Mysterious: The Innate Sacred Body of Destiny

Chapter 373 Tinggen and Acquaintances

No. 69, Rose Street.

"Knock knock————"

As the door was knocked, a lazy voice came from inside the room.

"Who is it?" Mrs. Griffin yawned and opened the door.

She saw a man wearing a trench coat and a hat standing outside the door.

"Little Lorne?" Mrs. Griffin's drowsiness vanished instantly. She opened her eyes wide, her tone tinged with uncertainty.

"It's me, Mrs. Griffin. It's been a while." Lorne forced a slightly stiff smile.

Looking at that familiar face, but with a subtly changed demeanor, Mrs. Griffin felt somewhat dazed.

"Yes, yes, it's been a few months—"

"Have you taken care of all your troubles?"

She stepped aside, ushered Lorne inside, and poured him a steaming cup of coffee.

"Thank you, don't worry, it's all taken care of." Lorne sat down on the familiar old sofa, took the hot coffee Mrs. Griffin handed him, and carefully took a sip.

"What have you been doing lately? I've been taking care of your cat for two months now—" Mrs. Griffin sat down opposite her, her tone filled with familiar complaint.

"Work—" Lorne put down his coffee cup and said, using the words he had prepared beforehand, "Thanks to a friend, I found a well-paying job."

"The only trouble is that I have to travel to other places frequently."

"Oh—what exactly is it?" Mrs. Griffin asked curiously.

"I'd say it's engineering-related—" Lorne explained. "As a follower of the 'God of Steam and Machinery,' I studied mechanics for a while and also learned some business skills from my father. Now, I'm basically helping friends with mechanical problems while also running my own business."

"Oh—it's good to have a job." Mrs. Griffin felt inexplicably relieved.

"So, what brings you here this time?"

"I have a business trip to the north soon, so I'm coming back to pack some things and I'd like to bring Laki along too—" Lorne took another sip of coffee.

"It's not right to keep troubling you with your care."

"I bet it's sleeping right now."

"Then you're wrong." Mrs. Griffin shook her head gently, glancing at the sunlight outside the window.

"It will fly back in a little while."

"Fly?" Lorne was taken aback.

evening.

"Meow—" Accompanied by a long, drawn-out meow, a rather large owl landed on Lorne's window, grabbing an orange cat with its claws.

Lorne stared at the scene in utter astonishment.

So that's what "flying" means—Rachi even has a mount now?!

"Laqi?"

At his call, the orange cat quickly looked up, revealing a very human-like expression of surprise, then lunged forward, trying to pounce into his arms. However, just as they were about to touch, the orange cat suddenly turned around, causing Lorne to miss his target.

The orange cat drooped its head and turned away, seemingly angry.

Lorne bent down and stroked its head.

"Sorry, I've been away for quite a while." He picked up the orange cat and placed it in his arms.

"You seem to have gained a lot of weight? Is Mrs. Griffin's cooking that good?"

"Meow—" the orange cat meowed in dissatisfaction.

Harry the owl felt a little strange watching the harmonious scene between master and pet. After all, in his eyes, his "boss," though lazy, was also a formidable and powerful character. He never expected the other party to have this side to him.

"Who are you?" Lorne noticed the owl's probing gaze.

"I am Harry—" Harry had just started to speak when he suddenly realized something and quickly spread his wings to cover his own beak.

"It can talk—" Lorne found it intriguing. He walked to the window and took a closer look at the owl with its smooth feathers and lively eyes.

Then he suddenly stepped forward and "invited" Harry, who hadn't had time to fly away, into the window, and then "clicked" the window shut.

"I—I am Harry."

Harry leaned against the cold glass window, meeting Lorne's scrutinizing eyes, and involuntarily shrank back, feeling the skin beneath his feathers tighten.

It said tremblingly, "I am the boss's friend."

"Boss?" Lorne looked down at the cat in his arms.

"Your name is Harry, right?"

"Yes," the owl replied fearfully.

He sensed an inexplicable aura emanating from Lorne. This guy was strong; the boss wasn't lying.

His strength is definitely not comparable to that idiot Darkwell.

He's at least as good as a hundred clumsy pharmacists.

"Which route did you take?" Lorne asked curiously. He felt a strange sense of familiarity in the owl's gaze.

"A dragon—" Harry answered softly, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"A dragon?" Lorne asked, somewhat puzzled. This bird didn't look like a dragon at all. Apart from both being oviparous, what did it have in common with a dragon?

"Meow—" Laki meowed again.

"Yes, that's right. Listen to Dark—uh, my master said the Dragon Path is—" Harry explained.

Oh—Sequence 9 of the "Spectator" pathway, I didn't know the "Spectator" pathway also had the nickname "Dragon". However, what the master said, this bird really does have an owner—after listening to the other party's story, Lorne nodded, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.

