When Klein had imagined the carriage Amon would ride with him- he had imagined a normal nobleman's carriage with a little bit more flair and luxury decorations-
'Why the heck does this carriage have a sofa????' Klein thought bewildered in his mind, the lives and mannerisms and habits of the nobles were really not something he understood- nor something he would probably ever be able to understand.
"Klein~ here," Amon smiled as he stuffed some kind of toasted garlic-oregano bread into Klein's half-open mouth.
Klein had only known Amon for two days- and he had already figured out that Amon was the kind of person who'd stuff the person he liked full of food almost at every instant. He didn't know why Amon had this obsession with feeding him and always giving him good food and delicious side dishes and desserts even when he didn't have the time to eat with Klein. Was it because of the Moretti family's pathetic financial situation?
And he had also realized that the foods Amon gave him were always some strange cuisine he had never heard of in and around Tingen- at first, he had just shrugged it off as him not having enough memories and/or the inability of the original Klein Moretti to know about more exotic foods. But his memories, even though still fragmented, had become quite clear and he did remember most of the food he ate in the houses of some of his rich friends.
Most of the food was also food that Zhou Mingrui had heard of and tasted back on earth.
So this food was some of the cuisines introduced by the transmigrated Roselle before him? Amon said that the food originated from his father's homeland- so his family originates from Intis? But then why would Amon's father not mention much about it and keep it a secret in front of Amon?
"You should have enough energy for your interview," Amon said gently as he stuffed even more pieces of toast into Klein's mouth.
This level of obsession with food-
No wonder all his pets were fat!
(Amon's lip twitched slightly,)
Suddenly the force and frequency of Amon stuffing food in Klein's face increased exponentially.
Stop-!
'I'll have garlic breath for my interview at this rate!'
"Klein… your interview is in a pub?" Amon asked darkly.
"…"
'I swear this is not what it looks like-!'
"I-" how could he tell Amon that he had to go through these kinds of channels because of the kind of job!
He felt Amon's grip on his right-hand squeeze a little harder- weakly and then finally let go.
"It's alright…" Amon murmured in a small voice as he created distance between himself and Klein, Klein could see the sadness and acceptance in those dark eyes, "Just make sure to come back home by tomorrow morning…" a few tears escapes his clenched eyes, "I'll be waiting dutifully… it's alright if you don't get the job…"
Oi oi oi oi-!
Why was Amon making it sound like he was having an affair!
What did he mean tomorrow morning'???? D-did he genuinely believed that Klein would 'spend the night' with someone here?!
He hadn't even had his first kiss yet-!
Before Klein could explain, Amon roughly turned back and ran back to the carriage with hurried steps- as if he couldn't bear to stand here with Klein any longer-
"…"
What did that guy even mean by that he'll be waiting dutifully??? The poor wife who was helplessly in love with her husband so hard that she looked away from her scum husband's obvious cheating???
And Klein was the scum husband?!
He…
Klein instantly made up his mind that he'd get this finished with as soon as possible and instantly go back to Amon's house and give him the news first that he got the job (making it clear through indirect ways that no- he did not join a red theatre/brothel) and that it was a genuine job just the interview was held in a shady place. Klein was also sure that the NighHawks would have a decent cover to hide their identity as the supernatural police and had one for Klein as well.
Klein wasn't gay- and neither did he have any feelings for Amon, after all, he wants 'his' fiancé. But at the same time he had morals and wouldn't let such a toxic and bad misunderstanding prevail between them and have Amon cry in despair in the corner of his room while trying to maintain a kind and gentle smile towards his love who just slept with someone else- (the crow sitting on the branch two trees away almost fell off its perch from sudden laughter)
With a determined mind- he entered the pub- he'll get this done as soon as possible and return back to Amon's home fast with a carriage! (Since Amon dropped him here with his own carriage so he had money left for the carriage back)
The first thing he experienced in the pub was dog fight-
…should have listened to Amon!
Fortunately, it wasn't actually a bloody dog fight but a rat-catching competition-
Klein had then managed to get the address he required through Mr. Wright who Dunn Smith had told him about. That finally brought him to the second floor of No. 36 Zouteland Street.
Klein saw the vertical sign of the current name of the so-called mercenary squad.
"Blackthorn Security Company."
Upon seeing the signboard- Klein suddenly felt a flash of irritation in him-
If only Dunn Smith had told him to go to those places directly instead! Then he wouldn't have had to deal with Amon's heartbroken face and this whole new 'affair' drama!
