Chapter 54

[AI ERROR / SAFETY BLOCK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

Upon seeing Klein's surprised expression, Angelica suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Is it not? Mr. Glacis said that you were able to tell of an ailment in his lungs simply by observation...,” she trailed off.

Observation? The darkness between his brows?Klein was instantly enlightened as he shook his head with a chortle. “I believe Mr. Glacis has misunderstood.”

He had planned on being perfunctory, but he recalled that no one had sought his divination services the entire afternoon yesterday— making his goal of acting like a Seer very unsuccessful. His mind whirled, and he explained, “It’s actually a form of divination.”

“Divination? But Mr. Glacis only mentioned that you observed his face. Is that also a form of divination?” Angelica asked, equal parts surprised and doubtful.

Klein smiled, composed. “As a member of the Divination Club, you should know about palm-reading, right?”

Palm-reading was by no means exclusive to his home country of China. Even on Earth, India and ancient Europe had independently developed their own methods—much less in a world with extraordinary powers.

“I know about it, but it seems you did not read his palms, either? Did you observe him in secret?” Angelica inquired curiously.

“I was reading his face,” Klein fibbed smoothly. “The underlying principles aren’t very different from palm-reading.”

“Really?” Angelica’s eyes filled with disbelief.

To develop his career as a fortune teller, Klein chuckled and pretended to be in thought as he tapped twice on his brow. He focused his gaze on Angelica, whose aura appeared before his eyes. Her head shined purple, her limbs glowed red, and her throat displayed blue hues. There were no signs of ill health, just certain colors that were a bit duller than normal—a sign of ordinary fatigue.

Klein then looked at her emotions and saw orange mixed with red and blue, indicating warmth with some excitement and pensiveness.Thank goodness...After confirming that nothing was out of the ordinary, Klein planned on deactivating his spirit vision. It was then that he suddenly spotted an intense, dull gray hidden in the depths of her emotions.

She's also missing a little white—an eagerness to improve...Klein nodded in thought.

“Mr. Moretti, are you reading my face?” she asked, half-curious and half-worried. The young gentleman before her had suddenly fallen silent while studying her with a serious expression.

Klein did not immediately reply. Instead, he tapped his brow again, as if deep in thought. Just as Angelica’s unease grew, he said gently, “Ms. Angelica, if you have certain pains and sorrows, do not bury them in your heart.”

Angelica’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open, but she could not utter a word. She looked at Klein’s short top hat and apparent bookish demeanor. She heard him say, in a deep, comforting, and warm voice, “You need to go on a hike, play a game of tennis, or perform in a tragic play to physically exhaust your body through exercise. Let your tears flow uninhibited—cry and scream. Release all of these emotions. That should be very good for you.”

The moment those words reached her ears, Angelica froze as if she had turned to stone. She blinked hard and lowered her head in a fluster, murmuring, “Thank you for your suggestion...”

“It seems there are many members here today?” Klein asked, not continuing his divination. As if having done no divination at all, he turned and peered into the meeting room at the end of the corridor.

“Sunday afternoon... At least fifty members...” Angelica's voice came out hoarse, managing only the key words. After a pause, her voice gradually returned to normal. “Would you like black tea or coffee?”

“Cibo black tea, please.” Klein nodded slightly, removed his hat, and slowly walked into the meeting room. Only after he vanished behind the door did Angelica slowly let out a long breath.

...

The Divination Club’s meeting room was very large—nearly twice the size of Klein’s high school classroom. In the past, only five or six members would be present, making the room look extremely empty. Now, dozens of fortune tellers sat in different spots, in groups of two or three, filling up most of the room. Sunlight streamed in through the bay windows. Some members were discussing softly among themselves or gathered around Hines Vincent, asking him questions.

Others were practicing divination or quietly sipping coffee and reading newspapers by themselves. Such a scene made Klein feel as if he were back in his school days on Earth—though back then it was noisier and more rowdy, lacking the tranquility of the meeting room.

He glanced around but did not see familiar faces like Glacis or Edward Steve. So he casually picked up a divination textbook, found a quiet corner, and began flipping through it leisurely.

Very soon, Angelica returned with a cup of tea and set it on the table before him. Just as she was about to leave quietly, she noticed Klein take out an exquisite silver chain from his left sleeve, with a pure yellow crystal hanging from one end.

What is he doing?Angelica slowed down subconsciously and focused her gaze on him.

