Chapter 16 The Dog Takes the Mouse

Huh, I finally passed the level of the psychic...

Klein exhaled turbid breath, turned around slowly, and paced close to the door of the apartment while enjoying the tranquility of the night and the refreshing cool breeze.

He took out the key, inserted it, and twisted it gently, letting the crimson black expand with a creaking sound.

Walking on the uninhabited stairs, breathing the cold air, Klein inexplicably had a strange feeling of having more hours of life than others, so much so that his steps became brisk.

With a click, he maintained a similar mentality and opened the door of his house, but before he walked in, he saw a figure sitting quietly in the darkness in front of the desk, with black hair bathed in red, bright brown pupils, and a handsome face, just like a casual figure. It's Melissa Moretti!

"Klein, where have you been?" Melissa asked in confusion as her brows stretched.

Without waiting for Klein to answer, she added another sentence, as if she wanted to explain the cause and effect and the logical relationship of the matter clearly and plainly: "I just got up to go to the bathroom and found that you were not at home."

Klein has a wealth of experience in deceiving parents, he turned his head and replied with a wry smile:

"After I woke up once, I couldn't fall asleep. I thought it would be a waste of time to exercise, so I went out and ran for a few laps. You see, I was covered in sweat."

He took off his coat, turned his body halfway, and pointed to his back.

Melissa stood up, glanced at it indifferently, and considered it for a few seconds:

"Klein, in fact, you don't need to, you don't need to be under too much pressure, you can definitely pass the interview at Tingen University, even if you can't, um, I mean if you can find a better one."

I didn't even think about the interview... Klein nodded and said:

"I see."

He didn't say that he had already got an "offer" because he hadn't decided whether to go or not.

Melissa gave him a deep look, then turned around suddenly, trotted into the room, and took out a tortoise-like item made of gears, rust iron, springs, and clockwork.

Quickly winding the clockwork, Melissa put the item on the desk.

Click, click, click, the "turtle" jumps and walks, very rhythmically, and people can't help but turn their attention to it.

"When you feel troubled, watching it move like this will make you feel a lot more comfortable. I've been doing this a lot recently, and it's very effective! Klein, give it a try." Melissa invited brightly.

Klein didn't reject his sister's kindness. He leaned in to look at the "tortoise", and smiled when it stopped.

"Simplicity and regularity really do bring relaxation."

Without waiting for Melissa to say anything, he pointed to the "tortoise" and asked casually:

"I made it myself? When did I do it? Why didn't I know?"

"I made it with materials that the school didn't want and things I picked up on the road, and I just finished it two days ago." Melissa's expression was as usual, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised.

"It's amazing." Klein sincerely praised.

As a boy with poor mechanical skills, when he was a child, he had to fight to the death for a four-wheel drive.

Melissa raised her chin slightly, her eyes slightly curved, and answered in a flat tone:

"so far so good."

"Excessive modesty is a bad character." Klein chuckled, "Is this a turtle?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly condensed, and Melissa's voice sounded like a crimson veil:

"It's a doll."

puppet...

... Klein smiled awkwardly and forcibly explained:

"The problem of materials is still too rudimentary."

Immediately afterwards, he changed the subject:

"Why do you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, there's a toilet in it? And aren't you good at sleeping through the night?"

Melissa was stunned, and after a few seconds, she opened her mouth to explain.

At this moment, she heard a violent digestive sound from her chest and abdomen.

"I, I'll go to sleep again!"

boom! She grabbed the turtle-shaped "doll", trotted back into the room, and closed the door.

… Last night’s dinner was too good, I ate too much, and my stomach was uncomfortable… Klein shook his head and laughed, walked slowly to the desk, and sat silently on the chair, staring at the crimson moon that emerged from behind the dark clouds, quietly Think about Dunn Smith's invitation.

The disadvantages of being a civilian in the Nighthawks team are very obvious:

As a time traveler, "The Fool", the initiator of the mysterious gathering, has a lot of secrets on his body, and he has been hanging around for a long time under the eyes of the Evernight Goddess Church's team that specializes in dealing with extraordinary events, and the risk is not small;

As long as you join Dunn Smith and the others, your goal will definitely be to become an Extraordinary, in order to cover up the benefits you get from the "gathering", and to become a full member, your freedom will definitely be restricted, just like when a civilian leaves Tingen. Just like reporting, you can’t think about where to go, what you want to do, and you will miss a lot of opportunities;

The night watchman is a strict organization. Once there is a task, it can only wait for the arrangement, accept the order, and cannot refuse it;

Extraordinary is at risk of losing control;

...

