There truly was an "imprint" of unknown origin present… although it was very faint, it would not be easy to remove. It would inevitably have to be done in the name of "The Fool"…
Klein was holding Sharron's hand and pondering this when he heard Ebner cough lightly, which brought him back to his senses.
"Congratulations." Ebner swept his gaze back and forth between Klein and Sharron, smiling as he offered his congratulations.
His words carried a clear double meaning, forcing Klein to rely on his "Clown" abilities to maintain his composure as he modestly replied, "Compared to you, I'm still far behind."
After speaking, Klein naturally released Sharron's hand and walked over to the captain and Madam Daly. After greeting them, he explained apologetically, "Back in Bayam, it wasn't that I didn't want to meet you using my real identity, but that I had no choice…"
Before he could finish, Dunn reached out and patted Klein's shoulder, just as he had back at the Blackthorn Security Company, smiling as he said, "No need to explain too much. I understand!"
Listening to the captain's familiar words and feeling his unwavering trust and protection, Klein's eyes couldn't help but sting slightly. He could only change the topic and say, "Captain, the issue of your loss of vitality—you can ask Ebner about it. He has a way to solve it."
Through "Moon" Emlyn, Klein had already learned that "Tower" intended to sell genuine "Water of Youth."
Hearing this, before Dunn could say anything, Madam Daly's eyes lit up. She looked toward Ebner in the distance and asked, "May I ask what kind of compensation you need to help Dunn restore his vitality?"
As she spoke, she glanced at the radiant, gold-adorned "Goddess of Wealth," Helena, and revealed an ambiguous smile, joking, "Or perhaps I could teach your friend here some new tricks?"
Glancing at Madam Daly, whose every sentence was a "joke," Ebner shook his head and replied seriously, "There's no need for anything so complicated. You only need to make a wish to me."
"A wish?" Dunn, Leonard, and Daly looked at one another. If the one saying this hadn't been Ebner—if he weren't a believer of Mr. Fool—they would definitely have suspected malicious intent.
After all, in the Nighthawks' training courses, it was clearly stated that some high-sequence Beyonders might be in a state of confinement or sealing. They would disguise themselves as wish-granting mystical items to lure others into helping them escape—for example, a magic lamp that could grant three wishes, or a wishing pool.
Leonard looked toward Klein. Seeing Klein nod, signaling that Mr. Tower had no ill intent, he finally made up his mind. "I'll be the one to make the wish!"
Upon hearing this, Dunn and Daly immediately objected, but Leonard waved his hand to stop them and said vaguely, "Detective Ebner Bryan and I are both members of an organization established by Mr. Fool… With Mr. Fool as witness, there's no need for you to worry."
Dunn and Daly were instantly shocked. Only now did they learn that Leonard also believed in "The Fool"!
Taking advantage of their momentary distraction, Leonard quickly made his wish: "I wish for Dunn Smith to return to the state of vitality he had before ever using 'decay' attacks."
"As you wish!" Ebner smiled and nodded. With a thought, a small vial of "Water of Youth" appeared above the hot spring pool on the lower level of the villa and poured down into it.
Only after finishing this did he smile and say, "Alright. Later, you just need to soak in the hot spring beneath my villa, and your vitality will be restored."
At this point, he paused, glanced around, and continued, "The rest of you can soak as well to dispel the fatigue from the battle earlier… Although you won't absorb 'vitality' like Dunn, all the usual effects of a hot spring are present here…
"Mm, I still have matters to attend to. You colleagues are rarely reunited, so I won't disturb you.
"After you've finished catching up, I'll come back to take you home."
After saying this, without waiting for Klein and the others to respond, he disappeared together with the "Goddess of Wealth."
Dunn and the others looked at one another, and no one spoke for a long while. In the end, Dunn, as the former captain, waved his hand and said, "Since Detective Ebner Bryan has arranged it this way, we'll follow our host's lead…
"And I just had my contracted nature spirit go down to take a look. The hot spring pool is separated by curtains—men and women can be separated, but it won't affect conversation."
"Alright!" Seeing Dunn make the decision, Klein naturally had no objections. The group then headed together toward the stairwell.
However, after taking a few steps with his colleagues, Leonard suddenly realized something. He couldn't help but stammer, "Um… maybe I'll pass…
"I… don't really want to soak in the hot spring…"
…
On the other side, the reason Ebner left in such a hurry wasn't entirely just an excuse to give the former members of the Tingen Nighthawks space to reconnect. There truly was an important matter that required his personal attention.
That was the fact that the "Black Death," the ship of "Disease Admiral" Tracy, had been surrounded by the fleet of the "Rose School of Thought" in the sea area near East Balam.
Because there were multiple Sequence 5 enemies among them, Tracy had no choice but to recite Ebner's honorific name after his advancement to Sequence 3, sending out a distress signal.
Although this looked very much like a "trap," Tracy had only gone to strike at the slave trade because of Ebner's "charm." Now that she was in danger as a result, he naturally couldn't ignore it.
Moreover, "Alvin Abraham" was still wearing the disguise of "Charato" to carry out the cleanup work for the Indotown incident, and "Lust" Owen's methods weren't particularly strong. That was why Ebner decided to go personally with his true body.
The "Mother Tree of Desire" and the "Shadow World" were still entangled with one another;
The "godspawn" of the Rose School of Thought, Suah, was currently at a critical stage of stripping away what the "Chained God" had left behind and couldn't easily divert attention, while another powerful angel had already been heavily injured in the previous battle…
Therefore, Ebner wasn't overly worried about a possible ambush. After all, he had many methods at his disposal, held several "0"-grade sealed artifacts, and even if an ordinary angel made a move, it would be impossible to keep him there.
Even so, he still took the time to return to Backlund and bring out the newly acquired "Ice Queen" doll obtained by the "Spirit Medium Angel," Tolzna.
Only after making thorough preparations did Ebner simulate the "historical projection" ability, draw out the "Staff of Stars," and then, in the next moment, appear inside the captain's cabin of the Black Death.
"Ebner… you've come…" Tracy stepped forward excitedly the moment she saw him.
Just as Ebner was about to respond, his expression suddenly shifted, and he looked toward a corner of the cabin.
There, a female figure dressed in a simple yet sacred white robe slowly walked out. She looked at Ebner, a faint smile on her lips, and said:
"Detective Bryan… so it was you who 'seduced' my daughter."
(End of the chapter)