Collaboration

"You mean… Her Highness let Ian go on purpose? She expected that all of Intis's agents would mobilize to pursue him?"

"Yes," Ebner nodded. "Her Highness even hinted last night that those who came after Ian were effectively walking into a trap of their own making… they aimed to lull us into thinking they too had lost Ian's trail, making it seem like both sides were starting from scratch again."

Xio was perceptive by nature, though she lacked Ebner's advantage of knowing the original story and the factions at play, so she hadn't initially realized this.

Now, with Ebner's insight, a new question emerged: "But Ian really has disappeared again… Why are both the Intis agents and Her Highness so confident they'll find him?"

"Because of spies," Ebner replied with a knowing smile. "MI9 probably has a mole in Intis's intelligence department. And, as you mentioned, Ian sent a telegraph message recently. No matter who received it, there's a strong chance an Intis spy intercepted it. That's why they're confident."

"Ah, I see…" Xio murmured, realizing that this was not too different from her experience planting informants among the gangs in the East End.

Seeing that Xio had grasped the implications, Ebner added pointedly, "When you report last night's events and my analysis to Mr. Fool later, keep in mind that His servant issued a mission to assassinate Bakerland, so He might have an interest in matters like this."

Xio blinked in surprise but then nodded. With Fors's safety on her mind, she'd been contemplating ways to gain favor with that mysterious entity… even if it only piqued the interest of one of Mr. Fool's servants, it was worth trying.

...

After seeing Xio off to get some rest, Ebner took the stack of documents she'd brought and began studying them carefully.

"The Intis embassy houses thirteen publicly acknowledged Beyonders besides Ambassador Bakerland, all of whom are officially sanctioned military officers by the Loen Kingdom.

"There's one Sequence 5, one Sequence 6, three Sequence 7s, and a total of eight at Sequences 8 and 9.

"The Sequence 8s and 9s are of little concern… Among the Sequence 7s, two are 'Arsonists,' named Joe Philip and Harvey Osmond, both from former noble families in Intis… The third is a 'Witch,' Bianca, a woman in her twenties who was reportedly personally recruited by Ambassador Bakerland, though her background remains unclear.

"The Sequence 6 officer is a 'Wind-blessed,' rumored to have some connection with the Eternal Blazing Sun Church.

"Finally, the Sequence 5 chief military officer, Cotten Surrey, is a 'Constellations Master' and also a nominal professor in Backlund University's Physics Department…"

Reading this, Ebner felt he had a clear picture:

The 'Arsonist' and 'Wind-blessed' Sequences are oriented towards direct combat, meaning they're unlikely to be versed in ritual magic. This narrows the ritual presider down to either Bianca the 'Witch' or Cotten Surrey the 'Constellations Master.'

However, Bianca's obscure origins made her a less likely candidate, despite Bakerland's support. Without broader trust among the officers, it would be unlikely she'd be entrusted with a role as critical as presiding over the ritual—unless there was no other choice.

The likeliest candidate, then, was Cotten Surrey himself.

This older man's credentials were impeccable, outstripping even Bakerland's. His eldest son was a member of Intis's parliament and an 'Constellations Master' as well. If not for his excessively rigid personality, he might have been chosen as ambassador himself…

So, by position, reputation, and capability, Cotten Surrey was the most qualified to oversee the embassy's Guardian Ritual.

Considering that Astrologers progress from the Craftsman Sequence and recalling the embassy's three ritual-enhancing mystical items, Ebner even suspected that Cotten might have been directly involved in designing and perfecting the Guardian Ritual himself.

Now, how to lure such a man out of the embassy…?

"Since he's a professor at Backlund University, maybe I could arrange for him to give a lecture… No, that won't work—it would be difficult to avoid suspicion, and if anything happens to the ambassador, they'd likely trace it back to me. Not worth the risk.

"Maybe through social gatherings… There's a ball tonight hosted by Earl Wolfe, and Justice was supposed to observe Bakerland at this event in the original story… I wonder if Cotten is on the guest list as well…

"If he is, then I'll use tonight's opportunity to complete the ritual modification; if he isn't, I'll have to find another chance.

"In any case, if I haven't managed to alter the ritual by Thursday, I'll have to ask Miss Justice to hire Mr. A."

