Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 17 Special Operations Department

"Blackthorn Security Company".

Upon seeing the sign, Klein was stunned for a long time, feeling a sense of both surprise and inevitability.

It really is... I don't know how to complain... He shook his head and chuckled, climbed the steps, and reached out his right hand to gently knock on the half-closed door.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The slow, rhythmic knocking echoed, but there was no response from inside; only the faint "tap tap tap" sound could be heard.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Klein repeated the process, and the result was the same.

He changed from knocking to pushing, widening the gap and looking inside. He saw a set of antique sofas, soft-backed chairs, and a light wood coffee table, which he wondered if they were for reception. He also saw a table directly opposite him and a brown-haired girl with her head bowed behind it.

Although the "security company" sign was just a disguise, wasn't it a bit too unprofessional? How long has it been since they've had any business? Well, you don't need any business anyway... Klein thought to himself as he moved closer and tapped the table twice near the girl's ear.

Boom!Boom!

The brown-haired girl sat up abruptly, grabbing the newspaper spread out in front of her and using it to cover her face.

"The Honest Man of Tingen"... Good name... Klein murmured to himself as he looked up at the side of the newspaper facing him.

"The steam train 'Flying' that goes directly to Constance City opens today... Honestly, when will it go directly to Ducey Bay? I don't want to take the boat again, it's too uncomfortable, so uncomfortable... Hey, who are you?" The brown-haired girl read aloud in a pretentious manner, expressing her opinion. As she spoke, she lowered the newspaper, revealing her smooth forehead and light brown eyes. She first looked at Klein with a flattering expression, then looked at him with surprise.

"Hello, I am Klein Moretti, and I am here at the invitation of Mr. Dunn Smith." Klein took off his top hat, placed it in front of his chest, and bowed slightly.

The brown-haired girl appeared to be in her early twenties, wearing a light green, flowing long dress in the style of Rue, with beautiful lace on the cuffs, neckline, and chest, which accentuated her pretty face.

"Captain... okay, wait here for a moment, I'll go ask him." The girl hurriedly got up and went into the inner room through the door next to her.

They didn't even offer to pour a glass of water or anything... Their service awareness is really worrying... Klein smiled slightly and waited where he was, not going to the sofa or chairs.

Two or three minutes later, the brown-haired girl pushed open the door and said with a sweet smile:

"Mr. Moretti, please come with me. The captain is on duty at 'Charnes Gate' today and cannot leave."

"Okay." Klein strode forward with a warm smile, but inwardly he was filled with doubt.

Chanis Gate, what's that?

Through the partition, the first thing that came into his view was a short corridor with about three offices on each side.

Some of these offices were locked, while others were open, and you could see people inside typing away on heavy mechanical typewriters.

At a glance, Klein spotted a familiar face: the young police officer who had searched his house that day, with black hair, blue eyes, and a poetic, romantic air.

He wasn't wearing a suit, and his white shirt wasn't tucked into his trousers, giving him a carefree and unrestrained look.

Perhaps he really is a poet… Klein nodded in acknowledgment, and the other man returned a smile.

The brown-haired girl turned the handle of the office at the far left, pushed the door open, pointed inside, and laughed:

"We still have to go down a few flights of stairs."

The office was empty, with only gray stone steps leading down.

Elegantly designed gas lamps illuminated the walls on either side of the staircase, their steady light dispelling the darkness and bringing peace.

The brown-haired girl walked ahead, watching her feet carefully as she went.

"Even though I walk this way often, I'm still scared. I'm always worried about falling and tumbling down. You know, Leonard did something stupid like that. On his first day as a 'Sleepless One,' on his first day without fully mastering his power, he tried to sprint down the mountain. And then, he turned into a wheel. Haha, it's funny to think about. Yeah, you know, the guy who greeted you earlier. That was three years ago. Come to think of it, I've been a Night Watcher for five years now. I was only seventeen back then..."

The girl, while looking at the road, spoke familiarly, then suddenly, she discreetly slapped her forehead and said:

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rosanne. My father was a full-fledged member of the Night Watch, and he died in an accident five years ago. From now on, we should be colleagues, uh, I should use the word 'colleagues'... not quite teammates yet, since neither of us are Extraordinary."

"I hope to have the honor, but in the end it depends on what Mr. Smith says." Klein looked around the enclosed space and felt that the two of them were beginning to descend underground—the stone walls were permeated with a cold dampness, dispelling the summer heat.

"Don't worry, the fact that you were allowed to come here means the captain agreed. I've always been a little afraid of the captain, even though he's very kind and caring, giving me a fatherly feeling, but for some reason, I'm just afraid." Rosanne's voice sounded like she had a piece of candy in her mouth.

Klein responded humorously:

"Isn't it normal to be afraid of your father?"

"That makes sense." Rosanne reached out and touched the wall for support at the corner.

As they spoke, the two walked down the spiraling stairs and came to a flat area paved with stone slabs.

It was a long corridor, with gas lamps enclosed by metal grids on both sides of the walls. The light cast long shadows of Klein and Rosanne.

Klein keenly noticed that there was a "Dark Symbol" at intervals on the wall, which was the symbol of the goddess of the night - "deep black background, adorned with dazzling lights, surrounding exactly half of the crimson moon".

These holy symbols seemed unremarkable, but as Klein walked among them, his mind gradually calmed down, and Rosanne also shut her mouth, no longer chatting as she had before.

