Making sure that the candles were in place and that the symbol drawn on the paper was identical to the one behind his seat of honor atop the Gray Fog. Klein could only draw a tense sigh.
This was the sixth time he had checked that everything was for his experiment. This time, the experiment would be much more dangerous so everything had to be perfect, there could be no mistakes.
In front of Klein was a simple altar. On it were two candles, one large and one smaller. The larger candle was above the pupil-less eye and contorted lines, and the smaller one was placed in the middle of the symbol.
In front of all these things... was a single gold coin, one pound.
Having finished checking, Klein could only nod with narrowed eyes. 'Okay, everything seems to be ready...'
This time, he would try to sacrifice the coin to himself. Using Chariot's messenger summoning method only modified it so that, instead of targeting a messenger, it would target his identity as The Fool.
Rising, Klein grabbed the silver dagger he had prepared earlier and raised a wall of spirituality around the altar. He then took four steps...
Taking his place in the Seat of Honor in the Space above the Grey Mist. Klein remained calm, extended his arm from which his topaz pendulum was already hanging, and closed his eyes.
Going into semicogitation, he repeated in his mind 7 times....
'It's safe to pray to me... It's safe to pray to me... It's safe to pray to me...'
Opening his eyes after the seventh repetition, Klein nodded as he saw how the pendulum was swinging with a decent clockwise speed.
Having confirmed that it was safe, Klein wasted no time and quickly simulated the sensation of falling.
Returning to his body, the clown did not hurry but sat back and waited for the spirituality he had expended to recover.
After 20 minutes and feeling his tank full, everything was ready for his experiment. Lighting the candles, Klein closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and prayed in Ancient Hermes...
'The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
You are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog;
You are the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck...
Your fervent servant prays for your attention,
I pray that you take these offerings,
I pray that you will open the gates to your kingdom.'
The ancient language reverberated in the wall of spirituality, and a wind formed in it. All this condensed into the larger candle that represented the Fool, concentrating and breaking through an illusory door!
Distant whispers reached his ears. He retraced the four steps along with the chants, returning to his seat of honor.
His attention was immediately caught by the spirituality that seemed to move through the air and stimulate this mysterious space. Without wasting time and following his instinct, the clown extended his spirituality towards it.
The illusory door that had appeared in the real world also formed in the Space Above the Grey Mist, and with a thought, it opened.
Klein could see himself kneeling in front of the altar and the gold coin in front of it. Without wasting a second, stretching out his will, he watched as the coin trembled for an instant before shooting back out of the doorway and through it, flying to stand in front of him.
Feeling his spirituality draining ridiculously fast, Klein cut off the supply to the door, and it closed.
Huff!
With a mighty exhale of air escaping him, Klein sank back in his seat and stared agitatedly at the crimson star-filled dome.
Calming down a little more, the clown grabbed the gold coin and began to play with it. His face filled with excitement.
'Now the Tarot Club will be more magnificent than before... And just in time to celebrate the arrival of a new member... Sigh' Sulking, Klein placed the coin on the table and began to roll it around.
With his experiment paying off, the clown did not stay in the mysterious space any longer and returned to his body. Shortly after, he ate the food he had prepared before coming and took a one-hour nap to regain his lost spirituality.
Once that was done, Klein put on the costume he had bought. He left his rented room and returned to his flat by carriage. But he didn't go anywhere near his house.
He got off several blocks earlier and changed into his normal appearance in an alley. He made several detours, and only once did he return home. It was early morning when he arrived, so he had to avoid making too much noise to wake the neighbors.
'I know how annoying it is to wake up because the guy upstairs just decided to remodel the living room at 5 a.m....'
Remembering old times, Klein used his clown powers to move silently through the corridors to his flat.
His movements were similar to those of a house cat who went out at night to see his stray companion and was only just returning home after a night of adventures.
Tired after such a night, Klein just made himself a quick and simple breakfast and lay down to sleep, waking up about 4 hours later.
When he recovered, the clown tidied himself up and took the 'Do Not Disturb' sign off his door. He waited to see if anyone would come in need of his skills. To his luck, only two hours after he removed the sign, a loud Ding! Dong! Sounded.
Someone had pulled the rope on the door!
Rising from the sofa, Klein calmly walked to the door. The image of the person behind it already forming in his mind, an image that made him pause for a moment, was that of two men.
