"Self-repairing—" Lorne swallowed hard.
Items capable of self-repair have never been ordinary since ancient times. This holds true even in this world of Beyonder powers.
In all his time since transmigrating, he had never heard of a Mystical Item that could repair itself. Although he knew many dangerous Sealed Artifacts possessed 'living' characteristics, seeing this scene with his own eyes still felt somewhat eerie.
"Perhaps—it's not that this monocle is special, but that this Pathway is special—" Lorne thought of another possibility.
Although he hadn't heard of any Pathway that could heal itself by consuming low-Sequence characteristics of the same Pathway, perhaps—this was a unique ability of the Marauder Pathway?
It was common knowledge to use characteristics of the same Pathway to craft potions for advancement, so it wasn't impossible for the Marauder to have some unknown special traits in this regard. After all, the concept of'stealing' itself encompassed a sense of'seizing' and 'taking for oneself.'
"However, if this monocle can really be completely repaired, it'll be a guaranteed profit for me," Lorne muttered to himself.
Despite the item's malevolent aura, he still wanted to restore it if possible. After all, a Mystical Item with an appraisal function and no currently apparent severe side effects was incredibly useful!
"Maybe I can also try exploring that fourth epoch Amon Family mausoleum—if Marauder characteristics can be found on the periphery, there might be higher-Sequence ones or related secrets deeper inside—"
"I can bring Sharon along; the risk will be much lower with two Sequence 5s—"
After repeatedly confirming the monocle wasn't dangerous and testing its appraisal function—finding it truly seemed to have recovered somewhat—he carefully stowed away everything on the table.
"Phew—" He leaned back wearily in his chair and let out a long breath.
But a moment later, he seemed to remember something, and his brow furrowed slightly.
"Hazel—she also seems to be a Beyonder of the Marauder Pathway."
"And she has a strange teacher who supposedly went missing—"
"When I first met Hazel, she was committing thefts, but she clearly didn't understand the Acting Method at all."
"Her knowledge of mysticism is even more lacking than some beginners who have just entered the field."
Actually, Lorne hadn't thought that deeply at first. He had simply assumed Hazel's so-called teacher was just an ordinary wild Beyonder who might not even understand the Acting Method himself, merely passing on his experiences from his time as a Marauder to Hazel.
But thinking carefully now, there were quite a few suspicious points. Even for a wild Beyonder, it was impossible to have someone consume a potion to become a Beyonder without teaching them even the most basic common sense of mysticism. Unless—from the beginning, the other party didn't have much expectation for this'student,' Hazel.
And now, this new conjecture regarding the Marauder Pathway gave Lorne another chilling possibility.
"Consuming low Sequences—"
"Sigh—this world is truly cruel after all."
Knock, knock, knock.
Old Kohler's voice came from outside the door.
"Mr. Scott, someone is here to see you. It's a detective named Sherlock Moriarty."
Sherlock—is it about the investment?
"Please show him in."
After a while, Sherlock Moriarty, dressed in a black coat and wearing a half-top hat, walked in.
Lorne received him and personally poured him a cup of coffee.
"Detective Moriarty, what brings you here today? Is it about the investment?" Lorne asked proactively.
"That is part of the reason." Klein picked up the coffee, took a light sip, and informed him that Charles wanted to visit in person in a while.
"That's fine. I'll basically be here lately." Lorne readily agreed to the invitation to meet.
"Is there anything else?" He could tell that this Great Detective hadn't come today just to pass on a message.
"Yes." Klein's expression became a bit more serious. "It's about Will Auceptin."
"Dr. Allen came to see me again. He said he's had several more nightmares."
"Related to snakes?" Lorne asked.
"Exactly, how did you know?" Klein was somewhat surprised.
"I've had some similar dreams myself."
Lorne didn't hide it and briefly described the strange dream he had before, about a giant snake chasing a young boy.
Upon hearing Lorne's description, Klein nodded slightly and shared what Dr. Allen had told him: "That young boy should be Will. Dr. Allen said Will called out to him for help in the dream."
"Yesterday, he dreamed of him again."
"Another dream about snakes?" Lorne asked.
"No," Klein continued. "It was the Green Cemetery. He dreamed of the woods outside the Green Cemetery, where Will Auceptin was sitting under a peculiar tree, quietly watching him."
"And then?" Lorne pressed.
Klein shook his head. "Dr. Allen's dream ended there."
"Hmm—" Lorne rested his chin on his hand, contemplating for a few seconds. "And then? I'm guessing Dr. Allen wants to go see the site for himself, so he's commissioned you as his bodyguard again."
He looked up, a playful smile curving his lips. "Since I've had a similar experience, you plan to hear my opinion, or perhaps—even plan to have me accompany you, right?"
Uh—why does it feel like you're the detective?
Klein's expression instantly became a bit awkward. The other party's guess was spot on.
He indeed felt the risk involved was quite high. That missing Will Auceptin was very likely related to the high Sequences of the Monster Pathway. He worried he couldn't handle the risk alone, and bringing James Scott—this 'hero of the east district' with decent strength who was also embroiled in this matter—would undoubtedly be much safer.
"Yes, that's exactly it," Klein admitted frankly. "What do you think? Are you willing to go together?"
"Can you give me half of your commission fee?" Lorne suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Klein was taken aback.
Dr. Allen only gave me two pounds total! You, a big factory owner, want to split such a small amount of money with me?!
"Haven't you been following this matter too?" he couldn't help but retort. Lorne waved his hand with an indifferent expression.
"If you're really that short on money, I—" Just as Klein gritted his teeth and forced a smile, prepared to pay out of his own pocket.
"Heh."
Lorne suddenly let out a light chuckle.
"Just a joke, Great Detective."
"Of course I'll go."
He stood up and stretched his wrists. "After all, I also want to see what kind of scheme that Will Auceptin has."
"When do we leave?"
Any joke involving money isn't funny! Klein complained silently in his heart, while on the surface he forced a smile: "It's best if you can come. If possible, we can go to the Green Cemetery this afternoon to check the situation."
"No problem. However, I need to prepare first."
Saying that, Lorne picked up the Ripper resting on the table and wiped it gently.
Watching Lorne's movements, Klein couldn't help but cast a curious gaze. The design of this gun always gave him a strange sense of deja vu.
"Want one too? I can give you a friend price," Lorne noticed his gaze and promoted it with a smile.
"No, no thanks. Shotguns don't fit my style." Klein hurriedly waved his hand, but still met Lorne's eyes and asked, "Mr. Scott, did you design this gun yourself?"
This question had been bottled up in his heart for a long time.
The gun in the other party's hand was just too similar to the ones he often saw in American movies before he transmigrated!
The structure and operation were basically identical.
Lorne's wiping motion paused slightly. He glanced at him and replied in a flat tone, "I didn't design it; I bought the patent."
Even though it was bought from Lorne Disenk—he complained in his heart.
"Could it be that you've seen similar weapons before?" After answering the question, Lorne asked back seemingly casually.
"N-no! I was just curious about this gun. After all, as the reputation of the 'hero of the east district' grows, this 'Hero's Gun' is gradually becoming popular in certain circles." Klein quickly thought of a reason and complimented the other party in passing.
"It's just some hollow fame." Lorne took another look at him and didn't delve deeper into the topic.
Right now, Will Auceptin's matter was more important.
A cemetery? That young boy couldn't be dead already, could he?