Chapter 646: Visit

Beckland, Dr. Crys's house.

Early in the morning, Klein arrived to visit in the guise of the great detective Sherlock Moriarty, and this time he did not perform a divination beforehand to see whether a visit was appropriate.

Since he was visiting a "Mercury Snake", there was no need for extra divination; whether the visit was suitable depended entirely on the infant's mood.

Thought after thought passed through his mind, and Klein had already reached Dr. Allen's front gate; after smoothing his collar a bit, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Knock! Knock! A servant of Dr. Allen opened the door, and Dr. Allen himself happened to be in the living room at that moment. He saw Klein standing outside, a surprised smile spreading across his face, and hurried over: "Long time no see, Sherlock, you finally returned to Beckland. We haven't seen you back for a while; we've been wondering if you intend to stay in Dixi Bay."

"That's a good idea; compared with Beckland's smog, the air over there is far better."

Klein followed up on the remark, then took off his half‑high silk hat and handed it to the nearby servant, and walked into the living room with Allen.

After sitting on the sofa, Klein brought up the earlier topic again, hinting that he indeed planned to stay in Dixi Bay; this return was only to handle some investments he hadn't had time to arrange and to say farewell to old friends.

After a while of conversation, Klein naturally steered the topic toward Dr. Allen's child.

When his own child was mentioned, Dr. Allen's face broke into a happy, gentle smile:

"Right, you haven't met Will yet; he's a very cute boy, but he's still sleeping now. If you come a bit later, you'll get to see him."

If you come later, perhaps you'd have just thought of going out for something, when suddenly a baby's wail rose from upstairs.

Dr. Allen looked toward the staircase with a hint of surprise, then turned to Klein and said:

"Will's awake; I'll go check on him. Sherlock, wait a moment; I'll bring Will to meet you shortly. I originally intended to make you his godfather, but alas, you don't plan to stay in Beckland."

Klein smiled and nodded at Dr. Allen, perhaps having sensed his thought; Will had only been startled awake from a dream, having just taken a nap, and was about to gain a godfather who was not even a fraction of his age.

Klein muttered a thought to himself, then followed Dr. Allen down the hallway, up to the second floor.

During this, no one sensed anything amiss; they were all immersed in the illusion Klein created, believing he was still seated on the sofa sipping tea.

On the second floor, Klein saw a maid pushing a cradle out of a bedroom; inside the baby carriage lay a child wrapped in silver silk, his skin very pale, chubby, with plump hands that seemed to be in segments.

The infant tugged at the silk, his ink‑black eyes meeting Klein's, showing a human‑like disdain.

After a brief silence, Klein placed a hand on his chest, bowed slightly toward the carriage and said:

"Good morning, what should I call you now?"

The baby in the carriage sucked a finger, staring blankly at Klein; just as Klein thought the infant didn't want to engage, a voice was heard:

"Um, I haven't settled on a name yet; you can call me Will for now."

"Alright, Will, do you know anything about the Ghost Empire?"

As the words hung in the air, Klein stared calmly at Will, awaiting his reply.

"Of course I know; you're not the first to set your sights on it, nor will you be the last."

While speaking, Will kept biting his finger, behaving just like a newborn, which made Klein doubt the state of this 'Mercury Snake'.

"What an immersive role‑play as a baby," Klein thought, then saw the silver‑silk‑wrapped Will glare at him, huffing:

"You really are impolite."

"A baby must act like a baby; it helps me keep a good mental state, otherwise I'd go crazy now and then like that foolish Urolius snake."

"Why?" Klein asked curiously.

Will's ink‑black pupils rolled white in his sockets, and in a flat tone he said, "Each time it restarts it grows up beside the True Creator, lacking a proper childhood; that makes its 'reboot' less perfect, leaving some hidden risks."

Klein nodded in understanding, then steered the conversation back to the Ghost Empire, pondering:

"Is the Ghost Empire a truly existing treasure?"

"Or what else? It can't just be a bored pirate's fantasy, can it?" Will shot Klein an irritated glance, then continued:

"You want to set your sights on it? I advise you to give up." "Even the most active Storm Church at sea, and the Augustus and Castia families who know the Judger's path best, haven't been able to obtain the treasures on it."

