Chapter 165: Fors: Am I going to Become an Undercover Agent?

Chapter 165: Fors: Am I going to Become an Undercover Agent?

Fors stared at the message several times, feeling a bit dazed.

This situation must be a command from the Stars, directing her to act.

It was normal; taking refuge under the Stars always meant doing something for them.

Yet, just moments ago, she had prided herself on being a steadfast believer of the Stars. Now, in the blink of an eye, the Stars wanted her to pray to another unknown, mysterious existence.

Although they didn't demand her loyalty, it felt odd, like a plot from a novel where a new member, freshly recruited, is assigned to infiltrate another organization.

Such plots were common between police departments and evil organizations. She had sometimes imagined similar scenarios, but she never thought that today, her dreams would merge with reality.

It seemed she was about to start her life undercover.

She wondered about this Fool, what kind of significant figure he must be, to warrant a divine decree from the Stars, sending their faithful believer to gather intelligence undercover.

"Following the guidance of the Stars," Fors murmured, memorizing all the text, signifying her acceptance of the mission. The words, formed from starlight, then dissipated, and the starry sky vanished with them.

"No matter what, this is the first task the Stars have entrusted to me, to be an undercover agent, a testament to their trust in my devotion," Fors whispered to herself, her belief firming within her heart. She was determined to investigate every piece of information about this Fool.

"What mysterious ruler above the gray fog, such a title seems to shun the light."

"Master of good fortune, this is but a guise often used by evil gods. They always use such descriptions to tempt those desperately in need."

"This Fool must be one of those evil gods. My undercover mission is arduous yet righteous!"

Fors bolstered her courage, preparing to pray to this Fool the next evening. If anything unusual occurred, she would report back to the Stars promptly.

"Hmm, I should find some books on the subject, familiarize myself with how to be a competent undercover agent. If my identity is exposed, my first mission would be a failure."

After pondering for a while, Fors got out of bed and opened her door.

Hugh, who had been waiting not far from the door, complained discontentedly, "Why did it take so long this time? I thought something had happened to you."

"I just took a quick nap," Fors explained offhandedly.

Hugh looked at Fors for a moment, his expression hesitant, as if he wanted to ask something but then thought better of it.

"What's wrong?" Fors noticed Hugh's unease.

After some thought, Hugh decided to voice the concern he had kept to himself for a long time, "Fors, I know you worship a mysterious being that provides you with protection. I don't know if that being is related to the Stars, but I just hope you'll be careful from now on."

"I will be," Fors assured him. "I won't go out unless it's something important."

Fors was slightly surprised by Hugh's perceptiveness, but she also knew that the increasingly turbulent storms in Backlund had sparked his imagination.

"You rarely go out anyway," Hugh said with a laugh, his mood lightening considerably.

It was she who had helped Fors connect with Hastur, and although she wasn't clear on the specifics, recent events naturally made her think of that connection.

Thinking back, the timing wasn't far off.

Fors also laughed, "From now on, you'll have to do the daily shopping since I need to go out as little as possible."

"It's only a few steps away!"

"Even if it's just one step, that still counts as going out."

"…"

Thinking about the added daily chore of shopping for groceries, Hugh's expression fell. He wished he hadn't said anything.

…

Hastur had pondered many times before deciding to let Fors join the Tarot Club.

He needed someone to observe Klein's latest movements on his behalf.

It wasn't necessarily about providing help to Klein but rather using the Tarot Club to gauge where the world line was heading, which would aid his judgment of the current situation.

On the other hand, it also served as an additional source of information and would help Fors improve her abilities without Hastur having to find opportunities for her.

Once Fors joined the Tarot Club, Hastur would have two informants within.

Audrey and Fors could now match Alger and Little Sun.

In the future, considering the relationship between Fors and Hugh, Hugh could also be considered half an informant for Hastur, not to mention Bernadette on the other side, who had always been loyal to her.

By this count, whether now or in the future, half of the Tarot Club was already under Hastur's influence.

Thinking this, Hastur himself was stunned for a moment, realizing that he had unwittingly gained more than half the influence within the Tarot Club.

"The 'Two-Five' Club really lives up to its name," Hastur couldn't help but feel a multitude of emotions.

