Lord of Mysteries: The Color of the Stars

"Da, da, da."

Julian's hard-soled leather shoes made a rhythmic sound as they stepped on the Moretti's floor.

What was originally an ordinary sound became explosive to Klein's ears.

Under his tense gaze, Julian walked to the fireplace and then sniffed hard.

The next second, the assistant professor reached for the closed window and pushed it open.

Julian took a deep breath, and his brow relaxed.

"That's much better."

This action made everyone look at him with suspicion, even Klein's gaze became somewhat blank.

Seemingly noticing the strange looks from everyone, Julian explained:

"It's probably because the coal in the fireplace didn't burn completely, which produced some carbon monoxide. Although this gas is colorless and odorless, it is harmful to the human body."

Having said that, he turned to look at Beach Mountbatten and the others:

"Gentlemen, do you know what harm carbon monoxide can cause to the human body?"

"...?"

The confusion on their faces deepened, but before they could answer, Klein's voice came from the side:

Carbon monoxide can bind to hemoglobin, reducing the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity, which can lead to hypoxia or even death in humans and animals.

"Therefore, families who use coal and gas for cooking and heating should open their windows for ventilation frequently."

Everyone turned around in surprise, only to see the history graduate from Hoy University half-raise his hand and then explain:

"...You gave the students a popular science booklet on molecular physics during the previous faculty-student get-together, which mentioned this topic."

"Bingo".

Julian leaned to one side, pointed at Klein with two index fingers, and then said:

"Gentlemen, this is the charm of physics. It is not just a cold, hard academic discipline, but also related to our physical health."

This is insane... Isn't this a crime scene? How did we get sidetracked by physics?

The people nearby were all inwardly cursing at this moment.

Just as Beech Mountbatten was about to say something, Leonard tugged at his sleeve.

The "midnight poet" whispered:

"He's from Remberg..."

Upon hearing this, Mountbatten immediately looked enlightened.

It must be said that Julian's appearance does indeed fit their stereotype of Remburgers.

"Professor, I have a question."

Suddenly, Villefort, who had been silent all along, spoke up and asked:

"Since you just said that charcoal has no smell, how did you smell it?"

It seemed that Julian's words reminded Villefort of the perfume incident, which led to his question.

"Good question."

Julian clapped his hands:

"Actually, I saw it."

"What did you see?"

Villefort became even more suspicious:

"If I remember correctly, you just said that it is colorless."

Julian nodded:

"That's right, but colorless is for you... not for me."

"Even if there's no trace of it in the air, it's everywhere else."

Having said that, he picked up Klein's notebook with one hand, swung his sandalwood cane with the other, and walked outside on his own.

"I have no further questions about this place. Please make yourselves at home."

"Uh, my notes..."

Klein suddenly became anxious, as he was unsure whether the notes contained any important or sensitive information that he was unaware of.

But given the current situation, he couldn't chase after them to ask for the notes, otherwise he would appear even more suspicious.

Afterwards, Dunn gave Klein a brief overview of the current case, some of the details of which sent chills down Klein's spine.

Only now did he suddenly realize that the matter he had been involved in was not as simple as he had previously imagined.

"...In conclusion, that concludes today's investigation."

Finally, Dunn said to Klein:

"Alright, Mr. Klein, thank you for your cooperation."

"You'd better not leave Tingen for the next few days. If you must, notify Officer Mountbatten, or you will become a fugitive."

"no problem."

Klein nodded.

"An expert will be coming in a couple of days. Trust me, he should be able to help you recall your lost memories."

After saying that, Dunn nodded to Klein, indicating that the police could leave.

Klein breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his expression remained solemn as he watched the group leave the room.

Leonard walked last, but didn't rush to leave.

The black-haired, green-eyed youth turned and patted Klein on the shoulder:

"That's great, I'm so lucky."

"What?"

Leonard smiled slightly at Klein's bewildered question:

"Generally speaking, it is common for all those involved to die in such incidents."

"We are so happy and fortunate to see that you are still alive."

After saying that, he walked out of the room and politely closed the door behind him.

Klein was left standing there alone, his body shivering with cold.

It took him a long time to finally come to his senses.

Klein walked toward the fireplace, cleared away the coal and ash, and took out the revolver again.

"Carbon monoxide... Are you kidding me?"

He looked at the cold glint reflected from the pistol and shook his head slightly.

Although the original owner was a history major, Klein had received a systematic education in natural sciences before his transmigration, and his knowledge in this area exceeded that of 90% of the Rune people.

Therefore, he was also very clear that his family did not have any "carbon monoxide problem caused by incomplete coal combustion". This was not only because the last time his family used coal to start a fire was the night before, but also because both Benson and Melissa had the habit of opening windows for ventilation multiple times a day.

"Professor Albrecht must have already discovered that there was something hidden in the fireplace. He pointed it out in a way that only I could understand, but he didn't reveal it to the other police officers."

Is this a well-intentioned expression, or a warning to me?

"Or perhaps he wanted to use this as leverage... No, that shouldn't be the case, since if I disposed of the pistol afterward, he wouldn't be able to produce any strong evidence."

"...What does it mean that he took my notebook?"

The more Klein thought about it, the more his brain throbbed.

Finally, he forcibly banished the random thoughts from his mind:

"Well, it's come to this, and I don't have any good solutions."

Instead of thinking about these things, I should think about how to become the extraordinary one that Mr. Hanged Man talks about. Only in this way can I have the ability to protect myself.

"By the way... this might be an essential step if you want to go home."

When he first awoke, he had already performed the "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun" ritual and successfully convened the first "Tarot Meeting," thus learning about some things related to extraordinary individuals.

On the other side, in a police carriage.

"Julian...you seem quite interested in this young man named Klein Moretti?"

On the way back, Dunn looked at Julian Albrecht, who was flipping through his notes with a thoughtful expression on his face, and asked him a question.

"I should say I admire them; I like students who are eager to learn."

Julian shook his head.

Are you sure?

Dunn smiled:

"If you were just admiring it, why take his notes?"

Julian didn't respond, but instead changed the subject to another question:

"By the way, Dunn, there's something I need to tell you."

"As an external consultant/expert, could I borrow some things from the 'Night Watchers'?"