Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 80 The Dinner Invitation (Third Update, Please Vote)

After dinner, Klein, having eaten and drunk his fill, leisurely sat on the living room sofa and used a knife to cut open the letter his mentor had sent.

At that moment, Melissa sat at the dining table, diligently working on the exercises in her book by the light of the gas lamp, while Benson nestled in the armchair, reading "Elementary Accounting Textbook".

Unfolding the three full pages of letter, Klein looked at them with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension:

"...It was so good to receive your letter. It brought back memories of the past few years. Sadly, Welch and Naya have left us forever..."

"I attended both of their funerals and felt the immense grief of their parents. These were two young people who should have had bright and promising futures..."

"Fate is always unpredictable. No one knows what will happen to us next. The older I get and the more I see, the more I feel the fragility and helplessness of being human."

"...Regarding the historical information about the main peak of the Hornacks that you mentioned, I remember that archaeologist John Joseph once published a monograph that described in detail his observations on the main peak of the Hornacks Mountains. He discovered several ancient buildings that are more than a thousand years old."

"What makes every historian and archaeologist feel ashamed is that we lack a precise method for dating, and can only make rough judgments based on architectural style, the characteristics of murals, and a small amount of identifiable text."

"It's hard to believe that there would be a human settlement on such a high mountain. Mr. Joseph has ample evidence that those humans developed their own civilization, a unique civilization. The specifics are difficult to describe clearly in the letter. I suggest you try to borrow that monograph from the Deville Library. Believe me, the library donated by Sir Deville has a larger collection than the one established by the city government."

"The title of that monograph is 'A Study of the Ancient Remains on Mount Hornakis,' published by Rune Publishing House."

"In addition, there are several other papers that have mentioned this situation. They were published in journals such as *New Archaeology* and *Archaeological Review*. The specific titles and issue numbers are..."

……

Klein read the text word by word, repeatedly reciting the titles of the monographs and papers his tutor had mentioned.

Immediately afterwards, he took out the letter paper, found the pen, and expressed his gratitude in written form.

"Melissa, could you mail this letter for me tomorrow? Here's the postage." Klein placed the wrapped letter and the excess postage next to his sister's books.

Melissa glanced at it, pursed her lips, and said:

"Klein, the postage doesn't need to be that much."

"Yes, the postage doesn't need to be that much, but girls need some pocket money," Klein replied with a smile. "I think Selena told you that."

Seeing that Melissa was still somewhat resistant, he quickly added:

"It can help you buy the materials and tools you want."

"Tools..." Melissa repeated softly, her gaze shifting to the book, nodding almost imperceptibly, "Okay."

Klein's lips curled into a smile, and he walked briskly back to the sofa.

"Excellent persuasion, you accurately found Melissa's weakness." Benson gave a thumbs up and chuckled in a low voice.

Klein cleared his throat and answered seriously:

"Then how can I convince you? Your self-study should focus on grammar and classical literature. Of course, basic mathematics and logic are equally important."

Based on the curricula of public and grammar schools, and the content of university entrance exams, Klein could almost grasp the general direction of the yet-to-be-born "civil service exam."

Benson touched his hairline and chuckled self-deprecatingly:

"I felt like a curly-haired baboon in front of those books."

"But they are certainly useful enough," Klein said with a firm smile.

Just then, Melissa put down her pen, stood up, walked to the sofa, and said:

"Benson, Klein, it's Selena's birthday this Sunday, and she and her parents would like to invite our family to a dinner party. Are you free?"

"I should be fine," Klein said after a moment's thought.

It's also a good opportunity to get to know my sister's friends, so that if something happens to Melissa in the future, I won't have no one to ask for help!

"Me too," Benson said, running his fingers through his hair. "Looks like we need to think about what to give Miss Selena for her birthday."

Klein smiled and said:

"Leave this to Melissa; she knows Miss Selena better than we do. All we need to do is be a gentleman and pay."

"This is the first time I've heard someone describe laziness in such a pleasant way," Benson said with a shake of his head and a light laugh.

Klein responded with a smile:

"This is the role of grammar and classical literature."

"..." Benson didn't expect the topic to circle back to itself, and for a moment he couldn't find the words to respond.

…………

The next day, Klein, wearing his original cheap suit and carrying a black cane with silver trim, climbed the stairs step by step to the entrance of Blackthorn Security Company—his tuxedo had been sent to a clothing store for mending.

