. There's also rotation between night duty and rest, which they arrange themselves."
"Do I do the same thing as Rosanne and them?" Klein set aside thoughts of Extraordinaries and confirmed his "job responsibilities."
"No, you don't need to. You're a professional," Denn chuckled, "You have two things to do now. First, go out for a walk every morning or afternoon, focusing on the routes from Welch's residence to your home."
"Huh?" Klein looked bewildered. What kind of "job" was this? Was it really professional?
Denn inserted his hands into the pockets of his black coat and continued, "Once you confirm your memory loss, the cases of Welch and Naya will be closed. Similarly, the disappearance of that Antigonos family diary will remain a mystery. We suspect you took it with you when you left, hiding it on your way home. That's why we didn't find any clues in your house. This might also be why you weren't at the scene but 'committed suicide' at home."
"Though you've forgotten this memory due to mysterious influences, the human spirit and brain are marvelous. Perhaps there are some residual traces that Daly couldn't access through her 'medium' methods. Just because she couldn't retrieve them doesn't mean they don't exist. Maybe in familiar places, in crucial moments, you'll have a feeling of familiarity, a feeling that you've seen or done something."
"That's what we're hoping for."
"Understood," Klein suddenly realized. The Night Watchers' deductions about the whereabouts of that diary did make sense. Among the people present at the time, only he was alive, and only he had the time and 'motive' to take the diary and conceal it midway!
"If you could find that diary in this way, you'd earn enough merits to become an Extraordinary," Denn Smith encouraged indirectly, hinting at the importance of the diary.
"I hope so," Klein nodded.
Denn shifted the topic back, "Second, you have a day off each week, for now, you can choose which day. When you're not outside, go to the arsenal and read the documents and books we've saved. That's the job of a historian. When you've finished reading everything, it'll be time to switch with Old Neil and the others."
"Alright, no problem," Klein breathed a sigh of relief quietly. It didn't seem too difficult...
At this point, Denn half-turned and pointed to the black iron double doors engraved with seven holy emblems, "This is the 'Chenice' Gate, named after the founder of the modern Night Watcher system, Bishop Chenice. There's one beneath the central cathedral of every major city."
"It's guarded by official Night Watcher members in rotation, with at least two 'Guardians' from within the church and countless traps inside. You must never approach it casually, or you'll invite misfortune."
"Sounds impressive," Klein commented.
"It's divided into several areas inside, storing potions of certain ranks and various magical materials. It also
temporarily detains heretics, mutants, cultists, and members of secretive organizations. Eventually, they'll be sent to the cathedral," Denn casually explained.
"The cathedral? The headquarters of the Church of the Dark Lady in the northern Winter County, the 'Tranquil Cathedral'?" Klein nodded as if pondering.
"In addition, there are copies of various highly classified documents inside, and when your clearance is raised, you might have the opportunity to read them," Denn pondered for a moment before continuing, "In the basement behind the 'Chenice Gate,' there are some sealed items."
"Sealed items?" Klein chewed on the word.
That sounded like a proprietary term.
"We collect and obtain extraordinary items, some of which are too important, too magical. If they fell into the wrong hands, they would cause great destruction. Therefore, they must be kept strictly confidential and guarded, even we ourselves can only use them under specific circumstances. Moreover..." Denn paused before continuing, "Moreover, some of them are very special, possessing a certain 'life' of their own, they can tempt the guardians, affect their surroundings, escape on their own, and cause catastrophic consequences. They must be strictly controlled."
"Quite marvelous," Klein exclaimed.
"The Night Watcher headquarters classifies these sealed items into four levels. 'Level 0' represents extreme danger, the highest level of concern, the highest level of secrecy. It's not to be inquired about, not to be disclosed, not to be described, not to be spied upon. They are only to be sealed in the depths of the cathedral."
"'Level 1' is highly dangerous, but can be used with limitations. The secrecy level is the bishop of the diocese, the Night Watcher deacon, and above. The central cathedrals of districts like Beckland can hold one or two, the rest must be handed over to the cathedral."
"'Level 2' is dangerous, to be used with caution and moderation. The secrecy level is the bishop and the Night Watcher team leader and above. The central cathedrals of major cities can hold three to five, and the rest should be handed over to the cathedral or diocesan headquarters nearby. 'Level 3' has a certain level of danger and requires at least three people to apply for action. The secrecy level is the official Night Watcher members."
"In the future, when you see corresponding documents, you should understand what they represent by the numbers. For example, 2-125 indicates a level 2 sealed item, number 125."
As Denn spoke, he suddenly turned and walked back into the room, retrieving a piece of paper from the bottom drawer:
"Oh, take a look at this. Three years ago, a newly appointed bishop lost control somehow, broke through heavy protection, and mysteriously disappeared with a 'Level 0' sealed item. Memorize his photo. If you find him, don't startle him, don't disturb him, come back and report. Otherwise, you'll be one hundred percent dead."
"What?" Klein took the paper, finding no heading, just a black-and-white photo and a few lines of text:
"Ince Zangwell, male, forty years old, former bishop, failed promotion to 'Guardian,' lured by the devil, fell into evil, fled with sealed item '0-08,' specific features are..."
Based on the photo and the description, Ince Zangwell wore a double-breasted, pitch-black priest robe, wore a soft hat on his head, his hair was dark gold, his pupils blue to almost black, his nose high, lips tightly pressed, his facial features resembling classical sculpture, without a single wrinkle, the most eye-catching feature being that he had lost one eye.
"Detailed description of the fallen, but only a code for the sealed item..." Klein expressed his initial feeling honestly.
"That's why it's the highest level of secrecy. Information about the '0-08' sealed item is only conveyed orally, never written down. And only its basic information is shared," Denn sighed. "'0-08' looks like a common quill pen, but it can write without ink. That's about it."
Denn didn't dwell on this matter any longer. He pulled out a magnificent pocket watch of the same color from the black coat, clicked it open, glanced at it, then pointed outside:
"I've said what I needed to. Go to the arsenal and find Old Neil, let him arrange specific document readings for you. He's not an ordinary administrative staff. He used to be an official member, but he's old now, hasn't been promoted, and his health isn't good. He's no longer fit for handling cases and refuses to become an 'internal Guardian' or retire directly at home. He just wants to be accompanied by documents and books."