As soon as he stepped onto the deck and before he could enter the cabin, Klein saw a figure passing through the crowd and walking towards him out of the corner of his eye.
He looked nonchalant on the surface, but he was secretly alert when he turned his head to look over, and found that it was a man in his thirties wearing a half-high black top hat and a long trench coat of the same color.
The other person had a face weathered by the wind and frost, rough but very manly, with pale blue eyes without a smile, as if filled with many past events.
Looks familiar... Oh, by the way, the guy I met at the ticket office yesterday seemed to be an adventurer as well... He was wearing a windbreaker on the sea in January, so he must be very strong... Klein raised his cane with ease, pointed it diagonally downward, and said with a smile:
"Good morning, we meet again."
It was like he was greeting an old friend.
The burly man was not surprised. He stopped and nodded slightly in a reserved manner.
“Cleves, former adventurer.
"Hey, buddy, are you from the same industry?"
“I thought you knew it yesterday, Gehrman Sparrow.” Klein responded with a smile.
He did not place the cane in his left palm because he did not intend to shake hands with the other party.
“I can see that.” Cleves was silent for two seconds before saying, “Being an adventurer is not a good career. I have changed my career and become a bodyguard. This time I am following my employer’s family to the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago.”
He half turned around and pointed to another spot on the nail plate.
Klein followed the trail and saw nearly ten people gathered together. The leader was a middle-aged, plump gentleman with rosy cheeks and bright eyes. On his double-breasted frock coat, one could see a gold chain for a pocket watch and a jewel-encrusted collar pin.
Next to him was a lady wearing a wide-brimmed round hat. Her face was completely covered by the hanging dark blue gauze, and her figure was maintained fairly well.
In front of them stood two children, one big and one small. The smaller one was a boy, less than 10 years old, wearing a child's version of a formal dress. The older one was about 15 or 16 years old, a lively girl. Her appearance was not particularly outstanding, but her brown eyes were quite lively. The light freckles and fluffy pleated skirt added a bit of playfulness to her.
Surrounding them were three people carrying suitcases and various items, one man and two women, all dressed as servants. One of the maids had a brown complexion, an obvious southern continental race.
Protecting the above seven people were a man and a woman, who were dressed simply and capable, both in white shirts, light sweaters, black coats, dark trousers and sturdy leather boots.
The two bodyguards did not try to hide the marks left by the gun bags on their waists. They kept scrutinizing the passers-by with sharp eyes and calm temperament.
"Three servants and three bodyguards?" Klein asked casually.
This configuration is quite luxurious, which means that the employer is a wealthy man... He made his judgment instinctively.
“Yes.” Cleves nodded.
Without saying anything more, he quickly turned around and walked towards his employer's family.
…Klein stood there in a daze, not knowing what the other party’s coming over to say hello meant.
Recalling the movies and TV series he had watched in his previous life, he gradually understood Cleves' hidden meaning.
He was a little wary of me, or someone who claimed to be an adventurer and didn't look easy to mess with, so he introduced himself in advance, stated his identity and what he was going to do, and asked me not to target his employer's family. In short, you do yours, I do mine, and we don't infringe on each other... Is this a tacit understanding between experienced adventurers or senior bounty hunters? Kind of interesting... Klein chuckled, carried his suitcase, held the black cane, entered the cabin, and found his own room according to the ticket.
With a creak, he pushed open the wooden door and walked in.
The room was not spacious, just enough for a bed, a table and a cabinet, but without even a chair.
Its greatest asset was the windows, through which the sunlight from the harbor streamed in, casting pure golden spots on the table and bedside.
"The crew member just now said that the washrooms and bathrooms are shared, with one for every eight rooms. If you are in a hurry, you can provide a wooden toilet, but you must pay for the cleaning fee, which is 3 pence per time... I have to be thankful that the White Agate has been renovated, many metal pipes have been laid, and there is a boiler burning and hot water supply, which provides a relatively convenient lifestyle. Otherwise, traveling would not be a pleasant thing..." Klein sighed silently.
He quickly took out the necessary items and placed them on the table for easy daily use.
After cleaning up, he sat on the edge of the low bed, listening to the long whistle and feeling the power of steam and machinery contained within.
The ship began to sail. Klein looked at the sea view outside the window for a while, then gradually withdrew his thoughts and began to consider the most important thing next, which was how to play the role of the "Faceless Man".
When faced with the advent ceremony of the "True Creator" and the powerful Mr. A, the decision to give up escaping and try to sabotage it allowed his potion to be digested a little. Based on this feedback, he gained some new insights into the role of the "Faceless Man".
