2430 1326 - 1333

Chapter 1326 Successful "Mass"

Regarding the matter of praying to Mr. Fool, Baldur raised both hands and feet in agreement. He didn't have any intention of pressing Bonn.

He prayed for more than a minute after waking up in the morning and before sleeping at night. He would thank Mr. Fool for bringing the pure sunlight, delicious food, and a life of no despair.

"Alright, I'll prepare the ingredients for today first." Baldur smiled as he nodded at Bonn.

A few minutes later, he brought many bags of ingredients into the kitchen, as if he was carrying a few rolls of curtains.

At this moment, Bonn found a chair and sat down. He sincerely prayed to Mr. Fool.

"The great ruler who controls the spirit world, The Fool that doesn't belong to this era, I wish to be blessed by you. I hope that you can fulfill my wish of escaping from my deformity…"

In the cathedral on Philips Street, in several areas in Bayam, in the New City of Silver, and the New Moon City that was located in a forest, prayers echoed softly simultaneously.

The extremely self-conscious Xin, Rus, and company vaguely guessed that Mr. Fool was planning on granting such a wish. As they prayed, their bodies trembled, unable to control themselves.

They yearned to be like normal people.

They were also looking forward to the bustling and lively Bayam. They yearned for the grilled fish made from a secret recipe, the candy factories, and delicacies from all over the world. They yearned for a life to drink, chat, sing, and dance.

In the ancient palace above the gray fog, The Fool Klein, who was sitting at the end of the long bronze table, saw bits of pure light light up one after another, forming a majestic sea of stars in front of him.

The prayers overlapped and echoed inside Sefirah Castle as ripples appeared.

Klein closed his eyes and took it in for a few seconds. He raised his right hand and bent his middle finger, rapping the edge of the long mottled table.

An invisible force spread out like waves on the surface of water. It surged into every prayer point of light and landed on the residents of Moon City.

Xin suddenly felt something and raised her hand to touch the middle of her face.

The next second, she felt her nose.

Almost instinctively, Xin stroked that position several times from top to bottom before she believed she had grown a nose and was no longer deformed.

She instantly closed her eyes, bent down, and pressed her forehead to the ground. She couldn't help but praise Mr. Fool.

The praises around her grew louder and louder, becoming more and more uniform.

Rus's eyes separated; Bonn's eyes became symmetrical; and in Moon City, every deformed person, or those who were ugly because of the traits they inherited, had broken through their original restrictions and their bodies were transforming towards a state of normalcy.

At this moment, be it in New Moon City, the New City of Silver, or Bayam, they heard the bell of the cathedral ring.

Gong!

The ethereal gong of the bell reverberated in the hearts of everyone in Moon City. It rang in the ears of every person who heard it, as though it could cleanse their souls and bring them the most genuine feelings towards life.

The tears that Xin, Rus, and company held back finally flowed out. They felt their minds and bodies turn tranquil, no longer having a speck of dust tainting them.

They subconsciously raised their heads and cast their gaze towards the source of the gong. They discovered that it came from beyond New Moon City, an unknown distance away from where they were.

A miracle… A thought suddenly popped into the minds of the Moon City citizens.

In the new City of Silver that was connected to them, Waite Chirmont and company cast their gazes into the distance and cast their gaze towards Bayam.

The gong came from there.

"Praise Mr. Fool!" They mumbled at the same time as they pressed their right palm to their left chest.

In Bayam City, Bonn adjusted his postures with Baldur who had tears streaming down his face. They faced Philips Street and towards the cathedral that belonged to Mr. Fool. They listened attentively and gratefully to the holy chimes from Heaven.

However, above the gray fog, The Fool Klein was somewhat astonished and confused.

The sudden chiming of the bells wasn't within his plans.

He then turned his gaze to The Fool's cathedral at 16 Phillips Street.

Almost at the same time, he used the prayer lights to see the tall bell tower that was attached to the cathedral. He saw a young man wearing a pointed hat and a classic black robe standing at the top of the bell tower.

This youth was holding a black bell hammer and was striking the bell repeatedly.

As if sensing the gaze from above, the youth stopped. He lifted his head slightly and adjusted the crystal monocle on his right eye.

At the same time, his smile widened.

"…" Klein nearly cursed.

At this moment, his eyes glazed over almost in an unconcealed manner. He didn't understand why Angel of Time Amon would suddenly appear and seriously strike the bell of his cathedral.

Klein was actually mentally prepared for Amon's and Zaratul's possible arrival. This was because there were just too many people in the City of Silver and Moon City. There was no way they could secretly integrate with the outside world.

In other words, the City of Silver and Moon City would definitely be known to the various Churches and secret organizations. Under such circumstances, be it public or private proselytizing, it wouldn't affect any future development. Therefore, Klein silently agreed to the City of Silver's attempts to proselytize the faith of The Fool. This was preparation for him to have more anchors for his advancement to Sequence 1.

Due to this premise, he was prepared for Zaratul, Amon, and other hidden enemies to come to Bayam. He even hoped that they would do so.

Here, Klein, who had the status and level of a King of Angels in Sefirah Castle, was able to fully display his home ground advantage. As for the City of Silver, it also had Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts. It could completely resist Amon and take down Zaratul.

Compared to his main body suddenly encountering a prepared enemy elsewhere, or the discovery of his marionette city, this was undoubtedly a better choice.

However, Amon's current actions confused Klein. He didn't understand what the God of Deceit wanted to achieve.

…

16 Phillips Street, inside The Fool's cathedral.

The archbishop-on-duty, the City of Silver's six-member council's Elder, Derrick Berg, also looked up in astonishment at the stained glass.

Rays of sunlight shone inside, allowing Derrick to read one scene after another.

As the black bell hammer fell, the tremors of the bell gradually stopped.

I didn't arrange for someone to strike the bell… Derrick frowned.

As a member of the City of Silver, as a demigod in the Sun domain, he had a sharp intuition and knew that something must've gone wrong.

However, the strange ringing of the bell didn't bring any accidents. Besides the ringing, everything seemed normal.

As Derrick observed the surroundings with the help of his Unshadowed Beyonder powers, he quickly considered whether the bell had any symbolic significance in mysticism.

After eliminating the possibilities, he suddenly recalled the Holy Bible of The Fool made up by the City of Silver.

There was content related to the striking of bells!

It was used to describe the relationship between Angel of Time Amon and Mr. Fool to confirm "His" true status.

Towards that sentence, Derrick was still against it because he knew that Blasphemer Amon wasn't Mr. Fool's Blessed. Their relationship wasn't even harmonious, and was actually hostile.

However, the lies he made previously had convinced the other members of the City of Silver's six-member council. They believed that Angel of Time Amon was the first entity appointed by Mr. Fool to cast down the light for the people of the Forsaken Land of the Gods. It was because "He" had Parasitized Derrick, which had resulted in the subsequent changes, all the way until hope descended.

Derrick had wanted to explain, but he was embarrassed. That would only bring up too many lies, making him lose his image with the other Elders of the six-member council and citizens of the City of Silver. It was just like Miss Justice had said before, a social death.

Finally, he chose to delay any actions, hoping that Mr. Fool would take a look at the Holy Bible. If there was anything inappropriate with the descriptions, "He" would definitely send a divine revelation to change the views.

To his surprise, Mr. Fool didn't say anything and silently agreed with the contents of the Holy Bible.

Could it be that Amon is striking the bell? Derrick was momentarily dazed as he found it too unbelievable.

He hurriedly lowered his head and began praying, reporting this matter to Mr. Fool.

…

Above the gray fog, inside Sefirah Castle.

Before Klein could eliminate Amon, the other party suddenly turned transparent and transformed into a beam of light before vanishing from the bell tower.

What does this fellow want? If "His" father is the Emperor and not the ancient sun god, then I can reasonably suspect that "He" is striking a death knell for me… As Klein checked if there were any Amons lurking in the bodies of the City of Silver and Moon City citizens, he analyzed Amon's motives without any clue in mind.

Just as he was about to use divination to seek clues, Derrick completed his prayer.

…Holy Bible, Holy Bible? The corners of Klein's mouth twitched as he summoned from the junk pile the Holy Bible that the City of Silver had sacrificed to him.

Previously, he had only flipped through a few pages, but he was too embarrassed to continue reading it. He took on a position of burying his head in the sand.

Of course, he wasn't careless in this aspect. He was still extremely cautious. He used divination inside Sefirah Castle to confirm that the Holy Bible wouldn't bring him any harm.

With this premise, he allowed the City of Silver to use this Holy Bible.

He slowly took a deep breath and reached out his right hand. He flipped the scriptures page by page.

His facial muscles began to twitch, and the corner of his lips uncontrollably parted.

Klein flipped faster and faster. Finally, he saw the last page.

Pa!

Klein suddenly closed the book and threw it back onto the junk pile.