After listing the disadvantages one by one, Klein turned to the necessity and the advantages:

Judging from the encounters such as the "Transfer Ceremony", I would not be the 80% lucky person in Dunn's mouth, and there will inevitably be strange events that will fall on me in the future, which is full of danger. ability to balance;

If you want to become an Extraordinary, you can't do it by "gathering" alone. The potion formula is not a big problem, but where to find the corresponding materials, how to obtain it, how to prepare it, and the common sense of the Extraordinary's daily practice, you all have serious problems. Obstacles, it is impossible to ask "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" for everything, and they will exchange everything for them. This will not only damage the image of "The Fool" and make the other party suspicious, but also do not have so much time to communicate such details. The problem, likewise, can't show anything that interests them;

In addition, more material exchanges will leave traces of real identity. At that time, it will be troublesome when "online disputes" turn into "offline conflicts";

By joining the "Nighthawks", you will definitely be able to get in touch with the common sense and related channels of the mysterious world, and accumulate enough corresponding contacts. With this as a fulcrum, you will be able to leverage the "party", from "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" "The biggest profit is obtained there, which in turn improves the reality state, obtains more resources, and forms a virtuous circle;

Of course, you can also go and join the "Psychological Alchemy Association" that Dunn confided in, an organization that is suppressed and besieged by major churches, but becoming a member of them will also lose your freedom, and you will even have to be afraid all the time. More importantly One problem is that I don't know where to find them at all. Even if I get the corresponding information from the "hanged man", rashly contacting them will be life-threatening;

Be a civilian, with buffers and opportunities to quit;

The small Yin is hidden in the wild, the middle is hidden in the city, and the big is hidden in the dynasty. The identity of the night watchman may be a better protective color;

In the future, when he becomes a high-level arbitrator, who would think that he is a heretic and the mastermind behind a secret organization?

...

The morning light shone, the crimson faded away, and looking at the golden yellow in the sky, Klein made up his mind.

Go find Dunn Smith today and become a civilian for the Nighthawks!

"You didn't sleep?" At this moment, Melissa got up again, pushed open the door and came out, surprised to see her brother stretching without image.

"Think of something." Klein smiled and looked relaxed.

Melissa pondered for a while and said:

"When I encounter troubles, I will list the bad and good content one by one. After I finish the list, I can compare it and get a 'hint' on what to do."

"Good habit, that's what I do too." Klein replied with a smile.

Melissa's expression stretched, and she didn't say any more. She took the yellowed large sheet of paper and toiletries and went to the public bathroom.

After breakfast was over and his sister left, Klein was in no hurry to go out and took a good night's sleep, because as far as he knew, almost all taverns were closed in the morning.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, he smoothed out the folds of the top hat with a small brush and a handkerchief, removed the filth, brought it back neatly, and went out dressed as if he were going to an interview.

Beswick Street was a bit far away, and Klein was afraid of missing the "work time" of the night watchman, so he didn't walk there, but waited for the public carriage at the intersection of Iron Cross Street.

In the Kingdom of Loen, there are two types of public carriages, trackless and tracked. The former is driven by two horses and, including the top of the carriage, can seat about 20 people. It has only a general route, no specific stations, and operates flexibly. Call stop unless fully booked.

The latter is operated by a rail carriage company. First, a device similar to a railroad track is laid on the main street. The horses walk on the inside and the wheels turn on the upper side. It is easy and labor-saving, so it can pull a larger double-decker carriage and ride close to fifty guests. The only one. The problem is that the route is fixed, the site is fixed, and many places cannot be reached, which is relatively rigid.

After about ten minutes, the sound of wheels hitting the track came from far to near, and a double-decker carriage stopped in front of the station on Iron Cross Street.

"Go to Beswick Street," Klein said to the driver.

"You have to go to Champagne Street, but when you get there, it only takes about ten minutes to walk to Beswick Street." The driver explained the route.

"Then go to Champagne Street." Klein nodded in agreement.

"It's more than 4 kilometers, 4 pence." A fair-faced young man next to the driver spread his hand.

He is the staff member in charge of collecting money.

"Okay." Klein took out 4 copper pennies from his pocket and handed them to the other party.

He got into the carriage and found that there were not many passengers, and there were still several vacancies even on the first floor.

"You only have 3 pence on you, you have to walk when you get back..." Klein pressed his hat and sat firmly.

Most of the men and women on this floor are sitting in formal attire, and some are wearing work clothes and leisurely reading newspapers, but almost no one speaks, and it is quite quiet.

