"Klein actually left?"
Hastur, who had just finished dinner, was surprised when he heard the report.
The three of them had only been drinking together last night, and from the tone of their conversation, it had not sounded like they intended to leave. Perhaps the Church had issued some new assignment.
Hastur did not think too much about it. Klein and Crestet's departure instead brought him quite a bit of peace and quiet.
Recently, the Yellow-robed Monks had already found results in their search for the Beyonder ingredients of the Sequence 5 Mentor of Disorder.
Now, he only needed to wait for the Baron of Corruption potion to be completely digested before he could advance.
According to his own estimate, it should still take two or three months, roughly around the middle of the year.
The further one went, the harder advancement became, and the easier it was for problems to arise.
He got up and came to the study on the second floor. Just as he was about to open the pen case, take out 008, and look at Klein and Crestet's latest movements,
"Meow." Ariella jumped onto his lap, raised her little eyes, and looked at him pitifully, as if accusing someone of something.
After listening for a while, Hastur finally understood what had happened and said with a smile, "Sharron bullied you? Then when she's acting as a puppet, bully her back. The main point is to tease and run."
"Meow?"
"Oh, you mean the dried fish? How about reducing it from two pieces a day to one?"
"Meow!" Ariella swiftly jumped off Hastur's lap and left without even looking back.
After this little interlude, Hastur opened the pen case, took a sheet of blank paper, and laid it on the desk.
"I want to know Kleins' recent situation."
008 very skillfully wrote a line on the paper: "A new mission from Backlund has transferred them away from Puning Harbor. They are planning to take a ferry to Bansy Harbor tomorrow."
"O favored one of fate, destined to walk a rugged mountain path. A peaceful and warm life will ultimately be crushed by ruthless waves, swept away, and disappear."
"A corner of fate is revealing the beginning of an extraordinary life. Klein, a man full of mysteries, is about to experience a tremendous change in his life."
Today's 008 was acting all mysterious, giving off something of a charlatan's air.
Bansy Harbor? They were actually going to that place.
Hastur leaned back slightly, half-narrowing his eyes as he pondered the matter.
With the opening of the war on the Southern Continent, the Red Priest, symbolizing war, would break free because of it, and abnormalities would also occur in Bansy Harbor.
These were all things that could be foreseen, but why would Klein be sent to handle it? Was this an oracle from the Evernight Goddess?
Could even She no longer stand Klein continuing to live such a peaceful and stable life? So She deliberately gave him a little stimulus, so that he would quickly embark on a path of growth.
Or perhaps the recent frequent movements of the Outer Deities and the Great Old Ones had made the Evernight Goddess sense that something was wrong, which was why She wanted to accelerate the appearance of the new Lord of Mysteries.
Hastur felt that this should be the most likely conjecture.
"Do you know about Bansy Harbor?" Having figured things out, Hastur deliberately tested 008.
"That place will be the starting point of war. A figure who should have been buried by history will return once more as an evil spirit."
"He is the ultimate red, the red of war. With His return, the earth will inevitably rise in a tremor of blades and soldiers!"
Hearing this, Hastur asked with a smile, "Then do you know this Red Priest's honorific name?"
"Medici."
Perhaps to avoid being noticed, 008 deliberately wrote the three words in three separate sections.
"Wrong. That is only His original name. The current Him has a new name." Hastur shook his head and denied the answer.
008 first froze for a moment, then happily began scribbling and drawing on the paper. In the end, it drew a circle, and inside the circle were three heads entangled with one another.
Hastur glanced at it and praised, "Not bad. I didn't expect that besides having such good handwriting, your painting skills are also quite decent."
008 became even more excited and urged Hastur to bring over a fresh sheet of blank paper, clearly intending to draw an even more shocking work.
Hastur indulged it and let it excitedly draw on the paper.
In his heart, he was thinking about Medici, no, it should be Sauron-Einhorn-Medici.
If Southville County would become a battlefield in the future, then after this Red Priest broke free, He would very likely come here.
To prevent Him from coming to make trouble, some preparations still had to be made in advance.
Hastur pondered for a moment. The painting 008 had drawn was already complete. It was actually a picture of Puning Harbor beneath the afterglow of sunset.
Although it was only outlined with black lines, every stroke revealed the artist's profound skill.
This work, even if taken out for auction, would have people willing to spend money to collect it.
"Later, I'll have someone color it and mount it in a frame."
