Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 37 Club

Under the blazing afternoon sun, Klein stepped out of his house.

Because he had to walk all the way from Iron Cross Street to Welch's residence, he changed out of his suit, top hat, and leather boots, and into a linen shirt, an old brown coat, a matching felt hat, and old leather shoes, so he wouldn't have to worry about sweat staining his expensive outfit.

He walked slowly along Narcissus Street toward Iron Cross Street, and when he passed the corner square, he glanced at it subconsciously.

Those tents have disappeared; the circus troupe had long since finished their performance and left.

Klein had imagined that the animal trainer who had helped her with her divination was actually a hidden powerhouse who had discovered her special abilities and was specifically there to guide her, and that there would definitely be further encounters and hints. However, nothing of the sort happened, and she began the next leg of her journey with the circus.

There aren't that many tricks... Klein chuckled and shook his head, turning towards Iron Cross Street.

Iron Cross Street is not a single street, but rather, as its name suggests, it is formed by the intersection of two roads.

Centered around the intersection, it is divided into Left Street, Right Street, Upper Street, and Lower Street. The apartment where Klein, Benson, and Melissa previously lived was located on Lower Street.

However, the residents of the apartment and the surrounding area do not consider the area to be Lower Street. Instead, they have created the term "Middle Street" to distinguish it from the slums that extend 200 meters away.

There, a bedroom might be crammed with five, six, or even ten people.

Klein walked along the edge of Left Street, his thoughts wandering. He thought of the Antigonus family notebook, its disappearance, the importance the night watchmen placed on it, and the bloodshed that followed.

His mood gradually became heavy, and his face darkened.

Just then, a familiar voice entered his ears:

"Little Klein."

Hmm... Klein turned his head in confusion and found himself standing at the door of "Slin Bakery," where Mrs. Wendy, with her gray hair, was waving and greeting him with a gentle smile.

"You don't seem too happy?" Wendy asked gently.

Klein rubbed his face and said:

"A little bit."

"No matter how many troubles we have, tomorrow will eventually come," Mrs. Wendy said with a smile. "Here, help me try my new sweet iced tea. I don't know if it suits the locals' tastes."

"A local? Aren't you, Mrs. Slyn, yourself?" Klein shook his head with amusement.

"Try it out" should mean it's free, right?

Wendy Slyn raised the corners of her mouth and said:

"You guessed right, I'm actually from the South. I came to Tingen with my husband more than forty years ago. Haha, Benson wasn't even born then, and your father and mother hadn't even met yet."

"I've never really gotten used to the food style in the North. I always miss the food from my hometown, I miss pork sausages, potato bread, flatbreads, fried vegetables in lard, and roasted meat with special sauces."

"Hmm, I also miss sweet iced tea..."

Klein smiled as he listened:

"Mrs. Slyn, that's a very hot topic... But I'm feeling much better, thank you."

"Good food always heals sadness." Wendy handed Klein a glass of brownish-red liquid. "This is a sweet iced tea that I made based on my memories. Try it and see if you like it."

After thanking him, Klein took a sip and found that the drink tasted somewhat like iced tea on Earth, but less stimulating. The tea flavor was stronger and the refreshing sensation was even greater, instantly dispelling the scorching heat from the blazing sun.

"Fantastic!" he exclaimed.

"Then I'm relieved." Wendy smiled, her eyes crinkling, and watched Klein finish his sweet iced tea.

After chatting with Mrs. Slyn about moving to the new house for a while, Klein returned to the street he knew best.

In the afternoon, there were far fewer street vendors. They wouldn't regroup until after 5:30, and the remaining ones looked listless and dispirited.

As soon as he turned into this area, Klein's mood suddenly became inexplicably gloomy, with an indescribable sense of oppression, depression, and gloom.

What's going on? He keenly sensed something was wrong with himself and immediately stopped, looking around, but he didn't see anything strange.

After thinking for a moment, Klein raised his hand and tapped his forehead twice as if deep in thought.

What he saw immediately changed; the aura of the street vendors and pedestrians became apparent.

Before Klein could even examine their healthy colors, he was drawn to the rich, somber hue that symbolized their emotions.

He couldn't judge the specific thoughts of the person being observed, but the impression of pessimism, numbness, and melancholy was deeply etched in his mind.