After this miracle in Moon City, yes, the potion has mostly been digested. The marionette city will have to step onto the stage of history… Klein observed his condition without expression and nodded indiscernibly.

Ever since he had gained preliminary control of Sefirah Castle, he could receive digestion feedback from the real world.

Chapter 1327 Three Plans

As for the marionette town, Klein had been thinking about how to build it a long time ago. He had already come up with three plans:

If he eliminated any interference from external factors, his best choice would be somewhere in a certain country of the Northern Continent. He would allow his marionette town to rise up overnight. Furthermore, he would connect it to the surrounding cities through railways, rivers, and roads.

This way, the marionette town would have large numbers of outsiders arriving on a daily basis, and it would create a very strong interaction with the surrounding areas. On the one hand, a town without a city nearby would definitely purchase grain, salt, cloth, ores, sugar, and other daily necessities. On the other hand, it would also produce its own products, which could be sold to neighboring cities, towns, and villages. Under such a situation, merchants, workers, tourists, and other groups would go back and forth frequently. At the same time, they would interact more with the marionette town's residents.

Under the influence of all kinds of interactions between the parties, it wouldn't be long before the town of marionettes could produce a corresponding region in the spirit world. Once the lives of the residents became more detailed and real, Klein could consume the potion to advance to Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries.

This would take less than three months.

But the problem was that this approach couldn't be kept confidential.

In the present era, to have a town suddenly pop up was something that couldn't be hidden from people. Soon, there would be civil servants, the police, and reporters coming to investigate. And after that, the interactions between the parties would also make more and more people know and understand the city. This was a problem that couldn't be resolved through illusions unless the town of marionettes didn't interact with the surrounding cities, towns, and villages and had relatively minor interactions. However, that wouldn't meet the requirements of the ritual.

When news of the marionette town spread, Klein would undoubtedly be targeted by Zaratul, Amon's true body, and his other enemies. When the time came, the destruction caused by others would definitely be easier than him protecting it. He could only migrate his marionette town elsewhere. This would cause the interactions generated in the early stages to be for naught, just like what the Dark Demonic Wolf had experienced.

Therefore, Klein had only listed down such a plan, so he basically wouldn't choose it. Unless a certain Visionary was willing to provide help, making all the living beings in the Northern and Southern Continents naturally believe that there was indeed a town there, one that hadn't suddenly appeared.

Considering the influence of various external factors and his Beyonder powers, Klein's best choice was to establish the town on an uninhabited island that deviated from the safe sea route and was sufficiently well-hidden. He would then use Sefirah Castle to give it anti-divination and anti-prophecy properties.

At the same time, Klein would use the "curtain" to "Graft" some roads, rivers, and railways to somewhere outside the marionette town, making it a stop for random groups of people during their journeys.

This couldn't be kept completely confidential, but once the "strange phenomenon" spread and attracted Zaratul's and Amon's attention, Klein could easily remove the original "Grafting" randomly and switch the "entrance."

Under such a strategy, the movement was limited to the entrance, not the marionette town itself. The effects of various interactions in the spirit world could be preserved without being interrupted. The ritual could steadily proceed as planned.

Of course, there was a big problem with this plan. It was that the interaction would be limited and couldn't influence matters at a daily level in all its aspects. In addition, the frequency and intensity of the interaction wouldn't be too high.

If he chose this plan, it meant that Klein had to spend more than half a year or even a year on the ritual.

If he wanted to be safe, forcing every marionette's fate to have a beginning and an end, the ritual would take at least fifty years. However, there was also a way to get around the limitations—once the rest of the ritual's requirements were met, he could deliver a meteorite strike, an earthquake, or a volcano eruption to the town, causing all the marionettes' fates to come to an end in the real world. It was something that happened in real life and was rather reasonable.

In this radical and conservative proposal, Klein had another solution.

It was to replicate a city and make the marionette correspond to the residents of the city and be mapped one-to-one. For evil Miracle Invokers, they could wipe out the original city and use their marionettes to replace its inhabitants. Those who had a kind heart would hide the city and ensure a supply of goods. The reason as to why one didn't convert the target city into marionettes was that it already had a corresponding region in the spirit world. Without being a newly born one, it didn't meet the requirements of the ritual.

With the "curtain" formed by the Attendant of Mysteries Beyonder characteristic, Klein could make a better choice: "Graft" a city at a particular stage to his marionette town.

This meant that his town of marionettes had become the dark side of the city. In the corresponding period of time, outsiders would encounter marionettes and not real people. Once that period of time passed, they would leave the town of marionettes and return to the real world to deal with real people.

During the process, Klein would send his marionettes to act as an outsider and maintain interactions with the corresponding real person, allowing the real outsiders to return to the real world without any gaps.

In other words, there were two different lives playing out in the same city at the same time, but no one could notice that. Occasionally, some people would think that some details weren't right, but would find it inexplicable and might just ignore it.

This was rather in line with the characteristic of an Attendant of Mysteries, and it had a certain level of concealment.

Of course, this plan also had its problem. It was to simulate the fate of a marionette to a very high level—almost as similar as a human's. Without its own independence, it would cause the ritual's effects to fail.

Klein tapped the edge of the long mottled table with his fingers and was in a dilemma over the second and third plan.

After a few minutes, he did as his heart willed—cowardice—and chose the second plan. He would rather spend more time than affect the fates of the innocent.

Back then, Zaratul and Antigonus likely chose the third plan… Klein sighed and prepared to return to the real world.

At this moment, he looked at the junk pile and considered whether he should send a revelation to change the descriptions in the City of Silver's Holy Bible.

To a deity, the Holy Bible wasn't anything too important. Its best use was for its convenience to spread its teachings and increase the number of anchors.

Klein had long come to a conclusion from The Revelation of Evernight, The Book of Storms, and the contents of the various orthodox Churches' Holy Bibles.

Most of the content elevated the orthodox deity, making random claims of grandeur and expressed mercy and pity.

In ancient times, the impression the believers had of the deities would indeed have a negative impact on the deities. But now, with the use of symbols instead of statues, this latent problem no longer existed. At the very least, the Evernight Goddess, the Lord of Storms, and other deities openly declared that they were parts of the Creator's original body. They weren't worried that it would exacerbate the awakening of the Oldest One.

In other words, if there really was a problem with this aspect, Klein believed that the Evernight Goddess would definitely have changed the corresponding description. "She" would've changed the description of being one of the eyes of the Creator to a child spawned by "Him." It too enjoyed a very high status.

At the same time, the believers' acknowledgment of certain matters wouldn't have any burden on the deities themselves in a mysticism sense. Otherwise, Amon would've secretly helped Klein, or rather, prepare a batch of believers for the former Sefirah Castle to lure them into forming the belief that the Angel of Time was the manifestation of the Lord of the Mysteries. With the aid of an instinctual response that met the requirements, "He" could establish enough connections with Sefirah Castle and open a "back door."

To a deity, the Holy Bible only had two important components other than for spreading the faith:

Firstly, it was a description of the authority and honorific name of the deities themselves. If there were any mistakes, it would lead to the prayers of the believers pointing to an unknown target. Not only would it be dangerous to the believers, but it would also cause the deities to lose their anchors. Secondly, any descriptions that involved the other Churches would easily attract conflict.

As for the angels and saints, the deities actually didn't pay them too much mind. The ones that cared were the angels and saints themselves because they needed to obtain a certain level of anchors through this.

Therefore, the Holy Bibles' descriptions of angels and saints were detailed enough. They had authority and honorific names, making it easier for different believers to choose and be immersed. In addition, this wasn't enough to form a stable anchor, because it was under the faith of a deity.

In order to resolve this problem, the orthodox Churches would define certain cathedrals to different guardian angels and guardian saints and clearly differentiate them.

Due to this knowledge, Klein didn't pay much attention to the Holy Bible. After he finished reading the description about his authority and honorific name, he stopped continuing out of embarrassment. He only used divination to confirm that the contents wouldn't result in a conflict with the orthodox Churches.

After some thought, he gave up the idea of directly sending the revelation to change the Holy Bible and decided to use a gentler method.

During the Tarot Club's exchange, he could use The World Gehrman Sparrow to guide The Sun into adjusting his understanding of the situation, turning the parts involving the Angel of Time to Pallez Zoroast, allowing the corresponding content to be fixed without causing any suspicion in the City of Silver.

…

Bayam, Verdu Abraham had obtained quite a bit of mysticism knowledge in a few Beyonder circles.

He lit up the gas wall lamp and carefully read it in the night.

Towards the end, he suddenly read a piece of news that he had never understood before:

Bansy Harbor is a place filled with mysticism powers. Its connection with the spirit world and the astral world is beyond imagination… Even with the Church of Storms directly destroying the harbor, it still can't completely eliminate the abnormality of its existence…

Many mysticism researchers are purchasing items related to Bansy at a high price…

Bansy… Verdu muttered to himself silently, suddenly having a strong interest in the harbor.