'This seems way more legit-looking than a random pub!' Klein cursed in his heart hit still retained his polite smile and knocked on the door with his right hand.
There was no reply.
Klein frowned as he knocked on the door once again-
Again no reply.
He switched to pushing the door, making the gap larger as he stared inside—a classic sofa that might have been for serving guests, a soft fabric armchair, and a burly wood coffee table. There was a girl with brown hair behind a table right across with her head drooped.
'Even though "Security Company" is just a guise, isn't this just… just too "unprofessional?" How long has this place been out of business? Right, you guys don't need any business…' Klein drew closer as he complained silently and knocked on the table just beside the girl's ear.
The brown-haired girl sat up immediately and swiftly took the newspaper in front of her, covering her face.
The girl started babbling something or the other about something that was written in the paper until she finally looked at Klein and finally asked him who he was.
"Hello, I am Klein Moretti, and I am here at the invitation of Dunn Smith," Klein said as he took down his hat to his chest and bowed slightly.
"Ah, yes- I'll go get him!" The girl said as she rushed back somewhere.
Not even giving a glass of water…
This level of service awareness was worrying…
After two to three minutes, the brown-haired girl opened the door and came out. She said with a sweet smile, "Mr. Moretti, please follow me. The Captain is on watch at the 'Chanis Gate' and is unable to leave at the moment."
"Okay." Klein quickly followed behind.
Chanis Gate? Klein wondered what that might be- it sounded cool…
As Klein was walking through the corridor and observing the offices- he noticed a familiar face, the young looking green-eyed man who had looked at Klein Moretti's diary with the romantic vibe of a poet. He was not in official wear; his white collared shirt was not tucked in, making for quite an unruly appearance.
He really seemed like a poet…
Klein greeted the man with a smile and got a quick polite smile back and continued to follow the girl down a few stairs to where apparently the captain was.
"Although I walk here often, I am still constantly afraid of falling down, tumbling down like a barrel. You don't know, Leonard did such a folly. On the first day of becoming a 'Sleepless'—the first day where he had not mastered his new powers—he tried to rush down the flight of stairs. And-and he became a cartwheel. Haha, it was hilarious if you think about it. Oh yes, it was the guy that greeted you just now. This was about three years ago. Speaking of which, I have been with the Nighthawks for five years; I was only seventeen when I joined…"
The girl watched her steps as she spoke. Suddenly, she smacked her forehead and said, "I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Rozanne."
Rozanne then proceeded to chat one-sidedly with Klein about their jobs and whether Klein would be joined as a normal person or a Beyonder.
They passed the intersection and moved straight ahead. In less than a minute, a black iron split gate carved with seven sacred emblems was seen.
It stood there, heavy, cold, and domineering, like a giant guarding in the darkness.
"Chanis Gate." Rozanne reminded him and pointed at the room beside them, saying, "Captain is inside. Go on in by yourself."
"Alright, thank you." Klein replied politely.
Known then knocked on the door and when he heard the 'come in' sound, he opened the door and was greeted with the figure of Dunn Smith. The middle-aged man smiled at him as he put down his newspaper.
"Come and have a seat. Have you decided? Are you certain you want to join us?"
Klein removed his hat and bowed, then he sat beside the table and said, "Yes, I am certain."
After carefully reading through the contract, Klein finally signed his name on it and officially became a part of the Tingen Nighthawks squad.
Dunn explained to Klein about their division and what tastes they overtook until finally, Klein asked the question he wanted to ask the most-
"Why do beyonders go out of control?"
The captain smiled and then asked Klein if he knew about the creation myth.
Klein, who has the necessary memories from the original Klein Moretti nodded and recited the legend,
"Of course, when I received primary education during Sunday school, we learned to read using The Revelation of Evernight. Among them, the Book of Wisdom and the Letters from the Saints mentioned the myth of creation." He slowed down his tempo and said, "The Creator awoke from Chaos and shattered the darkness, creating the first ray of light. He then fused himself completely into the universe and made up all of existence. His body became the land and stars. One of his eyes became the sun, while the other became the crimson moon. Some of his blood rushed into the seas and rivers, nourishing and nurturing lives…"
Klein subconsciously paused when he said that. Partially, it was because the relevant memories were a blur and that the creation myth was very similar to the Chinese creation myth of Pangu.
The imaginations of people from different worlds shared something in common in their myths and legends!