It's a pity. If it were an unclaimed wild extraordinary creature, he could probably keep it as a pet. After all, he can afford to keep two extraordinary animals now. What a shame.

"Um—sir, it's getting late, I—I can—" Harry glanced cautiously at the closed window, hinting.

"Of course." Lorne suppressed his regret and gave a friendly smile. "Sorry, Harry, Rachel's friend is naturally my friend too. I was just a little curious earlier." With that, he reopened the window.

"Be careful on the road. Oh, and by the way, can I borrow your boss for a while?"

As he watched the owl disappear from his sight, Lorne sighed inwardly.

Backlund, it's amazing.

"Are you leaving?" Mrs. Griffin asked, looking at Lorne who was holding the orange cat and carrying his luggage.

"Um.

""

"Actually, I really hope you keep Laggie. My retirement wouldn't be so boring with a furry guy around," Mrs. Griffin said.

Upon hearing this, Rachel jumped out of Lorne's arms, went to Mrs. Griffin's side, and rubbed her furry face against her trouser leg.

Although it wanted to go with Lorne, it didn't mean it disliked the landlady. While the food wasn't as high-end as the Hall family's, the "cat food" they prepared was still quite to its liking.

Lorne watched this scene, a slight thought crossing his mind. He put down his suitcase, took out his wallet, and pulled out several tens of pounds in cash.

"Mrs. Griffin, this is your payment for taking care of Laggie recently."

"Little Lorne—" Mrs. Griffin frowned as she looked at the stack of banknotes. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who cares about these things?"

"Hmm————" Lorne pondered for two seconds, put away a few bills, and handed the remaining dozen or so pounds to the other person.

"No matter what, I still have to pay for the cat's food. Consider the extra amount as my rent for the rest of the time. I want to continue renting this room."

"Alright then—" This reason made it impossible for Mrs. Griffin to refuse.

"Little Lorne, be careful on the road." She seemed to have sensed something and reminded Lorne.

"Um.

""

"Meow————"

The train's jolting made Rachel drowsy; she curled up in Lorne's arms.

"After all this time—you're still the same."

Lorne murmured softly, then looked out the window, his thoughts drifting away.

It's still better this way. Nobody knows me, and it's peaceful enough. — Suddenly, I feel a sense of nostalgia, as if I've returned to the time when I first transmigrated.

"There's been quite a bit of trouble in Tingen before."

"Hopefully nothing bad will happen this time."

"Hmm—speaking of which, if we need to verify some things—"

"Should we go find Melissa?"

"Achoo!"

Backlund, the stronghold of the Truth Guild.

Klein, who was engrossed in a pile of documents, sneezed without warning. He quickly covered his mouth and nose and rubbed his slightly sore nose.

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?"

"hiss----"

"Never mind." He shook his head, temporarily suppressing this inexplicable unease. It was probably because he'd been working too hard organizing files lately.

James Scott went out of town for an inspection, so his messenger duties were naturally over. Now, he's been pulled into the guild as a laborer to help clean up this mess.

"The higher-ups are furious about this—even Charles got a scolding—"

The organization suffered heavy losses due to the Aurora Society's surprise attack on its stronghold, disrupting all plans in Backlund. Even Charles was reprimanded for arriving late.

"Procurement Data List ————"

"Preliminary Report on Missing Persons in the Southern District —"

"Quarterly evaluation of projects in cooperation with the police —"

"?"

While organizing the files, Klein suddenly saw something that interested him.

"List of Internal Investigations by the Church of the Goddess of Night"

He glanced almost instinctively and very quickly at the office door and his surroundings.

Very well, he was all alone in this small office where he was temporarily placed, and the door was closed.

"It's been so long since I've heard anything from the church—"

"Damn it, why did this happen!"

"That experimental subject, along with the remnants of the true creator's divine descent, have already been taken away by the Aurora Society—" (7 of Hearts)

He sighed.

"Their goal was very clear; they came for that."

"The losses in other areas have also been basically tallied, and we will send them to you later."

-

"The main losses were 22 'Fall Experts,' 2 Level 2 Sealed Items, and 6 sets of standard equipment."

"Everyone, we should now focus on the most crucial issue," the Five of Clubs suddenly spoke, interrupting the Seven of Hearts' report.

"The most critical issue now is not the loss, but how did the aurora know the exact location of our base?"

"They even chose a time when we were relocating and our defenses were weak—"

He paused, letting the chill in his words seep into everyone's ears.

"I think it's time for everyone to reflect on this," said Club 5, a pleased smile on his face, as he glanced at his colleagues around him.

"What do you mean? Are you saying there's a leak from within our ranks?"

