Blackthorn Security Company.
Klein also heard the commotion coming from outside. He turned his face, pressed an ear against the wall, and listened carefully for a while.
It seemed that someone had deliberately set fire to a nearby house, creating a scene of chaos.
"This doesn't feel normal..." Klein muttered to himself. He thought about getting out of bed to take a look, but before his body could fully leave the mattress, he felt weak all over, especially his legs, which couldn't muster any strength at all.
"Why is this stomachache so absurd... don't tell me I ate something with laxatives?"
In the end, Klein simply couldn't get out of bed. He had no choice but to lie back down and rest.
The thought of himself playing the role of the Fool above the gray fog, so mysterious and powerful, yet in reality, being stuck in bed from a mere stomachache... it left him feeling utterly helpless.
Fortunately, Mr. Hanged Man, Miss Justice, and Little Sun didn't know about this. Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have the face to meet them.
That guy, Ince Zangwill, really had no bottom line, to actually use such a method against him.
Just then, a large bony hand stretched out from Klein's shoulder, dropped a letter, and vanished.
"It's a letter from Mr. Azik!"
Klein took the letter, and his mood instantly brightened. After an entire day of misfortune, finally, some good news.
"Your intuition has always been sharp. If you believe that Lanevus and Megose may give birth to an evil god's offspring, then the likelihood is indeed very high.
Knowledge about such Evil Gods descent is too complex; I can only provide you with a brief outline here: Generally speaking, what's called the offspring of an evil god is essentially the power of the evil god brewing inside the body of a pregnant woman. Once that power reaches a certain threshold, the child born can be considered an evil god's offspring.
Everything they possess is granted by the god. Their greatest strength lies in their high level of existence, and their most dangerous ability is allowing the god's will to descend upon them, using their own body as a vessel to forcibly host the god's power.
Once the god's gaze falls and its consciousness descends, that is the most dangerous moment, the entire city of Tingen could face utter destruction.
To prevent this disaster from spreading, there's only one method: while the god's offspring is still in the womb, it must be located quickly and destroyed.
Every day of delay will multiply its power, until it finally becomes a super bomb capable of annihilating all of Tingen.
Lastly, be wary of 008's script-arranging ability. Ince Zangwill may strike at you at a crucial moment."
The letter contained a lot: not only a brief introduction to evil god offspring but also a method of resolution.
But in his current state... Klein glanced down at his shrunken stomach. Even if he wanted to take action, he was powerless.
Ince Zangwill had done this precisely to buy himself time, ensuring Klein couldn't interfere with his plan during these critical days.
With his abilities, the only real threat he posed was through divination in the gray fog.
Could it be that Ince feared his divinations might uncover something vital?
As Klein pondered, footsteps approached outside. He quickly tucked Mr. Azik's letter into his inner pocket.
The visitor was Leonard.
Leonard glanced at Klein lying in bed, his expression strange. After a moment, he said:"I've already found out the cause of your stomach trouble."
"What was it?"
Klein's heart skipped, a bad premonition rising.
"Simply put, the kitchen staff was careless and put something... not very healthy into your food."
"Stop. That's enough."
Klein cut him off immediately. He didn't want to know what he had eaten by mistake, otherwise he might throw up right then and there.
"That's probably for the best. It wasn't anything pleasant."
"..." Klein sulked for a while, then asked what was happening outside.
"Some fanatical cultists suddenly went mad tonight. Some set themselves on fire in the streets, some stormed into people's homes with knives, and others seized the chaos to hold dark rituals."
Leonard described the night's turmoil in more detail.
The local police force was severely understaffed, and their team had to send people out to help.
Aside from Klein, the rest of the night watch squad was already out in the field.
"Didn't they request reinforcements from above?"
"They did, but it'll take two or three days for them to arrive."
Klein fell silent. Two or three days... that was enough for many things to change.
...
Backlund, Empress Borough.
The crimson moon hung high tonight, spilling its gentle, gauzy light across the windows, as the sound of storytelling filled the room.
"I recently thought up a very interesting story. It's called Little Blue Hood and His Wolf Grandma."
"Once upon a time, deep in the forest, there was a little wooden hut. In it lived a boy who always wore a blue hood, and his grandmother, who liked to go out late at night."
"During the day, the boy loved to play with the forest animals. Because he always wore his blue hood when he went out, the animals called him Little Blue Hood."
"At night, however, he could only stay inside the hut, gazing out the window at the world beyond. His grandmother forbade him from going out after moonrise, saying that the forest at night was full of danger."
"At first, Little Blue Hood obeyed. But gradually, his curiosity grew. Why couldn't he go out at night, when his grandmother could?"
"One night, when his grandmother went out, Little Blue Hood secretly followed. He wanted to know why she always left the hut at night and didn't return until very late."
"He followed and followed for a long distance, until suddenly, under the moonlight, his grandmother began to change. She grew sharp claws, terrifying wolf fangs, her body sprouted white fur, her limbs shifted into those of a wolf, and her head transformed into that of a wolf as well."
"Only then did Little Blue Hood realize that his grandmother turned into a wolf on moonlit nights."
"Heartbroken and bewildered, he continued to follow her, wanting to understand where she was going and what she intended to do."
"Through the forest and out into the plains, his Wolf Grandma finally stopped. She raised her head and howled at the moon. From across the plains, hundreds of wolves gathered."
"Then, Wolf Grandma led the pack in a wild moonlit dance, leaping and twirling, a sight that completely stunned Little Blue Hood."
"Saddened and confused, he couldn't hold back anymore and rushed out, asking his grandmother what was happening."
"She told him that she slept all day in the hut to conserve energy, so that she could dance joyfully with her kin under the moon at night."
"In the end, Little Blue Hood joined the dance, happily leaping with them. From then on, he was happy both day and night, and he and his Wolf Grandma lived a joyful life in the forest."
On the sofa opposite the mirror, Hastur slowly finished telling the short story he had promised to share with Sharon.
"..."
In the mirror, Sharon's figure had already appeared. She looked at Hastur blankly.
Hastur smiled and winked: "So, what do you think? Isn't my story interesting?"
"..."
Sharon still didn't speak.
Instead, a spark of fire slowly kindled in her eyes as she looked at him.
Right now, she wished she could change out her ears for a pair that hadn't heard this story.
Little Blue Hood and the Wolf Grandma? Wasn't it supposed to be Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf?
And wasn't Little Red Riding Hood supposed to be a girl? Since when did her grandmother turn into a wolf?
And a whole pack of wolves dancing in the moonlight? What kind of scene was that supposed to be?!
Little Blue Hood and his Wolf Grandma lived happily ever after? What kind of messed-up life is that supposed to be?!
To Sharon, this story was wrong at every turn.
This wasn't the fairy tale she had been expecting at all.
It was practically a dark parody!
"..." Sharon opened her mouth but couldn't find any words. She didn't even know where to begin criticizing it.
"Miss Sharon, what's wrong? At least give me some kind of reaction." Hastur grinned, clearly hoping to win some favor with his story.
"..." Sharon gave him a complicated look, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Your story... I cannot evaluate it."
"Was it really that bad?"
"..." Sharon didn't answer. She just felt an inexplicable urge to lash out. "Bad" didn't even begin to cover it!
She had once heard Bernadette's version of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
And precisely because she had, she couldn't stand listening to such a twisted, chaotic version now.
How could a supposedly well-read man like Hastur tell a story like this?
"Did you do this on purpose? Or was it an accident?"
Sharon's voice turned cold, like a December wind blowing straight from the icy lands.