Noticing that Klein was having 'trouble,' Dunn smiled and added, "His lungs turned into the elves; His heart turned into the giants; His liver turned into the treants; His brain turned into the dragons; His kidneys turned into the feather serpents; His hair turned into the phoenixes; His ears turned into the demonic wolves; His mouth and teeth turned into the mutants, and His remaining bodily fluids turned into the sea monsters, of which the essence was Naga. His stomach, His small and large intestines, and the evil parts of His body turned into devils, evil spirits, and various kinds of unknown maleficent existences. His spirit became the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of the Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom…"
At the mention of those names, Klein suddenly felt the air around him get heavier- as if the microbes and bacteria in the air were suddenly fuming! Noticing that Dunn Smith didn't show any changes, he concluded it as a mere hallucination and finished the sentence for Dunn with his memory,
"His wisdom gave birth to humanity. That was the first Epoch, the Chaos Epoch."
Although he recited the words seriously, he couldn't help but find it funny and ridiculous.
This was exactly like children's stories back on earth…
As a keyboard folklorist, it was the first time he came into contact with a creation myth that was 'arranged' in such great detail. It was so detailed that almost every prominent race corresponded to a particular body part of the Creator.
It mentioned the birth of the gods and basically their origin story-
He couldn't help but notice that all of the ones he had read from different churches briefly all had the same basic outline- as if the existence of the creator was actually real and/or the churches had come together and formed a common story after much strife.
But what he didn't get was…
"Why are the Eternal Blazing Sun, Lord of Storms, and God of Knowledge and Wisdom born directly from the Creator's spirit, while the Goddess isn't?" He asked with a frown.
In the Revelation of Evernight's prehistorical records, the Evernight Goddess had only awoken at the end of the Second Epoch. Together with the Lord of Storms, Eternal Blazing Sun, and other gods, she blessed and help humanity survive the Cataclysm. It was also known as the Third Epoch, the Cataclysm Epoch.
It was during that time that Mother Earth and the God of War appeared as well. As for the God of Steam and Machinery, whose original name was the God of Craftsmanship, "He" was born only in the Fourth Epoch.
Dunn Smith held his pipe with another hand and instead of answering, he returned with a question, "Repeat the Goddess's full title."
Uhhhhhh…..
Klein suddenly felt his mind go blank- as if someone had stolen his memories of the Goddess's full title! Klein Moretti's mother was a devout believer of the Night and Klein was sure he had retained the fragmented memories about the Goddess- why did his brain suddenly go blank?!
He suddenly felt like a blasphemer!
Dunn noticed Klein's complex face and continued with a small disappointed sigh- Klein shriveled up guiltily at that, also why did he suddenly feel that the air had become lighter? "The Evernight Goddess is nobler than the stars and more eternal than eternity. She is also the Lady of Crimson, the Mother of the Secrets, the Empress of Disaster and Horror, Mistress of Calm and Silence."
"What does the Lady of Crimson symbolize?" Dunn asked with a guiding tone.
"The red moon." The moment Klein answered, he immediately understood.
"Then which part of the Creator did the red moon come from?" asked Dunn with a smile.
"A single eye!" Klein and Dunn smiled at each other.
This was no way less impressive than the Lord of Storms who was formed from a third of the Creator's spirit!
Klein couldn't help but feel that The Lord of Storms, The Eternal Blazing Sun, The God of Knowledge and Wisdom as well as The Goddess of the Night were extremely cool-! Even if he doubted the story about the Creator, these gods were really impressive! He couldn't help but respect the names of these deities…
(The Amon clone of sequence 2 sitting on Klein's shoulders as an ant, 'Well, someone is going to get troubled by the buzzing of mosquitoes the entire night today!' the rest of the microbe and insect Amons cheered in violence as if raising pitchforks.)
Klein suddenly felt a chill deep in his bones.
After that Dunn finished explaining about the 'losing control as a Beyonder' topic and continued to explain to Klein about the various sequences and pathways and how each church currently held at least 1 complete pathway plus other fragmented potions.
But what Klein's attention was on- was the blasphemy slate!
He remembered The Hanged Man mentioning it in the meeting-
It sounded like something really important and powerful…
As he spoke, Dunn looked straight at Klein, his gray pupils reflecting Klein's figure.
His tone turned bleak as he said, "The founder of the Nighthawks, Archbishop Chanis, once said, 'We are guardians, but also a bunch of miserable wretches that are constantly fighting against dangers and madness.'"