Both wore similar clothes: simple shirts with brown cloth belts and black baggy trousers. They looked pretty large, with the physique of someone who goes to the gym frequently but doesn't watch their diet.
Their features were not typical of a Lenburg; they looked more like those of the Loen Kingdom.
None of them were saying anything, just glancing occasionally at the ends of the hallway as if waiting for someone to come along.
Klein processed this mental image and seriously considered whether or not he should open the door or jump out the window and escape.
Those guys looked very suspicious!
'I didn't just choose the neighborhood where I have to pay extra 'rent,' did I? That would be terrible luck...' Klein regretted not having a gun with him.
If things escalated, he could only defend himself with the cards in his pockets and his combat skills. Even if he was Sequence 8 and the people outside were ordinary people, he didn't know if they were armed.
If he had the time, he would climb into the space above the grey mist to divine over these guys. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury now.
'Why must it be so hard to find a dealer when you need one?' Klein complained as, with a flick of his wrist, his topaz pendulum hung.
Closing his eyes, he went into semi-cogitation and repeated seven times in his mind.
'It is safe to open the door... It is safe to open the door...'
He could only rely on his Danger Sense as a Clown and a simple divination, which was better than nothing.
Opening his eyes and watching the pendulum swing clockwise, Klein made another two divinations.
Having gone through Seer, he knew that divination was powerful but not omnipotent. It could be manipulated and tricked.
After 2 more positive results, Klein took this as a thumbs up and opened the door to his house with a casual smile: "Good morning, gentlemen. Sorry, I'm late-"
"You are Sherlock Moriarty, the Detective?" one of the men asked, holding a newspaper advertising his services.
He just sighed internally at their distinct lack of manners and the fact that they had never mentioned any book they were reading, the usual polite way to start a conversation in Lenburg when visiting someone.
'I'm an idiot.' Klein thought in disgust with himself, suddenly realizing what a horrible idea it had been to put his home address; he could only lament inwardly, outwardly he gave a small smile and nodded:
"That's me. Would you like to come in so we can talk more comfortably?"
The big men gave each other a momentary glance before nodding.
Klein moved to the side and opened the door further, giving them enough room to pass through. Without turning his back on them, he closed the door but did not lock it; he just motioned with the key.
This was so that if he had to escape, he would have another escape route other than jumping out the window.
"Would you like some coffee or tea?"
"We don't have time for that." The brown man cut in, "We're looking for one of our own who went missing two weeks ago. We need you to help us find him."
Klein watched this with a flat expression, "Am I going to help find a debtor for the mob? Should I do it?"
What if it was just a person who had made a wrong decision and escaped? Or what if they were just a snitch or a traitor to them?
The mere thought that his decision might kill someone 'innocent' caused a lurch in his stomach that he didn't show. But it gave him an idea!
"Could you tell me more about this person you seek? Their appearance, what did they wear before they dissapeared?"
One of the men pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his waistcoat and handed it to him. "These are all the details about the person we're looking for."
Grabbing the outstretched paper, Klein unfolded it, and the first thing he noticed was the half-decent handwriting.
'15 years old, damaged and oily black hair, light green eyes. 5'6' tall...'
'He keeps muttering things to the air, usually about things he sees but they're not there. The last time he was seen he was wearing a tattered brown shirt and black sailor's trousers, with plain shoes and no socks.'
'What is this? A guy with mental problems who escaped from the asylum? These guys aren't mobsters but somewhat aggressive psychiatrists?' The clown found himself a little surprised.
A sense of familiarity scratched his cheek, and Klein immediately noticed it.
This was a reminder of his spirituality!
Lowering the paper and smiling at the duo, Klein said, "Excuse me, but I have to go to the bathroom; I'll be back in a moment."
Somewhat shocked, the men only nodded in confusion.
Ignoring his embarrassment for using such a preschool excuse, Klein held back his desire to walk quickly as he moved to his bathroom.
Click.
Now alone and with the door locked, the smile on his face was broken and bitter; it was such that he might as well have been crying.
'What a shame!!!'
Shaking his head in resignation, Klein grabbed the silver dagger in his bathroom for each Tarot Club and raised a wall of spirituality. His pride smaller than before.
...
In the Great Palace above the Gray Fog.