Klein was about to greet Rosanne when he suddenly saw Captain Dunn walk out from the partition.

"Good morning, Klein. Did you sleep well last night?" Dunn asked with concern.

Klein answered truthfully:

"It was better than I expected. I didn't have any nightmares, but when I recalled them, I still felt a bit heavy and nauseous."

"Very good, I can rest assured now." Dunn nodded with a smile.

They chatted about the weather, and he brought it up on his own initiative:

"The Sanctuary has replied to my telegram, instructing El and Lolota to immediately send the sealed artifact '2-049' along with the Antigonus family's notes to Backlund, and has sent another night watchman yesterday afternoon by steam train to assist."

"I think they should have already set off by now."

They've already set off? Does that mean I've completely escaped the shadow of the Antigonus Family Notes? Klein paused, feeling a sense of unreality, as if he were dreaming.

This was much easier than I had imagined...

There probably won't be any follow-up, right?

"May the goddess protect them, and may their journey be smooth." After a few seconds, Klein drew a crimson moon symbol on his chest.

Dunn put on his hat, pointed to the door, and said:

"I have to go inspect Raphael's Cemetery now. Oh, I forgot to mention, Leonard and the police department have made some progress in their investigation of the Secret Order members. They found the coachman who had given them a ride and located their temporary residence in Tingen. But they were quite cautious and didn't leave any particularly valuable clues."

"As expected of an ancient and secretive organization," Klein remarked with admiration.

Dunn nodded and turned to walk towards the door.

Three seconds later, he stopped, turned around and said:

"Also, the Holy Church may need two to three days to respond to your application to become a full member. Hehe, this is different from the Antigonus Family Notes, which are handled by different departments, so the efficiency is not the same."

"I understand," Klein replied sincerely.

At the same time, he silently added something to his captain's mind:

Remember to submit your expense reimbursement request today!

As Klein watched Dunn leave, he heard the surprised voice of the brown-haired girl, Rosanne:

"Goddess, Klein, are you going to become a full member? I remember you joined us less than a month ago!"

Klein smiled and said:

"This was bound to happen after I took the 'Diviner' potion."

"That makes sense..." Rosanne paused for a few seconds, then suddenly lamented, "I was praying you'd finish your occult course quickly and join the armory duty roster, but... Goddess, I have to stand guard every two days! I'm not a sleepless person! My skin, my condition... Goddess, save me!"

"Shouldn't you be used to this kind of life? Before I joined, it was always you, Bright, and Old Neil taking turns, right?" Klein asked in confusion.

Rosen shook her head sadly and said:

"No, there were four before, and even five before that. Unfortunately, Cohen chose to become a 'sleepless.' Viola did not renew her contract last month and joined Hoynor Machinery. She is a girl with a great talent for manufacturing, but she lacked opportunities and money. Five years of working as an office worker gave her enough experience."

At this point, Rosanne suddenly glanced at Klein, covered her mouth, and chuckled:

"I've got a great idea, Klein. You should get married as soon as possible, and then accidentally reveal the secret of the Extraordinary to her. That's a very minor leak, and there won't be any serious punishment. After all, no one can hide anything from the person they share a bed with for long. Then you can introduce her to us as an administrative staff member! Perfect plan!"

Klein's lips twitched slightly as he said:

"Miss Rosanne, you can also find a husband as soon as possible. That should be much easier. I believe you have enough ways to leak the secret to him."

Upon hearing this, Rosanne's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open as she spoke:

"How can that be? Marriage is a very serious matter. It requires careful observation, meticulous selection, and time to verify the results."

You didn't say that just now... Klein didn't reason with Miss Rosanne. He exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile, then took his leave and went underground.

Upon arriving at the armory, he saw Old Neil making hand-ground coffee, so he sat down and waited patiently.

"You should be a full member soon, right?" Old Neil asked casually while filtering the information.

"The captain said it would take another two to three days, and we don't know if the Holy Temple will approve it," Klein replied frankly.

"Hey." Old Neil chuckled. "The Sanctuary won't veto something like this, especially since you've become an Extraordinary."

At this point, he turned his head, smiled, and looked at Klein, saying:

"You need to be mentally prepared. Every official member of the Night Watch must go through a ritual, which is to complete a task independently. Of course, Dunn will definitely choose a very easy and simple one for the newcomers, and you will be a support-type fortune teller."

PS: Third update, please vote!

(End of this chapter)