Mystery: A Spark

However, he did not believe a single word of what justice had said.

Klein didn't believe it either; he manipulated the "World" dummy and said:

"So, Miss Justice, what aspects of the truth about the smog incident do you want to know?"

Audrey's eyes narrowed, and she asked:

"So, this incident really wasn't an accident?"

"Hehe, of course it wasn't an accident. I was a firsthand witness to this event. If it weren't for Mr. Fool's rescue, I would have almost died in this smog." Klein controlled the "World" dummy and chuckled in a hoarse voice.

Mr. A chased him around like a rabbit, and he was almost torn apart and eaten.

It's the kind that can't be resurrected.

It's impossible to say that Klein wasn't angry.

So he's definitely going to take this opportunity to expose everything he knows to that guy.

Fortunately, Arthur is here too, which will save Klein from having to repeat himself later.

Chapter 228 Alger is a little panicked

Mr. World is actually a firsthand witness to this massive smog event!?

Apart from Derrick and Arthur, everyone else was more or less surprised.

"Mr. World, what exactly are you referring to as your personal experience?" Audrey, eager to know the inside story of the smog, asked first.

"The World" chuckled softly and began to recount its turbulent story.

Of course, Klein concealed many things in his narration, such as his abilities and the existence of Mr. Azik.

The main story is about how he accidentally entered an underground ruin, only to find that the Witch Cult and the Aurora Society were holding a ceremony to bring down the true creator.

Not only that, he also heard about the Witch Cult's plan to go to Backlund and unleash a plague, using innocent people as sacrifices.

"After encountering this situation, I dared not delay. I immediately prayed to Mr. Fool and used his power to disrupt Mr. A's ritual. As a result, I was relentlessly pursued by Mr. A and barely managed to escape." Klein manipulated the "World" dummy and recounted his experience with slight modifications.

He was not worried about his identity being revealed.

On the one hand, after the arrival of two evil gods was involved, even if the three major churches used some kind of magical means to find out his role in this incident, they might not necessarily publicize his existence to many people. At most, it would only circulate among middle-level and higher-level personnel.

This means that only those with very strong church connections could find out Sherlock Moriarty's role in the Great Smog Incident.

For example, someone like Arthur.

But Arthur already knew Klein's identity.

It's possible that they could find out about "The Hanged Man" and "Justice," but Klein didn't care.

After all, Sherlock Moriarty was a false identity, and one that would soon be abandoned.

Therefore, Klein doesn't care if these two members know that the great detective Sherlock Moriarty is "the world".

Klein believes that having a relatively well-known person in real life as a member of the Tarot Club can effectively increase members' sense of belonging.

Of course, he wouldn't proactively reveal his identity.

He can only say that those who understand will understand, and those who don't can't help him.

The experiences described in "The World" are concealed, and everyone knows that he is hiding something, even Derrick can tell.

But no one seemed to care and listened very attentively.

After all, three of their five members lived in Backlund, and although the Hanged Man was currently at sea, he was also very concerned about what was happening in Backlund.

Although Arthur used the opportunity to kill Ince Zangwell, he was also very curious about what had happened to Klein.

He was deeply concerned about the early onset of the smog event and wanted to find out exactly what went wrong.

As Klein recounted his story, everyone was unable to contain their astonishment.

However, the reasons for their astonishment were slightly different.

Derrick was shocked to discover that the outside world was also so dangerous, with more than 50,000 people dying in a single incident, which was several times the population of their Silver City.

"Justice" and "The Hanged Man" were shocked to discover that behind the massive smog incident were two cult factions plotting to bring their Lord down.

Fortunately, Mr. Fool sabotaged the affair by using Mr. World, and the miracle of Mother Earth saved many people.

But what benefit could Mr. Fool possibly gain from thwarting the evil gods' schemes? And what was his relationship with Mother Earth? Alger, the "Hanged Man," couldn't help but ponder.

So, there's more to the story behind the smog... The Aurora Society and the Witch Cult? I'll remember you... Audrey clenched her fist under the table.

These are two ancient and sinister cults, and she knows she has no power to seek justice now.

But it doesn't matter. Audrey believes that as her sequence improves and with the Tarot Society backing her up, she will eventually be able to settle accounts with the culprits who orchestrated the Great Smog Incident.

Besides, she has money; at worst, she can hire someone to kill her.

As long as we can find a strong enough henchman and track down the two sects, there will always be a chance.

Fors was both surprised and frightened, never expecting that there was an even more terrifying truth hidden behind the smog.

Fortunately, she had been studying astrology and hadn't been wandering around aimlessly.

The smog was dealt with in time by Mr. Fool and the church; otherwise, she and Hugh might have become one of those 50,000 people.