Hearing this, 008 hurriedly blackened the entire painting, then began slowly drawing again on a new sheet of paper.
Clearly, this time 008 was going to put in real effort.
Hastur merely smiled as he appreciated 008's drawing. If they were really compared, 008's painting skill far surpassed his own.
Twenty minutes later, 008 finally finished the new painting.
It was still that same picture of Puning Harbor beneath the afterglow of sunset, but its grasp of spatial depth was even more precise. As for the overall brightness and shadow tones, that would require later coloring.
008 requested that Hastur find a good painter to color this painting for it. Naturally, Hastur would not refuse such a small request.
"After it's done, hang this painting in the study."
"Master, you really are too good, sob sob sob…"
Hastur had gradually become immune to 008's sugar-coated attacks. He put 008 back into the pen case and left the study.
The third room on the right side of the corridor was Sharron's room, next to Hastur's bedroom.
When he arrived outside the door, he saw Ariella being held in Sharron's arms and kneaded all over.
Clearly, Ariella had done something out of line just now and had been caught by Sharron for punishment.
Seeing Hastur arrive, Ariella immediately cast him a pleading look. Hastur gave Ariella a reassuring smile, then closed the door and returned to his own room to rest.
…
Backlund, Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Leonard finished his daytime work and returned to his room to rest, but his mind suddenly felt somewhat uneasy.
He hurriedly lay down on the bed and called out for the old man to come out and clear up his confusion.
"Old man, I suddenly feel like something's wrong. Could something big be about to happen?"
"Can you change anything?"
"…" Leonard was directly choked speechless by those words.
"If you don't have any ability to change things, then quietly be an ordinary person."
"Old man, from your tone, is something big really going to happen?"
"War shall spread across the lands."
"When?"
"At the latest, no more than a year."
Leonard fell silent. He suddenly felt that what the old man said was right.
Even if he knew about these things, what could he do? In the end, he still could not change anything.
Just as Leonard sighed and was preparing to rest, there was suddenly a knock at the door.
He hurriedly got up and opened it.
Outside the door stood a member of the cathedral's clergy, who said that Archbishop Anthony had something to see him about.
The bad premonition in Leonard's heart grew even stronger, and he quickly headed to the cathedral.
Under the bright candlelight, every carved detail of the cathedral was illuminated. Archbishop Anthony stood at the center of the empty cathedral, holding a small note in his hand.
When Leonard arrived, Archbishop Anthony handed him the note.
Only after taking a deep breath did Leonard unfold the note.
"The situation at Bansy Harbor has changed! Klein's whereabouts are unknown!"
The handwriting on it was somewhat messy, clearly written under urgent circumstances.
Taking another deep breath, Leonard clenched the note and forced himself to remain calm as he said, "Bishop, did you call me here tonight because you want me to go to Bansy Harbor to help?"
"Someone has already gone to handle this matter." Archbishop Anthony looked at Leonard, whose expression was somewhat off, paused for a few seconds, and then said, "You have a fairly good relationship with Klein. If his family asks about him in the future, you will be the one to explain it to them."
"He is only missing. It's not that serious. I believe in Klein's good luck. He will definitely be able to return alive, and the Goddess will certainly point out the way back for him."
"Praise the Goddess." Archbishop Anthony said nothing more. Leonard dragged his heavy steps back to his room.
He lay weakly on the bed, took out the note, looked at it a few more times, and then let out a long sigh.
No wonder he had suddenly felt uneasy today. It turned out that something had happened to Klein.
According to the tradition of the Nighthawks, when someone's status was written as whereabouts unknown, it could generally be assumed that they were dead.
But he did not believe Klein would die so easily. In Tingen, under the manipulation of Ince Zangwill's script, Klein had still managed to pass through safely.
Could a mere Bansy Harbor really be more terrifying than Ince Zangwill plus 008? Moreover, the people responsible for handling the Bansy Harbor incident this time also included Crestet and members of the Church of Storms.
With Klein's cautious personality, he would not let himself mistakenly fall into danger. Some other unforeseen change must have occurred for the situation to become like this.
"Old man, I want to go to Bansy Harbor."
"At the current stage, it is best to stay away."
Leonard's expression shifted slightly. "Does that place truly contain tremendous danger?"
"Heh, do you think you can change anything?"
Leonard fell completely silent. Those words were something the old man often kept on his lips, but he had always paid little attention to them.
Only now did he truly understand how much weight those words carried.