svetikya Chapter 331 Klein: About my promotion…
Chapter 331 Klein: About my promotion…
Chapter 331 Klein: About my promotion…
Being "Mr. Fool" is really not an easy job —
As he stepped down from the gray fog, Klein wearily rubbed his temples and leaned back in his chair.
"Amon————"
After barely managing to help "Little Sun" temporarily resolve Amon's situation, he felt utterly exhausted.
Worse still, he sensed that the presence of the gray fog had been noticed by the "blasphemer."
"Sigh—there's still too little information available."
The Amon family was so active during the Tudor Empire; it's impossible they left no trace. And then there's the Forsaken Lands—
"Perhaps I can write to Mr. Azik and ask. Or I can check the information in the guild's archives."
After Mr. Rustig's mission was completed, he became a full member of the Society, and therefore gained access to certain levels of internal documents and files.
Charles only told him these things recently during a casual conversation.
Thinking of this, Klein's lips twitched slightly, sensing something strange—
So, I was just a contract worker before I was officially hired? This association is really realistic—
"Speaking of which, shouldn't I be eligible for a promotion now? —"
His recent missions have allowed him to rapidly utilize his "magician's" potion. "I'm part of an organization now, so I should be able to submit a report and apply for a promotion, right?"
The Guild of Truth.
As a registered and publicly recognized guild detective, Klein would come here every now and then to report and handle some guild commissions.
Of course, the free lunch at the guild cafeteria is indeed very tempting.
As far as he knew, this guild building was just one of the guild's three strongholds in Backlund. But he hadn't been to the other two; he only guessed, based on some clues, that one of them might be in Queens, because the guild's perks often included vouchers for a high-end gift shop called "Four Seasons."
"There are some unfamiliar faces here."
As soon as he stepped into the guild, Klein keenly sensed something was different. There were many unfamiliar faces in the hall. Although they were all dressed in detective-style clothing and had a sharp, capable air about them, Klein had no recollection of them at all.
Aren't they guild detectives? — Are they private detectives?
"Sherlock".
Hearing someone calling him, Klein looked in the direction of the voice.
They discovered that the visitor was Bart, the guild's security chief, who was also the one who had personally come to "recruit" him.
"What's wrong?"
"The board member needs to speak with you."
In his office, Charles was in a rather good mood. Sitting in the large executive chair, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on a note in front of him with a potion recipe written on it.
Sequence 5: Retribution Knight —
-
His promotion application has been approved.
Once he is promoted, he will be able to advance to the next level.
Everything was going well. But—a few minor troubles had arisen.
Recently, things have been a bit unsettled in Backlund, with a certain "Apostle of Desire" becoming active.
"Director, you wanted to see me?"
Charles composed himself when he saw Klein enter.
"Sherlock, sit down."
He pointed to the chair opposite him and got straight to the point: "Have you noticed those people in the hall?"
"You mean those detectives?"
"That's right. A major case has recently occurred in Backlund; it's said that a certain extraordinary being from the 'Demon' pathway is committing a series of murders."
Demons—Klein immediately searched his memory for relevant information.
It seems there was indeed such a thing. Amidst the overwhelming headlines about the financial crisis and stock market crash, there appears to have been related news published in a corner of the newspaper.
However, when it comes to demons, the one that left the deepest impression on him was the demon dog he had encountered by chance before.
Could it be—the owner of that demon dog?
"The police are already at their wits' end," Charles continued. "So, they've assembled a group of renowned private investigators to work together on this case. Our guild, because we often cooperate with the police, was also invited to participate."
So that's how it is—many private investigators don't actually like guilds, but since the police are involved, they can't refuse—Klein understood.
"Director, what does this have to do with me?" he asked curiously.
"I plan to send you to work with those detectives to find the murderer," Charles said slowly, looking at him. "And what you need to do is report everything to me in detail during the investigation."
"I—" Klein was somewhat surprised.
Aren't there plenty of experienced veterans in the guild? Why send me? And why send someone like Mr. Rustig, who needs to keep a low profile, to such a public opportunity?
Could it be—he suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Director," he began carefully, choosing his words, "that demon—could it be—one of ours?"
"How could that be?" Charles denied without hesitation.
"There are many suspicious things behind this matter, and we also want to find out the forces behind that demon, which is why we plan to have you investigate in depth."
"I understand." Klein nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
It's highly likely that an extraordinary individual capable of stirring up trouble in Backlund has powerful backing, so it's not unreasonable for the Society to want to investigate.
With the help of an organized group, as long as he doesn't act too conspicuously, he shouldn't be in any danger. After all, no one would associate Rustig with an ordinary detective.
After hearing Charles say that the reward for this mission was generous and that it didn't necessarily require him to successfully solve the case, he readily agreed to the mission.
Charles breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sherlock readily agree.
That "Apostle of Desire" had been his henchman many times, handling a lot of dirty work for him. But recently, for some unknown reason, he suddenly became high-profile.
If he were caught by officials or other detectives and they managed to extract information from him, I'd be in trouble. Especially now, it's a crucial time for his promotion; I can't afford any mishaps.
After much deliberation, the best solution was to place one of our own people within the investigation team to keep abreast of the investigation's progress.
If things really come to a head, he will have no choice but to act in advance, find a way to kill that "Apostle of Desire," and then try to frame the Aurora Society or the Secret Order, so that the authorities will mistakenly believe that it was a case of double-crossing.