Checking the time, he took out an origami crane, preparing to chat with Will, who was scheduled for surgery at the hospital tomorrow.

He had wanted to visit Will at the hospital, but Will disagreed, saying Hastur's presence would alter fate and have immeasurable consequences.

Hastur seriously doubted this was just an excuse Will made up not to see him.

…

Late at night, in the western district.

"Ah!"

A scream shattered the night's calm.

When two police officers arrived at the scene, the perpetrator had already vanished, leaving behind two mutilated and bloody corpses.

One was a noble, a baron, and the other was likely the baron's butler or bodyguard.

After the officers examined the crime scene, a mysterious force seemed to emanate from the two bodies, whispering unintelligible words that tugged at their heartstrings, tempting them where they were weakest.

When the Night Watcher patrol discovered the situation, the two officers were squatting on the ground, bent over, greedily eating the innards of the bodies.

Noticing someone approaching, the officers turned their heads, licked the blood around their mouths, and with a sinister laugh, lunged at the newcomers.

In such a situation, there was no choice but to kill to prevent further harm.

The case naturally shifted from the police department to the Night Watcher squad of the western district.

Klein, who had recently joined, hadn't been on patrol that night but stayed in the office to familiarize himself with the procedures.

Compared to the more disorganized management of the Tingen Night Watchers, the Backlund squad was well-regulated and didn't allow private jobs.

This meant less extra income, but fortunately, the weekly salary was high. Being new, Klein received one and a half times the original weekly salary, plus housing and meal allowances.

Essentially, what he earned in a week, he could save.

A high salary meant more work, extended hours, and frequent tasks.

Compared to Tingen, the number of extraordinary individuals in Backlund had increased tenfold, making management much more challenging.

Due to the recent spike in cases, the Night Watcher squad dispatched two teams every night to patrol various areas within their jurisdiction.

Klein had heard about tonight's case, but it wasn't his concern yet as he was still in the familiarization phase.

"Again with the followers of the Stars, those people are like mad dogs, not willing to let go of any suspicious extraordinary individuals!"

"There's no helping it. From what we know, at least four or five groups are pushing this matter from the shadows. As long as the followers of the Stars aren't found, Backlund won't have peace."

"It's such a headache! Even the barbarians from Fossac have secretly sent people into Backlund, all to find the followers of the Stars!"

"It's not just them. Other churches have also sent people into Backlund. If it weren't for this, the situation wouldn't have escalated to this extent."

Klein, passing by, naturally overheard the new captain's conversation with other team members.

"Why don't we come up with a plan to have someone pretend to be a follower of the Stars and draw out all those hiding in the shadows?"

"That might work, but we need the approval of the Church of Saint Samuel. Otherwise, just our Night Watcher squad would be torn apart by those wolves in the shadows."

"Even if the church agrees, finding someone to impersonate a follower of the Stars is a challenge."

As they discussed this, their gazes collectively fell on Klein, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee to stay awake.

Klein paused, took a sip of the bitter coffee, and instantly felt more alert.

What had he just heard? Someone needed to pretend to be a follower of the Stars? And he seemed like a good candidate?

No, no, no, this task sounded dangerous. He had just arrived in Backlund and hadn't even received his first week's salary.

But he was too embarrassed to outright refuse and continued to drink his bitter coffee, pretending he hadn't heard anything.

"Klein has just joined our squad; we shouldn't put this dangerous task on his shoulders. Let's wait for the church's response first."

"Did you hear that the Red Glove squad also recruited a promising new member?"

"I heard he's already a Sequence 7 Nightmare, and he's young, quite impressive."

"Perhaps he's a better candidate."

"Yeah, the Red Glove squad specializes in handling these tricky extraordinary events."

Klein walked by silently, offering a silent three-second tribute to Leonard in his heart.

According to their plan, Leonard, still new to Backlund, could easily pose as a follower of the Stars and

According to their plan, Leonard, who was still new to Backlund, appeared out of thin air and could indeed easily disguise himself as a disciple of the stars and lure out those ferocious guys lurking in the dark.

  Of course this is dangerous.

  (End of chapter)