He began considering if he should buy some items from Bansy and do a thorough study of them. After all, the spirit world was related to "Teleportation." The astral world and the cosmos involved "Wandering," and might involve Mr. Door Bethel Abraham's method of escaping.

Perhaps, if I have the chance, I could go to Bansy to take a look… Verdu nodded indiscernibly.

Chapter 1328 The Preparations Needed

The initial preparations for building a marionette town were rather boring and tedious. At the very least, Klein believed so.

In the ancient palace, Klein sat on the high-back chair belonging to The Fool, holding a fountain pen. There were ordinary pieces of paper with the name, age, and the fate of every marionette. As he made the Worms of Spirit emerge from his body, they formed avatars beside him.

Some Kleins sat on the ground, while others occupied the twenty-one seats other than The Fool's. Some conjured beds and lay on them…

Then, they summoned different books from the junk pile and started reading them seriously.

The books included but were not limited to:

"How to Brew Wine"

"Train Dispatching"

"Desert Making Compendium"

"A Clergyman Prepares"

"Gas Wall Lamps, Gas Meters, and All Kinds of Family Machinery Repair"

"DESI-licacy"

"Harbor Management"

"Foundations of Law"

"Ladies Aesthetic" magazines…

These were specialist knowledge that different marionettes needed to grasp. Only by doing so would they be able to act their roles well, allowing him to be realistic in every aspect. Even if they were to engage in a deep conversation with outsiders, they wouldn't expose any problems.

It wouldn't be difficult for Klein if he just needed to simply memorize the knowledge, but he had to truly grasp and apply it. Furthermore, he couldn't confuse his characters. He couldn't let a burly and strong switchman with a low income be talking about the wonders of a particular particular skincare product, or which silk cloth was flawed.

If such a situation were to happen in novels, plays, and operas, it might create a strange attraction, but putting it in the real world was clearly uncanny and not beneficial to the advancement of the ritual.

To avoid such a problem, Klein could only work harder in the early stages. He hoped that every character in a marionette town would be real, whole, and appropriate.

Fortunately, there weren't many people in a city who needed to deeply understand the corresponding specialist knowledge. Most of the residents were half-illiterate, or really illiterate. They relied on experience to live their lives that they repeated via motions. For these characters, the knowledge that Klein needed to grasp was relatively little, just like workers who had gone through simple training—or even without any training—to be sent to the assembly line.

After an unknown period of time, Klein put down his fountain pen and rubbed his temples, letting out a long sigh of relief.

He had finally written down the information about nearly five thousand residents in the marionette town, and his corresponding knowledge preparation was almost complete.

Read latest chapters at l istnovel.com

This is like a super large-scale movie directed by a director, and with me being the scriptwriter. Same for the lighting engineer, the makeup artist, and all the actors… For this ritual, I'm really on the verge of losing control. If I'm not careful, my personality will dissociate and I'll fall into the abyss of madness… Luckily, I have a professional psychologist…

Yes, I have to pay attention to a problem in the town's operations. Although I'm a gentleman with manners, most of the residents in town have low socioeconomic status. Be it speaking or acting, they're more inclined towards being vulgar… I can't make a mistake during the acting and become set back by my psychological barriers… Klein sighed silently as the avatars around him disintegrated into Worms of Spirit before he got them to burrow into his body.

Of course, this wasn't all. There was also one "Klein," who maintained his previous state, preparing to be on Sefirah Castle duty.

In the next second, Klein returned to the real world and took out Creeping Hunger from the Historical Void.

Then, he "Teleported" to an island that was located in the Berserk Sea but one that clearly deviated from the safe sea route.

This was the "stage" he had chosen before.

This place was isolated from the storms all year round. There were no signs of human activity, only a large forest and animals that lived off the forest.

Klein looked around and chose an open area. He pressed his right hand to his left chest and prayed sincerely, "I wish that there's a city suitable for five thousand people here."

Just as he said that, Klein raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, this open area became extremely flat. The surrounding forest also "receded" greatly, providing large amounts of wood, stones, and soil.

Almost at the same time, buildings rose up from the ground. They took form with stone and wood. The highest wasn't more than four stories high. The style was closer to the Loen Kingdom's Desi Bay.

In just the blink of an eye, residential buildings, a library, a police station, a telegraph office, a city hall, a small hospital, a candy factory, a water plant, a gas company, a steam locomotive station, parallel train tracks, and plantations outside the city took form. The streets were also paved with cement or stone bricks.

Towards the end, on the square in the middle of the town, a pointed-tip cathedral emerged from the ground and stood proudly.

This was a cathedral belonging to the Evernight Goddess, as it was in line with the background setting of the city.

"I hope this island has a deep-sea harbor." Klein didn't stop as he made a second wish.

Pa!

He snapped his fingers again, fulfilling his wish.

About three kilometers away from the town, a small-scale harbor quickly took shape. There were two docks, five warehouses, a port hotel, a simple restaurant, a police station branch, a bar, a lighthouse, and a naval base…

"I wish for the harbor and town to have convenient transportation." Klein made a third wish.

He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

A concrete road and a cargo rail instantly appeared between the town and the harbor.

According to Klein's plan, a portion of the harbor was prepared for visitors by sea. The town was mainly for outsiders from the Northern and Southern Continent.

As he looked at the empty city with admiration, Klein pressed his top hat and "Teleported" to the municipal square. He walked step by step into the cathedral named Saint Arianna Cathedral.

The cathedral's door was open, and it was dark inside.

After an unknown period of time, three figures appeared at the door. They were a 30-year-old gentleman in a formal suit with a tie, an ordinary-looking and gentle-looking woman, and a child who was dressed like an adult.

The woman took a few steps with difficulty before stretching her neck. Then, she smiled and reached out her hands to hold the gentleman's arm.

The gentleman had a faint smile on his face. As he allowed the lady to lean on him, he reached out his right hand and held the boy.

The little boy was skipping about, appearing very lively.

Their actions were a little rough at first, but the more they walked, the smoother they became as they walked through the square.

After they left, more and more people walked out of Saint Arianna Cathedral. They consisted of the police, repair workers, gas company employees, restaurant chefs, white-haired old men, and simply-dressed farmers…

In the next hour, people constantly came out of the Evernight cathedral. They either turned to different streets and went to different places, entering different houses, stopping at the square, or enjoying the pigeon-less scenery.

During this process, the number of people that came out had exceeded the limits of the cathedral's capacity, but there seemed to be no end to the people, as though the interior was connected to another city.

After another fifteen minutes, the entrance of Saint Arianna Cathedral finally fell silent. However, there were rats, cockroaches, moths, ants, flies, and mosquitoes creeping outwards.

Finally, a colorful window at the top of the cathedral opened. White pigeons flew out and landed in the middle of the square.

The people who had stayed there came to life completely. Some teased the pigeons, others looked for hawkers, while some played a seven-string guitar, and others smiled as they conversed with their friends.

A man wearing a top hat and a trench coat and carrying a cane left the municipal square. He came to the other side of the town and stopped in front of a wooden board.

He took out his tools and wrote the name of the town on the wooden board:

"Yharnam."

After some thought, the man "wiped" away "Yharnam" and wrote another name:

"Utopia."

…

Backlund, inside the Hall family's luxurious villa.

"Alfred has already boarded the cruise ship back to the Northern Continent?" Audrey didn't hide her surprise.

It was September 1352.

In the past half a year, Audrey didn't spend too much effort to make her father give up the thought of returning to East Chester County for the first half of the year. This was because there was a pressing need to rebuild Backlund and Constant City. The kingdom's political scene also needed a new balance. Earl Hall had too many things to handle and wasn't in the mood for a vacation.

Therefore, whenever Earl Hall was put in a difficult spot, she just needed to take the initiative to say that she was willing to remain in Backlund and return to East Chester County in the next six months to have things develop as she wanted and receive praise for.

As for the Psychology Alchemists, they didn't rush her either. Up to now, the Psychology Alchemists' council meeting had been held three times. It was mainly to communicate their research results and the various information of the areas under their jurisdiction. Only Ma'am Greed had asked about the clues to the mind dragon twice.

To be frank, if Mr. Fool hadn't reminded Audrey to take note of the rabbit, Wrath, and the easily forgettable president, she would definitely find the conference interesting. Mr. Rabbit had plenty of ideas, but she remained as vigilant as ever.

"Yes, the liner has already left the harbor." Earl Hall smiled and nodded. "When Alfred arrives in Backlund and completes the necessary social intercourse, we will return to East Chester County for fox-hunting."

Autumn was the best time to hunt foxes.

Audrey tersely acknowledged.

"Alright."

…

As a major general in the army, Alfred didn't follow the naval fleet to Desi Bay. Instead, he led his adjutants and squires and boarded a steam-powered sailboat hybrid for Pritz Harbor.

After traveling for nearly two days, they encountered a storm in the Berserk Sea.

