"What's up?" Benson asked casually. Melissa looked seriously at her brother, as she too found Clarens' performance tonight rather odd—only slightly better than Elizabeth's and later Selena's. Clarens had already rehearsed his response and chuckled, "There's an error in the description of a document, and I've instructed my colleague to submit it as soon as they arrive at the office tomorrow morning. So, either I'll make the trip now en route, or I'll rise at least half an hour earlier tomorrow. Undoubtedly, I'll choose the former." "I've always thought you weren't fully focused while playing cards—now I see you've been thinking about work." Benson suddenly understood, then smiled, "No, I apologize—I should have said that playing cards actually helps with thinking." "We'll be waiting for you," Melissa said, withdrawing her gaze and raising her hand to tidy the frilled edge of her lamb's-wool sleeve. Since the scheduled operating hours for the street and non-street omnibuses had long passed, the three siblings had to hire a rented carriage upon leaving, taking 2 sou for 45 minutes. "I've heard that every carriage driver tends to charge arbitrarily high fares," Benson remarked, sighing as he paid most of the money he had won, his voice lowered. "Considering it's nearly eleven now, I think that's acceptable," Crane smiled. "I was only making a joke. Actually, I believe we could jointly hire a carriage with other guests—this way, in just 45 minutes, we could reach many destinations," Benson said, gazing out the window at the stream of people hiring carriages. I see—carpooling, indeed... Crane stroked the silver inlay at the top of his walking cane. "We won't have any issues, but other guests might. Haven't you noticed, Benson? They are all very conscious of their image and deeply concerned about 'dignity.' I suspect this may be a shared trait among the middle class." "Hmm." "Benson nodded seriously," Wood's are more luxurious than I imagined, yet Old Wood's weekly salary is only four pounds... Ah, dignity might well be the greatest distinction between certain middle-class folks and the curly-haired baboons." What did the curly-haired baboons do to provoke you?... Caine almost couldn't suppress a smile. Melissa didn't join their conversation; she sat down at her seat, occasionally glancing at Caine, which made him feel a bit uneasy. The lightweight two-wheeled carriage sped along the quiet, dimly lit streets, reaching Zothlan Street in just twelve minutes. "You all wait here for me," Caine emphasized, "five minutes, no more than five—I'll be back." He fastened his hat, took his cane, and stepped down from the carriage. Since the journey was measured in time rather than distance, the coachman had no complaints about the waiting. Caine ascended the stairs and arrived at the entrance of Blackthorn Security Company, knocking firmly on the door. Less than ten seconds later, the door swung back, revealing Leonard Mitchell in his jacket and dress shirt. "You don't need to stay on duty tonight," Leonard emphasized, slightly surprised. Claire only needed to rotate on duty at the Charnes Gate once a week, allowing him to maintain his regular schedule. Nighttime emergencies were handled by the "night owls" who preferred the darkness. However, sleeping just two or three hours each day often led to hair loss and memory decline—every time he thought about this, he found himself quietly criticizing Captain Dean Smith in a matter-of-fact tone. "I have something to report," he said simply. "Any assignments?" Leonard stepped aside and casually asked. As soon as Claire entered the reception hall, he spotted Captain Dean stepping out in his black coat, his gray eyes as deep and steady as ever. "Captain, I've encountered an extraordinary event." "Details," Dean said directly. Caine recounted everything he had done and his own handling of the situation in full: "…Therefore, I believe it is necessary to investigate Heinis Vancent." At that time, he reasoned that since the malevolent entity summoned by the "Mirror Divination" had not yet caused a major incident or issued a dire warning, it suggested that the entity still needed time—perhaps unwilling to awaken prematurely or fully control Serenela. As long as its true intentions remained concealed, the entity would naturally prefer to remain observant. Under such circumstances, it would not be difficult for Elizabeth to lull Serenela into the bedroom corridor. "You handled it very well—by seizing the opportunity when the evil spirit had not yet fully manifested or completely taken possession." Dune nodded gently. "The investigation from here on will be our responsibility. You may now return to rest." Klein exhaled a long breath and chuckled, "I thought队长would treat this as my onboarding assignment and have me handle it all on my own." Based on the incantation provided by Elizabeth, Heinrich Vancent appears to be quite risky... "Actually, your onboarding assignment has already been set," Leonard said lightly, with his usual relaxed demeanor. "What?" Klein was startled. Dunne smiled gently and explained, "Around seven thirty in the evening, we received a case transferred from the police department. It's not particularly urgent, and the initial assessment shows no significant danger—so we decided to have you handle it alone tomorrow." "Alright, don't ask what the case is. Just get a good night's rest tonight, and shift your rest day to either Tuesday or Wednesday." Captain, if you do this, I'll barely be able to sleep!... And, by the way, the Tarot gathering is scheduled for Monday afternoon. Should we send out a