Mystery: The Traveler Who Holds the Star Key

"Ahem." Klein cleared his throat.

He tried to ignore the Zmanger Party members on the ground who were "physically asleep".

He also tried to ignore the overly bright smile on the face of his "refined scoundrel" assistant.

He adjusted his half-high silk hat, regaining his deep, reserved detective demeanor.

No matter what you're complaining about inside, you can't lose your composure in front of others.

"Abraham".

Klein's voice was steady and serious, carrying the authority unique to a superior:

"Now that the 'sanitation' is cleaned up, let's introduce it."

His gaze, peering through his glasses, fell upon the petite figure beside him who was still in a daze.

"Yes, Detective."

Orion instantly toned down his "suit-wearing thug" aura.

He bowed slightly, his posture as respectful as that of a true, impeccable assistant.

This change in attitude caused Xiu's pupils to tremble slightly.

That ruthless guy who just moments ago carelessly threw lime and slammed people in the stomach...

Why are they so respectful to this detective?

Hugh Deercha's mental radar went into overdrive.

The logic is very simple:

If Orion is a cunning wolf.

That's what makes wolves bow down and submit...

What level of monster is it?

Hugh instinctively straightened up, put away the triangular dagger in his hand, and looked like a new recruit waiting for inspection.

"This is Miss Hugh Deercha."

Orion introduced the man with a smile, a hint of amusement in his eyes:

"The best arbitrator in the East District."

This is also the 'field security personnel' I selected for you.

"Miss Deercha."

Orion stepped aside and introduced Hugh with great ceremony:

"This is my employer, and also Backlund's... most astute and learned detective."

"Mr. Sherlock Moriarty."

The most knowledgeable?

Looking at the man in front of him, who was dressed in an old formal suit but had a calm and unfathomable aura, Hugh felt even more awe.

really……

Things cluster together.

The person who can hire such a "perverted" apprentice is definitely not an ordinary person.

"Hello, Detective Moriarty."

Xiu bowed somewhat awkwardly, his tone a hundred times more polite than when he was facing the thugs.

Klein nodded reservedly and extended his hand:

"Nice to meet you."

A simple handshake.

At this moment, the auras between the three formed a subtle closed loop.

Now that the crisis has been resolved, the next steps become straightforward.

Klein didn't ask what was in Orion's two glass bottles, nor did he scold him for making a commotion.

As we left the alley and were about to part ways.

Xiu hesitated for a moment.

She glanced at the "insidious apprentice" beside her, then at the "unfathomable" great detective.

She figured this was probably the only "high-end, extraordinary circle" she would ever come into contact with in her life.

The question that had been bothering her all along finally came out of her mouth.

She was afraid of being scammed, so she didn't dare to ask Orion any more questions.

But this detective Moriarty seems... a bit more respectable?

"Um... Detective."

Xiu stopped, looked up, and his slightly chubby face was filled with apprehension:

Please forgive my intrusion.

"I'd like to ask you a question about...mysticism."

Klein was taken aback.

Want to consult me?

He maintained his aloof expression and nodded slightly: "Please speak."

"if……"

Hugh lowered his voice, as if he were speaking of a terrible taboo:

"If someone accidentally recites the name of a certain 'evil god' and feels that person's gaze..."

"What...does this mean?"

Quiet.

Klein, who was adjusting his cuffs, suddenly froze.

A certain evil god?

Reciting the name of the honored one?

His gaze sharpened instantly.

He took another look at the "arbitrator" in front of him, who was 1.5 meters tall and looked like a doll.

East District...

yesterday……

Miss Justice's money...

And that blurry, petite figure seen in the gray fog...

Case solved.

Klein's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Good guy.

So, that audacious, headstrong young man who dared to look directly at the gods yesterday... that was you!

And... he's the "thug" that my own assistant just hired?

This world is so small!

Is this the law of aggregation of extraordinary properties?

