Could things really be that coincidental?
After spending the entire day busy, Klein returned to the Old Ross tavern, planning to order a few glasses of the establishment's distinctive local liquor and relax his weary body and mind.
After living at sea for so long, he might not have learned much else, but he had long since mastered the skill of using alcohol to pass the boring nights.
But now, he regretted not simply washing up and going to bed early tonight instead of coming here.
If he had, he wouldn't have run into the very person he had just thought about during the day, Earl Hastur Campbell.
This young count, who should still be in Southville, was now sitting right in front of him with his true appearance completely undisguised.
Should he call him naive, or bold?
Thinking about the connection between the King in Yellow and Hastur that he had considered during the day, Klein felt a little apprehensive as he looked at Hastur. He quickly pretended nothing was wrong and withdrew his gaze.
Fortunately, a patron got up and left, blocking the line of sight between the two of them. Klein seized the opportunity to find a secluded seat where he could avoid Hastur's gaze.
"Sigh…" Klein took a sip of his drink and found it much more bitter than usual. Because of Hastur's appearance tonight, not only had his mood failed to relax, he instead felt even more exhausted.
Whether it was Hastur or the King in Yellow, either one was an explosive existence no matter which worldview they were placed in.
Stay away. Stay as far away as possible. Klein had no desire to get contaminated.
"Sir, someone would like to buy you a drink."
While Klein was pondering, a tavern waiter walked over and delivered a bottle of Green Pine worth around 5 pounds.
Following the waiter's gesture, Klein could only bite the bullet and look toward Hastur, who had suddenly sent him the drink. He forced a smile onto his face to indicate that he had accepted the bottle.
Internally, however, he was filled with confusion. He had clearly changed to an entirely new face, completely different from Klein's previous appearance. How had Hastur seen through his disguise at a glance?
Could his eyes see through reality and illusion? Or was sending this bottle of liquor merely a probe?
Klein believed there was only one point where he might have revealed a flaw: when he first saw Hastur, a flash of shock had appeared in his eyes.
That tiny emotional reaction had probably been caught by the other party.
After silently finishing a glass of liquor, Klein decided that he should still go over and thank him. If he simply pretended that nothing had happened, wouldn't that make him seem even more suspicious?
Besides, even if the other party saw through his true identity, the two of them weren't enemies.
When Audrey, who had become slightly tipsy from drinking, saw someone approaching, her eyes narrowed slightly. For a fleeting instant, she seemed to see Mr. Fool walking toward her.
That instantly dispersed what little drunkenness she had, making her completely sober. When she looked again, the person in her field of vision was obviously not Mr. Fool, but an adventurer who had spent many years living at sea.
She withdrew her gaze, glanced at Mr. Hastur, then continued sipping the liquor with its powerful delayed kick.
"Sir, thank you for your generosity. You've given me the chance to taste Green Pine, something I normally wouldn't bear to spend money on." Klein smiled and naturally sat down in the empty seat on Hastur's other side, with Hastur sitting between him and Audrey.
"If there's anything you need help with, then for the sake of this fine liquor, I can try my best to give you some valuable advice."
As Klein spoke, he had the tavern staff bring over a glass, then casually picked up the bottle in front of Hastur and poured himself a drink, displaying the practiced manner of a veteran freeloader.
"There's nothing I need help with."
"Giving away liquor for nothing? I can hardly accept such a free gift with peace of mind."
"You look very much like an old acquaintance of mine."
Facing Hastur's calm gaze, Klein felt as if his heart nearly stopped beating for an instant.
"You only resemble him. There's no need to take it to heart. That bottle of liquor is something you deserve."
"Looks like tonight is my lucky night." Klein didn't pursue the matter any further. After thanking him, he returned to his seat and began enjoying the bottle of Green Jade.
"Mr. Hastur, is that person really an old acquaintance of yours?" Audrey leaned closer and asked curiously.
"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. There are always some people who don't like others recognizing their original identities when they're away from home. Necessary disguises are simply a means of self-protection."
"Like me right now?"
"Miss Audrey's beauty is enough to illuminate the entire sea. A necessary disguise is a form of protection for everyone else."
"Since when did Mr. Hastur's compliments become so straightforward?"
Audrey's face was already flushed red, and when she said those words, she looked especially adorable and charming.
While the two of them drank and chatted, Klein had already left ahead of them.
Not long after he left the tavern, Hastur also departed with the slightly drunk Audrey.
Audrey continued holding Hastur's arm, her body gently leaning against him. Her black magician-like robe concealed her beauty and figure, while her cheeks, flushed from alcohol, could only be admired up close by Hastur.
