As he sighed, Klein indulged himself by relaxing like an ordinary person enjoying a rare instance of serenity and comfort in his dream.
After about fifteen minutes, he finally waited to the point when the Church’s Beyonder that was sent to placate him had left.
That night, the quality of his sleep was extremely good, and he only managed to wake up at daybreak. Outside, the sun had just peeked out over the horizon, while the moon remained shining in the sky, and there was a slight howl from the winds.
Klein lazily dazed in bed for nearly ten minutes before picking up the golden pocket watch by his bedside table and snapping it open.
In this season, due to the wind, Backlund didn’t have thick smog. Together with the environmental measures put into place over the past few months, the skies were often blue and the air fresh. The gardeners were already busy in the garden, and the parlor maid and handymen were heading to the market. Other than them, the surroundings were calm and peaceful. This invigorated Klein as he temporarily forgot all his troubles. He felt that the world belonged to him at that moment.
With a faint smile, he silently enjoyed the scenery. In the next fifteen minutes, servants would walk out from the surrounding houses in pairs or threes. They were either holding baskets or leading horses. The entire borough seemed to come to life as the sunlight grew brighter.
Outside the master bedroom, Richardson was already waiting outside. It was impossible to guess what time he had woken up.
This was the most difficult thing about a valet. He needed to sleep later than his employer but also wake up earlier than him.
“There’s another hour before breakfast. Sir, if you wish for it to be brought forward, the kitchen will be ready within fifteen minutes.” Richardson didn’t ask Dwayne Dantès why he had suddenly woken up so early.
Klein chortled and said, “There’s no need to bring it forward. I plan on taking a stroll first.”
“Very well, sir.” Richardson entered the bedroom, and based on his employer’s suggestion, he chose a coat and helped him wear it.
Finally, Klein wore a silk top hat and held a gold inlaid cane before walking down to the first floor. Leaving the residence, he strolled down the street that was lined with Intis parasol trees and black street lamps until he reached the other end.
Along the way, each residence’s garden emanated a faint fragrance as the green leaves of the trees created a sense of tranquility from high above. Pedestrians were in pairs or threes in what seemed like a sparse street. The occasional carriage that drove by would break the silence before quickly leaving.
Klein enjoyed the morning, taking in the pleasantness of waking up early. He felt that the negative emotions from yesterday were evaporating bit by bit and vanishing.
It was Member of Parliament Macht’s residence.
Its external perimeter was in the form of sharp iron rods, allowing passersby to appreciate the beauty of the garden within through the gaps.
While moving his gaze away, Klein saw a familiar figure. It was Hazel with her long black-green hair and dark brown eyes. This beautiful and proud lady was strolling through the garden’s trails with her maid, looking around from time to time.
Glancing at Richardson who was silently following behind him, Klein suddenly thought of the news reports, magazine articles, and novels he had recently read about the Southern Continent.
He consciously kept up with the content of that region because that would flesh out his persona as Dwayne Dantès. After all, a lot of what he knew about the Southern Continent stemmed from the pirates, adventurers, and the Fog Sea’s Strongest Hunter, Anderson. He had no idea if they were exaggerated or fabricated.
He remembered that Richardson was born in a manor over there. He had only been brought to Backlund when he was an adult.
Richardson paused for a few seconds and said, “Sir, I actually do not know much about the Southern Continent because I was spending most of my time in the manor. I had few opportunities to head out.”
“Just tell me of your impressions—your true impressions. You don’t have to hold back. I just want to have a general understanding. As you know, they all believe me to be an expert of the Southern Continent, but in fact, my experiences are only limited to a few places and merchants,” Klein said with a chuckle.
Richardson nodded and bowed his head as he looked at his toes that were walking forward.
“My impression of the Southern Continent is:
“Hunger, exhaustion, pain, as well as pining for the world after death…”
…
East Chester County, in a building beside Stoen University.
Audrey was looking at the collections obtained by the Relic Search and Preservation Foundation.
She had originally planned on coming on Tuesday afternoon, but Associate Professor Michele Deuth had participated in an academic conference in Backlund; therefore only returning today. As a result, she had no choice but to change her plans.
“This pair of boots was discovered by a farmer in a mountainous ruins in Stoen. Its shape and traits match the societal trends of the Fourth Epoch,” Michele introduced the item inside the glass cabinet to the beautiful aristocrat.
Audrey looked over with interest and discovered that the ends of the boots were curled like a clown’s.
The heights of the curled parts weren’t uniform. One was three centimeters, and the other was five centimeters. They didn’t look like a pair.
At the end of the tour, Michele pointed at the glass case diagonally ahead of them and said, “This coat of arms was delivered a few days ago. It involves the very ancient worship of dragons.”
“Where does it come from?” Audrey asked just as she did before.
Michele answered, “It’s from a village named Hartlarkh. This Loenese word doesn’t have an archetype in ancient Feysac. Apparently, it was written like how it’s read.”
At that moment, Associate Professor Michele’s expression turned abnormally heavy.
“Accompanying the discovery of this coat of arms was a tragedy.”
“A tragedy?” Audrey didn’t hide her surprise.
Associate Professor Michele sighed and said, “An archaeological team entered the village to study the folk tradition of worshiping dragons, but that night, one of the members went mad. And this mental illness was apparently contagious. The entire archaeological team later went mad, killing themselves or each other. In the end, none of them survived.
“This coat of arms was found among their remains. It was first taken away by the police, and after confirming that it’s without problems, only then did they donate it to us.”
Suddenly, an idea came to mind.
The members of the archaeological team were members of the Psychology Alchemists!