"'You can pretend to be anyone, but you can only be yourself'. This is the rule that 'Master of Secret Puppetry' Rosago was asked to remember... I initially thought that 'myself' referred to my original identity, but now it seems that this is not perfect. I must really understand what I am..." Klein leaned forward, basking in the sunlight, like a statue thinking.
After a while, he gradually came up with an idea:
“Does this correspond to one’s own spirit, referring to one’s truest self within?
"Even when he was on Earth, Zhou Mingrui had many disguises, which formed a social personality mask. In a sense, this was largely false.
"Well... when I transform into other people and replace their identities, I also have to disguise myself in interpersonal relationships in order to avoid being discovered, which is equivalent to wearing different personality masks.
"When all the personality masks are removed and nothing remains, what kind of 'self' will the 'Faceless Man' finally see?
"Is this the deeper meaning of 'self' in that rule?
“When I face my inner thoughts, overcome my fears, and challenge the impossible without social reasons, then I am truly myself?
“It remains to be explored and verified…”
Thinking of this, Klein changed his posture to sit more comfortably.
Recalling the past, he discovered another problem:
"In the underground ruins, I disguised myself as Ince Zangwill and successfully escaped from the predicament, but why did I not feel any signs of the potion being digested?
"Does this mean that this shallow disguise is not enough to digest the Faceless Man potion?
"Well, this is closer to the application of extraordinary abilities rather than acting!"
"The role-playing that can promote the digestion of the potion is a deep-level disguise. Is it truly replacing a person and becoming him in a social sense? When his relatives and friends are unable to discover it for a long time, it means that the disguise is successful?
"So, I feel that I am compatible with the Faceless Man potion because I successfully disguised myself as Klein Moretti before?
"The first rule of the Faceless Man is that you can pretend to be anyone, but only yourself... The second rule is to perform a deep disguise that can deceive everyone?
"But, to replace someone and become him in a social sense, just imagining it is evil...
"Are you looking for someone who died in a foreign country but had an unfulfilled wish?"
Klein suppressed his inexplicable fear and made a preliminary plan for a possible approach.
"The higher the sequence, the harder it is to act..." He sighed, took out his pocket watch, opened it and checked the time.
Seeing that it was still early for lunch and the room was too small and quite cramped, he decided to take a walk on the deck, feel the sea breeze and enjoy the scenery.
After the first hour of excitement, there were not many people on the deck. Klein walked along the side of the ship until he came to a secluded area with a large shade.
It's sunny and warm today... except that the wind is quite strong and you have to be careful with your hat, there are no disadvantages... He pressed the half-tower hat on his head, leisurely looked around the cabin, and listened to the faint sound of music coming from inside.
Suddenly, he saw the former adventurer Cleves busy in the corner, with a three-edged thorn, a dagger and a short knife in front of him.
Cleves noticed something and looked up at him. He looked very weathered and said sternly, “I’m so tired. I ...
"They are all old friends. They need to be maintained regularly."
At this point, he added:
"There are children in the cabin."
“I understand.” Klein responded with a smile.
Cleves lowered his head and continued to work, asking casually:
"You don't seem to have brought these things?"
"I'm used to using weapons that keep up with the latest trends," Klein said cryptically, "and I also do regular maintenance."
Cleves raised the dagger silently, glanced at the sunlight, and said to himself:
“At sea, guns alone are not enough.
"Pirates will board the ship, and there will be many people. Once you run out of bullets, you won't have a chance to reload. Although these guys are no longer the trend of the times, they are still useful enough."
Very professional... As expected of a former adventurer... Klein leaned against the side of the boat and said half-jokingly:
"If pirates really board the ship, I will most likely choose not to resist."
Cleves turned his head and stared at him for three full seconds before looking away. Then, while packing up his things, he said in a low voice:
“It seems you don’t need to be reminded, you already understand the rules of the sea.
"Bounty hunters who walk the land are often not as good as adventurers on the sea."
He skillfully hid daggers, short knives, triangular spikes and other weapons under his clothes, which dazzled Klein.
“Thank you.” Klein smiled and nodded.
Cleves said no more words and turned back to the cabin, leaving behind only a broad and deep back.
Klein curled the corners of his mouth, shook his head, and cast his gaze over the side of the ship.
The blue waves rise and fall gently, and silver flying fish occasionally leap out of the water and soar in the air.
This kind of fish can "fly" and swim, and is considered by fishermen and sailors to be a follower of the "Lord of Storms". Even if they are salvaged, they will be put back into the sea... Klein leisurely admired the sea surface under the sun and the flying fish on the sea surface. An idea flashed through his mind uncontrollably:
Hmm, I don't know what their meat quality is like...
PS: The update will be made in advance in the early morning.