As the ship shook violently, the sailors on the observatory saw some light through their telescopes.

It came from a lighthouse.

Author's Note: I wrote in detail three plans in the previous chapter because I felt that the third plan was most impactful, but it's impossible for Klein to undertake it with his character, so I had to unfortunately give it up. I specially wrote it out for all of you to have a sense of what's the most bizarre and mysterious method.

Chapter 1329 A Night Without Any Abnormalities

The liner passed through the storm and approached the lighthouse.

A small-scale harbor entered the sights of the captain, sailors, and passengers through the gloomy rain.

A short while later, a man in his thirties, who was wearing a blue uniform and holding onto a black umbrella and a glass lantern, appeared at the dock. He used rather uncommon actions to guide the liner to moor.

As the man watched the gangway lower, he opened his mouth and shouted, "Hey matey, where d'ya come from?"

After most of his voice was swallowed by the wind, his voice successfully reached the liner's interior and entered Alfred's ears.

"Do you know what this place is?" Alfred looked carefully at his adjutant and squire.

He wasn't wearing a general's ceremonial attire. Wearing a black trench coat that was commonly seen in Backlund, his dazzling blond hair drooped down casually, and his blue eyes looked like a deep lake in a forest.

The adjutant, who had neatly combed his hair to the back, first shook his head to indicate his uncertainty before he explained, "The storm from before made me lose my bearings."

At this moment, the captain held an umbrella and came to the shipboard. He answered the man, "We left East Balam two days ago and unfortunately encountered a storm.

"What harbor is this?"

The man's eyes darted around for a moment. Without giving a direct answer, he shouted, "Wait a moment, will ya?"

He then turned around, holding the umbrella and the lantern as he ran towards the buildings near the dock.

This reaction was beyond the expectations of Alfred and the other passengers, but it wasn't strange for the experienced ship captain, first mate, and others—they had encountered many abnormalities at the ports along the Berserk Sea. This made them patiently wait for subsequent developments.

Five to six minutes later, the man led a lady over.

The woman didn't have an umbrella and was wearing a hooded raincoat smeared with Donningsman Tree Sap.

As the two of them approached the liner, under the watch of the armed sailors, they climbed up the gangway to the deck.

At such a distance, most of the passengers finally saw what the two of them looked like.

The man had brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was rough, and it was obvious that he was of a lower socioeconomic status and had suffered the elements. The woman was in her twenties, and her eyes were limpid green. She had long, flaxen hair. A few wet strands clung to her face, making her appear pure and charming.

This was a rather pretty lady with a wild temperament.

"Hi there, this is Utopia Harbor," the man impatiently introduced, "I'm Theodore, the interim port cap'n."

As he spoke, he laughed, as though he was happy that he had invented such an amazing position.

Of course, the ship captain knew what a so-called "interim port captain" meant. He didn't take it to heart about this sudden happiness of a small fry.

He frowned slightly and said, "Utopia Harbor? Why haven't I heard of it?"

Theodore looked at him and said, "What ye said is quite common.

"Heh, if it weren't for that landlubber hurricane, ye might never come here!"

Without waiting for him to say anything else, the lady rushed forward and said, "Utopia isn't on the safe sea route. Usually, only people who understand these waters and know of this place will come here for supplies."

So the main clientèle of this harbor are pirates? How could the ship captain not be able to tell what she meant? And in times like this, tacitly acknowledging things without exposing them provided protection to both sides.

He tersely acknowledged and said, "And you are?"

"My name is Tracey." The lady smiled. "I'm the owner of the harbor hotel, and also its receptionist and attendant."

She surveyed the area and said, "It's quite a heavy storm, and the ship will be bumpy. It's not a wise choice to stay in there to rest. The hotel will provide you with stable beds, warm water, clean food, warm blankets, and an environment that will remind you of home. It's only ten pence a night. I'm referring to the price of a single room.

"Other than that, you guys can still drink at the nearby bar and enjoy our warm hospitality."

Clearly, this lady was here to solicit for business.

The captain was rather alert and didn't respond directly. He nodded and said, "I can't decide on behalf of the passengers. They are free to choose for themselves. Of course, as captain, I will stay here with my crew."

Tracey maintained her smile and said, "I'll wait at the hotel for guests who are willing to disembark."

She seemed to have received a certain amount of education. She wasn't as hot and spirited as the women at other ports who spewed vulgarities with every sentence.

Tracey turned around and was about to return when Theodore approached her and said with a sullen expression, "You have to thank me for telling you the news immediately."

As he spoke, his right hand pressed against Tracey's butt before he pinched hard.

Pa!

Tracey swatted away his hand and chided, "You're a jerk who should be f*cked by a donkey!"

She took a few steps forward and left the liner by the gangway.

Theodore shook his hands and cursed with a smile, "B*tch!"

This scene suddenly moved many passengers on board.

To them, the biggest flaw on the ship was that it was boring, and there was a bar at the harbor.

This meant that they could meet cheap street girls who were unlike those from the Northern or Southern Continent. There were local street girls with their unique local charm.

If one was lucky or willing to spend a lot of money, one of them might even be able to sleep with that spirited beauty with an attitude!

Instantly, many passengers packed their luggage and prepared to head to the harbor hotel.

Upon seeing this, Alfred's adjutant asked, "General, are we getting off the ship?"

Alfred shook his head slowly.

"We don't know anything about this place. We have to be careful. Staying on the ship is the best choice."

The adjutant had no objections to this. He asked worriedly, "What about those who have already alighted?"

"That's their choice." Alfred looked out of the window expressionlessly. "If an accident happens, we can only keep more people safe. If it's not serious, then we will be able to resolve it easily."

With that said, he turned to look at his adjutant and squire.

"We'll take turns to keep watch tonight to prevent any accidents."

Alfred, who had interacted with the Numinous Episcopate, the Rose School of Thought, and other organizations in the Southern Continent, had an instinctive sense of vigilance towards unfamiliar places.

After he exchanged his opinion with the ship captain, Alfred got into bed, listening to the strong winds hitting the glass windows and the torrential rain pattering the deck. He was about to doze off.

At this moment, he heard a tender and sad melody coming from the direction of the harbor.

It seemed to come from a flute, intermittent like a human whimpering through the storm.

Alfred was instantly immersed in the music. It was as though he had returned to Backlund, which always appeared in his dreams. He returned to a state that was a mixture of his happy childhood days, the vexing times of his youth, and other emotions.

He shook his head violently and shook off the feeling. He realized that it wasn't a psychological effect, but a normal person's reaction.

Alfred rolled out of bed and walked to the window. Using his Sheriff Beyonder powers, he confirmed that the music he had heard had come from the cheap hotel.

It's not from the guests onboard the ship. Their goal is very clear. They wouldn't be in the mood to play such a melody… There are tourists in Utopia to begin with, or could it be that owner and part-time attendant named Tracey? If it were her, she would be a lady with a story… Alfred sighed and retracted his gaze. He stopped pondering over the matter.

Although he was curious, he had no intention of getting off the ship.

Soon, the sound of the flute stopped. The harbor hotel regained its silence and nothing unexpected happened.

Just like that, time passed, and as the storm stopped, the sky gradually brightened.

At eight in the morning, the liner passengers returned one after another. Every one of them had weak steps and looked haggard.

Upon seeing this, the sailors immediately laughed and said, "The chicks here seem pretty good!"

The passengers shook their heads at the same time and looked regretful.

One of them rubbed his temples and said, "The Lanti Proof here isn't bad. It's cheaper than other places. I wasn't careful and had a little too much to drink and ended up falling asleep. I don't even know if anything happened with that babe. Sigh, I woke up to realize that the ship was about to leave, and I don't even remember what I did after getting drunk. Praise the Lady. 'She' let me lie in bed and not sleep in the rain."

The other passengers chimed in to express their similar experiences.

Of course, everyone had different details. For example, some passengers praised the breakfast dessert in the cheap hotel.

The sailors were regretful that they didn't manage to drink the cheap and good Lanti Proof. They started teasing the passengers.

"Perhaps the one who spent the night with you wasn't the chicks here but the burly man like Theodore. Since all of you were drunk, there's no way to know what happened!"

"Haha, try touching your assholes!"

Amidst the lively atmosphere, the sailors withdrew the gangway and raised the sails, allowing the liner to set off slowly.

Alfred finally relaxed after they passed through a dark sea and returned to the familiar safe sea route. He smiled at his adjutant and squire and said, "You can mark this place on our map, mentioning that the liquor and desserts here aren't too bad. Yes, the girls have their own traits."

After a few more days of traveling, the passenger finally arrived at Desi Bay's Eskelson Harbor, after traveling along a winding safe sea route.

Alfred, who had the demeanor of a noble, and his socialite instincts, paid a visit to the brass of a nearby military base and shared a good dinner with them.

When he returned to one of his father's vacation villas, he was surprised to find the squire whom he had sent away to gather for information.

