Mr. A's conversation

By passing on the message to search for the Ince Zangwill imposter, Klein, with the help of divination, overcame the interference of the Master Key and ran all the way to the exit given to him from the revelation.

He knew very well that with a carpet-style search, the corpse in the empty room would soon be discovered, so he had to race against time to get to the exit. A Faceless's powers should be matched with a mystical item that can destroy corpses and clean up my tracks.

Having gained true knowledge from practice, it didn't take Klein long to cross the checkpoints and patrolling teams before he arrived at the exit where the divination pointed him to. However, what made him even more surprised was that there were no guards here, only a heavy stone door standing there by itself.

'What's going on? Why is there no one guarding the exit? Was my divination misguided, or are the guards outside?' As his thoughts raced, Klein found a corner and took off his armour, restoring his lightweight and agility.

Then, he came to the stone door that opened outwards and groped his way to the corner of the left wall. After carefully checking with a gold coin, Klein took out the ancient bronze key. He leaned it against the wall and gently twisted it.

Water ripples appeared as they spread out slightly. Klein silently passed through the wall, without taking the door! The first thing he saw was the natural light that fell from the dome, which meant that this place was really an exit.

Klein carefully stood motionless as he quickly adapted to the light. He saw neat but mottled grey stones under his feet and thick pillars in front of him. In the middle of the hall, four hooded figures knelt around what appeared to be an altar.

Soon after, Klein heard a soft but gentle female voice. "Mr. A, are you ready?"

'Mr. A? Mr. A of the Aurora Order?' Klein, who had intended to cling towards the walls and shadows and proceed towards the door, shrank back silently.

Klein leaned his back against the wall and slowed his breathing, thinking and listening to the conversation in the middle of the hall.

After a short period of silence, a hoarse voice sounded, "It's done."

The answer was so concise that Klein couldn't make out what they were planning. The melodious and pleasant voice from before laughed in a low voice, "You don't seem to trust us very much?"

"That's right," Mr. A answered bluntly. "Heh heh, then I'll be frank and describe our goal and why I'm seeking your cooperation," the gentle female voice didn't sound angry at all, "We've done certain things and left behind clear traces. Before we're discovered by the Churches of Evernight, Storm, and Steam, as well as the military, we must do the corresponding clean-up, and this requires your help. Yes, it seems like you don't really understand what I mean, so let me give you an example. Imagine—Imagine you performed a heinous crime like murder in a house, so what's the best way of eliminating any evidence and clues?"

"There's no need for that. It's our goal to have others witness such an act," Mr. A said indifferently.

'As expected of a member of the Aurora Order... They're all a bunch of lunatics,' Klein made a preliminary identification of the speaking man to be "Mr. A" who had killed the Intis Ambassador.

"... Suppose it were me, not you," the clear, soft female voice had a faint wheezing sound.

After a second, Mr. A. replied, "Burn that house and bury all the clues there."

The clear and gentle female voice had a smiling tone. "That's exactly what we planned. I'm in charge of 'committing arson,' while you can use this opportunity to go with this development to create a passageway or vessel, so as to allow your Lord to descend upon this world. Plus, my pet will use this opportunity to reach Sequence 4. And the only price you guys have to pay is to bear all the infamy and gain the most enmity from the military and the three Churches. But I don't think you would mind that."

"As long as we can welcome the return of the Lord, even if we're abhorred by every single force, we won't show any sign of cowardice," Mr. A's tone no longer appeared indifferent and distant.

"It appears like you have no other questions," said the gentle female voice. "This place is sufficiently well-hidden and can be used for the required set-up. You can do your ritual here at ease and won't need to worry that it'll be interrupted before you succeed. As for the things outside, we've already finished our preparations a long time ago. It's just waiting for the ignition of a 'spark.' If you still have doubts, then you can make another round of checks."

Just as Mr. A was about to speak, Klein heard a dull thud. It was the sound of the door opening. "Who permitted you to enter? Didn't I declare that no one is to approach this area?"

The gentle female voice suppressed her rage. "Lady Despair, there's an emergency! Someone has infiltrated the basement! The higher-ups sent me to arrange for a follow-up and close the corresponding passages," a male voice with a distinct Backlund accent responded very quickly.

The so-called "Lady Despair" maintained her silence for a few seconds, as though she was communicating with an unknown existence to confirm the situation. Finally, she said without changing her tone, "Go back inside. Don't come out again, nor allow anyone out. Wait until further notice."

"Yes, Lady Despair!" The man ran towards the stone door, with a heavy thud sounding in the background. From the place where Klein was hiding, he could clearly see the stone door leading to the back area. He waited for seven or eight seconds before a figure of normal height and build appeared.

The man took a deep breath, stretched out his hands, and bared his teeth as he pushed open the heavy stone door with a ferocious expression.

The hall was silent for a few seconds before Mr. A's deep and hoarse voice rang out again. "I smell an accident. Let's begin. We need to hurry before it arrives."

Lady Despair responded slowly, "That's exactly what I was thinking. But I need you to send me to East Borough."

'East Borough?' Klein had a bad premonition.

"No problem," Mr. A answered with a lack of emotion. Under the hood, a transparent and blurry book appeared in front of him. Accompanied by a distant and indistinct chant, he said, "I came, I saw, I record."

The book quickly flipped open and stopped at one of the pages. Soon after, it began to emit a light blue and illusory light. The light enveloped the white-robed Lady Despair, causing her figure to blur at first, then becoming indistinct.