Medici snorted, "Enough nonsense! You don't need to meddle in the brat's 'sleepwalking.' We have our own reasons."
Edward raised his hands in surrender. "You flatter me, Lord Medici. Even if I wanted to meddle, I lack the capability. I just—"
He quickly added, "—just wanted to confirm whether there's any risk to Priscilla's life."
Medici replied calmly, "I've already explained it to her. What we're doing will help us gain freedom faster…and help her ascend to demigod sooner."
"Could you be more specific?"
The mouths on either side of his cheeks immediately growled in protest.
"Kid, you've got some nerve! Are you interrogating us?"
"Hey! Don't make me come out!"
"Medici, give me control of the body!"
"No, give it to me!"
"Screw off, both of you!"
Medici's face darkened rapidly. At last, he couldn't hold it in any longer.
"SHUT UP, YOU TWO OLD HAGS!"
Both mouths vanished immediately. He looked back at Edward and said coldly, "You know who got me into this situation. Since we can't escape his arrangement and control, we've decided to seek someone else who can help us."
Edward was startled. "The True Creator?"
"Hmph."
Medici gave a dismissive grunt that still counted as agreement.
"But…isn't "He" trapped in the Forsaken Land of the Gods? Can "He" really help you?"
Medici's gaze flickered. "Oh? You know more than I expected. You really are "His" Blessed? Strange…in "His" current state, how are you not insane?"
"Uh…maybe I'm just built different," Edward replied, feeling a little guilty. In truth, this "Blessed of the True Creator" label was one he'd given himself. As for what the True Creator actually thought of him—he had no idea.
Medici continued, "Although "He" can't help me directly right now, "His" church in the outside world still holds a bit of power that we can use."
So they were going to the Aurora Order?
In the original story, Medici deliberately avoided the True Creator and "His" affiliated Aurora Order after regaining freedom. Not because he had changed loyalties, but because…he was too ashamed to face his god after getting hot-potted by Adam.
But this time, Medici seemed eager to reconnect with the True Creator. That likely meant more than just being tricked again—it probably meant he realised that Adam's upcoming plan posed a real threat to the True Creator.
"I see. Thank you for your honesty, Lord Medici."
After thinking for a moment, Edward asked, "So…what you're doing really won't endanger Priscilla's life?"
"Heh. I wouldn't dare."
Medici let out a sarcastic chuckle.
Edward blinked—he could tell Medici meant something more by that, but the other party clearly wasn't going to elaborate.
Thinking it over, Edward simply flipped a gold coin. "The words Medici just said—are they true?"
Under Medici's gaze, he caught the coin and opened his hand:
Heads. Affirmative.
Medici stared at the coin, a touch of surprise crossing his face.
"Kid, your divination…seems a little unusual."
"No, no, I'm far worse than a real Seer."
"Hah! Not a single honest word in that mouth of yours."
Medici scoffed, then turned into a streak of shadow and reentered the Gate of the Underworld on Priscilla's forehead.
Priscilla rubbed her forehead and asked quietly, "Big brother Edward, how'd it go? Are they bad people?"
Before he could reply, Medici's voice echoed out, "Brat, we're just back in the underworld inside your body, not dead. Keep your voice down—we can still hear everything!"
"Don't eavesdrop!"
She pouted indignantly.
Edward thought for a moment and said, "I believe Lord Medici, Lord Sauron, and Lord Einhorn won't harm you. But if anything happens, you can always turn to Mr. Fool for help."
Edward knew that, given Priscilla's level of awareness, the trio of old schemers definitely already knew about the Fool. Medici had been to the City of Calamity and had even been corrupted there, so he could likely sense the Sefirah Castle's essence—hence, he would be wary of the Fool.
"Okay, I understand~"
Edward glanced inside. "Where's Mr. Azik?"
"He's been out for days~ He goes out every few days lately, don't know what he's up to."
"Does he know about your 'sleepwalking'?"
"Yup."
Priscilla nodded. "Once, during my sleepwalk, he even followed along. I think he said something to Medici afterwards…and then he left again."
Edward was stunned. Had Medici told Mr. Azik something about the Fourth Epoch? Could that have triggered Azik's memories and sent him off in search of answers?
Was this a deliberate ploy by Medici to get Azik out of the way?
At that moment, Priscilla checked her pocket watch. "Ah! I've got to go now, or I'll be back too late!"
"How are you roleplaying a Corpse Collector?" Edward glanced at the shovel in her hand. "You're not really going to dig up corpses from the graveyard, are you?"
She sighed like a little grown-up. "Every day in Backlund, lots of people die and get buried in shallow graves outside the city. I dig them up, rebury them in a proper graveyard, and give them headstones."
"Then let me come with you tonight."
"Yay~~"
She grabbed Edward's hand and tugged him along as she skipped ahead. "Let's go!"
———
[Near Backlund Dock—Lime Bar]
It was a recently opened establishment. The name sounded refreshing, but the interior was basic at best—just a rundown warehouse with a makeshift counter and a dozen or so tables.
The drinks sold here were cheap watered-down beer. In fact, Southville Beer was considered top-shelf in this place. But it was precisely because of this setup that business had been booming since day one.
Klein sat near the bar's entrance, rubbing his temples as the surrounding rowdiness gave him a mild headache.
Just then, Old Kohler walked over with two mugs of beer—one cheap and diluted for himself, and a slightly better Southville for Klein.