"Mr. Hastur, can we go out again tomorrow night?" Audrey's eyes sparkled like tiny stars.
Hastur agreed to this small promise, then brought Audrey to an empty place, opened a travel portal, and returned to the Hope.
As for meeting Mr. Fool, Hastur felt that returning after switching to another identity would be quite nice as well.
Back aboard the Hope, the sea breeze blew over Audrey for a while, dispersing most of her drunkenness. She smilingly said goodnight, then returned to her room with Susie to rest.
Hastur took a bath, then lay down on his bed and entered the Hall of Stars. Descending into the Vessel of Stars, he once again arrived at that port in the identity of the King in Yellow.
Only this time, he did not choose to seal away his memories. He merely borrowed the guise of these tattered yellow robes to act.
He also wanted to see whether anything different would happen tonight.
Finding Klein while he hid above Sefirah Castle was difficult, but finding Klein while he was using a disguised identity wasn't too difficult.
Just as Klein, who had been wandering around outside to clear his mind, was preparing to return to the hotel to rest, only a single figure clad in tattered yellow robes remained on the street ahead.
Klein instinctively wanted to turn around and leave, but he restrained himself slightly. He walked forward two steps, then deliberately acted as if he had suddenly remembered some urgent unfinished business and turned back, moving away from the tattered yellow figure.
Yet before he had taken more than a few steps, the tattered yellow figure appeared before him once again, and his position was now even closer to Him.
Klein knew very well that he had encountered a mysterious event tonight.
He took a deep breath and focused his attention, remaining on guard.
His right hand quietly gripped a revolver named Death Knell, while a Fate charm from Will rested in his left palm.
Although taking action wasn't a particularly good choice, when facing this unknown King in Yellow, there was no such thing as being too cautious.
As the distance between the two of them gradually closed, Hastur deliberately lowered his voice and spoke.
"Mr. Klein, I can see the revolver tightly gripped in your right hand."
"???" Klein froze on the spot.
On one hand, he was shocked that the other party had directly exposed his identity. On the other hand, that voice was extremely familiar, it was Mr. Hastur's voice!
He was actually pretending to be the King in Yellow? Hastur pretending to be the King in Yellow while walking among mortals, what kind of coincidence was this!?
This was practically fate!
After his initial shock, the worry and fear in Klein's heart actually diminished considerably.
He put away the exposed Death Knell revolver in his right hand and replied in as calm a tone as possible, "Mr. Hastur, how did you recognize my true identity?"
"My eyes are quite good at reading people. Your disguise is excellent, but it still has a few flaws."
"Mr. Hastur's disguise is what truly deserves applause."
Klein said this entirely from the bottom of his heart. Who could have imagined that beneath the shell of those tattered yellow robes, it really was Hastur?
The King in Yellow and Hastur had actually appeared before him in this manner. There was truly an indescribable strangeness to it!
"In this regard, we're the same. We're both accustomed to traveling outside under disguised identities."
Hearing this, Klein couldn't help but feel his teeth ache.
I really am traveling under a disguised identity, but what about you?
Hastur pretending to be the King in Yellow? Could there really be such a coincidence?
While Klein's mind was filled with doubts, Hastur pulled a book from his pocket and tossed it to him.
"My disguised appearance comes from this book."
Klein caught the book. The moment he saw its cover, he sucked in a cold breath. The tattered yellow figure depicted on the cover really was the King in Yellow!
There were actually worshipers of Him in this world, and they had even turned the mysterious stories surrounding Him into a novel.
No wonder Hastur had chosen to disguise himself using this identity. Judging purely from its outward appearance, the image of a figure in tattered yellow robes really could satisfy people's fantasies about the mysterious world.
For a brief instant just now, he had almost begun suspecting that Hastur might be a transmigrator just like him.
After seeing this book, however, he abandoned that unrealistic speculation. If Mr. Hastur really was a transmigrator, why would he appear before Klein so openly?
And dressed in tattered yellow robes, no less. Was he afraid Klein wouldn't realize he had a connection to their world?
There was another point as well. Given his status, there was no reason for him to speak so frankly with Klein, right?
"Mr. Hastur, I sincerely offer you a piece of advice. The image of the tattered yellow robes represents ill omen and disaster. Next time, you should disguise yourself as someone else."
Klein still offered his small suggestion. In the mysterious world, symbolism was extremely important.
"Oh, is that so? Recently, quite a few people have taken to appearing late at night in this guise." Hastur spoke with a smile, then continued, "You haven't read this book before, yet you seem to know quite a lot about the existence known as the King in Yellow?"
For a moment, Klein was left dumbfounded by the question, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how he should answer.