Mystery: When the Lost Homelanders Meet the Lost Homeland Call

After the tarot session, White Tower, Audrey, and Alger each attempted the name-giving ceremony.

In fact, because the White Tower's extraordinary ability to act verified the honorable name on the spot, Klein was somewhat inclined to cancel the remaining verification steps, but in order to maintain the seriousness of the Fool's words, he did not cancel them.

However, the verification process went smoothly, and this three-part honorific name deepened Audrey and Alger's respect for the Fool, regarding him as an existence equivalent to the Seven Gods.

After the tarot session ends.

At sea, Lynn let out a long sigh. The ritual of sprinkling oil and setting it on fire to call for the Lost Home had failed, as had the ritual of spending a lot of time implanting the knowledge of the Lost Home into the human body he had created, in order to seek the Lost Home sailing towards him through his knowledge.

Lynn has been busy with the ceremony arrangements these past few days.

Whether it was for personal salvation or for the public good, Lynn's main goal was indeed to save the world.

But the question is, how do we do it?

Is he capable of facing the catastrophe of the collapse of the mathematical machine beneath the universe at his current level?

So Lynn is currently in a state of both having a clear goal and not having a clear goal, and being both anxious and not anxious.

"Explicit" means that the ultimate goal is to save the world, while "unclear" means that Lynn is unsure what will be useful, but he knows that raising the level of civilization will definitely be useful.

"Urgent" refers to an imminent crisis, while "not urgent" means that many things cannot be rushed.

The White Tower has been collecting massive amounts of data non-stop during this period, while Lynn has been trying out the ritual and analyzing the data, and hasn't slept for a while now.

Lynn Aberrant felt like a ship sailing before a tsunami, with so much to do and so much to accomplish, but he didn't know when it would actually work.

After receiving news that the Tarot Club had ended, Lynn approached Klein again.

"Why does that peculiar scent on you seem stronger again? Is it cyclical?"

  

After entering Moretti's house, Lynn frowned and asked.

After visiting the Source Castle and obtaining information samples, he also gained the ability to discern the power of the Source Castle.

However, the claim that the scent is strong is nonsense. In the current sequence, Klein's relationship with the Source Castle is not close enough, and Klein only goes up to the Gray Fog once a week. If you really want to see the Source Castle's scent in the current low sequence across a city, you'd probably have to go back to the old days.

But anyway, how to scare them

Klein's expression stiffened for a moment. He was still thinking about the White Tower's simulated universe, but fortunately, he had already prepared his answer when Lynn mentioned the strong smell last time.

He casually remarked, "I sometimes dream of a gray fog when I'm sleeping at night, which is probably why the 'smell' is getting stronger."

"Gray Fog, Emperor Roselle mentioned it in his diary, but..." Lynn pondered, then shook his head, indicating that he didn't know the specifics and could only instruct Klein to call out his name if anything happened.

Klein took the opportunity to ask some questions about angels, such as their names and mythical creatures.

-

Klein's life returned to normal after that, with training and classes, until Wednesday afternoon.

When Dunn Smith pushed open the door to Blackthorn Security, a thin layer of darkness, neither clearly confusion nor wariness, lingered in his gray eyes.

Luo Shan was organizing documents at the front desk when she looked up and saw her captain's expression. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around her pen. She put it down and asked somewhat nervously:

"Captain, something's happened?"

Dunn replied gently, "It's nothing."

He took off his top hat and hung it on the coat rack, his gaze sweeping across the reception area before landing on Leonard Mitchell, who was reading the Tingen Candor newspaper on the sofa.

Leonard's posture was casual, with his long legs draped over the edge of the coffee table and the newspaper held high, obscuring most of his face, but his black hair and faintly visible green eyes were still easily recognizable.

Klein happened to be walking down the corridor, carrying an old tin box containing a citrine pendant, ready to discuss new pendulum techniques with Old Neil.

"Perfect timing." Dunn gestured for Rosanne to close the door. His voice was soft, but his tone remained steady. "The Dockworkers' Guild has changed hands."

Klein paused for a moment. The metal box tilted slightly between his fingers, and the citrine pendant made a soft clinking sound.

"...Changed hands?" Leonard put down the newspaper, pulled his legs off the coffee table, and sat up straight. "The Hammer Gang is down? The Hammer Gang that controlled the dock area for over a decade?"

Dunn's gray eyes narrowed: "From top to bottom, from core members to peripheral thugs, over a hundred people were all tied up in the dock square overnight. According to the intelligence we have, control of the guild has fallen into the hands of a stranger."