Looking around, he found that the surrounding area was filled with this dim color, which even the sunlight could not dispel.

This is the kind of repression that has accumulated over countless days, months, and years.

Upon seeing this, Klein immediately understood the reason.

Just as Old Neil said, those who have activated their spiritual vision are easily uncomfortable when entering unfamiliar environments and are easily influenced by the emotions of others.

The same principle applies to the ability of "inspiration"—an ability that one can acquire without additional learning after becoming a "diviner." It is a passive and irresistible sense that allows one to directly perceive the existence of some anomalies.

Since perception inevitably involves a certain degree of interaction, in the extraordinary eyes of someone like a "psychic," the strength of each person's inspiration is so obvious, like a torch in the dark. Therefore, highly inspired people are naturally and easily influenced by unusual and intense atmospheres, and can only grasp, control, and adapt to them through repeated practice.

"It will probably take a long time for such a somber 'tone' to form, won't it?" Klein sighed and shook his head, somewhat moved.

He tapped his brow twice and tried to suppress his spirituality.

Tap, tap, tap, Klein walked step by step toward the apartment, sensing other possible anomalies and subtle connections in order to find the Antigonus family notes hidden by "himself".

The streets were as dirty and littered as ever, only becoming clean up right up to the apartment building entrance.

Klein pushed open the half-closed door and walked around the first floor in the shadows where the sunlight couldn't reach.

He climbed the stairs one step at a time, causing the wooden staircase to creak continuously.

As always, the second floor was dark, and Klein indulged his "inspiration" by staring into the gloom.

However, he not only failed to find any clues in the notes, but he also did not see a single invisible spirit.

"If it were that easy to encounter, most ordinary people wouldn't be able to detect the existence of extraordinary things..." Klein sighed to himself.

He has come to understand that most "spirits" do not exist in the form of physical bodies, but rather as spiritual entities, requiring a "psychic" to communicate with them effectively.

After walking around the third floor, Klein left the apartment and walked along the road he remembered to Welch's residence.

He walked for a full hour, but still couldn't find anything along the way.

Standing outside the garden villa, Klein peered through the locked iron gate at the house, muttering to himself:

"We shouldn't need to search the Welch house, right? Captain and Ms. Daly must have already done a thorough search..."

"Besides, I don't have a key to this place, I can't exactly climb over the wall..."

"Let's try a different route tomorrow..."

"I walked so much today, but there's no step count leaderboard..."

While grumbling, Klein turned and headed to a nearby neighborhood, intending to take a public carriage to Blackthorn Security Company to collect his daily allowance of thirty bullets and make the most of his time for practice.

The "Diviner" lacks quick and effective means of attack and can only make up for it with his revolver and cane!

The area near Welch's residence was quite clean, with many bright and clean shops lining both sides of the street.

As Klein turned the corner and was looking for a public carriage stop, his gaze suddenly fell upon several signs on the second floor of a building across the street:

Harrods Department Store.

"Veterans Club"

"Fortune Telling Club"

……

Divination Club… Klein murmured the name, suddenly remembering that he was going to “play” the role of a diviner.

Hmm, let's go take a look... and see if we can come up with any new ideas...

Lost in thought, Klein crossed the street, went to the other side, went up to the second floor, entered the lobby, and stood in front of the beautiful lady in charge of reception.

The woman, with her brownish-yellow hair styled in a bun, glanced at Klein and smiled, saying:

"Sir, would you like a fortune telling, or would you like to join our club?"

"What are the conditions for joining?" Klein asked casually.

The woman with her brownish-yellow hair piled high introduced the items with familiarity:

"Fill in your details and pay the annual membership fee, which is £5 for the first time and £1 per year thereafter. Don't worry, we are not like those political or business clubs where you need a recommendation from an official member to join."

"Members can use the club's meeting rooms and various divination rooms and tools for free, enjoy our coffee and tea for free, read our subscribed newspapers and magazines for free, and purchase lunch, dinner, alcoholic beverages, and some divination textbooks and materials at cost price."

"Furthermore, we invite at least one renowned fortune teller to give a lecture each month to answer your questions."

"Most importantly, you can find a group of friends with the same interests and exchange experiences with each other."

That sounds good, however, however I don't have any money... Klein chuckled self-deprecatingly and then asked:

"What if I want a divination?"

(End of this chapter)