Robert Horn was a Beyonder, and it sounded like he was quite powerful. This information disrupted Aiven's previous assumptions.
Aiven had previously believed that his letter being destroyed en route might have been because Adam or Ince Zangwill didn't want him to leave, so they arranged the burning of the envelope with the aim of keeping him in Tingen for some ulterior motive.
Because according to Helen and Aiven's previous plan, Aiven should have received a reply from his brother, Robert Horn, from Backlund these past few days, instructing Aiven to go to Backlund.
In this way, Aiven could take his brother's reply and, with good reason and without arousing suspicion, report to Mrs. Sharon, requesting to leave Tingen and go to Backlund.
And Mrs. Sharon, in order not to lose Aiven, this newly developed and very useful pawn, would definitely transfer Aiven's connection to the Demoness in Backlund.
The Demoness in Backlund would certainly not be very familiar with Aiven's situation, which would again ensure that Aiven could smoothly blend in with them while also gaining more autonomy.
But now, Robert Horn, who was in Backlund, did not receive the letter, so naturally, he could not reply to Aiven, and Aiven likewise had no sufficient reason to leave Tingen.
Aiven's previous instruction to Mr. Buck to contact Backlund again via telegram was a test to see if he was truly following someone else's script.
If so, then whose script was he on? Was Adam preventing him from leaving Tingen, or was 008 preventing him from leaving Tingen?
If the telegram encountered an accident again, and if the accident occurred in Tingen, then 008 was behind it; if the accident occurred in Backlund, then Adam was behind it.
Because 008's influence range was a large city, while Adam could influence the entire world; they were not on the same scale.
If Adam was behind it, his actions would definitely be outside 008's influence range to prevent 008 from detecting traces of his interference.
But now Aiven knew that his original body's brother, Robert Horn, was a Beyonder, and possibly even a Beyonder of a not-low Sequence, which made Aiven think of more.
Previously, Aiven thought the letter was destroyed because someone was preventing him from leaving, but now Aiven thought of another possibility: that the mastermind behind the scenes actually wanted to prevent Robert Horn from returning to Tingen.
While Butler Buck was helping Aiven send his letter, he also wrote a letter to Robert Horn, who was far away in Backlund. The content of the letter had already been discovered by Helen.
After discussing with Aiven, Helen and he unanimously agreed that Butler Buck's letter might lead Robert Horn in Backlund to believe that Aiven was indeed not suitable to stay in Tingen, thereby increasing the likelihood of Robert Horn asking Aiven to go to Backlund.
Because Robert Horn clearly did not want Aiven to enter the upper-class social circles, wishing him to stay away from complex disputes and simply live happily and joyfully in Tingen.
So if Butler Buck's letter was believed, then he would very likely ask Aiven to go to Backlund, after all, Backlund had better psychiatrists, and even for treatment, one should choose a better doctor.
But if Robert Horn was a Beyonder, then Butler Buck's letter might appear in a different light to him.
In his eyes, Aiven had met an evil god's cultist at a mystical exchange meeting and was misled by them, which led to various abnormalities and suicidal behavior.
Then Robert Horn, who loved his younger brother, might immediately rush to Tingen to rescue him, which could disrupt the plans of the person behind the scenes. Therefore, Butler Buck's letter absolutely could not reach Backlund and be delivered to Robert Horn, while Aiven's letter, on the other hand, was insignificant and was only destroyed incidentally.
Aiven's thoughts raced, and he felt that this line of reasoning was also logical and reasonable.
But this raised another question: what power did Robert Horn possess that he could interfere with Adam's or 008's script?
One must know that even the Death Consul—Azik Eggers, whose true rank was an angel, was transferred away by 008, and Klein, the master of the mysterious gray fog, could not completely break free from 008's arrangements. What virtue or ability did Robert Horn possess to be personally interfered with by Adam or 008, and excluded from their script?
Just as Aiven wanted to analyze Robert Horn's matter more deeply, he was awakened by Dunn's voice.
"Mr. Aiven, what are you thinking about? Why have you been staring blankly?"
Aiven came back to his senses, looked at Dunn, who was curiously looking at him, and without a second thought, explained:
"Nothing, I just never expected my brother to be a Beyonder. I've been searching for Beyonder powers for so many years, yet I never thought the answer was right before my eyes. It truly echoes that saying from Intis, 'Far away in the sky, close at hand.'"
Klein, standing next to Dunn, heard this and couldn't help but inwardly add a sarcastic remark before the sentence: 'Emperor Rosell often said...'
Dunn responded with a smile: "Alright, you've blown us all out, and you've learned everything you wanted to know. All your goals have been achieved. Considering your youth and ignorance, we won't pursue your responsibility for deceiving us this time. You should go back now, and don't do this again next time."
If it were anyone else, Dunn would not have let them off so easily, but firstly, Aiven's identity was not simple, and secondly, Dunn had a good impression of this person who appeared arrogant and impolite but was actually very kind-hearted, so he decided to handle it lightly.
