The Secret Master

After dinner, Klein, having eaten and drunk his fill, leisurely sat down on the sofa in the living room and used a knife to cut open the letter sent by his mentor. At this moment, Melissa was sitting at the dining table, studying the exercises in the textbook under the light of the gas lamp, while Benson was curled up on a single sofa, reading "Elementary Accounting Tutorial". Unfolding the letter that was three pages long, Klein looked at it with a mixture of anticipation and fear: "... I'm very glad to receive your letter. It reminds me of the life in the past few years. Unfortunately, Welch and Naya have left us forever... "I attended their funerals separately and felt the immense grief of their parents. These two young people who were supposed to have a brilliant and wonderful future..." "Life is always unpredictable. No one can know what will come our way next. The older we get, the more experiences we have, and the more I can feel the fragility and helplessness of being human." "... Regarding the historical information you mentioned about the main peak of Horanichus, I remember that the archaeologist Mr. John Joseph once published a monograph, detailing his experiences at the main peak of the Horanichus Mountains. He discovered several ancient buildings, dating back over a thousand years. "It is a shame for every historian and archaeologist to realize that we lack a precise method for dating, and can only make rough judgments based on the style of the buildings, the characteristics of the murals, and a few identifiable words." "It is hard to believe that there would be human settlements on such a high mountain. Mr. Joseph has ample evidence to show that those humans developed their own civilization, a unique civilization. The specific details are difficult to describe clearly in the letter. I suggest you try to borrow that monograph from the Deville Library. Believe me, the library donated by Sir Deville has more books than the one established by the city government." "The name of the monograph is 'Research on Ancient Remains of the Main Peak of Horanichus', published by the Ruhn Publishing House." "Also, some papers have mentioned related situations. They were respectively published in journals such as 'New Archaeology' and 'Archaeological Review'. The specific names and issue numbers are..." ... Klein read the words one by one, repeatedly memorizing the titles of the books and papers mentioned by his mentor. Then, he took out the writing paper and found the pen, expressing his gratitude in written language. "Melissa, tomorrow you help me send this letter. This is the postage fee," Klein placed the packed letter and the excess postage beside his sister's books. Melissa glanced at it, pursed her lips and said: "Klein, the postage fee doesn't need to be this much." "Yes, the postage fee doesn't need to be this much, but girls need a certain amount of pocket money," Klein responded with a smile. "I think Selina must have told you this." Seeing that Melissa was still resistant, he quickly added: "It can help you buy the materials and tools you want." "Tools..." Melissa repeated softly, her gaze shifting to the books, and she nodded slightly, "OK." Klein's lips immediately curved upwards. He walked briskly back to the sofa. "An excellent persuasion, accurately hitting Melissa's weakness," Benson raised his thumb and chuckled in a low voice. Klein cleared his throat and answered seriously: "So how can I persuade you? Your self-study should focus on grammar and classical literature. Of course, basic mathematics and logic are also important." Based on the curriculum of the public school and the grammar school, Klein could almost grasp the general direction of the "civil service examination" that had not yet been born. Benson touched his hairline and chuckled self-deprecatingly: "In front of those books, I feel like a fluffy baboon." "But they are indeed very useful," Klein said with a firm smile. Just then, Melissa put down the pen, stood up, and walked to the sofa position: "Benson, Klein, this Sunday is Selina's birthday. She and her parents want to invite our family to a dinner party. Do you have time?" "I should have no problem," Klein thought for a moment and said. It would also be a good opportunity to get to know Selina's friends, in case something happened to Melissa in the future and there was no one to inquire about it! "I'm the same," Benson combed his hair with his fingers and said, "It seems we need to consider giving Selina Miss's birthday gift." Klein smiled and said: "This matter is left to Melissa. She knows Selina Miss better than us, and what we need to do is what a gentleman should do, pay the money." "I've never heard someone describe being lazy in such a pleasant way," Benson shook his head and chuckled lightly. Klein returned a smile: "That's the role of grammar and classical literature." "..." Benson didn't expect the conversation to circle back to this topic. For a moment, he simply couldn't find the right words to respond. ...... The next day, Klein wore his original cheap suit and carried a black silver-plated cane. He climbed the