Mystery: When the Lost Homelanders Meet the Lost Homeland Call

After the tarot session, Klein noticed four black dots on the back of his right hand, forming a square—marks left from the "luck-changing ritual" he performed the previous night. The four dots faded quickly, but he knew they were still hidden within him, ready to be awakened at any time.

He guessed that from now on, there would be no need to prepare staple food anymore; one could simply recite incantations to enter the gray fog.

But thinking of the bizarre journey through his dreams, the mysterious world of gray mist, and the near-mad whispers that lingered in his ears during the ritual, Klein couldn't help but shiver in the June heat. He had heard the saying, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown." Now he understood it deeply.

After dinner, Klein began to look through the notes left behind by the original owner of the body.

After discarding the scattered daily records at the beginning, Klein found some content in the last few pages that pointed to a Quaternary Antigonus family notebook.

The original owner's classmate, Welch, obtained it and invited the original owner and Naya to decipher it together. During the deciphering process, mysterious terms such as "Black Emperor" and "Thudor" appeared. The last entry was about traveling to the "Land of Night" in the Hornach Mountains. The notebook stopped on June 26th, while the page for June 27th contained only one sentence:

"Everyone will die, including me."

Before Klein could think further, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door. Four police officers stood outside, one of them, the gray-eyed officer Dunn Smith, told him:

"Welch and Naya are both dead, in Welch's residence. Based on the evidence at the scene, both committed suicide. Welch banged his head against the wall, and Naya drowned herself in the washbasin. The autopsy ruled out drugs and external forces."

Klein was completely bewildered. The police searched his room, found the notebook, and saw the sentence, "Everyone will die."

After careful consideration, Klein decided to put on an act, covering his forehead and replying with a pained tone, "I don't know... When I woke up today, I realized I had forgotten some things, especially the things from the last few days."

This is indeed true, but only partially true.

He initially thought such words would be completely unbelievable, but the gray-eyed officer pondered and said, "Perhaps it's really possible. An expert will be coming in a couple of days; she should be able to help you recall your lost memories."

Dunn Smith actually believed this seemingly clumsy lie and said he would find an expert to help him recover his memory.

Before the officers left, a young officer patted Klein on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Generally speaking, in things like this, it's common for everyone involved to die. We're lucky you're still alive."

Klein: ...Thank you, but your words make me even more afraid.

That night, he had a dream. In the dream, he was arrested by the police, and he tried to escape, but was taken back by Dunn Smith's carriage. He woke up with a start, covered in a cold sweat. Then he walked to the end of the corridor and saw a figure standing by the window, bathed in the crimson moonlight, slowly turning around.

Dunn Smith.

"Let's get to know each other again," the gray-eyed man said, removing his black top hat and bowing slightly. "Night Watchman, Dunn Smith."

The Night Watchers are the extraordinary ranks of the Church of the Goddess of Night. Dunn told him that he had guided him through the dream. In dreams, all repressed emotions and dark thoughts are magnified and presented, making the truth easier to see. Through the dream, he had confirmed that Klein had indeed lost some of his memories. But he still wanted to take Klein to see that "expert."

Klein realized that he was not in a state of confusion or being guided at all. He suspected that this was the "special" aspect of his time travel, but he did not mention it.

  

The carriage headed towards Welch's residence. On the way, Dunn told a chilling story: a few years ago, there was a cult case where the only person who reported it went on to live a normal life after everything was over, but in March of this year, he strangled himself to death in his office.

"Strangling oneself"

Can such a bizarre case only be solved temporarily? Klein gasped.

In Welch's living room, a candle burned on the coffee table, its flame casting an eerie, vibrant blue light. The "expert" wore a hooded black robe and blue eyeshadow and blush. Dunn called her a genuine psychic named Daly.

Under her guidance, Klein pretended to enter that dazed state. This time, he was still able to think calmly and rationally, only showing a muddled appearance.

Finally, Daly concluded, "No trace was left." Welch and Naya did indeed commit suicide; the forces influencing them were strange and powerful, leaving no trace whatsoever. And the Fourth Epoch notebook that triggered everything had vanished without a trace.

On the return journey in the carriage, when faced with Klein's questions about how to protect himself, Dunn invited Klein to become a clerical worker for the Night Watch.

