In the ancient palace above the gray fog, Klein sat at the head of the bronze table, extending his spirituality toward Miss Judgment's crimson star.
In an instant, the prayers became clear and layered, allowing Klein to quickly understand what Miss Xio was asking for.
Has she been tainted by evil forces? Did Miss Xio take on some dangerous and highly secretive mission? Why is she being so vague?
Tapping his fingers against the edge of the ancient bronze table, Klein shifted his gaze to the scene within the prayer, carefully observing her. However, he found nothing unusual about Miss Xio's spirit body…
It's very 'clean'… She must be overthinking things. There's nothing wrong with her… But just to be safe, I should still make a 'Paper Angel' to bless her.
With that thought in mind, Klein decided to use the same method he had employed when welcoming Amon's avatar—giving Xio a full-body purification, just in case something had indeed been overlooked.
A moment later, as Xio saw herself being completely enveloped by a great angel with twelve pairs of wings, her eyes glazed over in shock.
If I heard correctly just now, Mr. Fool said that my spirit body was fine… And yet, even so, He still sent an angel to bless me?
This… Mr. Fool is too kind! Even the treatment for a "Blessed" isn't this extravagant, is it?
Xio was unaware that her actions in Tingen had earned her Mr. Fool's wholehearted approval. In a way, she truly had been granted His favor.
As the angel's radiance faded completely, Xio was just about to offer words of praise to Mr. Fool when, all of a sudden, she was swallowed by a burst of crimson light. By the time she regained her senses, she had already arrived in the mysterious space above the gray fog.
She looked toward the high-back chair at the head of the table, only to find that the mysterious and powerful figure of Mr. Fool was absent.
Letting out a sigh of regret, Xio's gaze swept over each seat along the bronze table. Only when she reached the lowest seat did she finally spot Mr. World.
"Miss Judgment, I have news on Baron Larry," Klein, through World, said as he noticed Xio looking over.
Due to the ambiguous stance of the higher-ups in MI9, Xio actually had little enthusiasm for capturing Baron Larry. She was far more interested in the members of secret organizations that Larry attracted… After all, in just the past two or three weeks, they had already contributed at least 3,000 pounds to her income.
—While their people, Beyonder characteristics, and mystical items had to be handed over, certain loose funds, materials, and the knowledge or formulas extracted during interrogations were defaulted as rewards for frontline operatives.
"Mr. World, what do you want in exchange for this information?" Xio pondered for a few seconds before asking.
If the price was too high, she wouldn't bother… After all, she wasn't particularly concerned about where Larry was hiding.
"I want you to protect someone…" World said after some deliberation.
"Who?" Xio frowned.
"A horseback riding instructor, Talim Dumont… He was originally from a noble family, and his ancestors once held a viscountcy. Unfortunately, his grandfather squandered the entire family fortune…
"And recently, Talim may have become entangled in an incident involving a high-profile figure… I hope you can place him under protective custody for a while.
"You should discuss this with Mr. Tower and avoid taking action yourself.
"This matter could attract significant danger."
Through his recent meetings with Talim, Klein had increasingly sensed that the man had fallen into a state resembling infatuation—and his supposed love interest was most likely the witch hidden within Prince Edessak's residence…
That witch was clearly trying to use Talim to achieve some goal, but such actions would undoubtedly be unacceptable to the forces monitoring both the prince and the witch. As a result, Talim was already in an extremely dangerous situation…
Klein had also confirmed this through a divination above the gray fog.
"Talim? The one who serves Prince Edessak?" Xio asked after pondering for a moment.
Since Ebner had also dealt with Talim before, Xio had met him once while following Ebner, though she wasn't particularly familiar with him.
"It's him." Klein had World nod before continuing in a hoarse voice, "This matter might be a bit troublesome. If the information on Baron Larry isn't enough to cover it, I can supplement it with some additional knowledge or secret history."
Having read so many of Roselle's diaries and books on mysticism, Mr. Fool was no longer just an empty shell. His confidence had grown significantly.
Xio hesitated for a while and didn't immediately agree. She decided to follow World's suggestion and consult Ebner first.
Klein fully understood her concerns and even provided the information about Baron Larry in advance to ensure it wouldn't become outdated.
Even if Miss Judgment ultimately refused to "protect" Talim, he could still accept another form of intelligence fee.
Once Xio's figure disappeared from the ancient hall, Klein, hidden behind the gray fog, let out a heavy sigh and murmured helplessly, "Talim… As a friend, this is all I can do for you…
"I hope you can make it through this safely."
He sat in his high-backed chair in a daze for a while before allowing his spirit body to descend, returning to the washroom of a restaurant in the real world. After adjusting himself, he proceeded with his original plan—heading to the East Borough to meet his informant, Old Kohler.
...
Baron Larry was hiding in Ebner's former villa?
Someone impersonated Larry and hired a detective to investigate the habits and daily routine of a woman named Aisha?
Aisha was suspected to be the mistress of an important figure?
After leaving the mysterious hall above the gray fog, Xio summarized the intelligence she had obtained from Mr. World. Then, she took out an exquisite silver card—the one Ebner had given her after dinner last night.
This card functioned similarly to the ones he had used in the Southern Continent to maintain contact with her via the "Dream Labyrinth Tower," except that it no longer had the image of Doctor Strange on it.
After having that kind of dream last night… I really didn't want to face him again so soon…
Xio hesitated for a long time while holding the card. In the end, she still used her spirituality to trigger a ritual within it, then walked into the café Fors had recommended—the one with excellent desserts—to wait for Ebner's arrival.
...
On the other side, when Ebner received Xio's request for a meeting, his heart immediately tensed. He thought that Mirror's antics from the previous night had been discovered, and Xio had come to demand an explanation…
But he quickly dismissed his own speculation. After all, Mirror's ability was extremely concealed—even the last two Greed holders had unknowingly fallen victim to it. One had become his Bone Dragon, while the other had turned into Closfia's pawn…
Xio had sharp instincts, but she definitely couldn't compare to a demigod!
Besides, Ebner had briefly reviewed Mirror's replay of the dream scenarios. Other than Fors' being particularly "intense" and "outrageous," the rest were relatively normal, just ordinary dreams.
At most, it was just a "coincidence" that multiple people had similar dreams at the same time, and the "main character" in all of them happened to be him…
As long as no one compared notes, there shouldn't be any suspicions.