Chapter 194: The First Meeting of the Stars and the Fool
The child was the origin of all these events.
"What do you want to do?"
Sheriff Reed's face turned stern, full of vigilance.
"We want to help you find the child."
Klein quickly thought of a suitable reason and said gently, "Since you believe your child is still alive, we are also willing to believe he is alive and help reunite you with your loved one. This is the reason we came here today."
A nearby extraordinary person chimed in, "The separation of loved ones is such a painful experience. You have already suffered a lot and should not endure this torment any longer."
Sheriff Reed just kept a cold face and snorted, "I won't believe your words! You must be trying to harm my child!"
No matter how Klein and the others explained or how gently they spoke, Sheriff Reed refused to reveal a single word.
They wanted to use Sheriff Reed's wife as a breakthrough point, but Sheriff Reed interrupted them first, coldly refusing to speak to them.
"Perhaps the Nightmare's dream entry can glean some relevant information from Sheriff Reed's dream world."
Klein had a strategy in mind but felt this method was too dangerous.
If part of the evil god's offspring's power still resided within Sheriff Reed, the person entering the dream would face terrifying danger.
Unless there was no other way, Klein did not want Leonard to take this risk.
After thinking it over, Klein decided to have someone find the deputy dean, who usually treated Sheriff Reed and his wife kindly, hoping to slowly break down Sheriff Reed's guard through this relationship.
"Unless you bring Baron Hastur Campbell, I will only trust him. I won't believe anyone else!"
Sheriff Reed offered a solution after loosening his stance.
Baron Hastur Campbell?
Klein searched his mind and finally found some relevant information about him.
According to the records, before Sheriff Reed's wife gave birth to the evil god's offspring, she almost couldn't have a child due to her own issues.
It was Baron Hastur Campbell, who had some connection with Sheriff Reed, who sent his doctor and even personally visited Sheriff Reed's home.
After this treatment, Sheriff Reed's wife successfully gave birth to their child, who turned out to be the evil god's offspring.
For Klein, who had experienced the Tingen incident, the appearance and help of Baron Hastur Campbell seemed too coincidental, possibly indicating a problem.
Moreover, Baron Hastur Campbell not only gained Sheriff Reed's deep trust but also promised to give the child a new name.
From this point of view, Baron Hastur Campbell's suspicion increased significantly.
Now, with Sheriff Reed making such a request, it might be an opportunity to communicate some information with Baron Hastur Campbell.
Even though they hadn't met yet, Klein already considered Baron Hastur Campbell a suspect.
"What, you want to invite Hastur to help?"
Leonard, who arrived later to join the group, was shocked to hear Klein's arrangement.
The last person he wanted to meet was Hastur, at least for another month. Because of this, he hadn't dared to visit the Brave Bar recently.
"Leonard, do you know Baron Hastur Campbell?"
"…"
Leonard was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "I do know Baron Hastur Campbell. A lot has happened between us. I am not suitable for this task and need to avoid him to prevent our relationship from affecting this mission."
With these words, Leonard preemptively blocked Klein from assigning him the task of inviting Hastur.
"Then I will go."
An extraordinary person from the Church of Steam and Machinery took on the task.
"Alright."
Klein agreed to this request, and the group stayed at the nursing home to rest and review information about Sheriff Reed and Hastur.
Phew, I finally got through this for now.
Hearing Klein's arrangement, Leonard finally breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if he should find an excuse to leave the nursing home to avoid meeting Hastur.
"Leonard, come and tell us about Baron Hastur Campbell."
"…"
Leonard once again experienced what it meant to be surprised.
…
"Sheriff Reed?"
Hastur received the extraordinary person from the Church of Steam and Machinery, accompanied by two officers, in the first-floor hall.
When he heard they were there because of Sheriff Reed, his first reaction was to refuse.
The High-Dimensional Overlooker was still active, currently sweeping the seas with Alger, strengthening the Blue Avenger.
Although far from Backlund, if He wished, He could reach Backlund in a day.
Hastur did not want deep contact with Sheriff Reed. If they met, Sheriff Reed would surely ask him to name the High-Dimensional Overlooker.
If there was such a connection, the High-Dimensional Overlooker would surely notice him.
"Sorry, I don't have time to go out right now." Hastur chose to decline politely.
He could only decline politely, not forcefully, as a noble without any bad records had a responsibility to cooperate with the police.
If the matter was resolved, he could gain more honor.
"It's okay, we can bring Sheriff Reed to see you."
"Sheriff Reed is a poor man. I don't want my appearance to remind him of past events. It's better for him to gradually forget."
"This is not for me to decide."
The extraordinary person remained calm and gentle, showing no concern for Hastur's slight dissatisfaction.
"Who is in charge of this operation?"
Since he couldn't avoid it, Hastur decided to gather information.
"A captain from Tingen, experienced."
"??"
Hastur was stunned, thinking the person might be Leonard.
"Klein Moretti."
The extraordinary person mentioned Klein's name to show sincerity.
"?!"
Hastur's eyes narrowed, feeling a sudden movement in his heart. It was Klein in charge of this matter!
How interesting.
He and Klein were connected by this matter.
"Does this Captain Klein have any outstanding qualities?"
"Of course, being transferred from Tingen to Backlund and leading this operation proves his professional ability."
"I know a friend named Leonard, also from Tingen."
"He is also part of this operation."
Hearing Leonard's involvement, Hastur had no reason to refuse. If anything unexpected happened, Leonard's "grandfather" could help.
Soon, Hastur followed the extraordinary person by carriage to the nursing home.
Inside the nursing home, Leonard tried several times to slip away but was stopped by Klein.
Leonard could only sigh silently, hoping Hastur didn't know about Seraphina being a witch.
When Hastur entered the nursing home, Leonard's mouth twitched slightly, but he still smiled and greeted him.
"Hastur, my friend, I didn't expect to see you here."
"Neither did I."
Hastur exchanged a few words with Leonard, relieved that Hastur didn't mention Seraphina.
"This is our captain, Captain Klein," Leonard introduced Klein to Hastur.
Hastur stepped forward, smiling, "I've heard a lot about you, Captain Klein."
"Hello, Baron Hastur Campbell."
The exchange was brief and uneventful.
"Fate seems to have changed."
A voice suddenly sounded deep in Leonard's mind, surprising him.
Usually, the old man only spoke when no one was around, rarely like this.
Leonard pretended nothing happened and went to the washroom alone.
"Old man, what did you discover?"
"Nothing."
"??!"
Leonard was puzzled. If nothing was discovered, why speak suddenly?
"Just a sudden feeling, that's all."
"Can't you see what happened?"
"Hehe, I won't do such boring things."
"Old man, won't or can't?"
"They both seem to have the aura of the night."
"How do you know?"
"I guessed."
"…"
Leonard left the washroom, still confused.
Meanwhile, Klein and the others brought Hastur to Sheriff Reed.
"Sheriff Reed, long time no see."
Hastur's gentle tone instantly broke Sheriff Reed's guard.
He reached out to touch Hastur but quickly withdrew, his lips trembling with emotion, "Baron Hastur Campbell, I didn't expect to see you again."
"Yes, it's fate."
Hastur was also emotional.
He hadn't expected to see Sheriff Reed again. Seeing Sheriff Reed's aged appearance, he felt a bit sad.
Sheriff Reed, once a handsome man, now looked twenty years older, with graying hair and wrinkles, resembling a man in his fifties or sixties.
(End of Chapter)