Mystery: Who has seen my brother?

Chapter 191 Nightmare
Inside an apartment somewhere in Backlund

"Xiu, I have something to tell you." Fors handed the Sheriff formula to Xiu and said, "The person who sold the Sheriff formula is looking for help..."

Fors recounted his conversation with the man to Hugh, adding, "I didn't tell him I was buying it on someone else's behalf. If you agree, you can give him an answer at the next gathering."

Xio was slightly tempted. It was impossible for her to gather the materials quickly given her current financial situation, and the existence of that suspected evil god made her eager to be promoted.

"Well," Xio quickly glanced over the formula several times, destroyed the paper immediately after making sure he had memorized it, and then looked up at Fors. "I'll think about it. See you tomorrow."

"Wait, Xio..." Fors suddenly grabbed Xio's wrist to stop her from leaving. "Why did you suddenly want to go to St. Samuel's Church to pray today?"

"Ah?" Xio's heart trembled, and he pretended to be puzzled and said, "Fors, I am a believer of the goddess..."

"No, you know what I mean." Fors shook her head, her eyes fixed on Xio, as if she wanted to see through her. "This prayer time is much longer than usual. Moreover, you didn't even attend the meeting today in order to go to church to pray!"

"No, actually it's the same if you go in my place..." Xio opened his mouth and retorted.

But Fors only glanced at her, her eyes filled with deep concern and worry. She ignored Xio's feeble rebuttal and continued to ask, "Is it because of that honorific name?"

Forth thought of the consequences for those targeted by the evil gods in the story. Then his face turned pale, his lips trembled slightly, and he said to himself, "It must be."

"Uh... yes... I had a nightmare," Xio pursed her lips, thinking about how to lie, "I'm a little worried."

"Is it really just a nightmare?" Fors's eyes were filled with suspicion.

"Ah."

Xio didn't know whether it was a nightmare or not. She secretly hoped it was just a nightmare, but her mind told her that the possibility of it being a nightmare was very small.

"Do you still want me to sleep with you tonight?" Fors blinked and asked tentatively.

"No," Xio immediately refused, "I'll be fine on my own."

Fors stared at Xio for a long time before she said, "In that case, I'll sleep with you tonight."

"Fors..."

"Xiu," Fors interrupted her and said seriously, "I don't know when our relationship became so distant."

"No, Fors," Hugh said immediately, "I plan to sneak into the mass hall of St. Samuel's Church to rest tonight. If you want, you should go to St. Hillran's Church."

Saint Hillran Cathedral is the headquarters of the God of Steam and Machinery in Backlund.

"I can go to St. Samuel's Church with you. After all, I didn't have a nightmare, so I don't need to pray for protection," Fors said, still a little skeptical. "Besides, I'm your 'apprentice'. If we're discovered, I can take you and run away."

"You're not good at escaping. There must be night watchmen in St. Samuel's Church. Even in the middle of the night, if you're discovered by them, I'll definitely be suspected by them." Fors continued, putting away her usual laziness. Her expression was serious and earnest, like a steady commander admonishing Hugh Dilcha.

"..." Xio pursed his lips, looked up at Fors, and stared at his friend for a long time before he opened his mouth and said, "Okay."

……

When Klein returned home to 18 Minsk Street in the Cherwood District of Backlund, Eve and Ruirui were still at their detective agency. He was the only one in the house, which seemed a bit empty.

He had dinner alone and read the newspaper on the sofa for a while. It was not until around eleven o'clock that he heard some noise coming from the room on the second floor.

"Sister?"

Klein put down the newspaper, walked towards the wooden stairs, climbed up to the second floor, and knocked on Eve's door.

There was a slight sound of the door opening, and the wooden door slowly moved back, revealing the face of the person in the room.

"How are you feeling? Any commissions? Is Meursault here?"

"Very idle, no commissions at all." Eve shook her head, then looked at Klein with a hint of sympathy and said jokingly, "Business is terrible, brother."

"Ahem..." Klein coughed lightly. Then, realizing there was no need to be embarrassed, he straightened his chest and said, "My detective agency hasn't even been open a week. It's normal for business to be slow. Besides, this isn't my main business."

"By the way, the life-size mirror in your office is broken. Remember to replace it." Eve leaned against the door frame, crossed her arms, and said lightly.

"Life-size mirror? Why is it broken?"

"Meursault broke it."

Eve stood up straight, patted Klein's shoulder with a smile on her face, and blinked at him. Her sea-blue eyes were deep and beautiful, like ripples on the water, and each blink splashed with starlight.

Even though there was no one else around, Eve still lowered her voice, put one hand to her mouth, and added quietly: "I've got him, he's yours from now on."

"what?"

Klein was stunned.

Eve grabbed Klein's sleeve, forcing him to bend down so he could look her in the eye. She briefly recounted what had happened in the office.

“Hiss…” Klein took a deep breath and opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. Finally, he whispered, “You’re trying to get me to take over both the black and white worlds.”

"Come on," Eve let go of Klein's sleeve and raised her hands to her chest, making a gesture of encouragement. "You are the new generation of Godfather."

"I don't want to be some godfather," Klein muttered, "but having Meursault does make things a lot easier. At least I have the intelligence and informants I need as a detective."

"But Ian's commission is actually related to the Intis ambassador. It's no wonder there's such tension regarding both countries." Klein sighed, feeling a bit of a headache. "I never expected a single commission of mine would lead to so many complications. But thankfully, I accepted this commission, allowing the church to be aware of these matters in advance."

"By the way, what manuscript do you think is so precious that it deserves such attention from a foreign ambassador?" Klein stroked his chin and muttered to himself thoughtfully.

"How would I know? The information Meursault provided doesn't offer any clues. Hmm... perhaps you could go to the library and look for manuscripts left behind by some great masters?" Eve leaned against the doorframe again, arms folded across her chest, and said nonchalantly, "You don't really need to worry about it. I think the Nighthawks would be more efficient than you in this matter."

"Well, I'm just thinking out of habit," Klein nodded and said, "Contact Meursault tomorrow and have him send me as much information as possible about the Zmanger Party. As a detective, well... although I'm just an amateur detective, the information I have is still too little."

"No problem." Eve made an OK gesture and said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)