"Will the Goddess of the Night notice me if I do this?"
Luo Lin wasn't worried about Leonard snitching. Though an official Beyonder, Leonard wasn't harsh on people with secrets, per the original novel. Since Luo Lin was tied to Pallez, reporting him would mean reporting himself. Unless Luo Lin posed a major threat, Leonard wouldn't act.
But as Pallez's host, Leonard was likely already under the Night's gaze. Pallez choosing a Nighthawk as a host probably had the Goddess's tacit approval. After all, aside from Parasites, the other Seer pathway candidates were under her control—Mr. Door exiled and sealed, Antigonus and Zarathustra jailed in Foggy Town.
With those precedents, Pallez picking a Nighthawk without some deal seemed unlikely.
Add in Azik, heavily watched by the Goddess, and Klein, newly arrived, and Luo Lin knew contacting them would instantly put him in her sights.
He wasn't fazed. He'd faced Amon without panicking; the Night Goddess, unable to descend easily, was less threatening. Amon was far more dangerous at this stage.
Luo Lin was more curious: as a Sequence 0, could the Goddess detect Nyarlathotep's power in him if he didn't reveal it?
If she did…
"What would you do? Eliminate me as a variable, send someone to probe, or invest in me?" Luo Lin mused with interest, then thought of another deity.
If the Night Goddess noticing him was uncertain, the True Creator, whose Shadow of Time he'd summoned, definitely had. During that brief encounter, the Ancient Sun God likely contacted the True Creator, directing his attention to Luo Lin.
No surprise there. The Ancient Sun God might be good, but as a ruthless figure who defeated ancient gods and led humanity to overthrow Beyonder races, he wasn't naive. He'd never ignore an anomaly like Luo Lin.
A cautious person would avoid Aurora Order-related places, but Luo Lin, a Trickster, was eager to see the True Creator's reaction.
"No, restrain yourself. Don't court death." Luo Lin slapped his cheeks. He didn't mind contact with True Creator-related entities, but not if it meant dying.
"Before heading to Tingen, I need preparations." Luo Lin smirked, glancing out the window toward the Bravehearts Bar, then East District.
While house-hunting that afternoon, he'd scouted key landmarks from the novel, planning to visit them, join Backlund's Beyonder circles, and meet future Tarot Club members.
…
"Achoo!"
"Old man, you sneeze?" In Tingen, Leonard, fresh from investigating Klein Moretti's home with Captain Dunn and playfully spooking Klein, was startled to hear Pallez sneeze in his mind. He whispered, surprised.
Since gaining a grandpa in his head, this was the first sneeze—rarer than a statue using the bathroom.
"Kid, don't think I can't tell you're mocking me," Pallez grumbled, reading Leonard's face. He was puzzled, though. As an angel, he didn't sneeze without reason—something related to him had happened.
"No bad omens… an old friend thinking of me?" Pallez wondered, only to hear Leonard whisper, "Old man, did you notice anything about Klein Moretti?"
Leonard's tone was casual, more curious than wary.
"What do you want me to see? That he's an evil god's follower or a Beyonder? Sorry, he's neither," Pallez replied with a slight pause, chuckling.
"His vibe just felt… unique," Leonard said, missing the pause. He relaxed, muttering, "Guess he's just a lucky guy."
Surviving a Beyonder incident where others died was sheer luck.
"He's a recent graduate. If he's innocent, maybe he'll join us? The captain's desperate for clerical staff," Leonard mused. He liked Klein's first impression and wouldn't mind a new colleague.
But he knew it was unlikely. Even if Klein qualified, few chose the Nighthawks' dangerous path, even as clerks. No wonder they were short-staffed.
Leonard didn't regret his choice but understood others' reluctance.
"Maybe…" Pallez replied vaguely, falling silent.
Leonard didn't mind, resuming his watch near the Moretti home.
Per the captain's orders, Klein, the sole survivor of the Antigonus notebook incident, remained a suspect. They couldn't rule out curses or evil spirits. Until Daly, the expert, arrived, they'd monitor and protect him to ensure he didn't flee or die from Beyonder forces.
(Chapter End)