At a turn of a district.
Klein, still in his inspector outfit, walked seamlessly across the crowd. His thoughts are occupied by the scenes he had divined above the gray fog.
It occurred to him after the gathering ended to carefully examine Ms. Roy's destiny.
The scene didn't changed, and so he confirmed that the matter with Morroy wasn't related to the city. This further added the horror and apprehension that Klein developed when he saw this.
Selina's lifeless and single handed body formed a puddle of blood. A hand scooped the thick liquid before fading. Hundreds of hair strands were littered and on the window covers the whole empty cityscape of Tingen.
It was still the same. Except that when Klein scrutinized the horizon, he could faintly tell a distinct building standing out from the rest.
It had a red-painted chimney. Appearing similarly to when he divined the reasons why his fate was disharmonious. A comment given by his professor.
Within this train of thought. It occurred to him that perhaps consoling Mr. Azik of Selina's destiny then fragments will surface to help him resolve it.
Considering tomorrow's meeting with Miss Lover's associate. Klein need to arrange appointment on when he'll request Selina's company.
This afternoon will be a banquet for Ms. Roy. She's officially entering our ranks as a special force Nighthawks... his thoughts instinctively started with today's occasions.
While tomorrow, I will meet a fellow earthling... a mixed emotion stirred within him. Who would've thought that at the same era. Two transmigrators would exist...
Setting the melancholy aside. Klein kept a relative pace as he forced his gaze to be occupied by the passing buildings.
Thursday seems appropriate...
His reason for strolling about is to find a particular building. The establishment of Halzter Retrieval Company.
It is near this district so he didn't bother taking a public carriage, less he wants to take around-about trip. His time spent needs to be allocated responsibly.
When he took a turn, he suddenly saw a four-story building installed with a plot meant for parking vans, a cargo carriage for transportation of furniture and goods.
It was at this moment that he saw five people sporting a cap and clad in worker's attire. They're blue-collared workers with firm bodies forged from pressure of lifting.
Three of them seems to be mumbling to each other. Klein couldn't decrypt what they're saying from a distance.
"I'll have to release this steam tonight..." when they reached a certain range. He finally heard an irritated and slightly ecstatic tone coming from the man towering his peers.
Klein didn't approached them nor have any intent on entering. This is an establishment that he confirmed to have operations branching from the Rose School of Thought. It would be dangerous if his cover was breached.
Hence, he merely watched them until their shadows fleeted upon closing the entrance.
Are they apart of the organization? he muttered inwardly before taking a seat at a bench.
As of now, what he needs is information from a member within. Divinations can only go so far and have certain limitations, especially since he's still at Sequence 9.
Considering the limited methods he can do to extract information from a worker. It was clear that reenacting what he did with Serius Arapis is not allowed. There's also a fault where the person could genuinely be just a worker who have no backgrounds relating to the Rose School of Thought.
Appearing like he took a short rest. Klein didn't take long to formulate a plan. It involves two charms he obtained from Old Neil and a mediumship ritual.
What he needs to do is wait for a laborer to be isolated. An opportunity he's now attempting to divine.
"There will be a laborer or a staff walk off alone from Halzter Company..."
He recited this seven times underneath his breath. Lifting the topaz pendulum slightly over the paper containing the company's whereabouts on his right.
The pendulum began turning: it's clockwise! A positive!
Klein grinned faintly and waited. Turning for counting the carriages and clothes dyed in blue to pass the time.
...
After an hour later. For what felt like eternity. A laborer with robust physique and droopy nose walked out alone.
The boredom induced by waiting had finally receded. What occurred to Klein now is the act of execution.
He left the bench and proceeded to go on a different route.
It wasn't that he's letting this opportunity slip him, rather, this is to ascertain that the target would not notice him and flee.
Klein is aware of this. Hence, he didn't blindly tailed him hoping the laborer isn't a beyonder.
At a turn. He etched the man's image into his mind; a slightly tall middle-aged man with wrinkled patches and burly physique.
Through divination and the man's peculiarity. Klein managed to establish his cane to detect the man's location. A dowsing divination he had been mastering for quite some time.
His cane is turning left. He let it slid from his palm and thus went into a parallel street, humbled by the dense of the venue.
Klein recognize it to be the street's farther end, bordering Howes Street and Iron Cross. Subsequently, he began to realize where the man is heading.
He continued to tail him. Not visually but by the resonance of his spirituality and imprints laid on in the Spirit World.
...
Galopin is a thirty-four year old man who works at Halzter Retrieval Company. He had a burly body for his silver streaked black hair and his nose were a bit flat.
His reasons for heading out is simply because he couldn't help but let off a steam. The hours are stressful, it acts as a disguise in order to remain privileged for the local brothels.