Plum Blossom 5 didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

"Maybe it's not just a leak; there might be a few rats involved too."

Without giving anyone a chance to object, he continued, "As a member of the Special Operations Department, catching 'rats' is one of my job responsibilities. However—"

"Since we're colleagues, I think it would be better if we conducted an internal investigation first."

"That way, when the investigation from above comes down, we'll have a decent explanation, won't we?"

"Everyone~"

"Clang—"

When the train stopped, it was already evening.

As dusk fell, Lorne, carrying a suitcase and a shoulder bag, followed the flow of people out of the train station.

After leaving Tingen, he tried to inquire about the situation there and learned that the authorities attributed the circus accident to a gas explosion.

"Looking back—maybe I should go back to the vicinity of that scene and revisit it." This thought flashed through his mind.

"But let's solve the accommodation problem first."

"Where should I stay?"

He looked at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar street scene and hesitated slightly. He remembered the "Azure Hotel" he had stayed at before; it was cheap and the location was decent.

-

"Uh—never mind, let's go to another one."

He hailed a horse-drawn carriage and went to the city center, where he strolled around as he went.

Although both are industrial cities, Tingen appears more relaxed and leisurely compared to the grandeur, bustle, and urgency of Backlund, and the smoke billowing from the factory chimneys doesn't seem as thick and black.

"In comparison, Tingen's pollution is indeed a bit better than Backlund's—" He looked at the dim sky.

"But that's about it. The industrial smell is the same everywhere."

Finally, as it was getting late, he found a budget hotel at the end of Zotland Street. The guests there seemed to be mostly business travelers and short-term visitors, which suited his need for a low-key lifestyle.

"Meow————"

Laki jumped from her handbag onto the bed, sniffed the unfamiliar scent, and then expertly curled up next to the pillow and fell asleep.

"Still loves sleeping so much. With that owl as her little brother, she's even too lazy to walk anymore—"

Lorne muttered a complaint and picked up a blanket to cover it.

Afterwards, he planned to go out for dinner and begin the formal operation the next day.

He was soon drawn to a restaurant that looked quite old, with warm lighting and a number of customers visible through the glass windows.

Pushing open the somewhat heavy wooden door, the restaurant was filled with the aroma of food, the scent of wine, and a warm, noisy atmosphere. Lorne glanced around and noticed that the window seat was still empty.

A waiter wearing a white apron quickly came over and handed over the menu.

"A steak—well, medium-rare."

"Another stew, please, but without carrots."

"Give me a bottle of Broccoli red wine."

Lorne handed the menu back to the waiter.

"Yes, sir."

While we were waiting, more guests came in.

They were a man and a woman. The woman was warmly linking her arm with the man beside her, her face beaming with smiles. The man was also smiling, but his smile seemed somewhat stiff? Or perhaps reserved, creating a subtle contrast with the woman's natural enthusiasm.

Newlyweds? It seems like it's Friday, are they out for a weekend dinner together? Lorne made a casual judgment, not paying much attention, as this couple wasn't unusual at the restaurant.

The two men stood at the doorway and looked around briefly before finally choosing to sit at another table against the wall not far behind Lorne.

"Well?"

Lorne keenly sensed that someone was watching him, and that they were right behind him.

An illusion? Or—he became slightly alert, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Sir, your steak is ready."

At this moment, the waiter brought over the cooked steak.

"Okay." Lorne picked up his knife and fork while glancing behind him out of the corner of his eye.

At this moment, the woman looked him over a few more times, as if she had confirmed something, and then stood up and walked over from behind.

Seeing this, Lorne instinctively gripped his knife and fork tighter.

"A fortune teller?"

"It really was you."

Fortune teller? Lorne was taken aback by this title.

He looked up at the woman in the long black dress with slightly mature makeup.

"Who are you?"

"What's wrong, Daly?" Dunn walked over from behind.

"Oh—I remember now, you're the one who asked me to do a divination back then." Lorne suddenly realized.

Back in Tingen, he had dressed up as a street fortune teller, reading this woman's palm and predicting her marriage prospects.

This was his first successful client.

"I remember you asked me some questions about relationships back then."

"Judging from your expression, you succeeded?"

"Hmm~" Daly's smile widened. She turned around, pulled the gray-eyed man who had followed her and was still a little confused about the situation to her side, and affectionately took his arm. She proudly introduced him to Lorne, "This is my fiancé~"

Dunn Smith, who had been suddenly pushed forward, still looked a little bewildered. He nodded to Lorne as a greeting.

"Fiancé?" Lorne's gaze swept between the two of them, then his tone was teasing.

"Not married yet."

"Did you hear that, darling?" Daly immediately smiled and gently nudged her male companion with her elbow. "Even the fortune teller thinks we should hurry!"

"In fact, we already have a plan."

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