Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 13 The Night Watch

Hey!

Klein couldn't help but take a step back, momentarily unsure whether he was awake or still dreaming.

The figure removed his black top hat, gave a slight bow, and smiled in a low voice:

"Let's get to know each other again, Night Watchman, Dunn Smith."

Night Watchers? The codename for the Extraordinary Team of the Church of the Goddess of Night mentioned by "Justice" and "The Hanged Man"? Klein suddenly realized, and connecting the dots, blurted out:

"You manipulate dreams? You made me have that dream just now?"

Night Watchman Dunn Smith put his black top hat back on, concealing his slightly high hairline, and said with a hint of a smile in his deep gray eyes:

"No, I'm just entering your dream to provide necessary guidance."

His voice, deep and gentle, lingered like a dream in the dimly lit corridor, undisturbed by anyone.

"In dreams, although suppressed emotions and dark psychology may be amplified and presented, making everything seem chaotic, absurd, and crazy, reality still exists and is still hidden within. For an experienced person like me, everything is obvious and easy to see. I believe you more in your dreams than in your waking state."

"This...who can control their dreams? If I dream about things from Earth, wouldn't Dunn Smith find out?" Klein was startled, filled with lingering fear at his dream's encounter.

But he soon sensed something strange, because he remembered being very lucid and rational in the dream, knowing what to say and what not to say.

Simply put, it doesn't feel like a dream at all!

So, Dunn Smith just "saw" what I wanted him to see?

Klein's mind raced, and he vaguely began to understand.

Is this a perk that comes with time travel, such as the special nature of one's spirit, or is it an additional effect of the "transfer ritual"?

"So, Mr. Smith, are you sure I really have lost my memory?" Klein asked, organizing his thoughts.

Dunn Smith didn't answer directly, but instead gave him a deep look:

"You're not surprised by something like this?"

"Even if the people I've encountered have just had a dream, they don't believe they have extraordinary powers and prefer to think they haven't truly woken up yet."

Klein hummed in agreement.

"Perhaps it's because I'm praying, hoping that such power will help me."

"A very interesting line of thinking... Perhaps you survived not just because of luck." Dunn nodded without much of a smile. "I can now confirm that you really did lose some of your memories because of this incident, especially those related to the incident itself."

"Can I go back now?" Klein breathed a sigh of relief and asked tentatively.

Dunn walked over slowly, one hand in his pocket, and the surrounding darkness became quiet and gentle.

"No, you still have to come with me to see the 'expert'." He smiled politely.

"Why?" Klein blurted out, then quickly added, "Don't you believe in your own ability to guide your dreams?"

Are you kidding me? If that "expert" is good at hypnosis or mind reading, wouldn't my biggest secret be exposed?

The consequences are unimaginable!

"I'm always modest, but I do have some confidence when it comes to dreams," Dunn replied calmly. "However, it's good to double-check the key and important things. Besides, she's very different from what I'm good at, so she might be able to help you recover some of your memories."

Before Klein could speak again, his voice deepened:

"After all, you are involved in the whereabouts of the Antigonus family notes."

"What?" Klein was taken aback.

Dunn stopped in front of him, his gray eyes fixed on his eyes, and said:

"The Quaternary notebook wasn't at the scene, it wasn't in the entire house. Welch is dead, Naya is dead, you're the only clue."

"...Alright." Klein was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh.

The notebook is gone... That's really weird!

I hadn't even considered the whereabouts of that Quaternary notebook before!

Dunn nodded almost imperceptibly, and as he walked past Klein, he spoke:

"Lock the door and come with me to Welch's place now. The 'expert' is waiting for us there."

Klein took a silent breath, his heart pounding with anxiety.

He wanted to refuse, and even wanted to run away, but he believed that given the precedent set by the dream, Dunn Smith would definitely be on high alert, and given the difference in strength between a normal person and an extraordinary person, forcing his way through would not have much chance of success.

He definitely still has a handgun on him... and he must have practiced shooting a lot...

Amidst a fierce internal struggle, Klein ultimately chose to face reality:

"OK."

Sigh, I guess I'll just have to take it one step at a time. Maybe that special effect from my dream will work again...

"Let's go then." Dunn's tone was completely calm.

Klein turned and took two steps, then suddenly stopped and said:

"Mr. Smith, I... I'd like to go to the restroom first."

I came out specifically to use the restroom...

Dunn didn't stop him, but instead gave him a deep look and said:

"No problem, Klein. Trust me, in the darkness, I am far stronger than you imagine."