"What's wrong?" Alfred put away his disorganized thoughts.

The squire lowered his voice and said, "General, all the official maps in the kingdom have no indication of Utopia Harbor."

Chapter 1330 Moving in

Alfred felt the room temperature plummet when he heard his squire.

An indescribable chill invaded his body, freezing his blood and bone marrow.

When the liner stopped at Utopia Port, he had expected the worst situation to happen—Utopia was the headquarters of some cult, and that everyone there was a dangerous lunatic.

But now, the truth was even worse.

Perhaps Utopia never existed!

At that moment, Alfred was unusually thankful that he was no longer the noble scion he was when he left Backlund. He had accumulated a great deal of experience and had thus, not really entered Utopia Harbor.

Under the gaze of the adjutant and squire, the major general paced back and forth with a solemn expression. He calmly instructed, "Draft up a telegram and report to MI9 about what happened in Utopia.

"At the same time, request the local official Beyonders to immediately take action and contact the captain to list down all the people who entered Utopia Harbor. If necessary, pay each of them a visit and confirm if there are any problems."

"Yes sir!" his adjutant immediately stood at attention and saluted.

After the adjutant walked out of the study, Alfred said to a squire, "Bring up the typewriter from downstairs. I want to write a detailed report."

His plan was to first use a telegram to report the key information to the brass and not delay the initial actions necessary. Then, he would reveal more details with a confidential document and provide more information for the military brass to make a decision.

…

Wendel walked into a second-class carriage with one hand on his top hat and the other carrying a suitcase.

He wasn't even thirty years old. His sideburns were deep-black and his brown eyes were calm. He didn't have any unique features that anyone could remember, but he exuded comfortable vibes.

A few months ago, he was still a Feynapotter intelligence officer who was active in Desi Bay, and had contributed greatly. Now that he was a Sequence 7 Beyonder, he was part of MI9's internal affairs department.

Today, his goal was to send a confidential document to Backlund and personally hand it into the hands of MI9's director.

After sitting down, Wendel bought a newspaper from the paperboy and leisurely read through it.

This was just a superficial act; in reality, he began to use his Beyonder powers to illustrate portraits of the passengers around him, remembering all their characteristics, making meticulous and perfect preparations for any accidents that might happen later.

Choo!

The steam locomotive was chugging forward as the scenery outside sped past the windows.

A few hours later, Wendel cast his gaze out of the window with some anxiety. The sky was already filled with dark clouds, and a storm was about to descend.

This meant that the steam locomotive would stop at a station ahead of time to tide through the storm. It might only continue its journey the next morning, and not reach its designated location.

In Wendel's opinion, this would undoubtedly lead to more risks due to a deviation in his expectations.

However, it was beyond him. He couldn't change the weather like the Sea God, who was promoted by the Rorsted Archipelago's new government.

The only thing he could do was pray to the Lord of Storms.

Reality proved that praying was useless most of the time. By the time the sky turned dark, the station in front of them had already sent a light signal to get the train to slow down and stop.

Choo!

The steam engine whistled again, and the train slowed down. Finally, it stopped at an unfamiliar platform.

In the next second, near the steam-powered train's head, the mechanical door opened. The train conductor stood at the entrance and shouted to the staff on the platform, "What happened up ahead?"

"Heavy rain. Visibility is zero!" the white-sideburned employee answered loudly.

Just as he finished speaking, a muffled thunder sounded, causing everyone to tremble as they sensed the incoming storm.

"Damn it!" the train conductor cursed. "Which station is this?"

As it wasn't a normal stop, he didn't really know which station he was at. After all, the schedule he was in charge of didn't stop at every station in the past.

"Utopia! It's a small station! You can arrange the rest yourself!" the staff shouted and ran towards the other end of the platform with the glass lantern in hand. "I have to give the train behind a signal!"

The train conductor had no doubts about the staff's attitude because this was a normal dispatch process. Otherwise, an accident between two steam locomotives would happen.

He could even be certain that the other staff members of the Utopia Station had already sent a telegram to the other stations to warn them.

Of course, they must've received a telegram to learn of the area ahead being enveloped by a heavy storm.

"Utopia…" Wendel repeated the name in a low voice, not finding any useful information in his mind.

Of course, he didn't think too much of it. This was because there were many unknown steam locomotive stations in the entire Loen Kingdom. This was a manifestation of the country's overall strength.

The train conductor looked at the dark sky and muttered a few words before using the newest megaphone to speak to the passengers on board.

"A storm is coming. The train will stop at Utopia station until eight in the morning tomorrow."

He estimated the storm to continue the entire night.

"You can stay in the carriage, or you can exit on your own accord to head into the city to look for an inn. Tomorrow, simply show your ticket stub to board the carriage again. Remember to be on time." The train conductor gave the passengers two choices.

Wendel looked at the passengers inside the second-class carriage and pondered for a few seconds before carrying his suitcase and walking out of the train.

It wasn't that he couldn't handle the harsh environment that wasn't conducive for good sleep. When he was an intelligence officer, he had been through plenty of hardship. He was only relying on his professionalism that the sealed carriages, which were limited in space for passenger movement, weren't as safe as a single room in an inn.

Of course, he could also stay up all night, but this would definitely affect his condition tomorrow. Clearly, he still had a long journey tomorrow.

After exiting Utopia Station, Wendel got on a rental carriage by the side of the road and said to the carriage driver, "To the municipal square."

In the Loen Kingdom, there would definitely be a cathedral and a hotel near the municipal square.

"Sir, are you planning on going to the hotel?" the carriage driver asked as he made the horse turn around, seemingly capable of getting along well with anyone.

"Yes." As a Sequence 7 Beyonder, Wendel didn't hide it.

In his opinion, as long as he lived in the city center while overseas, he could easily find a group of helpers with his status, and his strength was enough to support him in completing this task.

"The best hotel in Utopia is Red Boots. Are we going there?" the coach driver asked in a suggestive tone that all men knew.

If he didn't have a mission, Wendel wouldn't mind pleasuring himself. However, he could only shake his head without any hesitation.

"I want a quiet hotel."

"Alright…" the coachman replied disappointedly. "Let's go to the Irises Hotel. No one will disturb you there."

As the carriage advanced, Wendel cast his gaze outside the window to observe the situation outside.

Perhaps it was because the storm was about to arrive, the people on the road were all in a rush. Even the paperboys looked down.

A very small city… Wendel came to a preliminary conclusion from the lack of a track carriage.

He only saw one trackless carriage. This meant that most of the areas in Utopia could be reached on foot in an adequate amount of time.

Just as he had expected, in less than ten minutes, the rental carriage stopped at the entrance of the Irises Hotel.

Wendel paid the fare and rushed into the hotel before the rain fell.

He heard pattering sounds behind him just as he entered.

After checking in and putting down his luggage, Wendel rested for a while. He kept the confidential document close to him and went to the restaurant on the first floor to enjoy dinner.

He cautiously didn't have any alcoholic beverages and asked for a cup of "Fizzling Ice Tea," which was supposedly a local specialty, and a fried pork chop drenched in apple juice.

As a former intelligence officer of high society, Wendel didn't have much expectations for dinner this time, but he was surprised by the meal.

The pork chop was fried in a succulent and juicy manner that gave off a strong fragrance. The apple juice that was poured on it had a slightly acerbic texture that washed away most of the cloyed taste. The Fizzling Ice Tea was refreshing and especially delicious…

When he foot the bull, Wendel nodded at the medium-build waiter and said,

"Please send my compliments to the chef for giving me the pleasure of this wonderful dinner."

The ordinary-looking waiter smiled and replied, "That wouldn't be an issue.

"In all of Utopia City, our chefs are the best."

Wendel didn't chit-chat and quickly returned to his room to make some arrangements to prevent others from sneaking in.

Then, he fell asleep without any hesitation.

He used a relatively safe period of time, which any possible enemies would find unsuitable for taking action, to sleep and pass the time late into the night.

After an unknown period of time, Wendel was suddenly woken up by an intense argument.

He snapped open his pocket watch to take a look and realized that it wasn't even midnight.

It's from next door… A woman's voice… A man's voice… Wendel sat up and listened carefully.

Initially, he suspected that it was a man and woman flirting, but later, he realized that it was too intense. Some of the items were even thrown onto the wall.

A quarrel turning into a fight? Just as Wendel mumbled, he heard the shouting, cursing, and screaming of a woman.

Beating a woman? As a Loen gentleman, although Wendel believed in the Lord of Storms and discriminated against women, it didn't stop him from thinking that men shouldn't be violent towards women.

After two seconds of consideration, he decided to knock on the door and remind his "neighbors" to take note.

At that moment, a tragic cry rang out.

This was obviously from a man!

Thud! Something heavy fell to the floor.

Wendel's brows twitched as he sharply caught the scent of a criminal case.

He stood up, put on his coat, and went to the room next door. He bent his fingers and knocked twice.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open, and a beautiful woman with long, wavy hair appeared in front of Wendel.

