Chapter 20: Preparing the Report
Above the Grey Mist, that seemingly eternal gray fog quietly flowed, and Klein sat at the edge of the stone table, gently resting his hand on his chin, silently pondering.
Just today, he met a rare fellow countryman in this lonely otherworld for the first time, and for the first time in this world he reclaimed a faint feeling once familiar on Earth.
—Only, this fellow countryman's identity exceeded Klein's expectations; he is a "Divine Envoy" of the Aurora Order, a powerful Beyonder of sequence 7, and in Klein's eyes, who has just joined the Church of the Night and become Sequence 9, a figure far beyond reach.
"…Let's do a divination."
Klein's mind again recalled the two lines written on the business card Ning Lu had given him at the café. He stretched out his right hand, letting the pure‑silver pendulum hang down, and the same words echoed over the Grey Mist:
"Tell Captain Dunn the news about Ning Lu and it will bring me good development…"
"Tell Captain Dunn the news about Ning Lu will…"
"Tell Captain Dunn the news…"
Klein murmured softly, the identical phrase reverberating seven times over the mist. Finally, watching the pendulum's swing, he slowly retracted it and, after a brief inner struggle, made his decision:
"The divination shows it will bring me good development… Tomorrow—yes, tomorrow I will report this to Captain Dunn!"
"I need to consider what else I should hint to Captain Dunn about. Right, the card Ning Lu gave me said someone is watching us… Hiss! Could it be related to that Antigonus Family notebook again?"
"Could it be that everything started from 'my' death was orchestrated by someone?!!"
The possibility made Klein's teeth ache for a moment, cold sweat dripping down his back. Yet he didn't linger in the mist; after the divination he returned to the real world and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Klein stretched his limbs, dragging himself out of bed despite the fatigue from the all‑night divination, and after a quick wash he went to his own dining table.
"Klein, you seemed to have had a good night. Did you meet an old friend?" Benson sat at the table, cutting bread with a knife and fork, spreading butter, and greeted Klein with a smile.
"Yeah."
Klein smiled and took a seat:
"Well… it's a friend we met before we moved, haven't seen each other for years. I didn't expect him to become a respectable person now."
"You've become pretty good yourself, Klein." Benson comforted him.
"Now that you have a new job and income, you're much more mature and confident. I think you can become one of those respectable people too."
Hearing Benson's words, Klein understood Benson was worried about his insecurity—before his transmigration, Klein Moretti's university life had been modest.
Compared with his classmates, the Moretti family could only afford his tuition with their father's pension and the meager wages Benson worked so hard to earn, so Klein lived quite frugally during his studies.
Thinking of this, Klein sighed again in his heart:
If he hadn't transmigrated, the incident where Klein Moretti committed suicide at his desk before the interview would have dealt a heavy blow to Benson and Melissa… Klein paused deliberately, and only after Benson looked at him did he change the subject:
"By the way, Benson, next Saturday at this time I'll meet that friend again— you know, I'm now working for Blackthorn Security Company, and his job is similar to mine, so perhaps we'll have more overlap in the future."
Hearing Klein, Benson nodded:
"You're right. School‑time friendships are a strong bond for you two… But Klein, I must remind you to judge carefully before making decisions, otherwise you could fall into the Abyss of despair."
[At this point I hope readers remember our domain 101 Reading Sea, 101kanshu.com – pick any you like]
"After all, well, my job is dealing with all kinds of people. For some, friendship and affection are merely parts of gaining profit."
Benson explained.
"Got it, I'll be cautious enough." Klein smiled and said, "I certainly won't be as foolish as a curly‑haired baboon; I'll think carefully before deciding."
With that, Klein watched Melissa, who seemed reluctant to ride a carriage to school to save living expenses, board a public carriage, and part ways with Benson at the street corner.
Walking to the gate of Blackthorn Security Company, the receptionist Roseanne, idly lingering behind the desk, caught Klein's eye. Klein pursed his lips, feeling a flood of emotions.
Ah, Old Neil… When he taught me about the mysterious world, I wasn't even clear on his situation. Though being reported for "worshipping a dark god" and "having a loss‑of‑control tendency" is good for him… at least he won't truly lose control… but I wonder where Ning Lu got Old Neil's information?
Perhaps the intel came through the Aurora Order's channels?
Just as Klein was pondering Old Neil, Roseanne had already noticed his figure and cheerfully waved at him:
"Klein, why don't you come in?"
Klein let out a slight sigh, entered the hall first, then turned to Roseanne standing before him:
"Just now, I started thinking about Old Neil again. If he hasn't left us, I should still be learning the mysteries of the world with him today."
"If he hasn't left us… why does that sound so odd?" Roseanne muttered.
"Ah, you say that, I miss Old Neil too… But I heard Captain Dunn say that this might be the best outcome for Old Neil; otherwise, he could completely lose control soon."
Roseanne isn't fully aware of Beyonder matters, but she knows what loss of control means.
In her view, that denunciation letter actually saved Old Neil's life.
When Klein brought up the serious topic, Roseanne fell silent for a moment, and after a brief chat Klein changed the subject with her:
"By the way, I need to report something very important to Captain Dunn."