Rosanne gasped.

Klein stood at the end of the corridor, trying to keep his expression within the range of "someone who has just joined the company and should be shocked to hear such a thing."

The fact that over a hundred people were wiped out overnight certainly falls into the category of double-crossing, but it would take at least a large gang to pull it off.

The entire police system in Tingen City didn't dare to touch the Hammer Gang because they had a councilor, a sheriff, and a deeply entrenched protective network behind them. Now that they've been taken down, it means that person either has the means to immediately take over the protection or simply doesn't care about the government.

Klein immediately thought of Lynn.

He remembered that a few days ago, Lynn casually said, as if he were saying, "I went to the market today and bought a bunch of scallions," "I took down a gang." So it was this big?

Klein thought about it and realized that, given Lynn's strength, it wasn't too surprising. What was truly surprising was the government's efficiency; it had only just been transferred to the church.

Klein thought to himself, "No wonder it's a British alternate world version; this efficiency is truly astounding..."

"There's one more thing," Dunn added, "The Church of Storms has taken over the investigation. The dock area falls under the jurisdiction of the Punishers, and this time their captains have all been mobilized."

Leonard whistled: "The captain of the Punishers personally intervened? That's pretty big of a fuss."

"It wasn't just a big commotion," Dunn corrected him. "It was a very strange commotion. More than a hundred people were taken down and tied up, the guild's treasury was emptied, and the account books were made public."

"What's even stranger is that the police commissioner recently took emergency leave, saying he was unwell and needed to rest. Henry Crawford, the councilor for the Third Ward, announced a suspension of official duties. Can you imagine these people reacting the same way within days?"

Rosanne said with interest, "They're scared. I bet they've been caught red-handed."

“Yes.” Dunn nodded. “So what the Church of Storms wants to know now is whether this matter involves supernatural powers, and what he is trying to do.”

Klein maintained a facade of surprise, but his mind was racing.

The involvement of the Storm Church signifies an escalation of the investigation. If Lynn's reforms in the dock area are classified as "illegally forming a force" or "unauthorized acts of violence," he can no longer fool them with his identity as a "passing sailor."

"Should we intervene?" Leonard asked, unusually seriously, then, as if he had heard something, added,

"There are also believers of the goddess there, so if we divide the incident into smaller parts, we can barely find a reason to intervene a little."

Dunn shook his head: "The Punishers handle maritime affairs; we are only responsible for supernatural events related to the followers of the Goddess of Night."

"The matters in the dock area do not involve our jurisdiction—at least it doesn't seem so at the moment, so there's no need to go there."

"But if you and Old Neil want to go and take a look, I won't stop you. After all, you still need the trading market there."

He paused, his grey eyes turning to Klein.

"And you and that... 'new master' in the dock area might have some connection."

Klein's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure.

Dunn's direct statement suggests it's not a big deal, giving Klein a way out and clearing up any potential doubts. Answering Dunn's question here is much easier than facing questions if rumors start circulating.

The Night Watch captain noticed that the people Klein had been in contact with recently were quite normal. After all, Lynn had even invited Melissa, so a little investigation would reveal his existence.

“I do know Mr. Lynn,” Klein said carefully, his tone natural as he continued, “He’s discussed some Quaternary history with me before. If the events in the docklands are indeed related to him, I’d like to go and see for myself.”

Dunn didn't stop him, but simply nodded slightly: "Bring Old Neil along. He's experienced and can give you some advice if you run into trouble."

Leonard folded the newspaper and placed it on the coffee table, a glint of light flashing in his green eyes: "I'll go too."

Klein turned to look at him, frowning. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm very interested in this 'new guild leader'." Leonard stood up, reached out and patted Klein on the shoulder casually, as if patting an old friend, a smile playing on his lips.

"Besides, I've been practicing new poetry lately and need some material from the dock area. The story of the Hammer Gang's downfall should be very compelling."

Klein paused for a moment.

His intuition told him that Leonard was very interested in him.

Why is this person becoming more and more generous?

But he had no reason to refuse. Leonard was a colleague, and the night watchmen had a good relationship. His colleague said he wanted to go and see him together, and it would seem suspicious if he insisted on stopping him.

"Okay." Klein nodded. "Don't do anything reckless."

Leonard's smile deepened: "I've always been very proper."

Dunn glanced at them both, then at them both again, then looked at them carefully once more, but in the end, he didn't say anything more.

"Don't get involved in the affairs of those who take the punishment for others."