Her hair was in a mess, and her face was ghastly pale. Her light-green clothes were stained with blood, and she was holding a dagger that was dripping with blood.

The lady in her early twenties stammered for a while before speaking in a dreamy tone, "I killed someone…"

Chapter 1331 Pleasure in Helping Others

Wendel wasn't unfamiliar with murder at all. When he heard that, he wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he calmly allowed his gaze to wander past the woman at the door and into the room's interior.

He immediately saw a man lying on the ground. His chest was blood-red.

"Are you sure he's dead?" Wendel asked calmly.

The young lady in her twenties was at a loss at first. Then, she answered with uncertainty, "Maybe… I don't know…"

"If there's still hope, we need to send him to the hospital immediately." Wendel's tone was like he was speaking to a patient's family, not a murderer.

The lady holding the blood dagger subconsciously turned her body and made way.

Wendel took a few steps forward and approached the victim.

He didn't need to squat down. He swept his gaze and made a judgment based on various signs.

"He is indeed dead."

The woman in her twenties with messy, flaxen-colored hair didn't show any obvious change in expression. She looked down at her toes and said, "Call the police."

"How do I address you?" Wendel had already heard hurried footsteps coming from the stairs.

It was obvious that the attendant or hotel owner came up to check on the commotion after hearing the screams.

"Tracey…" the pure lady with an attitude answered softly.

She then sank into her own world and didn't say another word.

Wendel was just about to say something when the owner of the hotel who had helped him check in previously had already rushed through the door.

"Goddess!" the elderly man shouted after seeing the situation in the room.

Wendel pressed down with his right hand, gesturing for him to calm down before saying, "Call the police immediately. I'll stay here and watch."

His temperament and words exuded a sense of confidence that convinced others. The owner of the hotel didn't waste any time and immediately turned around and ran downstairs.

As for Wendel, when he first came over to check on the situation, it was just a habit as a gentleman. In fact, he didn't have the intention to get involved in it. After all, he was still shouldering the mission. However, Miss Tracey's dazed, detached, and cold attitude induced a sense of pity in him. This was a normal reaction for a man.

He surveyed the area as though he was conversing with the air.

"Killing someone doesn't imply a harsh punishment. It can be categorized into many kinds of situations."

Tracey slowly raised her head and cast her gaze at the gentleman.

There was an indescribable luster in her lifeless eyes.

Wendel glanced at her bruised face.

"He hit you?"

"Yes." The man seemed to have some sort of authority, making Tracey, who wanted to remain silent, finally answer.

Wendel looked down at the dagger that was no longer dripping blood.

"Was it you who brought it here, or him?"

Tracey's response was a little slow as she replied, "Him."

Wendel nodded slightly and said, "Exercising your right to self-defense is in line with the law. I can testify to the police that you had an intense argument before it happened and that there was a fight. Clearly, men naturally possess an advantage in this aspect. I'm not discriminating against women, but it's something explained by science and experience."

He paused and asked, "What is the relationship between the two of you? What happened?"

Tracey's eyes darted about and she recovered a little from that deep, reclusive state.

She seemed to be answering a policeman's question as she said with a look of hope and sorrow, "I am, heh, I am his mistress."

Upon saying this, a self-deprecating smile appeared on Tracey's face.

"I used to be an ugly woman who blindly chased after money. Not long after I left the grammar school, I became his mistress under his enticement.

"He gave me a hotel and let me stay there. I wait for his arrival or for him to summon me every week.

"I lost interest in this lifestyle, feeling increasingly suppressed as my inferiority complex grew. I wanted to return everything to him and get rid of him completely, but he wasn't agreeable. He threatened me using all sorts of methods and refused to let me leave him. The recent times we met all ended in fights.

"Just now, he said that there was only one way to leave him, and that was death. Then, he beat me up and took out a dagger. Y-you know what happened after that…"

Mistress… Wendel cast a regretful and pitiful glance at Tracey's face and said, "The traces at the scene have also confirmed the development of the situation."

He had originally thought that Tracey and the deceased were husband and wife, but to his surprise, their relationship was worse than he had imagined.

Tracey nodded blankly and said,

"Thank you."

She didn't say another word. She only broke the silence when the police arrived. She raised her hands and accepted the handcuffs.

Wendel looked at her staggered pace and said to the police, "Bring her to check on her injuries first and treat them to avoid any accidents."

The police officers didn't know why they had to listen to instructions from a witness. In short, they led Tracey and Wendel to a small hospital in the city without any objections under the heavy rain.

As Tracey was a woman, Wendel and two police officers waited in the corridor of the hospital without entering the room.

As time passed, Wendel saw a pregnant woman being sent to the delivery room in a hurry. There seemed to be some problems and they needed help with the labor process.

After a while, he heard the sound of a baby crying, an announcement of a new life coming to this world. At this moment, Tracey happened to come out.

"Do you feel it? Life's beauty," Wendel said to Tracey solemnly.

As Tracey listened to the baby's cries amidst the howling wind and rain, her expression was clearly touched.

Her face had already been wiped clean, making her look very clean and simple.

After a few seconds, Tracey returned to her senses and nodded at Wendel before saying, "Thank you."

This time, she was no longer as numb, blank, and reclusive.

Wendel secretly heaved a sigh of relief and followed her to the police station to record a statement.

After doing what was necessary, Wendel walked to the street side and prepared to take a rental carriage back to the Irises Hotel.

However, in the middle of the stormy night, there were no pedestrians or carriages on the road.

"This is the disadvantage of a small city. It's not convenient enough," Wendel muttered. He opened the umbrella he had brought with him and made his way back to the Irises Hotel.

As a former Sheriff, he had the memory, in the mystical sense, of the route he had taken before. He wasn't worried about getting lost in the small city.

At this moment, the storm had already reduced significantly. However, the strong winds continued to sweep past Wendel, causing rain to fall on him.

This caused Wendel to raise his right hand and block his chest.

That confidential document was hidden on the inside of the clothing.

Wendel had previously kept the document close to him even when he was sleeping, not allowing it to be separated from him. For this reason, he had already developed a habit. As long as he had the corresponding self-reminders, he wouldn't turn over once he fell asleep.

After walking for about fifteen minutes in the small town of Utopia, Wendel saw the Irises Hotel. At that moment, his top hat and clothes were drenched due to the strong winds.

This made him a little worried, worried that the confidential document would be damaged by the water.

Strictly speaking, I have already violated the rules of the mission, but how could I not help a lady like her? This is what a gentleman should do… Wendel was slightly vexed, but he didn't regret it at all.

After entering the room, he immediately removed his jacket and took out the document, placing it on the table.

The envelope containing the document was already visibly soaked. There were quite a few places that seemed to tear with a little force.

Wendel immediately rang the bell and called for an attendant to ask for a gas stove, hoping to raise the temperature in the room and accelerate the air-drying process of the sealed document.

In the process of waiting, he realized that the silence expected from the middle of the night wasn't there. It was as if the screams and the police's arrival had caused the tenants and nearby residents to wake up without being able to fall asleep.

The howling winds lessened significantly, and Wendel could hear children crying, married couples arguing, the sound of a wooden violin being played, intermittent sobbing, the footsteps on the stairs, and the occasional sounds of discussion that were sometimes suppressed and sometimes raised without realizing it.

He didn't feel anything about this lively scene. He just felt that they were noisy that prevented him from calming down.

After a while, the attendant brought over a coal stove.

Wendel relaxed and asked casually, "Do you know that Miss Tracey?"

The thin attendant shook his head.

"No."

He then added, "I heard that she's a local, but I've been living outside in the plantations outside the city before this year."

"What do you know about her?" Wendel asked subconsciously.

"She comes to our hotel three to five times a month, with the dead man." The waiter suddenly sighed. "She's not happy at all."

Wendel was silent for a few seconds before dismissing the attendant and returning to his desk.

Seconds ticked by as the envelope outside the confidential document gradually dried up.

At this moment, the inside and outside of the hotel had become relatively quiet. Only the sound of rain falling and the sound of the windows being rattled by the winds could be heard.

Wendel was full of spirit as he recalled everything that had happened. He sighed for Miss Tracey's life and flipped the envelope.

At this moment, he realized that some damage had appeared on the bottom part of the envelope, revealing the piece of paper inside.

Wendel frowned, knowing that he was about to be punished.

Of course, the punishment wouldn't be too heavy as if the document to be distributed was confidential enough, he wouldn't be the only one to dispatch it.

Wendel had originally planned on maintaining the present state and showing the damaged situation during the handover. However, when he swept his gaze, he saw a word on the document through the hole:

"Utopia."

Wendel's nerves tightened, and he felt as if the sound of the wind and rain outside had suddenly stopped.

Chapter 1332 Shocked in the Middle of the Nigh

Why is the confidential document that I'm dispatching mentioning Utopia?