"They failed to obtain them, not that they didn't find them?" Klein noted Will's wording keenly.

"That ship has been polluted and activated; it's fine not to board, but once you do…"

Klein asked curiously, "What happens if you board that ship?"

Will waved his plump hand and let out a "Hey!" saying:

"Of course you'd become part of that ship. I once, while evading the foolish Urolius snake, happened upon the Ghost Empire and saw some of its interior; there was a person I know there, a saint who possesses a Level‑0 Sealed Artifact."

"That's exclusive intel; even the Storm Church and those two angelic families who know the Judger's path are unaware. No one has ever left that ship, let alone sent a message."

"But if it's you, success might be possible. What will you offer to buy the information and gain my assistance?"

It was astonishing that Will actually knew some information—what luck! Is it because it represents part of fate as a 'Mercury Snake'? Klein lowered his gaze at the Will in the carriage, thought briefly, and asked in a deep voice, "What do you want to obtain?"

Will replied without hesitation, "Hehe, of course I want a way to regain some strength during my weak period. I know you can do it; if you don't know how, go find the person who holds the knowledge."

"It feels like you've already planned this, just waiting for me to come find you," Klein muttered softly, his voice just loud enough for Will to hear.

"Isn't that normal? I merely seized a small chance in Fate; that's what the Fate Path excels at."

Will replied to Klein, tugged at his own silk, and adopted a posture indicating he didn't wish to continue the conversation.

Klein seized the moment and stated his main purpose for coming: "I want a method or item that can temporarily boost luck."

"Wua~~"

The baby's wail suddenly echoed through the second‑floor room; Dr. Allen and his wife hurriedly soothed Will and carried him back to the bedroom.

Klein froze for a second, looking helplessly at Will being carried back, sighed, and returned to the first‑floor living room.

The 'Mercury Snake's' style really is… I can't tell whether he's role‑playing or truly has become a baby in body and mind after a 'reboot.'

A moment later, Dr. Allen came down from the second floor, apologetically smiling at Klein: "Sorry, Sherlock, for keeping you waiting. I had hoped to bring Will down to meet you, but he still wasn't fully awake and was taken back to the bedroom crying."

"It's fine; I just chose the wrong time to visit today."

Klein gave a gentle nod in reply, then chatted with Dr. Allen about recent happenings in Dixi Bay and Beckland until near noon; after declining Allen's invitation to lunch, he took his leave.

On the Southern Continent, at the northern edge of the ancient forest of East Bairang, Reckton and Tu Ba Ge's figures silently emerged.

"Boss, what are we doing here?"

At Reckton's feet, Tu Ba Ge stared at the grass that completely engulfed him, scratching his head uneasily.

"I'm taking you to learn about biodiversity; don't keep staring at the fruit Hoho, otherwise that biologist's magic elixir will be hard to digest."

Even Frank knows to expand his experimental subjects to wheat, milk, fish, sheep, mushrooms, and the Rose Bishop.

As he spoke, Lei Ke Dun stretched out his right hand forward, and an illusory 'light' that could hardly be seen by the naked eye gathered from all directions of the west, condensing in his hand into a ball of illusory light formed from the surrounding information.

He lightly squeezed his right hand, and the illusory light ball instantly shattered, turning into specks of scattered light that quickly evolved into insects with wings or shells, birds flapping their wings, and rodents darting through the grass.

Tu Ba Ge looked at the various creatures evolved from the scattered information around him, drooped his head, and unwillingly said, "Boss, you could directly pour knowledge into my head; running wildly in the forest is something only wild rabbits do."

"Learning is a process, and this happens to fill in your missing wilderness survival knowledge."

Lei Ke Dun casually retorted to Tu Ba Ge, then kicked him away with a foot, and Tu Ba Ge's dusty figure instantly vanished into the grass.

Just as he pulled back his foot, Lei Ke Dun saw a thick gray mist suddenly well up before him, and the silhouette of Klein seated in a high-backed chair appeared faintly within the mist.

(End of chapter)