"Boom!"
"Even pair..."
"No, you must have cheated! And why do you keep staring at my face? Are you looking at my expression..."
"And you two kids over there, don't peek when we're playing cards."
...
"Hoo... hoo... hoo!"
"Uh..." In the storage room, Lorne suddenly opened his eyes on the hammock.
"A dream, huh..." He rubbed his eyes, looking around.
Moonlight, a hammock, a table and chairs made of wooden barrels, and a faint smell of fish.
And Lachi, curled up in a ball, sleeping nearby.
"Right, I'm still at sea." Lorne shook his head, gradually waking up.
He realized he was still on the Golden Dream.
"Strange, why did I dream of playing cards, and with a bunch of inexplicable people?"
I shouldn't have a gambling addiction... He couldn't quite figure it out.
What puzzled him even more was how incredibly real the dream felt.
In the dream, he and several people were sitting around a card table, playing intensely.
Although he couldn't clearly see the faces of his opponents, he could distinctly feel their characteristics.
Lorne vaguely remembered that his opponents seemed to be a schemer... a narcissist... and an old woman.
Next to the woman, there were a boy and a girl who kept staring at him, making him feel inexplicably cold.
"Why is this dream so hazy..."
Based on the knowledge he had recently acquired, Lorne understood that for Beyonders, dreams often served as a form of revelation.
But honestly, he couldn't figure out what special meaning this dream held.
Could it be... just from spending too much time with pirates, so he had dreams at night? After all, pirates love to gamble.
He met Danitz because of a card game. Was that the reason?
"Just a dream." Lorne closed his eyes, wanting to go back to sleep, but then found himself wide awake.
"Damn it, why do I suddenly have a bad feeling!"
...
Backlund.
"I need you to help me find someone named Lorne. De Senck."
What! Lorne. De Senck!
If it weren't for his Clown ability, Klein would have probably yelled it out.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Although Klein's expression didn't change much, Xio still sensed something was off.
"No, nothing." Klein tried hard to calm himself down.
"Who is he to you, and why are you looking for him?"
Xio hesitated for a moment, "He's a friend of my friend, or more accurately, my friend's pen pal."
Pen pal? Klein was slightly stunned.
Go to such lengths to find a pen pal?
"First, tell me the specific information about Lorne. De Senck..."
"Specific information, huh..." Xio rested her chin on one hand, deep in thought.
Honestly, she didn't know much, or rather, Fors didn't know much either.
Fors and this pen pal named Lorne. De Senck had always communicated by letter, and their discussions were mostly about novels, rarely touching on their private lives.
According to Fors, based on the descriptions in the letters, he even believed her to be an energetic, sunny young woman full of infinite passion for life.
Honestly, when Xio first heard that, she almost couldn't keep a straight face.
Sunny... passionate... That's the complete opposite image!
No wonder Fors didn't dare to meet him; she was afraid her filter in his mind would shatter.
Considering Fors's self-praise in her letters, how much of the information about Lorne. De Senck in his letters was true was also quite questionable.
After a moment of thought, Xio could only share what she was currently certain of.
"Lorne. De Senck is about twenty years old. His family was originally very wealthy, but recently suffered a major change, and also..."
"Do you have any photos or portraits?" Klein asked. If he had such things, he could confirm whether the person she was talking about was indeed the Lorne. De Senck from Tingen.
"No..." Xio shook her head.
Although they had previously tried to get some photos or similar items from Lorne's landlady, Mrs. Griffin.
But they were all refused by her on the grounds of confidentiality.
However, they still got a description of Lorne's appearance from Mrs. Griffin.
"I can briefly describe his appearance."
"Alright, go ahead." Klein focused intently.
"About one meter seventy-five in height, medium build, brownish-yellow hair..."
"Uh..." Klein nodded, listening to her description.
Xio's description was largely consistent with the Lorne. De Senck he encountered in Tingen.
If nothing unexpected, it was the same person.
It's really him. Why is he so persistent... Klein pursed his lips.
The scenery of Chanis Gate flashed before his eyes once again: loneliness... Darkness...
Clearly, Klein was in a very bad mood upon hearing the name of his "old acquaintance" again.
Although the events in Tingen might not have been at Lorne. De Senck's own will, his actions might have been controlled by a mastermind behind the scenes.
But that didn't stop his extremely poor impression of Lorne. After all, to some extent, he was indeed harmed by him, leaving him unable to return home.
Thinking of the days and nights after Chanis Gate, and his current predicament of being forced to join a secret organization.
And his seemingly good relationship with Melissa...
Honestly, during my time in Backlund, I almost forgot about him. I didn't expect him to reappear before me in this way... Klein felt an inexplicable irritation in his heart.
"Um, is something wrong?" Xio asked, looking at the silent Klein.
"Ah, nothing, just recalling memories." Klein put on a professional smile.
"Do you know any other information, like how long he's been missing or anything like that..."
"It's been several months." Xio recalled when Fors first complained about not receiving a reply.
Several months, that's roughly the time since the Tingen incident. Klein continued to ask, "Any other news?"
"Uh..." Xio hesitated.
"Don't worry, I'll keep it confidential. If necessary, we can sign a contract. You should trust the Guild."
After about two or three seconds, Xio spoke, "I heard that he left because he offended certain people."
"I want to ask you to help me find him. Otherwise, my friend will worry herself to death."
Left? He wouldn't have gone to Tingen at that time, would he... Klein adopted an expert's tone and said:
"Miss, the information you've provided is too little, and if he really went to another place to avoid certain people, and he's intentionally hiding, I'm afraid I don't have any better methods."
Klein's words were not unreasonable, so Xio had to lower her demands.
"At least help me confirm if he's still in Backlund. If you can confirm his safety, that would be best..."
"I can pay in advance." For this commission, Fors thoughtfully prepared several tens of pounds in cash for her.
'That Lorne. De Senck might still be in Tingen, and he has quite a few secrets himself. It wouldn't be bad to take this opportunity to safely investigate him.'
After much consideration, Klein chose to accept the commission and received 5 pounds in advance from Xio.
"Heh..."
Looking at this highly familiar number, Klein gave a bitter smile.
That Lorne still has secrets. I should try not to use divination if possible... He recalled his previous experiences of divining about him.
Miss Justice is a noble in Backlund; maybe I can ask her for help with the investigation.