After listening to Klein's account, Arthur frowned slightly, because Klein only recounted his experience of escaping from the ruins, and the experience itself didn't seem problematic.

This left him still puzzled as to why the smog had arrived earlier than expected.

It seems I'll have to ask later... Arthur suppressed his doubts for the time being.

“Mr. Fool, thank you for your help. Otherwise, many more innocent people would have died in this smog event. And Mr. World, thank you for your… uh… luck.” Audrey stood up and bowed to the head of the bronze table and to “the World” respectively.

"You mean to say I'm an unlucky guy, right?" Klein joked, using "the world" as a metaphor.

"No, no, no, absolutely not. I'm truly grateful. If you hadn't accidentally entered that ruin, Mr. World, the evil god might have really descended," Audrey hurriedly explained.

“Just kidding,” “The World” chuckled.

At this moment, Arthur spoke up:

"After this incident, you probably won't be able to stay in Backlund any longer."

"The World" nodded and said calmly:

"That's true. After all, the matter is too big to ignore; we have no choice but to leave."

"That gun..."

“I want it. I will repay it with the corpse of an extraordinary being over the next three months, with Mr. Fool as the witness.”

Arthur glanced at the head of the bronze table, nodded, and said:

"no problem."

Alger looked at the "chariot" and then at the "world," sensing that the seas ahead would be anything but calm, and a bloodbath was sure to ensue.

It's important to understand that those who reach Sequence Six are no small fry at sea; they are either leaders of medium-sized pirate crews or important figures in large pirate crews.

For example, Zilingus obtained the title of Pirate General while being a Sequence Six.

Now, the "chariot" wants three Sequence 6 corpses, and they have to be killed on the spot.

The "world" should get it quite easily, it sounds like killing three chickens.

It's clear that these two people no longer take Sequence Six seriously.

Wait, I'm almost at Sequence Six. What if the "world" starts killing me instead? Alger licked his lips, feeling inexplicably nervous.

He coughed lightly and said:

"Um...world, have you found a good target to hunt?"

Why is "The Hanged Man" asking this? Right, although he has a background with the Church of Storms, he seems to always be active at sea. Is he afraid that I'll come after him? Klein found it somewhat amusing.

He controlled the "world," feigned a moment's hesitation, and asked:

"I haven't decided yet, Mr. Hanged Man. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmm... here's what I'm thinking. Actually, you don't need to put in too much effort to search. Just look at the bounty posters. They list a lot of the pirates' misdeeds, and you can get a bounty for killing them. It's a win-win situation," Alger thoughtfully suggested.

As a spy planted by the Church of Storms among the pirates, he always kept a low profile and was not particularly noticeable on the bounty list.

Therefore, if "the world" were to search for prey according to the bounty list, the likelihood of Alger being targeted would be greatly reduced, at least he would not be the first target.

Once "The World" has made a name for itself, Alger will be able to find out who he really is relatively easily.

Then the embarrassing situation of being killed by one's own people would not happen.

“A bounty...that’s a good suggestion, I’ll consider it,” World nodded and said.

A moment of silence fell over the gray fog, as the topic had been too horrifying for anyone to interrupt.

Only after confirming that the three people had finished did the tarot gathering proceed as usual.

Audrey looked at the head of the bronze table and said:

“‘Fool’, there are three more pages of Russell’s diary this time, and I still owe seven.”

"However, due to the impact of the smog event, the three major churches and the military are cleaning up Backlund, so we may not be able to get the next installment of Russell's Diary next week."

"Depending on the specific situation, you may need to wait another week or two."

Upon hearing this, "Magician" Fors quickly echoed:

“‘Fool’, I have received a reply. There will be a new Russell’s Diary next time.”

Her teacher, Mr. Dorian, lived in Pulitzer Port, so she was less affected and it did not hinder her communication with her teacher.

“Very good.” Klein responded with a light laugh.

After a simple process, Klein picked up the three manifested pages of the diary and began reading with great anticipation.

The first page of the diary describes the Emperor's daily life shortly after his transmigration, but the part about "the nobles being hygienic because they are afraid of a certain sequence that can control the plague" made Klein feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3 - mixed feelings).

This reminded him of the recent severe smog event, just as the Emperor had said:

"We're in the same city, so if there's an epidemic there, why can't we be safe here?"

Old Huang was quite prescient. No wonder he launched the Patriotic Health Campaign after taking office. It must have been to prevent such things from happening. Unfortunately, Rune didn't learn any lessons at all and just relied on wishful thinking... Klein sighed inwardly.

He knew that the nobles of Rune generally possessed extraordinary knowledge and must know that witches could control plagues; the fact that Backlund's sewers had been extensively renovated was proof of this.