stairs one step at a time and arrived at the door of Blackthorn Security Company - his tailcoat had been sent to the tailor shop for repair. Klein was about to greet Rosan when suddenly he saw Captain Dunn walk out from the partition. "Good morning, Klein. How did you sleep last night?" Dunn asked with concern. Klein replied truthfully: "Better than I expected. I didn't have any nightmares, but when I recalled it, it was still a bit heavy and nauseating." "Good. I can rest assured now," Dunn smiled and nodded. They talked about the weather for a while, and he voluntarily mentioned: "The Sanctuary has replied to my telegram and asked El and Lorcata to send the sealing object '2-049' and Antigonus Family's notes together to Beckland immediately. They also sent another night watchman to come over by steam train yesterday afternoon to help." "I think they should have set off already." Set off? Does that mean I'm completely free from the shadow of the Antigonus Family Notes? Klein was stunned, feeling it wasn't quite real, as if in a dream. This is much easier than I imagined... Is there no follow-up? "May the goddess bless them, may they have a smooth journey," Dunn said after a few seconds, putting on his hat and pointing outside. "I have to go inspect Raphael Cemetery. Oh, I forgot something, Leonard and the police department have made some progress in the investigation of the secret society members. They found the coach driver who carried them and determined their temporary residence in the town of Tingen. But they are very cautious and haven't left any particularly valuable clues." "Indeed, it's an ancient secret organization," Klein agreed with a sigh. Dunn nodded and turned towards the door. Three seconds later, he stopped and turned back: "Also, your application to become a full member of the Sanctuary might still take two to three days to be replied to. Hehe, this and the Antigonus Family Notes matter fall under different departments and have different efficiency." "I understand," Klein replied sincerely. Meanwhile, in his heart, he silently added one thing for Captain Dunn: Remember to submit the reimbursement application today! Watching Dunn leave, Klein heard the surprised voice of the brown-haired girl Rosan: "Goddess, is Klein going to become a full member? I remember you joined us less than a month ago!" Klein smiled and said: "After I took the 'Diviner' potion, this was already something that was certain to happen." "Makes sense... " Rosan was stunned for a few seconds, then sighed, "I was praying that you would finish the Mysticism course quickly and be on the rotating weapons storage list, but... Goddess, every other day I have to be on duty at night. I'm not a non-sleeper! My skin, my condition, Goddess, save me!" "You shouldn't be used to this life, right? Before I joined, it was always you, Brett, and Old Neil who took turns," Klein asked in confusion. Rosan shook her head sadly: "No, there were four before that, even earlier. Unfortunately, Cohenli chose to become a 'Non-Sleeper', Viola didn't renew her contract with the Hoynor Machinery Company last month and joined the Hynor Mechanical Company. She is a very talented female artisan, just lacking opportunities and money. Her civilian life gave her enough accumulation." At this point, Rosan glanced at Klein and chuckled behind her hand: "I have an idea. Klein, you should get married as soon as possible, and accidentally expose the secret of an extraordinary person to her. This is a very minor leak, there won't be a particularly severe punishment. After all, no one can keep a person sharing the same bed with them a secret for a long time." At that time, you will be able to introduce her to us and make her a civilian employee! A perfect plan!" Klein's lips twitched slightly as he said: "Miss Rosanne, you can also find a husband as soon as possible. This should be much easier. I believe you have sufficient ways to reveal the secret to him." Rosanne heard this and her eyes widened, her mouth slightly open, saying: "This is impossible! Marriage is a very serious matter. It must be carefully observed, carefully selected, and verified over a certain period of time." You didn't say that just now... Klein didn't reason with Miss Rosanne and just chatted cheerfully for a few moments before leaving and entering the underground. Arriving at the armory, he saw Old Neil busy grinding coffee, so he sat down and waited patiently. "You should be on the verge of becoming a full member, right?" Old Neil asked casually as he filtered the coffee. "The captain said it will take two to three days, and we don't know if the Sanctuary will approve it." Klein replied calmly. "Hey." Old Neil chuckled, "This kind of thing, the Sanctuary won't reject it. Especially since you have become an extraordinary person." At this point, he turned his head and smiled warmly at Klein, saying: "You need to be mentally prepared. Every night watch member must go through a ceremony. That is, they must independently complete a task. Of course, Dunn will definitely choose a very easy and simple one for the newcomers, and you will be an auxiliary diviner."