What's so special about this place?

…

Many thoughts flashed through Wendel's mind as he heard a buzzing sound.

At this moment, he felt as though he was going to fall sick from overexertion.

Wendel quickly forced himself to calm down. He carefully recalled all the experiences he had encountered after coming to Utopia, and he discovered that there were no problems with every detail. They were all things that he might encounter in daily life.

The only thing that made him uneasy was that his arrival was too coincidental.

It was common for the steam locomotive to stop at the last minute due to a storm, but to stop somewhere related to the confidential document in his hand couldn't be explained away with coincidence.

Wendel stared at the confidential document on the table with a solemn expression. He hesitated as to whether he should open them and read them carefully.

Perhaps it's just a passing mention of "Utopia." My actions will severely violate internal affairs. Perhaps this is the report of a certain intelligence agent secretly investigating Utopia. The contents will decide whether I survive to a certain extent, or die… After struggling for a while, Wendel looked out the window at the dark night sky and reached for the document.

Only by being alive could one consider the punishment!

Having made up his mind, Wendel swiftly removed the envelope outside and flipped through the typed files inside.

As he read, his hand trembled slightly. He felt a chill run down his back. Even the burning furnace didn't help.

No matter which angle he read it from, the confidential report in his hands indicated that there was something wrong with Utopia—the entire town.

This might be a city that didn't exist in the real world!

Wendel felt his mouth go dry, as though he had heard the footsteps of Death slowly approaching him with a sickle.

Instinctively, he wanted to get up, but in the end, he controlled himself and didn't react rashly.

This was because he could feel pairs of eyes staring at him in the darkness outside, the room upstairs, and the corridor outside.

What should I do? Up till now, nothing abnormal happened… This means that if I didn't know anything, it's possible that I'd be safe and welcome daybreak… I've read through a lot of information, and if I rashly show that I already know about the strange environment around me, it would only cause danger to erupt ahead of time… However, I can't just not do anything and leave my fate to luck… Wendel recalled all the dangers he had experienced before and quickly made up his mind.

He was prepared to immediately return to the steam locomotive, and stay far away from Utopia to a certain extent.

At least, most of the people there were normal, while the city was full of danger.

Of course, Wendel couldn't just run back like that. He had to act normal, as though he had left the hotel in the middle of the night to return to the steam locomotive station.

Amidst his thoughts, Wendel put away his confidential report and stood up calmly. He put on his coat and put on his top hat.

Then, with his luggage in one hand and an umbrella in the other, he calmly walked to the door and turned the doorknob.

At this moment, the corridor was dark, with only a few gas lamps on both sides of the corridor giving off light that wasn't bright enough. It added signs of human life to the silent environment in which he could hear a pin drop.

When Wendel entered the corridor, the wooden floor beneath his feet made a slight creaking sound. It was so clear in the silent night that it traveled far into the distance.

With a slight frown, Wendel intentionally took a normal step forward and approached the staircase in the middle of the corridor.

He walked without any worries and had no intention of acting furtively.

As he saw the stairs getting closer, he suddenly heard a squeaking sound behind him.

"Sir, where are you going?" A slightly hoarse and intermittent male voice sounded in Wendel's ears.

Wendel's body stiffened. He slowly turned back and saw the wooden door to the service room open. An attendant came out and stood in the shadows of the door.

He quickly smiled and said calmly, "I have an important item on the steam locomotive. I'm afraid that someone would take it away, so I have no choice but to return now."

At this point, he softly grumbled, "A murder happened at the hotel. I don't want to stay here anymore. I can't sleep at all."

"I'm very sorry." The attendant bowed slightly and responded.

"I won't spread the news." Wendel nodded with a promise and then walked back up the stairs.

Perhaps it was due to the dim lighting in the night, he walked very carefully. Every step was like walking on the edge of a precipice.

One step, two steps, three steps… Wendel, who had been on guard towards the attendant behind him, finally returned to the first floor.

At that moment, not a single person was present in the hotel lobby. All the items were hidden in the darkness, and the faint light from the outside cast a blurry silhouette, just like monsters eager to devour people.

Wendel looked ahead and walked through the dark lobby before reaching the door.

Just as he pushed open the door and went out, he suddenly heard some rustling sounds behind him. It was as if there were rats moving around, or it was as if someone was approaching him with light footsteps.

The back of Wendel's head went numb, but he held back his impulse to make a dash for it. He raised his head normally and looked up at the sky which had already stopped raining.

Then, he inhaled the cold, fresh air and made his way to the steam locomotive station.

He quickened his pace, looking like he was afraid of the night and eager to end this journey.

As he walked, Wendel saw a signboard from the corner of his eye.

"Utopia telegraph office."

The telegraph office… Perhaps I can try sneaking in and send an emergency telegram to the Backlund headquarters and Eskelson military base. That way, I can look forward to the rescue from demigods… If I'm really trapped here and unable to leave, this will be the only way to save myself… Wendel thought for a moment before taking a few steps diagonally, arriving at the entrance of the Utopia telegraph office.

He wasn't in a hurry to find a place to sneak in. Instead, he focused his attention and listened to the movements inside.

Following that, he heard intermittent sounds of heavy breathing.

This made Wendel occasionally feel that there was no one inside, and at times, he felt that there was more than one person inside.

Suddenly, the sound of breathing stopped.

All of Wendel's hair stood on end.

His intuition told him that a figure was standing quietly behind the door of the telegraph office!

Without any hesitation, Wendel immediately gave up the thought of sending a telegram. He walked past the door and continued proceeding forward.

For the rest of the journey, even a gust of wind left Wendel trembling in fear. He was afraid of encountering an unknown danger.

Time passed slowly as Wendel experienced the torment. Finally, he reached the entrance of the steam locomotive station and saw that the door was tightly shut. He couldn't enter.

This wasn't a problem for Wendel. He first passed the umbrella to his left hand that was carrying his luggage, then went to the side and found a wall. With a press of his palm, he rose into the air and easily flipped over.

After landing his feet firmly on the ground, Wendel heaved a sigh of relief and began walking towards the platform at an unhurried pace.

At that moment, an inaudible sound of footsteps could be heard behind him.

"What are you doing here?" A deep and hoarse voice rang out.

Wendel's toes tightened as cold sweat broke out on his back.

He didn't hesitate. As he prepared to get violent, he made his body turn slowly and stiffly.

The first thing that entered his eyes was a classic glass lantern, followed by the staff member from before.

Wendel exhaled and grumbled, "It's not appropriate for you to appear in such an environment on such a night.

"As a gentleman, you have to avoid scaring others."

"I'm not a gentleman," the staff member replied in an unfriendly manner.

Wendell pointed to the corner of the platform.

"I'm going to the bathroom."

He had already observed the platform's environment and layout of the platform earlier in the day.

"Then, why are you here?" the worker asked.

"I'm lost," Wendel answered simply.

Following that, he ignored the staff and walked towards the bathroom.

Behind him, the staff member watched silently without saying a word.

This gave Wendel a lot of mental stress, but he maintained his gait very well.

In the bathroom, under the illumination of the wall lamps, Wendel took nearly a minute to relieve the tension in his body and successfully peed.

After returning to the steam locomotive, Wendel finally found a sense of security as he looked at the passengers lying on their beds.

In the next few hours, he didn't sleep at all and was on guard against any accidents.

Just as Wendel's grasp of the passage of time slowed down, the sky gradually brightened and dispersed the darkness.

In the next two hours, the travelers who had gone to Utopia returned one after another. Some bought a bottle of local red wine. Some looked haggard. They looked like they had been beaten up or were hungover.

Wendel was very wary of them, but he couldn't discover anything unusual in the details.

Choo!

Finally, the whistle sounded as the steam locomotive slowly began to move.

Amidst the chugging sounds, the train left Utopia Station.

After that, they went through another dark, gloomy weather. Fortunately, no thunderstorm descended, and the sun quickly pierced through the clouds and illuminated the ground.

For Wendel, all of this was normal. It had been like this since he arrived at Utopia last night. If not for the confidential report which was hidden near his chest, he definitely wouldn't have believed that there was any problem with Utopia.

When the steam locomotive reached the next stop, one that everyone was familiar with, Wendel finally relaxed. He felt as if his brain ached with a throb, as though he had been drained of his energy.

At this moment, he quickly recalled his experience in Utopia.

As he recalled, Wendel suddenly sat up straight.

He had used the excuse of going to the bathroom last night, but he was carrying his luggage and an umbrella. He didn't look like a passenger who had just come down from a steam train.

The station worker didn't realize this, or rather, he had already discovered it, but he did not expose him for some unknown reason!

Chapter 1333 Warning Using His Experience As Example

All of a sudden, the muscles on Wendel's back began to tense up as if he were about to explode.

He was shocked and doubtful as several guesses flashed through his mind.

