In response to the man's words, Adryan nodded slowly, understanding what the detective wanted him to do.
"You want me to use my identity as Harvey Wayne to get closer to the displays. Is that right?"
The question was not asked as such; it was a statement of the obvious.
Without changing his expression, Klein replied, "That's right."
He was a nameless detective with a relatively low reputation. If he were the one to approach the clerks and ask to take a closer look at one of the books or notebooks written by the Great Caesar, they would undoubtedly ask him to leave.
But if the one asking were the man whose name resonates louder and louder every day for his invention of animated art, the case would be different.
"He..." Covering his mouth to stifle his laughter, the redhead looked at the Fool with gleaming eyes, "You realize you're asking Batman for help in damaging historical artifacts?"
Klein looked at him blankly. Slowly, one eyebrow arched upward.
"You stole Disney's mascot and their movie.
The Reaper's response was already in the chamber. "Stealing from Disney is not a crime. It is a duty as a human being."
"Fair point." Nodding at such wise words, Klein couldn't help but laugh a little.
After what they had done to Star Wars, whatever came Disney's way was well deserved.
Smiling a little at the laughter of his favorite clown, Adryan closed his eyes and sighed relaxed.
"Luckily for you, my dear Moriarty, I'm also quite two-faced, so I'll give you a hand."
"...That was awful." Shaking his head at the attempted joke he had to endure, Klein grimaced.
'Expression control really is a lifesaver…' Putting aside how embarrassing it was to be called "dear," he looked at his fellow countryman curiously.
"Won't there be a problem with the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom? If it turns out that the Card of Blasphemy is in the National Museum, it's obvious that we're not going to leave it there."
"That will be a problem for the Wise Owls if they fail to guard the Memorial," the Reaper shrugged indifferently. "Besides, the Machinery Hivemind will also be on guard. It will be both of their fault."
'Aren't you also a Wise Owl? Do you care so little about how the Church's reputation will be affected if they lose a historical artifact?' Lampooning inwardly, Klein was about to say something when he was beaten to the punch.
"Anyway, they won't be the biggest problem in stealing the bookmark if it turns out to be a Card of Blasphemy."
"Do they have an artifact to prevent that?" Frowning slightly, Klein held his chin.
If that was the case, then there was no problem for him. The way he planned to take the bookmark ensured that no one could catch him if he really wanted to escape with it.
At his words, the redhead waved his hand from side to side, "Nah. It's because our niece is probably there."
"Niece?" Turning his attention back to his side, the detective's frown deepened.
Without haste, Adryan replied, "Bernadette."
"The princess of Huang Tao?" Somewhat surprised, Klein asked, "She'll be there?"
"She never stopped looking for her father." Sighing a little, the redhead rested his elbow against the armrest of the sofa and sank into the pillow.
More comfortable, Adryan added, "Little Bernadette will be the biggest obstacle to taking the bookmark. A Sequence 3 Demigod is not something we can easily fool."
Gulp
Swallowing a little saliva, Klein felt a drop of sweat run down the back of his neck. Taking a deep breath, the detective nodded slowly.
"You won't have any problems?"
He was confident in his escape method; his concern now was whether Joa could perform the test without being detected by her.
If Roselle had told his favorite daughter stories about his world, it was very likely that she had her eye on Harvey Wayne. And if that was the case, it was almost certain that she would catch him red-handed if he tried anything.
Adryan snorted, side-eyeing his fellow. "Ha! Look who's talking. You should worry more about yourself than me, my dear Zhou. I'm just going to sneak a taste of the cake. Don't forget, YOU'RE the one who's going to take it.
"You really are confident in yourself. Are you sure she won't catch you?"
Ignoring how his eyebrow wanted to twitch, Klein just closed his eyes and nodded serenely, "I have my ways."
Then, he opened one eye with the corners of his lips slightly curved, "And you seem to have some of your own."
His fellow didn't seem the least bit concerned about having to sneak away from the eyes of a demigod; one way or another, he must have a way to avoid it.
At that, the redhead also smiled, "Don't we all?"
A silence of mutual understanding filled the room, neither man inquiring about the other's methods. They just looked at each other calmly.
After about 10 seconds, Klein looked away, and another yellowed page appeared in his hands.
"Roselle mentioned that the Hunter Pathway can also be exchanged with the Warrior, Sleepless, and Death Pathways. Not just with the Assassin. Is there a reason you didn't mention that when we talked about it?"
"It's not something you need to know right now." Adryan didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point, still with his cheek resting on his palm.
"Understood." Not at all disappointed, Klein put the matter at the back of his mind. He had already expected something like this, so it came as no surprise.
If this guy didn't explain something, it was usually for a good reason.
Tapping his cheek lightly, Adryan lowered his hand and sighed.
"I'll let you know through Mr Fool as soon as I get confirmation. The rest is up to you."
"You're not interested in getting it?" Klein raised an eyebrow.
The Cards of Blasphemy could be considered mini Slates of Blasphemy. They contained all the potion formulas for a pathway from Sequence 9 up to the True God of Sequence 0. Knowing Joa's personality, he was surprised at his lack of interest in such a valuable item.
At his words, the redhead shook his head, "You found it first. It's yours."
"...You're really going to respect the rule of first-come, first-served?"
"We're soul brothers, remember? Not only that. This is something left behind by our beloved and perverted Huang Tao. Competing for this is the worst thing we could do. We must be united." Adryan tilted his head to the left. A little of his long hair escaped from his hood.
"Don't you think?" he added, a small smile graced his lips.
