Chapter 246: Trissy Cheek

Early in the morning, Fors dragged Xie out to purchase a great deal of food and medicine, along with some strange and unusual materials, as if preparing to flee from a famine.

It was not until the afternoon that they finally finished preparing all the supplies, which took up nearly half the space in the living room of their rented house.

"Fors, you can tell me what exactly happened now, can't you? Even if we're running away or hiding somewhere for a while, there's no need to buy this much stuff, is there?"

Xie stood before Fors, who had slumped into a chair, and asked with a serious expression.

Unfortunately, her height of just over a meter fifty and her delicate, soft, slightly youthful features gave her no air of intimidation at all, making her look rather cute instead.

I really want to pinch Xie's slightly chubby cheeks, but unfortunately my hands are so sore I don't want to lift them at all.

Fors muttered to herself inwardly a few times, then picked up the teacup beside her and gulped down a large mouthful of pre-brewed black tea, and only then did she have the energy to answer Xie's question:

"I've finally come back to life. Anyway, since it can be reimbursed, there's nothing wrong with preparing a bit more."

"Alright, Xie, what I'm about to say is very serious. Even though it sounds a bit absurd, you must believe me, understand?"

"Alright, hurry up and say it — how can I believe you if you don't speak?" Xie pressed urgently with great seriousness.

"I obtained some information from a gathering — a great disaster is about to befall Backlund, one that will sweep across the entire city."

"What gathering? I should know about every gathering you attend."

Xie frowned slightly and pressed on with a tone of concern.

She was somewhat worried that her good friend might have been deceived or enticed by someone.

Fors waved her hand and said:

"Don't be in a hurry to interrupt — let me finish speaking first."

"This is a secret gathering I recently joined. I've already verified this piece of information with a Mr. Tynes — he even told me that the disaster is today."

"To that end, he also entrusted me with a task: to secretly comfort the injured citizens after the disaster and provide them with some treatment. He's already paid me the remuneration in advance — 200 pounds — and promised to shelter us from the effects of this disaster."

Xie looked in puzzlement at the somewhat gloomy weather outside the window — this was very common in Backlund and not something worth paying attention to.

Apart from that, she could not see any sign of an approaching disaster, yet her good friend was speaking so seriously, and had even dragged her out early in the morning to buy so many supplies in preparation.

"Are you sure you haven't been deceived?" Xie said, still not quite convinced.

"You just need to stay home with me and not go out today. If there's danger, we can avoid it; if there isn't, even better, right?"

Fors did not care whether Xie believed her or not — as long as she kept her good friend inside the house, that was enough.

"I still have a commission today."

"No!" Fors sternly rejected Xie's words.

Queen's District, outside Red Rose Manor.

Klein sat in a carriage, slowly moving away from the luxurious manor.

Just now, he had submitted to Prince Edsach the investigation report regarding Talim's death, and through a performance, convinced the other party that he was powerless to investigate this matter further.

At the same time, he told the other party of his plan to head south for a vacation to relax. Given the preceding performance, this proposal did not arouse the prince's suspicion.

Klein leaned back in the carriage and calmly pondered his subsequent plans.

His inspiration was suddenly triggered, and a figure swiftly outlined itself in the seat opposite him.

It was still a beautiful woman dressed in a heavy black dress, wearing a sapphire ring on her hand.

"Tris!" Klein was only momentarily startled before he immediately recognized the other party.

Tris, sitting opposite him, was not alarmed but rather pleased, even revealing a sweet smile as she said:

"I knew you would recognize me!"

"A detective with extraordinary abilities would certainly pay special attention to various wanted posters!"

The other party's reaction made Klein somewhat puzzled. He frowned slightly and spoke cautiously:

"What do you want?"

Tris smiled with pursed lips and said:

"Very simple — go as quickly as you can to report me to the Nighthawks, the Arbiters, and the Church of the Machine Heart! Have them come here to arrest me!"

Reporting herself to have herself arrested? This woman — er, had she been a woman for so long that she'd gone mad? Or was there something she feared more than being locked behind the Door of Chanis?

At this thought, Klein's mood gradually grew heavy. He restrained his expression and asked in a low voice:

"What are you afraid of?"

In the next moment, a pale yellow paper figure drifted down from the spirit world, with a lifelike eye drawn upon it.

"Good afternoon, you two gentlemen~"

Lakdon's voice came from the paper figure.

"Are you provoking me? Then you've succeeded."

Tris's face instantly darkened, and her voice was low, carrying a hint of hoarseness and anger as she spoke.

"Al?" Klein looked in some puzzlement at the little paper figure floating in the air.

"I've come to remind you — call for help quickly, or it'll be embarrassing when the meteor shower falls in a bit."

"Call for help? Meteor shower?" Klein was even more puzzled.