There are three reasons: First, his survival in such an event without assistance demonstrates his incredible luck; second, he is a history graduate, and the night watchmen need such professionals to interpret ancient documents; third, he has already accessed the secret and no longer needs to worry about leaks. His weekly wage is £3, comparable to a university lecturer. It's a five-year contract, with the option to leave but a lifetime obligation to maintain confidentiality.

Klein pondered the matter all night, listing the pros and cons one by one in his mind. The disadvantages were obvious: he had too many secrets, and it was quite risky to linger under the church's watchful eye for so long; his freedom would be restricted.

The benefits were also quite clear: strange events would inevitably befall him, and only by becoming an Extraordinary or joining the Night Watchers would he have the ability to resist. Moreover, becoming an Extraordinary couldn't be achieved through "gatherings" alone; potion recipes, materials, and common sense all required connections, and the Fool couldn't possibly do everything himself. Joining the Night Watchers, on the contrary, would provide the best camouflage. After weighing the options, he made up his mind.

The following afternoon, he arrived at the Night Watch's outpost, which was disguised as "Blackthorn Security Company." The process was simple: Klein signed a contract, pressed his fingerprint on it, and became a member of the Night Watch.

Klein then learned that the Night Watchers were officially the "Seventh Special Operations Team of the Police Department of Ahova County, Kingdom of Rune," responsible for supernatural events related to the goddess worshippers in Tingen City.

During their subsequent conversation, Klein learned a great deal about extraordinary abilities, one of which particularly intrigued him: "Why do extraordinary individuals lose control?"

Dunn taught him a lesson: all things originate from the same source. Humans gain extraordinary power by consuming potions concocted by supernatural beings, but at a great cost. Directly drinking high-level potions, taking potions through unconventional means, being influenced by the mind of potions, or seeing things one shouldn't see can all lead to mental breakdown, personality distortion, or even going insane on the spot—this is "loss of control." Even after establishing the sequence system, loss of control still occurs frequently.

"Archbishop Charnis, the founder of the modern Night Watch system, once said: 'We are guardians, but also a group of pitiful creatures constantly fighting against danger and madness.'" Dunn looked at Klein, his gray eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well. "So, have you thought it through?"

Klein remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded. He had already been drawn into this vortex, and rather than running away, he should acquire the power to fight back.

Dunn also introduced him to the Night Watch's core secrets.

Chanis Gate, a pair of large black iron doors engraved with seven holy symbols, contains various dangerous items sealed inside, known as "Sealed Objects." Sealed Objects are divided into four levels: Level 0 is extremely dangerous, the highest level of secrecy; Level 1 is highly dangerous; Level 2 is dangerous; and Level 3 is somewhat dangerous.

Dunn also pulled out a wanted poster: Three years ago, an archbishop named Ince Zangwill fell from grace after failing to ascend to higher status and fled with the "0" level sealed artifact "0-08". "0-08" was shaped like an ordinary quill pen and could write without ink. Dunn warned him: If you find this person, do not alert him, but return and report, or you will be killed one thousand percent.

Finally, Dunn reminded him that now that he had a respectable job, he should also get a respectable outfit. A top hat, a cane, and a suit were all essential. Dunn gave Klein an advance of four weeks' salary, a full 12 pounds, to buy the outfit.

Dunn also sent Klein to collect ten "Demon Hunter Bullets," which, together with the revolver left behind by Welch, would give him some ability to protect himself.

After receiving the £12 note, Klein tipped his hat to Ms. Oriana, the finance officer, and left the office. Before going down the stairs, he couldn't help but touch his inside pocket to make sure the £12 note was still there.

He turned at the intersection and went to the right. Soon he saw a half-closed iron gate.

Boom, boom, boom.

Amid the knocking, an aged voice came from inside:

"Come in."

Klein pushed open the iron door and found that it was a narrow room that could only fit a table and two chairs.

On the other side of the room, there was a tightly locked iron door, and behind the table, an elderly man with gray hair, dressed in a classic black robe, was reading a few yellowed pages by the light of a gas lamp.

Beside him, a man with an Asian face was also reading some yellowed pages of a book.

There are two people in the basement. Who is the other one? Why does he/she have an Eastern face?