The residents of Utopia are monsters in human skin. They usually look normal, but once they encounter blind spots in logic, they would show a side that is different from an ordinary person, ignoring the points that are obviously problematic?

Or perhaps that staff realized that I was lying and was unwilling to deal with me, so he pretended not to see me and let me go? But why?

Yes, carrying my luggage to the bathroom can be explained away as me being afraid of losing my luggage, but the entire platform is sheltered. There's no need to take the umbrella. Besides, the rain had already stopped…

Wendel instinctively turned his gaze out of the window, only to see the sunlight shining on the platform he was at. One by one, passengers waited in order behind the safety line, completely different from the dark and gloomy vibes that Utopia gave off.

Phew… He exhaled and suddenly relaxed.

This isn't Utopia… I've already left… Wendel murmured to himself as he wiped away the cold sweat that had seeped out from his forehead.

When he recalled his oversight earlier, it was as if he had fallen into a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from no matter how hard he tried.

After a while, Wendel stood up and decided to smoke at the platform to ease his mood.

The tobacco comforted him greatly, allowing him to recall his past experiences in Utopia.

During this process, he gained inspiration from his encounter:

Maybe it's because I sincerely helped Tracey, so that staff member intentionally ignored my problematic actions and let me go?

Compared to the entire population of Utopia being monsters hiding underneath human skin, Wendel was more willing to accept this explanation.

At this moment, from the corner of his eye, he saw the conductor talking to a group of people in a corner.

Wendel took a few steps forward, trying to hear what they were saying.

With the help of his hearing that transcended the normal limits of hearing, he vaguely heard the conversation from a distance that wouldn't incur suspicion.

"Last night, the station… Utopia…"

"Doesn't exist… in the kingdom…"

"Please keep it a secret…"

Wendel's brows twitched slightly. Based on the description of the document near his chest, he roughly understood what the train conductor was talking about.

They were saying that the kingdom didn't have a station known as Utopia at all, and last night, the steam locomotive had gone "missing"!

At that moment, a strong sense of horror surged through Wendel's heart again. He felt that it was his greatest blessing to be able to leave Utopia alive.

…

Alfred spent nearly a week before returning to Backlund from Eskelson Harbor.

This was because he had visited the family of his deceased comrades, his old friends, the elders who had returned to their fief for vacation, and some of his family's business partners along the way.

"This is even more tiring than participating in battle," Alfred grumbled to his father, Earl Hall.

Earl Hall smiled and pointed at the staircase.

"Return to your room and get some rest. We'll talk in the study later."

He was quite satisfied with the mental state and progress of his second son.

Alfred surveyed the area and asked with a smile, "Where's the most dazzling jewel of Backlund?"

He paused for a moment before adding, "What about Hibbert?"

Earl Hall laughed and said, "Audrey went to her foundation and will only return in the afternoon. She kept complaining that you couldn't provide her with a definite schedule, preventing her from knowing when you would arrive.

"Hibbert is now a cabinet secretary. He's very busy."

Alfred nodded and returned to his room to take a shower. He changed into a shirt, vest, and formal suit.

"I prefer East Balam's casualness." He looked into the mirror and smiled at his adjutant.

"This outfit makes you look more like a noble," his adjutant said as he handed him the document in his hand. "General, this is from MI9."

"MI9?" Alfred thoughtfully destroyed the seal on the envelope. "There's a result regarding the investigation of Utopia that quickly?"

Before he could finish his sentence, he pulled out the document and flipped through it.

During this process, Alfredo flipped through the pages slower and slower. In the end, he read it again from the first page.

The main content of this investigation was divided into two parts:

The first was regarding the MI9 member who had dispatched Alfred's report. He had accidentally entered Utopia and witnessed a murder case. He managed to forcefully escape in the middle of the night and return to the steam locomotive. The second was that the railways in Desi Bay which led to Backlund didn't have a stop named Utopia Station along the way, nor was there a harbor known as Utopia in the Berserk Sea. The subsequent investigators didn't find any traces.

The two cases didn't exceed the limits of Alfred's imagination. What surprised him was the criminal involved in the murder.

Her name was Tracey. She was the owner of a hotel. She had received middle-class education and graduated from grammar school. After that, she became a mistress of a businessman. Recently, she was trying to free herself from this identity.

This was identical to the owner of the harbor hotel, Tracey, that Alfred had met. Every detail matched.

As a result, Alfred determined that the culprit behind the murder was Tracey, the beautiful woman who had received a certain degree of education, who was able to produce sad music in the middle of the night.

Is this her backstory? Alfred muttered to himself silently.

This made the residents of Utopia seem very realistic. It wasn't what Alfred had expected—an illusion.

In other words, after the outsiders left, the inhabitants of Utopia continued to lead their own lives. They had their own love, hatred, pains, and sorrow. They had all sorts of experiences.

Apart from Utopia seeming to not exist in the real world, it was similar to any ordinary town in the Loen Kingdom.

Perhaps, Utopia is real. Everyone there is real. However, if one wants to enter the town, they have to be in the right place at the right time… Alfred nodded indiscernibly and put away the investigation report he had received from MI9.

To him, even if this matter ended here, he had no intention to investigate further.

One had to know that, in the Southern Continent, there were countless bizarre incidents and phenomena. If one was too curious, it would only bring him greater danger than he imagined.

After adjusting his clothes and mood, Alfred came to his father's study and knocked on the door with his curled finger.

"Come on in." Earl Hall's voice rang out.

Alfred tidied his blond hair, pushed the door open, and sat down.

Earl Hall smiled at him and said, "You're already a man."

"No one would say such words to a man," Alfred replied without any reservations.

"In my heart, you're still that rebellious youth," Earl Hall said with a smile. "You're already a Sequence 5 Beyonder?"

Alfred replied with a double entendre, "Yes, I am a real knight."

Earl Hall nodded and suddenly sighed.

"You should've experienced a lot of hardship.

"From what I know, no matter if it's the potions or war, they will bring serious damage to people, from their bodies to their minds."

"Everyone undergoes a lot of pain in their lives," Alfred said with a sigh.

He used a Loen-styled euphemism.

After a pause, he added, "Compared to when I left Backlund, my present state is even better. As long as I grasp a method properly, I don't need to worry too much about the impact of the madness at my level."

Earl Hall didn't continue on this matter and instead said, "Your sister has also become a Beyonder."

"Oh?" Alfred was shocked at first, but then he remembered something. He said with some annoyance, "I thought she just changed her hobby."

"From the looks of it, Audrey's adventure had a little bit of your help," Earl Hall said, seemingly enlightened. "I hope you can talk to her about how dangerous, crazy, and painful it is about the Sequence potions. Let her remain at her current level."

Alfred replied without hesitation, "I'll do it."

In the evening, in Audrey's small study room.

"Alfred, why are you looking for me?" Audrey, who had changed into home clothes, led Susie and opened the door for her brother.

She had been waiting for her brother for a few minutes.

"I have something to warn you of." Alfred walked into the study and casually pulled a chair over.

Audrey smiled and pointed at the golden retriever.

"Do you need Susie to leave?"

Alfred couldn't help but smile as he looked at the obedient golden retriever who was sitting by the side, her eyes filled with a look of sentience.

"There's no need for that. I believe it won't eavesdrop on our conversation."

"She," Audrey casually corrected him.

After the noble girl sat opposite him, Alfred sighed inwardly.

After not seeing her for a few years, her younger sister was no longer as tender as before. Regardless of her looks or temperament, she had already reached a level that brought about amazement. She was no longer the little girl from the past.

Alfred retracted his gaze and asked casually, "I heard that you became a Beyonder?"

"Yes." Audrey nodded frankly.

Alfred had originally planned on asking what Sequence she was, but after some thought, he felt that it was too direct. It was easy for her to flare up, so he deliberated over his words and said, "You should be a Beyonder of the Spectator pathway, right? The Rainbow Salamander has similar powers."

The Rainbow Salamander was a gift from Alfred to his sister.

After Audrey gave an affirmative answer, Alfred joked, "Can you do treatment in the mind domain now? Most Beyonders, including me, need help in this aspect. Yes, I forgot to tell you that I'm already a Sequence 5 Disciplinary Paladin of the Arbiter pathway."

Audrey pursed her lips and smiled.

"I'm a qualified psychiatrist who has undergone professional training. You can verify this with Father and Mother."

She's already a Sequence 7… Alfred's expression gradually turned solemn.

"Audrey, I have to remind you that the potions do not only bring about strength."

Having said that, he paused and observed his sister's reaction. He realized that Audrey wasn't impatient at all and was listening very seriously.

"Every potion contains madness that can lead to a loss of control… I've seen similar situations before. More than once… They happened to my enemies, and they happened to my friends. No one is spared…" Alfred amalgamated his experiences in East Balam and began explaining the dangers of the potion in detail.

During this process, he realized that his sister, Audrey, wasn't the only one listening attentively. Furthermore, Susie, the golden retriever, appeared extremely quiet.