message to 'Justice' and 'The Hanged Man' to reschedule in advance? Klein shook his head with a苦笑 and bid farewell, then left. As he stepped out of the stairwell, he suddenly noticed, raised his head, and glanced toward the carriage hired by his family. There, Melissa was quietly observing him through the window. Upon making eye contact, Melissa quickly turned her head and sat up straight. Klein's lips moved slightly, and he walked toward the carriage as if nothing had happened. Under the rosy moon and the clear night sky, the two-wheeled carriage moved smoothly, gliding through one street after another. Back home, Klein sent Bensen off to take a bath first, then went to Melissa's bedroom and knocked twice on the door. Melissa, who had just been heading toward another bathroom, opened the door with a creak, looking at her brother with a look of curiosity. "Melissa, do you have any questions?" Klein asked directly. "I know you do." Don't always observe from the shadows... Melissa hesitated, her brow furrowed. "Klein, what exactly did you do to Elizabeth? I feel she's off somehow." "Also, later on, Selena became quite strange." Caylen replied promptly: "Do you know that Elizabeth and Selena are both enthusiasts of the esoteric studies?" "...I do, but I don't like it—I don't think there's anything in this world that can't be understood." Melissa paused, responding seriously. "All our misunderstandings simply stem from the fact that we haven't accumulated enough knowledge yet." "Indeed, I agree." Caylen added, a little hesitant. Once, I truly believed that—until I managed to completely ruin things... He cleared his throat and continued: "The esoteric studies include the Hermes script, an ancient text used specifically in rituals and prayers. Elizabeth knows I'm particularly skilled in this area—after all, it's a field of historical scholarship—so she asked me to explain several corresponding words and their precise meanings." Melissa nodded slightly, accepting her brother's explanation as it aligned with her understanding of both parties. "As for why Elizabeth and Serenella later became so odd, I'm not entirely sure of the specific reasons," said Kline, first distancing himself. "But I can make an educated guess." "Really?" Melissa exclaimed, surprised. Kline raised a hand, tapping his lips. "I've been making my guess based on what Elizabeth told me. She mentioned certain Hermes texts related to divination and to some evil priestly figures. Now, when Serenella performed mirror divination, did she recite those Hermes texts?" By bringing up this point, he hoped to alert his sister to be cautious—ideally, to keep away from both Elizabeth and Serenella. "Yes...," Melissa replied hesitantly, "I think I now understand the oddities of both Elizabeth and Serenella..." At that moment, Cline deliberately asked a follow-up question: "Because Serenella's mirror divination involves evil, unauthorized beliefs, didn't Elizabeth, after learning the specific meanings corresponding to the Hermes script from me, find an opportunity to criticize her and correct her errors?" "I believe that's exactly what happened," Melissa said with full confidence, as it was her own reasoning. Seeing that his subtle prompting had taken effect, Cline sighed and said: "You should also keep reminding Serenella to return to the proper path of faith." As he said this, he gently tapped his chest four times, in a very pastoral manner. "Yes, I will!" Melissa responded firmly. "And don't tell either Elizabeth or Serenella about our observations, or about what I've said—this was the promise I originally made to Elizabeth." "That's what Kline emphasized finally." Melissa nodded lightly. ... Monday at 8 a.m., Blackthorn Security. Kline removed his hat, greeted Rose and Bright with a casual exchange about the weather, and then entered Captain Dune Smith's office. Pushing open the door, he looked up and was startled—Dune's complexion was notably pale, his gray eyes slightly hazy, lacking their usual depth. "Has something happened, Dune? Hasn't Vincent Farnsworth been well?" Kline asked, both surprised and concerned. Dune rubbed his forehead, sipped his coffee, and smiled faintly. "Vincent Farnsworth has passed away." "Who killed him—before the time expected?" Kline took his cane and sat across from Dune. Dunne didn't answer directly. He sighed and said, "Last night, I went to see Hinas VanSant, because he hadn't shown any unusual signs, and there was nothing strange about the house. So I decided to enter his dream first to look for clues." "In his dream, in his dream..." Dunne repeated it twice, his eyes conveying a growing sense of fear. "In his dream, I saw a cross—massive, towering, filling the sky. On top of it, a naked man was fastened by black iron nails. His arms were spread wide, his feet above him, his head hanging like a pendant. His body was streaked with streaks of blood." "Right when I saw that scene, I fainted and left Hinas VanSant's dream. When I came to, Leonard told me that Hinas had died in his sleep." "The massive cross, the man hanging upside down, covered in blood stains—this resembles, to some extent, the true Creator venerated by several secret organizations, yet it's quite different..." Caine speculated with curiosity. The secret organizations that worship the true Creator have primarily emerged over the last two to three centuries, such as the Aurora Society or the Iron Blood Cross, but similar imagery had never vanished over the preceding thousand years. Dun again rubbed his forehead. "We'll follow up on this later. For now, you proceed with your onboarding tasks."