Taking his place in the seat of honor, Klein grabbed the red fountain pen that manifested itself next to a parchment and wrote a sentence on it.
<The person these men are looking for and the reason for my familiarity.>
Repeating those lines 7 times, Klein placed the paper on his chest, hugged it and closed his eyes, falling asleep in a moment with the help of cogitation.
In the dream, countless lights of infinite colors danced and intermingled, quickly creating a scene.
It is a beautiful city, with morning sunbathing. One of the two rivers, the Khoy River, comes from the northern York Mountains and passes through the university district in the East Borough. The Tussock River merges with the city.
Tingen!
Klein couldn't look at his home for long because the next second, the scenery changed.
Now, he saw two people walking down a rather ugly street: a young man wearing cheap formal clothes and an older man wearing a black tunic and a felt black hat with a rounded Edge.
Both were talking about the area when suddenly, the young man turned to the side. To where he turned was a young man standing with his hands on his head.
The young man was quite dirty. His black hair looked greasy, oily, and badly groomed, and his skin was also quite pale.
The young boy looked up as if feeling he was being watched. His dark green, almost black eyes, lacking luster, looked demoralized and had a hint of madness.
As soon as his eyes met the young boy's, he began to weep blood. A dead laugh escaped his lips.
"Ah... You have the stench of death..."
The stage shattered like a mirror being struck by a hammer but Klein did not wake up.
The fragments condensed into one, revealing an older man with a deep gaze. In his calloused hands, he was holding a coat guard that was open in two.
In one of the pictures was a visibly pregnant woman with shining black eyes and silver blonde hair. Hugging her from behind was a man slightly younger than her, with short black hair and small eyes.
On the other, there was a much older photo. This one was of a man much like the one holding the necklace, holding in his hands a chubby baby with a bit of platinum blond hair on its little head.
Then the dream broke, and Klein awoke with a deep breath of air.
'That's why he looked so familiar! It's that Half-Monster boy at the Evil Dragon Bar!
Ademisaul!'
'So the person you're looking for is that boy... What's he doing in Lenburg? How did he get here?' Klein frowned, and as usual, his finger began to tap the table's edge.
Tap tap tap tap
From what little he knew, Ademisaul was not very mentally capable. Not because he was dumb, but because the boy was born Half-Monster.
He saw things he wasn't supposed to see and heard things he wasn't supposed to hear.
'Even as a Clown now, I don't feel I've surpassed the level of intuition that kid had... Only two people have figured out that I died and came back to life, and one of them is the Death Counsul!!!'
Rubbing his forehead a little, Klein's brow narrowed. A question echoed in his mind,
Who was that man at the end of the dream?
'I've never seen him nor felt any sense of familiarity. A relative? But Old Neil said that boy was an orphan and had no family, that he was looked after by the leader of the tavern... And that guy doesn't look anything like this one.'
Exerting his power over the mysterious space, the man's figure formed on the bronze table. Klein took the opportunity to look at it closely.
Squinting, another figure formed beside him, this one being that of the half-monster boy.
Then another formed in the middle of them, this one being of the pair in the older man's coat tails.
'Their features are similar...' Klein murmured, seeing how the woman's nose and the older man's were identical.
Nodding, Klein waved his hand slightly. Almost everyone in front of him disappeared, leaving only the boy Ademisaul.
Resting his cheek in his palm, the clown looked at the boy with a complicated look.
It turned out that he was not an orphan, but quite possibly, his only remaining family had abandoned him after seeing his 'special' condition.
Klein had no idea what his story was. Whether his parents died when he was very young or whether they only died in recent years. However, the evidence showed that the first possibility was the most likely.
'I'm careless of details; whatever his family history is, it's not something I should get into... But judging by the way the man looked...' Considering it some more, Klein closed his eyes and sighed.
Finally, Ademisaul's figure disappeared. Klein extended his arm without opening his eyes, his topaz pendulum glowing.
'It is safe to take this job... It is safe to take this job...' Using semi-cogitation to empty his mind, he repeated seven times silently.
Opening his eyes, he saw the pendulum swinging at a medium speed clockwise.
Judging the result and seeing that he was in the danger zone he was willing to tolerate, Klein decided to make one last divination.
He would not hand over an innocent child to gangsters seeking to harm them, if they turned out to be a danger he would pretend to accept their job and go to the police to report them.