Neil looked up at the doorway and said:

"You must be Klein Moretti? Little Rosen just came over and said you were very polite."

"Miss Rosanne is a very friendly person. Good afternoon, Mr. Neil." Klein swallowed his doubts and tipped his hat to the senior Neil.

"Have a seat," Neil said, gesturing to the intricately patterned, silver-inlaid tin can on the table. "Would you like a cup of hand-drip coffee?"

The wrinkles around his eyes and mouth were deep, but his dark red eyes were very sharp, making him look unlike an elderly person.

"You don't seem to have drunk anything?" Klein noticed keenly that Neil's ceramic cup contained only water.

"Haha, that's my habit. I don't drink coffee after 3 p.m.," Neil explained with a laugh.

"Why?" Klein asked casually.

Neil looked into Klein's eyes with a smile and said:

"I'm afraid I won't sleep well at night because I might hear some inexplicable whispers."

"Although it's no longer necessary, it's a habit that's hard to break."

...Klein was momentarily at a loss for words, so he asked instead:

"Mr. Neil, what documents and classics should I read?"

As he spoke, he took out the "note" written by Dunn Smith.

"It's all related to history, complicated and fragmented. To be honest, I've been trying to learn it, but I can only grasp the basics. The rest is too troublesome, like people's diaries from that time, popular books, epitaphs, and so on," Neil complained. "For example, the ones I have on hand require more detailed historical records to deduce the specific content."

"Why?" Klein was a little confused.

Neil pointed to the few yellowed pages in front of him and said:

"These are the notes that Russell Gustav lost before his death. To keep them secret, he used strange symbols that he invented to record them."

Emperor Rosell? Klein immediately perked up. He had been paying attention to Rosell while sorting through the original owner's memories after transmigrating.

In the original owner's memory, this Mr. Russell Gustave was active more than 170 years ago.

This Mr. Roselle invented the steam engine, improved sailing ships, overthrew the rule of the Kingdom of Intis, and was recognized by the Church of the God of Craftsmen, becoming the first consul of the new republic.

Later, he conquered the south and the north, bringing countries such as Lenburg under his protection, and causing powerful northern nations such as the Kingdom of Loen, Feneport, and the Fussac Empire to submit one after another. He then changed the republic back to an empire and called himself "Julius Caesar".

It was during Roselle's reign that the Church of the God of Craftsmen received its first public oracle since the Fifth Age, changing the title of the God of Craftsmen to the God of Steam and Machinery.

Russell also invented Tarot divination and laid the foundation for the composition and gameplay of modern card games, including several types that Zhou Mingrui was familiar with, such as Upgrading, Landlord, Texas Hold'em, Gwent, etc.

In addition, he sent fleets to find a sea route to the southern continent amidst storms and turbulent currents, thus beginning the colonial era.

Unfortunately, in his old age, he was betrayed and assassinated in 1198 of the Fifth Age by the Church of the Eternal Sun, the Soren family of the Indys royal family, and other nobles, and perished in the White Maple Palace.

Klein was quite skeptical that this person was a time traveler, so upon hearing the news, he naturally listened attentively.

"Because many people believe that he did not truly die, but became a hidden deity, there have always been cultists who worship him and perform various rituals in an attempt to gain power. We occasionally encounter such things and obtain a few original or copied notes," Neil said, shaking his head. "To this day, no one has been able to decipher the true meaning of those special symbols, so the 'Sanctuary' allows us to keep copies for research, hoping for unexpected surprises."

At this point, Neil revealed a smug smile:

"I've deciphered several of the symbols and confirmed that they represent numbers. Look what I've discovered—it's actually a diary! Hmm, I hope to compare historical events from different dates, especially those involving the emperor, with the entries in the diary for the corresponding days to decipher even more symbols."

"A brilliant idea, isn't it?" The old gentleman with gray hair and deep wrinkles looked at Klein with shining eyes.

Klein nodded in agreement:

"Yes."

"Haha, you can take a look too. You'll have to start helping me with this tomorrow." Old Mr. Neil pushed the few yellowed pages of the book towards Klein.

Klein turned them right side up, glanced at them, and froze!

Although those "symbols" were poorly copied and slightly distorted, I would never mistake them for anything else...

Because this is the language I am most familiar with:

Chinese!

His mother still uses simplified Chinese characters!