His face beamed with gratitude. "Sir, this drink's on me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found such a stable job at the docks. And now, I even get to enjoy the occasional beer."
Klein smiled. "No, you earned that all on your own."
He raised his mug. "To you, Old Kohler."
"Thank you!"
Old Kohler took a small sip and smacked his lips, savouring the taste.
"Have you heard anything interesting around the docks lately?"
Old Kohler scratched his head. "Most interesting thing? Probably this Lime Bar opening up. You know how chaotic and poor this district is. There were bars here before, but not ones we could walk into. This place…well, even if you don't drink, you can still come in and sit."
"Oh?" Klein raised his eyebrows slightly.
"So yeah, some guys from other bars tried to stir up trouble early on—but they never came back."
Klein chuckled. "Looks like the owner of this place isn't ordinary either."
He paused. "Old Kohler, I need your help with something."
"Name it, sir."
Old Kohler quickly nodded seriously.
Klein took out a photograph. In it was a young girl dressed in a maid's outfit.
"This girl's name is Cynthia. She used to work at the Red Rose Manor as a maid, but according to my investigation, she originally came from the Dock District."
Old Kohler studied the photo. "You want me to find her?"
"Exactly. But more than that—I'd like you to gather more information about her."
"Understood!"
Klein raised his mug. "Same as before—only help within your ability. If anything dangerous comes up, drop it immediately. Got it?"
Old Kohler grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth. "Got it. I know how precious staying alive really is."
Clink.
Their wooden mugs clashed together in a simple toast.
Klein drained his beer in one go and was about to leave when he noticed someone enter the bar.
It was a man with clear Southern Continent features—dark reddish-brown skin and fierce, sharp eyes.
Wait a minute…he looked familiar.
Klein paused, then suddenly realised: Isn't this the man The Hanged Man wanted to track down at today's Tarot Meeting?
No, no…there are plenty of people in Backlund who look like that. I can't jump to conclusions just yet.
The man approached the bar and exchanged a few words with the bartender. The bartender quickly turned and disappeared into a back room. A moment later, a one-eyed man emerged. He paused at the sight of the newcomer, then burst out laughing and ushered him inside.
Klein's eyes narrowed. That confirms it—it's him.
When the man spoke, Klein noticed his third left molar was missing. That was the critical detail. Skin tone and facial features could be coincidental, but a matching missing tooth? That was too specific to be a coincidence.
"Heh, that's 100 pounds in the bag!"
Klein was secretly delighted.
He had no intention of investigating further. After all, The Hanged Man had only asked for the man's whereabouts—extra work didn't pay extra money.
"All right then, I'm heading back."
Klein handed Old Kohler 15 soli. "Here's your weekly expense fund. If you manage to dig up any leads on that girl, there'll be a lot more in it for you."
"Thank you, Detective!"
Old Kohler stood and gave him a grateful bow.
Klein donned his hat and stepped out of the rowdy pub.
——
Meanwhile, inside the back room of the bar.
As soon as Barren walked in, he scoffed, "One-Eyed Cage, I never expected this—you lot actually set up a bar here in Backlund?"
Cage looked helpless. "Mr. Barren, the Hook is gone. We had to find a way to survive."
BANG!
Barren slammed a palm on the table. "Gone? I paid Iron Hook John in advance—don't think you can just say 'it's gone' and be done with it!"
"We didn't know about that either. John took the money—we never saw a penny."
Barren stepped closer. "I don't care. I want results. There's only five of you left from the Hook. So either you pay me back, earn the money back for me…or prepare to die."
Cage was silent for a moment. "...What do you want us to do?"
"The same kind of work John used to handle—freight transport."
"Transport what?"
"Knowing too much won't help you."
"I…I understand."
Cage hesitated. "But you know we don't have much strength between us. Is that okay?"
"Strength doesn't matter. What matters is that you all have 'clean' identities."
Barren turned and left. "I'll be back."
As he pushed open the door and departed, Cage and the remaining four looked at each other.
"Cage…what do we do?"
"Don't panic. Just remember—we're not pirates anymore. We're not bad guys now!"
———
[15 Minsk Street]
Tuseday.
When Edward knocked on the door, Klein had just woken up. He'd been hoping to sleep in.
He opened the door groggily, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What is it? Coming over so early…"
He slumped onto the couch, and before he knew it, his eyelids began to droop again.
"I want to pay Leonard a visit."
Edward got straight to the point.
"???"
Klein blinked in confusion—then snapped awake. "What did you just say?"
"I said, it's time to selectively let a few trusted people know that you and the Captain didn't really die."
Edward smiled. "Like Leonard, for example. Or your brother and sister."
Klein held his breath. "Really? I…I can go see Benson and Melissa again?"
"Of course."
"But before, you said—"
"Back then, I may have been overthinking it. But after everything I've learned recently, I believe your current 'resurrection' won't cause any real problems."
"Believe?"
Klein sighed. "Edward, can you ever explain something without being so cryptic?"
Edward thought for a moment. "Well…in this case, no. But if you have any doubts, you can always pray to the Evernight Goddess for confirmation."
"You're serious?"
"Very."
Klein stood and began pacing the room anxiously.
After a while, he sat back down. "So why do you want to meet Leonard?"
"I want to collaborate with him on something."
"Collaborate? Is he that strong now?"
"Technically, he's not—the guy inside him is."
Klein froze.
"Wait…the guy inside Leonard…is he an 'old grandpa' by any chance?"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.