Klein held the silver chain in his left hand, allowing the yellow crystal to dangle above his cup of Cibo black tea, just barely skimming the surface of the liquid.

With a serene expression, he half-closed his eyes. In that instant, the atmosphere around him became quiet and still. The yellow crystal began moving ever so slightly, rotating in a clockwise direction along with the silver chain.

Angelica thought,Mr. Moretti is truly mysterious.

“The black tea is pretty good,” Klein said softly after opening his eyes with a smile. He had done all of that intentionally, ensuring Angelica would see his divination in action. If he wanted people to choose him for their divination services, Angelica’s recommendation as the club’s receptionist was crucial.

Since he was going to act as a Seer, Klein no longer harbored any reservations. He was ready to devote himself completely to this persona.

“...Yes, Mr. Vaness is very picky about the quality of tea,” Angelica remarked after a short pause.

Klein put away his spirit pendulum, winding it around his wrist. Then he lifted the patterned white porcelain cup and held it up politely toward her with a smile.

...

Angelica returned to the reception hall, but she was no longer in the mood for magazines. She sat silently, gazing into the distance, lost in thought. This continued until she heard knocks on the door. Startled, she hurried to the entrance, where a young lady in a light blue dress stood.

The young lady removed her cap adorned with a powder-blue ribbon, revealing a face heavy with melancholy.

“Good afternoon, miss. Would you like to join the Divination Club, or are you seeking a divination?” Angelica asked in her usual courteous tone.

“I want a divination,” the girl replied, biting her lip. Her eyes were beautiful but tinged with sorrow.

Angelica guided her to a sofa and explained in detail how the Divination Club worked. Then she handed over the club’s album and said, “You may take your pick.”

In her low spirits, the girl flipped through the album. With so many club members there that day, and too many choices, it left her a bit agitated.

“Can you recommend one from these few pages?” she gestured toward the middle section of the album—omitting fortune tellers priced above two soli and those below four pence.

Angelica took the album, examined it for a few minutes, and then deliberated before saying, “I recommend this gentleman.”

The girl looked where Angelica was pointing and realized it was a fortune teller named Klein Moretti.

“...This Mr. Moretti has just joined the club... Is he reliable?” she asked, worried.

Angelica nodded with great certainty. “Another club member and I can say for sure that Mr. Moretti is an outstanding fortune teller. If he weren’t so new, his fees would be much higher.”

“I understand,” the sad young lady replied, nodding. “I will choose Mr. Moretti for a divination, then.”

“All right, please wait just a moment.” Angelica took the album and walked toward the meeting room. Approaching Klein, she said quietly beside him, “Mr. Moretti, someone seeks your divination services. Which room would you like to use?”

That sure was effective. My very first customer is here.Klein put down his teacup and nodded calmly as he said, “The Topaz Room.”

“Sure.” Angelica walked slowly ahead of him, led him to the Topaz Room, and opened its wooden door.

Klein took his seat behind a table adorned with various instruments of divination. Less than a minute later, he saw a woman enter. She wore a long blue dress and had a melancholic air about her. Seizing the moment as she was closing the door, Klein tapped twice on his brow.

The yellow in her stomach seems a little dull... The darkness of her emotions is heavy, filled mainly with worry and anxiety...

Klein looked her over carefully and leaned back. He then tapped his brow again to deactivate his spirit vision.

“Good day, Mr. Moretti,” the woman in the light blue dress said as she sat down.

“Good afternoon. How may I address you?” Klein asked politely, not expecting much in return—he knew that many people preferred not to use their real names during divination.

“You can call me Anna.” She set her cap aside, meeting Klein’s gaze with a mix of anticipation and doubt. Then she continued, “I would like to divine about my fiancé’s situation. He traveled to the Southern Continent in March for business. On the third day of last month, he sent a telegram to his family and me, saying he was about to set sail and return. But it has been twenty days, and he hasn’t come back. At first, I believed his delay was due to bad weather on the Berserk Sea, but now it’s been over a month. The ship he took— theAlfalfa—still hasn’t arrived at Enmat Harbor.”

[AI ERROR / SAFETY BLOCK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

The ocean separating the Northern and Southern Continents, known as the Berserk Sea, was infamous for its frequent natural calamities and perilous currents. If not for Emperor Roselle—who sent ships to discover safer sailing routes—the countries in the Northern Continent would have still been struggling to enter the age of colonization, let alone laying underwater cables for a transoceanic telegraph.

Klein regarded his very first client as a Seer and asked carefully, “Which divination method do you wish to use?”