In the darkness... Klein silently repeated those words.

He didn't try anything rash. Instead, he honestly dealt with the bloating in his lower abdomen, then washed his face with cold water to calm himself down completely.

After changing his clothes and closing his own door, Klein followed Dunn down the stairs and towards the apartment entrance with light steps.

In this calm, Dunn Smith suddenly spoke:

"At the end of the dream, why did you want to run away? What were you afraid of?"

Klein's mind raced, and he answered as he pondered:

"I don't remember what I did at Welch's house, nor do I remember whether I directly caused his and Naya's deaths. I'm afraid that it will eventually be confirmed that it was me. I don't dare to gamble on this. I might as well run away and start a new life in the Southern Continent."

"If it were me, I would have done the same." Dunn pushed open the apartment door, letting the cool night breeze dispel the stuffiness inside.

He wasn't afraid that Klein would escape, so he got into the carriage first. It was the same one Klein had seen in his dream: four wheels, a single horse, a coachman, and the police system logo of "crossed swords surrounding a crown" painted on the side of the carriage.

Klein followed him inside and found it covered with thick carpets and filled with a calming aromatherapy scent.

He sat down casually and tried to find a topic of conversation to elicit more information:

"Mr. Smith, if—and I mean if—the 'experts' confirm that I have indeed forgotten that part of my memory, and there is no other evidence to prove that I am the perpetrator and not the victim, then is the matter considered closed?"

"Theoretically, that's how it is. We'll look for that notebook through other means. As long as it still exists, it will be discovered. Of course, before that, we'll make sure you're free of any curses, lingering evil spirits, or corresponding psychological problems, and that you can face the future peacefully and healthily." Dunn Smith smiled, a slightly strange smile.

Klein keenly noticed this and, without even pausing to breathe a sigh of relief, quickly pressed for an answer:

"Theoretically?"

"Yes, only in theory. This field is always full of twisted, illogical, and unbelievable things," Dunn said, looking into Klein's eyes. "Their continuation, their end, are sometimes beyond our prediction and control."

"For example?" Klein was momentarily frightened.

On the almost deserted streets, the carriage sped along. Dunn took out his pipe and sniffed the aroma.

"Just when we think it's over and everything has returned to normal, it comes back in a terrifying and horrifying way."

"A few years ago, we handled a case involving a cult. They organized believers to perform human sacrifices to please an evil god. One of the believers was chosen, and his instinct for survival overcame his stupidity, his faith, and the hallucinogenic drugs. He secretly went to the police station to report the case."

"The matter was handed over to us to handle, a very small task, because that cult has no extraordinary individuals, and the gods they worship are just things their leader made up on a whim. In order to amass wealth and enjoy themselves, they have lost all humanity."

"We only used two team members, plus the cooperation of the police, and we successfully took down this cult without anyone escaping. As for the person who reported the case, we also confirmed that he did not have the scent of evil spirits, was not haunted by curses, and had no psychological problems, personality issues, or other strange traces."

"After that, his career developed well, he married a good wife, and had a son and a daughter. All the shadows seemed to have left him, and the horror and bloodshed of the past seemed to have completely disappeared."

At this point, Dunn Smith smiled and said:

"But in March of this year, he died. He was in good financial condition, had a deep relationship with his wife, and had a smart and lovely child. He strangled himself to death in his office."

The crimson moonlight shone through the carriage window, bathing Dunn Smith in its glow.

At that moment, his seemingly self-deprecating smile actually made Klein feel uneasy, indescribably uneasy.

"I strangled myself to death..." Klein gasped silently, as if he could already see his tragic end.

Even if you manage to escape one disaster, it's only a temporary escape.

Is there any way to completely solve this problem?

To fight against it by becoming extraordinary?

The carriage fell silent as Klein's countless thoughts surged within him, only to recede into silence.

In this indescribable silence, the carriage traveled for a long time, and at a fast pace.

Just as Klein made up his mind to shamelessly ask Dunn Smith for a solution, the carriage stopped.

"Mr. Smith, we've arrived at Welch's residence," the coachman's voice reached their ears.

"Let's go downstairs." Dunn straightened his black trench coat, which reached his knees. "Heh, let me introduce you in advance. The 'expert' is outwardly known as the most famous psychic in Ahowa County."

Klein suppressed his other thoughts and asked curiously:

"Then what is her actual identity?"

Dunn turned halfway around, his gray eyes deep as he said:

"The true 'psychic'."

(End of this chapter)