Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Investigation

In the west suburbs of Igewent, beneath St. Amanda School.

In the spacious and dusty workshop, Viscount Field dressed as a school caretaker, Audric, sat in a chair examining a piece of rough paper he was holding. After looking at it twice, he spoke to Dorothy who was standing before him.

“This is a Silence Sigil, a type of ‘Shadow’ sigil. Once used, it can significantly reduce the sound emitted by the user. Thieves love this.” As he spoke, Audric handed the sigil to Dorothy. She took it and promptly gave him 20 pounds.

After the matter regarding the Holy Communion organization was more or less settled, Dorothy came to Audric to have him appraise the sigil she had acquired from Viscount Field’s mansion. It had now been appraised.

Looking at Dorothy with the returned sigil, Audric’s eyes flickered with a hint of emotion, then he smiled and said with a teasing tone:

“Recently, there’s always big news in the city. First, there was the Burton case, then the White Milky Way Bay case, and today’s newspaper reported that Viscount Field was attacked… Almost every time such news happens, you come to me. Is this just coincidence?”

Listening to Audric’s words, Dorothy blinked her eyes.

“If you think so, then it is,” Dorothy responded indifferently. She knew that no one could fool her, but certainly not Audric. He saw many of her suspicious points, and he clearly understood that she was targeting the Holy Communion organization. These recent news stories were undoubtedly connected to her.

“It must be so. Haha… Honestly, Miss Meyshos, your existence truly puzzles me. I’ve lived for a long time, but I’ve never been so baffled by anyone.”

As he spoke, Audric scrutinized the young girl before him again, then continued:

“Your activities seem to be key to the downfall of the Igewent Holy Communion. If it were under normal circumstances, I might think you’re backed by a powerful force. But strangely, your knowledge of the Secret World is quite limited. You seem like a novice in the Secret World, completely unlike someone backed by a large organization…

“Miss Meyshos, I don’t usually take much interest in people, but this time, I must admit, your secrets intrigue me. Are you willing to set a price on them? I can offer a price beyond your imagination.”

Looking at Dorothy, Audric spoke seriously. Without much hesitation, Dorothy replied:

“I’m sorry, Mr. Audric, I don’t think I need to sell these things right now. Perhaps later.”

“Haha… Later, alright, then I’ll wait… ” Audric laughed, unsurprised by the answer.

“Well, Miss Meyshos, your sigil has been appraised. Do you have any other business?” Audric asked further, and Dorothy answered without hesitation.

“I want to know more about the Black Earth Tier. Mr. Audric, do you know any Black Tier advancement ceremonies?”

“Black Tier information, huh… Don’t tell me your spirituality has already accumulated enough for advancement.” Audric asked, and Dorothy simply waved her hand in response.

“Of course not. I just want to learn more and prepare in advance.”

“Mm… Indeed, from the Black Tier onwards, advancement ceremonies become complicated. It’s good to prepare ahead of time… However, when it comes to specific ceremonies, I’m sorry, the ones I know are all related to the ‘Stone’ path. You probably won’t need them,” Audric continued, though he wasn’t sure what kind of spirituality Dorothy possessed, he was certain it wasn’t the same as his own “Stone.”

“That’s a shame… Then do you have any information that could help with advancing to the Black Tier?” Dorothy asked, already considering her next steps.

“Helpful information for advancing to the Black Tier? Let me think… Ah, yes… I have a secret transmission here. It might contain something you’re interested in.” As he spoke, Audric held up four fingers in front of Dorothy.

“400 pounds.”

Looking at the usual Audric, Dorothy didn’t say much and prepared to pay, as her spirituality hadn’t yet reached its peak.

…

In Igewent, somewhere in the outskirts.

This was a cemetery. Amidst the open green fields, rows of white stone gravestones stood. Crows perched on the treetops, and only the occasional visitor walked between the graves. The sky above was slightly dark and oppressive.

On a path at the edge of the cemetery, two figures were walking together. They were both men in their thirties or forties, wearing gray windbreakers. One was taller, with a thin face almost like skin over bones, and a gloomy expression. The other was shorter, with a full beard and a square face, fierce-looking.

“Oswan… How is the situation on your end? Have you found anything?” The shorter man asked his companion as they walked, and the other immediately replied.

“I’ve found some leads. I inquired about the extraordinary community here, hmph… Although there aren’t many genuine extraordinary beings, it still counts as an extraordinary community…

“They mentioned a guy named Gray Hill who occasionally hosts extraordinary gatherings. He is a true extraordinary being, and seems to be more than just an apprentice. According to Mr. Lu Ke, many of the guards stationed by the White Stonemason enjoy hosting extraordinary gatherings, which makes it very likely.”

“Called Gray Hill… And he holds extraordinary gatherings? That does seem suspicious…” Godfrey nodded after listening to Oswan.

“Yes, so I originally planned to attend one of his gatherings to gather more information, but I discovered that Gray Hill hasn’t hosted any gatherings for quite some time recently. It seems that the Secret World in this city has been unstable due to the sudden collapse of a ‘Cup’ society, and I can’t find Gray Hill anymore.”

With a hint of complaint, Oswan said, then turned to look at his companion.

“So what about you, Godfrey? You’ve been investigating for several days, haven’t you?”

“I’ve also made some progress. Unlike you, apart from asking around the extraordinary community, I’ve also paid attention to local news.” As he spoke, Godfrey pulled out a few newspapers held between his fingers.

“You can take a look at this.”

As he spoke, Godfrey unfolded a newspaper, and the headline read about Viscount Field’s breaking news.

“This is the biggest news in the city these past few days. A viscount was bitten by a werewolf, and his seven adopted children were all scared witless, but one of them suddenly recovered.”

“A viscount bitten by a werewolf? Is there anything wrong with that?”

“Of course there is. You just said that the instability in the Secret World recently is because of the collapse of the ‘Cup’ society. This viscount was determined to be a member, even possibly the leader of the ‘Cup’ society. Someone saw him being taken away by the local black dogs’ carriage, and after that, the black dogs conducted a large-scale investigation, sealing off his houses in the city and suburbs. Anyone trying to approach would be driven away.”

Godfrey explained, but Oswan continued to ask confusedly.

“So what? What does this dead ‘Cup’ viscount have to do with the person we’re looking for?”

“Of course it matters. Look closely at the newspaper. It says that all of the viscount’s adopted children went mad… Hmph, where is the madness? We don’t understand the methods of the ‘Cup’ society? This is most likely a severe condition caused by the high-level poisoning and drugs of the ‘Cup’.

“To verify this, I even sneaked into the church hospital here to confirm that those little devils are indeed in the Extraordinary Injury Department… They are infected by the ‘Cup’, and the degree is not low…

“As I speak, Godfrey looked seriously at Oswan and continued.

“The key point is, how did one of these severely infected little devils miraculously recover.”

Listening to Godfrey’s words, Oswan was stunned, then continued to look at the newspaper, focusing on the column describing the only miraculous recovery of a girl, and furrowed his brows.

“Are you saying… That the reason this little devil miraculously recovered is because someone helped her, and the one who quickly eliminated the ‘Cup’ infection must be a master of the ‘Stone’ path?”

Oswan muttered, and Godfrey nodded seriously.

“Therefore, I believe that this miraculously recovered little devil is the key to finding that person!”