Soon, a crossroads appeared ahead, and the brown-haired girl gave a brief introduction:

"To the left is the Church of St. Serena, to the right is the weapons, materials and document archive, and straight ahead is the Chanis Gate."

St. Serena's Church? Is Zotland Street really behind Red Moon Street? Klein was stunned.

The Church of St. Serena on Red Moon Street is the city headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of Night in Tingen. It is a sacred place that local devout believers yearn for. Together with the Church of the God of Steam and Machines, "Church of the Holy Numbers," located in the suburbs, and the Church of the Lord of Storms, "Church of the River and Sea," also located in the northern part of Tingen, they support the religious community of Tingen and its surrounding towns and villages.

Feeling that it was inappropriate for him to ask too many questions in his current capacity, Klein simply listened silently without uttering a sound.

Crossing the intersection and walking straight ahead, in less than a minute, a large black iron double door engraved with seven holy symbols appeared before the two of them.

Standing there, it gives a direct sense of heaviness, coldness, and looking down, like a giant guarding the darkness.

"Charness Gate," Rosanne mentioned, pointing to the room next door, "The captain is inside. You can go in yourself."

"Okay, thank you for your help," Klein replied politely.

The room Rosanne was referring to was just a little in front of the "Charness Gate." The window was open, and light was shining through. Klein took a breath and calmly counted on his fingers.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

"Come in," came Dunn Smith's deep, warm voice.

Klein gently pushed open the slightly ajar door and saw that there was only a table and four chairs inside. Dunn Smith, with his high hairline, was wearing the same black trench coat as last night, leisurely reading the newspaper, with a gold watch chain near the button on his chest.

"Have a seat. Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to join us?" Dunn put down his newspaper and asked with a smile.

Klein removed his hat, bowed, sat down at the table, and slowly nodded, saying:

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Then take a look at this contract, hehe, nowadays everyone likes to call it a contract." Dunn opened the table drawer and took out two copies of the contract.

The above clauses are not many, and are mostly the ones that Dunn Smith had mentioned before. The key point is the confidentiality clause, which stipulates that violators will no longer be tried through the Kingdom Court, but will be directly tried by the arbitration tribunal of the Church of the Goddess of Night, just like soldiers and officers have to go to military courts.

Five-year contract… two pounds and ten sols weekly wage, ten sols confidentiality and risk allowance… Klein read it all aloud and replied seriously:

"I'm fine."

"Then sign it," Dunn said, pointing to the dark red pen and ink on the table.

Klein first tested the pen on a scrap of paper, then discreetly took a breath and signed his name in the corresponding position on both contracts: Klein Moretti.

Since he didn't have a seal yet, he could only put his fingerprint on it in the end.

Dunn retrieved the contract, took out a seal from the drawer, and stamped it at the end and several key points.

Having done all this, he stood up, handing back a contract with one hand and extending the other to Klein:

"Welcome. From now on, you are one of us. Note that the contract must also be kept confidential."

Klein stood up, took the contract, and shook the other person's hand with a smile:

"Then should I call you Captain?"

"Yes." Dunn's gray eyes were unusually deep in the dim light.

After shaking hands, the two sat down separately. Klein glanced at the seal on the contract and saw that the text read "Night Squad of Tingen Market Town, Ahova County, Kingdom of Loen".

"I really didn't expect you to use 'Blackthorn Security Company' as a cover," he said casually with a laugh.

"Actually, we have another brand." Dunn took a piece of paper out of the drawer.

It bears the dual seals of the city government and the police department, and contains two lines of text:

"Seventh Special Operations Team, Police Department of Ahova County, Kingdom of Rune."

"The first four groups are regular police officers responsible for security, such as the VIP protection group and the important site protection group. Starting from the fifth group, they are responsible for supernatural events in various cities within the county. Our seventh group is responsible for events related to the goddess believers in Tingen City. If there are different believers, we are divided according to the region. We are mainly responsible for the North District, West District, and Golden Phoenix District."

Dunn gave a brief introduction: "The sixth group, which belongs to the 'Punisher' team of the Church of the Storm Lord, is responsible for the dock area, the east area, and the south area. The university area and the suburbs are under the jurisdiction of the fifth group, which is the 'Mechanical Heart' team in Tingen."

"Hmm." Klein couldn't find anything he wanted to ask about this, so he chuckled and said, "What if someone actually comes to us asking for a job just because of the 'Blackthorn Security Company' signboard?"

"Of course I'll take it. Why wouldn't I? As long as it doesn't interfere with our daily work," Dunn replied calmly and humorously. "We'll treat the money we earn as extra income. The team members are all quite happy to take it on. Anyway, these kinds of troublesome and trivial matters, like finding cats and dogs, are now all handled by private investigators."

"How many people are in our Night Watch squad?" Klein asked, bringing up the topic.

"There aren't many supernatural events, and even fewer extraordinary individuals. There are only six official Night Watch members in the entire city of Tingen, including me. Heh, there are six administrative staff including you," Dunn replied unhurriedly.

Klein nodded and finally asked the question that concerned him most:

"Captain, what do you mean by the Extraordinary user going out of control? Why would they go out of control?"

P.S.: There will be a bonus update every Monday, with one chapter posted at midnight. Also, the dog-catching-mouse gambling activity in the previous chapter wasn't my idea; it was an innovation of the lower classes in Victorian England. I'll post the source information on my WeChat official account later.

(End of this chapter)