"Of course."
Sharron nodded slightly after hearing this.
"I'll contact the other Beyonders over the next few days. Once I've assembled the team, I'll come find you."
It was predictable that a Fourth Epoch noble's tomb would be extremely dangerous.
Besides him, Sharron had already made arrangements with several other Beyonders to form an exploration team.
"By the way, why didn't you invite those people to help you hunt down the Rose School of Thought?"
Silas suddenly thought of something and couldn't help asking.
Not just those people. Silas himself had only received the message through the queen. Sharron hadn't tried to borrow his power at all.
"I did try speaking to a few of them. But when they heard it involved making an enemy of an ancient, evil organization, they all refused."
Sharron explained.
Why tell them it involved the Rose School of Thought? Wouldn't it have been easier to just lie to them?
Silas thought to himself, but didn't ask.
Sharron and her group belonged to the Temperance faction. They probably had standards for their words and actions and couldn't lie.
He speculated inwardly.
"Alright then, it's settled."
Silas said.
He wasn't one for small talk. After finishing their business, he prepared to leave.
Klein rose as well, and the two of them walked out of the bar together, emerging onto the street.
"What have you been up to lately?"
"Busy with role-playing, of course."
Klein answered.
He felt both excited and pained.
Excited because the Human-skin Shadow characteristic would soon be in his hands.
Pained because he'd have to pay another hefty sum of cash for it. How many detective commissions would it take to earn that back?
Tomorrow is the Tarot Club meeting. Silas probably won't have time to explore the tomb, which means I still have eight days to raise the funds.
Klein chatted with Silas while calculating silently in his mind.
After discussing Roselle's diary and Ince Zangwill for a bit, confirming that neither of them had any leads, they said goodbye at the street corner and went their separate ways.
---
Meanwhile, in Queens.
Count Andes's mansion was heavily surrounded by relevant personnel.
This neighborhood housed society's upper crust, and they had plenty of ways to learn the details of related cases.
Soon, news that Count Andes had joined a cult and been killed by an unknown assailant spread throughout aristocratic circles.
People talked enthusiastically about the count's bizarre death and the evil sect he had joined.
"Judging by the method used to interfere with divination, it was very likely the work of that [Blood Reverend]."
Inside the luxuriously decorated bedroom, numerous Beyonders were investigating the scene.
The captain of the Machinery Hivemind squad respectfully reported to the important figure with his back turned.
"[Blood Reverend]... Who's that?"
It was an elderly man wearing white clerical robes and a soft clergy hat.
He was none other than Horamick Haydn, the Steam and Mechanical Church's head of the Backlund diocese, member of the Council Before the Gods, and Archbishop.
This important figure also served as a professor in the physics department at Backlund University.
"Your Grace, Archbishop, that's what they're calling him over at MI9."
The squad captain explained.
"Do you remember the Capim case that caused such an uproar before? That was the [Blood Reverend]'s first appearance.
After that, he also killed Lanevus, who was carrying an evil god's offspring, and the Desire Apostle, the suspected mastermind behind a serial murder case."
"I see."
Horamick nodded noncommittally.
After a moment of silence, he said flatly, "Bring Iconser up here."
The squad captain went out as instructed.
Soon, the Steam Church deacon entered the bedroom, clutching his silver mirror, still sporting his signature explosion-like hair and grim expression.
"Your Grace, Archbishop."
He bowed.
"Divination is being interfered with. Try using 2-111 to search for clues."
"...Yes."
Although Iconser had already guessed why Horamick summoned him, his face still stiffened for a moment.
Hearing there might be new leads, the Beyonders who had been frustrated by the lack of progress quickly gathered.
An empty room was immediately filled, not just with Machinery Hivemind members, but also MI9 personnel who'd come to help.
They sat at the table to witness the deacon use the Sealed Artifact.
Watching more and more people gather around him, Iconser's expression grew increasingly heavy.
He took a deep breath, finally steeling himself, and reached out to stroke the mirror's surface.
The room fell quiet. Everyone held their breath.
After stroking it three times, Iconser asked:
"Respected Arrodes, my question is: who were the Beyonders that appeared here last night?"
The light in the room dimmed.
Misty vapor appeared on the silver mirror's surface, eventually forming into moving images. In the images, several strange beings appeared:
A man with corpse-pale skin, roaring and charging like a wild beast, leaving many marks throughout the building.
A middle-aged man in a tailcoat, his form flickering like a ghost, difficult to detect.
Another female being in a similar state, wearing an elegant black dress, seemingly in opposition to the pale corpse.
"The Mutant pathway. It really is the Rose School of Thought..."
Someone said in a low voice.
They had found certain items while searching Count Andes's home, confirming that this kingdom's count had already converted to the cult from the Southern Continent.
This seemed to provide a deeper explanation for his previous business success.
Though someone spoke, the mirror's display wasn't finished.
The image shifted, seemingly about to reveal the final figure present.
But soon, all they could see in the image was a field of crimson red, nothing else.
"Hmm?"
Iconser frowned.
Others hadn't noticed, but holding the mirror, he detected that when displaying the final image, the silver mirror seemed to tremble almost imperceptibly.
"Even 2-111 can't investigate the target clearly?"
Others said disappointedly.
This image was exactly the same as what they saw when divining and channeling.
It seemed this [Blood Reverend] wouldn't be so easy to catch.
After displaying the answer, the mirror quickly returned to normal, and bloody words began appearing on its surface.
Here it comes...
Iconser suppressed his unease and looked down at the mirror. Soon, he was confused by the question that appeared.
The mirror read:
"When the person you want to please and the person you fear from the bottom of your heart are both present, how will you react?"
"I would... feel confused, I suppose."
He answered hesitantly.
"Congratulations, you answered correctly."
White text appeared on the mirror's surface.
That's it? I passed?
Iconser breathed a sigh of relief while feeling somewhat incredulous.
"Keep asking it, what was the reason for the conflict between those two parties?"
Horamick said.
Iconser asked as instructed.
The magic mirror Arrodes's answer was a clash of ideals and beliefs.
However, the next question Arrodes posed made his heart tighten:
"Among those present, who do you most want to please, and who do you fear the most?"
Everyone fell silent, involuntarily looking at the explosion-haired deacon.
The corner of Iconser's mouth twitched. He didn't know what to say.