Klein's brown eyes softened. A warm smile blossomed on his face.
"True"
In this world they didn't belong to. Where anything could kill them or make them lose control. The least they could have was each other.
With that in mind, the Fool reached out his hand.
The redhead's smile became toothy. He also extended his hand.
Clap!
...
The familiar scent of lavender and honey filled his nose along with the sensation of a pair of hands playing with his hair.
Letting out a satisfied moan, his scarlet eyes opened lazily.
"Good evening, Princess." A pair of gray eyes greeted him boredly.
At that look, the redhead couldn't help but play around a little. With narrowed eyes, he whispered;
"Ah, am I in heaven, or why is an angel greeting me?"
Thump!
A knuckle hit him on the forehead for his joke.
"If you're ready, get up. You've slept enough." Sighing as she got up, Flora looked at the young lady sitting in front of her.
Calmly, she asked, "Ready to go?"
"Yes, Teacher Flora!" Hazel Match jumped up from the sofa, her expression trembling a little.
She'd had a golden opportunity to chat with her former teacher of mysticism, but she hadn't been able to say a word. All she could do was stare at the floor. And since Flora was her teacher, she didn't start a conversation unless it was necessary.
'Calm down... There will be a next time...' Taking a deep breath, the green-haired young lady walked over to the duo.
Finishing stretching with a loud crack of her neck, Adryan used his threads to tie his hair into a high ponytail while pulling a yellowish-brown children's book from his shadow and handing it to Flora.
Smiling slightly at his student as she approached them, the Reaper chuckled softly.
"Hazel, what's your size?"
"Eh?" Not expecting that question, the young woman stopped short.
Her brown eyes shifted to the white-haired woman. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up slightly at the faint smile on her elder's face.
With Feynapotter Children's Stories open to a random page and its pages already glowing a soft blue, Flora spoke.
"We're going shopping for a while"
Tremble.
For some reason, Hazel felt that the best thing she could do now was to run to the living room door and flee.
Noticing the young lady's clear concern, Adryan could only laugh a little.
'When Flora wants to, she can be terrifying.' Shaking his head, the redhead put his hands in his pockets.
While his dear worm went shopping, he had something to do first.
...
City of Silver, Daytime. Derrick Berg House.
The Sun Derrick Berg was studying when someone knocked loudly on the door of his house.
Hearing this, the 14-year-old closed the book in his hands and got up, going to the entrance of his door.
"I'm coming!" Sighing somewhat exasperated, Derrick quickened his pace a little.
Opening the door with a frown, he complained, "How many times do I have to tell you not to knock so hard?"
The ever-smiling Darc Regence scratched the back of his neck apologetically, "Sorry, sorry. I won't do it again. I just really wanted to see you."
Suspicion glinted in the blond's eyes.
"What did you do now?"
Although Darc was one of his few friends, Derrick would be lying if he said the guy didn't annoy him with his strange antics.
Looking at him intently, wondering what he could have done, Derrick's eyebrows rose slightly.
Thanks to being part of the Giant Pathway, Darc had always been taller than him. But now it seemed like he had grown overnight.
Understanding what this meant, a smile blossomed on the shorter boy's face.
"You advanced to Sequence 8?!"
"A few hours ago." With a smile that seemed to break his face, the now Pugilist Darc laughed with great energy.
Clicking his tongue, Derrick lamented a little, "I thought I would be the first to advance to Sequence 8..."
He was only missing two ingredients to obtain all the materials he needed for the Light Suppliant potion. He had wanted to surprise Chariot with his advancement in the Tarot Club today, but he had failed to obtain the ingredients in time.
"Hahaha!" Laughing happily, Darc shook his head and patted the blond's head, "You don't have to worry, I'm sure you'll be at least second."
Pushing the hand away from his hair with a slight grunt, Derrick raised an eyebrow, "Did you tell him too?"
"You're the first to know," The Pugilist shook his head gently, "I was planning to after seeing you first. Want to come?"
Having nothing else to do, Derrick accepted the offer. With the Shape-Shifting Staff hanging from his waist, he accompanied Darc through the brightly lit streets of the City of Silver.
Soon, they both arrived at a house where the last member of their small trio lived.
Stopping the giant from knocking loudly on the door again, Derrick gave him a silent look of reproach as he took his place.
Ignoring the awkward laughter behind him, Derrick knocked softly on the door.
Soft footsteps came from inside, and soon the door was opened by a young man.
He was a few years older than Darc and Derrick, and taller than both. His black hair reached his shoulders, and his deep black eyes had a certain gleam to them.
"Oh? What are you doing here? Derrick, Darc?" Scratching his right eye, the young man raised an eyebrow, "Congratulations on advancing to Pugilist, by the way, Darc."
The smile on the latter's face faded a little. "Tch, that's why you were the last one I told. I can never hide anything from you, Mordret."
"Hehe." Laughing a little, Derrick shook his head.
This was why he had agreed to come.
Mordret, apart from being the eldest of the three, was also undoubtedly the smartest. This was a bit surprising considering his somewhat unkempt appearance, which completely fooled Derrick when Darc first introduced him.
Shaking his head quickly, Darc's toothy smile returned as if it had never left. The bitterness forgotten.
"We'll go to the training ground now. What do you say? A spar?"
"Mmm." Considering it for a moment, Mordret rolled his shoulders, "Okay."
Putting on a hooded tunic that was hanging on a rack next to his door, the young man went out.
"Lead the way," Mordret said calmly, his lips curving into a simple smile.