People who seek out the Half-Monster Ademisaul are a danger to him...'
After repeating that sentence several times in his mind, Klein opened his eyes, already expecting a negative result. To his surprise, the pendulum was swinging clockwise at a good speed!
'Looks like I misjudged Grandpa...' Relieved that he wasn't going to send a little lamb to the slaughter, Klein could only sigh as he simulated the sensation of falling.
Returning to his body sitting on the toilet, the clown washed his hands and exited the bathroom, returning to the living room where the two men were still standing.
'They didn't even sit down; they must be in a hurry. I doubt I'm the only one who'll be offered the job of finding your boss's grandson...' He gave a slight bow.
"Sorry, I'm late, gentlemen. I seem to have eaten something that upset me last night."
"No problem. I understand how that is," one of the men said as he nodded, empathy shining in his eyes.
Klein changed the subject, not wanting to investigate further or learn more about a mobster's stomach problems.
"I'll take this assignment. I'll look for any information I can on this guy. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Everything you need is on the paper I gave you." The more prominent man said as he pulled a small wad of notes from his pocket.
"Here are 18 sassem. Four are for payment for the consultation, and fourteen are for accepting the job. If you complete it and get us useful information, we will give you another fourteen sassem, but if you manage to find the boy, we will give you 30 sassem."
The sound of a teller rang in Klein's mind, immediately brightening the clown's mood. Smiling elegantly, the clown placed a hand on his chest and gave a small bow.
"I'll do my best," straightening up, he added, "I'll be using my contacts to speed things up; I should have news in a few days. Stop by again next Thursday."
They both nodded. "If everything is ready, then have a good day, Mr. Moriarty. We'll see you on Thursday."
After dismissing the men from his house, Klein didn't rush off to find the boy. First, he packed everything he might need, including three packets of cards and a change of clothes.
'With the new method of sacrifice, it is possible that I can create talismans by praying to myself instead of the Goddess. Considering how rare the space above the grey mist is, I wonder what charms I can create... Of course, for that, I would first need the ingredients for which I have no money as I have yet to look up the Magician's formula, but I have not yet digested the Clown potion...' His mind wandered over all the problems before him, and Klein lamented the sheer number.
'If only I had the strength of Mr. Chariot, I could try to rob the gangs in this area... Though I doubt, I would do it in a way as luminous and vivid as yours. I'm not crazy...' Shaking his head, Klein put the lunatic out of his mind.
Thinking of his strength, his lips tightened slightly. In all this time since he had made the deal, he had yet to pray to the Scarlet Monarch.
'There doesn't seem to be any hurry, but I can't keep trying the patience of a true God...'
He did not fully know what intentions 'He' had with him. But if he was to go by 'His' blessed one's actions, they seemed at least to be 'good', and besides, it was quite possible that 'He' knew what the Space above the Grey Mist was.
'I finish this job and make contact... I'll see what 'He' wants.'
...
Adjusting the simple bronze laurel on his head, Klein walked down the street momentarily before raising his hand and requesting a carriage.
One that was pulled by a black horse was the one that picked him up.
"Where to, sir?" The driver asked as he looked over his shoulder at the small window that connected him to his passenger.
The window was not very big—it was even quite small, 25 cm x 15 cm—but it was big enough to talk to the passenger and small enough to provide privacy.
Privacy was just what Klein needed.
"I'll be giving you directions and where to turn. I hope you don't mind that." The clown said as he held out a five argentum note, the second highest value in Lenburg.
The driver grinned from ear to ear and quickly grabbed the note, hiding it in his waistcoat: "No problem at all, kind sir!"
Ignoring the pang he felt, Klein did not respond immediately but straightened his back, closed his eyes, and let his topaz pendulum dangle.
'Location of Ademisaul... Location of Ademisaul...'
After repeating the prayer seven times, Klein felt his spirituality move, and without opening his eyes, he said, "To the right on this street, please."
"Understood." Nodding at the words of such a kind gentleman, the driver pulled the horse's reins.
The carriage began to move following Klein's directions, some straight, many turning right or left. Using divination, the clown guided the carriage to its goal.
After a long moment, Klein lowered his arm, "This is it."
Pulling on the reins and bringing the horses to a halt, the driver tapped on the window with his knuckle, "Have a nice day, sir."
