Seeing that, Klein and Leonard simultaneously lifted their eyes from the letter, exchanged a glance, and each muttered: "Is this guy a madman?"
"Is Lan Erwusi a latent madman?"
A genuine madman with delusions of grandeur and antisocial personality disorder... Klein's heart tightened as he turned his gaze back to the letter: "Ladies and gentlemen, my hint is: I have placed a bomb in
"Go find it, disarm it before it explodes on its own. If you fail the game, boom, the whole Tingen City will turn into ruins. Trust me, I'm not lying about this."
"The one who loves to surprise his friends, Lan Erwusi."
"Bomb?" Klein looked at Leonard and muttered in puzzlement.
Leonard held the letter up to the sunlight, flipping it over a few times, but found no other clues: "Bomb is probably just a metaphor. I've never heard of a bomb that gets stronger over time."
Klein frowned and said thoughtfully: "No, I mean, maybe it's a bomb in the mystical sense—like some evil ritual that constantly accumulates power."
Leonard tilted his head as if listening to something, then his expression turned grave.
His green eyes narrowed as he nodded: "Maybe your guess is right. Isn't there a description earlier in the letter? Child workers who keep dying young, factory workers who seldom live more than ten years due to the harsh conditions, women workers risking serious illness for meager wages, factories shrouded in countless grievances. That might be the source of power for Lan Erwusi's 'bomb'."
"Yes... very likely!" Klein tensed up. "We must report to the captain immediately!"
Leonard smiled and said: "Don't get so worked up. You should know, Lan Erwusi is a 'swindler'. His claim of 'not lying' might be a lie itself."
"Of course, regardless, we need to go back to Zouteland Street and tell the captain. Better yet, apply to the Church to send a mysticism expert. Through the abnormal gathering of those grievances, we might locate the altar."
He seems pretty experienced... But then why did he need Hood Eugene's help for a similar altar? What role could a "psychologist" play in that? Klein didn't argue, and together with Leonard, he left 62 Howes Street and took a horse-drawn carriage back to Zouteland Street.
As soon as he entered the Black Thorn Security Company, Klein saw two familiar figures—one plump, one thin. It was Maynard the councilor's wife and sister.
They were still wearing black dresses and hats, their faces hidden by fine-mesh black veils.
The two ladies were about to speak with Roshane when they suddenly saw Klein come back. They turned and approached.
"You really are the best in this business," Mrs. Maynard said with a slight nod, her voice low. "I'm satisfied with the outcome, and I appreciate your style of work. This is your reward."
The thin lady handed a light brown paper bag to Klein. Inside was a stack of cash—notes of 10 pounds, 5 pounds, 1 pound, and also 5 and 1 shillings.
"It's 230 pounds total," the thin lady said simply.
Klein had no time to care about money. He tossed the bag to Roshane and said, "Give it to Mrs.
At that moment, he noticed from the corner of his eye a copy of the "Tingen City Honest Man" in Mrs. Maynard's hand. On the front page, the most prominent positions had two articles: "Old Baron's Widow Dies in Connection with Councilor Maynard's Murder Case"
"Mayor Mr. Dennis Resigns, Apologizes for Deteriorating Public Order in Tingen over the Past Three Months"
So Mrs.
"How was it? Any leads?"
"We found a letter left by Lan Erwusi." Without elaborating, Leonard handed the letter—filled with madness and provocation—to the captain.
Dunn unfolded the letter, scanned it quickly, and finally rubbed his forehead: "What a madman."
"He's only at Sequence 8, maybe Sequence 7."
Klein echoed sincerely, "Lan Erwusi is a dangerous person with great destructive potential to social stability. Even though he's weak, we can't take him lightly."
Then he recounted his and Leonard's conjectures in full.
Dunn touched his receding hairline and said: "I think so too. I'll telegram the Church immediately and ask them to send a mysticism expert."
"No one knows how dangerous Lan Erwusi's so-called 'bomb' really is. We must be very careful."
"Once I get a reply from the Church, I'll plan the next steps."
Klein and Leonard exchanged glances and nodded: "Okay."
While the captain telegrams the Church, Klein returned to the reception hall and took a copy of the "Tingen City Honest Man" from Roshane.
He stood by the partition and read those two articles attentively: "...The widow of the old baron of the Hoyle family, Mrs. Sharon, is suspected to be involved in the sudden death of Councilor Maynard... The police, acting on a tip, raided at night and found Mrs. Sharon and her accomplices had drugged the servants and were performing a demon-worshiping ritual in her bedroom. They refused to surrender and resisted, causing the death of a brave officer."
"In the end, Mrs. Sharon and her accomplices paid for their evil deeds with their lives."