Klein and Leonard left the Blackthorn Security Company together. Rosanne secretly glanced at their backs from behind at the front desk, and after confirming that Dunn was far away, she took out a blank notebook, seemingly practicing drawing.

The painting is rough and has a modern, scholarly feel, but Rosanne is clearly very enthusiastic and is seriously trying to paint the scene of Klein and Leonard going out.

She plans to name the painting "Dunne in the Office".

Klein and Leonard went to the docks. Where was Dunn? Dunn was in his office.

-

There was little wind at the mouth of the river in Tingen today, and the air was filled with the smell of coal smoke mixed with river water. Sunlight peeked through the gaps in the clouds, shining on the puddles on the stone road and creating a shimmering patch of white.

Klein and Leonard walked in silence. Klein walked ahead, his pace slightly faster than usual, the little puppet sitting stiffly in his gun holster, trying to appear as if it didn't exist.

The doll's spirit conveyed a message of safety, which reassured him somewhat.

Being cautious, he naturally needed to consult the oracle at all times!

Leonard trailed him by half a step, his steps light and quick, more like he was going on a picnic than investigating an incident. His gaze wasn't fixed ahead, but rather casually swept over the buildings on both sides, the newsboys on the street corner, and the dockworkers squatting by the roadside eating bread.

Pales was speaking to him, his voice carrying a low, amused chuckle:

"Kid, you seem to care quite a bit about that Lynn."

"Aren't you the same?" Leonard thought to himself.

Pales coughed lightly. "I'm just curious why a Sequence Three powerhouse would bother a group of ordinary people. That's not how someone in a high position should act."

"So what do you think he's going to do?"

Pales paused for a moment. There was an inexplicable wariness in his voice: "You'll know when you see it."

Klein had never been to the docks before, but he had seen it in the original Klein's memories. It was one of the most chaotic places in Tingen, with smuggling, casinos, brothels, loan sharks, and everything else. The Hammer Gang survived because of these things.

But today, there's something different in the air.

Klein couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he sensed it the moment he stepped into the dock area. The workers around him were no longer hurrying past with their heads down; they were gathering in twos and threes by the roadside, talking louder and faster than Klein remembered.

Leonard also stopped walking.

His gaze swept across the workers' faces, a hint of confusion flashing in his green eyes: "These people... seem different."

"What's different?" Klein asked.

Leonard frowned and pondered for a moment: "It's a feeling, a feeling... the look in your eyes seems different."

He pointed to a young worker loading goods onto a flatbed truck by the roadside. The man was wearing a gray coarse cloth shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his arms stained with coal dust and sweat. He looked up and saw Klein and Leonard pass by. His gaze lingered on Klein's face for a moment, clearly seeing that "Master" was still a little afraid, but he continued his work naturally. Their movements weren't as numb and mechanical as Klein's original memories.

"This is indeed unusual," Leonard said in a low voice.

They continued walking along the road by the harbor. Most of the old buildings on both sides of the road still retained the signs and facades from the Hammer Gang era, but the shops with signs that read "Pawnshop," "Loan," and "Casino" had been topped with some brand-new wooden signs.

The wooden sign reads things like "Dockworkers' Mutual Aid Station," "Work Hours Registration Office," and "Work Injury Complaint Office."

"It's like living in a completely different city," Leonard exclaimed.

Klein withdrew his gaze and continued walking. Just then, he heard a familiar voice—

"Mr. Klein...?"

Klein turned his head and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen standing in front of a wooden shed a dozen steps away. She was wearing a clean gray dress, the fabric of which was not good, but it was washed clean and had no patches. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, revealing a rosy cheek.

It took him two seconds to match her with the classmate Melissa remembered.

"Jenny?" Klein tentatively called out her name.

Jenny's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over, carrying a bag containing some food and water.

She stopped in front of Klein, pursed her lips as if to confirm what she should say, then relaxed her lips and said, "I... when I saw you from afar just now, I thought I was seeing things. You look much more energetic than Melissa described last time."

"Where is your father?" Klein asked.

Jenny's smile deepened: "My dad can get out of bed now. He found a job at the docks this week, an early shift, so he can go home and rest in the evening."

Klein noticed that the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned as she spoke, an undisguised, genuine ease:

"When he used to work at the docks, he couldn't straighten his back after a day's work. Now, we're paid by the hour here, and we can eat meat once a week."

Leonard watched this scene quietly from the side, and Palez's voice echoed in his mind: "Interesting."

"Is doing extraordinary things really about cultivating believers?"