Klein took a deep breath, trying to suppress the absurd feeling in his heart that it was like "the creditor meeting the debtor".

He glanced at Orian, who was standing beside him with a half-smile, clearly already knowing everything.

This kid... he definitely did it on purpose.

"What does that mean?"

Klein pushed up his glasses, his tone becoming somewhat elusive, carrying the enigmatic air characteristic of a charlatan:

"Miss Deercha."

"In this world, some gazes are abysses."

"But some gazes..."

He paused, remembering the £450 delivery fee from yesterday, and his tone softened slightly:

"This is just the beginning of an equivalent exchange."

Xiu was jolted.

Equivalent exchange?

Not dead, not insane, just an exchange?

She felt as if she had grasped a lifeline in the fog.

That fear of the unknown was instantly soothed by this "authoritative certification".

"Thank you... thank you!"

Hugh bowed deeply to Klein.

At that moment, in her mind, Sherlock Moriarty's image was instantly elevated to the level of "mentor".

……

Xiu left.

He left with a huge sum of 20 pounds and boundless admiration for the "Moriarty Detective Agency".

Only two people remained at the alley entrance.

"Could you explain?"

Klein glanced at his assistant beside him.

"coincide."

Orion shrugged, looking completely innocent.

"Simply... the law of aggregation."

After saying that, he waved the two bottles containing potion ingredients in his hand, a barely suppressed fervor flashing in his eyes:

"Detective, so that next time I won't just hide behind you and scream..."

Ollie paused for a moment, then replaced the clichéd "please take leave" with an elegant greeting that carried a double entendre:

"I need to practice a few new 'tricks' tonight."

Klein stared into his frighteningly bright eyes.

As someone who had been through it all, he certainly understood the meaning behind that word.

Crazy, dangerous, but it's the only way.

"Go."

Klein didn't ask any more questions, but simply turned and walked in another direction.

His silhouette appeared somewhat lonely yet reliable in the mist.

See you tomorrow, magician.

……

Night falls.

A mid-range hotel in the western part of Backland.

Orion did not return to that moldy attic.

He was hampered by the distorted "Abraham" curse flowing within him—

If he stays at the same coordinate for more than 24 hours, the disordered space will mercilessly crush him.

Therefore, he had to migrate.

Like a ghost that can never reach the shore.

But tonight, the ghost will undergo a transformation.

Inside the guest room, the curtains were drawn tightly shut.

Orion locked the door and scattered a ring of wood ash mixed with essential oils around it.

That is a simple spiritual wall.

On the table were the two bottles of hard-won materials.

The stomach of a Soul Eater resembles a small, grayish-white leather pouch, its surface covered with strange patterns.

The blood of deep-sea marlin takes on a chilling deep blue hue under a gaslight.

"This is... the key to qualitative change."

Orion took a deep breath.

He didn't make any unnecessary movements.

Auxiliary materials, stomach bag, blood.

To topple, to shake.

laugh--

Just three seconds.

The raging materials devoured everything in the beaker, eventually settling into stillness.

It transformed into a pool of vibrant colors, yet so deep it seemed to conceal countless lies and secrets... a psychedelic nebula.

The vibrant, interwoven colors resembled a poisonous mushroom blooming in the darkness—beautiful, deadly, and utterly deceptive.

Orion raised his glass.

The icy touch on his fingertips reminded him of the bone-chilling wind and the nauseating stench from the sewers of the previous two nights.

That was the humiliation of being pressed into the mud by fate.

But now, it's over.

This drink is more than just a magic potion.

It was his dignity in this mysterious world, and the confidence to no longer run away.

"Damn fate."

He chuckled softly at the void.

Look up.

He drank it all in one gulp.

boom!

The icy liquid entered my throat and instantly transformed into exploding lava.

The homeless man who was shivering in the darkness died last night.

at this point.

Deep within those eyes that had reopened.

The first ray of starlight belonging to the "Master of Tricks"...

A silent fire that spreads like wildfire.