With his plan set, Ebner spiritually sealed the room, then sat on the edge of his bed, reciting softly:

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;

The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;

The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck

"I seek your aid. Please inform Miss Justice that I need to confirm whether Cotten Surrey, a military officer of the Intis Embassy, will be attending Earl Wolfe's ball tonight.

"I am willing to offer compensation for this information."

...

At 15 Minsk Street, Sherlock Moriarty, the new identity of Klein, was meeting with two women in his rented residence.

One was Mrs. Stelin Summer, the landlady, dressed formally in morning attire. With her carefully applied makeup, she looked surprisingly charming for her age, which one wouldn't guess to be around thirty.

The other was Mrs. Mary, a client referred to him by Mrs. Summer. Individually, her features were fine, but together, they were oddly disappointing. Her high cheekbones also gave her a prematurely aged appearance.

After the two women explained the situation, Klein received a rare, ordinary case in his detective career—a request to investigate infidelity.

"I've heard that for other private detectives, four out of every ten cases are about extramarital affairs… never thought I'd get one too," Klein muttered as he prepared to test the latest portable camera that Mrs. Mary had provided him. Just then, a faint chorus of overlapping ethereal prayers echoed in his ear.

The voice was that of a woman.

Klein paused mid-motion, put the camera aside, and stepped into the washroom.

Ten seconds later, he appeared above the gray fog, noting the deep red star representing Judgment, expanding and contracting rhythmically.

Miss Judgment? Does she need help with something?

Klein sat back in his seat, extending his spiritual perception.

Instantly, Miss Judgment's voice grew clear. Through her, he learned of the fierce encounter at White Lamb Street Park the night before and Mr. Tower's analysis of the situation.

"So that's the case… I'd wondered why Zerrier's body seemed to be hiding something of importance… Bakerland's men include a mid-sequence Seer; there's no way he wouldn't have discovered such vital information through spirit channeling!

"Plus, the body was left in such an obscure location, too hard to find for it to be a deliberate trap.

"But now, with Mr. Tower's insight, the answer is obvious.

"Zerrier was likely a spy for a foreign country, and someone close to his superior is likely on Intis's payroll as well.

"Finally, I understand why I got drawn into this mess so passively…"

Ha, what a classic "Clown" moment… a 5-pound case that pulled me into a multinational spy game…

While he still didn't know what "important" item these intelligence agencies were fighting over, Klein had a general understanding of the players involved and their motives, leaving him slightly dazed.

Just then, the red star representing Mr. Tower also began to expand and contract.

...

At the luxurious Holmans' estate in Queen's Borough.

Audrey was in her room, choosing her evening gown with her maid's help when there was a knock at the door.

Shortly after, her personal maid, Annie, entered, holding a piece of paper with a smile:

"Miss, your telegram—it's from the Southern Continent."

The Southern Continent? Could it be Alfred? Audrey thought of her brother, eagerly taking the paper and scanning it:

Sure enough, the telegram was from her second brother, Alfred Hall, sent from the East Coast of the Brylon Empire in the Southern Continent. It read:

"Found the two rainbow lizard dragons you wanted. Awaiting your acceptance."

But… I don't need them anymore… Audrey was momentarily taken aback. She blinked, then glanced at Susie.

The golden retriever wagged her tail, looking baffled.

It's much easier to have Susie handle such matters than to do it myself… Every great detective needs a good assistant, after all, Audrey thought with conviction, swiftly deciding. She'd had enough time to accept this matter as no longer important to her.

Just as she was about to dismiss Annie and chat privately with Susie… a vision of boundless gray fog appeared, where she saw a vague figure seated in prayer.

Then, she heard the message:

Earl Wolfe's ball… Cotten Surrey… Intis Embassy… compensation…

Audrey filtered out the extraneous details and focused on the key points.

So, Mr. Tower is ready to take action? Already? No, perhaps he's just in the preparatory stage… but who is this Cotten Surrey? An obstacle to the assassination?

Thoughts racing, Audrey decided to lend a hand. It wasn't the promise of a reward that swayed her but rather the desire to experience and be a part of a significant event firsthand.

...

Meanwhile, after finishing his prayer, Ebner gathered his belongings and returned to the "safe house" his teacher had set up in the sewers.

Just as he was about to undress and transform back into bear form, a whiff of blood caught his nose from nearby… along with the unmistakable sounds of low, animalistic growls.

(End of Chapter)