But at the same time, he was rapidly filtering through his mind for people he could call upon for help. The other party had deliberately come to remind him, which meant the danger he was about to face was extraordinary.

The descent of the True Creator has already begun! Klein looked at the little paper figure before him, making guesses in his mind.

"This Miss Trissy Cheek, I wonder if you heard my words clearly last time — the Hunter pathway, which is adjacent to the Witch pathway, will forcibly transform a woman into a man upon advancing to Sequence 4."

Lakdon's voice once again came from the little paper figure, but this time it was directed at Tris.

"Hunter? Last time it was you!"

Tris's voice carried surprise, puzzlement, and a sense of having grasped a glimmer of hope.

Trissy Cheek. Cheek, Cheek! Klein, who had still been thinking about whom to call for help, instantly felt his scalp tingle, his entire body going stiff on the spot, as if he had been turned into a marble statue.

The passage from the Emperor in the Roselle diary he had seen last time repeatedly surfaced in his mind:

"I obtained an ancient tome that unexpectedly mentioned the name of the 'Primordial Witch' — He is called, Cheek."

Beads of cold sweat broke out on Klein's back, and his pleading eyes looked at the little paper man floating in the air.

Tris narrowed her eyes, her mood seemingly suddenly becoming quite cheerful. Klein felt her charm grow even stronger, and he slightly raised his head, avoiding looking directly at her.

Tris noticed Klein's gaze shift away and laughed softly with some pride:

"I will try to flee and draw the main pursuit force away. The rest will still be very strong, but no longer impossible to deal with."

"Besides, you also know such an unfathomable Beyonder."

"I believe you can definitely escape!"

As soon as her words fell, her figure vanished at extreme speed, directly entering an invisible state.

Bang! The carriage door suddenly swung open, then slammed shut.

After Tris left, Klein turned his gaze to the little paper man hovering in midair.

Rekt's voice rang out:

"The ritual to welcome the descent of the True Creator is about to begin. I can't get away. You'd best find someone to save your life quickly. Once Tris is caught, Ince Zangwill, who controls 0-08, will have the energy to deal with you."

"..." Klein fell silent for a moment, then snapped his fingers with a crack.

At the edge of the road, a small flame suddenly shot up from a dry branch and rapidly grew taller.

Klein's figure emerged from it and stepped out. He turned his head to look—the pale yellow little paper man had not followed his movements and seemed to have remained inside the carriage.

Klein did not wait, but kept snapping his fingers, flashing rapidly toward the depths of the woods.

Good thing I knew all along that visiting Red Rose Manor would likely lead to accidents and made preparations accordingly.

Sighing inwardly, Klein took out the copper whistle hanging around his neck from inside his clothing, placed it in his mouth, puffed up his cheeks, and blew.

Soundlessly, through his Spirit Vision, he saw bones erupting from the ground like a fountain. The bones rapidly gathered and assembled together, forming a giant bone messenger nearly four meters tall.

Klein took out the paper and pen he carried with him and swiftly wrote down a word:

"Help!"

Facing a threat that likely came from 0-08, Alger couldn't get away, so Mr. Azik was the best choice.

Then he rapidly chanted the Fool's honorific name, prayed to himself, and recounted the matter concerning Tris.

After that, he walked backward four steps to enter above the gray fog, tossed this prayer image of himself into the crimson star symbolizing Miss Justice, and finally, in the identity of the Fool, added a line:

"Heh! Chike. That is the true name of the Primordial Witch!"

Having done all this, he immediately returned to reality, ready to flee for his life.

Just as he took a step, his surroundings suddenly brightened. He subconsciously looked up and saw several meteors blazing with fire falling from the sky, crashing toward this patch of woods with an unstoppable momentum.

"There really is a meteor shower!... Was Tris caught this quickly?"

The moment the thought formed in his mind, Klein began running for his life.

Inside a concealed underground building, a spacious hall with an altar built in the center.

On the other side of this hall, there was a hidden space where Rekt and Bernadette were staying, quietly watching everything happening outside.

Mr. A, wearing a hooded robe, and a lady in a plain white robe with a striking appearance stood together before an altar.

Mr. A urged the lady standing beside him in a somewhat hurried tone:

"Hurry up and act. I can't wait to summon my Lord to descend upon this world!"

The lady standing beside him revealed an extremely alluring smile and ran her hand along his robe, saying:

"So anxious? Actually, we could still get to know each other a bit more... intimately."

"My patience is limited." Mr. A pulled his robe aside, his tone heavy with warning.

"Heh, what an unromantic madman."

This striking-looking lady looked somewhat unwilling. She hadn't expected to be repeatedly rebuffed by Mr. A several times in a row. This shepherd of the Aurora Order seemed to have no normal desires whatsoever, completely unaffected by her allure.

(End of this chapter)