Chapter 68: Contact! (Second Update)

An extraordinary being?

Goethe instinctively stared at the young man in front of him, taking another careful look. The young man’s eyes were bright, his face youthful, but there was a sense of maturity in his expression.

He could be described as wise beyond his years.

But Goethe didn’t sense the unique aura that people like Morey or Mrs. Pence had, nor did he feel the madness that characterized members of the "Fog Killer" or the "Flesh Church."

Was it hidden? Or…

Was there a slight difference between the "Secret Realm" and the "Anchor World"?

Goethe speculated.

Then, he listened to the young man’s heartbeat.

When you can't be sure of something, seek out more information and evidence.

Even if you end up with nothing, it’s better than doing nothing at all.

This time, Goethe was lucky.

He heard a rapid heartbeat.

That was panic.

Even more, it was nervousness.

Goethe narrowed his eyes, and then—

“Bi!”

Goethe softly uttered this syllable.

Without the corresponding secret techniques, just knowing a single syllable, Goethe couldn’t make light appear in his hand like Mrs. Pence, but it was enough to further test the young man in front of him.

“What does it mean?” Goethe asked.

“It’s... it’s…”

The young man couldn’t come up with a coherent answer.

In fact, when he heard the syllable, panic clearly flashed in his eyes.

And his heartbeat? It doubled.

The answer was clear.

The young man wasn’t an extraordinary being.

But he had a slight knowledge of the extraordinary and had discovered Goethe’s hidden message.

Then, he planned to use it to his advantage without any investment!

Goethe hated deception.

Especially when it involved his interests.

So, when someone tried to deceive him for personal gain, it touched a nerve with Goethe!

He glanced at the three bodyguards not far away, estimated the distance, and confirmed that he could kill the young man before the three could react.

However, Goethe ultimately didn’t take action.

He was now “travel writer” Poirot Marple, not the “vengeful youth” Goethe.

“You should be grateful for your luck,” Goethe said.

This didn’t mean he was letting the young man off.

It just wasn’t the right time.

Goethe planned to deal with it later.

“Y-yes,” the young man stammered in response.

Clearly, he was terrified—when Goethe had decided to kill him, the young man sensed it. That hair-raising feeling wasn’t new to him, but it had never been as clear as it was just now.

He had walked on the edge of death.

And he could still clearly feel that death hadn’t moved far away.

Even though Goethe said he was lucky.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Marple, I didn’t mean it.”

“I’m willing to compensate you.”

“Please give me this chance!”

Facing the threat of death, the young man didn’t hesitate to make the smartest choice.

“Compensate?”

“How much can you offer?”

Goethe narrowed his eyes.

“Although I recently inherited a large sum of money, I don’t have much access to gold crowns. Without affecting other obligations—1,000 gold crowns is my limit,” the young man immediately answered.

“That’ll do,” Goethe nodded.

1,000 gold crowns, which equated to 10 wealth points, could serve as part of the compensation Goethe had in mind.

As for the remaining part?

Naturally, it’s about the extraordinary!

Although the other person is not an extraordinary being, they should be connected to one.

At the very least, they have encountered an extraordinary being or have knowledge about the extraordinary.

Thus, when the young man's eyes showed surprise, Goethe continued speaking.

"Where did you learn about the text we just saw?"

"From the remnants of a burned notebook."

The young man answered truthfully.

"Burned?"

Goethe frowned.

"Yes, burned."

"I can swear I am not deceiving you—this notebook was originally my mother's keepsake. She probably didn't want me to see these things, so she threw it into the fireplace. But it didn't burn completely; a little bit remained."

"Please believe me!"

"I am absolutely not deceiving you!"

"A lot of people in Hesse-Tins know about my situation!"

The other person swore up and down.

"You're quite famous?"

Goethe caught the detail in the other's words.

"Certainly not as famous as you. I’m just the lucky one who inherited a large fortune from my mother six months ago—Antinan."

The other person introduced himself with a bitter smile.

Antinan?

Goethe, hearing this familiar name, couldn't help but glance at him in surprise.

He clearly remembered that Zorta and his group's target was this person.

And according to the four of them, Antinan was supposed to be a young man who had just inherited a large fortune from his mother and was preparing to travel the world without any worries.

But now it seems that's not the case at all.

His caution had long exceeded the ordinary range. When the "sword bearer" he hired clearly failed to fulfill the contract, he quickly found three bodyguards to protect him.

Such urgency was enough to show that the situation around him was far from safe.

Given this premise, he still continued to venture to test him!

Obviously, the other party had already recognized him, which is why he brought up the so-called wall-passing technique in the restaurant.

Then, after noticing that he did not react, he came directly to him.

The person who should have been cautious had become bold and reckless instead. This abnormal behavior, combined with his mother's keepsake, led to a suspicion that began to form in Goethe's mind.

"How did your mother die?"

Goethe asked.

"Accidentally—according to the police and doctors."

"My mother supposedly drowned in the lake while drunk. Even though I told them my mother never drank, they still firmly believed it was an accident."

"So, I began some investigations."

"And then…"

"I also encountered two accidents. If it weren't for my luck, I would have died long ago—when I reported it to the police again, they just shrugged it off, saying it was all a coincidence!"

"A damned coincidence!"

Antinan said frankly, without hiding anything.

Moreover, his tone grew increasingly angry, and by the end, he was swearing outright.

But the young man was not consumed by his anger.

After a few breaths, he regained his composure.

"So, I had no choice but to hire people to protect myself."

"At the same time, I began to investigate the truth behind my mother's death in a more cautious way!"

The young man continued.

Goethe frowned slightly; he was very concerned about the "luck" the other had mentioned in his words!

Having once worked part-time as a "cleaner" in his hometown, Goethe was well aware that no matter how lucky a person was, they could not continuously avoid two "accidental deaths" unless the one orchestrating the "accidents" did not truly want to kill the target.

Or…

The person was very unusual!

Clearly, the other person was the latter!

Was it talent?

Or an artifact?

Goethe speculated.

After a slight pause, the young man then extended an invitation to Goethe.

"I hope you can help me investigate my mother's death. I will pay you a reward that will definitely satisfy you—in addition to you, I have also contacted others like you who understand this knowledge."

"But they are far less cautious and intelligent than you."

"It was precisely because of them that I became careless and thought it was no big deal."

As the young man said this, he revealed a wry smile.

Then, he looked at Goethe with great anticipation.

Goethe squinted his eyes slightly, concealing the glint in them.

Extraordinary beings not intelligent?

Goethe almost couldn't hold back.

(End of this chapter)