The more your stress contains for disguise, the more the pleasure of union will feel. But for Galopin, even his mouth drools for a fresh body at this moment.
Waiting for a carriage at the stop and boarding it with more hours wasted wouldn't cut it. That is why is opted to pace to get to where he's heading fast.
Unbeknownst to him. A dark light suddenly burst right from a silver object, just as he enters an intersection, where at a turn he'll likely be at the Red Light Street.
The dark light consumed his vision and he collapsed. Then a man with a top hat and a cane just like any other passing pedestrians found him.
He sighed and carried him. Others did indeed saw this but after noticing a help arrived, they each averted their gaze.
Klein immediately left for the alley, acting like he's rescuing Galopin.
When their forms no longer at the street view. He placed Galopin at the path's dusty and putrid surface.
Before Galopin could wake up. He quickly sanctified the area with the use of a silver knife and course salt. Then with the essential oil he made using dragon's bark, night vanilla extract, and silver tooth powder. Klein completed the mediumship.
After finishing his preparations, Klein put away the materials and entered a state of Cogitation. He recited the Hermes incantations softly, "I pray for the power of the dark night.
"I pray for the power of the mystery.
"I pray for the Goddess' loving grace.
"I pray that you'll allow me to communicate with the heretic's spirituality inside this altar."
...
As the incantations reverberated throughout the sealed space, Klein suddenly felt a massive, terrifying, and mysterious energy descend upon him.
His eyes turned completely black as though he had lost his pupils and the whites of his eyes.
Seizing the opportunity, Klein recited a divination statement in his heart, "Every operations and abouts of the Halzter Retrieval Company.
"Every operations and abouts of the Halzter Retrieval Company."
...
As he was reciting the statement, he used Cogitation to temporarily enter a dreamlike state.
It was a hazy gray world without a sky or ground. Klein was unusually alert as he observed a transparent, ethereal figure.
He extended his right hand and touched the dreaming Galopin.
The scene in front of him changed with a rumble.
It was inside of an office. In front of him was a man dressed in a fine suit with stripped edges, he had women around him on a leash.
Galopin's lower half was raging. It seems he's envying the sight.
Right on the heels of that. The man behind the table spoke, "Don't you want this as well?
"You've already had your way with someone right? If you're going to be detained then why not join our ranks and resume the pleasure?"
He lifted a glass of wine for Galopin.
The next scene was a brothel. Many women dressed fervently danced to woe the audience, consists mainly of men.
Galopin was one of them, now he had peers.
"I'll pick that girl." He pointed at a woman ripe of age. Dark-brown curly hair and innocent face. It was clear she's new and influenced to work.
She had a terrified expression when the host walks up to her and pointed to Galopin, smiling. That day never went well for the little girl.
Many scenes flashed in Klein's vision. Torturing the girls with the man's indulgent, twisted desires and antics.
He couldn't help but want to quickly finish the man's life right after.
Then one scene suddenly stood out.
It was at a pasture, meadows rolling into the dense shadowy forest.
Galopin and his peers rides a group of carriages, a caravan heading North. Inside of the tents are crates.
When they arrived, they all saw a large manor that have north and south wing. One butler exchanged words with the main coachman and afterwards many servants came to alight the crates.
Galopin was tasked to lead the caravan into the parking plot, outside the storage and kitchen room.
There, all he wanted was to lie down and rest. So the main coachman came to their needs and guided them to a guest room.
As they head there. Galopin caught a glimpse of two woman sitting at the manor's living room, right across the kitchen hall.
The lady sitting right beside a well-dressed gentleman had an exceptional mature beauty. While seated not far from them was another woman.
She had youthful but mature air. Her silver-hair was cascading down but her stature and silhouette invoke a strange feeling.
Even if her back was turned to Galopin. A sudden desire stirred.
If just her back could instill him an urge to such a length, then what could happen if he saw her full image?
Just the thought of it made his breath heavy and body moist. The lady's image strike his very type for a woman.
Seeing this all unfold. Klein became certain that the woman Galopin saw was Miss Lovers and it was obvious that her image seared into the man's memory that he likely scour every woman in the Red Light Street just to fill that emptiness.
Then as this progress even further. Galopin was invited into an underground tunnel, opened by a torch in the hall leading to the basement.
Arriving at the floor. Klein saw a huge room filled with mountain of corpses. A harrowing fear settled deep into him and Galopin.
But when the man saw yet another pretty woman, just not as beautiful as the silver-haired lady at the surface. He instantly began having his way at the corpse.
And in the midst of it all. A tall figure made of wilting black bark and brittled wood had a face of a woman covered by strings.
The lower half of the statue had no abdomen but right next of its face is a head of a man.
That frozen man's eyes made entirely of wood and lifeless suddenly turned to him.
A bright dark-green light filled Klein with desperation and innate need to live.
Crack!