Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Inference

Time flew by, and several days slowly passed.

During these few days, Igewent remained as peaceful as usual. Both the lower and upper districts continued their daily lives as usual; the poor continued to toil under harsh conditions, while the wealthy continued their daily round of social gatherings and banquets.

However, there were some subtle changes.

In the lower district, the number of missing homeless individuals had significantly decreased since two months ago. The many terrifying legends that once circulated among the lower class gradually subsided. In the corners under the bridges, those struggling for survival worshiped the Holy Mother, grateful that She finally used Her divine power to eliminate the demon that had been killing them in the shadows.

In the upper district, the lives of the respectable people were largely unchanged. The cruel murderer responsible for the tragedies at No. 22 Elmwood Alley and No. 14 White Galaxy Beach seemed to have made no new moves recently. This left the ladies and young women disappointed, as they had fewer topics for their regular gatherings.

The gentlemen, on the other hand, were somewhat puzzled. They wondered why Viscount Field, one of the most important nobles in Igewent, had suddenly disappeared after the charity event. According to past experience, he should have continued attending various events and dinners, promoting his charitable endeavors with the newly adopted child. Usually, he would grant interviews, and many people would take this opportunity to get closer to him. Except during these times, Viscount Field rarely attended high society gatherings in Igewent.

This year, however, Viscount Field did not reappear after the charity event, leaving many confused and starting to speculate. The media, which had prepared for interviews but found no one, began publishing wild speculations.

Apart from these minor anomalies, everything in Igewent seemed to remain peaceful. Beneath this facade of tranquility, however, the hidden world was already in turmoil. The An Yin Bureau and the Church in Igewent had been extremely busy lately, experiencing their busiest period in recent years.

After Viscount Field’s transformation and m*rder within the An Yin Bureau, the entire bureau was affected by the toxic gas released by the mutated monster, plunging into paralysis. Eventually, with the support of the local church, they managed to lift the gas’s influence within a single night, restoring normal operations.

The next day, a team led by Hunters, mixed with a small number of Church members, immediately entered the North Mountain area. Everyone in Igewent knew that Viscount Field’s residences were located here, so they aimed to find the true culprit behind these events.

Finally, they discovered Viscount Field’s villa in the mountains. When they prepared to storm it, they encountered a shocking scene.

…

In a certain street in the upper district of Igewent, beneath the Cedar Shirt Building.

Inside the An Yin Bureau, office workers sat diligently at their desks, while Hunters and clerks hurriedly moved about. Everyone wore an exhausted expression, and the atmosphere was tense.

Gregor walked briskly down a corridor, his eyes bloodshot, occasionally yawning, and occasionally greeting passing colleagues.

Soon, Gregor arrived at the door of the Bureau Chief’s office. He saw that the door was tightly sealed, nailed shut with wooden boards, and inscribed with characters and magical arrays, indicating a seal.

Peering through another window adorned with a magical array, he saw a chaotic scene inside—green vines entwined everywhere, covering the ground and walls. Wooden desks and bookshelves sprouted anew, and green mist filled the air. The vines twitched occasionally, their vitality thriving.

After a brief glance, Gregor entered the neighboring room. After knocking, a voice came from behind the door.

“Come in…”

Gregor opened the door and stepped into a small office, where he saw James writing a letter at his desk. James glanced at Gregor and waved him over.

“Sit down. This newly organized office is a bit small, but make do with it.”

“Thank you, Mr. James… How long will your original office remain like this?” Gregor sat down, glancing at the wall curiously, while James replied directly.

“Who knows? I’ve already requested a de-cursing team, but there’s no response yet. Given how things usually go, this situation might last for a while. Let’s not worry about it; every An Yin Bureau has its unique features.”

With a slightly humorous tone, James continued, then looked at Gregor and asked:

“How’s the investigation going at the North Mountain villa?”

“We’ve made significant progress. We can now confirm that this is a Holy Communion stronghold. It was attacked during a ritual, resulting in a complete annihilation.

“The battle took place in the villa’s chapel. From the severe damage to the corpses and the numerous instances of the bl**d-Eating Sigil backfiring, the battle must have been fierce. The bodies of the Holy Communion members are almost completely mummified, shattered beyond recognition, making it difficult to determine the exact cause of d*ath.

“The key is the body found in the third-floor exhibition room. We believe it suffered an attack from an unknown powerful Extraordinary Being. His d*ath was unusual, and we investigated him closely. We identified him as Field’s butler, named Lu’e, whose surname is unknown. He came to Igewent with Field six years ago.”

“Six years ago… That’s close to when the Holy Communion appeared…” James pondered as he listened to Gregor’s report, nodding in agreement.

“Yes, so we suspect he might be the actual founder of the Holy Communion. Viscount Field was likely controlled by him. When we went to the chapel that time, we deduced that there might have been a Black Tier ‘Beast Transformation’ involved. We think it was him!”

Gregor explained, recalling their first visit to the villa, which James had led due to the potential for combat. The subsequent investigations were conducted by the team there.

“Hmm… The ritual was clearly a promotion ceremony, worshipping the ‘Gluttonous Wolf.’ Since we’ve long judged that the leader of the Holy Communion is a Black Tier, I suspected there might have been a Beast Transformation…”

James murmured, then Gregor continued reporting:

“In that intense battle, Lu’e, as the leader of the Holy Communion, likely fought the extraordinary being from the attacking side and was killed. The battlefield was on the third floor, but according to the traces at the scene, we found little evidence of Beast Transformation, such as claw marks on the chapel floor. This suggests that Lu’e’s fight was short-lived, and he was quickly killed.

“A Black Tier ‘Cup’? You’re sure?” James frowned, incredulous, as he himself was a Black Tier extraordinary being and knew how much stronger they were compared to apprentices.

“Yes… Although it seems unbelievable, our investigation at the scene led us to this conclusion. There were no other bodies, and no bl**d traces except for Lu’e’s. If there had been prolonged fighting, there would have been more evidence.

“Although the scene was heavily damaged, with broken glass, overturned display cases, and three walls pierced, suggesting a fierce battle, upon closer inspection, we noticed that the fallen display cases were aligned, suggesting they were knocked over by the same force. The holes in the walls also aligned perfectly, possibly struck simultaneously. Therefore, we deduced that the destruction was likely caused by a single attack, and the battle may have only lasted a moment.”

As he spoke, Gregor’s expression turned serious. He continued to James, saying:

“Mr. James, we believe that in this battle, Lu’e might have faced an extraordinary being of a higher tier than him…”