Klein closed his eyes and recharged his energy, ignoring the comings and goings of the passengers around him.

Stop after stop, he finally heard the words "Champagne Street".

After getting out of the carriage and asking along the way, he soon came to Beswick Street and saw a tavern with a tan hound sign painted on it.

Klein stretched out his right hand and pushed it hard. The heavy door slowly opened, and the clamorous voice and impetuous heat wave rushed in.

Although it was still in the afternoon, there were already quite a few customers in the tavern. Some of them were temporary workers, looking for opportunities here, waiting to be hired, while others were doing nothing and numbing themselves with alcohol.

The inside of the tavern is quite dark, with two large iron cages standing in the center, the bottom third of which is deep into the ground, leaving no gaps. People are holding wooden wine glasses and surrounding them, sometimes discussing loudly, sometimes cursing and laughing.

Klein glanced curiously and found that there were two dogs locked inside. One was black and white, similar to the huskies on Earth, and the other was pitch black, shiny, and strong and fierce.

"Do you want to bet? Doug has won eight games in a row this time!" A short man in a brown soft hat approached and pointed at the black dog.

bet? Klein was stunned for a moment, and then woke up:

"Dog fighting?"

At Hoy University, those aristocratic students and children of wealthy families always asked themselves contemptuously and curiously, did the rude workers and unemployed hooligans like to engage in boxing and gambling in the pub? In addition to boxing and poker, do gambling projects also include cruel and bloody projects such as cockfighting and dogfighting?

The little man sneered:

"Sir, we are civilized people and won't do such indecent things."

Speaking of which, he murmured in a low voice: "And last year, a law was introduced to prohibit these things..."

"Then what are you betting on?" Klein was curious for a moment.

"Let's see who is a good 'hunter'." The short man just finished speaking, and there was a sensation in the field.

He turned his head and glanced at it and waved his hand excitedly:

"This game has begun, you can't bet anymore, you can wait for the next game."

Hearing the words, Klein stood on tiptoe, raised his head, looked around, saw two strong men dragging a sack each, came to the iron cage, opened the "prison door", and dumped the contents inside.

That's one gray, disgusting animal!

Klein carefully identified it and found that it turned out to be a mouse, dozens or hundreds of mice!

Because the bottom of the iron cage is deep into the ground, there is no space, and the mice are running around, but they can't escape.

At this time, as the cage door was closed, the chains of the two dogs were undone.

"Wow!" The black dog rushed over and killed a mouse in one bite.

The black and white dog was confused at first, and then excitedly played with the mice.

The people around were holding wine glasses, staring intently, or shouting loudly:

"Bite it! Fuck it!"

"Doug Doug!"

...Gods catch mice... Klein came to his senses, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

The gamble here turns out to be a bet on which dog catches more mice...

Maybe a few more...

No wonder people have been buying live mice on Iron Cross Street...

It's really unique...

Klein shook his head, backed away funny, bypassed the crowd of drinkers from the edge, and came to the front of the bar.

"New face?" The bartender glanced up at him as he wiped his glass. "One penny for a rye, two pence for an Enmatt, four pence for a Southwell, or would you like a single malt Ronzi?"

"I'm looking for Mr. Wright." Klein said bluntly.

The bartender whistled and shouted to the side:

"Old man, someone is looking for you."

"Well, who is..." A vague voice came out, and a drunk old man stood behind the bar.

He rubbed his eyes, looked at Klein and said:

"Young man, are you looking for me?"

"Mr. Wright, I want to hire a mercenary team to do the task." Klein replied according to Dunn's instructions.

"The mercenary squad? Are you living in an adventure story? It's long gone!" the bartender interjected with a smile.

Wright was silent for a few seconds and said:

"Who told you to come here looking for it?"

"Dunn, Dunn Smith." Klein answered truthfully.

Wright suddenly laughed:

"I understand, in fact... the mercenary squad still exists, but in a different form, with a name that is closer to today's society. You can find one on the second floor of No. 36 Zoetland Street."

"Thank you." Klein thanked sincerely, turned around and squeezed out of the bar.

Before he went out, the drinkers who were surrounded by a group suddenly quieted down, and there was only a moment of muttering:

"Doug actually lost..."

"lose..."

Klein laughed and shook his head, walked away quickly, and asked for directions to the nearby Zoetland Street.

"30, 32, 34...here." He counted the house numbers and walked up the stairs.

Going around the corner and going up step by step, he saw the vertical signboard and the current name of the so-called mercenary squad:

"Blackthorn Security Company."