Aiven opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but in the end, said nothing. At the same time, he knew that Dunn was handling his actions with leniency, so he took off his hat, bowed to Dunn, and then left the room.
Leonard, who had been tightly gripping the Sealed Artifact—Quiet Hair, had just let out a sigh of relief when he tilted his head again, as if listening to something, and then watched Aiven leave with a slight frown.
After Aiven left, Dunn said with a sigh:
"Tingen is still a bit too leisurely compared to Backlund. Although we are strictly guarded, we were still too careless, allowing an ordinary person to come knocking and easily trick us. This shows that our vigilance is still insufficient, and our sense of confidentiality is still lacking. We must also improve our own qualities. I will make a self-criticism to the Holy Cathedral regarding this matter."
Everyone was silent. As Nighthawks, being so easily tricked was indeed a bit inexcusable. Finally, Old Neil spoke up to comfort him:
"You've done very well. After all, who would have thought that someone would be so bold as to cause trouble at the church? Wild Beyonders can't get away from the church fast enough, let alone ordinary people with other intentions, so it's inevitable that everyone was deceived.
Moreover, even if you thought someone might be faking trouble, you couldn't not take precautions, after all, there's always a 'what if.' So don't be too hard on yourself."
Dunn nodded, then sighed again and shook his head, but in the end, said nothing more, instead turning to Klein and saying:
"You just consumed the potion today, practiced 'Spirit Vision' all morning, and then came to help evacuate the crowd. Your mental energy consumption is too great, and your complexion is already very poor. You should go back first. We will handle the rest; you don't need to worry about it."
Leonard and Old Neil both agreed, urging Klein to leave first. Klein indeed felt himself starting to feel sleepy and a bit unsteady on his feet, so he no longer stood on ceremony, took off his cassock, handed it to Old Neil, and then left the church with unsteady steps.
After leaving, Aiven did not linger outside the church to socialize with Klein Moretti and the great Fool, as he knew very well that today was Klein's day to drink the Seer potion, and he had clearly seen earlier that Klein's complexion was indeed very poor.
After leaving the church, he quickly hailed a carriage by the roadside and instructed it to go to the nearest post office.
Aiven was now eager to verify his conjecture: where the train carrying the letters to Backlund had met with an accident. This could allow Aiven to determine whether he was on a script, and whose script it was!
Soon, the carriage carried Aiven to the nearest post office—the Tingen City North District Branch.
Aiven handed the coachman a 1-pound banknote, casually saying, "Wait for me," and then hurried into the post office.
Perhaps because the post office had temporarily suspended its service for sending letters to Backlund, there were many people consulting.
But being handsome still had a great advantage. The busy front desk lady, after a casual glance, immediately noticed Aiven in the crowd and enthusiastically asked if he needed any help.
Aiven gentlemanly inquired of her where the mail carriage that had an accident a few days ago had met with the accident, and for what reason.
After receiving a satisfactory answer, Aiven thanked the front desk lady, then left the post office amidst her blushing face and got into the carriage.
In the carriage, Aiven took a deep breath, firming up his conjecture, and now only needed corroborating evidence.
Thinking of this, Aiven took out his pocket watch from his chest, checked the time, and then instructed the coachman to drive towards his home in the Golden Banyan District.
Upon returning home, he just made it for lunch. At the dining table, Aiven asked Butler Buck:
"Oh, did you send someone to the telegraph office to send a telegram to Backlund?"
"After breakfast, I personally drafted the telegram and sent someone to the telegraph office. Mr. Robert should reply very soon, I imagine."
Just as he was speaking, a servant greeted Mr. Buck and whispered something in his ear. Mr. Buck frowned, dismissed the servant, and came over to report to Aiven:
"Mr. Aiven, the telegraph office sent someone to inform us that the telegrams they sent to Backlund this morning did not receive a reply. Later, they learned that the telegraph machine there had a malfunction, so they did not receive our telegrams. They are asking if we wish to continue sending them."
Telegram fees were relatively expensive, especially for long telegrams, so ordinary people would only use them in urgent situations. Often, a slight delay could render the telegram useless, so the telegraph office would send someone to inquire whether to resend if a transmission failed.
This news confirmed Aiven's conjecture: the accident of the mail train was not a true accident; it was Adam or 008 interfering.
Aiven knew that continuing to let the butler send the telegram that would attract Robert Horn would only harm him, so Aiven gently shook his head and said:
"In another month, when the Parliament is in recess, Big Brother will naturally return for vacation. There's no rush for a moment, no need to write to Backlund anymore."
Butler Buck nodded and continued to pour a little clear, blood-red wine—Tears of the Moon—into Aiven's glass.
This was a product of the Horn Family's vineyard in the Tingen suburbs, unique to them, with no branches, and sold well across the continent. Even Emperor Rosell praised it back then.
Aiven picked it up and took a sip, feeling only its mellow and delicious taste, with an endless aftertaste, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes in enjoyment.
However, even with his eyes narrowed, a faint gleam of light still shone through.