Klein, who was halfway down, raised an eyebrow in doubt, but his expression quivered a little as he saw where they were.
Klein glanced at the building in front of him, immediately calculating how much money he had thrown away on his journey.
It was a tall departmental building with exposed alcoves and vibrant yellow domes. A large sign in big yellow letters read 'Astope Quarter'.
This was one of the best places to live in the whole area!
'What could someone mentally deranged like Ademisaul be looking for here?' Frowning, Klein stuffed a pocket in his trousers, making sure the letters were there and then moved on.
Walking over to a vendor, Klein asked for his target. After getting an answer, he did the same with several, slowly moving away from the yellow building and taking more random routes.
Someone as peculiar as the Half-Monster would no doubt make a scene no matter where he went. He would have to ask around and follow the trail.
After a long while, Klein ended up in an alley. His brow furrowed into a frown, a layer of sweat clinging to his forehead, and his nose slightly wrinkled at the smell of dampness and rubbish in here.
'You can move a long way for such a skinny and possibly starving man.' It had been several hours since he had started tracking the boy. The sun was slowly setting, and he had already left the Elysian District and entered the Nexus District.
Despite his mental grumbling, Klein pulled out his pendulum and began to use it as a guide to find clues.
It only took him five minutes to find an open trash bag, all sorts of contents littering the floor, but what caught the clown's attention was a perfect apple core on the floor.
This one was completely out of place. Unlike the rottenness one would expect from something taken from the rubbish, this one was relatively fresh as if the apple had just been plucked from the apple tree and eaten on the spot.
Bending down, Klein took a closer look at the object. Traces of saliva were still on it—it had been eaten recently!
Criiick.
The sound of glass being stepped on made his head whip around to the source of the noise. His brown eyes collided with panicked dark green eyes.
At the other end of the alley, the figure of Ademisaul stood wearing a tattered and extremely dirty brown shirt and missing a shoe.
'How did I not notice him before?' Surprised by the sudden appearance of his target, Klein controlled his body so as not to make any sudden movements.
But before he could try to defuse the situation, Ademisaul sprinted to the opposite side, shouting, "No, no, no, no! They won't get me!!!"
"Hey, wait!!!" Getting up, Klein tried to chase after the young man, but his foot stepped on the apple core on the ground, causing him to stumble and fall face-first to the ground.
Klein raised his head in alarm, and his face was dirty with various filth. He couldn't believe what had just happened.
A Clown, someone supposed to have a ridiculous level of balance, had tripped!
Not wanting to lose the young man, he quickly got up with a deft wave of his hand and began to chase after the boy.
'Was that a beyonder power? That was too ridiculous to have been just luck!' Gritting his teeth, Klein reached the end of the alley and looked both ways, searching for any sign of the young man.
Finding him running the other way, Klein could only grit his teeth and sped up.
"Wait! I'm trying to help you!"
"No! No, no!"
'What I'd give for a lasso now!' Klein gritted his teeth, quickly dodging the people in the way.
The boy's speed was nothing out of the ordinary, one could even say it was below average thanks to his current state so the Clown was already on his heels.
Reaching almost the end of the pavement and about to cross the intersection, Klein reached out his hand with every intention of grabbing the young man's shirt collar.
As soon as his fingers touched the soiled fabric, Klein's sense of danger was triggered, and he instinctively did a backflip.
"Watch out!!!"
Where he stood, a carriage sped past, crashing into the wall and wood exploded all over the place.
The owner who had shouted the warning came running over as well, visibly pale and alarmed.
What the fuck was that? Klein thought ridiculously, this was already too much!
If it wasn't for his Clown powers it would have seriously hurt him!
All this movement attracted a lot of attention, several people coming over to see what had happened. Because of this, Klein was unable to continue his pursuit of the young man and was quickly on the verge of losing sight of him.
'Ah no! I didn't spend 5 argentum to lose you like this!' Gritting his teeth, Klein jumped a little high, managing to see over the people.
It was only for a moment, but he could see the boy duck into a building that appeared to be under repair, through one of the open windows that closed as soon as he entered, trapping him inside.
'Gotcha.' With new information, Klein did his best to get out of the crowd but it still took him a few precious moments.
As soon as he was free, he sped towards the building where Ademisaul entered, his eyes being drawn for a moment to the sign.
<Apex Financial Solution>