"By the way, is there anything else?" Charles looked up again after finishing this matter. He sensed that the other person seemed to have something else to say.
"It's like this, Director, about my promotion—" After a slight hesitation, Klein frankly stated that he had basically digested the Sequence 7 "Magician" potion.
"Hmm—" Hearing this, Charles looked up at Klein, his tone becoming serious: "Sherlock, would you like to continue working for me, or would you like to develop in another department of the organization?"
How did we suddenly get to this topic?
Seeing Charles's serious expression, Klein did not hesitate and immediately nodded, saying, "Of course I will continue to stay by your side."
"Not bad." Charles nodded in satisfaction.
"Logically speaking, given the significant contribution you made, a promotion should be no problem. However—you haven't been with us for very long, and you come from a 'socialist' background." Charles's tone carried a hint of embarrassment.
The society is broadly divided into two factions based on the origins of its members: the "academic faction" and the "social faction."
As the name suggests, the academic faction consists mostly of orphans adopted from various places over the years by the organization. Those with extraordinary talent are marked in advance, and when they reach the appropriate age, they will receive unified training and development.
The Social Faction, like Sherlock, consists of wild extraordinary individuals recruited directly from society.
Generally speaking, the evaluation period for social factions is longer and more complicated, since loyalty needs to be considered more carefully.
"Sigh—if only you weren't an extraordinary one on the 'Diviner' path," Charles sighed. "If you were on the 'Arbitrator' or 'Lawyer' path, promotion would be much easier."
He said that because the promotion path of "fortune teller" is not under the jurisdiction of their department and needs to be submitted to other departments for review.
The organization is generally divided into four departments based on the nature of their work, roughly distinguished by the different suits of playing cards.
The "Spade" intelligence department is primarily responsible for infiltration and intelligence work. Most of the "fortune tellers" within the organization are connected to "Spade," and they are also responsible for arranging and reviewing the promotions of members through related channels.
The "Cube" Finance Department is primarily responsible for internal administration and managing business operations. Most matters related to money are handled by "Cube." The department has a large number of "lawyers" and "arbitrators," as well as many extraordinary individuals with the "Sun" pathway.
The "Plum Blossom" Special Operations Department is responsible for special operations, including internal security, emergency response, and some basic investigations and routine tasks. Due to the nature of its operations, it has the most diverse membership among all departments, with members coming from all sorts of backgrounds.
The "Red Heart" Logistics Department mainly handles logistics, support, and cover work.
Of course, this is just a simple and crude distinction. In actual operations, most tasks involve mixed teams of personnel from several departments.
However, when it comes to promotions, the barriers between departments can be problematic.
Sherlock was initially recruited by the Five Clubs, but they didn't really manage him afterward, leaving Charles in charge of his affairs.
He had been working under Charles all along, so after becoming a full-fledged employee, he would most likely be registered as one of Charles's subordinates.
"As for legal avenues, I have my own ways, after all, I have the 'Blasphemy Card' — Klein silently complained to himself."
"If it's difficult, then—" Klein was about to say that he could wait a little longer when Charles waved his hand.
"Don't worry, I'll figure this out," Charles said confidently. "Just focus on completing this mission, and I'll vouch for your promotion. If that still doesn't work—" He paused for a moment, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, "there will be a banquet in a while."
"A banquet? What banquet?"
A party to celebrate my promotion. Charles was in a good mood, but outwardly chose to keep it a secret.
You'll find out then.
"But what does this have to do with my promotion?" Klein asked curiously.
"It's obvious you haven't had much experience in these kinds of social situations," Charles said, adopting a tone that sounded like he was instructing a subordinate.
"Our department wields considerable power because it manages the association's funds and most of its assets, but we've also incurred the wrath of other departments due to financial and budgetary issues. As one of our members, applying for a promotion through a channel controlled by another department would be a very complicated process."
Seeing that Klein was still confused, Charles continued to explain his plan: "People from all departments will be coming to the party on the day of the event."
"At that time, I will take you with me as my assistant and a key contributor to the previous mission, and formally introduce you to others. I will take the opportunity to talk to them, especially the people in the intelligence department, about your promotion."
"And then you—" He paused, looking at Klein meaningfully.
"And then I humbly asked them for help?" Klein asked instinctively.
"No, no, no."
Charles shook his finger.
"You need to be more tactful."
"Now that I've already discussed this with them, if you act too humble, it may seem polite, but it's actually a slap in my face, making it seem like I can't even handle the promotion of my own subordinates."
Charles took a deep breath and imparted the Machiavellian wisdom of the workplace, "When the time comes, I will team up with people from other departments to flatter the person in charge of Spades and slowly elevate him—"
"Once the atmosphere is right, go over there and talk at length about your desire for a promotion."
"While I'm at it, I'd also like to ask about your experience with the 'fortune teller' approach."
"If he disagrees to help—or is unwilling to share his experience—then we will immediately make a scene. The higher we've praised him before, the harder he'll fall later."
"Do you understand?"
"I can't believe it! There are so many intricacies involved!" Klein exclaimed with some emotion. Although he had been in the workforce for many years and knew a bit about interpersonal relationships, this was only the second time a leader had gone to such lengths to help him.
After all, this approach is very likely to offend people.
The last person to treat him this well was the captain.
Wait, could it be that the director is about to be promoted, so he's specifically trying to win me over and groom me as a confidant?