Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 111 The Wild Fortune Teller

Alvin pondered the word "intuition" without asking any further questions.

Because in the world of the extraordinary, intuition is sometimes more accurate than logic; it's a very mysterious thing.

The two walked out of the sanatorium and stood at the gate.

"So, as Clarisse suggested, we'll split up?"

Green stopped and looked at the portrait in his hand. "I had Anaïs continue digging deeper into the files, and the two of us... started investigating this 'nephew'."

"Take the portrait and go from hotel to hotel, tavern, dockworker's guild, asking around?" Alvin raised an eyebrow and teased.

"How long would it take to find out? Oberhafen isn't a huge city, but it's not small either, and it has a lot of transient residents. What if this kid has already run away, or he didn't even stay in a hotel, but is hiding in some private rental house or even his accomplice's house? Wouldn't we have wasted our time?"

Green had to admit that Irvin was right. Routine investigations were inefficient and could easily alert the suspects.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Alvin grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, leaned closer, and lowered his voice: "I know someone who might be able to help. A... fortune teller."

"A fortune teller?"

Green was taken aback, and images of fortune tellers in the market, wearing headscarves, fiddling with crystal balls and tarot cards, and talking in a mystical manner, instantly flashed through his mind.

"Is this...reliable?" Green asked skeptically.

In Green's mind, this was more like a trick by con artists and psychological comforters, completely at odds with a rigorous, evidence-based investigation.

"Hey, don't look at me like that." Alvin seemed to see through Green's thoughts. "I'm not talking about those charlatans on the street. This is a real 'fortune teller,' and he's also an extraordinary one."

An extraordinary being? Green's eyes sharpened immediately. The nature of things was entirely different when extraordinary power was involved.

"You often go to him... to 'see'?" Green carefully chose his words.

"Occasionally."

Alvin shrugged casually, "Sometimes when you get stuck on a mission or lose something important, asking him for directions is quite helpful."

"Of course, divination isn't a panacea. The information we get is often vague and fragmented, and we have to interpret it ourselves. And the cost... well, it depends. But at least he can give us a general direction, like whether this guy is still in the city or in which area he's been active. It's better than us running around like headless flies."

"This fortune teller... is he also a 'wild' extraordinary individual?"

Green was somewhat surprised by the use of this slightly risky term. He knew all too well the risks inherent in being an extraordinary individual. Exploring alone always resulted in losing control.

Logically, the Church of the Night should have strict control or records over extraordinary individuals within its jurisdiction, especially those involved in sensitive areas such as "divination."

Alvin sensed the caution in Green's words and explained, "She's a semi-official, 'registered' person, I suppose. Her grandmother's generation served the church and she was a very capable 'fortune teller,' but she retired due to injury."

"She comes from a family with a strong academic background, but her path is not entirely the same; she leans more towards practicality and transactions. The church is aware of his existence and tacitly allows him to operate within certain rules. For example, he doesn't involve the worship of evil gods, doesn't disrupt order, and at certain times... he can provide the church with some 'informal' assistance or information. Of course, all services have a price tag, including ours."

"I see." Green understood.

This is similar to a "collaborator" in a gray area, with a foundation of trust based on historical ties and a balance formed by practical interests.

The church needs these local strongmen to provide information and access that is difficult to obtain through official channels, while they need the church's tacit approval to survive. This kind of relationship is not uncommon on the fringes of major organizations.

"So, the reliability and confidentiality are somewhat guaranteed, at least better than a completely unknown, unorthodox approach," Alvin concluded. "Why not give it a try? It might save us a few days of work."

Green pondered for a moment.

Although he had doubts about divination, a mysterious method, reason told him that it might be the best option given the time constraints and the inefficiency of conventional methods.

As an experienced Night's Watchman, Alwyn's judgment is worth considering.

He nodded. "Okay, lead the way. But we need to be careful not to become someone else's 'fortune-telling' target."

"Don't worry, Old Raven knows the rules, and..." Alvin smiled slyly, "His grandmother's pension and certain 'special supplies' still depend on the church's favor. He knows what he can and cannot touch."

In the afternoon, the two arrived at the lower town of Oberhafen, on a quiet street called Raven Lane.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the main street, this place is lined with old brick and stone buildings, most of which have narrow and low-key storefronts and old and faded signs.

Alvin stopped in front of a shop without a sign.

The door was made of dark oak, with an abstract raven pattern inlaid in brass, and two small obsidian stones inlaid for its eyes, which seemed to be turning in the dim light.

"This is it," Alvin said softly, then knocked on the door in a specific rhythm.

Three long, two short, pause, then one long.

A slight noise came from inside the door, and a moment later, the door opened silently a crack.

A sharp eye peered at them through the crack in the door, lingering particularly on Green for a moment. Then, the door opened fully.

The person who opened the door was a girl who looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old.

She was slender, wearing a slightly oversized dark blue linen dress with a beige knitted cardigan over it, and her chestnut hair was loosely braided and hung down her shoulder.

With fair skin, delicate features, and large, bright light brown eyes, she looked more like a female student. She bore no resemblance to the image of a fortune teller in Green's mind.

"It's you again, Mr. Alvin." The girl nodded slightly, her voice clear and crisp. "And this... handsome young man. Please come in."

The shop's interior appeared more spacious than the exterior, yet it was equally tidy, creating a striking contrast with the girl's youthful appearance.

Against the wall are tall, dark bookshelves, with books neatly arranged by size and color, mostly works on history, geography, heraldry, and ancient languages.

A large oak desk sits in the center of the room, upon which, in addition to the necessary stationery and a green glass-shaded desk lamp, lies a thick star chart manual with intricate illustrations and several sheets of draft paper covered with calculation symbols.

The air was filled with the scents of old books, beeswax, and a faint, refreshing aroma reminiscent of bitter orange leaves, without any hint of incense or mysticism.

"This is Green, my colleague," Alvin introduced. "Green, this is Miss Horn, a... well, as you can see, a very beautiful fortune teller."

"Lia Horn," the girl said with a smile.

"Green, Miss Horn." Green nodded in greeting, but was inwardly very surprised. Too young, could she really do it?

"Hey, don't let Leah's young age fool you, her divination skills are top-notch. She's helped the church a lot several times, she's my personal ace diviner. And look how beautiful she is!" Alvin didn't hold back his praise.

After saying that, he bowed deeply and took the other person's hand in a kiss.

Ok?

Green noticed that something was off about the style of the painting.