Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Departure

The night faded away as daylight arrived.

In the bustling Wokan Town, which was a key transportation hub, the wide rammed earth streets were filled with carriages from all over. Some were loaded with goods, others with passengers. Dust rose from the wheels, covering the entire street. Occasionally, long-distance travel carriages would stop to rest and replenish supplies in town.

On the third floor of a restaurant located at a crossroads, in a window-side cabin, Gregor was dining. At this moment, he was dressed in a white shirt, gray-black jacket, and western trousers, looking like an ordinary young man from a decent family. No one would associate him with the leader of the An Yin Bureau’s Hunter Team.

As Gregor used his kn*fe and fork to enjoy his steak, he looked down at the bustling intersection through the window beside him. He saw several strong laborers moving several wooden crates of different sizes onto a carriage, while a short hooded boss was directing the scene on-site.

“Hey, Gregor, we received news from the bureau. The guy we took out last night was Abbott Miller, a meat merchant from Oil Gully Lane. According to our intelligence, the second team raided his house this morning, finding three human bones in a hidden room in his home, one of which hadn’t been fully consumed yet. All those closely associated with him have been detained.”

Across from Gregor sat a woman in a gray dress with lace at the cuffs, her shoulder-length slightly curly yellow hair flowing freely. She was nibbling on a piece of bread while translating a telegram code, her words drawing Gregor’s attention back inside.

“Just three human bones found? Elena.”

“Mm-hm, that’s what the telegram says. Although they also discovered an altar with the meaning of ‘Cup,’ it had already been destroyed. The house was thoroughly searched, and any useful clues might have been destroyed beforehand,” Elena said, waving her hand dismissively after putting down the telegram code. She then began to focus on eating her bread, while Gregor stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“The Holy Communion members react pretty quickly…”

“Mmm… Yes, they always act swiftly. We finally caught a non-minion ‘Apprentice,’ but all the leads have been cut off. This is truly strange,” Elena said with a helpless tone. After hearing her words, Gregor fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

“So, does this mean that apart from taking out a ‘Cup’ Apprentice, we gained nothing from this operation?”

“Not just nothing; things have become even more complicated, Captain.” Elena spoke frankly, prompting Gregor to ask directly.

“Yes, even more complicated, especially that letter…”

Gregor frowned as he spoke. At this moment, Elena put down her bread, took out a pair of white gloves from a bag beside her, and put them on. Then she took out an envelope from the same bag, opened it, and started reading part of the letter inside.

“I should also mention that we seem to be under surveillance. It’s neither the An Yin Bureau nor the Church. The identity and purpose of the other party are unclear, but their methods are extremely bizarre and very dangerous. That’s why we changed our plans temporarily…”

After finishing, Elena shifted her gaze from the letter to Gregor, her eyes sharp.

“So… Who is keeping an eye on Abbott and his people?”

“I don’t know, but according to the content of the letter, the person watching them has bizarre and extremely dangerous methods. I think the corpse delivering the letter at the police station might have been killed by that mysterious target,” Gregor analyzed, sipping some red wine. Elena nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. We checked the body earlier, and there were traces of spirituality left on it, confirming that it was indeed affected by supernatural power. However, due to the influence of supernatural power, it’s difficult to determine the time and cause of d*ath.”

“In any case, the possibility of d*ath caused by supernatural power is high. It seems he was targeted by the mysterious figure during the delivery and tried to seek protection at the police station, but ended up being mysteriously killed…” Gregor continued his analysis. On the other side, Elena raised an eyebrow and spoke.

“It’s also possible that the mysterious target manipulated the messenger to go to the police station and specifically arranged for him to d*e there.”

“To specifically arrange for him to d*e there… Why?” Gregor asked, puzzled by Elena’s speculation. Elena then responded.

“To make the police notify us so that we could deal with Abbott and his people.”

“Us…” Hearing Elena’s words, Gregor frowned and continued thoughtfully.

“Could the mysterious target want us to clash with the Crimson Eucharist members? What could be the purpose of doing so?”

“That’s currently unclear. The most likely conjecture is that the mysterious target might be hostile towards the Holy Communion members, so they provided us with clues, hoping we could use Abbott as a breakthrough to strike against the Holy Communion. There could be other reasons too. Currently, we lack reliable information about the mysterious target.”

Elena analyzed, taking another sip of tea before continuing.

“Also, the recipient of the letter, Edric… We’ve investigated. He’s a local bigwig in Wokan Town. When we went to his house this morning, we found a pile of specially treated corpses, confirming that he indeed had contact with the extraordinary and the Holy Communion.”

“Yeah, Edric himself is nowhere to be found. Based on past experience, this guy is probably dead, and it’s highly likely that the mysterious target was responsible,” Gregor added, taking a deep breath afterward.

“Hmm… Mysterious and covert, bizarre methods, ruthless, and with an unclear motive… Looks like we’re dealing with someone who needs serious attention…”

Listening to Gregor’s words, Elena paused, then continued.

“Perhaps… It’s not just one person, but a group. In Igewent County, without backing, no one dares to mess with the Crimson Eucharist…”

Hearing Elena’s analysis, Gregor was slightly startled, then spoke incredulously.

“A group… You mean…”

“Oh, perhaps there’s a new secret society in Igewent? Whether it’s an external one or a local one…”

“A new secret society… If that’s true, things could get serious. We need to report back to the Chief immediately,” Gregor said seriously, and Elena nodded in response.

“Mm, I’ve already written the report. We can just hand it directly to the Chief when we return.”

“Report? Ha… As always, you’re better at thinking and planning than me… Without you, I wouldn’t be able to lead,” Gregor said self-deprecatingly, and Elena laughed.

“We each have our roles. In our team, Gregor Captain, your responsibility is to provide ample force.”

“Force? Whatever amount you need, I’ll give,” Gregor smiled, taking another sip of wine. He looked out the window again and saw that the wooden crates previously on the roadside had been loaded onto the carriage, while the short hooded boss was giving instructions to the coachman.

‘Such a short person, must have some disability. To be out here doing business, life is tough…’

He sighed inwardly, then drew the curtain, focusing on his lunch and not looking outside.

…

“Alright, everything is loaded, and the payment is settled. I’ll leave it to you now.”

At the bustling intersection, Dorothy, wearing a cloak with a hood, instructed the coachman in front of her. The dark-skinned coachman replied with a smile.

“Sure thing, miss, I’ll definitely deliver your cargo safely to the city!”

With that, the coachman started driving the carriage forward. Dorothy watched her cargo being transported away, a faint smile forming on her lips.

“Now, it’s time to find a comfortable passenger carriage and set off…”